#the thing is i keep reading romance novels even though they're often not For Me bc i find them SO interesting in a literary criticism way

[msmargaretmurry]

[coffee cup] romance novels: when do they work for becs and when do they not!!!

oooh okay! so i often call myself a romance novel enjoyer but not a romance novel lover, because romance as a genre often involves things that are at odds with what i love most in fiction. which is fine! many people love those things, there is a reason the genre is like that! it just means that it's rarer for me personally to find a romance novel that works for me on every level. (the things i'm talking about are, i don't usually like alternating POVs between romantic leads, i usually prefer my romantic storylines to be involved with the plot but not the MAIN plot, and my favorite romantic relationships in fiction are ones where i don't know going in that they're going to get together. i LOVE catching a detail or an interaction or sensing some chemistry and going "oh?? are they--?? and then greedily gathering more details as i read to try and figure out what feelings are happening. obviously this cannot happen in a romance novel because you know the endgame from the start!)

so what DOES work for a romance novel for me? i'm sorry this got so fucking long and it's mostly complaining so we're putting it under a cut.

firstly it has to be well-written and well-edited. i'm sorry but a lot of romance is not well-edited and it's so distracting to me. i'll often let a little bit of sloppy writing slide if it's a story i feel feral about, but because romance as a genre isn't built to make me feral, i need the writing to be tight or i'll get so distracted by nit-picking. like, i really wanted to love a caribbean heiress in paris but the female lead "muttered under her breath" TWICE on the FIRST HALF-PAGE. this is a whole different conversation but i do place the blame for this on publishing houses who do not care if these books are well-edited because they think their audience has low standards.

secondly, i need things to happen for real reasons. i listen to the "fated mates" podcast a lot because i find the craft side of it all super interesting. the hosts, who really love romance novels (as opposed to me, a romance enjoyer but not lover), often talk about things in romance novels happening or existing for "romance reasons," which are reasons that aren't really justified by the story/plot but that the reader goes with anyway for the sake of the story. romance reasons are almost never enough for me. i need there to be real worldbuilding. if it's contemporary romance, i need it to jive with how things work in the real world. if it's historical romance, there are different rules, because historical romance can run the gamut from trying to actually be historically accurate to totally made-up societal rules in a historical setting. i will meet the book where it's at, but i need the internal world to make sense. no romance reasons.

thirdly, relatedly, i need the author to know their shit. if a character is an athlete, i need the details of that sport to be accurate. if your character works as a nonprofit, i need it to be clear that the author understands the basics of how a nonprofit works. if your character is involved in politics, do not make up how politics work to serve your story, because i will be too annoyed to enjoy it. i read a het hockey romance the other day where there was a rumor about a popular player retiring an the author had a reporter from the ASSOCIATED PRESS show up at the LOVE INTEREST'S HOUSE to try to get details about it and then MORE MEDIA OUTLETS SHOWED UP TO CAMP ON HER LAWN about it. none of that is how any of that works. i don't need every detail to be perfect. i just need things to feel real.

fourthly, relatedly, i need real stakes and believable conflict and deeply drawn characters. i won't love a book just because it contains a trope i like. i need the trope to work with the characters and within the emotional stakes of the story. i need my romantic leads to have something inside them then genuinely needs healing, and i need to believe that they are people who make each other better. (note that this is for romance novels. in other genres i love weird little freaks who make each other worse.) i know some people like very fluffy low-stakes romances and i support them but those are not for me. the stakes need to not just be about the romance; there needs to be other stuff doing on, both internally for the characters and externally in the world around them.

lastly, if it's het romance, it needs to not be fucking weird about gender in a getting off on traditional gender roles kind of way. i WILL be turned off if you keep telling me about your tiny dainty fragile heroine getting claimed by your big strong serious man hero. like i have enjoyed plenty of historical romances set in very gendered societies where gender roles play a huge part in characters' lives, but you can have gender in grand and delicious ways without making patriarchy the kink. if you are making patriarchy the kink then your book is not for me.

oh sorry two more things. i love it when a romance author tries something off-beat for the genre. very little romance feels truly fresh and new to me, so it's exciting when an author pulls that off. also: when a romance novel has sex scenes that are also character-driven, not always 100% perfect sex, and don't feel skippable. that's the good stuff.

sorry this mostly just turned into complaining about things that i don't like 😂 but it really is for me less about "these things work for me" and more about "these are the things that DON'T work for me and i kEEP RUNNING INTO THEM." here are some of my favorite romance novels: evvie drake starts over by linda holmes. the countess conspiracy by courtney milan. think of england by kj charles.

[kris-mage-fics]

(Oooh we love an equal opportunity shipper and I didn’t know about the rest!) Shery Tallys Chase and Red x Kyrah and 6,7,14,26 and 29 for whatever pairing you want to answer for whatever question 👀

This gets long and there are some alpha build spoilers for #29 so I put at the end. Also, here are some answers about Kyrahlise's relationships with Blade, and with Tallys. (Romance Asks, which btw, if you want to ask any feel free to do so even though I reblogged ages ago. I promise it won't take me five months to answer, lol!)

6. Who is the big spoon? Big spoon: Tallys Little spoon: Shery They switch: Chase and Red, though I think they're both the big spoon more often than Kyrah

7. Favorite date activity? Shery: snuggling under a blanket and reading together, going to cozy tea rooms and cafes, taking crafty classes together

Red: picnics, star-gazing, trips to museums, infodumping to each other

14. Is there anything they associate with each other? Shery → Kyrahlise: room cat, bright smiles, drawings, fresh baked bread, letters and notes with little doodles, paint stained hands Kyrahlise → Shery: sweets (especially cake), morning, roses, racy novels, afternoon tea, floral scents

Chase → Kyrahlise: books, her perfume, rose gold and amethyst, the sound of a pencil on paper, painted flowers, linen sheets, sunshine (that’s his own damn fault tbh) Kyrahlise → Chase: her sun medallion, pretty daggers, open windows, fancy scarves, rings, midnight

(Red don't get one because he associates too. many. things. with his ex-girlfriend, and I haven't spent enough time with Tallys to know what she'd associate with Kyrahlise. Though I can say that Kyrah has a pattern of associating certain times of day with people, like Red is sunset, and Tallys is early morning.)

26. How important is the romance in your OC’s overall story?

No matter who Kyrahlise is with, the romance is important to her overall story. It helps her realize people do actually care about her as a person. Which is something she’s struggled to fully believe since her 13th birthday. She’d actually made a lot of progress on that during her time at the Circle. But the 9/10 years since she left set her back quite a bit.

Also Kyrahlise starts to unpack the idea that she’s a walking time bomb. She told the Shepherds the truth about her past in Chapter 3, and none of them treated her like a threat. Then someone falls in love with her knowing her role in Vale’s disappearance, and the god-like power she wields? There are only two conclusions she can draw. One: they are all suicidal idiots to not be scared of her. Two: She isn’t the existential danger she’s believed herself to be for 16/17 years. Since the first can’t reasonably be applied to everyone in the Shepherds, she has to start to let go of this belief. The fact that someone loves her is the final crack in the foundation of this idea, allowing her to clear away the pieces. 

Something I’ve mentioned before, though I don’t recall where, is that Kyrahlise is very determined to stay alive because she needs to keep the memories of Vale. This butts up against her bad habit of underestimating how much danger she is in, thus making her appear reckless. She also has a rather self-sacrificing nature. As you can imagine, this creates a strange cocktail of things going on in her head. Since joining the Shepherds, her terrible risk assessment, as well as her borderline reckless heroism, has really come to the fore. And she can justify these things as “doing her job”.

Once fully in a romance, she starts to be a little more careful. The thought of upsetting the person she loves by getting hurt when it could’ve been prevented is enough to give her pause. Though I do think this happens fastest if she’s with Blade, because he’s so protective of her (and would be the main thing they fight about). It would happen second fastest with Shery and Red since they are both worriers, and she feels guilty adding to that worry. But it does happen no matter who she’s with, just the speed and details change.

Not that Kyrah, or anyone, needs romance to learn these things. She’s just dense when it comes to what she means to people, platonically or romantically. She doesn’t put more value in romantic relationships, but she’s never been in love before (sorry Circle era Red, lol). The newness of this type of love makes it all the more raw and forces her to examine these beliefs faster.

29. What are your favorite moments that happen between them? (Spoilers for the alpha build below, so if you haven't played beyond the public demo feel free to skip this.)

Shery: In Chapter 8 during the first trial when you talk to everyone, you can heal Shery’s ankle, and the romance version of that scene had me kicking my feet and twirling my hair! The sweet longing looks, the touch of gentle sexual tension! Sometimes I just go back and reread that scene because I love it so much!

Tallys: I love how in Chapter 8 MC can comfort her! She’s so calm and in control of herself most of the time, that it’s really nice to be able to be there for her when she needs it. I like seeing a different side of her. Also, it amuses me that it turns into a make-out session, but that’s very Tallys!

Chase: Okay, the bed sharing scene in Chapter 7 where you can push the beds together with Chase absolutely destroys me! I honestly cried the first time I read it! He’s so sweet and tender, and clearly already head over heels for MC. But MC feels like they can’t trust that side of him. 

Red: Gods, it’s hard to pick! Is it his second day off with the awkward encounter at lunch? Or in Chapter 5 when he doesn’t want MC to know he got propositioned? Or that conversation in Chapter 7 where he’s trying to suss out if MC is into him, and then the kids interrupt?

[just-antithings]

I'm not saying adults insisting they only need to read YA books and watch children's cartoons is leading to this culture wide phobia of sex which in turn is becoming a useful vector for the increasing spread of fascism except that is exactly what I'm saying.

Im not that anon but want to expand on their thought, if they're saying what I think they are.

I thought of this more when seeing an old post of someone saying their English teacher should have let them write a report on Divergent instead making them read 1984. Someone commented supporting the OP, saying that they never read Divergent, but 1984 is problematic. Iirc, the commenter referred to Winston (I think that's the protag in 1984; sorry I haven't reread it in years) as a creep. I can't remember is this specific commenter called Winston a misogynist, but that's a common complaint I hear when people say they don't like 1984.

The screenshot of that post also had other screenshots, including the twt posts of YA authors saying that the classics were problematic. It's a sentiment I keep seeing around book twt before I deactivated my account but still on booktube as well, and it's always booktubers who also read and rant about Colleen Hoover, because they know her name gets clicks. Or booktubers that do those videos titled "I read [old/popular/controversial] series so you don't have to".

Sorry, sliding off topic a bit. Going back to what anon said, YA books tend to be more sanitized. They're supposed to be written for a 15-19 audience, so sex and gore aren't supposed to be explicit. There are YA books with sex scenes. 2 I read recently have sex scenes, but they aren't explicit. One uses mostly poetic language and infers to what's happening, and the other essentially fades to black after they get into bed, as they're touching and then picks up the next morning. (One of these YA books had a big controversy on booktube a few years ago for being problematic, though. Gee, wonder why /s)

But for the most part, often for people who enjoy urban fantasy or romances but not steamy scenes, they may go for YA, since it's usually more "PG". Unfortunately, some people get it in their head that this makes YA inherently "better", that adult books that are being more explicit are only doing it to get more sales, when YA tbh has a tighter hold on it marketing-wise.

Okay, I'm not published (yet), but I've been studying it when I need to take a break from writing to see what course is best for me and what I want to write. YA is becoming oversaturated in the market, so it's not as big a "money making genre" for debut authors as it might have been once (and I'd argue that even in the past when YA was smaller, you still had to be lucky, known, or connected to get that 6-figure check for a debut YA novel). YA is more likely to get scrutinized, considering its supposed to he for a younger audience, so a YA author wanting to push boundaries is going to receive more push-back than an adult lit author.

Now pushback happens in adult lit, too, like Ava Reid saying her editor or publisher (I forget who) told her that Juniper&Thorn might be too dark. (I've read it. Yes, it's dark, but bad reviews I saw for the book blew it way out of proportion. If you (gen) like lyrical/poetic narration and gothic horror, I highly suggest it).

But it feels like there's more of a push to keep YA books "clean". You can find some outliers, but like the YA I mentioned above, those outliers in YA that push boundaries can get wrapped in controversy and called problematic.

And for whatever reason, some people on booktube say this is a good thing and say "think of the children!"

They will say censorship is bad but then advocate for sanitized YA to be read instead of classics, because the classics are "bad" and "teach bad things" and "should be left in the past". They advocate for censorship without realizing they are advocating for censorship. It's exhausting, and as someone who wants to be published and does enjoy a lot of YA, it makes me feel discouraged. I don't think I'm "pushing boundaries" at all in my writing or saying anything new, but I'm very sure it's not sanitized enough for most publishers, especially if I wanted to try for one of the beg houses in the US.

Tl;dr One of the major problems in this anti-intellectualism is capitalism.

.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ok thank you good to know! because i'm seeing people act in genuine disbelief why other people are upset show francesca isn't that into john on top of just general confusion why they're upset about any changes to francesca's story because the bridgerton books aren't good. i've only real tdai so i can't speak for the quality of the whole series but i keep hearing whww is the best one. also the idea the show has elevated the books is silly to me, even if they aren't good books the show also isn't good?

As someone who has critiqued the Bton books a lot (I would only recommend two out of eight, personally) from what I've seen a lot of the people who say the books are bad haven't actually READ them lol. They've read out of context screenshots. I fucking KNOW they haven't read When He Was Wicked when they're out there calling Michael a sexual predator, lmao.

When He Was Wicked is the best book in the series, and anyone who's read multiple books in series (this isn't a dig at you by the way, I have zero issues with people going "I don't wanna read 'em, doesn't sound like they're for me", nobody HAS to read these books, I just think it looks very... unintellectual to critique things you haven't consumed--and part of that comes with maturity, I used to do things like that and still have to catch myself doing it at times, but damn some of these people are big ages and acting like they can talk about books they haven't read in an informed capacity) would know that it's also VERY different from the others.

The average Bridgerton book, imo, is very romcom-ish. Several of them rely heavily on the Ton or how a character relates to high society. They are chatty, fast-paced, often pull in other members of the family, and tend more towards those romcom vibes than historical accuracy. (None of these things are why I don't love most of the books; I think that a lot of them have structural and character development issues that have absolutely nothing to do with the tone of the books.) WHWW is a book that begins with a character being in big turmoil because he loves not only his cousin's wife, but his best friend's wife, and knows he will NEVER do anything about it. John dies. Then we have a massive grief tailspin for both Michael and Francesca, a SIZABLE time jump (4 or 6 years) and a return that begins as them rebuilding a friendship before he realizes she wants to remarry, she realizes she wants to fuck him, they do in fact have sex on the floor, and this sort of situationship begins. It's more sexual than a lot of the other Bton books (still not that sexual but more sexual lol) and it's a lot more... emotionally conflicted. It also in large part takes place away from the Ton and the family, though Colin (who is much better in the books, it's true) does have a "You go find my sister and get her" moment which I personally found hilarious. Show!Colin wouldn't dream of being like "GOT GET HER MAN!!!" to some guy who is very clearly just gonna like. Bang Colin's sister. A lot.

Like, I'm not saying WHWW is in my top romance novels. It definitely isn't. But it is imo a solid romance novel and the best one I've read by JQ. However, that's just my opinion. What isn't my opinion is that Fran and John were in love, for example. That's a fact. People who read the book know that, but we've got a lot of people who haven't read the book saying otherwise.

But yeah lol, to me regardless of what you think of the books... This idea that the show empirically elevated them is ridiculous to me. The books have many flaws. The show also chose to keep things like Daphne raping Simon; the show added in things like a Black unwed mother having her secret outed and being vilified by the "heroine" of the series, with zero consequences for said heroine; the show adds in things like "one of them loved one of US" and doesn't truly colorblind cast, but also doesn't want to deal with the implications of that (where is the British Empire in the Bridgerton show, then? How does India relate to that? Is Anthony Bridgerton going on an Indian babymoon just like... okay....? I wouldn't ask about any of this if the show just colorblind cast everyone, but it didn't, so); despite all of that, the show also chose to write a homophobic world.

And you can love that show! You really can. But acting as if the books are All Problems and the show All Perfect is kind of just... completely off balance and binary, to me. They're very separate entities at this point with (often) very separate problems. And as is the case with most adaptations, there are things the show did better and there are things the books did better.

I really wish that people could learn how to say "I love this thing, and I love that this thing did That Thing. I think That Thing is important. But that doesn't mean it's perfect, and this thing can still be critiqued".

Half my favorite books are old as balls and have problematic content. WHWW has problematic content. I can say that I appreciate what is good about those books without casting aside the things that aren't good.

I will say this as one last point about WHWW--anecdotally speaking, most of the romance readers I talk to actually don't like the Bton books that much. That's not to dog out the books, that's me reporting their tastes to say--the books they do like are either TVWLM, WHWW, or both. So I do think that people often say "WHWW is the best" because it is the "If you don't like Bridgerton, this is the Bridgerton book you will like" for romance readers, and has been since before the show began. That book's audience is often non Bridgerton-liking romance readers.

[diwooc]

uhhhhhh can i get a.... Diluc #1, 3, 8, 17, 32, and 46? oh, and a 26 with Kaeya. aaaaand a large 25 with a side of 27. to go.

Canon I outright reject

So I'm not sure if there's a canon I outright reject - I do reject his cute baby face though, I am not going to lie.

I also outright reject that he's twunky and is more masculine. Thicker, muscular, but he is short.

Obscure headcanon

He is passively suicidal with very little to no self preservation (this is seen in canon, he actively puts himself in danger). If he were to die, his thoughts would not really be on the idea of survival but more, "Oh. Well, this is okay. Retribution for my own sins."

Also a sillier, cuter one: he makes anonymous donations to the new animal shelter in Mondstadt and has a big soft spot for them. The winery is just crawling with different critters and he has named each and everyone, including the pigs, and that goddamn rooster that chases him every morning. (He also likes to keep an eye on Diona if Kaeya cannot - makes sure she gets to Springevale safely if she's working at the Cat's Tail).

He has nightmares about the night he killed his father and is still hesitant to ever celebrate his own birthday.

I DO NOT KNOW if this is obscure either BUT it was Arlecchino he fought and it was Yelan who saved him and recruited him, tyvm.

Unpopular opinion about them

He's still good game wise. He's still fun, and Diluc is actually an incredibly nice person deep down. If anyone ever pays attention to the dialogue or have read his lines will know that he's a gentle soul, and there's still bits of the old him that comes out, but unfortunately he's learned to hide it and push it away.

Since fandom treats this as canon even though it's more a misunderstanding, I'm gonna say this:

Diluc does not hate Kaeya. Diluc is awkward and uncomfortable and awful with feelings, things are tense between the two of them but in no way does he hate Kaeya. In fact, he still cares about Kaeya (a lot) and vice versa. And will work with him on need to know basis.

ALSO he's not a dick to Venti. He's a lot nicer than what he lets on. His comments about Venti's bill is just him making jabs, Diluc is not the best in the beginning with joking or teasing so it falls short. Yes, he gets annoyed with Venti - quite often - but he respects Venti and does view him more as a friend and a guide than, "that annoying, homeless bard who keeps stealing from me". If he actually had any sort of issues with Venti pilfering from the Winery or leaving a large, open tab, he would actively do something about it. Archon or not.

He's not an asshole, he's emotionally repressed.

Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Monster, No Longer You "My heart cracked in my body." Rupi Kapur, The Sun and her Flowers “ i have everything and yet i am unhappy. ” Rupi Kapur, The Sun and her Flowers "i barely feel like living." Rupi Kapur, The Sun and her Flowers you are a wild, unkempt thing

Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

He really, really adores dad jokes. Animals. Lumine's presence (as the Traveler). Kaeya

The person they most admire

Adelinde. And Jean.

What they would do if stuck in an elevator with Kaeya

So - they wouldn't be stuck in the elevator for long. Both of these men - for as much as they care about each other in their own way - will work together to get the elevator unstuck. They're both very smart but Kaeya is the better planner, the brains if you will, while Diluc is the brawns.

They'd work quicker than the cops or fire department.

3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

His Vision, some clothes, his claymore. He's had experience in the wild before, he knows how to survive. It'll suck but maybe there will be less bloodshed this time.

Their guilty pleasure

Romance novels.

(actually being interested in the day to day gossip of Mondstadt that has nothing to do with the Abyss Order or Fatui)

light novels from yae publishing house the isekai ones with the very long names leave him alone

ASK GAME

[obsoleteozymandias]

Hi! I saw that your requests were open. So, if/when you get the chance, I'd like to have a match for Twisted Wonderland! This is long, I'm sorry in advance.

I use he/it/xe, I'm vaguely masculine and I call myself transmasc but not sure what my identity is as a whole for my gender. I'm also questioning my sexuality, so anything goes honestly. I'm fine with mostly any characters, but maybe not the first years other than Epel and Ace? I dunno, I don't like the majority of them for some reason. Anyone else is fair game, even the other college(s). Not too picky with it.

I'm 5'10 and chubby, fluffy and short hair, I wear glasses and a knee brace most of the time. My vision is really bad without my glasses. I also have somewhat mediocre hearing, but it's not enough to warrant hearing aids. I'm severely anemic, and I have chronic fatigue. And mental issues, I'll get into those later.

I'm a huge fan of fiction novels. And I essentially have two ends to that spectrum when it comes to my preferences; queer romance novels, and splatterpunk horror novels.

As for other hobbies than reading, I'm pagan. I know it's not technically a hobby, but I do want to mention it. I'm what some would like to consider an "eclectic witch," though I don't focus on those labels. I work with Lilith and Hades(which, given Hades is one of the Seven, may cause some confusion.) I'm also an artist, I like coloring with markers or doing paintings if I have the time. But markers are my primary medium at this time. DND is one last thing I'd like to mention, I'm the VP of the DND club we have at my school.

Other general interests, I'm gonna try and make this short. I like crystals a lot. Also some video games(pokemon is a special interest of mine, for example,) and animes(Black Butler is so far my favorite anime other than pokemon. Pokemon is my favorite as a whole, though.)

For me as a person, I'm pretty quiet. I don't have a lot of friends, but that's not something entirely my fault, because I've grown up with the same people my entire life and not many of them like me because I'm autistic. I'm small town and all that. Not even a stoplight in town levels of small. I've known one or two since preschool, and 20 other kids since kindergarten. My favorite core subject is English, and my favorite elective is Drama or Art. I usually keep to myself unless I'm around the few people that are actually my friends. Which is the DND club, and 3 other kids who are lowerclassmen by a grade or two. When I am around my friends, I do manage to be more extroverted, but it's only around them, and usually because we're doing stupid crap in DND. More of a follower than a leader, would rather be reading than being around people, and while I can't usually concentrate on classes due to my classmates, I still get high marks usually.

I do have PTSD, autism, AVPD, and BPD. I don't necessarily let them control me, but they do give me some personality traits. For example, I'm extremely hyper-vigilant. I can't relax very often. Even the smallest thing can set me off, but not in a temper way. I'm a perfectionist but only for myself. I hate socializing, and I only go to things like dances because my 6-8th grade years were hell due to the pandemic and other personal factors. Also, major parental issues. Not gonna elaborate on that one.

I'm also strangely good with kids. But not just any kind of kids, for some reason. I'm good with toddlers specifically. I can't handle anyone whose over 5 years old, unless they're over 13. So 6-12 years old and I can't handle them.

I do a bunch of volunteer work when I have the chance. For example, despite religious issues I have I do help out at an AWANA group at my area, working with the youngest group of kids there. I also do some work at the hospice thrift store in town.

That was a lot, but it might help you in the long run? I'm not sure if I added too much, but it's too late now. If you do end up doing my request, I appreciate it a lot! But if not, that's okay, I understand. Bye : )

I have mixed feelings about splatterpunk but I have been known to dabble

== Twisted Wonderland ==>

I match you up with…

Kalim Al-Asim 

Kalim is the kinda guy who is genuinely accepting of everyone and everything. He sees the intelligence and creativity in you and is instantly at your side, talking up a storm, asking you about your day, etc.  

He’s drawn to your mystique, most of all. He wants to know and understand everything about you, though he’ll certainly respect boundaries (he’s learning how). 

I headcanon that Kalim is also a crystal enjoyer - especially ones that distort or change his view of the world. He’ll be bouncing off the walls when the two fo you go crystal shopping, asking you all the names and picking out ones which match your eyes and your skin and - he’ll just take all of them!

He’ll then make you glasses and jewlery with the gems embedded in them. 

Kalim will encourage your creativity, whether through writing or art. He wants to watch you work too, and he’ll fawn over every little brush stroke, so proud to be your S/O! 

Bad days happen to the worst of us, and so whenever you’re feeling down, Kalim is quick to find a way to make it better. You’ll have to tell him directly how to help you - whether that’s letting you be or offering advice, but whatever it is, he’ll put 100% effort and love into it. 

And when he’s down, nothing cheers him up like some quality time with you, cuddling or holding hands (he’s a tactile person). 

You two are very much the sun x moon dynamic <3. 

[yashiro-arisugawa]

Amanatsu

Amanatsu is a Visual Novel that is centered around the male protagonist Haruto who leaves his colourless city life and moves to the countryside, seeking enriching life experiences. The VN has 3 main female leads, namely Kazuha, Kogane and Yashiro, with one route for each of them.

(Spoiler text / CG so pls beware)

Most databases say that it has an average length of 20ish hours but the time taken of course increases or decreases depending on one's reading speed, owing to one's relative mental freshness or fatigue.

Day 1:

It's been off to a great start and lives up to the summer-y vibe that it promises to its audience. The characters are generally very warm and welcoming, given it's a rural setting where people are much closer to each other, with no digital walls separating them.

I was not expecting Haruto to be living with Kazuha though, so that came as a surprise. It obviously seems to gives Kazuha an advantage over the other two heroines, but her outright disinterest in romance somewhat makes up for it.

Kogane is the typical clingy imouto type and I don't really want to label her as ‘annoying’ s such, but she certainly is the high energy puppy type character. She speaks incredibly fast though, so hats off to her seiyuu Akino Hana. Sometimes I take a bit longer to read Kogane’s lines because she speaks so fast and my brain can't decide whether to focus my comprehension on the jp dialogues (contextually the most accurate) or the English text ( easier on the brain) 🤣.

Yashiro is the cool beauty and soft spoken type of heroine. Soft spoken usually evokes an association with timidness but she's far from that. She loves to joke and they're almost always ridiculous which is what I love about it. She doesn't try to force the jokes and they're just whack most of the time but Haruto's reactions to them is what fuels the comedy.

Another thing I really like so far is how natural the interactions feel. Especially so, with Hanayo san (Kazuha’s mother). Most teenage romance fiction tends to keep the parental interactions at bay, leaving the teenagers to their own devices. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing. In fact, even when there IS parental interaction, it is usually limited to the mother cooking when the protagonist leaves home in the morning for school or when he or she is back in the evening. In such scenarios, more often than not, after returning home from club or classes, the protagonist pretty much just goes up to their room and stays there except for dinner or some other minor interactions. More so for male protagonists/ characters.

However, in Amanatsu the interaction between Hanyo san and Haruto feels pretty natural. It makes it extra appealing for me because most of it is light hearted banter while Hanayo san also comes across as a kind caretaking adult who is actually involved, contrary to Haruto’s experiences with his biological parents back home.

Day 2:

(rip, the draft got deleted 💀)

The second day was pretty fun as well, there's an overnight camping trip with the cast. Pretty much basic activites for camping, there's barbeque and curry making, tent setting up and everyone just generally fooling around and enjoying each others' company. I'm upset they cut out Iorin's face out of the art tho, like why would you 😭

I'm doing Kogane's route first so her route pretty much started already.

Nah man this shit is funny af

Yep def on Kogane route. Finished all the choices now we just go with the flow. Like I said earlier, I don't want to call her annoying because she's really sweet, loving and genuine in her love and sunshine energy towards Haruto. We figure out that she's loney from within and is confused about how to handle her own feelings which scare her, because of the relationship between her parents who divorced 'amicably'.

Day 3:

It's a good route tho it feels a little long to me. To be honest whichever route I choose first in any VN so far has felt long just because I'm slightly fatigued by all the interactions in the common route. The others might not feel so long later because either I can skip the common routes or just start from the first choice save incase there won't be any new/ changed lines after I finished Kogane's route.

(for anyone reading this before they start playing Amanatsu- it will have some h scenes so please be prepared with earphones and whatnot. I anyways force skip all the h scenes in the vns I read because sometimes the all ages versions arent out/ available. Still gotta be careful of the CGs tho)

Day 4:

Did not even open Amanatsu or my VN folder because I was binge drawing a fem version of Zayne 😭😭 Hoping I'll finish at least Kogane route tmrw.

[faejilly]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💕

With the obvious caveat that I would assuredly pick five different fics tomorrow, here you go nonny, in no particular order, and attempting to NOT list just half a dozen Malec things just because they are my Hotel California fandom apparently... But I do have to have at least one for them! #BecauseMalec

out of some dreaming tree: Malec Fairy Tale Quest! A Forest That Eats "People" (and other Things)! Weird eldritch and magical lore!

This AU requires absolutely NO CANON KNOWLEDGE and I keep hoping some of the people who occasionally just read my fic for shits & giggles will try it even though they're not Shadowhunters people. But also more Shadowhunters people should also read it, I had such a great time writing it. 🤣

Vindication: M!Shepard/Jack. Did I mention I have a thing for fairy tales? AND ALSO JACK FROM MASS EFFECT? (I'm love her, your honors)

So it's almost more a series of post-game scenes than my usual prose story style (because Jack POV and that's how she wanted to tell it) and Jack's trying to learn the context of kids' stories, and take care of Shepard who is being kind of a dumb ass but mostly just, yk, trying to recover, and Miranda is Brilliant (even Jack is willing to admit it) and I am very fond of it.

souver'inan isala hamin (weary eyes need resting): DAI, Varric & a Dalish Inquisitor, friends vs family vs love... or something like that.

Having Varric be in your party again, having Hawke's shadow from the previous game spilling over your Inquisitor, was fascinating to me. (Especially as Varric & my Adelaide were family but not ever really friends, and family is a fraught sort of thing for a Tethras and a Hawke/Amell.) Romancing Blackwall and trying to be friends with Dorian, being Dalish and Inquisitor, it was just... prickly all the way through. (In a good way, imo.) My Inquisitor was also noticeably older than my Wardens or Hawkes had been, much more self-aware and dangerous in a way that the narrative of DAI seldom let me illustrate or articulate, and while I'm not sure how much of that is clear in the fic, I can still feel what it was like for Erana to despise the world she's going to save because she loves too many of the people in it to do anything else, and I enjoy wallowing in that sometimes.

Solace: DA2, Adelaide Hawke/Sebastian Vael, my darlings, my beloveds

While not the first thing I wrote for them, it was the story of their first meeting, and it meant a lot a lot a lot to me when I finally did manage to let it happen outside of my head. Also Sebastian recognizing the Adelaide/Bethany/Carver/Daryn joke made my day when I wrote it and still makes me smile.

Fine Feathers: Yuletide fic! Book!fic, which I don't do terribly often! M/F Regency Romance

An epilogue for The Quiet Gentleman which is, if you are unaware, a novel by The Lady Who Made Regency a Viable Modern Genre almost 100 years ago, which means it has a Very Specific Style and I was very pleased I managed to capture it. (Also it's both one of my favorites of Georgette Heyer's books but also one of the most frustrating, because the lead couple has like ONE HALF OF A SCENE TOGETHER so I wrote them together more and honestly now I like the original book better, which is some hellishly ridiculous hubris but I don't care.)

[purple-dragon]

last week i read this delicious death, by kayla cottingham, and i really enjoyed it overall, but there was one specific aspect that i loved and want to talk about a little more. spoilers below:

this delicious death is a book that i would describe as tokyo ghoul-esque in nature with regards to the content. you have your protagonists, four teenage girls who, during a worldwide apocalyptic event, were turned hollow (ghouls, pejorative) and must now consume human flesh to survive. though there is synthetic flesh available to them, the stigma of being a 'ghoul' is still present and affects their daily lives, to the point where when they go to a music festival, they and their fellow ghouls start getting drugged with a substance that makes them go feral and kill people, increasing the public's fear and distrust of ghouls in general.

it's a great concept, in my opinion. part murder mystery, part social criticism, part romance (best friends to lovers and the li is a trans woman? i love it i love her), and all around good time. it's genuinely so fun fr fr !!

but the part that i personally liked the most was the way that the author allowed the characters to keep their humanity. the four main girls have a choice at the end to either kill/leave for dead or save the person who (though coerced and manipulated) caused all of the problems and hurt/killed a lot of people, and they choose to save him.

it's not that they even like him at this point - he's hurt all of them, and they owe him nothing. but they empathize with him, because he's doing all this out of being manipulated and sheer guilt about what he did during the hollowing, and they understand, because they also did horrible, reprehensible things during the hollowing. they understand how he feels, and they don't condemn him for it.

it would have been very easy to make them the type of characters who would leave him for dead. the type of hard, cold, girlboss no mercy type of character that i see so often in ya/na novels nowadays. they could have left him, but they chose not to, and that's what's been hitting me.

that moment, i feel, is what made them the most human of all the characters, even despite the fact that they're ghouls, and that's the choice that made this book go from good to great for me.

[lurking-latinist]

Hello Aurelia,

Siena Sevenwits here! Not long ago you turned me in the direction of Spotify for Big Finish - now that it's Christmas I have a little listening time. I was wondering if I could ask for a rec or two, if you have time and inclination? I'm, er, wondering if it's a good idea to get into 6, 7, and 8 by means of audio rather than TV. If I'm barking up the wrong tree, ah well.

My Whovianness on television: Got into Doctor Who casually around 2010, and been rather on and off. I've seen a fair-ish amount of Doctors 1-4, rather more of 5, and only tiny bits of 6-8. I am aware of all the major Who-impacting plot points even from the later eras, could tell you a few sentences about each of the companions from those adventures, etc. As for New Who, I came to Doctor Who via 11, whom I know extremely well, and some 10 here and there. I've listened to a smattering of Big Finishes with 5.

What I'm looking for: I'm especially intrigued by 7 & 8, though I'm open to persuasion about 6. I don't have a lot of time to watch TV right now, but have time to listen while I do chores, which is partly why I thought this might be a good way to get into these incarnations. I love clever or atmospheric adventures, though humour is welcome too. Good character development is awesome. I'd prefer single rather than multi-doctor stories. Really I'm looking for a good starting place and, you know, confirmation that this is actually a good idea without watching the shows first. I also don't mind listening to adventures that spoil things from the show.

Siena!! This is the best ask!

The good news is that it is a great idea to get into 8 by means of audio--there is only audio! (Well, and novels and comics, but those are separate continuities.) There is the TV Movie, which is the Eighth Doctor's first story and only full-length appearance in a televised medium, and you can certainly watch it if you want--it's a corny good time--but you really won't miss anything at all by starting directly with 8 on audio. He is the audio Doctor.

The converse to this is that 8 has been in a lot of audio, so you'll still need to narrow it down. I'm assuming you don't want to start with any of the boxsets (sets of usually four hour-long stories), which are expensive and continuity-heavy. Instead, you'll probably want to start with one of the two 8 runs that are available free on Spotify: his adventures with Charlotte "Charley" Pollard and Lucie Miller.

For Charley you'll start with Storm Warning, which is a very enjoyable listen. It's definitely a good starting point--I would say it's similar to, say, The Eleventh Hour in that it introduces a basically new Doctor and new companion, and it's intended to be a doable jumping-on point. From there you can listen to Eight and Charley's stories sequentially--there is a 'season' arc, so be sure you listen more or less in order--they're all part of the Main Range, so just pick out the Main Range stories with Paul McGann in them. But you can skip Minuet in Hell, it's really bad and not part of the season arc. The arc concludes in Neverland and the infamously long, complicated, and multi-Doctor Zagreus, but don't worry if you just want to read the wiki summary for Zagreus. At that point if you want more Eight and Charley you have to start spending money, but the next several adventures are quite cheap on the Big Finish website, so it's not a bad deal at all (and you get to download and keep the files, it's not a streaming situation).

Eight and Charley's stories are dramatic, romantic (in the 'literary style' sense, although occasionally in the 'love' sense as well), and often historically inflected--she's an eighteen-year-old runaway schoolgirl and would-be 'Edwardian Adventuress' whom the Doctor rescues from an airship crash in 1930. Their plotline is the first Doctor/companion ship that's anything like canonical, although it's always framed as a tragic romance: their love is impossible but their friendship is real. Their stories are formatted like Classic Who stories in that each story consists of four half-hour episodes, which can be handy if, for instance, you have a half-hour commute or task.

Some of Eight and Charley's other best stories are The Stones of Venice, Chimes of Midnight, and Seasons of Fear.

Alternatively, you could start with Eight and Lucie instead! I'm somewhat biased because I love Charley and could never quite get into Lucie as much, but I did enjoy her stories and would listen again. Her opening adventure, the two-parter Blood of the Daleks, is also a perfectly workable jumping-on point, and from there you'll listen to the stories in the 8th Doctor Adventures series. Lucie's a young English woman from 2006 (so then-contemporary) who's placed in 'witness protection' by the Time Lords and forced to travel with the Doctor after she gets accidentally involved in some time nonsense. Initially skeptical of him, she eventually comes to be great friends with the Doctor but never stands for his nonsense--think a somewhat younger Donna. She has a lot of adventures after the season that's available on Spotify, which I haven't listened to all of, but I'm told she gets some really emotionally devastating story arcs. But she's also very snarky and funny. Her stories are one or two hour-long parts each, so formatted more like a New Who story.

With Eight and Lucie, I particularly remember enjoying Phobos and Human Resources.

So Eight is the best Doctor to start with on audio, because he's so very on audio. But there is a story arc with Six and an audio-original companion that is also a fantastic jumping-on point, and assumes no knowledge of Six's TV run. In The Marian Conspiracy, the Sixth Doctor finds that a time anomaly appears to be affecting middle-aged history professor Dr. Evelyn Smythe. He goes to investigate the anomaly's origin in the Tudor period, which happens to be Evelyn's specialty, and she invites herself along! I adore Evelyn and think everyone should meet her, and she and Six have some of the best audios honestly--Jubilee and Doctor Who and the Pirates are both deservedly famous. The writing and characterization issues that you may have heard about in Six's TV run 100% do not apply to the audios. But if you're more drawn to Eight than Six, you might as well start with Eight. Six and Evelyn will be there!

There are also plenty of Six audios with his TV companions Peri and Mel, but most of those aren't designed as starting points. Although my own starting point with Six was ...ish, which is a Peri one, and I turned out all right.

Seven doesn't have a sort of audio reboot like Six and Eight both do, so most Seven audios (especially the early ones which are free) include his TV companions, Mel and Ace. But the Seven and Mel stories certainly require no knowledge of TV continuity. The Fires of Vulcan is a particularly fun historical of theirs in which the TARDIS gets lost in ancient Pompeii. His stories with Ace do tend to draw on her TV characterization more, but if you know basically who she is, you should be fine to listen to any of their early ones that draw your attention. Additionally, Seven and Ace pick up a third companion, Hex (it's short for Hector), who is a nurse from 2021 (which was a long time in the future when they made it!). Hex is a part of some very long-term story arcs, and it's best to listen to the Seven, Ace & Hex stories in order if you want to do that.

I realize this is a lot of information in not very parsable form, but fortunately @circular-time's website VHSWhovian has a very useful Index of Free Big Finish on Spotify.

Enjoy!

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

SO's Bookclub : The Specter

Title: The Specter Author: Joan Lowery Nixon Genre: YA Mystery

Goodreads Summary: Seventeen-year-old Dina is fighting cancer and is angry at the whole world. But when Julie, a nine-year-old survivor of a car accident, becomes Dina's roommate at the hospital, there's no time for Dina to keep on being angry. Because Julie is frightened. Desperately frightened. She's sure that someone caused the accident she was in ‒ someone who will return to kill her. Now she's insisting on being with Dina all the time. But by befriending Julie, is Dina making herself the target of a dangerous killer?

Review: It's now 1982, a year skipped, because JLN was probably writing one of her hundred Orphan Train books (this woman was prolific, and yet most people don't remember her - weird, right?).

Keeping watch over some trope-ish things I've been tracking -- Set in a small Texas town? Check. Religious community? Check - and this time in Spanish. Male hero popping up half way through the novel but romance is never firmly sealed with a kiss? You've got it! I've also noticed that these books often have some kind of older matriarch in them. In Christian Lattimore - it was her grandmother who ran the family. In The Séance - an elderly aunt was the caregiver. In this one, a retiring, Hispanic nurse takes care of the two kids. Interesting, right?

Oh - and conversations about college. Our main character, Dina, is really obsessed with college -- but it makes sense that she's preoccupied with it, because she has Hodgkin's Disease and doesn't know how long she'll live.

Oh boy, is this an uplifting book...

The story revolves around Dina dealing with her cancer treatment - all the meanwhile, a strange girl named Julie ends up in the hospital bed next to her. (Now that I think of it -- Julie, a car crash survivor, probably wouldn't end up in the same section as the cancer patients - but it's probably best not to think too hard about these plots.) The book is split up into two distinct parts - the first part dealing with everything that happens at the hospital and the second half dealing with being fostered by a retiring nurse.

Oh right, because both the teenage Dina and the 9yo Julie are orphans. This book just doesn't stop hitting you with these tragedies, but they're all in service to the plot that Nixon is trying to sell. Does it all work? Mmmmm - I suppose it's better than everything that happened in Christina Lattimore.

Here's the thing - it's kind of hard to talk about this book without getting into spoilers because all of it kind of hinges on the 'twist' that's at the end of the book. I will say - even if I hadn't remembered (and I was surprised at how easily it came back to me) it's pretty obvious what the twist is. Even the cover is spoilery once you know what's happening. It might have been intentional, though, to drum up drama. You're one step of all the characters in the book the whole way, and that adds to the tension.

The crux of the book lies on the growingly complicated relationship between Dina and Julie - and the mystery surrounding what happened in Julie's past that got her to this point.

I can't say that this was the most intriguing plot. Honestly, it might have been better as a short story - as the character development of Dina trying to cope with her cancer going into remission just felt like filler and padding time to get back to the, somewhat thin, plot of what was happening with Julie. I can say that Dina was at least a decent main character - and better written than either Christina or Lauren, but, while this is still a quick read, the book drags -- especially when it pushes in on the drama and consequently stretches out the mystery.

I should also note - while there is quite a bit of tension in the novel, it's not steeped in that unnerving late 70s/early 80s horror-esque feel. While definitely dated, it feels more generic than feeling of a single time and place.

Alright - so I am going to talk about the twist, so that'll be under the cut. The non-spoilery ending of this review will be -- it's fine. Not my favorite, not terrible, but not great either. Meh.

Rating: 2.75 Stars

**spoiler section**

Okay - so here's the thing. The whole twist is that after her mom decided to run off with this dude who nearly killed her father, Julie decided to cause the crash to kill them all. (Or did the guy kidnap them? I'm a little fuzzy on this.)

The thing is -- I feel like the ending is trying to paint Julie in a sympathetic light at the end. Oh, this poor girl and all the trauma she's been through. And her dad is alive - and they'll go live happily ever after.

But here's my issue. The kid is a freaking psychopath. Everything she does with Dina is psychopathic behavior. And she tries, multiple times, to murder people without really any kind of remorse. Everything she does is manipulative and selfish. And I guess I don't buy that the basis for all of this is psychological trauma from what happened to her. Not saying she wouldn't be traumatized because she would be. But the girl is also a psychopath. And I'm worried for her dad once he comes out of that coma...

The thing though, too, is that Julie is really what made me not like this book. She is terrible and annoying. The rest of the characters are fairly interesting (if a little dull). Dina is a find MC. Her love interest, Dave, is the first male hero I've liked. And her Hispanic community she gets fostered into are really fun. But Julie and all of her games - and the fact that they all keep making excuses for her is really annoying. The twist isn't that hidden, and like I said earlier, probably purposely done - but it makes it even more frustrating seeing it coming. I know times were different back then, but would they really so easily shuffle this girl, with these behaviors off so easily? Ug.

Anyway - that's my two cents on that. I still found it overall a better read than Christina Lattimore, though.

[thegoddesswater]

Author Questionnaire Tag Game

Tagged by @tc-doherty - Thanks, Lano!

About Me

When did you start writing?

Forever ago, it feels like some days. The first time I was told I had a talent for telling a story was probably second grade, but I also definitely ruined one of my mom's recipe books by scribbling all over it "writing" a story that I was simultaneously telling to my brother when I was just a small kiddo. I don't think the scribbling really counts though.

Are there genres/themes you enjoy reading different to the ones you write?

Eh, sometimes, I guess. I've started reading more contemporary stuff in recent years, and it's not likely that I'll ever actually try to write that, but contemporary fiction is also absolutely not my favourite genre to read. Also, even though there are often a lot of romantic elements in what I write, I find that I'm super choosy when it comes to whether I like romance in books I'm reading.

For the most part, I'd say that the things I write and the things I read are at least similar, even if they're not exactly the same.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

If I've ever had anyone compare my writing to an established author, I've genuinely forgotten who the comparison was to.

I don't really set out to emulate anyone in particular. I've got my own quirks and writing flair, and I'm pretty okay with that. I can swap styles when I need to, but I also like being able to feel like I've got my own voice.

There was a time when my friends tried to start a writers' circle and I was the only woman there. We started off with free writes and shared them, and I remember distinctly that one of the others there was like "Even if you hadn't read that out, I'd still know that it was written by you, I'd absolutely say 'Kelsey totally wrote that' because it sounds feminine." I could not decide what to do with that feedback. I still don't, actually.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space?

UH. It's...cluttered. I keep my personal laptop on my dining room table, a surface which has the unfortunate honour of being horizontal, and, therefore, a place where items tend to congregate when I set them down for "just a second". And there are so many sticky notes. Because I will scribble down thoughts on a post-it when I'm at work and then stick it near my laptop so I can use it later.

I also keep a notebook in my bedside table and will jot things down into that if I'm writing right before bed. That's a very casual writing space and not my favourite. Partly because the pen I use for it is simultaneously running out of ink and also drippy if I think too much before writing with it.

Honestly, my writing space can actually be anywhere though, because I have cloud-based novel software on my phone, so sometimes my writing space is public transit.

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Dunno! If I want to write, I can usually write, but sometimes I'm just super not in the mood for it, and I have enough other things that I like to do that I don't try to force myself if it's not working.

Though if I need to write for a challenge (think NaNoWriMo), then I start off by just stream-of-consciousness dumping my brain out on the page for a while. It works like having one of those "conversations" with a friend where you go "I'm trying to figure out this bit in my story" and tell them everything and don't actually let them talk and then you figure out the issue and go "Great. Thanks. You're a big help." And then I find that I'm interested in writing out the solution and it's all terribly exciting.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Probably? Like I'm sure there are things in my writing that are there because of where I've lived, but I don't think there's anything I could consciously identify.

And especially where I don't write in the real world, it's harder to identify. Though that being said, there is something about one of my settings that feels extremely American to me. I've only been to the United States a couple times, so I can't actually accurately judge why that is.

Are there any recurring themes of your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Honestly, I feel like I'm writing at my best (at least for first drafts) if I don't think about themes and just let the story happen. If I think too hard about something, it starts to get forced and stilted.

Grief shows up a lot -- a lot more than I would have expected way back when I started writing seriously, and I think I know why. It's not usually the focus of a story, but it's usually there, like a particular shade to tie a colour palette together. There's also lot of found-family type dynamics and just really broken characters sometimes. Neither of which exactly surprise me.

I also leave little things to amuse myself, that maybe someone will pick up on, but it's mostly dumb stuff like hiding a "James" somewhere like I'm early Pixar working with John Ratzenberger, or having a character say a clearance code that is a nod to another character that inspired part of his creation.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favourite character?

I can't believe you're going to make me choose! My characters are the closest I'll ever have to my own children, I can't just choose a favouri-- It's Adair. My little sourpuss of a cyborg. He would be so mad to know that I've called him that -- mostly about the cyborg bit. Adair is contradictory, he craves affection and companionship, yet keeps people at arms length; he willingly signed away his autonomy and yearns for freedom; he's stuck in the structure of the military, but excels most when he does his own thing outside of the rules. He will do anything for the people he loves, but he can be an utter bastard to anyone outside that subset of...what, five?? people. He'll usually do the right thing, if begrudgingly and he's something of a reluctant hero, but he's really fun for me to write.

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

I think a lot of the characters from Talentless/Wild Card would be people I would potentially get along with. I don't know if we would be friends exactly, but it would be possible to be friendly with them, with a couple of exceptions.

Not so much with Project 404's cast or Miadhachain Legacy's. Jance from ML and Cal from 404 would probably fall into the amiable-aquaintance-y category, though.

Which of your characters would you dislike most if you met them?

Probably General Vancil (Talentless/Wild Card), Voltain (Talentless/Wild Card), Chancellor Bardrick (ML), and most of anyone in the actual Miadhachain family (ML - duh). I honestly have no doubt that I'd probably get rubbed the wrong way by tons of other characters, but those are the ones that would be immediate dislike.

Tell me more about the process of coming up with your characters.

I guess my usually process goes "I need someone to fit this role" and then I start building from there. I'll use Cyri as an example.

Ages ago, I created a child character who was going to be following the main character around and causing shenanigans. I didn't want him to be an orphan, so I went "He needs parents. I don't want to worry about two parents. He needs parent. He can have a mom." I slapped the name Cyri on The Mom(TM) and called it day. At the time, I just dropped her into the story with no introduction when it was an appropriate moment for The Mom(TM) to arrive. Revisiting that story, I decided it would be better to introduce her earlier, so it wouldn't be weird when she showed up. And, suddenly that early intro scene leads to me starting to interrogate her a little bit: How did she wind up here? Why does her life look like it does in this moment? And thousands of words of playing around with her later, she went from being just The Mom (TM) to Cyri - a woman struggling to balance her protective nature with the fact that she knows that her son needs to go on these (somewhat ill-advised) adventures with the main character, because he needs to experience the world, and she can't give him that.

Other times, I come up with a name that I really like and go "Damn. If only you had a personality to go along with this" and then I'll start trying things on the name to see what fits. I have Aerun who is currently suffering from "Neat name, nothing else" which is a shame, because he feels like he's gonna be fun when he starts telling me about himself.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Lots of my characters are searching for "home", I think. Which is super not intentional. Also, I have a really weird set of occupations that I tend to give characters: Military roles, health care workers, assassins, tradespeople/artisans, and politicians. There are some stand alone occupations too, like the rock star and the figure skater, but otherwise there are a lot of characters falling into the above occupations.

And sometimes I wind up with characters from different stories who look similar if you write about them like a checklist of traits, but they present differently from each other in text.

How do you picture your characters?

Depends! Some of them I've got super solid ideas of what they look like and others...Not so much. I usually have a general idea of what characters look like with like...general height, body type, skin tone, eye colour, hair etc. But occasionally I'll watch a movie, see a picture, meet a person and I will know in my soul that I will have stumbled upon the most accurate portrayal of one of my characters. I'll mentally go "Oh my god! That's them. That is exactly what [character] looks like" and it's very fun when that happens.

It also happens sometimes with voices, for example, Hogarth from The Iron Giant is the most perfect match for the way Cyri's kid sounds.

I'll often make some kind of visual representation of the character, whether that's with a picrew or on the Sims or SOMETHING, but usually that representation is just close to what they look like.

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

Because I have stories to tell?? Because I like to amuse myself? Because it makes me feel like I'm home?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

I just love any comments! I'm never going to complain about the ones that I do get. Keyboard smashes make me giggle. People saying that they like what I put out is always fun. I do love when people share their thoughts with me though, because those are the ones that I come back to again and again when I need a boost; I love knowing that people are engaged with my writing, y'know?

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work?

I genuinely don't understand the question. Like... Do I want them to think I'm good at writing? Sure. Would I like them to have the idea that I am not a terrible person? Also sure. Are we talking when I post things online? I'd like people to think I'm kinda approachable at least so there could be some kind of interaction perhaps?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Probably my ability to create characters. My world building is sometimes iffy and my sentences can be utilitarian, but my characters? Love them, and I think they're one of the best things I do. They feel like people and old friends.

What have you been frequently told by others is your greatest strength as a writer?

Again, probably characters. I once wrote some OC-heavy fanfic and folks would literally tell me how much they loved the OCs. Which, particularly in the world of fanfic, I feel like says a lot.

When my sentences aren't just utilitarian, I can come up with some very poetic turns of phrase, which people also point out as a strength, but I've gotta say that mostly it's my characters.

How do you feel about your own writing?

When I am in the midst of writing it? Sometimes my feelings are definitely "I am terrible at this, but I can fix it later" and then when I revisit it, I often go "Damn, that's not bad, actually."

I will reread my own stories just because I love them so much. I have lost so many hundreds of hours going back through documents and rereading things. I wrote them to adhere to my desires, so why wouldn't I love them?

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Probably! Assuming that I'm not spending all my time trying to survive as the lone person in some post-apocalyptic wasteland and needing to scavenge for food and water and find/maintain a shelter. Do I like sharing my stuff? Sure - though it's been a long time since I posted much of it anywhere people can find it, and now I freeze up a little bit at putting things out there again, but I digress.

If there was no one else around, I might actually write MORE because if I was the only person left alive in the entire freaking world, I would probably need something to entertain myself and fend off the crazies.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? if it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I would say a little bit of both, but more what I enjoy. If I put something in that would be for someone else, it's more of a "I bet [Specific Friend] will also get a kick out of this moment" than a consideration for a nebulous future reader.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I feel like What We Do in the Shadows or Good Omens would be better recommendations for Our Flag Means Death fans. Re The Terror there's a lot of subtext but there's nothing explicitly gay to my understanding.

I don't care for Good Omens personally (I get why other people do, and it's def a better rec than the other things lmao) but What We Do in the Shadows, definitely. Very similar sense of humor. A similar approach to queerness onscreen (ie not constant self-denial and suffering lol), and obviously both have a connection to Taika and Rhys.

I didn't dislike The Terror, it was just very slow and I struggle with a lot of slow things (whatever gives Tobias Menzies work though, I adore him). But yeah, I never heard of anything explicitly gay in The Terror?

For me, there's nothing wrong with subtextual queer content, and obviously there is a very long literary and cinematic history of queer coding--it was once all you could do. However, as a consumer, I think that in new content I don't want shit I have to squint and read into. If that is ALL I CAN GET, which with some projects it is, then that's not on the creator--it's obviously on the bigger powers that be, and I'm aware of that.

But let's be real, there are creatives who do very purposefully want to live in the in-between of baiting fans and keeping audiences who won't pick up on the coding (what's the word again? Hmm...). And so, with the vast majority of new content... I wanna see it explicitly done. That doesn't mean I have to see explicit love scenes or whatever, I just don't want ambiguity as to whether or not these two characters like each, whether this one character is gay, etc.

And that was something OFMD gave, you know? There was NO QUESTION. I got into that show midway through the first season airing because of Ed/Stede gifs I saw, and I was like "oh wow that looks WAY more textual than I expected???" But even then I didn't expect a kiss, I didn't expect feelings, I didn't expect it to be confirmed through Calico Jack that Ed slept with men, I didn't expect Stede to realize he was gay--all of these things I didn't expect at all. (I mean, I also didn't expect explicitly NB Jim because I had no idea based off the gifs that Jim existed, and though I don't love their arc in s2, Jim did offer really amazing rep for people in my life I dearly love, that they can't easily get basically anywhere else.) I think that's what will be hard to chase. Not IMPOSSIBLE, but tough, because even when there are explicit, canonically queer characters and arcs on TV, they're often couched in suffering.

... Or rather, the popular ones are. And the really, really popular ones often leave it ambiguous.

I think I'm especially off it at this point because I don't watch as much TV as I once did, and I do read so many romance novels, many of which do feature queer characters who are explicitly queer and have amazing HEAs (albeit after some angst!). That's become more of my standard, and I have less patience for TV

[loneswaggingranger]

Pondering Pride and Prejudice: The Book vs The 2005 Movie

(ps: spoiler heavy)

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a good book must be in want of a good film adaptation. Often times, there is an understanding required that when a book is adapted into another medium, the story edges may need to be resculpted so as to fit the narrative as provided by said medium so it can be more visually pleasing. For me personally, differences in adaptations are acceptable as long as they represent the characters' genuine self as close as possible to the originals.

Pride and prejudice somehow succeeds in both doing that and not doing that at the same time. It may be because I went in watching the 2005 movie first before reading the book, and really, that's just testament to how well the movie was made for me to be interested to pick up the book in the first place.

My mom first brought me the book when I was in my younger teens, I kind of brushed it off as "just another romance story" and that "it's not my thing". Then I stumbled upon the movie recently (two months ago) and was just mesmerised by a) the absolutely gorgeous set amd soundtrack, b) the intricacies of each character and their marriage prospects being viewed in a half-sociological, half-survival lens.

(Also Keira Knightley is just so beautiful and I keep falling in love with her smile every time she does i think im questioning my sexuality I- just, just look at her!!! I rest my case. )

Thus, after appreciating the more intricate and realistic approach to love, commitment and atonement in the movie, and the riveting conclusion that romance well-written is worth a lot of time, I decided "Hey, might as well give the book a try!" Which is how I found that certain parts of the dialogue wasn't exactly the same, and certain scenes were set in different areas (i.e. Mr Darcy actually went to Mr. Collin's estate to confess (rather crudely) his love for Elizabeth whereas in the movie, they did it in the garden).

Another thing I found was that book Mr Darcy was actually more pompous, and definitely more high-offish than movie Mr Darcy where he's more just, socially awkward and can't really... people.

As I was reading, it was more just fun to note the differences and very rarely did I think "oh, the movie should have followed the book in this" because, although the movie definitely altered more than a few pieces of dialogue, each representation just felt so right for the story pacing and its characters.

Well, except for one scene where Lizzie's friend Charlotte relays the message that she's marrying Mr Collins, though it's only this one scene that I'm not particularly on board with. I felt the interaction a little too explosive even before reading the book. When compared, the message was relayed comparatively calmly in the book, albeit there existing undercurrents of tension. For me, the quiet way the book handled that little interaction where the girls just swiftly changed the topic, though Elizabeth inwardly retracted her good will for this friend she used to be close with - that felt a little more true to life for me.

But really, it's only this one scene that wasn't handled to my very subjective tastes. Overall the movie still stands with a solid 90% as a comfort movie I could watch again and again and still experience the same whirlwind of emotions.

(this gesture alone is already making me feel things 🥺)

Which begs the question: why did this work? Why did this adaptation, in particular, work so well despite straying quite far from its original counterpart? Why did this supposed "romance novel" work so well for a person who rarely goes for solely romance plots?

So I did some soul-searching, watched videos, read through some article reviews, thought about it in the back of my head, and my answers are this:

The more modernistic values and approach which we adhere to in the 21st century was more prevalent in the movie than the book. Obviously, considering they're literal centuries apart, but shifting Mr Darcy from the "arrogant wealthy man but kind at heart and honourably in love" to "emo boy questioning himself and everyone around him but still honourably in love" possibly made him dearer to the modern audience. Like, I'm no expert in historical societies, but I'm sure Mr Darcy as a character in 1847 must have been making ladies swoon for him as much as he is now. (Because honestly can you ever find a man who will right his wrongs to you despite you being kinda mean to him, only because he loves you, yet does not expect anything back? Both movie Darcy and book Darcy have the quality of integral atonement in them and it's just 👌👌)

(the walk symbolizing Mr Darcy doing what Elizabeth loves is a very nice touch from the movie)

Mentioned before, the dazzling actors, the set, the score, the witty script - everything that makes a movie a good movie, this movie's got it all. They took the original dialogue, enhanced it in their own words, a different voice but the same mind. I think that's what makes it pop off so well, that they can be different but still stay true to the core heart of each interaction. And even if certain interactions did not take place in their original locations, the movie still took care to craft every single crucial setting in the story. So although they might have missed a couple of Liz and Darcy's garden walks, I honestly don't mind, since I still got to see the garden anyway and the interaction we got there was a very solid A plus.

(cries in boy tried his best to express feelings but was still a prick about it)

The friendship between Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley being more, humourously portrayed in that one scene where wingman bro Mr Darcy acts as Jane is an absolutely brilliant addition. Their entire thing in the books was already a pretty fun juxtaposition of one another, like, Bingley as an uwu boy of the 19th century and Darcy the emo boy. This dynamic was enhanced further which alone gives the movie considerable brownie points because I love watching friends be friends :))

Maybe, maybe, just maybe, I may be influenced because I watched the movie first before the book, but this is like a very minor factor because I'm sure had I read the book earlier, I would still be able to appreciate how well-made the entire piece was.

So yeah, that was that. My very lengthy thought process on this piece of work that though having several valid criticisms posed against it in terms of its social stance, as a story in itself, it flourishes elegantly with iconic characters, mic-drop lines and wonderfully crafted settings. The depictions of various types of marriage in that time period, and the considerations one must take as a woman examining her prospects for herself and her family makes it less "another swoony love story" and more "realistic portrayal of romance and its circumstance." I'm still reading up on how Austen uses different settings to enhance her narrative (eg the location of Longbourn having certain implications by being fictional in an actual location Hertfordshire etc) and if I ever finish that reading, I might just come back here to rant again lmaooo

Also!!! What do you think? What made Pride and Prejudice, movie or book or both, pop off for you? I wanna find kindred souls so bad, leave a comment, anything!!! XD I'm very very open to discussion, and it would make me, ahem:

completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy

[writingquestionsanswered]

I was itching for an answer to a question that I had and randomly found this blog by chance. Is it okay to write a romance novel where the reader falls in love with a real person who once existed (meaning they are deceased now)? Something tells me this might be awfully weird or even morally wrong, even if the real person is famous + had a significant other anyways.

Incorporating Real People Into a Romance

First, welcome to the blog. So glad you found it!

This is a fascinating question with a complex answer that depends on what you mean by "the reader" here. If you mean the actual reader, as in the person reading your story, and you just want to write a story where you make the historical person so desirable that the reader will surely fall in love with them, then that's absolutely fine. I mean, you still obviously need to create a faithful, historically believable portrayal of this person, but there's a lot we don't know about many historical figures, so there can often be room for interpretation.

If you're talking about a "portal story" however, where a character is reading about a historical figure, and somehow ends up meeting that character and falling in love with them, things get a bit more tricky. The short answer: it could be weird or even morally questionable, but it depends on the historical figure.

Ultimately, the two biggest pitfalls you'd have to watch out for would be historical continuity and unfavorable portrayal...

Historical Continuity

Look at the events of the historical figure's life, as well as the events of the time period, and make sure the events of your story make sense. For example, it wouldn't make sense for you to have your character romancing the historical person in Paris at a time when they would actually have been in New York delivering a famous speech. Likewise, it wouldn't make much sense for your character to have a whirlwind romance with the historical figure at a time when they were actually courting and marrying their lifelong love. And, you do have to keep social, political, and economic considerations in mind. If the historical figure is nobility, even if you can find a way for your character to cross paths with them, without your character being a known member of another noble family, it's not likely they could have an open courtship. And if that means having a clandestine courtship, would that work for the historical figure? Would it be believable for who they were and the time period they're in? Does it conflict with known events or known courtships? These would all be things to keep in mind.

Unfavorable Portrayal

Unlike living people, deceased historical figures can't sue you for harming their reputation or for using their likeness without permission. In rare cases, where the historical figure serves as a brand name that their descendants are still making money from, you could potentially be sued by an estate, however. So, that's something to keep in mind, though you won't run into that often. That doesn't mean you don't have to think about the impact of your portrayal. There's definitely a personal moral consideration to keep in mind. For example, if the historical figure you're writing about was famously in a long and loving relationship with their spouse, but you want to write about them having a deeply romantic affair with your character, is that something that feels right personally?

Ask yourself the following questions:

-- Would you want someone to portray you in that way in 100 years? -- Would you feel comfortable facing the historical figure if they showed up in a time machine? -- Would you be comfortable explaining the premise of your story to their descendants? -- Would you be comfortable explaining the premise to a room full of fans of this historical figure?

If you can answer "yes" to those questions, you're probably okay. If you answer "no" to any of them, it's worth really thinking about whether or not this is the right story.

One Last Thing to Consider

Really, at the end of the day, none of the above matters all that much if you just want to write this story for yourself or a couple of close friends. Even if you wanted to post it on a fiction sharing site where the overall views will be limited, it'd probably be okay, though you'll have to be prepared for negative feedback from disgruntled fans.

I hope I've given you some food for thought as you wrestle with whether or not to write this story or one like it someday! ♥

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[aurorawest]

I think it's also like.. there is this atmosphere of, well you can like that, but you've got to admit it's not good, just that you like it. It's like.. What if I like something and I think it's good? Even if you don't. Or vice versa. Not liking something but having to admit it's just me and it's probably actually really good. I think we've all got quite different scales of what good is anyway.

I answered a similar ask a while ago...obviously no chance I'll be able to dig it out, haha. But I used the movie Space Mutiny as an example of how actually, there are things that are objectively bad. I don't know if you're familiar with the show Mystery Science Theater 3000? The entire premise of the show was three people made fun of objectively bad movies.

So I don't really agree that "good" and "bad" is entirely subjective. I think more what it is is that we've all got difference tolerance levels for storytelling sins, or how far you're willing to suspend your disbelief, and that's going to vary from work to work. I like to use romance novels as an example, because they're often very tropey and contrived in their setup, but it's something you're willing to accept as a reader because that's not why you picked this book up (probably). You picked it up because you want to read about two dumbasses who obviously belong together (no matter how much they tell themselves otherwise) and are going to kiss and have a happy ending. Or, obviously, when we see Marvel movies, we suspend our disbelief about all the superpowers. When I see a Marvel movie, I'm mainly comparing it against the rest of its genre, not like, Rabbit-Proof Fence. There are a lot of individual judgments and comparisons and reads your brain does on a piece of fiction when it decides if it's "good" or "bad."

I do think, as a consumer of media, that there's value in being able to judge what makes an effective piece of fiction (which really is what we mean when we talk about good or bad)—and that's just because that's part of thinking critically about the world. If you can think critically about fiction, you can think critically about all sorts of stuff. What I do not think, though, is that you should ever have to justify liking anything, or not liking anything. I don't think anyone should ever make you feel bad for your opinion on a piece of fiction.

And if I inadvertently have ever done that here to anyone, I'm really sorry. I'm the last person who should ever judge anyone for liking a bad movie, haha. I keep glancing over at my movie shelf as I answer this ask and seeing all the truly awful B movies I've watched over the years because an actor I loved was in them. Which I insisted on keeping when we cleaned out our movie collection last week