#that source does Nothing to me it has Zero appeal in a character. it's got No focus does Nothing for their sound

[x-for-a-y]

what you need to understand about me is that while i am a big major fan of jake from state farm from doatk i am also "songs used in advertisements" 's biggest hater

[itsclydebitches]

I just realized that no matter what the writers do with Theodore he's going to suck. He's portrayed as the only good headmaster? Its been stated that Shade is the only true source of authority in the Kingdom, so why is he praised for having sole power when Ironwood was demonized for it? He's actually a villain, well join the rest of the headmasters they made evil so the "heroes" can look good.

Yeah, it feels like another case where they've backed themselves into a corner. For me personally, if Theodore goes the Good Headmaster route I'll be frustrated for two reasons. First, because the show has done absolutely zero work to establish him as this outlier. What has Theodore done to assist Vale post-Fall of Beacon? (At least Atlas was raising funds, even if it was through Jacques specifically.) Did he do whatever jobs Ozpin assigned him in the event of his death? Why hasn't he checked in at all, especially after the world learned of Lionheart's death? (Obviously CTV is down, but we know that people are still sending each other letters.) Why wasn't he a part of the original inner circle? Why didn't he come to the Vytal Festival? What has Theodore been doing for the last eight seasons as the entire world went to hell? Obviously, the answer to all these questions is that he was a character who didn't exist/only existed in Myers' books until now, but that's exactly the problem. How are we supposed to buy into the idea of him as the sole, untainted Headmaster when he hasn't been involved in anything for the story's whole run? It's real easy to not mess up and earn the wrath of the main cast when you've been on the sidelines this whole time. Yet Volume 8 already started leaning into that expectation. We're supposed to cheer at Ruby telling Remnant to turn to Theodore in their time of need... despite Ruby also knowing nothing about him. He could be a liar like Ozpin. A traitor like Lionheart. A abandoning killer like Ironwood. Obviously, I don't agree with these assessments (Lionheart aside), but the show obviously does, so it's super weird to have the cast acting like Theodore is intrinsically trustworthy. Ironwood wasn't, a guy they had actual, personal connections with, so why is this unknown stranger being put on a comparative pedestal?

The second reason why I wouldn't be a fan is just a different take on the point above: Theodore isn't a character yet. I mean, he is in the book, but we're talking about the webseries where he doesn't exist outside of one, maybe two lines of dialogue. So why do I care about him? I might come to care about him, but right now it's frustrating that the show is potentially setting him up as an ally when the story flat our refused to do that work with three other characters we already knew. We had Ozpin since Volume 1 (the first episode!). Ironwood since Volume 2. Lionheart, though comparatively not developed in the same way, got his own scenes and much more talk surrounding him. The story got fans emotionally invested in these characters, to varying degrees, and then decided not to redeem two of them, killed them off, and has left the third to beg forgiveness after being forgotten for three volumes. RWBY didn't support characters that large chunks of the fanbase enjoy, but it might support a currently nobody character that no one outside of book readers even knows about? I'm not interested in seeing a Good Theodore, or a later redeemed Theodore, because as of right now I don't care about Theodore, period. Introduce him back in Volume 2 with Ironwood and then yeah, we'd be having a different conversation, but as it stands the cast is too bloated and if the story was going to have a "Headmaster of a school becomes our best ally in a time of need" plot, why not do that for the developed Ozpin or Ironwood who are already immersed in this tale?

Which just leaves Theodore finishing out the All Headmaster Are Bad set and yeah, that's not particularly appealing either. And honestly, I get what a lot of non-critical fans would look at that and read it as a bad faith take. Oh, so you're not happy with anything then. And honestly... kind of? But that's not because I'm dead-set against RWBY as a whole, it's because RWBY has crafted a situation where none of their options work. They got themselves into this mess and I don't think fans are unreasonable for disliking the end result of that. Stupid comparison, but I messed up a knitting project the other day and the pattern ended up looking pretty bad. If I eliminate the choice of tearing it all out and starting over again (a reboot), then my two options are to either a) continue with the incorrect pattern so that it's all ugly, or b) fix things going forward, but then I have a project where half looks great, the other half terrible, and that first half just makes you go, "Why can't the whole thing look like this?" That's where RWBY is at nowadays. Making Theodore a well-developed, complex ally is the improvement RWBY needs, but by introducing that now, eight seasons in, we make what came before it look even worse, generating that frustrating question, "Why couldn't you have done this work two volumes ago?" What RWBY needs is what I did with my knitting, a complete do-over, but since that's not happening, we're stuck with either an incorrect pattern the whole way through, or a sudden improvement that, while great, doesn't help the piece as a whole look any better. The mistake was made long ago and only tearing out that work is going to fix things.

[kanchelsis]

If you wrote the Nikolai Duology, how would you change it? You have some good ideas!

aaaaaa thank you!! people have been so lovely about my salty post ghsfjks i'm kissing you all on the cheek 💕

to answer your question, i think it might be less about what i would do, and more about what i wouldn't do. i'll make some bullet points and say whatever comes to mind.

(to be honest, the idea of nikolai having his own duology has lost its appeal to me, which is sad because i adore him. i just believe he's a better side character than main, and there are more interesting grishaverse stories waiting to be told. but let's work on the assumption that i have to keep the basic pillars of the books and not just throw away the whole concept.)

ok so... zoya. i would take her in a completely different direction than lb did. i love a good morally ambiguous character, so i wouldn't just erase that - what drew me to her in tgt was her stubbornness, her shallowness, her capacity for petty cruelty, but also her determination and confidence. we can't just have her holding one of the most powerful positions in ravka and everyone just accepting that. not only does she need to have doubters, the doubters need to have a point.

we have a ruthless young woman, a soldier no less, suddenly needing to utilise diplomacy to protect an entire country. make her screw up. make her uncompromising and callous. make her human. don't expect her to step into this role seamlessly just so unlimited power can be handed to her on a silver platter.

if she has to be an ultrapowerful grisha, it's so much more logical to make her work for it. to hell with the saints on the fold stuff, what even was that?? lb tells us that everything we thought about grisha power is wrong, but 1) throws away the really cool magic system she made and 2) doesn't replace it with anything else. just let zoya be a squaller, not a dragon-saint-chosen-one or whatever.

writing this has kinda made me sad, since zoya could've been amazing, but anyway. onwards to nikolai.

this is the nikolai duology. if he's giving his name to the series i expect him to be the central character. i'd want his main struggle to surround identity and an uncertain future - who is nikolai, underneath the charm and flirtation? there could be an internal war between the demon, carefree sturmhond and the duty-bound king of ravka. both he and zoya are faced with a disarrayed court filled with people who don't think they have what it takes to lead.

there are so many nonsensical subplots in the duology that... fizzle into nothing. cut it down. pick a few things to focus on and give them the detail they deserve.

speaking of, the cult of the starless! lb took what could've been a source of endless interest and turned it into a bland caricature. we get it ma'am, you hate the darkling. but the problem is that the darkling's root motive gets conveniently glossed over in favour of character bashing. he wanted a safe world for grisha. that still doesn't exist. there's a tidbit about grisha no longer being forced to join the second army, but that was not the issue at hand at all? they're not going to know how to use their powers. they're still going to face discrimination.

so onto my point, what if the cult of the starless was predominantly grisha? those who feel let down by the world around them, who see the darkling as a martyr for a reason. now THAT would be something to contend with. a physical consequence for the events of tgt. put them next to people like genya and nikolai who intimately understand the harm the darkling has done, and you've got a badass subplot going there.

plus, imagine zoya spotting old friends and comrades amongst the starless. angst potential. also, yuri's treatment in the books pisses me off so much - lb wants us to see him as a foolish annoyance, but this kid literally marched the religious sect that he leads right up to the gates of os alta. now top that off with grisha powers (inferni would be cool) and you have a way more threatening character.

zoyalai. right, ok. what irks me about these two is that their so-called banter and pining go nowhere. we get some half-hearted justifications for them not being together, and the narrative completely overlooks zoya's comments about him in the trilogy. let's fix this.

maybe they could start off professional around each other, somewhat cold. until at some point, they begin an exclusively physical affair, just fwb and nothing more. i think this could work given the fact they're both flirty and materialistic. the stakes would be that if the court found out, their reputations would be significantly tarnished, yet neither are willing to stop. as they spend more time together, feelings blossom. they're no longer the demon king and squaller general to each other. they just want to be nikolai and zoya, yet both are too proud to make the first move. let the pining commence.

either that or give nikolai a new love interest. wasn't there a line in kos that joked that nikolai would be prone to falling in love with a palace maid? the potential spice of his love interest being someone with zero political standing, someone like dominik. a fellow pirate or even a starless member.

i don't even know what to say about nina. i was devastated over her treatment. there really do need to be more stories where a character who has lost a lover moves on and finds love again, but matthias is quite literally freshly buried when she meets her new boo. that's a major disservice to the potential of hanne's character as well. i'm kinda in favour of scrapping nina's whole plot. it would need a colossal amount of overhaul to work and even though i'm enjoying sharing my ideas, i don't have time to think about that.

same goes for isaac and mayu. either scrap it or give it the attention it needs.

i'm aware this is very kos-centric, but kos is the root of my issues and row is just an extension of that.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: no darkling return. no alina and mal. this story has been told and wrapped up. please don't cheapen it by going back and contradicting tgt. no gratuitous, shoehorned crow cameos either.

that's that about that, i guess!! i apologise for any spelling or grammatical errors, i wrote this rather quickly. i know this isn't gonna be for everyone. that's alright. i just ask people to civil about it and if discussion is going to be had, don't take things in bad faith. sorry anon this got long af.

[serpenteve]

Lmfao paste magazine did their best shows of 2021 so far and shadow and bone is number 5, I agree with a lot of their opinions usually and frankly the show was pretty decent if you don't think about its logic for more than 20 seconds and it was quite entertaining but top 5 of 2021 material? I highly disagree, the fantasy world which is a big draw and it's political landscape is just window dressing without any actual depth, the plot contrivances are too many to count, the illogical character decisions, the half baked main character ( how is it that she gets the most screentime but is the least developed out of the main characters, why do the crows feel more real and complex than her), the fact that your main female character in your show that revolves around her is so devoid of any depth or growth is a crime in itself. The show has so many problems but I feel like since we barely get any decent high fantasy shows, there were none before GOT and there still aren't more than 5 that have already come out, so people tend to overlook a lot of flaws, also they hilariously did an article about things to improve in S2 and one of them was the villain... Um, that dude was literally the most complex character in S1, the one who's backstory we got, the one whose decisions made sense for the actual goal he's trying to accomplish. I am a simp for female characters and it is so rare for me to latch onto a male one in my shows and I really wanted to love Alina but I felt like they put zero thought into who she is a person and she is instead defined by her relationships and what she represents to the male characters and the world as a whole, I feel like it she was a really strong lamp that was thought to be lost and then found and then someone stole her nothing would change? Like who is this woman? What are her dreams and motives and wants and needs and dislikes, what drives her, what scares her, how does she feel as a part of an oppressed group etc. Having your female character say a generic fake feminist line that makes no sense does not make a well written female character, they should honestly take a look at some other shows although there is still a severe lack in female rep especially poc and LGBTQIA women, there are some shows that are doing it so well and so effortlessly it makes everything else look tragic not just with one female character but with multiple, my favorite example is the expanse which has by s3, 4 main female characters all of them women of color, all of them interesting and vital to the story, one is a savvy political leader that does whatever is necessary but is also a grandmother who says fuck 50 Times a day, one is an extremely talented soldier that goes through an amazing character arc, one is a genius engineer that's part of the oppressed class in this world and she wants better for her people, another one from the same class is a badass second in command that also goes through amazing character development and she's queer, and almost every other important woman in this universe is a poc, mechanics, political rivals, leaders of social unrest, the only important white woman that was there for a season was a gay spiritual leader, like..... Not everything is perfect but I have never seen this level of diversity in a show and it's done so so well, like these women are almost all in my top list of favorite characters every one of them could lead a show on her own and then some. Here are a couple of articles about them if you're interested https://filmschoolrejects(dot)com/the-women-of-the-expanse/?amp and https://marvelousgeeksmedia(dot)com/2021/03/06/womens-history-month-celebrating-the-women-of-the-expanse/?amp. I'm so sorry idk how this turned into an expanse recommendation post 😂, I just see all of us desperate for some well written female characters as I watch sab butcher their most important one and I'm like... Eric and leigh should be forced to watch this before they write another word.

I really wanted to love Alina but I felt like they put zero thought into who she is a person and she is instead defined by her relationships and what she represents to the male characters and the world as a whole

It still surprises me when people watching the show say that Alina is a generic and ill-defined protagonist because she was about 100 times worse in the book 😂Like, it was only watching Jessie's performance that finally breathed some life into that character for me, to be honest. But everything else you've mentioned here 100% tracks with the source material.

Like, arguably the reason Alina gets shipped with literally everyone and gets accused to being a self-insert for fans is because she is so generically written. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed Bardugo intentionally wrote her this way to let fans step into her shoes and give her the largest appeal. Instead, we are left with a character that is incredibly passive. If you thought show!Alina was passive, hoooo boy, book!Alina is barely even a character, especially in the first book. The only thing Alina wants out of life is for Mal to love her and for them both to disappear from the plot---which, considering the conflict Bardugo has put her in, makes her highly unsympathetic and a frustrating protagonist to watch.

I saw the first season of the Expanse which is saying a lot because I pretty much *always* ditch TV shows ☠️I low-key hated Holden because he was such a generic White Man Protagonist™ but the other characters were infinitely more compelling (Chrisjen my beloved)!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

One quick question, why do you hate Before the Storm? I actually really liked it. It could be because I'm a hopeless romantic, but I just want to see your opinions on it

Oh boy, where to even begin...? I cannot stand bts... it actually hurts my insides to think about how much I hate this game haha.

[note: yeah hi uhhh... this is long because of course it is, it's coming from me but listen, my feelings for this game are not nice and I have a lot to say so.... my bad]

One of the bigger reasons, though not the biggest, is Chloe... I'm not exactly a big fan of Chloe. At all. Not in the first game, nope. I understand that so many people love her and they have their reasons for that, that's fine, she's just a character who doesn't appeal to me. If anything, she pisses me off because I can see the foundation for such a compelling character, but it all gets thrown away for the sake of bullshit.

So then they plop bts in front of us with Chloe as the playable protagonist in a prequel story about her and Rachel Amber. This is an opportunity to expand on her character, to tie into the first season and make me feel more positive feelings about her character, to do what the first game failed to do..... and to be fair, they DO have a few of them sprinkled in... but then they're overshadowed by the garbage.

It's just... the ideas are there, and they're ideas that I like but they're executed so poorly. I want to like Chloe Price, I can see that there's something good here.

Like okay.... lemme do a thing:

Chloe Price. She's going through some serious shit after her dad dies. He died unexpectedly in a car accident, something Chloe had zero control over, it's not fair, and even though it's not like the universe singled her out and said "fuck you," it feels that way to her.

On top of that, her best friend who she adores? She moves away. Not something that's in either of their control, they're kids at this point. However, Max stops contacting her and that hurts Chloe. Chloe tries to stay in contact, but eventually Max stops responding.

Then you have her mother, who's also grieving after losing her husband and dealing with her daughter pushing her away and on the wrong path. She meets a man and falls for him after realizing she still has a long life ahead of her and that's too long to be miserable over her husband's death, William wouldn't want that, and David is a source of comfort for her... something she's not getting from her daughter. The problem is that David and Chloe don't get along in the slightest... which leads to Chloe feeling like her mom is trying to replace her father by moving on, not understanding why Joyce's timeline of grief isn't the same as hers, y'know?

Oh, and can't forget that Chloe has fallen onto a not so great path of drugs, booze, bad grades, lying, staying out late without letting her mom know where she is, pickin' fights, making friends with drug dealers, stealing money and other items, all that. She's bitter, angry, unable to understand most of her own complex emotions and that only makes her even more upset. She's unable to express them in a healthy way, she doesn't ask for help, and denies it whenever offered.

So... Chloe's starts out as an extremely entitled, rude, obnoxious character. She insults the bouncer in the cringiest way possible because these adult men writing her don't know how teen girls talk, she steals money and a t-shirt from a dude who works for the band because $20? how dare? even though bands don't make a lot of money and a lot of profit comes from their merch but who cares about supporting artists you like, right? Chloe sure doesn't. She probably buys some weed from Frank because yeah, she's got a dependence on the stuff now. She gets into a fight with a couple of dudes after spilling beer on them.... but what's this?

Oh look, it's Rachel Amber. Y'know, the pretty, popular, talented, smart, perfect, charismatic girl from Chloe's school?? yeah, she's at the concert and saves Chloe from the dicks who attacked her, and the two girls spend the rest of the concert together.

Now, for some reason, Chloe isn't sure but Rachel has taken a special interest in her. Rachel is flirty, she wants to know who Chloe is, she asks her to skip school with her, and the two take a ride on a train to a park and... honestly? pretty romantic, and it plays into that escapism fantasy thing of having the pretty girl who everyone likes single you out, making you feel special.

Over time, the girls grow close. Rachel has some family problems and seeks comfort in Chloe. They spend nights walking together down empty streets at night, holding hands. They hang out and talk about the stars, they discuss Shakespeare and what it's like to actually be your true self, if there's actually such a thing. They get tattoos together, and Rachel helps Chloe color her hair. They have a special hideout they decorated together in the junkyard. Rachel spends the night at Chloe's enough that she ends up leaving a lot of clothes there. They daydream about running away together, long road trips and living big in LA.

Chloe starts to see Rachel as her angel because for the first time since Max, she feels like she has someone she can be open and honest with. Rachel almost seems too perfect to be true, y'know?

And hey, over time Chloe actually starts to kinda get her life on the right track, if not in an unconventional way. Sure, she's still dealing with losing her father. that's not something she'll just get over... but she does start making an effort with her mom, and yes, even David after he told her about his time in the army and gave her that photo. They both know they'll never be friends, and they'll still have arguments, but they'll at least keep the peace for Joyce's sake.

It's not all perfect, though. Chloe's still smoking and Rachel isn't always the best influence. They get into trouble here and there, but nothing super serious.

She dropped out of Blackwell so that her mom didn't have to keep paying her tuition and because she's fixated on this fantasy of running away with Rachel. Chloe's feeling good about herself, about her future, for the first time since her dad died.

Until Rachel disappears.

And everything goes to shit pretty quick after that. Rachel's gone, she's not answering calls or texts, and everyone keeps saying that she probably ran away, but Chloe knows better. She knows Rachel wouldn't leave without her, so something must've happened. She makes posters and puts them everywhere, but things only get worse.

Money is tight. Joyce isn't making as much as she needs at the diner, David isn't making enough as a security guard, and hey... they might lose the house... the house that was once Williams, that's a piece of him he left behind. Not only that, but where will they go?

Chloe doesn't want them to lose the house, or for her mom to be this stressed out over food and bills. Chloe borrowed money from Frank in hopes of using it to run away with Rachel, but with her missing... Chloe decides to give it to her mom in order to save the house. Joyce is alarmed that she has this much, but Chloe manages to lie her way out of it to give her mom some peace of mind.

Except now she has another problem- she can't pay Frank back and he's getting more aggressive about it as the weeks go on. Rachel's still missing, Frank's breathing down her neck with threats toward her mom, money is still an issue at home, and she's not in a good place. Chloe's desperate enough to steal... so when she makes it into a bar that doesn't card her and she sees rich boy Nathan Prescott drunk off his ass and flashing bills, she thinks it'll be an easy score. It's wrong to do this, it's dangerous, but Chloe justifies it to herself. She needs that money.

She didn't expect Nathan to drug her drink, and she wakes up to him taking pictures of her. She manages to get the hell outta there, but she still has no idea what the hell happened to her. Like.... that reeeally fucks with her, it doesn't even feel real. She can't tell anyone, she can't tell her mom, and the police won't do anything since they're under the Prescott thumb.... and well, she decides to blackmail him.

And we all know how that goes.

So... we have the highs and lows of Chloe Price. She's flawed, even starting out as unbearable, but over time she becomes more nuanced and you're invested in what happens to her. You want to see her better herself, you want her to work through her grief and get help, you understand why she hates David but when you see him and Joyce happy together and him make an effort to be better, you want to see them make amends. You know David doesn't want to replace William, hell HE knows no one ever could.

You want Chloe to keep going, to find purpose in her life and realize her own potential. You saw her at the beginning when she was broken, when she was lost and didn't see a future for herself, and it's satisfying to see her come this far to where she knows she has a future... something that becomes all the more tragic when you remember her fate in the first game.

You're invested in Chloe and Rachel's romance, you get giddy watching them flirt and do dumb, romantic, cliche things, and you're just as compelled by Rachel as everyone else. No, she's not perfect, she's not a stereotype, she's much more layered than that and it only breaks your heart when you realize that she's killed later on, that of course she's going to go missing... you already know that! So you're watching Chloe, who has gotten pieces of her life back together and is genuinely happy.... fall back down the pit, fall back into the habits she had at the beginning, and you know it will lead to her downfall.

.....TOO BAD BEFORE THE STORM DID FUCK ALL WITH THAT RIGHT?

Nope, you don't get any of that. Well, except Chloe being cringy. You get a lot of that.

No, no, we got edgelord, flanderized Chloe who thinks her wit is much greater than it actually is, whose terrible moments outweigh the good, and who doesn't grow or change no matter what influence you try to have over her.

Rachel could be replaced with a literal barbie doll and little would change. She has no charm, she's nothing like what she was described in the first game, and she's just so fucking unlikable. When she finds out that her mom isn't actually her birth mom, she claims that her whole life is a lie and her parents aren't real and she wants to meet her druggie mom who chose drugs over her for 15 years because she's the one who actually squeezed her out.

Which, by the way, WHY is this the goddamn plot?? Why did they feel like they had to shove in this "oh hey Rachel's dad is the bad guy, oh wait now this drug guy is the bad guy because he stabby Rachel, no wait now her dad is the super bad guy because he put a hit out on Rachel's REAL mom, oh no wait it's fine because Frank murdered drug man off screen" WHY YOU DO THIS??

You have three episodes. THREE. And in those three episodes, you have the opportunity to explore Chloe as a character, and her relationships with Rachel, Joyce, and David. But instead of dedicating the story to that, something you could've created a compelling narrative out of, you threw in this dumb mom plot and fire-

HOW THE HELL DID I FORGET THE FIRE????

What- why did- does she have- Rachel just- RACHEL SETS THE FOREST ON FIRE??? WHY THOUGH???

I get it, "Rachel is the fire" yeah yeah and it's dumb.

Oh and because we didn't have enough going on, here's a side mission where you gotta deal with getting money from this other kid who's running drugs for big bad drug man because he wants to help his dad who lost his job.

But WAIT, there's more- In a series where several girls were drugged by Nathan and Jefferson, forced to pose for pictures, and some even killed or driven to try and take their own life? something taken so seriously...? Victoria gets drugged and it's treated like a joke. Even worse, there is a path that has Rachel drugging her, and no one cares.

ALSO.... Rachel cheated on Chloe with two adult men, remember? One of which fucking murders her?? and we're just... we're just not gonna do anything with that??? Nothing??? Maybe a little stinger at the end but that's it????

I just..... I hate this game so much.

It had so much potential. Not only that, but it had the first game to look at and learn from. Learn from the mistakes that game made and improve upon.... but instead, they fucked up even worse. It's just a game of fanservice that has way too much going on, is trying to do too much, and loses focus on the most important things.

Three episodes could've been enough to explore different points of Chloe's character before the events of the first game. They could've crafted a story that gave more insight into her life that make sense of the choices she made, that turn her into the Chloe we see in the first game. You don't need a forest fire, you don't need evil lawyers. I know the first game had the storm and time travel and big dumb Jefferson, but you wanted to tell a story that's grounded without shit like that... y'know, before the storm.

I could probably go on and on if someone doesn't stop me, so I'll stop myself here... I hate bts because it's potential was there, I could see it in a few key moments, and it was wasted.

The romantic ideas fall flat because being pretty and gay isn't enough for me, I need more than that. I don't care if they kiss because I don't care about their relationship, and frankly, they've done very little to make me care about them as individuals.

UGH

.......does that answer your quick question? haha sorry for the not so quick answer, but like I said, this game makes my brain mad and once I get going, it's hard to stop.

[jonismitchell]

it’s not really a topic? but ur fave movies and why u love them / ur least fave and why u hate them ☕️

I’m going to do five for each—and I’m going to try and do films I haven’t talked about before on this blog! (Except for the obvious... my favourite film... putting this under the cut because it’s really fucking long)

FIVE OF ARDEN’S FAVOURITE FILMS

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) [5/5] Yeah, I think it’s fair to say that everyone saw this coming. I think The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an utterly excellent film. It is well-written, with punchy dialogue and an interesting moral perspective that is made clear with every scene. The actors are phenomenal; making the roles of real people interesting without infringing on personal privacy. And with the exception of a few liberties and errors, the film is almost entirely historically and legally accurate. It’s a masterpiece.

In The Mood For Love (2000) [4.5/5] Wong Kar-wai is an absolute genius of filmmaking. With very little dialogue, a loose plot, and a simple premise, he creates gorgeous insight into a pair of almost-lovers. Almost every scene in this film looks like it could be rendered as a painting, and the atmosphere is so effectively built that I felt the real world rushing back to me like a rush of cold air upon completion. The romance of the writing is simple but effective. That era has passed, finishes the film, nothing that belonged to it exists anymore, ending with the same flourish it began. 

Persona (1966) [4.5/5] While this is not my favourite Bergman film, it is definitely one of my favourite films of all time. It is carried by two brilliant women, acting in loosely defined roles that stir the imagination. Operating within a punchy eighty-four minutes, Bergman sets the stage and destroys it, leaving you wondering how much is true and how much is a dream. It’s a true testament to his talent as a director. (Bonus: the cinematography is exquisite.)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) [4.5/5] Okay, apparently I just like feature films with essentially two main actors and not much of a plot. But I digress. This masterpiece—which incidentally shares many themes with Persona—builds a romance between its two main characters with the adept hand of a woman. Every scene in this movie does something with its characters, moves the plot forward, makes your heart wrench for longing (okay, let’s tone the dramatics down). It is gorgeous and miserable at the exact same time. 

Dead Poets Society (1989) [4.5/5] This film is so, so good. It emphasizes and fervently defends the power of art and poetry, it is a quiet swan song to drama students, it is the reason people romanticize dark academia. Robin Williams takes his most iconic role and acts beyond the demands of the script, the visual marks of the film are obvious and stark, and the script presents its views without being cloying or inarticulate. Again: it’s genuinely great, if often talked about, and I highly recommend it.

FIVE OF ARDEN’S LEAST FAVOURITE FILMS

Marriage Story (2019) [0.5/5] How this garbage movie came to be nominated for Best Picture (and snag a 4.0 overall rating on Letterboxd) astounds me. The film unites two of Hollywood’s least likeable actors and pits them against each other in two hours of boring, mind-numbing, and idiotic marital feud. Laura Dern’s sweet minor role is the only reason this movie gets half a star from me... as opposed to the zero stars the stupidity of the script actually deserves.

Nomadland (2020) [1/5] Everyone and their mother seems to be enamoured with this film, but I will politely say that I completely despised it. Technically, it’s well shot, but other than that it is disjointed and nonsensical to the point of absurdity. It’s critic bait, a string of images to pull intellectual observations from, but the moral of the movie is so nonexistent and the main character is so poorly developed that it’s hard to see why anyone would enjoy it. Throw in some obvious classism and rich person idiocy, and you’ve got a nice little counter to Parasite’s (actually deserved) Oscar sweep.

Ender’s Game (2013) [1/5] Has there ever been another film that so obviously ignored its own source material? Ender’s Game is a hodgepodge of stolen book moments, fake romance thrown in for Hollywood appeal, and CGI so over-the-top that it’s a wonder this thing got made in the first place. It’s a nightmare of a supposed artistic statement, and I hate it on behalf of everyone that enjoys good science fiction. At least it’s pretty commonly disliked.

Palm Springs (2020) [2/5] If Andy Samberg can’t save a movie, you know something’s wrong. While both of the comedic talents that headline this picture lend their best effort, the moronic script and the hideous landscape doom this budget Groundhog Day. Not only is it a fundamentally boring movie, it’s an asinine one, with characters who get about thirty seconds to be human before delving into another joke. I hate to think of it as the future of romantic comedy.

Clueless (1995) [2/5] Seriously, what the fuck. Every time I remember that this is a loose adaptation of Emma I become more annoyed. It’s not a remotely funny movie, it has a few good scenes but can’t maintain a clear storyline to save its life, and only select members of the core cast seem to have gotten their actual scripts. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and visually unappealing. I’m sorry, but that’s a pass.

[thequeenoffish]

A look at the main argument of the antis

I just saw an anti make a list of mostly non-sequential ideas, in an attempt to argue that starker is bad because it is fictional paedophilia and fiction effects reality.  For now let's throw out the question ‘Is Starker fictional paedophilia?’ because quite honestly we could go round in circles about how people age characters up or how to define the word, or how the age of consent varies country to country etc. So let us assume that antis are right it is fictional paedophilia no matter the circumstance. 

Now let us look at the main argument antis use (and basically only), and some of the arguments that this person in particular used.

Before anything else, we need to define what we mean by ‘effecting reality’, I will be using this to mean a situation where something happened as a direct consequence for them reading fiction. As in, someone did something, they would not have done if they had not read the fiction. 

Of course, fiction does affect some areas of reality, because when we read fiction, we have read it, and so it makes us feel and think things, and maybe talk about or create because of those things. But antis are arguing that it is more than that, that fiction can change elements of our moral code, and lead us to believe things we previously believed were terrible are now right, and that they can even cause us to do said wrong things. Now I set the record straight on what exactly this argument is about, on to specific points.  ---

First, they use an appeal to authority, they know the ship promotes paedophilia because they are a CSA survivor. However this in no way informs them about the complex relationship between fiction and reality it only tells them that some humans are fucking monsters. 

I will take this opportunity to say that if you are a CSA survivor I am so sorry that it happened, and I hope whoever did that to you is rotting in jail. Those people are an example of the worst humans can be, and if I could I’d erase them all from the world. However, it does not mean you can suddenly decide which fiction is morally right or not. There are also many starker shippers who could use the same appeal with exactly the same grounds to argue for the ship, so that doesn’t really help anyone. They next argue that when things happen in fiction and are then condoned by people they become reality. They cite zero sources, and if there is anything I can tell you about arguments you should really cite your sources, or in fact, use a source at all so then I have some idea at least where you could be getting these numbers.  Despite the lack of sources, this statement is filled with the moral panic that has effected comic books, and then videos games. The debate on whether video games cause anti-social behaviour or violence is ongoing, and there are lots of studies for both sides but an article from Psychology Today points out that, 

‘That the latest statistics show youth violence at a 40-year low—despite the popularity of video games‘ Does that alone prove that video games, a medium where you are not just a passive reader, but an active player does not promote violence?  Well no, but I think it does show that this is likely to be the same kind of moral panic that affected comic books back in the 50s. And that Antis can in no way prove that even games, a medium where you can actively kill avatars of humans, affects reality by making people violent. Therefore them attempting to prove that people writing paedophilia is making people paedophilia’s is a huge stretch even believing studies that support the idea of videos games causing violence. 

Another related argument is that by shipping it, and seeing it in a positive light, shippers are in somehow affecting the social norms or society. I will not attempt to argue against this, as, there is no way at the most 100,000 people from all over the world quietly writing fanfic on tumblr can change the opinion of society. Far larger groups of fans cannot. Game of Thrones shows awful things like rape, paedophilia, incest, and murder, millions love it and the characters who do, yet rape, paedophilia, incest and murder are still illegal and considered morally reprehensible. 

Why is this? Maybe because people are perfectly capable of telling fiction from reality? Just a thought.

This person also claimed to know of cases where people used, the ‘it was in fiction and no one cared’ excuse and got off free in paedophilia case. If this happened wow that judge and jury are stupid as all sin, and that person is a sack of shit. I doubt this ever happened though, sorry you can’t make a claim like that with no evidence to back it up. 

Overall this argument boils down to the fear that shippers are leading to less CSA victims being believed, and if you can show me proof of that happening or beginning too, I will seriously reevaluate my position.

---

While I think that is the main argument has just been covered this person tried to compare the high rates of rape of sex workers and low rates of conviction to this argument, which makes no sense as it is part of a completely different argument. But as this bit pissed me off Sex workers are raped in higher numbers, and their rapist prosecuted in low numbers because sex work is illegal in most countries. Sex workers often have more to fear from the police than protection from them, and often rate the police as the biggest source of violence in their lives. Men know this and take advantage. This does not mention the stigma around sex work that means that sex workers are not taken seriously when they do report rape to the police. All this contributes to an unsafe environment for sex workers, it has nothing to do with fiction and its effect on reality.

This is clearly not connected at all. However, people should be more informed on issues facing sex workers, and this is a great video to start with. I encourage you to watch it. 

Overall I hope this post sums up somethings shippers think but have not articulated in this way. I could go on, but I am tired. So I hope you all have a lovely day <3

[lelliefant]

Hiddleswift: A Defense in Retrospect

Two-and-a-half years later, I’m still seeing haters on Tumblr trying to trash Tom for this three-month romance. At the time (summer of 2016), I was pretty much silent on Tumblr, but I’m gonna give this argument a go now, as it appears the hate just won’t die.

A lot of people like to believe that Tom and Taylor’s relationship was just for publicity, but if you knew anything about what actually happened, and about Tom’s personality, you'd realize that makes zero sense.

First, I can confidently say that Tom had no motivation to seek out notoriety, but every reason to fall in love. It’s possible that Taylor thought about the prospect of publicity, and it might even have made him more attractive to her, but she hardly needs extra publicity.

Taylor’s known to have had a crush on his Loki character from the Avengers,* which is probably why she arranged to sit next to him at Anna Wintour's party (where they first met) and then again later at the 2016 Met Gala.

As for Tom, he fell for her like a rock. She is exactly his type; she's an amazing, beautiful, and talented young artist and a smart businesswoman; she pursued him; and he was smitten. He had no reason at the time to look for publicity (nothing to promote), and he has always otherwise avoided that kind of personal notoriety.*

In fact, he strictly avoids sharing his personal life with the Media.* He's never been an overexposed bubblegum pop culture icon; he's always pursued work as a serious, gifted dramatic actor with a lot of indie and theater cred, particularly gifted in Shakespeare.

At Cambridge (where he earned a double-first in Classics) Tom once performed as Orestes in Electra, speaking entirely in Ancient Greek:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-AmRve7EZRE

When creating Loki, he sourced his characterization on research of Norse mythology and what was familiar to him: Shakespearian characters. He returns to the stage whenever possible, between films.

Last year, he decided to take a year-long break from film. If he only cared about advancing his fame, this was not a good career move. Instead, he participated in a number of charity events, including a run as Hamlet for the tiny RADA theater to raise funds for his alma-mater. Of course, he took no payment.

Those are not life goals, accomplishments, or qualities that mesh with or demonstrate any interest in drawing the attention of the unwashed masses, or teenaged Taylor fans for that matter.

But what really makes me convinced that it was all real--at least for him--is that it fits perfectly with his personality. This is a guy who jumps headlong into life, especially in love. He is, in a word, enthusiastic. He has said many times that his only fear/regret in life is not living it to the fullest.

https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/tom-hiddleston-admitts-his-biggest-fear-mine-is-regret-looking-back-at-things-i-haven-t-done-a3356611.html

If I made quote the man on this point, "We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize we only have one."

And he's also said many times in many ways that he just doesn't see the value in living a fake existence.* A fake, painfully public romance would simply have had no appeal for him, personally or professionally.

But people like to think the worst of others; they think it makes them seem superior, sophisticated, and smart to be cynical.* And nobody would actually be so naïve to believe two famous, beautiful, successful people could actually be genuinely attracted to each other, right?

It’s just a much more profitable story for the Media to frame these two as cold, calculating, self-promoting, deliberate liars who would actually want that type of shallow, populist, Kardashian fame. Even though they had both already earned and achieved a deeper quality of fame based on their genuine talent and professional success and acclaim. And the general public eats that stuff up, without question, because it’s what they want to believe.

All this being said, I know very little about Taylor, personally. I suspect that when she actually got to know Tom, he turned out to be an overwhelming energizer bunny, an overeducated egghead, and a giggly dork, when she had expected a dark, brooding, and mysterious bad boy.

Case in point:

Tom:

Loki:

Tom:

Loki:

I think Taylor realized her mistake and acted immediately to cut the relationship off, because she is not the type of person to stick around for something she doesn't want. And I think that totally took him by surprise, because he had jumped wholeheartedly into the relationship without a parachute. You might say he was too impetuous for his age but, like I said, that fits with his demonstrated personality traits--whereas the idea that the relationship never meant anything to him clearly does not.

Another relevant quote from Tom (this was prior to their relationship): "I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, or afraid of showing that they care because it's uncool. It's uncool to have passion. It's so much easier to lose when you've shown everyone how much you don't care if you win or lose. It's much harder to lose when you show that you care, but, you'll never win, unless you also stand to lose. Don't be afraid of your passion."

https://www.bustle.com/articles/122067-tom-hiddlestons-best-advice-to-his-fans-to-help-them-live-life-to-the-fullest

“Don’t be afraid of your passion.”

This is the guy I admire. A smart, erudite, accomplished man who hasn't let life beat him down or make him cynical--quite the opposite. This guy thrives on the challenge. He chooses optimism in spite of hardship; almost--weirdly--because of hardship. This deliberate fool is not afraid to risk his heart, and he grabs life with both hands, knowing the risks.

TL;DR:

Y’all can stop hating on Hiddleswift. It was real, which makes sense if you look at the evidence.

If you scoff and say I’m being naive, I have another one for you: you’re the one naively believing the trash people say and going along with it, trying to be smug and superior.

I don’t know much about her, but I know from Tom, and Tom was (and always strives to be) genuine.

Fame isn’t everything to everyone, especially not to people who already have plenty of it.

If I haven’t made this clear: tabloid noteriety is not the same as fame, much less professional acclaim.

Can we please let it go now?

Relevant Resources

https://www.bustle.com/articles/122067-tom-hiddlestons-best-advice-to-his-fans-to-help-them-live-life-to-the-fullest

https://www.bustle.com/articles/51780-tom-hiddleston-is-making-people-care-about-shakespeare-english-teachers-everywhere-should-rejoice

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/08/tom-hiddleston-interview-crimson-peak

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/10/tom-hiddleston-your-comfort-zones-what-youre-frightened-of

https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/tom-hiddleston-admitts-his-biggest-fear-mine-is-regret-looking-back-at-things-i-haven-t-done-a3356611.html

*Note: For some d@mn reason, Tumblr is not letting me include very many links in this post (the draft won’t save when I add them). I have a number of additional specific resources in support of the statements in this post. Additional sources are available upon request.

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Witness: Weirdness_Unlimited

Creator name (AO3): Weirdness_Unlimited

Creator name (Tumblr): Burn-your-face-upon-the-chrome

Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weirdness_Unlimited/works

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: In the Mad Max universe, anything that is completely absurd and outrageous is represented as the norm. Leather fetish gear? Oh, that's just the security guard uniform at Bartertown. Those guys over there are wearing black and white face paint? No, you're not at an ICP concert, those are War Boys, also run. Whoa, there are acrobats being flung through the air on poles attached to moving vehicles! No worries, that's just any Tuesday in Gas Town. I love this fandom because pretty much any nonsense my skull meat can come up with, as long as the mechanics of it work, I can throw it into my fics and not a single person will bat an eye. As a matter of fact, the weirder, the better. 

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?

A: Life is gross, humans do gross things, and the environment around you could not care less about any of your moral dilemmas. I suppose you can say my style is a lack of it. I like things straight forward and I know this characteristic often weakens any aesthetic appeal to my writing. “To Love Reptiles” reads from Slit's perspective the same way a radio manual does but with a lot more cursing. I try not to make it too complicated to digest. I'd like for people to be able to fill in any blanks with their own interpretation of the situation and then move on to the next. 

Themes though, I go heavy on themes. The main theme is interpersonal relationships, coping with failure within them, and personal growth. Other themes include coping with mental illness, codependency, hunger, greed, warfare, trauma, etc.  

Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: The most fun work of my own, by far, has been “To Love Reptiles.” It has also been the most popular, most successful, and my most favourite. The most difficult has been an original work with no working title. I can't give away much about this original piece but it has to do with local myths and survival in the wilderness. I quit working on the rough manuscript when my grandmother passed away several years ago. I'll be picking it up again soon. It may turn up on AO3 in the next three or four years.

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?/

A: Gritty but hopeful, I think. The wasteland is nasty but humans need hope, right?

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: Alright, so that's an interesting question with a pretty messy answer but I'll try to make it brisk.   Step 1: I start with a summary of the story as a whole with a point A (the beginning) and a point B (the end). Step 2: I break that summary down and and fill it out with events that can ferry the characters from the start of the story to the finish on a drawn timeline to keep things in chronological order. I also have note cards. I break this down further into named chapters. This can take a while. Step 3: I summarize each of those chapters to figure out if this story needs more than one installment. It depends out how the series of events land and how many minor arcs are included with the main arc/objective. Sprinkle some drama in there, scrap some unnecessary things, narrow an installment down to thirty (30) chapters at maximum. Step 4: I summarize individual scenes within the chapters and hack out important dialog. This takes weeks. There's typically between four and ten scenes per chapter. Also more note cards. Step 5: I try to flesh out one scene per day. (key word: Try) 

 I get the most writing done in the morning over coffee and before work. I usually sit at the breakfast table with my phone and spit out about 500-ish words before my husband wakes up. I'll write intermittently throughout the day. Lately I haven't been writing much because of holiday junk and winter being kind of a bummer. 

 If I'm in a rough patch, I can break though it by sitting in a room with no internet access and forcing myself to scratch out a scene or two in a notepad. Usually these notepad scribbles are so awful that they get torn out and chucked in the waste bin but the next day I'm keen to do the job right. 

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: Ambient sound, white noise, or nothing. I do listen to music and there's a lot of songs I associate with stories, fics, characters. Tove Lo is a big one for Dune. Most of the time I find that music with lyrics or a high tempo is distracting if I'm in the act of writing something but it can be a source of inspiration separately. 

Q: How do you keep track of all the details as you're writing? How do you keep details consistent in your works? How do you fact-check your writing?

A: I have a little memo pad with numbered facts that do not change at any point through the story. These are kinda the cardinal rules. I can't tell you the rules because they contain spoilers. After the “RULES” there are miscellaneous details that I'd like to remember in case they come up later. Things like birthmarks, scar placement, mannerisms, things I've hinted at without exposition that will need to be revealed later.

I fact check by googling stuff and falling down research holes for several hours until I forget what I was doing. EVENTUALLY I'll come back to writing and realize that's why there are things in my search history that probably have me on some kind of government watch list.

Q: What motivates your writing?

A: My motivation. Real talk? For AAL it's to get to a particular scene in the planned third installment. Scene thirteen in chapter seven. I know that answers exactly nothing and is weirdly specific but... yes. Other works of mine, I'm motivated by the idea that some of my ideas might entertain someone out there, even if it's just one someone then I've succeeded.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: Time management. I have a lot of hobbies and finding time for individual projects is... Hard. I made a boredom jar that lets me pick an unfinished task/project/piece at random to do whenever I'm bored so that I can stop myself from starting anything new when my apartment is already full of unfinished junk.

Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?

A: Yes. My organizational skills have improved by miles and my attention span is better focused. Grammatically my work has undergone general improvement.  

Learned anything about myself? Hmm, I learned that my opinion of what is canon and what makes good fan fiction are two completely different things. If you ask me anything specific about the Mad Max franchise you will probably get both opinions. As an example: Does Maxosa make for good fan fiction? Heck Yeah! Will canon Max Rockatansky or Furiosa ever be mentally and emotionally healed enough to actually be in a relationship? Probably not and that's okay. I can happily read Max and Furi getting cuddly and domestic and enjoy the heck out of another writer's interpretation of these two overcoming the hurdles of their respective traumas. I can do this knowing full well that Max and Furiosa probably never canonically saw each other again after the closing scene of Fury Road. I'm okay with this because that's the magic of fandom and why I love it.

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: I relate to Max the most, and I think the reason I haven't yet published anything written from his perspective is because he'd be the most difficult to write without touching on my own fears and inadequacies too much. Max is not interested in being involved with the dramas of anyone else's life. He's already seen too much turmoil and had a hand in it too many times to actively seek people and their inherent problems, however, when presented with zero alternative he'll do what needs to be done and suffer though forming new attachments to very mortal people who may drop dead at any minute. He isn't comfortable with the process of forming attachments and he'd rather avoid it. He doesn't want another ghost. At least that's my interpretation of him. 

 Slit, remarkably, is my favorite to write for in spite of the fact that I don't relate to him in any way and my interpretation of his portrayal in the film is, simply put, a blunt edged euphemism for abusive relationships. He's just... a guilty pleasure to examine and write. I blame my fondness on the stunning character design and Josh Helman's energy on screen. The character says and does ridiculous things and it's just hilarious to watch Slit dig his own grave and humiliate himself. Case and point: I've got his boot! My understanding of Slit has grown through writing about him. He's probably (canonically) deeply insecure and his way of thinking very toxic and self focused. There's gotta be trauma there (I took massive creative license in that area) and a whole host of personal issues that explain his behavior, but will never excuse it. Does that make good fan fiction??? Parts of it do, the rest has to be that very human ability to grow and improve, although I don't think he'd have that opportunity in canon or accept any form of assistance... If he'd lived. 

Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?

A: I think you kind of have to self-insert to a point. Writing tends to involve exaggerating your own experiences and the imagined interactions in your own head in order to make the experiences of the characters relatable. I'd rather not examine every individual facet of the issue but yes, I think Dune is an unintentional self-insert to cope with health problems before I was consciously aware of what I was coping with and since that realization, lately, she's a lot harder to write. 

Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?Honestly? Close platonic friendship. Emotional intimacy is interesting. I draw a lot of inspiration for friendship in fiction from Mulder and Scully in early seasons of The X-files.

Q: How does your work for the fandom change how you look at the source material?

A: I see more minor details and the context of silent interactions. Some of these details are unsettling, some of them are so subtle and subliminal that they're easily missed when you watch the films, especially Fury Road. Oddly enough, I'm a lot more- Ah whats the word? Not quite critical of but unnerved by my own observations of Capable's relationship with Nux. I'm not sure why. It could be that I'm misinterpreting the actress's tone or George Miller vision/direction, but I watch the movie now and find that the way Capable looks at and talks about Nux so intensely makes me uneasy. The previous is just an example among many that I've spat out so far, it's not important.

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? Why or why not?

A: Everything I write within the Mad Max fandom with the exception of collaborative works will probably be linked together and consistent with one another because that means less to remember and fewer mix-ups.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: If you have to, break it. I'll read it. I like my fandom unlimited, baby. In my own works I try to keep with canon somewhat but I resurrect a lot of characters who almost certainly died because if I didn't, it would really only leave seven (I think) named characters with dialog who did not die in Fury Road. (The surviving women of the Many Mothers weren't named.)

Q: Share some headcanons:

A: 1) Max has intestinal parasites. He ate a live (two headed) lizard in the first thirty seconds of Fury Road. You really really really should not do that. 

 2) Furiosa didn't want to kill Ace. She could have just blown his head off instead of punching him in the face with a pistol. She didn't shoot him. 

 3) Ace did not go under the wheels. Foxy Grandpa lives. 

 4) Miss Giddy is also alive somewhere 

 5) Actually, most people in the wasteland probably have intestinal parasites. 

Q: If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?

A: My original characters tend to create themselves. I don't know how they do it, they kinda just decide for themselves for better or worse what they'll look like and how they'll behave. Dune was an accident and the “About a Lizard” series wasn't supposed to happen at all. It was supposed to be a one-shot word dump of what Slit's final moments might have looked like. Slit was supposed to die in a fleeting but intense two seconds of delusions about Valkyries and Valhalla... And then be eaten by a scavenger cannibal. The whole thing kind of just happened on the fly. Ardith, Phil/Crank, Featherknife, Bones, and the kids were also accidental. I had no idea where I was going with the encounter with Crow Fishermen. They just popped into existence of their own will and the rest is history. The only original characters that have been planned and designed well beforehand have been villains. This probably says something about me as a writer though I'm not sure what. 

Q: When creating a new character for the AAL series, how do you approach their first interactions with your main characters?

A: The first thing I ask is “What does this scene need” and sometimes it needs a new character for villainy or friendly acquaintance reasons or for a skill-set the main characters do not posses. New characters have a habit of changing a chapter or making it much longer than intended. First interactions with Slit probably won't surprise anyone. He phases through distrust to dislike to begrudged cooperation and from there he's either on his way back to dislike or entering the tolerance phase. Beyond the tolerance phase is... The Complicated Zone. The Complicated Zone is where Nux and Dune are situated. Dune has two basic instincts with people: Should I shoot you? Or should I befriend you? Bizarrely, being friendly is the weirder option in the wastes. Shooting is almost always a consideration if she's taken by surprise.

Q: If you create original works, how do those compare to your fan works?

A: My original works are probably darker and deal more with modern problems. I turn to fan fiction for fun and to indirectly work through things.

Q: Who are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: A lot of the fandom, too many names to name but one stands out and I can't remember their name or the title of their work. It was about Ace growing up and there was a dingo and a young Miss Giddy. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please help. I've been looking for this fic for ages.

Q: Is there a specific author(s) that inspired your work when you began writing TLR?

A: I don't think any specific author inspired me while I began TLR but The Dark Half by Stephen King is one of my favorites and I recall re-reading it shortly before getting deep into fan writing. I may even have unconsciously plagiarized a few lines off that book. In my latest attempt to re-read that novel I'm feeling like there's a lot of Thad Beaumont in my portrayal of Slit.

Q: What advice can you give someone who is struggling to make their own works more interesting, compelling, cohesive, etc.? 

A: Don't be afraid to write things that are too soft or too dark or too this or too that. Sometimes readers crave that stuff that makes us feel warm and safe and sometimes we're also here for things that make us wonder how the @!#$% the characters will ever recover or IF they will ever recover. The real world is full of all sorts of feelings, situations, serendipitous coincidences. Take us down whatever funky road you got! You're the driver, you decide. Your fic is your world. Write WILD things sometimes because it's fun. 

Q: Have you visited or do you plan to visit Australia, Wasteland Weekend, or other Mad Max place?

A: I would love to take a trip to Australia one day to paint scenery in oils but that predates my time in MM fandom. I really want to go to Wasteland Weekend in the next two years but finances, necessities, costumes, etc need to be sorted out first.

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: Well, I'm buying up model car kits to make little Mad Max cars for nerd purposes.

Thank you @burn-your-face-upon-the-chrome

[jira-chii]

Thoughts on the Shoumetsu Toshi Anime before it even airs

The Shoumetsu Toshi anime will air in April 2019, which fills me with both excitement and trepidation... 

Warning for long post. And a bit of language. I may have spoiled the bare minimum of the game in order to explain why it is awesome. There are no spoilers for the anime because it doesn't air until April 2019. 

NB: This whole post is my own personal opinion. I don’t claim to be an expert in anything anime or game related. In fact, I don't play many mobile games at all, and usually steer clear of anime adaptations of such games because I know how shit they can be. I sincerely hope Shoumetsu Toshi will be different because of the quality of the writing. Also yes I am very biased. And passionate. And this whole thing is written on the assumption the producers actually want to make this anime good and worthwhile, rather than just a quick money-grab. I just have a lot of feelings about this ok. 

During Shoumetsu Toshi’s fourth year anniversary, one of the projects announced was an anime! I'm sure everyone playing knew this was going to happen eventually. After all, the game has an all star cast of seiyuu, an amazing storyline, and has been marketing itself for quite a while now (collabs, live concerts, CDs, keychains and more). I have no doubt Shoumetsu Toshi has the potential to become an amazing anime if done correctly, but it will face many challenges on the path to adaptation. Here are some of them.

Too many tamashii

One of the game’s greatest strengths also becomes one of its greatest barriers to adaptation. Shoumetsu Toshi has done an amazing job at creating a huge community of characters (like, an actual city). We get to see their stories unfold and their characters develop bit by bit through various events and quest stages. Within the game, we meet characters that are strong and inspiring, characters with complex relationships, characters that are good-natured and goofy, characters with tragic pasts and so much more. There are characters with stories in this game that will tear your heart to shreds, stories with plot twists nobody saw coming until years later, and stories that were so impactful I had to write a 3000 word essay on it before I was satisfied.

Unfortunately, the anime cannot afford to invest the same amount of time and effort in its characters as the game does. Though we love them, including too many would be detrimental because 1. It wouldn’t fit the tone the anime is going for, 2. There's actually no point because the majority of these don't affect the main story whatsoever and 3. They won't be developed enough for first timers to become invested in them. Especially the ones with more serious stories.

The producers will need to carefully choose which characters to include: characters that are not only distinct and easy to invest in, but will actually contribute to the plot and make the time getting to know them worthwhile. Because one of the worst things an anime can do imo, is bring in a character nobody is invested in, who contributes nothing to the story, has zero character development (i.e. their character is based completely on cliches and tropes) but also gets about 200% more screen time than any other side character, because there is the assumption that they’ll be popular based on their character design alone. That is just lazy writing and is disrespectful not only to the audience, but also the character (I don’t care if they’re fictional, good characters deserve respect too).

I fear there is a very real danger SPR5 could become that. The in-game idol group got a real world debut, and, while I don’t mind seeing promotion in an anime (we live in a capitalist society after all), they shouldn’t contribute much to the overall story, and I will be very disappointed if the anime give them more screen time than they need purely for the sake of marketing.  

Complex storyline

If there is one thing I absolutely don't want this anime to get wrong, it’s the story. The Shoumetsu Toshi main storyline is frickin’ amazing. It is an epic quest that spans four worlds, involves characters literally jumping through space and time, and breaks the fourth wall in the creepiest way possible. The creativity that comes with that is my absolute favourite thing about the game, however I acknowledge some heavy changes would need to be made to make it fit the traditional anime format…

I have heard the anime will be an original story, however the PV suggests it will still retain key plot points from the game. Contrary to my general opinions regarding anime-original content, I think this is the right way to go. I think fans innately despise original stories in anime adaptations for one of two reasons: the story will either be too complex for non-fans to enjoy, ruining the reputation of the series, or the story will be too watered down in order to appeal to said non-fans and consequently lose much of what made the original actually great. Achieving harmony is an incredibly difficult balancing act, and part of this involves the series living up to its own greatness. Which very rarely happens. If Shoumetsu Toshi goes for a retelling of say, World 1, it is invariably going to be compared to the original. Also it becomes predictable for anyone far enough into the game. If the producers do want to go the extra mile and make it worthwhile for the OG fans (which is nice in theory but, admittedly, unlikely), they would need to add some meaningful original content that still retains the essence of what makes Shoumetsu Toshi, Shoumetsu Toshi. That is, it retains the same themes and atmosphere, conveys a similar message, keeps all the characters appropriately in character...basically anything that would not feel out of place if it were to be inserted into the original. Luckily for us, Shoumetsu Toshi writers have loads of experience with this. I am talking, of course, about the mountain of ranking quests, side stories and events.

I will admit not every single minor story in Shoumetsu Toshi is fantastic, particularly many of the ranking events, which usually only allow about three stages to tell a story focused on one character. However, what I think the game does do very well in respect to these short ranking stories (and many other events and side stories open to lower level players), is make them accommodating to both old and new players. This is usually achieved by including Easter eggs and hints to a greater plot for the former, while keeping the actual main story for that particular quest straightforward and accessible for the latter. This strategy avoids alienating newcomers and will be absolutely vital if the anime is aiming to appeal to a larger audience, namely the international one who are mostly not even aware of the game. Failure to adhere to this strategy is also partially why many anime adaptations of games have such a shitty track record. They try to pack in too much, usually by explaining multiple complex concepts without devoting enough time to see them properly work in action. The story might take a backburner in favour of the more technical stuff, leaving newcomers confused and bored. Then when it’s time for the climax, nobody actually understands what is happening on screen. “Just play the source material”, actual fans will say, but really, unless the premise or characters appealed to me, how likely am I to invest even more time into a game if I thought the anime was boring as hell?

I do not think Shoumetsu Toshi will be able to showcase its full potential in one anime season. But if the goal of the anime is just to promote the game, there is no need to. If the goal of the anime were to be an actual good anime though, I think the creators would need to take the same approach as the game does for its stories.

Shoumetsu Toshi’s most epic moments are its unpredictable and creative plot twists. The amazing thing is, they don’t just come out of nowhere. This game’s strongest stories are the long ones that build up gradually to spectacular and emotional climaxes, which are possible because characters are given ample time to establish their values and motivations. This helps us as an audience better understand important plot points without the story having to beat us over the head about it, allowing the game to weave a subtle yet sophisticated narrative that actually makes total sense by the end. This means the story needs to be planned out from the very beginning, and will need some time for setup. Which means it won’t truly shine until the metaphorical ‘late-game’.

Stories like these are at a disadvantage these days because, especially with the Internet giving us so much more choice, a lot of anime watchers now tend to drop a show if it fails to impress them from the very start. After about three episodes, the audience should have a good feel for the anime’s main characters, setting and a hint of the main plot. If by then, absolutely nothing about the series appeals to you, you would start to think there are better things you could be doing with your time. Unfortunately, sometimes a show just needs a long time to set up a good story (or sometimes producers dick around too much with filler episodes).  

On top of probably needing a slow start, the Shoumetsu Toshi anime is at another disadvantage in respect to one type of audience, because the game does not have an English version. Which means a lot of the Western anime audience will have had no prior interaction with it and don’t know what to expect. They have no idea who the characters are, what the story is, and why its fanbase considers it so much more than just another gacha game. We just have to hope the anime is compelling enough in the beginning to ‘hook’ these newcomers, and make them stay on board long enough to make their time worth it...

A good Shoumetsu Toshi story needs to take risks. I hope to God nobody at that studio makes the executive decision to ‘play it safe’, because the last thing any fan wants is a disappointing anime adaptation with a mundane story even a non-fan wouldn’t be able to enjoy.The writers need to be given complete autonomy and trust to fully realise their creative vision, because that is exactly what is needed if this adaptation wants to use Shoumetsu Toshi’s biggest drawcard to its full advantage.

Animating exposition

This is a pretty minor thing compared to the other two I mentioned previously, but the most iconic thing that sets an anime adaptation apart from the source material is, well, the animation. Visuals and animation are probably the biggest things influencing a new audience’s first impression. Unfortunately, the PV portrayed some pretty lacklustre animation for Madhouse standards and I don’t think people were that impressed.

Good animation is time-consuming and can actually take quite a lot of effort on the part of the director (not that I have that much experience to speak to). Where to place characters in the shot composition, when and how far to zoom in for a close-up, how to best direct movement for maximum impact, but also keeping the scene direction consistent enough that the audience can still understand what is happening on screen. Dynamic scenes are hard enough, but on the other end of the spectrum, how do you animate a static character reciting an information dump in an interesting way?

Shoumetsu Toshi has a lot of talking. It's just something that comes part and parcel with a game of this format. In the game it's alright because you can read at your own pace, and it's important information. Plus they usually keep you engaged by switching up characters’ facial expressions (Shoumetsu Toshi 0 does this in spades) or by distracting you with the stellar soundtrack. I expect the anime is also gonna have a heap of exposition. I mean, from the PV alone I already see at least three expositional characters: Geek, Eiji and Kikyou.

Personally I think expositions are the hardest things to animate. And I don't mean difficult to actually draw and turn into animation, but to actually direct something like that in a satisfying way takes brain power. There are an infinite number of ways to animate characters talking, ranging from the super boring still-image-with-moving-mouth-flap, to using dynamic camera angles to keep the composition interesting, or overlaying a montage of some sort to visually convey the message without having to look at a static character. The game provides only a generic idea of how the scene might play out when animated. While this opens the door to a heap of creative possibilities, I’m concerned that if it comes down to time and budget, or if someone gets lazy, it is very likely we could end up with one hella boring sequence of exposition. Which could be a serious problem if the action scenes aren’t able to impress.

Ahh, you guys have no idea how much I want this anime to do well. There's just so much potential there.

In my opinion, traditional anime can be seen as an incredibly limited medium that must, in the span of about 12 episodes, tell a good story to its audience, invest them in its characters, and keep them engaged for half an hour each episode through pretty visuals/cool animation. If they can’t do that the audience will probably drop the series because they a) get bored, b) don’t care, and/or c) fall asleep. This also means a good anime can’t afford to sacrifice story for character development or vice versa. They need to happen concurrently.

It is not easy to make a good anime, and even more difficult to make one that lives up to the hype of its very amazing source material. As a general rule of thumb, I keep my expectations of game adaptations low, and that is what I said to myself when the Shoumetsu Toshi anime was announced. But then one day I got linked a Shoumetsu Toshi drama CD, and I was blown away by how well they did it. The title is The Vanished Elephant, a literary reference to Murakami's short story of the same name. I'm trying not to spoil but basically, the CD fully utilised the fact we can't see the characters (but can hear them) to craft a mysterious original story with a wonderful plot twist. It works just as a stand alone story, but actual players who are familiar with the characters and motifs immediately get that sense of unease at the very beginning, which is finally paid off with the reveal at the end.

Thanks to that, I can't help but be excited for the anime. If they do fuck it up, I won't be surprised but I will be very, very, sad.

If you have read this far, thank you so much for your time. If you are unfamiliar with Shoumetsu Toshi, could I ask you to please give this anime a chance? And if after its run, it does turn out shit, by all means, complain to your heart’s content (because I will be doing the same).

[oc-rehab-centre]

[HNK Rant/Review] Travis Akasaki Aizawa

Hello guys, gals and other gendered pals~

So, it has been awhile since our last post on this site - but it’s about time for another one, in my opinion. This is mainly because I’ve found myself getting quite irked with a certain OC who seems so incredibly out of place in the fandom he is meant to be in - Houseki No Kuni.

This OC is “Travis Akasaki Aizawa” or White Sapphire, and is owned by Travis Akasaki Aizawa on Amino. We’re going to discuss what makes this character seem so out of place, the major flaws of this character - and the lessons we can learn from this OC. 

Artist: Nagis (Ibispaint)

Part 1 - Biography Analysis  

There is not that much information in Travis’ bio on the Land of the Lustrous Amino - but what is there is... not the clearest and full of errors. I don’t know for certain if the user’s first language is English, so I won’t give too much thought to the awkward sentence structures and typos. 

Nick Name: Travis

Full Name: Travis Akasaki Aizawa

In the Houseki No Kuni universe, gems do not have ‘given names’. Sure, in some cases - they have nicknames, like Alexandrite who goes by human nicknames like Alex-chan and Lexi-chan, but for something as random as Travis Alasalo Aizwa, let alone Travis seems completely out of place and irrelevant. It does not relate at all with the type of gem Travis is, which is apparently a mix of Opelite and Sapphire. The creator revealed that Travis’ name was given to him by his Sensei - which doesn’t make things any less random and out of place. since the name is a combination of Western and East Asian names, and adds literally nothing to his character. 

Gen species: MixtenGem (not a normal species)

*inhale* Okay, no. This breaks the canon immensely. I cannot stand when in universes with very set species - when people introduce new ones. In Houseki No Kuni, there are three (humanoid/sentient) species: the Gems, the Admirabilis and the Moon People. While I can understand that a Mixtengem is likely a subspecies of sorts - the creator’s explanations of it not only show a poor understanding of science and chemistry, but is just a strange mish-mash of lore from various fandoms. I would suggest just completely omitting this idea, it detracts from the OC more than it adds, and there is really very little that makes this character appealing to a Houseki No Kuni fan. 

Gem: Opelite+Sapphire

Age: 49800 years old

I have no problem with the gem - but the age, holy fuck, that age... That is a little much, even for a gem. The timeline for Houseki No Kuni is rather obscure, we don’t know when the humans spit into the three canon species, but this is older by the canon gems by a long shot. Yellow Diamond is the oldest Gem we know the age of and they are just shy of 3,800 years old at this point. I would recommend making Travis closer to the age of the known gems, if anything. 

Hardnes: 7.2

This is a very strange hardness, considering Opalite has a hardness of 5.5-6.5 Mohs and Sapphire has a hardness of 9 Mohs. This number is not even between these gems. Maybe the parts of Travis which are Opalite should be 5.5=6.5 while the Sapphire parts are 9. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the Mixtengem thing, in all honesty, I couldn’t understand the logic after reading through it a few times. 

Work partners: Nagisa, Ray

I’m imagining these are more of those Mixtengems. Same thing applies - this idea of human names is a very out of place trait.

Team: Team 2 (The Protector)

Like: Ray,Zero,Hosuh,Cryaotic,Nagisa, Daniel,Yusei,Stampy,Sam,Jett,Grian Sensei,and Vera

Dislike: lizzy,Amy,and Steveen (because they betray him and they become one of the lunarium team)

Alright. Let’s talk about some of the names here. I’m sure some of these names look familiar. Cryaotic? Grian, at the very least? I didn’t have to do much research to find out these names - and let me say, this was my immediate reaction:

For those who haven’t caught on - some of the characters listed here - are YouTubers. Yes - YouTubers. It is quite obvious that Travis’ creator is incorporating their love for YouTubers and the YouTube fandom into their OC. I just... It is bad to use inspiration from other fandoms for an OC of a specific fandom. This is like - making an OC for Sword Art Online with a character named “Naruto”. (Just trying to make a reference that makes sense.) 

The YouTube Fandom and the Houseki No Kuni Fandom are just two fandoms that should not blend when making an OC for one universe. Sure, a YouTube x Houseki No Kuni crossover/AU could work - but do not put an AU into your OC’s canon biography!

I’ve got no beef with the YouTube Fandom nor the YouTubers, but they are out of place in this OCs biography.

Job : Day guard/ morning patrol, help the other find herbs , and report (some times help Nagisa)

Notes + Summary 

And, that is all there is to this character’s biography, really. Here are some of the major flaws, I already discussed but will discuss again. 

When creating an OC for a specific fandom, you should try to make sure everything about that OC is relevant to that universe. Travis is a perfect example of what I like to call a “Frankenstein OC”, which is pretty much an OC which borrows certain elements of their character from other fandoms in a very blatant and obvious way. All OC creators get their inspiration from somewhere, but when the sources are obvious - it can detract from the character. 

Travis’ concept of Mixtengems needs serious improving upon. The chemistry and the science behind it lack knowledge and the concept seems a little less than well thought out. I do not like this idea of a new species, because it breaks the canon rules of Houseki No Kuni so much. I would suggest completely abandoning this idea, and making the character just a regular gem, like the canon characters and like most HNK OCs. 

Travis’ name can just be his gem type. It would certainly help him fit a little better into the universe if the creator just sacrificed the name. 

Remove the YouTuber references! This is a Houseki No Kuni (version) of your OC, so the characters in his biography should not be from the YouTube Fandom!! 

It doesn’t help that the creator of this OC seems to use Travis in multiple universes. I’m scared to see just how many irrelevant references there are in the other versions of Travis’ bio - but believe me, with Travis in the Houseki No Kuni universe, he definitely does not fit. 

Overall, I think this OC deserves a final rating of 2/10. Their creativity and attempts to create an original story line and concept of a new species in the series are admirable, and their artwork is lovely and illustrate their OC quite well. 

Apart from that, however, the character is so estranged from the canon rules of Houseki No Kuni and includes a variety of elements and characters pulled from other fandoms. 

Ciao!

[taaroko]

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Iron Man 2

Time for Iron Man 2.

Opening with the villain watching the press release from the end of the first movie on the news is an awesome way to link up with this one. I really wish we knew more about Howard Stark and Anton Vanko, though I do love that he showed up in Agent Carter. I mean, did Howard name Tony after him?

I love Ivan Vanko. He’s just as smart and resourceful as Tony, but he grew up with nothing while the man he might’ve been raised alongside had everything. (Imagine an alternate universe where Howard and Anton never fell out, and Tony and Ivan grew up basically as brothers. How crazy would that have been?)

I remember rolling my eyes very hard at Tony’s entrance with the Ironettes when I watched this in theaters. I was not looking forward to watching a whole movie of him being this egotistical. Interesting foreshadowing with him talking about legacy, though. He knows he’s dying, so while he’s eating, drinking, and being merry, he’s also concerned with getting his affairs in order.

Hehe, keep flirting with Pepper while the annoying Senator is talking to you. Yesss.

Okay, I’m kind of confused as to how Tony was able to act autonomously as Iron Man. As much as I love that he declared his identity to the world, he’s an American citizen, and he can’t just go flying around into military conflicts based on his own judgment. Is he getting away with it because he’s a billionaire? If so, that’s gross. Is it because he’s got all these military and political connections? Was he working with Rhodey when he “stabilized East/West relations”? How did that happen?

I love Tony trolling Senator Stern, I love the dopeyness of Justin Hammer (but I HATE when he calls Tony “Anthony”), and I love Rhodey’s attitude about being asked to give a much briefer book report than he was planning to. Is he the Hermione? I think he’s the Hermione.

Anyway. AUGH. Okay, every time we see the demonstration of Hammer Industries’ suit and it practically twists its pilot in half, I can’t help doing a full-body shudder and screaming a bit. That’s horrid.

What the heck? A black rectangle on a white canvas is considered art? Why?

Hi Nat! Love the hair!

Wait a second, Elon Musk? Holy crap.

“Not everyone runs on batteries, Tony.” Awww.

Ivan’s quite fond of walking away from explosions, isn’t he?

Hammer is such a dweeb. He had...organic Italian ice cream flown in from San Francisco. Dude, you are doing this rich guy thing wrong. I love watching Ivan interact with him.

I really don’t want to know the mechanics of being able to go to the bathroom in the suit if you’re also wearing clothes in there.

What exactly is the appeal of parties like that?

“Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy’s ass to.” *snort*

Bahaha, Rhodey hit him with the kitchen sink.

I love that they come up with their winning combo move during this fight.

Tony in the giant doughnut is great.

“Don’t get so attached to things. Learn to let go.”

Okay, one thing I never fully appreciated was that the arc reactor was Howard’s invention. Tony’s contribution was making it smaller, and successfully synthesizing the power source Howard always had in mind. Working that out makes me like this movie better. Also, Howard’s subterfuge—concealing his plans for the “new element” inside the Expo’s layout—was that because he was suspicious of SHIELD and didn’t want it falling into their hands? That’d be interesting, and it would fit in well with the way the Hydra plants eventually sent Bucky to kill him. 

Hammer has like zero charisma. I wonder if that’s the actor’s personality or if he’s just really good at playing a dweeb who thinks he’s the coolest guy ever (or wants you to think that, at least). I love Rhodey and General Allen staring stone-faced at him through the whole presentation.

I wonder if O’Reilly knew he was being portrayed as a douchebag in his cameo as himself.

Tony you are rambling. You know, I think he was trying to tell her he likes her, now that he’s more confident he’s not dying.

So all this “new element” stuff is pretty absurd science, but I love watching Tony in blacksmith/engineer mode. I wish they would’ve at least given us a number for Tony’s new element. And what did he name it? Tonium?

Ahahaha, I love Coulson’s concern with the weird Cap shield thing.

“Land of enchantment.” “So I’m told.” Heh. See you soon, Thor!

Not sure how the new core would’ve undone the damage from the old one, but okay.

Stop talking, Hammer. Your jokes are terrible.

I love Nat and Pepper taking down Hammer with an armbar and assertiveness, respectively.

Hi baby Peter! (Best retcon ever.)

You know, all these times someone in an Iron Man suit gets hurled very hard into the ground from great heights kinda make it more believable that Rhodey survives his fall in Civil War. Those things clearly have ridiculous shocks.

“Hammeroid Attack”

That blast should’ve sliced Ivan in half.

I love Rhodey crashing the Pepperony moment.

Tony’s small favor is so deliciously petty.

Okay so the theme here clearly has to do with legacies. Tony and Ivan are the legacies of Howard and Anton. Tony is concerned with what he’ll leave behind. I feel like it gets kinda muddled, though. Maybe if Howard had been portrayed as the clear antagonist in the situation between him and Anton, then the inherited conflict would have made Ivan look more sympathetic, and I think I would’ve liked it better if Tony had kept Howard on a pedestal, only to realize he wasn’t what he thought, rather than having him be a cold, distant father who turned out to actually love him (ineptly). Then in the final showdown with Ivan, Tony could’ve tried to bridge the gap and get through to Ivan, only to fail and be forced to take him out. In any case, Tony does realize the potential Howard saw in him and makes his vision for the arc reactor technology a reality.

This one doesn’t have as good of a story as the first, but I still like all the characters, including the newcomers.

[ralfstrashcan]

I call bs on that Downworlders-appealing-not-serious-Statement from Izzy in 3x06

Here's why.

Warning: Contains extended talk about how sex is referenced on the Show, so probably nsfw? But nothing graphic.

“I think the reason why I find Downworlders appealing is because those issues prevent things from ever getting too serious.”

Without context this statement can be interpreted two ways:

1) She is secretly scared of a committed and serious relationship and so just dates Downworlders so she doesn't have to worry about things getting to intense.

2) She isn't interested in a committed and serious relationship and Downworlders are the easiest way to have some kind of relation where both parties are aware that it's not going to go anywhere serious, so she doesn't have to deal with the fact that her partner gets overly invested which would lead to complications and possibly hurt feelings.

I honestly don't believe it's 1) because Izzy isn't the person to get scared of anything that affects her herself (meaning she'd of course be scared of her siblings dying a horrible death, etc.) She is incredibly courageous and one of the strongest characters on the Show, she is brimming with self-confidence and in contrast to Jace's it's 100% genuine and not to cover up some complex and twisted self-esteem and self-image issues. She is passionate, in fact her passion is probably her most defining character trait. So to think that she's scared of a committed relationship is just odd. Also, taking her relationship with Meliorn into account, it was clearly not going anywhere serious, but she obviously cared for him (and he cared for her) so if she was scared of any kind of commitment and her goal was to avoid getting feelings involved and eventually hurt (which is exactly what happened in S1), that wasn't a success, and she must have known that even before it all fell apart. Did she seem overly concerned during her affair with Meliorn, angsting over her attachment to him? No.

Whether you go with option 1) or 2), they both imply that Downworlders are the easiest (if not the only) source to access casual relationships / hook ups. And that's simply not true.

Let's take a look at the Shadowhunters' sex life. There's not overly much to go on, but there is enough.

- Alec: Zero sex life before Magnus, though that has probably to do with him not being outed and homosexuality being extremely frowned upon, so he's not really representative. He does check out Jace and some other Shadowhunter Dude in 1x12 though, so there's that.

- Jace: We see Jace rolling around in bed with Kaelie once and out on a date / friendly evening with four Seelies (both in 2x07). Besides that he states in 3x02 that he's been with tons of people (and it was never serious). So, a promiscuous Shadowhunter with loads of no strings attached sex.

- Lydia: Lydia's been engaged to John, and after he tragically died (RIP John, I so ship you with Lydia in any and all AUs) she decided that “in this line of work, the only thing worth falling in love with is the work itself” as she tells Alec in 1x08. There's nothing known about her sex life, but she was willing to marry Alec, knowing that nothing would ever happen between them, so she was either expecting him to be fine with her having an affair on the side or she was okay with the prospect of never (again?) having sex in her life. Of course she was probably still mourning her love and also she's incredibly ambitious and wanted that Institute no matter what, so I think the fact that she didn't prioritize sex in her life plan doesn't necessarily mean she's generally not that interested in having sex or that the society she lives in would condemn a sexually active person.

- Raj: Yeah, it pains me to even think about that, too. Whatever, for Science! In 2x04 he mentioned (talking about a corpse with its heart torn out, srsly, that guy) “I thought I was having a rough weekend. [...] I'm just saying, I've been in his shoes before. Except my demon's name was Kathy.” so he clearly had some relation with that Kathy person that ended in a broken heart (or bruised pride) for him. Also, considering that Raj is pretty racist towards Downworlders and dating Mundanes is forbidden I think it's pretty likely that Kathy is a Shadowhunter as well. In 2x08, which doesn't take place too terribly long after 2x04 he claimed to have been “this close to lining up a three way.” Disregarding the fact that I find it hard to believe he'd find one person willing to get with him, let alone two (sorry, I just hate him and his douche-y attitude and I can't imagine you wouldn't notice those after 3 seconds of talking to him and would be instantly turned off) wasn't that at Max's Rune Ceremony Party? Where there were exclusively Shadowhunters invited, hosting warlock excluded? So this indicates that a) after a short amount of time after a failed relationship / whatever he was open for a sexual adventure and b) Shadowhunters participate in threesomes, something that you probably wouldn't easily and openly mention in a reticent society.

- HELL EVEN ALDERTREE admitted to having dated a Downworlder and was also hitting on Izzy, which, considering she's younger than him and his subordinate should be frowned upon in an uptight society.

- Aline: In 2x15 it is mentioned that she was secretly seeing a girl named Carolyn and since they were in Alicante this Carolyn is most likely a fellow Shadowhunter. Also since that relationship is talked about in past tense it has probably ended. So she has a dating life.

- And then there's Izzy herself, of course. On-Screen she's only ever been in a relationship with Meliorn, but in 1x06 Maryse declines her offer to marry in Alec's place, saying “You can't do this. You and your Downworlders have seen to that.” referring to the tons of affairs with Downworlders Izzy has had. Not to mention Izzy's comment about jewels in 1x04. There's also the fact that she openly hit on Simon in 1x02 and when Alec rolled his eyes she commented “It passes the time.” Whether she meant flirting or the resulting possible hook up is anyone's guess, but I don't think I'm seeing things when I say it could very well be both... considering she and Alec both talked about Simon as 'it' in that scene (which, rude). So long story short, Izzy too has an active sex life.

Of course dating and casual hook ups isn't the same, but. Since of all known Shadowhunters there are apparently several with an active sex drive and associating with Downworlders is pretty frowned upon, associating with Mundanes is absolutely unacceptable because they can't know about the Shadow World and at least dating is apparently no problem between Shadowhunters, I find it pretty reasonable to assume that hook ups between Shadowhunters are fine as well.

(Taking into account that “Nephilim love once, fiercely” it would make it even more logical that everything that's not True Love is casual, thus making it even more plausible that not-serious relationships between Shadowhunters aren't uncommon. I'm personally not a fan of that line (see here somewhere at the end if you're interested) but the line is canon and therefore deserves consideration.)

Conclusion: Downworlders aren't the only source for casual hook ups.

This, of course, brings up the question why Izzy would choose to hook up with Downworlders at all if she could bed other Shadowhunters just as easily, without commitment being an issue, especially because associating with Downworlders kinda ruins your reputation. When Maryse explains in 1x06 why Izzy can't take over marrying for Alec she says “You can't do this. You and your Downworlders have seen to that. You can't possibly attract the caliber of husband who could help us restore the honor to our family name.”

Of course Izzy is rebellious and doesn't care what other people think of her, but she's not stupid. She knows that falling out of favor with the Clave can have serious consequences and upholding the Lightwood Image is important, a calculated move, a leverage, an insurance. So why would she do it anyway, if it's not out of necessity?

Because it's political. She is very pro-Downworlder from the start, she's interested in their ways of life (that butterfly thing in 1x05) and she's against the narrow-minded, racist ways most Shadowhunters display. This explains why she is simultaneously more interested in Downworlders and less interested in Shadowhunters.

To claim that Izzy just dates Downworlders because it's easier (or because she's scared, which, again, pffffff) takes that whole political and revolutionary aim out of her character and that's just reducing this action to something self-oriented instead of something she does with the awareness that it sends a certain signal to Shadowhunters of her and the older generation. It's really not called for, contradicts canon in my eyes or at least doesn't really make sense, and I really don't like it.

Also, just something to think about while we're talking about Izzy's sex life, more specifically all her alleged Downworlder Conquests.

- Vampires: The fact that she asked Raphael in 2x10 if being a Vampire has made him uninterested in sex implies that she doesn't know being a Vampire doesn't necessarily equal no interest in sex, so she probably never hooked up with a vampire.

- Warlocks: Remember that flashback from 2x18 when Magnus said he'd loose all his street cred if his people found out he “let a Shadowhunter spend the night”? And we're talking about spending the night at his home, not sleeping together. Makes it sound as if Warlocks kinda hate Shadowhunters and want nothing to do with them. So it's probably not Warlocks either.

- Werewolves: Before Luke became the Alpha I got some seriously Anti-Shadowhunter-Vibes from the pack as well (still do, honestly, but because of Luke the pack mostly behaves) so I find it hard to imagine any of those wolves would be willing to hook up with a Shadowhunter. Then again, Maia hooked up with Jace and she doesn't really like him. Then again, this could be a Maia-thing.

- Seelies: Can we talk about the fact that Seelies are like the Sex Tourists of the Downworld? They seem to only leave the Seelie Realm to get their mack on. Anyway, I clearly remember that one Scene in 1x03 where this dialogue happens

Alec: Downwolders are slaves to their impulses.

which, to me at least, implies that Izzy first and foremost mingles with Seelies. This dialogue could of course be because she was with Meliorn at the time, but consider that while Alec had to marry, Izzy was declared the one and only Shadowhunter with “ties to the Seelies” who could possibly convince the Clave that the Seelies aren't on Valentine's side. If Meliorn was just the latest of her flings who happened to be a Seelie I don't think that would make a good enough argument with the Clave; also why wasn't Jace also considered a Shadowhunter with ties to the Seelies? Because I don't believe that Kaelie was the first ever Seelie Jace has been with.

- Mundanes: First off, Mundanes aren't Downworlders, so there is that. Secondly I honestly doubt she has a dating / sex / whatever history with Mundanes because the way she says “Shadowhunters don't date Mundanes” in 3x04 sounds to me as if Charlie is the first Mundane she interacted with. It makes sense, because Mundanes aren't allowed to know about the Shadow World. (Simon in 1x02 was an exception because he was already involved in Shadow World business.)

Of course talking about “Seelies” or “Seelies and the occasional Werewolf” instead of “Downworlders” in that Scene mentioned at the beginning doesn't have the same nice ring to it, so I get why it was scripted that way. Still. Ugh.

[beowulfs-booty-call]

Beowulf for the character list!

Ohhhh gosh Jordi! How are ya pal!!! (I still have to finish the other ask you gave me! I’m making it super long and detailed just for you!)

AND GOD YES, THE FAVE BABE OKAY HERE GOES

Favorite thing about them:

Beowulf’s motif and his huge ass muscles because they’re goals. Also, the wolf pelt, definitely. Oh! Oh! And his happy-go-lucky attitude because my ass be having it too omfg.

His bravery is another thing, tbh, because he just straight up tells everyone on tv that his match was rigged because he knows he’s not really a hero. He’s the people’s hero. That was the reason in the first place why he got famous! To go in front of people and explain the situation knowing full well you might get back? That takes guts.

Least favorite thing about them:

The “Wrestler Bro” attitude sometimes. It’s fine, but the dudes at Lab Zero gave him a split “Does he think wrestling is real or…?” and “He says things you don’t expect in whispers.” in fights and it’s a wasted Easter egg Imo. The game makes him act and behave as though he’s rather dim-witted, which, cool because he’s a simple guy, but they also shoehorned Annie in to save his butt time to time and I dislike the sort of relationship they gave them both. 

It’s also been said behind the scenes Beowulf did take part of the nationalistic effort in the war. Now, granted, if that was the case? Why didn’t they expand upon this? If he was a soldier, I feel he should obviously be referenced too, if not, as it already seems Parasoul knew he was merely a political pawn, I feel Beowulf’s love of the Canopy Kingdom really should have been broadened on because it’s bad writing Imo that they left out these things in favor of highlighting Annie in his story mode.

Personally in my essay I wrote, I really am big on the Annie inclusion, but I feel that it took away from Beowulf’s true personality and potential. Why add in Beowulf being saved by Annie, if he was meant to destroy Grendel anyway via suplex? I feel if such was the case, have Annie take on Double in the first place after she swallows Beowulf into Gehenna and he takes on Marie Ala Squigly and Filia.

That said, the dimwittedness is rather bland to me. It’s obvious Beowulf’s intellect shouldn’t be the brunt of the joke, and the fanbase was even worse with his treatment, outright ignoring him or treating him as the butt-monkey of the cast because Annie or Minette wasn’t voted in and it really does tick me off. We could have really shown how Beowulf was obviously using the wrestler persona to grieve for Grendel. We really could have had Beowulf figuring out just how big the Medici Mafia is and him going after those who wronged him after beating Marie. 

We really lost out. And that’s my biggest pet peeve.

Favorite line:

I am two hundred, eighty seven pounds of FOLDED STEEL, AND SEX APPEAL.

brOTP:

Beowulf and Adam

Beowulf and Big Band (After their fighting in the story mode and I imagine him coming back to right wrongs)

Beowulf and Annie (I feel like she should have been much more better friends with him. And of course I feel like she’d be so goddamn dirty with him in making censored jokes because he GETS it but he... He can’t man. The kid’s got him. And he can't curse because how would that look!!! You can't call out a kid who referenced how your ex was “all up on your blood sausage.”!

OTP:

Beowulf and Me aofhiefsjfa[

I’m actually okay with Beowulf and Ms. Victoria actually! I think they’d be so cute together, if anything because I use to think of me and my ex like that, hilariously enough. I.E: Beo is the sort of guy who would waste like 50$ on you at a carnival because he wants to get you the huge ass prize, but then on his last dollar, you take the shot, win it, and you give it to him and his eyes literally are just hearts.

nOTP:

Beowulf and Eliza (Realistically, she’s only gonna use him for his blood to get stronger. I feel like if anything, there’s nothing left of Eliza. So, at this point, you’re dealing with a real monster.)

Beowulf and any underage cast member - I mean C’mon. Really.

Beowulf and Annie - See above

random headcanon(s)

- Beowulf actually is really literate, and writes poetry time to time. However, no one would pay to see him go “To be or not to be… SUPLEXED”

- He likes to wear suede and you can find him walking and going about in his scarf and puffy jacket drinking hot tea and lattes because just loves winter months

- The Hurting actually is a sentient being and was given to Beowulf via his old sleazy manager Unferth (In the original tale, Unferth gives Beowulf the Hrunting, but beowulf is so strong, he breaks it.) yet it stays strong to this day. When Beowulf is alone, or when he’s really in a pinch, the Hurting opens up its maws and has long sharp fangs and monstrous tongue used to grapple opponents. Only Beowulf speaking to it can calm it down and turn back to an original chair. No one realizes a thing.

- Grendel’s arm hears EVERYTHING beowulf says, as Grendel is still alive through the arm. However, all it hears is Beowulf screaming his quotes so instead of coherent sentences its: “ALL’S CHAIR. RUNNING WILD. AWOO. I AM TWO HUNDRED–”

- Beowulf actually is a secret musical / Opera critic and is a big benefactor of the arts. He also shouts insults and screams very helpful messages to the actors. 

- When out of a job, Beowulf once took up a librarian job working in Filia’s school. Cue Ms. Victoria having to attend to students and him riding on the Janitor mobile and D. Violet secretly having a crush on him. He also bench pressed many a book case. I would know. I was one of the book cases. The kids later were the first ones to see him back in action with Ms. Victoria after he got back in the game, and they gave him a crude letter to him about being a hero and boy oh boy do I love Beowulf being kids’ hero like he was to me.

Unpopular opinion:

As the only male dude besides Big Band I feel he was purposefully thrown under the bus and really, there’s not enough porn or love for him. Much less, everyone seems to have like 2 intro animations, Beo has 1. I call favoritism but, anyway:

I think he doesn’t need a paring to shine as a hero. I think he needs to be shown more so people can realize just how awesome he really is, not with Annie saving his butt all the time so he can tout about wrestling being real.

Had he not shown up, we only would know about him via Peacock’s story mode with Andy Anvil saying he came out of retirement.

Give him love! He’s earned it!

And also like, I think he is as smart, if not, smarter than the rest of the cast, he just hides it under a veneer of being a pro wrestler. No one pays for WWE style entertainment in new meridian, they want real emotion, and that’s what Beowulf’s so used to. Because of that, he whispers and talks about things, but when you really think about them, they all have some meaning behind them, like when he calls Eliza the Crimson Scourge. I hate the idea that people think he’s a dumb dude because he’s not. Y’all just sleeping on a good character.

Song(s) i associate with them:

Space Jam’s Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

Dudley’s remix: Dudley Blew My Mind

Alex and Ken’s theme from Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

Major Lazer and Ariana Grande - All My Love

Because he liked 80′s songs and because I love funk music:

Bite the Apple - Rainbow Team

The Limit: She’s so Divine (In this case, he: “When I got here in July…”)

Let’s Get Physical: Olivia Newton AKA SIDE TO SIDE BEFORE IT WAS EVER SIDE TO SIDE

Reminder: I gotta draw him in that outfit afjnlsfgs

Also!!!

Side to Side + Let’s Get Physical MIX:

Dua Lipa: New Rules 80′S MIX (Totally something he’d listen to for the gym)

favorite picture of them

Wow it’s super nsfw but I’ll crop it for the benefit of all.

Here’s my fave sprites too

Look at him, majestic creature, no?

BICEP GRAB

Ass a palooza

And finally…

( I don’t recall the source rn for this pic, but I’ll be sure to update it asap when I get a chance!)

[reactingtosomething]

Reacting to The Good Place: “The Trolley Problem”

Special Obligations

Find our previous reactions to season 2 of The Good Place here. 

This week’s is relatively short, and pretty narrowly focused on the week’s philosophical issue. We may end up dropping or at least scaling back these reactions as Kris starts a new job. But fear not, our Discovery reacting is probably safe.

SPOILERS BELOW for the October 19 episode.

KRIS:

You can't beat a classic.

That's not a thing I believe universally, but it seemed like the right thing to say about the trolley problem, and "The Trolley Problem." The titular thought experiment developed by virtue ethicist Philippa Foot is an inevitable encounter for moral philosophy students. It's even what my zero-budget web series is named after. And more than once, I've presented friends with the trolley problem entirely for recreational purposes (why are you guys friends with me again?). So, I have to admit I got a weird thrill from seeing this conversation happen between some of my current favorite TV characters, with real sincerity. At least until Michael did the thing again.

(Also: this.)

Runaway trolley speeding down the track! Do nothing, and it kills five people ahead. Flip a lever, and you divert the trolley to another track, where it still kills one person. Do you let five die through inaction, or make one die yourself? For most people, it's shitty but straightforward math. Get over yourself and pull the lever.

But then Chidi introduces the transplants. Five patients need new organs ASAP, and one walk-in/passerby happens to be a match for all of them. Other "standard" twists include "pushing the fat man" instead of pulling a lever (it's assumed that you don't have the mass to stop the trolley in an act of self-sacrifice, but this guy standing next to you does), and on Chidi's chalkboard, the loop and the man in the yard. There's even a spelunking scenario in which your party gets lost, then finds a narrow exit, but the first person through gets stuck, so your choices are to let the rest of your party die of starvation or to use this stick of dynamite you have for some reason. To most people, all of these variations feel worse, intuitively, than pulling the lever. But are they? Each time, the dilemma seems to boil down thusly: If you're a utilitarian, you pick the option that spares the most lives. If you're a deontologist, it matters more for you not to actively participate in (a new) wrongdoing. 

In more technical Kantian terms, the deontological objection is that it's wrong to ever treat another human -- in this case, the one person on the second track -- only as a means to an end, rather than as an end in himself. (The "only" is important, because of course all humans rely on other humans to help them achieve goals all the time.) Killing necessarily reduces your victim to a means; no matter how or why you kill them, going that far makes it impossible to recognize their humanity in the same way that you recognize your Lyft driver is a person before they're your ride, or that your waiter is a person before they're a food delivery system.

As you can see, the deontological objection takes way too long to adequately parse in a cold open, and ultimately "The Trolley Problem" is unable to "really" be about the trolley problem -- which is not a criticism! Even disregarding the enduring philosophical complexities, TV needs an emotional anchor the trolley problem doesn't have. So we return to the soul of The Good Place, the title of one of Chidi's favorite books: what we owe to each other.

This episode is about what a teacher owes a student (a good faith attempt to help them connect with unfamiliar material), what a student owes a teacher (respect for the time and effort they've put in to become an expert in their field), what romantic partners owe one another (not to be jerks). So it's fitting that instead of objecting on the basis of the incommensurability of human lives, the episode asks about special obligations. It's not supposed to matter who those people on the tracks are. In ethical theory it's not supposed to matter who anybody is, and I don't think this is a position exclusive to moral philosophy professors. It's how a justice system is supposed to work, what the proverbial Golden Rule is based on, why we concern ourselves with the plights of people we'll never meet in countries we'll never visit. 

But there's some relatable urgency to Michael's insistence (disingenuous though he may be) that ethics as you learn it in the classroom or the textbook risks breaking down once it hits your real life. Eleanor wants to know if the person on the second track is an ex or Rite Aid clerk she can feel good about splattering. More seriously, Michael creates simulations in which Chidi runs down his former colleague Henry*, then has to come face-to-face with the Sad Adorable Families of the transplant patients. (The bystander in Chidi's operating theater is Eleanor, who appeals to Chidi as "your hottest friend! No, Tahani. I'm your nicest friend! No, Jason. I'm your friend!")

I loved this little moment of Michael having an (evil) epiphany. Source

As I've said before, ought implies can. Probably, almost definitely, it really shouldn't matter who anyone is. But human psychology is such that people we know, and people in close physical proximity to us, inevitably seem to matter more than those we don't know or don't see. If we can't think of everyone as equally important, ought we to treat them as equally important? The short answer is that this is why we make laws; we outsource to a higher authority the universally fair judgment we can't practice individually. But wait! Do you break the law if it's the only way to help your family? Your friend? Your pet?

Anyway, I 1000% have bought the exact nameplate Chidi has, several times, as gifts. Thanks, OfficeSignCompany.com!

Miscellany:

May something bring you as much childlike, unadulterated joy as cocktail shrimp brings to Eleanor Shellstrop.

Source

D’Arcy Carden gets soooo much characterization out of just what she does with her neck and shoulders. It makes sense that a character to whom embodiment isn’t very important would keep most of her body still, and that contrast makes what movements Carden/Janet does allow herself seem EXTRA expressive.

Source

Janet is always polite, even with the onset of apocalyptic jealousy.

Source

*Henry is played by Kris’s writing classmate Dominic Burgess!, who also recurs on The Flash this season as Kilg%re, and previously played Victor Buono on Feud, Ember on The Magicians, and Psycho Pete on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

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[tipsycad147]

The Life Changing Technique That Your Magic Is Missing

Avery Hart

Witches often focus on the practicalities of the craft when they’re first learning. It’s all about the tools, learning different types of spells, and all of the real world details. Some attention is given to things like how to do energy work, meditate, or hold intentions but often these things only become a focus after a witch has had a chance to get pretty familiar with the more practical aspects of the craft. Somewhere way, WAY down on this list of focuses is an aspect of the craft that, more often than not, I see completely ignored. This part of the craft is so far down on most peoples list of priorities that I’m pretty sure a fair number of witches have never even heard of it! And that’s really a shame because this one little aspect of the craft can take your magical abilities to a level you’ve never imagined.

What is this fantastic mystery technique? It's called psychodrama.

What Is Psychodrama?

If you’re scratching your head wondering what the hell psychodrama is, don’t worry, you’re not alone! This practice used to be commonly taught, especially in ceremonial magic circles but over time the importance of psychodrama seems to have faded into the background and now many folk magicians and witches have never even heard of it.

To put it plainly, psychodrama is a practice of stepping into a role in order to perform. It’s often utilised by actors to improve the realism of their performances. Psychodrama is achieved through the use of setting, costuming, and design to adjust the mental state of the performer.

When it comes to witchcraft, this concept can completely change how you look at your practice. It’s essentially a very dramatised way to “fake it ‘till you make it”. Especially for newer witches, though us more experienced witches certainly aren’t immune, doubt is frequent and can be an absolute killer for your magic. When your energy is torn between holding your intention and wondering if you’re even capable of pulling this spell off, it can have a huge impact on the effect of your magic. Psychodrama is a way to circumvent all of that self-doubt and tap straight into your magical potential.

I essentially want you to think of this as make believe. Suspend doubt temporarily, and pretend that you’re the badass, powerful, magic-wielding witch that you want to be. Use any and every tool in your arsenal to convince yourself that this game of pretend is real and then, only when you’re really deep into that headspace, do you perform your spell.

This may seem like a lot of work to go through for every spell but it can improve the effectiveness of your spells dramatically. Not to mention, it’s really fun! You get to go full witch, pull out all the stops, dress up, get out all of the decorations and music and incense and be the absolute witchiest version of yourself imaginable.

Sound good?

How To Use Psychodrama In Your Own Practice

Utilising psychodrama is going to be a little bit different for every witch. Not only do we all have different availabilities as far as time, space, resources, and privacy but not every form of psychodrama is going to work well for you. Figuring out what really does it for you can take some experimentation but when you figure out exactly how to drop yourself into your witchiest headspace, it’s well worth the effort. Not sure where to start? Here are 7 ways to start your personal experimentation with psychodrama in your craft.

1. Get into character

Dressing up can have a huge effect on how you feel and act in your spellwork. Think about the witch that you would love to be, your ideal witchy aesthetic. Would you have robes? A flower crown? Face paint? Body paint? Maybe you’d cast skyclad in nothing more than jewellery. Maybe you’d have an antler headdress or a carved staff. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination go a little crazy here, as long as it’s possible in the real world you should definitely add it into your ideal witchy self-image.

Now, I want you to start collecting the things you need to make that mental image a reality! If you can’t make it all happen right away, that’s ok. This isn’t about achieving your ideal, this is about making yourself feel as badass as that imaginary witch that you just dreamed up. And don’t underestimate how far a bolt of fabric and a little crafty know how can take you, there are tons of amazing DIY tutorials on Pinterest and Google for everything from robes to masks to horned headdresses and so much more.

When it’s time for you to do some witchcraft, don your new costume and feel how completely, unstoppably witchy you are. Ignore any thoughts telling you that you’re not a total badass, remember, this is all a big game of pretend right now. It doesn’t matter how unrealistic it might feel to you, put those thoughts aside and make-believe!

2. Set the stage

Now that you’ve gotten yourself dressed up, it’s time to turn your attention to your surroundings. Take a look at the area where you normally do your magic, this space is now your stage. It doesn’t matter how large or small your setting is, indoors or outdoors, when you do magic this setting needs to look like a powerful witch is using that space.

Go back to your imaginary ideal witch that we dreamed up before. Get that image firmly back in your head and when you’re ready, take a look at the area around this witch. What does it look like? Is it dimly lit or bright? Is the space filled with plants and ivy crawling the walls? Are there jars of herbs, spices, and other strange magical ingredients? Are there any colours that stand out to you? Is it inside or outside? What does the altar look like? What kind of tools are around?

Write every detail you can think of down and then see how many of those details you can recreate in your own magical space. Again, it doesn’t need to be perfect and if you can’t achieve every single part of that image right now, that’s ok. Just work with what you have at the moment. Going forward, try to focus your altar decorations, tool buying, and design elements on that image that you’ve cultivated.

3. Use music

Music is such a powerful way to change the mood and feeling of a space. Picking the right music can change you from your normal everyday self to seductive sorceress or witchy warrior in an instant. Don’t feel like you have to stay within the bounds of conventionally witchy music either! While Celtic music or chanting may work for some people, they won’t work for everyone. I personally like Hozier, Kaleo, Chon, and sometimes even rap music for my rituals. Take a look at the music you already know and love. What makes you feel powerful? What makes you feel in general? Is there a kind of music that you think fits the aesthetic that you’ve been crafting?

Play around with music choices, what works for you one day may not vibe so well the next. If you’re an especially music affected witch, you might create a playlist or two (or eight!) for different moods.

4. Use scent

Scent can be another big mood modifier. If you’re the kind of person who stocks up on pumpkin spice candles so you can get that autumn feel year round then this is for you. There are tons of ways to use scent in your craft, from scented candles to essential oil diffusers, to incense, and more. If you’ve already got favourite scents that make you feel witchy then go with those but you may want to experiment a bit and find something that you can use just for your witchcraft. For me, sandalwood incense, candles that smell like evergreen forests, and anything that reminds me of dusty old leather books immediately puts me in a witchy mood. If you must, go to the nearest store that sells scented candles and stick your nose in every candle that sounds remotely appealing. Even if you don’t love candles, knowing how various smells make you feel can help a lot when choosing oils or incense.

Note: Be careful with scents around animals! Essential oils and smoke can be incredibly dangerous for pets and it’s vital that you check to make sure that you’re not filling the air with toxins before you start using these products around your critters. Small animals are particularly susceptible but even larg pets like dogs can have very adverse reactions when exposed to the wrong essential oils!

5. Candles ad nauseam

Does this one even need explaining? Candles are witchy as hell, period. I stock up on pillar candles and tealights whenever I can and when it’s time to work magic I turn down the lights and light as many candles as I can reasonably get away with. If you can’t do fire in your space, electric candles make a great substitute! I have a set of electric candles and I use them for rituals all the time. There is zero shame in getting your witchy vibe from an electric source.

6. Summon your inner witch

If you really want to go all out, you can start your spell casting by summoning your inner witch. That badass ideal witch aesthetic that we dreamed up earlier? Yeah, we’re going to summon them to make sure that this aspect of ourselves shows up at full strength.

Begin by getting everything set up, dress up, set your stage, play some music, and get your incense going. When you’re ready, sit down in front of your altar and set one lit white candle in front of you. Pause to focus on the flame for a moment. Take a deep breath and call to mind the mental image of this ideal version of your witchy self. Visualise this witch standing in front of you, as real as you are. Call this witch to join forces with you by saying:

“As I am,

So are you.

As one we cast,

And our magic flows twofold.”

Now imagine this other witch stepping forward and melding into you. You feel their power wash over you, their confidence with magic, their expertise, and their knowledge of the mystical. Feel this new self settle into your skin. When you open your eyes you are neither yourself nor this other witch, you are both.

After your spell is cast and you’re ready to close all ritual work, thank this alternate self and allow them to step out and away from you. It can be helpful after this kind of spellwork to ground and cleanse yourself. It’s also important to make sure that you do this kind of summoning inside a protected space! Cast a circle and cleanse yourself before starting this kind of summoning, you do not want an imposter butting in on this process and trying to take you for a ride.

7. Go with what feels right

Above all, do what makes you feel like a powerful witch. This isn’t about matching someone else’s aesthetic or meeting the expectations of the people around you. This is about how YOU feel when you do these actions. You’re seeking to create an atmosphere that helps draw out your innate power and move past the doubts that can so often cloud our minds. If that's rainbow body paint and electronic music for you then own that shit and stock up on body paint! This may be an elaborate game of pretend but this kind of magical work can bypass the conscious mind and all of the chatter that lives there and pull magic from the deepest parts of the subconscious.

The results of this work can be astounding but if you’re new to working magic at this level, it can be exhausting. Make sure to ground afterward and take care of yourself. Eating food, kicking back, and relaxing after this sort of magic can go a long way toward preventing spell fatigue. Have fun playing around and pretending! The imagination is an invaluable tool in the craft and it’s time we all started making better use of it with psychodrama.

Do you know how to enhance your magic, improve your intent, and get kick ass results from your spells all at once?

If you don’t, then you need to be utilising the amazing energy system inherent to the human magical system. Tapping into this energy system allows you to understand the magic you’re using on a far deeper level and achieve results that will blow your mind.

In The Witch’s Energy System, I’ll break down the entire system into easy to use pieces so that you can learn to see, feel, and make use of this energy in a way that will completely change how you view your own magic.

Learn More Here >>

https://thetravelingwitch.com/blog/2018/8/12/the-life-changing-technique-that-your-magic-is-missing