#part two is almost complete

[bookcub]

Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Fire Island Character Comparisons (1/3)

my mind cant stop comparing fire island and the lizzie bennet diaries so here are some character comparisons starting with the bennet family (minus lizzie and noah, who will get a later post):

disclaimer, i love both these adaptations so i say all of this with love. i couldn't stop thinking about these two stories so i had to write something down.

while i absolutely approve of the merging of jane and charlotte into howie (very logical considering the time restraints), i did miss charlotte and jane from lbd. i like our mc having a wider variety of opinions they need to listen to and consider. however, the friendship chemistry between noah and howie was off the charts. i love how we see noah prioritize howie, while still ignoring his actual needs because it is very loving, but clearly a place noah needs to grow and learn from, setting up a nice arc for both noah learning to listen and howie learning his self worth. lizzie has a similar arc with charlotte in lbd but her relationship with jane is a little more stagnent from what i recall. all three of these relationships are at the core of the stories, an aspect other p and p adaptations often spend less time on. and while we have more time with jane and charlotte than howie, somehow howie feels just as fleshed out as them, a testament to the amazing writing and acting.

lydia and luke. .. heres the thing. luke is at such a disadvantage because lydia has sooooo much more development (she literally had her own set of video diaries!!). and her relationship with lizzie feels much stronger than lukes with noah does (again, movies have so much less time!). i connected to lydias emotions way more than i did with lukes. her motivations always made sense to me and we literally see her heart break on screen. i also found the end of her arc more complete than lukes, seeing far more growth on her end vs luke who doesn't really have the screen time to show how he has grown over the course of the movie. i did like how luke was clearly jealous of noah and led to some of his cattier moments, as well as all his moments within the found family (esp with keegan, they were adorable dramatic nerds). both of them ending up on unconsenting sex tapes felt like a fantastic and terrifying update to the elopement. i really enjoyed watching both those storylines play out in a rewarding manner, even if in fire island there was slightly less resolution on luke's emotional growth, the end confrontation with dex was cathartic to watch.

kitty and keegan. .. . look im a cat person but keegan was an absolute riot and much needed comedic relief. and his makeup???? a work of art, honestly. he made me laugh a lot and his casual intimacy and how he was always searching for fun and physical comfort, which really fleshed out a character who is literally reduced to a cat on other adaptations (i mean, i am all for lbd kitty bennet, i just can't pass up keegan making me laugh constantly)

again, with mary and max, i never liked in lbd how lizzie straight up forgot about mary although i didn't find her particular memorable. max made me laugh, but i really would have liked a little arc for him, i found him quite endearing. both characters were underused in the story (yeah yeah they ensemble shows) and more of each of them in their respective stories would have only improved. i wanted more of max, exploring the fatphobia and racism towards Black men on fire island some more, but again, only so much time in a movie.

erin was a shockingly well balanced combination of mr and mrs bennet. despite their contrasting personalities in p and p as well as lbd, one would imagine that the mixing of two characters would be cheesy, over the top, and simply a joke. however, erins theratrics instead felt like a protective cover, a coping mechanism she used as a front to prevent her from getting hurt. when she lets herself be vulnerable with noah. . .it feels authentic and earned to her character, instead of a heel face turn. while i love the costumes and imitations of lizzies parents, their lacking presence cant compare to margaret chos compelling and hilarious performance.

every place where i prefer lbd over fire island almost always has to do with time, since lbd had so much more than fire island. both were true to the heart of the story (the relationships) and put their own spin on an old and familiar tale.

stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!!!

[ruporas]

kisses of affirmation (ID in alt)

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Riot Kings, page 4E

prev

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ayyy im back with another Unedited human au snippet <3 it's almost entirely dialogue oopsies <3

~

Eddie slows in putting his coat on - Barnaby isn’t sticking around to chat with fellow staff like usual. He’s in a rush, scrambling to grab his jacket and hurrying from behind the bar. He dashes through the door, looking like a man on a mission.

The door Mr. Frankly had just vanished through. 

Could he be…? No, Barnaby seems like a good man. But he had seemed a little pushy with Mr. Frankly, from what Eddie could tell. 

It couldn’t hurt to make sure.

Eddie frowns deeply as he goes outside, wincing slightly at the first burst of cold air after hours spent in a warm building. He’s just in time to see Barnaby jog up behind Frankly and close his car door before he can get in. Barnaby immediately leans against the door with his arms crossed, pinning it shut and blocking Frankly from the driver’s seat.

Eddie’s stomach plummets. Before he knows it, he’s speed-walking across the parking lot towards them, a fire burning in his chest and his hands curled into fists.

Frankly says something loud enough that Eddie can almost hear, his voice echoing in the empty lot. As Eddie watches, Barnaby pokes Frankly’s chest, making him stagger back a step.

“Hey!” Eddie barks. 

Both of them jump and whip around - Barnaby’s eyebrows shoot into his hair, while Frankly’s lowers into a flat line. 

“Eddie?” Barnaby says.

At the same time, Frankly says, “Mr. Dear?”

The two of them look at each other in surprise. Eddie pays the exchange no mind. He stops by Frankly, trying to slightly angle himself in front of him without making it too obvious.

“Is everything all right here?” he asks, looking Barnaby up and down. He really hopes this won’t come to blows - Eddie can throw a punch well enough, but Barnaby is an imposing figure. Eddie already knows he’d likely lose, but as long as he can buy Frankly a couple extra seconds…

“No, actually, everything is not fine,” Frankly says in a ticked-off - and strangely scolding - tone. 

Barnaby, not breaking eye-contact with Frankly, counters with, “Everything’s peachy, Ed.”

“You sure about that?” Eddie asks, trying to keep his tone amicable. 

“Scout’s honor.”

“Please,” Frankly scoffs, “you were never a boy scout. And that’s not the point - I am trying to get home!”

“You are trying to die in the most avoidable way possible.”

Eddie shoots Frankly a concerned look. “You’re what?”

“I am perfectly sober,” Frankly says.

Barnaby raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “Your face is flushed.”

“It is not!”

Eddie winces. “It, uh, it is. A little.”

“It’s none of your business,” Frankly seethes. 

“Listen,” Barnaby sighs. He leans heavier against the car and rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t wanna be the one 'ta call Julie and deliver the news that her beloved Frankie went and got himself killed at the taco bell intersection.”

Frankly makes a high and derisive noise. “Excuse you, I have class. I’d die outside of Howdy’s.”

“Please, he’d turn your memorial into part of the gift shop. I can already see the signs - ‘dead friend sale, five percent off!’”

“I’m worth at least thirty percent.”

Eddie clears his throat and gestures between the two of them. “You two… know each other?”

“Unfortunately,” Frankly mutters.

Barnaby grins. “Aw, you’re just saying that. It’s okay - I know ya love me, Frankie. You don’t have to say it.”

“I do not.”

“I have evidence that proves otherwise.”

Frankly rolls his eyes. “You’re unbearable.”

“And yet…”

Eddie heaves a sigh - of relief or exhaustion, he’s not sure - and drags a hand over his face. “Alright. Good, I - good to know.”

“What, did’ja think I was attacking him?” After a moment of prolonged, awkward silence, Barnaby’s teasing smile drops. “Oh. You did.”

“Barnaby? Attack me?” Frankly snorts. “Give him some credit - he’s smarter than he looks.”

“Yeah, I’d have better chances taking on a pack’a hyenas!” Barnaby lets out a hearty cackle. “At least then we’d all get a laugh out of it!”

“So I misjudged the situation pretty terribly,” Eddie says, inching to the side to give Frankly his personal space back. “My apologies.”

“Don’t sweat it, Ed. I know Frank may look like a bundle of sticks, but he’s petrified wood all the way through! Pure stone, you know.” Barnaby grins and leans towards Eddie. He whispers conspiratorially, “‘Cept when it comes to holdin’ his liquor. Then he’s a total lightweight.”

“Barnaby,” Frankly hisses.

“Practically paper!”

“That’s enough, thank you!” Frankly makes an attempt at shoving Barnaby away from the car door, but Barnaby widens his stance. It’s like watching someone try to move a tree.

“See, this is how I know he shouldn’t be driving,” Barnaby says conversationally to Eddie. “If he were sober, I’d be the one drunk - punch-drunk, that is.”

Eddie isn’t sure whether or not he should laugh - was that a joke? Barnaby seems fond of them, but… surely Frankly isn’t a violent person. Frankly lets out a growl of frustration and clumsily tries to bodyslam Barnaby. Eddie inches back a step.

“Alright Frankie, you had your fun.” Barnaby scruffs Frankly like a misbehaving cat and holds him at arm's length. He holds out a hand. “C’mon. Keys.”

“Never.”

“Have it your way. I’ll go ahead and call Poppy, tell her that you’ve forgotten the many dangers of-”

“Oh, fine,” Frankly spits. He yanks his keys out of his pocket and slaps them into Barnaby’s waiting hand. 

Barnaby flicks the keys as Frankly stalks to the passenger side door and yanks it open. “Choose a place for dinner, we’ll swing by and pick it up - my treat.”

“Obviously your treat,” Frankly grumbles. “As if I’d-”

The slam of his door cuts off whatever he says next, though Eddie can see him still talking in the car. His phone screen illuminates his irritated expression as he - presumably - looks up places for takeout. 

“Well, I’m glad you were here to stop him from doin’ somethin’ everyone would regret,” Eddie says. “Mr. Frankly-” 

“Mr. Frankly?” Barnaby snorts. “You’re not one of his students, are ya?”

“I’m just bein’ polite. He set the tone by referrin’ to me by Mr. Dear, so I’m tryin’ to respect that line in the sand.”

Barnaby shakes his head, grinning. “Just call him Frank. He puts up a big show of bein' a grouch, but he’s really a big softie. Though don’t - don’t try to pick a fight with him. Ever. You’ll lose.”

“Wasn’t plannin' on it.” Eddie makes a mental note to keep calling him Mr. Frankly, just to be on the safe side. It’s not like they’re friends, anyway. More like… acquaintances. Occasional Run-Into-Each-Other strangers. 

[averlym]

ghostwriter (their grandma would tell them she'd lose half her soul)

[torrikor]

mid-afternoon naptime <3

[mariocki]

Double Doctors! William Hartnell has a terrible time as wounded robber Jeff Richards, while Patrick Troughton is the unnamed (and uncredited!) tramp who finds Jeff's hiding place in Dial 999: 50,000 Hands (1.16, ABC, 1959)

[moe-broey]

@felikatze OH nothing LMFAOO (not that I know of anyway haven't caught up) I'm just rotating them both in my mind and desperately attempting to illustrate the parallels 😅😅

[eosofspades]

my incredibly controversial fantasy genre take when it comes to writing is that you Do Not Actually Need to use high fantasy language and make up words for stuff, and sometimes it can be better if you don't

like. maybe it's just me but i find it a lot harder to get immersed in a story when the worldbuilding is SO intricate and detailed you need a glossary or have to pour over a thousand years of history in the span of a couple pages. i would MUCH rather read a high fantasy novel where the magic kingdom is just called The Garden or the deserted string of floating islands is just called The Wastelands or magic is just called magic instead of unpronounceable words and terms that have to be memorized.

especially for me, when it comes to writing, my stories are SO grounded in character relationships and dynamics, that trying to dig into the specific lore and structure of the world around just breaks the immersion and takes away from the characters themselves.

i know some writers are gonna insist this is just "being lazy" but i firmly believe that sometimes it is the best writing decision to allow simplicity and ease of understanding in your high fantasy setting, and that it can actually make the character complexities and relationships hit harder, because you're not distracted at all with remembering fantasy terminology.

[metalhealth-willdriveyoumad]

Now that it’s been out a while, thoughts on Thank You Goodnight?

It sucks. Thanks for asking!

[bitchfitch]

somebody shoot me with a gun until I am dead before I write the first chapter of that pirate thing for like. Genuinely the eighth or ninth time.

[stinkrascal]

humans in fantasy worlds can be so special bc they are always the most bland in comparison witj other fantasy racds but dammit they keep going anyways !!!!

okay yeah thats fair! but then i raise you this question, how do you have fun pointy ears if you play as a human :(

[howtotrainyouragents]

It is infuriating how absurdly simple the One Piece world design is, yet how it completely holds up to the entire story

[pbaintthetb]

saw the wip february post, got curious, decided to check up on my wips and tragically discovered I have like 33k written in wips (only counting ones I intend to actually write still i.e. no wen au, JC dimension travel etc), :-( so much effort and for what imagine if i FINISHED SOMETHING

[crimes-self-ships]

gamers i am in denial of a new guy once again

[aceofwonders]

realizing that rhydian’s last convo with his dad was probably that classic “i’m not mad i’m just disappointed” dad thing and im SCREAMING