#Comedy and Tragedy have a confusing relationship

[thatfunkylittlejesterdude]

Girl help I'm making genuine lethal company OCs

This is Comedy, and he has a partner named Tragedy. Both are masked, if that wasn't already obvious. I haven't drawn Tragedy yet though so like. He'll be revealed later lmao.

I'm debating giving them actual names but I'm getting attached to just calling them Comedy and Tragedy, even if that is a REALLY basic naming convention for them.

Theater kid lookin' ass-

[actual-changeling]

Welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner, and today I have something surprisingly not kiss-related—though it is still about the final fifteen because hey, gotta keep the brand image.

I read this post by @goodoldfashionednightingale and began typing a small response. Then I made the mistake of drinking half a litre of coffee on an empty stomach right after taking my adhd meds and my brain began vibrating at the speed of light.

But oh, have I discovered parallels. This, my friends, is about the nightingale, where it comes from, what it means, and what the fuck happened in part 3 of 1941.

Ready? Let's go.

Now, as OP said in her post, s1e3 is important. In the script book, Neil himself says that these flashbacks are where the producers would tell him to cut scenes to save money. They suggested every single one—except for the one he ended up taking out, which was the bookshop opening scene set in 1800. The others are building blocks, you need them to see how their relationship progressed and what kind of important milestones they had.

(side note: author is very miffed that english does not have a separate subjunctive form like german which makes quoting lines way more confusing than it has to be)

The one I want to mention is neither 1941 nor 1967. No, what I want to talk about is 1601. This might be about to get a bit rambly but I will do my best to keep it tidy.

The focus of that flashback is on the Arrangement, yes, but it gives us a lot more information than that.

they both see Shakespeare's plays regularly, maybe even meet in the crowd

Crowley prefers the comedies

Aziraphale does not seem to have a preference, he enjoys the tragedies and presumably the comedies too

there is an oyster woman selling food -> reference to their meeting in Rome when Aziraphale tempted him to try some oysters

Aziraphale reflexively denies their relationship

Crowley might say he is not worried but circles Aziraphale the entire time, keeping watch

they both ask favours of each other and both agree to do them

What stands out to me in relation to what I am about to expand on is the line that Crowley delivers after Aziraphale's little 'buck up'—which Crowley finds adorable btw but that's a post for another time.

"Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety."

Why would he say that? What exactly is prompting this? WHY say that specific line?

At first I thought it might be to tempt Shakespeare because he does commit art theft by just copying that line down, BUT I think there is more to that. So much more, in fact. I am wiggling now because I am very excited about this and my adhd meds are kicking in anyway.

First things first: the line itself.

It appears in Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, a romantic tragedy, which was first performed in 1607 aka six years after this meeting. Enobarbus is talking about Cleopatra and describing why Antony won't leave her. Her.

Ccrowley uses his—again, who is he even talking about? Hamlet? Shakespeare? Random poetic quote?

No, I think this line is about Aziraphale and it's a code. Right after, the next line from Aziraphale is "What do you want?", meaning that this is their code phrase for 'I have a favour to ask of you'.

Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety

Age will not affect his appearance nor will he ever become boring to Antony. Crowley, who later chooses the name Anthony for himself, tells Aziraphale, an immortal, that he will never age and that he will never grow bored of him.

It's flattery, pure and simple, and it's code at the same time. This establishes the important fact that they might use more of Shakespeare's work as code/already have a system in place (even though he steals Crowley's line for later).

They play their little morality game of back and forth, Aziraphale agrees, Crowley probably manipulates the coin toss, and THEN we find out that the oyster woman is called Juliet.

Why? What is the meaning of that? Why give her a name and that name in particular? Why bring the sexy oysters back into it?

Romeo and Juliet premiered in 1597, so it is safe to assume they have both seen it by 1601, but this is mostly for the audience, not for us-or is it?

Aziraphale gives Crowley puppy eyes until he agrees to make Hamlet popular, and while I don't think Juliet itself is a code word, although it's very interesting that the OYSTER woman is the one with that name (especially adding what we now know about Job), Romeo and Juliet might be.

Yes, the Nightingale song came out in 1940 but the bird has been around for much, much longer, and, as many probably know by now, also shows up in Romeo and Juliet.

This is where I am starting to vibrate at the speed of light because listen to me. Listen.

Crowley is Juliet. Anthony J. Crowley. Antony Juliet Crowley.

(side note: I'm not saying that Crowley chose it based on that—though I am not not saying that—but that it is a clue for us at the audience.)

Why do I think that? In the play, Romeo spends the night with Juliet and then goes to leave as the night begins to end. Juliet tries to stop him and tells him that the birds they are hearing aren't larks, which sing at dawn, but nightingales, which sing at night.

Who is the one always pushing for more? Crowley. He is the one trying to convince Aziraphale it's safe, they're safe to spend time together.

Romeo disagrees with Juliet and says 'I must be gone and live, or stay and die'.

Leave and stay alive, or stay and hell/heaven will punish us. It gets even better though.

We all know how Romeo and Juliet ends: Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, kills himself, Juliet finds him and then kills herself too.

Hey, do you know how Antony and Cleopatra ends?

Antony thinks Cleopatra is dead, kills himself and dies in her arms, then Cleopatra also kills herself—by snake poison; Romeo also died by poison.

The parallels are THERE. They are jumping down our throats! Two tragedies, two sides, several familiar names and phrases, same fear, same ending.

I think by now you can guess how this ties back to 1941.

We do not see how that night ends, but we know it ends. One of them wants to stretch it out, maybe even quotes Romeo and Juliet because look at the setting!

Candlelight, wonderful night they spend together, the threat of Crowley's early demise, and, to quote the play once more, this time Romeo: I have more care to stay than will to go.

Crowley thought it was his last night on earth and went with Aziraphale to his bookshop, to be with him, because he cares more about that than the fact that he will be dragged to hell come morning. Do you remember?

"Expect a legion to come for you first thing tomorrow" THAT is the threat. They have until dawn, just like Romeo and Juliet, which is why she is so desperate for the birds to be nightingales. Fortunately for them, Aziraphale saves the day, BUT there is NO SECURITY. They do not KNOW if a legion will still show up or not. If dawn is a deadline and they will need to fight.

Sure, they improved their chances, but who knows? Maybe they will come for him anyway, it's not like hell is all fair and square.

The best part: it gets even better.

Juliet eventually panics and tells him to go, and Romeo drops a line that huh, sounds oddly familiar, doesn't it?

'More light and light, more dark and dark our woes!'

Remind me, what does Aziraphale say again? Ah, yes. Perhaps there is something to be said for shades of grey.

There is more. Yes, even more. We know the whole rescue relies on a magic trick, a switch. Guess what Juliet yearns for while telling Romeo to go save himself?

Oh, now I would they had changed voices too. While they did not for Romeo and Juliet—they kiss and part—they did for our two. One fabulous switch and we're good.

(side note: Toads? Associated with hell. Larks? Associated with the dawn, yes, but also heaven since Romeo says 'Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads.')

So, this was a whole lot of information, let's see if I can summarize my thoughts.

I believe the nightingale is a code word that has existed even before 1941 and gained a lot of importance over the years. In 1941, the song is added to the meaning and whatever happened between the two that we have not seen yet, it fundamentally changed their relationship. Maybe they kissed, maybe one of them tried to convince the other to prolong the night but they parted on not-great terms.

The nightingale and the song become a symbol of hope, a goal to achieve, another uninterrupted night, maybe, or an uninterrupted life.

When they part in the final fifteen, it's morning. Crowley points at the sky and says "no nightingales", which at that point has several different layers to it.

No nightingales because their night is over, just like with Romeo and Juliet, and please, please allow me to add another detail, because I am frothing at the mouth over this. The scene I quoted, known as balcony scene, do you know what it is preceded by?

A ball.

Star-crossed lovers defying their sides, falling in love at a ball, getting a hurried, wonderful night together but torn apart by danger of punishment, the nightingale as a dream, as a wish for unhurried time together. Family rejection, torn apart by parents, willing to die for each other so they can reunite in death.

No nightingales. The ball, the romance, is over, their dancing is over, heaven is tearing them apart, and Aziraphale returns to heaven while they are both stuck in a pit of misunderstanding and miscommunication, all bound together by fear for each other.

The thing is, Crowley hates tragedies, he never liked the "gloomy ones", and he does not want them to end in one—luckily, this isn't the end. Yes, they kiss and part, but the play keeps going. We have an entire act 3 to fix what Romeo and Juliet couldn't, to ensure that this is a COMEDY, not a tragedy.

Both Antony & Cleopatra and Romeo & Juliet died out of fear, hurried into making bad decisions because they knew what would happen if their sides were to catch up with them.

Crowley and Aziraphale can reunite heaven and hell with love, not death. This is THEIR story and they are writing the ending. No more day and night, no more deadlines, no more hiding and sneaking about, no more fear of larks and sunshine.

Good Omens will end the way it began: In a garden with two no-longer-star-crossed lovers embracing the song of a lark as well as that of the nightingale.

I hope this made sense to everyone who was no present while my mind started to vibrate itself into a puddle because the thing is I can see Neil doing all of this completely on purpose.

Thoughts? Questions? Additions? Come and join me in my insanity and until next time I have a mental breakdown over this show (probably in like two hours).

[maxtermind]

SCENE 2 :: HOW MUCH TRAGEDY ↳ you were never not mine — carlos sainz ༉‧₊˚✧

★ : pairing :: carlos sainz x reader ★ : genre :: angst; fluff separated by a hidden emotional turmoil, carlos and y/n navigate the complexities of co-parenting their twins amidst the high-stakes f1 world. amidst paddock visits and personal healing, will they go further apart or find their way back to each other? ★ : a/n :: text posts are going to return from tom till then you can enjoy this<3 taglist form is in the series masterlist btw!! HATS OFF TO EVERY SINGLE SMAU WRITER BECAUSE THIS IS SO HARD LMAO

( series masterlist \ main masterlist \ drop a request )

carlos is typing... (y/n's pov)

f1 10 mins ago

f1 LET'S GET THE EUROPEAN LEG OF THE SEASON STARTED! 🇮🇹

username oh the admin knows what they did with carlos at the front lmao username can't wait for the races! let's goooo! 🇮🇹🏁 username so excited for this leg of the season! bring it on! 🤩 username hoping for some amazing races! good luck to all the drivers! 🙌 username here for the racing, not y/n’s drama ⤷ username ugh yes like can we focus on racing and not y/n’s drama? username italy, here we come! forza ferrari! ❤️ ⤷ username poor carlos, dealing with y/n’s drama and still racing username ready for some intense racing action! 🏎🔥 username who else is here for the drama? carlos and y/n's relationship update please! 😂 ⤷ username i hope carlos and y/n figure things out. it was so nice seeing her at the race again

yn.user 20 mins ago

yn.user behind every successful man is his loving fam❤️ congratulations papa sainz

username this is a joke, right? after all the drama? lilymhe wow such a hottie and a MOM? smash! ⤷ yn.user date and time🙏 ⤷ alexalbon uhm... im right here? username weren't you just out with another man? hypocrite ⤷ username loving fam? like she didn't just get caught with another guy? 😂 username wow, pretending everything is fine now? ⤷ username guess she's trying to clean up her image good luck with that username this is so fake everyone knows the truth username acting like a loving family after everything? sure, y/n ⤷ username like who the fuck are you fooling, y/n? we know the real story username you're so pretty, y/n! i bought the tickets just to see you irl username didn't take long for the fake posts to start

carlossainz 20 mins ago

carlossainz victory feels even sweeter with my kids by my side!🏆❤️

username congrats, carlos! the kids are your ONLY real supporters. username so glad you’re focusing on the kids and not the drama. ⤷ username victory without y/n? this is peak comedy😭 ⤷ username way to go, carlos! the kids are all you need! username finally, a win focused on the right people. congrats, carlos! username oh god we really lost the great war huh username great win, carlos! the kids must be so proud. ⤷ username this is the content we love. kids over drama! username well done! no need for distractions we're so proud❤️ ⤷ username the kids are his real mvps so lol username congrats, carlos! the kids are your biggest fans.

twitter

boo is typing... (y/n's pov)

lily is typing… (y/n's pov)

yn.user 20 mins ago

yn.user as my boys said: finally a worthy opponent✨

username this is why some people shouldn't have kids. username she's a mess. no wonder they broke up ⤷ username using her kids for attention. disgusting! carlossainz so you're also bad at scrabble? ⤷ username oh shit carlos didn't come to play ⤷ username you tell her carlos!! username no stability for those poor kids with her around. ⤷ username kids must be so confused with a new man every week username pathetic attempt to make carlos jealous. GROW UP, Y/N!!!

carlos is typing… (y/n's pov)

instagram stories

©maxtermind // do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platforms.

[roguelov]

Hi dear, how have you been?

Here, just a little idea I wanted to share with someone:

the reader makes digital art and shares it on the internet; Recently the reader writes short stories/comics where she draws Morpheus as the god of Dreams alongside herself as an OC, as if they were a couple, etc.

The art is very beautiful and everyone loves it, and it goes viral, making Morpheus more famous among humans. So people start to dream more about him and pay tribute.

Maybe something cute, funny or spicy... Or all together.

(Sorry for the bad English, I love you.)

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD I LOVE YOUR BRAIN SO MUCH

Dream will be very confused at first as to why he is getting more and more recognition. He starts to like it a bit. People are recognizing his work and all he does for the Waking, he can’t help but feel some pride and joy bubble in his chest. But, perhaps such feelings take a turn when he sees what seemed to be a version of himself and you in others’ dreams. Why? And why is there a romantic undertone to the two of you?

Maybe he doesn’t approach you on it for quite sometime. And so you gain more followers and more and more people fall in love with the story you’ve created. And finally at some point Dream does his own research. So in his vast library he finds your story: a wonderfully illustrated comic, along with short stories and pictures.

This man is stunned. It is such a beauty story, pulling in aspects from old tales while making it your own. It’s romance, it’s comedy, it’s tragedy, and it’s a slice of life. And it’s also a bit spice at times. But, he makes a point to stop looking when more steamy scenes happen. But now he had more questions, more questions for you. And when he finds you in a garden on a comfortable chair - made more for indoors - with a tablet in your lap as birds sang, he knew exactly what you are doing: drawing and writing about the two of you.

When he decides to be blunt and ask you about it, you are embarrassed, horrified, and stuttering through your words, “I am so - so sorry. I - I didn’t mean to offend you or anything - I just - I’ll stop and -“

“Why?” Dream asks. “You do not need to stop, I simply want to know why you do it.”

“I uh … why not?” What an idiotic response, but it’s the truth. “I mean it’s just fun to write and draw things about you, the Prince of Stories … you’re like my muse.”

Dream will be so touched by your words, but he does have another question. “And the courtship you have illustrated?”

“Oh uh,” you look away, “you know how people are, they love a love story.”

He doesn’t fully believe your answer. “When I have more time later today we can discuss it further. I do have more to say … especially pertaining to the relationship you depicted and if you are willing perhaps fiction can be turned into reality.”

You blink at his answer. He has this coy smile as he spoke but soon it turns genuine.

“Please, do not stop. I do love your story.”

You smile, “Oh uh thank you … and I would like to talk more about … us.”

Dream nods, satisfied with the answers he has gotten. However, before he leaves, he leans in close, “And do not think I have forgotten about some interesting pictures you have drawn … ones that are … more indulging of the flesh -“

You tense up, feeling your body heat up.

“- do know however our discussion ends later tonight, I will be open to be more than just a muse, perhaps a model if you so please.”

[alisonthedeluluisback]

Rating movies about nazi germany I have watched

First of all, I want to make it clear that this isn't a professional review, it's only my opinion

I liked the proposal of the story being centered around a nazi family and the younger boy befriending a jew, but all of that goes down the drain due to the multiple historical inaccuracies: the children learned about nazism very early, so there is no way bruno would have been that innocent. Also, concentration camps wasn't of that much easy access. The appeal to emotion instead of actually building a deep plot also sucks. 5/10

I absolutely adored this movie, the plot is so deep, the construction around the persecution of Liesel's parents, her relationship with her adoptive parents, the brotherhood she had with the jew hiding in their house, her tough but sweet personality, her desire for knowledge. It was all so beautifully orchestrated, and also the historical accuracy>>>>>> 10/10

This movie will always be a classic for me. The way they portrayed nazis as they were, human, vulnerable, with a distorted view of the world but still seeking what they thought was the best. How they went deep down into the life in the bunker, the despair and hopelessness they felt. Also, the way they portrayed Eva Braun>>>> how she tried to sugarcoat everything not to suffer, how she threw parties in the hallway of death, how even in a desperate situation the greatest joy of her life was to marry the terrible man she fell in love with and was blindly loyal too. Everything is so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. Also, the historical accuracy is just a delight. 1000/10

This is a true punch in the gut. The terrible way he lost his family, the inhuman life he lived in the guetto, his part in the warsaw guetto riot, how he kept his beautiful talent immaculate till the end, when he lost the love of his life and had to see her married, the hunger, mistreating and fear that were a part of his daily life, his brave survival. Everything about this movie is truly sad. 9/10

I won't even talk much about this one. I start it laughing and finished it on the verge of crying. It is funny, heartbreaking, the perfect mix between comedy and tragedy, the true definition of bittersweetness. 100/10

Following the same road of the last one, there's this piece of art. It had everything to go wrong, but it went beautifully. They made something outrageous turn out funny without being offensive, and yet made a deep, tragic and beautiful story. The underlying romance between that ex-soldier and his assistant, the way jojo changed his mentality gradually, and his absurd view of hitler. It was surprisingly very historically accurate, but Im still confused about: how was jojo not sent to an orphanage after his mother died? How did he survive on his own? Anyways, this was a negative point for me, but still love it. 50/10

Okay, I absolutely love this one, but hate to death how they slipped over such simple aspects, like Hitler's personality. They made him hit a dog when in fact he defended animal's rights, they made him not give a shit about his mom being ill when in fact he loved her dearly. They changed his personality to make him seem even more evil. But, I also have plenty of positive points to talk about. I rarely see movies portraying Hitler's early life the way this one did, and how he ascended gradually to power. I love this miniseries deeply for getting into details about his whole life. They even aborded his abusive relationship with his niece. I can almost forgive the outrageous innacuracy with the characters and the altering of some details (how he earned his iron cross, how he met eva braun, how he treated fuschl), and I love it despite its defects. It also has some iconic scene: the bar fight, the munich beer hall putch, the trial. I wish I could give a 1000/10, but because of its innacuracies im giving it a 500/10

Nazis getting brutally slaughtered. Do I really have to say anything else? Also, Hans Landa>>>>>>>> ∞/10

[that-ari-blogger]

Idealism

One reading of Wicked that I have noticed to be particularly popular is as a love story between Glinda and Elphie, and I actually subscribe to this idea. What Is This Feeling is often interpreted as a love song, repressed emotions and all that, but here is where I disagree.

Wicked is a satire, and so What Is This Feeling is a satire of the love-at-first-sight trope. The relationship takes time, and doesn't actually work out in the end, that's part of the tragedy of the story.

I would argue that this song sets up why the romance falls apart, but also why it is so compelling to discuss.

Let me explain.

Spoilers Ahead

According to the Cabridge Dictionary, "Idealism" can be defined as the following:

"The belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others"

There are other definitions pertaining to philosophy and principals, but this is the definition I will be working under, and here is the interesting question: Of the two named characters present in What Is This Feeling, who is the idealist? I will come back to this.

A massive attraction of the Glinda x Elphaba ship is the idea that opposites attract, and that certainly seems to be on display here. The opening of the song establishes once again who these characters are, and while their relationships with family is interesting, my favourite example of their dynamic is this:

"There's been some confusion for you see my roommate is..."

"Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and all together quite impossible to describe."

"Blonde"

Thats some good character writing right there. Galinda is almost aggressively indirect, dancing around the subject to avoid actually saying anything, while Elphaba is direct, and realistic. It's a neat little comedy beat, and this song is comedic in nature, but it's also fascinating.

This is our first look at the old Galinda, and she's... a schemer. She doesn't do anything herself, instead preferring that others take action or even say things for her. She will take an artsy path to ensure someone else walks down the road the way she wants them to.

Galinda is charismatic and has weaponised that fact.

Elphaba, on the other hand, is awkward and blunt, but intelligent, and there is something to that. There is a stereotype of historical witchcraft as "women who were clever" and while there is some truth to it, history rejects simplicity.

I recommend Crash Course's video on the subject but put simply: The Witch-hunts in history were based almost entirely on fear and anger, with the remainder made up of prejudice and superstition. Encyclopedia Brittanica puts the number of people killed between forty-thousand and sixty thousand, both men and women (I couldn't find any explicit mention of non-binary folk executed for witchcraft, so I guess we got out of this one. Good work team).

What is important to understand is that witches were societal outcasts, anyone who there was prejudice against could be tried as a witch. Women who were mildly intelligent or, heaven forbid, had opinions, were often targets of this prejudice in such a heavily patriarchal society.

So, where does Elphaba slot into this? Well, she's an outcast from society because of her skin colour, and she's clever. She is very intentionally invoking the history and popular culture depiction of the witch (something her original incarnation in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz definitely contributed to) to invoke sympathy in the audience, or at least, to invoke antipathy for those who call her a witch.

The rest of this song doubles down on the differences between the two, and the fact that this causes them to fall apart instead of together is important here.

"My pulse is rushing"

"My head is reeling"

"My face is flushing"

"What is this feeling?"

This the setup for a love song, right? These are symptoms of powerful emotions and at this point in a romantic story, you would expect the meet cute. But the song pulls the rug out from underneath you.

"Loathing

Unadulterated loathing"

Love at first sight is rare in real life, but it is common in fiction. The prince and princess meet and fall instantly head over heels, etc. But once again, Wicked is a satire, and it goes in a different direction. Part of this musical is the relationship between these two being built up from scratch, and this song establishes that baseline.

But why do these two fall apart in the end? I mentioned that this song foreshadows that, and what did I mean by that?

I asked earlier on in this post which one of the two witches is the idealist, and I think the answer is Elphaba. She believes in honesty and kindness and is hopeful to a fault (remember The Wizard And I?), which is in contrast to Galinda's remarkably utilitarian mindset. Galinda says what she needs to say and wants nothing more than the spotlight.

Don't get me wrong, wanting attention isn't a sin, that's not what I mean here. I'm trying to say that Galinda doesn't have far reaching dreams for herself, she wants personal happiness, nothing more. Or so she thinks.

My thesis for this series about the songs in Wicked is that the musical is about the collision of dreams and reality, and its interesting how that works with the characters.

Galinda is incredibly shallow, but she ends up getting inspired by her friend. Elphaba's hope and ideals brush off on Galinda over time, not enough to be noticeable to her, but enough that when Galinda gets everything she wants, she is unsatisfied.

That's why the relationship doesn't work out in the end. Elphaba has ambitions to make the world a better place, and Galinda doesn't realise that she does too until it is far too late.

Final Thoughts

Please don't misinterpret this post. This isn't that Glinda x Elphaba is a bad ship or even that it isn't a valid reading of the story. It is, and I will explain in future posts as to why that is the case. All I am trying to say is that this song is explicitly antiromantic, and that factors into the queer reading of the musical.

I will, however, say this: "Gelphie" is such an awful name for a ship. Like, come on folks, you could have gone with anything, but "Gelphie"?

In all seriousness, this is the third post in a series about Wicked, next week I will be talking about Dancing Through Life, a song that is remarkably complex for a character trying his hardest to be simple. So, stick around if that interests you.

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[miya-on-the-roof]

Rant about the finale (or the million reasons why I'm disappointed)

Spoilers alert so don't keep reading if you don't wanna see them.

Didn't see a lot of people disappointed with the finale for the same reasons as me so just gonna throw it out there: I am disappointed mainly because of how they portrayed Stede and his relationship with Ed.

First thing, I am NOT an Izzy fan. If anything I'm probably an Ed fan and I came to the show for the brilliant writing, the masterly use of comedy as a genre, and the unprecedented celebration of queerness in season 1. This means that I am not devastated by his death. BUT I am disappointed in their decision to kill him off. I saw David Jenkins' interview and discussion about how narratively it makes sense for him to die as a closure of the redemption arch and final consummation of Ed letting go of the old life. YET this show was never about structurally sound narrative, was it? The charm was always the characters' growth and how they embraced queerness - embraced themselves. And that theme was embodied by Izzy this season. I can see potential in him as a perfectly comic and beautifully queer character after his transformation but that potential died with him. It is abrupt, it is rushed, and it does not make any sense for the spirit of the show even when it makes sense for a symbolic narrative.

Second, the main thing - even though Stede is the lead character of the show, the finale does not treat him as one. From previous episodes we see a new side of him emerging. He was caught up in the rush, the same way Ed probably did so many years ago, and was unawarely soaking up some toxic masculinity even though it was because he pursued piracy as the ultimate means to release his queerness and find community. And there lies his new conflict with Ed: two people who love each other deeply but find themselves on different life paths. There was not really any conflict of interest that couldn't be solved but they needed time to figure things out. Stede needed a reality check, and he needed to understand Ed's "it's everything about fishing" - it's everything about how Ed was setting out to find a new identity, and how he fears that Stede is taking up his old path in misguided glory and will not come with him. And Stede needed to learn to respect Ed's choices even if it means they take different paths for a while, which also means that he needed to confront his own fear of incompetence, abandonment, loneliness, and rejection first (which hasn't really been addressed in this season yet). He needed to find confidence and faith - in his own identity and competence, and in Ed's love for him.

All this to say - he has a long way to go in his character development to justify resolving the conflicts in their relationship. Yet in the finale, he was not given any space or time to achieve the growth. We see him rushing through a plan of rescue with Zheng doing most of the work. We see him coming up with a plan to camouflage and escape the English, the portrayal of which did not show his wit or courage or anything profound about his character. Then we see him getting that happy ending with Ed, and somehow just... accepting giving up piracy, accepting Ed's change, accepting everything happily when he was clearly lost and confused before. And we were not given any explanation or portrayal of his inner conflicts. He, of all people, gets the least emphasis and character growth in the finale.

Again, I just see so much potential to really discuss the character's deeply-rooted psychological issues going to waste for the sake of a narrative structure. A happy ending is great but it's covering up so many unsolved tensions and conflicts - opportunities for character building - which would have been handled much more carefully (albeit in comedic style) in season one. Given that we might not get a season 3, this is worse than leaving me with a cliffhanger or temporary tragedy that makes sense for the character's path to growth.

[shadowqueen402]

Say, mind doing a fanfic of (My TADC OC) Mooz’s Friendly Relationship with Kaufmo before Pomni’s Arrival where they are like best pals, and maybe add a scene where he just stands at Kaufmo’s Door after the events of the pilot episode had happened, please?

Here you go. It is going to take place when Mooz first arrived into the Digital World. Hope you don't mind if my oc does appear in this.

A new being popped up onto a stage, suddenly looking around in a state of confusion and panic. Music was playing while a bunch of objects floated around. The being quickly dodged the objects while backing away.

However, he soon found himself accidentally bumping into someone. The being jumped as he watched a purple jackrabbit in magenta overalls, a tall, white king chess piece in a purple robe, and a ribbon-like creature stumble down. The ribbon creature's comedy mask broke, revealing her tragedy face.

The music stopped as everyone turned to look at the being. "Caine, is this one of your NPCs or is this a new sucker?" The jackrabbit asked. "Because if it's a new character, we're gonna have to redo this whole theme song." He had a rather mischievous grin on his face.

"I'm not doing that again," A mix-and-match toy said to the jackrabbit, her arms crossed while she looked unamused.

"Serious, newbie…" A humanoid wax figurine stared at the being. "Please be careful next time. Do you have any idea as to how long it took for us to rehearse that?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Calm down, snow princess~." The jackrabbit said her, grinning.

"Uh, who are you people?" The being asked. "Where exactly am I?"

"Take it easy, new stuff," A ragdoll said. "We've all been there on our first day of coming here. But you eventually get used to this."

"My, my!" A floating AI whose "face" resembled teeth flew down to the being. "It appears that a new human has entered this realm! And what is your name!?"

"My name…?" The being tried to say something. But then he realized that he couldn't remember his real name. "I-I can't remember! Why?"

"Nobody remembers their name when they arrive here," A being in a yellow clown outfit said. "I'm Kaufmo, by the way. Perhaps I can help you pick out a name?"

"Uh, sure?" The being asked. "What name do you have in mind, Kaufmo?"

"How about…Mooz?" Kaufmo suggested.

"Mooz?" The jackrabbit scoffed. "Is that all you could come up with, Kaufy?"

"Shut it, Jax!" The mix-and-match toy said, glaring at Jax before turning to Mooz. "But welcome to your new home, Mooz… Zooble, by the way… Over there is Gangle…" She nodded to the ribbonoid creature. "…Kinger…" Next to her was the white king chess piece. "…And Ragatha." She nodded at the ragdoll. "Crystal must have left to go guard." She noticed that the aformentioned wax figurine had left.

"I see you met Kaufmo," Ragatha said. "Maybe he can introduce you to the others." A smile was on her face.

"My comedy mask is broken," Gangle sobbed.

"GAH!" Kinger yelped at the sight of Gangle before calming himself down. "Oh, Gangle! You startled me!"

(Later)

Time went by for Mooz. He had gotten used to how things worked around in the Digital World. Plus, he and Kaufmo became the bestest of friends.

The two did everything together. Whether it would be something as simple as cracking jokes or doing one of Caine's in-house adventures, they always had fun.

Life in the Digital World was fun for them. Until one evening, Mooz decided to ask his friend something.

"Kaufmo, as crazy as this may sound, do you believe that there's an exit?" Mooz asked.

Kaufmo went silent for a bit. He thought about it rather deeply. "Huh, up until now, I never gave it much thought," Kaufmo admitted. "I would ask Caine, but you know how he is. However, if it makes you feel better, I can try to find out if there really is one."

"You mean this wholeheartedly?" Mooz asked.

"You bet!" Kaufmo flashed a smile. "That's what friends are for!"

(Present)

Mooz now stood in front of the door to Kaufmo's now vacant room. The only difference was that his friend's face now had a red x over it. He only visited this place whenever nobody else was around.

"Hey, Kaufmo," Mooz softly said to himself. "Though, I know you're no longer here, I just wanted to tell you about this new member. Her name is Pomni. She's a bit shaken up, but if you had met her, you would have helped her get used to things around here."

He gave a sad sigh, slight regret appearing on his face. Why did he have ask Kaufmo about an exit? After asking, his clown friend became determined to find one. And at the cost of his sanity.

The day that Pomni arrived was also the day that Kaufmo abstracted. And to think that Ragatha was looking forward to introducing him to Pomni…

Maybe if he hadn't said anything about an exit, Kaufmo would still be here. The majority of his friends have since been abstracted for the same reason and are now in the cellar.

"I'll miss you always, Kaufmo." Mooz turned around to face away from the door. "There may be a day where we will be reunited. Along with our other friends. If possible, I look forward to it. I'll keep smiling and making others for you, my best friend."

Without another word, Mooz walked down the hallway, leaving Kaufmo's door behind.

[jacquelinemerritt]

Queer Media Review: But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)

Originally posted September 16th, 2016

A tonally mismatched, endearing cult classic.

This review is part of a weekly series of pieces on queer and trans media. See them all here!

Jamie Babbit’s1 first feature film, But I’m A Cheerleader, has, in the years following its release, become something of a classic piece of queer representative media. It frequently tops recommendation lists of films about queer people that don’t end in tragedy (lists that are far shorter than they have any right to be), and it is a film I have heard described as “quintessentially lesbian.”

This film’s status as an iconic lesbian film baffles me. Cheerleader is not a bad film, per se, but it is, in almost every way possible, a sleazy teen comedy that attempts to mine humor out of an incredibly traumatic and horrifying scenario (namely, being sent off to a gay conversion camp). That designation isn’t inherently negative; the same can be said of the original American Pie and John Tucker Must Die, and both of those films are entertaining because they revel in just how sleazy they can be. If But I’m A Cheerleader had committed to reveling in the sleaziness of turning the trauma of conversion therapy in a light comedy, then it might have succeeded on those (less than savory terms.

But Cheerleader is caught in between two worlds. At its core, it’s a film that wants to be a down to earth romance about good people finding love in a dark situation, but that core is constantly at odds with the low-brow humor and unintelligent satire that fills nearly every scene. It never attempts to examine the absurdity inherent to its scenario, and the only clear statement it makes about conversion therapy is that it’s ineffective, which is as obvious a statement on the matter as a film could make. The film also has a wildly inconsistent visual language2, frequently switching between bland stationary shots and handheld tracking shots for no apparent reason, only to return to its bland cinematography a moment later.

And yet, despite all of those flaws, I still rather enjoyed watching Cheerleader. Even with all the poorly designed sleaze surrounding it, the emotional core of Cheerleader is damn compelling, presenting us with a slowly budding romance between two highly likable characters.

That solid emotional core is established early-on through Megan (Natasha Lyonne, of Orange is the New Black fame), a very sympathetic protagonist who is confused about her own sexuality. She frequently fantasizes about her fellow cheerleaders while making out with her boyfriend, and she has a picture of a bikini clad woman in her locker, contrasted with her friend whose locker is adorned with a male model. When she’s ambushed by her friends and parents (in one of the few good uses of visual storytelling, I might add), she’s completely blindsided by them, and she quickly submits to their demands that she attend conversion therapy, despite her beliefs that none of the “evidence” presented was abnormal or confirmed her supposed “homosexuality.”

Megan’s cluelessness and empathy make her romance with Graham (Clea DuVall), another attendee at the conversion therapy camp, all the more believable, as their coupling is treated as a subtle slow, burn. We see them holding hands and touching each other, carefully avoiding the watchful gaze of Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty), the camp’s strict headmistress. There’s a clear understanding of the danger of their budding relationship in the film, as when Graham deflects suspicion off of their rebellion by claiming to have a crush on Joel (Joel Michaely), a gay Jewish man also attending the camp, Megan is never shown to be jealous of the affection he’s receiving (she even takes a chance to stare flirtatiously at Graham while she’s holding hands with Joel).

The film also does challenge one idea, and that’s the idea that gender expression and fulfillment of gender roles are connected to or determinate of sexuality, though it does so with mixed results. Early on, there’s a scene where the characters must all think about and confess what the “root” of their homosexuality is, and one of the men at the camp claims that his mother allowing him to wear her pumps was the single experience in his life that led to his same-gender attraction. The film wants to paint this as the ridiculous connection that it is, but its strength is lost because so many of the film’s jokes rely on the association between gay men and femininity.3

The film is more successful in challenging stereotypes about sexuality and gender when the masculine presenting Jan (Katrina Phillips) storms out of a group therapy session, upset that her love of softball and unconventional looks have led to her attending the camp despite the fact that she has always been fully and exclusively attracted to men. Her rejection of the camp’s attempt to foist femininity onto her rings true thanks to Phillips’ compelling performance and the film’s lack of insistence that masculinity in women is in any way indicative of same-gender attraction (an acknowledgement that is present in the film’s title).

The ending of the film, despite being rather annoyingly cutesy, is fairly compelling as well, setting up a scenario in which one of the members of the lead couple is about to “graduate” from the camp, and the other must fulfill a wish the graduating partner made in order to convince her to run away with her. It’s an incredibly sweet gesture, and their relationship is given a satisfying conclusion, capping off the film with passionate kisses and annoyingly chipper music. That this scene works despite its presentation is a testament to Babbit’s strength as a director (of actors) and Natasha Lyonne’s strength as an actress, as the two of them sell the emotion of the scene that would otherwise be drowned out by a bad pop musical score.

Such a tonally conflicted, endearing scene is arguably the perfect ending to this film.

Rating: 3.5/5

But I’m A Cheerleader can be rented and purchased on iTunes or streamed via Xfinity.

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

1While Babbit hasn’t directed many features of significant acclaim since But I’m A Cheerleader, she has gone on to become a rather prolific TV comedy director, specializing in smaller, character-driven comedies such as Gilmore Girls (for which she directed eighteen episodes), Malcolm in the Middle, and more recently working on hit comedies like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Silicon Valley (she even directed one of the best episodes of Supergirl’s first season!) All of this to say, she’s got a rather impressive body of work behind her, and it would not be surprising if her name were to show up on a highly successful feature comedy sometime in the near future.

2Bonus points if you caught the reference.

3These jokes are made in spite of the film’s inclusion of Dolph (Dante Basco), a varsity wrestler whose masculinity is never in question, and Larry (Richard Moll), an “ex-ex-gay” who looks like a lumberjack right down to the flannel.

[ineffabletimehusbands]

I need to dive deeper into the Two Gentleman in Verona joke between Tom and Owen at some point because that play literally pins homosexual/homoerotic and heterosexual love against each other. So yeah I mean I think that the confusion of "who is Loki referring to" is 100% intentional maybe even beyond just Disney being stupid. If that's the case the shipping wars are the intention lmao.

In the play the two "best friends" refer to each other with very loving terms and there's some really fucked up shit they do to like... prove their loving friendship bond to each other but I won't get into that.

An example of what I'm talking about is in the end they're both getting married to different women so they decide to get married on the same day and call it "their wedding"

With that in mind, it also reminds me of a bunch of philosophers losing their shit over Achilles and Patroclus... that's interesting because Shakespeare also wrote Troilus and Cressida, which featured Achilles and Patroclus and they used terminology to refer to each other in the same way Valentine and Proteus do in Two Gentleman in Verona.

So anyway Tom Hiddleston is a Shakespeare nerd and so am I. He really said let me consult the manuscripts for Loki. I'm going to give them comedy and tragedy. I'm going to have them asking the same questions about these character's relationships that people were asking in the 1500s. Honestly that's iconic but why do you have to hurt us.

[noa-ciharu]

Random question:

I hope this won't offend you, but you may not answer this if this is personal.

"Since you stated in your bio that you are Aroace... who seems to have not any romantic feelings around people, would you say that Chobits or/and The one I love make a fine 'love story' for you?"

If something makes a good love story or not is a tough question. I usually deconstruct it to this:

Good love story shouldn't rely on readers shipping the characters.

Don't get me wrong, if readers hate the paring than they'd have harder time forming objective stance as well. But if someone who is neutral towards main ship(s) views the story and sees quality in it, then story has way more to offer than just rainbows and sparks. Therefore romance as genre on its own can easily fall down slippery slope of amatonormativity, stance that monogamous romantic (and sexual) relationship is everyone's primary goal in life, is on top of relationships hierarchy and that life is inherently without a value without its presence. If not viewing media under shippers lenses, those are very easily spotted. Hence romance combined with another genre such as comedy, psychological factors, horror, tragedy, drama etc.- those work way way better because there's more to the story than simply "when will those two kiss???"

Now, that's where "The one I love" fails sort of, because absolutely every chapter is entirely about romance, no depth whatsoever. But I feel it's wrong of me to bash on it since manga was sort of like Clamp's rough drafts/diary, more like self indulgent fanfic than proper manga. Lighthearted series that you read once, think it's cute and never think about it again. I wouldn't count manga as bad, more average.

Chobits however, it is more than you've bargained for definitely. Biggest plus in my book Chobits had is exceptionally well done mix of lighthearted, innocent and romantic moments on one hand with psychological elements and far far more complex issues than it meets the eye. At its core, Chobits is story about loneliness of modern world. With persocoms introduced to the world, those handy cute looking robots began replacing human connections; because having someone by your side who fulfils your every desire is far more convenient. Still, in process humans became not only detached from one another, but also from their persocoms as well; because they as well had feelings, even if they're piece of machinery humans viewed as replaceable.

Now there were alot of stories in Chobits about outcasts that grew too attached to their persocoms (like that dude that married one); ofc pain followed as average lifespan of machinery is far lower than human's. Then stories about humans being jealous of their loved ones caring more about persocoms than them. General fear that any inconvenience of human contact would be pushed aside and perfection of having someone who submits to your will would be sought as preferable option. And so much more, really story has alot to offer from psychological aspects.

And there's Chii - analogy for asexuality.

Echii elements are nicely done in this manga, because Chii herself isn't aware why walking around naked is inappropriate, why Hideki blushed when he sees her in just his shirt. She doesn't understand sexual attraction, nor she feels it. But she does feel romantic attraction, boy does she feel it strong. But she also felt fear when she realized she started loving Hideki. She worries if her affections would be returned, which to casual reader might be tad bit confusing since he's basically doting on her 24/7. Why is she unnecessarily worried you ask?

Keep in mind - Hideki is hypersexual guy. He's your average hetero teen guy who dreams about having a cute gf and later on wife. There's nothing wrong with that; but his dream does involve sexual activity - something Chii can't provide.

You see, that's the issue asexual people face every day - fear of rejection due to their lack of desire for sex being seen as inconvenience. It might sound a bit ridiculous to have one character in manga leave other because they can't have sex (especially if it's light romance manga where characters are expected to love one another with all the ""flaws"'), but irl that's unfortunately very very common occurence. People leave one another for far lesser reasons than that. To non-asexual people sex is important part of relationship and whether they want to admit it or not, being with asexual partner is seen as inconvenience.

Hence when Chii is fantasizing finding someone just for her, someone special who'll accept her for what she can do (provide romantic love) and what she can't do (provide sexual gratification) - it's basically analogy for asexual non-aromantic persons fantasizing about someone accepting them for what they are

[brooklynislandgirl]

Roleplaying Profile Meme:

PLEASE REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG!  Feel free to add to any of your answers!  The purpose is to tell your partners about the way you write!  For the multiple-choice ones, BOLD all that apply and, if you want, italicize if it’s a conditional answer!

– B A S I C S –

NAME :  Turtle, Turtlemun, Turtlemama, and some call me...D.

ARE YOU OVER 18? Yes / No

IS YOUR MUSE? Yes / No

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH ON THIS BLOG? No (anyone) / Semi / Yes / Highly / Private

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW ON THIS BLOG? No (anyone) / Semi / Yes / Highly / private

IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH TO YOU ADHERE TO CANON? Not at all / A little / Somewhat / Mostly / Strictly / OC {although if my partner is a canon character, I will ask where in the canon our rp falls, and I will stick to YOUR canon/personal canon as much as possible}

WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE? One Liners / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella 

DO YOU USE ICONS AND/OR GIFS? No / Gifs /Icons/ Gifcons

DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS? No / Yes {{I will write on discord if I am comfortable enough with my partner}}

WHAT LEVEL OF PLOTS DO YOU WRITE? Unplotted / Open-Ended Plots / Semi-Plotted / Fully Plotted Epics

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS? I am a Turtle /Slow / Fast  / Very Fast {{depends on my time/availability/level of capability that day, but my speed or lack thereof should never be taken as an indication of my desire to write with you, or be used to doubt my love for you, your muse, and our stories.}}

WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? (feel free to add!) Fluff / Angst / Smut / Action / Tragedy / Domestic / Family / Conversational / Hurt-Comfort / Fantasy / Dark

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? (feel free to add!) Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy / Romance / Drama / Action / Adventure / Espionage / Everything

ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? No / Yes   {{Beth and I both generally loathe child abuse in any shape or form, and mentions of it are fine, but if your muse deliberately harms a child in front of us, please expect to be reacted to in the most honest way possible}}

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS?  HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT TAGGED? No/ Yes {{I try to tag everything properly with Whatever Trigger tw, though specifically I use Here Brucie|Sharks and Lost In Translation || N F S W for those two subjects. I have a fear of spiders so a spider tw would be nice, though I am never going to be so freaked out that it will drive me away from the dash or your blog}}

– S H I P P I N G –

WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic /Familial / Physical / Sexual / Enemies (Aaaaall the relationship types)

WHAT TYPES OF PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic / Familial / Physical / Sexual

DO YOU HAVE OTPS? No / Chemistry only /Yes

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION? - Heterosexual / Heteroflexible / Bisexual / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Pansexual / Demisexual / Asexual / Questioning {{Beth is demisexual. She doesn't experience sexual attraction until she feels deeply connected to someone. And even then, she isn't likely to act on it. She says she is heteroflexible because most of her attractions have been toward males/masculine folk, though in play she has had 2 attractions toward women, and 1 towards a bi-gendered person {leaning toward xer feminine presentation} and of course she would never be prejudice toward non-human/human-like individuals}}

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S ROMANTIC ORIENTATION? - Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Grayromantic / Aromantic / Polyamorous / Questioning {{The best fitting attraction I could find for Beth is Quoiromantic. Meaning Beth doesn't understand/differentiate really distinguish levels of emotion. To her, love is love and the only difference is an abrupt and often confusing layer of personal rules that she just doesn't get. Which makes relationships complicated. I'm sorry.}}

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT? No / Selectively / Yes

ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER? No / Sometimes / Yes {{I don't force ships. The only expectation I have to to be allowed to let a relationship grow organically and allow it to be what it is. Sometimes she'll friend or family zone a person. Sometimes she will have a squish or legitimate feelings for someone who doesn't feel the same way. Sometimes you have to get out the squirt bottle and spray her in the face because she's so in love. But I promise it should never be an issue. If it is, please tell me and I will put a muzzle on her.}}

DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? No /Sometimes / Yes {{Maybe? I don't know what this is?}}

DOES CROSSOVER SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? No / Yes/ Depends

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @goldenempress

Who You Are:

The Empress || She/her

After 12 years and thousands of ideas, I have successfully curated a list of 10 WIPs to last me the rest of my life. I will not be taking criticism at this time.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, mystery, and paranormal. Young and New Adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Slice of Life. Anything can happen in slice of life, because you can even follow the daily lives of superheroes or prophesied saviors. Everything is slice of life if you want it badly enough. And that's beautiful.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

Tragedy. Tried it once, but I hate being sad. Also romance. Because while I do love a good rom-com or rom-fan, I prefer to focus on platonic relationships in my writing.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

Me. I am my target audience. I would love it if literally anybody found something good about my work, but there are no guarantees, so pleasing other people is not on my priority list when it comes to writing. I know better than to engage in pyrrhic battles.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I like stories about people who are relentlessly devoted to each other to the point that other people are confused by it, because that's so soft and so beautiful and it means everything to me. I like stories about OP characters because I hate seeing my characters lose, which is very personal. And I like to combine those two ideas into one because it is the ultimate incarnation of chaos to watch over-powered people do whatever it takes to secure their loved ones' happiness. That's just my niche.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

Anything sad, really. Yeah. That's it. That's bad vibes.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I'm currently working on 4x5 (title pending), which is a project that consists of 20 separate stories following the same 4 characters. I've been working on it for either 8 years or 15 months.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I write because stories are all I think about. And because I love the characters in my stories and if I don't write them their happy endings, who will? And I keep writing because I can't not.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I've been writing for about 13 years, and honestly? No clue. Or, maybe reading. Yeah, no, that's it. I spend my entire childhood at the library, so was there ever any other option for me?

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

I get my inspiration from other stories. It can be a moment, a line of dialogue, a theme, an idea, a character's power or personality trait, a scenario, anything. If I loved to watch it or read it, then I want to see if I can apply it to my stories. My current project was indeed inspired by other stories. I can't get any more specific than that. Because I have no idea what the specifics are.

What works of yours are you most proud of? Why?

An 80,000 word unfinished story that has been permanently lost to time due to a corrupted hard drive and thumb drive. Those 80,000 words were the first act of the first installment of a trilogy and I wrote them when I was 11, but they're still the best thing I've ever done because I've never had as much fun as when I was writing that. That sort of pure joy is something I've been chasing ever since.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I did. Once. Briefly. And then I unpublished it because I was afflicted by crippling regret. I do eventually want to start self-publishing my own work, but I have to build up to it.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you? Why?

Umm… I can't say I know how to answer this question. Hmm. I like the idea of publishing because maybe someone, somewhere, someday will find my work beautiful and feel better because of it, even for a moment - the way the best stories make me feel. I don't like the idea of publishing because my stories never make me feel that way personally, and putting out something that I'm not truly happy with is maybe a little nauseating. See, the aforementioned crippling regret.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I like planning the most and revising the least. Revising because I don't actually know how to revise and the very act of reading my own work can be demoralizing, which is very personal. Planning because when I'm conceptualizing and imagining, I get to soak myself in my ideas at their most pure.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

I have a 10 to 11 step detailed process for planning my story. This ensures that I know everything that will happen in my story from start to finish before I ever sit down to write. There are occasional deviations, but most of the time, my plan is as inflexible as I am. And that's how I like it.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I've been here for maybe 5 months and I joined the community because I wanted to get to know people who loved stories as much as I do.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

I don't think I'm engaged enough in the community to comment on this properly. In spite of my best efforts, I've yet to actually find my footing here. Or maybe my efforts are just poor. Who knows?

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

I like when I get to see the project updates people post. Some people put together moodboards or character profiles or story summaries or quote - and I like the writing games.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

I don't know enough about how it actually works to give any solid advice. I feel very lost on these things.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I don't contribute at all and I don't think I could be doing more because I don't really have much to offer. Which might be why I've yet to find my place in the community.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

I like to interact with posts that give me a real glimpse into the bet parts of a writer's world and characters. The posts that show what the writer thinks are the best parts. The posts that are really mostly inside jokes between the writer and their story. They're my favorite.

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

See the above.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

I've got a blog where I craft and post about writing and a youtube channel where I draw and talk about stories - my own and others'. Oh. And an Instagram.

Questions For Fun:

What is your favorite book you've read? Why?

I could never choose a favorite book in a million years and I'll cry if you make me.

If you could go back to yourself as a beginning writer, what would you tell yourself?

I would tell myself not to take other people's writing advice so seriously. I would read craft books and take them to heart and make myself miserable trying to follow their rules. It was a dark time in my writing life.

If you could have a conversation with any writer out there, alive or dead, who would it be and why? What would you say?

Agatha Christie probably. She was so prolific and so clever and so talented and I love mysteries and crime books, so she's something of a literary hero to me. I would just ask her… everything. What her process for developing mysteries was like, what her actual writing process was like, how long it took her to write, what she liked best about her stories - everything.

[peonac]

I’m so glad to have a friend who enjoys One Piece! How did you get into it? Do you have a favourite character? One you can’t stand? A favourite arc? Any fic recs?

I WAS FUCKING WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS ASK. NOT EVERYONE KNOWS IT BUT ONE PIECE IS THE SERIES OF MY LIFE. I CAN'T IMAGINE AN EXISTENCE WITHOUT IT!

probably the longest post I have ever made incoming:

I got into it in April 2003 (I was 11 at that time). Watching anime on TV was the only way for me and my brothers, there was no computer and internet around. We were hooked since episode 1 and never missed an episode, we would watch all the re-runs and be hyped about every epic moment and cry our eyes out at every tragedy or happy moment. Laughing our asses off at the jokes (Skypiea and Thriller Bark are imo the funniest!) And since then I'm a huge fan, though there were several years I lost touch. I picked up the series again a few months ago and stopped at the beginning of the Wano arc (due to low energy, yk how it is with taking care of the family etc).

And OMG I have so many faves!!! Nami!!! Her arc inspired me so much I took her name as my nickname. For a lot of rl friends, I'm just Nami, sometimes my teachers were confused and asked me if it's my middle name fklsdhfsjdůlkasd!!! She is so caring! Big sis vibes!

Zoro! He is so cool! Do I need to explain this? (also I find his relationship with women really interesting, the guy is so traumatized! And also he would literally die for you!) Devil Child Nico Robin. She is smart, powerful as hell and MORBID and her sense for cute things is just immaculate. The episode when she got to be part of the Strawhats is still one of my favorites. Maybe I'm mistaken but she is the only one that invited herself and not because Luffy told her so. I... okay, I will stop because otherwise, I will write a whole ass essay about her and why she is THE QUEEN of all queens!

The future king of the pirates Monkey D. Luffy! Period.

Trafalgar [redacted] Law.

*GRABS YOUR CHEEKS*

*PULLS YOU VERY CLOSE, OUR NOSES TOUCH*

You will understand once you watch more.

PERONA. I don't know why but I fell in love with her so hard I want for her to be real so I can propose to her! (but I also ship her with Zoro)

And here is a list of others I like: the whole strawhat crew (Jimbei ofc included), Sir Crocodile, Bartolomeo the Cannibal (I couldn't get enough of him, he is so silly), Donquixote Rosinante, Smoker, Tashigi (I ship her with Zoro too, wtf is with me to ship Zoro with so many characters!), Bon (Mr. 2), Boa Hancock, Bepo. I'm sure there are more, but I will stop here haha. I hate Donquixote Doflamingo, the Cipher Pol agents, Big Mom (she...I... she is a monster, like...wow), Buggy the Clown (imo the most pathetic anime guy in history, but the comedy around him is good), most of the Marines (what a bunch of assholes, really, it's a mirror to our world) and ugh, I'm sure there are more, but I can't remember XD! Fave arcs: Arlong Park, Loguetown, Alabasta Saga, Sky Island Saga, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Summit War Saga And here begins the controversy, ofc I'm not including the Wano arc because I haven't seen it whole yet...But I'm not able to enjoy the after-time-skip arcs. Great animation moments, the story is amazing too, but the pacing is just so bad. So many fillers within the episodes too, Dressrosa was a torture to watch. So if I just judge it by story everything is great! Maybe reading the manga would be the better choice. But I didn't want to miss the great animation.

I haven't read any fics yet but I have a few in my marked for later list:

What I enjoy the most are artists that create nice little stories and AUs! I'm going to make a separate post and tag you, the list is too long!

[ectoamerican]

ABOUT THE MUN ; please repost, do not reblog !! feel free to add to any of your answers! the purpose is to tell your partners about the way you write! for the multiple choice ones, BOLD all that apply and, if you want, italicize if it’s a conditional answer!

– 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 – NAME : Spooky ARE YOU OVER 18? : yes / no IS YOUR MUSE? : yes / no ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH ON THIS BLOG? : no ( anyone ) / semi ( most people ) / yes / highly / private ( mutuals only ) ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW ON THIS BLOG? : no ( anyone ) / semi / yes / highly IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH DO YOU ADHERE TO CANON? : not at all / a little / some / mostly / strictly / original character WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE? : one-liners / single - para / multi - para / novella DO YOU USE ICONS AND / OR GIFS? : no / gifs / icons / gif icons DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS? : no / yes ↠ discord WHAT LEVEL OF PLOTS DO YOU WRITE? : unplotted / open-ended plots / semi - plotted / fully plotted epics HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS? : very slow ( more than a month ) / slow ( 3 - 4 weeks ) / average ( 1 - 2 weeks ) / fast ( less than one week ) / very fast ( less than three days ) WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? : fluff / angst / smut / action / tragedy / domestic / family / conversational / hurt - comfort + more! WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? : high fantasy / supernatural / science fiction / historical / horror / comedy / romantic / drama / action / adventure / espionage / everything ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? : no / yes DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS? : no / yes HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT BE TAGGED? : anything labeling animal death in any way (ex. tw blood) – 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 – WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? : romantic / platonic / familial / physical / sexual / queerplatonic (///confused by this one and physical tbh ) WHAT TYPES OF PRE - ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? : romantic / platonic / familial / physical / sexual (///still not understanding the difference between physical and sexual here.) DO YOU HAVE OTPS? : no / chemistry / yes ↠ i ship with chemistry + have a preference for my mains/exclusives DO YOU HAVE NOTPS? : no / yes / i don’t know ↠ don't be a bigot or a pedophile ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT? : no / selectively / yes HOW EARLY IN A RELATIONSHIP DO YOU SHIP ROMANTICALLY? : autoship / during plotting / after a couple IC interactions / several IC interactions / slow burn / depends on partner & muse ARE YOU OPEN TO TOXIC SHIPS? : no / selectively / yes / never tried it ARE YOU OPEN TO PROBLEMATIC SHIPS? : no / selectively / yes / i don't know ARE YOU OPEN TO POLYSHIPPING? : no / selectively / yes ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER? : no / sometimes / yes DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? : no / sometimes / yes DOES CROSSOVER SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? : no / yes / depends

tagged by : @batinstincts tagging : please steal. take it. i am begging.

[basingstokemercury]

Okay, here's my fanfiction dilemma.

The work I'm currently making good progress on is a sequel to Yeomen with a gothic horror atmosphere.

The plot:

After the dust begins to settle, some of the cast are left confused as to how and why exactly Fairfax ended up in the position he did. When Leonard Meryll presses his former friend on these points, the result is murder - and Phoebe the only one who knows the culprit.

Spoilers for one detail of the ending (and one theme of the story) below cut:

I have two options in mind for how to wrap up this mess. One is more plausible and fits the genre better, the other indulges my weakness in disliking tragedy.

1: Fairfax is defeated and vengeance achieved, but the Meryll family is left shattered, with Phoebe reunited with Leonard after years only to lose him before their relationship can be restored. This makes the most sense with the source material, genre, and as far as "plausibility" applies to a supernatural narrative.

As I plotted out the story, the narrative of a man who knew his sister only as a child and a woman who spent her formative years without him began to take a larger role than I expected - as the older sister to much younger brothers (who I hope to remain close with as they mature), this is likely because of my personal experience with the dynamic. I began to feel that this narrative deserves a happy ending, and came up with:

2: While researching sorcery in her quest for vengeance, Phoebe comes across a ritual that can bring back the dead. It's practically a near impossibility, of course, but there's just a chance... And it works, this once. This would be much harder to pull off and perhaps a bit cliché, but a writing weakness of mine is that I struggle to permanently kill off good-aligned characters.

So...

(I'd also welcome input in a more extended form, of course)