#i made a lot of people sad with my last tsp post so I had to make smth a little happier

[douxmae]

Part 1: Colder

[manet-boleyn]

The Spanish Princess Top 5 Characters

Back at these Top characters list again. This is my second, the first one I did was The Tudors. That had Top 10 characters, however since there is a smaller cast of characters since TSP is much more shorter, I will only be doing 5 characters. This show was actually enjoyable to me much more than The Tudors since it was shorter and I knew the cast of people much more thn idk... Gardner (I don’t really interested in Parr’s time as queen, planning to change that) and that musician boy from the first season. I will go on more of this in a different post how The Spanish Princess does better with characters than The Tudors in a different post. Anyway, these are my 5 favorite characters in TSP, let’s take a look. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS-

Mary “Rose” Tudor

Cardinal Wolsey

Charles Brandon

Bessie Blount (before TSP made her nasty since they realized she was too nice to go against Catherine)

Oviedo

Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham

5. Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales

Before I even watched TSP, I was already interested in this portrayal of Arthur. A few months, in fact. I always commented on his silly hair how it made him “Willy Wonka”, but from all those jokes and comments, he definitely become very close to the start of this account by just making fun of the wig. So when I was watching The Spanish Princess episode 1, I absolutely fell in love with this dork. The actor is also cute and I feel like he is a good Arthur, Angus Imrie makes Arthur very timid and unsure of Catherine, which I mean I would too since Catherine is an awful character. But each time Arthur appeared on screen, I was so happy since his character was just amazing and he gives off so much bookworm vibes. I definitely relate with this character since I’m really awkward too. I love how he interacts with Margaret Pole’s children and with Margaret herself, it is like they have a little family. I love how he tries to be tough against his brother, but automatically failing since he is very shy while Henry is very full of himself. I hate to say it but the sex scene with Catherine also shown his character as well, a fucking sex scene.  Heck, ever scene he is in shows his character well. From the start you can tell he wouldn’t be that good of a king by just how awkward he is, while his brother is straight forward. You can say Arthur is an oddball and that makes me love him even more. This was one of the best acting in the show, props to Angus Imrie.

4. Lina de Cardonnes

Obviously, most of Lina’s story is made up since the real Lina was a servant and not Catherine’s closest lady-in-waiting. However I am guessing Lina is supposed to replace Maria de Salinas, the real Katherine of Aragon’s closest best friend. However, I still love the character of Lina. She still supports Catherine throughout the show, however will tell her if the thing she is doing is wrong, say like lying about how Catherine bedded Arthur and other things. However, she will still help Catherine no matter what. This kind of disappointed me, that Lina is so kind to Catherine in some points even though Catherine is a huge dick to her sometimes. It was so great to see her finally leave England in the last episode, it’s like a big “F U to Catherine for me”. But not fully though, Lina still comforts Catherine the last few moments she has with her. I started to understand that was her character though. Rosa did really risky stuff (of that time period) that Lina told her not to do, and she had to suffer the consequences, Lina still decided to help her. Lina is the character that will comfort anyone who is need of it. that is what i like about her character, she is an extremely sweet character and I am so happy that she got out of England before it started to go down to shit. She had suffered to much and finally got her happiness by leaving with her family, and I am so glad she got a happy ending. Stephanie Levi-John played her very well. 

3. Margaret Tudor, Queen Regent of Scotland

First of all, I want to make it clear that out of Henry VII’s four children, I know about Margaret the least. I knew she was married to the King James of Scots and had a son who would become the next King of Scotland and had a daughter named Margaret Douglas. So obviously, I really do not know who she is. However, the Spanish Princess made me really want to research about her. I have not done that yet, but I will since it made me feel interested in her. I thought she was going to be one of the most boring of the characters since I watched a review of The Spanish Princess Season 1 and it said she didn’t do much. Which is correct, she wasn’t present that much in the first Season. However, from all the characters that i wasn’t familiar with that much (Elizabeth of York, The King’s mother, etc.) she was quite, interesting, Then Season 2 happened. In Season 2 she becomes much more important to the story and her acting is so great. She looses a husband that she loves, whom at first she was scared to not even like. She looses her sons to her terrible husband and becomes somewhat mad that she has to stay with him. Before i watched the last two episodes of TSP, I saw a post on Tumblr where it stated she welcomed Anne Boleyn in full arms and watching TSP and how it portrays her struggle with trying to get an annulment, I can understand why she did it and I think Georgie Henley played her very good. She made Margaret very complex and at the end where she absolutely hates her brother and his wife, it makes so much sense. Plus, she loved Mary Tudor and said “ a girl is still a child and she is so beautiful” while Catherine was just like, “it’s a girl, ew”. She definitely is one of the really great characters in the show and I’m interested if they will show her character in Becoming Elizabeth. 

2. Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire

First of all, I just like his character? I don’t know? I really liked it when he said that daughters was also a blessing just like a son? I think i just like him since i really do not like Thomas Boleyn portrayals. Many portayals make him look like a pimp that pimps out his daughters. Thomas also does this too somewhat, but I genually see that he loves his daughters, what many portrayals of Thomas Boleyn lack of. We don’t see him get angry at his daughters at all, when he tells Anne to get the king’s interest, I feel like it just isn’t forced. We don’t see Anne ever get angry at his father at all. You can say she has barely any character in this like other portrayals, but just seeing Thomas not be angry to his daughters just is different for me, I don’t know why. Plus, he is one of the people I’m very sure that is very stand offish of Margaret Beaufort after she literally orders a man to die even though the King is dead. he is in the background a lot but he makes his presence, I really hope he is in Becoming Elizabeth, this character needed more of a presence since he was an utter joy to watch. He’s also high on the list since I am a simp. I’m sorry. It’s just like Thomas More. 

1. Rosa de Vargas

Yes, very unexpected, right? Rosa is so underrated and I wish more people talked about her. She was one of the main characters for Season 1 and shown up two times in Season 2. I used to be kind of annoyed with her. She takes a lot of risks by becoming Edward Stafford’s mistress and I somewhat agreed with Rosa that she was being dumb. But when you see her in Season 2, she is different. She is more mature and looks more mature and that is when I realized that she was only a teenager in Season 2. Or young adult, but she is still young still. Then everything made sense, of course she took those risks since when someone is a teenager, they take risks, not matter the cause. I started to like Rosa when she is pregnant , the utter worry she got made me really sympathize for her. She decides to keep the baby and I grew more and more in fear as she tries to get Stafford a home for her for the child and Stafford constantly ignores her. But then Rosa sadly has a miscarriage and she is destroyed by it. You can really feel how upset she is, she really wanted to have a life with her child. She is so compassionate and it is s shame that she is only a young adult having all of this horrible things happen to her. Yet, she still has the happy girl vibe, she cares for her friends and I was quite upset that she had to leave, I grew close to her character and I didn’t want more time of Catherine. But then we see her in Season 2. She’s older now, she has a family of three daughters. She went through so many hardships, she finally gets her happy ending. She also has a loving husband, you can tell how happy she is as a mother and wife while Catherine really isn’t. Rosa is the character that actually fully convinces Catherine that she could care for her daughter, even though she is not a boy that will become king. And Catherine takes that information. Rosa, the girl who lost her child when she was a teenager, teaches the one of the most bitter characters in the show to actually become a mother and love her daughter. In my opinion, Rosa has most impressive character arc of the show. We barely see her in Season 2, but she has changed so much, in a positive way too. She used to be so timid and sad, but now she if a confident mother that shines. She even accepts the apology form Stafford and the way she does it the watcher can see so much growth. And in the end, she helps Lina leave England to go to the Ottoman Empire. Rosa at the start got help from Lina, but now she is the one that helps. She finally sets Lina free from the painful state of England. To me, Lina is the one that got the true happy ending in The Spanish Princess. She went from an awful beginning into a character that i respect so much and I wish people see her growth. Rosa is a minor character, yes, but she is the one to make Catherine become a parent, she is the one to make Mary actually have a parent that cares for her well being, and she is the one that helps Lina escape. She is so beneficial to the plot and easily should be loved by the fan base just like Margaret, Mary “Rose” Tudor, and Anne Boleyn. I really hope Nadia Parkes has a successful career soon. 

Anyway, that’s my Top 5 characters in The Spanish Princess, what is yours?

[lady-plantagenet]

What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2

Episode 1: CamelNOT

[Lively Music Plays]

I shit you not... that’s what it said in the CCs.

Tower of London (?)

*Catherine looks at the array of crowns like a museum curator and the proceeds to strut down the halls*

Wolsey: *gives her this strange look which is a mixture between damn girl and the eagle is my spirit animal.

Then Catherine gets fake detained and taken to Henry in what must be a strange variation of the whole Robin Hood/Maid Marian roleplay they historically engaged in.

... did she just call his erhm manhood his kingship? Well that’s original, I’ll give them that. Also funny how Bessie Blount initially looks on in fright... don’t worry girl that will be you soon.

———————————————————————

*the four ladies have a brunch friendship moment together*

I see Blount is among them... I see they are setting her up as Catherine’s friend in order to play up the whole betrayal.

Alright. Jokes aside, I realised how much I’ve played myself. I was inspired by @melusineloriginale ‘s sporks (which if all this TSP episode posts got you in the mood for PG show mockery I urge you to check out here - you’ll thank me later). In truth, Henry VIII’s early reign is a bit too late from my main area of focus for me to make intelligent jokes.

I’ll content myself with just bullet-pointing random thoughts that came into my head, and if some intelligent thought gets through, well that would be the pinnacle. In any case I’ll aim to not parrot some of the stuff that’s already been said, repetition can get annoying.

This image embodies this post, but maybe not the show. I’ve noticed those Starz productions get better by the end.

First Scenes:

- The recap just reminded me how much I will miss Margaret Beaufort in the coming episodes. I know her portrayal was innacurate but Harriet Walter just made everything better.

- They are making such a big deal out of this whole ‘we were crowned together, we rule together’ thing in this episode - it makes no sense. Catherine was an influential Queen but she was definitely no more than a consort and never saw herself as more.

- Ruairi’s new haircut is pleasing to my eyes.

- When she says ‘Abuelo’ it’s super adorable awww

The Ferdinand and Charles V scene:

- Bessie Blount looks so much like Ursula Pole lmao. Also they totally got the Pole children’s birth order wrong and UGH WHERE IS GEOFFREY POLE???

- I like Mary Tudor’s actress and her facial expressions. However, this whole polyglot image they are representing is innacurate. I am fairly certain she knew no spanish and I recall reading a contemporary account which said that she was not very learned.

- I’m pretty sure it would be considered bad luck to prematurely crown your son ‘Henry IX’ while you’re still alive.

- I actually like the whole Grape motif in this episode. It’s probably the smartest thing they’ve come up with so far for this episode. I know a lot of you will be all like ‘there’s no record of Ferdinand being abusive’ but this choice sort of makes sense when you recall Joanna’s treatment. Also I appreciate them for not being tacky and showing flashbacks of more overt abuse eg physical. The sugared grape is also fairly symbolic (the sugar is like a gilding, the grape easily crushable)

- OMG the guy from Garrow’s law is playing Thomas More!

- AND PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME IM NOT SEEING THINGS? Margaret Pole x Thomas More is happening?? Please god that is a historical crackship I am getting behind. Yes. This is what I’m most invested about.

Margaret Tudor and Scotland Scene:

- The whole ironic cutaway to Margaret being all depressed after Charles Brandon’s statement about her charming Scottish king is such a cliché movie technique.

- If this were a more artsy film I would think the whole setup resembling a stereotypical middle-class family breakfast was done on purpose for humorous effects or to create a link with the past. But here I don’t have as much trust in the producers. I think they just failed to capture the time period accurately.

- The modernisms continue: ‘Negassi please stop playing’ idk, there just something so modern about this for some reason ahaha

- Also again, I’m getting tired of all this ‘Catherine is basically queen herself’, ‘Catherine is a political genius’, ‘Catherine Catherine Catherine’ ugh. I don’t think the producers understand that Henry VIII was a very autocratic and traditional ruler. He didn’t make any show of joint-rulership (correct me if I’m wrong).

- The teeth thing is funny, smart and I liked it.

Back to Westminster:

- I like Ferdinand’s actor!

- Also Catherine’s response to ‘who are you loyal to?’ was not that smart. I feel like the producers wanted us to be impressed. What if Spain and England’s interests conflict, ey??

The Joust:

- I care too much for the whole Margaret Pole plotline. I’m so invested.

- I could watch a series of More and Pole just exchanging lines. I love the actors too and this is my hope for this series. The whole frustrated parents is SO CUTE.

- I didn’t know More tutored Reggie, I would be curious to know more.

- The way compton says groom to queen’s stool is freaking hilarious. He looks like a pervert.

- Henry Pole is a darling and must be protected at all costs.

- Oh Christ oh Christ that eyeball shot was just... good job on the special effects guys. Don’t know what the point of that choice was.

- I found the whole armour mentions after interesting, it looked so set up as a PR campaign because Stafford speaking about the armour just sounded like a statement agreed on beforehand ‘should have worn the same’ and the Catherine with ‘steel in the bones’ and Ferdinand’s impressed face (it was him playing them?)

- Am I giving this show too much credit?

- Also whats up with “God save the Queen?”

War Counsel:

- Henry VIII’s actor is quite charismatic in this scene. It’s almost as if Catherine is the hothead and Henry the wise one that speaks less but more significantly. It almost feels like they gender-swapped them.

The Bedchamber:

- Did Catherine breastfeed the baby? I thought it was Anne Boleyn. Doubtful... I’m tired of the trope of ‘you’re a good woman if you insist on breastfeeding the child yourself despite social conventions’. For a feminist show, the writers seem very attached to some 1950s perceptions of motherhood.

- I feel like the age difference between Catherine and Henry is well conveyed.

Scotland Again:

- ‘All the sheep were pregnant’ 👀 oh touché Margaret. oh my. Did she just?

- I know they are playing out this disenfranchised Margaret arc to reinforce how great Catherine and Henry are (cheap technique) and to build up to her involvement in Flodden (innacurate historically but I know what the show will do). But I will say this: the humour is pretty good in the Scottish scenes! But I know it’s unintentionally so... (I highly doubt they wanted us to laugh at Margaret hitting James or calling Alexander a pig).

Westminster and the baby chamber:

- What’s are those red splotches on the babies face??

- Oh that shot of Margaret and silent Reginald :((( it makes me sad.

- And now the Poles are at church! I just love the look of them.

- That scene of Maggie and Catherine was needed, as we didn’t get the best friends vibe much in this episode. The whole thing looked a bit pagan though, but it was nice :)

The whole Ferdinand’s betrayal segment:

- The grape motif again was fitting, him snapping the fruit right before she gets to it even despite her knowing what he’s like and what he’ll do, was a good parrallel.

- I’m tired of hearing of this ‘Camelot’. Even in the novel, Camelot was Catherine and Arthur’s dream and... can we just live it up with Arthur?

- Ursula Pole’s, Bessie Blount’s and Mary Boleyn’s actresses look way too similar.

- I fail to see why Catherine thinks she’s turning into her father... she doesn’t strike me as much of a game-player or subtle two-facer.

- I’m intrigued what will happen with Oviedo and Lina... I feel like they won’t stay in England long.

- He was made knight bannaret... nice... but why does he thank Catherine publicly for this? It was in Henry’s gift that he was made a commoner Knight.. if this transpired irl Henry would have been gravely insulter.

Catherine’s Dead Baby and thereafter:

- Guys. In all seriousness, I don’t think the TV series is trying to imply that Catherine killed the baby with her negligence. I mean, they are so bent on us liking her they wouldn’t do that. It would be a bit too ballsy anyway. Remember the red splotches I mentioned earlier? Could those have been a sign that he was already ill but no one noticed/was in denial?

- The pebbles in hands would have had more emotional payoff if it had been established earlier if you know what I mean. Basically, this episode is too fast and entire arcs begin and end within it which extinguished any build-up.

- Oh man Henry is so sweet in this, how will they build him up as the tyrant he was historically if they keep this up?

Scotland Again:

- I must admit, I don’t like all those nicknames they keep using. But somehow James calling Margaret ‘Meg’ is nice and seems fitting.

- What’s a hermana sister?

England Last Mourning Scenes:

- YOU DID NOT BUILD CAMELOT ughhh

- Why is Catherine giving the speech and not Henry?? It turns out Catherine was more emotional historically then the whole perception of ‘perfect queen of stone’ to which some people hold her. However, I doubt it would have been proper of her to give a speech in such a emotional manner.

Conclusion:

6.5/10

Some of the dialogue was stilted, the costumes are confused as to which era they’re supposed to be (aesthetically distracting) and many other characterisation issues.

I don’t have high hopes for this series in terms of cinematography or art but I sure as hell expect it will be entertaining. So far, everything is just getting set up and I find some aspects promising. As you can tell I am truly excited over how the Margaret Pole plotline. I am also interested in how Henry will be portrayed, with Catherine being so OTT and pushy this episode Im starting to Stan him more. In this show he appears sensitive and serene and kinda... adorable. Kind of like a little brother hanging onto his sister’s skirts.

But in a way that is a disservice to the real historical figure which would not tolerate such a representation. I am very irritated by this whole ‘joint-rulers’ thing which is just sooo innacurate. These STARZ shows have an obsession with showing women turn into men for the purposes of feminism - I see.

Catherine overpowers Henry too often and it sometimes feels like he’s HER consort. Of course, the feminism in this show is schizophrenic as we get the overemphasis of Catherine as a 1950s motherly ideal with the whole breastfeeding angle (“you’re better than other noble woman who would find this beneath them”, “they’re not as motherly as you”).

So the relationship dynamic between Henry and Catherine is a bit off at the moment, but oh well.

Mary Tudor is a bit distracting with her dark hair but I find the actress extremely endearing and promising. I know there will be emphasis on her storyline too and I hope they’ll not be clichéd with it.

[faejilly]

I was tagged by @la-muerta​ & @facialteeth​ & @thedivinemissema​ for the WIP/Title Game

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

AND THEN  by @shadoedseptmbr​ @msviolacea​ & @ravenclawnerd​ for the “stories you want to write... but for some reason haven’t yet”

so this will be a mish-mash of both? The WIPs will mostly have blurbs in this case (to fit the second meme) but you are still welcome to ask follow-up questions, if you’d like ;) Assuming you make it through the list, it is uh. Not Short.

Anyone who would like to play with their WIPs, please consider yourself tagged in either or both of these. :D

Misc Fic Folder:

“untitled document” - where I’m working on fictober fills so I have word-counts for my GYWO tracker. I am not working on these because Brains Are Dumb and also Going Back To Work Is Exhausting

I made a file called “YULETIDE!” which has nothing in it but I’m determined to finish this year so that is definitely technically a thing in the Unending WIP List of Doom worth mentioning. (Tho obviously that’s all I could say even if I had started, because anonymous.)

“coda-fics, rewatch!” -yes, that exclamation mark is important! it’s to keep me motivated! (it didn’t work). Much like untitled, this is for putting stuff so I can do word count tracking even if I don’t know what I’m doing. Currently I think it just says “MARYSE” because I was working on my SH 1x6 coda-fic and then got distracted and haven’t typed anything up yet. (Yay notebooks? Boo notebooks? Not even sure at this point.)

WNIP (works not in progress) Folder:

“TOG” - I had one vivid mental image of how Nicky & Joe met (blood-stained evil smiles?) but then no idea for a follow-up story and also the fandom is insane and I’m not sure I want to deal with all of *gestures vaguely* all that

“Shan Xia Notes” -for a TTRPG that never quite got off the ground; she was a semi-tragic selkie who was still in love with the evil queen/lady who stole her skin and I got to play her for like one session and she was surprisingly chaotic neutral, which wasn’t at all what I’d been expecting. But the game never really got off the ground, so I never had enough info to really delve into writing backstory fic

“post-Kruschev” -Kruschev’s List was the last episode of Scarecrow & Mrs King, and I was debating writing an epilogue in place of the s5 we never got, to try and tie up some loose ends, but the fandom’s three old-ladies in trench coats and I never quite worked up the gumption to get it anywhere

“Code Realize warm as silk sequel” -there is literally nothing in this file except “SEX! Only a little angst” because I wanted to write some “we can’t actually touch each other” smut but never actually did. 🤷‍♀️

BioWare (also all Not-In-Progress Anymore)

“seb/adelaide”, “Theia” & “DAI Erana” -these WIP folders were cannibalized for ficlets for the last few times I did fictober, and while originally I had ideas for longer epilogues for all three of them, at this point I don’t think any of the remaining bits could support a story any longer.

”whispers in the dark” -Maia Ryder never really got much fic at all; the cancellation of any further Andromeda stuff was really disheartening, and at this point I’d have to play the game again, and I don’t think I’m gonna manage that any time soon

”TSP” -a Mass Effect 3 Shepard AU collab project that kind of went off the rails, and our mutual brains/lives never quite seem to line up so we can try and rebuild it ”Ngaio & Tane” -my one truly ruthless Shepard (Alliance background, who romanced Traynor) whose father Tane Shepard was, I think, in PsyOps, and I wanted to figure out their complicated relationship but never really did know where I was going with it

”JE Zu & Yaling” -so I’ve rambled about my Tragic Sagacious Zu Romance Thoughts regarding Jade Empire more than once (#Icy Yaling should have most of it) but apparently I want to yell about it more than I want to actually write it? Whoops.

”CI sequel: 5 times fic?” -Cruel Intentions is a kinkmeme fill that I started and then it sat for like five years before I actually finished it, and I liked the ending, but it does leave a giant fucking question mark in terms of how those people got from there to where they are after the game, and I kind of wanted to write a proper h/c fic rather than just... leaving them wallowing in all that trauma?

But I didn’t. I don’t even remember for sure how I wanted to frame the 5/1 of it all, besides it being something sad about allowing people to see you or touch you in some way. (Prayers maybe, since I think there was definitely some Sebastian & Fenris & faith stuff going on in there.)

“candles” -Merribela prompt fill that I never was happy with? Not sure what I might do with it at this point, so it’s just sitting there all sad and lonely and neglected-like.

Shadowhunters

pt1: WIP LIST ONLY

“Persuasion” -so I keep trying to write Persuasion AUs in many fandoms because it’s my favorite Austen, but I think I like it too much, I have no real solid concept of how I’d transform it, and if I don’t have anything else to say about different characters within that framework, I have no push to actually write anything? Also this SH version of it suffered from MASSIVE scope creep when I started outlining and it got too big for me to handle so I like, killed it twice? Whoops. This one is really probably never gonna happen.

“oosdt sequel” -I wanted to write more about the Forest That Eats People and Magnus & Alec as Guardians Between Worlds, and also some background Magnus’ Found Family & Lightwood Family Feels (maybe some clizzy?) and I left a Madzie plot-thread dangling from the first one on purpose even but I think this one had too many ideas and not enough focus so it’s sort of sprawling all over a doc with a lot of “???” in it

“procedural-ish” -this was originally going to be a sex-farce. and then it turned more serious. and then maybe kind of copaganda which was uncomfortable in terms of the Everything That Is The News in 2020, and then maybe it was more a Mafia AU and at that point I had self-inflicted tone whiplash and I wished the voices in my head were a little more forthcoming about their plans so I stopped before I brained myself on my computer monitor in frustration.

“I had rather a rose than live forever” -I started a reverse!verse Malec (Shadowhunter!Magnus, High Warlock!Alec) for bingo last year, and I couldn’t quite get it together in time, so I made a moodboard inspired by the bits I’d started instead. I may see if one of my prompts from Bingo this year help me finish it?

“fall fright fest (practical magic  au)” -exactly what it says on the tin! almost exactly a year old & neglected! IDEK ANYMORE (I talked about this one with the WIP meme last time tho: here)

“priest!kink theology?” -I thought it was gonna be smut? I like priest!kink. I have made other people like it and yell at me even! But then I kept diverging into demon!Magnus thinking about Priest!Alec’s faith and as usual, IDEK ANYMORE *laughs*

(If they’re remotely canon-adjacent or divergent, a bunch of these are in here because I need to rewatch the show to get the pacing/timing/tone right and I haven’t, and I don’t know why, because I enjoy the show, but BRAINS! Are Dumb! So I guess that’s it?)

“I do” -I have tried to write this damnable Malec arranged marriage fic like six different times. I have signed up for fic exchanges and bangs with it, I have rewritten massive sections, trying to change tone or structure or POV or whatever, and it basically comes down to they like each other too fast and I keep not gutting it enough to get back to a useful pace, but by the time I realized that I was on take six and kind of sick of it. I may get back to it eventually

“wing!fic” -canon divergent in early s1, trying to deal with the consequences of Simon’s kidnapping as the Truly Serious Event that it should have been. It uh. Got heavier than I expected with those consequences (considering it was originally just supposed to be Alec’s wings flirting with Magnus) and also see above re: rewatching for pacing.

“2x20 aftermath/date night/pandemonium porn“ -yes that is the actual wip title. It used to be “spite fic” because I was originally inspired by fighting against a lot of fic!Alec characterization that was clearly based more on the books and ATG syndrome than the Alec in the show, which is the Alec I know and like and want to read about. BUT, pacing and etc. again, I think. Also I have somehow entirely lost my knack for writing porn, which makes it difficult to finish something originally intended to be smut!fic. Or even teasing almost!smut.

“rubbish heap” -so this is about three different fics that I realized complemented each other really well so they’re now all in the same file as I try to turn them into the sequel of “with an if in its soul”. It includes amnesia, parabatai lore shenanigans, a s3 rewrite, and some truly awful Owl adjustments that make me wince in horrified authorly delight and pain. BUT, as with the other ones in this file, the scope is large and I normally write short-fic and I kind of just threw up my hands in exasperation. I may have to break it back up into the three different fics instead, if I ever actually want to write it. Them? But also I need to take better notes on s3 to make sure I have what I need in here.

SH Pt 2: Started posting or not yet in hiatus because it’s actually almost ready to be a thing in the real world! maybe!?

“kisses (firsts)” -I actually started publishing this one, a “series of firsts” that was supposed to be kind of relationship milestones and kind of an excuse for smut, and then there wasn’t that much smut and I lost momentum and also dear lords & ladies the timeline is stupid, wtf. I may not ever add to this one, tbqh. It doesn’t stop in a terrible place, and they’re all ficlets so they stand alone all right.

“clizzy epilogue” -this is blank atm, it’s more a reminder for me to keep poking away at my “girls who can’t breathe air, only fire” collection BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE CLIZZY AT SOME POINT

"mer!alec" -pts 2-4 of a series, but apparently having an actual plan gets in the way of me *writing* the thing, and I haven't managed to throw the half an outline far enough away from my brain to be able to write again. Or something like that.

"ibhww" -if broken hearts were whole is a soulmate fic I started a million years ago, and purposefully set aside to finish some other WIPs because I thought they'd be quick, and now it's just buried under two and a half years of regret and shame so it's hard to get back to it

"iafy" -i am for you is a delightful & frothy semi-epistolary fluff piece that also just lost momentum because Life & 2020 & etc. It's far and away the most popular thing I've ever posted on AO3, which also makes me feel weird sometimes, and I feel like the fact that there's no grand conclusion planned, just a bit more fluff and settling in, might end up being disappointing? Basically, it's the first time I think I've psyched myself out about reader expectations, and until I get over that I'm going to have trouble finishing the last couple chapters. (There really are probably only two more chapters though. IT’S SO CLOSE, I wish I could just... write it. And yet?)

“fake-hating” -I do not like fake dating as a trope that much, I just do not get it, but I love outside POVs and arranged marriages and there’s this delighful tumblr post about how they wished there was more fic about people who were together but had to pretend they werent’, and uh. This may be that? Eventually? I’m not exhausted by my failure to finish it yet, so it’s still in the regular folder rather than the hiatus folder, even though nothing’s been posted for it.

AND I THINK THAT’S IT?

Not as terrible as it could be, but still. MANY WORDS THAT MAY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. Posting the equivalent of one’s old ratty sketchbook is always a weird feeling. :D

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Cooking With Anime - Manju from "Sakura Quest"

Manju! Who would have expected that these little sweets would show up in Sakura Quest? Koharu, the main character, has been summoned out to a village that has been left behind by the times. Her job is to be their new Queen in the hopes of bringing tourism to the area. The village is a little old-fashioned and quaint, so I guess it makes sense that manju are featured as opposed to, say, a more trendy dessert, like pancakes or crepes. Manju are definitely a more traditional kind of sweet, typically filled with red bean paste. I actually haven't tried manju in real life, as I'm not a huge fan of red bean paste. However, red bean paste is a traditional sweet in Japan and is commonly found in a lot of confections like mochi, anpan, taiyaki, and manju. 

Koharu and her friends absolutely STRUGGLE to sell these little manju, making for a very entertaining episode chronicling their attempts to offload 1,000 boxes of manju. These manju are decorated with the mascot of the town- a Chupakabra. In case you missed the pun, a Chupacabra is a type of creature from folklore in the Americas. It's like the Bigfoot of South America, but real, bloodthirsty, and coming to GET YOU.

    From what I was told when I was little, the Chupacabra is supposed to be from Mexico, it drinks the blood of livestock, and has spines all down its back. I know people (*cough* my room mate *cough*) who were absolutely TERRIFIED of the Chupacabra when they were little. In California, at least, the fear is REAL. 

  You can imagine my surprise when the Chupacabra came up as the mascot of a tiny Japanese village. For real, what the heck? After a little investigating (read: asking my boyfriend, who is fluent in Japanese to translate for me), I discovered that Chupakabra, as it's spelled in the anime, is a play on the Chupacabra and a kabra, which means turnip in Japanese. Which also makes sense, if you look at the original mascot of the town, which is a large, sad faced turnip boy. In the picture below, you can see his head. 

    Honestly, I think this whole show is so weird and funny. What the heck. Who thinks turnips would make a great mascot??? The Chupacabra is TERRIFYING! Why would be bring people to the village? So many questions, so few answers. But, if manju can do anything, it can provide us wil a snack while we ponder over life's mysteries. After watching Koharu try to sell so many, I wanted to give the recipe a try, mostly to make my roommate happy. She loves red bean paste, so I thought this would be perfect for her. 

Once again, I made these two ways- gluten free, and the normal way. Both ways worked incredibly well, so I recommend you give either recipe a try. The end result was a crunchy outer layer, almost like a cookie, with a smooth, warm, red bean paste filling. We got our third room mate to try these, as she's actually eaten manju before, and she said they tasted really authentic! This makes me very happy since I've never actually eaten manju before...

As you can see, the original manju have the Chupakabra monster painted on. Despite my best attempts, I found this way too difficult to replicate usinig just my home kitchen. If you are hell-bent on making this happen, you can do it a few ways.

1) Paint on the monster using the egg wash glaze. When it bakes, it should produce the lines so you can see the monster, though I would consider this the most ineffectual of the options. I tried it and had poor results.

2) Make a stencil. Dust chocolate powder over the stencil to create the lines of the monster's face. I did not try this, because I had neither the right paper, nor the right tools for cutting out slivers of tiny paper, nor the patience to do this.

3) Make a brand out of metal. Heat over a flame. Brand your manju. I did not try this because I'm not a metal-worker, nor do I know anyone who is, nor do I have the money to drop on a one-time-use custom kitchen item.

4) In hindsight, I suppose you could draw on the design with a food-safe marker. I didn't attempt this because I'm only thinking of it now, but it probably wouldn't matter anyway because I can't draw to save my life. However, if you wanted to try this, I think a food-safe marker would be the best idea. 

Watch the video below for full instructions! 

      Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from here.

1/2 cup flour or 1/2 gluten free flour (Cup 4 Cup or Krusteaz Gluten Free Flour work great!)

1 egg, beaten and divided

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs condensed milk

1/2 tbs melted butter

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup koshian (smooth red bean paste) 

      To Make: 

  1. Combine half of beaten egg, sugar, condensed milk, and butter in a bowl. 

2. Sift in flour and baking soda. Mix together and form dough into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour-overnight.

3. Divide red bean paste into 9 pieces, and roll into equal sized balls.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  When dough is ready, divide and roll into 9 pieces. 

5. Flatten a ball of dough between your hands, and, when big enough, tuck a ball of bean paste inside the dough and pinch the edges together. Roll gently to smooth seams. Place seam down on a lined baking sheet. 

  6. Using the remaining egg, wash the manju with the egg to give a nice shine when in the oven.

7. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown and tops are shiny. 

    I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe. To check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! :D

  In case you missed it, check out our last dish: Scones from "Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor". What other famous anime dishes would you like to see Emily make on COOKING WITH ANIME?

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com