#and also so correct about how you need to write flawed stories to make better ones (that will still be flawed bc no story is perfect)

[fixyourwritinghabits]

How to Handle Critique

I’ve got to admit, I wish I was one of those beatific saints that could take critique with a grateful smile. Instead, I am constantly suppressing a horrible little gremlin at the back of my head hissing at anything from legit plot critiques to grammar corrections. I’m well aware I used that comma wrong, GOD.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very good at suppressing that gremlin, but the little bastard is still there. He exists because even though your brain knows critique can help, it also knows you worked damn hard on the thing being critiqued, and goddamnit, isn’t that enough???

Anyway, here are some tips on getting that gremlin to shut the hell up.

It is okay to be upset. You worked really hard on this thing, and now someone’s gone and pointed out all the things that suck about it. You cannot control how you feel about one thing or another, but you can allow yourself to feel that way and let it pass through you. Let your critique partner you’re taking time to reflect on it, and go for a walk. Do something else. Let those feelings pass through you before you get back to the page.

Give yourself time. Don’t feel like you need to correct things right away (unless they are minimal grammar tweaks). Some pieces of feedback might take awhile to sink in, especially when you’ve got a whole novel to wrestle through. Set it aside, think about something else for a week or so, and get back to it when you’ve reset.

Get a second opinion and/or ducky friend. It can be very hard to tell the difference between good and bad feedback sometimes. Someone who means very well could give feedback that just doesn’t work for you, and someone who doesn’t give two shits could have spotted that fatal flaw right away. You can bring in a real third party or just make use of the old rubber duck technique, where you talk through the issue with a friend or a Naruto poster telling you to Believe it. Working it out out-loud is a really effective technique to figure out what needs fixing and what doesn’t.

Guide critique-givers toward the feedback you want. I, a person who prefers straightforward fantasy and sci-fi, cannot give the fine-tooth points on how a romance novel should work. However, I can give feedback on what works for me and what doesn’t story-wise. Giving your beta reader or critique partner a list of questions to look for will help avoid vague feedback based on how they don’t like the genre. There are many ways to do this, but consider using the following as a base to tailor your own questions:

Did you get a good sense of the setting? Did the worldbuilding make sense to you?

Was this story clear? Where there any parts that seemed confusing?

What characters did you like and why? What characters didn’t you like?

Did any parts of the story feel slow or repetitive?

Did the beginning draw you in? Did the middle keep you engaged? Did the ending feel satisfying?

If you were to write [insert plot point here], what would you do differently?

Again, all of the above questions are up for debate depending on your goal, but we are rarely taught how to give good feedback, and a guided feedback session would work better for you than a free-for-all.

Figure out what kind of advice doesn’t work for you. It is really hard to give good feedback sometimes, even with guided questions. It can also be really hard to figure out why some feedback doesn’t click with you, and that’s a matter of digging deep to figure out what you really want. You may lean toward characters who are horrible fuck-ups, but your partner prefers more steady characters who always strive to do the right thing. Your characters, therefore, may never click with this person, no matter how much they want to help you. And that’s okay! Figuring out where your critique partner is coming from can help you figure out what parts of their feedback isn’t working for you. Sometimes the only thing you can do is thank them and move on, but you might also want to guide them to focus more on the plot or the worldbuilding when looking at your work.

And last, don’t focus on grammar. It’s great if they point that out, but if you end up changing everything, trying to fix that first is a waste of your time. Grammar tweaks last, plot points first.

And, I dunno, give yourself a treat to get that horrible little mind gremlin something else to focus on. Sometimes patting those bad feelings on the head and sending them away can help way more than ignoring them.

[dearasteria]

Major Gale romance SPOILERS below, so please DO NOT read and watch if you don't want to get spoiled.

I was REALLY worried about how romance with Gale would go, especially after talking to him right after he gets Karsas' book. My Tav wanted to believe and trust him, but something didn't feel right. At the end of Act II, when Tav tries to convince him not blow himself up for his ex's forgivness/to save Faerûn, it can be summed up with that one gif from Grey's Anatomy: "So pick me. Choose me. Love me" 🤡. Honestly, she asks not only to choose her, but also not to kill her and the rest of the team. Gale is so easily swayed and tells Tav that he loves her, even more than Mystra. Tav should be happy, right? But I'm like WAIT A DAMN MINUTE, it was faaar too easy, I mean, no protests from him, I didn't even have to use persuasion to convince him. At that point, after the trauma that Bioware had caused us with Anders and Solas, I'm getting paranoid. Gale doesn't love Tav, he's definitely hiding something. But I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, calm down, he just doesn't want to die, super understable. Maybe he really loves her and he needed to hear it? He needed reassurance that he has something to live for? Yes, it must be it". But then I go to the quest journal and see this:

DAMMIT GALE, you snake 🐍 My poor baby Tav (especially since the romance scene in Waterdeep was so warm and tender). She's so in love in him. Now I'm convinced that he will definetly betrey us, stubs us right in the heart.

At the beginning of Act III, he becomes obsessed with a book called The Annals of Karsus that may help him learn more about the crown. He becomes obsessed with how powerful he can become. When Tav gives him the book and says, "We already know the crown's dangerougs. Wouldn't that make things worse?" he replies:

"Worse? It could be the best thing that ever happened to me. To us."

After all this, Gale tries to convince Tav to help him reconstruct the crown. We have this beautiful scene on the boat and when I tell you my jaw dropped. HE CHOOSES TAV, listens to her concerns and simply chooses her.

The way he says it, the way he corrects himself… damn. For Tav, it's like a bucket of cold water. And I'm like, "Here we go again" 🤡

Furthermore, when we visit the Stormshore Tabernacle in Baldur's Gate and interact with Mystra's statue, he seems to feel so uncomfortable, he doesn't want to be there. Tav starts to think he's definitely hiding something. She would like to hear Mystra's version of what happened between her and Gale (I hope we can talk to her at some point in the game, it would be very interesting).

My Tav, however, disagreed, and Gale replies, "I hope you're right. I truly do. Godly power, perhaps I can live without, but you? You're everything". Has the curse of dating mages that leave players heartbroken been broken?

But I have to admit, when he said: "With you, I forget my goddess. I love you. Tell me you feel the same way. Tell me you want what I want. Please" - OH GODS 😳. I was so close to agreeing to this madness. The VA did an amazing job (side note: so many talented VAs in this game, it's mind blowing), the writing is amazing, the music is incredible, I was blown away, really.

Next day, after the boat scene, he's so adorable and full of love for Tav. Then I remembered his gratest flaw (for me it's more like his biggest fear) from the scene with Zethino in the circus: "He thinks he, and the world, might be better off if he were dead". At the time I thought he was lying, manipulating Zethino and his answers. My distrust of mages in games… Yes, I have a problem 😅

I haven't finished the game, but I have high hopes for a happy ending. No spoilers please, thanks :)

What a rollecoster of emotions, I love it, I love Gale. It felt like I was playing Dragon Age: Origins for the first time, way back when I was a teenager. It's really insane how this game makes me feel, how much I care about its characters and story.

EDIT: Okay, so we have an audience with Mystra, I mean only Gale, but we see the whole conversation between them. My only complain is that Gale doesn't mention Tav when Mystra asks him why he defied her 💔 The outcomes are different depending on whether you do it before or after the boat scene. Personally, I think doing the boat scene before meeting Mystra is much better. I get the impression that Gale is abandoning the plan to reconstruct the crown solely for Tav and his love for her. And the drama 👌🏻 it gives me life.

[mdhwrites]

if you were the writer of the show what type of bigotry in the Owl House show would you include so it would make the inhabitants have flaws without Belos’s influence?

WRONG! bops you on the head

If you make fictional bigotry in your story, you should not then make that bigotry TRUE. It's actually a part of the problem with Belos' death. By making it so that he claims "We as humans are better than these people because we wouldn't let someone die mercilessly like this," only to then have the characters literally go, "Well we aren't," then you justify the bigot. He is not a bigot... He's just correct. They are as awful, cruel and evil as he believes.

Star Rail had this problem in 2.0 where they had a character theoretically be treated with prejudice for his race. However, someone states what that means and 3/5 matched dead on for how he behaved. The one most targeted at him was in fact 100% correct for that patch. As such, it's hard to call that racist instead of an objectively correct judge of character.

And, in case it isn't VERY clear: That is really fucking awful to do as a writer. Even if these are fictional prejudices, it still is like writing a real world stereotype to its stereotype and nothing else. It makes something that is fundamentally irrational and cruel, logical and justified. That's not the message you should be sending to put it mildly.

This is one of the rough elements of including bigotry in a story. You have to be smart enough to first pinpoint why people were bigoted in the first place as most hate groups have an agenda. Manifest Destiny was an excuse for expansion and cruelty, claiming that God preordained their right to this place and so the people who were already there were trespassers and beneath them for they were not blessed by God. The main purpose though was to have some sort of excuse to get what they want. Then you need to show how this is codified into the dominant society. What do people think are the stereotypes that justify their hate? Then you need to turn that back around to show how those people are not what is being claimed and the blunt fact that these lies are spread mostly for personal gain or comfort.

Belos' hate for wild witches is just... They're evil. They are godless heathens who care not for others suffering. Yes, eventually they try to claim he's doing this for glory but it's flimsy when he's ready to die to reach this goal. Can't get glory when you died in another realm, can you? Worse yet, S1 of TOH just makes this belief fact for the majority of the Isles. Remember episode two with "I WANT TO WEAR YOUR SKIN"? It's why they have to retcon the Isles to having been a paradise before Belos arrived or else he's just correct. They have to claim everyone is a greedy asshole because of him or else from go, the show is on his side.

Now we could go into his prejudice against wild witches but... That doesn't actually exist. He doesn't believe in it and seemingly no one else does either. Hunter doesn't, Bump doesn't, Lilith barely cares about it and more in a way that makes the difference be between industry and freelance work, etc. etc. In fact, it's not prejudice in the Isles: It's just law. Eda is factually breaking the law and that's how everyone treats it. As a bounty to be collected. Not someone who is objectively, abhorrently wrong in the eyes of their society because of this fact about themselves. A fact mind you that Eda chose which actually isn't normal for bigotry. Most that critique go with something that is who the person is by birth, whether that be transgender, gay, a certain race, etc. like that. The closest is discrimination through religion which is not really the vibe this gives because no one actually cares about the religion of the Titan either. It's at BEST a representation of Jim Crow laws but like... It also applied to literally every single living being on the Isles at one point because this show is really bad at this angle.

For the wild witch prejudice to actually function, people would need to think wild witches eat babies, steal your magic, burn down towns, etc. like that. Eda should send people screaming... And so should Luz. Which is why this isn't the case. See, Eda being Momma Eda would have been a great critique of how people saw her. How this one choice made them assume things that were inherently wrong. That's how you do critique of bigotry. But at the same time, that means Luz would have had to fight for acceptance. Fight to clear her name. She couldn't have gone to a magic school in episode because quite literally everyone on the Isles should hate her desire for magic because she inherently can't be a part of the coven system so her dream is to be a wild witch.

The show NEVER deals with complications like that though. That's why Eda is the only wild witch. That's why no one cares about her being a wild witch. It's why in the same episode that Bump is trying to apply for funding from the Emperor's Coven, he has Luz, APPRENTICE TO EDA THE OWL LADY, at his school as a regular student. I can't imagine how that would cause a problem. -_-

Which yes, making the Isles fearful and hateful about the limitless self expression of being a wild witch would make them flawed. Would make them follow a false belief as part of the grand scheme of a bigot. It's almost like the people at the top spread their false beliefs in order to gain power and control the masses. It is actually a good idea for it to have been Belos' influence that caused this hate it's just not actually there in the show, regardless of what anyone else tries to say.

And if you want an example of all of this done right? Zecora. From My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I'm not even kidding. In her introductory episode, we are shown that because she is different, a zebra who lives in the woods, EVERYONE in Ponyville is terrified of her. Then when something goes wrong, it assumed to be her fault. However, the Poison Joke actually being told is that they all made fools of themselves while being hateful. That if they had just listened to her, extended trust to her, there would have been no problem because their prejudices were inherently irrational and wrong.

In 22 minutes, My Little Pony addresses bigotry better, more comprehensively and more meaningfully than TOH does in THREE SEASONS. But... I guess only one has gained the reputation for being deep and thoughtful so we should just assume it did it better, right?

Sorry but I prefer to focus on reality than the biased perception that fits my narrative. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[antianakin]

I think something a lot of fans of Anakin tend to forget about him is that his story is told and looked at in reverse: the effect of his actions (Vader and the Empire) were shown an written before the cause (him being a Jedi and then falling). Vader, the irredeemable monster, being forgiven by Luke, is supposed to be a statement on Luke’s character, not Anakin’s. Vader isn’t post Anakin, Anakin is pre-Vader. Framing him like that, it’s suddenly clear just how flawed and terrible Anakin was even before he took a nosedive off the diving board of common sense (if he was ever on it)

The redemption that so many fans want to give Vader, then, is framed in film less as Vader realizing he’s wrong and doing a 180. It’s Luke recognizing how close he is to becoming Vader, choosing a better path, and getting tortured for it. Honestly, as far as Vader’s actual redemptive moment, it’s a fairytale moment of “death equals redemption” that holds up in the narrative of Luke’s story, but wouldn’t actually accomplish anything for Vader.

All that to say… Anakin should be recognized as being Pre-Vader, and if someone wants to do a fixit good ending story with him they either need to kill him off or spend a LOT of time getting him to actually recognize his failures and then turn away from them.

(Unfortunately, that’s a LOT of *work*, so most people just woobify him and call it a day. Thank you for your work of correcting this misunderstanding, and sorry for the long ask 😅)

In fairness, Lucas had a pretty good amount of the story from the Prequels WRITTEN already, he just ended up having to make the story in reverse, which is why there's references to Anakin having been a Jedi who fell and the Clone War. But most of it is just that... references. We ARE focused on Luke's story and so Anakin's background is there to, as you say, highlight LUKE'S choices and struggles and triumphs. We never find out why Anakin did the things he did in the OT (aside from Obi-Wan's comments about his own arrogance in trying to train Anakin which the Prequels retconned anyway), so Anakin's choices are a reflection on Luke more than anything else because Luke is the character we actually know.

And... yeah. Anakin's redemption is difficult for me because I get why it happened the way it did in the OT. Anakin's biggest crimes within the context of JUST what we see in the Original Trilogy are against Luke himself (chopping off the arm, killing Obi-Wan) and so the fact that he dies by saving Luke means he's fairly directly addressed those crimes and made amends for them. He can die having fixed those mistakes and forgiven by the person he's hurt the most. It works. But adding in the Prequels means now there's the Tuskens he murdered, Padme who he manipulates and betrays, the Republic he's dismantled, and the Jedi Order that he betrays and genocides (and adding in TCW means we can also include the clones that he betrays and enslaves). And now all of the sudden there's a LOT more that we have directly seen him do that needs to be redeemed and a lot more amends he needs to make and a lot more people whose forgiveness he doesn't have and will likely never get. There's a lot of things that killing Palpatine can never and will never fix or undo. It doesn't directly address almost ANY of those sins. And so this sudden redemption via death stops feeling so satisfying because it just... doesn't actually mean anything in the face of what we've now seen him do.

Like you say, it holds up if you just look at Luke's narrative, but it falls apart when you look at Anakin's own.

Redeeming Anakin while taking into account everything he has done over the Prequels, TCW, Rebels, the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and anything else that's been written for him in other media would be a difficult story to write. It WOULD take a lot of time, he may never actually completely redeem himself for what he's done because he may never truly be able to let go of some of those fears or some of his guilt and grief. He may never quite lose the instinct to react to things with violence. It SHOULD be messy and complicated, but that's not always the most satisfying story to write or even to read, so that's where we end up with woobified Anakin who just gets to do one slightly goodish thing and call it a day.

[jessequinnfirstofhername]

I'm happy that you enjoyed my hornets' nest take 😁

Another controversial take: Anakin and Padmé are in a doomed relationship from the start (that's why I love it so I'm not complaining)

People bash the Jedi order for "not allowing relationships" (which tells me they don't see friendship as a meaningful relationship, we see Jedi having friends) but considering their marriage is a political figure with a padawan (so technically not an adult) who had just committed an ethnic cleansing... yeah no wonder it ended in a tragedy

Honestly it's showing something I've seen with a ton of Star Wars fans : they are complaining when characters do stupid things (or have another opinion than the one they have), but if all the characters were perfect and there wasn't any conflict... what is supposed to be the story ? Do I need to pull out the course on storytelling for them?

When I started this little experiment, I promised I'd react to each and every opinion, no matter how controversial or how much I agreed/disagreed with it. Honestly, I have no regrets about that... but man, do I hear a hornet's nest buzzing when I see some of these hot takes!

Ani and Padme's love theme is called 'Across the Stars', and it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music in cinema history. No sarcasm, no joke. It's just breathtaking.

Buuuuuut, do I need to remind everyone what the phrase 'Star-Crossed Lovers' means?

They were always screwed, and it's the tragedy of their relationship. Also Anakin didn't exactly make matters any better with that massacre he just committed.

(...also I'm curious now. Would nineteen year old Padawan Ani have been considered a legal adult in-universe?)

Now, I'm not a Jedi myself, so all of my Jedi followers do correct me if I'm wrong. Even if you're just a Padawan, your voice counts. But my understanding is that relationships are not banned, it's that pesky attachment that's banned. So I'll make an argument that the Jedi Order critics are kinda right. I mean, what sort of a friendship can you even have if you're not allowed to be attached to them?

But, I do agree in general with your point about conflict. I don't get it when people say characters being imperfect or flawed is 'bad writing'. ...like... where's the plot meant to come from?

[rhaenin-time]

The reason the world of ASOIAF is so rich and often seems to build itself is that it's a projection of the eurocentric worldview.

More specifically, George RR Martin's eurocentric worldview. Sometimes it's intentional. In fact, GRRM comes in more aware of his biases than a lot of fantasy authors. But he still leans on them in order to build an organic world on intuition. What differentiates him from so many other (mostly white) fantasy authors is that he proceeds to then question aspects of that worldview within the narrative.

That means you need to understand the flaws in the eurocentric worldview in order to deconstruct or even just understand that world on a larger scale.

Which is why trying to 'solve' ASOIAF by forcing together tiny tiny breadcrumbs into tiny tiny puzzle pieces and putting them together with other breadcrumbs shaped into other puzzle pieces when the mold that makes them fit is simply the product of a larger story... It's not going to get you anywhere. Correction, it's going to get you everywhere, forever digging for breadcrumbs to twist into even more puzzle pieces that will take you further and further away from the story at hand.

This is the case for so many pieces of media, so many works of art that we now dismiss as content, and the general conversation around them. I wholly blame the general dismissal of the arts, humanities, and "the curtains are blue" analysis, and honestly, how most English and reading curriculums don't do a very good job of helping students enjoy trying to understand art.

So let me shout it from the rooftops:

It doesn't matter what happened to Lucy Gray Baird. What matters is that her legacy, and the culture that she embodies, lives on in the Covey, in the people whose lives she touched, and in Katniss. That the flames not just of revolution, but of a people, are stronger than the will and the bullets of the colonizer.

Annihilation is about pain and self-destruction, not about whether the aliens took over the world. Folding Ideas says it far better than I ever could:

And finally, the fantasy genre, in general, is one of the most metaphorical and symbolic genres of writing. When it's written well. And when you apply that understanding to ASOIAF, you get a much clearer picture than reddit posts about how 'the Bloodstone Emperor is secretly Azor Ahai and they're both evil' and 'Westeros is a fairytale land and the Targaryens are colonizers and let's just ignore the Andals and also the definition of colonialism and also how Targaryens and fire symbolize flexibility, the potential for change, and are the outsiders with a mysterious past used to reflect how feudalism and the patriarchy are incompatible with their family because feudalism and patriarchy are incompatible with humanity,' could ever hope to give you.

[camlannpod]

hi I’m the person who asked about character creation advice in the listen along stream. My internet went funny so sorry I couldn’t specify on stream!

I meant characters in general! I really want to get into writing stories (books, podcasts, film, I haven’t really decided yet) but I’m struggling a bit with fleshing out my characters and I often feel like they’re all kind of the same person.

I really love the characters in Camlann so advice would be great!

Hi hello! Thank you so much for joining us for the stream, I'm sorry for your internet difficulties!!

Hm, this is an interesting and tricky question which I want to preface with a quick disclaimer:

Everyone writes differently. There's no one correct way to write, and whilst there are tool sthat you can use for writing - just like there are tools in visual art and music, learning which tools you want to use and how you want to use them is, I think, a big part of learning how to write well and in a way that's enjoyable for you.

This said! People often make jokes / comments about 'plotters vs pantsers' or 'architects vs gardeners'. A lot of writers fall into one of two categories - meticulously plotting detail before writing, or just kind of going with the flow. I personally am very much in the latter category, so I'm afraid I don't have a lot of specific tools or exercises I can give you.

This said, I'm going to do my best. Ursula K Le Guin is, in my opinion, one of the best writers of the 20th century, and she writes a lot of wonderful essays about the imagination and writing which I find really inspiring. I'm paraphrasing because I can't find the quote, but she once said something along the lines of: "If I can't close my eyes and have a conversation with a character, then I'm not ready to write their story yet."

That's a lot how I feel about writing characters. Some of it is conscious. I identify traits - flaws, strengths, quirks - in myself and others, and I give them to my characters. Dai is hyperactive and excitable because I'm hyperactive and excitable. Perry infodumps because I infodump. Morgan is stressed and protective because I am both of those things. But they also all have elements I don't have - Morgan is a lot more understated and pragmatic than I am. Dai is much more confident and reckless. Perry is significantly more organised and self-disciplined.

As a rule, I personally find it best to avoid ever trying to write 1 for 1 either yourself or a friend into a character. That way lies hurt feelings and honestly an inability to see them clearly, because it's very hard to see yourself objectively. Instead, I think of it like putting puzzle pieces together, or a patchwork quilt, or planting seeds. People often say good writers are good eavesdroppers. Phrases that people say on the tram stick with me. Strangers in shops. People dancing. Expressions and ways of speaking that filter through to characters I write.

Once I've identified a small handful of key pieces, I leave them to grow in my subconscious. This normally takes a few months. It's like...moulding a piece of wet clay for a few hours - ok, I don't want them to be X, I do need them to do Y - and once you've got roughly what you want in the right places, putting it in the kiln that is your mind and letting it cook. I just...think about my characters a lot - daydream about them, imagine them in different situations etc. Once I feel they've had enough time to settle, I start writing.

I honestly find one of the best ways to get to know a character is just writing them. For me that always feels like a conversation. And not just writing - editing and rewriting and rewriting - learning what they would or wouldn't say, thinking about how they'd react in different situations etc. There are...minimum 7 drafts of the Camlann scripts? I got to know the gang better just because I spent a lot of time with them.

Finally, for audio specifically, always always read your scripts aloud! If you can, rope in a friend or two. The way people speak out loud and the way they speak in our heads when we're reading is very different. Something that's incredibly moving in prose can feel awkward and stilted in audio. So read it out loud - start getting a sense of your character's vernacular. Do they say 'don't' or 'do not'? Do they swear? Do they use slang? Are they flirty, shy? I always find that my characters start coming to life when I can hear their voices. If I can hear them speaking to me, they're ready to be written.

This is all a little wibbly wobbly, and very personal to me, but I hope it at least helps you think about how you want to write. Good luck, and have fun!

[that-ari-blogger]

Collateral Damage (White Out)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a series about trauma and recovery. I think it is important to understand the nuance of its depiction and exploration of the concept.

Specifically, because one of the main criticisms that I have seen of the series is that it ignores the wider effects of the character's pasts and actions. That it excuses the character's actions and the damage that they cause. I disagree with this premise.

I can see where the idea is coming from, but I don't think it is entirely correct. I don't think the series shies away from the effects that its characters behaviours have, and to that end, I present White Out as an example of what I mean.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

This episode explores trauma's effects on a personal level and on an environmental scale. Both Catra and the first ones' tech have gone through the ringer, and are taking that out on those around them.

I think that the decision to focus this episode on Scorpia is important, because it allows that personal side of the issue to show. This may be a hot take, but Catra isn't a particularly nice person.

"We weren't sent here to chase rumors. Hordak wants tech. If your bots can't dig it out, then maybe I'll send you down there"

This line reveals the reason Catra is acting this way, but it also shows her threatening someone close to her. This isn't how friends should behave.

And, throughout this entire episode, Catra is blunt and to the point. She is quick to anger, and impulsive. Take this exchange for example:

"Scorpia, good, you're here." "Yes, I am." "Entrapta brought all this junk from her lab. Help me find a space heater or something, since apparently, we live here now."

It's an instruction, not a request, and on a one off, this might be just rashness. But Catra phrases everything as is she is talking to subordinates, which neither of her companions are. Scorpia is of equal rank to her, technically, and Entrapta might be slightly higher.

The audience can see why Catra is so scared, it was there when Hordack removed her ability to breathe as a stunt. But I would like you to imagine, briefly, if you didn't know that, if someone you knew told you they would throw you in a pit unless you did your job better. The only reason Catra is getting away with this behaviour is because Entrapta is entirely unintimidated by her.

The audience perspective is actually spoken aloud by Scorpia.

"She's misunderstood! You of all people should know that! I mean, you grew up together..."

Scorpia is making excuses for Catra here, and I would argue that she is both right and wrong. Catra is misunderstood, but she's also doing real damage. She may be a sad kitten, but she is also the villain.

I feel the need to make something clear here. A character being a bad person does not make them a bad character at all, or even reflect badly on the story as a whole. The fact that Catra is the villain of this story is important, because it explicitly frames her actions as undesirable. This is unquestionably a strength of the writing, not a flaw.

"...I can't compete with that. No matter what I do, I can't seem to break down her walls. But you two, even when you're trying to kill each other, you can tell there's a real bond there. I just, I wish she would see me as being worth her time, too."

Scorpia's line continues, and I would like to quickly dwell on her motivation here. Scorpia is the friend who will always have Catra's back, the gal pal, the... roommate. Or at least she would be, if Catra gave her the time of day.

Catra is routinely presented with ways to get out of her situation, and Scorpia is one way of that, offering her emotional stability. Sure, she may not be interested in her romantically, but the offer of friendship is there at the very least, and Catra refuses to take it up. Well, until the end of the episode, but we will get there in a moment.

Enter Sea Hawk, who helps to ease the problem in the most Sea Hawk way possible. He listens, and he tells stories. The man is a bard, and while I don't find his struggle with "being cool" nearly as compelling as the rest of the episode, I think the way he uses that to empathise is fantastic.

Because, Sea Hawk is kind of a role model for Scorpia here. They work out together that they need to care for themselves as well as others, but Sea Hawk also demonstrates actions that Scorpia applies later on in the series, that being his ability to understand. Scorpia at this point has just been listening, but Sea Hawk drives home how important it is to actually understand, but also the importance of having limits.

As such, when Scorpia breaks the crystal, she disobeys Catra for her own good, and I think that her actions are why Catra is finally willing to open up herself, because Catra doesn't want power, she wants safety. Adora gave her that, not just through protecting her physically, but also by giving her some boundaries to comfortably sit inside, so that Catra had structure. Scorpia gives her that.

"Hey, thanks for getting us out of there."

This is one of the only two times in the entire episode that the word "thank you" or anything approximating it is spoken. The other time being immediately after, with Scorpia thanking Catra for the blanket. Respect goes both ways, Catra needs to learn that.

But, and I want to be absolutely clear about my premise here, the moral of the episode is that you need to have limits to protect yourself. Because Catra may be misunderstood, but that will cause Scorpia some genuine problems if she doesn't have the ability to say that enough is enough.

This isn't just on Scorpia. The episode and the series explicitly frame Catra's actions as something that she needs to change herself, and that, while support groups are important for that, that has to come from within as well.

She-Ra doesn't romanticise the abuse Catra receives or gives off, it says "these are bad, and are getting in the way of her relationships".

On the other side of the story, I don't think that the murder virus is a virus. I think it's very much intentional.

Hear me out, the first ones were at war, and the series goes on to discuss that they were maybe not the best of people. The cost of war is an important theme in the series as a whole, and I don't believe it is out of the question to suggest that the first ones might have set up a kill switch incase their enemy ever made it to Etheria.

The important thing to note is that, whatever happened to the crystal, intentional or not, it is having massively damaging effects on Etheria as a whole.

Final Thoughts

I have seen a lot of discourse around the She-Ra fandom that seems to believe that Sea Hawk is annoying, and I will defend my boy to the end of my days. I am blind to all criticisms against this man, and will not hear any argument.

In seriousness, I think that when you see a take about a series that you disagree with, it is important to explain why you came to your conclusions. The purpose of analysis isn't to be all high and mighty, its to say "I like/dislike _, because..."

Discussion online has a habit of devolving into who can shout the loudest, and I think that is a shame, because it means that, specifically when talking about stories, a lot of nuance goes unspoken.

Next week, I am looking at Light Spinner, an episode that is one of my favourites, so stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[phightinghottakes]

I see a lot of people saying that phighting story is bad bc the devs keep adding new stuff instead of expanding the pre existing lore, and while I do agree that having not a lot of lore available can be frustrating, u guys need to understand that phighting is in ALPHA. A lot of the world-building/characters are gonna be underdone at the moment because of this. The current plan from what I’ve read is to finish making 26 phighters before starting on story mode, which should reveal most if not all the lore. On top of this, soda is writing a comic to reveal a lot of other lore related things that won’t be relevant in game. Another thing is that last I checked (correct me if im wrong), phighting currently only has 3 DEVS working on the ENTIRE GAME. I think that’s crazy!!!!!!! the dedication to make a whole ass game with 3 people of this quality without getting paid just for funsies is insane!!!!!!

It’s ok to point out the worldbuilding flaws but I think it’s kinda annoying to point them out when a lot of the worldbuilding isn’t actually there. That’s like critiquing a half baked pie. It’s not finished yet!!!! And, personally I think it’s really cool and actually a good thing that they’re prioritizing the actual game instead of the lore. They’re adding new characters to make the game better, and the lore for all of them will be expanded eventually. Also also, if they were to finalize the lore now, they wouldn’t be able to add new stuff at all!!! Adding new characters is kinda the best thing they can do until they start on story mode. I think it makes perfect sense esp from a game developing stand point. Rushing them or telling them to work on lore is just kinda redundant and unhelpful. They’ll get to it eventually and I’d rather have a good game than sooner lore reveals. I think it speaks to the integrity of the devs (game development wise, ik soda defended a groomer 💀) for them to continuously put the quality of the game over the lore for it. Not saying you can’t have both but again, if they started finalizing and honing in on lore rn they wouldn’t be able to add new stuff later. also like,,,not trying to say u can’t criticize the game but at the end of the day this is their project, they can take their time with it and write the story however they want, and some of y’all need to sit the phuck down cuz I’m tired of seeing lectures attacking the devs for honestly good design choices. At the end of the day phighting is currently a pvp game, not a story game, so the lore shouldn’t be their first priority at all anyways?? And really, I hate when ppl say that bc I think we all know how much the writing can make or break a game and how important it is, but u guys are being way too serious about this, esp since the devs already plan on adding more lore. This level of criticism is srsly unjustified imo. Even if they gave up development all together (it is a passion project afterall), I still think they would’ve made a great game and it definitely wouldn’t have fallen into the issue of adding too many new features without expanding upon the main stuff. Everything added so far seems to just be improvements. This even applies to choices outside of the lore. ok this rant was long lol oops ily take care

Hate to break it to you but they canned story mode sorry

Now we have to get all the lore from my least favorite character (Broker)

[yanderefairyangel]

*sight*

Alright so I learned that the video I reblogged here to correct the OP's mistake on Sombron's past is not very well received from fans of the game and that a certain group of individual is saying that "Engage fans need to accept objective contrusctive critiscism and opens their eyes to the objective flaws of the game"...

And I will sound rude while saying this but can you please stop ?

While the OP that made the video didn't said anything really negative about Engage other then the fact it was badly promoted by IS and had a fierce competition on the markert and therefore don't deserves such a backlash, put yourself into our shoes for 2 seconds. And wonder how tiresome it must be for Engage fans to have to deal with people telling them everytime why the game they like sucks and why they are idiot for liking it.

Most Engage fans don't know where to find postivity for the game because the biggest blockbusters are post sheeting on it and tearing it to shreads. Each time a video on ytb releases, it's someone trying to explain "why Engage bad". There is not a single video about "why Engage good actually" (and if I had a ytb channel and could make a video I swear I would do it) and the few that exist have an Engage hatred crowed comming arguing with the OP they are wrong or an idiot for making it. And I'd also love to point out it doesn't matter if you like both 3H and Engage, it doesn't matter if at the end you think 3H has a better story then Engage, the moment you dare to say anything positive about this game, the moment you dare to like the villains or the characters, you will have a bunch of people writing essays on "why you are objectively wrong".

And might I add that up until now, not a single one of those video or essays or whatever you'll call it seems to be able to get the story without having ONE at least of the take being wrong. I see. Straight up wrong takes. In "critical essays". And no one NO ONE in the comment section will correct them. The fact that there is people to this day that still believe Zephia is Alear and Veyle's biological mother and no one will ever correct them on that one detail that NEVER existed in the story is baffling to say the least, depressing to say the most.

Keep in mind they are looking about positivity and never, never find a single safe space to see content where they can express their love for the story, gameplay or characters without some haters to show up and "try to own them" with "objective arguments" and what objective arguments ? They keep getting the story wrong somehow. And most of them admit that it's because they never played the game and even skipped the story or never played it again after that and they think their voice has some relevance ? They always manage to get one detail wrong, whether it's what one of the character says, do or acts or anything. It says a lot that someone is able to make a 2hour long video where they claimed that Alcryst attacking Alear is never explained even though IT LITERALY IS EXPLAINED WHY 2 SECONDS LATER but somehow NO ONE will try to correct them.

Also keep in mind that some will say "only people whose first game is Engage liked it" while other "only veterans (people here since Fe1) will like it" so basically never getting along on their reason to dislike it and then dragging people into it not caring about what they think or their background

This is not constructive criticism anymore, it's nothing but disguised bad faith.

And when you have some people like the OP who made the last video that is now being badly received that did like the story a bit and shares what they think is positive, you can rest assured that someone will come to tell them "yeahs ackshually you are wrong about liking this thing because this game is a failure and trash" and no body will correct the OP on that one small mistakes he made even though he seemed genuine and would have appreciate the corrections.

Keep in mind that Engage fans have to deal with those individual almost everytime, with now the new trend being people hyping over Unicorn overload and comparing it to Engage to say "Engage trash"

With all of this, now doesn't it makes more sense for Engage fans to be upset at the "construsctive criticism "? Because they are used now, used to the fact that whatever might await them won't be construsctive critics, but pure hatred. Engage fans aren't blind to the flaws of the game unlike what those people naively believe. Many Engage fans are critical of things that in the story they disliked or want some stuff to be improved. Many Engage fans thinks that the Manga is more competent then the game in the storytelling or thinks it is better overall. Many Engage fans can make fun of the story being somewhat clumsy in some scene of the game.

But they love the game for what it does right. And the game does a lot more thing right then people give it credit for.

They don't need someone to perpetually recommend them that video from XFeTuber because "see ? the game you like is trash and I am right to hate it !" because that is nothing but the attitude of a sheep. A sheep. FeTubers aren't God, they are just people with their own opinions and their own relationship to media. And most FEtuber I saw aren't that harsh on the game either because they like the gameplay, the characters and the gameplay or still enjoyed the story to bits. They are sharing their opinion, like everyone does.

So really, being this tired over the negativity would obviously lead to people not wanting to see anymore of those video that keeps blasting over youtube on "what went wrong with Engage" or "why did it fall off ?". You have no idea how tiresome it is to see those video everyday, the success that they have and the fact their bad and straight up wrong takes are being quoted by all the people who didn't liked it like good little sheeps.

It is no wonder that those fans would be more reluctant to share their opinion online and that so many comes to me telling me that they see so many negativity against this game they feel unsafe about the fact they liked it or ends up thinking they should be ashamed for thinking the narrative has some nice things to it.

And again, seeing how popular youtube is I would love to make a video on why Engage is actually good, but I won't, and not just because I don't want to end up in that cesspool, but because to explain why Engage good actually, it would take over 10 hours to get every point the game does well and in depth, a format tumblr is much easier for. You can say a lot, lot of thing in that plateform and going in depth of the subject without a time restriction. Because tell me, if there was an over 11h long video about why Engage good actually, do you really think people would view it ?

Compared to what I do, small post that all go in depth with some elements of Engage ? This format is easier and much more tolerable.

And I will also bring the fact that Engage gets constantly compared to 3H with obviously people praising it and this too gets on Engage's fans nerves. Most of them enjoyed both game and those who didn't liked Engage are telling them they have to choose and aren't allowed to like both. And then will go on saying that "Engage fans are getting their just deserves for sheeting on 3H" and where did they saw that because I have always witnessed the opposite ! 3H diehards sheeting on Engage ! There was even a FEtuber who made a series of video on a FE x Touhou fangame with someone commenting on how "Engage lost it sold less then 3H" and saying "it deserves to be forgotten and to have sold less" and blaiming it "for being an outiright failure that will kill the franchise". While always praising 3H. You really think it's not going to have people being tired of that game when they just want to move on ? Don't you think people are going to hate this game just because of how the fans behave ? Don't you think it is going to annoy people especially those who weren't sold in 3H's story ? It WILL and while sheeting on 3H just because the fans do it with Engage is stupid and will only perpetuate a circle of hatred, I don't see why people would be surprised that some people can't stand this game any longer. It says a lot that even people who didn't liked Engage are tired of those comparison or will try to discuss the game to attenuate those opinion all of this to get called names.

The fact that there is so few positivity about a game that's genuinely good is mentaly exhausting. It's the cause why the game is doing less good, that coupled with the post pandemic world and the competition. And people will obviously feel less safe talking about it online so either they avoid sharing their opinion online and enjoy it offline quietly, either they do it in private either in real life, you know, where you can't keep in track of someone's history, either they will try to look for positivity, give up and think they should just move on to another game.

This blog for instance is mainly about fanarts, I never intended to make any meta post and was just doing more Engage fancomics because I enjoyed it, but the negativity was to such a level I said stop and took my switch, and went on a deep deep deep dive to make those analysis and I am so glad I decided to do it because it helped me saw so many great thing in the writing and each time I replay it, I am always having more fun then for the 1st one. Most of the time I do am trying to spread positivity about this game and that's why I tend to avoid as much as possible to compare it to 3H because I am perfectly aware of the risk. The risk being that people will jump unto this to point it out as "loook, this is real coping, another Engage fan sheeting on 3H to say Engage better" because no. While I do enjoy Engage more and think it does better then 3H, none of my post are here to make this comparison, but to see what Engage really does good or wrong, and what I though were just redeeming qualitites kept on multiplying to the point it was obvious it is just a good game with some flaws in the story. And that those flaws are what people are focused on to make it sound like it has nothing to offer, or was made without heart, effort, love, fun or inspiration, which is straight up wrong. Say whatever you want about Komuro, but while the gameplay was admittedly the focus, she still cared about the story she was tasked to write and that is obvious with the care she put into Alear's writing in particular.

Also. Because even if I managed to prove 3H or all games bad but Engage, it won't show Engage is good. Just because a rotten apple is worse then a rotten carrot doesn't make it "good". If I have to show Engage is good, I have to focus on Engage and not deflecting by saying the others game as bad. A comparison can sometimes help to see what it does good, but it's no evidence at all that the game is good.

People are tired of the hatred this game received. It might not be underated, but God, is it overHATED. People can voice their opinion without presenting it as a fact, looking down upon the intelligence of others or thinking we are trying to excuse the flaws, but sorry, this is the current discussion that make it impossible for anyone to adress this story in the critical light, because people who didn't like it wants to hear it did nothing good, they refuse to view it as good but flawed, nor even as bad with redeeming qualities, but as nothing but a sloppy mess. So of course, no one would want to view this video any more. They don't. They know it's wasting their time, that's it's not offering constructive critics, but just... hatred.

I migh be spreading postive post discussing the story, but I alone isn't enough and I don't have a big plateform that everyone will click on like youtube to made my voice heard. I have just here and I am grateful that so many people follow me and thanks me for making them gave the game a second chance and allowing them to have a new opinion on it. But I know I am hard to find since tumblr isn't that popular anymore compared to X or ytb.

So that been said

Enjoy this video someone recommended me and give the video maker some love

[echogekkos-writes]

💚 🤍 💔 🏳️‍🌈 💀

(Sorry im sending so many 😭 i just really want to hear your opinion on a lot of things)

Long answers so putting them under 'keep reading' for the sake of yall's dashboards.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Mmmmm. I'm gonna pick two and cheat cause I have feelings on how both are written.

First, Mipha. Like you and other mutuals, when it comes to Mipha, we all are on the same page of just how bland and weak she is written or seen by others in the fandom.

That her crush on Link gets in the way (it doesn't. Yes she loves him, but her love of him never overtakes her duties). That she only cares about Link (no she cares for all the people in the Domain and Link and is selfless to a fault, one of her intended flaws). That she is not partially adept (her spearmanship is described being a league of her own). It just culminates into all of these weird mix of Mipha becoming a bland side character when she really is not. Yes is some of her canon writing a bit shallow? Absolutely. But that's true for all of the Champions. And yet Urbosa and Revali get more love and deserved writing in the fandom, leaving Mipha and Daruk in the dust.

As for the other character? Garrus Vakarian. I love my boy. I love me one space dino. but PLEASE fandom you all need to course correct how you write him. Garrus is Shepard's best friend, no matter if they are in a relationship or not. Also, Garrus is protective of Shepard, but not overprotective to the point of smothering. Yeah the party shenanigans with him and Zaeed talking about defensive parameters for Shepard is great and funny, but some have him way overprotective of Shepard to the point of getting in her way. Shepard can take care of herself. Garrus knows this. And he steps in only when he knows he should. Also....Garrus isn't as suave as you think he is. All that bravado is to hide his self-depreciation and yall gotta remember that. Temper that badassery with some good old depression and PTSD cause that's Garrus for you.

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

That's a hard one. Rhoam? Yeah he's a shit father and yeah could he have treated Zelda better? Absolutely. Pretentious to think all the races will drop everything to give their best people, or in the case of Urbosa and Mipha, ruler/heir? No doubt. There's no if and or buts there.

But keep in mind. Hyrule's fate was residing on him. On Zelda's sealing powers. On him excavating the entire regions, finding the divine beasts, organizing the Sheikah with the Guardians, raising an army, diplomatically asking for help from the other races...all while trying to run a kingdom. The stress got to him, and he did what he did because partly he thought he was right, but mostly he was, I feel, nervous and scared. Everything was riding on his and his daughter's success, and he took his frustration out on his failure. Does that make him morally bad? Yeah. But it doesn't make him an outright villain or asshole as everyone likes to dunk on him for.

Rhoam to me is more of an anti-hero. His ultimate end goal is the salvation of Hyrule, but his methods to get there, while noble, are questionable when dealing with people themselves.

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

Ganondorf. I'm sorry, I love him, but I actually think his repeated presence in Legend of Zelda severely limits the creativity and storytelling behind the LoZ franchise. I could even throw in the argument of Link and Zelda as well. The one thing I will never forgive SS for was the Curse of Demise. That shit right there? Ruined the series to come. We can no longer get a new BBEG without Ganondorf either being directly or indirectly involved in the story. Like look, I love games that took either a different take on Ganon before the whole Demise curse, or after by distancing it in some way. Look at TP, BoTW, and MM. Zant being controlled by Ganondorf, a Calamity born of his hatred, and no Ganon involved.

Now granted, WW is probably one of my favorite takes on Ganondorf, but that's because he was given a little bit more humanity alongside his evilness. That he is a 'person' and despite that, still evil.

And even still, I would argue, by having Gandondorf as the same villain over and over you are just re-hashing the same story with the same characters, the same old Good vs Evil plot of Hylia vs Demise just in a different era. And while the gameplay may be great for future games,. at some point, there will be a breaking point for the story. ToTk a prime example.

🏳️‍🌈: Which character who is commonly headcanoned as queer doesn't seem queer to you?

Sidon? And yeah I'm gonna toss in Revali there too. I just don't see them as queer. And that's not cause I'm straight either.

I just..I don't know I don't even see Sidon as being romantically involved with anyone (I am still choosing to completely ignore any and all ToTK Canon). And if he is? I don't know who I'd ship him with or who his partner would be? Am I currently in the middle of writing a Sidbazz wip as part of my miphlink modern AU? Yeah. Still, I don't really headcanon him myself as queer. It's a fluid concept for me...whatever fits the story I'm writing best.

As for Revali, I ship him with his own ego.

💀: If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose?

BoTW Zelda. She should have died at the end of BoTW. Here's my reasoning.

She should have died alongside the other Champions. The last relics of the past, leaving an amnesiac Link with barely any memories to make a new life in a land he has come to slowly recognize as the world he lives in now, and not the past. It's how I initially hoped BoTW was going to do. That we encounter Zelda's spirit at the end of the story, her last act to hold the Calamity back in enough time for Link to finish the job.

Now I know Nintendo would never even fathom something like this. Can't kill off your precious Zelda and piss off all the Zelda/Zelink fans. but narratively I think it would have made for a great bittersweet ending. And would have made for a better sequel as well.

[cheese-water]

Alright, @ranboolivesaysstuff, you asked for criticism of Genloss, so here it is. This was my personal biggest flaw with how the story was written, plus it was a fun writing exercise. Feel free to discuss in notes why I’m right or wrong. It makes me very happy. :D

Do you know what would have, for lack of a better phrase, royally sucked? If we had gotten the "live" ending.

I mean, sure, being dragged away kicking and screaming while being brainwashed is indeed horrifying. But for the conclusion? Compared to the ending we got? I’m just going to say it—it’s the box. The most important (and expensive) part of Generation Loss was only used because of 3000 people. WHAT?!?

How lackluster would that conclusion be? We would lose the disturbing imagery of the crucifixion as the credits silently rolled, but also all of the subtle allusions and foreshadowing months beforehand that Showfall planned for the broadcast? ALL FOR NAUGHT? Ranboo, it should only be your character that wasted their time and effort for an ending that was just out of reach, NOT YOU TOO! So many people adore the ending of episode three, regardless of how they voted at the time. That really says something. But after the true "live" ending was revealed, I’d bet the poll would have a much larger split than 55/45, which, like, defeats the purpose of a moral dilemma if one of the options is objectively cooler than the other.

"But Cheese, why are you complaining about an ending we didn’t even get? Isn’t that pretty pointless?" Trust me, I hear you loud and clear. And to that, I say "no." We were pretty damn close to choosing "live." 55% is not a majority ruling. If the poll ended a minute earlier, we’d all be singing a different tune. Also, even though Ranboo has discussed exploring different media for future generations, it’s likely we’ll see another live experience from them. And if he keeps assuming the audience will choose the best or morally correct choice every time, disaster is bound to happen.

So, how do we make it better? I'm not saying you need make a completely new ending, Ranboo. No, no, no. You already have your ending. You’ve said that you really wanted that box closed on your head, so we're making it happen no matter what we choose. It's just way too cool and integral to the show to cut out. What changes is what Hetch says in response to the choice: "The audience has voted for you to LIVE! We will see you soon~" Ranboo screams out "NO—" and is cut off by the box. Maybe a more aggressive reaction from your limbs as they slowly fall to a still as the credits begin to roll.

There. The box has been shut. Round of applause lmao. Not only do we keep the Jesus imagery, but this hypothetical ending also has interesting lore implications. Cast members have been revived before, including Ranboo himself, so the death isn't jarring to the audience. The parallels between the box head and the TV screens in the background are greatly strengthened. The juxtaposition of the "die" ranboo being set free and the "live" being even more trapped by the box: even though "die's" body is gone, he still has himself, while "live" still has his body but their mind is forever lost. We even maintain the core mindset held throughout Genloss’s creation: "Changing your perception of reality in order to influence your choices for desired outcomes."

Plus, if people choose to complain that "Ranboo still died even though we voted for them to live," I’ve thought of a couple responses. For instance, how and why is the box execution the only way cast members can truly die? When have our choices ever mattered in the grand scheme of the series? Why would the final one be any different?

But my favorite response would be in the Founder’s Cut. The credits end, the screen fades, and, oh, look! There’s an additional after-credits scene! It’s the beginning of a new show, and we see what looks to be the back of Ranboo’s head, his scalp visibly wounded and mutilated, and bits of hair matted with blood. Hetch off-screen counts down "3 2 1." As Ranboo turns to introduce himself to the audience, we see their Showfall Media mask in perfect condition. However, possibly to cover up the rest of the scaring, he obstructs their eyes from view with a pair of green ski goggles (sunglasses). In its reflection, we see the camera, a reflection of ourselves forced to face the consequences of our choice.

END OF TAPE

As someone who’s been a fan since October 2020, do you know how harrowing that would be to see? The implication of Showfall making their own corpses "presentable" is deeply disturbing in itself, and it ties the content creation allegory into a nice little bow on top. Just a few changes would have made the "live" ending an equally satisfying conclusion to the series, rather than the ending we’re "not supposed to pick."

Long story short: Ranboo, you don’t have to possibly sacrifice the best part of your show for the impact of an execution. You are the creator, and I implore you to have your cake and eat it too.

[mdhwrites]

I read a blog you posted last year where you mentioned you hate 'fix-it' fics, or 'Fix Fics,' as TV Tropes likes to call them.

I haven't read many 'fix-fics' myself, but I've personally had mixed thoughts on the concept. On one hand, if I personally was frustrated by the way a certain story was told, it could be cathartic (in an admittedly selfish way) to see it retold.

But the choice word 'fix' can carry an underlying (or overlying) sense of arrogance. As if the writer is saying to the creator 'what you made is wrong, so I shall make it right.' I guess it depends on the motive for writing; you said all 'fix-fics' come from a place of anger, but I don't think that's necessarily true.

They could sometimes come from a viewer that loves the work they're critiquing, and just...genuinely wants to explore by themselves what it would be like if this or that thing was handled differently. Or from someone who wants to dabble with an existing work so they can build up the confidence to write their own stories.

Perhaps the key is whether or not the writer is using the term 'fix-it' to describe their stories. If that's the case, then maybe it does come from a place of anger, more than anything. But I would like to hear your own thoughts on why you hate 'fix-fics.'

So I think I saw you probably like a blog of mine about why I wouldn't ever rewrite TOH where I brought this up and honestly, from your post in general, I'd say I probably worded it wrong or too strongly. You are correct after all on a LOT of accounts here. The one I really want to highlight is the confidence ones as suddenly you're putting proof to your theory that your version would be better. That can absolutely be helpful for building confidence.

I have two sides of which I should have clarified.

1: I don't approve of LONG fix it fics. Fixing an episode or a chapter of something is one thing. Writing out how to fix an entire series though? It's unfair as far as fixing something goes because you already know all the elements you like in a story, haven't had to experiment with it at all or come up with major plot points on the fly (I feel like I've gotten worse about potentially insinuating that I could have done X better with the suggestions I put out. Creation is always harder than critique after all.) etc. like that. It also just takes a LONG. FUCKING. TIME. And for what purpose? An idea that will only ever be half yours? Which brings me to

2: I don't want to ever do fix it fics, let alone long ones. As an original writer, I would rather take the elements I like from something I find flawed on pull on those threads in a more productive, more challenging environment. To actually make the idea my own rather than constantly having to still constrain myself to parts of something I find so flawed as to consider it in need of an entire rewrite.

I think this is also why I just don't approve of them in general. I would rather that spite, especially if it is on the scale of an entire series rewrite, be channeled into something simply more useful. A fanfic that's redoing large swaths of a work just isn't something that too many are going to need and is honestly going to limit your creativity rather than expand it. That's how I see it at least.

I did probably screw up in the original blog though and not make it clear that when I say I hate writing fix it fics, it's very much so "I don't like WRITING fix it fics." I don't like carrying that sort of rage into a work, especially long term. That's actually an issue for Rich Witch at this point as celebration of TOH made me see threads that had been left fallow by rushing a bit in Amity's arc in S1 (that's how I saw it at the time at least) and that I could expand upon with a perspective shift over to focusing on Amity as the main character. Now that TOH holds so much anger for me, the elements that once inspired it now cause darker feelings and, well... There's a lot of complicated reasons why I'm really afraid Rich Witch is simply dead.

*sigh*

I think, for me, anger and spite are more powerful for blogs like these. Those elements can inspire me but the idea they make has to have joy in it or I just don't find that I commonly get hooked on it. Not when anger is such a short term fuel, at least for me. If it works better for others though, more power to you.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[ashesandhackles]

8 TV Shows

Thanks for the tag @yletylyf <3 <3

Rules: list eight TV shows for your followers to get to know you better! 1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Years, years ago, I sporadically watched earlier seasons of Buffy and enjoyed it for the campy fun they were. And then I watched, "Innocence" - Season 2, episode 14 and I was obsessed with Buffy Summers. Buffy Summers is that one character of all time for me - she is heroic, aspirational but she is also flawed and messy and so delightfully complex. I love her and I forever have a soft spot for Sarah Michelle Gellar for playing her.

2. Fruits Basket

I first read Fruits Basket as a manga, saw the first anime adaptation and the reboot came out during the pandemic. Fruits Basket is a very important piece of media to me because of the way it tackles abuse and the nature of systemic abuse. The show/ manga's ideas of rehabilitative justice were truly ahead of its time. Also the anti hero of the story is my all time fixation - Shigure Sohma.

3. Inuyasha

Another long running manga turned anime. Something about this series turns me into a nostalgic goo. It's probably Rumiko Takahashi's brand of characters, where there is something interesting going on with each of them. But my forever love from the series is Sango, the girl who crawls out of her own grave <3

4. Fushigi Yugi

I greatly dislike the main lead in this anime, I great dislike the romance in this series but my heart went out to the antagonist, the main lead's once best friend Yui Hongo. And if this series wasn't so enamored with its ridiculously cheesy and tiresome main romance (i do not have enough criticism for how truly bad it is, believe me), it had decent worldbuilding and politics. A fact that the original manga author knew and corrected with her spin off prequel - the vastly superior manga Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden (with likable main heroine! an intense romance that never takes over the plot!). She is currently writing Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki and I am curious to see what she does there.

5. Nana

Nana is about my early 20s life lol. Co-dependent, almost romantically charged friendship with a roommate/best friend? Check. Misogynist, controlling boyfriends? Check. Intense but fucked up relationships? Check. It's like this show reached into my heart and displayed it to the world.

6. Shadow and Bone

I'll be honest: my interest in the show is largely due to the fact that I have read the Six of Crows duology and loved those books. I only read the original Shadow and Bone series recently, just so I can keep with the main plotline in season 2 and boy, the original trilogy is very poor lol. The only thing that has bones of something interesting is Darkling and his relationship with Alina, and watching Season 2, I feel the show writers aren't comfortable tapping into that. Too much time moralising "this is bAd!!" - lol, yes we know. It is very childish finger-wagging writing, and it's very boring and not at all reflective of human experience (Shadow and Bone writers need to watch Nana to understand how to write abusive relationships without making it look like they are doing 'Toxic Ex Boyfriend for Dummies'). The reasons why Crows shine so much is because they are based on books that are good. And I agree with general consensus that the moral universe of the Crows and the Shadow and Bone stories do not match at all, and it creates horrible discrepancies in narrative framing.

7. Cowboy Bebop

This is a show that has influenced my writing the most: dream-like vigenettes for characters? People dreaming and having nightmares? Characters stuck in the past? I wish I could be as subtle and genre-bending as this show often was. So beautiful.

8. Death Note

If you have inhaled animes during your teen years, you won't go without bingeing Death Note. Fantastic premise, fantastic protagonist and just outright brutal to watch. I keep returning to it time and again.

Tagging @merlins-sequined-hotpants @hinnyfied @bluethepineapple @phantomeo @thedreamermusing @turanga4

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Your fics have inspired me to write some of my own! So I was wondering if you have any tips for aspiring writers? Asking anonymously, because I'm terrified my writing is terrible and I'm shy

Hello love!

Oh, well done for wanting to make a start, I’m proud of you! Also, I’m super flattered that I could serve as inspiration for that 😊

The best advice I could give would be the following notes -

1. Remember your grammar and punctuation and try to use correctly to the best of your ability. It’s very difficult to read a story where, no matter how much storytelling ability I see within an author, the spelling and grammar are sloppy. Most people don’t expect perfection and goodness knows I still make silly mistakes even after writing for 20 years, but doing this shows a level of care for your work. Use tools such as Grammarly, or just write using Microsoft Word as it’s built in and will correct for you as you write.

2. Have a clear start and end point for your story. Without such, you will struggle. Make notes about your idea prior to beginning it, set the tone of the world you will be creating. If you’re penning an OC, this is where you begin in creating them, too! Who are they? What are their likes and dislikes, and how do such things play into the story and eventual narrative you will be creating? Notes are an imperative part of building those first foundations.

3. When you begin to write, make sure you make clear breaks for character dialogue, use properly structured paragraphs, try not to run too long on sentences (I need to take my own advice here as I do this ALL the bloody time 😂 me and my emotional support commas!) or the reader will become frustrated at wondering who is speaking and when, and huge blocks of text are also much harder to read.

4. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and ask them to beta read for you. Just make sure that if you are opening yourself up to constructive criticism, you’re open to listening to their critique. They’re there to help you.

5. When you begin writing your characters, make sure to make them human. A trap I have seen a lot of people fall into with characterisation is making their lead faultless. Don’t do this! Show their flaws, it will make for a much more interesting read. It’s the same for if you are writing pre-existing characters not of your creation in fanfiction. Yes, essentially you are writing your own version of them, but try to remain loyal to the character they are, flaws and all.

6. Have fun with it! Befriend authors, ask for advice, find yourself a little community to be a part of. Be warned, some fandoms can be very hostile towards new people coming in, some people are very much part of a clique and they will not accept you (I’ve found that in some fandoms, and there’s people I try and engage with in the current ones that I write for who will engage with mutuals but not me) but that, my darling, is on them, not you!

7. Be prepared to put in a lot of effort to succeed. It takes time and practice, lots of self-promotion as well. If you want it enough, though, you’ll achieve. Ask, believe and receive. Believing in yourself is paramount. Again, I need to take my own advice here as I do struggle and have moments where I think I suck, but if you have faith, are willing to listen and always allow yourself the grace to improve while having faith that you can and will become better, you’re on the right path.

If you ever want any further advice, please reach out to me, babe. Or DM me if you feel brave enough to contact me without using the anon feature. I hope you do as I would love to read something you write someday! Wishing you the very best of luck here at the beginning of your literary journey 💕💕

[hopeymchope]

I haven't fully watched the new Higurashi yet (you can include spoilers for OG higurashi and the sequel in your answer, it's fine!) but from what I've heard and seen myself, Satoko was extremely out of line towards Rika and nothing Rika could've done could justify how Satoko basically abused and tortured her. The fact that they reconcile at the end puts me off because how can you forgive someone who forced you to relive your worst traumas?

*MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 2020-2021'S "HIGURASHI GOU" AND "HIGURASHI SOTSU" ANIMES HEREIN*

I wasn't sure how to speak to this Ask because the Ask itself is a massive spoiler (and obviously it's possible some people here might not be wanting that), but it's also Anonymous. So I have to answer it publicly if I'm even gonna respond. I guess I'll just roll with the huge spoiler warning there, put a bunch of spoiler tags in, and hopefully that'll do enough.

God how I hate Gou and Sotsu, though. *sigh* It's not the sequel story I hate the most out of any sequel ever, but it's definitely one of those sequels that... any time I go back to the original, it's tainted by the knowledge of what canonically came later. It'll never not be damaged by these things. Taking a story that had a beautiful and satisfying ending for decades, then going back to add a new sequel that not only undoes the triumph of that ending complete but ALSO radically reinterprets one of the beloved characters into a villain now is just... SUCH a "fuck you" to everybody who ever loved the original.

There’s nothing like hugging it out after 100 years of physical and psychological torment.

But that long-ass video I recently linked to also taught me a lot of things about how it turned out the way it did — and where you can go to get a better version of the same basic tale. Though even then, I still have a lot of misgivings.

For starters, I learned that franchise author Ryukishi07 wrote down the basics of what was supposed to happen in every arc and the overall narrative for the anime team at Passione, and then he let them handle the details. The actual scripts were handled by the writers at Passione, and Ryukishi07 said he was frequently shocked and surprised by what they did in the storyboards and scripts. He wouldn't have written things that way himself. But because he A) believed they were the experts when it came to animation, not him, and B) has always embraced other creators coming in and giving their own narrative spin to the 'When They Cry' multiverse, he always signed off on/approved anything they showed him, no matter how much it deviated from his own vision. Which, I'd argue? Was a big mistake. Because when you're giving us the first official full sequel to such a beloved story solely in anime format - there's never going to be any other "Ryukishi's version"? That means you need to make sure the characters are being done right and the events make sense. You need to make certain it's all true to that original tale. No, maybe this isn't the medium you're comfortable writing in. But that doesn't mean you can afford to look the other way when you think "Wow, that's completely NOT what I intended" over and over.

Secondly, I learned much more about the manga adaption of "Gou" and its own unique take on the sequel — which is called Higurashi Meguri. By the time Sotsu was finished airing, the "Gou" manga was just wrapping up, and the mangaka embraced the opportunity to do take the same framework and tell a version of the story that is significantly different. The result is that the manga is much more in line with the characters and tone of the original story than the anime was, because the author has seen how much the anime didn't work and is able to course-correct in a million small ways. The same basic events are there, sure. But it's all about a hundred times better-handled so far. 

HOWEVER... there are some flaws that are going to remain inescapable. When you end one season/series on a cliffhanger that you proceed to ignore for like 13 episodes before you get around to dealing with it in the second season/series? That’s stupid, and it’s an example of something kind of inescapable in the structure of the damn thing. More importantly, as far as I'm concerned? The entire concept of this sequel was doomed from the fucking jump. Getting a version with better writing and better motivations and more believable actions on the part of the characters is GOOD, sure, but that doesn't mean it's not STILL a huge "fuck you" to have these basic events take place at all. Y'know? Like, I respect Meguri, sure. But I still don't particularly WANT it.

...this is all a really overlong lead-in to my point, which is that: In Gou and Sotsu, they sometimes try to imply that Satako isn’t really in control of her own actions, Or at least, the Satako we’ve always known isn’t in control? There’s seemingly a new, second personality in there - a “witch” who may or may not have been brought into existence by her interactions with Eua inside the sea of fragments. (And again: The whole “a god-being inside the physical domain of the the sea of fragments is communicating with Satako to cause her to become corrupted” is something I find inherently bad and dumb that you can’t really ignore in this story.) So this arguably removes some degree of guilt from Satako? (This is heavily muddied by how the storytelling handles the whole “Dual Personality” aspect in a bad way, but that’s another can o’ worms.) 

On the flip side, the alternate telling of these events in the Higurashi Meguri manga takes this idea much farther, making it far more blatant that Eua damages Satako’s mind against her will and forcibly manipulates Satako into her new corrupted form. Satako is far more of a victim in Meguri than she ever is in the anime; it’s obvious that she’s not in control of anything anymore. She’s just a puppet that Eua is using to ensure that Rika continues to be “interesting.”

So I guess my point is, yeah, I get what you mean about the anime in particular. I guess this is supposed to be an exploration of how their relationship became too co-dependent, but it really just makes Satako look like a psychotic asshole. But in the manga? Well, Meguri isn’t finished, but at this point, I can far better understand why someone would forgive Satako in THIS scenario. It really isn’t her fault that this happened to her OR Rika.