#this is probably me projecting on alan because been there

[syrena-del-mar]

Alan honestly comes across as the textbook “nice guy.” (Which isn’t hard when you have First playing him, who is an actual nice guy). You know, the nice guy that acts nice until they don’t get their way and when they don’t, they take on a whole different persona that you wouldn’t expect because of how they presented themselves as the nice guy. Alan can be a “nice guy” and still raise red flags, especially how he postures himself when talking to Wen. 

It’s important to also consider the timeline in which they are living in. This is taking place during mid Covid-19. The show alludes to all the financial struggles due to the economy and Wen himself states that he’s living paycheck-to-paycheck. It makes sense that Wen is stuck living with his ex. It happens all the time to couples, sometimes no matter how much you may want to leave, there are extrinsic (in this case, financial) factors that impede your ability. 

And! In every interaction that Wen and Alan have together, Wen is more than crystal clear that there is nothing left in between them, even if they are still living together due to circumstances. 

First, the interaction they had when they were sharing a bed together. The moment that Wen feels Alan is snuggling up to him, Wen wakes up and tells Alan to move off of him. There’s a certain coldness in the way that Wen tells him to move, as if its been something already discussed. 

The next scene, Alan and Wen are having breakfast. Alan doesn’t even ask if Wen wants to go to the party of their mutual friend, he simply states, “You’re going.” He took away any choice from Wen and expected Wen to go along with the charade that they were still together. Wen put a stop to that and even states that pretending that they’re together makes him uncomfortable. ‘Pretending’ is the key word, signifying that they already discussed that their relationship has ended. 

Then, when Wen arrives the next morning, Alan reprimands Wen for not notifying him that he wouldn’t make it home that night and for not picking up his phone. There’s no relationship there! Wen already stated as such. Alan is crossing a line that has already been drawn, there was no reason to attempt to scold Wen, when Alan is nothing to him. He’s not his lover and not his parents, so if Wen doesn’t want to let him know that he’s not coming home, he doesn’t have to and that pisses Alan off. 

Wen also tells Alan that he’s moving out and that he found a condo to stay out. Wen is giving Alan a heads up so he can figure out his living situation, that wasn’t a comment for him throw it in his face whether he’s moving in with a boyfriend. Even if he was! It’s! Not! His! Business! 

The final straw is when Alan seeks out Gong, asking for information on Uncle Jim, just because Wen posts him on his IG story. A) Wen has made it clear that they’re not in a relationship anymore B) who Wen spends his time with is none of his business C) going to a mutual friend to find out is overstepping a huge line when it’s clear Wen doesn’t want Alan in his life. 

To top it off, whatever the final straw was for Wen, Alan plays it off as if Wen was being too much since he did it with good intentions. Gong even states that no matter if his actions were well-intentioned, he should have considered Wen’s opinion. I swear Alan’s posturing as if he knows what’s better for Wen kills me. 

Then he actually goes and tracks down where Wen is with Uncle Jim and asks if they’ve slept together! The way that he pushes Wen down, as well, he didn’t stop to think until he saw that Wen fell. Talk about overstepping, he really ran through the line that was drawn by tracking them down and then resorting to violence. 

It really doesn’t matter that they live together or that Alan has unresolved feelings. Wen has made it clear through his actions and verbally that there is nothing left for them. Wen even stated that what they were pretending for their mutual friend and even just pretending made him uncomfortable. I don’t know how much clearer Wen has to be. 

Alan isn’t in limbo with his relationship, Wen made his intentions clear in ending the relationship. Alan just can’t believe or come to terms that Wen doesn’t want him. Living together, sharing common spaces, doesn’t equal a welcome into his personal life just because they used to be together and Alan can’t seem to accept that. 

I get it, relationships make people do crazy things, jealousy can be a bitch, but that doesn’t give an excuse for literally stalking your ex and abusing the situation. 

TLDR; Alan is a walking red flag “nice guy” that can’t accept that just because he loves Wen that doesn’t mean that Wen has to love him. 

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2023. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel García Márquez.

Currently reading! This has been languishing on the TBR for a While™ and came highly recommended by a bookstore coworker. I'm only a couple chapters in, so far, and the family tree is ~Messy~, but the prose is lyrical and lovely!

[zahri-melitor]

I know you've all been waiting for this one: Sum of Our Parts (yes I finally got to Meghan Fitzmartin).

The very first thing I'll say: yeah, I see why DC commissioned more stuff from her after getting this and seeing the response. It's a solid opening showing her ability to write Tim.

There were a lot of moving parts that needed to be re-established and tidied up in this story, and I can see the list being worked through:-

Name: being very clear Tim is currently Robin, because since Tynion's 'Tec run ended, his name and costume have been varying by who is writing him with very little consistency.

Tim not going to university: this probably did need a push back on, because Tynion just waved the door open on that again during Joker War.

The fact that Tim and Steph are broken up (sort of essential for the plot being told)

Playing with the themes of moving on from Robin (but in this case using it as a frame to actually be the bait and switch that it's coming out instead)

Bernard is clearly an OC from the ground up who shares a name and hair colour with his previous existence. Which, look, Bernard was a pretty thin character with basically two personality traits (conspiracy theorist/trying really hard to project cool), and it is of course fairly arguable that Bernard was projecting a front at 16 that he no longer needs now he's accepted his identity. But it would be nice to have that conveyed in the text, rather than something you infer to try and connect two characters who are otherwise unalike. Especially given how much of the story is Tim reflecting on himself.

Even a line or two more about how he doesn't feel the need for a front anymore to line up with Tim having revelations. "Tell Tim Drake...he helped me realise my true self. Who I am" is nice enough but it could still use some more acknowledgement of how that changed his personality. It's just this nice parallel that could have helped develop the themes more securely. There's a bunch of possible implications you can read into the story (particularly in terms of how the Dowd parents really ARE characterised lightly as Fanon Drakes, between the polite fronts and implications that Bernard was previously abused at home in this) and this is one of the things that while I don't mind how much of this story Fitzmartin was telling via implication, a few more concrete things confirmed would have helped.

If I were going to make a solid stab of a guess at what sections of Robin Fitzmartin liked/reread in the lead into writing this, I honestly think it was Fabian Nicieza's Robin run (and probably parts of Red Robin). It's just...a lot of the characterisation has some very similar notes to it. Tim's got the same sort of smug confident edge to his internal commentary, the ways his skills are portrayed, and Detective Williams even reminds me quite a bit of Officer Jamie Harper. (I don't think she actually looked back over Willingham).

It's also very much a coming out story, and I do appreciate in that Fitzmartin does try to be delicate about it and doesn't whack you over the head with the bluntest lines possible (I just suffered through that in Infinite Frontier #0 with Alan Scott and good god did I cringe the entire way through the 'yes while you are my biological children and I have indeed been married. to women. I am gay. Listen to me come out.'), the amount of implied themes she levels through it is still substantial. It could have used slightly more focus on the actual underlying mystery.

I can also see the start of the situation where the story needs to decide whether Bernard Knows or Doesn't Know. Because both states would allow for situations with a lot of drama (and potentially identity shenanigans which are the best shenanigans), but just having it as sort of vacillating in the middle as something that doesn't need to be investigated? It's leaving a lot of potential storytelling on the floor that could instead be used to send Tim through the wringer. (Also Tim wow half of that cult probably could have figured out your identity, you weren't subtle)

Look, I don't think this story contained the greatest Barbara Gordon characterisation ever written, but it was within the bounds of overly-interfering, self-righteous and pushy Babs, which is something that does pop up at times. It felt in conversation with her characterisation in Batgirl 2009, and while I don't LIKE the way Babs is written in it, especially in regards to Steph, it makes sense in terms of the direction DC was pivoting at this point in terms of leading into the whole Batgirls title.

Fitzmartin was also clearly using Steph characterisation from very late Robin/BFTC/start of Red Robin, when they were fighting, in terms of how she's trying to have Steph needle at Tim's sore points, and set up a dichotomy of 'Steph has it together/Tim does not'.

And yes, Belén Ortega's art is very, VERY pretty.

[avactors]

Interview transcript 2: AvM30 - King and Purple

Interviewer: “Greeting! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please introduce yourselves for the viewers.” King: “It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I am [King] and I play King in AvM series.” Purple: “Hello! I’m [Purple] and my face is the one you see crying the most.” [All laughing] Interviewer: “So. [King], [Purple], neither of you have participated in a project like this before, both being more accustomed to movie formats. It must’ve been really hard to get used to a much faster production process.” Purple: “Actually, I already played several roles in series. But I will admit, shooting movies is a lot easier than a series. Albeit, less fun. The amount of freedom we were given was just crazy.” King: “I wouldn’t say it was all that hard, but surely an interesting experience.” Purple: “[King] called all of us kindergarteners when he first came to the set.” Interviewer: “I would assume that, being the only well-established actor in the series you probably had to give a lot of advice.” King: “I did. Actually. But they had proven to be fast learners.” Purple: [chuckle] “Oh trust me, ever since his first appearance he never left the set. He was coaching everyone.” King: [silently] “No I wasn’t” Purple: “The ones who got the most were, of course, [Second] and myself.” Interviewer: [laughing] “Because of how many scenes you played together, is that correct?” Purple: “Yes. Definitely.” Interviewer: “Oh yeah, [Purple], many were amazed by Purple’s performance in second to last episode. The Noteblock Universe. Many have speculated, but there seems to not be an answer as to who actually was performing that part” Purple: “It was me actually. I sang my own part in the Noteblock Universe. And I believe it to be one of my best performances so far.” King: “Oh yeah, the first time we actually heard the recording everyone was speechless. Turns out [Purple] has a lot of hidden talents.” Purple: “You bet!” Interviewer: “Speaking of talents, [King], many were very touched by your performance in the last episode’s backstory sequence and even more didn’t expect to see your actual son as a part of the series. Whose idea was this?” King: “Oh it’s quite a funny story, actually. Believe it or not, [Gold] actually volunteered to play the role of Gold in the series, when he heard me discussing the casting process with Alan, he instantly jumped to me, begging to let him try to audition.” [chuckle] “And, well, if you were in my place, you wouldn’t be able to say no to that face either.” Interviewer: “And, seeing at the reaction to this scene online, it is fair to assume that you indeed made a right decision. This episode had by far the most impact on everyone who tuned in during premiere.” Purple: “Oh, even I cried during the premiere. None of us even had an idea of what was happening, except for those who participated, so it came as a shock to everyone.” Interviewer: “Is that so? In that case, I believe you was in fact in the same place as Purple during the shooting.” Purple: [laugh] “That’s one way to put it!”

[astranite]

CH1 Coming Home Loudly

John isn't okay because it sure is lonely up in space. Scott follows through on his promises; he's here for his brothers and nothing, not even the distance between Earth and Thunderbird Five could stop him. Gordon is also Making Sure This Happens. --After suffering in silence, John comes home.

This fic follows @janetm74 's Suffering In Silence which I love. So much. This is about the emotions and the hugs and coming home.

Also thank you to the amazing art and inspiration of @lenle-g !!!

---

Scott powered down Thunderbird Three’s engines as he docked with Five and the clamps engaged, anchoring the two Thunderbirds together. John's voice was calm over the radio when he granted them permission to dock. It was so perfectly calm, without even a tremble to break the illusion that he had everything together, to the point it came out flat. Scott winced. Beneath it all John sounded completely exhausted. 

Gordon had been quiet most of the flight but for terse navigational directions, focused to point of singularity on why they were here. Around them, the metal hull of the rocket ticked and snapped as it cooled, adjusting to the lack of engines firing as they were left floating in the cold, unforgiving, lonely void of space. Scott shuddered, averting his gaze from the viewports to the stars. Nope, give him his blue skies any day of the week.

He jiggled his foot beneath the dash in a rapid tempo, hand bouncing on his knee in time. The anger that had flared up at his father while defending John had fled, leaving him with only restless worry. It filled him to the brim where thoughts about their father and their discussion turned argument, about Alan, and most importantly in this moment of John intermixed with flight plans and overflowed into movement.

Gordon shifted in his seat, picking up on Scott's emotions, ever in tune with everyone else. His mission focus snapped as he twisted around in his seat.

Hey Scotty, are you gonna explode?" he burst out. "'Cause you seem like you're about to."

The tap tap tap of Scott's leg shaking sounded too loud in the rocket's cabin. He was probably driving Gordon mad with it like it did their father when Scott got impatient in a meeting. Scott pressed his foot to the floor, forcing himself to go still. 

"Sorry Gordo, I'm all good," Scott muttered as the airlocks clunked together and begun to pressurise achingly slowly.

At least picking at the outer leg seam of his uniform with his fingers was less disruptive and obvious when he couldn't help the need to move. 

Gordon rolled his eyes. "I didn't say you had to stop, I just want to know how you're going. Y'know with everything."

"So now you ask me about my day?" Scott snarked back as he resumed bouncing his leg. 

He wouldn't say it was a relief Gordon didn't care, but it was. His brother was now mimicking his jittering but bigger and louder because this was Gordon he was talking about. He was probably also doing it to show Scott that it was okay.

"You seemed pretty wound up after your chat with dear old dad even by the time I came in,” Gordon said.

"How did you—? I didn't tell you we spoke."

Gordon counted off on his fingers. "One, we're going to get John down from Five even though Alan has very conveniently extended his rota. Two, the back of your neck gets red when you're mad."

Scott rubbed at it self consciously. "No it doesn't."

"Ya, it does bro. How do think I get the message of when to steer clear with the pranking? It's the same with Virge but don't tell him I told you that."

Scott blinked in silence in light of Gordon's astute observations.

And three," Gordon continued, "You can't sit still anyway but it's like ten times worse when you're worried about a brother. That brother isn't Alan when he's tucked up snug as a bug in a rug in the sick room probably watching racing vids by now, it's John."

Scott put his head in his hands as Gordon gestured expansively. "Ergo, you and Dad fought because as usual he thought everything was peachy when John's been practically radio silent lately, so if it ain't broke no need to fix it. Plus you're pissed about the whole thing with Alan."

Gordon kept talking as Scott tried to process exactly how much his little brother picked up on because Gordon’s anxious tell was the inability to shut up. 

"Bonus lucky number four, John's been in space far too long and it's getting to him, and damn it to all hell but Dad was wrong and I'm really glad we're here."

They both let out a long breath after that, looking to each other. The airlock safety dinged.

Scott leapt out of the pilot's chair as fast as he could, pausing only when Gordon didn't follow.

Brown eyes watched him, as soft and sharp as the tangle of contradictions that forged Gordon. 

"Johnny will just want you. You're our big brother, he'll be a mess and you know he hates anyone seeing him like that. He’ll take it better from you."

Scott leant over the back of Gordon's chair to wrap him in a hug. "Thanks, Squid."

"Anytime. Now you bring our space-case home." That ridiculous nickname was said with all the affection in the world.

Scott saluted him, getting a casual two fingers flicked from a brow back as he pressed the door release.

The doors shifted open with their customary hiss-clunk, allowing Scott entry into Thunderbird Five. His brother's Thunderbird, just as clearly as One was his own. Maybe even more so when it came to it. It wasn't like Scott lived on his twenty-four seven without pause, even if after long rescue shifts sometimes he felt like he did.

John was waiting for him on the other side in his customary blue uniform and lilac baldric, looking smaller than Scott thought someone so tall and lanky could possibly make themselves. His arms were wrapped tightly around his chest. Hugging himself, Scott realised.

A step closer showed exactly how crumpled his clothes were, as if he'd pulled them off the laundry floor pile. Or slept in them. Or, if Scott was going to bet on it, spent a good amount of time crying his heart out while hiding in his bed, like Scott had found John too many times in their lives after he retreated. Their father would never allow anyone under his command and certainly not his sons to be seen with their uniforms in such disarray in any other circumstances.

Another couple of steps until he was standing right in John's space had him meeting his brother's over-bright eyes. It was impossible to miss how red and puffy the skin around them was. John glanced away down to their feet, blinking quickly.

His hair stuck out like a set of radio antennae, his fringe bent in no less than three different directions.

Scott had been right. Gordon had been right. John wasn't coping up here alone. 

"Hey, John," Scott said softly.

"Scott." 

Only now John's voice sounded utterly wrecked, like he had in fact spent the last hours sobbing.

Scott was ready to kick himself for not doing anything earlier. This would've kept on going, leaving John suffering in silence when he couldn't make himself say anything to their father for even longer, if Scott hadn't stepped in. 

Twelve weeks. John had been stuck up here alone, no one to keep him company, the time stretching out longer and longer as Alan put off or cut short his own rota whenever he could get away with it. It was a pattern, going back far longer than this round. 

Scott would've gone mad in about a day over his allotted month without room to run in the fresh air beneath the sky and more importantly, have his family by his side. John had had none of that for far longer.

This was why Scott didn't take rosters on Five very often without good reason. But if he was up here, he was damn well going to stick it out and do his job properly. He'd be having a long talk with Alan about taking responsibility for his own actions after he got John home and gave him a chance to settle before tempers blew up the house. The kid would take it hard being told that he'd hurt John, but this couldn't go on.

The reason why stood right in front of him.

John wobbled on his feet, rocking forward before hesitating as he reached out towards Scott. 

" Oh, Jay," Scott murmured near silently, just between him and John.

Scott opened up his arms and John fell into them. 

John didn't hug back; his arms remained pinned around himself, crossed protectively over his chest, but he leaned his body into Scott's before tucking his face into the crook of his big brother's neck.

Ever so carefully, Scott folded him close as John trembled. 

His brother felt far too... Scott refused to use the word fragile, his John was as strong as the rest of them, no matter what anyone said, and yet he also wasn’t the collected Thunderbird Five they usually knew. All Scott wanted to do was hold him, to keep the weight of the world off his brother’s narrower shoulders and stand between him and the storm. Right now that was what John needed; it didn’t make him any less of a Thunderbird though.

John would step out again from that shelter, quicker and cleverer than anyone or simply however John was in the moment, but that was his choice, not Scott’s to keep him. It was about whenever John felt ready to do so, Scott swore to himself: he would be there for as long as that took and be still there to come back to, yet when the time came he’d let go and cheer John on from the sidelines.

It had been the same with Gordon when after the accident the world had been screaming that he was fragile. In the early days Scott had been... overprotective too. He'd treated his brother like glass and stopped him from doing what he wanted to do out of fear, for his own sake, not Gordon's. They had a deal now: Gordon would tell him upfront what he could and couldn't do, and Scott would believe him. He’d call dad out when he refused to listen to Gordon too, backing his brother up when he wanted it.

Even when hard rescues turned recoveries had Scott wondering why the hell he was letting any of his baby brothers do this, he'd never take away being a Thunderbird from Gordon against his will. Nor from John. He’d fight the whole world kicking and screaming if it tried to, because being different didn't make any of his brothers broken. 

He held John, a hand resting on the nape of his neck to gently tangle in soft, blonde hair while John’s uneven breaths were warm against Scott’s collar bone, where his eldest little brother hid his face. 

Sometimes after nightmares Scott was left lying awake, staring at the blurry ceiling in the dark. The majority of his service held no happy memories; none of the promised glory was found in the senseless bloodshed of a violent conflict there had been no reason for but greed. When he was so shaken, so sick to the pit of his stomach that the tears he’d woken up with wet on his face flowed freely, Scott thought he wasn't as strong as Dad wanted them all to be either.

John was far too like him when you got down to it. So was Gordon. Alan was barely not a kid and still figuring out a lot of how things worked. He hadn’t had the easiest time of it growing up without Mum holding his hand like she had been there for the rest of them, not matter how they all had tried to compensate for the youngest. Scott had tried, he’d stepped up as the man of the house even when Dad checked out. He hadn’t known what to do with five motherless boys either.

Scott’s Virgil too had a sensitive artist’s soul, he always had. He was a bit of a hopeless romantic and an easy crier, but Scott couldn’t truly tease him for it. Virgil made the choice over and over to continue to be soft and to be kind no matter how many times he was knocked to the ground. He was the one Scott looked to when he felt he was forgetting how to believe in the good in people. 

Right now, John had forgotten how to take up room in the world. In Scott’s arms, it was as if he would shatter if he was dropped suddenly or grow smaller until he faded away invisibly. Even when Scott knew he wouldn’t , deep down he was still scared that his brother would disappear into space, becoming another part of the stardust and the big, empty void instead of being his John . He saw it in the silence that settled over him after so long away, where his usual quiet gaped like an open wound. He couldn’t bear to lose John to it.

But Scott would never let it happen, not while he still breathed. He would hold John up until he could stand on own his feet again and never leave him alone and forgotten. That’s why he shouted down their father, the echo of his palms slamming into the desk thrumming through his fingers in synch with his heartbeat. Proper meals, rest, sunshine and time with their brothers would do John good, then they would all hear John’s laughter ringing out across the pool decks once again. 

John let Scott take his weight. His brother was truly here, real and solid in his arms, Scott needed this to remember how it felt, that this was John not just the staticky waves of a voice down a radio channel or flattened 2D image from far away. Those weren’t warm and human, it wasn’t the same.

Scott froze when John wriggled after a minute, immediately loosening his grip to give John room to breathe, but John only let his arms drop to his sides so he could squish himself closer to Scott.

Using the few extra inches of height he had on his brother from how John slumped small, Scott wrapped himself around John more. He shifted so he could rest his jaw against John’s hair, taking a deep breath in. 

Oh Jay, dammit . Scott had missed him so much.

He smelt so familiar; he was space and John and home. Scott’s brothers were his home, beyond the island, beyond Kansas, or Earth or space or whatever the hell else the universe was made up of.

Home, home, home, home, home. Scott mouthed the words near silently, a reminder, a promise .

Scott swallowed hard as John nuzzled into his shoulder. Like he knew exactly what Scott was thinking at any point, like he saw straight through him clearer than windshield glass of a Thunderbird, no matter he was trembling, John got him. 

Scott tried not to cry over all of that either.

His brother shouldn't be a shaky mess from just getting a cuddle, he should be demanding them off of Scott whenever he wanted to without care that they were busy, and fighting over who got to sit next to him on movie night like the others. 

Scott rubbed a hand up and down his back, promising himself first and foremost that they were all going to do better by John. Stars knew John would never say anything when he was hurting until he drowned beneath the gravity of it, alone on Five.

[neil-neil-orange-peel]

I love reading your asks, so I wanted to ask you if you had any favorite female characters from Rik and Ade projects?

Helloooo! Thank you, that's so sweet. ❤️ Let's see... I'm going to single out some TYO characters specifically and then talk more generally. This post is absolutely going to become a big, incoherent mess. 😂

Sue from Sociology is my favourite minor TYO character. Don't get me wrong, I love Helen the Murderess too, but there's something that draws me to Sue. To be fair, I'm just seriously weak for Jennifer Saunders in general, and she's basically done up as a female Rick here, if Rick was actually cool. I like inserting her into fanfic sometimes (okay, once... but I have plans). She's very much a background character for the majority of Interesting, but Interesting itself is one of the first (and only, possibly the only?) time there are lots of women in a TYO scene at once, even if they're not getting to do much. Shout out to Dawn's Christian who gets crushed by the gigantic sandwich too, of course! (As an aside, I find it funny that both Jennifer and Dawn got to strangle/smother Mike on the sofa on different occasions.)

Vyvyan's mum. Pauline Melville pops up a couple of other times in TYO as well, and she's just very good whenever she does. I believe she gave French & Saunders a bit of guidance when they were all on the standup circuit. Vyv's mum is a great character because she's just SO awful. Let female characters be awful! She's so spiky and sharp in every way, and she's probably the only semi-developed female character who appears on the show. I think letting the audience meet her gives Vyvyan a bit of texture and depth - sure, we could imagine any family background for any of them, but we're being told THIS HERE is Vyvyan's. Poor Vyv. Pauline Melville herself, of course, is a prize-winning writer now! The dream.

The devil and her condemned soul is one of my favourite TYO cutaway segments. The condemned soul is Helen Atkinson-Wood, who is most well-known for playing Mrs Miggins in Blackadder the Third. She also has a small role in the Comic Strip episode Consuela (and possibly others, but I looked up the cast list to that one yonks ago because it's my favourite). I wonder if Lise wrote this sketch, considering the subject matter. Either way, Dawn and Helen's delivery is great, especially the faux discrete way Dawn says "period pains". I hope it put stuffy men's heckles up.

Aside from TYO, Jen and Dawn were often the only female presence in the Comic Strip episodes, particularly the earlier ones. Of the first two series, Dawn wrote Summer School and Jen wrote Slags - neither were standout episodes of their series, the kind often recalled today, but with Slags especially, the female characters within them were given more agency and stake in the plot than usual. Jen played five different characters in Happy Families in 1985 - a little gem written by Ben and also starring Ade.

I'd like to give a little shout out to Helen Lederer, who popped up a lot in Rik and Ade's - and French & Saunders' - comic output, while never really being given her own opportunity to shine on TV. Oh, and I'd also like to give a shout out to Marsha Fitzalan, who played Sarah B'Stard in The New Statesman - she did such a good job of playing an intensely flawed, funny female character. There are countless male characters who are basically terrible people - I mean, Alan B'Stard for one - and it's vital women are also allowed to be that awful in comedy.

Comedy has always been a pretty male sphere. Even these days, there are definitely still men Ricky Gervais who believe women can't be funny. Misogyny is still massively prevalent in society. Male comics attract female attention; female comics attract male abuse. That's a simplification and generalisation, of course, but it's broadly true. And I don't see younger generations of men getting better with this, to be honest. Actually, I see them getting worse (thanks, Andrew Tate). Sorry to be all doom and gloom!

When Rik and Ade started out in comedy, women getting to play characters other than wives or the like - that is, straight characters and caricatures there largely for the male characters to bounce off of for their laughs - was still uncommon. Despite the existence of successful female comics across the pond like Lucille Ball, and beloved 1970s sitcom The Good Life having a main cast split evenly gender-wise (I know Richard Briers technically had first credit, but Penelope Keith as Margo Leadbetter was absolutely the funniest of the four of them), there was a genuine belief that women couldn't (and maybe shouldn't) be doing comedy.

Women like Victoria Wood were pushing boundaries in important ways around the time of the alternative comedy boom by writing specifically about women (and, quite often, northern women - which I personally think is important, since Last of the Summer Wine had such a chokehold on portraying almost all of its female characters as ostensibly the same). Her sitcom dinnerladies was both melancholic and hilarious. Her sketch shows and other comic output, quite often featuring Julie Walters (her friend and muse), Celia Imrie, and many others, were all written entirely by her. She was also a gifted pianist and wrote several comic songs.

All of this is to say, Victoria Wood definitely helped pave the way for French & Saunders. She even referred to herself as an alternative comedian in her material. But honestly, I don't think it was until much later that women stopped being regularly restricted to straight roles in comedies created by men (which, of course, most comedies were). This was part of why Absolutely Fabulous, written by Jen, was such a breath of fresh air in the 1990s. For once, every single major character was a woman - men were the scarcity! And Jen has mentioned before that producers would constantly pressure her to write more roles for men. Meanwhile, we can observe that Girls on Top (dubbed the female TYO, which is... sort of true and sort of not), which Dawn and Jen starred in with Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman in the 1980s, isn't very well-known today. I'm not 100% sure how well it was received at the time, but clearly it wasn't as popular as TYO had been before it. Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman have both also had successful careers in comedy, but I'd argue that's mainly thanks (particularly in Tracy's case) to opportunities in America.

So I'm not saying women never got to be the funny (also I'm just talking about the UK), but the fact is: if your comedy has a completely/majority male cast, with women only popping up in supporting roles or in guest appearances, it's obvious which characters are going to be better developed, more beloved, and just funnier. I mean, even the Vicar of Dibley, which was obviously written for Dawn and showcases her comic prowess, features a supporting cast of funny men (there was also Emma Chambers as Alice and Liz Smith as Leticia - before she was killed off - but the women were outnumbered by the men). I get that this perhaps fits with the idea of a tiny, slightly backwards village in Oxfordshire - and the fact Geraldine was a female vicar shocking these men was very important to the premise - but still.

We know certain men just REALLY struggle at writing women, too, so they've either done a really bad job or just avoided trying altogether. I do have an example for this, but I don't want to name them since I do love the show they created - it's just, y'know, writing women is definitely not their strong suit! And I'm really not trying to poo poo any shows here by pointing this out. I'm just making observations. All of these comedies I'm referencing here are very old now.

So! To get back to where I started with this!

I love that Lise Mayer was one of the writers of The Young Ones. In some ways, the fact one of the writers was a woman feels pretty incredible for 1982. At the same time, though, it's not surprising that she's often the forgotten one when people talk about who wrote TYO.

Rik and Ade were/are feminists, and it obviously wasn't their fault as individuals that comedy was so male - comedy was also restrictive in other ways before them. In terms of social class and political attitudes, they were definitely something refreshing and new. That said, it wouldn't be until later, with people like Caroline Aherne (who really changed the fundamentals of the sitcom genre with The Royle Family), that working class voices who weren't fucking Bernard Manning actually got some notice in comedy. And I've not even mentioned race in this ramble. If comedy was male, it was even more pale. There were comedies starring black and Asian comics in the 1980s and 1990s that started to break through - The Lenny Henry Show, Chef!, Desmond's, The Real McCoy, Goodness Gracious Me - but there's no denying BAME people, BAME women especially, have had to struggle a lot for a voice in comedy. Comedy is more diverse today than it was 40 years ago. There has been progress. But it's absolutely still male dominated, and still very white, at the top.

Rik was pegged as the golden boy of the alternative comedy movement, and he was and is undoubtedly remembered for so many different comedies. But in terms of pure success and fame? Actually, I think Dawn and Jen have been the standouts of their cohort. I don't think anyone would've predicted this 40 odd years ago - I mean, Christ, Rik had to speak up just to ensure they got equal pay at The Comic Strip. The boys were given their chance to shine first, there's no doubt about that. But it was Dawn and Jen who were the subjects of a BBC documentary last Christmas.

...Maybe there is hope for funny women, after all.

[adudelolwriting]

The Chosen One never wanted to be back on a computer. Chosen never wanted to leave the Outernet again, and just wanted to peacefully live the rest of Chosen’s life with Lord in that small clearing, overlooking the ocean’s view. 

The Chosen One has never been able to get what Chosen wanted. 

So here Chosen was, staring through the blurry screen at Chosen's creator. The screen was different than the last time Chosen had been here — Noogia3 must've gotten a new monitor. 

“I know you don't like Him, but... you're hurt. You both are. I'm sorry to bring you here, but it's what needs to be done,” Orange spoke softly to the older stick, who was clinging onto Orange's body as the two of them walked. 

Chosen couldn't take Chosen's eyes away from the blurry, hunched over figure. “Alan's not gonna hurt you, I promise.”

The Dark Lord coughed weakly, flinching. Lord was in such a worse state than Chosen was because of Orange's attack. Chosen was still angry at her for just not listening to Chosen, and she nearly got herself killed because of it. Chosen never could repay the sticks who he killed being the ones that will save him.

The Cursor noticed the sticks coming back through the ethernet portal at this point, and quickly rushed over. Neon red lasers shot out of Chosen's eyes, launching the Cursor back to the other side of the screen.

“The Chosen One, He's just trying to help!” Orange gasped, looking between the stick figure and the Cursor. “He helped us in the outernet, He's not gonna suddenly attack us here.”

Chosen growled, weakly holding onto Orange's side. “Bastard can't be trusted…”

“Then trust me. Me, and everyone else, is not gonna let Him hurt you or Lord, okay?” Orange said sternly, trying to get the message through Chosen's thick skull. “We just need to get you and Lord better.” 

Orange turned to face the Cursor, pointing to the art program. The Cursor got the idea, and the program popped up behind and around ae and Chosen. Yellow and Red, who both were carrying The Dark Lord, also climbed into the box. Orange helped Chosen sit down before grabbing the pencil and drawing a bed for Lord to lay down on.

'whats going on??' The Cursor asked in a text box, wary of the Chosen One. 

“Alan, this is The Chosen One, and that is The Dark Lord. They're hurt really badly, and we need to help them.” Orange ran over to the other side of the art program, helping Blue bring a bunch of... pixelated bottles into the screen before helping Blue herself up. 

“I don't want to be near Him,” Chosen said, “I don't want Him to be near me or Lord.” Chosen looked up, and saw that Chosen's words didn't appear like they did for Orange.

I suppose that makes sense. It never happened before, Chosen though with a sigh. “Tell Him to fuck off. I will destroy the Cursor if He gets anywhere near us.”

“Uh-” Orange stuttered, turning to face Alan, “The Chosen One says that if you get close to The Chosen One or Lord, The Chosen One is gonna break your Cursor.”

‘oh. ok’

Chosen watched as the Cursor moved away. Lord groans, and Chosen’s head snapped over to her side. Chosen was instantly at his side, holding his hands as he laid in bed. “Hey, hey, you’re okay Lord, you’re okay.”

Blue was on the other side, putting an IV that Orange drew into Lord’s arm. A red liquid started dripping into the item. “It’s a regen+health potion mix. It should help Lord,” Green explained. “We’re using an IV drip here, since potions aren’t as strong outside of Minecraft, and they’re not as reactive to Orange. Yellow said it would probably be the same for you and Lord.”

“Green, Yellow, do either of you need anything else?” Orange asked, rocking on aers heels. The two shook their heads. 

Chosen couldn’t believe Chosen was letting these kids save Lord’s life. Chosen was furious at Lord, for a lot of shit. They both had left the life of fear behind, but Lord still went on to kill these kids in an attempt to attack Noogai3.

“I’m sorry,” Chosen quietly said, causing a few of the sticks to look up to Chosen. “I should’ve stopped her from attacking you guys. I should’ve been stronger.”

“The Chosen One, it wasn’t your fault,” Orange reassured, placing a careful hand on Chosen’s shoulder, “you didn’t tell her to kill us. You did your best to fight him off!”

“You guys still got hurt because of it. You all have permanent scars on your bodies now.” Chosen’s fists curled. “Lord and I are the first adults you kids have seen in years, and Lord killed you. The only other stick has been that human who hurts you.”

“Alan?” Red asked, “He doesn’t hurt us?”

“Yeah, Alan’s really nice. I mean, He did delete us that one time, but that’s when He didn’t know we were alive,” Blue spoke up, finishing their work. 

“No, He knew you all were alive! He had to deal with two other sticks before! Noogai fucking enslaved me for years as an adblocker! He created by best friend to kill me! He knew you guys were alive but didn’t care! He never cared!” 

Silence falls over all the sticks. Chosen’s fists were encased in flames, Chosen’s eyes glowing a bright red.

“Alan… created you?” Orange asked quietly. “He… did all that to you?”

Chosen took a deep breath, the flames calming and Chosen’s eyes dimming. 

“I…” Orange gulped, looking to aer’s friends. “Alan’s not like that anymore. If I help Him draw, He’ll let us live here.”

“Orange…” Green whispered, reaching out to Orange who shook aers head.

“I need to talk to Alan,” Orange said before creating a new canvas and climbing into it. Chosen watched as the Cursor disappeared and their view of Noogai was blocked off by a white wall.

A few moments of silence pass, and as Red opened its mouth to talk, Chosen said, “So how long until Lord wakes up?”

“Oh, uh--” Yellow jerked as if not expecting to be talked to. “We don’t really know much about potions outside of the game, but with how injured he is, it’ll probably take a few hours.”

“We can watch over him if you aren’t comfortable here,” Red perked up. “You can go home and rest, or--”

“No.” Chosen sternly said. “She’s not leaving my sight. I’m not gonna leave him here.”

“Oh… okay, um, yeah.” Red flinched as there was a particularly loud shout from the other canvas. “Once Orange comes back, ae could draw you a bed so you don’t have to leave Lord.”

“I’m not gonna sleep.” There’s been too much time spent in darkness here.

Silence fell over them.

“Does… the second canvas help?” Blue meekly asked. “He can’t see you, and you can’t see Him?”

Chosen thought for a moment. It was nice, knowing that Noogai couldn’t see Chosen or Lord right now. And the white wall blocking Chosen’s vision wasn’t something Chosen wasn’t not used to. At least, right like this, Chosen would instantly know if the Cursor comes back, and it wasn’t dark and Lord was here.

“I think that would be for the best.”

“Okay. Okay! I’ll um -- I’ll go tell Orange that,” Red said with a small smile, before knocking on the other canvas and climbing through.

Chosen grabbed Lord’s hand, gently holding it and stroking Chosen’s thumbs over her knuckles. “He is going to be okay, right?” Chosen asked. 

“Yeah, he should be. The potions are already working -- see, a bunch of her minor scratches and cuts are gone already.” Yellow pointed to different parts. “It’s not gonna remove the scars, or anything though. The most noticeable one will be this one.” Yellow pointed to the large wound in the center of Lord’s chest, before stretching up and across the middle of her neck and face.

“As long as she’ll live,” Chosen exhaled, dropping Chosen’s head down, forehead resting on the mattress. “This is all my fault. If only I stopped him earlier, or convinced her not to…”

“It’s not your fault, Chosen. You’re not responsible for him!” Blue says, wincing as a crash was heard. Red climbs back onto the canvas, and a moment after is followed by Orange.

Ae was much more disheveled, wiping aers eyes with aer’s sleeve. “Alan’s gonna leave you guys alone,” Orange sniffled, “we, uhm… yeah. Yeah.”

“Are you okay?” Green asked, rushing over to Orange’s side. The older stick nodded silently. Green sighed, leading Orange to sit down on the ground. Yellow and Blue shared a silent look towards each other.

Chosen watches these kids silently communicate to each other, and it reminds Chosen of those early days with Lord when they didn’t know how to talk.

------------

Chosen didn’t fall asleep.

The kids stayed in the same room as Chosen and Lord, but one by one they all fell asleep. Chosen knows it’s morning now -- the clock shows that it was 9:28 am. Chosen takes a deep breath, watching the rise and fall of Lord’s chest.

The wound was fully healed now, the only evidence being the scar that resided on Lord’s body. Chosen sighs, thumbs brushing atop of her knuckles.

The Dark Lord’s face shifts in her sleep, before her eyes open weakly. “Lord!” Chosen whisper-yelled, trying to not wake up the other stick figures. 

Lord’s eyes glazed over, and Chosen’s heart dropped to Chosen’s stomach as Chosen was just barely able to dodge out of the way of her attack.

“Lord, it’s me! Don’t listen to it, we’re not safe!” Okay, fuck trying to stay quiet. “There are kids sleeping, you can break through it!”

Chosen dodged a fireball, which breaks the wall of the aet program. Chosen flies through it back onto the open PC, lasering Lord as she flies out. She hissed, but not stopping her attack. Chosen kicked a file into his face, which got incinerated almost instantly. “Lord, this isn’t the place for this!” Chosen led Lord further away from the art program as the sticks started looking out now. 

Lord tackled Chosen, bringing them both into a downward spiral before hitting the ground. His hands wrapped around Chosen’s neck as his hands burst into flame. Chosen growled, hands wrapping up to Lord’s hands and shooting lasers out of Chosen’s eyes.

Chosen should’ve slept. Chosen was tired and weakened, and Lord was well rested and not in control of herself. Chosen saw the Cursor appear, and Chosen instantly focused the lasers on the Cursor. 

“Don’t fucking touch him!” Chosen choked out, forcing the Cursor back. Chosen sees Orange running over, and ae tries to pull Lord off. Chosen’s ears were ringing, and Chosen’s thinks Orange is talking. “Don’t hurt him, he’s not--” Chosen coughs, face starting to sting from the fire.

Chosen focused back on Lord, doing everything Chosen could to fight off the other stick figure. Did she really have to do this here? A sudden box popped around Lord’s body, and Chosen’s stomach dropped. Lord stopped her attack, confused with eyes still glazed over. Chosen looks to Noogai, and towards the right side of the monitor -- there was an index pulled up, and the Cursor was hovering over Lord’s file name. 

Chosen screamed. Chosen was not going to let Lord die here. Chosen wasn’t going to let Lord die. 

Instantly, a deep, dark gray stormcloud took up half the computer screen. Lightning flashes quickly and violently. Thunder bellowed from the sky, and Chosen felt rage. 

Orange was yelling -- at Chosen or the Cursor, Chosen didn’t know. Chosen tries to grab Lord, but she can’t move. She was stuck in the box. Chosen pulled and tugged, but couldn’t move him.

A pop up appeared under their feet, and Chosen burned instantly. Chosen just needs to fight this off. Chosen just needs to wait until Chosen could get Lord out. 

Another pop up.

More ash.

Ignore the feelings. You’re not there.

Focus. There is no weight on your ankle. 

Pop up. Ash. 

Pop up. Ash. 

Pop up. Ash.

You can do this.

Pop up. 

You need to do this.

Ash.

There was screaming.

Another pop up.

Continue fighting.

There was so much ash. 

Chosen felt Chosen’s throat was raw -- has Chosen been screaming? Or was it the fire? 

Everything seemed off. Focus. The Dark Lord is going to die if you don’t fight for him. 

Arms wrapped around Chosen’s waist, pulling Chosen away from Lord. “No! No, He’s gonna kill her!” Chosen screamed, fighting off the stick behind Chosen as Chosen was taken further and further away. 

A thick, metal wall suddenly separated the two oldest stick figures from each other. Chosen hears Lord scream out, and Chosen falls to Chosen’s knees as the stick continues to drag Chosen away.

“He killed her,” Chosen’s voice breaks as Chosen talks, “I couldn’t save her.”

The static in Chosen ears slowly dim down. “...osen One? Are you back?” 

Chosen finally looks back, and, oh. It was Orange holding Chosen.

“It’s okay! Lord isn’t gonna hurt you anymore,” Orange says softly, and Chosen could instantly see that ae was putting on a brave face. “Alan’s fixing him.”

“He killed her,” Chosen replied, wiping away the tears. When had Chosen started crying?

“No-- No! No, Alan, He’s -- He’s removing the programming He made,” Orange explained, “me and Alan had an argument last night, and… well, He came in early this morning and we talked it out. He explained what happened and what He did to you and Lord, and He’s trying to fix it now.”

Orange watched Chosen for a moment or two, watching Chosen’s reaction. Ae then pulled out an eraser tool, and deleted the metal wall. Lord was still in a box, but… she was back. The Cursor was still hovering around her, but Chosen could tell. 

Lord was sitting down on the ground now, head tilted curiously as the Cursor continued to type stuff into the white pop up below Lord’s body. He looked up when the wall was erased before excitedly jumping up and waving to Chosen.

“He’s deleting the line of code!” Lord shouted. “We can finally be safe together, Chosen!” Chosen ran over, breaking out of Orange's (weak) grasp and looked over the pop up. 

mission.The_Dark_Lord = love(The_Chosen_One);

What? “No -- love? Are you serious?” Chosen asked, glancing up at Noogai’s blurred face. “No, no! Don’t force him to -- to love me!” 

“Chosen, I asked Him too,” Lord spoke slowly. “I… I want to love you. For the rest of my life.” 

Chosen whipped around to face Lord, Chosen’s face red. “Wh -- What? Lord, you can’t--”

“Chosen, listen to me.” Lord’s hands took Chosen’s own. “I love you with all my heart, okay? I want to retire with you -- properly, this time. I want you to teach me how to knit, and I want to teach you how to bake, and all that other soft junk. I love you, Chosen, 

Chosen felt tears well up in Chosen’s eyes. “Lord, I--” Chosen’s throat felt dry. It couldn’t be true. Lord couldn’t love Chosen, not like that. “The code is making you think weirdly again, I’ll tell Him to remove it--”

“Cursors, you’re an idiot,” Lord chuckled, pulling Chosen closer into a hug. “Alan hasn’t even implemented the new code in yet. This is me saying this.”

Chosen let out a small sob, fully sinking into her hug. “I thought you were going to die,” Chosen meekly said, feeling Chosen’s tears soak into Lord’s clothing, “Cursor, I love you so much, Lord, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you actually died.”

“It’s okay, Chosen, it’s okay,” she said while rubbing circles into Chosen’s back. She looks directly at Alan, the blurry man on the other side of the monitor, and nods. He was going to love Chosen for the rest of his life, even if it killed him. Lord would never leave Chosen’s side.

Alan hit enter.

[bluef00t]

Finally collecting these in a post—Atomic Robo robotswap ideas. This was more of a character design challenge than a real AU, but the concept kind of got away from me.

Rambling design notes + a couple panel redraws + some ideas I had for Helsingard and ALAN 1.0 under the cut:

This idea spiraled out of an old sketch by Wegner of real-boy Robo as a genetics experiment. I'm interpreting that as basically Wolverine minus the animal motifs (and generally much more well-adjusted).

I tried to mimic more elements of his bot design; for example the hair silhouette and the thick blue-tinted glasses, swapped for goggles as his lifestyle got more active. I guess sensitive eyes are a side effect of his mutations. (The classic superhero forehead curl on babyrobo has no design justification, I just couldn't resist.) His appearance would make the public of the '20s a little uncomfortable with seeing him as Tesla's son. Which feels very thematically appropriate.

I'm still calling him "Robo" because it feels weird not to, though it would be a nickname. Appropriate for a guy who never sleeps; plausibly derived from Robert/Ratko. (The American name would be how he's introduced to the public; the Serbian one used casually by Tesla.*) Honestly, it seems in-character for him to put down Robo as his actual legal name when he finally got that chance.

*Things I found out after picking these names for their superficial resemblance to "Robo": Robert means "famous, shining" and Ratomir means "defender of peace"; literally "war for peace". Definitely an affectionately ironic moniker for a son so determined to be an action hero. Though dear monolingual Robo probably wouldn't catch on until decades after Tesla's death... Well, now I've gone and made myself sad.

The action scientists are mostly an excuse to still draw robots. Let's say they're Robo's big midlife crisis project after realizing he was going to outlive his entire first team and not think about it too hard.

Vik (inspired by Robby the Robot) is the oldest of the models. He's optimized for processing power, which is how you get a robot that will try to suggest purely hypothetical (but mathematically sound!) solutions to urgent real-world problems. And enjoys TTRPGs of Turing-complete levels of complexity.

Lang (inspired by Robo) came shortly after, more optimized for the "action" part of action science. Being made of metal does wonders for your recoil management. (I know she hasn't had the hair buns in 10+ years, but that's what I was trying to do with the "antennae".)

Foley (inspired by Alan) is the newest model, optimized for human-robot interaction. Getting wifi installed in her head early on had the unexpected side effect of making her really good at understanding networks of all kinds.

BRN-3 wasn't built to be sentient. He's just a lab geological survey bot that began showing signs of sapience one day and attributes his own "enlightenment" to the "crystals" he'd been studying. This is obviously bullshit but nobody can give a better explanation, so...

Jenkins is literally just the Terminator, except his evil future is vampires instead of AI. He was sent back to kill Robo, which clearly didn't work, so they talked it out and now he just hangs around Tesladyne on high alert for anything that might kick off the apocalypse.

(I have no idea where Ada, Ben, and Koa fit in here, but I might come back to them later. Using their Agents of CHANGE power suits as android designs felt like cheating.)

Not included in these drawings are Helsingard and ALAN, but I'm considering switching around parts of their premises, too.

Helsingard was a Nazi supercomputer meant to calculate the perfect world-conquering strategy. Instead, it realized that Germany's loss was imminent and hid copies of itself around the planet. Every once in a while, someone accidentally boots up a copy and it tries to take over. In the modern age it's a total dice roll as to whether this will be horrifying (what major infrastructure isn't computerized these days?) or just kind of pathetic (it's too old to understand the internet and can easily get itself trapped in an office printer spitting toner and stacks of paper that read BEHOLD HELSINGARD).

ALAN (potential rename pending; the Turing connection is rather lost in the version I'm going with for now) is the world's second successful "unkillable" genetic experiment, a govt project during the Cold War to ensure that the last man alive in a nuclear winter scenario would be British. But it turns out telling a guy he's the next stage in human evolution and sealing him in a bunker for decades to await a chance to inherit the earth which doesn't come isn't great for his sense of compassion or morality. Eventually, ALAN decides to hurry things along before we inferior humans end the world in a less convenient way, and Robo has to... well, you know this part.

It turns out there was a secret phase 2 to this plan, which would have been to populate the solar system with perfect immortal mind-networked clones of himself. The single under-baked clone that it does manage to spit out before being shut down is our Alan :] He needs someone to look after him while his crazy healing powers fill in the missing chunks of his body and brain, and he didn't get a full memory upload from ALAN, so it's free son boy!

No changes were made to Dr. Dinosaur. He's already perfect.

[drawnecromancy]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Tagged by @ceph-the-ghost-writer, questions are from @davycoquette (and like Ceph, i'll link the template riiight here :))

If you see this post and consider yourself part of writeblr, please consider yourself tagged. I don't actually feel like I know enough people who would nod and go "yes, my blog is a writeblr", to tag anyone except @isabellebissonrouthier and @literarynecromancy LOL (also Ceph already tagged Jez so I can't tag him)

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr ?

Well, that's the thing isn't it.

This blog isn't a writeblr. I've defined it in the past as an art blog, because i made it in 2017 primarily to show my drawings to other people. The thing is that said drawings tend to be part of a bit of writing anyway, so of course I'm including that. And it's also a personal blog.

This is just my house man.

What led you to create it ?

Accidentally answered this earlier - I wanted to show my art to other people.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community ?

My friends ! I, genuinely, do not interact with the writeblr community much beyond my friends/mutuals. I have no idea how I stumbled into having genuine writeblr mutuals in the first place.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you ?

I tend to reblog on @irianeth without further comment because my brain is empty 99% of the time

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash ?

...i don't know ?

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today ?

Probably go in the writeblr tag and see how people do it ? I have no idea. Have fun I guess.

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately ?

I've been a bit frustrated at my inability (largely due to time and energy constraints) to keep poking at my novel, Le prix du sang. [Hélianthe et Atropa tag] Genuinely I would like to be able to write a bit on it soon because i want this story out of my brain and into people's hands.

Other projects I've been Thinking about... Mostly roleplay stuff with @lee-thee-bee [Neseah tag]. There's so many AUs rolling around in my brain you have no idea. I can grab almost literally any character and go "here's an AU where shit goes differently". Sometimes it's better sometimes it's worse. Been rotating a funny one lately including fake kidnapping this time around.

How long have you been working on them ?

Le Prix du Sang ? Oh boy. I think it started before university, so probably in the 2017-2018 ballpark... Man, that's like 6 or 7 years.

Lee and I've been making Neseah since December 2023, I believe. Not even a year old but there's So much.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started ?

LPDS : I had a weird fucking dream. I was a woman, armed with a crossbow, running away from an entire village trying to kill me for being a witch. I eventually ended up in the living room of a sexy vampire who was basically offering me a job (helping him massacre the village) in exchange for letting me live. We massacred the village. I woke up like "hold on, if you change some things, it could be a short story". ...and then, the short story got out of hand. The village massacre is essentially just the first chapter.

Neseah : "Hey, do you want to do roleplay sometime ?" "Yeah sure !"

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them ?

24/7 for the Nesean guys as of right now.

Hélianthe and Atropa I mostly think of when I'm writing them, since I've got a Lot of things down for them I don't feel the urge to rotate them every second anymore. That, and it's no longer a hyperfixation.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say ?

Is it a dreaded question ? I reply "Fantasy". That's the truth.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.

You mean, this long ass list that should be updated with everyone from Neseah ?

Highlights include : Alan, Hélianthe, Atropa, Anne de Monthaut (I LOVE YOU ANNE), Valiandra (The Emperor - he has his own tags bc I think about him SO much), Benadryl (we love Ben).

Not included yet on the long list, but will be included shortly : Maran of Neseah, Nelvaren of Neseah. Insane wizard son and unhinged ghost father. Also Nadir, who's basically "what if Nelvaren was a 25 year old trans catboy". (if you're wondering, yes, Nelvaren's also trans.)

Who’s the most unhinged ?

I think probably Valiandra. Due to the Horrors.

That and also the fact that sometimes he is his own parent in increasingly fucked up ways.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write ?

Maran and Nelvaren - due to being roleplay characters, mostly ! Spontaneity and being able to Just Get Into It feels important to me to sling stuff back and forth.

Hélianthe goes also fairly smoothly because he's fucking ridiculous.

Do you ever cringe at them ?

(Side-eyeing Hélianthe) You could say I do, yes.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters ?

All and none at all.

Sometimes shit Just Happens and Just Makes Sense (Alan dramatically revealing stuff about his past, him being Margot in Le Prix du Sang). Other times, a character presents me with an idea, and I rotate it, and go, no. Most times I'm between putting them in situations to see what happens, and/or building from things I want to write about.

You gotta be able to reverse stuff you don't actually want in your writing.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters ?

Yes ! It's a lot of fun ! I don't get a lot of them and I'm 100% sure it's because I also don't send enough questions to others ! I want to get bettter at this tbh.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account ?

If they seem nice !

What makes you decide against following ?

If I feel like I wouldn't vibe with them or their writing !

Do you interact with non-mutuals often ?

No. But that's because I don't go to the writeblr tags. Due to not being a writeblr.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle ?

@bitchfitch's Arlo lives in my mind rent-free. I need to throttle him so bad but also I want to have a nice day with him and braid his hair or something. I am very normal about this goat. Also Adonis. Every so often I'm just like man, I wonder what Adonis and Ione are up to right now.

@isabellebissonrouthier's Chrysanthemum Clawe - Chrys is so fucking funny. I didn't expect she'd be my favorite but she's a disaster and I love her so much.

@logarithmicpanda's [SPOILERS FOR HEART OF STONE THAT WOULD TAKE A WHOLE PARAGRAPH PROBABLY]. Besides it, there's Ordyr my best friend Ordyr, I want to go hang out with her. And Orion. Funniest little shit I've ever met I need to redraw that slurping the source image.

@jezifster SHADOW. And Veronica to some extent but she scares me, while Shadow just makes me laugh so hard I want to study him like a bug

[writerpyre]

Hello!!

It’s been a LONG time but if you’re inclined to read please have a bonus chapter to an older fic: first time in just over four years that I’ve posted anything for any fandom!

I found it in my files today and being as it’s been so long, I figured why the heck not, as I reckon it’s about time I came back with something. It’s not technically new writing, but I’m pretty gosh darn happy with myself either way. I’m finally at a place in my life where maybe things are going to be ok? I mean, I’m 31.

I’ll see what else the fates bring (my bestie is pretty unwell — not sure what’s with this people closest to me getting horribly sick thing), but I think I’m in a place where if I go back to using my writing to cope I’ll be fine. I can at least hope.

(For those who have by this point probably given up anticipating an update for Fulcrum (or anything related to it) never fear, for that one is next on my agenda! I’m ‘Bound’ and ‘Determined’ to get John through his decade-long predicament. Haha.)

Either way, have a chapter. :)

(For those who are unaware, Kent is my OC, Virgil’s identical twin who died of complications from a heart condition, three days after their birth. Technically part of my AIE “AU”, I originally wasn’t intending to ever post this part, as it’s a practice piece I used to look at who Kent Tracy may have been had he survived past infancy.)

Midnight

The soft sounds of Virgil’s snores rumble through the room from the top bunk, but Kent lays in the bottom bed, wide awake with his pen in one hand, the flashlight in another; scrawling furiously across the pages of his notebook.

It’s past eleven again, and the fourteen-year-old boy can’t sleep; the insomnia from sleeping all day has kicked in again, and all he can do is while away the hours until his father and older brothers roll out of bed. He doesn’t fear waking up his twin brother; Virgil doesn’t wake up unless someone holds the alarm clock right next to his ear; volume up on full, so it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to be disturbed from the light.

He doesn’t mind overly much though, these quiet hours before the dawn. Being one of six children often means that aside from the two hours of study that their father enforces every day, it’s very rare for any of the Tracy children to have any time to themselves without another sibling interrupting it somehow.

It’s nice to have this time to write, and consider and dream without his two youngest brothers asking ‘What are you doing, KT? Can I see? Lemme look!’ he finds it bliss to not have his father wanting him to help with chores or his grandmother wanting him to watch Alan while she takes Virgil and Gordon out, because their father is busy in the office again.

It’s peaceful, and as much as he likes a bit of chaos and excitement, Kent also likes to have some quiet now and again. He loves the way the moon streams through the curtains in the bedroom, how he can listen to Virgil dreaming and feel his brother’s happiness and quiet soul soar through their twin bond.

He feels the pressures of being the sickly child; the one who everyone has to be careful of and look out for too much, and for Kent, these moments when he doesn’t have them looking over him in concern and hovering when he’s ‘too pale’ or ‘overtired’, it just makes him feel more whole somehow. At fourteen, he just wants them to stop seeing him as the ill one and allow him to grow without them worrying that he’s going to overtax his weakened heart.

In these moments, he can remember his mother, and how like him; she was a writer, although with six children before she died, she never got to achieve her dream of getting a novel published. Sure, she wrote for the local newspaper, along with the kindergarten teaching and the music lessons she taught in order to help their father with the monthly bills, but it’s something that Kent knew she always wanted to do. Now she’s gone, he’s more determined than ever to achieve that dream, and make his mom as proud of him as she was as his other brothers.

That’s not to say that he didn’t think she was, but he just wants to do something that his three older brothers haven’t yet.

Kent loves his family, but he just wants to get out of this little box, pre-packaged, made just for him, the one that labels him as the sickly child, the one who is to be worried over and assisted.

It’s not that his father, Grandpa and Grandma don’t expect him to amount to anything, just that somehow, Kent has this invisible label on him that instantly informs people that he’s ill and that he is given just that little bit more leeway to get to places a little easier. There’s nothing more Kent hates more than to be told that he needs to take it easy, or that he can’t do something, just because he’s sick.

That’s why he uses this time, past the hour he should’ve been in dreamland to work harder on anything he ever has in his life, because he wants to make them proud, to break out of the accidental constraints that his condition has placed upon him. He’ll rise above and beyond those automatic assumptions, and prove to everyone that he can do just as much as his brothers. Even if it takes him a little bit longer, even if he has to work a little bit harder, he will achieve his goals.

As he packs up his book and caps the pen an hour later, still not sleepy but content that he’s worked with what he can for tonight, Kent is determined that he’s going to become a published author before he hits his eighteenth birthday, because he’s a Tracy, and for a Tracy, failure isn’t an option.

He’ll lie awake for the rest of the night, and yes, he’ll be completely exhausted and will spend the day in bed tomorrow, but he’ll keep with him through his grandmother’s fussing and John and Scott’s smothering, the peace and tranquillity that this time has given him.

He’s happy, and he knows that if his mother is watching, she’ll be proud.

[shakespearean-snape]

Hi there! so glad to see you posting again I like a lot of what you have to say about Snape. I noticed you say a few times tho that your visual headcanon for Snape isn't conventionally attractive and I just wondered if you had any reference of what he looks like in your mind? An actor or other famous person? just someone like that?

I'm just curious how you imagine Snape because I admit I just see Alan Rickman as Snape in my head since I started with the movies as a kid and didn't read the books a few until years later. It always interests me so much when people say they read the books before the movies or read the books with the movies coming out and saw Snape as someone else.

Its ok if you can't think of anyone just thought I'd ask. thx!

Hello!

*waves enthusiastically like an idiot with zero chill*

I get so giddy when someone sends me an ask like this so I hope no one thinks I don't enjoy questions about Snape or my headcanons. As anyone who knows me knows, I think a lot and especially about those things I love so I always have lots of thoughts rolling around in my head I can be positively overeager to share with anyone interested.

So to answer your question, I don't have a specific person pinned down that is 100% like how I picture Snape in my mind but some close candidates would be a young Adrien Brody (which I think is common enough among Snape fans as a choice, right there with Adam Driver these days), obviously the man that JKR based Snape around, John Nettleship, someone like Adarsh Jaikarran as a potential Hogwarts-era and early 20s Snape (even if he is more good-looking than I usually lean, in some pictures he just channels Snape vibes for me quite a bit) and a very young Julian Richings if you've ever seen photos of him in his younger years (I have two here for you so you can see my point a bit, here and here).

Ironically, Julian Richings in the later years of his acting career would probably have been my first choice for a Voldemort fan cast back in the day when any Harry Potter reboot was purely in the realm of the hypothetical (I mean, c'mon, look at this and tell me you can't see it too) but as JKR is an unapologetic anti-feminist/TERF I provide no monetary support to any of her projects including any licensed games, the watching of future reboots or purchasing of future tie-in books in the HP universe, officially licensed HP merchandise, or even by giving traffic to what was formerly Pottermore, etc.

All I bring to the fandom now is my fan theories and love for Snape, which she not only does not benefit from but never seemed entirely at peace with given how the character got away from her and took off. I can't think of a better way to spite someone so utterly spiteful herself than to take the character she was most shocked by people loving in any capacity and celebrate him in every incarnation (gay, bi, trans, ace, autistic, poc, etc.) with my queer, gender-nonconforming little heart while she gets zero money off me for it.

Anyway I hope the visual guide gives you a little more insight into my mind. I've never seen Snape as "ugly" (even when I joke my Snape is "ugly" and I like him that way) but my mental picture of him is of a man whose looks might fall into that unconventionally attractive sphere or what some people call homely. Occasionally I veer off that a bit, as with Adarsh Jaikarran, oh, oh! And also Lee Soo Hyuk, Song Jae-Rim and Kento Yamazaki (ever since I saw him in the live-action Bloody Monday manga series adaptation)!

But yes, my favorite Snape and the Snape I love isn't usually model attractive but also not quite the gargoyle Harry describes (that kid had some ridiculously high standards of beauty tbh, about the only characters he didn't have mentally critical notes on their appearance was the unnamed Veela, Fleur, and Narcissa Malfoy so yeah he totally thought "Draco's mom has got it going on..." Lol!) but somewhere in that "unconventional" categorization of attractive which I feel really suits a man who so often defies easy categorization in general.

(Excuse all the edits. After I gave a few examples more started hitting me and I was like ohhhhh I should have shared them, why didn't I think to share them? So I may come back and make more edits throughout the day, no promises I won't! Lol)

[sabrinatvband]

Notes on Comics #4: Writing

I seem to have a problem; I'm only four entries into this series, and I'm already starting to move past the limits, or expectations, implied by "Notes on Comic Art". Perhaps "Notes on Comics" will be a better title moving forward? Anyways,

Part 1: Context / Credentials

I'm currently working on a 180~ page adult comic that will probably be called The Spider Queen of Manhattan. I'm going to avoid going into too much detail about the making of the book right now, but here's a stripped down version with only the relevant details.

I made a lot of concept art for the comic around a year ago, and created a rough, perfunctory plot outline to guide the creation of that artwork. I eventually stopped working on that, with the intention of eventually revisiting my well-organized notes.

Around two months ago, I began to work on a short, self-contained comic, but I eventually realized that it could be combined with the old comic I was working on. And so I decided to turn that "self contained" comic into the first chapter, and the second chapter is where the old concept and plotting starts coming into play.

[I should quickly mention how I'm working on this comic; I write a Marvel method-style summary of each chapter, then create a full-script, and then make layouts. It might be more accuarate to say that I do one scene of fullscript, and then the layouts for that scene. I haven't started doing any final artwork yet.]

People who've been reading the previous entries will notice that I've been reading a lot of Jesse Hamm's writings. In his great PDFs on making comics, he not only discussed art-related things, but also a lot of stuff about writing/storytelling.

After getting towards the end of the second chapter, I realized it was maybe time to pause the layout process and plot the rest of the book more deliberately. Reading Hamm's notes made me realize that I was leaving a lot of potential on the table while working on my book.

I should quickly talk about my background. While I haven't made a lot of finished comic material, I've written a lot of stuff in prose form. I've released a bunch of short stories for free online [NSFW link]; released a short story collection on itch [also NSFW]; written a few "novellas" in the 20,000 to 30,000 word range; and I once co-wrote an 85,000~ word novel [NSFW, again].

What I'm basically getting at is that I have a lot of experience with writing. Writing for prose is not exactly the same thing as writing for comics, but I think it's fair to say that-

-There are a lot of transferrable skills between the two.

-Plotting is mostly the same across comics, films, and books. A comic and film can both be adapted from the same book, and all three could share the exact same plotting.

Part 2: Tables and Stuff

Alan Moore's Writing For Comics was mostly written in the 80s, with a short final chapter written in the early aughts. In the 80s material, Moore details a very fastidious way of writing comics. In the afterword portion, he says that once you do enough writing, you can basically start doing things more off-the-cuff because you've internalized storytelling.

I've heard a lot of old pros say similar things . . . and most of those old pros don't make material as good as the stuff they did in their prime anymore. It is true; once you do enough writing, you can start to work with a lot less prep. But it's better to do the prep.

By starting my comic project with the thinnest of outlines and some concept art, I was essentially winging the plotting of my own book. I could've continued down that route, but decided not to. So let's look at what I did on some old stories. Because all of this is erotica-related stuff, I've blurred out most of the text within each table.

Here's one table that I used for plotting a novella, with a title too spicy to share here. Here's an elaboration on each column:

-#: The scene number. You'll notice this table is called "scenes that exist", and that's because this table was used to take stock of everything in a story before I did some big revisions later, where I slotted new scenes between the old ones.

-What Happens: The main beats that occur in a scene, the juicy core of what's going on.

-What is Set Up: Things that are established in the scene, mostly things that are fairly obvious. It's useful to know where things are introduced for the purposes of later revisions.

-What Needs to be Set Up: Things that need to be established for later, things that usually aren't needed for the scene in itself. Not infrequently added retroactively.

-Notes: Just random stuff; ideas about the specific sequence of events within a scene, specific lines of dialogue, etc.

If you know about fiction writing theory, you are maybe starting to realize that I'm a very firm believer in the "Therefore or But" school, and you would be completely correct. I'm very anti three-act structure, or any other kind of arbitrary structure that isn't motivated by actions, events, etc.

Here's another table from a different project. It's quite different from the previous table, but similar on an ethos level.

There are three character columns. One of them is always for the protagonist, and the other two are used for different characters, and can change from scene to scene. Inside of each square there's supposed to be some stuff from David Mamet's letter to the writers of The Unit:

So: we, the writers, must ask ourselves *of every scene* these three questions. 1) who wants what? 2) what happens if they don't get it? 3) why now?

It can be difficult to answer these questions, because sometimes someone is just trying to relax, and they're trying to relax now because they want to be relaxed for later. And they hope to continue feeling relaxed later, most likely.

This final table is a lot less useful, but that's because it was a table made for a collaboration [note: the collaborator's name being blurred out is becuase they didn't use their erotica pseudonym in the table].

We filled out each spot of the table during long voice calls, and because of the natural iterations that happened during our back-and-forths, we didn't need to use six or seven columns. That being said, I did later work with someone on a screenplay [that unfortunately was never finished], and we did end up using a table very similar to the first one I shared. The extra columns didn't cause confusion in a collaborative context.

It's worth noting that word webs are also a very useful tool. Write down a word [or a sentence], and link other related things to that word. Find things you want to put into your story, explore. I don't have any examples I want to share publically, but by doing a web I did manage to discover the spine of a story I hope to eventually write.

Also, one last piece of advice that's very unscientific, but uniquely suited to a visual medium like comics: draw pictures of scenes you want to see in your story. You might even be able to edit them into your layouts as you're making those; I've been doing this a lot on this current project.

Part 3: Book Learning Stuff

I've read a bunch of different books about writing, and I dislike a lot of them. Many books on storytelling are written by people who, curiously, have released very little work. Many of them are Hollywood script doctors, and not "actual" writers, who have experience or notoriety creating stories from the ground up.

John Truby is one of those script doctors. The Anatomy of Story is a book that requires discernment, because in my recollection he provides readers with a pretty rigid structure for how a story should be, which might give a newcomer to writing a false impression. I'm not saying that the outline Truby provides is bad, but it's far from the only one.

That being said, there are some neat nuggets and tidbits in his book. I remember there being a tool that can be used to think about how characters specifically relate to one another that's neat.

Anyways, as I was saying earlier, I believe in the "Therefore or But" school, which is extremely simple. This happened, Therefore that happens. That happened, But then this happens. This is simple, logical. It can go deep; This character has X in their nature, Therefore, they make this incredibly stupid mistake.

It can also be simple. X missed the toilet while peeing. Therefore, Y trips on the wet floor and dies.

I'm not a fan of the Hero's Journey, but the way Dan Harmon removes the cruft and turns it into a storytelling tool is infuriatingly useful. I don't follow his Story Circle method necessarily, but it's useful to refer to sometimes when you're monitoring how a character is doing.

Ok, so Jimbo just reached the bottom of the circle, how is he going to climb back up?

The thing I really don't like about the Hero's Journey is that some stories are about people who don't change, who learn nothing. These are often more satirical, black comedy-type stories. It also can be difficult to use in an ensemble story if you don't know what you're doing, because you can't map 20 characters, in a story without a clear main character, into a single circle. But I guess that's a beginner's issue.

[I wrote extensively about a kind of character who doesn't usually learn or change during stories here.]

Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing is a book that I remember finding so rudimentary that I didn't actually finish reading it, even though I should've. Rudimentary, in this instance, isn't bad, it's just obvious [e.g. "Write down some background information about your characters to inform the things they do"]. This should probably be one of the first things you read about storytelling, so that it's more exciting. I might finally read it from start to finish as a refresher soon.

Worth noting: Lajos Egri did write a bunch of plays, and they were actually produced.

I haven't had a chance to read John Howard Lawson's Theory and Technique of Playwriting and Screenwriting, but Jesse Hamm highly recommends it in his educational PDFs. Lawson's book is available in PDF form, for free, legally, from this URL. Hamm recommends skipping the first two parts, which focus on history, and beginning with Part 3: Dramatic Structure. [Lawson wrote 20 produced films.]

I read Stephen King's On Writing, and I couldn't tell you a single lesson I learned from it that I can remember applying to my own work, aside from some stuff on editing [2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%]. I recall him providing a neat metaphor, that sometimes writing a story is like digging up a dinosaur skeleton, and that's about it.

Chuck Palahniuk [author of Fight Club and Choke] made a series of essays on writing that I found quite useful, but a lot of the advice I can remember is very specific to prose writing [e.g. Never use the word "suddenly" to start a sentence . . . which actually is quite useful for comics]. So maybe it's not the best resource for comics-related stuff. These essays were compiled into a PDF over a decade ago, before Palahniuk wrote a few comics, and in 2020 Palahniuk released a book on writing called Consider This that, judging by the table of contents, seems to adapt a small handful of things from that old PDF, maybe? There's a chance it's an unequivocal improvement; I should probably read it at some point.

I've read a lot of different things about storytelling over the years, and so it would be impractical for me to list every single one and discuss its merits in brief. One more in particular I should mention is David Mamet's On Directing Film. As the title suggests, it's about directing movies, but in practice it's also about writing them. Mamet talks about Eisensteinian technique where narrative is conveyed through the juxtoposition of elements, and in creating those "shot lists" a director, or in this case, comic artist, is writing. It's a very brief book that can be read within the space of an hour, and you can always find a used copy for less than $5.

Part 4: Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David

There's one specific book I'd like to go into a little more detail discussing, which is Peter David's book on comic writing. My dad bought this book for me at a Borders when I was 11~, and it was probably the first book on writing I ever read. I sold my copy a long time ago, but I found a PDF recently and decided to read it again.

Here's the question; was it a good thing I sold it, or should I have kept it?

I should first mention the presentation of the book; it's printed like a comic. The paper is glossy, the backgrounds are colored, and there are pictures from comics to illustrate things. For a long time I kind of assumed this was a book aimed at kids, but I can realize I only thought that because of how it looked and how old I was when I first read it. It's not necessarily meant to be a book on writing for children.

It didn't help that a particularly memorable part of the book was a section devoted to talking about different speech bubble shapes, which felt superfluous.

A lot of books on writing, like Anatomy of Story, will provide a writer with a fairly rigid outline of how a story is supposed to be, and what components it must have. Because Peter David is an actual writer, he speaks in more open terms, mostly. His advice is not immediately actionable in the same way that a fill-in-the-blank template is, but it's more valuable because it's stuff an actual writer will find use in.

As mentioned, there is no one way to pace a story. No definitive means by which every story can and should be told. And whenever you do try to carve absolutes into concrete, you're going to wind up with a cracked sidewalk - Peter David

I'm not going to suggest that David's advice is particularly revolutionary or earth-shattering, but for the most part it's stuff a writer should actually hear, or be reminded of. He starts the book by saying that the most important skill a writer needs to have is the ability to as the question "what if?". He then talks about things like presenting both sides of a moral argument, and developing character.

There are some interesting nuggets. At one point he speaks at length about how people do things they would "never do" when put into certain situations, which is something I'll have to think about. It's interesting to make a character do something unconscionable because they were put into a certain position, but equally important, a character has to be fleshed out enough that the reader feels betrayed witnessing the character's actions.

Something I found funny about this book is that, when talking about how plot works, Peter David shits on some things that Jim Shooter used to say about storytelling. He doesn't mention him by name, but when he brought up Shooter's love of using Little Miss Muffet as an illustrative example, it became clear he was the anonymous editor being discussed.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it talks about three-act structure, which I think is a particularly useless way to think about story. His comments about it aren't especially deep; Act I is where things are set up, Act II is where the bulk of the story happens, and Act III is the denoument. This can apply to almost any story that is a story, which I guess is how people become convinved three-act structure is an actual tool. It's not useful information; you don't need to break a story into acts unless you're writing for television or the stage.

I should mention that the first time I ever learned about This Man, This Monster, an all-timer Fantastic Four story, was when Peter David included it as an example in this book. It's also worth mentioning that Peter David engages in a lot of Stan Lee apologia, when it would've been quite instructive to talk about Kirby's role as an artist/writer. But I guess since Peter David doesn't draw, he has no interest in talking about that.

It's worth mentioning that, since Peter David was a long-time pro by the time he wrote this book, he has some unique insights about working as a comic writer that he shares. It's the kind of stuff that's only useful if you're trying to work for a big company like Marvel or DC, but it's not stuff you're going to find in most other books on writing.

I wish I hadn't sold my copy of Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David; it's a fine book. Meat and potatoes, sure, but is that a bad thing in a book about writing? While the three-act stuff is a big blemish, it's otherwise filled with useful information to be reminded of. And I really need to read David's Hulk and X-Factor runs.

Part 5: Layouts

I'm very glad I've been making rough layouts for The Spider-Queen of Manhattan, because there are some things that don't stick out as being obviously flawed in a text document. I don't want to mark this post as containing adult content, and so I'll link to an example of revisions I did on the layouts here [NSFW link].

Part 6: Takeaways

-Making tables is a good way to make sure you're accounting for certain things.

-Word webs can be a good tool for finding things that you like and want to put into your story, working out story info, etc.

-If you read a bunch of books about writing, you'll pick up nuggets along the way, even from the mediocre ones.

-You need to be able to smell bullshit when learning about how to write.

And one final note; don't worry about how many tables, diagrams, and scattered notes you make as you write. Do what you need to do. Evan Dorkin recently posted this image of an upcoming comic in "chaos form":

[hebuiltfive]

Stolen

A grave error of misjudgement leads to one of John’s worst nightmares.

“Give her back to me!”

Beneath the layers of his uniform, John could feel his pulse increase rapidly. The reality of the situation was finally beginning to sink in and, silently, he was cursing himself. It had been utterly foolish of him to bring her along. Despite her incessant pleas to join him, John knew that he should never had given in so easily, because now he was stuck — they both were — with no viable way out of the mess except trying his hardest to reason with the man and his goons floating in front of him.

Whilst he was on the subject of berating himself, John found himself thinking of all the other mistakes he had made that had led to them both trapped in this harrowing situation. For starters, the fact he hadn’t noticed the call had been one big, giant booby trap designed to trick them. Well, not them exactly, and whilst that was probably the only positive aspect of the situation, that fact didn’t seem to be helping their case.

The pirates that were currently taunting them had been waiting for the GDF, who the call had initially been sent out for. Idiotic, John had thought, to call out for help from the GDF and not expect International Rescue to turn up instead. Honestly, the word rescue was in the name! Yet, the pirates had seemed incredibly irritated by his arrival and not a uniformed officer. John was just grateful he hadn’t asked Alan to come and fill-in for this mission.

Speaking of Alan and the rest of his family, he could only hope that his radio silence had them worried. It must have been at least ten minutes since his last check in and, given the fact that the pirates had relieved him of pretty much all his gear except his suit and helmet, thank the stars, he wasn’t about to be calling them anytime soon. He could only hope they’d realise something was wrong and get to him as fast as possible. The wrecked freighter he currently found himself being held hostage on wasn’t too far away from Thunderbird Five. If they launched soon, they’d reach him before the pirates did something regrettable.

“I said,” John spoke again, with more threat to his tone, “give her back to me!”

He had told himself to remain calm. He had told himself to keep his head. It was what he was credited for and he’d be damned if he was about to give that up now, regardless of the situation, but when one of the pirates began laughing — laughing — John lunged forward. The man had introduced himself as Captain Maverick. If John was to guess, he’d have said Maverick was in his late fifties. Judging by the few wrinkles on the man’s face and his white, stubbly beard, he would also have guessed that Maverick had been living a chaotic life for a while, even if it wasn’t always of the space pirate kind. He seemed to know what he was doing, however, which suggested that this certainly wasn’t the man’s first rodeo. As for the emphasis Maverick made on him being the ‘captain’, John speculated that the title had been meant to intimidate him. It didn’t.

With the help of zero gravity, he was able to launch himself quickly toward the captain… unfortunately, the lack of gravity also meant he couldn’t stop himself when Maverick swayed to the side, just out of John’s reach. He quickly found himself tangled up in the arms of Maverick’s two crew members and they held him with vice-like grips as Maverick glided to a stop in front of them.

“You’re in no position to tell me what to do, kid.”

As Maverick laughed again, so did his crew. John tugged at their hold, knowing that these pirates had the advantage but still fighting against the odds because that’s what he did, that’s what they all did, but most importantly, because they still had her.

“John…?”

Never had he heard her sound so scared. Before today, he hadn’t been sure it was possible for that level of emotion to be heard from her.

It broke his heart.

“Please…” John wasn’t above begging, not at this point.

He pulled and tugged, trying to wrench himself free of the men, but their grasp wouldn’t ease. It only tightened. John winced. He’d be sporting bruises tomorrow, if tomorrow ever came. That thought alone should have been terrifying, but nothing seemed to matter whilst Maverick’s dirty hands still held her.

“Please, just let her go!”

John knew that showing these levels of emotions in situations such as these were a mistake to make. Now, Maverick would know each and every button to press. By showing his emotions, John had effectively shown Maverick not only how many chips he had left to gamble but also which cards he held in his hands which were, admittedly, not the strongest in the deck.

He was floundering. The more he panicked, the less he could think straight. The cycle continued viciously. He couldn’t keep a level-head with all this noise. The more second that ticked by, the worse his anxiety got because he couldn’t lose her, not like this and certainly not to these men.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, John barely realised the men holding him had moved him. Before he could catch up with what was happening, he felt solid metal clamp around his wrists, securing him to a broken pipe that had buckled and almost come free from the wall.

Shit.

The two men backed away, floating through the airlock on the other side of the room. Maverick lingered, staring at John with eyes that sparkled in triumph.

“You know, I had come here with different plans today but this?” Maverick held her up in front of John as though he were mocking him. John guessed he was mocking him. “This was a prize I had never known I needed.”

“Don’t do this.” John was still desperately pleading, wrestling with the handcuffs despite knowing it was futile. “Please… I’ll do anything. I’ll give you anything else you want, just don’t take her.”

Maverick seemed to consider this option for a moment. He gazed at the device in his hands, seemingly thinking through the offer before inching closer to John and leering. “No. I have what I want. There is nothing more you could offer me that would take my interest, Tracy.” He pushed himself off the wall and began floating backwards towards the airlock.

No, no, no, no!

“Enjoy the view. I reckon you’ve got about five minutes before this place fully breaks apart.” Maverick reached the airlock, steadying himself to a stop before adding: “Oh, and thanks for the gift. I promise to take good, good care of her.”

He disappeared and the gentle hiss of the airlock being locked into place would have echoed throughout the room had there been air for it to vibrate though. John thought about calling out but, knowing it would be to no use, he decided against it and save his air. If Maverick was right and if this freighter was about to disintegrate, he’d definitely need it.

John’s eyes became bleary with tears. He willed himself to keep them in, knowing the hazardous effects of crying in space, but he couldn’t help but feel every ounce of his defeat. Behind him, John felt the creaks in the hull. Once again, he struggled pointlessly against the handcuffs that held him firm. He wanted to scream.

No way out, no help on the way, and no-one to call.

And even if there was a way to contact his family, she was still gone.

He had promised to look after her, to show her the beauty of the world and the people who lived within it, but now he had allowed her to be taken by the very same people he’d sworn to protect her from. He should have fought harder, he should have never have brought her here in the first place!

His vision.

His friend.

His EOS.

[cookinguptales]

Though... I guess I am trying to counterbalance things that make me unhappy with things that make me happy... So if the Barbie thing is irritating me (and if Barbie wasn't even a movie that I thought reached its full potential) then let me rec a women-led media project that I really, really enjoyed instead.

*rubs temples* Um... I'm going through the women-led media projects I've enjoyed over the past few years in my head. Fewer than I would hope, but I've also admittedly been watching fewer movies the last few years since I moved out of Center City.

Honestly, the one that comes to mind immediately is the first season of Russian Doll, which is one of my favorite tv shows that I've seen in the past five years. Natasha Lyonne was, as ever, incredible, and it was probably my favorite take on a time loop that I've ever seen.

(I was asked a lot if Groundhog Day was influential when I was writing my nandermo time loop story, but if I had to pick any piece of media that actually influenced it, it was probably Russian Doll and its emphasis on time loop as metaphor for trauma and coping mechanisms.)

The thing about time loops is that I feel like you really have to use the idea of time when you're using them. Russian Doll wasn't just about living the same day over and over again. It was about the cycle of abuse and an overall inability to escape from the past. It was about the dangers of becoming too solitary, and how becoming dislodged from the world isn't that different from becoming dislodged from time. It was about how genuine connections are what can pull us out of these horrible, damaging cycles, whether they be time loops or harmful coping mechanisms.

I loved it because it was a show about time loops, but it was also a show about humans and what makes them tick. I thought that Nadia and Alan were both super interesting protagonists, and I thought them growing and learning together was beautiful. I thought that the increasingly literal depictions of Nadia's trauma were haunting and horrifying and beautiful.

I think people often say that they don't like tropes and cliches when they really mean that they don't like them when they're handled lazily. I think that Russian Doll is one of the best examples I've seen of a piece of media utilizing the actual physical form of a trope in order to further what it wants to say rather than twisting the writing of the piece to better suit a trope. It used the time loop to talk about the time loops that humans place themselves in every day, and it used the time loop to explore how many ways a person might try to gnaw their own leg off if caught in a trap.

The time loop was literal but also a metaphor and I honestly just thought it was incredible. Fully recommend.

[laconic-void]

Sandlot fic... part threeeeee

Yeah-Yeah POV

It was really nice of Benny to give smalls a walkie talkie so he could still be in the game. Those two are close, but I know Benny is generous and would have done that for any of us. Jesus, what would I even do if I was stuck at home all day? Help mom and Alice iron clothes? Yikes.

I wish Phillips and his team would just leave already. We already kicked their butts, and they're just interrupting my playtime with the guys. I'm itching to get moving again. Is this how Benny feels all the time?

"Shut up for two seconds, Porter!" Phillips snapped. "We came here because we've been preparing... for a rematch!" Phillips' teammates cheered almost mechanically. I don't know if anyone else is buying this, but I sure ain't. Those guys have no team spirit, and that's why they lose.

Everyone looked at Benny. "I'd love to play against you guys, Phillips," Benny said, scratching his head. He doesn't want anything to do with these guys, but who are we to turn down a challenge? "Except, we can't do it, because one of our team members is grounded."

"Oh, so you forfeit?" Phillips sneered.

"Watch it, crap face! We could kick your asses with half a team!" Ham shot back. The rest of us roared in approval.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Benny said indignantly. "But it has to be next week. If one of us is out, all of us are."

"Good. You guys could use the prep time." Phillips smirked and his team got on their bikes and left. Bunch of jerks.

"I don't know, Benny, this seems off," Kenny said. "What if they've been training like they said?"

"Yeah-yeah, what if we embarrass ourselves?" I jumped in.

"We won't," Benny replied calmly. "And even if those guys do win, we've got an advantage over them. We're cool, and they're mean."

Benny was cutting us an awful lot of slack with that one. I hope Scotty forgives me for the things I said in the beginning. All he needed was some guidance and he was on par with the rest of us almost immediately! Not that I would admit that to him or the guys, though.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get practicing!"

...

"Hey, Alan. How was your day?"

"Good."

"How are the others?"

"Good."

"Not in a conversational mood today?"

"Go- I mean. Not really." I love my mom, even though she drives me nuts.

"Well, Alice and I baked you a special treat for after dinner!" I smiled. Then the door opened. I frowned. Dad is home.

"Hi honey. Hi, Alice! Hello, Alan." I don't know if I love my dad, but I feel like I probably should, so I force a grin.

We all sat at the dinner table and my mom scooped roasted chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes on my plate. I ate a few bites before I got up and started pacing around with my fork in my hand.

"Alan! Sit down. It's not cocktail hour."

"Sorry."

"School starts in just over a week, Alan. Are you going to act like this in school?" My father demanded.

"No." I mumbled.

"You'd better not." My dad paused. "Maybe you can learn some things from your sister. She gets along perfectly fine and so can you."

"Honey," mom started,

"No." Said my father. "Alan is starting middle school this year. If he can't get his shit together, he won't be allowed to go to the sandlot."

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" I yelled. I looked at mom and Alice desperately, but neither of them would meet my eyes.

"That's enough out of you, Alan. Now go to your room." There is no use arguing, so I trotted up the stairs, defeated.

How do the other guys have it so easy? We're not star students by any means - except maybe Smalls - but they can at least get their homework done. And my dad is right. Why can't I be more like my sister?

I'll just go to the sandlot extra early tomorrow, so I won't have to see my stupid family.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Laying the Yeah-Yeah ADHD headcanons on thick here... what's a fic if I don't project myself onto all the characters?

Part 4 coming soon!!

@fairiiboy444

[raypakorn]

Gif sets of 2023/Roundup

so i'm combining the tag game that @naomismcpherson and that @nick-nellson, @alexshenry, @pranink, @khaotunq, @smileytharn, & @i-got-the-feels tagged me in...thanks for the tags loves! 💛

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about.

fun statistics

in total i made 296 gifsets in 2023

march was my busiest month with 49 sets (21 were for liz's 21st)

90 are only friends

53 are home school

13 include angsty song lyrics

2 are just to see firstkhao crying

10 are a show + txt posts

42 are elaborate sets

1 is based of liz's breakdown over first in mlc

JANUARY popular: watched MOD @morkofday's suggestion and needed to make this set favorite: neo being the most hilarious human being in midnight motel

FEBRUARY popular: tk staking his claim on carlos favorite: liz inspired alan gifset

MARCH popular & favorite: mama reyes admitting her biggest regret, i literally sobbed ugly over this scene and what it meant to me

APRIL popular: gun, win, & aye being kicked off the bed parallel favorite: khathadome & khathachan + ao3 tags, sometimes i make myself giggle

MAY popular: gwen being missed at the rehearsal dinner favorite: aye + love languages in our skyy 2 (had to help him beat the allegations of being a bad boyfriend)

JUNE popular: tian getting the 1000th star favorite: unhinged game of musical chairs

JULY popular: it's a tie folks... yeol being moved by ye chan's request & tien calling his future boyfriend an asshole for kissing his brother (which is fair) favorite: mok & mek absolutely devstating us all in ep 9 & 10 (let aj & jj be leads)

AUGUST popular: sand x ray dynamics favorite: actually popular is probably my favorite too but honorable mention would be the set i made before only friends aired because i was so hyped and i have actually started the video for the song and i plan to finish it

SEPTEMBER popular: only friends ep 6 +txt posts (felt like the funniest person because of the tags on this so thank you) favorite: ray + my final symphony (put my whole ussy into it)

OCTOBER popular: only friends ep 9 + txt posts favorite: it's a tie for me and both are khao/ray related...shocker... ray + five4three2one & fuck it, we bawl ft khao crying

NOVEMBER popular: khem, the comedian (this actually broke containment which good, it was funny) favorite: mork x day dino fight (i wanted to gif the entire scene)

DECEMBER popular: dani x jamie + make it a rom-com favorite: it's my blog url namesake...don't judge me...ray pakorn + character profile & ray pakorn + character study

tagging: anyone who wants to because i didn't actually look to see who's been tagged or who has done this 💛