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imagitory · 5 years ago

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D-Views: The Princess and the Frog (with guest input!)

Hi everybody! Welcome to another installment of D-Views, my on-going written review series focused around the works of the Walt Disney Company, as well as occasionally films made by other studios that were influenced by Disney’s works! For reviews for Disney films like Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, and Treasure Planet or non-Disney films like Anastasia, The Nutcracker Prince, or The Prince of Egypt, please consult my “Disney reviews” tag!

I’m super excited about today’s subject -- not only is its heroine my favorite Disney princess, but I also won’t be watching the movie alone! My darling mum, who has in the past helped me review Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has graciously agreed to co-review this with me! We hope that you will join us on this magical adventure through the Louisiana bayou as we review...The Princess and the Frog!

In the early 2000′s, the Walt Disney Company -- especially its animation department -- was in trouble. Of all of the films done in the so-called “Experimental Era,” the only animated film that had made Disney a real profit was 2002′s Lilo and Stitch. The others, even if they did manage to receive favorable reviews, were all financial disappointments. The Emperor’s New Groove was fourth at the box office opening weekend behind movies like What Women Want and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and only grossed about 169 million dollars in theaters worldwide after costing 100 million to make. Brother Bear even now boasts a rather sad 37% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. And even if Atlantis: The Lost Empire hadn’t received such lukewarm reviews and been accused of plagiarizing several other movies (most notably Nadia: The Secret of the Blue Water, Stargate, and, as I’ve discussed previously, Castle in the Sky), it wouldn’t have changed the fact that it was released the same year as Dreamworks’ green monster hit Shrek. But no Experimental Era film did as badly as the last one -- Home on the Range -- which after its release in 2004 was so badly received both by critics and at the box office that it prompted Disney to write down the production costs and announce the closing of its 2D animation department for good.

But it didn’t close for good. In 2006, the new president and chief creative officer of the company, Ed Cadmill and John Lasseter, reversed the decision. The 2D animation department had one last chance to turn their dark destiny around, and in 2009, as Disney did after World War II with Cinderella and in the late 80′s with The Little Mermaid, it pinned its hopes on a beautiful, goodhearted princess.

The Princess and the Frog in some ways was Disney’s attempt to return to their Disney Renaissance roots. Its directors -- John Musker and Ron Clements -- had previously directed The Little Mermaid and Aladdin among others. The reinvented fairy tale story features magic, a theatrical villain, a prince, animal sidekicks, romance, and Broadway-musical-style songs. Even the advertising highlighted how much it wanted to remind millennial audiences of the films they grew up with, putting a spotlight on the music and beautiful hand-drawn animation, rather than the “adult,” meta humor that Dreamworks had used to advertise its films and Disney later used to advertise its next Disney princess movie, Tangled. Some production details leaked to the public, such as the title of “The Frog Princess,” the main character’s original name, and her profession as a chambermaid, also were edited upon receiving backlash, and still others (such as the use of voodoo in the plot and our black princess’s prince not being black) were just left as is. Despite all of the negative press that swirled around the project, there was also a lot of promise that Disney fans noted too, such as Dreamgirls supporting actress Anika Noni Rose being cast as Tiana, Pixar composer Randy Newman being chosen to write the film’s score and songs, and Oprah Winfrey being brought on both as a technical consultant and the voice of Tiana’s mother Eudora.

The marketing decision to focus more on nostalgic millennial adults rather than the new Generation Z is what I feel largely contributed to The Princess and the Frog not being the blockbuster Disney was hoping for. As much as I wholeheartedly believe that animation is not and has never been a children’s medium, the attitude that lingered around the public consciousness in the late 2000′s and sadly even today is that animation -- most importantly, 2D animation -- is for kids, and without the kids being just as excited to watch the film as their nostalgic parents, uncles, aunts, and older siblings, The Princess and the Frog was fighting an uphill battle, even if it was produced by a marketing monster like Disney. Even though the movie was handicapped by this bad marketing choice, however, I would still argue that The Princess and the Frog was a success. Even with that bad marketing choice, the racism-themed controversies that had swirled around its production, and the release of James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar a week later weighing it down, Tiana costumes were selling out everywhere prior to Halloween that year. The movie still was #1 at the box office opening weekend, an honor not held by a Disney animated movie since Lilo and Stitch. It still made $104.4 million and was the fifth highest grossing film that year. It still earned pretty favorable reviews, earning an 85% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Sadly, because The Princess and the Frog wasn’t the big blockbuster that The Little Mermaid had been, Disney turned its focus more toward its 3D projects, and after the release of Winnie the Pooh in 2011 (the same weekend as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 -- COME ON, DISNEY, WERE YOU EVEN TRYING TO GIVE THIS FILM A CHANCE??), the 2D department did close its doors after all, and the studio went in a new direction with the release of Tangled. It’s a choice I lament Disney making, for as much as I’ve enjoyed most of the 3D entries to the Disney Revival, there was something so utterly magical about seeing The Princess and the Frog’s premiere at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank with my mother back in 2009. 2D animation is a beautiful art form, and it’s frustrating that Disney has turned its back on it so thoroughly after it got Disney to where it is now. The Princess and the Frog could’ve been the Great Mouse Detective to another 2D film that could’ve been a Little Mermaid and proved once again that 2D animation is for everyone, not just for kids, just as Little Mermaid did. But instead, the film that was the Revival version of The Little Mermaid was Disney’s first 3D princess film, Tangled -- and not to diss Tangled as a film, but it saddens me that it succeeded largely by playing to the public’s ignorant attitude that 3D animation is more “adult” than 2D animation and that the way to communicate that your animated movie is “for adults too” in your trailers is through using snarky meta humor rather than through artistry and complex themes.

With all this background out of the way...laissez le beau temps rouler! Let’s start the film!

Anika’s singing voice starting our film out is just a perfect introduction. Its pure, unassuming tone just ripples with sincerity as we are led into our introductory scene for our main character Tiana, her mother Eudora, and her absolutely hysterical best friend, Charlotte “Lottie” La Bouff. As we leave the La Bouff manor, we also see a touch of the “Lady and the Tramp influence” that Musker and Clements added to the production in the background design. Just by transitioning from the well-kept, affluent neighborhood in the dimming sunlight to the more run-down areas of town at night, we get a perfect, complete sense of the environment that our heroine lives in, all without any dialogue. And yet, as Mum pointed out, even the rundown areas are full of warmth and charm. Just like in Lady and the Tramp, they never look scary or shady, simply modest and maybe a little worn. On the note of charm, as well, I absolutely friggin’ adore Tiana’s dad, James. Considering how big of a role he has in the story, it’s really good that we see how big of an impact he had on his daughter through his good, hard-working attitude and love for his family and neighborhood despite not having much screen-time.

Once the “Walt Disney Pictures” banner floats by, we finally meet Tiana as an adult. As mentioned earlier, Tiana is my favorite Disney princess. Part of the reason why comes back to the fact that Tiana’s movie came out right before I started my first job (ironically enough at a restaurant in Disney World) and she inspired me to give 120% everyday, but the other reason Tiana speaks to me so much is because she reminds me quite a bit of Mum! Like my mother, Tiana is a very warmhearted, logical, and hardworking person who never sits on her laurels and is always ready to fix a problem, and it was really cool to see a Disney princess with the same kind of organized mind and stubborn work ethic that I saw in my mum growing up. That feeling I had watching Tiana’s story is one of the things that inspired me to write my Disney crossover story TrueMagic, where I wrote a character directly inspired by Mum. On top of all that, I realize that Tiana speaks a lot of the millennial and gen Z experience, having to save up a lot of money at two dead-end minimum wage jobs just to try to get ahead in a world where the cards are stacked against her. We even see her sleeping in the room she grew up in, meaning she’s still living at home as an adult to make ends meet!! Isn’t that relatable!!

I have heard others critique Randy Newman’s music, but in my opinion the score and songs developed for this movie perfectly set the mood of 1920′s New Orleans. The opening number “Down in New Orleans” is really well-paced with the medley of scenes introducing Tiana’s usual work day, Dr. Facilier’s vindictiveness and desire for Eli La Bouff’s wealth, Naveen’s playboy attitude, and Charlotte’s instant attraction to the newly arrived Prince. Of the songs, I’d personally cite Tiana’s “Almost There” and Facilier’s “Friends on the Other Side” as the strongest links, with “Gonna Take You There” as the weakest, but even if you don’t end up finding the songs catchy, I don’t think anyone can deny how well it suits the film’s setting.

Now admittedly, one critique you could give the film is its idealized, whitewashed view of historical race relations. Let’s be honest: in the 1920′s, a rich cotton baron like Eli La Bouff would not have visited a cafe on Tiana’s side of town and he would not let his precious daughter engage with Tiana as an adult either. As much as there were people who didn’t follow the common attitude that black Americans were somehow “inferior” to white Americans, if you didn’t follow that attitude, you couldn’t have expected to be very financially successful or influential in such a racist society, as Mr. La Bouff is. On top of that, Tiana would not only be facing passive prejudice when trying to open her own restaurant, like the kind the Fenner brothers express about her “background” -- she would also be likely facing active discrimination and potentially violence. As much as this film doesn’t truly represent the way things were back then, however, I would argue that the decision in the end benefits the picture, which clearly is supposed to be a fairy tale. This is a story where a girl kisses a frog, becomes one herself, meets an alligator who plays the blues and a firefly in love with a star, and both fights against and alongside people who practice voodoo. It may have a historical backdrop, kind of like Pocahontas and The Great Mouse Detective do, but it is still a fantasy. There are other films that aim to teach us about how things really were back then, so why can’t we have one where a young black American lives her own fairy tale in the iconic Crescent City? Plus, in Mum’s words, an integral part of this story is the pure, unlikely friendship between Charlotte and Tiana, which would have been close to impossible in a completely historical setting. To my memory, it’s actually one of the few times we see a close friendship between two female contemporaries in a Disney princess movie -- the closest we’d had previously were relationships like Aurora with the three fairies (which was more of a familial relationship) and Belle and Mrs. Potts (which...yeah, big generation gap). Even in films that came later, we have Elsa and Anna, but they’re sisters, not just friends. And Tiana having a friend like Charlotte ends up being pivotal in her eventual triumph.

Speaking of Charlotte and her friendship with Tiana, something I love about her is that she doesn’t just give Tiana the money she needs to open her own restaurant. Instead, because she knows Tiana has pride and wouldn’t just accept the money for nothing, Charlotte finds a reason for her to give her the money she needs by assigning her the task of making beignets for the ball she and her father are hosting. It’s something that reminds me a bit of my mum and her best friend, who also comes from a wealthy family -- like Charlotte, my mum’s best friend likes spending money on my mum, but has always known that she can’t buy my mum’s friendship. Both she and Charlotte know that you can only be a friend through expressing sincere caring, which is the mark of a true friend.

Ever since The Princess and the Frog first came out, “Almost There” has been my work mantra, and every time I hear it, I just am full of drive and excitement. The animation for this sequence -- animated by senior Disney icon Eric Goldberg, who previously worked on the Rhapsody in Blue segment in Fantasia 2000 and was the supervising animator for the Genie in Aladdin -- is also pitch perfect, incorporating both Al Hiershfeld-inspired designs and an Art Deco vibe to envelope us in Tiana’s fantasy. It’s one of the kind of artistic risks that Disney used to do more often, like the Pink Elephants sequence in Dumbo, the fairy’s gift sequences in Sleeping Beauty, and the Zero to Hero sequence in Hercules, and you just don’t see this sort of highly stylized song sequence in most of Disney’s newer films. The only one that comes to mind is the “You’re Welcome” sequence in Moana, which ironically enough also featured Eric Goldberg drawing all of Maui’s “Mini-Maui” tattoos! Those sorts of stylized musical numbers is something I’d love to see more of in the Disney Revival, because it gives the film in question such character and can bring an already great song to new heights.

Naveen is a character who I could’ve very easily disliked upon first meeting him. Obnoxious, selfish, and/or vain characters -- such as Lightning McQueen from Cars or even Kuzco from The Emperor’s New Groove -- really tend to rub me the wrong way, unless there is something in the character at the very beginning that makes me want to see them improve themselves. Fortunately our main prince is saved for me because we see that along with his vain, shallow, playboy attitude, he also expresses a great love of music and living life to the fullest. He doesn’t ignore his responsibilities as a prince just to be rebellious or lazy, but because he is so in love with New Orleans and its culture. He isn’t an angry or willfully condescending person: he immediately starts dancing with regular New Orleans citizens and is enthralled with the moves of a tiny street entertainer. And just as Tiana represents the millennial experience through working multiple jobs just to make ends meet, Naveen expresses a different kind of millennial experience -- that of being so sheltered by one’s privilege that, once you’re on your own, you’re incapable of sustaining the life style you’ve become accustomed to and are led by society to believe you should be able to achieve. At this point, it’s still easy to feel sorry for Lawrence, Naveen’s resident “Peter Pettigrew-look-alike” manservant, though that impulse quickly disappears after we see his interactions with our villain, Dr. Facilier. Speaking of which...

Just as Tiana is my favorite Disney princess, Dr. Facilier is my favorite Disney villain. Voiced by Keith David, the man who previously gave life to Goliath in Disney’s Gargoyles, the so-called “Shadowman” is -- in Mum’s words -- just “deliciously evil.” His voice drips with cold charisma, dipping into rich bass tones but never sounding groggy or lacking in energy, and the animation -- done by Bruce W. Smith, supervising animator for Oscar Proud from the Disney Channel show The Proud Family -- just fits David’s line-reads like a glove. Although Lawrence briefly provokes Facilier, effectively foreshadowing his true viciousness, the witch doctor largely puts on a theatrical persona that entices even the most jaded viewers in with his song “Friends on the Other Side.” Mum brought up the wonderful comparison to Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and just like Oogie Boogie, Facilier’s number feels very unscripted and spontaneous, and yet it’s still conniving. Even though the song is jazzy and oddly conversational, there’s this dangerous, sinister darkness echoing in the background, not just in the echoing voices of the Friends on the Other Side but in the lyrics with multiple meanings (”when I look into your future, it’s the green that I’ve seen”). Along with the theatricality, however, Facilier doesn’t forget to also be very intimidating as a villain -- the scene where he turns Naveen into a frog gets quite scary in its imagery.

Just as everything seems to have come up roses for her, Tiana is suddenly about to lose the restaurant of her dreams for good. But there is still hope -- or, at least...there’s a frog. Or a prince. A frog pri -- you get the point. Interestingly Naveen, while a frog, reminded Mum and me of two very different characters. Mum immediately thought of Aladdin, thanks to his charming, smiling expressions, while I immediately thought of another frog seeking a kiss from a beautiful girl: Jean-Bob from The Swan Princess. I personally think the second of those is a coincidence, given that Jean-Bob and Naveen really don’t have much in common excluding a flamboyant accent, but Aladdin’s influence on Naveen’s character animation is pretty reasonable. After all, Flynn Rider’s design was also influenced by previous Disney princes.

Not having seen this movie in a while, I’d forgotten about the “frog hunters” sequence in the middle of the movie until it came on screen. I know that Tiana and Naveen had to face multiple dangers before they reached Mama Odie, not just for dramatic storytelling but also to help cement their budding relationship...but I’m sorry, the characters of the frog hunters are just...uncomfortable. The stereotypical portrayal just comes across as very mean-spirited, especially when compared to the great respect for New Orleans culture in the rest of the movie. The scene does give Tiana and Naveen good character development, though, so it’s a flaw I can overlook to enjoy the rest of the movie.

Usually I don’t enjoy Disney “sidekick” characters as much as I do more developed main or side characters, but I will grant that as sidekicks go, Louis the alligator and especially Ray the firefly are among the better ones. Louis is kind of there for humor more than to advance the plot at all, which is a shame, but Ray becomes both ridiculously charming and central to the film’s theme of love when we see his romantic side in his song “Ma Belle Evangeline.” This song has special significance to Mum and me, all because of Mum’s little Russian Blue/Short-Hair kitty, Evangeline, or Eva for short. When Eva and her sister Ella (full name Cinderella) were being driven home from the pound, the two cats were absolutely beside themselves, crying and yowling the whole way. The only thing that quieted them was me singing songs to them, including songs based on their names -- Cinderella’s opening theme (”Cinderella, you’re as lovely as your name”) for Ella, and “Ma Belle Evangeline” for Eva. Even now, Eva knows that that song is her song, and she always relaxes whenever she hears it. The song sequence in the film also beautifully reflects Tiana and Naveen’s budding relationship, which has already affected them enough that they are starting to take influence from each other. Tiana has started to open up and have some fun, while Naveen is more able to acknowledge his shortcomings and takes more responsibility. They even see eye to eye enough that they stop Louis from telling Ray that Evangeline is a star, not a firefly. Tiana/Naveen is my Disney OTP mainly because of that influence that they have on each other. Both of them are such beautifully flawed characters, but they both also teach and encourage each other to be better people than they would have been on their own.

Tiana and Naveen learn that if they want to turn human again, they need help from Charlotte, who will be “princess” of the Mardi Gras Parade until midnight that night. Unfortunately, when Tiana finds Charlotte, she finds her about to marry who she thinks is Naveen on a float in the parade. Admittedly I kind of wonder why Tiana didn’t consider that it might not be Naveen, as earlier she saw a human Naveen dancing with Charlotte before meeting frog!Naveen and so should know there’s an imposter, but I suppose it’s just story convention, to have this kind of a pre-climax misunderstanding. It’s the same reason why Naveen is locked in a box on the float where he can interrupt the wedding, rather than being stowed away more securely somewhere else, or why Charlotte didn’t turn into a frog too after not being able to turn Tiana and Naveen back.

At long last, our climax arrives. After Dr. Facilier “lays Ray low” in a scene that makes both Mum and me cry out in grief, he corners Tiana in the graveyard, enticing her with the dream she’s worked so hard for in the hopes of getting the medallion that would allow Lawrence to impersonate Naveen and Facilier to steal the La Bouff fortune. But because of all of the character development Tiana’s gone through, she remembers what’s really important -- the people she loves -- and she outdoes the Shadowman, condemning him to be yanked down into the underworld by his so-called “Friends” for all time. The growth Tia’s gone through also gives her the strength and courage needed to put her dream aside and tell Naveen about her feelings for him. And because she’s a true friend, Charlotte shows no hint of bitterness about missing out on her “happily ever after” with Naveen -- instead she immediately is supportive of her friend and tries to fight for her happiness, to the extent that she looks over the moon when Tiana and Naveen get married as humans. Even Ray, who Mum wishes desperately had been able to make it, achieves happiness by finally becoming a star beside his beloved Evangeline. As our film comes to an end with a reprise of “Down in New Orleans,” we’re left with a sense of triumph and optimism...two things that embody our newly crowned princess beautifully.

The Princess and the Frog is a movie that, in Mum’s and my opinion, should receive much more appreciation that it has. Financially speaking, it only did about as well as The Great Mouse Detective and Lilo and Stitch in theaters, but it still has left a lasting impact. I still see plenty of little girls dressing as Tiana in the parks, and I still hear about young black women and girls who have found validation and comfort in the first African American Disney princess. Even I, who share a complexion with white bread, find Tiana an engaging, brilliant role model in today’s world -- in Mum’s words, she embraces the idea of success being half inspiration and half perspiration, but she also learns the virtue in disregarding the chase for success when it comes at the cost of your values. She learns how to love, how to grow, and how to change, while also encouraging the best from those around her. The Princess and the Frog also features what I would argue is the best Disney animated villain since the Disney Renaissance, a soundtrack that embraces its setting to the Nth degree, and a prince who grows just as much as his love interest does while they are together. It’s not a perfect film, but no film is, and Mum and I hope that like other Disney films that didn’t make much money on their initial theatrical releases, we as a Disney fanbase can make this movie a cult classic and give it the love it fought so hard to earn and so rightfully deserves. Look how it lights up the screen -- ma belle Princess and the Frog!

#d-views #disney reviews #mum and tory watch together!!#disney #the princess and the frog #reviews #opinion #analysis #oh boy here i go

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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February 22nd-February 28th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 22nd, 2020 to February 28th, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

How do you deal with people shipping non-canon ships for your story?

Deo101 [Millennium]

To be completely honest, I've only had one person ever ship a non canon/endgame thing. I kinda just ignored it. I think I would in general just ignore it, no matter how many people did ship a non canon thing. But it does make me uncomfortable

carcarchu

I once had a professor tell me "once you release your story to the world it no longer belongs to you" and i think he was right. once your story is shared with others it can no longer be said to be solely your creation anymore. you can't stop other people from shipping non-canon ships and even if you want to discourage it it's kind of beyond your hands at that point. other people's interpretations of your work is something you have to accept as a creator even if you find it unsavoury

Tuyetnhi

this is always in the back of my mind so uh, I let folks be and try not to search up fandom pics of my comic. at the US at least, I remember reading that creators who are currently writing/creating a story and it's not up to completion, anything like viewing fanart or reading fanfiction of alternative interpretations is not advised. So you have to stow it away till the story is thoroughly done, then you can just check out what fans are doing rip. I think it's aimed towards creators who have like NDA thing they're working on or if they're working with a publisher. still, I thought that's an important thing to keep in mind.

though I do get folks send me like single character fanart and really doesn't interfer with the story anyway so I accept those lmao

carcarchu

@Tuyetnhi that's for creators to not get sued for having their story turn out similar to people's fanfics

Tuyetnhi

aahhh :0

still er lmao. if the possibility is there, I rather not uh.... seek it lmao

especially like shipping fanfiction of my characters when the story isn't over yet lmao

eli [a winged tale]

I totally agree carcarchu. Readers can interpret character interactions through their own lenses and sometimes what we as creators intend in the story may be seen as a potential ship to varying degrees. I actually just had a conversation about this within my beta circle where a friend who hasn’t seen the whole script shipped a non canon pair and it was interesting! I personally don’t feel disturbed by it unless the pair had a large age difference/can potentially be unhealthy etc. There is a threshold I won’t cross but that tends to be quite high. Otherwise I just think it’s interesting and continue the actual story

Eilidh (Lady Changeling)

I haven't come across this with mine yet, but given that my story is deliberately non-romantic and the whole cast is aroace, I wouldn't be comfortable with anyone shipping any characters romantically. But that's very specific to my comic.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

To me, there are four levels of "non-canon" with regards to shipping. 1. You were supposed to ship this and get disappointed, so good job. The obvious example is the Mizuki-Cahe-Pejiba love triangle. Mizuki x Pejiba doesn't work out in the end, but it's not like it was a non-viable ship - if Mizuki x Pejiba wasn't compelling at all, it wouldn't have been much of a love triangle, now would it? 2. Didn't think of it myself, but I get the dynamic you're going for. One surprisingly common ship in the shipping contest poll was Taci x Coruby, which isn't a ship I was deliberately teasing... but, like, I get it? Coruby is outgoing, loyal, and makes lots of dad jokes. Taci is prickly, self-absorbed, backstabbing, and was (is? probably is) literally afraid of dad jokes. I can definitely see why people would want to see more of that dynamic. 3. ...Why? An example of this is Zaxaty x Mr. Enetoro, which showed up in the poll. Even ignoring the bad age gap (22 vs 50 which is like... all right... she's half your age but ok...) and the sexuality incompatibility (Zaxaty's only into women, Enetoro's not into anyone)... these two have literally never spoken to each other either on or off screen. Literally what drew you to this pairing??? Like I'd almost believe it was a mis-click on the poll over anyone actually thinking these two work together. 4. Bad, bad, very very bad. AKA "they're related", "one's underage", and/or "i know exactly why you want this ship, and I don't like it". For a while during the shipping poll's running, the third place ship was Mizuki x Nothing. First off, the age gap there is pretty gross, but I guess I can't expect readers to know that (Nothing is an immortal demon, but relative to other demons it's a kid so... someone's underage there). And second... I know exactly why people were shipping Mizuki with the giant demon that uses tendrils to mind control people, and I do not like that dynamic.

As for what I do about the ships in #3 or #4... so far, nothing, because they've been contained to the poll. If someone drew actual art of them, though, I'd probably tell them to stop, and I for sure wouldn't post the art on my fan-art page.

kayotics

I don’t have a very present fandom, at least in the sense that there’s any amount of shipping that’s unexpected. Or maybe it’s tucked away? I think the people who read my comic aren’t ones who make their own content. Either way, I’m pretty ok with shipping non-canon ships. I’d encourage it, really. I love the idea of people having fun with my characters in a way I didn’t expect. As for ships that are taboo... as long as they’re not hurting real people, I just don’t want to see it really or be made to be part of it. It would make me uncomfortable.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, how pushy/not pushy they are with Weird Ships is a big factor for me as well.

As long as they keep it to themselves, they can ship all the ships they want, no matter how icky. I'd prefer to not know if it's really icky.

So far there is only one Potentially Viable ship in my comic, though. And that Viable ship is very, very important to me. So if anyone ships one of the involved characters with someone else, I would seriously hope it's not because I've failed to develop the Viable Ship in a compelling manner. People are free to ship whoever, but don't let that be because of my own failure as a storyteller?

I've actually had anti-shippers against that Viable ship though lol, which may be relevant to the topic. What do you do when you get vocal anti-shippers of canon ships

I do think it is related, like another variation of "people sticking to their own thing with regards to ships."

kayotics

As a shipper: any crack ships I come up with is usually just because I like to explore the dynamic. Some people are more extreme about hating ships but... idk it’s probably just because they don’t like one of the characters for some reason

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Believable crackships can be a lot of fun to observe, as a non-shipper. Like I look at this amazingly well-written crackship and I'm like, wow, this is sorcery

sagaholmgaard

I haven't had it happen yet (my comic is less than a year old and doesn't have a lot of followers haha) But I'm really open about shipping! Much like @kayotics I would probably encourage it. I'm personally aroace and in my original writing I like to explore non-romantic relationships, but I know the appeal of shipping and tbh i ship my own ocs that aren't canon to the story/don't get explored in the comic because they're background characters for whatever reason. It would be genuinely fun to see if other people started exploring those ships on their own! Or things I haven't thought about! If something made me really uncomfortable, I would likely ignore it. If someone tried to get their non-canon ship to become canon that would be worse, no matter if i personally liked the ship or not, lol.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, people need to respect boundaries, always

kayotics

Yeah, definitely. It wouldn’t make me uncomfortable unless someone was trying to break into my personal boundaries

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

It doesn’t happen so much currently with Phantomarine, because I just don’t have enough shippable characters yet (related, underage, or otherwise just kinda squicky). I wonder what will happen when I introduce more. But as long as people are interacting with my characters in a fun healthy way, but still respect my choices in the end, they can ship away in any (legal) direction. It’s honestly not a ship-heavy story. It’s far more about friendship and healing and rebuilding strength/trust after trauma - if any shipping were to happen, it would probably be in a sequel or continuation when everyone is... feeling a lot better

DanitheCarutor

Depends on the characters. 90% of the time I don't care, I may even make jokes. There's nothing wrong with people wanting to see my hideous characters getting together, although there are two things that would make me a little salty. 1. If there is a scene going on that I want readers to take seriously. Such as if there is a part in the story where someone is overwhelmed and having a mental break down, then another character comes over to help calm them down. It would be kinda rude to get a bunch of comments screaming "KISS THEM!", "KISS NOW!" Although that could just be me being a stick in the mud. 2. Anything involving Julian. They are currently not mentally stable enough to properly consent to any romantic endeavors, so when people try to ship other characters with them it's a little... eeeeh! Kinda non-con, and it feels a little gross. I try not to get on anyones ass about these, realizing no one means any harm, they may not even be full aware of the situation. (Especially with Julian since they're still functional enough to talk to people sometimes and hold down a job.) Normally I leave the comments be, they just kinda irk me sometimes.

em.rowene

Honestly, I think I'd be flattered to see more fan interaction with Fractured Magic. Even if it's a ship I don't really get, it would just be nice to know people are engaged with the story and like my characters enough to interact with them beyond just reading (though this answer's definitely coming from a place of having been publishing it only half a year and not having a huge readerbase yet) Someone making fanfic with my characters is actually a major goal of my writing, but I agree with the above people who said reading it before the story's done probably isn't a good idea. I don't think there's much legal risk to it (I actually wrote a major paper on this in law school) - there's only been one case even remotely analogous in the US. Someone wrote a Rocky fan script and sent it to the writers, and then the next Rocky movie had a similar plot and the person sued. The judge said if you make a derivative work (like fanfic), you can't sue the creators of the original copyright for infringement. But I do think it would be bad form bc it is really easy to be influenced by stuff like fanfiction of your own story, even if you don't mean to be

Mei

Thankfully I haven't had to deal with people shipping my characters from MHIAC with anybody else. But that's mostly because I've only actually introduced the two main characters, who are husbands, and one friend. I think it'd be super interesting to see how people view the character relationships once I introduce more of the cast. I'd be really curious too! I mean, I don't want people to try and break up the canon couple that's for sure... but I guess all the side characters are fair game for shipping if people choose to. I'd honestly be super flattered if people shipped any of my characters, it would feel like I'm doing something right. As long as there's no NSFW stuff because boy that'd make me uncomfortable.

chalcara

Shipping‘s fan stuff and just for fan, as long as you do it in your own space, go hog-wild. Have fun! Not gonna watch/read/view it, but have fun! People taking their headcanons as fact for the main-comic might end up a problem, but I‘ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

So far, I've only had people ship the canon main couple, so I haven't had problems yet. But honestly, I don't care who the readers ship for the most part, unless it's gross and/or illegal. For example, if they are related or underage... Other than that, I don't mind. It's all in good fun

Deo101 [Millennium]

I actually wanna add on to my comment: non canon ships only make me uncomfortable if they go against the Characters sexuality, or if it's an abusive ship or illegal. If it's not one of those then it doesn't bother me! My Characters are generally friends so I totally get someone wanting to ship two who won't be endgame

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I dunno. I just can't be bothered by stuff like that for multiple reasons. 1) Most of my characters don't talk about their sexuality in the comic. 2) Because of setting and time period, everyone expects everyone to be straight (which of course isn't true). 3) And I don't think readers typically mean anything bad by shipping people with each other that won't be together (again, unless it's gross or illegal).

One of my characters, for example, is aroace, but he doesn't even know that's a thing, because sexuality and mental health is not understood in this time period. So of course he hasn't mentioned that he's aroace at all. He is married to a woman, because of societal expectations, so likely he will be shipped with her. But their relationship is horrible, and it was definitely a marriage of convenience. So if readers decide to ship him with other people, I can't fault them, because they simply do not know.

Him being aroace is only in the subtext and in my heart.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I make my Characters sexualities pretty clear, so I consider it akin to homophobia to want to see my gay man with a lesbian

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

In your case, it's definitely a bit different, because you have made it obvious.

Capitania do Azar

Too bad @Deo101 [Millennium] i am preparing problematic ships right now (no I'm not)

I don't care about what people would ship, and I would be curious as to why people think this or that pair could work it's a very interesting way to see how people are interpreting the story and the characters

Deo101 [Millennium]

LMAO

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I'm definitely scared of people shipping incestual relations in my comic, because there is a situation where characters are related, but it isn't known to the audience (yet)

And I really don't want that mistake to be made

Deo101 [Millennium]

Lia/luke shippers before the last star wars movie came out...

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yep

I'm like... soooo nervous right now

I can just feel the bad ships encroaching

Capitania do Azar

If people don't know can you blame them?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah I think it's only bad if the ships persist after it's revealed

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I can't blame them, but I just don't want to think about it

sagaholmgaard

ack, good luck cronaj! I wanted to add that when it comes to shipping and canon sexualities i'm the same boat as you cronaj. I have my own idea that my main characters are pan and ace respectively, but it doesn't come up in the comic and they don't have the lingo for it during this time period, so I can't blame readers for making up their own headcanons and ships

I have comic ideas that are a lot more centered around sexuality and getting into a relationship. If i ever make them happen I'm sure I would mind a lot more it people's ships went against the characters' canon sexualities

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Lol, haha, I also have a pan character whose sexuality isn't revealed in comic XD

Like... A little bit of subtext, but not explicitly said

FeatheryJustice

I actually don't mind people shipping things in my comic that is non canon, because it just proves people read my comics. I myself love crack pairings and dumb things, so I treat their ships like crack pairings. I think an example in Teasday was someone joking about shipping Vander with Spyder, two characters who never met and I was like "Haha that's funny." Because it just proves they read my comic to even know the names at least.

Capitania do Azar

They never met but... If they did

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I've had more readers want to date the characters themselves then ship them with another character, so it's hard to have a solid thought on how I'd feel with ships so far That being said however, i don't really mind ppl shipping as long as it's respectful to me and the readers boundaries. There's been people honestly wanting more interactions between characters that aren't shippable in my eyes, so i most likely would advert them if i saw ships i didn't agree with. That said, go wild!

Kat - The Yuri Canon

I get a lot of non-canon shipping, mostly because there are so many possibilities. Mostly I allow it, as long as they don't get too extreme or overly sexualize my characters. But I did have to stop some when they kept insisting my Ace go out with one of my characters. I finally had to say it just wasn't happening.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Its never happened to me, but if it did that would be fine I guess. I’m not about to change plans in how I write the story to spontaneously put characters together unless there was good chemistry maybe

I would be happy overall that people were engaging with my characters on that level

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I have only had one single ship comment in the 14 years I’ve been doing webcomics, and it was over a decade ago. But it was also an intensely uncomfortable one, where a reader was trying to ship my 14yo gay character with an adult female villain. Needless to say I put the brakes on that right away, and have never had a ship comment since.

But secretly I wish readers did occasionally ship my adult characters, because so long as they don’t get toxic, I think non canon shipping can be fun. If the reader doesn’t demand their ship be made canon or fight with people shipping a different pairing, I’d be all for it.

Ash🦀

Honestly I would love to see ships. I've never really had an audience for Foxes with Machine Guns, so seeing people care that much? I think I'd just be grateful. TBH I cried when I got a comment so someone having a whole ship? Of My OCs?? I'd probably end up sobbing like an idiot. They're all adults, ship away, you have my blessing.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I personally love shipping, and in regards to my comic, I'm excited, but also nervous. I have a main ship that I push myself that so far a lot of readers have been really receptive to (Merlow/Nocturne <3). I also have a few more ships coming up... but in the meantime, I like to see theories, but I worry that either a) the ships I end up with will make folks unhappy, or b) folks will ship things that ignore a character's established orientation. Like, it's fairly clear Diana is a lesbian, but I already had a casual suggestion from a rl reader of her and Merlow getting together and I'm like. N no. No please. Please, just let them be besties, they will be best friends I promise but Merlow is not a lady.(edited)

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

See, I don't care about people having ~gross~ ships. I might not want to hear about it -- and if you expect it to become canon, you're probably out of luck -- but if a reader enjoys imagining or exploring it on their own time? I'm not gonna police them over that.

Just because a thing is illegal to do IRL, that doesn't mean it's illegal to imagine it or write about it. (If it was, I'd be in a whole lot of trouble...)

...not that it's really come up, since with my comics it seems like most people are happy to go with the canon mostly-healthy ships anyway, but.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Same with shipping against orientation -- if some reader wants to imagine an AU where the character realizes they've been bi the whole time after all, why not? The canon representation you wrote is still there. It's not gonna be compromised or erased unless you write that happening.

(And if the reader's imagination is more like "everyone is actually straight and some people, including these characters, just get temporarily confused"...I mean, at that point they have waaaay bigger problems than which webcomic characters they like to imagine kissing.)

kayotics

I think I gotta agree with Erin here. I’m not gonna police what people want to imagine. It’s not my business. They can do what they like in their free time.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I assume most of "I don't want X" folks mean "I don't want to see X." I can't even imagine policing what people do in their own time! I mean, what are you gonna do, be like the NYC library parking sign?

(That sign is real and I have seen it)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

"I don't want to see X" is definitely true for me

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Yeah, any time someone's clear that they mean "I don't want to see X" or "I don't want readers telling me about X", that's a different story!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

And if said illegal/gross ships are perpetuated on the internet, I'll probably try to step in

ESPECIALLY WITH UNDERAGE CHARACTERS

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

...see, that's getting back into "policing what random people do with their free time" territory.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I WILL FIGHT YOU

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

um, there's a difference between things you do on your free time, and things you post where children can see

it's an important distinction

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I specifically have one character who is a small child who I do not want to see in ANY romantic situations

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

I mean, we don't have psychic filters on "check this box to confirm that you are over 18" filters, so in theory "children can see" just about anywhere...

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

unless, of course, the character is aged up significantly

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

And cute ships with young characters having crushes on each other have been around since forever.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

oh young characters having crushes on each other is one thing

but there are far worse things on the internet

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yes

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Right, but we're talking about "shipping" as a general thing, which includes the cute crushes.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I don't want any weird pedo crap

keep that aaaaawaaaaay from my characters thank you

Deo101 [Millennium]

on the subject of what people do in their free time, it's pretty obvious that I can't control what people are doing but that doesnt mean I support any free time activities.

I'm not gonna say I'm okay with adults shipping adults and children even if they do it where no one can see

like they CAN and I can't stop them but I wont say i'm okay with it just because I can't control it

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Sure, but, we're not talking about any "free time activities" -- we're talking about people using their imaginations. That doesn't cause me any harm. And if nobody ever sees it? Geez, plenty of people have waaaay darker thoughts than that in the privacy of their own heads.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I think it causes harm to how they interact with the world, though. and just because it could be worse doesnt mean it's okay

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

If they are interacting with the world in a specific harmful way, that would be a thing we can discuss on its own merits!

FeatheryJustice

I feel like if you police people from not doing something, they want to do it more.

So by not drawing attention to it, it might be a better move? For Ships, if someone ships something you don't like, don't draw attention to it kinda thing?

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Also true!

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I think "I won't say I'm okay with it" and "I will actively make an effort to police it" are two very different things?

You can definitely have this... area where the distinction isn't clear

FeatheryJustice

For example, if someone is like "Don't draw this character as X because I don't like it" People might do it because you said something?

People are weird, I wish they will listen to author wises but not everyone will.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

I mean, yeah, but "I won't make an effort to police it because that would be physically impractical" is also different from "I won't make an effort to police it because that's not my job."

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Well, if they do that, then they are an asshole(edited)

because they aren't respecting the creator's barriers

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

@FeatheryJustice Not spreading ideas you don't like in the first place is a smart move, yeah. Put your energy into promoting and spreading the things that make you happy.

FeatheryJustice

Yeah! Promoting things that make you happy might be better. Like "I like the fact you guys enjoy drawing my characters" Something like that that's more positive

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Sure, they can do it, but if you do something like that, which is also illegal in most countries, then you are disrespecting the creator, the character(s), and the law

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Wait, what are people doing that's illegal?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) Today at 11:19 PM And if said illegal/gross ships are perpetuated on the internet, I'll probably try to step in ESPECIALLY WITH UNDERAGE CHARACTERS

FeatheryJustice

Oh yeah that's something different. That's just illegal.

RebelVampire

I'm just admin stepping in here to remind people to remain respectful. Cause this is the sort of conversation that can quickly go out of hand.

FeatheryJustice

Got it Rebel

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Doing bad things is illegal. Writing about bad things happening isn't illegal. (Again: I have written fiction about soooo many illegal-to-actually-do things.)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I think there is a difference between writing about a terrible thing happening and putting it in a negative light and shipping pedophilia(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

I think writing about underage characters with the intent for sexual pleasure counts as CP

FeatheryJustice

I mean drawing and writing about murder is okay, actual going out and murdering someone is not okay. But I think for this context we are looking at something that is a bit more worrying.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

But I wouldn't want to read a story where murdering for pleasure is glorifed either

FeatheryJustice

Yeah, that's why I think context matters.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

and I frankly think media like that shouldn't be shared with the world

Like, i guess write it and stash it away on your computer somewhere

but don't show it to people

Tuyetnhi

i can hear the police sirens blaring from the sound of someone writing cp lmao

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Lol

FeatheryJustice

Back to talking about shipping (Sorry I got this conversation derailed here), I think there will be people who will never announce their ships as well.

Or have it so open ended no one knows what's what.

And maybe we can brainstorm good ways to tell people we would like them to not ship certain things?

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Probably don't say anything unless it does become a visible problem

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

...I get that nobody wants to go into this too closely, and I sure don't either, but I also think someone should say -- legally speaking, a work is only CP if a child is harmed in its creation. If there's a living, human victim. Conflating that with other things is not beneficial to anyone, and can itself be hurtful to survivors.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Honestly, I don't feel the need to warn people not to write inappropriate ships about my underage characters, because it should be common sense not to do such a thing

I really won't say anything about it unless someone actually posts it on the internet

Tuyetnhi

rip I hate to burst it but under us law, even drawn cp is considered illegal

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I think it depends on the country

but in some countries, yes, it is considered CP

RebelVampire

But see that brings in the complecation of international law. If an artist is in the US but the fanartist is in say Japan where they have a much different relationship, whose laws apply?

Tuyetnhi

it depends on the site host i think?

like if it's a US based site

and there's CP there, it's under US law correct?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

the fanartist can't be be punished if they live in a country like Japan where that's legal, but I would still try to contact them and ask that they take it down(edited)

FeatheryJustice

(I wasn't talking about CP in my post I was just like if you don't want these two characters to be shipped together what can you say? Didn't mean to spiral off like that sorry)

RebelVampire

But it might only apply to US citizens. For example, some sites specifically alter themselves so part of their site follows European GDPR laws but tell the americans they suck

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

But that is also the difference between law and site terms

the person might get banned from the site but not sued

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

I can't speak for every country, but it's genuinely not illegal in the US -- and, yeah, I don't know why a general discussion about shipping had to go this far either! You don't need to go right to the most disturbing possible interpretation when thinking about hypothetical shippers...

RebelVampire

Yeah. All my point is is blanket saying its illegal just cause it is in the US is inaccurate.

Deo101 [Millennium]

also morals =/= law, and a site is allowed to say no to that even if it is legal

they are not owed a platform

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Individual site TOS can be stricter than national laws, yeah.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

@Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn) I think the reason people discuss the worst case scenarios is because those scenarios are precisely what they have issues with, as opposed to other kinds of non-canon ships

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn) In my case, I mentioned it because that's where I draw the line with shipping. Other stuff, no matter how much I disagree with it, I don't really care enough to do anything about it

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

I get that people have those lines in their heads, but when you don't describe the distinction, when you talk about "shipping" as if "everyone should understand that I exclusively means graphic photorealistic sexual content"...that's a big leap to make!

Tuyetnhi

@Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn) agreed but er.... I still do believe that the US has a law about drawn CP being illegal. it's something that I found out when I had to help a friend out from a situation (I won't go to details rip)

but yeah it's a big assumption lmao

I know shippers in good faith won't try to push that onto others

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

And it seems unfairly harsh on any shipper with literally any other interests or activities.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Honestly, even if someone only commented about a ship with an adult character with a child character, I would still ask them kindly to delete their comment, or delete it myself

Tuyetnhi

^ye

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

It doesn't have to be a visual representation for me

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

And when you're talking about your own website, I think setting rules like that is completely reasonable.

Deo101 [Millennium]

again, I wont say im okay with it even if it's only in someones head. Just cause theyre not sharing it doesnt mean I'm okay with it

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

If I have the power to remove their comment or report them, I would

but if I don't, I will ask them to refrain from such comments

That's all the power I have

And as @Deo101 [Millennium] said, I also don't have to agree with people's filthy thoughts

Deo101 [Millennium]

I understand they can think them and i cant do anything about it but i wont offer support for it i dont think

RebelVampire

As a reader, I want to second that it's important to distinguish what you mean when you say you don't tolerate specific ships. Obviously, no one think pedophilia is okay and that would be a fine ship to not tolerate. However, if all you say is you don't tolerate specific ships, readers will also jump to the worst conclusion possible, which in this context is you don't tolerate anything that is non-canon (vs. what creators think is the worst possible conclusion when they hear non-canon).

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

see, this sort of thing is exactly why i have four tiers of "non-canon"

Deo101 [Millennium]

please elaborate!

Tuyetnhi

4 tiers? :0

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh yes, definitely

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

i mean it's in my post a few days back To me, there are four levels of "non-canon" with regards to shipping. 1. You were supposed to ship this and get disappointed, so good job. 2. Didn't think of it myself, but I get the dynamic you're going for. 3. ...Why? 4. Bad, bad, very very bad.

with more detail explaining specific ships that ended up in my poll that fit into each category(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Even if stuff is noncanon, or goes against a character's canon sexuality, I don't really care, because fan AUs exist

and it's pretty hard to offend me

mostly the pedophilia thing is the only thing I'm passionately against

So yeah, #4 is the only place where my hair stands on end

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh sorry I did read that but I didnt realize thats what you meant by the tiers ^^;

Tuyetnhi

its helpful!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

It is indeed

I read it before, and I still find it useful

I'm sure #1 and #2 is where most of the WotP shippers will reside

And there will definitely be a few #3s

FeatheryJustice

That's very useful, the tiers XD

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

@RebelVampire absurdly late, I know, I just wanted to second that "obviously, no one thinks pedophilia is okay" is really important to keep in mind. No matter what anyone says about any kind of shipping -- people should be able to feel comfortable that nobody's gearing up to call that into question. We're all on the same side with that one.

spacerocketbunny

There's a few characters I'm a little protective over regarding their sexuality, but most of the characters are bi/pan so it's pretty free game! I'm so here for random crack ships honestly

Capitania do Azar

Get ready

AntiBunny

Personally I enjoy seeing what random ideas fans come up with. It's all part of being a creator.

meek

lmao i'll try to get one comment in before the discussion closes As a creator, a lot of my feelings about shipping is related to how I am as a reader/audience member for media? Character dynamics and relationships are one of my favorite things + what'll usually hook me for a series, and definitely exploring relationships that either didn't receive any attention or were completely non-existent in the original material is one of my favorite things to do! And that'll inspire me to create or make certain choices with my original characters based on that "Well, what if [this] happened in that story?" So with that, I don't find myself get super-attached to canon/endgame ships and I'll just do my own thing, regardless. I always respect the original intent when it comes to character's sexuality or preference (unless it's a case of 'everyone's straight' lol), but I'm a rabid multishipper in fandom anyways so I'll carry that energy over to my own works LOL And let it be free for all, even if I have an 'end' goal in mind. After all, I'm the biggest multishipper for my own characters too!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

>I always respect the original intent when it comes to character's sexuality or preference (unless it's a case of 'everyone's straight' lol) @meek Just for the sake of argument, why do you respect the characters' sexualities unless everyone is straight? Personally, I don't mind sexuality swapping in fan ships and such, but I do wonder why there is this specific stipulation for you.

meek

Also input as a reader: sometimes it's good to be completely upfront about where your boundaries are as a creator! And also being explicit about certain character details or relationships can help, because a lot of times readers don't.. really know.. I can't tell you the number of times I've started reading a comic where the ages of the characters are very ambiguous with: - specific ages are never said - the art style is stylized in a way that unless they're explicitly a child or an elderly person, everyone looks like they're the same age - the context clues on their age is limited to.. they worked a minimum wage job - in-story they are treated with the same level of respect and authority status as everyone else around them - characters that are older than them that act the same age and that's led me several times to thinking a character was at least 18-23+ and actually they were supposed to be 14.....

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I assume it's for the same vein of reason why we don't have a Straight Pride Day. This is getting into the weeds though, so I'm very hesitant to approach further

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Sure

meek

The short answer is that there's no harm in adding more gay or trans representation to a work of fiction

but erasing canon gay or trans representation to make it cis or straight is bad and homo/transphobic

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with respecting characters's sexualities or messing around with possibilities, but it just seems rather... odd

meek

also just straight up it's complete white-washed fiction that LGBT or POC did not exist in history until [convenient time here] so acting like you're being "historically accurate" by exempting them is just.. bad

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Well, depending on location, that would be incorrect

But again, I'm not particularly upset to see "straight" characters depicted as gay(edited)

meek

well i'm a queer nb person so i've encountered innumerable works of fiction where everyone is straight, cis, and white so i'd much rather diversify that then perpetuate it

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

You're not wrong about there being a numerous amount of straight, cis, and yes, white characters in media

But I feel like it's destructive to society as a whole to suddenly decide to be more courteous toward LGBTQ+ groups than toward straight people

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

This is getting too political for me and I feel it could get out of control quickly

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Maybe it is political

You don't have to participate

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

It also feels off topic

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

But I think it's important to politely discuss it

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Maybe not in this channel specifically

meek

i'm going to be honest, i feel incredibly uncomfortable to be asked to continue this conversation

if you want to talk more, then write a DM but this has nothing to do with the main part of my comment or the topic for this channel

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

If you feel uncomfortable, then I respect your decision not to continue this discussion

I've said my piece

Spring-heeled Jack

Jumping in before this closes: I'm not there yet but I'm in the camp of "whatever floats your boat!" If someone ships my characters I think I'll be flattered that they are that invested in them to have those feelings. But also I'm super new to this and the only comment so far is my friend jokingly saying she ships herself with one character.

Ash🦀

I'm in the same boat as Spring-heeled Jack- the idea that people would even be invested enough would be flattering, yes. It would be really cool, but I doubt it will happen since there's a limited cast and it's not a romance. I do have personal ships, but since romance isn't a factor, shippers... Just won't be canon, kinda no matter what they ship. Maybe if my story was more romance-centered I'd care more, but as it is... Do what you want, it's not going to hurt my feelings if you think Ren and the Oni would be a power couple or whatever.

kayotics

I’m just gonna pop in here and say this: shippers making queer content of (presumably) straight characters is a large part of how I figured out I was queer, because for the most part (especially when I was younger) that doesn’t exist in the public eye.

Spring-heeled Jack

My comic isn't romance based, it's horror but I feel that really good horror is best built off characters you can connect to. So I have some families. I have some married couples. The older two "children" (they are in their 20s) are dating. I made one of my main non-binary and their partner is ace. Another main is a transman. In my heart my characters are all pan anyway so I like just putting them with who I think works best lol

I also low key ship one of my married characters with another character that is coming in later. I do enjoy shipping so I might be biased lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

my comic is pretty romance based, it's not a romance but there are pretty strong romance threads in it, and my characters arent all pan so I feel differently, so I do see why you would feel differently than me on this subject!

Spring-heeled Jack

I can also respect a creator having an idea for a character and not feeling comfy with people going different directions with it.

Ash🦀

Oh definitely- How individuals interact and feel for their characters varies from person to person.

Kabocha

I don't mind people making changes for shipping purposes or shipping non canon stuff -- so long as they don't expect me to change my writing to suit them. And like Snuffysam, I kind of have similar tiers for ships, too. I don't want to (and can't, really) control what other people do, but I'd prefer that if a reader knows it's going to make me upset or something I've expressed wishes against, that they not share it with me. Besides, if what I'm writing doesn't meet their needs, I'd rather see shippers search out, celebrate, and elevate work that better matches the values they idealize in pairings. (and trust me, romance is FULL of it if you look. :D)

Spring-heeled Jack

I thought about my only canonically het character that I have (I only rp him now, I have a comic planned for him down the line) and even with him all I can think is "if someone wants him to kiss a boy, I super don't care."

Ash🦀

Wait, hold on, have people actually asked to change the story based on who they think should get together? Is that a thing people do? (Forgive my ignorance, I’m not really a fandom person? I’m p shy and keep to myself)

FeatheryJustice

I seen it happen. Which in itself is pretty rude soemtimes because people get angry if their ships aren't canon kinda thing

Ash🦀

Oh my. Thank you for the warning then, I’ll keep it in mind. That’s very rude! Would probably fill me with spite, to be honest. The “well now I’m not doing it” haha. I’m... disappointed but not surprised this happens. Still, it won’t change my mind. XD

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I have run into more than one person who hyperfixates on a ship (in any media, not just comics) that's... honestly, truly, never going to happen? Like, a main character crossed with a background character who had no lines and showed up in a single scene. That sort of thing. Then they implode/explode when it doesn't become canon by the end. If it happened for my own work, I don't know what I'd say. Apart from telling people not to put all their eggs in one basket, I guess I fear that kind of manic fanaticism.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Wasn't that the reason behind that infamous blackmail incident, the Voltron one

or am I mixing it up with a different fandom?

Spring-heeled Jack

Looking at fandoms in general, there are people that get over invested and become possessive. It's a shame.

Deo101 [Millennium]

the fact that it could be more than one fandom says a lot, i think :P

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

yeeeeeah ugh

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

If it's not, I'd still believe it (edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Also the needle in the cookie one (though this was given to a fan artist who drew a ship they didn't like, not the actual author)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Hoooooooly hell, I feel like I remember that, but not specifically what it was for. NIGHTMARE SCENARIO.

Deo101 [Millennium]

thought that was because they didnt draw a character fat?

again, the fact it could be multiple things

hugely concerning

Spring-heeled Jack

Just, please, never take consumables (food, drink, ect) from strangers.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, I think the "you didn't draw her fat enough" was a different one

Deo101 [Millennium]

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Scary world we live in -_-

Spring-heeled Jack

There are people who get too invested in things and don't know how to process those feelings. Be smart and careful, but don't let those people stop you from making your comic, art, fanart, or anything.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

ngl, I'm honestly legit scared. Not quite terrified but lowkey fear in my mind... I'm not at all active in con circuits, etc. so I don't think any physical harm will happen to me, but I do worry about potential online harassment.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Me too, to be completely honest

Spring-heeled Jack

Conventions are usually really great. I've been at some for about three years now and everyone has been so kind. Online, however, is more of a concern because people can post anything, it's easier with that distance.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Even with a low likelihood of something happening, common sense is definitely good. Don't take food, have a buddy nearby, have an 'out' if you feel uncomfortable. But yeah, cons seem to be lovely so far. If anyone causes trouble, staff usually does a good job wrangling them

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yeah, I've had great experiences at cons for the most part. A few creepy people that camped out at my table for a bit longer than comfortable, but otherwise it's been great

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Oh yeah The campers. They mean well, but man... they CAMP.

Spring-heeled Jack

I get a lot of lingering people and returning people,. but only once so far did I really have someone just stand there and block others. But he was a bit older and was putting his change in his wallet from a sale, so I didn't want to say anything

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I love the people who return! I usually get people returning the next day to buy something (or to buy more stuff). Those people always seem so invested in my work.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, it's more the online stuff I worry about

o(-<

Deo101 [Millennium]

me too, I've been real lucky to have people mostly be very kind but theres always new fear with new readers, or every new thing i introduce that someone will be mad about it

Spring-heeled Jack

Lemme clarify, returners are okay, but the ones the are weird and linger and block the booth. That makes me a little stressed out

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Oh man, Deo, I can feel those fears in my bones.

Deo101 [Millennium]

ahahha a bunch of new people show up and youre just like thats a lotta people who could be pissed at me huh?

I had someone get very upset with me over something once, in a way i never imagined someone would, and im coming up on a scene I've been planning for like a year now which canonized my characters trans identities, and I worry some people will think i am hmmmmmm doing a bad job

or not the job they want

Spring-heeled Jack

Forget them. Do what you have planned!

Deo101 [Millennium]

yup! but if people do get very upset with me I will still be hurt, even if I think I am really doing the best job I can

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

hard same

I won't bend my story, but I sure as hell will be hurt

Spring-heeled Jack

I understand. I worry that my queer characters aren't queer enough, but then that's a worry I have about myself IRL, sooooooo, I get you

Deo101 [Millennium]

someone once got upset with me over that ;) so i worry about it too

Spring-heeled Jack

It sucks because the opinion of others both don't matter and SUPER matters

Deo101 [Millennium]

or, sorry, they said I was blase my bad

and yeah like, im gonna do what i want but it still sucks when people are mean about it, regardless

which ^ is kind of how I feel about this shipping topic. Im gonna do what I want but Id really prefer people not be upset over not getting what they want.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think everyone's mileage varies on what 'the right representation' of relationships and characters is. Barring obvious no-nos, I don't think everyone will ever be 100% satisfied. I do very much dread that one person coming into my comments to tell me "You did this character/ship wrong, thus, you are a bad writer, and probably a bad person - gonna write an article about you now kthxbye" At that point, I would just hope enough people come to my side to go "Um... no?" because I would definitely want to recede far into the nearest dark corner and think about what I've done

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah. when I did get that comment of someone kind of telling me off about how Ive chosen to represent things. I really kind of started... not overthinking, because I dont think that worrying about doing a good job and taking comments into consideration is BAD, per se, but I started really worrying about whether or not i DID do something wrong. my friends came to my defense, which was very nice, and the person did actually end up changing their mind and kind of rescinding their comment. I think places like this and having people that support you to back you up when stuff like this happens is really important

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

It happened to me and it did absolutely suck. I'm genuinely unsure I can take another one if it happens again

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah idk what I would do if someone went... that hard..

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think there are some reactions that not even sensitivity readers could predict. Like, things that are so out of left field, but also still make a bit of sense if you really, really stretch your brain? Arguments that would make for excellent thesis papers someday, tbh

Spring-heeled Jack

:( I'm really sorry it hurt you that much, Keii. I know I can say "don't let it get to you" all day but you will feel how you feel when someone pulls that kind of stuff. I hope it doesn't happen again and, if it does, I hope it doesn't hurt you!

I hope it helps to remember that there will probably be many people out there that see your work and see the characters and go "That's me!" or "I feel seen!"

Spring-heeled Jack

We get a new topic tomorrow, yeah?

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I think so

Spring-heeled Jack

Nice!

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #creator interview #comic creator interview #creator babble #comic tea party #ctp

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emritcheson · 6 years ago

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Less Obvious Things I Love About Unavowed

So we all collectively agree that Unavowed is a modern masterpiece and are still debating whether or not it’s Dave Gilbert’s greatest work, yadda yadda. But I’ve noticed that some of my favorite things about Unavowed often get glossed over or completely ignored by other reviews. So here I am to throw my two cents in that nobody asked for about a game I love very much. There will be gushing. You’ve been warned.

This obviously also contains big fat spoilers. You have also been warned.

Player Puppet

Like I’m sure we all have, I’ve played a fair handful of games where the main character is more or less the player themselves. Some are completely customizable, others start out with a character but turn into a blank slate for the player to manipulate and form through dialogue trees. More often than not, these kinds of mechanics end up really clunky or cringey. That character can feel disproportionally important to the rest of the cast, the dialogue won’t flow as smoothly as it could, and most importantly, the biggest draw is in individual choices and paths rather than telling a story with a goal.

But Dave Gilbert managed to use his incredible storytelling skills to make all of those problems simply disappear when it came to Unavowed. And the fact that this kind of gameplay was completely new for Gilbert only makes the end result that much more satisfying.

Yes, it can be argued that the player character is a blank slate sometimes, but the fact that they’ve almost completely lost their memory of the past year justifies this well. The character is just as stupid as the player!

And then when the big twist happens in the third act - that you’ve been playing as Melkhiresa all along and the evildoer you’ve been chasing was actually the human you thought you were - everything just gets blown out of the water. It gives a sense of a lack of control to the player, where almost everything they’ve been building in the game up to this point is turned against them. And oddly, that’s a really good feeling. Because it shows you that the worst is yet to come. That you don’t have everything figured out yet. And in a game where you make impactful choices, fear of messing up is important. Not just getting the “bad ending” for a certain character, but of messing up the story as a whole.

Dave Gilbert’s New York

I know one thing often praised about Gilbert’s dev work is how he uses real world settings, but can we just appreciate that his New York is so different compared to the thousand and one other stories set in New York. (I say all of this as a small town pleb who only visits big cities on vacation and has never been to New York.) Put on a cop drama or rom-com movie or anything else, and their New York is only a pretty backdrop and an excuse for a lot of interesting people to live in the same radius. The characters could easily be dropped in any other big city, and things would play out exactly the same.

Dave Gilbert doesn’t pull that crap, especially with Unavowed. He uses his setting with purpose. The locations are chosen with purpose to reflect the characters who inhabit them and to give a certain flavor to each different mission. It does have some sights that are more recognizable to non-natives than his other games (Lady Liberty as seen above, Wall Street, etc.), but I chalk that up to the fact that Unavowed focuses more on neighborhoods rather than specific addresses. Even still, I think they fit the more grandiose adventure of Unavowed rather than the smaller, quieter stories told in the Blackwell games.

Sharing a Universe

Speaking of Gilbert’s other work, the fact that Unavowed exists in the same universe as Blackwell and The Shivah is just the icing on this beautifully crafted supernatural cake. Though I can’t expect every game reviewer out there to play every game in existence and have eloquent, comprehensive thoughts about them, I am surprised at the number of people who have played Unavowed without playing the Blackwell series. Because playing Blackwell definitely adds a lot more weight to the story overall. Not so much that it detracts the story without that knowledge, but enough that it makes the world feel more rich and whole, rather than patchworking a bunch of supernatural elements together and seeing what it makes. We’re simply seeing this world from a different point of view in Unavowed.

As an achingly enthusiastic Blackwell fan, it is devilishly clever and simultaneously frustrating how Dave Gilbert has crafted this story to reference Blackwell and even bring back a couple small characters, while reinforcing that anything resembling a crossover is impossible. While the role of a Bestower/medium is a very important element of Unavowed, Rosa and Joey are never directly referenced. The Blackwell series is done, but the universe where it happened did not live happily ever after and there is still work to do. Stories to tell. Ghosts to save, albeit in a completely watered down way. (I still feel a little cheated we didn’t get the return of the ghost wind.)

Story time! When I played Unavowed for the very first time, I went with the cop origin story, which I personally think is the best way to play as a Blackwell fan (or just in general). “But the bartender!” I hear you cry. “You get to be friends with Logan!” Yes, yes, but hear me out. As much as I love Vicki, she’s definitely got the smallest personal stake in this whole story. Eli, Mandana, and Logan are already dealing with the supernatural. They know their jobs in the balance of the universe at large. Vicki just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And playing the route that gives you an established relationship with her really helps why she joins the Unavowed in the first place make a lot more sense. (Okay, maybe I just really love Vicki Santina. Get off my case.)

There are so many more things about this game I could wax poetic about, but these are some I definitely see get glossed over or altogether avoided in other reviews or discussions, so I had to give them some love.

#unavowed #wadjet eye games #game review #adventure games #blackwell series #original article

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remnantoforario · 7 years ago

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Some excerpts from an interview Hiro Mashima did with ANN at NYCC this year:

Here’s the full interview on ANN

Both Rave Master and Fairy Tail are fantasy works. Have you ever considered doing something outside of the fantasy genre?

I personally just really love fantasy works in general, so if I do a new series, I would like to try to make it fantasy again. Rave Master was about friends saving the whole world, but Fairy Tail is about closer-knit relationships. So if I do another fantasy story, I would like to try a different approach.

Funny, judging by some people I talked to the characters in Rave were much more “close knit” than the ones in FT. Also FT eventually became about saving the world by the time Oracion Seis rolled around so *shrug*

Have you ever considered revisiting Rave Master?

At the autograph sessions, I have been experiencing a lot of people actually requesting characters from Rave Master, but I realize that I have forgotten how to draw a lot of the characters from that series, so it might be hard to revisit it.

I can understand this honestly. I’m sure he remembers how to draw the mains (Haru, Elie, Plue, Musica, etc.) but some of the minors and supporting characters would be hard to remember without a picture or something.

Many comic book artists have said that they know the last page of the series before they start. Was that the case for Fairy Tail?

I honestly didn't have any idea what the last scene of the story was like in my mind when I started the series. The fact that I didn't know what was going to happen next was actually the best part of working on this series. For example, when there is a cliffhanger where the characters are in a really tight spot, the fans wonder what is going to happen next? Well, that's actually my question and I really have to think about it.

Believe me, the “flying by the seat of my pants” writing showed. Especially in the last arc.

I find Zeref very interesting. He isn't your typical bad guy and he is sort of a tragic figure. Why did you decide to make him like that?

I didn't want a typical bad guy. I kind of combined all of the elements I had been cultivating and inserted it into this character, and he became a really highly complex character.

Maybe in the beginning. Too bad all that potential was wasted by the time we saw him again post-Tenrou.

Everyone likes the female characters in Fairy Tail. They seem to be both strong and sexy at the same time and self-confident. How did you go about making such balanced female characters?

This is actually kind of what I like in females. This my personal taste so I inserted it into the character. It's kind of my wish.

“Balanced Female Characters”?

Where? I didn’t see that in FT. The closest to balanced was Lucy (and possibly Wendy), but she fell short of that mark a long time ago.

Is there a particular character you wish you had more time to develop?

One of the characters that I think of is Acnologia. In my mind I had a deeper setting for this character. But the story is from the main character's point of view, so I couldn't really do that. I may have some time to explore the story of Acnologia at some point.

Here’s a small list of NOT main character’s who received more development and background than the main villain of the story:

Lyon Vastia

Ultear Milkovich

Irene Belserion

Minerva Orlando

Sting Eucliffe

Rogue Cheney

Zeref

Mavis Vermillion

Nearly the entirety of the Oracion Seis

Flare Corona

Anna Heartfilia

Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki

August

What I’m trying to say is that is you gave Irene 3 chapters of flashbacks, then you had no excuse not to develop Acnologia, Mashima. Too little too late to want to do it now.

What Fairy Tail character will you miss the most?

There is a character named Brandish. I wish I could draw more of her.

Yes. You missed drawing Brandish so much that you didn’t even have her show up or even be mentioned in the final chapter.

Ok.

In American spin-offs, they worry a lot about continuity. Did you worry about that over the 11 years you worked on Fairy Tail?

I was thinking about it a little bit, but it wasn't the highest priority. It is more important to me to make the story exciting and really portray the emotions of each character. So if the fans find some flaws in the continuity, I am actually excited to know that people are reading that much into it.

This is probably my biggest peeve about this interview. I get wanting to create complex characters and a good story BUT a good chunk of that hinges on continuity. Character’s development has to be consistent throughout. Without following internal continuity the story devolves into an unorganized mess with no logic (which is ironically what FT became at the end of its run) and the fans stop caring because they feel that nothing previously established matters anymore.

One of the most egregious examples of this is telling us of Fairy Law’s added consequence of killing the user WAY after it was introduced, only to immediately backtrack on that by the final chapter.

American comics can get away with this in a way because they have many writers handling a single character over a number of years. For example Spider-Man has been around for 50+ years and has had no less that 20 writers working on him in different points in that time frame. Each writer brings something new to the table, some good (Death of Gwen Stacy), and some bad (One More Day).

Manga is held to a different standard because there is only ONE writer (usually). They (and by extension you, Mashima) are the only one who controls the story. Outside of spin-offs (which mostly aren’t considered canon by a majority of the fandom) and sometimes sequels, (but even those have input from the original creators) no one else will write these characters so there is no excuse for you to not to put continuity as a priority.

I understand forgetting one or two minor bits, but FT sometimes ignored entire plot points or outright ignored things that were previously established. Some almost right after they were introduced (Alvarez was littered with these).

The fans should not be focused on pointing out flaws, they should be enjoying the story.

Sometimes in Fairy Tail characters die, but they always come back. Why did you decide to do this?

This has to do with the fact that in Rave Master, a lot of characters actually died and it turned out to be a sad story. When you are working on a manga in a magazine, it is up to the reader's polls and feedback whether you can actually stay in the magazine. To be quite honest, the chapters that have the death of a really important character get a lot of reaction. Knowing this, I really wanted to make sure that people don't die in my series.

So basically you killed people off for shock value just to bring them back. Instead doing all of that, how about you NOT kill people off in the first place?

Since a weekly series has such a fast production pace, were you able to take care of yourself by eating and sleeping?

Of course! I have no problem eating and sleeping.

Sarcasm aside, it is good to know that he has a decent schedule and can remain healthy. Too many mangaka push themselves too hard writing their stories and end up getting sick. Oda immediately comes to mind.

If you were in the world of Fairy Tail and you could have three people on your team, who would it be?

Lucy, Erza, and Juvia.

On a technical level this is a decent team. On a more petty level OF COURSE he’d be on a team with three of the most sexualized women in the series.

A lot of shounen characters seem to have the same characteristics. Like they are rebellious, but very skilled at what they do. What makes Natsu unique?

His pink hair! And the fact he gets motion sickness.

Nice to see Mashima not even attempt to lie at how generic Natsu is as a protag. Also is motion sickness really all that unique when all the DS in the series have it?

As you move onto your new series, what will you carry with you from Fairy Tail? What mistakes will you avoid or what things will make your life easier with the next series?

One of the things I learned, and feel that I succeeded with in Fairy Tail is developing lots and lots of characters with very unique personalities. I would like to apply that in my next series too.

“developing lots and lots of characters with very unique personalities.”

A comedian this man is.

Do you worry about the elements of Fairy Tail bleeding too much into your new series?

I honestly don't think it is necessarily a bad thing that my new work reminds people of my previous work. In Japan, there is kind of a jinx. After the first big hint, your next series is going to be a flop. I personally am not worried about it. I don't think Fairy Tail was a giant success. In this way, I feel no pressure to work on a new series.

Nice to know the bar is low.

Is he being humble? or does Mashima himself know Fairy Tail isn’t that great?

You make the call!

An anime adaption will add many more elements to the story. What do you like the most about the anime that is not in your manga?

I think the biggest contribution of the anime is the work of the voice actors. Even on the US side, the voice acting is really similar. It has the same kind of feeling as the Japanese voice acting. I am actually quite happy with the outcome of it.

Are you happy now, sub purists? Even Mashima says the Dub is good. Can we stop the hate now?

Can you describe how much influence your editor has?

One of the main processes is that I usually write the first draft of the chapter and I show it to the editor. The editor will give me feedback about whether it is good or bad. If the editor says it is not good, I was would ask the reason why so I can fix it. This creative process is very important. Sometimes we get in a conflict when the editor says one thing and I disagree and I push forward with what I believe in. If I don't succeed, I feel like I should have listened to him. Or sometimes when I am stuck on an idea he gives me very prompt advice, which really helps me.

Man, if Alvarez was what the editor approved, I can only imagine what he turned away. Either that or he just gave up after awhile.

#Fairy Tail #Hiro Mashima #I guess this is anti mashima?#I'm not sure

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emoparkour · 7 years ago

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Hey I was wondering if you have any recommendations for good portrayals of bipolar in the media (or any to avoid) thanks 😀

Unfortunately there aren’t many and I have had problems with almost all of the ones I’ve seen, including the ones I enjoyed. I’m going to do this by character and show since some of these aren’t in all seasons, and most shows don’t focus entirely on mentioned characters. Some canonly bipolar portrayals that I did enjoy:

Even Bech Næsheim from season 3 of Skam. (probably the most well-done example I can think of. Portrays both sides of the bipolar spectrum really well and doesn’t make mentally ill people look “bad” or violent)

Ian and Monica Gallagher from Shameless (I didn’t like that they portray Monica as a villain so often and that they both get violent pretty often, but other than that this seemed to portray both sides of the bipolar spectrum quite well, including psychosis. Great acting on both their parts. Ian’s story is particularly good imo).

Maria from Lady Dynamite (This is a sitcom written by and about a woman with Bipolar II and I personally loved it. If you like stand-up comedy, you’ll probably really enjoy it, but it is not for everyone, especially the easily offended. Unfortunately there’s a gross biphobic episode early on, so fair warning about that. Super great, maybe slightly exaggerated portrayal of what it’s like to have Bipolar II, including both sides of the spectrum, psychosis, and family reactions to diagnosis, ect. one of my faves).

Craig Manning from Degrassi: The Next Generation (this one is okay, Craig also gets violent and they really only portray the mania side of the illness, as well as some psychosis, and he seems to be magically better later on in the series)

Eli Goldsworthy from Degrassi (this one is also okay, focusing a lot on the mania, with a bit of psychosis, anxiety and some depressive symptoms. He seemed to experience mixed episodes but that is never said. Very good acting. I did really enjoy the medication storylines, but they seemed to forget about his illness quite frequently)

Summer from Hot Air (2016) (this movie isn’t at all focused on the illness but does feature a really great character with bipolar disorder)

Ones to avoid: Homeland (I’ve heard it’s xenophobic and also uses the illness for drama and ignores the depressive element), NYPD Blue (has also been criticized for using bipolar for the drama), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) (kinda-sorta implies that mental illness can be cured by love)

Some I’ve heard about but haven’t seen: Marlo Cruz from Rookie Blue, Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital, Andre Leon from Empire, Virgina Woolf from The Hours (2002)

(I only included TV shows and movies here but if you’re also looking for book and music recommendations I can do that, too, just let me know!)

TRIGGER WARNINGS APPLY FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THESE.

any good ones that I missed?

#answered #actuallybipolar #bipolar

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ghikij · 7 years ago

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The Brood - Chapter 1

Title: A Pet Jaguar Words: 2,642 Characters: S. Umi, A. Eli Summary: The oyabun is dead. The family is in the verge of consuming itself from the inside, eaten from the bowels by halflings. Umi will not allow that. She has inherited not only the tremendous burden from her father, but also the responsibility of keeping honor to her bloodline. Only, she never expected a much more vicious predator biding its time, waiting to capture an elusive and unorthodox prey. WARNING! NSFW ahead. And non-con.

Consciousness was a deep, murky sea, filled with memories half-forgotten and realities best left ignored. Its waters were heavy, thick with bitterness and regrets and it suffocated her. It filled her lungs and her mind until she drowned in its weight completely, the last of her perception floating away in a proverbial bubble. She was pleased with it, however, for in succumbing to her burdens, she felt free, lighter somehow. She felt good. The waters of her awareness clung to her, caressing her in a way lovers did. It kissed her at body, touching every inch of her soothingly and lapping at the tensions that have built up.

She wanted it to fill her, to satisfy her yearnings, yet she also knew that something was terribly wrong.

A siren chuckled. “Finally awake, hmm?” The voice purred, and it was at that moment that she knew that she was not in the paradise she had imagined earlier. She was somewhere far away in her dreams, where hardships hardly matter and freedom was indeed free. Here, different scents and sensations flooded her drunken senses. Her eyelids were heavy, her limbs immobile, and—oh god—there was something incredibly hot churning between her legs.

What is happening?

She desperately tried to open her eyes but the sheer pleasure and her traitorous body made her shut them close as she involuntarily shuddered. Her skin tingled all over and she found it difficult to find the source of her elation. All she knew was that she was melting from the inside out and that there was a seductress whispering to her the whole time.

“You’re so sensitive,” the siren giggled just under her ear, where a hot tongue flicked around her earlobe. “Haven’t done this in a long time, hmm? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you enjoy every moment of it.”

How did it come to this?

Where was she?

Who was this person kissing and violating her?

She forced herself to push the offender away but her wrists were tied with something that was both fluffy and sturdy. It only tightened the more she struggled.

“Fiesty, I like that.” The voice whispered huskily before she found her mouth filled with a tongue that tasted of vodka and aphrodisiac. It plundered her mouth, toying with her own tongue and stimulated her throat to vocalize a moan she never knew she could produce. Slender fingers toyed with her nipples while her mouth was being reaped, pinching, twisting and tugging before powerful hands cupped and squeezed her breasts, claiming and taking.

When their lips and tongues parted, a luscious red mouth smiled. “Take it out,” it said, “You’ll feel better.”

Confused and disoriented, all she could muster was, “W-what?”

“There is no necessity to hide your true self from me,” the siren licked in between her parted lips and flicked that sinful tongue over a swollen and aroused nipple. “I know what you are. I can taste it.”

Her sight adjusted to the darkness of the hotel room they were in, focusing just enough as her violator sat up from where she had been poised between her legs. A loose strap dangling precariously over a porcelain shoulder was the first thing she saw, then as her eyesight continued to improve, a white bodice came into view, hugging the hourglass figure of a woman. A wicked smile came next, then a finger, then a tongue that languidly licked at the digit.

The image of an angel garbed in a white dress and embraced by a white fur scarf came to mind, the one who she thought stood out too much in the hellish blackness of the bar’s VIP lounge.

“Who…?” Her voice broke as she gasped when the moistened finger parted her slick nether lips.

The siren did not answer and merely smiled.

The oyabun was dying.

The doctors had been careful with the words they had used but it did not take an expert to know that the boss’ injuries were fatal. Umi had been there when it happened and the shots her father had suffered would have immediately killed a lesser man. Yet, out of sheer willpower and stubbornness, he managed to hang on until they were able to take him to the hospital. The bullets have been taken out, the doctors said, but the oyabun’s lungs were quickly filling with water, blood and pus. He was slowly drowning in his own fluids, and with his advanced age, it was only a matter of time.

Still, the society had the means and the desire to get their leader back so the oyabun was interred in the best hospital in Tokyo and was hooked up to any machine that could prolong his life enough to help him heal. Umi had never been an optimist, however, and with the pressure on her shoulders increasing by the day, she had less reasons to believe that her father would recover.

The society needed a new leader, but she was afraid that she was not strong enough to be the new oyabun. Besides, she was too young to be one, and since the society had always operated with male leaders, her claim to leadership was weak at best. Her only mark of merit was her bloodline, the strength and ferocity that her lineage has bestowed upon her. She was Brood like her father and his father before him, and if she played her cards right, she could stake her claim and inherit the vast power and prestige that her father had enjoyed in his career as a merchant of death.

Blood was not as recognized as it was before though, for in every generation, the Brood dwindled in number. Many of them mated with humans and produced halflings that may or may not be able to breed or produce a child with the gift. And so, halflings steadily begun to control the social machinery that their purebred parents have left behind, slowly but surely encroaching into the realm in which they did not belong in. For as much as they were superior to humans, they would always be half as good as a true Brood.

As tempting as it was, Umi did not want to take her father’s office by force for that was only a temporary remedy. She needed to use her cunning to make the society bow down to her will and voluntarily submit to her authority. Halflings did not have the instincts of their forebears and were more likely to stay loyal to their own self-interests rather than their blood superiors. So, she needed to prove that she could run the business without depending on her Brood inheritance.

“Sonoda-sama, we are here. Asano is waiting for you in the VIP lounge.”

Umi nodded to her agent but kept her expression steely. There was no room for weakness now, even though dread proved to be a heavy lead ball in the pit of her stomach. She gracefully exited the black Rolls-Royce she had been riding and straightened the collars of her dress shirt. Her demure mother wanted her to wear more feminine clothing but she would have none of it. This was a man’s world, and if she wanted to be respected, she would dress as one. Only the strong could survive in the unforgiving world of Brood and halflings and only the fittest could rule.

Her slitted eyes scanned the luxurious fine dining restaurant as she and her underlings strode by. It was a mocha-colored dreamland, with flutes of champagne, plates of pate, and boats of sushi being served to distinguished guests. Crystalline chandeliers glittered above their heads, bathing everything in rich warm light. It was the perfect mask to a decidedly rotten face.

“This way please.” The maître d’hotel bowed gallantly and gestured with his white-gloved hand for Umi and her companions to follow him. He led them towards a set of double-doors, tinted black to keep the privacy of the bar that lied hidden within. In here, the odor of tobacco reigned supreme and the hushed conversations of the people within droned into an amalgamation of intelligible noise. Umi paid them no mind and continued to follow the maître d’ further into the lounge until he stopped by yet another door, hardwood this time, which served as the final portal to the dark underbelly of society.

“Wait here,” she told her bodyguards. They offered their protests but she silenced them with a single gesture of her hand. Upon entering, she found Asano seated on a lounge chair with a slim cigar between his lips and a glass of brandy in his hand. He was alone too, except for a woman sitting by the bar with her back turned towards them. Briefly, Umi studied the unexpected guest and eyed her blonde hair, white dress, high pumps and fur scarf. Deciding that the woman must be Asano’s whore, she paid her no mind and sat across the middle-aged yakuza.

“A little bird told me that you’re looking for support,” Asano smirked and took a drag of his cigar. “I’m flattered that you contacted me of all people.”

Umi frowned. “That is not why I have called you here. What we are going to be talking about is pure business. I need to know when the next shipment will come.”

“And this matter is not something we could have discussed via phone?” The man chuckled and sipped his drink. “You’re more old-fashioned than your father it seems.”

“I like to speak with people face to face.”

“Like an honorable samurai, yes, yes,” Asano stood up and retrieved another flask of brandy from the bar. Umi followed him with her gaze and was disgusted with the way the gangster preyed on the blonde woman seated there with his eyes. “But should I deal with you? That’s the real question, isn’t it?”

“And why shouldn’t you?”

“Oh… I have also heard from little birds that you might be dead within a week the oyabun kicks the bucket.” He flopped back down on the couch and poured them a glass of liquor. “Of course, I am sure you know this, right? Now, why would I invest such a large sum of money to a dead woman?”

Umi did not accept the brandy. “Because the woman has no intention of dying.”

Asano laughed, “Well said! But a businessman like myself can’t operate on promises alone. I need insurance that will make sure that I will still make money whether you live or die.”

“You will have it. But like I said, I do not intend to die.” This time, she took the glass from the table. “Sonoda-kai will not be ruled by halflings.”

Asano’s face changed then. He was a Halfling, one of the highest ranking ones in the business, and he was easily insulted because of it. The man almost had it all, except the blood to truly become great. And even if he was Brood, he was nothing more than a glorified house cat, while she came from a long, unbroken line of jaguars. Umi took pleasure in the bitterness on his tongue and sipped a mouthful of brandy. Like her small triumph, the liquor tasted sweet in her mouth and the burn that it left behind in her throat was fulfilling.

After swallowing, she raised her glass in a self-congratulatory cheer, “If you are done beating around the bush, I would like to get onto business. When will you be able to arrange to smuggle the Pets out of Japan?”

“Ah… haa�� nngh!”

“Feeling good?” The golden-haired siren chuckled throatily as she licked at the small expanse of Umi’s breast that she had bitten a moment prior. The area burned intoxicatingly and the hot tongue that lapped at it made her moan. Although, that was not the real source of pleasure. No, the fingers pumping within her were the reason she could not think straight.

Umi struggled with the remainder of her strength, but the scarf was stronger than it looked and it kept her bound. She gasped when the blonde stroked a particularly sweet spot inside her, making her curl her toes and jerk her hips. It sent her in an all-time high and when she came back down moments later, whatever strength she had seeped out, leaving her tired and boneless under this woman’s caress.

“S-stop…” she begged. She had never begged before in her life but pleasure seemed to have a way of striping people of their pride. How many times had this woman taken advantage of her? She did not know, but her body gave her an inkling. Too many. She was hypersensitive now; her lips and breasts swollen from repetitive assault while her womanhood ached and tingled.

The blonde licked up from her clavicle to her chin and gazed upon her with icy blue eyes. She smiled that sadistic smile of hers again, “Not until you let me see parts of you that I have not seen yet. And~” she nipped Umi’s lower lip, “until you tell me that you’re liking this. Don’t tell me you’re not because that would be a lie now, wouldn’t it? Your mouth here,” the woman reached down between her parted legs and stroked her clit, “has been telling me a very different story.”

“Nnngh… Why… are you doing this? Aah~” Fingers slid inside her again, dexterous and it drove her mad with lust. Why did it feel so good? Enraged, Umi lashed out once more, but the movement only buried the blonde’s long digits deeper inside, causing her flinch and sink back into the canopied king-sized bed she was tied to. “No…” she whimpered and attempted to curl into a ball to a least remove the offending fingers from her.

“Your name is Umi, correct?” The foreign woman did not relinquish any control and planted herself firmly between Umi’s legs. “Show me, Umi. Show me the beauty of your Brood blood.”

“Just h-how did you… know that?”

The blonde smirked and straightened from where she had been kneeling, her sexy body still clad in pure white. Seductively, she reached out and touched Umi’s lips then trailed her fingertips down her body, whispering, “I can smell it here,” she paused on her neck, “here,” then her breasts. “I tasted it here too,” she sensually fingered her bellybutton, “but the scent and taste of it is the strongest down here.”

“Ah~!” All Umi could do was cling onto the scarf that held her wrists in place when the blonde flicked her sensitive womanhood with her fingers.

Chuckling, her tormentor spread her legs even further and slowly pressed the top of her knee solidly against her arousal. The contact was mind-numbing and Umi found herself instinctively grinding against it in her attempt to ease the pressure. The more she moved, the more her insides clenched because her lips felt so damn good. She did not even have the presence of mind to notice the blonde unzipping that pure white dress she was wearing.

“Quite the stubborn one, aren’t you?” The woman removed her leg from Umi’s parted limbs and crawled up until they were face to face. In her blurring vision, the raven-haired woman could distinguish the blonde’s beautiful features which appeared to be sculpted in its perfection, but what had her eyes widening were the black stripes that gradually appeared on her cheeks, shoulders and forearms. Human ears slowly morphed into the rounded, black-furred, ears of a large feline. And finally, a long tail striped of black and white came into her view.

“See?” The blonde licked her mouth and purred, “I am the last person you need to keep it a secret from.”

“Y-you are…”

Brood.

The white tigress giggled, her tail swishing left and right before she coiled it around Umi’s sweaty thigh.

“I’ve always wanted a pet jaguar.”

#love live #ghikij writes #brood au #debauchery #sonoda umi #ayase eli #storm garden #this thing has been in my harddrive for a long time now #inspired by a certain yaoi series #cookies to those who know #sorry for the non-con #i don't write it often #eliumi

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xladymalice · 8 years ago

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Swapfell Stuff - Topic “Swapfell/Fellswap” Movement - My opinion - My stuff

This is going to be a long ass post. Like really.

If you don’t bother about this movement, it’s ok. Scroll down, ignore this.

For everyone else who wants to know my opinion and statement.

I hope I don’t offend anyone. And this doesn’t got against the ones who set up the Swapfell/Fellswap Movement and their attempt on bringing back the original design.

I maybe sound somewhat pissy, my grammar is shit but I honestly don’t care.

I want to get this off my soul, so I can continue working on my beloved shit: Swapfell.

Here we go.

So.... this there is this movement around "Swapfell" and "Fellswap" going on and since I already had disputes and discussions with some of my followers, I decided to put my statement here for once and for all.

I kind of feel that I must state something about this matter, since my blog is all about Swapfell right now and this probably won't change in a long while.

As you should've noticed by now, my Swapfell design was somewhat different from the start and is now entirely different from the "popular" version that - thanks to this movement- is called Fellswap now. Since I chose Eli's design, it probably reminds of Fellswap, but it is not. That's why I am actually super annoyed by this distinction. At first I thought it's a good idea, but now I think it's kind of unnecessary to part this into two halves. It's probably causing confusion, worry and a war between fanatics and ppl with their own idea. Also... a personal reason: My fucking design is both in some way and it is still SWAPFELL.

When I joined this beautiful fandom I didn't like Swapfell at all. (Like Underswap and also Underfell, yes. I was very sceptic and annoyed by AUs first) Swapfell was just about kinky shit, "master and slave" with no character but smut issues. Underfell was the same shit, but with much more abuse, rape and some Red-fucktoy. This impression still haunts me and disturbs my image of him. Underswap issues... I've explained them to you. It was mostly that childish Blue that didn't resemble UT!Papyrus at all.

However, I've seen quite some great fanarts that got me hooked. Especially after meeting Eli's design, comics and pictures I got really, really interested in them. (It's probably thanks to them that I am Swapfell Trash rn) I wanted to know more about them, understand why they were the way they were. I really had no desire to follow the mainstream route. Why? Because I rarely do. I've avoided Undertale for a good reason when it was hyped like devil's shit.

So... on my long way of reasoning that weird behaviour (like wtf... I didn't understand why a Papyrus was this subby, weak and all "I'm so sorry!" for no reason) I had started to develop my own theories until I stumbled over "Flipping the Script" by @Angelia-Dark. The Swapfell Script is a masterpiece, trust me on this. She's a very talented writer that thinks complex, deep and has a choice of words that can make your heart break by her will. I've come to love the Swapfell Bro's finally understanding how they are supposed to work. At least for me. And I love complex, deep and especially dark shit. Even if it wouldn't have been fontcest, I would've read it. It explains a lot of shit.

So falling in love with Swapfell, I've created my own story and explanation for it. No matter how much I love Angelia's interpretation, it didn't satisfy my thirst and need for this one special AU. I wanted another Swapfell Pap, I wanted another Swapfell Sans. Basing on the origin on Swap but starting in Fell, so I can show the world how Swap turns Fell. It is, no matter how it looks like: SWAPfell.

I'll explain you why. So no one will have the fucking idea to call this Fellswap for design reasons.

Let's start with Pup. He's obviously not that guy you've seen most of the time in the fandom. My interpretation of him is a lot different and it has another reasoning which I show in SWAPFELL DAWN. It's most likely a spin-off AU... it's MY story, MY idea for them and MY interpretation of the original idea of the "name Swapfell". I didn't know the original creator (I didn't see the designs and concepts at all) at that point and I wonder, why that design was abandoned. (I'll talk about this matter later). So yeah... I liked the design I saw by Eli and some other artists, but I wanted to do my own thing... since Pup is so different, he had to look different and it should support his general idea.

Which is a complete, dark asshole version of Honey (SwapPap). In my AU I'm showing their origin, how they live and change. So yeah, this should explain alot. And yes, I am not very fond of that "Fellswap" Papyrus, since he's too subby and boring for me. There's a lot of cute fanart, that I like very much. I'm Swapfell trash, so I cannot resist it. Still... I prefer my Pup over them.

Now Black:

This Swapfell Sans is MOST LIKELY Blue as a darker version and some different character. He has been Blue at some point in my AU. They are alike, their eyes are alike and they even behave alike.

They've been the fucking same person. It's just that Black's the fallen, dark version who survived tons of shit to stand where he is right now. I don't have to say all that much about it. I've just uploaded my colorscheme and design for my Swapfell-Bros... take a look at it, I've explained some other things about it.

As you can see... they were Swaps before, but they have this "Fell touch" on them. Especially with their lookings. It's somehow mixed. Swapfell and Fellswap were for me one thing and probably will remain one thing for me. Everyone can see it as they want. The swapfell concept is for me simply this: two Au's got mixed. It doesn't matter all that much how and when. At first I thought it might be a good idea to distinct it, but now I think it's a hassle and probably will cause war and worry. My version looks like both and it is both.

Black is alike to Fell, but he was Blue. Pup was Honey, but now he has some Red AND Edge vibes. I don't fucking care, if someone wants to argue with me. When I joined this fandom, I basically didn't see all that much about Swapfell (more or less "Fellswap" like this movement wanna tell me) so I kind of focused on them after reading Angelia's fic. I've worked hard on them and wanted to create another impression on them and so far I've been successful.

But then... suddenly... Swapfell shot out of the ground like mushrooms and I was positively surprised how much it's loved.

And

I'm kind of annoyed that NOW everyone focuses on it, like it's been all popular and shit. 'cause I felt like it wasn't and I got told ALOT that it wasn't all that popular. Some of my followers even told me that they see me "as the creator" of it, because I give them life and a story. I'm not the creator, but I still felt honored that they started to like Swapfell.

So... back to the point: suddenly everyone focuses on it and dig up the very first concept of it. You've probably seen it flying around... it's been there from the start and it was FORGOTTEN. Which is honestly shit, since someone worked with it quite some time. And It's always a sign of respect to state that it was there.

However. This doesn't mean that I MUST like it. I don't have to do shit. I've seen it, but I didn't feel attached to it nor did I feel like I had to mess with it. It's the creators thing, I won't touch it. Especially because the blog got deleted and who the hell knows if the creator even wants this. (Not to mention that I probably would delete all of my stuff, if it was a concept, so no one toys around with my ideas and rather does something new from this point on)

I'm seeing this from different perspectives. Like... I have also no idea how the original Underswap is supposed to look like. How they actually should behave... the same for Underfell. The fontcest part of the fandom changed tons of things. TONS. And it got also out of hand. How different both AU's would be without the R18 part. The same for Swapfell.

Also, I really have no idea, if the original creator even bothers with it. If they want to be mentioned or if they deleted their blog so no one would use their work and do shit with it. People wouldn't care in any way, I know that. I've seen it alot with Flowerfell. And this probably happens to the most AU's. I think it's good to show the concept, but I wouldn't force anyone to adapt it. I don't like it and I honestly don't want to mess with it. I've got my own idea that I'm working on. In addition to the concept and idea part.... I know this creator left the fandom for a long while now... the fandom matures and gets more and more AU's... why would you try to name something different now just because there seem to be two ideas? Looking at the name's alone there a tons of possibilities to interprete it.

So please don't restrict the freedom and fantasy of one's mind. Some people approached me all scared that their stuff will be now labeled in the wrong way or get hated for not following the mainstream mass. This is not even a joke, I really had discussions like that.

Feel free to do whatever you want, but respect other's opinions please. It's no fucking reason to start a war for this.

So... there is this other version of Swapfell Papyrus that I met a while ago already:

The first time I saw it, I didn't come to like it. I don't even start with Swapfell Sans. I mean.. hey... if you like it, draw it. I don't. I don't want to. And I don't feel like I have to follow anyone but myself. I looked at the concept and drawings alot, but feeling nothing, I ignored them. As I said, I don't even know if Kkoppang wants us to mess with that thing. Like Au it got out of hand, even forgotten to some degree and there as tons more reasons why I could argue now. Why am I saying this? Because I feel like this movement could be understood wrong. Or maybe I understood it wrong and get all offended suddenly. You see, I think it's a fantastic idea to tell the people "Hey, this is the original Swapfell. Try to look at it and play with the idea!". It would be nice to see some fanart to this, it would also be a sign of respect and maybe this (STRANGELY) forgotten design comes to life again. But I truly hope there won't follow this "Only this is Swapfell and the rest is not", because this is bullshit. If my and some other ideas aren't considered Swapfell anymore then no one can claim their shit as "Underswap" or "Underfell" too, since it got abstracted from the original idea alot.

Like...

TONS.

Even not looking at fontcest here that fucked up alot. And we're all sinners. I'm one of the big ones.

So, I don't know if I'm being disrespectful or not, I'm not doing that great seperation between Swapfell and Fellswap due to the reason, that it can be mixed and that everyone has their own means, ideas and beliefs like I do. I'd like to see more of the original art, but welp. I'm not doing it. I'll stick to the AU I'm working on and if this is not Swapfell, it's "Fallen Swapfell" (aka Swapfell Dawn). I am toying with dark content and shit. I'm making Swap fall. End of story.

So being an individual with my own opinion and being mostly anti-mainstream, I've decided to follow Zed into the wide, scary sea and look out for people who also share the opinion that it should be valued, if you have your own ideas and don't take part of the general hype. I'm not against it, I'm just not supporting it. And I wanted to point out a lot longer that my Swapfells are different from the rest. So I used this opportunity to make this clear.

I know this movement doesn't force anyone to do anything. I believe it's mostly to revive and honor the original design and creator... still.. it bugs me. You can’t just go there and say “THIS IS SWAPFELL AND THE REST IS NOT”, because this fucks up every other AU too, if you take it strictly. Especially with the gone creator.

But Ursik stated a important thing, so I want to name it once more for everyone: "[...] the most important thing for all fandoms: Diversity. Different people are freely to have different views/opinions aka different creations, and everyone’s work should never be limited by which is more “”popular””. "

That's why I stick to my shit.

And.

THIS is also Swapfell.

I'm quoting Zed here: "And I’m not gonna tell people who are into the fellswap swapfell distinction that they’re wrong either. I’m so happy they have another thing to get into. I’m happy the first design is getting more attention. There’s a lot about it that i do like. And that’s that."

I'm sharing the same opinion. I really, really like Zed's SwapfellPap concept, he's totally cool and he's unique. I've always been weak for unique stuff since it's something you'll remember even ages ago.

And I believe my version is also a special case. So yeah. Deal with it.

Also.... taking a look at my Swapfell version and Angelia's one... this is the perfect example of wonderful diversity in the fandom. One name: tons of stories. How different Swapfell is with Pup being the older brother and not Sans. Pup being most likely the dominant part in the relationship instead of the big brother Sans, who takes good care of Pup. We share a lot of ideas, we think alike and our Swapfell Bro's are damn alike. And yet they are so different that you would feel the difference if they stood next to each other. (Not only considering looks.)

So... never limit one's freedom on an idea and opinion. Every idea has been used somewhere before.

But...

I respect the person who started it. And if that person was still active in the fandom, I would respect their wishes and not work with their idea without their approval. That's why I won't allow anyone to write their part to the Swapfell Dawn universe except for "fan-fanart" and shit. 'cause that's nice as hell.

Oh well.... stated everything, I'm out.

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spaceorphan18 · 8 years ago

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Finding Kurt Hummel: The Break-Up

Masterpost

4x04: The Break-Up

Alright - time to rip off the Band-Aid. It’s been four and a half years, and I think that’s been ample enough time to revisit this episode with a clear head and an open mind.

This episode, though, man. It split an already fracturing fandom in half, and it really never recovered. And I think stories about fandom and what went on at the time really out does the story here itself.

I will say, though as an aside, that season 4 was meant to be a new and fresh series -- the introduction of the Newbies symbolizes that. The whole idea of makeovers symbolizes that. And hitting the self-destruct button on all the popular couples was a symbol of that. From what I can tell, the writers wanted a fresh start with season 4.

And while I like season 4 (more than season 3), and while I think that Klaine needed some actual story, I don’t think the mentality that the show needed to start over was the best one for the longevity of the show. However, there’s another time and place for that discussion. I’m mainly focusing on the story itself here.

Anyway, it’s funny to me -- that there really isn’t /that/ much Klaine in this episode. Just enough to do the damage it did, and shake up the the couple -- who never really fully come back together until the end of the series. It’s a fascinating and frustrating arc - and here we go.....

Some Introductory Notes

Before we get into the Kurt stuff -- something I need to add.

The paralleling of Finchel. One thing that does outright frustrate me is that Klaine doesn’t get to be their own story. No, Finchel and Klaine have very different things going on within their relationships, I get that. But the thing is -- Finchel gets meatier things to do. I understand that they’re the A-Couple, and that the show wants to do more with them, therefore they get better development. But selfishly, as a Klainer, throughout the season it’s difficult seeing Finn and Rachel get developed conversations while Kurt and Blaine get a watered down version of a similar thing. But more than that -- this is one time I wish Glee wasn’t so hell bent on paralleling all their stories -- because everyone’s stories work better on their own, not being tied to someone else’s.

I would say Brittana had it easier being a more individual story, but they were neglected for a long, long time after this, so you know, issues everywhere, lol.

Brunch

Before we jump to Kurt -- Blaine and Brittany are lamenting about their relationships in the opening sequence. Blaine talks about remembering when every day felt like Valentine’s Day. And that’s where I think that both Kurt and Blaine fail a little bit. Relationships are not always going to feel like Valentine’s Day. Sometimes they’ll be hard. A lot of times not. But sometimes yes. And this reliance on how everything is perfect -- how everything is their storybook romance -- is what does them both in. It doesn’t allow for either of them to make mistakes.

We open Kurt’s story with him cooking breakfast -- and is in a relatively good mood. Oh, bb, the fact that you are so unaware of what’s going to happen in the next few days makes this even more heartbreaking.

I need to note that Kurt wore earplugs to bed -- as he did probably did in high school cause he did not want or need to hear any of /that/.

But anyway -- Kurt senses there’s some major drama about to happen in Finchel land, and he has no desire to be any part of that. He’s gonna go sneak off to the park and watch drug deals, lol.

BTW - during the next Brittana scene, there’s some Kurt shade, as Santana talks about how improbable it was for Kurt to get the internship. The show knows, sometimes, when it’s being ridiculous. And as I said in the previous episode, it’s not about realism. It’s about the character story.

Call Waiting

While Kurt’s gonna somewhat fuck this moment up -- I’d like to point out that he’s the one who called Blaine. Also - Blaine’s pic of Kurt is Kurt’s student election campaign poster.

Alright - so this one little scene has a lot packed into it.

First of all -- you can tell they’re at least trying. They have phone dates, that I assume they both set up. But I’m guessing that Kurt -- being caught up with this crazy new job, and having to take care of phones for Vogue.com, probably is keeping him understandably busy.

Yes. This scene points out that going out in the real world after high school is different. You have more responsibilities. And things that were important in high school seem smaller when you go off to college.

Blaine, however, is still a year behind, and still in that world that Kurt left. And Blaine is not handling things well on his own. As he says often -- he’s a bit lost, and unsure what to do on his own. But this is also where the fear of losing Kurt comes to head. Blaine’s insecurities and self-doubt are all rolled into one, and couple that with Kurt being carried away with this new life brings Blaine to the (incorrect) conclusion that Kurt doesn’t need (or want) him anymore. And that his relationship is done.

Kurt misses Blaine. There’s a lot in his facial expressions that show he really does. When Blaine lists off all the things he misses doing with Kurt (note - the implication that they both miss the emotional and physical parts of their relationship (my god, they’re allowed to mention they have sex)) Kurt is right there with him, frustrated by the situation, too.

But I think the thing that is somewhat missed during these break-up discussions is that Kurt isn’t exactly handling all of this well either. Kurt trying to express to Blaine that with the absence of NYADA he has to find some direction, and Vogue.com might be that opportunity that he shouldn’t miss, isn’t exactly the easiest conversation. (Not to mention that Kurt doesn’t seem to do well in general when Blaine gets overly clingy.)

Also - Blaine’s looking for some kind of comfort, and instead Kurt’s hanging up on him to get the latest gossip from Joan Didion. Not cool, Kurt.

But -- as I’m sure I’m being a broken record -- neither is dealing with this long distance stress well. Blaine is under the impression that the worst has happened, Kurt has forgotten about him, and his relationship is over. Meanwhile, Kurt is ignoring the issues as much as possible, believing these things will all magically work out. Nope to both.

Also - Blaine’s ILU as Kurt hangs up. Ouch.

Haunted

Alright - so this is the part that’s hard for me to untangle because we’re in Blaine’s brain here -- and I’m not always the best a figuring his head out.

Blaine’s singing this duet with Finn -- and it’s about the two of them feeling out of place and out of sync with their significant other. And Blaine’s haunted by the Kurt he sees in his head - this vision of Kurt from when they first met (Vision Kurt is wearing the same outfit from Never Been Kissed). There was a time, in Blaine’s head, when everything was perfect and man he’d like to go back to that time so he can feel okay.

But interestingly, Vision Kurt is season 4 Kurt, too. A Kurt who has changed, and is not the same person that Blaine used to know. He’s almost this foreign entity that seems like he’s judging Blaine.

So, here’s my interpretation (which Blaine stans can correct me on if I’m totally off). Through the circumstances of his life and his type of personality, Blaine craves emotional validation and is the type of person who needs to be told (and told again) that he’s valuable and needed and wanted and worth being with, etc. And Kurt used to feed that emotional neediness on a regular basis when it was the two of them and they did everything together.

Now that Kurt’s gone, Blaine is not getting that reassurance on a regular basis and because of that he feels lost. He tries reach out to Kurt (as shown at the beginning of the sequence) but Kurt’s not there. So Blaine decides to take the easy path (the dark side!!) and find someone who will quickly fill that validation. And this is where Eli C and the cheating comes in. Maybe if he can find that intimacy with someone else he’ll be able to feel better -- and it will help take away the sting of feeling left behind by Kurt.

It’s also a rash decision, btw, one where Blaine clearly didn’t think it all the way through. Because it’s really going to blow up in his face. But -- here’s my thing, there are a lot of things that go into this, and it’s even more complicated, I think, than I’m giving it credit for. But I’m going to move on and get back to Kurt, since it is my Kurt meta. I’m hoping that when I do the podcast, lots of smart Blaine fans will help me untangle this further.

Callbacks

So, I guess Kurt decided it was fine to go play third wheel with Finn and Rachel, lol? But anyway - Kurt’s getting all dressed up to go sing at a bar. I don’t know much about clothing meta, but I’m sure someone can discuss the purpose of black and red in the wardrobe. Not to mention, I read something about the usage of mirrors in this episode, but I don’t remember what.

I will say -- I never thought about the name Callbacks before, but I think it’s intentional - not just because of the connotation to the theater world, but because this is a callback to the good ole days for Finchel and Klaine. And yet, it’s not the good ole days anymore.

This is totally the face of someone who is unhappy their boyfriend showed up unexpectedly. (Actually - the longer I stare at it, the creepier it gets, lol)

Also - remember that meme of people who bring foliage to the loft means bad things? Blaine brings roses -- this is not going to be good.

I don’t know what’s with me and taking ridiculous screencaps. But I love Kurt hiding behind his flowers. (He’s actually smelling them.)

But man - I mean, best night ever, right? His boyfriend is there unexpectedly. (And they share a kiss -- why does stupid Rachel have to interrupt that?) His brother is there. They’re gonna go singing. Best night ever, right?

They go to Callbacks, which is so, so pretty. I love all the Christmas lights.

And, oh Kurt. He really just doesn’t get it. He’s happy Blaine’s there and they can start making their New York memories. He does see that Blaine’s sad -- he’s obviously but not blind. But he has no idea that Blaine’s been struggling to the extent that he’s been struggling. Kind of like in Dance With Somebody. Kurt sometimes doesn’t get it until Blaine spells it out for him.

And I would like to state right here that while I do think its both of their issues that lead to this break up, while I do think Kurt was (unintentionally) being neglectful of his relationship -- as Blaine says himself in DWS -- ‘talk to me, tell me you’re unhappy, but don’t cheat on me.’ And I didn’t bring that up to throw back in Blaine’s face (I kind of hated that when people did that) - it’s more of -- this is a lot more difficult when you’re on the other side of the fence.

And these two have always had issues with communication. Tell each other your feelings you stupid boys!!!

Oh Kurt -- you’re just in such a happy place before all this goes down.

Blaine, as he sits down at the piano, says he’s going to sing a song -- the same song he sang when he first met the love of his life. A song that has become very much their song, and is representative of this fairy tale romance they have going. And look at Kurt’s face -- he’s over-joyous that Blaine’s singing this song. He loves this. He loves that it’s supposed to be a romantic overture yet again.

There’s a lot of love and reflection on Kurt’s face as Blaine starts singing.

And this might be a good place to talk about a misstep Kurt has within his relationship. Blaine has been all these wonderful things for Kurt. His prince, his knight, his first kiss, his first love. They’ve shared so, so many intimate moments together. But -- Kurt sometimes has trouble seeing Blaine as a real boy -- one who isn’t perfect, who won’t just wait around for him when Kurt needs him, who has troubles and issues and is going through something a bit bigger than Kurt understands.

But this song -- this break down that Blaine has is the first time Kurt really, really gets to see first hand that his relationship is not fairy tale perfect. The illusion is coming apart.

This scene, this rendition of Teenage Dream, is one of the most powerful and heartbreaking scenes in the entire show. (I mean, Kudos to Darren Criss for this -- I think it’s one of his best acted scenes in the show.) It’s ironic in so many ways, as the performance just goes off the rails. It’s fascinating how Blaine just breaks down -- he is no Disney prince here. He’s a slobbering mess, rushing through the whole thing because it’s all too painful. And man, how many of these lines are just plain ironic now?

And the longer it goes on, the more Kurt knows that things are wrong, that something is terribly, utterly wrong, though there’s confusion in his expressions as well. What the fuck happened? He doesn’t know. But this isn’t the Blaine he’s used to. And he doesn’t really know what is going on.

Not Really a Walk in the Park

You guys remember when this scene was filmed, and there were people who witnessed it first hand (why did they shoot this in public?) and that was a sucky night for fandom? At least Chris and Darren seemed to have fun, lol.

Anyway -- I need to bring up American Horror Story for a second. Why? Because at the time Ryan Murphy was writing the first season of that. And in that season, at the beginning, the husband cheats on the wife, and the scene where the wife confronts the husband is almost exactly verbatim this next Klaine scene. It, like, freaked me out when I watched it -- and then I checked the dates and that AHS episode was written before this.

This whole cheating thing is a trope that Ryan Murphy goes back to again, and again. I don’t know why. But I feel like that framework should be kept in mind when discussing RM’s projects. I can’t not look at it in that light. And while we can talk about legit reasons as to why Blaine decided to cheat -- I feel like it can’t be stressed enough that this is also a trope that’s indicative of Ryan Murphy -- and that he has a tendency to write all his couples this way. And that cheating in RM’s world is somewhat a different thing than cheating in the real world.

But on the bright side, that AHS couple worked it out in the end. And so will Klaine.

Getting back to the scene....

When we start out, there’s a physical distance between the two of them. They’re not holding hands, Blaine has his hands in his pockets. Kurt’s unsure how to act. I’m guessing this relationship has never felt this awkward for either of them. And Kurt can’t avoid the inevitable forever -- so addresses the subject straight on.

Kurt’s so nervous as he asks Blaine what’s going on. He can feel it, feel that this is not going to be a fun conversation.

And then Blaine says he was with someone - and the bottom just drops out completely. Because out of all the things he was worried about -- Kurt probably never thought that Blaine would say that.

Oh man, do these two know how to hurt each other in the worst ways.

To Blaine, removing the emotional intimacy has been the worst. But to Kurt -- removing physical intimacy has always brought about his insecurities. As we’ve often talked about, touch is a huge thing to Kurt. He doesn’t let anyone in, he doesn’t let just anyone touch him. And here’s this boy who Kurt’s let in, and having that connection, not just that emotional connection but the physical connection - where sex and love are intertwined and where Blaine being close to him was not only Kurt’s way of knowing he was valuable but Kurt showing how vulnerable he can be, of letting Blaine into his heart, is incredibly important.

And here Blaine says that no only has he had that physical intimacy with someone else, but he shared something Kurt considers sacred with a person who doesn’t really matter. (Kurt is first fearful that it was Sebastian -- someone who has always brought about Kurt’s insecurities. But having it be someone faceless. Someone who doesn’t ultimately matter is almost worse.)

And this just shatters Kurt. The person he thought he loved and knew more than anyone else in the world, he doesn’t know any more. Because never in a million years did he ever think Blaine could hurt him so deeply.

The temptations line by Kurt is really interesting here. Did have Kurt have other people hitting on him? Maybe? Maybe not. But this goes to Kurt believing that his relationship would be fine without tending to it. Kurt’s fine with commitment. There could be one guy, there could be fifty. He loves Blaine, he’s with Blaine, that’s all that matters. And he’s secure with that. But, love and relationships are more than just believing everything’s going to be okay as Kurt finds out here.

I’ve seen this comment floating around, and I agree with the assessment -- usually the show lets Kurt pretty cry. Kurt’s break down here is not pretty. It’s downright ugly crying. (And this is where I give Chris kudos for his acting. Damn, I can’t imagine going to that place take after take.)

Anyway - it’s fascinating that everything changes from this moment forward. No more fairy tale romance. Welcome to the adult world kiddos.

So -- instead of extending the argument -- we move into the song Don’t Speak. Which was, apparently, Darren Criss’s suggestion. Thanks Darren. Lol.

It works well for this group of singers -- it’s heart-wrenching and works well for both of these couples. It’s not a personal favorite, because this song depresses me to no end, but it works.

Breaking it down a little --

Blaine sings:

I really feel That I'm losing my best friend I can't believe this could be The end

That stands out to Blaine’s headspace. It’s not just about the romantic relationship -- it’s the fact that the friendship isn’t intact as it once was either. And I think that’s a huge element that they both miss throughout this break up.

Kurt (with Rachel):

It looks as though you're letting go And if it's real, well, I don't want to know

It’s interesting -- because Kurt, when things get emotionally difficult, had a tendency to not deal with them head on. Not until he’s forced to, really.

Kurt and Blaine:

Don't speak I know what you're thinking I don't need your reasons Don't tell me, cause it hurts

This is the chorus and the main point of the song. Neither of them really want to deal with it because it sucks. It’s literally the worse. And yet -- you have to eventually deal with it anyway.

Kurt (with Finn):

Our memories, well, they can be inviting But some are altogether mighty frightening

This is interesting -- I think it’s that the memories aren’t as comforting as they once were. For Kurt -- everything he once believed was true and good is now tainted, and how do you look back on that fondly? Right now he can’t.

Blaine (with Rachel):

As we die, both you and I With my head in my hands, I sit and cry

Oh, Blaine -- this speaks to his helplessness at this point.

Hey - remember when we wanted Klaine in bed together and they gave us this? FU RIB!

I actually really like the cinematography out in the park. That shot with Blaine and Kurt lined up but not actually facing each other is pretty powerful - as it shows where they are now in relation to each other. The stuff in the beds, eh, not a fan of the split screen stuff. Plus, oy, Finchel-ness.

I can’t really imagine how the rest of the night went, tbh. I’m shocked Kurt didn’t kick Blaine to the couch. But I can only imagine there was a lot of crying, and a lot of not facing each other, and little to no sleep. And then Kurt left and went into the other room to think....

In Mourning

I’m guessing Kurt’s been in that chair for a long time. He tells Finn that he feels like he’s going to die. And that six months ago, he would have never guessed this would have happened. Well no -- you never thought this was going to happen at all. It’s called life, and life is throwing curveballs.

Kurt’s waiting up for Blaine -- but later Blaine will say that he left without Kurt talking to him. What gives? Well -- Kurt’s so hurt, and so shattered, and it’s a lot to process and take in and I can imagine that even though I think Kurt wants to yell and scream and fight, he’s also emotionally exhausted. What does he really have to say in right this second? You can’t undo things that have already happened, nothing is going to magically make it all feel better. So yeah -- I can see Kurt wanting to say so many things, but in the end, it’s easier to just let Blaine go.

I read some great meta once, and I wish I had a source to back it up, that Kurt doesn’t feel like Kurt here. And someone wrote about why. Because Chris usually plays Kurt as poised and controlled in his actions. And none of that is here. But this is a Kurt who is emotionally raw and defeated. He’s just kind of in a state of existing. His heart is broken, his world doesn’t make sense anymore -- he’s just there. (Man -- I’ll have to see if I can find it -- cause whoever wrote it, wrote a much more eloquent analysis than I ever could.)

If this episode wasn’t already depressing enough -- consider this.... This is the last time Finn and Kurt have a scene together. And it’s a little chilling when you think that Kurt’s wearing black, and telling Finn goodbye as he leaves the loft quietly. Obvious, I’m texturing this on in hindsight. But it’s already a bittersweet moment. It’s heartbreaking when looking back.

I always wished they did a little more with Kurt and Finn as brothers than what they did. But I’m, weirdly, glad they had this little moment as their last scene.

///

I have to mention here that we go back to McKinley for a while because Newbie/Jarley drama. And here’s my thing -- this feels so, so jarring compared to the rest of the episode. Glee season 4, when not talking about the newbies, kind of goes back to that season 1 adult grittiness. And all the emotions and break up stuff feels like it’s apart of that. Stopping midway to do a story about high school students most of us don’t care for yet (or ever) is frustrating -- and really highlights the disconnect between these two different kind of stories.

Also a note about the Left Behind thing. I get that this is supposed to be a realization of the theme -- being left behind by someone, as Finn, Blaine, and Brittany are all feeling that. But did we have to waste so much time with it being a literal thing?

Also, meanwhile there’s mild trouble with Wemma. So they get in an argument. While I’m glad they didn’t break up, yet again, it’s obvious they just wanted to stick them into the final group number. We could have done without the newbie stuff and had Wemma get an actual story for it to make more sense.

A Metaphor

Well -- by the time Kurt gets back to work, he’s his composed self again. Something small that fascinates me -- Kurt’s staring deeply at this note from Blaine, and when his coworker Chase comes in, Kurt jumps a little, startled that his thoughts have been interrupted. And then Kurt closes off. He doesn’t give Chase details about what happened, he doesn’t even make eye contact. Kurt goes inward while he hurts, and takes pain on his own.

He tells Chase:

Kurt: I’m okay. I’ll be okay.

He’s already entering this defiant mode. He wants to be fine -- he wants all the pain to stop and not to be able to think about it. Of course, he’s not. As much as he wants it to, the pain of this break up is deep, and isn’t going to magically go away. It’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of healing before Kurt really is fine. But meanwhile, he’s going to try his damnedest to present himself as fine.

Kurt trying to be fine while trying not to break down crying. Oh, bb.

Also this exchange:

Chase: Is he cute? Kurt: The cutest.

You don’t magically fall out of love with someone when these things happen. (Not that I wanted Kurt to do that -- but I’m just trying to show the complexity of the situation here.) Yes, Blaine hurt Kurt very deeply. But Blaine also loved Kurt very deeply, and Kurt loved him very deeply, and those feelings are very intertwined. And I feel like that’s an important comment to make -- cause it’ll come back later. But also because, Kurt can claim he’s fine all he wants, that doesn’t make him actually feel fine.

So someone might yell at me if I don’t mention the flowers. Yes, yes, they’re a call back to Asian F -- when Kurt gave Blaine flowers. Red and Yellow mean friendship and love and a deep connection. Oh, a stab in the heart for sure.

But -- there are two other big things (that irk me a little) that I need to point out before we leave this scene.

First of all, Blaine’s note. I kind of hate it -- because it feels juvenile and belittling of the severity of what Blaine did. The note doesn’t feel like Blaine, and I just don’t like it.

Secondly -- it took me forever to figure this out, but Kurt throwing the note away is a metaphor for Kurt dumping Blaine. That’s when the Klaine v.1 ends. With a metaphor. And it bugs me. Because both Brittana and Finchel get dialogue -- actual scenes that show that their relationships are over. And Klaine gets a metaphor.

And no, I don’t know what I would have wanted instead. And in some ways, Klaine gets better things. Their story is the one that gets the most development in season 4. They’re the first ones back to each other. They get way more focus than Brittana will ever get, and more interaction than Finchel. Their relationship is the least dead? But I suppose there’s that lingering feeling, that I suppose isn’t that fair to say, like the Tongue Tied montage -- I wanted Klaine to have just a little something more.

////

Kurt isn’t in the episode again until the end. But before I get there, a couple of points.

1. When Blaine returns to McKinley he chats a little with Finn -- and Finn (understandably, I may add) berates him for hurting Kurt. But my heart breaks for Blaine. Because Finn has come back home too, but he has a support system -- he has his parents, and Will and all the kids look happy to see him. Blaine is alone. Really alone. Oh, bb. I’m glad you get Sam soon.

2. Brittana -- I like the scene that they get at the end. It’s funny, as much as they leave it open ended (this isn’t an official break up) I always felt like it was the most definitive break up of the three. In fact, until they actually got back together in season 5, I thought maybe the show was done with Brittana for good. (I have to wonder how much fan involvement had something to do with them getting back together.)

3. Finchel -- I have many thoughts about Finchel. Idk - if you guys are interested, I’ll write up a post. Long story short - I like their conversation (minus a couple small things) at the end and they were definitely /done/ for a long time. (The weren’t supposed to get back together until the end of the series.)

Back to the Start

The ending group number is The Scientist. And, well, damn, if this isn’t the perfect ending song for this episode -- as it really does well to encompass all of the issues among these couples. (I suppose, though, it helps when the show purposely gives these couples similar issues and themes to work through.) It’s an incredibly heart-wrenching and effective performance.

This song is a reflection of better days and how easy it can be in the beginning and harder as it goes along. (It’s about a lot of things, I’m simplifying)

But Kurt’s verse:

I was just guessing At numbers and figures Pulling the puzzles apart

Well, FU again RIB -- as obviously this is a nod to the line in Teenage Dream about being each other’s missing puzzle pieces.

I should also mention the flashbacks, as there was an uproar about this -- which I don’t believe was unjust. Finchel and Wemma (who don’t really even have a big conflict in this episode) get a flashback to their first kiss, while Klaine and Brittana noticeably don’t get kisses but other moments. And with Klaine I sorta by, since that was back to their start. But still -- if you’re gonna show couples kissing, show them all. C’mon, Glee. Don’t piss us off even further. Klaine’s first kiss would have worked just fine here.

But anywya... But man, if there isn’t some juicy Kurt-related stuff to sink my teeth into. Because this is just ‘the incident’ -- and now we have all the repercussions.

No one ever said it would be this hard Oh, take me back to the start

And thus, the show has officially hit the reset button. Welcome to a new world, guys. It’s not gonna be easy.

#finding kh #kurt hummel #Did I miss anything?#Probably #I'm emotionally exhausted after doing this for five hours #I'm gonna go bake a cake now

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