#the main ensemble is fleshed out and so is the world building

[prettyboykatsuki]

bnha is so overhated bro boooo

[lovecolibri]

It would also be nice if they introduced the character as just a character first and not a love interest to either guy? (I think that was maybe the initial intention with creating Lucy but having her kiss Buck that first episode destroyed that idea.) but hey, hire someone to be in the 911 call center, then after a few episodes intro her to the team. The other pairings work because either they’re all mains, or they’re a great actress like Tracie who can make any scene count.

Also, chemistry reads maybe. Just saying.

Maybe even a new casting director because wtf.

NGL while I absolutely understand what you're saying and I agree with the idea of the approach, it still doesn't work for me, specifically because this is already such a big ensemble cast and Kristen ALREADY cannot handle even making sure the main characters have stuff to do, much less their regular recurring characters. Did we not suffer enough in season 5 with them trying to flesh out tay kay more?!

"Oh they need to spend more time building up these women as their own characters outside of their romantic relationship with Buck or Eddie!" "Oh they need to be in the first responder world so they can flesh them out and make sure they're involved in the show if they want us to like them!" WHY?! Why go through all that and spend all that time when they ALREADY have two characters that are both in the first responder world and who are their own fully fleshed out characters already that the fans know and love, that could just...be TOGETHER? Instead of inventing TWO new regularly recurring characters that they need to develop AND show outside of just their connection to Buck or Eddie which KAREN doesn't even get?

Like, the approach makes sense but I would still not like them because a) Buck and Eddie already perfectly check every both the other has said or been shown to need in a partner, and b) because I love ALL of the firefam and would rather see them than two rando characters I don't know coming in and taking up their screentime 🤷🏻‍♀️

But also, for REAL about the chemistry reads because damn. Like, that was cringe to the point of being unwatchable for both Buck AND Eddie.

[sapphoschoices]

Rewriting the Ship of Dreams ending!

Ship of Dreams really fell short with it's ending more than anything. It felt like it just tied a neat little bow on top of it, which just didn't fit the story and they really just used the setting of the Titanic as a backdrop rather than the actual plot of the story, so here are some things i think would've improved the story

First off, this actually isn't just the ending, this starts earlier on by making the story have more of an ensemble cast with a lot of prominent characters in 3rd class specifically with the main story focusing on venturing out of her very small and very privileged world, make characters you can get attached to and actually sell the tragedy when they die in the end

Don't have MC and Adele reunite at the end. If it were up to me, there could be some mechanic sort of like manners in D&D (not actually manners or anything like that, just a similar mechanic) where you build it over time and, if you get enough, you can see what's going on with Adele at the end (as well as any other survivors), but not a reunion

Have either MC or Theo die, ilitw style, make it so the players choices throughout the book and towards the end dictate which one dies, but I think at least one should die in the end, maybe both if you really mess it up

Also make the pov switch between MC and Theo, also add in flashbacks for both of them to really flesh them out as characters

Thanks for listening, I'm here everyday

[rosignoelle]

rosig reads: the ember blade by chris wooding

this is a great read if you’re looking to get into the epic fantasy genre, or if you find epic fantasy great in theory but insanely convoluted in reality. it has lots of the fun trappings of an epic fantasy with an easy to follow plot.

here are some highlights:

lots of mini plot arcs: prison, journey, and heist arcs all in one novel

well developed female characters… they all have their own motivations and are never treated as ‘props’ for the main character

ADDITIONALLY: it doesn’t sexualise the female characters (including the one the main character has a crush on). it’s such a wonderful thing when epic fantasies treat women as people, and this one does an excellent job at it— while also acknowledging in-world sexism

emphasis on friendships and platonic love

flawed but likeable main character

multiple POVs with a diverse ensemble cast

all of the characters’ motivations make sense (even the enemies’)

solid world building

honestly, this is a well thought out book. the main themes are colonization and oppression, and the author remains tasteful while also being frank about the reality of colonization. it’s a fine line, and i really think he handled it well. the main character is a person who had benefitted from the colonization of his own people, which provided an interesting perspective— his character growth is great.

something that might be a negative or a positive, depending on your preferences is how heavy handed the author is: everything is very explicitly stated. anything that might be remotely confusing (a metaphor or a character’s actions) is explained the next sentence over. you definitely don’t need to think while reading this, which is great if you’re looking for a light read or if you find it challenging to infer characters’ thought processes from their actions. personally, i prefer trying to discover the ‘why’ behind characters’ actions, so i found the constant explanations took away from the reading experience.

the pacing can also be a bit weird, there’s a betrayal arc which lasts about fifteen pages, and characters tend to forgive each other and be reasonable a bit more easily than one might realistically expect… these moments come across as slightly hallow in comparison with other, well fleshed-out moments

7/10 if you think of it as an adult epic fantasy, but a 9/10 if you think of it as an epic fantasy geared towards young adults. i honestly think that this series would be great for older teenagers (16 or so), it’s a brilliant introduction to epic fantasy. reads like a bag of pick n mix

if you enjoyed this, I recommend the mistborn series by brandon sanderson or the rampart worlds series by julian may (sci-fi with a similar tone)

[thinking-bubbles]

Review: Fox Demon Cultivation Novel

Just completed this novel and wanted to record my honest opinion about it. Disclaimer: I apologise if my review comes off as scathing. I am by no means some super critical reader and I read with my brain mostly switched off so I can’t do intricate analyses of characterisation or themes like some of the prolific reviewers/writers here but I could offer a snapshot of this novel and give interested folks a glimpse into how it may fare for an ordinary and casual reader like me.

This is a pretty good read that's not too long.

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

✨ What's great about it ✨

Main CP and side CP(s) are cute af

ML is not annoying at all. He's a little cold at the start but becomes super sweet.

The r/s development is really *chef's kiss* 😌✨ I especially loved seeing how Song Ci realised how much he loves Rong Bai and once he acknowledged and accepted that fact, he just went all out LOL

However, sad to say, the novel did have many flaws.

😞 What I was disappointed about 😞

Most female characters were demonised and made into villains: Qingyuan, Situ Zhoulan, Madam Liang, Tu Shan Lian, Madam Feng, that girl Song Ci was engaged to... maybe a few more whom I don't remember at the moment. Rong Bai's mom was the only one who was spared, but even she was revealed to have made concessions to the Tu Shan family that possibly were at Rong Bai's expense.

Plot development was lacking. The author did not flesh out some key points. This would not have required delving deep into the lore/world-building but I think it would've been nice to fill some crucial gaps: think Yan Song, Lou Muge, Ning Shaosi, Yan Bei, Wen Chan and even Rong Bai himself. What's Lou Muge's role in all of this conflict? Where do Yan Bei and Wen Chan stand in the entire story? Why were these two characters intertwined in Song Ci's life? What was Yan Song's goal in offering Song Ci the demonic fruit? What exactly happened in those years after Rong Bai lost Song Ci? How did he come to commit the massacre that allowed him to rise to the top as Demon King? There were simply too many loose ends that the author did not tie up even by the end of the novel.

Villains were mostly one-dimensional—not all of them got equal treatment. A few of them had a whole arc behind them, the rest showed up, died and disappeared or did not have their motives explained.

Nice ensemble of side characters, but they were underdeveloped. This point links to the one above on plot.

The time-space reversal array was a convenient plot device that ended up creating a 'loop'. In FDCM, Song Ci went back to 'save' Rong Bai by altering the course of history, but this does not create an alternate timeline. Instead, we learn that the very reason why Rong Bai left the clan behind and scattered his soul was because of Song Ci's existence during that period of time. Maybe other readers are satisfied with the way time travel was used in this novel, but I found myself very unconvinced. BUT, I must say that that particular arc was exceptionally sweet! I had a blast seeing Song Ci enjoying his life as Rong Bai's new 'demon pet' and his determination to level up in spite of his fear of death.

Overall, this novel started off strong, but started showing its shortcomings towards the latter half. I understand that this book is part of a wider universe and there seems to be a prequel/sequel to it, but I feel that it was a waste the author did not manage to expand on pivotal parts of the novel.

Nonetheless, I did have some arcs I really enjoyed: special shout-out to the Mo Yao Sect arc. I adore Fu Chi x Dai Yanxing and their entire backstory; the development and bittersweet ending just takes the cake. What to do, I just love my romance with some angst LMAO

I would recommend this to those who don't mind the recurring issues with plot and characters. In spite of all its flaws, I enjoyed reading this novel. If you want a cute and sweet read, pick this up! I'm sure you'll love all the CPs!!! 💗

[circa-specturgia]

Hello hi!! Tis World Building Wednesday, should you choose to answer…

Your Specters are so cool. Are there any notable Specters in the history of your WIP’s universe? Any innovators or heroes or infamous magic wielders?

Have a nice day ✨

Thank you @magefaery and Happy World Building Wednesday!!! ✨

While I could probably go into detail about all sorts boring historical figures and use this as a chance to flesh out the really detailed history, I think I’ll instead try and list a few ideas I’ve had for cool characters and the things that make them stand out! Pardon me for not including all events or things like nationalities as I admit I’ve still gotta figure that out (reworking the world map currently), but I’ll give it my best shot!

(Of course this list will include only Specters… That is, Jynkaturgists and Viðumancers, *wink wink*)

Note from me! All the characters listed here are those which have some sort of notable trait and/or story, from before the start of the main plot, meaning while most of the main ensemble will go down in history for one reason or another, they won’t be listed on here, for brevity and to let the spotlight fall on the others!

Second note from me! If you’re reading this as a first intro to my stuff, and don’t really know much about specters, I made a whole post about them here! The details of my post on specturgy are included in the top of it so skimming that would help to understand this!

King Ivo Leonhardt-Arrentio

Current King of Ahætiem, and the first confirmed Viðumancer of Perception in nearly three centuries. Capable of using his abilities to read minds, possess those whom have been branded with a matrix (though only upon consent and said brand is non-permanent, the ability is only used with ambassadors who have agreed to this), allowing the King to instantly converse with other sovereigns across the globe.

Regarded as one of the most active and effective rulers of his time, having taken the throne at age 17, and since then implemented measures and programmed to better unite Ahætiem, expand trade, better transport with the worlds first railroad system, and greatly expand the healthcare and medicine of the nation.

He’s known as the Man of a Thousand Eyes, regarded as unequivocally just, being able to find any attempt to corrupt or exert unjust power over others, ensuring the councils ruling over Ahætiem are for the people, rooting out any plots.

Yfir þyrmandi

Regarded by many as one of, if not the, most powerful Specter in memorable history. An elf, standing nearly 4 meters tall and with eyes in every color of the ocean. While their control was only medium at best, their sheer force and influence is recorded as being leagues above any Specter of their time, or any to come since, with only a dozen or so in history being able to be listed as being within their orbit. Their ability to master the waves and tides is one that witnesses describe as being a sovereign over nature.

Yfir was an Jynkaturgist of water, and their vessel, the Sjávarfalla, remains one of the most recognizable and grandest ships to ever sails the seas, being empowered by the Jynkaturgist on board and relying on their power to guide them over the waves.

Among their proofs of power are countless duels, taking part in the Battle at Rifts Edge and sinking many enemy vessels there, and, their most notable exploit, calming a Storm singlehandedly, a task so monumental no other Specter had managed it, and being the topic of several ballads.

Umutuzo Ukuhamba

A monk from the region now known as the nation of Murago, who traveled the world, an Jynkaturgist of wind who sought to better understand the strings, and Specturgy, approaching the study with a mind of science, philosophy, and spirit.

He is most known for his breakthrough in the field of Specturgic research, developing over his lifetime the art of tattooing specters with a special form of ink consisting of many catalysts, allowing for a Specter to be better connected to the strings and as a result to their element!

Their experimentation, research and manuscripts have nearly singlehandedly pioneered the field and allowed for a new era of Specturgy to be born, in part also allowing the work of the next person on this list to come into fruition!

The ink consists of small quantities of metal complexes, and other minerals, but also natural substances derived from plants. Many believe that if it were not for the wanderings of Ukuhamba, the discovery of this method would have taken another two centuries if not longer.

Vayana Mkaroti

Known also as the Weavemother, a world renowned Hevksītan scholar and scientist. Mkaroti was the first to prepare a manuscript of the different matrixes and their workings across the Jynkaturgic and Viðumantic arts, a compiling of hundreds of matrixes and their mechanics, as well as many more sketches and hand-drawn diagrams of said matrixes, a magnum opus of decades of research and study. It is published to this day as a key read for any Specter, titled “Matrix Mechanica”, a cornerstone in the foundation of all modern Specturgy. She is widely regarded as one of modern Specturgy’s founding parents, alongside such notable characters as the above Ukuhamba.

While “Matrix Mechanica” itself is quite a dense read (it’s somewhere between a research paper and an encyclopedia after all), some copies include her personal notes, or research journal snippets connected to the particular experiments that lead to the discovery of certain matrices, showing Mkaroti’s more adventurous and curious side, less tense and focused and more the sort of person to try things “to see if anything blows up when it’s done like this.”

Cimana Atz and Aurelius Verter

Technically not one but two people, but having worked together for most of their lives to earn their place on this list!

This duet of scientific minds are the brains behind the design and perfecting of the Atzverter engine and the Aurecim engine, among dozens of smaller mechanisms combining Specturgy with engineering!

The Atzverter engine is a piece of technology that has and continues to revolutionize the nearly every sector it has been applied to, as a reliable source of power. It runs in basis of engineering: ergonomic and efficient while simultaneously robust and stable design, combined with the matrixes of the above mentioned Mkaroti. By combining the capability possessed by anyone connected to the strings however lightly to activate matrixes with their non-aspect-specific nature, the duo created essentially a combustion engine relying on a self-repeating impulse which requires only minimal input of a stable catalyst as a fuel, as well as a Specter to provide constant activation, which can be done passively through the application of a second matrix, linked to the first! This engine itself is used notably in the expanding railroad system of Ahætiem!

The second, more experimental of the two is the Aurecim engine. The previous, based in fire Jynkaturgy, relied on the heat and energy created by the flame, was fairly simple, however this second invention, although in theory amazing, has many problems in practice that have only recently been began to have been fixed!

Namely, the Aurecim engine is an anti-gravity engine. Based in gravitation Viðumancy, it is a complex machine consisting of dozen of matrixes which, when activated and powered and supplied with ample catalyst and of course, a capable Specter to activate and power it, allows for the whole device along with the craft it is attached to to be lifted into the sky. Early uses had this device attached to already-flying machines like a hot-air balloon, but more recent iterations are much more reliable and have been used in craft which fly only on the power provided by these engines, defying gravity and flying through the sky!

Other inventions of the two include wind-based propulsion engines, and other such machines!

Veden Arai

The founder, first, and current leader of the Heavy Hand. A legion comprised of solely Gravitation Viðumancers, donning dark metal armor imbued with Vibration Viðumancy, making it give off no sound, and wielding a variety of imbued tools. All members are capable of manipulating their own mass and using their abilities on the environment surrounding them, though none to a degree besting the skill of Veden himself.

The legion has been deployed mostly in reconnaissance and smaller skirmishes in older conflicts, however with current tensions, there are ready to enter active combat at a moments notice. When outside of active service, however, Veden has pushed for the employment of all Heavy Hand members in community service, using their gifts and power to help, ie lifting heavier objects, construction, etc. which also doubles as practical training!

Honorary - Entel Champollion

An honorary addition to this list as their status as a Specter is unknown. Their journals describe several events that have lead scholars of their works to believe them to have been a Viðumancer of Perception, however no concrete proof has been found.

A renowned naturalist, explorer, traveller, and researcher, they were regarded as quite eccentric, preferring the open air and quiet nature to the bustle of cities, stopping only at universities to eagerly discuss their findings in their last journeys!

Their greatest work includes cataloguing meticulously the Phenomena Inprensibilia, inexplicable phenomena of the world and its past, in great detail describing their travels to the far corners and reaches of the world, and while they were apparently asocial, many people all over the globe recall them very fondly, as an odd, but undeniably passionate and kind-spirited person, though someone who would far too often get themselves in trouble.

They have described legendary encounters, with the likes of Fae, and other beasts, their greatest accomplishments being the catalogued traversing a Deepwood from one end to another and venturing through the depth of the Rift, to list just two of dozens. They disappeared without a trace at around age 73, not to be heard from again…

This was way too much fun. It took me quite a while, I admit, but I really enjoyed doing it, fleshing all this stuff out and just giving it some thought! World Building Wednesdays are awesome, and your asks never cease to make me think! ✨

Thanks again, and hope you enjoyed!

Taglist! ✨ @bloodlessheirbyjacques @athenswrites @magefaery @writingonesdreams Let me know if you want to be added or removed!

[drivingsideways]

Misaeng review

Ok, it's been almost a week, so I feel like I can get my thoughts (somewhat) in order. As usual, I'm late to the party, given that Misaeng aired 6 years ago, and is already considered a kdrama classic. Still: thoughts!

(under the cut)

I came to this drama with quite a lot of expectations, both because I'd seen it on a lot of rec lists, and also because I'd watched director Kim Won-seok's Signal and My Mister, which are justifiably as beloved as Misaeng. I'm happy to report that Misaeng mostly lived up to those expectations!

The writing & direction work together to make Misaeng a very immersive experience, which is good, considering the entire run time is over 20 hrs. The level of seemingly mundane detail of the operational aspects of running a trading firm that they delve into (and other dramas might have avoided for sake of pacing) seemed odd to me at first, but eventually result in a world building that's incredibly well fleshed out. The (formerly unlikely!) high stakes of a misplaced piece of paper or octopuses in a shipment of squid end up being parts of an emotionally wrenching narrative whole fairly seamlessly. Still, at 20+ hours, Misaeng also does get into the kind of pacing issues that most of the slice of life kdramas I've watched so far have. And it didn't need to! I think it had a wonderful ensemble of characters, and if they'd maybe given a little more time and space to characters other than Jang Geu-Rae (Im Si wan) and Oh Sang-sik (Lee Sung-min), the mid portions may not have felt quite so, well, stuck.

But more than the strong writing and direction, it was really the actors who delivered. They made what could have easily been a dull-ish office drama into a heart warming story about human connection and the joys and troubles of leading an "incomplete life". I'd never watched Lee Sung-min in anything before, and about half way through the series I was like, HOW IS HE MAKING A SHORT TEMPERED, ALCHOHOLIC MIDDLE MANAGER SO SEXY? Like, serious props, dude. Lee Sung-min is by turns annoying and brash and too shout-y and stubborn and funny and so incredibly vulnerable as a man trying his best to live by his principles in a world that thinks they are an impediment to "success", that you forget that he's playing a fictional character-- he's someone you know, he's someone you've seen in the mirror.

His performance as Oh Sang-sik is very ably matched by Im Si Wan's Jang Geu-Rae. This series would not have worked if these two actors didn't have the chemistry they do, and play off each other in every scene. I had watched Im Si Wan recently- in JTBC's "Run On", in which I liked his performance quite a lot, but I absolutely loved him as the naive and endearing Jang Geu-rae. Misaeng, is in part, a bildungsroman narrative centered around Jang Geu Rae. Im Si wan brought a kind of vulnerability to the role that might have felt cloying and emotionally manipulative in the hands of other actors, but Im Si-wan manages to do it with a light touch. I feel he's one of those actors that uses his whole body in a scene, not just relying on facial or verbal expression, and it's a joy to watch.

Each of the other actors in the ensemble also bring that dedication and talent to their roles, even if it's in a single scene. There are lots of one-off characters that we meet during the course of the series, and every single one of them leaves an impact.

But! I'm going to pick a fave from the supporting cast and that's Byun Yo-han, whom I'd last watched as the broody, troubled (and very sexy) swordsman Lee Bang-ji in Six Flying Dragons. I can't imagine a character more in opposition to that one than Han Seok-yul in Misaeng, but Byun Yo-han just knocks it out of the park as the scheming, cheerful and mostly inappropriate clown with a heart of gold; Han Seok-yul is the definition of Chaotic Good, and you're equal parts horrified by his antics- which include sexual harassment dont @ me -- and yet charmed by him. I wish they'd given him a few more scenes and a larger plotline to work with, but I also suspect that he might have just walked away with the entire series if they did that. (Am I plotting that series in my head as I write this? MAYBE.)

Alright, this is getting a bit too long, so I'm going to get to the bits that disappointed me. That's really one major thing: the gender politics. I don't know how different the show is from the web toon it's based on, so I can't tell whether they made significant changes to the basic plot and characters. As in- I have no idea if the webtoon was as male dominated in every way as the show is, so I'm not sure how much of the show's treatment of women as a class, and its female characters in particular, I should lay at the door of the original writer vs the screenwriter and director. I'm also lacking the Korean context in which this was written and made and aired, so you may take my criticism with a pinch of salt, if you please!

That the show features mainly male characters is perhaps unsurprising and realistic, since we know that the kind of corporate life it depicts is very male dominated, top to bottom. The show also portrays the very real and horrific overt and subtle misogyny that women face in the workplace and out of it; mainly in the character of Ahn Young-yi, played with steely determination and quiet suffering by the lovely Kang so-ra. There are only 3 other female characters that have any sort of real speaking role- Sun Ji Young (played by Shin Eun jung), a senior manager at the company, Jang Geu-rae's unnamed(!) mother (played by the amazing Sung Byoung-Sook) and Oh Sang-sik's unnamed (!) wife (played by Oh Yoon-Hong, who's a delight in every tiny scene she has). There are other women who appear but in very minor roles, and often in "comedy" moments that often rely on sexist tropes to start with.

Anyway, right there you can see one of the problems- 4 women characters that have any kind of real screen time, and only 2 of them are named. Aigoo! Screenwriter Jung Yoon-jung is a woman, and like, I don't like putting the burden on any one woman to y'know fix structural misogyny, but I can't also help feeling disappointed that she overlooked even this "small" thing among the larger things.

But that apart, the main issue for me was that while the show doesn't shy away from depicting egregious sexism in the form of sexual harrassment, verbal and physical and certainly emotional abuse, in a manner that's clear that we are meant to be horrified by it--it falls short of depicting how women deal and work with it. It just doesn't give enough space to women or their worldview.

It's very comfortable depicting victimhood, but doesn't put work into depicting the ways in which women survive by finding solidarity with other women. We have a scene or two where Ahn Young-yi who is this show's poster child for female victimhood interacts with the older women who offer sympathy and understanding, but no real strategy or support. And yes, we see men also being targeted by their seniors for the grossest verbal and physical abuse; and it's men who help Ahn Young-yi strategise on how to deal with her situation. Real life experience tells me that it's the women who do this work for other women. I have certainly been on both sides of this equation, for one, and so has every woman that I know in corporate life. And yes, one of the show's core philosophies is that those who endure, survive--but it is none the less extremely painful to watch Ahn Young yi "endure" the kind of abuse she does as a coping strategy and a survival strategy.

At the end of it, when she slowly manages to gain the support of her sexist team, it's shown as a victory-- though naturally imperfect, because this show takes its Realism very seriously (right until the end where it makes a tonal shift into quirky that I was a little ?? about)-- and y'know, sure, it is a victory. And I absolutely understand the choices she makes and why she does it-- I guess I just got annoyed by the fact that other antagonistic figures in the narrative get a more straightforward comeuppance for their egregious behavior, but Ahn Young-yi doesn't even get a goddamned apology from her abusers. Instead, we have a half humourous, half serious moment where she comments on how she's working at turning herself into "someone cute"- because she understands now that sometimes the right strategy is to "go with the flow". Be the water that slowly wears away at the rock. It's an interesting moment- the men she tells this to are taken aback by her bluntness, but also a little clueless about what she means. It's the kind of nuance that I would and do enjoy. Unfortunately, it also closely follows one of the show's most annoying scenes at the tail end of the series- where it tries to play off workplace sexism and misogyny as comedy- boys being boys-Reader, when I tell you that I had to WORK to unclench my jaw--!

I'm not saying we should have a single and obvious narrative of female emancipation. I'm not against realism in fiction, but god, sometimes, please do remember that when we look for escapism, we are actually imagining a better world. The first step toward liberation is allowing yourself to imagine it.

And the show does allow other characters its moments of unfettered fantasy- Im Si Wan parkour-ing all over the rooftops of Amman- and having a semi mystical + Indiana Jones moment in the deserts of Jordan--so why, I ask, are the women not given that gift?

*looks into the camera *

Tl;dr: I enjoyed it, it made me cry every episode, and I cared about all the characters, and if you haven't watched it yet, treat yourselves.

PS. Yes, Han Seok-yul is a disaster bi, sorry, I don't make the rules. Yes, hotties Oh Min Seok and Kang Ha-neul are canonically naked in a hot tub six feet apart because they are bros. Yes, I will be writing the fix it in which they fuck like angry bunnies. Yes, I am going to put my shipper cooties all over this gen slice of life show, deal with it.

[kirschetein]

I’ve really been enjoying reading unbiased, objective analyses of SNK Chapter 139 so far - especially those which both praise and criticise the ending, or those do neither but just flesh out conclusions to character arcs and the overall themes of the series. It’s been helping me understand and appreciate the chapter so much more. It’s comforting to know that there are individuals out there who are still able to consume media with a constructive mindset.

I hope we can look at the final chapter not just as a chapter by itself but the final piece in the big picture. There were so many epic arcs in between that reinforced the entire theme(s) of SNK building up to the very finale. Honestly I enjoyed the whole series mostly because of how side characters had significant screen time and contributed so much to the story as well (crying Jean stan, go figure) - it’s very rare that a piece of work is able to put the spotlight on the ensemble cast rather than the main cast. And I live for this shit. Can I also say that I really love how Isayama held true to the ORIGINAL synopsis of the plot till the very end and did not stray from it (freeing the world of titans), but that the endgame comes with a cost/eternal but inevitable cycle of conflict. And to the very end, I will also love how the series portrayed the theme of the weight of our choices and the very idea of freedom/sacrifice/give and take. 

I do agree some things were rushed or just ignored/chucked aside but I will say again that I am wholly content with the ending. Not overtly happy, not upset or angry, just very content - because it is an open ending after all and what lies ahead is up to interpretation and one’s imagination. 

As a whole the series is a masterpiece, at least in my eyes. Thank you so much, Hajime Isayama, お疲れ!

[podcastlimbo]

My honest honest opinion on second citadel season 3

Uhhhh... short answer? I didn’t like it much.

Okay wait before I go on to my long answer I need to say that this is all just my opinion and it’s all subjective. If you liked sc season 3 that’s awesome! I get why you do and I’m glad you enjoyed it!

But I really wasn’t a fan of where they went with it (even from episode 1), and I’m gonna go on a long rambly and repetitive rant about it.

I’m not gonna talk about the way the season ended and the setup for s4 because I haven’t fully formed my opinion about that - to form my opinion means to relisten to the season and i don’t really feel like doing that.

Anyways, these are my unfiltered 2am thoughts about the Rest Of It - maybe I’ll neaten it up later to make it more palatable but for now it’s wordy n messy and you can just. Not read it bc it’ll probably make you mad, or feel free to pick it apart and tell me I’m wrong, or unfollow me (and at least one person has already done so lmao) but like that won’t change the fact that I just wasn’t feeling s3 so uh. That said.

Long answer? I love the second citadel... at least the first two seasons

I love the world building, how the setting is such a unique, deliberate step away from eurocentric fantasy, how refreshing all that is! The Second Citadel (the place) is rich with culture and history from the brief glimpses we get of it (mostly in knight of the crown). Not to mention the monster society, with its own rules (or lack thereof) and environments and personalities.

I love the storytelling, how different mediums are woven into the way each episode is formatted. Rilla has her tape recorder, Damien his prayers, Caroline her letters, and each medium is so well suited to each character, and it truly lets us get a glimpse of what’s going on in their minds, and I find it utterly fascinating how a protagonist of one story could just as easily become an antagonist (or at least, an annoyance) in another

And the characters! Each one so compelling, with their own goals and motivations, their own intriguing backstories and potential.

Most importantly, the way these characters play off of each other is what makes second citadel amazing. Getting to see people with similar experiences but different world views clash (Caroline and Mira), people with fundamentally different beliefs reconcile and meet in the middle (rilla and arum), just, Kabert created so many interesting characters, and watching them bounce off one another is a joy.

And that’s what made season 2 so great for me. The exploration of each character, getting to see their good sides and bad, through either a medium tailored for them, or through interactions with others, as they explored a fascinating world.

The end of season 2 left me so satisfied, but still with so many questions and excitement about what was to come. I wanted to see Talfryn come into his own and step out of his brothers shadow. I wanted to see Damien, Arum and Rilla navigating their new relationship. I wanted to know more of the fate of Rilla’s parents, Damien’s past, the consequences Arum would surely face after defying the monster court. I wanted Marc to finally be recognized by his fellow knights, to watch as Caroline lead the journeymen knights, while learning to trust in others as she was beginning to do. I wanted Angelo continuing to unlearn the implicit biases that had been instilled in him as a result of his upbringing, or more details on Caroline and Quanyii’s relationship. I was also curious!! How would human and monster relations change after the events of the finale? And would we learn more of the past, when humans and monsters lived together in peace?

I was buzzing with excitement for season 3, and then.. it came, it aired, and then it went.

And I felt... meh?

Don’t get me wrong. There were moments that I liked. Some of what I hoped to see did happen (see the above paragraph lmao), getting a glimpse of the western wastes with its own culture a joy. The dynamics between Olala and some of the characters were really fun! And the direction the story took at the end was one I didn’t expect, but left me open to more.

That said,,, everything else about the season just. Didnt gel with me.

Everything I loved about second citadel pretty much wasn’t there??? Aside from Caroline, Angelo and Quanyii, all the characters they spent so much time introducing to us and fleshing out over 2 seasons were just relegated to the side??

I think my main problem with season 3 was that it felt like a completely different show. Characters introduced as part of an ensemble became side characters in (what was supposed to be) their own stories. Character arcs that got set up were dropped, and mysteries/backstories teased were forgotten. Heck, the monster court and senate wasn’t even brought up! The aftermath of the fear bugs attack ont the citadel went unexplored! It’s like nothing in the past season even happened!

And I’m sorry I gotta say this, but the problem is Olala.

I mean. Okay I don’t wanna be super mean- she’s perfectly fine as a character. We root for her, we cry when she cries, and we cheer when she wins the day.

But since all the episodes were centered around her, we didn’t get to see anyone else’s inner worlds. And like okay, yes, they did it for this season of Juno Steel too, where Juno, the previous POV a character for 2 seasons, became a part of an ensemble, and was a side character for many episodes. But this choice worked for Juno and not Second Citadel, because it was a natural progression for his story! We spent 2 seasons exploring Juno’s character, his backstory, his motivations, we saw him come to terms with his family history, grow and change as a person, and by the time he joined the Carte Blanche, we’d gotten to a point with Junos story where we’re okay to step away for a while, and see events through the lens of others.

But that just?? Doesn’t work in second citadel? Because unlike Juno, the characters introduced in s1-2 are virtually unexplored! There’s still so much about their stories we don’t know, and so many ways for them to progress.

But we didn’t get any of that! Stuff established in s1-2 barely got payoff in this season. Characters stagnated, and when previously it was amazing to watch them interact with each other? Having each episode throw different combinations of characters together and seeing how they clashed and came together? Yeah we didn’t get that, it was all the same characters bouncing off of Olala, which is fine at first, but honestly? After the first couple episodes, it got stale.

And remember how before, we would get to see the characters tell their story through a medium suited for them? Well I noticed that the format of this season was a lot moreee audio drama-y (basically a TV show but with no visuals) and while there’s nothing wrong with that, one of SC’s strengths was in using the medium in unique ways, presenting the episodes in unique formats depending on the POV character. And with the exception of a few moments, the season really lacked that!

I know there were episodes in s1-2, like caves of discord and the Janus beast which didnt follow that format, but I think it’s a fan consensus that the episodes that do (moonlit hermit, KOTC lots, lady of the lake) are favourites, because they fully embraced the advantages and limitations those framing devices offered, and were truly perfect for character exploration.

It’s like. Idk. Imagine wolf 359 s3 where the si5 were introduced, and there was like 1-2 episodes of them interacting with the rest of our cast, but then after that the rest of the season just completely focuses on Eiffel and the new characters, and everyone else just disappears n twiddles their thumbs and doesn’t even do anything during the finale. That’s what happened this season, and that’s the kinda weird vibe I’m talking about.

Since I’m already rambling, I might as well just say some more stuff. I was disappointed with the music this season. I can tell Ryan Vibert was trying to figure a way to make SC sound different from Juno, and he was getting there in s1-2! The pieces that stand out now are the soft, acoustic guitar pieces, like Rillas song, or the lone melody line of the guitar in the SC theme. I thought he was getting it with s3e1, when Marc fought the dinosaur while traditional Japanese instruments were playing!! But then for the rest of the season, it was just samey echoey ambient electric guitar, like how it is for Juno. There could’ve been so much potential to give this world its own musical identity, but in the end, that attempt was dropped (at least that’s how it come off to me), just like so many other elements introduced in s1-2!

I’ve gotten this far in my rant, and I haven’t even talked about the story. And the story is. Hmmmmm

Like. It’s completely serviceable? Kabert are good at what they do so the story is a okay I guess? But to be completely honest, the characters and story were so tied together in previous seasons, so much so that in this season, even though the plot was just fine, it stayed just that. Fine. it always felt like there was something missing because the characters were the story, and to have just. So many holes in that department meant that the story itself was fundamentally empty.

Anyways uh. All of this is to say that this all boils down to character. I had my nits to pick with other elements but the fact that Rilla, Arum, Damien, Marc and Talfryn got completely sidelined (Tal most of all) when so much of the previous seasons were spent setting them up- in favour of a completely new storyline featuring new characters and settings when there was still so! Much! Left! Unfinished! From unfulfilled arcs to dynamics left untapped, and creative potential lost, the essence of the show was watered down and it left me with the intense feeling of

:/

Idk. Season 3 felt like a completely different show. I liked s1, I loved a2, but s3 just. isnt second citadel for me. I’ll probably still listen to the next season out of loyalty, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel as passionately about the shows future as I do it’s precious seasons, especially if they continue this way.

Sorry.

[theglguidetowebcomics]

Full review: Girly

What’s Pink, insane, NSFW, hilarious, and somehow heartwarming at points? This comic is a ride and a half, and I’m genuinely surprised more people haven’t heard of this one… I’ve been wanting to talk about this one for a WHILE. 

So let’s talk about the elephant in this room… Because I think it just ate someone’s couch. 

Slightly NSFW review with spoilers below.

Girly, by Jackie Lesnick was a webcomic that ran between 2003 and 2010, (and really has some of those early webcomic hallmarks). Its monochromatic pink, vertical, with a poppy early cartoon feel. It’s also listed as a romantic comedy, which is… correct, but cuts a whole lot of what makes this comic good, short. 

This review was always going to be one of the 4 I really struggled with. And not just because I lost it the first time without a back up in a code glitch, got distracted by a pandemic, then procrastinated my way to finally making a second version in my new backup folder… No, well also yes but no. This was a comic I read when I was younger (and should NOT have read  when I was younger), and have always had a soft spot for. I’ll admit as much as this comic has its flaws or weird moments or just weirdness in general, its one of the few comics I’ve found myself rereading in its entirety more than once. And no matter how much I know it's coming, find myself sobbing, uncontrollably, at the final panel. There’s surprisingly a lot of heart in this comic, and a whole lot of honesty in just the direction the author took this weird little thing. But, first let me take of those rose tinted glasses as much as I can… (actually that might not work too well with a pink comic seriously whats with all these early 2000s lesbian comics being PINK?). And give this old comic a look and a bit of a dust. but , first...

Sex.

Getting to the point - page 3 of “Girly”

Girly is a NSFW comic. It’s not shy about it either. It hits the audience (and the main character) over the head with it literally in the first pages. It has sex positive characters, a sex positive world, some characters with… sex powers almost, and Dildos, a whole lot of dildos. Some even with smiley faces on them. It’s a pretty unavoidable part of the comic that makes up a large core of it’s humour and is baked into its wacky world. So if that’s not your thing, and it’s not really skippable in this case, you won’t like this comic.

But, if you’re alright with that part of it this might just be a hidden gem. Moving on.

Art

Artwork is always interesting in webcomics. They’re usually one man shows, have a weird niche / strong influences, and or usually go on massive journeys as the art improves. Girly is no different here. 

Girly starts out rough. Some poses are wonky and its a bit scratchy. Technically speaking it has a few issues, which is fine. Its a free webcomic, from the 2000s that didn't copy and paste faces. (Won’t name names, you know who you are). You can’t be too harsh on a free comic, though.

However, what the art style does, even early on is set the style and feel of the comic. Anime inspired faces, bold outlines, and blocky silhouettes that were really popular with 90’s and 2000s cartoons. It has a newspaper, manga comedy strip vertical style, too. It fits the style of story well as a poppy wacky story. It's the perfect art style it could take.

Its rough in the beginning, but moves on from its scratchy days, to loose pen brush, to finally a polished free hand poppy style. It gets more technically advanced as it goes along, but it keeps its core style throughout. It’s fun, a little unhinged, and just pares perfectly.

The one issue I have with the art is it comes off as a bit cramped. It certainly matches the energy of the story, but it also feels like it doesn't let the characters have any breathing room in the frame. It comes off as squashed, and can make some character poses hard to read. That’s the only complaint I can find though. The issue even fixes itself later in the story, but just very very close to the end. It looks great there, but the majority of the comic is a little cramped. Still that’s just a small complaint.

Nitpicking here but some panels need a lil more room

This a humour comic foremost. It's the biggest part of what makes Girly specifically Girly.

Humour

The humour is mostly wacky nonsense, playing off its insane characters, physics defying world, everything being dialed up to 11. It also works a lot like satire, poking at what influences it, and playing with cinematic expectations. The first page has Otra shooting someone into space on a rocket because they annoyed them, the first “adventure” the character’s go on is stealing everyone’s pants because they couldn’t find anything else to do. Then there’s the kidnapping adventures, knight trials, and slice of life shenanigans that happen. All of it as wacky as the last. I haven’t really found any other lesbian comics like it. Its not everyone’s tastes, but it is certainly unique.

If you’re into a willy wonka tunnel of over the top characters and plots, you’ll like Girly.

Characters

Girl is a LONG comic, it ran for 7 years. The art evolved, the story writing, jokes, and themes along with it. It was originally meant to run for only 50 strips... and it ended up with 764. 

so, there’s a lot to unpack.

Firstly, the premise of the story is somewhat simple. It focuses on Otra. The kinda straight man to the entire universe. She starts out almost depressed, out of place, and bored of the wacky inhabitants of her world. Until one of those wacky residents smacks her over the head with a giant dildo and won’t leave her alone for the next 7 years of run time. 

What follows is the sullen Otra being pulled around by the always cheery and zany nonsensical Winter as the sidekick for bizarre adventures. Otra’s depressive grounded view keeps the bizarreness funny, while Winter cuts through her negative attitude and causes a lot of the over the top plot. Leaving Otra to warm up to the world, and Winter to get less reckless as they balance eachother out. It’s a fun dynamic, and works as an emotional core of the story. No matter how weird the plot and rules of the world are, their relationship keeps the story somewhat focused and rewarding to see develop.

An example of bold wacky character designs from even early on

The comic isn’t just about them, though. As an ensemble comic there's plenty of side characters that go through arcs and beats as well. From el chubacabre, the man that woman find so irresistible that they sleep with him as soon as they see him; detective Clapjaw the street wise detective who is very bad at his job; Officer Hipbone and police guy from the cute P D; captain fist the ever popular bad at his job superhero who gets all the credit; the news reporter obsessed with captain fist; the woman with babies; Steak;  the elephants that just… appear and eat buildings; among many many others. A lot of whom also have nicely written character arcs and depth in later chapters. Many of the character however are simple and remain simple, which isn’t a bad thing. For such a large cast, having a diverse range of strange characters with strong identities and looks even if a bit simple stops it from getting bogged down. It strikes a good balance. Plus there’s plenty enough of characters with more depth later on. 

 All the character’s are insane, and over the top in a way that really sets up the world they live in and how it works... as dysfunctional as it is. There’s something very Cartoon Network about all the characters, but with some wider influences. something about  dumb characters, with very specific goals and quirks that work on their own physics to feed into the high energy insanity of the world. Its entertaining to read, and leads to a weirdly charming feel of the comic. 

Story and plot

For the bit people actually want to know about. What is it about?

Just a little bit of influences...

For the style itself the comic comes off as a mix between early 2000s slice of life-y anime, 2000s cartoon Network, and a dose of 2000s webcomic sarcastic action/adventure flare. It definitely has one of the most pronounced styles that I’ve seen, and even if it's very much a webcomic of it’s time it also goes a bit beyond that into something that feels personal to the author and honest. Its a batshit comic. But, it wears its influences on it’s sleeve and really plays with tropes and ideas the author found engaging at the time. It somehow comes off as refreshing in just how willing it is to go weird or niche for no other reason but because it wants to. It's what I appreciate most about the comic. It’s honest.

The overarching story of the comic is without a doubt about Otra and winter growing together as people. But with a comic that’s run for 7 years a little bit more happens in the journey, at least you hope it would. Girly runs on chapters, 15 in total (with 15 having sub chapters due to being the story’s climax), and each one of those chapters follows a different plot or adventure with Otra’s and Winter’s developing relationship gluing them together. 

The plots themselves are wild and vary a bit in quality. But for a long comic that’s understandable and expected. They go from solving elephant problems, super villains, body swapping, fantasy parodies, and all sorts of strange things. Sometimes a few plots drag and a few character arcs feel a bit bland. It still manages to be entertaining all the way through though. The plots themselves work to get the character’s to play off each other and explore the strange world it takes place in. Exploring evil teddy bears, or an entire town devoted to cheap gags. No matter what, all the plots work in fleshing out the world and pushing character’s out of their comfort zone or forcing them to change. There are some that are less fun than others, but none of them manage to be boring or useless. Which for a long comic such as this, is quite an achievement.

Conclusion

Girly is a hidden gem, Its an insane sex positive comic. A loose style and even looser physics. It’s bold and unabashedly itself. But, at its core it's about the love story of Winter, the wacky insane woman needing to slow down and open up, and Otra, a sullen woman who’s deemed herself only worthy of being on the outskirts of society. It’s two people growing together in a world that’s up to its ears in care bears, sentient dildos, earth shattering cloning, and jabs at 2000’s paste it comics. And somehow it all sticks together.

The characters resonated, at least with me, which may be the nostalgia talking. But by the end of the comic I can’t help but  think back on how long it took them to get there. The bits that made me laugh (a lot of them), the stupid parts, and the character’s arcs, as over the top they could be at times.  It may not everyone’s cup of tea. But it has a lot of heart at its core. (If you get past all the dildos). 

For all it’s flaws and weird bits. I still find myself going back to Girly. 

Maybe now, some more people will too.

[whatzaoverwatch]

The Reaper of the Opera Chapter 2: Think of Me

I am glad to bring this idea into fruition. I’ve been sitting on it for quite awhile, but the real inspiration came from @stormcallart and their Phantom!Gabriel artwork (seriously, check it out). Sorry it seemed like a bit of world building in the first chapter, I want it to have the same fundamentals as the stageplay alongside some added perks.

First Next

“How is she, doctor?” Ana the physician who stepped out of Hana Song’s dressing room. The blonde hair woman adjusted her tied up hair. Her blue eyes looking to Ana at her question. Watching the womans’ face look discouraged at the situation.

“Her leg is sprained; she won’t be able to properly move for a week. She demands that I fix it, but I’m no miracle worker,” The doctor looked at the group before her consisting of Ana, Reinhardt, and Torbjorn, “I am afraid she won’t be able to sing at tonights’ performance.”

“I see…thank you for coming on such short notice, Angela.” Ana thanked. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder from the doctor before Angela made her leave.

“Just what we needed,” Torbjorn grunted at the news, “The first day on the job, and our star is hurt.”

“It’s a curse I tell you!” Reinhardt claims rather dramatically, “It must’ve been the doing of this Reaper!”

“Reinhardt you are falling for complete superstition,” Turning to the lager man, he points his finger directly at his face, “Just another fairy tale to scare you out of your pants. Probably an old rope that gave out.”

“I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that.” A drawled voice came between the group, drawing their attention to a scruffy beard man, sauntering over with a rope in hand and his other holding the cigar between his lips. A white button down shirt and rolled up sleeves presented his built muscles. An evident tattoo shown on one of his forearms that held the rope.

“Ah Jesse, there you are,” Ana hummed turning to the men, “Gentlemen, this is Jesse McCree. He’s our stage handler. Did you figure out what happened?”

“Only theories so far. I know when something isn’t feeling right around here. Take a gander,” he presents the rope to the group, pointing at the very end of it. The ends falling apart by the delicate touch, “this here is what was holding that bag up in the scaffolding. Now I check the ropes every now and again to make sure they are safe. But lemme tell you, this here rope wasn’t out for wear: it was shot clean off. If you ask me it is downright sabotage.”

Ana took hold of the rope to inspect it further, Reinhardt taking a seat to process it before Torbjorn speaks up again.

“Sabotage or not, we have a show tonight and there is no main star. The best thing we can do is postpone the performance.” The others turn to the shorter mans’ suggestion in shock.

“But Torbjorn! The show must go on! We are completely booked we cannot turn the audience down!” Reinhardt reminds running his hand over his white hair.

“Then what do you suggest we do? Do a performance without the biggest star? We will be the laughing-stock of the entire country!”

The group fell into silence for a moment. Knowing their choices were limited and their time was short. Knowing what needed to be done, Ana returned the rope over to Jesse.

“Well if you suggest we postpone the show, then you might as well make the announcement.” Ana reluctantly admitted, taking her cane to walk back towards the stage where the others sat in waiting.

The two men took a long look to one another before they concluded what needed to be done. Heading towards the stage as the dancers sat in their groups. Musicians rested in their own place alongside other stage handlers. Awaiting the news as Torbjorn cleared his throat to finally speak.

“We have just been informed that Hana Song is in no condition to perform. Unless we can find another solution, we will have to cancel tonights’ show.”

Chatter began to grow within the group. Some in shock of the sudden incident, others relieved that Hana received some form of karma for her attitude. The dancers themselves huddled in close.

“The show is cancelled? Now Madame Amari will put us through even harder rehearsals.” Lena, the perky pixie hair brunette huffed. Stretching her arms from exhaustion awaiting the inevitable.

“What did you expect? When things do not go well, she trains us harder. Fareeha would know first-hand since she’s her daughter.” Amelie, the long dark ponytail haired woman pointed out coldly. The dark-skinned woman turned over with a rather stern look. A similar tattoo to her mothers rested on the opposite eye.

“Her being my mother doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Looking towards the group, seeing that they weren’t so eager to leave with no show, “I just don’t see how they won’t get somebody to just replace Hana.”

“Hey wait a minute, [Name],” Lena turned over to you, who had been silently sitting across from the women, “You should volunteer to perform!”

“Huh?? Me??” You perked up, feeling rather sheepish of the suggestion, “Gee Lena I don’t know…”

“Excuse me! Mr. Managers!” Before you could protest, she stood right up. The group turning to the rather perky dancer.

“Yes Miss…erm…” Reinhardt began to trail off until Ana whispered to him. Perking up when he heard what she told him, “Miss Lena Oxton?”

“Oh, no need for the formalities, Lena is fine. But may I ask: if we were to get someone to replace the lead role, would the show go on?” You suddenly didn’t like where this was going. Watching as the two men ponder the idea.

“I don’t see why not. Every performer must have an understudy. Do you know of anyone that would fit?” Torbjorn questioned with a glare. Oh no, you thought, only to suddenly feel Lena lift you up from your position.

“I volunteer [Name]!” A few hushed whispers and giggles could be heard, leaving you rather embarrassed. Even Ana was very intrigued by the choice.

“Miss [Name], are you capable of taking over the lead role?” Reinhardt questioned you directly. Feeling rather nervous, stumbling as Lena pulled you closer to the center stage.

“Oh yes! She’s told me she memorized the entire role. I have even heard her sing. She is wonderful,” Turning to face you, she takes your hands with a beaming smile, “Go ahead [Name], show them.”

Giving you no choice but to follow through, you gave your friend a nod of agreement to give it a try. Squeezing her hands in return, you meekly took the stage. Your mind going numb as Ana instructs Lucio to head over to the piano to play a piece. Everyone waiting in anticipation as the music began to come in. Your voice coming in soft and quiet, obviously shy from the sudden push into the spotlight. Awkward and shaky as the looking faces began to judge you in silence. Torbjorn and Reinhardt waiting as the shorter man turned to Ana.

“Tell me bout this [Name].” He asked as you continued to fall short on your words a bit. Ana turned to him, resting her hands on her cane.

“She is [Name & Last Name].” She informed him, grabbing the attention of Reinhardt.

“[Last Name]? As in, the famous violinist [Last Name]???” Speaking out of shock, only to be hushed by his excitement.

“Indeed, that was her father. Unfortunately, he died many years ago leaving her in the hands of the Opera House. I am afraid this is her only home, but she had never stood out aside from her dancing.”

In the middle of their conversation, you began to feel that you should stop singing and run away. Embarrassed at the humiliation and wanting to crawl away in the smallest cabinet. Suddenly, you began to hear something of a whisper. A familiar voice in your thoughts that cradled your fear. Someone tell you to sing, to let your voice be heard.

“Sing my dear, sing for me.”

The heat of confidence building inside you at the build of the chorus. Your voice now clear and vibrant for everyone to hear. Leaving everyone in awe at your vocal strength beginning to blossom before their very ears. When you hit the final notes of the song, it was as if you were taken to the very performance. Upfront and extravagant to the audience. Ending the song in silence, the room was filled with a feeling you hadn’t felt before. Returning to your shy form, you were greeted with various claps and cheers from your ensemble. A proud Lena embracing you with excitement, leaving you stunned as even Reinhardt was brought to tears.

“M-My God…that was wonderful!” He cheered with absolute pride. Leaving you flustered as the group surrounded you with praises. Ana left with a rather impressed smile, leaning down to Torbjorn.

“Well, it is as your companion said, the show must go on.” She hummed, watching Torbjorn shake away the awe in his look before approaching you.

“Aye, that’ll do Miss [Name], you’ve got the part. Everyone! Back into rehearsals, and someone get her fitted for her costumes. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“You heard the man, on with the show!” Reinhardt shouted with delight, setting everyone off in a hurry.

-

Evening

An older, rather uninterested man looked before the Overwatch Opera House and its audience heading indoors. Dressed in a black and blue suit, faded scales seen within the waist coat. A clean-shaven goatee on his face with his hair perfectly tied in a scale printed tie. The wind letting his hair tie flow in the wind before he is approached by another. His face displeased by who lingered by his side.

“Must you keep fussing over that hideous tie?” The man spoke rather distastefully at his companion.

Turning to a green haired companion who wore a suit of his own. Only for his to be a mix of black and green than the black and blue. Rolled up sleeves to show his flesh was mostly made of metal and scars, especially around the face. A sight that he was still not accustomed to. The others face scrunched as he focused on fixing his tie.

“Forgive me if my attire doesn’t please you, brother,” The man sighed, finally setting it straight with a satisfied smirk, “May I remind you that I agreed to join you as a way to mend our past together? No matter what you have chosen whether it be a circus or an opera house.”

The stoic man huffed before looking back towards the theatre. “As you may remember, father would always take us to the Opera house. However, I recall you passing out before the curtains even lifted Genji.”

“I am glad you still have such fond memories of me Hanzo,” He chimed with a cheeky grin, “So I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me if that occurs tonight.”

“Don’t you dare, you were lucky I managed to obtain these tickets when I did.” he scolded as they entered inside.

The main area filled with nobles and rich folk alike, taking in their drinks and smokes before entering the theatre. Laughter filled as strings of music could be heard throughout. Humans and omnics alike taking their places and chattering to one another

“Hana Song is the youngest and most beloved performers in the company. I have longed to hear her song the moment we had returned to this country. I do not wish to have this performance interrupted by your snoring.”

“I’ll keep it to a minimum for you dear brother,” Genji hums, pulling out the tickets when they approach the ticket taker, “What seats do we have? Box 5?”

“Indeed, a rather short notice place, but a proper seat no less.” Hanzo explained, making their way towards their assigned seating.

Presented with a rather unused box to take their seats. An overlook of not only the stage, but the entire crowd that was below. The seats filling rather quickly as patrons stepped in one by one. Being sold out was an understatement while they took in their places. Hanzo taking his place rather formally while Genji took a more relaxed position. Receiving a rather unimpressed sneer by Hanzo, letting him look over the crowd.

Taking notice of an opposite end box filled with two older men, drinking to their delight alongside a blonde-haired woman and a young brunette. Laughing proudly as the older brother hoped they were silent with the performance. The glistening chandelier light beginning to fade to silence the audience. A spotlight appeared before a dark-skinned man with a formerly trimmed beard and a clean cut curly haired head.

“Madames and Monsieurs, welcome to tonights’ performance at the Overwatch Opera Company. Before we begin I must first make an announcement,” The man spoke with his hands clasped together, “The leading role of tonight’s performance, originally played by Hana Song, will now be replaced by [Name & Last Name] who will be making her debut as a leading role. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.”

“What??” Both Hanzo and Genji spoke in quiet unison. Hanzo rather displeased as he sat upright.

The one time he gets his chance to hear the Hana Song, only for an understudy to take her place. Rather displeased by the announcement, he looked over to see his brother also taking the news in. But not of bitterness, but with an unusual surprise. Before he could question it, the curtains rose, and the performance began.

Everything in the show was spectacular, to every dance number, to every note that was sung. Even if [Name] was an understudy, her natural tones brought an entirely fresh and new take to the performance. Her presence was like a delicate flower without a doubt. Fluently moving as her voice sung of elegance.

The audience was left in tears at her solos. Even impressing the doubtful Hanzo. The older brother couldn’t help but notice every time [Name] would take the stage, Genji was entranced by her. It was better than having him sleep through the entire thing, he thought. When the ensemble came for the curtain call, everyone was up on their feet, cheering and whistling with amazement at the show. When the curtains had fallen, the two had risen from their seats, stretching from being seated for so long.

“I am not sure what to be impressed by more: the performance itself or the fact that you managed to stay awake the entire time,” Hanzo told Genji, suddenly seeing him in a hurry, “There is no need to rush Genji our reservations will still be available.”

“I will be right back, brother.” He spoke rather quickly, causing the older one to halt him in his tracks.

“Where are you going?” Genji looked over to his brother, seeing the question in his eyes only to pat him on the shoulder.

“I will meet you outside the doors, I must pay someone a visit.” Before Hanzo could ask who he was seeing, he was gone. Leaving the man to stand there in disbelief.

“I will never understand your actions, Genji.” He muttered, grabbing his coat to leave.

To be continued

[justalittlelitnerd]

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

“I don’t know if we’re a love story or a story about love. But I know whatever we are that it’s great because we kept jumping through the hoops in the first place.”

I didn’t think this story could possibly be cuter than I expected to be but it was. It far surpassed my expectations with it’s quirky, insecure ensemble of characters and the story was written in a way that convinced me to accept such an open ending when usually that’s my biggest pet peeve.

Overall, this story is just a fun take on a whirlwind summer romance because it pulls in all the weird, slightly crazy aspects of modern dating like missed connections and the ease of internet stalking. It was exactly what I needed as a counterbalance to the dumpster fire that is 2020 and if you’re looking for that brief escape into a wholesome, awkward romance and story about first loves and second chances and the complexity of dating and friendships than I would highly recommend!  

My only semi-complaint were the issues within Arthur, Jessie, and Ethan’s friendship could’ve been fleshed out more to do justice to the time the authors took to flesh out the side characters and their relationships with the main characters. I felt like that fight didn’t balance out the fight Ben had with Dylan because it was clear how that disagreement was building over the course of the summer. Also it felt too obvious that Jessie and Ethan were secretly dating and I was confused and unsatisfied by Ethan’s explanation that he didn’t text Arthur back the whole summer simply because it felt like lying and didn’t think twice about how ignoring Arthur (especially right after he came out) would make him feel. Also the whole time it made it seem like Arthur and Jessie were slightly closer and she had no qualms texting him and lying to him all summer and let’s just say I’m not as forgiving as Arthur was.

Let me know your thoughts!

Keep reading for some fun quotes I saved!

Normally, being an intern is more boring than terrible, but today’s uniquely shitty. You know that kind of day where the printer runs out of paper, and there’s none in the supply room, so you try to steal some from the copier, but you can’t get the drawer open, and then you push some wrong button and the copier starts beeping? And you’re standing there thinking that whoever invented copy machines is this close to getting their ass kicked? By you? By a five-foot-six Jewish kid with ADHD and the rage of a tornado? That kind of day? Yeah.

I believe in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you’re thinking. I don’t mean it in the our souls were split and you’re my other half forever and ever sort of way. I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.

Ex-boyfriend. Which means Box Boy dates guys. And okay. Wow. This doesn’t happen to me. It just doesn’t. But maybe the universe works differently in New York. Box Boy dates guys. I’M A GUY.

It’s weird—now I want to prove it. I want some gay ID card to whip out like a cop badge. Or I could demonstrate in other ways. God. I would happily demonstrate.

“On the sad scale, how are you feeling today?” Dylan asks. “Opening-montage-of-Up sad? Or Nemo’s-mom-dying sad?” “Whoa, no. Definitely not opening-montage-of-Up sad. That shit was devastating. I’d guess I’m somewhere in between, like last-five-minutes-of-Toy-Story-3 sad. I just need time to bounce back.”

“Let’s talk about why you really didn’t mail the breakup box,” Dylan says, like he’s going to bill me for this conversation. “Only if you drop the therapist voice,” I say. “Maybe we can begin with why my tone bothers you. Do I remind you of an authority figure?”

I’m certain that I’m 100 percent gay because if I was even 1 percent bisexual I would be crushing hard on Samantha for looks and high energy alone. Dylan watches Samantha as if she were glowing, and I wonder when I went dim for Hudson. If I ever really glowed for him at all.

“I would love to start my own app games. I have this one idea. It’s like Frogger, but instead of heavy-traffic streets, it takes place on the sidewalks of New York. You die if you get hit with someone’s shopping cart and you lose points if you cross a tourist’s path while they’re taking photos.

Emotional blue balls. That’s what it feels like. It’s being handed everything you’ve ever longed for, only for it to slip through your fingers. And there’s no way to fix it. Nothing you can do but slink toward the kitchen counter in a full-body mope.

"You’re not being fair to yourself,” Dylan says. “Maybe not. But I’m being honest.”

It’s this strangling fear that we’ll be sitting there and we’ll run out of something to say and I’ll be able to witness the exact moment someone falls out of love with me because I don’t have enough substance to keep a conversation alive over a meal. Why would you want to talk to me for the rest of your life?

But no. Not even close. Instead, it’s me bleeding out all my neuroses, looking for answers to questions I have no right to be asking. But I don’t know how to make myself stop asking them. People like me should come with a mute button.

I have only said one word on this call—a call I made—and I’m already ready to settle into another few hours of Arthur rambling. It’s better than my favorite Lorde and Lana Del Rey songs.

“You can sing a different song next time,” I say. I like that we’ll have a next time. That even though things have gone wrong, we’ve tried to make it right. “So I was nervous to admit this at karaoke, but—” “Please don’t tell me you’re actually a bunch of rats wearing a cute boy as a disguise.” “Worse.” I take a deep, dramatic breath. “I haven’t listened to Hamilton.” He doesn’t say anything. Then the line goes dead.

I tell him how I want to write Hamilton and Harry Potter crossover fanfiction and call it The Great American Fantasy Novel and stage all those duels in the dueling club and what houses I would sort everyone in.

“All history should be taught through rap by Lin-Manuel Miranda.”

“How lucky we are to be alive right now, right?” “Oh my god, you’re speaking Hamilton—I’m just so into you. I’m helpless.” I’m so into him too.

“For the most part, I think. But every city has its assholes.” I want to hug him, but he doesn’t want to be touched right now. Like any affection is going to become a target sign on our backs. Like we’ll get punished because our hearts are different.

But it’s just like the old posts on Instagram that I can’t get myself to just delete. Like Hudson never happened. Like he’s someone to be ashamed of. And throwing away the good memories feels like a slap in the face to our history. It has nothing to do with the future.

When the song ends, I’m ready to apologize. But Arthur takes my phone and looks up a cover of “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen, and he comes closer to me as he sings the words “So what if it’s us, what if it’s us, and only us.” This song is so beautiful. What it feels like to be wanted by someone who sees you for who you are. How the world—the business of Times Square—can feel like it’s falling away when you’re with the right person.

But maybe this isn’t how life works. Maybe it’s all about people coming into your life for a little while and you take what they give you and use it on your next friendship or relationship. And if you’re lucky, maybe some people pop back in after you thought they were gone for good.

Maybe I’m feeling masochistic. Or maybe I’ve unlocked the secret, and this is how people focus. All you have to do is have a cute boy rip your heart out, then let your best friends stomp all over it, and if it’s still beating even a little bit, finish the job yourself. Say the worst things and yell your voice raw and destroy everything you love until, lo and behold, the monotony of work is a relief.

I don’t know how to tell Hudson that I want to throw away a box of things that used to mean everything to me. But that fucking box. I can’t keep treating it like something that belongs in a museum’s exhibit specializing in one guy’s history of breaking hearts.

“Do not ask any what-if questions about you and Hudson dating again. That would probably end in literal heartbreak at the hands of someone pretty familiar with the law because of his summer internship but too reckless to care.”

It’s hard to be a fully functioning Arthur when your heart lives in four envelopes.

I can’t lose you forever. You can’t be someone I just knew for one summer. I have to know you every summer.

[zorilleerrant]

look when people ask what they’re “supposed” to write, they mean what do readers generally like, not what is, like, ethically defensible to feel like typing into a text box. which means:

people are generally fine reading original fiction in either first or third person. in fanfic, mostly people like third. you’ll need a special reason to write in second, but it can be done

people are generally fine reading original fiction in either present or past tense. in fanfic people insist it’s one or the other but they disagree which?? I have never seen something in future tense that worked, only occasional sections set in a work mostly in past or present

no one minds said. if you’re saying said every line, though, people are going to start getting annoyed, especially if the spoken part is short. instead of using “strong verbs”, which often do annoy people, trying interspersing action

50,000 words is generally where people put the length of a novel, though many people will perceive something as a novel with as few as 30,000 words, assuming the storytelling is dense. genres such as romance, cozy mystery, or horror are often shorter than that. sf and fantasy are notably often much, much longer. if you’re writing literary fiction you probably want a length of 60,000-65,000 words. if you’re writing longform fanfic, you probably want 20,000-25,000 words, as there’s more room for density at a lower word count. otherwise, you should aim for around 80,000 words, and make it longer or shorter in editing.

a chapter should be 1,000-3,000 words. at 1,000 people will read at a nice brisk pace and feel like the chapters are easily digestible. at 3,000 people will read it as a satisfying chunk but still not a huge time commitment. if you want people to sit and become deeply immersed over the course of a chapter, aim for closer to 10,000, though this only really works for much longer form stories. if chapters don’t make sense to you, your chapter breaks probably also won’t make sense to the reader, so don’t use them, or ask someone else to break them up for you.

if you’re going for a relatable main character, you should also try to make them likable. this is important if you’re writing in first or close third person, but in a more distant third person, especially with an ensemble, it’s less necessary. however, if many of your characters have no redeeming traits (even just being interesting to read about, in a trainwreck sort of way), it’s going to be alienating to the reader. doubly so in fanfic. but all characters should have both positive and negative traits that are easy to identify by pointing to passages in the text if they’re supposed to be fleshed out.

in-jokes and references to other works should be something that people who get it will immediately get it, and people who don’t will gloss over it without realizing they missed anything

watch out for tone whiplash. yes something can absolutely have both funny and dramatic scenes, but you should be careful about how you order them, and you should be careful to maintain a consistent narrative voice. writing the dramatic parts in a very serious way and the funny parts in a very silly way can work, but only if you’re trying to make it seem like two different perspectives shifting back and forth

it’s morally fine to write about self-inserts and author OCs in fanfic, but most people don’t want to read those except about their friends. there’s more wiggle room in original fiction, since you can build a world that makes your OP main character make sense, but give them too many powers, not enough faults, or not interesting enough conflicts, and it will make readers not want to continue

bigotry exists whether you write about it or not, and there are implications in your writing whether you write about it or not; that’s the thing about it being systemic. so, yes, include queer, nonwhite, disabled, etc. characters regardless of your own identity. just do your best about it.

you need more women in your story. women are like half of people. that means half of main characters, half of secondary characters, half of support characters, half of background characters mentioned in one scene. half of hero characters, half of villain characters. half of the people who lead, half of the people who follow, half of the people who get the fuck out of dodge. also please make some of them not related to or love interests of any of the other characters.

your interests and knowledge base are skewed towards modern Western culture. this is because of colonialism. be interested in what you’re interested in, write about what you’re interested in, but be prepared for people to say it’s too white/Western/colonialist. this is inevitable and not a personal attack. the complaints are doing the brunt of the work without requiring a response from you.

each time a new person speaks, you should make a new paragraph. actions should be in the same paragraph as the dialogue of whoever performs the action. dialogue should not be more than two or three sentences long per line, and shorter if the sentences are long.

paragraphs in general can be longer than that, but don’t be afraid of making more of them. people prefer short over long paragraphs, but they won’t mind the occasional very long paragraph if most are shorter.

yes, please use spellcheck. capitalization and most punctuation are unnecessary to fluent reading these days, but you still need to make sure it’s clear where sentences start and stop.

if you found a cool new word you like and want to use, go for it. most of the time more common words are better, so you should really only pepper in thesaurus words as a garnish.

unless your work is intended for a multilingual audience, use italics to indicate that a different language is being spoken rather than writing out both languages. it’s less effort for the reader and tends to make the story flow better.

“in this genre, the characters usually -” “the folklore this is based on suggests -” “the original canon says -” leave it! the problems come from people not knowing what the creative dialogue has said already. if you know, feel free to ignore or concentrate on whatever you want. people will still be able to follow.

yeah, absolutely include that element of a different genre/form/canon. it spices up the writing

okay and for all your “but what if...” then go for that! this is general advice not a magical contract forcing everyone to write only this way forever. pretty much every book I’ve ever really loved violates at least a few of these, but if you’re just looking for tips, here’s the more specific answer than “write whatever you want! whatever moves you!” to edit your story around.

[lizmaximoff]

Rebel, Rebel → 3. The Shed

Chapter: 3/8

Word Count: 2573

Chapter Rating: M for Wet Dreams and Language

Summary: (teen!Hopper x fem!Reader) After you have a particularly vivid dream about Hopper, you find it harder to resist his charm.

PART TWO | PART FOUR

A/N: I know, I know...this is a very, very slow burn in terms of like how fast the two main characters get together. But I promise that the end result is going to be worth it (at least I think so). I decided to add a little something spicy to this one, so I hope you like it!

Rebel, Rebel Masterlist

MASTERLIST

Rough hands. Teeth. Moving lips. The warmth of his mouth. The wetness of his tongue.

The sensations of his touch rippled through your body, his hands caressing the bare flesh of your lower stomach. You reached down to thread your fingers through the locks of his hair as his head bobbed up and down, his tongue moving sinfully against the velvet skin of your center. You arched your back as you began to pull him closer to you, panting heavily into the surroundings of your bedroom; the only sounds present were the whimpers coming from your mouth, the grumbles emitting from his broad and bare chest, and the filthy noises created between your bodies.

“H-Hopper, please,” you whined in a high-pitch tone, praying to him as if you were singing a gospel song.

He looked up at you under hooded and lust-filled eyes, his bare shoulders flexing as his grip on your waist tightened, the movement of his tongue quickening to push you over the edge. You looked into the deep-blue orbs of his eyes, and that was all it took for you to fall apart underneath him. Every muscle in your body seemed to unwind as his ministrations failed to cease. You screamed his name out, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as the thrusts of your hips became erratic against the warmth of his mouth.

“Oh, fu-”

You woke up with sweat peppering your forehead, you breathing escaping your chest erratically as you attempted to untangle your buzzing body from the confines of your baby blue sheets. The borderline realistic dream made it difficult for you to transition back into the real world. You looked around hastily in search of the familiar body that occupied your dreams, but you did so in vain. Every nerve in your body felt aflame, the sensations transcending into your reality as you came down from your high. Your cheeks reddened as you felt the damp and clammy material of your sheets stick to your upper thighs. You looked over at your clock and cursed under your breath, realizing that you were running thirty minutes behind; class began in twenty minutes, and you knew you were going to be painfully late.

You swung the duvet over your body and began your haste to get ready, opting to slide on a skirt and long-sleeve shirt rather than the pressed and neat ensemble of your cheerleading uniform. You flew down the stairs, ignoring your mother’s pleas for you to sit down and eat breakfast as you ran outside, your straight, uncombed hair flowing after you as you jumped into your car and raced to school.

You pulled into the senior lot in a rush, the tires of your DeSoto Firedome screeching against the hardened and cracked black tar of the pavement. Grabbing your backpack, you jogged lightly into the building, adjusting your high-waisted black corduroy skirt. The sound of the platforms of your Mary Jane’s clacked against the linoleum tiles of the hallway as you sped down the corridor. Just as you reached to grab the handle of the door leading to your class, you felt a large hand clasp your upper arm.

You yelped in surprise before turning around, eyes narrowing and cheeks blushing when you discovered that the hand belonged to Hopper, “J-Jim! Don’t scare me like that-!”

He brought a finger up to his lips in an attempt to quiet you. After looking around, you crossed your arms uncomfortably before raising an eyebrow at him, “I thought you were going to class.”

“Well, after the bell rang and you didn’t show up, I snuck out the back,” he whispered, reaching for your hand. “Cut class with me?”

While every brain cell in your head screamed at you to deny his request, you couldn’t help but melt when you saw the smug smile spread across his lips, making your heart to do cartwheels in your chest. Your mind drifted to your dream and reminded you of all the things that mouth did to you. You bit your bottom lip, reluctantly nodding your head in a trance. His grin widened, the blues of his eyes sparkling like the deepest of lake water under the fluorescent lights of the hallway. You sighed dreamily as you looked into them.

He dragged you out of the school doors, your hand still firmly grasped in his larger one. He moved methodically, the precision of his steps and lines of vision like that of a spy in a high-stakes mission.

After leading you down a narrow path behind the football field, he brought you to a beaten-up brown shed, the shingles of which appeared to have seen the likes of a tornado. He approached the door and released his grip on your hand, swinging the broken lock open to grant you both entry.

Following him inside, you looked around in awe as the interior of the shed appeared much cozier than what the outside promised it to be. You smirked when you noticed two ashtrays filled with discarded cigarette butts and a light brown victrola placed in the corner of the shed. It appeared that Hopper had built himself a tiny home here.

“You come here often?” you teased, setting your bag down by the door before fiddling with the hem of your skirt nervously.

“Trying to hit on me?” he teased back, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick along his bottom lip.

You chuckled anxiously, you fingers absentmindedly curling a lock of your hair around them as heat rose to the skin of your cheeks, avoiding his gaze.

He closed the door quietly before propping a shovel against it in an attempt to lock it. He fisted his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he continued to look at you, “I can’t believe it.”

“W-What?” you stuttered with wide eyes, fearing that you were showing more emotion than you wanted to.

“I got Little Miss Perfect to skip class,” he said, a smug grin plastered on his face as he leaned against the wall of the shed.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you scoffed, sitting down on the floor and crossing your legs. You looked up at him with doe-like eyes, your voice biting, “Well, are you going to join me or just keep staring at me?”

Hopper’s eyebrows raised in surprise at the sudden shift in your tone, mildly impressed by your cocky attitude, “I’ll go with option number one.”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you eyed him down, admiring the way that his jacket clung to the muscles of his arms. You swore you wouldn’t keep flirting like this, but...that dream...

Hopper noticed your gaze and flushed under the weight of it, coughing nervously as he looked around. 

“So...” you trailed off, rubbing your hands up and down your thighs as your vision broke away from him. “This is what it’s like to be a badass.”

He laughed heartily before rolling his eyes, leaning over and playing the record that was on the turntable. You groaned in euphoria as the sound of Bob Dylan emitted from the tiny speakers, “God, your taste in music is impeccable.”

He laid down on the floor as he looked up at you, one hand behind his head, “What can I say? I have amazing taste.”

You looked down at him with hearts in your eyes, the fantasy from last night playing over and over again in your head like a movie stuck on repeat. Seeing him here in person, feeling the heat radiate off of his body, and smelling the scent of his cigarettes made it nearly impossible for you not to straddle him. Your stomach clenched nervously before you looked away from him with a blush.

“Homecoming is coming up,” you began, paying particular attention to a stray string that dangled from your long-sleeve. “Are you gonna go?”

“Maybe,” he dragged out, his eyes searching your face. “I guess it just depends.”

“Depends on what?” you giggle, tilting your head at him.

“On who I’d be going with,” he stated, his mouth forming a tight smile.

“Oh,” you said, the feeling of disappointment clouding your mind. You were hoping that he would go alone, maybe so you could spend time together. Not the whole night, of course. You still needed to make appearances with Larry. Oh shit. Larry.

You felt guilt rise in your stomach like bile. Here you were, sneaking around with the object of your fantasies, not even thinking about the boyfriend that you committed yourself to. This back and forth was getting old, but you found yourself continuously repeating a cycle you were too scared to break.

“Are you okay?” Hopper asked, concern lacing his voice as he noticed the sudden shift of discomfort on your part.

“Um, yeah...yeah, I’m okay,” you stuttered, looking down at the floor in shame. “Just...no, it’s-it’s fine.”

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, sitting up so that he could rub a comforting hand across your back.

“I just remembered something...that’s all,” you replied, technically not lying. You brought your knees up to your chest before returning his gaze, “Who were you going to ask?”

“Ah,” he tutted his tongue against his teeth. “Well, you see, that’s where it gets complicated.”

“Oh?” you asked with a furrowed brow.

“The girl that I want to ask has a boyfriend,” he said, looking up at you with those damn near perfect eyes. “But...I’m holding out hope.”

You felt your mouth go dry, your head beginning to spin, “Why?”

“I’ve already waited ten years,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I would hold out for another ten if I had to.”

Oh. Oh.

You inhaled a sharp breath through your nose as the realization of his confession dawned on you. You felt a tiny smile pull at the corners of your mouth, warmth blooming in your chest.

“Ten years, huh?” you smirked, looking down at his lips.

“Yep,” he said plainly. “Ten long ass years.”

Without filtering your thoughts, you spoke before you could stop yourself, “What are you doing tonight?”

His eyes widened as a grin began to form on his face, “Not a damn thing, doll.”

You chuckled, “Well...there’s going to be a showing of Psycho at the Beaumont. Maybe we could go? And, you know, study, of course.”

He sputtered over his words, trying not to show too much excitement at the prospect of being alone with you in a car. You looked over at him expectantly before he regained his composure, “Yeah, sure. Sounds good. We can, uh...I mean I can drive my old man’s car.”

You smiled, biting your lower lip, “Groovy.”

An awkward silence fell upon you both as you looked away, suddenly shy. He coughed, “Is this-I mean, is this just so we could study?”

You looked over at him confused before shaking your head, remembering the excuse you gave him, “Well, to study and to watch a movie. I’m not paying money to see a movie I won’t watch.”

He nodded at you, unsure of your intentions. And, truth be told, neither were you. You just wanted to be with him. 

The loud ring of the bell whistled, making you jump and clutch at your chest in surprise. You laughed nervously before smiling at Hopper, “I guess that’s my cue to dash. I can’t skip two classes in one day.”

He chuckled, nudging your knee with his own, “Maybe I can convince you one day.”

“Well,” you started, standing up and gathering your belongings. “It took you ten years just to get me to do it once.”

“And I’d wait another ten,” he said, the intensity of his eyes sending butterflies straight to your stomach.

“Be ready for 6:30,” you said confidently, smiling down at him.

“I’ll do you one better,” he started, pointing a finger at you. “I’ll be ready for 6:29.”

“Bye, Hopper,” you said, rolling your eyes as you removed the shovel and opened the shed door.

“See ya, beautiful,” he responded.

You closed the door behind you and fell against the wooden frame of the door, finding it hard not to buckle your knees. He always called you doll or dollface, but...never beautiful. I mean, of course, he would say that you looked beautiful all of the time, but it wasn’t necessarily a pet name. It seemed that the two of you had moved into another stage, another territory. The line had been crossed.

With a blush glued to the swells of your cheeks, you gripped your bag tightly and began to walk to calculus, the words from the conversation reverberating off of the walls of your head as you walked aimlessly back into the school building. You had a dreamy look in your eyes, the feelings that you had for Hopper becoming more and more clear and strong with each step that you took.

“(Y/N)!” shouted a voice from down the hall, followed by Larry’s jogging figure approaching you from behind with a wide grin on his face. “I didn’t see you this morning! You okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” you said nervously. “Just feeling a little sick, that’s all.”

He frowned, dipping his face to press a wet kiss to your cheek, “I’m sorry, baby.”

You felt guilt rise once more, the idea of cheating on Larry making you sick to your stomach. Though you weren’t in love with him, you couldn’t break his heart like that. You were committed to him, and he was committed to you (albeit definitely more so). 

“I’ll come over tonight,” he said, wrapping an arm around your waist as you both continued to walk to your classroom. “I’ll bring your favorite candy...gummy bears.”

“Sweet Tarts,” you corrected, looking away from him. “My favorite candy is Sweet Tarts.”

“Oh,” he said, embarrassed that he had gotten it wrong. “Well, I can bring some over! And we could watch The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

You fought the urge to push him away from you. It was like he didn’t even know who you were, “I think I’m just going to go home and sleep early.”

“I don’t mind cuddling with you until you fall asleep,” he pleaded, his grip on you tightening.

You couldn’t decide if his desperation was endearing or annoying, but you settled on the latter, “Um...thank you, but...I don’t want to risk getting you all gross and sick.”

Disappointment clouded his eyes, his hand dropping from your side so that it could rest in his pocket, “Okay, well...I love you.”

You stopped walking as you approached the mathematics lab. With your eyes downcast, you reached your head upwards and pressed a quick peck to his cheek, “I’ll see you at lunch, Larry.”

Before he could respond, you turned your back to him, unable to look him in the eyes. He turned around dejectedly, stung by your lack of reciprocation and unwillingness to spend any time outside of school with him. The truth was that you had been spending less and less time with one another, and it was mostly your fault. Every time that he wanted to spend time with you, you shut him out, always blaming something out of your control for the reason. You didn’t want to be the one to break things off with him; you didn’t want to hurt him. So, for now...you could wait.

But you wouldn’t need to wait much longer.

_____________________________

Tagged: @jiimhopper​ / @cant-shake-this-feeling-off​ / @the-undateable​ / @alumiinikuu​ / @eleanor-gillespie​ / @ottosuricato​ / @actuallyalaska​ / @we-are-all-a-messs​ / @littlemissthistle​ / @happy-hopper​

Send me a message if you’d like to be tagged in any future works!

[avelera]

HadesTown and POV

aka, Eurydice is actually the main character of HadesTown (or should be)

So I still have HadesTown meta very much on the brain right now, just tons of stuff about Hades vs. Orpheus and masculinity and all the visuals and tone of the story that comes from having the writer and director both be women, but there’s also one thing on my mind that’s a little more criticism. But first, a little context.

I went with my mother, and she struggled with the musical for a variety of reasons. Her criticism that stuck out to me was she called it, “all over the place” which I took to mean she had trouble following the story. Now, as a writer, I take that kind of criticism more seriously than I do content criticism ( “I don’t like the story because of xyz.” Well, maybe it’s just not for you.) So I’ve been thinking about it and I think I figured out the flaw in the structure she was referring to, and why it’s such a hard one for non-writers to articulate. 

HadesTown, at least onstage, struggles somewhat with “point of view”. Who is telling the story? Who is the main character? Whose eyes are we seeing this story through? 

Hermes is our narrator, but he tends to drop out on occasion to allow the drama to unfold without his filter. 

Orpheus is technically our protagonist, as he is in the original myth. He is the one with a mission and a goal that he tries (and fails) to accomplish by the end. However, there are long stretches of the narrative, especially at the beginning when the audience is being introduced to the story, where he’s absent or off in his own little world. This makes for fascinating meta about masculinity in storytelling, but does create some internal confusion for an audience member trying to pick out who this story is about.

This problem is exacerbated by the atmospheric and gorgeous choice to have most of the cast on stage all the time. Hades and Persephone are there from the beginning, genteelly looking down from the balcony to the proceedings. Orpheus is often off to the side of the stage while he composes and it’s several songs into the narrative before he is front and center. 

Then you have the fact that Orpheus/Eurydice and Hades/Persephone are being used as parallels for one another, and as a result they spread the story between them. The most confusing part of the setup of the story is when Orpheus plays his “unfinished” song to summon spring, and Persephone temporarily comes on stage. Now, this is quite a brilliant way to drag Hades and Persephone, as well as their story, into the narrative but I think if you’re not someone well versed in fantasy or myth, it may not be clear that Orpheus song is magical but because it was not yet finished, he couldn’t keep Persephone there for long.

The problem of portraying Orpheus as genuinely magical is compounded by the modern costume and set design. It’s gorgeous, but it doesn’t make it immediately clear that we’re in a fantasy setting where magic actually works, it takes a bit of mental gymnastics (especially difficult to pull off while trying to parse information from songs rather than spoken word) to realize this retelling’s use of Depression-era costume and set design is only meant to be evocative and creative, and does not signal that their story is being updated to a more “realistic” time without magic and therefore Orpheus’s musical magic is only metaphorical. His music’s power isn’t metaphorical, it’s real, but this clashes with his introduction as a poor boy working in some sort of shop or restaurant. 

But to go back to point of view (POV), this is a problem one sees with a lot of early writers, especially those with a fanfic background, and HadesTown is fanfic in the sense that it is derivative and heavily relies on knowledge of a separate story, (the tales of Orpheus & Eurydice and of Hades & Persephone) for the audience to immediately follow along and be invested. This problem is that because the author assumes you know this tale as well as she does, it doesn’t really need to be introduced on its own. That’s fine, until you begin introducing new elements, like the idea of Hades being the Boss Man of a modern Depression-era town and Persephone is his depressed, drunken wife, or the idea of Orpheus as a poor boy (and not the son of a mythological king) and Eurydice as a scrappy runaway. Those are new elements that muddle the original narrative and require more setup as a result. 

And then there’s Eurydice, who is much more fleshed out and brought center stage. I think it’s also clear that the female writer of the story had particular sympathy for her, but as with many writers, felt this character deserved more complicated motivationThe story has some amazing commentary on masculinity that I really want to get into in another essay, but it’s clear that it’s a female gaze story. Furthermore, Eurydice is transformed in HadesTown, at the very least to give her something to do and a reason for us to like her, because in the original she’s the quintessential damsel in distress and the fridged girlfriend all in one. She has no motivation besides, presumably, wanting to marry Orpheus and then wanting to be rescued by him when she’s killed on or just before her wedding day, but in HadesTown she becomes a heroine, if not the heroine of the story.

And here’s where I get to my one editorial tip for HadesTown, and why I think my mother wasn’t totally off base by saying it needed one more editing pass: Eurydice is the main character. The narrative voice clearly has sympathy for her, she goes on a journey to find food, she is the driving force behind much of the action, she is the one who brings change to Orpheus’s life and kicks off the narrative by asking him to sing his song. She is the one who acts, others react to her choices. 

But since the original myth focuses on Orpheus, it feels a bit like the narrator or writer felt compelled to have him as “the protagonist” when really, he is the traditional love interest. He’s fairly passive, even in going to rescue Eurydice he has to be prompted by Hermes and it’s Eurydice going to look for food which stirs him from his musical trance. Furthermore, even in the visuals for HadesTown, Eurydice is the one driving Orpheus forward, even during her own rescue when they’re ascending from the Underworld. 

However, we don’t really meet Eurydice until a few songs in and she is absent for long stretches on the stage. If the story had opened with her introduction superseding Orpheus, and made clearer that we’re seeing a reinvention of the story where Eurydice is the empowered one around whom events shift, I think we’d have a stronger, single narrative thread going through the story that through the haze of the music would be easier to follow. The building blocks are already there in the narrative, but the parallels with Hades/Persephone and the focus on Orpheus as a rescuer, albeit a fairly passive one, muddle the fact this is the story of Eurydice changing and influencing events and setting the action in motion. 

We can criticize audience members for not “getting” the story or for not keeping up, but authors should be wary when doing so. Trouble following a story is sometimes a lack of attention or genre savvy by an audience member, but it can also be indicative of a muddled narrative.

Point of View, who is transmitting the action of the story to us, how and when are they relating the story to us, and how do they filter the world around them, is an incredible and incredibly advanced tool in the writer’s toolbox. It’s often invisible to the audience and to even advanced readers, however. It takes a lot of attention to notice and it can be hard to articulate why it’s confusing when a strong POV isn’t there. 

Hamilton does not struggle with POV, we know when someone who isn’t Hamilton (usually Burr) is narrating because he takes center stage. Les Miserables has a huge ensemble cast, but we never question who the current song or scene is about, it’s usually Marius, Valjean, or Cosette and they take center stage when they give their view of the story. Phantom of the Opera has a somewhat more removed “once upon a time” ensemble POV because it takes place on a stage, but most of the time we’re seeing events from Christine or Raoul’s POV and they are center stage and loud as they observe events. The switch to the Phantom’s POV at the end of All I Ask Of You is jarring and shocking on purpose as a result, but again he takes center stage when he comments on the events he just witnessed. 

By crowding the stage and having so many POV characters witnessing and commenting on events at once, from the Fates, to Hermes, to Orpheus, to Eurydice, to Hades and Persephone, it becomes hard for an uninitiated audience member to know whose story this is and who they should be following and who will have the classic story structure of rising and falling action to build their expectations around. 

Ensemble pieces can be well done, and HadesTown is very well done, but for the non-genre savvy audience members, it may have been helpful to pick a single character and put them front and center in every action, and when they’re not front and center because of story circumstances, to have it clearly someone else who is front and center, with no one else with POV cluttering the stage at the same time. I vote that this person should be Eurydice, elevated to main protagonist, with Orpheus as secondary/love interest who only takes center stage when she is captive and first taken away, and that Hades/Persephone also get center stage in more isolation so it’s clear they’re commentary and parallels to Eurydice and her lover, not a second set of main characters. 

[bookramblings]

Burn

Author: Patrick Ness

Published by: Walker Books

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback (Proof copy)

My Rating ★★★★

How does the world end?

It ends in fire.

A staggering new YA novel from the pen of the masterful Patrick Ness, Burn is set in an alternate 1950s America where dragons double as farmhands and sinister conspiracies have magical undercurrents.

From the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy comes a heart-stopping story or fanaticism, bravery and impossible second chances, set in a world on the brink of its own destruction.

My thoughts

This truly is a fire-breathing adventure. In Patrick Ness’s latest novel, dragons exist, in all their fire-breathing glory. Burn is a tricky book to review without giving away any spoilers, but I’ll try my best not to reveal too much.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye. Sarah can't help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn't have a soul but is seemingly intent on keeping her safe from the brutal attentions of Deputy Sheriff Emmett Kelby.

Kazimir knows something she doesn't. He has arrived at the farm because of a prophecy. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents - and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.

I never quite know what to expect from a Patrick Ness book. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. This one has some very unexpected twists and I'm not sure I’ve read anything quite like it before. It is strange, so strange. But honestly enthralling.

It took me back to my early teenage reading and felt like an ensemble book with three main storylines that all had some great characters. In part two the pace really picks up speed and we see the different storylines intertwine. The plot is really intriguing with fun twists and lots of unpredictable moments along the way.

I do feel the book could’ve benefited from a little more fleshing out. Perhaps more time to establish the world-building, more space for the characters to develop, and more room for the story to breathe and settle. I really enjoyed the first half but felt things moved so fast in the second part it was sometimes hard to keep up. The ending felt a little rushed and abrupt, but it is certainly a wild ride from start to finish that connects characters in unexpected and ultimately fulfilling ways. 

Suffice to say this book is wild and wacky and quite the ride. If you like dragons, this one is for you. It’s thoroughly entertaining from start to finish and I really enjoyed taking part in the official read along hosted by Tandem Collective. Thanks to Walker books for gifting me an early proof copy of the book. 

Overall reaction: