#i also specialize in giving way more depth into characters not intended to be written that way

[kazeofthemagun]

Anonymous asked:

send 🍀 and i'll recommend an oc rp blog

Positivity meme

[.....Oh boy y'all already know where this is going]

[I legally cannot answer this without putting my bestie in the #1 spotlight, aka Bug aka @cursedfortune aka some other blogs I'll mention in a sec. Literally the most amazing person ever and one of, if not the best friend I've made here in my 4~ years of being on tumblr.]

[To preface, Bug's blogs post ns/fw so keep safe if that's not your thing/you're a minor, as well as heavy content to be expected from dark fantasy-themed muses. The details you'll find on the blogs themselves, so I'll refrain from wasting too much time when I could be getting to the JUICE 🥤.]

[The main, the OG, @cursedfortune . Bug's main OC, Mortem, is amazing in every way. Seriously. She's got it all. Looking for a strong, competent female character with an intriguing and compelling backstory sprinkled throughout the blog? They're your Bug. Fancy some in-depth exploration on blue-and-orange morality that transcends human understanding and puts in the forefront the often terrifying workings of balancing forces? They're your Bug. Really, those who have been here for any amount of time probably know but Mortem is Kaze's first and only ship but neither of us went into it thinking those two chucklefucks would catch feels in that way. In hindsight it makes complete sense, but here's the deal: don't begin your journey with this character solely to ship. It won't work that way - shipping needs chemistry first and foremost and female OC muses are already dealing with many users who go in with only the intent to write romance/smut and largely ignore what makes the character so compelling and unique in the first place.]

[Not to give lessons on tumblr etiquette, I'm sure y'all can understand 💜]

[Some other OC blogs of Bug's that I've interacted with a bit less but are nonetheless amazing:]

@bvd11975 That's not a spambot, baby. That's Nes, a special agent of an agency focused on paranormal investigation that plays a key role in Bug's overarching setting. Kickass character, design, story and personality-wise.

@ofmanytxngues A glorious force of chaos lmao. Not *that* Chaos, but uhh.. there's def A Wormy Boi (gender neutral) involved there somewhere. Marie is another character I haven't written with all that much and is on hiatus atm but I simply cannot not give her a shoutout while I'm at it. Marie and Ana riding an ice cream truck when?

Some others that are more WIP atm ^^ you'd have to approach Bug for them. (And their canons! But this is a meme for OCs specifically ;)

[NOW, to take a break from gushing about the best soup to ever soup and give due spotlight to others who 100% deserve it - keep in mind this is based on my interactions with them, as in, I am unlikely to shout out people I haven't written with or otherwise interacted with enough!! This is in no way personal, but rather a natural consequence since there are SO many amazing people and muses on tumblr. 😄]

@halfkuma and @knightshonour . Those two started out as iterations on the same character and evolved into separate people: also feature a healthy dose of secondary OCs and some canons. Rowan is a character I've fallen in love with (figure of speech) very easily since, well, I do happen to enjoy gloomy, doomed by the narrative warriors, and Soulsborne, very much. Halfkuma is a blog based around the Touhou universe with the mains, Roan and Touri, being bear yokai. (Half and full respectively). Furthermore, Slap himself is one of the chillest beans on here and is always a pleasure to talk to and meme with.

@hriobzagelthewanderer !!! Because how could I NOT. Kov is amazing and so is his muse. I was so surprised to see a figure from Polish (and generally Slavic + Germanic) folklore, that I essentially grew up reading about, transformed and adapted into an amazingly crafted muse. Hriob Zagel combines various mythologies + popular media inspirations into one giant (pun intended) goofball who is an absolute delight to see on my dash.

Aaand last but not least (for now!) Though I haven't interacted with her personally just yet, @hexenjagd . Obligatory shoutout to a dark fantasy/Elden Ring-based female OC with some of the most intricate yet well-flowing backstory I've seen on the site. Helena, the Witch-Knight, a person branded by the touch of Death and everything it entails within the setting. Definitely grimdark and macabre in all the right ways and I am here for it. 😎

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

So many things have been written already, but since I can't stop thinking about it, I need to write some stuff down. Or as @twig-tea would say #typed so that I can stop thinking it.

We could talk all day long about what the show intended to say or not, what the show intended to portray and what message was actually all of it about.

But, as with most things, we will never know for sure. And you know what? It doesn't matter.

Because when you make anything for others to watch, as soon as the product leaves your hands, you give up any control you have over how it is perceived. That's, more often than not, the hardest part in creating anything. You lose all control over the thing, and all you can do is hope that what you wanted to do, was what people wanted to see, and what you wanted to say, was what people heard.

Sometimes these two things don't match up.

So, I won't speculate any more about what Jojo and co. wanted to say with this, or what they wanted the take away to be.

I'm fan of Jojo. Not in the way of, everything he's done was perfect, but I adore Gay Ok, I completely enjoyed 3wbf and warp effect surprised me weekly in a good way. I was happy. I was content. And maybe that set my expectations too high, because my biggest feeling about ofts finale is disappointment.

Before anything else, I fully admit by biases influenced my viewing of some things, but that is unavoidable.

I started this show relating a bit too much to some of the characters and that made it hard for me in the beginning. Specially when you have people talk about this characters in such a way that, at times, legitimately made me feel bad about myself. So basically I had to create a barrier. And look at this show in a more critical way. I still felt emotionally connected to the chars, but in a different way. And with that critical view came a whole set of new problems.

Whatever the direction the show was heading in the beginning, got completely lost somewhere in the middle. And I'm strictly talking about the writing now. The show lost all coherence in character development and any type of episodic theme went out the window.

I’ll start just referencing the frame works. (very well documented by @slayerkitty) They started as some sort of commentary that we could point to and say, that’s what they’re trying to say about this, that's the lesson this week. That got abandoned.

As I’ve written before, when the show started and we were introduced to the characters, we were led to believe that Boston, Ray, Mew and Cheum were the mains and where going to have equal weight throughout the show. That disappeared when Cheum did. It turns out it wasn’t that way after all. And as we started to see couples forming, or at least coupling happening, we knew who the mains were again. Because we got some (Top not included) of their backstories and povs.

The fear crept in here, that, because it’s gmmtv, we were heading to shipper land and all was but an illusion. But still the in p’jojo we trust was strong so we collectively, said to ourselves – It can’t be that. This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! And at least for me, that’s where it all began to fall apart. Genuine character growth got substituted for easy conflict, depth of character got substituted by fluffy couple moments that seemed out of place. [That is also why the beginning of Top/Mew was so divisive for so many people. Because, it could be cute in any other show, but it couldn’t be here. Because once again - This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! ] We got no accountability for most actions, no genuine character growth for most characters and in the end, nothing feels earned. And personally, it pisses me of when chars don’t get what they deserve, and worst, somehow end up on top, or thinking they are on top, or are morally superior.

But, even if that didn’t make me angry, it’s lazy writing. It’s conflict for conflict sake, it’s new storylines/characters that bring excitement but no follow through. it’s trauma as the easiest way to give a character depth (which I hate with a passion), it’s moral lessons that have absolutely no place here (This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! ) and worst of all it’s wasted potential. I might write more about this later, or on rewatch, but for today this is what I needed to type.

[reshoravian]

recently have rummaged through a bunch of four swords writing i made in middle school 10 years ago and it's honestly better than whatever ideas that swim in my head today wtf

[writingwithcolor]

I have a black character that I plan to have get the big chop as part of her journey to embracing her natural features and asserting independence. There's a couple other black and non black characters that play a role in her choice to do so. This is a major point in her story line but she is a side character. Are there any major potential pitfalls or places to be careful associated with writing about this? Thank you!

Black character embracing natural hair and features

Identity stories are best left to those who identify, in my opinion.

You state this is a major part of her story, which makes me think her story might be a Black + identity story. Stories heavily devoted to topics such as a Black woman embracing her features and natural hair requires a lot of nuance that an outside perspective may miss. 

I believe these stories are best left to those from the group, who often struggle to get their own stories heard. Also, I take notice when only BIPOC must have the identity story in a tale while others just get to exist without the emotional weight of questioning, embracing and struggling with their identities. I do not know if that’s the case for your story, but it’s something to keep in mind and do a comparative check on.

As we mention in the “topics to avoid” guide (for authors outside of the group)

 “Identity stories deserve special mention because some topics are extremely nuanced and cannot be researched.”

I think the natural hair and self-love can be researched pretty well, to a point, but that still doesn’t mean a non-Black person is automatically equipped to write it.

My advice on handling this topic

Ask yourself if you’re the right voice to tell this story. 

What are your intentions? 

Is your voice welcomed and did they ask for it? 

If you intend to help give a voice to x group, note that they already have one. Sometimes it's best to sit back and let those folks be heard directly. 

A second-hand perspective has high potential for missing nuance and leading to misrepresentation. A lot of people would prefer no representation over poor or misrepresented information.

First hand sources

Read personal accounts from people who have had this journey. From books, articles, blogs, vlogs, and social media, those stories are out there and are free to access. 

Keep some aspects open to interpretation

If written, I recommend to keep it vague: When things happen that you might not know the full in’s and out’s of, it’s okay to not explore it in depth. In the same way you could mention a mechanic fixing a car without detailing exactly what they did to fix it. 

Use pointers to indicate “things are happening” without feeling obliged to detail everything the character may be feeling. You can allow the reader to fill in the blanks on what is happening with them and the emotional takeaways.

FYI: Black people can love themselves without “embracing” their natural hair, and more general tips.

They don’t have to cut out their straightened hair (aka the big chop) or even stop wearing their hair straight to love themselves, either. 

Some people may prefer straight hair for many reasons.

Some folks have tried being natural, and would prefer a relaxer, use wigs, weaves, or to heat straighten. Some of those are technically still natural, though! 

Others may jump between different styles for fun and variety. Or wear certain styles as a protective style seasonally or whenever they feel like it. Either way, their reasons are their own.

The big chop isn’t always required for all people going natural, so again, this is something you’d need to research heavily to “get right.”

On that same note, not one story is the same.

Get opinions

Get the perspective of a wide variety of Black writers / readers. Are they comfortable with the execution of the story? 

Listen to them. Improve, reduce or remove detals as needed. 

You can still have a character go through a journey of coming-of-age, independence and self-love without making it a Black identity story.

More reading

WWC - Identity tag

Why Insiders Can Write Their Experience 

~Colette

[dalekofchaos]

Why Poe and Rose’s positions in TLJ should’ve been switched and why Finn and Poe NEEDED to be together

You know what would’ve made the whole Canto Bight sequence even better? If it had been Finn and Poe. 

Why? Here’s the problem with Rose. Finn, a CHILD SOLDIER doesn’t need explaining that war and slavery are bad.  You know who needed to understand the lesson that war and slavery are bad? POE! You know who could have taught him that and had a similar falling in love storyline? FINN!  

And honestly? Rose should’ve been the one who had the big confrontation with Holdo. 

If you read the novel TLJ:Cobalt Squadron. You will know it ends with Rose serving on Holdo's ship the Ninka. Now imagine this. Rose just lost her sister and Holdo is withholding information that is vital to the Resistance’s survival. Rose is kept in the dark and believes this will be the end of everything and doesn’t want Paige’s sacrifice to be in vain. So Rose covers Finn and Poe’s escape to Canto Bight and works with Connix and those loyal to Poe and leads a mutiny against Holdo. Remember. Holdo didn’t just leave Poe in the dark, she left THE ENTIRE RESISTANCE in the dark.  So Rose would lead the mutiny and Leia would awaken to stop her, only Leia would not stun her. Leia would talk Rose down, ya know, like Leia would actually do.

Imagine this. Instead of Canto Bight, we see Finn and Poe going to First Order labor camp to free the Master Codebreaker. On the journey, we see Finn telling Poe about his upbringing. About vivid memories of someone dying to keep him safe and being taken by The First Order.  We see Finn and Poe differ for their philosophies. Finn sees The First Order as monsters, but believes there is a chance that there could be more Stormtroopers like him to leave. Poe sees Stormtroopers all the same, but recognizes that Finn was the only one brave enough to say no. 

So Finn witnesses more children being taken by The First Order. Poe’s eyes are on freeing The Master Codebreaker and getting out, but sees an opening to destroying the entire camp while saving the Codebreaker. Finn refuses to let anymore children be taken to be made Stormtroopers and won’t allow Poe to kill the kids in the camp.  So Finn and Poe clash, Finn about saving the kids and suggesting not all Stormtroopers are the same and have the capability to leave, Poe believing all Stormtroopers are cogs in the machine and saving The Resistance is more important than saving a small group of kids and we finally get to see Finn confront Poe about killing his friend Slip. “Do you know why I finally had enough and left? The only friend I had in the Stormtrooper corps was killed on Jakku. Do you know who killed him? You did Poe. He marked me with his blood and then I realized...we’re firing on innocent civilians. We never had a choice. Everyone of us could run from The FIrst Order or even fight, but you don’t see it that way. It’s kill or be killed. This is why I wanted to run away, this isn’t my war, this war TOOK EVERYTHING from me” Poe feels remorse and is taken aback,  until Poe sees that everyone in the camp....they’re all children. He sees the children being forced to become Stormtroopers and The Master Codebreaker...is nonother than Lando Calrissian.

And finally Poe goes “okay new plan buddy, we’re gonna rescue everyone here and burn the place to the ground”

Having Finn and Poe being the ones on adventures gives us more depth to their relationship

We have Finn opening Poe’s eyes to the true atrocities of The First Order

Poe at first is stuck in his ways, but realize there is something more important than blowing up the bad guys

Finn’s character and past isn’t ignored and we don’t have someone talking down to him on why war and slavery are bad

Finn gets to confront Poe about Slip

This would prove Rian was wrong. There was potential to send Finn and Poe on an adventure that could challenge their relationship and help them grow as characters

While we still have a tense dynamic, we have a relationship that is based on love and understanding instead of constant bickering and tazing

We have gay representation in Star Wars

As for why Lando? Let’s look at Maz’s description for the Master Codebreaker "He's a master codebreaker, an ace pilot, a poet with a blaster." That sure does sound like fucking Lando to me. It still baffles me that they gave us a casino planet in TLJ but then chose to not include Lando in that setting although he was introduced as a gambler back in TESB. Lando informs them both that Lando got a tip that The First Order could track through hyperspace and was on the way to help The Resistance, but they captured him. And after saving the kids and taking them to safety, Finn, Poe and Lando are on their way to disabled the hyperspace tracker. We also get to see Lando and FInn both grieve for Han. So yes, Lando would be able to disable the Hyperspace tracker, but Phasma would catch them on their way to the escape pods. And Phasma’s death would be the deleted death scene and be the starting point for the Stormtrooper rebellion.

It would be Poe who would be the one trying to sacrifice himself. Poe has spent the entire film watching others die and give their lives and he’s never backed down and he’s learned that what this war has wrought on the galaxy.  But Finn saves him. I don’t think Finn would have the same speech. Maybe Finn could say this. "It isn't worth winning, if we lose ourselves in hate and can't save who we love." And then Finn kisses Poe. 

It's not worth fighting if Poe is going to die because Finn no longer cares the most about running away with Rey, Finn has fallen in love with Poe. This piece of knowledge gives an entirely different context to the scene, especially when you realize the dialogue was just poorly written to convey the intended message, "this war isn't worth winning without you" and ironically this theme is extremely prevalent when it comes to war. Most people aren't fighting for an ambiguous entity like The Republic or The Resistance, they're fighting for someone special. Han wasn't there for The Rebellion, he was there for Luke and Leia. Look at any war movie or talk to real-life soldiers, they've got picture of their wives, girlfriends or children that they carry with them, most of them are not fighting for their respective nation or what they believe in, but for who they love.

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[cheesybadgers]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Aw thank you so much for sending this 😘

1. Old Habits Die Hard 

Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo (Narcos)

Oh boy, where to start with this ever-growing beast (that I’m pretty sure ticks all of these)? 😂 It feels like it’s been 84 years since I first started it way back in February 2021, but I promise we are getting near the end now! Copious amounts of blood, sweat, tears and love for these messy idiots have been poured into this, and it’s been such a massive learning curve which has challenged me in SO many ways. I also didn’t expect more than about two people to be interested in it, so when I think back on all the wonderful comments I’ve received, it kind of blows my mind.

I still don’t really know how I fell so hard for this ship, it wasn’t supposed to happen! Initially, I only wanted to cover the events of Explosivos because it’s such an interesting episode for their canon relationship never mind anything else, as it shows Javi’s unwavering loyalty to Carrillo taking full effect when he shifts from passive to active participant (the disagreement they have over Gacha is so raw and they both seem genuinely hurt by each other’s words…it’s one of my favourite scenes in the whole show), but soon decided I had to fix everything and it sort of morphed into an emotional slow burn?? I don’t even know and it certainly wasn’t supposed to get this ambitious or take up so much of my time. But their dynamic seems to really suit my writing style and the more I wrote for them the harder I fell and the more they became my comfort ship, so here we are in the depths of rarepair hell lol.

2. Secret Santa 

Pairing: Javier Peña x Steve Murphy (Narcos)

I think this one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first fic I shared ❤️ A lot fluffier than some of my more recent writing, but it was Christmas and I still love the gifts I chose for them to give to each other. They feel very them.

3. All In

Pairing:  Steve Murphy x Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo (Narcos)

Tbh I have no excuses for this utter smut fest that somehow also doubled up as a character study 😂 Do you ever re-read some of your older fics and can’t quite get your head around the fact it was you who wrote them? Because this is definitely one of those lolol. 

I’ve always been obsessed with the dynamics between these three, as there are so many fascinating layers going on. I’m never getting over the intimacy and trust portrayed between Javi and Carrillo, to the exclusion of Steve (and the viewer, seen as we see everything from Steve’s POV and we aren’t privy to Javi’s and Carrillo’s history either, but it’s blatantly there). Then on top of that you’ve got Javi being (over)protective of Steve, Carrillo being wary of Steve, Steve wanting to impress and be included by Carrillo and Javi but also not being afraid to sometimes push back against Carrillo...unlike Javi who is wrapped around his little finger. Honestly, they provide so much fic material.

4. Healing Hands

Pairing: Horacio Carrillo x Female Reader (Narcos)

Well, this originally started out as a ridiculously self-indulgent one-shot written in one sitting after I pulled my neck and could barely move. For some reason, I couldn’t get the thought of a certain grumpy Colonel’s hands out of my head and a massage seemed like an obvious use for them 😉 But then I got encouraging comments hoping for a sequel and it ended up being three parts of utter self-indulgence (and more feelings and character study than I had originally intended) and I have no regrets lol.

5. In Another Life

Pairing: Esteban x Female Reader (There Is a New World Somewhere)

As my only non-Narcos fic so far, I thought I’d include this for a bit of variety lol. This stemmed from one of the Maurice Monday group chats last Christmas, when apparently I was feeling all melancholic about the festive season and who better to scratch that bittersweet itch with than Esteban? That film messes me up every time I watch it 😭 So I transported him and reader to a log cabin in the snow for some angsty smut...although actually, there’s not that much smut and it’s mostly just lots of feelings and wistful yearning. It’s interesting to compare this Christmas fic to the previous year’s fluff fest...I guess I decided to embrace the pain in my writing over the course of a year?! 😂

[justjstuff]

Shizune’s Character Study...ish

This is an answer to this comment <3 I always love a good character study

First of all, I found your observation about Shizune not being in love very clever and astute. This was exactly what I intended to show through my writing without spelling it out. Shizune left the village for what? Close to two decades? She spent more time away then in Konoha and she came back to a mountain of responsibility. Sure, she loved Genma when she was a child and some of it lingers, especially since Genma is, well, Genma. He’s a lovable hottie and a total flirt. But I don’t think she really let herself fall back in love with him. 

Now, this is a specific answer to your rb but also to a lot of reviews I got for the last chapter, so bear with me while I take this and go on a tangent xD

DoF is Sakura’s story. While we get a few sneak peaks into other characters’ PoVs, this is ultimately a story told by what she sees and understands. For over four years Sakura kinda shut down this part of her life that was “holding her back” before she became a proper ninja. She focused on her career and her training and just now she’s realising the repercussions of that. Namely, not being aware that people in her own team were together, the Genma and Shizune situation and in a way the impact she has around Konoha. So Sakura doesn’t know the whole story here and Genma x Shizune isn’t the focus of this story so while I explore some of it, it will mainly be the part of it that affects Sakura directly. People are allowed their privacy and even though Team Ro is close, that doesn’t mean that they have to know every single thing that goes on with each other.

So yeah, back to Shizune. When you said she was just waiting for him to fuck up and not telling everyone was a way for her to have a clean way out, you were absolutely right. This is the video that inspired me to write Shizune telling Kurenai about their relationship. In my head, she wanted to vent for a while but was scared of other’s reaction and then it slipped when she was drunk talking to her friend. Shizune is allowed to be cautious with her heart. Just like Sakura is. 

I think there’s a trend in media that we need to break when it comes to how we see women. A man can be a jerk and then be called deep because he was just protecting his feelings while a woman is a bitch when she’s looking out for herself. This comes from a place where we hold women in a position to always be nurturing and kind, to put others before her. Women can’t be mean, women can’t be angry, women can’t be assertive without being immediately judged by us as bitches (*cough* specially asian women, tiger women? yeah i see u *cough*). So yeah, Shizune is a bitch for not trusting Genma when he’s shown to be deeply afraid of commitment, a frankly unreliable partner with his long days away on extremely dangerous missions. 

Now, all of this I will briefly touch upon in later chapters (I think about three chapters from now? It’s already written) but you have to keep in mind the type of person Shizune is. She’s the Hospital Director and she’s aware there’s a very serious war brewing in the shadows. She works a lot and she’s always in the village dealing with all of this bullshit while Genma is a part of the most dangerous team in ANBU. She’s scared and frankly she’s tired. She wants stability and she wants something that she might not find in Genma. Y’all know I love Genma but in my eyes there’s no way Shizune can be condemned by the way she’s acting. She should be mindful that she’s hurting Genma (and she is, you just don’t get to see it bc again, not their story) but she can’t hurt herself in the process of making things comfortable for him. 

Now, there’s something that worries me about some of the comments I’m receiving. I get that a lot of people love Shizune and heavily ship Genma x Shizune but you have to take a step back and actually read the characters I’m writing. See them for what they are in this fic and kind of let go of your preconceived notions about them. Either that or stop reading the fic, lol. Anyways, some people were worried that this would drive a wedge between Sakura and Shizune and were sad because they feel like Sakura needs more female relationships and that they wished to see their closeness in a way they didn’t get to see in canon...

I get that. Y’all know that DoF was created with this heavily in my mind and it’s something very important to me, to give these characters that were done wrong some form of justice. That does not mean I’ll simply put every single female as super close friends and call it a day and yay female power. This is also a current trend I see where authors (and I mean screenwriters and the such, mostly) are heavily leaning into this woke version of feminism that just feels demeaning to me and while it’s leagues better than blatant misogyny it’s not exempt from criticism. 

My female characters have depth and they have their own personality which does mean that they’ll clash sometimes, there will be girls who don’t really get along with other girls, there will be petty grievances, there will be angry women, and sad women, and fucking deranged women. Because that’s what I want to see in mainstream media. I don’t want a simplistic version of what it means to be a women broadcasted to everyone and I will never write that even though I don’t have all of that reach. 

Oof, all of that to tie back to Shizune’s and Sakura’s relationship. In canon, I did miss seeing a strong bond between them but not in the way that some people want to see in this fic. I wanted them to be family. And you don’t always have to have a lot in common with family, or even like them, to deeply care for them and love them. DoF!Sakura left the hospital work after six months. She trained her ass to the ground and she was most often away on missions. She moved into the Senju Estate but Shizune always had her own place. DoF!Shizune is buried in hospital work, she has responsibility and most importantly, she has distance from Tsunade. She’s still seen as her former apprentice and she’s still her pseudo niece but she’s making her name outside of Tsunade’s shadow here. She’s not an assistant and she’s not always glued to Tsunade’s side, she’s the fucking Hospital Director. Sakura and Shizune drifted apart and no amount of woke let’s-scream-feminism-at-the-top-of-our-lungs can change that when they simply do not have that much in common. They grew apart and that’s okay. They still love each other. 

@hatake-sakura88 , I won’t answer everything in your comment because some things will be addressed later on and I don’t wanna spoil anything yet. Thank you for caring enough about my fic to engage and for being super polite and a sweetheart in general <3 

This post will probably be reblogged later with a more in depth character study of Shizune (both in canon and in Daughter of Fire)

[fanfiction-funtime]

Alexander Vodka lines

I did most of the characters, but some I don't know or genuinely can't think of anything. Hope this is good >-<

Hello: Hey there, your that Traveler fella ain’t ya? Hope I don't owe you copyrights for  the name. Hm? I don’t? Well then, what can I help ya with?

Adventures? Sure why not, I could use the inspiration.

Two names: You’re curious why I have two names? Well it's sort of a thing in Snezhnaya that officers and other high ranking people have two names, like how harbingers do. Since I’m a high ranking member of the Schneznayan authors association, well former member, I have the name “Eis Cay’zar” meaning “ice ruler”. And Alexander Vodka is a pen name. Hm? What's my resistance name and real one? Well now Traveler, a man must have some secrets.

Change of tone: Ah yes, people often find the way I change from more eloquent speech to more casual off putting. Well it's the same reason I wear two sets of clothes: sometimes I feel like looking like an old noir hero, other times I like looking like a new age caped crusader. Sometimes I like sounding high society, other times I enjoy sounding like I’m from Khaen’ria.

How do you know about Khaen’ria: Well I was looking for accents and found out about a place called “New York” or something, a bit of investigation and I discovered everything. My source? That's a secret, ehe.

Good morning: Mornin’ Traveler! What's in the mornin’ paper?

Noon: Lunch time, my favourite time of the day. Let’s go get some pizza, I’m famished!

Afternoon: Almost time to punch out, let's go knock some skulls first.

Night: *yawn* Today was fun, thanks buddy. Get some shut eye, or if you can't come meet me at (wanmin/angels share/the tea house), first rounds on me!

When it rains: I am so glad I got over my fear of contacts.

When it rains(with glasses outfit): Hey can we get under something? I can barely see!

When it stops raining: The smell that comes after rain has always been one of my favorites.

When it snows: Perfect weather to bundle up with a nice hot cup of hot chocolate!

When it stops snowing: Do you ever miss home, Traveler?

About freedom: I warned Barbados, you know that? I knew that as long as he saw it coming, Signora wouldn’t stand a chance. But he just looked at me and said, “good, when I’m gone mondstadt will be truly free of the gods”. That’s a man I’d follow to the depths of the abyss and back.

About Venti: Speaking of Barbados, he’s a great drinking buddy. Me and him knock back a couple hundred rounds whenever I’m in Mondstadt! Course I’m always paying the tab, but I consider it a way of repaying him for making songs about my books.

About Kaeya: The cavalry captain? He’s pretty cool if you ask me, modeled as Rex Mondoleon for the cover of a historical fiction book I made. But I’d still like to know what he’s hiding behind that smile.

About Diluc: Don’t tell him I told you this, but one time I found Diluc after he was hit by an abyss spell that made him drunk. While he was drunk he kept ranting about how sorry he is for kicking out his brother. The poor guy has all that forgiveness in him but he’s too afraid to let it out.

About Jean: The acting grandmaster of the knights is someone truly deserving of respect. She leads by being a good person and earning the respect of her people, and she has never once tried to cover up the mistakes of the knights. In fact if a knight makes a mistake she’ll rush out to fix it. Jean should be the grandmaster, not that crooked old bastard.

About Lisa: Lisa was my first friend in Mondstadt. She mailed me about getting copies of my books into the Mondstadt library, I said I’d do a signing to promote a new one, one thing led to another and now we have tea every ninth day of the month.

About Rosaria: Don’t tell anyone, but I’m very sure she’s a vampire. A nice one, but still.

About Barbara: Awe that little doll? I once saw her kill multiple fatui because they threatened some sick and injured travelers. So I think she’s a great person, takes compassion to save lives and guts to handle taking them as well.

About Bennett: Bennett? Yeah I know him, nice kid. He likes my books but kept breaking them, so now I make special enchanted ones so he can’t break them even if he tried.

About Razor: The guardian of wolvendom? He’s a weird one alright, but he’s not a bad guy. I taught him how to read and write.

About Fischl: That crazy kid? I don’t care what everyone else says, she’s nice. People need to learn to just leave people alone, she’s not hurting anyone with her persona.

About Noelle: You will never find someone more dedicated too...well anything than Noelle is too the knights and her training.

About Klee: Klee and I are great friends! Nothing is more stimulating than massive explosions!

About Amber: She always has interesting stories to tell, like one time where she got rid of some bandits by making a dummy merchant cart filled with explosives! Or the time she had to help a kid get her pet giant snake out from the cathedral!

About Zhongli: Heh, he thinks he’s slick, but I know he’s Rex Lapis. Gotta say I kinda hate him for just giving up his gnosis, however he did it to free his people so I can’t be mad.

About Ninnguang: Never much cared for economics because I don’t know much about ‘em, so I can’t say anything about her business sense. But I can say that she’s a great leader who puts her people first.

About Keqing: Haven’t talked to her enough to know much, but she’s dedicated to her people and that's enough for me. Her dislike of blind faith in the gods is definitely enough to make me want to get to know her better though.

About Qiqi: Qiqi’s a nice kid, I don’t care what anyone says her being a zombie doesn’t make her bad.

About Baizhu: Snake man? Nice guy, helps me be accurate in my books. Always worry about him though, one hot breeze and he’s out like a light.

About Xingqiu: Xingqiu always tries to hide his good deeds, and while I can respect anonymity I can’t let a hero go unsung. So I’ve written multiple short stories about him using a different name, and put in the beginnings that it’s based on a true story.

About Chongyun: His popsicles are great inventions, I’ve played around with the idea a bit and made flavored ones. So far I’ve got strawberry and grape down and am working on this weird fruit called a..Banananana? I think?

About Beidou: Captain Beidou is so cool! She tells me stories about her journeys out to see and I write about them, but after seeing her in action I can’t really say that I do her justice.

About Kazuha: Kazuha has suffered so much, yet he refuses to give up and curl up away from the world when he so easily could. I have immense respect for him.

About Xianling: You’d be surprised at how good slime and boar tusk can be.

About Xiao: I’ve written down many myths and legends of the yaksha, but sadly I've never seen him in person.

About Verr Goldet: Oh she’s great company! Good business sense, and always polite.

About Gorou: Many people rightly attribute the Resistance’s survival and victories to general Kokomi, but it’s wrong to say general Gorou isn’t a brilliant strategist. He knows how to rally his men against impossible odds, and how to keep them standing against them. I’d follow general Gorou into battle any day.

About Ayaka: Ayaka seems so lonely, I hope when this is all done she can have some form of social life.

About Thoma: Thoma’s as cool as he seems. He always has a level head, and solves problems smoothly and without issues.

About Yoimia: KABOOOM!

About Kokomi: One time I was doing an interview of her excellency, to boost morale and draw new members. I intended on asking for her autograph, only for her to ask for mine! I’ve been riding that high for a while now and still ain’t come down.

About Signora: I hate fatui, but without that she has some good qualities: most of her power is her own unlike most other harbingers, and she’s a sharp dresser. Plus she’s actually justified in her choice to join the fatui, not excused, but isolation can justify many crimes in my book. But no matter what I can’t forgive her. She attacked my friend without a chance for him to fight back, and was unfairly cruel. Nothing can justify that, and I will not forgive her as long as she remains unapologetic for her cowardly cruelty.

About Childe: Fatui are scum, but Childe’s probably the best of them: he personally tries to keep civilians and the weak out of fatui business, and he’s only in it to make sure his family lives well. He also is powerful on his own, but most of his strength is the Tsaritsa’s well deserved gifts. Still though, he’s just a single stressful day from losing all his morals. I can’t leave the fate of my homeland to a madman like him, not unless he gets therapy.

About Scaramouche: Scaramouche...that bastard, it’s been five years and he still owes me 30,061 mora.

About the Fatui: The fatui are really just people who are lost or genuinely believe they’re in the right, and while I can sympathize and respect many of them I can't agree nor can I just stand by and watch. The grunts usually aren’t that bad, honestly they’re more like underpaid graduates new to the workforce, but the fighters you see daily? Almost all of them are scum no better than raiders, and debt collectors are the worst of them because they’ll do anything they can to scam you out of everything in their contracts.

About us-commissions: You know, if you’d like to commission a biography it’s 100 mora per ten pages.

About us-inspiration: You’re a font of inspiration for me, ya know that?

About us-fellow rebels: I’ve been with ya enough to know that this path you’re on, the one to find your sis/bro, you’re fighting against something far beyond my ability to deal with. I won’t abandon you, I’ll be here every step of the way.

About us-friends: We’ve been through a lot pal, I’m glad to call you my friend. Please, call me my rebel name: it’s Belgrade, named after the city where some very brave men took their last stand against oppression.

Hobbies: Well you have reading and writing, otherwise? Can't think of anything.

Favorite food: Grilled tiger fish, come get it while it’s hot!

Least favorite food: I really wanna try it, but I can’t have almond tofu. Or any nuts. Closes my throat right up.

Something to share: Hehe, I got embarrassing dirt on all the harbingers. Signora? She has a Tsaritsa body pillow. Scaramouche? He knits sweaters for his pet pig, cute but he hates letting people know. And Childe? Hoo man, the pics I’ve got on him have put a pretty mora on my head.

About me: Hey have you seen my dice? I wanted to teach the mondstadt kids how to play them...hm? What?! No, not gambling! It’s, uh, a tad embarrassing...h-hey look! Literally anything else, let's pay attention to it!

About me II: Alright! These rolls are great, can’t wait to use them next game. I’m so proud of Fischl, so young yet so imaginative. She’s already-ah! T-traveler! What are you doing?..

You know I’m the one meant to be learning the secrets here.

About me III: Back in Snezhnaya, everyone looks down on things that don’t “conform” where even the most rigid of nations like Inazuma have stopped caring. Adults can't play games, men can’t wear dresses, can’t even have a “weird” sense of humor. No laws against it, but being outcasted is...it’s not good…

About me IV: I wish I grew up in Mondstadt. The kids there are so free to be themselves, and the adults aren’t pressured to be nothing more than working hands. It’s not perfect, after all people are rude to Fischl and Benny for being “different”, but it’s better that’s for sure.

About me V: Hey traveler...this is...no it’s not embarrassing. You’re my friend and I have no reason to be embarrassed by wanting to enjoy time with you! Fischl’s going to run a pen and paper dice game, ever played one? It’s super fun, you get to be anything you want really, and it’s a great way to bond.

You will? Great! I’ll help you make a character!

Alexander’s troubles: It’s so hard to find publishers these days. Noone wants an actual plot, they just want twist after twist. What’s up with that?! Shock value is no substitute for characters you love living fulfilling lives.

Happy birthday: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday you crazy bastard, happy birthday to you! Seriously pal, you put yourself in harm's way every day it seems, we literally met when you were fighting an actual god! Actually, know what? No danger all day! We’re wrapping ourselves in blankets and just relaxing!

Feelings about ascension-intro: woah, somethin’ feels different. I like it!

Feelings about ascension-building up: man, I’m feeling inspired all of a sudden! Hey traveller, give me a prompt!

Feelings about ascension-climax: HA! I don’t know what high I’m riding but I like it, I just finished writing a whole book series!

Feelings about ascension-conclusion: WOO! YEAH! ULRICH MIKAEL KEEPS WINNIN’!-I-I meant Alexand-ah forget it, I’m feelin’ too good to care!

OCs:

About Louis: That crazy inventor guy from Fontaine? I heard he got used by the fatui, damn shame that. Noone deserves to have their heart played with like that.

About Spritefather: You ever heard of Spritefather? I’ve only heard legends, but the fanmail I keep getting tells me that sometimes things are only legendary until someone writes them down.

About the Storytraveler: There’s this woman who travels from universe to universe to fix things, she’s in Teyvat right now. You should meet her, really nice person. But her powers are a bit weird, why does she transform like that? It takes so much time!

_____________________

Tagging: @love-psxlm, @storytravelled, @genshin-obsessed, @golden-wingseos

[vendeavendea]

How Entrapta Has Become My All Time Favourite Autistic Representation in Media: Long Version

Just so you know what to expect, this is more of a very long and boring personal post and less of a character analysis. By "very long", I mean "very long". Also, half of it was written at night when I was supposed to be sleeping (like, right now), so some parts might not even make sense. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Just days before I started to watch She-Ra, I answered a question in a writer group where someone asked what are the do's and don'ts of writing an autistic character. I've been told a couple of times in my life that I can’t be autistic based on the fact that I'm not really interested in or good at science, so I think special interests of autistic people are something that definitely has to be presented better in media. So I advised this person to make their character have a special interest that's NOT related to science, technology, space or computers, because it's a very common misconception that people on the autism spectrum are always into these stuff, and there are so many autistic fictional characters based on this stereotype that I feel like we absolutely don't need any more.

And then I saw Entrapta.

I didn't know she's canonically autistic until a much later episode, but it didn't surprise me when I was told she is, because my autism radar went off like a hundred times while watching System Failure and all her other season 1 appearances (so did my ADHD radar, by the way, but as far as I know, this hasn't been confirmed by the creators, so it's just my headcanon). And she looked like the purple ponytails princess version of the autism stereotype that I didn’t want to see any more of. The genius who is into space and robots, knows nothing about human relationships and keeps driving everyone nuts with her long and impossible-to-follow scientific monologues. Also cute and funny, yeah, but still, as someone on the spectrum who is super artistic and has nothing to do with science stuff, my first reaction was "dang, not this shit again." Just for once in my life, I wanted to see an autistic representation that's not just that typical weird tech-lover but a character that's at least a tiny bit more like me. Seeing her only in her first episode, little did I know that Entrapta's character has an incredible depth and her whole arc was going to be hair-raisingly personal to me (I know I'm not funny, but pun intended).

First, let’s talk about robots, because we can't talk about Entrapta without talking about robots. Entrapta builds robots just for fun, because technology is her thing, but there's actually a lot more behind this. Starting from as early as her debute episode, we see through the whole series that she creates robots with different designs, abilities, personalities, very similar to real people, as a sort of substitute for the human (or whatever species) company she'd wish to have. She even gives them names. She programs them to like being around her, to understand her, something that she hasn't really experienced from real people, which is sad enough on its own, but even sadder if we consider that she actually has human staff working at her fortress. She pretty literally makes friends, and she does it with the help of her special interest. And this totally reminds me of my primary school years when I had zero real friends and used my special interest, which was writing fictional stories and creating worlds/universes/languages in my head, to make up imaginary characters that could be my "friends" so that I wouldn't be that lonely.

Then, her interactions with other characters, especially with Hordak. Entrapta consoling Hordak in Huntara is a very powerful scene to me, not only what she says, but also how she says it. When Hordak starts venting about how he is a failure and all, Entrapta's first immediate response is to provide a practical solution, to design an armor for him, and comforting him with words is only a secondary action. She's helping in her own way, with technology, because that's what she's the best at, but she also wants to make sure he understands that fixing imperfections isn't always the solution, embracing them is. I also love how it's hinted with the "loved" crystal that Entrapta's love language may be acts of service (and probably quality time as well), which is another thing we have in common. And there's another thing in that scene I found very relatable: that part when she stops consoling him and starts to talk about herself being a failure instead. In real life, most people would read that in a negative way. I've been in many situations where I've tried doing something similar to people who were venting to me, and normally, they're like "ew, I'm the one complaining now, stop making it about you." But Hordak's reaction is different, all he does is try to tell her she's not a failure before she shushes him, then he just listens. He understands what Entrapta means by saying all those things about herself isn't "hey, look, my life is also horrible, so I get to complain, too" but rather "I feel you, we're the same". For a person who thinks and acts as differently from average people as Entrapta does, connecting with someone through similar experiences and feelings is a huge thing, and this is so relatable to me that I cried like a baby while watching that scene. Also, kudos to Christine Woods for making Entrapta's monologue sound so factual and casual. It really gives the impression of someone who is fully aware of her own strengths and weaknesses and accepts herself as a whole with all her flaws. The way she lists all the things that make her feel like a failure right after saying "imperfection is beautiful" is just... wow. But seriously, this whole "imperfection is beautiful" thing in general is such a cliché that it's not even supposed to work on me, but hell it does, because it's so well-presented that it's actually one of the most powerful moments of the whole series. Entrapta giving me self-acceptance lessons is all I've ever needed in my life (Hordak probably agrees, lol).

Speaking of self-acceptance, I also love how Beast Island shows that it's a long and difficult process with its ups and downs instead of just a door you walk through once in your life and then stay on the other side forever. Even if I accept and love myself the way I am, it's still totally normal to have low points with thoughts like "I'm not suited for friendship" or "everyone leaves me behind". And it's very nice and uplifting to have someone's love and support when I'm in a bad mood with stuff like this on my mind, but personally, I often find it easier to deal with if I have something related to any of my special interests around that I can focus my thoughts on. My "we flew here on an ancient First Ones ship, do you wanna see it?" would be something like "do you wanna create some characters and then write the shit out of them?" and before this show I've never actually realised how neurodiverse it is to use a hobby or interest for self-care like this. The "definitely the ship" part called me out so hard, and I just adore how the writers were able put so much meaning into a single joke line.

Back to interactions, there's also something painfully relatable in the way the other princesses treat Entrapta. Even in the beginning in No Princess Left Behind, but mostly in season 4 and 5. In most cases, Entrapta is only considered to be worthy enough to not be left behind in situations when her skills are useful. Other characters "liking" her isn't really about herself as a person but her tech knowledge. Just like when you go to school and the only reason your classmates want to make friends with you is because you always do your homework and let others copy it, or you're good at explaining stuff and are willing to help people getting prepared for tests/exams. When I was in grammar school, my classmates ignored me or mocked me for liking animation and comics, but every now and then they did the bare minimum of treating me like a human being and expected me to do their arts homework in return, because I was the only one in my class who was good at arts. When I studied linguistics at the uni, I was really into phonology and historical linguistics, and those were the compulsory subjects most of the other students were struggling with, so many people wanted to hang out with me just to make sure they could get my notes before the exams. The same people kept calling me nerd and making fun of me behind my back. I also had a few genuine friends, which I'm grateful for, but I still know what it feels like to be needed only for a specific skill while not being noticed and respected as a person, and Launch portraits this experience in a very clever way. It's so amazing to see how the princesses realise who Entrapta really is and start to treat her as someone who just thinks differently instead of someone who's a deliberate bad person. They finally get to see that she's not just an unwary tech nerd, but also a determined, caring and loyal friend who gives others so much love in her own geeky way and deserves love, too. But I shouldn't even be surprised, I mean, we're talking about a show that teaches us "you worth more than what you can give to other people," and it's great how this message applies to other characters as well, not only to Adora. And the best part is that this whole conflict is not presented as something black and white, it's not like Entrapta is the poor misunderstood autistic person and the princesses are the evil allistic bad guys who mistreat her. It's simply a miscommunication between neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals, and while the other princesses get to understand that they hurt Entrapta by their actions and that they should be more respectful of her, Entrapta also realises that she's made mistakes and hurt people, becomes aware of her own bad habits and makes efforts to get rid of them in order to save Glimmer. Plus I also love the faint implication that most of the princesses never really, genuinely, 100% make friends with Entrapta even after this scene, because sometimes people just don't resonate with each other enough to become close friends, but they learn to accept her differences and treat her with respect, nonetheless. This episode is so full of realistic interactions and character development it blows my mind every time I rewatch it.

I could just go on and on about all those tiny relatable details such as "I've waited years for someone to ask me about my theories!" I think this was the line that first made me fall in love with Entrapta's character. I mean, if someone from the crew wrote this line, that means they might know the feeling, too, so I'm not the only dork who feels this way every time someone asks me a question about my hyperfixations. And it's just so reassuring. Entrapta has many lines of the kind, they're not even important plotwise, but still super relatable and validating.

Now that we're here, and I know that I probably should have said this at the beginning of the post, but I'm too lazy to rewrite the first paragraph accordingly, I'd like to note that these are all my own interpretations and reflections on Entrapta's character based on my own experiences. This whole thing is totally personal, and I don't want anyone to think that this is how Entrapta is supposed to be seen by the whole fandom. So yeah, that's pretty much it for now.

[jazy3]

Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Predictions - Part 2

I think they might choose to kill or write off Jackson in the upcoming season as the character hasn't had as much to do since April left and his relationships with Maggie and Vic were complete disasters that went nowhere. The majority of fans were not a fan of Maggie and Jackson, myself included, and most people could not care less about Jackson and Vic especially after the devastating loss of Lucas Ripley in Season 2 of Station 19.

Winston was just upped to a main character which means that Maggie will be moving on with him and that they’ve planned that out. They wouldn't have upped him to a main character after one episode if they were planning or putting her back together with Jackson. Jackson has also been spending more time on Station 19 lately between dating Vic and helping Ben out with the PRT mobile surgery truck so it’s possible they could be leaning towards moving him over or writing him off altogether.

It’s also worth noting that Jesse Williams, who plays Jackson, was away for multiple episodes in season 15 and 16 because he was working on other projects and was supposed to be on Broadway at the end of Season 16 before everything was shut down due the pandemic so it’s entirely possible that the actor may have asked to be written off so that he could pursue other projects full time. That being said, all of those other projects are likely now on hold due to COVID-19 so the actor might choose to remain on Grey’s a while longer as a result. I like Jackson as a character so I would be a bit sad if he left.    Which brings us to our final and most likely choice: DeLuca. And not just because I don’t like the character. I think he’s the most likely candidate because at this point the character has just run his course. The writers have rewritten and reinvented his character multiple times and it’s just not working. They’ve done their best, but DeLuca was never intended to be anything more than a side character and suddenly forcing him into the spotlight didn’t change that.

The rewrites and added backstory over the last two seasons were supposed to give the character more depth, but instead they fell flat and as Krista Vernoff herself as outright stated in interviews a large part of that was because the actor played the character very differently than was intended and so the writing came across differently than they had envisioned. At a certain point you have to cut your losses and I think his time may have finally come.

I saw someone on Twitter point out that with Carina moving over to Station 19 full time DeLuca no longer has any meaningful personal connections to any of the other characters on Grey's and I realized that they’re right. Both of his ex-girlfriends, Maggie and Meredith, are moving on with other people and his ex-girlfriend Sam moved to Switzerland to avoid deportation at the end of Season 14. He was friends and roommates with Arizona until she started dating his sister at which point he moved out and while they remained friends afterwards Arizona also exited the show in Season 14 when she relocated to New York.

He ruined his friendship with Link in order to get with Meredith and prior to that he destroyed his friendship with Jo when she went back to Alex and then again when he tried to assault her at Joe’s Bar last season. He was previously close to Amelia when she got diagnosed with her brain tumour and she mentored him in neurosurgery. But he dropped neurosurgery as a speciality after Sam left and they’ve had very little screen time since.

He was friendly with Richard for a while, but that ended when Richard realized he was dating Maggie. They became friendly again after the two of them broke up, but then all of that ended when he started pursuing and then dating Meredith. And that’s it. He's not really close with any of the other characters and the other residents can’t stand him. Bailey and Catherine flat out hate him and half of the Season 16 finale consisted of the other characters talking about how much they hate him both to his face and behind his back.

Andrew and Carina haven’t had much screen time lately and with her moving to Station 19 full time they’ll have even less. I think it’s also worth noting that they’re not that close. There’s also no reason for them to up Hayes to a main character if they’re not planning on having him and Meredith date and end up together as I'm not sure what his storyline would be otherwise as I feel like they've told all the pediatric stories they can with Alex, Arizona, and Addison already.

It’s also worth noting that Hayes was created and introduced as a character while Alex was still on the show. Alex’s departure was a surprise to both the writers and the fans which means Hayes wasn’t created to be a replacement. Having the character be on the show full time only makes sense if the plan is for him to date Meredith. Because otherwise they’re spending a whole bunch of money and time to give us something we already had and that just doesn't make sense. I can also see how writing off DeLuca would have worked at the end of Season 16. In what was supposed to be episode 21 of 25 we saw DeLuca having what looked like a breakdown during which he finally seemed to realize that something was wrong and accept Meredith’s help. My guess is that had they been able to film the rest of Season 16 as planned we would have seen him enter treatment and get better, perhaps with some kind of time jump involved, and return to the hospital only to be killed off in the explosion stemming from the crossover on Station 19. That way the character would have been redeemed and then killed off in a dramatic and shocking fashion. While the explosion storyline won’t be happening as originally planned, they can still carry out this storyline within the first few episodes of Season 17 with a different catastrophe. Or they could choose to write him off by having him undergo treatment and then leave to do a fellowship with Dr. Riley, the diagnostics expert from last season, in California. Or they could have him enter treatment and that’s the last we see of him. With Carina moving to Station 19 that wouldn’t surprise me. I'm also really interested to see how the show handles the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s possible, and I’ve seen people on Twitter speculating about this, that the character death that was supposed to be the result of an explosion might be changed to be a COVID-19 related death to incorporate the pandemic and call attention to how it can take out anyone which if done right could be really interesting. Krista Vernoff said during a podcast recently with the Hollywood Reporter that incorporating the pandemic won’t be all death and despair and that, “There’s joy and fun to be had in people who are quarantining away from the hospital especially for the doctors who, to protect loved ones, crash elsewhere between shifts. As we have seen in real life many of these doctors aren’t going home to their families. They’re getting Airbnbs and living together.”

Which seems to indicate that we’ll see the fictional doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial doing the same. My prediction is that either Meredith’s house will magically expand once again and the entire cast will crash there or we’ll see them all rent a house or an Airbnb together. Which honestly sounds hilarious! Can you imagine Tom and Owen having to share a bathroom?

Krista also said that there are a lot of possible stories to tell due to the fact that so many elective surgeries are being cancelled or postponed right now which means the doctors on Grey’s are going to have to find something else to do with their time. Watching them try to deal with that boredom in contrast to the death barrage of COVID cases should be interesting. So there you have it. Those are my predictions for the new season so far! I can’t wait to see what happens.

Until next time!

Part 1: https://bit.ly/3jtSZVi

[dicegrimorium]

Mega Tarrasque, a Holiday Map Collaboration

Greetings!

I hope you've all had some wonderful holidays! Today I'm very happy to announce to you guys the release of an awesome collaboration I did with a lot of excellent D&D content creators.

A huge map, an awesome adventure, atmospheric music, very cool minis, horrifying monsters and powerful magic items are our Holiday gift from all of us! Keep reading to know more about everything you'll find and don't forget to scroll to the bottom on the following link to download all the files.

Download everything here!

Inside the Belly of the Beast

A gargantuan 123x40 grid battlemap within the Tarrasque itself! Dungeon crawl through the dank and dangerous depths of Tarrasque’s organs, from its razor sharp mouth all the way to its rancid rectum. This giant collaborative battlemap of 26 organs (and one impaling minaret!) was made possible by all your favourite battlemappers!

The Tarrasque Task of Moreen Trask

What do you do when a 1,200 foot long, 600-foot tall, hard-shelled lizard barrels across the desert headed straight for the tavern in which you and your friends are unwinding? Obviously, you let a strange, bushy-haired gnome woman use telekinesis to toss you inside a hole in the thing’s side so you can wander around in its innards looking for a magic sword.

The Tarrasque Task of Moreen Trask is an 8th-level Fifth Edition adventure intended for 4-5 characters written by adventure creator DM Dave. A cleric—especially one with a ton of healing spells—will be a huge benefit in this adventure. Meanwhile, characters with poor Strength and Constitution scores will probably struggle. Also, if you or any of your players have a weak stomach you better avoid this one. There’s a whole lot of gross stuff in it.

A Belly Full of Treasures

After a life of torment and rampage the Tarrasque contains treasures found nowhere else! Within this terrifying beast find the Enzymatic Gastrostaff, the Titan’s Tooth Claymore and a full Tarrasque Plate set of armour. Collect these spoils and gear up your players with unique spoils from The Griffon’s Saddlebag!

Monsters From The Depths

Battle Immuno Cells, Tapeworms, Roundworms and even the dreaded Stool Elemental. This adventure comes alive with 4 unique and disgusting monster miniatures and all the stat blocks you’ll need to fight them thanks to Paper Forge, Paper Mage and ItsADnDMonsterNow.

Its Eerie In Here

Turn up the ambience and complete the Tarrasque experience with four full tracks by renowned composers Music D20 and Tabletop Audio! Give your players the true feeling of battling through the belly of a gargantuan monster with these tracks.

Special Thanks

So many D&D creators answered our call to get together to create this project, so we want to say a special thanks to all of them. If you want more awesome content please support this passion and effort by becoming a patron of some of the creators listed below!

Maps:

Mouth - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Saliva Gland - Neutral Party - https://www.patreon.com/neutralparty

Crop - Eightfold Paper - https://www.patreon.com/8foldpaper

L. Lung - Crosshead - https://www.patreon.com/crosshead

Heart - Maphammer - https://www.patreon.com/maphammer

R. Lung - Tom Cartos - https://www.patreon.com/tomcartos

Spleen - Dice Grimorium - https://www.patreon.com/dicegrimorium

Stomach - Domille’s Wondrous Works - https://www.patreon.com/dww

Pancreas - Roll For Initiative - https://www.patreon.com/initiative

Liver - Caeora - https://www.patreon.com/caeora

Gall Bladder - Tehox Maps - https://www.patreon.com/tehox

Duoddenum 1 - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Duoddenum 2 - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Duoddenum 3 - Dungeon Mapster - https://www.patreon.com/dungeonmapster

Jejunum - Fantasy Atlas - https://www.patreon.com/fantasy_atlas

Ileum - John Stevenson - https://www.patreon.com/imaginebetterworlds

Appendix - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Ascending Colon - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Ascending Colon 2 - DrMapzo - https://www.patreon.com/drmapzo

Transverse Colon - Meditating Munky - https://www.patreon.com/Meditating_Munky

L. Kidney - Forgotten Adventures - https://www.patreon.com/forgottenadventures

R. Kidney - 2-Minute Tabletop - https://www.patreon.com/2minutetabletop

Descending Colon - Cze and Peku - https://www.patreon.com/czepeku

Sigmoid Colon - J.Dungeonmaster - https://www.patreon.com/jdungeonmaster

Bladder - Venatus Maps - https://www.patreon.com/venatusmaps

Rectum - Afternoon Maps - https://www.patreon.com/afternoonmaps

Miniatures:

Paper Forge - https://www.patreon.com/paperforge

Paper Mage - https://www.patreon.com/papermage

Monsters:

ItsADnDMonsterNow - https://www.patreon.com/ItsADnDMonsterNow

Adventure:

DM Dave - https://www.patreon.com/DMDave

Items:

The Griffon’s Saddlebag - https://www.patreon.com/the_griffons_saddlebag

Music:

Belly of the Beast - Music d20 - https://www.patreon.com/musicd20

Tarrasque Interior - Tabletop Audio - https://www.patreon.com/tabletopaudio

[whiterosebrian]

Q Shaman and Deeper Problems

I for one hoped that this year would get off to a nicer start than the previous year—but it certainly did not! By now you should have seen frightening videos of partisans of a wannabe strongman invading the Capitol in Washington DC. You might have even seen that one man wearing Nordic pagan symbols as tattoos along with a mock-Lakota headdress. I was unsure if I wanted to write about it. I wasn’t sure if I could add any meaningful commentary on top of what so many others have written or spoken. Maybe I should still at least attempt to add my voice in public.

I don’t want to center whiteness, but I do need to address it to some extent. It’s no secret that the wannabe strongman has appealed to whiteness as an ideology and an entire social structure. Whiteness might be considered a hivemind, one that largely flattened and assimilated European peoples before going on to outright colonize other peoples and lands. I’ve said before that I am a man of Northern European descent and have started reconnecting to the old Northern European spiritual heritage. I’ve even seen it suggested that such a spiritual walk might be part a project of decolonizing alternative spirituality. Just as many indigenous people of Turtle Island want to renew with their ancient heritages, settlers might also do the same for themselves. Perhaps there’s a truth that folkish and Nazi heathens grotesquely distort.

More and more I’ve seen a reckoning over systemic white privilege and conspiracist mentalities within alternative-spirituality circles. Anyone who pays attention to criticisms from certain communities might already be aware of the appropriation of precious spiritual traditions on the part of New-Agers. Furthermore, you may have heard the neologism “conspirituality” to describe how easily New-Agers can fall into the most dangerous conspiracy theories. You may have heard of David Icke’s notorious stories about alien reptilians (sometimes used as a code-word for Jewish people)—but that’s the tip of the iceberg. That “Q Shaman” character, the one with the tattoos and headdress, has promoted the now-infamous Q-Anon movement, hence the name. Many, many more people, including those with substantial online followings, have been seduced by a movement that seemingly champions children caught up in horrible crimes. There are plenty other people who will describe Q-Anon to you in depth.

Even as I oppose white supremacy and conspiratorial fascism, I need to remember why I do so. I have my share of privilege, however vulnerable I am in other respects. I need to keep in mind the goal of bending the arc towards justice for various marginalized people and the earth itself. I feel like I merely shout into the void (or, worse yet, I risk coming off as merely performative) because I’m an autistic warehouse worker who doesn’t always have energy for any creative, intellectual, or mystical endeavors, much less anything remotely resembling activism. Should I still say something in public?

What can neopaganism offer to the world? That’s a question that conscientious neopagans need to ask. As important as it is to oppose fascist and exclusionary appropriations, that can’t be the only thing that neopagans do in public. They need to show what neopaganism offers while they decenter whiteness.

As I’ve done research into the pre-Christian religions that neopagans do their best to rebuild, again and again I’ve come into animism. In case you need your memory refreshed, animism is a belief that elements of nature, human and nonhuman animals, special places, and special objects have spirits. Speaking of “the other side” is not wrong at all, but the “other side” intersects with our world all the time. They influence our world and our lives. Humans can (and should) have relationships with these spirits too, whether in terms of humble respect or close friendships. Some people who are specially called—or, for people such as me, feel a strong desire—might learn work directly with the very powers of life. There is, in fact, an entire web of life. Heathens and occultists such as Arith Harger and Freyia Norling have helped me learn all that.

Pagan gods have no pretenses to being omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omnipresent, or omniscient. Many neopagans will say that makes more philosophical sense. Norse myths are very notable for illustrating the limited nature of deities. Pagan gods are better seen as powerful intelligent forces who dwell invisibly among us. Many mythical creatures can also be seen that way. In fact, the gods themselves might be seen as personifications of aspects of nature and life. Thor might be seen as thunder and lightning and rain, obviously, but Odin can be seen as a howling, restless wind while Freya might be seen as anything fertile. The myths are, first and foremost, expressions of spiritual truths—anyone who seriously studies historical mythologies will tell you that.

What can neopaganism offer to the world? It can offer a new friendship with the entire web of life. Humans too are a part of life, and marginalized people deserve to be treated as fellow members of the web of life. To my understanding, the Druids of the British Isles and other Celtic lands were learned in the sciences of their day as much as religion and magic—there is most certainly a place for reason and science along with spiritualism and mysticism. They were also civil leaders. While today’s separation of church and state is necessary to prevent an ugly form of authoritarianism, spiritual practitioners need to take responsibility for their human and nonhuman siblings. Interestingly enough, the later Germanic settlers of the British Isles also had leaders who, depending on translation, might be called Druids.

I’ve pondered what more I can do to help more people, to build up an inclusive and compassionate neopagan faith, to assist in correcting the of colonization, hyper-capitalism, and authoritarianism. Throughout my webpages, I’ve made multiple references to a novel that I’ve been very slowly writing. Part of a druid or shaman’s duty is storytelling, and I do wish to have a similar role within our world, so I don’t intend to give up on fiction writing. I may also start brainstorming a sort of book of personal essays about spiritualism, environment, historical injustices, inclusion, and more. In fact, that is what ultimately prompted me to type up this journal entry. I already have a lot of things going on personally, though—and furthermore I may not be yet deeply educated enough to make a really effective collection of essays. I really wish I had more energy when I’m not at the mass-mailing warehouse—my hours may not be much (I only work part-time), but I’m not a hardy man.

Maybe I really did make a tiny contribution by composing and posting this journal entry. Do you suppose that I did? I’m only one man with a very meager online following. I hope to do much more for marginalized and vulnerable people along with the rest of the web of life.

[meangirlsx]

27 for the fanfic writer ask! 💜-Unsaid-emily

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I do a weird mix of both? I’m usually very much a planner. I might not literally write out an entire outline but I’ll have a notes section of the doc where I keep all my ideas to check back in on as I write. I’ve learned recently, though, that as long as I did start with an idea fully formed enough, going with the flow actually really works for me.

My favorite author, Ally Carter, says she believes writers can be plotters, who tend not to start writing until they’ve figured out characters and goals and plot points, or they can be pantsers, who write by the seat of their pants. I’m mostly a plotter, with a touch of pantser when I need to be.

She also shares a theory from George R. R. Martin that writers are architects or planters. You can build and plan and diagram, or you can plant seeds to water and nurture and see which will grow. I love this one especially because I'm definitely an architect, but I’ve learned that when I do use the pantser style, it’s actually planter. That happens when I’m stuck on something, so I read back what I’ve written and I realize I actually planted an idea without realizing.

That was the case in Step Into My World with the downtown/caught in the rain scene, actually. I knew I wanted Luke and the reader to spend a day downtown just having fun, but I had no idea how to get them there or what they would do. I had part of their conversation the night before but I couldn’t figure out where it was going. So I read back what I’d already written and I came across Flynn mentioning putting up posters downtown, so I used that to guide the conversation and then the downtown scene.

That also happened in Chain React. I’d gotten some ideas from friends about Carrie’s middle name and nicknames, which gave me Eleanor, Gumdrop, Caroline Ruthie, and the running gag of guessing her middle name. I knew I didn’t want to just have it be that she didn’t like the name Eleanor, but I didn’t know what to do with it. When they started talking to Nana, I realized she needed a name even though we would primarily call her Nana, and it was like a chain reaction thought process (no pun intended I swear, I’ve just said domino effect too many times in the last 24 hours) through realizing Eleanor would have been a popular name around the time Nana was born, Trevor (or at least the way I write him) would totally use a name that meaningful to him, it would be another special connection between Carrie and Nana, and it would give more depth to Carrie. I’d actually written a scene YEARS ago for something else I was writing at the time where a character keeps a name a secret because he doesn’t feel like he can live up to his namesake, so I was excited to be able to bring back that idea years later in something I was actually going to share with people and that worked for the story.

Similarly, for Hearts on Fire, I never planned on it being so many parts. I was going to write a little backstory and then get to the Prom scene. But I kept talking to @walkingonshunshine as ideas struck me while I wrote, and I realized the story wouldn’t really be complete without knowing how the group’s story went across the different holidays. We needed to see things develop over time and there was too much uncertainty if I didn’t at least think it through, and if I can think it through, I want to write it, and she was super supportive as I kept saying “wait I have another idea.”

[fillorian-pocketwatch]

The Makings and Fate of Quentin Coldwater: What Were the Writers Thinking?

Trigger warnings: Quentin Coldwater, seasons 4 and (briefly) 5, mentions of suicide/suicidal ideation, outdated ideas about the purity of women.

General warnings: Spoilers for the show and the books.

Buckle up, darlings, and my apologies in advance: this is a rough ride, and I don’t recommend reading it if you aren’t in the right headspace for it right now.

I hope that those who do read it might drop some LGBTQIA+ positive book/tv recommendations in the comments as a pick-me-up for others. I will add some myself if I can think of some good ones.

So as it turns out, I ran into something entirely by accident: the inspiration behind the character of Quentin Coldwater.

I knew that Eliot and his "will-they-or-won't-they" dynamic with Quentin in the Magicians books were both borrowed from Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited (Grossman has said so himself)--

but I didn't realize there was an actual preexisting character Grossman borrowed from for Q:

Quentin Compson, from The Sound and the Fury.

This explains so much for me. So much.

I ran across information about the character the other day while doing something completely unrelated (looking up some other book if I recall correctly), and when I saw the similarity of the two names and then learned about the first Quentin’s fate, I thought, could this be LG’s inspiration?

Further research revealed that yes, Lev has said as much in articles. And even if he hadn’t, the fact that he has written extensively *about* TSatF online makes it a relatively easy conclusion to draw.

While the two Quentins aren't actually much alike (at least on the surface; I haven't read TSatF yet, just in-depth summaries/analyses of it)--other than the fact that they are both mentally ill over-achiever college students, are preoccupied with the idea of another world (the world as they each wish it was), and constantly associated with symbolic clocks and watches--Quentin Compson's fate explains everything for me in terms of how to understand Quentin Coldwater's series-four fate.

Quentin Compson ultimately kills himself in the famous classic novel; he does so by drowning after jumping off the Anderson Memorial Bridge in Boston, Massachusetts. Today there is a plaque there to commemorate the character:

In the Faulkner novel, Quentin associates the smell of honeysuckle with his obsessions over his sister’s purity--an ideal he comes to feel let down by after she loses her virginity and then seems to lose herself further in the company of men he feels are unsuitable.

I can’t help but make a parallel with the “drowned garden” of season 4, episode 12.

Quentin makes the following speech in the drowned garden, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the closest thing we get to a suicide note:

You know the worst part of getting exactly what you want? When it's not good enough. Then what do you do? If this can't make me happy, then what would? Fillory was supposed to mean something. I was supposed to mean something here. But it's all... it's just... it's random. It's so random that the only way to save my friends is to yell at a fucking plant! Honestly, fuck Fillory for being so disappointing. You know what, maybe I was better off just believing that it was fiction. The idea of Fillory is what saved my life! [laughs.] This promise... that... people like me... [weeping] People like me... Can somehow... Find an escape. There has gotta be some power in that. Shouldn't loving the idea of Fillory be enough?

But the idea of Fillory is not enough, in the end, because the idea of happiness is also not enough. And by the end of his time on the show, that’s all Quentin has: the trappings of happiness (or at least the ones available to him, the ones he thinks might get him there), without the actual emotion.

Maybe he realizes, in the drowned garden, that he is at the end of his rope. Maybe that is where he decides to give up.

That, in my opinion, is why he begins to seem so shut down: it isn’t uncommon for people to distance themselves emotionally as a precursor to suicide (hence Jason being accused of “refusing to act” toward the end of S4).

I think it’s also why he doesn’t stop to wait and see how Eliot is after Margo strikes the Monster with the axes: he has given up on the idea that the things he thinks will make him happy actually will, or that happiness is actually attainable for him in the first place.

Quentin Coldwater drowns not in the fading of honeysuckle; for him it’s peaches and plums. In any case, he is definitely in over his head, and the water that spills out of the mirrors after his death feels like an homage to that literal drowning of his predecessor.

The TM writers found ways, as the show progressed, to tie the books back in to the show; the way they did it, however, was often roundabout to say the least. Their takes on how different plot points should occur, or be interpreted from book to screen, were usually close to abstract. They did do it, in many ways, but theirs was far from a faithful adaptation.

It fits, therefore, that they would tie The Sound and the Fury into S4 the way that it appears they did.

It also tells me something about how blame for their decision can be distributed, because either the showrunners:

a.) really did their research re: Compson and put together that this was the character that inspired Lev

or, as is much more likely, they:

b.) discussed it all with Lev himself--or LG was the one to broach the subject to see what sort of take they could spin.

Whatever the lead-in to the decision, I think three things combined to give them the idea for Q’s fate:

1. Quentin Compson;

2. Alice’s description, in the third book, of watching an old god kill herself to make way for a new world (which was when Umber and Ember emerged);

3. The following lines from The Magician’s Land: “The truly sad thing was that Ember actually wanted to do it. Quentin saw that too: He had come here intending to drown Himself, the way the god before Him had, but He couldn’t quite manage it. He was brave enough to want to, but not brave enough to do it. He was trying to find the courage, longing for the courage to come to Him, but it wouldn’t, and while He waited for it, ashamed and alone and terrified, the whole cosmos was coming crashing down around Him.

Quentin wondered if he would have been brave enough. He would never know. But if Ember couldn’t sacrifice himself, Quentin would have to do it for Him.”

So, it appears, the group of writers (LG included, however actively) apparently decided to take Quentin’s thought from book three and put him in exactly that position: make the choice, or fail to make the choice.

But the need for him to make that choice was never horribly convincing. They were very mistaken if they thought it was. And no matter what, it was ultimately a horrible, damaging idea. It hurt the audience, and it killed the show. The only sacrifice that was made was made in the name of ego and “clever writing” that the writers thought was edgy and risky in some desirable way.

[Quote from vulture.com]

It's not so deep.

What they did, ultimately, was borrow from more than one outdated work, and use those as excuses to do the wrong things re: mental illness and LGBTQIA+ representation:

Evelyn Waugh’s characters fail, once again, to live their lives and desires freely and openly (What a waste to rehash the long-denied dynamic from Brideshead Revisited only to deny it again);

Quentin Compson’s legacy of suicide and hopelessness lives on (and this is made all the more offensive when you learn that Compson’s suicide was based largely on ideas of spoiled purity which were solely the burden of women to uphold).

They took what could have been made right and beautiful and instead used their story to perpetuate the same sad old traditions of queerbaiting and Burying the Gays.

Tragedy is not more profound than happiness (just ask Quentin Coldwater). I'd argue that to make something really beautiful, you need to mend what's broken.

The world is a broken place. It's easy to break things here.

The worst thing they did to Q, by far, was to use the beautiful concept of minor mending against him like it was the fuse on a stick of dynamite: the thing he’d spent his whole life seeking--his specific field, his special skill in the actual real world of magic--was what he used to kill himself. He killed himself by *fixing something.* We need no further evidence that Q had given up hope.

What a terrible message, and what a slap in the face to viewers who put their trust in this atrocious writing.

And they did nothing to redeem themselves after the fact, either. If anything, they made it even worse, somehow:

Eliot, by the end of the show, has even less than he started with.

Eliot, apparently, is us: left without Q, stripped of the comfort of a world we thought we knew. Utterly let down by the writers who had the power to make things different.

I hate to end this on such a terrible note. So let me just say that if you were let down by the show, and you miss Q, you’re far from alone! I see you, and I hear you, and I share your pain.

TM got it all wrong. But I have faith that others will get it right.

And no matter what, in the last book, Quentin lives, and has nothing but a whole world of possibility open up before him.

[wehavethoughts]

The Untamed Review!

The Untamed (陈情令)

Written by: Yang Xia, Deng Yaoyu, Ma Jing and Guo Guangyun

Directed by: Zheng Weiwen and Chen Jialin

Based on Mo Dao Zu Shi (魔道祖师) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Tencent Penguin Pictures and New Style Media, 2019

Chinese fantasy (Xianxia) TV series

Rating: 3.5/5 Waves

Summary: Wei Wuxian is a prodigy cultivator known for his charm and recklessness. Lan Wanji is as powerful as he is strict. Wei Wuxian has never seen a rule he wouldn’t break and Lan Wanji had never broken a rule in his life. Their unlikely friendship is tested by war, loss, and nefarious schemes. Wei Wuxian awakes in a future he never expected to see and is tasked with unraveling a mystery that could upend the entire cultivation world.

This post does NOT contain spoilers for The Untamed.

Content Warnings for The Untamed: Violence, Torture, Death, Sexual Assault/Rape, Self-harm, Suicide, Incest

The Untamed is a fantasy TV series based on the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. I’ve never read the book (though I intend to after seeing this show) so I can’t speak to how faithfully the original story was retold. Fortunately for fantasy fans like myself, the context of the original is unnecessary to fall in love with this show. The Untamed came highly recommended from friends and it is the first Chinese fantasy series I have ever seen. The show is in Mandarin, but for those of us who don’t speak that, Netflix has English, Vietnamese, and Spanish subtitle options. They were easy to follow and my friend who watched with me (and speaks Mandarin) assured me that the subtitles were acceptably accurate.

I loved so much about this show from the casting and costumes to complex characters and the devastating emotional impact. Every few episodes I had to stop and admire the cast and the character design in this show. The Untamed has a cast of more than 30 recurring memorable characters and every single actor slipped into their role perfectly. Between the talent of the actors and the attention to detail in their costumes, each character came across exactly as the narrative intended. There were clues and foreshadowing that an attentive viewer could follow by simply being able to identify a character from the hem of their robes or the pattern of their headpiece. The effort and skill that went into these characters make the show both beautiful to look at and exciting to follow.

Aside from the physical appearance of the characters, they were also spectacularly written. Nearly every single character has complex and realistic motivations that make even the side characters feel like real people. You can see why each choice was made, even though some will clearly have dire consequences. Even the villains of this story have so much depth that I’d catch myself saying, “Oh I see why you did that! It’s horrifyingly evil and irredeemable, but I get it.” And because of how well written these characters are, the emotional impact when we lose one to battle or betrayal is devastating.

I promised this review was spoiler-free so I will not say who doesn’t make it, but as a consumer of mostly American fantasy, this show surprised me. I’ve been told that in this genre (Xianxia), do not assume that characters are safe and plot armor isn’t always a thing. So fair warning for anyone who is interested in this show: a lot of characters die. The deaths make sense and while some are clearly for shock value, all have the appropriate emotional and political consequences in the story. But since all of the characters are both visually and narratively compelling, it’s going to hurt.

Another aspect of this show I enjoyed was the underlying LGBT+ themes. The novel that the show is based off of has explicitly queer characters and though that is not the case in The Untamed, the spirit of the source material is still very present in the show. As a member of the LGBT+ community, the subtext was abundantly clear to me. By excluding the physical intimacy of characters who were queer in the novel, they relied on the emotional intimacy to carry the story. This felt much more impactful than other media I’ve seen that relied solely on obvious romantic cues like kissing and saying “I love you” without creating depth in the relationships. In fact, from my perspective, nearly every character in the show was queer-coded in one way or another which was a very refreshing experience. On the other hand, I don’t want to gloss over the fact that the show did try to straight-wash these characters. The Untamed aired in China in 2019. Diversity and representation are so important and it is frustrating to see something mainstream come so close to being good representation while refusing to commit to it. Overall, they could have done better, but it was still pretty gay for not being gay.

Some reasons this show received only 3.5 waves in spite of me loving it include the narrative timeline and pacing, the special effects and editing, and the general lack of women characters. The Untamed made an interesting framing choice in that episodes 3-33 consist of one continuous flashback. Personally, I found it confusing and unnecessary. If 30 of 50 episodes are going to be flashbacks, why not simply tell the story in order? While this framing choice does give the audience some fun clues and increase the intrigue, by episode 34 I forgot everything that happened in the first two episodes. It also left me wondering why they would introduce the main plot and then immediately change course. While the story arcs in the flashback do cause the conflicts happening in the present, both time periods have their own distinct plot. In the flashback there is a war and its fallout that are explored. In the present timeline, the story is essentially a murder mystery. It felt like I was watching two separate shows.

A related problem I had with the show was the pacing. I loved seeing all of these characters on screen for fifty 40 minute episodes, but the source material is a single novel. This story could have been told in 30-40 episodes easily. This left some episodes lacking depth and feeling pointless, while also inexplicably leaving some subplots completely unexplored (the Yin Iron shard with the florist in episode 8 for example). This coupled with distracting editing choices-- like ending an episode mid-sentence or abruptly cutting between two unrelated scenes-- made bingeing this show difficult. Fortunately, by the time I started noticing this stuff I was already in too deep with the characters to stop. The special effects for some of the monsters also left something to be desired. While not a deal breaker for me, the poor special effects were made especially obvious by the exceptional costumes and set pieces.  

Another thing that decreased my rating of this show was the lack of women characters. In a cast this large, I was very disappointed in the number of women. While there doesn’t seem to be any explicit sexism in the show, the lack of women characters does seem to imply that women are not welcome in certain circles. In this fantasy setting there was so much room to have a balance of different genders, but the vast majority of the main characters (and most of the side characters) were all men. To be fair though, the women that were present got the same level of dedication into making their characters compelling and complex. For the purposes of representing women The Untamed is better than some media I’ve reviewed (looking at you A New Hope), but still left me wanting more.

Overall, I had a fantastic time watching this show. Is it a masterpiece in technical filmmaking? No. Did it have some of the best characters I’ve seen in a long time? Definitely. I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves deep characters, pretty costumes, or being absolutely wrecked emotionally.

~TideMod