#like marvel and Star Wars etc

[luckthebard]

Ngl I’ve spent a lot of C3 really hoping we would ever get more specific engagement with Laudna’s years alone. I’d been holding out for some explanations or character work around that in-game. And it’s…I’m gonna go with Mildly Annoying that it now feels like that got ignored/glossed over in the campaign cause they were planning to explore it in the novel. I don’t…love it, I’ll say that.

[anti-ao3]

is it me or are most fancasts for live actions based on animated movies... mediocre. or dare i say. white.

[thesunmakesmetired]

I know i might have a weird taste for music but i didn't think it was that bad until i gave a lift to my brother and he kept begging be for a normal song after being forced to listen to nyan cat for not even 30 seconds...

And than two trucks started playing...

I just kept skipping through my playlist the whole ride and this is my fun playlist too :((

[stairset]

This might be a controversial opinion but I actually think Star Wars fans using terms like "Filoniverse" or "Mandoverse" as if they're somehow separate from the rest of Star Wars canon is fucking stupid cause like that's just not how "____verse" is supposed to be used. Where I come from we use names like that for franchises that have big multiverses with multiple continuities to tell them apart. Star Wars canon does not have and will never have a multiverse no matter how bad some people seem to want it to for some reason. It's all one continuity there is simply no need for it.

[angelitoacd]

the mcu ruined the production of (and consequentially the consumption of + the general public's expectations for) media so bad it's bled into practically everything, it's literally everywhere, we're surrounded by it and everyone seems to just be ok with it but i wish i could go back in time and stop the release of iron man like the terminator going back in time to kill sarah conner

[were-wolverine]

i fully believe one of dean winchester’s favorite movie/show genres would be space western and no one can tell me otherwise

[hematite2]

I like how 'mary sue' has become such a useless term, from all sides. You have weird angry men arguing 'X popular female character is a mary sue!', and you have weird twitter women arguing 'well ACKtually, *popular male protagonist* is the real mary sue!"

And both of them say that just because the character overcomes the obstacles in their way. Y'know, like a hero is supposed to do.

[syrinq]

me being obsessed with bg3 causing me to read forgotten realms lore even though i think 99.9% of it is pretty stupid because they ain't telling me why something exists outside the "oh events just happened" or "it's cool" reasonings (like the majority of rather popular fictive settings)

[onesaltysir]

Lmfao you know the new Harry Potter series is already a flop when even Harry Potter fans aren't excited about it

[unbearablylight]

going 🤡 joker mode once again over tumblr's takes about spoilers and twists in media

"if you care about spoilers you're actually stupid and bad at understanding and appreciating art" k cool thx remind me to never engage in a conversation about media with you

[writers-potion]

Got anything for dialogue

Writing Dialogue 101

Dialogue is conversation, nothing more, nothing less. The catch is: diagloue is EDITED conversation. It must be more concise, purposeful and witty than the everyday sentences we speak, while sounding natural.

The Purpose of Dialogue

Diaglue is definitely a fiction elements that pops everything up and out. Thus, dialogue is going to have more impact than your normal paragraphs, in order to:

Characterizes/reveals motives

Sets the mood in the story

Intensifies the story conflict

Creates tension and suspense

Speeds up your scenes

Add bits of setting/backgronud

Communicates the theme

Matching the Dialogue to the Genre

The dialogue in a book should speak the reader's language. There is a type of voice that suits each genre/category of fiction, and we must understand what matches the reader expectations and rhythm of the plot we are writing.

Magical Dialogue

"Do not kill him even now. For he has not hurt me. And in any case I do not wish him to be slain in this evil mood. He was great once, of a nobel kind that we should not dare to raise our hands against." - The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein

"As much as I want you and want to be with you and part of you, I can't rear myself away from the realness of my responsiblities." - The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller

This is the language of The Hobbit, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

When writing literary and mainstream fiction (that is targeted at the general public rather than a target audience), we need to go with what sounds real, even with a magical setting

Science fiction and fantasy can be more unreal, i.e. things like "May the Force Be With You."

In romance, magical dialogue takes on a differen form. It's magical in that it transcends the way we talk to each other in normal society. Magical in that all of it makes perfect sense and is said in such eloquent langauge that we marvel at it while at the same time knowing that if we are left to ourselves, we would say something absolutely banal.

Cryptic Dialogue

"You know, the condom is the glass slipper of our generation. You slip it on when you meet a stranger. You dance all night, then you throw it away. The condom, I mean. Not the stranger." - Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk

This is the dialogue in literary and religious stories that dealw ith abstract ideas and vague concepts and has double meanings. Readers aren't meant to understand theses right away.

These bits of dialogue plant sublimnal messages in the reader's mind that help communicate the theme later on, ultimately making sense.

Cryptic dialogue is difficult to do well. If we're not careful, we'll end up sounding preachy, moralistic and dogmatic.

You need to be able to view the world in different perspectives.

Descriptive Dialogue

The literary, fantasy and historical story often relies on dialogue for worldbuilding (expplaining history, magic rules, etc.)

The author's goal in descriptive dialogue is to provide the reader with information. However, the character's goal cannot be sacrificed for the author's. Dialogue can still have tension and suspense and can be inserted into a scene of action so the story doesn't bog down while the readers get some info.

Shadowy Dialogue

In shadowy dialogue, the character's job is to keep the reader suspended in a state of terror/suspense. Then you periodically tighten and loosen the tension.

The key here is uncertainty. The reader cannot trust the speaker, so we're always questioning him, wondering whether he's speaking truthfully or is presenting the full picture.

Keep the tone as dark of possible, using action and background as supporting tools.

Make it cryptic, or even better, offering an omnious threat of what is to come.

Provocative Dialogue

This is the type of dialogue that conveys the theme, talking about the "universla truth" your book is trying to convey.

Readers like to be challenged in their thinking, provoked to consider other ways of thinking, and shaken up in their belief systems with a fresh perspective about the world.

Consider this example from To Kill A Mockingbird:

"...but there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal - there is one humna institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockfeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignornant man the equal of any college president."

There is no way we can read this and not think about something that is bigger than our daily lives.

Make your readers squirm, and shock them out of their comfort zones.

Uncencored Dialogue

Uncencored dialogue in YA stories are of young people, but that doesn't mean it's filled with hip-hop words and slag.

While adults cencor themselves when they speak, teenagers haven't yet learned that skill so their dialogue is more raw, edgy and honest.

Readers of YA novels expect realism, so make it as authentic as possible. The last thing we want to is for our characters to be brash and honest, but NOT sound like they've just stepped out of Planet Way Cool.

For example:

"What if he doesn't like me back?" "You are too much of a chicken to do anything aboutit but mope."

As an adult, how often do you admit fear of rejection out loud to another, or call out your friend to her face? In YA-type of dialogue though, we can just write what comes into these characters' minds.

So that sums up the different types of dialogue. Consider the nature of your plot, what your readers and the genre of the story you are writing to choose an appropriate way for your characters to speak!

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[cinnamon-girl-writes]

dating yuuji headcanons <3

by @cinnamon-girl-writes

it goes without saying that dating yuuji is very . . . fun. it's definitely an experience

expect a lot of random hugs from behind, his arms wrapping around your torso and him practically tackling you to the ground (with love)

most of your dates consist of the two of you doing random, fun things around Tokyo

one time you went to a botanical garden and just walked around and talked for hours

but the most common outing for the two of you is to just walk around the streets of the city, eating mochi and stopping at all the stores that look promising

yuuji is *very* big on pda

he loves to hold your hand in public (like 24/7, I hope you don't need your hand for anything cuz you're not getting it back)

it makes him feel like everyone knows you're his >:)

he likes to keep one arm around your waist or a hand on your back, especially when you're in crowded places so you know he's there :')

he'll always switch sides with you so he's on the road side when you're walking on the sidewalk

his favorite things is to plant kisses on your cheek when you guys are hanging out with your friends :)))

most of your dates take place on the weekends when both of you are free from the responsibilities of studying jujutsu, but some of your favorite moments with him take place in the evenings after school

during the day, you would train all day out in the athletic field, sparring and fighting with your fellow students to sharpen your jujutsu techniques

after you showered and ate, it was usually the beginning of the evening, so you'd make your way to yuuji's dorm

the two of you always cuddle in his bed while watching movies <3

both of you are pretty much open to any genre, action, rom coms, etc

he also likes to binge watch movies, so you've binged marvel, harry potter, star wars etc. series

he always has your favorite snacks in his dorm for you when you come over 

his favorite snack for watching movies is skittles

he loves to cuddle with you in his lap and you wearing one of his hoodies

poor boy tries his hardest to stay awake during movies but he falls asleep three quarters of the way in :(

it's okay though because he loves to listen to you excitedly recap the movie for him (unless you fell asleep too)

he's happy to just cuddle with you all night even if it means missing the movie :)

the next morning, you're always the one that wakes up first

you love to just sit and watch him sleep <3

his fluffy pink bed head in the morning is freaking adorable 

when he wakes up, he lays there drowsily for a few minutes, just taking in your presence

he has to do a huge obnoxious stretch before getting out of bead, obviously 

before you head back to your room to get ready, he always squeezes you to his chest super tight and plants kisses to your forehead, telling you how much he loves you <3

[mediumsizedfountain]

So, let's talk about major franchises playing with different genres. Specifically, Star Wars; The Acolyte.

Marvel/Disney has had mixed results with their genre experiments. They've tried espionage thriller with sometimes brilliant and sometimes horrible results. Their experiments with sitcoms have been similarly mixed. They've done a good job with teen coming of age. And etc.

So it makes sense that Star Wars/Disney would give genre experiments a chance. The espionage thriller of Andor was a resounding success, so why not try for more?

That brings us to The Acolyte.

I think one of the big mistakes they made was marketing it as a noir-ish mystery. If it's put in that category, it's definitely a failure.

But that's not what The Acolyte is.

The Acolyte is dark Romantasy in a Star Wars setting. Everyone who is a fan of the Romantasy genre is really enjoying the show. People who expected noir mystery are hating it.

This isn't a story or writing problem, (though the pacing could have been improved). It's a marketing problem.

If Disney had the guts to market this as a dark Romantasy, then viewers would have had correct expectations.

As a dark Romantasy, I think the show was both successful and entertaining.

If it doesn't get a season 2, I blame the Disney marketing department for not having the guts to admit they were making a dark romance, because that's for "girls," and they still don't think the core Star Wars audience would accept a "girl show."

Cowards.

Anyway, if you are a fan of dark/Gothic Romantasy, check out The Acolyte. You'll probably like it.

[frownyalfred]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 146! It would be a larger number if I hadn't deleted all of my Supernatural fics back in the day. There were at least 30 of those, maybe more...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

913,163 - I'm hoping to hit a million soon!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman, Superman, Justice League, Star Wars, Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Take Care of Business Everybody Wants You It Was Always You a sky of honey Anything Like Me

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not anymore :/ I have a really hard time keeping up with writing if I'm responding to comments. I hope my readers understand.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. Probably lonely town? Dick is getting de-fibbed in the alley by Bruce, and it's not clear if he's going to survive or not.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

here as I am is hilarious if you're into jealous!Clark. otherwise the weight (salmon ladder fic) always gets me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep. Mostly on borderline, but on other fics too. I love how, as I've gotten better at writing, it's changed from "wow this sucks, your writing is awful" to "you suck because you chose to have [character] do this." Luckily I think most of the hate filters over here to Tumblr, where I can happily block and forget. These days, I mostly get people commenting about how I'm wrong about something. Wrong about something I researched and triple checked before posting...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All of them, I think? At least, I haven't balked at much yet. I'm not really into the excrement related ones, so I think that would be one of my no-go's.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! bloodletting (Mandalorian/Star Wars and DC Crossover) and a few Marvel/DC crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, a few times. What I'm more pissed about is all of my textposts being monetized over on TikTok and IG. I could be making bank off of those, considering the reach. And several of them are basically mini-fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Tons. Check them out here. There's also some podfics and related works there.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've made attempts but I'm really bad at it. I tend to write spur of the moment and follow my gut on where the conversation/action goes. Planning out a fic with a partner would do them a disservice, I think.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I really love Superbat, but Codywan is right up there with it. Something about Cody being a loyal BAMF soldier and long-suffering big brother gets me.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

My vampire AU. Not because I don't want to continue but I cannot decipher my notes as to what should happen next.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very quick, I can type up a full draft in a few hours. I like natural, snappy dialogue and I think I'm good at it. I don't shy away from weird or uncomfortable situations. I'm comfortable with writing a lot of sex/etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too quickly, sometimes I get ahead of my plot. My dialogue and descriptions can sometimes be a little too bare, or I overcorrect and become too flowery. My fics take on the tone of whatever I'm thinking about at that time.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If you're confident in your language abilities, go for it. If you're just plugging it into google translate, consider why you're doing that first. Is the addition of this new language actually something someone would say in that moment? Or are we just using it to signal to the audience that they speak another language? Is there a way to show this without telling? That being said, I love using Mando'a in my Star Wars fic, and I've studied it for a while now to be able to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably borderline or a sky of honey. Both took a ton out of me and I'm proud they're whole and standing on their own right now.

---

I'll tag anyone who wants to play! Go wild.

[i-miss-2013]

I feel so bad for the 13 year old girls of today

A long rant about “aesthetics”

I was once 13, and I participated in countless of trends, but I still felt like I had a little freedom and individuality at that age.

But it feels like 13 year olds now NEED to fit into a mold COMPLETELY to fit in???

Scrolling on TikTok is so scary. Seeing these teens just completely form themselves into an “aesthetic” is so sickening and bizarre! I feel so bad..

Where’s the personality? Their own identity?

Again, I was 13 too, and i understand the struggles of finding yourself, but there’s seriously no need to force yourself into a mold!

The “clean girl aesthetic” is what makes me the most sickest. Like a 13 year old girl revamping her closet to such plain clothes, getting rid of any childhood memories in her room, having the same ‘aura posters,’ a plain phone wallpaper, and the list goes on.

I’m tearing up on the fact of these girls getting rid of things from childhood and preferring just plain, blank, and white.

There’s nothing wrong with liking the “clean girl aesthetic.” It’s something these 13 year old’s like. Yay interests! But it’s the fact that they’re forcing themselves into a mold and forcing themselves to embody the aesthetic like their life depends on it.

To the 13 year old girls: There’s nothing wrong with liking multiple, different things!

I have a marvel calendar on my cork board that has a pink zebra print frame that I ducktaped myself, I have a disco ball pillow along with Sanrio and Justin Bieber pillows, I have white sheets, I like doing a full beat of makeup, I play Valorant, I have Y2K bags, I have Star Wars keychains on my college backpack, I have sailor moon manga, I have multiple Ariana Grande perfumes, I enjoy talking about mental health, I have uggs and hokas but I also have “emo” boots and wedge sneakers circa 2014, my playlist can go from Harry Styles, Sabrina Carpenter, Kali Uchis to Korn, Deftones, Loathe, my laptop stickers have Star Wars and “preppy” flowers to Sanrio to Gigi Hadid, I sip from my Stanley or pink Hydroflask whilst I talk about the new Deadpool movie and can’t wait to watch It Ends With Us.

I like what I like.

I’m turning 20 this year and I’ve gone through SO MANY identity crisis — and I’ll still have plenty of identity crisis in the future. So, there’s no need to “find yourself” at just 13 years old! Just enjoy your interests, like what you like, whenever you like, etc.

Don’t force yourself into a mold

(I hope what I said in this post made sense)

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

It is not even that Mlvns are homophobic. I mean, many of the toxic ones are. We’ve all seen them and interacted with them and received hate anons from them. When Noah’s article officially confirming Will’s sexuality dropped during the summer, people were literally tweeting slurs and fantasizing about him being hate-crimed or dying from AIDS. (It’s probably unfair to group Mlvns in with these people, as lots of them weren’t even Mlvns, just bigoted GA members and trolls). But still. It was bleak. There’s a deep darkness within the ST fandom undeniably.

But I’m sure many Mlvns/Byler-antis are the types of people who genuinely have no problem with queer people in real life. When we call them out on their bigotry and homophobia, they get confused and say, “But I have gay friends! How am I homophobic for not liking Byler?” And they mean it 100%. They really do have gay friends. They probably consider themselves allies and yada yada.

The issue is that A) they are deeply heteronormative without realizing it, and B) they simply aren’t the target audience for the show, and as such, they don’t really understand or connect to the themes of the show. The thing is, lots of people, many Milkvans included, are simply normies. Now I love Steve as a character, so this is literally no hate to Steve, but lots of people are Steves. And people who are like Steve: popular, straight, attractive, used to dating the types of people they want, into ‘normal’ interests like sports (not that Steve is hyper into sports, but you know what I mean), likely to go down ‘normal’ paths and live fairly conventional lives like their parents, etc. are simply not the target audience for the show.

Obviously, the show centers on outcasts, nerds, queer characters, characters with disabilities, black characters, etc. Most people recognize this on some level, but they recognize it in more of a general sense like, “Of course the protagonists are nerds/outcasts, just like all the classic 80s teen protagonists. I just love how nostalgic ST is!” And they leave it at that. Because they are normies, they don’t really connect to the themes of the show other than a surface-level, power of friendship sense. They don’t see how Byler is more aligned with the show’s message than Milkvan at this point. They don’t see that the outcast status of most of the characters is more than just a throwaway personality trait… its deeply integral to the point of the show itself and closely connected to the supernatural storyline.

This is because nerd culture is somewhat mainstream now, and lots of “normies” like it too. Star Wars, Marvel, LOTR, Harry Potter, etc. These are all major parts of society and billion dollar franchises, even more so than they were in the 80s. Because of this, people don’t realize that in the context of the world of the show, they wouldn’t have been friends with the Party most likely. It is far more statistically likely that they would’ve rolled with Angela’s friend group or joined Jason’s human hunting squad. Or even if they weren’t outright bullies, it’s far more likely that they would’ve been one of the nameless background characters in Hawkins High, just kind of floating by in a conventionally comfortable existence, entirely oblivious to government lab conspiracies and alternate dimensions. The characters in ST are outcasts in a deeper, existential sense. Society is against them.

And so many people can’t relate, especially to the queer themes. They can’t even see the queer themes. Because the show is not for them. That’s why you see so many baffling takes on the show:

“Will is so whiny all the time, and I don’t like him!”

“Mike was right in the rain fight! S3 is about growing up, and Will was acting like a baby.”

“Tbh I don’t care that much about the Party dynamics. My favorite part of the show is Steve and Dustin being funny together. And my second favorite part is Hopper being a cool action hero.”

“B*lly is overhated! I mean, he’s so hot and misunderstood! He could’ve redeemed himself.”

“I don’t get Byler. It barely seems like Mike and Will are even friends.”

To be clear, it doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the genre of the show. Being horror/sci-fi, its core fans are a smaller pool of people than, say, fans of The Office or Friends or other popular sitcoms. So the Mlvns who watched it since the beginning probably do have some avant-garde tastes in terms of genre-preferences, since lots of people wouldn’t touch horror with a ten-foot pole. But it does mean they don’t pick up on the themes of the show and the arc of the characters.

(Of course, many newer fans now are just watching it cause it’s popular, regardless of which genres they typically prefer. This opens the show up to lots of people who don’t connect to anything about the show, not just its themes but also its darker content. A lot of newer fans sound like this: “Like, I just love that Mike was in love with El from the day he found her in the woods, and it’s so cute that El is Mike’s superhero, and Eddie is so cool and badass; I wish he could’ve told Chrissy how he felt, and I’m anxiously awaiting S5 to see who Nancy chooses but I hope she chooses Steve… Stancy 4ever!” This is because Stancy is like every other conventionally attractive couple in media).

I’m rambling, but a lot of people are into Milkvan because of their expectations that “pretty boy and pretty girl go together,” and that’s all there is to it. Finn is attractive and Millie is attractive, and they play the protagonists, so of course Mike and El are endgame. Why wouldn’t they be? This is true for the girls who project themselves onto Millie and see Finn/Mike as a dream boyfriend, and it’s true for the guys who project themselves onto Finn and who would want nothing more than to have a cool, superpowered girlfriend.

This is the way of nature. In a normie worldview, there’s no deviation from this path. A lot of fans basically take The Kissing Booth/To All the Boys I Loved Before and slap a sci-fi/horror filter on it, and they think that’s what Stranger Things is. It’s a cool show where kids fight monsters, and there are normal, heterosexual romances like Mlvn to root for, and there’s a badass superhero main character at the center.

Oh, there’s a gay character too? Well, that’s weird. I mean, y’all already have Robin, but whatever. I’m not homophobic! I’m cool with Will being gay… as long as he stays over there. Oh, he’s in love with Mike? Well, that’s even weirder. Why would the writers do that? I suppose that’s fine, as long as it’s just a little crush, and as long as it doesn’t get in the way of “the main storyline” and my OTP. I’m not homophobic, I swear! I have gay friends!

And they do. And they might not actively be against LGBTQ+ people in real life. They may really be telling the truth. But because they are Steves, this is where heteronormativity comes into play and blinds them. Main couples in shows are always straight, so the cool sci-fi, monster show they love must also be. They’re fine with Kevin Kellers, but queer Mike doesn’t fit the box that they allot to gay characters. So Mike must be the straightest character of all time to fight back against “weird delusional Byler theories” that would “come out of nowhere.” It’s not that they’re actively anti-gay; it’s that they are profoundly closed-minded and have a very myopic view of sexuality/storytelling/their favorite characters/their favorite shows. This is very similar to the XO, Kitty situation and people who were upset that Kitty was ‘suddenly’ bi and had a crush on Yuri.

WHAT?! Where did this come from? I thought I was watching a normal rom-com! I was fine with the gay characters on it who were clearly televised from the beginning! But Kitty? No! Kitty’s my self-insert. How can she like girls too? It must be a phase and be “less real” than her male love interests. This isn’t Heartstopper. The same weird energy is present in the ST fandom.

Byler being semi-canon isn’t seen as confirmation of a love triangle; it’s seen as a disruption to the norm and the foregone conclusion that Mike and El will be together forever and get married and have telekinetic children because the show owes that to them for all they’ve been through. “But why is Will inserted into their scenes?” we ask them, begging them to see reason. “Idk, but he should know his place and stop being a homewrecker and go find a new boy to like. Just leave the soulmates alone. Mike has already made clear he’s straight and that Will is nothing more than a friend. He said it in the roller rink!” This is how heteronormativity works.

That’s why Byler endgame will be so important because it will shatter preconceived notions and open people’s eyes to the beautiful tapestry of humanity. And they will see that this powerful, queer, coming-of-age, love story was right there, under their noses, in their “fun sci-fi monster show” this whole time. *Mind Blown*