#they're why the raven cycle is so good

[quotes-and-recs]

I think the reason plot of The Raven Cycle is so hard to remember & describe is because you have the overarching series plot (finding Glendower, Gansey's death), each book's individual plot (waking the ley line in The Raven Boys, Ronan learning to dream in The Dream Thieves, exploring the cave & the consequences of that in Blue Lily, Lily Blue), and then you have the character's individual & pair side quests and characters arcs. There's just so much going on that it's difficult to keep track of if you're not interacting with it directly

[emry-stars-art]

Oooh do go on about raven neil and jean 👀 (if you’re so inclined ☺️) - @neil-jostenminyard

*chanting* raven Neil raven Neil raven Neil (and lots of Jean) (quite possibly even jeaneil) (although most of the thoughts are post-ravens lol)

So my personal thoughts about this are also mostly thanks to chats and inspiration/prompting from @jtl-fics and @greenautumnleaves so if you see any additions from them on this post it's most likely also thoughts I adore lol

Anyway this got kind of long so:

I ALSO latched onto Sakavic's statement that Neil wouldn't leave Jean in the nest bc yeah it makes sense and also ow

But just the two of them being partnered up like Riko and Kevin as is common in these aus, and then after Kevin gets out first, they have to stick together and rely on each other even MORE because Riko is pissed that Kevin is gone and probably takes it out on the next closest two idk

But in our imaginings, Renee or Andrew get Jean out quicker than in canon, again because Neil would refuse to leave Jean behind and I can only imagine he'd go so far as to trick or manipulate Jean into leaving. Maybe by being at a certain place at a certain time to get picked up, however he can make it happen. But the issue we run into is that once that's done, what the hell would Neil have left at Evermore, besides Exy that maybe he still loves deep down. But Exy's been so warped being raised on it at the nest that at that point his obsession is barely recognizable.

Kevin might recognize this, because he knew Neil in the nest. Or at least he knew the person that Neil presented himself as. But it's probably more likely that Jean recognizes this, and yeah things are super rocky and weird but Jean can barely even function without Neil. So back a fox goes to rescue their second raven's partner.

They bring Neil back to Palmetto and he and Jean are completely inseparable. Emotionally and physically. Neither of them act like, feel like, or even call themselves "touchy feely" or "clingy" people but as soon as Neil is treated for various intense and mysterious injuries, they're curled up in some hidden place for hours. Even the short time having left Neil behind made Jean almost too anxious to leave his room. Even the short time without Jean - now with more punishment for aiding Jean's escape - was enough for Neil to consider something drastic.

(side note: Andrew now has not one, not two, but three gorgeous tragic boys under his supervision and I'm sure he's handling that totally normally lmao. But it's so obvious to him that Jean and Neil have something going on that any ideas for himself aren't worth entertaining.)

So it's a little easier to ease out of various habits and thought processes because Jean and Neil are doing it together, with outside help. They fix their sleep cycles/rhythms, try a slightly more normal college diet, and most slowly lose their "win or die" mindset in practices. They're still never seen without each other - Wymack had a talk with some of the school board about their schedules and dorm arrangements for the first semester. In reality, he's not sure if he should have them go cold turkey on raven habits or if he should take it slower, but he's doing his damn best to get these boys adjusted to life outside a cult. And Neil and Jean, whether or not they actively realize it, find that step to be the one they absolutely cannot take. Why would they go through the agony of learning to live separately if they don't have to. When no one else understands them like the other, when they've already seen each other's worst so nothing else is worth keeping secret between them. Who else is Jean going to go to when having a better life makes him feel like he more deserves death or punishment and the guilt hits him so hard he can't breathe, much less sleep. Who else is Neil going to go to when he can't let go of his birthright - if he isn't good at what he does (Exy) he literally could just be shot like a lame horse - and he's not allowed to go practice Exy against a wall to the point of tearing himself apart anymore so he forces his feet away from the court to find the only person he knows he'll listen to when they say no.

Kevin, of course, is keeping a close eye on the two, whether unintentionally or on purpose is unclear. Neil still has a mouth on him, he sometimes plays mind games with the foxes like chess against himself, and most of all does not allow anyone to get too close to Jean. Jean is still quiet, having learned not only to take a punishment without resistance but also that Neil will speak first. Neil will resist so Jean doesn't have to. He's safer in Neil's shadow.

Maybe it's a phrase or warning that Neil uses and that Kevin recognizes. Maybe it's a gesture between Neil and Jean that Kevin oversees. Maybe it's just the general demeanor of the two. But whatever it is is familiar to Kevin, not in a "I remember this from them in the nest" way. He can recognize by now that Riko was not good to him, he can acknowledge it even if the rest of him hasn't caught up. He looks at Jean in Neil's shadow and remembers himself in Riko's.

As if Butcher's son Nathaniel Wesninski wasn't already scary enough on his own.

But Kevin won't allow this kind of thing on his court, and he's not good at it but he is still trying to let go of unhealthy raven ideals. If Neil is holding onto some fucked up dynamic, Kevin is going to put a stop to it.

He pulls Jean aside, a miraculous feat. He asks what Neil has done.

"Mistake" might be an understatement.

It could very easily be the longest string of words Jean has said to anyone besides Neil. Kevin doesn't know near as much French as he does in canon - Neil is the one that shares that secret defiance - so it's all clear English, Jean making sure Kevin understands every word. Kevin should never speak about Neil that way again. He knows nothing about them, he shouldn't so much as pretend to understand Neil. Neil is the only good thing that ever happened to Jean. Kevin never cared enough to bring it up in the nest, so he has no right to start caring now.

It isn't great for their already tumultuous relationship. Kevin wonders for a bit if Jean would tell Neil about it - then next practice Neil doesn't even try to work with Kevin, even after the two had made it a point as strikers to figure out how to. He ignores the other strikers entirely, falling immediately and seamlessly into perfect synch with Jean behind him, speaking hardly a word of English the whole practice. Because he knows that will make Kevin even more angry than Neil being actively hostile to his new teammates.

Kevin isn't sure what he was expecting. Chances are Jean hadn't even needed to bring it up for Neil to notice something was off.

As for Andrew, I think he could still pick up a game of truths. He'd need to offer a similar deal as he did for canon Neil, this time for Neil-and-Jean, the entity of the two of them together. I think he could ensure some cooperation by saying he won't force Jean and Neil apart from each other the way some others have muttered about doing. Even if Neil knows by now the codependence isn't healthy, neither of them are ready to give it up.

It probably really throws Andrew to hear that they don't consider themselves to be an item. They're together, sure, but for a raven that doesn't always, maybe even rarely, means "in a traditional relationship". Neil and Jean definitely never offer any clarification. That's no one else's business, even if they could explain it so that a non-raven could understand. Generally I feel like if this is an andreil universe, it's an even longer, stranger, more winding road to get there than in canon.

I'm almost CERTAIN there's more Im forgetting about rn but this has been my taster on raven Neil+Jean, I hope it was at least a little bit coherent, and greenautumnleaves - I hope this comes anywhere close to your galaxy brain ideas on these two lol. Maybe I'll be back with other thoughts later who knows

[noyoucannotpushthevoid]

Raven Cycle characters as Things People I know have Said (basically Henry/K Edition)

“What’s up chuckle fucks?” - Ronan “Bigger is bigger” - Ronan “I summon thee, [Chainsaw]” - Henry “Taking lethal levels of psychic damage at age 7 isn’t good for development” - about Ronan “Bitch” (about a crying child) - Ronan “When a fish and a woman love each other very much…” - Henry, no explanation “He’s deceptively smart for his appearance” - Henry about Ronan “Hi, I’d like to buy one mayoral office please?” - Henry joking about Gansey’s parents “I’ve been told I make a good distraction” - Henry “We’re all fucking lemmings here” - Blue pointing out they’d all do anything Gansey asked them to “The magic sex wizard put them in the same body” - Henry “‘[D]o a superhero landing’ (Ronan) ‘I was just going to ask if I [could] do a superhero landing[!]’ (Noah)” “I have no context for lemmings” - Ronan “That’s alright Captain, we can buff out those scratches” - Ronan after absolutely wrecking the pig beyond repair “[Gansey] and [Ronan] couple moment” - Henry “Raisinify your bucket hat” - Matthew scrunching up his bucket hat when nervous “How can [Gansey] be depressed with that much cake?” - Henry “There’s pee on your key?” - Declan after finding bird poop on the Barns’ spare key and confronting Ronan about it “God’s eepiest soldier” - about Adam "'...his hair's not doing to well' (Gansey describing their new latin teacher) 'I was going to ask if he was a dilf, but that answers my question' (Henry)"  "The man [in the BMW] said the password was 'go fuck yourself'" - Adam to Declan after Declan asked what the new passcode at the Barns was "Oh, I died...oopsie" - Gansey dying for the eleven millionth time "They're uncivilized, they don't know what vodka is" - Kavinsky "May I history?" - Gansey asking to lore dump on any of his friends "If I can't clean my wounds with it, then I don't want to drink it!" - Kavinsky "Need a fire starter? Just buy Everclear" - Also Kavinsky “Your rat friend … he’s not your friend” - Gansey about Kavinsky “Oh damn he livin” - Everyone about Noah before they found his body “The fucking hot tub? Why not the regular one?” - Henry, like my DM, thinks he’s funny (he is) “Does anyone have a blanket? Just swaddle me like a fucking baby” - Ronan while sick “Can I roll insight on something? … does he think I'm a child?” - Blue anytime she meets another Raven boy “[she]’s normally small, not cursed to be small” - Ronan explaining the difference in small vibes between Opal and Blue “Who would win: some dumbass flying lizard or 50 action express?” - Ronan to Adam at 2am “‘I forget what color phosphorus burns so I'm going to say purple’ (Gansey)  ‘The answer is hot’ (Adam)”

[manicpixie-tieflingboyfriend]

I bet Astarion went crazy the first time Halsin ever got his cycle

like imagine you're desperately trying to keep your vampirism under wraps and then you rescue a druid the size of a bear and he'd huge, he's stacked, he's probably so fucking big—

He had his stereotypical Oh. Oh. Moment when he picks up the Slight shift in Halsin's scent. Maybe it's thicker, more heady, less sweet. He approaches Halsin, who is an absolute pro at dealing with his own problems, who is showing Zero signs of even being on his cycle, just offering to help because they're allies now! Astarion just so happened to catch sight of a little blood (lie), he is Just being helpful (lie), he has zero to gain (Lie!)

Halsin knows, because of course he does, he knows a vampire spawn when he sees one. He's been alive long enough to tell. He tries to be cordial about it, polite, his mind is busy of course with all his guilt and such.

Astarion had to finally cut to the chase and do his whole "I just need a little bit" shtick to whit he adds "why not just let me help you while helping me?"

Halsin folds, because it is a little inconvenient to deal with alone, especially now that he's traveling abroad again.

They find that nice quiet place Astarion had planned for his botched seduction plot, and they are both very pleasantly surprised at how well it goes.

Halsin is surprised how gentle Astarion actually is (so is Astarion) and how even tempered he is, how deliberate every lick and nibble is and how it really does just melt all the discomfort away.

Astarion is surprised at how good Halsin tastes, like he had a feeling he would be holy hells it's addictive. Even when Halsin is mostly cleaned up and the blood is just slowly trickling out he keeps going because he can hear how far gone Halsin is by now, he's getting warmer from all the blood, gods does he want to do more.

Do they? I don't think so. Not until later on. Around Baldur's Gate when Halsin is so uncomfortable with the city and Astarion finally feels comfortable with reinventing himself in his freedom.

Astarion takes Halsin to his grave and they have a really sweet moment about long life and restarting because Halsin has to have a new goal too after lifting the Shadow Curse so they start over. Right there.

Did Astarion wait until Halsin was on his cycle again? Maybe so. Maybe they redo that very first night they were together all over again, Astarion's vigor fully renewed and this time when he's full and warm Halsin begs him to, begs Astarion to fuck him properly so he does and Astarion gets lost in it, ravenous and determined to make Halsin as full as he is.

[jasminedragonart]

My goal for this year is to read more books. There were a lot of books I avoided when I was younger just because I thought they weren't for me. I'm starting to realise that a lot of books are and it just wasn't time for me to read them yet. Others I've found are as badly written as I thought they would be and it makes me question why I want to read books by author's I haven't read from before.

Anyway, so far the books I've read that I've enjoyed are:

The Wheel of Time: Books 1 and 2. I have book 3 and plan to read it, however I fond out that this is an unfinished series since the author died. While it is technically finished, it was finished by Brandon Sanderson and while I have his books on my reading list, I don't think reading without Robert Jordan's penmanship will really bring justice to the world I've invested in. THAT BEING SAID, the first two books are SO good. I picked this book up by chance when I was away last year and put it back because the blurb was the vaguest thing I've ever seen. Except, then it haunted me once I heard there was a TV show. I haven't watched it, nor do I plan to since they seemed to have taken it in a different direction. But if you're looking for a good fantasy series to read, even if it's just the first few books, this one hasn't let me down yet.

The Raven Boys: I haven't finished this one yet but the book is good so far. I have the other 3 on the way that's how invested in this series I am right now. I've read other works by this author before, the Shiver one, and while I don't remember hating it I don't remember liking that one much. This book is good though. I'm enjoying it.

The Neverending Story: This one I enjoyed reading but I found that it's definitely a children's book. I picked it up in the hopes to read this to my niece when she's a little older. I thought it wouldn't be until she was around 10 before I could read this with her, but I'm happy that it's simple enough that I'll be able to read it to her maybe when she's around 3-7 Not too scary, not too detailed and while the movie is phenomenal, I really enjoyed this book as well.

The Folk of the Air series: I read them all. There were things in this I enjoyed. I liked the world building of the faerie realm. I also enjoyed some of the politics. But the book had its faults too. It's very teenager-ish. Which isn't inherently bad. The Raven Boys is proving to be better at it though. Jude and Cardan were... at times hard to read. It was quite predictable at times and it's not the best enemies to lovers book out there but I managed to finish it and I did enjoy it. It's something I would recommend to people, but not something I would rave about like I would the Wheel of Time.

I'm looking for other books to read after this. So far my list is:

The rest of the Raven Cycle (3 books) The Way of Kings series (These are so long and there's like 4 books) The Wheel of Time (Book 3 and maybe 4) God of War Inkheart

If there's anything else you would recommend let me know. If anyone has read any Robin Hobb books let me know if they're any good, I'm looking for a good fantasy series.

Also also if anyone knows if someone has written a Davy Jones and Calypso book let me know. I wish Disney had decided to do a prequel on them or at least release a book but I have yet to find one.

[one-squash-one-end]

once again rambling about Adam Parrish

Hi! This still belongs to my big Raven Cycle analysis, click here for the masterpost.

For most of the characters I obviously read a lot into subtext and speculate about how they're absolutely not straight, but lucky for us, we do get canon queer characters!

So let this be me talking about Adam as bi representation and also throwing in (other people's) gender headcanons. As always, please tell me your thoughts in the notes <3

c) Adam Parrish

Sadly, I cannot speculate too much about Adam’s sexuality, as he is canonically the mean, witchy (and bitchy) bisexual.

There isn’t much I can say, really. Throughout the book series he displays interest in both Blue and Ronan. And also Greenmantle, but I would like all of us to ignore that because I want to believe Adam has good taste. Blue and Ronan as his love interests are essentially seen as equal. While I would say he had already had some repressed attraction for Ronan (see: him calling the swearing melodic, black-painted poetry- you normally wouldn’t feel like that for someone who just called you a motherfucker) in book one while dating Blue. Yet it becomes very much clear that he did have romantic feelings for Blue. Yes, the two of them were doomed from the start (but still pretty cute I’d say! Until things went to shit, that is), however, Blue is not treated by the narrative as some mistake before Adam figures out he’s actually gay (looking at you judgingly here, Rainbow Rowell). Neither was Ronan a quick, silly thing to see how it would feel to kiss the same gender. That is, like, very much very obvious, through the last five books. They are boyfriends, your honor.

At this point I would also like to give a shout-out to Adam Parrish and the Crying Club (which would make for a fire band name, just saying). This little group of queer people Adam collects at uni (in Call Down The Hawk) has my whole heart and I so wish we would have seen more of them, I am forever mourning their potential of silly, reoccurring side characters. What I’m trying to say though is this: The fact that Adam builds a group of queer people around himself (another one apart from the Gangsey) proves his sexuality even more, because we all know queer people flock towards each other.

Either way, canon bisexual, we love that. Moving on.

Honorary mention to the transmasc Adam headcanon that Tumblr user @barbaricpoetic compiles especially well in a post. I personally do not follow that headcanon, like of course I do not think Blue is supposed to be written as genderfluid in the books, but somehow I believe even less in trans Adam, but either way I do agree there is a lot of strong source material to support that headcanon. Check out the original post for a lot more detail, I don’t want to plagiarize all of that here either way, but here’s two especially solid hints: First of all, he does everything to appear more masculine, like working in typically male-dominated fields and dressing accordingly to that, while orientating his behavior on Ronan and Gansey, who, ironically, do not try as hard as him. Secondly, there’s physical descriptions, Adam being a lot more “elegant” and delicate than the other (Raven) boys Blue knows, with unusual features, and “blue eyes pretty enough for a girl”. Yeah, might be a coincidence, might be solid, queer truth.

This would all make so much sense, even within the books and all, there is just one, considerably big thing, that would not add up with this in canon. Adam’s rural-conservative shitbag of a father would never use the correct name and pronouns for his ftm child.

Either way, there might still be something fun going on with his gender that defies the binaries. Why do I think so? Well, Gansey says a very interesting thing. “Henry was a boy. Adam was a─ Gansey didn’t know.” I wish he would have told us what makes them different. What is it that Adam was? A man? A demiboy? A nonbinary person? A dinosaur in disguise? Please do enlighten us, Gansey. I’m assuming it’s got something to do with Adam being more mature than Henry (he definitely is), but like with Blue and the 300 Fox Way Women, it might be a gender thing, at least you can very easily lay it out to be that way.

To conclude as I will conclude every character part, I think Adam might possibly wear a crop top (might take him a while to accept masculinity is everything you want it to be and not just a certain aesthetic standard though), but absolutely not regularly and not around strangers or his parents.

[notthiscoolkid]

I n e e d to share this with you guys (n talk about if you want)

All i can think about in this week is the raven cycle au where everything is not paranormal and they're in band. Like famous band. Playing opening for Taylor Swift or smth. And thats my headcanons:

Gansey-bass/lider

Blue-singer

Adam-guitar

Ronan-drums

Noah-second guitar

Here me out here. I have so many songs thats fit to this au (like their own them) The band name will be "Her Raven Boys" Like my fucking god. In my head this make so much sense. (They're like 21 or 22 in this au)

Here is my playlist with theirs song:

[Maybe some day i will do art with Blue in concert outfit.] Another thing about this band is that everybody thinks they're dating each other. Like when Blue is singing she bothers Gansey in s o romantic way. Adam is aways next to Ronan and they're smiling. Blue is playing for moment in Adam's hair when she's singing and walking. Gansey leans back against Adam as they play a solo. When they arent at stage Gansey is really close to Ronan etc. Tbh Noah is only free from shipping here.

(Im seriously enjoying fanfics with them as polyamory (adam/blue/gansey/ronan), thats why in my head seeing them together on stage is so tanse and so good)

[dragynkeep]

Something something Yang misplacing her mommy issues on Blake something something Yang is projecting hard on Blake to deal with realizing her incubator is a lying two faced bitch. Something something if this was really planned it could've been an interesting look on how abusive cycles can perpetuate highlighting Blake and Raven's similarities. Something something Blake should meet Raven see what a callous bitch she is and try to make a genuine change. Something something could give a sapphic ship some actual good conflict with a positive resolution if more talented and sensitive writers had this idea. Something something Yang and Tai stop being hung up over abusive unreliable troubled dark haired beauties. You can't fix them stop trying and leave them in the dust.

Something something anyway Freezerburn supremacy for having Weiss meet Raven and push back on her bitchy attitude.

they're genuinely so afraid of acknowledging the dynamics & conflict inherent to this ship & idk why because ignoring it just seems weird when the writers make choices that highlight this. explicitly comparing your lover to your abuser is just a very odd choice for this romantic relationship we're supposed to be supporting & seeing as the better choice for these characters.

they fumbled going through the cycle of abuse with blake multiple times: could've had it with replicating adam's abuse against sun or how she can't trust yang 100% because of this past trauma but instead the writers just seem content to have blake act like she's healed now that she touched foreheads like a fucking cat.

anyways, total freezerburn supremacy because blake would only find a way to be like "no your mom probably just couldn't stay :((" & then maybe yang would actually give her a taste of her own medicine in always throwing hands at people & acting the victim lmao.

[clotpolesonly]

20 questions for fic writers!

tagged my @thotpuppy!! &lt;3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

209

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,195,283

3. What fandoms do you write for?

on AO3, i have posted for: Teen Wolf Merlin Raven Cycle Captive Prince Dark Rise Supernatural (crossover w/TW) once upon a time, back in FFN days, i also wrote and posted for Harry Potter (primarily) and then one each for Newsies, Little Mermaid II, and Twilight. none of these fics ever got finished lmao.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Metamorphose (Merlin, Merthur, 7750 kudos) Happiness is Effortless (TW, Sterek, 7746 kudos) Much Ado About You Two (TW, Sterek, 7046 kudos) I'll Dissolve When The Rain Pours In... (TW, Stackson, 6172 kudos) We Duel At Dawn (Merlin, Merthur, 4949 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i respond to all my comments!! (except for comments on old suspended WIPs that ask if i'm writing more, which i let sit in my inbox to haunt me like a beating heart under my floorboards slowly driving me insane until i figure out if i am writing more or if i can definitively tell them it's abandoned alkfdgh) i've been stuck recently though and have let my inbox get backed up for a month, so i really need to go on a reply spree soon 😭 it's just a point of pride, i guess? i made the decision that i would Respond To All Comments/Reviews I Ever Get when i first started posting back on FFN in ye olden days (like 2008 lol), and i've been pretty darn good at keeping that promise to myself. and i just think it's nice!! FFN had private messaging, and a lot of those responses turned into whole conversations and friendships that lasted for months. community engagement is a good thing and i like reaching back to the people who reach out to me.

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

proooobably These Gordian Knots We Tie (Sterek)😅 though An Empty Glass Is An Ugly Mirror (Dydia) is also pretty bleak.

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

uuhhh most of them??? i write a lot of fluff, LOL, i wouldn't know how to pick out just one that stands above the rest when the vast majority of my posted oneshots are sappy as fuck 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i really don't, tbh. which i count myself lucky for, cuz i hear a lot of horror stories. but i've only gotten a small handful of negative comments, most of which were bitching about disagreeing with the characters' choices. i don't think i've ever fielded personal attacks or what ye olden FFNers would've called flames, lol. proportionally, they're negligible.

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

on occasion. out of my 209 fics, only 13 of them are explicit, which is roughly 6% lol. including my 7 mature fics (not all of which are rated so for smut, i don't think) ups that to 9.5% 😂 i'm just not very interested in writing smut, not to mention it's both difficult and kind of boring and repetitive when you think about it. i feel like i'm notorious for romances that use one kiss as the climactic ending, if even that, haha. when i do (rarely) write smut, it's usually in dedicated pwp format, rather than integrated into a larger story, cuz i just feel like most larger stories (mine, at least) don't need it 🤷🏻‍♀️

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

the only crossover that i've written and posted was Teen Wolf/Supernatural, cuz i just could not resist the urge to have Allison call the Winchesters and tell them that her father had gone on a hunting trip and he hadn't been home in a while. i just needed that in my life, and i was offended that no one else had written it. also i thought that Dean "Easily Flustered By Flirtatious Men" Winchester should really meet Stiles "Doe Eyes, Witty Banter Someone Needs To Sex Me Right Now" Stilinski. for reasons.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i have! the reason that i teeechnically have a wattpad account is because someone yoinked To Be A King wholesale and posted it over there themselves, and i needed an account to be able to message them to take it tf down. weirdly, they changed some of the names, but not the distinctive names? the identifying names?? like Mordred or the names of my OCs. it was an odd choice. anyway, they took it down immediately with no other response. i think that's been the only time, as far as i'm aware.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i've got 15 translations listed in my related works 😍 8 of them by the same industrious person, bless them.

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

not since that one disaster of an attempt with a friend in early high school, lmao. that's when i realized that i am a control freak with high and unforgiving standards. she was writing her parts 1) badly and 2) WRONG and it drove me up the wall. i can't handle not having complete control of the narrative 😅 i write alone.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

that's not faaaiiiiiir, patently impossible to answer, next question

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

if i don't finish For Shell And Safety someday, it'll be a fucking tragedy, cuz i'm really proud of that one and i was so so invested in it when i started it and i've still got Thoughts on how it's supposed to end, i just got stalled out in the middle of it and never found my momentum again. but.....it's been 6.5 fucking years. however, i feel like, because i do still have those thoughts and plans, that one might have a better chance than REM-DAC, because THAT one stalled out right before it was supposed to be over due to the sudden realization that i actually wanted there to be a sequel and i couldn't tie up the loose ends in the first fic without knowing how to set up for the second one. but. i never figured out concretely what i wanted to happen in the second one. and it's been 5.5 years there too. still no concrete plans. so, despite that one also being a GREAT FIC that i'm VERY PROUD OF and deeply invested in, i will have to at some point accept the reality of how low the odds are that i will ever actually get back into the swing of it and finish what i fucking started. they haunt me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'm really not quite sure 🤔 strengths and weaknesses are easier to tell from an outside perspective, lol. i feel like i write good natural-feeling dialogue. at least, the professor in the one short story technique workshop i took in college told me as much 😂 said i had the best dialogue in the class. been riding that high for a decade aldkfjghf

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

idkkkkkk 😅😅😅 pacing maybe?? like, long form pacing in lengthier narratives??

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

i have avoided it so far, lkajdfgh. objectively, i think it can be done well and it can be done badly, and different methods serve different purposes so it depends on the story which is most appropriate. the online medium provides more avenues for it than print, like the hover text translations that used to be more popular before phones/touchscreens without cursors became the most prominent way to read things, or superscript links to footnotes with translations. some people put the translation directly into the narrative like an echo, but that gets really tedious really fast, and it would be simpler and more streamlined to just cut out the other language entirely and say "XYZ" he said, in french instead. overall, my preferred method is to filter it through the understanding of the POV character and their potentially limited/imperfect grasp of that other language. if they don't know what's being said, we don't know what's being said. if they pick out some words and get the gist, we see their thought process of figuring it out. it informs our understanding of the character, as well as providing an obstacle and creating tension. if you want to include a full translation of the foreign text, you can in endnotes or a postscript, but i don't really think it's necessary. if people wanna find out what it says, google translate is free 🤷🏻‍♀️ probably best not to use google translate to write the thing, though. if it's not a language you speak, preferably find someone who does speak it to translate, to make sure it's accurate and not butchered. hence me avoiding writing anything that requires other languages 😂 cuz i'm a monolingual usamerican loser who doesn't want to go to as much trouble as it would require to branch out like this. i am a "so-and-so said something unintelligibly french" bitch.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

cut my teeth on Harry Potter back in the day

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

another patently impossible question, i have no answer for this, i love all my fics equally (or at least in tiers uwu)

.

i am tagginggg: @adamprrishcycle @flightspathfic @nooowestayandgetcaught @adrianfridge @nyxelestia and anybody else who wants to do it!!

20 questions for fic writers!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

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

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

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

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

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

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

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

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

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

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

[linkspooky]

Really liked your top Teen Titans ship post. That Harley/Batman one has me all kinds of intrigued and you are more than right on Dickkory. But. I gotta know. How in the world are Terra and Raven the same character??? I've been puzzling over this for like half an hour and I know it's gonna drive me crazy. 😂 Thanks.

They are the same person, this is the hill I'll die on. I understand why you can't really see how they are the same character, because their relationship is literally all just subtext. SO basically text is what's written and directly stated, subtext is what you as the reader infer it's interpretation. Reader interpretation is really important though, and good comic book stories will build on subtext that's originally present in the stories intentional or not and add to it. The Harley and Ivy gay relationship started out as subtext, it's text now, stories change over time etc. etc.

Comic books are also an adaptive medium, cartoons make adaptations of these comics based on the show creators interpretation, then those adaptations are sometimes cycled back into the comics too. I mean, there's a reason that there are two Judas Contract interpretations Teen Titans 2003, and the solo Judas Contract movie and Terra has big interactions with Raven in both.

ANYWAY, Terra and Raven are the same person in different fonts explanation underneath the cut!

In the original comic, Terra and Raven's relationship does not have nearly as much interaction as in the cartoon adaptations. However, there is something there. It is basically this, Raven is the only one who notices that something's off with Terra, because her empathic senses detect the isolation and emptiness inside of Terra. Raven points this out several times to Terra and other people, avoids Terra when the rest of the group welcomes her, in, later on Terra wants to take on Raven herself because she sees her as self-righteous and stuck up.

This is why I say subtext, when you read between the lines and look at both characters they actually are incredibly similar.

They are both bastards, in the sense they are unwanted children conceived out of wedlock that their parents didn't try to raise and handed off to someone else. Terra is half-princess, her life is controlled by the fact she's connected to the Markovian bloodline, but they're ashamed of her and don't want her around (all except for Brion).

Capes on the Couch's Terra Episode, does a good job on how a child basically being punished by the decisions of their parents they had no control over can both hurt their developmental years, and also due major damage to their self esteem. It's a horrible thing to teach a child they are basically unwanted when they're not the ones who made the decision to be born into this world.

Neither Terra or Raven wanted to be born, and yet they are essentially punished their entire childhood for this fact, either by neglect by Terra (the royal family only wanted her around to experiment on her then sent her back to America when her behavior shamed them and they found her unsavory) or Raven who like had no choice in being born and yet the society she was raised in told her she was an innately an evil person (when she was like five) her emotions were evil and if she didn't continually fight against them she would be exactly like her father. Raven's mother joined a cult and tried to marry Satan, Terra's mom decided to have an affair with a king, however they both take no responsibility, hand their kids off and it's Terra and Raven who have to deal with this. Terra and Raven basically also never had parents or a childhood. Terra's sixteen and she acts like both more mature than everyone around her, and a miniature adult, and she's convinced she's this cunning manipulative mastermind and I'm like hmm I wonder if that's a survival mechanism because no one ever bothered to raise her and she had to take care of herself.

They both are born with powers they don't want

Terra has incredible powers to move the earth that are hard for her to control, and in several continuities literally result in her death when she loses control and drops the entire earth on herself and crushes herself. Raven was born the daughter of a demon and the only way she was taught to control her emotions was to suppress them entirely.

They are both given these huge powers that they didn't really ask for, and those powers changed the course of their lives. If Terra didn't have geokinesis, she'd probably just be a slgihtly unstable runaway kid and not a mercenary. Raven's entire life is defined by trying to control her powers and use them for good.

So, then the difference between them is that Raven decided to use her powers for good, and Terra made the selfish decision to use her powers above herself. Raven is a better person because she rose above her circumstances, instead of just using her circumstances as an excuse to hurt others. Au contraire, mon friend.

Repression / Expression, Selfish / Selfless, and the Dark Phoenix

A huge part of Raven's character arc that almost everyone ignores is that Raven was heavily abused, not by her father, but by the monks of Azarath. Raven was raised in a cult. Raising a child far away from other people, not allowing them regular interaction with other children, not letting them be with their mother, and most of all TEACHING THEM THEY ARE INTERNALLY EVIL is not good parenting my dudes.

It's not so much Terra chose to be evil, Raven chose to be good, as Raven has literally been brainwashed by a cult to believe if she is even a little bit selfish, if she expresses any negative emotion at all, then she's exactly like her father and evil. If you've ever read Bungo Stray Dogs, I compare Raven to Atsushi a lot.

Basically, in Bungo Stray Dogs Atsushi is an orphaned character who has the ability to turn into a Tiger. An ability that he cannot control, an ability that went out of control and murdered a man when he was young. His caretaker covers up for the murder, and tries to teach him to control that power but in the worst way possible. He isolates Atsushi, keeps him in a cage to punish him when he loses control, and he ends up teaching Atsushi if he doesn't use his power to protect others, then he's worthless.

It's not even that Atsushi wants to be a hero, it's that he has to be a hero otherwise he doesn't even deserve to live. Atsushi is incredibly dysfuctional because of this, he has black and white thinking that he applies to himself, he can't forgive hinmself, he has to be a completely selfless doormat because selfish people are EVIL! Atsushi has literally no identity outside of being superhero.

That's something a lot of people miss with Raven's character, she tries to fit in with literally having any kind of life outside of being a superhero and she always fails, because that is what Azarath taught her two "A person incapable of protecting others does not deserve to live" she doesn't deserve to be a normal person because she has to continually atone for being trigon's daughter. She's fundamentally born evil and must continue to work to prove she is not.

The real difference between Raven and Terra is that Raven represses herself to extreme extents to try to be a hero like the people around her to expect her to be, whereas Terra externalizes all of her trauma.

Terra LOATHES the expectation that she has to use her powers to help others, she thinks being a hero is STUPID AND DUMB. SHe chafes so much under a good girl image that she decides to embrace a villainous one instead, because that at least feels liberating to her.

If Terra were in Marvel instead of DC she would be working with Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Her powers have basically ruined her whole life and made her different from others, but it's also literally the only thing she has because everything else in her life is unstable, and by the time she gets with the titans she can't trust anyone. The royal family essentially tried the same brainwashing on Terra, because they only gave her her powers to be in service to them and make her a hero, and Terra said FUCK IT and decided to be NOT THAT. Raven formed her identity by repressing herself and trying to serve everyone's expectations, Terra's identity is expressed and she makes herself in defiance of what everyone expects her to be.

Now, now, now you say, well Raven still tried to be better than her father. However, this ignores once again that Raven's repression is not healthy, and just like Terra, she also turns evil fifteen squintillion times. Now this is where we get to the difference between text and subtext again. In the text Raven never chooses to turn evil, her father takes control of her body and makes her, or she gets possessed like when she ruined Kory and Dick's raven. Subtextually though, Raven is pulling a dark phoenix arc.

This is where we briefly touch upon something in another comic as an example DARK PHOENIX ARC, if you've read the X-Men comics is literally the most famous X-Men arc of all time.

The gist is that Jean Gray, a character who was until this point one of the most token good girl of good girl characters has an incredibly strong and hard to control power called the "Phoenix" that is repressed inside of her own head to try to keep under control. Jean Gray represses herself, limits her agency, and pushes her power away instead of trying to control it. However, the Hellfire Club ends up interfering with Jean and unelashing this suppressed power. THe power in its totality overwhelms Jean, and destroys her original identity and she renames herself "Dark Phoenix" and all of the powers she was repressing now come to the forefront, she becomes a force of destruction through the completely unrestrained use of her power.

Raven and Jean Gray share a lot in common, it's not particualrly subtle, however the point of the Dark Phoenix is that Jean Gray is that she could have learned to control her power and grown into her womanhood, and instead she never tried to work with her power sealed it to the back of her head, until she couldn't anymore. That's the thing about repression it's unheathly.

To give another example on why repression is BAD. Have you ever seen the movie Carrie? An incredibly similiar arc, a girl who was horribly abused not only by her religious mother, but also the people in the school around her suddenly develops a psychic power. In isolation, Carrie grows more and more unstable but is still trying to be a normal girl and get along with everyone. She eventually reaches her breaking point when the blood is dropped on her prom dress and from that point onward, Carrie completely snaps and decides to burn down the prom gym and rampage on the town.

All three of these characters are Carrie to a different extent, Raven wasn't taught to be herself just to suppress herself because she's evil deep down inside, Jean Gray was too afraid of her power so she sealed it away inside her own mind, Carrie was continually taught by her religious nut mother she was fundamentally evil and was not allowed to be a normal girl and was isolated in her highschool. They repress, they repress, they repress until they can't anymore and then they explode. Terra is just like, same superpowers, same isolation from other people, she just skips the repression phase and goes straight to the explosion. Though, you could argue that Terra continually living under the false identity as a hero IS her repression. Terra pretending to be a generic good girl hero not only makes it so the Teen Titans can't reach her in time, but living under a false identity for so long just makes her LOATHE the Teen Titans more.

Terra and Raven are the same person in that both their childhood / formative years, and their sense of self was destroyed by both the cicrumstances they were born under, and the powers they were born with, neither of these things they chose for themselves. They are both reacting to the abuse they suffered throughout their developmental years, Raven's coping mechanism is to be completely selfless, Terra doubles down on her selfishness. At the same time, this is horribly unhealthy for both of them, they both snap because neither of them know how to live as people in any healthy way. Terra's mystique, Raven is Carrie on Prom Night, neither of them are having a fun time.

The biggest thing they have in common though is they are both lonely little girls. I think something a lot of people don't understand about Raven's character because they're more familiar with the cartoon version than NTT is that Raven was not a team player. Raven, for the vast majority of the comic kept entirely to herself, showed up to say something ominious, teleported away. Raven is horribly isolated, doesn't really form emotional connections to people, and convinces herself that other people don't care about her.

You have one girl who only ever engages people through a fake persona, nobody on the team ever knows the real Terra, she sees every relationship as a transaction of a manipulation, when people try to show her concern or empathy she can't see that because she assumes they're looking down on her.

You have another girl who's teammates just don't get, and who basically interacts with all other humans as a space alien, because she was raised so far outside of society and she doesn't believe she deserves to have relationships with people in the first place. The second Terror of Trigon happens in the first place, because Raven has been getting more and more isolated and struggled with her father's powers and no one on the team notices because no one pays attention to Raven and when they try to she brushes them off.

You have two girls, one of them is always at the center of attention, the other one is always off in some dark corner and both of them are equally lonely and that's the greatest thing they have in common. I

If you're more curious on my take about the Terra and Raven foiling, I am writing a fanfic where Terra and Raven are the two main characters, here!

[strawberryybird]

Thoughts on Edeleth?

in the era of bot messages, a hero rises from the navy blue darkness... thank u profusely for the untold joy that human interaction brings ;0;

anyway: edeleth. LOVE THEM. LOVE THEM A LOT.

and also here's a 3 paragraph response as to why i love them but not in the fandom content creation sense.

Truth be told, they're not actually my fire emblem 3H ship of choice! But this is because I consider their story to be, in large part, resolved. I really enjoyed the edelgard/byleth relationship that ran through CF when I played; especially poignant as the relationship the route lord has with Byleth is the thematic hinge of each storyline. I liked all the accompanying discussion of free will/autonomy and inheritance and mothers and dark/light and rebirth, and every like theme you could throw at the game like spaghetti on a stovetop splashback. As 'shallow' (scare quotes intentional) an exploration that the game/CF route gives us... it hit the mark for me. It showed the foundation of a complex, tense, and a relationship altogether necessary for Edelgard & Byleth, in order for them to make it through the story. I loved that. I legitimately burst into tears when colour of sunshine played out the TV at 1am.

Having said all that - I got my depth and resolution from the game at the same time. It showered me with thoughts about what a relationship between E&B would look like after the story ended. I then started thinking about it and came to my own personal conclusion that I had already seen the very apex of their relationship (word choice intentional). There was very little fanfic I could write that would provide a story more compelling than the cutscene I just played towards (with the dragon and the burning city and the heartbeats and the crest stone, all that good shit). All this culminates in a story that is, ultimately, already told.

They are, put simply, my canon couple. The relationship that is Edeleth is my loadbearing pillar for a lot of my generosity towards the story the viddy game tells. I absolutely love them for it. I adored getting to be a part of that story!!

So, when I turn to fandom, by and large, I'm not actively seeking out Edeleth content. That's not to say i don't like it, not by any stretch of the imagination, it just means I'm incredibly nonsensically subjective about my Edeleth tastes. Just for fun, here are some fics i haven't stopped thinking about since pre-pandemic.

It's also very much worth saying that I have grown up really rather a lot since playing 3H for the first time, so my thoughts are much more.. collected, shall we say, than they would have been. I've also been tempered by the passage of time, reading Jane Eyre for 4 years against my will (long uni anecdote) and also falling directly into the combination of the locked tomb and the raven cycle brainrot. (IE: my hobby reading has actually satiated a lot of the media thematic cravings instigated by the Edeleth in my head. I think about Edie & Byleth very fondly for this. Also because I still love them very much).

I strongly suspect this was wayyyyy more than you bargained for by sending an ask, so I hope it was at least mildly entertaining hahaha. thank u for coming on this rant with me, it was longer than the wait time for those damn cathedral gates to lift in garreg mach. let me in. seiros let me into ur cathedral i need to teach ferdinand how to heal people through the power of song.

[dont-leafmealone]

Tysm for the tag @juniperhillpatient!

10 Characters 10 Fandoms (roughly) 10 Tags

Jet (Avatar: The Last Airbender) - y'all already knew he was gonna be on here, I am unable to resist the allure of a tragic anti-hero. He's a single mom. He's a war criminal. He's always chewing a stupid piece of wheat and Y'know what? He makes it work.

Lucy Gray Baird (The Hunger Games/Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) - my bestie my girlie <3 I love a gal who's the main character in a murder ballad and knows it. Broke President Snow's heart. Fashion icon. The Appalachian rep we all deserve <3

Anathema Device (Good Omens) - I love witch characters and Anathema is possibly the coolest one. Environmentalist queen. Unfortunately tied to the most Boring dude in the history of literature and television but what are you gonna do. Wears wool dresses! Rides a bike! Is nice to kids!

James Norrington (Pirates of the Carribbean) - I was obsessed with this character for a while. I named a Minecraft villager after him. I cried when the Minecraft villager died. All things considered I like Will and Elizabeth slightly more but they're two people so James is the tiebreaker <3

Aunt Zelda Heap (Septimus Heap) - This is a lady who eats cabbage and nothing else. Who has a cat who is a duck (or vice versa). She wears a giant quilted dress and lives in a swamp and brews magical potions and I want her life so bad.

Max Mayfield (Stranger Things) - MAX! my sweetie pie max <3 I love her so much. She's such a brat, she reminds me a lot of my little sister who I don't always get along with but love a whole lot. She's very cool, first person to introduce El to the concept of autonomy which we love her for, AND she gets to date Lucas (who's really Goals as a partner, if I could I would count him here too).

Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle) - I don't know how to articulate how I feel about Blue exactly, like. her whole backstory is amazing (being raised in a house full of lady psychics while NOT being psychic herself but having Other abilities) and then she just gets looped into the weirdest plot possible and just hangs with it like a pro. Lot of respect <3 also every outfit she wears in the books seems like exactly something I'd wear.

Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) - God, I love this kid so much. The narration of those books is peak, Rick Riordan put so much PERSONALITY into Percy and he's just. Such a cute kid. He loves his mom and wants nothing more than for her to be safe. He's quippy and very funny and he knows it. He's genuinely scary at times. Amazing character.

Ravi Singh (A Good Girl's Guide To Murder) - honestly such a good sport, if some girl turned up at my door and started grilling me about the murders my brother supposedly committed I would NOT handle it that well. He's a sweet and caring guy, a good boyfriend, funny, and also helps solve murders. Very cool 👍

Grace Chasity (Starkid's Hatchetverse) - A literal bible-thumping puriteen in a way that's genuinely so funny. Manslaughter? A-ok. Dismembering a body? Sure. Terrorizing summer camp with an axe? Why not! Carrying someone's books before marriage? Showering naked?? Smoking weed??? You're literal satan! She's so funny and I would genuinely hate her irl but as a character she's amazing (and Angela Giarratana KILLS her performance it's amazing).

i tag: @prodogg @peony-pearl @futuristicrenaisancebeliever @feruchemical @clearancecreedwatersurvival @haboat @juhanis-litterbox @im-smart-i-swear @takingback-thepenguin

And anyone else who wants to participate! (And if I tagged you don't feel pressured I just tagged everyone I could remember -)

[kaythefloppa]

WK S7 Prediction: Clever the Raven.

Episode 2 of the 7th season of Wild Kratts will be titled, Clever the Raven.

The Tortuga is parked in the Great North and some strange noises have Koki thinking it's time for a diagnostic overhaul. As they are near Little Howler's pack territory, the bros decide to try to find the wolf pack. Unexpectedly, a raven joins Martin and Chris on their adventure and the brothers soon learn about the incredible intelligence and ingenuity of the raven.

This episode was the first of the new season to be announced. I believe it was in an interview with Jane Goodall [yes, that Jane Goodall] a few weeks before Cats and Dogs started airing on television. They said they'd do eps. about the intelligence of ravens and crows so maybe they'll be doing a crow episode later on? My prediction of it being the Season 7 premiere seems to be wrong but eh, I'm not even that phased.

The geography of Little Howler's pack is so confusing. In Season 1 they're in the temperate forest, most likely in midwest North America. Then in Seasons 5 and 6 he apparently moved up north to Alaska?? Are they just gonna go with that retcon in S7, or are they going to have the "Great North" be a completely different turf than what we've seen? This has the same energy as the numerous Corpanga-origin retcons in Boy Meets World. Ugh I'm putting more thought into this than the show itself is doing, aren't I?

I'm kinda hoping that Little Howler ages here? I think there should be an episode in itself about the baby animals growing up and showing how that's a part of every creature's life cycle. The show has aged up its animal characters before like with T-Bone, Fluffy Flier, Baby Tooth, and Kid Musky, so I don't see a reason why they can't do the same with others.

The Molly of Denali crossover with Wild Kratts showed the Kratts looking for a wolf pack. Was this episode made specifically to pay tribute to that episode? Either way, I can't overlook this and it's probably a coincidence, but it's really nice.

Ok but seriously, this show is doing the Lord's work by showcasing the underrated and misunderstood genius/incarnates that are ravens. They've been known to have a very good memory, are extremely empathetic, and they're actually creature rescuers, help animals in need, or even protect humans. They're one of the most intelligent and dangerous avians in the creature world and don't act like this show isn't going to do them the justice they deserve! I'm probably getting my hopes up too high, but I think I'm going to have a very pleasant viewing experience with this.

[someonelookingpraediti]

Obsidian Moon Crate

Vengeance is Ours September 2023

This September box didn't arrive until almost November. Not a great start. This is my first box from Obsidian Moon Crate, and the theme is "Vengeance is Ours". It was a really expensive box, and then I had to pay international shipping on top, and it honestly wasn't worth it.

These boxes come with a book, a candle, a crystal, and 4-5 items. Yet somehow, it still feels kind of empty.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this box, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's just something about the description that was off-putting? Something about the implied link between the "darker things" and queerness? I don't know, a box that combines witchiness and queer fiction should really appeal to me, so I guess it must just be the way it's worded.

It also bothers me that there are almost zero updates on the website - it's all on Instagram. I really don't subscribe to the social mediafication of everyday life. I don't want to have my life revolve around social media, and follower counts, which is why Tumblr is the only social media I have an account with. So I'd like to be able to find the information about the themes and such on the website.

The featured book for this month is "The Spirit Bares its Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White. The book looks really interesting, and it's a very pretty design. But it's not an exclusive edition, it's just a customised standard edition. The only thing they've added is sprayed edges. Granted, they're gorgeous edges. But I'd have liked an exclusive dust jacket, and if at all possible, decorative endpapers. It's not even signed - it just comes with a signed bookplate.

The candle (there's one in each quarterly box) is an impressive size. It's inspired by "Hell Followed with Us", which is by the same author as the featured book. It's cranberry and cashmere scented, and has a little charm and a wax tooth.

The crystal (also in every box) is an amethyst in the shape of a skull.

The first item is a t-shirt, inspired by "Nevernight". A t-shirt is an amazing item to get, well beyond what I would have expected - but unfortunately the design is a bit... dull. I can't imagine wearing something I didn't choose myself anyway.

The next item is a bath oil. It's inspired by "Carrie", and it's black amber and vanilla musk scented. It sounds lovely, and although I don't have a bath, I'm sure it could be used for something else. However, and this is a biggie, there is no ingredients list. This is a super big no-no for a cosmetic/toiletry product. I can't risk an allergic reaction, and I'm pretty surprised that even a small company would send out a product like this without ingredients.

The next item is an enamel pin. This is based on "Red Rising". It's an okay design, although pretty basic. But it's huge. Why would anyone wear a pin this big?

The last item is a bookmark, based on "The Poppy War". The bookmark isn't very good quality, and the design kind of blends into the background, which wasn't very well thought out.

Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with this box, overall. Other than the book (and maybe the candle) I'm not going to use any of these items.

The next box has some fandoms I'm interested in - it's got an All for the Game item, based on Andrew and Neil, and also a Raven Cycle item, although I think that one is, weirdly, based on Kavinsky, which is a really odd choice.

So I will get the next box, because I want to give them another chance to impress me, especially with some fandoms I'm into. But I think it's very likely I won't continue with this subscription. It's just not worth the money.

[onewomancitadel]

The other problem with 'my fave did nothing wrong' is that characters can do wrong in one sense and do the right thing in another.

If Cinder hadn't have gone after the Winter Maiden power, the direct consequence of that would've been Winter using the Maiden meat puppet machine that is obviously a terrible no-good bad thing, and Penny wouldn't have been the Winter Maiden. Cinder's a necessary agent to stop that, in a perverse way you might even say she's essentially part of righting the cycle of the Maiden powers. Actually - yes. I completely buy that, because she sets in motion the urgency of the Maiden power musical chairs game, and she is, in that messed up way of hers, responsible for Amber and everything that follows thereafter, but all of it is necessary pain and destruction to set the cycle of the Maiden powers becoming corrupted, right - which in turn represents the Ozlem wound at the heart of the story!

Which is obviously fabulous, because she's the one with a fucked up perception of them already. Realising the redemption of the power through her own perspective etc. is genius.

Even Fria's death (and demonstration of power) is not something that is framed as a purely negative event, in fact it's a natural good death - she lived her life fully through the triple-goddess cycle of Maiden, Mother, Crone - and isn't left in the Maiden meat puppet machine. So there is clearly some mixed sense of goodness and badness emerging here.

But it's 'wrong' in the sense that Cinder's own motivation for going after the power is misplaced, and it's 'wrong' in the sense she's not meant to have it, and it's 'wrong' in the sense that she's acting under the guise of villainy (in contrast to Ironwood's apparent heroism... Ironwood is a 'hero' doing moral badness - Cinder is a 'villain' doing moral goodness).

You can see how eliding an action in the story into either good or bad actually means you can't really talk about it in the sense that it's actually intended. But equally you've got that problem is that if a character claims to be good (verbally or is considered a hero) everything they do is good, and if they claim to be bad (verbally or is considered a villain) everything they do is bad, which is where I think this type of narrative complexity suffers, because a lot of people will decide to judge the moral actions based on their perceived characteristics and fitting their narrative actions to that. So it's not even just about stan culture but something underlying fitting a character trait to their actual narrative actions. To be totally fair - protagonist-centred morality is totally a thing, and in some cases it works and in a lot of cases it doesn't. That it's actively (and probably a little too obviously) explored with Ironwood is interesting to me.

But 'my fave did nothing wrong' is a natural response if you're on the defense about your fave and in addition to that if you're already uncomfortable with moral complexity but want to enjoy a naughty villain who's not too naughty it's easy to slide into. That's why there are such urgent boundaries drawn between Cinder and Emerald, Cinder and Winter, Cinder and Raven, etc., characters considered to be receiving redemption arcs but are a little too similar to Cinder in terms of narrative potential for redemption, and why comparing them is automatically made to be untouchable territory. That or it's just a case of unlikability, because they're not all the same emotional archetypes.

But to me moral complexity is most interesting, especially in characters who are set up for a redemption arc that recontextualise the moral dynamics and goals of the story - in Cinder's redemption arc, nonviolence, redemption, healing, forgiveness, are naturally embedded into it, and it sets up the final answers to the story, so finding where she is doing 'good' things that are considered 'bad' (especially if they embody Fall Maiden ideals of Choice) when later she will be a 'bad person' who transforms into something beyond good and bad, someone who will redeem herself, is very interesting to me. Which is why I don't want to play that game of saying she did nothing wrong.

Most importantly, a redemption arc happens as a consequence of badness; can't redeem someone if they were never bad.

[silouvertongues]

FULL THOUGHTS ON THE RAVEN CYCLE PLEASE fave book fave character fave relationship??

HIIII it's so funny whenever u ask me questions like this about media I've consumed just bc. i don't think i have enough braincells to have coherent thoughts but im gonna try <33

ok fave book i can't pick one and bc i kinda read them back to back to back things are sorta blending together but i really liked the dream thieves bc the dream stuff is just really cool and ronan is so fun to read and there was quite a bit of him in it but i also loved the raven king bc all their little friendships and relationships sorta solidified and i loved it more than i can put into words. actually i think plot wise the third book was the strongest for me just because the stuff that happened felt more substantial? maybe? i loved how everything was written in the last one and how it kinda happened but i was expecting it to happen like that so i wasn't like . in awe or in shock yk

now the fave character . i love them all so immensely its a little crazy i didn't think I'd be this attached !! blue is literally my baby i need to shrink her and put her on my shoulder so we can be best friends forever i need to have her with me forever.

the funniest thing about gansey is that he's the stupidest genius around like my boy is so silly i love him for it but also idk how else to describe it but i have the like admiration for him that everyone in the book did??? idk if it was bc I read the others' povs but the way they were like we'd do anything for this man. yeah . yeah .

ADAM . ok this is ridiculous but i went in thinking I'd adore him right away and then i started reading it and the first book i did really like him but then the second book i. i didn't feel so good about him at times and i just couldn't understand why because it's adam and i thought I'd love him so much but then i realized it was bc he was a little too real? idk how else to describe it i was reading his pov and suddenly there was a mirror somehow despite me never having been in a situation like his before and then i understood why he was getting on my nerves and then i got over it as the books went on and he became less of a mirror lol and i am simply so fond of this boy now i need to take care of him and give him several hugs and put him on my other shoulder.

i don't even know what to say about this next guy im. immmmmmm . feeling very much jane austen if i loved you less i might be able to talk about it more. now this one i also knew i would like bc he's just . angsty angry little guy with a softest spot for the people he loves and im always gonna be a sucker for that BUT MYYYYYYY GOD he's like . he's in my heart he's around it he's inside it he's everywhere i love him :(( i think part of it was also because his story had more depth imo and was more interesting to me personally so I just enjoyed reading his bits more but he's so so lovely idk what else to even say

this is way longer than i thought it was gonna be so im gonna be basic and say my fav relationship was just all 4 (5 ig hi noah) of them i cried so many times over just like little moments of love between them im so insanely attached like they're all seriously in love with each other and i loveeeeee them i have moments just running through my head on loop since last night but also like romantic relationships wise i think i feel equally insane about the two main ones (well maybe a teeny tiny bit more insane about THE OBJECTS OF RONAN'S WORSHIP BEING FOCUSED IN ONE DOWNTOWN BLOCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCKK but also gansey feeling homesick and calling blue made me lose it i lost it i went insane)