#how to train your dragon remains my favorite series of dragon books

[becauseplot]

golden paper? (soft asks)

hi saga! totally didnt forget this was in my inbox!! o///

golden: favorite stationary product?

notebooks, no question. i've got a lot of them lying around since they're all i'd ask for as gifts for birthdays and such when i was younger. i used to fill those things up like it was nobody's business. my writing habit has slowed down in the past few years, but i still love me a good notebook. i'm picky about the paper texture (i usually write with gel pens so if the paper is waxy or thin it becomes a problem) and the size (too big and it won't fit in my bag or be easy to carry; love me a notebook that's small enough to fit in a sweatshirt pocket). other than that, the notebook can be any design, any quality. i've got nice notebooks with lovely patterns on the front with clasps, draw strings, and ribbons, and i've also got old composition notebooks from seventh grade that i repurposed by ripping all the notes out so only the blank pages remained. at the end of the day, so long as it's got somewhere i can write, i'll use it. i keep every single one i fill up and sign and date them. last i checked, i had around 30 full, ranging from the size of pocket books to the size of chapter books. notebooks <3.

(the notebook i currently have is a one small enough to fit in a hoodie pocket, made of faux leather with a "watercolor" print of the Florentine cityscape across the cover---very pretty! my current pen color is dark blue.)

paper: favorite children's book?

man i actually had to sit and think about this one for a second. "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" was definitely a favorite of mine, when i was little. read that one a good number of times. if we're talking above picture books and more like elementary/middle school level, "How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse" from the How to Train Your Dragon book series was my favorite. that whole series is very beloved to me. i adore it.

[themovieblogonline]

Books That Became Films: The Blockbusters

The film industry never runs out of inspiration, especially when it comes to children’s adventures. Many of your favorite movies started as beloved books, each with its own unique charm. Here are some iconic books that became films. - The BFG (1989) Giants don’t have to be scary, and one little girl is determined to prove it. Roald Dahl’s 1982 classic, The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant), has been a fan favorite for decades. The story has been adapted into a 1989 animated film, a 2016 Disney live-action movie, and a stage play that debuted at Wimbledon Stadium in 1991.   - Charlotte’s Web (1973 E. B. White created literary magic with Charlotte’s Web, a touching tale of friendship between a spider and a pig whose life is at risk. The book was first adapted into a film in 1973 and later in 2006. In the same year, a live-action adaptation hit the screens, and a video game was released. The story also inspired a musical that premiered at Opera Delaware in 1989.   3. How To Train Your Dragon (2010) Cressida Cowell’s series about Viking children and their dragons became an instant hit. DreamWorks recognized the potential and developed a full-fledged How to Train Your Dragon franchise, with three movies already in the can. The story of Hiccup and Toothless continues to captivate audiences worldwide.   - Madeline Lost In Paris (1999) One of my all-time favorites, Madeline: Lost in Paris, is an underrated masterpiece. Based on the beloved children’s books by Ludwig Bemelmans, this film follows a group of girls studying at a Catholic school in Paris. It’s a heartwarming, emotional tale that has spawned movies, video games, toys, and more. The beautiful graphics and touching storyline make this television film a must-watch. - Coraline (2009) Would you trade your eyes for buttons to have a perfect life? Neil Gaiman’s fantasy-horror novel Coraline captured the imaginations of both kids and adults. The story was brought to life in a 2009 stop-motion animated film, followed by a 2018 opera and a 2005 musical. There’s even a video game that lets you explore Coraline’s eerie world. - Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) In a world where food falls from the sky, anything can happen. Judi Barrett’s quirky book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has spawned three books and two animated films released by Sony Pictures in 2009 and 2013. The whimsical concept is sure to bring a smile to your face.     - Pinocchio (1940) The tale of a wooden boy whose nose grows when he lies is a timeless classic. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi has been adapted into numerous live-action and animated films, including the iconic 1940 Disney movie. From stage plays to video games, Pinocchio’s journey from puppet to real boy remains one of the most beloved stories in children’s literature.   - Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) At this point, we're all convinced how great a Roald Dahl adaptation can be. With several of his classics turned into iconic films, this one is no exception. A sly fox wanting to survive with his cunning instincts, that’s Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. Published in 1970, it has been adapted into a 2009 stop-motion film, as well as a 2019 opera, that won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Opera.  - The Grinch (2018) Dr. Seuss’s mischievous, Christmas-hating Grinch has been the subject of many adaptations, including the 2018 animated feature and a 2007 San Diego musical. The Grinch’s journey from heartless recluse to holiday hero is a festive favorite.     - Peter Pan (1988) Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, is a creation of J. M. Barrie. His adventures in Neverland have sparked the imagination of countless children and have been adapted into numerous films, including the 1953 Disney classic and live-action movies in 1988 and 2003. Peter’s escapades with Wendy, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys remain a fantasy at its finest. Whether you prefer reading the original books or watching the film adaptations, these timeless books that became films offer something for everyone. Who knows? They might just become your new favorites. Read the full article

[sagasofazeria]

My Attempts At Making Unique Nonhumans Part 5: Dragonborn!

This is gonna be a long one my friends, so buckle up. (This is part 5 of this series, to see the others just go through the “Nonhuman series” tag on my blog!). Also, some of these changes will kind of retroactively apply to true dragons as well b/c of how this all works.

Taglist: @talesfromaurea @hellishhin

•

General: 

Dragonborn!! I have changed a LOT of what goes on here. I actually changed the origin of dragonborn itself even. In my mind they’re just another in the same family as dragons, literally just humanoid dragons. The first dragonborn were much closer to their true-dragon cousins (wings and etc), but over time the dragonborn have become more and more different as evolution happens. There are some dragonborn who are more draconic than others, but those are usually small, ancient, and isolated pockets. This all also means that the lines can get blurred when it comes to dragonborn, and often with dragonborn they are either clearly similar to the common attitude of their true dragon counterpart or completely different. It depends on many factors, obviously, especially their upbringing and culture. Another thing I changed was their lifespan, because it’s such bs that the DRAGON species isn’t long lived. That’s like a whole thing with dragons, it should be reflected in dragonborn too. So, in my world, dragonborn tend to live a long time, anywhere between 250 and 600 years or so. They’re roughly on par with dwarves, if not slightly longer-lived. Another thing dragonborn have is the ability to unleash a roar that sounds like a full on dragon (like Shakari did during the battle at Dymea’s hideout). This is often used for battle cries and other similarly dramatic things. (Imagine an army of dragonborn unleashing a war cry. It’s a common tactic to instill fear in an enemy and it works pretty much every time.) Additionally, their scales, in classic dragon fashion, are like iron. Most dragonborn use their scales as natural armor because it’s easy and pretty effective. Another thing is that dragonborn have senses that rival even the elves, because that’s another iconic dragon thing that I felt that they deserve. I’ve also decided that because I personally adore tattoos, it’s very sad that dragonborn and other scaled species couldn’t have them, so I’ve invented a special “scale-paint” that allows permanent marking on dragonborn and other scaled folks. I mean, there’s always magic, of course, but scale-paint is generally easier. Last thing I added here is that very very powerful dragonborn sometimes gain the ability to shift their form, just like ancient true dragons, but it is extremely rare.

Metallic/Chromatic:

Okay, so, metallic and chromatic dragons. Honestly, in my world, the difference between the two is negligible at best. They’re just two different groups of dragons. I don’t like that one is evil and one good because that’s boring. Plus, I mean, why would a dragon, an ancient creature with vast knowledge and power, never be able to learn or change its behavior? Doesn’t make sense. Of course the distinction is even further reduced with dragonborn, to the point where gold and red are just scale colors and you can guess pretty much nothing based on that. Although, I did take away the Paralyzing breath in both the metallic true dragons and metallic dragonborn, instead just sticking to the one option. I also feel like chromatic true dragons should be able to shape-shift as well, so I did that too. Anyways, on to the colors! Gonna put it under a cut because again, this is a long one.

Red:

Red dragonborn! Most dragonborn, the closer they are to their true dragon relatives then the stronger and more numerous the traits they share with them will be. Some common things to see in reds are extra large horns, serrated claws for climbing mountains, and gray/black/brown undertones that would help blending in in the mountains. It’s also very common for their breath to smell like smoke, obviously, and for their bodies to be extremely warm. Red dragon scales are prized for giving off intense heat even years and years after death, and some red dragonborn scales have the same warmth. Red dragonborn also have the strongest scales of most dragonborn besides black, even to the point of reinforced scales in impact heavy areas (allowing for tumbles down mountains without severe harm). This helps more with true dragon hatchlings learning to fly in the mountains, but some red dragonborn inherit it as well.

Blue:

Blue dragonborn tend to vary a lot in how actually “blue” they are, seeing as how blue is quite possibly the worst color for surviving in the desert, the usual habitat of actual blue dragons, when you can’t fly (unlike true blue dragons, who it works for because they can hide in the sky). So they go from brownish muddied blue to straight up sapphire depending on how necessary camouflage was in their genetic history. Besides that, they have a few traits that, again, vary depending on how distanced they are from true dragons. Examples are scales/a horn that easily conduct electricity, a system for conserving water that runs just beneath the scales, special markings around their eyes that help them see in the sun (much like a cheetah), and a smell of ozone. Their breath/their inherent electrical charge can be used for a lot of purposes, from excavation to glass sculpture. (I like to imagine little baby blues making sandcastles and then their parents turning them to glass with their breath and saving them later.) I imagine glass art is probably common with most of the heat based dragon types, actually.

Green:

Green dragonborn, unlike most others, have to be far more careful with their breath weapon. They have venom sacs and a special organ to hold the toxin they can breathe, but it’s hard to tell the difference, especially for young greens. They’re a bit like vipers in that sense, that the babies can barely control their venom. Some common traits green dragons can have is obviously their camouflage in forested areas. Their scales often have a slight shimmering layer so that even in dappled/varied light they can remain stealthy. Green dragonborn also obviously have a super boosted immune system in order withstand poison (and not just their own). They usually are also the only dragons/dragonborn who lack horns besides occasional smaller and more antler-like ones. They also have can have a leaflike texture to their fins and frills that can help collect water (and also serve as a way to regulate a bunch of bodily functions. For example the fins would serve a similar function to sweat, among other things.), and even gills in some cases.

Black:

Black dragonborn have the strongest scales of any dragonborn besides red, as their scales are built to withstand their acidic saliva. Black dragonborn, like black dragons, are unique from other dragonborn/dragons because a lot of their bodies can be worn away or decaying before they die, because their organs just... don’t. Similarly to their saliva, their stomach acid is even more powerful. It is the most potent acid known to mortals, and black dragonborn often carry on this trait. It’s said a black dragon’s stomach acid can melt through almost anything, and because of this, acid reflux can be deadly to young dragonborn who haven't fully developed the acid-resistant coating on their throats and organs yet. Some other common traits are gills (for swampland living), and longer claws that can be used for slashing or stabbing (helps when spearing fish). 

White:

White dragonborn tend to be the biggest dragonborn since they need the protection from the cold. They are still cold-blooded, like other dragonborn, but the ideal temperature is much lower for them. I also gave them horns, but not normal horns, something more akin to mammoth tusks. So white dragonborn also tend to have tusks. Additionally, white dragons have these strange quills along their spines that create a chilling sort of howl when rubbed together or a when a breeze blows through it right, and white dragonborn have these too. They’re often used by hatchlings and mothers to find each other. Another common feature is having huge and occasionally webbed feet/hands for running in snow without sinking (or swimming), like built in snowshoes. They are another type of dragonborn/dragon that also commonly has gills.

Gold:

Gold dragonborn, the shiniest of shiny. Also, funnily enough, the dragonborn with the weakest scales (which is really not very weak at all, by the way. Iron can still break on them). Of course, though, this is often used for body art. Gold dragonborn often semi-melt their scales’ outer coating with their fire, and then create all sorts embossings and patterns on themselves before it cools. Best part about this is it can be redone if they get bored (which can happen when you live 500 years). Only thing is this can further weaken the scales or cause damage if done too many times. Some other common traits are their fins, which work very similar to those of the green dragonborn.

Silver:

Silver dragonborn!! I so rarely see metallic dragonborn in my personal games, actually, but I admit silver dragons/dragonborn are my favorite. Silver dragons in my world have a triceratops-like plate/crest on their foreheads that they use to bash into one another in fights (and to break rocks), so silver dragonborn tend to have something similar on top of their heads. Another interesting part of silver dragonborn is that while they speak draconic naturally, their tongues are actually so flexible and their vocal cords so versatile that they are able to mimic most speech they hear, and learn how to pronounce almost any new languages very quickly, a benefit they gain from the habits of silver dragons to visit along mortals. They also have a much higher tolerance for thin air, and their true dragon counterparts can fly the highest into the atmosphere of any known dragon. They also have the same malleable scales as the gold dragonborn, though slightly tougher, and claws that are serrated like reds’ are.

Bronze:

So first things first, I have changed some things even with the true dragons. I have switched the habitats and breath weapons of bronze and brass dragons. Bronze dragons now live in the hills/plains and breathe fire, and Brass dragons live on the coasts and breath superheated air/steam. Besides that they are generally the same, however. Regardless, bronze dragonborn. They too have malleable scales, though they will retain their shape much better and are far stronger (as well as requiring more heat). The bronze dragonborn tend to have similar adaptations to the blue, like the eye markings. Their horns/crest are slightly different though, since they don’t need to conduct electricity. Some common features among bronze are serrated claws for rockier areas, or large feet and tail for balance on sand (which blues would likely have as well).

Brass: Brass dragons/dragonborn are a little weird but I like em. They normally breath superheated air BUT they can scoop down into water and gulp some of that and if they have excess can turn their breath weapon into steam instead through use of a special organ. Also they of course have gills and webbed claws, as well as scales that have a sort of water resistant coating that helps them glide in and out of water. They also have eye markings to help them see despite glare of sun on the water, so the brass dragonborn may inherit many of these. Brass dragonborn also have the malleable metallic scales, just less so than others because the waterproof coating makes it difficult. They also tend to have extra strong gator-like tails.

Copper:

I also changed coppers up! It felt weird to have the acid one in the desert, so I changed it up and gave the coppers lightning. Like blue dragonborn, they can have many desert adaptations alongside their conductivity in their scales, interesting thing about coppers is that they have the fins like greens, but they are used slightly differently. Mainly they’re used to feel changes in the air (when a storm is coming and etc) but they can also release heat, and can press down against their bodies to prevent damage. Coppers (and blues) are also generally good at burrowing in sand, and often you’ll see coppers leaping in and out like scaly sand dolphins.

Iron:

Ah look! It’s me, I did another thing. I may have created a whole new type of metallic dragon. Behold, the Iron Dragon. These guys live primarily underground, and are generally slightly smaller than other dragons, using their wings more like bats use theirs, flitting around cave ceilings (also they are blind and have echolocation also like bats lol). So Iron dragonborn inherit many of these, and since they live underground, often interact less with other dragonborn and surface societies, and usually retain much more of their draconic traits. Their scales are malleable as well, and possibly some of the strongest. Iron dragons/dragonborn also breathe a thick, heavy smoke, that serves both a a noxious cloud and a way to blind their enemies (since they use echolocation anyway).

Gem Dragons:

honestly? Not really sold on em yet, so there’s none in my world. Could change though, I dunno.

•

Ah this was fun. Enjoy dragonborn immensely, now they have some extra fun flavor! Yay! Feel free to leave suggestions for next week, I’m thinking probably either Kobolds or Orcs? Still not sure though.

[thehobbitwithstickyuppyhair]

Fanfic ask game, tagged by @abnerskrill​ !!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Okay so my Ao3 account is relatively new, I only got it in 2019 and started posting more regularly in 2020-21. I only have 12 on AO3 but I have written many more that I have not posted, and on my ancient, abandoned ff dot net account which will remain unnamed and unlinked I had posted around 30 I think? So many uncompleted and unposted or completed but not posted for one reason or another though lol.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

AO3 - 15,233. I tend to write short fics because any long writing I have the brain attention for ends up being my original fiction haha.

Because I was curious though I also did the math on my old ff dot net account and - 89,604. And I know there were 3 novel length fics I never got around to posting from back in the ff dot net days because I was going to post a chapter a week and then... forgot lol.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Oh boy. Um. So many. So the first book I started to write was a self-insert Scooby-Doo fanfic where I was a member of Mystery Inc. We were going to take on The Bubblegum Phantom, a phantom haunting a bubblegum factory. I wrote one and a half pages on yellow cardstock, and also drew a cover and back I was very proud of. I think it's still in a bin somewhere in my parent's house. 

Okay fandoms I wrote in once I was older than um, like 8 xD

Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, How to Train Your Dragon, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Sherlock (so. much. sherlock.), Once Upon A Time, MCU Thor (2011) (so. much. loki. I still write thor and loki lol) The Hunger Games, MCU Avengers, RWBY, Disney's Tangled/Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Star Wars: Rebels, Marvel Comics Loki (Agent of Asgard), and Critical Role (C1/TLOVM mostly)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Shot In The Dark - Star Wars: Rebels (185 kudos)

By Any Other Name - Tangled (149 kudos)

Scars of Various Kinds - Star Wars (Original Trilogy) (70 kudos)

Everything I Ever Thought I Knew - Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (66 kudos) (unfinished and abandoned, I am sorry x’D)

More Than Anything - Critical Role (Campaign 1) (50 kudos)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I wrote SO MUCH angsty Sherlock fic back in the day... most angsty would be the one where I killed off John Watson. I made all my friends cry. I was not sorry.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? 

Most of what I write is short fic that tends to either be hurt/comfort, bittersweet or pure fluff so I’m finding this one harder to answer? I guess happiest ending would be the one where I did not kill off Ezra Bridger? XD Above mentioned Shot in the Dark.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written? 

I had a full out Hunger Games x every other fandom I was in at the time where I - you guessed it - took two characters from each fandom and threw them into the Hunger Games. I never did finish it but I think that definitely wins for craziest. XD also did a bit of Wholock and though that's not crazy by tumblr standards I got super into obsessively making it fit with the timelines XD

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

maybe yeah but I’m not brave enough to share it

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

yes!! at the very least to say thank you or to respond to something the commenter said.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

thankfully, no! 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

if I have, I sure don't know XD I don't think I'm popular enough lol

Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but I would absolutely love it if anyone ever wanted to!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have!! Mainly in RP format with a friend and then I edited it into a postable fic. (with the support and permission of the friend of course!!) This was back in the Sherlock days though and I am not sharing it lol.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ngghh. Okay. So. I refuse to pick just one. Sorry. Deal with it.

Vax x Keyleth (Critical Role), Kanan x Hera (Star Wars: Rebels), and Rapunzel x Eugene (Tangled) are my top three.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

so many (cries) Probably the above mentioned Everything I Ever Thought I Knew which was supposed to make the Dark Prince twist at the end of RTA Season 2 make more sense to me. I really enjoyed the bits I wrote, and for a while I was writing and posting it every morning on the bus on my way to work... but that was the beginning of March 2020 so.... stuff happened and killed my motivation streak and was in a super bad headspace for a while, and I honestly don't think I will ever go back to it which makes me :( </3

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, word choice, characterization/characters, emotion. I was once told by someone who reads my writing that I have a good instinct for wording and flow, and that I tend towards layered, emotionally vivid lines, like my content is higher than average per word count, and that has lived rent free in my brain as being one of the best compliments I have ever gotten.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Length. I under-write when it comes to my original fiction and in revision and rewriting have to build things up to an actual novel length, and when it comes to fics and short stories I write in spurts and bits and pieces scattered every where that have to then be reassembled into something that's an actual readable length and not a paragraph of dialogue I wrote in the notes section of my phone because I was thinking about my blorbos. Also setting the scene/describing locations and action is also hard for me.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the characters speak multiple languages then it would be silly not to include it! I didn't use to have a preference whether it was in italics or not, but it was recently pointed out to me that can be rather "othering" and I think that's important to keep in mind. 

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Well Scooby-Doo, as mentioned above XD but the first fandom I posted for was How to Train Your Dragon. I had a full three ring binder of my How to Train Your Dragon sequel series timelines, plots, outlines, character profiles, etc after the first movie and before even the first HTTYD show came out, long before the second or third movie XD

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I... don't know?? I've been trying to think, but I don't think I can choose. I think they have all been what I needed in that moment of writing them. So I am going to be unhelpful and not answer this one lol.

tagging @simuran and anyone who wants to do this!!

[ch4rmsing]

Fantasy Novels that Imprinted on me

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine I think I asked my mom to buy this for me at a scholastic fair in 6th grade. I remember circling it in the monthly scholastic magazine my school handed out. It’s the reason why I’m a slut for fairy tale retellings. It’s also the reason I have a lifetime grudge for the movie adaption, why I hardly read books anymore on the off chance they will be adapted to prevent untold heartache like I did when the Ella Enchanted Adaption came out. Avatar fans, I know your pain. The original book from 1998 was read many times over and has since fallen apart, but my friend who knows how dear this book is/was to me got me a sturdy hard back version with the original cover art. Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde I found this in my junior high library and I was intrigued. Girl accused of Witchcraft? Sent to be eaten by Dragon? Dragon helps her get revenge? Hell yes sign my 7th grade ass up for that adventure. I ended up checking this out so much from school, I decided to just buy it from a bokstore in early high school. It’s a quick read, a delicious story of revenge, questioning morals, and highly influenced my writing style as the years went on. Dragon Riders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey Okay, so looking back it’s not that hard to see *why* I fell so hard and so fast into the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ fandom. I definitely have a type when it comes to reading fantasy and dragons are my jam. I also found the first of this series in that same junior high library and eagerly devoured the the three books in the main series and then moved onto different books set in the same world. It was a bit more mature and serious but a beautiful and interesting fleshed out world! There was also revenge involved. Okay I have two types. Dragons and Revenge.

The Everworld Series by K.A. Applegate I found book #1 in the local library YA section in 8tth grade (I used to spend hours there before the Ella Enchanted movie adaption) and read it and was immediately smitten. For the time, the pop culture references were fresh, funny, and the mystery and danger kept getting more intense. The premise was amazing for a little nerd like me who loved memorizing Greek mythology and seeing 4 modern-day teenagers transported to a world where these old gods lived was like my mind on fanfiction before I knew what fanfiction was. It was a a high octane, always six inches from death while tackling relatable and serious issues for teens in the early 2000′s/late 90′s kind of story and it remains my favorite series to this day. I scored them all for myself when an acquaintance in high school heard me raving about it and gave me his series cause he didn’t want it anymore. I leant book #1 to a friend in college and never saw it again :( Old Magic by Marianne Curley I found this book in early high school, and I don’t remember exactly where but maybe my local library YA section. it was 1999. It delved into time travel, paganism, and a reluctant hero and competent heroine trope that ended in romance. I am a sucker for a good romance. I ended up buying this one as well. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer I saw the cover of this in Barnes and Nobel in the mid-2010′s, and remember, as a slut for fairy tale retellings, I was like ‘TAKE MY MONEY’ and I promptly took it home and DEVOURED IT. I had to go back to B&N about two more times that week so I could get the rest. I still to this day have not finished a series that fast. It was a great series, really interwove the fairytales, left me feeling satisfied and loving the characters. The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher So I have never read this book with my own two eyes but have listened to it about 3 or 4 times on audiobook because damn, whoever did that reading has a great voice and I knew it was a winner when they were describing a battle scene and I was riveted. I usually kind of check out and skim battle scenes. This is one I constantly recommend to my friends because it’s another one where there’s a cool, fleshed out world of steam airships and houses that rule at the top of society ala Game of Thrones, and talking cats. This is way more of an adventure story but it’s rich with imagery.  My husband introduced me to this because it’s by his favorite author. It’s supposed to be a series and I am eagerly awaiting the second book.

[vivithefolle]

Not sure if you already talked about this. (I’m pretty sure you have) but someone seemed to notice that when the trio get into fights, Hermione’s always in the right. Even when she’s supposed to be wrong she always seems to be half right. That kind of bothers me. Especially since it’s evident in the whole Scabbers situation.

I have indeed, on Quora, so let’s move yet another answer of mine to Tumblr!

Hermione is seldom wrong in the Harry Potter books. Sometimes she makes mistakes but those mistakes are either completely swept under the rug or downright ignored.

It’s partly due to lazy writing and partly due to Rowling’s own growing bias in favour of her Author Avatar that was fuelled by Steve Kloves, the primary advocate of the Hermione Granger Is The Perfect Girl Ever line of thinking (an utterly ridiculous line of thinking mind you).

Lizo: Steve, Hermione is a character that you have said is one of your favorites. Has that made her easier to write?

Steve: Yeah, I mean, I like writing all three, but I've always loved writing Hermione. Because, I just, one, she's a tremendous character for a lot of reasons for a writer, which also is she can carry exposition in a wonderful way because you just assume she read it in a book. If I need to tell the audience something...

JKR: Absolutely right, I find that all the time in the book, if you need to tell your readers something just put it in her. There are only two characters that you can put it convincingly into their dialogue. One is Hermione, the other is Dumbledore. In both cases you accept, it's plausible that they have, well Dumbledore knows pretty much everything anyway, but that Hermione has read it somewhere. So, she's handy.

Now this, right here, is the exact core of the problem.

Rowling herself admits it: if she wants the readers to have information, she puts Hermione in the scene. Hermione is our primary means of exposition because, like *grits teeth* Sssssteve puts it, it’s easy to assume that she’s read about it somewhere and it makes sense.

That’s all well and good but at first, if you notice, Ron also gave us exposition about the wizarding world, mostly about its culture. He was able to recall the exact year of the Wizarding Confederation that outlawed dragon breeding in Philosopher’s Stone! He explained what were respectively a “Mudblood”, a “Squib”, and Parseltongue, Hermione doing a little exposition about the history of that last one! He was also able to identify Sirius, after being dragged into the Whomping Willow, as an Animagi!

But then Goblet of Fire happens and you can notice the first change that will exponentially grow through the books: instead of Ron, pureblood Ron, born-before-the-end-of-the-war Ron, lived-through-the-aftermath-of-the-war Ron, identifying the Dark Mark, it’s instead Hermione, muggleborn Hermione, lived-as-a-Muggle-for-most-of-her-life Hermione, has-no-idea-about-the-emotional-impact-of-the-Mark Hermione who looks terrified as the Dark Mark shoots into the sky!

And it only will get worse, by the end of the series, Hermione pretty much knows about everything the plot needs her to know, instead of having to work with things she knows but can’t always apply to the situation:

Suddenly has a deep knowledge of Magical Law (in the will of Dumbledore’s chapter, while we had Rufus Scrimgeour who could have provided it to us, or to a lesser extent, Ron could have explained how a wizarding will basically worked)

Is suddenly an expert at finding edible plants and mushrooms. Apparently books are always the goddamn answer in JKR’s world, you can literally learn anything from them

She can decipher all the Tales of Beedle the Bard (may I remind you that they were written in Runes, okay Hermione may have a few years of Ancient Runes education BUT I once tried to translate a 3k+ story I had written for fun, from French to English, which means I knew what the subtleties and intentions were, I knew which turns of phrase I had to preserve so it would make sense in the end, and it still took me two gruelling weeks to get a satisfying result!)

Has suddenly grown a sense of quick-thinking (escaping Xenophilius’ house, using the jinx to make Harry’s face weird-looking) despite it being the only remaining flaw she had at the time (remember when she turned her back on her enemy while he was still conscious just to compliment Harry, and almost died as a result, even though she had been training in the DA to learn how to fight Death Eaters?) Quick-thinking under pressure can be learned, but it takes time and a lot of work to force your brain to override its instinct - and it’s fine because we’re all human and different. But no suddenly Hermione is the Greatest Strategist Evah™ and those silly boys (who actually were the original quick-thinking ones, and one of them was established as the strategist early on) better be grateful for this literal goddess because she protects them from all harm with her superhuman brain.

Somehow knows about Quidditch stuff - she knows about a Snitch’s “memory-touch”. Why should she give all the answers? Why can’t Ron give us this particular tidbit of information?

And then when we come to something Ron actually knows, the damn narration itself goes “woah a book that Ron has read but Hermione hasn’t??? shocking!! incredible!! Ron is not dumb, somebody call the news channel”. But… is that really so surprising? We’ve never seen Hermione read wizarding fiction or even Muggle fiction. We’ve never seen Hermione with anything other than schoolbooks in her hands. Of course Ron has read books she hasn’t read since she doesn’t seem to read fiction at all!

Sorry, bit of a tangent over here.

There are only two characters that you can put it convincingly into their dialogue.

So, that’s one part of the problem: the fact that Rowling, after making Ron our insight into magical culture and Hermione our provider of knowledge, ended up saying “eh whatever I guess Hermione can tell us everything we gotta know because it’s more convenient for me”. Which is a decision that was not based on Hermione’s character, but simply lazy writing. Long story short, it probably went: “Could Ron explain this bit of trivia? Meh, better make Hermione say it cause she’ll have read it in a book. It’s convenient and I won’t need to bother myself with exploring Ron’s characterisation.”

(And thus completely forgetting that Ron could maybe ask his big brothers via owl and provide us with a good heap of extra advanced knowledge - Bill is supposed to have aced his NEWTs after all.)

The other part of the problem is quite simply that Hermione is more often than not, either painted as a victim by the narrative (which makes more people take her side, classic manipulation tactic), or made to be right anytime it’s about a plot point.

Hermione’s mistakes are never explicitly stated, corrected, or even pointed out as being unethical.

Hermione only gets one mistake expressedly pointed out as being a mistake: her misadventure in Polyjuice Potion. The rest of them? Even her crush on Lockhart can’t be counted as a mistake - people get crushes all the time, based solely on physical appearance, it’s not something awful or terrible (Except when it’s Ron who crushes on someone. Ron crushing on someone is absolutely forbidden, and he must be punished with much ridicule and humiliation if he thinks he can get away with not worshipping Hermione like the goddess she is. The nerve of him, really.).

Throughout the books Hermione eventually morphs into Rowling’s Powerful Angel of Vengeance, that punishes the people who dared to do something she disliked - Rita is silenced but at a very ethically dubious price; Marietta gets scarred for life because she was more loyal to her mother than to a bunch of people her friend insisted she hang out with; Umbridge is led to a very, very alarming fate that is never made clear but some people have ideas and they’re not all very kid-friendly; Ron first is “helped” without knowing it because Hermione can’t be bothered to have faith in his capabilities, then when he fails to dutifully reward her for “helping” him, she causes him bodily harm before actively bullying him for not mind-reading her interest in him; causes even more bodily harm to Ron because that’s how feminism works; etc.

Hermione’s mistakes are always justified through the plot itself (which is lazy writing).

Turning into a cat? Only affects her.

The Firebolt? Scabbers? Well, in the end, it was really sent by Sirius Black and Crookshanks really wasn’t the culprit. Therefore all the feelings that were hurt and all the trust lost are irrelevant because Hermione was right all along.

Trying to free the house-elves? Well, it’s the intent that counts, right? And we’re never told enough about house-elf lore to know whether they’re poor brainwashed victims or powerful Penate-like symbiotes who need to serve a wizard to survive?

Kidnapping Rita Skeeter, trapping her and blackmailing her? Rita may be one foul little beetle, but that’s going a bit far, isn’t it? Harry approves? Oh, well, I guess it’s okay then…? A main character can’t have a dubious morality, right?

Manipulating Harry into forming Dumbledore’s Army and forcing him to relive a traumatic event with the same woman she’s kidnapped and blackmail and that she knows he hates? In the end, it all works out for the best and Harry’s hurt feelings don’t matter since it’s all about the greater good.

Using the centaurs to get rid of Umbridge (which poses the highly distressing question of what did the centaurs do to her?), realizing that the centaurs aren’t nice little horsies that are going to gently obey her every orders like good Disney princess’ companions, my goodness could this be an opportunity for character growth - nevermind, here comes Grawp the Giant Ex Machina, saving her arse and protecting Hermione from all that scary possibility of introspection. Thanks, Grawp Ex Machina.

Trying to dissuade a highly stressed-out and irrational Harry from rescuing Sirius by telling him exactly what he needed not to hear, a.k.a. “you have a saving people-thing” which causes Harry to completely go bonkers and go save his godfather without thinking twice? Well she was right after all, it was a trap! Nevermind how mind-boggingly insenstive and inadept at dealing with someone else’s feelings she was being, she was right! That means it wasn’t Hermione’s mistake!… probably. (Geez, I’m sensing a pattern here…)

Endangering Cormac’s life (Confunding him WHILE HE’S ON HIS BROOM) to promote Ron’s success? Oh but that’s so romantic! (Yeaaaah, how romantic to display exactly how much faith you lack in your crush. Top it off with a broken neck and that’s a picture perfect first date!)

Assaulting Ron with magic and causing him even more scars than he already had? But he was being cold with her first, right? And he totally should have known she was asking him out! It’s not like her invitation was even worse than his attempt to ask her out two years earlier! Plus she’s just a teenage girl expressing her emotions, anyone who tries to find fault in this is a disgusting abusive misogynist pig! Ha!

Getting all jealous that Harry is better than her at Potions, then pretending she’s not jealous by claiming that TEH BOOK IS EVIL, HARRY, and giving him the cold shoulder too? But no, she’s right, look, Harry used Sectumsempra and he almost killed Draco, nevermind that he’s very horrified about it! Hermione was right, like she always is!

Hermione Obliviating her parents, which pulls her from the “ethically dubious” zone into the “wow okay I’m pretty sure that this counts as a violation of basic human rights” zone, makes her one of those quirky wizardfolk who have the privilege to control those simple-minded Muggles because it’s for the greater good? But nooo she’s crying about it so it’s obviously very sad and angsty and it shows her devotion to the cause!

Splinching Ron while fleeing from the Ministry? Eeeh, but he’s fine, they’ve got Dittany, he’s good as new!… blood loss? Anaemia? What’s that?

Hermione was wrong about the Deathly Hallows not existing? Um, um, that doesn’t matter, LOOK DOBBY IS DEAD AND HARRY IS BACK TO LOOKING FOR THE HORCRUXES!! Therefore Hermione was right, the Hallows weren’t important for their quest, therefore the Hallows might as well not exist, HERMIONE WAS RIGHT NO REALLY I’VE GOT RECEIPTS -

The books never forget to remind Harry and Ron of their own shortcomings and moments of weakness.

Harry’s wrath and recklessness cost Sirius his life. This is the lesson he has to learn from his entitled behaviour in OotP: actions have consequences, and the greater your responsibility, the greater the cost will be.

Ron’s envy and insecurity lead him astray; they’re used to humiliate, ridicule and torture him throughout the books. They’re supposed to teach him that he’s worth something - but how is he supposed to believe that, when nobody ever tells him he’s worth anything? When nobody ever apologizes to him? When his feelings are taken for granted over and over? When his two friends seem to discard him whenever he does one thing wrong?

Hermione is never punished. Hermione is never said to be wrong, never shown to be wrong, never called out on her behaviour. From Prisoner of Azkaban to mid-Deathly Hallows, she stays exactly the same character. She doesn’t grow up. She doesn’t learn. She doesn’t change. She has virtually no character arc.

The only time, THE ONLY TIME IN SEVEN BOOKS, the only time we have something remotely resembling a call-out of Hermione’s horrible behaviour is with this sole quote in HBP:

Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.

Note how it’s about “girls” and not Hermione in particular, which implies that any girl would do what Hermione does to Ron. Thanks for the generalization, JKR, but I like to believe I’m actually a decent sort of person that doesn’t resort to petty cruelty and exploits my friends’ insecurities whenever I’m angry with them.

Hermione NEVER has to apologize. Hermione NEVER has to learn from her mistakes because she’s always presented as a victim when she really isn’t. Hermione NEVER develops into something more - she’s emotionally stuck at fourteen years old. Even less than that when you consider that her reaction to Ron’s return in Deathly Hallows is to trash him with her fists - and she was going to get her wand!! The utter psychopathic b- wanted TO THROW BIRDS AT HIM AGAIN!!! - and this reaction is an appropriate one for a four-years old girl, but certainly not for a supposedly “mature” seventeen-years old.

(Yes, because what separates a child from an adult is the ability to reign in your emotions and not succumb to your impulses. Exactly what Ron did when he left the tent (notice that he had drawn his wand, then he left before he could start hexing Harry), he left to calm himself down. Exactly what Hermione fails to do when Ron returns (she has the impulse to strike him and immediately succumbs to it, which proves to us that The Brightest Witch Of Her Age has all the maturity of a very small child).)

All of that, on top of the awful portrayal in the movies which removes all of Ron’s characteristics to stuff them into Hermione and turns her into some impossible epitome of perfection, eventually contributed to the portrayal of Hermione as the one who is always right and knows everything.

Add to it JKR’s own ridiculous bias (“Ron was quite emotionally immature compared to the other two”, yeah right I don’t see him trying to force freedom onto unwilling creatures or making Harry fly into an irrational rage with mere words but you do you, Jo) and the sexist misconception that “girls are innately more mature than boys”, and you get yourself this apparent behemoth of righteousness that was literally the sole reason why those two silly boys survived everything, and don’t you dare criticize this angel of perfection OR ELSE.

[agentrouka-blog]

What changed the finale of GOT? What makes Westeros a better place? We see Bran pulling a full Robert and not bothering to even going to his smallcouncil meetings. Leaving Tyrion as a Jon Arryn of sorts. Nothing changed from the pillot. Part 1.

Furthermore the script says that a better future awaits Westeros because Sam, Davis and Brienne are better people. Wasn't Martin the one who criricized Tolkienn for his medieval filosophy of good man=good ruler. Where is the Aragorn tax police here? Brothels? So they are good people and Westeros is gonna be well. Part 2

It reads like Jaehaerys smallcouncil with good people such as Septon Barth or ser Rryam Redwyne. But as they died they were replaced by the likes of ser Otto Hightower and ser Cryston Cole. What stops Brienne or Sam succesor from being luke these men? What stops in the next royal election a person like Alejandro Borgia from being elected? What are the countermeasures of the new system?part 3.

Martin said that the Targ flaw was building the system on dragonpower and that the smallcouncil was never a countermeasure of this. So what does the finale of thhe series accomplish on the mark Martin story? What has changed for the better in Westeros? Why does it feels like we are back politically in the pilot. Does Martin or D&D think that some "elections" magiccally fix everything and makes a better world? That's the thinking of a kid? What does the finale accomplish?

Oh dear. Where to start? Oh yes: You are absolutely right.

Honestly, I think politically, the finale has only a vague resemblance to the book ending. I would not lay this on Martin’s feet. I mean, what is he going to say in interviews “Actually, they left out all the good parts and delivered a stupid version of half the ending. The real ending goes as follows…” Hardly. 

He said 

How will it all end? I hear people asking. The same ending as the show?  Different?

Well… yes.  And no.  And yes.   And no.   And yes.   And no.   And yes.

It’s, at best, a partial ending. Most likely, a fraction. How can you resolve an issue you never introduce in the first place?

They already left out much of the physical misery the books prepare us for: starvation, sweeping illness, the roaving displaced, the siege situation around King’s Landing that may prompt political compromise. The political finagling that would lead to a Big Council in the first place. They reduced the fate of Westeros to the presence of a handful of Lords and Ladies at a meeting in a Dragon Pit. It’s condensed beyond recognition.So, yeah, politically, the finale of the tv show makes absolutely zero sense. I understand your frustration.

They will all need each other to survive the winter, most likely, but at the same time, you can’t change a feudal system over night. Maybe just replacing the central power of the Iron Throne with something multifaceted would be useful. Maybe the council could be more permanent? Who knows?? I’m not too invested in predicting it. But it is likely to make sense. GRRM has built his story around knowing the ending. It will not be stupid.

We know Catelyn suggested the Great Council all the way back in ACOK. It’s mentioned three times in the ASOIAF books, and tons more in the accompanying literature.

Jon was not entirely innocent of the history of the realm; his own maester had seen to that. “That was the year of the Great Council,” he said. “The lords passed over Prince Aerion’s infant son and Prince Daeron’s daughter and gave the crown to Aegon.” “Yes and no. First they offered it, quietly, to Aemon. And quietly he refused. The gods meant for him to serve, not to rule, he told them. He had sworn a vow and would not break it, though the High Septon himself offered to absolve him. Well, no sane man wanted any blood of Aerion’s on the throne, and Daeron’s girl was a lackwit besides being female, so they had no choice but to turn to Aemon’s younger brother—Aegon, the Fifth of His Name. Aegon the Unlikely, they called him, born the fourth son of a fourth son. Aemon knew, and rightly, that if he remained at court those who disliked his brother’s rule would seek to use him, so he came to the Wall. And here he has remained, while his brother and his brother’s son and his son each reigned and died in turn, until Jaime Lannister put an end to the line of the Dragonkings.” (ACOK, Jon)

Not sure it will go down quite like this. The dynamics are different. But Jon wouldn’t be happy on the Iron Throne. He wants to frolick in the northern Snows with a Lady wife and plentiful babies.

“Robb will set aside his crown if you and your brother will do the same,” she said,hoping it was true. She would make it true if she must; Robb would listen to her, even if his lords would not. “Let the three of you call for a Great Council, such as the realm has not seen for a hundred years. We will send to Winterfell, so Bran may tell his tale and all men may know the Lannisters for the true usurpers. Let the assembled lords of the Seven Kingdoms choose who shall rule them.” Renly laughed. “Tell me, my lady, do direwolves vote on who should lead the pack?” Brienne brought the king’s gauntlets and greathelm, crowned with golden antlers that would add a foot and a half to his height. “The time for talk is done. Now we see who is stronger.” Renly pulled a lobstered green-and-gold gauntlet over his left hand, while Brienne knelt to buckle on his belt, heavy with the weight of longsword and dagger. “I beg you in the name of the Mother,” Catelyn began when a sudden gust of wind flung open the door of the tent. (ACOK, Catelyn)

When more women have a say, things will go down a bit better, yes? Yara, Arianne, Meera, ..?

Jon was tired. I need sleep. He had been up half the night poring over maps, writing letters, and making plans with Maester Aemon. Even after stumbling into his narrow bed, rest had not come easily. He knew what he would face today, and found himself tossing restlessly as he brooded on Maester Aemon’s final words. “Allow me to give my lord one last piece of counsel,” the old man had said, “the same counsel that I once gave my brother when we parted for the last time. He was three-and-thirty when the Great Council chose him to mount the Iron Throne. A man grown with sons of his own, yet in some ways still a boy. Egg had an innocence to him, a sweetness we all loved. Kill the boy within you, I told him the day I took ship for the Wall. It takes a man to rule. An Aegon, not an Egg. Kill the boy and let the man be born.” The old man felt Jon’s face. “You are half the age that Egg was, and your own burden is a crueler one, I fear. You will have little joy of your command, but I think you have the strength in you to do the things that must be done. Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born.” (ADWD, Jon)

I know we all love Maester Aemon, but I actually think he was full of manure. Don’t kill the boy. Dare to dream. If it goes down in a similar way, Jon will not be giving Bran that same advice.

My own personal favorite idea is, indeed, a permanent Great Council of several independent kinddoms and regions.

To resolve the matter of his heir once and for all, Jaehaerys called the first Great Council in the year 101 AC, to put the matter before the lords of the realm. And from all corners of the realm the lords came. No castle could hold so many save for Harrenhal, so it was there that they gathered. The lords, great and small, came with their trains of bannermen, knights, squires, grooms, and servants. And behind them came yet more—the camp followers and washerwomen, the hawkers and smiths and carters. Thousands of tents sprang up over the moons, until the castle town of Harrenton was accounted the fourth largest city of the Realm. (The World of Ice and Fire: The Targaeryen Kings: Jaeharys I) 

Wouldn’t that be the sweetest irony? If the true ending to the Targaryen kingship led to a permanent council set up in the very geographic center of Westeros by the God’s Eye, making use of the castle that was just finished and doomed when Aegon started conquering Westeros? WHY have we spent so much time in that ruin if it is not meant to serve a purpose in the future? For a sort of parliament?

Let’s let King’s Landing become a port city, if it is to be rebuilt. Let the seat of power become something entirely new. I would love that. 

[legolaslovely]

A Very Good Thing Part 1

A/N: Hello! Here it is! I’ve been working on this for the past week and am so excited to share it with you guys! I am going to share all the parts at once (because I have no patience) and it will all be on it’s own Masterlist on the link in my bio. Hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Thorin x Reader

Word Count (this part): 1,190

Warnings (for series): fluff, some angst only in one part because I literally CAN’T DO IT

Summary (for series): (Y/N) is sick of her life in a modern city and wishes to live with the characters in her favorite book, The Hobbit. When her wish is granted, will it be all she dreamed of, or will everything fall apart? DUN DUN DUN. 

You looked to the clock on your nightstand and groaned. You should be asleep now in order to be ready for another Monday morning at the job you so hated. One more chapter, you thought to yourself as you had many times before.

You turned back to the pages before you and your mind painted scenes of magnificent dragons, valiant dwarfs and a poor, hungry hobbit. You reached the end of the chapter and sighed. If only you could live in that world instead of this one. No one would miss you here anyway.

That night you dreamed of finding friends in Middle Earth, of the sons of Durin succeeding in their quest to take back Erebor from Smaug with you by their side. There would be injuries, sure, but every member of the company would live and the sun would shine on the mountain once more, this time for the rest of its days.

The morning came too soon and your alarm clock screeched in your ear and woke you from your dreams. You did the best you could to look on the bright side. You could make yummy tea for yourself while you sat and read another chapter of your book. You could listen to your favorite song on the train. You could wear your favorite outfit to work even though it often made men stare and call at you on the street. You rolled your eyes. Another day in this god forsaken city.

You jogged down the endless sets of stairs in your elevator-less building while you stuffed your keys in your purse and untangled your headphones. You heard the main door slam behind you and you eyed the last few stone steps as your feet hit them before landing on the sidewalk.

Then, everything around you changed. You were used to this city being weird, but this you couldn’t wrap your head around. You looked up and instead of seeing blue sky and tall buildings, you were surrounded by rock and torch topped pillars. Blinding sunlight was shining from your left and you heard thunderous voices shouting “Victory! We’ve defeated the goblins! Smaug is struck down! Erebor is ours!”

What the absolute fuck is going on? You asked yourself. Did you step out onto a movie set? It wouldn’t be the first time you’d accidentally done that, but you didn’t see any signs posted the day before. Would they really go to this much trouble to build a set in the middle of the street?

You turned around in utter confusion to return to your apartment but the building wasn’t there. Just more rock and pillars. “What-”

“You’re confused?”

You spun to see a tall elderly man dressed in robes and a vast, drooping hat. “Sir Ian Mckellen?”

“No, (Y/N).” He almost seemed disappointed in you. “You know very well who I am.”

“They’re making another Tolkien movie?” You shook your head before he could answer and remembered you had to get to work. “I gotta go, I shouldn’t be here.”

“You’re exactly where you need to be.”

You looked around. You didn’t know which way to go with all this rock around you anyway. “What is going on?”

“You made a wish. I have granted it,” he said as if it was obvious.

Your mind raced to find a rational conclusion. You frantically looked about you and walked toward the bright sunlight until the valley under the mountain came into focus. It was thick with beheaded orc bodies and speckled with smaller, fur covered bodies. The wind blew the metallic smell of blood to your nose and your stomach lurched.

“This isn’t real,” you whispered.

You brought your hand up to shield your nose from the foul air and rough fur tickled your skin. You looked down and saw your clothes had drastically changed from the spring pant suit you were wearing when you had left your apartment. Now, you wore a long tunic and a thick fur coat that was cinched tightly around your waist by a leather belt. It all reminded you of a dream you had had the night before.

The echoes of heavy steps turned your attention to the stairs behind you. Grunts grew louder as they came nearer and you looked to Ian Mckellen in concern. He only grinned at you and deeply nodded his head.

“Erebor is ours, my King,” you heard a voice breathlessly say.

Your heart thrashed in your chest when three dwarfs were revealed as they slowly climbed the last few steps. There was Thorin, exhausted and painted in dirt and blood, being held up by Dwalin and another dwarf of the company- Oin, maybe?

“No need to whisper! Erebor is ours!” Thorin’s deep voice thundered and bounced off the stone walls of the mountain. The effort of his victory call took much out of him.

“Take him to his chambers, he will be attended to there,” Gandalf said.

Thorin’s half lidded eyes rose to Gandalf, but landed on you. “There she is!” he said. He stopped, despite his company members pulling at him and reached a hand to you. “You saved many today, including myself. She is a hero!” He thrust your hand into the air and all around yelled in your honor. “You will be remembered.” He let his brothers in arms assist him to his chambers and all was quiet in the corridor.

You thought again about your dream. You closed your eyes and worked to bring the distant, forgotten thoughts to the front of your mind. You vaguely remember calling to the company, telling them the locations of Fili and Kili with a voice so loud and commanding, it shook your body and made your throat ache. Were they able to save them?

Your thoughts went on. You saw yourself running up and up, feeling your breath heaving until you saw Thorin, blurry in the distance. He was walking along the ice, staring into it, with long and slow strides. You screamed his name and told him to run, but your voice was swallowed by the wind. With the last of your remaining strength, you raced to him, tackled him and pulled him away from the ascending sword. You rolled to safety, but not before feeling your head hit hard against the ice. Though you woke this morning with no headache, you reached up now to feel a large bump on your forehead.

Your eyes widened as you turned to Gandalf. “But it’s not true. I didn’t save anyone.”

“That wound on your head says otherwise.”

“It was a dream! I don’t deserve to be remembered. I’m not brave! I don’t know how to fight anything! It’s all a lie!” Tears welled in your eyes but you blinked them away. You didn’t belong here, you didn’t belong anywhere.  

“Then, stay here and live the truth,” Gandalf said.

“No.” Your head dropped and a tear fell and landed on the cold rock. “Can you take me home?”

“I can. But you will be forgotten. Your wish will have never been.”

“So, they won’t remember me?” You looked toward Thorin’s chambers.

“They won’t live.”

[ouchmaster6000]

RE that zim/anpanman post - while Anpanman doesn't get as dark in tone, Baikinman regularly tries to kill people and has done things like tear pages out of an anthropomorphic book and make food-based characters spoil and rot. Not as gruesome as doing it to "real people" characters but that's not the point really; the idea behind it is still there, so Japanese kids are just very accustomed to an alien being that sadistic within the context of their series

First of all, I should point out I agree that Japanese kids are probably used to seeing more intense stuff on TV than american ones. Alot of shows like Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece, Digimon and even Pokemon occasionally are known for having stuff edited out of the english dub. A pretty decent number of shonen series just flat out get marketed to an older audience in the states (stuff for kids in japan being aimed at middle schoolers here, stuff for teens being aimed at adults etc.)

Hell, I’m fairly certain Dragon Ball Z and Tenchi Muyo probably would have been marketed to adults in the US if it came out today too (Former for the violence, latter for the sexual stuff) and only got away with as much they did because they were on cable, and the idea that kids anime could appeal to adults simply hadn’t occurred to most western producers at that point.

I just…. Dont really think Anpanman is a good example of this? I also dont agree with the original poster’s Zim comparison. Granted, I suppose I probably should watch the show, but from everything I have seen of it, such as discussions on Bogleech’s website, it doesn’t seem that much edgier than standard kids show? Definitely a bit weirder and more violent than most preschool shows in the states, but overall, I doesn’t sound like Baikinman is much worse the your average kids cartoon villain.

I mean for starters, its pretty standard in kids media for killing and mutilating for non-human characters to be allowed, especially if said characters don’t have blood or flesh.

The obvious example is robots. Star Wars, Transformers, Doctor Who, Superman, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Xiaolin Showdown, Age of Ultron,  - There are way too many shows, comics and movies to list that eithor aimed at kids or families, that have robots and cyborgs being torn apart in ways that would be pretty graphic if it happened to humans or animals.

Digimon is a related example - The only reason the franchise is allowed to have as much death as it does is because 99% of the fatalities happen to digital lifeforms that dissolve into pixels upon death.

Hell one of my favorite movies as a child was the original Toy Story, and all the scenes where Sid was mutilating and blowing up his toys would have gotten a hard R rating if he was doing it to people. I’ve heard a lot of people compare Sid to Dr. Frankenstein, but with toys, but at least Dr. Frankenstein used parts that were already dead (as opposed to tearing/cutting apart still living people) and put them together in a shape roughly resembling a human. Really, Sid’s toys are less Frankenstein and more human centipede.

I also remember Fosters Home for Imaginary friends having a similar reoccuring theme of “food friends” meeting a worse fate than Anpanman. This included half eaten, traumatized anthropomorphic food dreamed up by kids in stuck in fat camp, or a talking pizza dreamed up by the bully character and eaten and killed just seconds after being “born”

So, although obviously dark comedy, Baikinman doing those things isn’t really anything new for childrens media. Neither, is trying to kill someone, since a lot of cartoon villains have made serious attempts to kill people, they just never succeed.

But Zim successfully mutilating and removing the organs and body parts of human children is definitely not normal for a kids show.

Another issue I took with Revretch’s post was that she wasn’t just talking about Zim the character, she seemed to me to be claiming that “Invader Zim” the TV series wouldn’t be seen as edgy just because the main character is similar to Baikenman… but thats not really how it works? You can’t necessarily tell the tone of a show, just from the nature of its protagnist.

Like, by that logic, Courage the Cowardly Dog should be one of the most light hearted and kid friendly shows out there, but in actuality the world he inhabits is much, much darker, scarier and more surreal than Courage himself is.

Its true that, though the writers/network let Zim do much worse stuff on screen, there are plenty of other childrens cartoon characters whose personality is pretty similar to Zim, or whom are a lot creepier and more threatening. Mojo Jojo and HIM from the powerpuff girls are good examples of both of these, respectively. 

In fact, Powerpuff Girls, Xiaolin Showdown, Codename: Kids Next Door, Danny Phantom and plenty of other childrens cartoons all have both villains that are similar to Zim, and villains that are considerably more evil, creepy or serious than Zim ever was, but the tone of these shows, overall, is a relatively more optimistic one, where the main protagonists have more or less happy lives and good always triumphs over evil in the end.

Hell, even Gravity Falls, with its use of creepy horror imagery, occasional forays into adult humor, and having one of the most infamous big bads in childrens animation (and easily my favorite from the last 10 years) remains a fairly optimistic show at its core, about family and summer adventures.

This is not the case with Invader Zim, which is a show where humans as a species are portrayed as so comically stupid and mean spirited that, even if Zim somehow successfully killed or enslaved them all, it probably wouldn’t come across as a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

A show where the Irkens are depicted both commiting genocide, and electrocuting a disobedient slave on screen, and whose society is such a dystopia they are forced to udergo intense military training from birth and generally assigned roles for life based on genetics.

A show where the elementary skool is portrayed as a collection of all the absolute worst aspects of public school, both in terms of how its run, and how the kids treat each other, exaggerated to an absurd degree.

A show where a reoccurring joke character is a homeless man, who got taken advantage by a fast food chain, paid in free pizza and a room in the back of a resturant, became morbidly obese (Yes, this is Bloaty’s canon origin story) and was last seen in the original show sobbing uncontrollably because he hates his life.

Also, although this was obviously changed significantly in the comics and the Enter the Florpus special, in regards to what was portrayed in the original show, its really not difficult to make the argument Dib’s own dad and sister don’t give a shit whether or not he lives or dies.

Of course, this was all done for very dark laughs, as well as to create a setting that was just the right balance of humor and nihilism that the viewer could choose to either root for, laugh at or sympathize with either Zim or Dib without really worrying about the actual moral implications of either sides goals.

I’m not saying Zim is the edgiest show out there, comedic or otherwise. With stuff like Warhammer, Berserk, Venture Bros, Metalocalypse and all manner of gritty 90s anihero comics, Zims pretty light hearted and goofy in comparison.

But for childrens animation? Aside from some of the 90’s “grossout” cartoons like Ren & Stimpy and Cow & Chicken (which varied a lot in quality, imo) I can’t really think of any others that come close (Maaaaybe Billy & Mandy, but I think its too tonally inconsistant, with a lot of episodes being pretty standard cartoon slapstick.)

Wow, I sure did type a lot. Sorry about that. But Invader Zim is one of my all time favorite shows, and fictional villains one of my favorite topics, so I feel like I have a lot to say about them.

[korora12]

Tagged by @corisanna

1. What is your favorite relationship type to write/read? Romantic, platonic, familial, and any subtypes.

I like romantic relationships that don’t rely solely or primarily on physical attraction, but instead on a deep similarity between the two characters. I like when two people meet eyes and realize that “You understand me. You get me better than anyone else I’ve ever met, and I feel less lonely knowing that someone else sees the world the same way I do.”

2. How much or what kind of research do you do for your fiction? If you don’t write, has a fic ever made you curious enough to research something?

Only as much as is necessary. I usually use research as a springboard for inspiration when I hit a block, letting myself wander the fields of Wikipedia until I stumble upon something that knocks the block loose.

Of course, sometimes I research stuff just for fun, with no relation to my writing whatsoever, until some random point down the line where it suddenly does and I’m super happy I already know [Random Fact #237].

3. What was the first work of fiction you remember becoming completely engrossed in?

Hmm. Probably Animorphs. I remember doing everything I could to hunt down the numerous books in the series (back in the ancient, pre-Amazon Prime days). I’d prowl the various school and public libraries near me, ask for specific books in the series for Christmas and birthdays, and even buy the occasional book at the yearly Scholastic Book Fairs, using what little money I got for an allowance.

I made it most of the way through the series, but then there was one book, near the end, that I couldn’t find, no matter how hard I looked. And it was an important, plot-changing, book that I had to read before continuing. Which meant I never actually finished the series.

Of course, nowadays you can find them all online as pdfs. Maybe I should revisit the series sometime and finally finish it. I already know how it ends, but I still feel like those last few books deserve to be read.

4. What work(s) had a lasting influence on you or your writing style?

Going back to Animorphs again. There is a straight-line connection between me reading that series as a child, through my elementary school friends Brooke, who was obsessed with dogs, and Caitlin, who was even more obsessed with dolphins (I used to find pictures of dolphins in magazines and cut them out just to give to her), through my Grandma’s love of science, all the way to my decision to study Zoology in college. If I had never read those books, I wouldn’t have developed the passion for animals and animal behavior that has shaped my life for over two decades.

Also, stylistically speaking, I really respect that series for how it treated its readers. Its target audience was grade schoolers, and yet it never shied away from showing the realities of violence and war. I don’t know that I’ll ever write children’s literature, but I’ll always have this series to remind me of what kids are capable of understanding and handling.

5. What kind of sound environment do you prefer for writing/reading? Silent, white noise, music with/without words, sitting in a public place with the ambient noise of humanity, etc.

Depends on how well my brain is cooperating. Pure silence is ideal, but more often than not there’s some manner of song stuck on repeat in the background of my mind, and the only way to drown it out is with non-lyrical music of some sort. Usually I try to pick songs that match the mood of whatever scene I’m trying to write.

6. Are you or do you like authors who are teases, in story or out?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’m a big fan of the Death of the Author trope, so I tend not to get too worked up by whatever the author may be saying and just let the story speak for itself.

My first instinct is to say that an author shouldn’t worry too much about what their fans think and should write the story they want to write, and it will find readers that appreciate it. However, I recognize that the nature of serial online writing, such as fanfiction, changes the game a bit. Such authors have a much more immediate, direct connection with their readers than authors who release one or two physical books every year or so. Some authors take that to an extreme, turning stories almost into a dialogue with their readers, each new chapter in some way defined by how people reacted to the previous one. And that doesn’t even touch on Quests, a type of story on forums sites such as Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity that require player input on a regular basis to continue. In these types of situations, I can hardly blame an author for playing with their readers heads a bit. The reactions they have can be a form of entertainment all their own.

7. Have you ever experienced a “the characters write themselves” or “character rebellion” mental state?

Not yet. For the time being, I remain in complete control of my universes, but I recognize the hubris of assuming this to be a permanent state.

8. Do you have a favorite franchise crossover? Like Bleach/Harry Potter, Madoka Magica/Card Captor Sakura, etc.

I don’t know if I have a particular favorite. I was really fond of Secret Trio for a while, which is Danny Phantom, American Dragon Jake Long, and Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja. I’m still very fond of the Disney/Square Enix megacrossover that is Kingdom Hearts, despite being very disappointed in the most recent game in the series. Then there’s Kino’s Journey/Anything, mostly because I love Kino’s Journey, and I love seeing her response/reaction to various other worlds.

Also, Stargate/Anything. The only reason I ever started watching the show was because I’d read several different fics, all in different fandoms (Avatar, Yu-Gi-Oh, Star Wars, Naruto), and all of which crossed over with Stargate. Despite the similarities, both being sci-fi stories set around the turn of the millennium involving mind-controlling aliens, I’ve yet to see a good Stargate/Animorphs crossover. It’d be pretty easy to do, too. There’s a point in the Animorphs series where they decide to bring knowledge of their guerrilla war to the attention of the US government. If they’re already in the Stargate universe, I’m sure the president will quickly pass the problem along to the experts, and suddenly you’ve got the perfect setup of adults who think they know how to handle the problem, are mostly right, and don’t want kids fighting in a war, vs child soldiers who have no intention of giving up the fight so near its end, even if the adults are more competent than they expected.

I’m gonna have to write it myself, one of these days, if no one else gets around to doing it.

9. Do you remember anything about the first fanfic you ever read?

Two Halves by DameWren. My first fandom was Naruto, and my first fanfic was a NaruHina fic that both introduced me to the concept of fandom, and also sold the ship for me in a way that I’ve never shaken. I remember very little beyond that, except that it managed to correctly predict that Naruto would go on a training trip, despite being written before such an event happened in canon.

10. Is there a work of fiction that you are annoyed doesn’t have much if any fic? Like Bizenghast.

Kino’s Journey, Cowboy Bebop, Double Arts (just never got enough attention in general)

11. What fictional character do you strongly identify with?

Weiss Schnee, from RWBY. While I’ve never been accused of being rich, I am a middle child with a much older sister that cut ties with the family when I was young and a younger brother that I never got along with while growing up. My parents were also abusive, my father physically and both of them emotionally, and they taught me a number of unhealthy ideas about race, amongst other things, that I’ve had to put serious effort into unlearning. And I have, since becoming an adult, traveled long distances across the world, partially for my own benefit, and partially to distance myself physically from a family I’ve never felt particularly close to, resulting in a drastic personality shift that took a couple years to complete, but ultimately left me a very different, and much better, person.

So, yeah, Weiss is basically my favorite RWBY character, and one I really need to write more often, all things considered.

That was fun! I’ve never been tagged in anything like this before. My turn for questions!

1. What is your the most recent fandom you’ve gotten involved in? Have you made any content for it?

2. Do you have a favorite AU/plotline that you love regardless of fandom (ie. Peggy Sue, Coffee Shop AU, Space AU, Self-Insert)? What about it do you like?

3. If you write, how do you go about deciding a character’s sexuality? If not, do you ever have any sexuality headcanons for characters?

4. What’s the longest fanfic that you’ve ever read, beginning to end?

5. How often do you make something you’re proud of? Doesn’t have to be writing, just has to be something that wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t made it yourself.

6. What are your opinions on OCs in fanfiction?

7. What is your favorite storytelling medium (ie. television, written word, spoken word, video games, song, etc.)?

8. What was the last song you had stuck in your head, and what was it about?

9. Do you prefer reading/writing stories set in fictional worlds, or stories set in the real world/real world analogous (ie. Supernatural or Marvel Comics)?

10. If you could bring one fictional character into the real world, who would it be and why?

11. Pick your favorite of the questions I was asked to answer for yourself.

I just realized that I don’t know how many of my followers are writers. I guess @hunkygoddess @tmifangirl21 @queendarktigress @ladyvallhalla @i-mushi @xekstrin @shinobicyrus and anyone else who sees this and might be interested. No pressure, it’s just for fun!

[themovieblogonline]

Books That Became Films: The Blockbusters

The film industry never runs out of inspiration, especially when it comes to children’s adventures. Many of your favorite movies started as beloved books, each with its own unique charm. Here are some iconic books that became films. - The BFG (1989) Giants don’t have to be scary, and one little girl is determined to prove it. Roald Dahl’s 1982 classic, The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant), has been a fan favorite for decades. The story has been adapted into a 1989 animated film, a 2016 Disney live-action movie, and a stage play that debuted at Wimbledon Stadium in 1991.   - Charlotte’s Web (1973 E. B. White created literary magic with Charlotte’s Web, a touching tale of friendship between a spider and a pig whose life is at risk. The book was first adapted into a film in 1973 and later in 2006. In the same year, a live-action adaptation hit the screens, and a video game was released. The story also inspired a musical that premiered at Opera Delaware in 1989.   3. How To Train Your Dragon (2010) Cressida Cowell’s series about Viking children and their dragons became an instant hit. DreamWorks recognized the potential and developed a full-fledged How to Train Your Dragon franchise, with three movies already in the can. The story of Hiccup and Toothless continues to captivate audiences worldwide.   - Madeline Lost In Paris (1999) One of my all-time favorites, Madeline: Lost in Paris, is an underrated masterpiece. Based on the beloved children’s books by Ludwig Bemelmans, this film follows a group of girls studying at a Catholic school in Paris. It’s a heartwarming, emotional tale that has spawned movies, video games, toys, and more. The beautiful graphics and touching storyline make this television film a must-watch. - Coraline (2009) Would you trade your eyes for buttons to have a perfect life? Neil Gaiman’s fantasy-horror novel Coraline captured the imaginations of both kids and adults. The story was brought to life in a 2009 stop-motion animated film, followed by a 2018 opera and a 2005 musical. There’s even a video game that lets you explore Coraline’s eerie world. - Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) In a world where food falls from the sky, anything can happen. Judi Barrett’s quirky book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has spawned three books and two animated films released by Sony Pictures in 2009 and 2013. The whimsical concept is sure to bring a smile to your face.     - Pinocchio (1940) The tale of a wooden boy whose nose grows when he lies is a timeless classic. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi has been adapted into numerous live-action and animated films, including the iconic 1940 Disney movie. From stage plays to video games, Pinocchio’s journey from puppet to real boy remains one of the most beloved stories in children’s literature.   - Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) At this point, we're all convinced how great a Roald Dahl adaptation can be. With several of his classics turned into iconic films, this one is no exception. A sly fox wanting to survive with his cunning instincts, that’s Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. Published in 1970, it has been adapted into a 2009 stop-motion film, as well as a 2019 opera, that won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Opera.  - The Grinch (2018) Dr. Seuss’s mischievous, Christmas-hating Grinch has been the subject of many adaptations, including the 2018 animated feature and a 2007 San Diego musical. The Grinch’s journey from heartless recluse to holiday hero is a festive favorite.     - Peter Pan (1988) Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, is a creation of J. M. Barrie. His adventures in Neverland have sparked the imagination of countless children and have been adapted into numerous films, including the 1953 Disney classic and live-action movies in 1988 and 2003. Peter’s escapades with Wendy, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys remain a fantasy at its finest. Whether you prefer reading the original books or watching the film adaptations, these timeless books that became films offer something for everyone. Who knows? They might just become your new favorites. Read the full article

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 177 Review

The battle has ended, but Kokushibo’s story has not. He is perhaps the last remain of the past generation; now fading to the afterlife. Before he goes out, the backstory begins to unfold, revealing the life and downfall of the Moon Breather. It all started with the Sun Breather.

This chapter is all about the flashback. That’s definitely not a bad thing; however, if you’re dying to know (no pun intended) the status of the Pillars, you’ll have to wait. It’s not confirmed that Tokito and Genya are dead, though for Tokito I can’t see any way around it, so patient is key. In the meantime, the flashback will serve a sob, depressing tale of brothers that couldn’t have their own way.

We know Kokushibo envied his younger brother, Yorichi, but we don’t know when exactly that sin began to consume him. Honestly, I didn’t expect the last chapter’s closure was seguing to his entire backstory, but not only it’s welcoming, it’s warranted. Not only will we learn the depth of Kokushibo’s character but so as Yorichi’s. While the future of the series is still unknown, despite the feeling of closure is strong, this flashback will set up for what’s to come today.

Although they are twins, Yorichi was born with the Mark. It disturbed the father so heavily, he wanted the baby killed. That’s just sad. Curse or not, what kind of person would want to kill a baby? Thank the sun for the mother, for she denied him and kept the baby alive; like a true loving person. It’s only when he turns ten that he will be sent to a temple.

The idea is, Yorichi was treated like a special person; differentiate from how Kokushibo was raised. Different food, different clothing, and so on. Yorichi had cling to his mother’s left side; as if she is the only one he is treated with love and care. She did save him, so no child would ever leave their mother’s side. However, there’s a major key to that illustration, but let’s go one step at a time.

Kokushibo pitied his younger brother for how he was treated. I thought it’s sad to know he did care for him. He even went out of his way to make a flute for him. The brotherly love or bromance did exist once upon a time. It’s also sad to know how lonely Yorichi was; unable to smile or even speak, like a mute person. It’s amazing how much he will change as young adult, but saddening to see him as a child.

The seed of envy was planted when Yorichi watched him training. It was that moment where he was fascinated by his dream to become the strongest Samurai in the nation; so he too wanted to become one. Kokushibo was shocked to not only hear him speak for the first time, but so as see him smile. It’s like a blind person finally able to see in 20/20 vision; it’s a miracle. It’s a heartwarming moment, but disturbing to Kokushibo. This moment is very crucial to the following scene for it would become apparent how much life changes for the two.

He believed it was unthinkable for Yorichi to become a Samurai. This gives you an idea how he judged the book by its cover, and you know the old saying goes. He was a kid, so it’s understandable in some regards, but this is where it began to change. Yorichi takes a practice sword and goes against the instructor for fun. Kokushibo has practice for so long, he’s still unable to land a hit on the instructor. Yorichi however on his first try not only lands it, but soundly defeated him.

It’s striking to see him go at it, practically annihilated the instructor in his first try. He was only seven years old. It’s as if he’s the Broly from Dragon Ball of this series; gifted with incredible power. It becomes more apparent when Kokushibo asked him about his strength. Yorichi was already able to see the Transparent World. That’s unheard of, but according to his description, it’s most definitely the case. All this time, Kokushibo pitied him when he’s in fact not only gifted, but vastly superior. “Looks can be deceiving” is what he should have known.

This should have been an uprising hill for both, but it sadly becomes a downhill spiral. Yorichi’s smile faded away once he realized the damage and pain as a Samurai. This explains why we hardly see him happy until he spoke about the next generation. Maybe he found it again, but as of now, it appears his life was forced to live this path, based on his gift or maybe curse. It’s crushing to see him wanting to play games with his older brother, yet all they can talk about is Samurai, something he wanted to avoid.

As for Kokushibo, his downfall is much clearer in compare. He was outclassed by his younger brother by a large margin. It was then their father changed his mind about his sons’ role. Yorichi would inherit the House, while Kokushibo would be sent to a temple. In other words, the roles have been reversed.

It’s bad enough the same guy who wanted Yorichi dead now kisses him like the favorite, it is worse that Kokushibo is now treated like a second fiddle. It’s not like he was rude like a spoiled brat to warrant this kind of karma. It’s not designed for us to laugh at him, rather sympathize. The sad part is, he was raised to be a Samurai from the get-go. Because of House’s status, he can no longer be as such. Imagine being raised to be a football player, training and all, only to be declined seven years later. Your mind is fixated to live that life, but now that’s taken away, how can you adjust to something else. It’s not easy and Kokushibo got it really rough.

Perhaps the last tender bromance moment is Yorichi’s farewell. Their mother had passed away and Yorichi was departing to the temple. He stopped by to say goodbye to his brother, presenting him the flute, the same one from the past. It symbolizes how much he cherished it. Even with their shortcomings as of late, Yorichi truly loved his brother; like their mother, he saved his life. Now the tear scene back when they are much older holds so much meaning. It’s quite sad to look back.

The nail on the coffin for Kokushibo is the mother’s journal. She has been dealing with a bad illness for a long time, and her left side was suffering. That’s when he realized Yorichi was supporting her since the beginning. Once again, seeing is not believing. With Yorichi winning the father’s approval, loving and caring the mother, and being a superior Samurai in every way, Kokushibo was enraged with envies.  Looking over the chapter, I can’t really blame him.

To me, this is deemed as a sad story. Yorichi had nothing, only to be granted with everything, yet he wasn’t amused. Kokushibo had everything he thought to have, only to be discarded by reality, yet he thought he was doing well. The best way to describe him is a Shounen protagonist gone wrong. He was treated with respect, but inside, he was the underdog. He trained hard, yet Yorichi was gifted with everything. Because we know he became a demon, hard work didn’t pay off. I look forward to that moment.

I thought this was a touching chapter. It delivered the insight depth of the Sun and Moon Brothers back in their childhood. Their adulthood differs greatly from their childhood. I would have assume they lived mostly normal, but their childhood shows hardship and painful reality. Kokushibo’s envy was reasonable and sympathetic in my opinion. It would have been pitiful if he was just jealous without any circumstance such as raised as a prodigy or approved by the House before changing plans. I know I mainly summarized here, but the narration is very good. It’s wall of text, but compelling and thoughtful. The tale isn’t over, so the downfall will resume.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

💕 📝 🎥

💕 Your two top fave fictional characters

1. When I was a kid, there was this book series called Septimus Heap.  One of the characters was Marcia Overstrand.  She was bossy, haughty, and intimidating, but she also had moments where she was gentle and kind.  I’m pretty sure kid me had a massive crush on her and she’s remained one of my all-time favorite characters since.

2. Callum from the Dragon Prince.  I relate to him a lot and I find him super fun as a character.

📝 Fave quote

this scene from the Doctor Who episode “Blink” (the weeping angels ep).

I like the ‘wibbly wobby timey wimey’ part in particular because it’s fun, but I like the concept of the whole conversation happening as someone interacting with a recording because it’s a really interesting narrative setup.

🎥 Fave film

It was Megamind for quite a while, but now I’d say How To Train Your Dragon.

[somerandomwriter1234]

Riley and Maya: Complicated Parenthood - Chapter 3 (Amazing Talents)

Scene 1:

-One morning in the before/after care auditorium, Maya was hanging up a framed picture on the wall. The picture contained a large detailed flower with an abstract rainbow design behind it. From nearby, Grace walked over to Maya and spoke to him.

Grace: Hey. That's the picture I drew last Monday afternoon.

Maya: Hmm? Oh yeah. Since you left it on the table that day and Mr. Farkle asked me to redecorate the place this week, I decided to hang up one of your works. You don't mind, right?

Grace: No. But I left it on the table because I didn't want to keep it. It's not one of my best works. I mean… I never thought it be good enough to frame.

Maya: You sure? Your attention to detail and color strokes here rivals the kind of stuff I studied in college. You've got some amazing talents here Grace.

Grace: Really?

-From nearby, Smackle walked over to the two while holding a camera out. Maya and Grace then turned their heads to look at Smackle.

Smackle: Oh shoot. Don't look at me. I was trying to get a candid shot. Ugg. This is why I struggled in high school photography class… and Pokémon Snap.

Maya: Smackle, what are you doing?

Smackle: Taking some new photos of a typical day here so we can put them on the bulletin board, the brochures, and other stuff. Hey. Can you two go back to acting like I'm not here so I can get a good candid shot?

Grace: Uh…

Smackle: No. I guess we can't pull that off now, can we? Okay. Act like you two are about to track down a South African Penguin that's attempting to encourage Sailor Moon into digivolving her Blue Eyes White Dragon into a Super Saiyan.

Maya: What?

Smackle: Okay, just stand next to each other and smile.

Maya: But I…

Smackle: Just smile Maya. And put your arm around Grace like you know you love her. Now do it quick. I have to get back to instructing those students over there on how to train your dragon when it's actually a Transformer that's been previously mind controlled by Cobra in their attempt to steal the secrets of Jem and the Holograms.

Maya: You know what, okay.

Grace: Sounds fine.

-Maya and Grace then stood near each other as Maya put an arm around Grace and put his hand on her shoulder. Smackle then quickly snapped a picture on a camera.

Smackle: Okay. Thanks. I'll make sure you both get a copy of it. Now if you'll excuse me… Wait up my young friends! If you remain where you're seated, I shall also divulge to you all how the four Star Franchises: Trek, Wars, Gate, and Search all exist in the same universe!

-Maya and Grace simply stood with confused looks on their faces.

Grace: Miss Maya, is Miss Smackle having a quarter life crisis?

Maya: I don't know what's happened to her Grace.

Scene 2:

-In the afternoon right outside of a school building, Grace was standing near a curb with many other children while she was holding a clip board with one of her hands, while using her other hand to sketch a detailed layout of a forest.

Grace: And just a little more shading there… Yeah. This work is gonna be one of my most special works yet.

-Suddenly Grace noticed a bus stopping near her. Once the bus doors opened, Grace stepped onto the bus and immediately sat down in a seat. However immediately after: a taller girl named Rachel walked over to Grace and looked down at her.

Rachel: Hey. I wanted to sit there. Get out of my seat.

Grace: Anybody is allowed to sit here.

Rachel: No. Just me. That seat isn't made for a nobody like you!

-Suddenly Grace had a look of shock on her face as she tried to speak.

Grace: But… but I…

-Suddenly the two's thoughts were interrupted by the male bus driver at the front of the bus calling out the two.

Bus Driver: Rachel, just sit in the seat near her. You're holding up the line!

-Rachel with a mad face, sat in the seat closest to Grace. Rachel then looked at Grace with a look of hate and continued to speak with her.

Rachel: Why do you have be so weird? You wear old clothes, have a stupid voice, and no one ever talks to you.

-Rachel continued to speak as Grace tried to sit still and maintain a calm face. However: several small tears began to come out of Grace's eyes.

Scene 3:

-Maya walked into the before/after care auditorium and immediately saw Farkle walking over to her.

Maya: Hey. Again, sorry I'm late. That early car repair shop doesn't open as early as I thought it did.

Farkle: It's okay. Listen. I need you to go over and talk to Grace right now.

Maya: Why? What's wrong?

Farkle: She's been crying off and on all morning. And it was the same all of yesterday afternoon too. All of the other staff and I have tried talking to her but she won't say anything. You're the only one of us she actually talks with. Think you can help her out?

Maya: Well… okay.

-Maya then walked over to the table where Grace was sitting alone with her face buried into her arms that laid on the table. Maya then sat in front of Grace and spoke.

Maya: Hey Grace. What's going on?

-Grace then lifted her head up to look at Maya with tears in her eyes.

Grace: Miss Maya. Where were you yesterday?

Maya: I had to go to a dentist appointment yesterday afternoon and I'm late this morning because of some car repairs I had to get done. But… what's going on with you?

Grace: I… I was… Yesterday while I was on the bus heading to after care… some girl who gets off at another stop started saying all of these mean words about me. She made fun of my clothes, said I had a stupid voice, and said that no one ever talks to me.

Maya: Grace, I…

-More tears came from Grace's eyes as she continued to speak.

Grace: And then she said I wasn't good at anything and there was nothing special about me. I tried telling her what we learned on the field trip. About how everyone is made with a purpose and that makes them special. But then that mean girl said to me… if I'm so special… then how come I don't have any parents?

-Grace buried her head into her arms again as she began to make sobbing noises. Maya then reached her two hands forward towards Grace and began to talk to her.

Maya: Grace, I… I am so sorry to hear that you had to listen to someone talk like that to you. But you know they're not right. You are special Grace.

-Grace then lifted her head up to look at Maya again.

Grace: But why don't I have any parents then?

-Maya looked down for a moment, sighed briefly, and then looked right at Grace in the eyes and spoke.

Maya: I don't have an answer to that Grace. I don't why know you or anyone has to lose important people from their lives. But I do know that you: Grace Givens are a very talented young lady with a lot of beauty both inside and out. And I do know it's hard for you to share your talents and open up with the world because you're worried about how… you might just get hurt again. But you don't need to let the pain of this world and the worries that come from living in it keep you from doing great things in it. Pain is pain. It's going to hurt you and bring you down. But you can't let it stop you forever from doing amazing things with your life. Because you need to continue to share your amazing talents in a meaningful way with the world. Because sharing your amazing talents in a meaningful way with others… that's what really cements how special you really are.

Grace: You… you really mean that Miss Maya?

Maya: Yeah… I really do.

Grace: Um… So… um… Hey, do you know where that new box of colored pencils are?

Maya: Uh, yeah. In the supply closet. I'll get them out for you if you want.

Grace: Good. So… do you know what Sydney's favorite animal is?

Maya: Well she usually always has a cat book she carries around, so I'd have to say probably cats.

Grace: Okay. So… do you think she'd like it if I drew a picture of a cat and gave it to her for her birthday next Friday?

Maya: You know what… that sounds like a great use of your beautiful talents Grace. Now… if you excuse me, I'm gonna get those colored pencils now.

Scene 4:

-Grace stood in her bedroom near her bed as she was going through several things in her backpack. From nearby, the young boy: Sammy entered the room and walked over to Grace.

Sammy: Hi Grace. Whatcha doing?

Grace: Just organizing my stuff and… Hey. Isn't it your bedtime? What are you doing in here?

Sammy: Just seeing what you're doing.

Grace: Well go back to your room now.

Sammy: Okay.

-Sammy began to walk away but then Grace suddenly called out to him.

Grace: Wait.

-Sammy turned around to look at Grace again.

Grace: Hey Sammy. You… like jungle animals, right?

Sammy: Yeah.

Grace: Well… I have a bunch of pictures of jungle animals I drew here I don't really need. Do you want them?

Sammy: Really? Sure!

-Grace then handed Sammy several drawings. Sammy looked at them and smiled. Then he looked back up at Grace.

Sammy: Thanks. I'll hang them up in my room. But are you sure you wanna give me all of these? Now you have no pictures to hang up.

Grace: Don't worry. I still have a picture of my own I'm about to hang up.

Sammy: Okay. Thanks for everything.

-Sammy then walked out of the room while Grace went back to her backpack. Then Grace pulled out her backpack a photograph that showed herself and Maya standing together smiling. Grace then got out a thumbtack and immediately tacked the picture to the wall right near her bed. Grace then put a hand on the wall right near the picture and made a small smile.

Grace: Thanks for everything.

END OF CHAPTER 3

Upcoming Chapters For the Series:

-Chapter 4: The Field Trip (Coming 4/30)

-Chapter 5: Shining Your Way (Coming 5/3)

-Chapter 6: The Bigger Picture (Coming 5/5)

*Note - To read the entire series in one convenient location, click here - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13266909/

[oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch]

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” Movie Review

Back on Oscar nomination day in 2014, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 5 nominees for the Best Animated Feature of the year, and while that list included some crowd favorites like Big Hero 6 and more mature blockbusters like How to Train Your Dragon 2, the largest story that day wasn’t about any of the nominations, but one film that was left out of them. Most pundits and basically any critic who had seen the brilliantly creative, immensely funny, and more-emotionally-affecting-than-it-had-any-right-to-be Lego Movie had it pegged as not only a surefire nominee, but surefire winner of that award, and our jaws were left hanging on the floor at the lack of its mention during the announcement.

Despite that though, The Lego Movie went on to be an animated hit in the homes of people all across the world, two mildly-to-wildly successful spinoffs were launched to critical praise, and the studio immediately began plans for a sequel, with directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller not returning to the project as they were already booked to direct the Solo movie for Lucasfilm (which they were fired from, and then they moved on to Into the Spider-Verse and we all saw how that shook out). Thus, we have The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which finds Emmet and the rest of the Lego people 5 years removed from the ending of that first film. Bricksburg has been ravaged and destroyed by the toys of DuPlon, and our heroes now live in Apocalypseburg. But when some of the residents are captured by a mysterious new character from the Sistar system, Emmet must embark on a daring new mission to rescue his friends and prove that he truly is The Special.

I’ve made it no small secret that I love The Lego Movie and thoroughly enjoyed Lego Batman. Lego Ninjago was…fine for me, but I mostly chalked that up to it being very much tied into the popular children’s Ninjago series, which I hadn’t watched. With the direct sequel to the film that birthed them all being not only released but also set 5 years after the original, I was curious to see if the team at Warner Bros. would be able to pull off the same magnificent feat they did in 2014, especially without the direction of Lord & Miller. And, for the most part, they almost do. Much like How to Train Your Dragon 3, I thought Lego Movie 2 was pretty good – just not as good as those initial outings. While there are certainly moments of levity and plenty of jokes from a script by Lord & Miller, something did feel missing in its direction and pacing.

For a start, there are too many musical numbers in this movie. That may seem like a strange thing to say about a Lego movie, especially as a critique to start with over something more significant, but that’s exactly my point. It doesn’t make much sense until one realizes that the studio fell so in love with what worked in the original that they just decided to do that again – but a lot more. Sure, the original film this one is following had an iconic original theme song, and even Lego Batman dabbled a bit in the introduction, but Lego movies are not musicals. Even Tiffany Haddish (who can’t sing very well, as we find out) gets no less than two numbers essentially all to herself, and basically all of them take place in the second act. This not only overcrowds the movie as a whole, but the second act is simply too repetitive. On a story level, that means there’s less time devoted to moving it along rather than just using the same jokes for a little while longer than necessary. They’re not bad jokes, and some of them are actually quite funny, but that zippiness that was so profound in the original film is missing here, giving way to a slightly more elementary-style humor, which follows, considering the director they found to replace Lord & Miller is Mike Mitchell, director of Trolls.

Not only is the second act overly repetitive and reliant on the same jokes, the newer characters added to the franchise aren’t exactly super memorable. None of them leave the lasting impact that a character like a Lego Batman did on the first movie, and there are basically zero interesting cameos throughout (save for one that actually does turn into a pretty hilarious real-world reference joke during the third act). General Mayhem seems to be the stand-in for the Batman character this time around, but apart from capturing the main heroes and transporting them to the Sistar system, there’s really not much else to her until the final couple of minutes and she doesn’t help craft other characters’ development like Batman did for Lucy. In addition to this, the villain this time around (whose name I’m not even going to attempt to type since I’m writing this at almost 2:00 in the morning) might be a more intimidating presence than Lord Business, but she’s not exactly as or more compelling.

One of the things that made Lord Business compelling was his tie-in to the real world that informed the surprise reveal at the end of the original Lego Movie, but while the added-on real-world element to this entry in the series presents a beautiful intent with its message, the actual Lego sections don’t handle telling that message quite as clearly as the first one did its central themes, which makes understanding the villain character in The Second Part more difficult than it honestly should be. Most of the supporting cast that are introduced in this movie aren’t very memorable, which doesn’t bode well for a franchise plan. Even though the Rex Dangervest storyline does go to some pretty ambitious places, he remains sort of a watered-down version of what he’s probably meant to be, and a lot of that is wrapped up in his very convoluted storyline.

Even the animation seems to have taken a bit of a hit; in the original movie, it was made fairly obvious that everything was made of legos, and that was a super cool and innovative way to create an animated movie, but when this sequel gets busy in the Sistar system or with characters not from the Lego world, it becomes difficult to get very invested in the animation, as it no longer carries that particularly unique look. If we’re going to continue to get Lego movies in this vein for a while, spending more time outside of the Lego world than in it is a bad idea. Legos are fun! Spending time in the Lego world should take up the majority of a movie in this franchise, not a minority.

There is a fair amount to like about this movie though; pretty much all the original characters carry the same weight and charm they have since 5 years ago, and the story and themes this movie presents in conjunction with the last one are actually very sweet. Some of the music is actually quite catchy as well, and The Lonely Island come back again with a stellar closing credits sequence. While the direction could have used quite a bit of work, the script by Lord & Miller does what it can to keep the franchise fresh and new, and if nothing else, most of the jokes are funny on first arrival.

It may sound like I’m knocking on this movie too much, but much like How to Train Your Dragon 3 (the superior film between these two, if you’re wondering), I did enjoy it – I just find it to be a bit disappointing as a sequel. That’s the tough part about being a film critic; if you’re reviewing a sequel, talking about the stuff that worked again isn’t nearly interesting as what doesn’t work as well this time around or what works better because that sticks out more, which can make it sound like that’s all you think of the film. With Lego Movie 2, that means telling you that while what worked last time mostly works again this time, there are a few spots that don’t work as well, and that’s okay, if a little bit of a bummer.

“I’m giving The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” a 7.6/10

[lotsofdogs]

Our Tuesday + Biggest Baby Product Flops

Hey, hey! What’s cookin’ with you guys today? I’m checking in this afternoon with a recap of our day yesterday. I managed to snap pics of the madness around here all day long so if day-in-the-life style posts with an emphasis on food, fitness and family are your jam, hop on board and join me on our crazy train!

Morning

My morning began at 4:30 a.m. when Ryder began crying from his crib. He usually sleeps in until around 7 a.m. but a leaky diaper had him up extra early, so I stripped his crib, nursed him and rocked him for a bit in his nursery and somehow he miraculously went back to sleep. Phew!

Once I had Ryder settled back down for the day, I headed downstairs and ate a muffin topped with almond butter and said goodbye to Ryan before he headed out to meet up with a friend for a workout before work. (My muffin was a sweet potato muffin that I made by following my recipe for Chase’s favorite whole wheat pumpkin muffins. I simply swapped canned pureed sweet potato for the pumpkin and they turned out great!) I used the rest of my kid-free pre-dawn morning time to respond to time-sensitive emails and schedule a handful of social media shares.

About 90 minutes later, Ryder was up for the day and I nursed him again and brought him downstairs to play in his activity jumper while I made myself a cup of coffee. I’ve been making a mix of decaf + regular caffeinated coffee lately and topped off my cup with some foamy coconut milk.

I much prefer coconut milk from a can to the coconut milk that comes in a carton because it’s 10 times creamier. I just store the remaining coconut milk in a mason jar to use throughout the week and it works like a charm.

Chase was up around 7 a.m. and Ryder joined me in Chase’s room where we eased into the day by reading some books before we all got dressed and headed back downstairs for breakfast. On the menu for the boys = Eggs scrambled in coconut oil, waffles and a banana, plus some puffs to keep Ryder occupied while Chase helped me make the eggs!

After breakfast, Chase entertained Ryder while I packed his lunch for school and loaded up the car. I did the whole preschool drop off + settling Ryder down for his morning nap routine before making myself an egg white oatmeal protein pancake and a smoothie for breakfast 2.0. (FYI, I’ve been adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to my egg white protein pancake recipe and think the pancake is even better that way!)

And yes, I forgot to flip my protein pancake on the stove top as I was making my smoothie, hence its less-than-desirable appearance. At least it still tasted good!

My smoothie, on the other hand, looked and tasted good. I added Califia Farms’ probiotic drinkable yogurt to the Daily Harvest dragon fruit smoothie base before blending everything up and loved every last sip!

I’m still ordering regular deliveries of Daily Harvest cups and while I generally opt for the Harvest Bowls over the smoothies (simply because smoothies aren’t all that hard for me to make on my own), I do thoroughly enjoy the smoothies made with ingredients I don’t usually have on hand like dragon fruit, acai and lychee. (The mint + cacao smoothie will forever be my favorite! I cannot for the life of me replicate it at home which drives me a little bananas since the ingredients aren’t all that unusual.) If you’re looking for Harvest Bowl recommendations, two of my favorites are the Butternut Squash + Chimichurri and the Cauliflower Rice + Pesto bowls. They’re both fantastic and I usually add chickpeas, leftover chicken thighs or shrimp the bowls to give them a little more staying power for lunch. And just a reminder, if you want to give Daily Harvest a try, you can use my affiliate code pbfingers and get three free cups on your next order!

I polished off my smoothie and protein pancake while I worked on the computer and Ryder slept. Ryder took a decent nap which was wonderful and allowed me to get a bunch of work done.  Once he was up, I nursed him and set him up in his high chair for a snack.

He’s into grabbing and tasting anything and everything these days so I used his curiosity to help me get through a little dinner prep. While I chopped veggies for a curry dish, I gave Ryder some leftover roasted broccoli and passed spoons, baby shakers and other toys his way to entertain him. It worked like a charm and I ended up having enough time to finish off the curry on the stove top before we had to leave for Chase’s preschool pickup.

  Afternoon

By the time we were home from school, Chase was ready for a snack so I re-plated some of the uneaten food from his lunch along with a muffin and we headed upstairs for “picnic + stories” before the boys’ naps. I really, really try my best to get Chase and Ryder’s afternoon naps to sync up and lately I’ve been lucky and get about 45 minutes of afternoon nap overlap which is fantastic. I used this time yesterday to complete a quick garage workout with the baby monitor in tow and it felt good to sweat a bit.

My workout for the day started with 10 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill and concluded with about 20 minutes of upper body strength training. I followed my Everything One Minute Upper Body Workout and completed the exercises while I streamed part of the latest episode of The Bachelor.

Once I was done with my workout, I had just enough time to take a speedy shower and scarf down leftovers for lunch before Chase was up.

In my bowl: Moroccan marinated tofu, black lentils, corn, roasted broccoli and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Chase was up from his nap first and not long after, Ryder joined the party. We hung out a home for a bit while the boys played and I did some laundry. I wanted to wash the lining of Ryder’s two Rock ‘n’ Plays so we could store them up in the attic and of course I couldn’t help but have a mom moment when I realized we officially have a baby who is too big for the Rock ‘n’ Play now. How did this happen!?

It also made me think about how much we LOVED our Rock ‘n’ Plays for both babies and how similar Chase and Ryder seem to be when it comes to their baby product preferences. They were both all about the Ollie Swaddle and Merlin Magic Sleep Suit for sleep and the Baby Einstein Activity Jumper is, without a doubt, Ryder’s favorite playtime jumper just like it was for Chase.

Unfortunately this means the stuff Chase didn’t like was also a big-time flop with Ryder. Let’s just say the 4Moms RockaRoo was my biggest waste of money for both boys and I actually ended up passing it along to my sister whose daughter thankfully loves it! This made me wonder if any of you out there with multiple children noticed the same thing. Did your kids have similar preferences or were they totally different? Also, I’m curious to know what baby products everyone else’s babies seemed to love that your little one just didn’t like at all? What baby stuff works varies so much baby to baby so it’s always interesting for me to hear about what works and doesn’t work for certain kids!

Eventually the afternoon sunshine outside called to us and I figured we all could benefit from some fresh air. I leashed Sadie up and loaded the boys in the double stroller and we headed out off on a walk around the neighborhood.

It’s back to rainy weather again today so I’m glad we took advantage of the gorgeous sunshine when we did yesterday. Afternoon walks are my favorite and I am feeling very, very ready for spring.

Evening

By the time we made it home, Ryan was on his way home from work and everyone was ready for dinner. I reheated the curry I made earlier in the day and we dug in!

After dinner, I settled Ryder down for the night while Ryan and Chase played downstairs and then I said goodbye to my boys before driving off to a local coffee shop to meet up with my small group. We’re almost done with our latest study (we’re doing the David study from Love God Greatly) and it was really nice to get together and chat over a hot mug of tea.

I made it home for the night around 9:30 p.m. and Ryan and I caught up for a bit while I made myself a cup of Four Sigmatic hot cacao topped with frothy whole milk before bed.

I spent some time reading my latest book, Along the Infinite Sea, the third book in the Schuyler Sisters series I’m loving, and read until my eyes could no longer stay open. And now we’re all caught up! I hope you guys are having a great week so far!

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/our-tuesday-biggest-baby-product-flops/