#Fairy Odd Parents elements

[dcxdpdabbles]

Danny Fenton is Chip Skylark

Normally, I don't like doing multiple crossovers. I prefer to stick to just DC and DP. That being said, I have always loved the HC that Danny Fenton grows up to be Chip Skylark because it is the same creator and art style, so this is going to be an exception.

Bruce never understood the way people became obsessed with celebrities. He never experienced the whole "crush on the celebrity" or the urge to follow whatever scandal a celebrity was involved in (as long as no crime was committed).

If he liked an actor, it was because their moves and TV shows were good. Their acting had a range of roles that were well done. If he followed a singer or a band, it was because their music was something he enjoyed listening to. If he had a favorite sports player, they were terrific athletes who won competitions.

It was never because he thought them attractive or that he was burning with the need to know who they were dating. He didn't need to see every detail of their lives because he honestly didn't care if this singer was seen buying donuts on a random Saturday with an unknown man or if an athlete was seen buying from a discount bin.

It always made him uncomfortable how fans thought they had a right to a celebrities time. Running up and demanding autographs, taking videos or photos without consent and the worst of all, sending death threats to anyone they believe was stealing thier celebrity away.

He often heard people say that famous people knew what happened when you became famous, but that just sounded like an excuse not to treat another human being like a human being—at least to him.

The whole "they belong to the public now" was just....ugh.

Alfred was the same way. He got excited to meet someone famous from the theater but wasn't one to watch talk shows and sandals. Wasn't one to pin posters to walls or get offended when someone famous acted like a normal person.

Then Dick came to live at the manor, and although it confused him, Bruce let Dick get excited over a celebrity singer. Bought all the posters, signed CDs, met and greets, front row seats, and backstage passes if it made Dick happy.

Jason was the same with Broadway stars, gasping and babbling whenever someone he adored appeared on TV. Tim nearly fainted when he met that one famous skateboarder, framing the used napkin he had the man sign.

Steph adored that one Boxer, constantly babbling fun facts about the man that had nothing to do with boxing. Why would Bruce care what elementary school he went to? But he listened anyway.

Cass had dancers she went star-eyed for. There was that phase where she styled her hair the same way as her idol from Paris Oprea Ballet despite the fact that the style was only during nonperforming hours. Bruce had to special order the endorsed hair bands with a blue star of said Dancer.

Duke had an actor whom he never missed a single moive or show for. Even if the TV show she stared in flop from the terrible writing, the boy forced himself to sit through every minute if only because she appeared. He had a collection of DVDs long before moving in with Bruce and when Bruce took him to a special release night of her latest work, Duke had actually bursted into tears when they played her thank you for watching viedo before the movie started.

Really. Caring so much about people they didn't even know made no sense. He would understand if it was a fictional character, like the Grey Ghost because the character is and was just what that particular media presented. But real people? It was a real head-scratcher.

He assumed Damian would be the same as him. After all, Bruce knew his father, and his father's father had the same view of celebrities.

He was wrong.

"It's Chip Skylar!" His son screams at the top of his lungs when Danny's picture appears on the screen. His old college friend had contacted him asking if it was possible to have some special protection at his next concert.

Apparently, at the last one, he was kidnapped by some crazy fan and held hostage with a kid she babysat.

Seeing as Bruce and Danny often collaborated on tech for Batman (Before Danny got his big singing break, he was one of Gotham U's top engineering majors), Bruce saw no reason not to step in and offer help, especially if it turned out his kidnapping was due to magic, like Danny suspected.

He may not run around as Phantom anymore, but Danny had seen his fair share of magic users and magical creatures. That was the only explanation for how a tree had just appeared in the middle of the road and caused him to crash right in front of her house. She wasn't the cause of the magic, that much he was able to figure out when she chained him up, but it made Danny uneasy.

He was worried that the magic users would try again, and much like Superman, he had little to no defense against it.

"We're going to guard Chip Skylar!? " Damian hyperventilates, practically vibrating in his seat from excitement. "I get to meet Chip Skylar!?"

"You're a fan of his?" Bruce asks, slightly surprised, only to notice the same excitement on his children's faces.

"Ugh, duh. He's only like one of the most talented artists ever!" Steph gasped, pressing her hands over her mouth. "He once stopped to let a black cat, and every animal shelter in the state had their black cats adopted within a week!"

"I started flossing more regularly because of his Shinny Teeth song," Duke admits. "I couldn't get enough of that commercial."

Dick pulled out his phone, tapping rapidly. "I got to tell Wally. He will be so jealous I get to guard Chip Skylark!"

Bruce stared at all of them, wondering how even Jason and Cass seemed to be losing their minds over the same guy he once caught trying to drink three gallons of milk because, and he quotes, "It makes my bones go brrrrrrr"

"Danny is an amazing singer but-"

"Danny?" Tim snaps his eyes towards Bruce so fast, it took every ounce of his training not to flinch."How do you know Chip Skylark's birth name? Only the most dedicated fans know his non-stage name."

Bruce shrugs. "You all know how I feel about famous people. I'm not that dedicated of a fan but I happen to be friends with Danny. I can ask him to met you if you want-"

"YOU PERSONALLY KNOW CHIP SKYLARK, AND YOU DARED TO GIFT ME ART SUPPLIES FOR MY BIRTHDAY!? FATHER HOW COULD YOU!" Damian screeched, slamming his hands on the conference table as his siblings broke into an uproar.

Bruce honestly can never understand this.

[geekgirles]

In Defence of Beauty Marked

I've been giving it some thought, and I feel that nowadays we judge Beauty Marked too harshly instead of acknowledging it had flaws and virtues. Maybe we even focus on the wrong flaws.

From what I've seen, the episode's main criticism seems to be its heavy-handed message on feminism, especially how the writers use Sam to deliver it. To be precise, people dislike that Sam signed herself up for a contest she had no interest in just to make a point, which I've often seen was perceived as an example of her "not being like other girls" and looking down on more traditionally feminine things like beauty pageants.

While I admit this issue could have been solved by simply making the pageant mandatory and Sam rebelling against something that was imposed against her will, the truth is, Sam's as much of a proactive character as a reactive one, so it makes sense for her to go out of her way to make a point. So the fact that it was a voluntary event really worked against Sam's point in the first place.

I also have the feeling the Phandom's less forgiving reaction towards this episode might be a result of how, in recent years, more and more people have begun to denounce how femininity is often vilified in media. A campaign that I 100% support!

After all, beauty pageants are vilified for the wrong reasons, more so in the 2000s, where most shows featuring them either played it straight (Jake Long, Pucca, The Fairy Odd Parents), or had one of the characters denounce it as sexist (aside from Danny Phantom, Shake It Up also comes to mind). Now, I must admit I'm not their biggest fan either, but at least I understand beauty queens aren't inherently vapid idiots (for all I know, they can be wonderful people and have a degree in astrophysics), and focus my vitriol towards all the abuse happening backstage (pageant parents are a special kind of evil). However, in itself, beauty pageants aren't necessarily a bad thing, just a different kind of competition.

Just like there's nothing wrong with having more tomboyish interests, characters (and real-life people) who care about "girly" hobbies still have a right to exist outside of being the butt of some joke or the writers' punching bag. After all, we're people. We have layers and contradictions and that's beautiful.

I, myself, happen to be a hopeless romantic who loves dresses and skirts, and shopping for bargains, and cute and adorable things. But at the same time, I can be pretty foul-mouthed, I love myself some badass and even gory action scenes, I love weird animals as much as "cute" ones, and I prefer sneakers over heels any day of the week.

However, I feel people tend to misplace this sentiment onto Sam, seeing her as a proponent on "classical" femininity being bad. And they seem to treat this episode as proof, even though that's not what's going on at all.

Without going on too much of a tangent, the thing about Sam is that she's actually quite feminine herself. It's just that the Angry Goth Aesthetic and her design sometimes eclipse that. Ironically, her design also highlights that feminity.

Out of the major teenage girls in the show, the only ones wearing a skirt are both Sam and Valerie, just like they're also the most accesorised ones—with Sam wearing a choker and a bracelet on each wrist, and Valerie wearing her headband, necklace, earrings, and bracelets. And would you look at that! The girls whose designs include some of the most feminine elements also happen to be the ones spending their free time kicking ghost butt!

Layers, people!

Even outside from that, Sam's also been shown to have other girly traits or interests: even if she was embarrassed to admit it (which is normal for 14-year-olds), she was looking forward to the homecoming dance; she has great empathy for living creatures (mostly plants and animals), and AGIT went as far as to confirm she's a horse girl; she's usually seen with an adorable plushie spider backpack and bat slippers; she has great maternal instincts and the potential to be a very doting and loving mum...

Her problem with the pageant wasn't that it was feminine. In fact, at no point does she look down on the other girls for wanting to participate in it (she only got mad at Paulina for giving her a make-over that wasn't her style, and the feeling was very much mutual). Deep down, moments of hypocrisy aside, Sam understands that every girl has her way of being herself, which is something Dora openly mocked her for.

Sam was against the pageant not because she doesn't like girly things, but because Dora had quite openly stated how she intended to strip the girls of their agency in order to mould them into perfect little princesses—which we later learned actually meant turning them into submissive, mindless drones for her brother to marry.

Dora: Well, here's a statement. (holds a hand out towards Sam, standing beside her.) It says I'll never win in this outfit." Sam glares at Dora and puts her hands on her hips. Dora: Still, Ms. Manson has a point. (She walks towards the girls, now all standing in a row.) You girls are unique individuals with strong opinions and independent minds. Sam: You're darn right we are. Dora: It's my job to make you forget that and mold you into happy little princesses. (She smiles with her hands clasped together)

The point of the episode wasn't "femininity is bad", rather "objectifying women is bad".

A message which was exemplified all throughout the episode through the boys' actions, something that actually annoyed all girls, not just Sam, right off the bat, as soon as Dora announced she'd be appointing one of them as a judge.

To be completely honest, something I haven't really seen many people talk about is the absolutely horrendous attitude Tucker and Danny adopted during this episode. I hate to say this, because I love them both dearly, but they were such pigs! Literally the only one who acted as less of a feminist than these two this episode was Aragon, and that's because being a misogynist is his whole shtick.

While it's framed as they getting carried away because they're finally popular with the girls, it still doesn't change the fact that Danny and Tucker spent almost the entire episode (or the entirety of it, in the latter's case) reaping the benefits their new position as pageant judge (and his best friend) gave them to get special treatment and dates out of the contestants.

Doesn't that sound eerily familiar?

A judge (and his best friend) abusing his position to get favours and dates with beautiful girls, who in turn only accept because they hope in doing so they'll get first place.

With the rise of the #MeToo movement, that can get uncomfortable to watch. I mean, even if it was clearly meant to be a humourous moment, Danny literally snapped his fingers to get the girls to act as his bodyguards and to sic them on Dash.

It really says something when the most chivalrous guy this episode was Dash. No, seriously. Even if he clearly wanted payback from Danny hogging all the girls all week, he at least came to their defence when Danny seemingly chose Sam as the winner the first time. An action which, even though we as the audience know isn't what happened, can easily be interpreted as Danny playing favourites with his best friend, yet still be shameless enough to extort dates and favours from the rest of the contestants.

That is definitely not a good look.

I guess what I mean to say with all this is that, while Beauty Marked is far from flawless and didn't exactly pass the test of time, its message and Sam's involvement in it is actually one of the few things that aren't all that bad.

[stringsbasement]

Hey so did family odd parents get a new series? Who’s the purple hair guy you ship with who I assume is Timmy. I just stumbled upon you blog by chance and I want to know what’s up with your blorbos.

Who are these people and why do I recognize them?

welcome, welcome! i'll be happy to tell you all about it :) i'll try to keep it short:

to recap, the original fairly oddparents show mainly revolved around timmy turner, a 10-year-old boy who was given magical fairy godparents who'll grant his every wish to help him cope with his miserable life. in the show, his found family of fairies consists of cosmo (godfather), wanda (godmother), and poof/peri "purple hair guy" (baby godbrother). the show aired on nickelodeon from 2001 - 2017, and it was popular enough that even people who didn't actively watch it might recognize it

the new series, fairly oddparents: a new wish, takes place decades after the original show's events. it follows a similar premise with a (mostly) new main cast of characters: hazel (protagonist), dev (deuteroganist), and their fairies. cosmo and wanda came out of their 10,000 year retirement to godparent hazel, and dev later on acquired a now-adult peri as his godparent

peri (originally named poof), for the entirety of the original airing, was only shown as a perfectly marketable sphere baby. so when he showed up as an actual adult with design elements taken from both his parents blended in a unique, balanced way, with a personality reminiscent of pilot cosmo (suave gentleman)... something changed inside me

and now here i am

as for the ship, i think you've mistaken dale with timmy

it's the brown hair and blue eyes. don't worry, if i didn't know the lore prior, i could believe this was the same character too!

timmy is peri's brother, and they've been raised as such since peri was born. they were separated after timmy lost his godfamily (and his memories) sometime after growing up and becoming independent. godparents are only ever temporary, afterall. these siblings are made especially tragic by the fact that timmy is the reason peri was born— fairies were banned to have children, until timmy wished for cosmo and wanda to have one because he wanted to see them happy

meanwhile, dale is dev's father, completely unrelated to timmy. He's an antagonist, a terrible father, and the reason for dev's misery. he first appeared as a one-off character in the original show as a poor child laborer who got trafficked into a sweatshop working for a lemonade factory (i cannot make this up). in the current show, he's an irredeemable rich jerk for who i hold absolutely zero respect for. but, from a character perspective, he's fun to watch, and i love it when he shows up to ruin my mood

the shipping comes from the fact that peri and dev gets separated by the end of the first season, so lots of people headcanon that peri came back for dev by disguising himself as his human babysitter, which he'd of course have to be hired for...

those circumstances make for very interesting potential conflicts and dynamics, so it's not hard to see why some might take to it

(lots of people have shouted at me and made it abundantly clear that i may have accidentally fanned the flames for that one, whoops

it's hilarious, because i don't actually care much for the peridale ship at all. i might draw more, but it's far from what i like about the franchise)

a new wish was well received because it took many issues people had with the original and improved upon it. they gave cosmo and wanda a healthier dynamic, for one (it essentially used to be full of "i hate my wife" and "my husband is a moron" jokes, which didn't work well in the long run). the people working on it has also shown clear passion for the project, which i don't see much with show revivals these days. the jokes land and the emotional moments have their weight, and above all, it does it's job at being entertaining

for a show i didn't think much about as a child, a new wish has done well to revive my passion for absolutely overanalyzing and reading up upon every little thing within a franchise. it's kind of rare that i rant and rave about a show this often. the only other contender that reaches this level of insanity being... well, niche enough that i dont get the chance to talk about it online, unfortunately

but yeah, that's the gist of it! i hope i was able to satiate your curiosity

:)

[richincolor]

New Releases - Week of August 6, 2024

We found quite a few books being released this week and they seem to be full to the brim with magic and supernatural activity. 

Ami (Guardians of Dawn #2) by S. Jae-Jones Wednesday Books

When the Pillar blooms, the end of the world is not far behind.

Li Ami was always on the outside—outside of family, outside of friendships, outside of ordinary magic. The odd and eccentric daughter of a former imperial magician, she has devoted her life to books because she finds them easier to read than people. Exiled to the outermost west of the Morning Realms, Ami has become the sole caretaker of her mentally ill father, whose rantings and ravings may be more than mere ramblings; they may be part of a dire prophecy. When her father is arrested for trespassing and stealing a branch from the sacred tree of the local monastery, Ami offers herself to the mysterious Beast in the castle, who is in need of someone who can translate a forbidden magical text and find a cure for the mysterious blight that is affecting the harvest of the land.

Meanwhile, as signs of magical corruption arise throughout the Morning Realms, Jin Zhara begins to realize that she might be out of her element. She may have defeated a demon lord and uncovered her identity as the Guardian of Fire, but she’ll be more than outmatched in the coming elemental battle against the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons…unless she can find the other Guardians of Dawn. Her magic is no match for the growing tide of undead, and she needs the Guardian of Wood with power over life and death in order to defeat the revenants razing the countryside.

The threat of the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons looms larger by the day, and the tenuous peace holding the Morning Realms together is beginning to unravel. Ami and Zhara must journey to the Root of the World in order to seal the demon portal that may have opened there and restore balance to an increasingly chaotic world.

Dance of the Starlit Sea by Kiana Krystle Peachtree Teen

Lila Rose Li arrives at her aunt’s cottage with dashed dreams. For years, she pushed herself to become the perfect ballerina her parents would approve of, but after collapsing on stage, she snapped and lashed out violently. Now, exiled to Luna Island, with its sparkling blue waters and rose-covered boutiques, Lila struggles to believe that a girl like her—a natural disaster—deserves good and gentle things.

As the islanders gear up for their beloved tradition, the Angel of the Sea pageant, Lila vows to remain on the sidelines. But the more she learns about the island’s lore, the more she grows suspicious. Luna Island was nothing more than a failed fishing village before angels supposedly came and blessed them with abundance. The pageant is a competition to seek a High Priestess for their commune. To win is to be loved and adored by all, the ultimate blessing.

However, the Angel of the Sea is supposed to reign for seven years, and the previous winner only reigned for one. Something is haunting the island, throwing off the balance the pageant ensures. And as an eerie voice calls to Lila, drawing her closer to the ocean—to its depths—she worries its haunting her, too. The only way to discover what’s really going on, and protect herself, is to win the pageant. But how can a monstrous girl like her ever hope to be crowned by angels?

Kiana Krystle’s enchanting debut simmers with forbidden romance and dark secrets. A lush and sinister blend of paranormal mystery and mythology, wrapped up in fairytale about a teen girl’s hard-earned journey toward loving every part of herself.

The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow Delacorte Press

Princess Ying Yue believed in love … once upon a time.

Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.

This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.

But there is darkness in this new world, too.

It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings Sourcebooks Fire

The first book in a decadent fantasy duology set in Jazz Age Harlem, where at night the dance halls come to life—and death waits in the dark.

It’s 1926 and reapers, the once-human vampires with a terrifying affliction, are on the rise in New York. But the Saint family’s thriving reaper-hunting enterprise holds reign over the city, giving them more power than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs. Eighteen year-old Elise Saint, home after five years in Paris, is the reluctant heir to the empire. Only one thing weighs heavier on Elise’s mind than her family obligations: the knowledge that the Harlem reapers want her dead.

Layla Quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. Though reapers have existed in America for three centuries, created by New World atrocities and cruel experiments, Layla became one just five years ago. The night she was turned, she lost her parents, the protection of the Saints, and her humanity, and she’ll never forget how Elise Saint betrayed her.

But some reapers are inexplicably turning part human again, leaving a wake of mysterious and brutal killings. When Layla is framed for one of these attacks, the Saint patriarch offers her a deal she can’t refuse: to work with Elise to investigate how these murders might be linked to shocking rumors of a reaper cure. Once close friends, now bitter enemies, Elise and Layla explore the city’s underworld, confronting their intense feelings for one another and uncovering the sinister truths about a growing threat to reapers and humans alike.

The House Where Death Lives edited by Alex Brown Page Street YA

A dance to the death. A girl who’s just as monstrous as H.H. Holmes. A hallway that’s constantly changing―and hungry. All of these stories exist in the same place―within the frame of a particular house that isn’t bound by the laws of time and space.

Following in the footsteps of dark/horror-filled YA anthologies like His Hideous Heart and Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, and Netflix’s groundbreaking adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, this YA speculative fiction anthology explores how the permanence of a home can become a space of transition and change for both the inhabitants and the creatures who haunt them.

Each story in the anthology will focus on a different room in the house and feature unique takes on monsters from a wide array of cultural traditions. Whether it’s a demonic Trickster, a water-loving Rusalka, or a horrifying, baby-imitating Tiyanak, there’s bound to be something sinister lurking in the shadows.

Hovergirls by Geneva Bowers Bloomsbury YA

Jalissa and Kim Vasquez are cousins who move to the city of Los Aguaceros together. Kim dreams of becoming a famous model and fashion designer, while Jalissa is just trying to hold herself together after a breakdown the year before.

When a curious incident on the beach leaves them with supernatural powers and monsters start attacking the city, Kim decides that using their powers to stop them is the perfect way for them to become famous. But being heroes isn’t as easy as it seems–and Los Aquaceros is in more danger than they imagine.

This beautifully illustrated and hilarious YA graphic novel began as a web comic and quickly became a WEBTOON sensation. This print edition features an expanded story and updated art, offering something for new and old fans alike!

[uncannycandy]

Kurtbastian Beauty and the Beast (with some Ever After High elements)

Ever After High is the fairy tale boarding school for the teenage sons and daughters of the famous… and infamous storybook characters, who are set to follow into their parents’ footsteps. Ever since Kurt was a little boy, he knew what was expected of him, but there was another path that he wished to follow too: being a fashion designer. He could have two destinies, right? It’s been a few years since Kurt Hummel, whose family is known for Beauty and the Beast, had graduated from Ever After High. Now at age 22, with still no sign as to whom his beastly prince may be, and with a solid fashion portfolio at hand, Kurt has been offered the chance to create an exquisite suit for the annual Smythe Ball… for Sebastian Smythe.

Such a name Kurt could never forget. The Smythes come from a long line of the most charming and heroic princes there is, part of so many great stories. Besides the famous family keeping that name ingrained, Kurt loathed the man, ever since their days at Ever After High. Sebastian was arrogant, conceited, rude, crude, and more than once had he loudly claimed that Kurt’s future prince was “right over there” whenever anything that walked on four legs was in plain sight.

Nonetheless, Kurt was a Hummel and a royal, his family was known for facing the odds and overcoming challenges. Even if it meant that he had to refrain from purposely sticking a needle into the Smythe man while enduring his snide remarks when taking measurements. Making an outfit for such a wonderful event was a dream come true, and he couldn’t mess it up.

Now, Kurt had been fully prepared to follow his destiny ever since he signed the Storybook of Legends on Legacy Day while he was still in school. In which he was fully aware that his story— his family’s story— would be full of the unexpected. So, what is he to think when on the final day of completing his design, he returns to the Smythe castle to find it disastrous… torn furniture and paintings from claw marks, cold hallways, and a gigantic, monstrous beast standing right in front of him?

(kurt on the left & sebastian on the right)

this is a story idea i wanted to share. drawing inspiration from ever after high and of course beauty and the beast

does anybody remember ever after high? that show used to be the shit

[wol-fica]

-𝔹𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕤 ℙ𝕋𝟠-

pairings - wednesdayaddams x fem!elemental!reader

summary - you had feelings, big feelings, and they get the best of your logical decisions

warnings - kissing, fluff, happy wednesday <333333

an - this was really amazing and cute omg

—————————

Wednesday Addams.

Her name was a statement in and of itself, an alluring force to be reckoned with. She was known to be an emotionless, dull, gruesome individual who didn’t give two shits about anyone or anything.

You met her in sophomore year at Nevermore, in botany class. Sitting two seats to the right and one seat up, she was definitely something— her posture straight as a board and her stare just as hard; she had what your dad called “omph”.

Now that “omph” she had, caught your attention; Wednesday was incredibly attractive, her features being almost perfect in your eyes. Someone had told you once that love at first sight wasn’t real, just a fairy tale told by your parents to make you feel better about your future; but when you saw Wednesday, that whole perspective changed.

She made your heart run a mile a minute, your breath hitch at her presence, your stomach fluttering with butterflies as she spoke; she had you wrapped around her finger and she didn’t even know it.

Or did she?

See, Wednesday was someone who hated love, the whole concept of it. Her parents sappiness and public affections had pushed down all of the complexities she could have acquired; instead she is an empty, black canvas.

But for some odd reason, that canvas was changing. Bursts of color had begun to appear, in rapid strokes that splattered around the whole expanse; a painting was being formed within the depths of her heart.

Wednesday was no fool to attraction, she was aware of the feeling. There have been many guys and girls who have caught her eye for a second longer than most, but she’s never been interested in pursuing them. Dating seemed like a waste of time to her, and she could never see herself as being someone else’s girlfriend.

That was until she met you.

You.

You were quite the ubiquitous person, always awake and present whenever anyone spoke to you. A smile was almost always etched onto your face, small dimples could be seen on your cheeks when you grinned.

Wednesday liked your smile, it was a refreshing sight for her. She sometimes would catch herself just gazing at you, her black eyes droopy and hazy as she soaked in the sunny glow you produced; you were her muse.

Soon she realized she was hooked, infatuated with your presence. Your poise and posture was well kept and strong, something that got Wednesday’s heart to stutter, and you were very very serious about your hygiene, in which got her feeling all woozy.

It was the simple things that got her interested, and it was when she decided to sit with you at lunch that you both started into a talking phase.

Your personalities fitted together like puzzle pieces, slotted to finish the final portrait. Gift giving was a love languages you had, one Wednesday had to get used to, and you abused it SO much when you were beginning to be with her.

You had once bought her a pitch-black obsidian handled knife with your initials carved into the side. The blade was made from steel and bone, sharped to be able to slice through flesh like it was butter.

Wednesday asked you to be her girlfriend the next day.

Your relationship skyrocketed to heaven, clouds surrounding you both in your little grey bubble of love. The two of you were so compatible that even Enid was slightly concerned on why you two had never met before.

“Seriously Y/N, it’s so crazy how soft she is with you.” She said one day over breakfast as you watched Wednesday go to get you your favorite food, “I’m slightly worried that you hypnotized her.”

You laughed, shaking your head while turning back to Enid, “I think she is just different with me than with you.”

Enid scoffed, sipping her orange juice daintily as she rolled her eyes. A large, raw steak sat in front of her, untouched and awaiting to be devoured.

“Does she talk murder tactics with you?” She asked, picking up her fork and knife to cut the meat, “Has she told you about shampoo torture?”

“Yep, and the wonderful ways to attack all human nerves at one time.” You replied, smirked at Enid as you both said the answer.

“Lava Bath.”

You both giggled, your voices carrying to where Wednesday stood in the breakfast line. The sound of your laughter filled her ears, and she couldn’t help but quirk a small smile. She loved your voice; the light, summer-y sound was soothing to her.

After grabbing a plate of food, some utensils, and a glass of chocolate milk, she made her way back to where you and Enid. were seated. Her black eyes were trained onto you, carefully watching your every move.

“Oh thank you!” You said happily, taking the plate from her.

“You’re welcome.” She replied whilst placing your drink and utensils down, “I never knew a person could be addicted to french toast, of all dishes.”

You chuckled, bumping your shoulder against hers after she sat down next to you. Her head tilted at the gesture, but she stayed silent and basked in the calmness of your conversation with Enid about how you can control the elements.

“So is it like a feeling? Or a will?”

“No,” You started, sipping your chocolate milk, “It’s more like an understanding between each creature.”

Wednesday buried her nose into her arm, exhaustion clouding over her as she attempted to stay awake. Due to a boring yet long study session, she did not get her usually 6 hours of sleep and instead took a 30 minute nap and stayed up for the rest of the night.

A warm hand rested on her back, rubbing comforting circles into her spine. She turned her head slightly to see you resting your hand on her, your eyes still on Enid as she spoke.

A rush of emotion hit her, a warm, bubbly feeling erupting in her stomach at your affectionate touch. Her face felt hot, and suddenly she had the urge to kiss you.

You both had previously talked about being more intimate with each other, but Wednesday’s stubbornness and her ill-efficient ways of conveying her thoughts on physical affection caused you to never got to try it out.

You had mentioned once that you were interested in slowly growing to that, and would be open to taking as much time as possible until she was ready for that kind of PDA.

The most Wednesday has ever done with you was hold hands, one hug after her second Poe Cup win, and she has permitted a few kisses on her cheek when you were feeling extra loving on valentine’s day.

“And that’s how I can start and stop the rain!” You said confidently, smiling at Enid while still rubbing Wednesday’s back.

“That’s impressive.” Wednesday commented from her slouched position, a small-dazed smile on her face as she stared at you, “You are stunning, cara mía.”

Your face went pink, your lip slipping in between your teeth as you blushed. Enid giggled, putting her hand over her mouth as she laughed at your flustered state.

“Shut up wolf.” You muttered, looking at the ground.

A sudden confidence came over Wednesday, and the next thing she knew, she was grabbing your face and pulling you into a kiss.

Your lips pressed into hers, soft-plump burgundy against slightly chapped and velvety pink. She pulled you closer, one hand on your waist while the other cupped your face. Eventually, your own hands slid to her cheeks to hold her, to touch her in some way.

She was addicting.

Her taste, her smell, her touch, her body language, the way she was so soft with you, the way she chased your lips after you took a breath; it was heavenly.

“Nes..” You mumbled, your voice muffling by Wednesday kissing you yet again.

You were aware of Enid, and you felt bad as this had to be so weird for her, but your focus was on your girlfriends tasteful kissing skills.

“As much as I love…well…love…this is extremely awkward.”

Wednesday pulled back from you, keeping her hands on your waist as she turned to glare at Enid for interrupting her.

“We were being intimate, leave us be.” She stated, rubbing her thumb on your hip.

“It was intense.” Enid sneered, gulping down the last of her orange juice as you blushed.

Wednesday rolled her eyes and pulled you into her lap as you yelped in surprise, your face going even redder than before. Her arms went around your waist to hold you tighter, her chin resting on your shoulder whilst closing her eyes in exhaustion.

“Sleepy?” You asked her, your hand sliding behind her neck to caress her skin.

She hummed, nodding and pulling you closer so she could lean into you. Enid snorted from across the table which made you turn to catch her taking a photo.

You eyed her with a warning look, raising an eyebrow and twitching your head towards Wednesday as if to say, ‘She will skin you alive if she sees that.’

Enid rolled her eyes but smiled, quickly sending you the picture before getting up to throw her food away and probably bother Yoko. You signed, watching her go before sinking back into Wednesday’s surprisingly comfortable hold.

You were with the girl of your dreams.

————————

*sobbing*

taglist: @crystal-lily-101 @tundra1029 @aahdiieb @rainbow-love4ever  @imhungry-andtired @theafterofnevermore @k1mba @dreaming-of-u @simp4thena @thenextdawn @alexkolax @annalestern @efectoangel @fall-08 @captainbeat @littlegaybutterflysblog @sayaisrotten @deep-fried-egg

[callunavulgari]

Top 25 Fics of 2023

1. whatever you want by Wildehack (tyleet) | Wolf 359 | Kepler/Jacobi | 5k

Kepler doesn't fuck him that first day, when Daniel swallows his pride like it's a hot coal he can feel boiling down to the pit of his stomach and dials the number left on the card. Heather Says: Back in 2017, Wolf 359 changed my life. I relisten to it every year. I reread fic. I sometimes write it. And THIS year, I was blessed with one of my favorites writing my favorites from Wolf 359. It's honestly exactly what I wanted out of a Wolf 359 fix it/coda.

2. god was a dog-man by @andthepeople | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

“Do you have a secret teenage son?” Stiles demands, as soon as Derek opens the door. Heather Says: I did NOT watch the Teen Wolf movie this year. I did, however, relentlessly stalk reaction posts and (very select) gifsets. I also read this fantastic fic, which is now the movie in my brain because since I didn't see it, I'll never know.

3. then out of nowhere, somebody comes and hits you with an ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh by @calciseptine | Deadpool | Peter/Wade | 49k

A man with spider-themed superpowers accidentally breaks into Wade's apartment. Heather Says: Deadpool is one of those fandoms that I'm technically a part of because I like it and I think Spiderman and Deadpool is both hilarious and hot, but it's always just on the edge of my peripherals. But sometimes Steve's fic just kind of creeps on me and demands my attention. This was my feel good fic this spring.

4. By the Laws of Magic by Lenore | The Sandman | Dream/Hob | 32k

It’s 1959, and Hob Gadling is working at a London auction house, amazing his colleagues with his uncanny knowledge of art and artifacts from the 14th century on. When he gets the assignment to catalogue a family library at a place called Fawney Rig, he looks forward to a working vacation in the country. What he finds is a house with a preternatural chill where odd disturbances happen daily, an ornate carved door with a secret clearly hidden behind it, and visions of his mysterious stranger every time he turns around. Heather Says: I honestly love this ship. The fairy tale elements combined with the very compelling idea that in another universe much like this one, Hob Gadling ends up saving Dream from his glass prison made for some truly great fiction.

5. Dawnshot Through the Heart by @sirnotappearinginthisblog | Wax&Wayne series | Wax/Wayne | WIP | 80k

Ten years ago, Wayne fled instead of letting himself get arrested for murder. He’s been an outlaw ever since, keeping one step ahead of the lawkeepers who want him dead or alive—especially Dawnshot. But his luck was bound to run out eventually, and he knows how it always ends for the Bad Guys in stories. Heather Says: I think that this is the only WIP on here but I cannot rightfully leave it off because I LOVED this fic this year. I love the Mistborn series, but I've never really sought out fic for it before. This one though, this one found me. The writing is SUPERB and I wish it was a bigger fandom because it deserves so much love, you guys. It's so so so good. I love Wax and Wayne's dynamic in the series. They're great. But also- what if they had an enemies to lovers thing going on that turned poly? WHAT IF?!

6. One Size Fits All by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 65k

Steve just wanted to do something nice for a friend, he doesn't mean to get Eddie's ring stuck on his finger, and it's definitely not his fault that everyone he knows is jumping to conclusions. Heather Says: This is not the last time that you will see this author or this ship on this list. I really would have thought that Steddie would have crept out of my brain right now, but NOPE. And part of that is because every couple weeks entanglednow drops an absolute BANGER of a fic that obliterates my brain for anything else.

7. you are spring by @wildehacked | Supernatural | Castiel/Dean | 20k

God makes a wish. His parents work some things out. Heather Says: I got very close to leaving this one off the list, not because it wasn't good or that it wasn't one of my top 25 but purely because I've been out of the Supernatural fandom for so many years. I mean, c'mon. I didn't watch the last FIVE seasons. However, getting to follow along wildehacked's rewatch journey on twitter was a blast from the past and then THIS lovely shining fic that they churned out lured me back in for one last nibble at this ship that took over my life for the better part of a decade. It is so incredibly amazing and since I never finished the series, I will happily go on pretending that this is how it ended.

8. Interim by starkraving | BotW/TOtK | Ganondorf/Link/Zelda | 95k

She has no throne. Girls without thrones should not have knights, but hers won’t go. Princess Zelda – the girl who killed Calamity – would love to fade into legend, but Link’s bought a house, he’s fighting off monsters, and he’s selling giant horses to strangely familiar Gerudo men. She'll never have any peace now. Heather Says: This fic. THIS FIC. Is so richly built. Is so intoxicating. It leans into found family. You spend chapter after chapter watching Zelda and Link traverse Hyrule with the hot Gerudo that they met along the way after the events of the first game. And it is so fucking compelling. Honestly, while I'm happy that they smooched, I would have been completely fine reading another 100k of just these three wandering Hyrule together, being absolute goblins. 10 out 10, will read again.

9. one hundred years past by tciddaemina | BotW/TotK | Ganondorf/Link | 38k

Link wakes up a century early. It changes everything. Heather Says: Can you tell that playing Tears of the Kingdom left me desperately thirsty for any and all Ganondorf content this summer? I'm a sucker for all sides of the poly triforce but I'll admit that Ganondorf and Link scratches that enemies to lovers itch PERFECTLY if it's done well. And this one is done well.

10. Step Right Up by entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 3k

Steve had mostly given up on trying to meet anyone new after everything, but it's been six months and his friends had started giving him pointed nudges to get out there again. Heather Says: Told you it wouldn't be the last you saw of entanglednow. I actually think that this might be my favorite fic that they've written? Which is saying a lot because I will scream it to the rafters that any Steddie fan should read their fic. But this is FUN HOUSE MIRROR MAZE and MISTAKEN IDENTITY KISSING. Guys, I have no chill about this fic. I have no chill about Steve's hands in Eddie's hair, or the sounds that he makes, or the smell of strawberry. It is just so so good.

11. the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 35k

Sixteen years after the world didn't end for the last time, Max Mayfield showed up on Steve’s doorstep and said, “You gonna walk me down the aisle in May or what?” Or, it’s 2002 and Steve Harrington attends a wedding, a funeral, and a birth. Heather Says: I genuinely do not think that I have words for this one. It is one of those all encompassing fics that sucks you in and just won't spit you out again. It hurts, an ache just under the breastbone. But god, it's so beautiful.

12. Fight Night by @rlnerdgirl | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 12k

Stiles starts fighting in college. He doesn't tell anyone. Heather Says: There are three...? Yeah, three Teen Wolf fics on this list. Three. Like it's 2015 again. Like my brain broke and time went ticking all the way back to when I was ridiculously invested in these characters. But honestly? All three Teen Wolf fics on this list are incredibly therapeutic. They get to be the ending for me instead of whatever clusterfuck good ole Jeff tried to pull. This one in particular is fantastic because it's canon-divergence after SEASON one. Yes, we have Erica and Boyd. Yes, Stiles is BAMF. It's a good read.

13. strange fear i ain’t felt for years by Sister | Batman | Tim/Jason | 31k

“Can’t believe a pretty thing like you has to come begging to the Red Hood,” he says against Tim’s neck. “Thought they’d be lining up down the block for you. Thought Daddy would need to get the shotgun.” Heather Says: Oh look, another ship and fandom that I was only peripherally aware of that had me in a chokehold for a good month and a half. I don't even like DC that much.

14. Silver-Tongue by starkraving | Baldur's Gate 3 | Astarion/Karlach | 9k

Astarion fast-talks an abnormal number of enemies into killing themselves in the shadow-cursed lands and the team makes idle (then less idle) conversation about it. Heather Says: Okay, so I STILL have not finished this game. I have however very carefully consumed as much content as I can get my hands on without being completely and totally spoiled. This was the first fic that I really loved in this fandom. It's no surprise that I ship Astarion happily with everyone, but damn is he good with Karlach in this one. Their characterization is perfect.

15. A Sign of The Morning by ToEdenandBackAgain | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 86k

Vecna is dead. The Upside Down is cut off from Hawkins yet again. Steve is trying to go back to normal, whatever that is. He's also trying to figure out exactly how Eddie Munson has managed to fit so easily into his life. Heather Says: Honestly? What can I say about this one? It has 19,000 kudos despite being published last June. It's on a ridiculous number of collection/rec lists. The tension is exquisite. The found family? Even better.

16. Phantom of Truth by Haiju | Danny Phantom | Maddie Fenton & Danny Fenton | 58k

Locked away in a secret government lab with Phantom as her sole object of study, nothing stands between Maddie and the truth... except, perhaps, herself. Heather Says: Oh look, another fandom that I have never ever been a part of. I saw this REALLY NEAT and angsty tiktok (tw for ghosty gore) and basically immediately was sucked into a show that I've never even watched before. The comments lead me to this fic which is perfectly gen, angsty, and honestly absolutely perfect. I cannot get over how much I loved this.

17. Manacled by senlinyu | Harry Potter | Draco/Hermione | 370k

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Heather Says: I did the thing. I read the incredibly dark fic that I've been avoiding since 2018. I typically steer-clear of anything that is overly bleak and I do not tiptoe into non-con waters often. But one of our groomsmen who isn't even involved with fandom read this so that his girlfriend would watch Star Wars with him and then spent a good portion of a Halloween party talking it up. So I gave it a shot. Over all, it is too bleak for me. That said, I finished it in a weekend. I loved it. I hated it. I wish I'd broken it up over a longer period of time because the emotional bleed off of it was intense.

18. Ready for Love by @idiopathicsmile | Singin in the Rain | Cosmo/Kathy/Don | 12k

Don and Kathy would move in together. They would have a dog or two and then inevitably, a small parade of adorable little brats who would call him Uncle Cosmo, and they would spend less and less time with him, not on purpose but busy with the rest of their lives, and ultimately Cosmo would learn to make his peace with it because he’d have no other choice and he would have to try to move on and not live too much in his memories. He could picture it so clearly, he figured if the songwriting gig with Monumental didn’t pan out, he could always return to the backwater circuit with a new act: The Amazing Cosmo of the Cosmos—ladies and gentlemen, he sees the future, he reads the stars, he silently pines for his best married pal and all the while tap dancing! Don and Kathy inviting him along on their honeymoon, though—that part was a surprise. Heather Says: I LOVE this movie. It is one of my biggest comfort movies. I watch it to feel happy. I watch it when I'm sad. And I have always shipped these three but NEVER read fic for it. And honestly? I'm glad I waited for a good fic to find me because this one was perfect.

19. A Series of Forgettable Events by @trensu | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 27k

Steve wanted to be a dad more than anything. Unfortunately, he was a single dude in his thirties which meant no adoption agency in the world was willing to give him a chance. Or at least no human adoption agency. Heather Says: Honestly just a delightful little jaunt in a world where Steve wants to be a dad, Eddie is a very overprotective siren, and the kids are, well. Little horrors. I love it. There's a sequel now which I am very patiently waiting to read it until I am less busy in RL.

20. the dry sand of daylight by @andthepeople | Inception | Arthur/Eames | 15k

Arthur is married to Eames for the better part of a decade. Then he wakes up. Heather Says: This fic left me ACHING for the Inception fandom circa 2010-2012. When livejournal was still a thing and the fandom community was alive and thriving. It is so achingly tender and perfect. I had forgotten how much I loved them.

21. brutalist masterpieces by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 12k

Ten years on, in a town in Nova Scotia, on the edge of the Atlantic, Eddie finds Steve again, and also maybe himself. Heather Says: Maybe that's my thing this year. Achingly sweet tender pieces that leave you reeling in the aftermath. This fic is SO incredibly beautiful.

22. What Made Milwaukee Famous by synthetica | Danny Phantom | Vlad/Danny | 30k

Ten years after establishing a tenuous truce, Danny crash-lands at Vlad's Milwaukee lakehouse with a particularly nasty wound, three days recovery time, and absolutely nothing to do but talk to his long-lost archnemesis. Heather Says: I'm told that this is something of a rarepair. However, from the limited information that I have from the series I can say with full certainty that two ghostly beings locked for years as enemies growing up and meeting in the middle? Fully my thing.

23. then now and always by @raisesomehale | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

Stiles is stuck. Stiles is stuck in the fucking snow in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere at night with a broken down car three days before Christmas, and the nearest tow truck company—over fifty miles away—doesn’t open until morning. Heather Says: And here we have the promised third Teen Wolf fic, the most cathartic of the bunch. I am so so sweet on future fic particularly in this fandom with missed chances. And this one is just so syrupy sweet. It's winter! There's horses! Derek's an alpha! They smooch. Anyway, this is how I cope with a series finale that didn't happen and a movie that doesn't exist.

24. Terminus by @rcmclachlan | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 4k

"Keep me here," he begs against Mobius's lips. "You must keep me here." Heather Says: What do you mean you didn't spend all three replays of the Loki series finale weeping into a pillow? What do you mean you didn't spend the next few days trying to find the perfect coda? What do you mean that you didn't find this fic and positively expire from the sheer fucking tenderness in Mobius' voice? What do you mean? What. do you. mean? Anyway, I know I'm not supposed to have number one favorites. This list exists because I cannot condense it further than 25. But guys, this was my favorite fic this year.

25. Eye Of The Beholder by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 22k

Eddie works himself up to ask Steve if he can borrow his instant camera, because the type of pictures he wants to take are…not the kind he can get developed in town. Heather Says: And to round it out, another Steddie. This one with sexy photos. The tension is killer.

[theliterarywolf]

So what do you think about the Fairly Odd Parents reboot? I'm honestly pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I like how they're leaning into some (very very light relatively speaking) cosmic horror elements with the Fairies.

A New Wish really feels like someone looked at the universe established by the original series and wanted to legitimately expand upon it rather than just making content for the sake of content.

It's why everytime Hazel and Dev do something that may have been previously explored by Timmy (i.e.: Hazel wishing to become a fairy), it doesn't feel rehashed.

[fairylandblog]

Scottish Highland Faeries

The Scottish Highlands, a region renowned for its stunning scenery, rocky mountains, and foggy glens, have long been the setting for myths, stories, and folklore. The faeries, or Sìth or Daoine Sìth in Gaelic, are one of the most fascinating aspects of Scottish folklore. These ethereal creatures, who represent the enigmatic interaction between nature, the paranormal, and the human world, have captivated writers' imaginations for generations. Highland faery stories are full of beauty, peril, and moral lessons, showing that people who lived in nature were both awed and cautious. Contemporary popular culture frequently portrays Scottish faeries as small, avian characters. Rather, they are multifaceted, unearthly creatures that can be extremely kind or terrible, depending on their treatment. People frequently saw the Highland faeries as protectors of the country because of their innate connection to nature. The "Sìthean," or faerie mounds, where they resided, were believed to be entrances to their secret world. The Highland terrain was home to these revered and carefully handled mounds, often resembling small hills or ancient burial places. People believed that disturbing a faerie mound by excavating or building on it would bring bad luck, as faeries were fiercely protective of their territories.

Humans were believed to engage with the Daoine Sìth in a variety of ways, and these encounters were both feared and desired. For example, in order to please the faeries and gain protection for their animals or abundant harvests, farmers may leave offerings of bread or milk. These sacrifices recognized the faeries' dominance over nature and demonstrated reverence for them. But the faeries were also notoriously erratic and were empowered to punish those who disobeyed them, frequently in subtle but terrible ways like ruining harvests, tainting milk, or inflicting disease. The faeries' dual roles as protectors and tormentors represented the unstable relationship Highlanders had with their surroundings, where existence frequently depended on outside influences. The idea of faerie abductions is among the most persistent and unsettling elements of Highland fairy mythology. People believed that faeries could abduct people, particularly newborns or young brides, to either live in their world or play a role in their magical domain. They would leave a changeling, a faerie child, or a magical object that would assume the abductee's form in their place. People frequently invoked the changeling myth to explain children's odd behavior, developmental delays, or unexpected diseases. Since faeries were believed to be afraid of iron, parents would take precautions against kidnapping by putting iron artifacts next to their children or hanging red ribbons around their cradles.

Moral lessons are also ingrained in Highland faerie lore. Numerous stories highlight the value of humility, reverence for the natural world, and the perils of conceit or greed. For instance, many tales describe mortals discovering faerie parties and receiving invitations to participate in their dances. Despite the enchantment of the faerie realm, those who linger too long often face curses or discover that years have passed in the human world while immersed in it. These warning stories acted as a reminder of the limits of the human and supernatural realms and the dire repercussions of crossing them. The Scottish Highlands' faeries were not only amusing characters; they were an integral part of the local culture and religion. They stood for the belief in powers bigger than oneself, the mysteries of the natural world, and the thin line separating the visible and invisible. Orally transmitted from one generation to the next, their stories changed throughout time while maintaining their central themes of caution and reverence. In a world where technology and contemporary comforts rule, stories of Highland faeries nevertheless enthrall people today because they provide a window into a world where reality and magic coexist. They serve as a reminder of the power of narrative and the universal human need for wonder and purpose in the unknown.

[uptoolateart]

Fairytales - All of us are our own Prince Charming

A few years ago, I attended this workshop about storytelling and the ancient legends of Great Britain (where I live), and the host said that as a society we are suffering from a ‘crisis of metaphor’. What he meant was that we tend to take things too literally and therefore miss symbolic significance.

An area where I see this happen over and over again is our interpretation of fairytales - namely, this idea of a princess being saved by a prince, and the modern notion that it teaches little girls they need a man to rescue them.

This is valid, but only because we fail to teach little girls (and boys!) the true meaning of such tales. In fact, the most well-known fairytales date back not just centuries but millennia, because they contain elements of older myths. For instance, the three fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty are the three fates found in Norse and Greek mythology - who also appear as the three witches in Macbeth. The notion of an apple of temptation in Snow White, too, has its origins in ancient Greek legend - not to speak of its allusion to the Garden of Eden.

The reason such tales have persisted in popular culture for so long is that they speak to something deep inside us, and this goes well beyond just promoting the idea of a girl needing a man to save her. For this reason, there are books out there psychoanalysing classic tales as if they were dreams, from both a Freudian and a Jungian perspective. We also got taught to analyse stories in this manner in my English degree, once upon a time.

As a brief example, I’ll return to Sleeping Beauty. As a little girl, she's hidden away and protected from all eyes, especially men’s eyes, as if trying to keep her young forever. Her parents refuse to allow her to touch that magic spindle, which is a symbol for puberty and awakening sexuality. I mean...a needle, and a bloom of blood?? However, this growth is inevitable. Despite how much they try to keep her from being exposed to the outside world, Aurora finds the spindle anyway and falls into a deep sleep.

This sleep not only affects her but the whole kingdom. Everyone goes unconscious, other than the witch / dragon. The prince then has to fight through thorns to reach the princess and defeat the dragon. A crucial question is: why would he do this? Surely there are easier princesses to win! And if we look at the Disney rendition, he literally just saw Aurora talking to squirrels and owls and immediately fell in love with her, instead of thinking she was a bit odd. All of this tells us we can’t take it literally.

The dragon and thorns are the internal defensive measures to try to keep out the prince, who represents everything that was being repressed - the awakening moment that will bring Aurora into the adult world the parents and fairies were so keen to hold her back from. In this sense, we can say that the witch and the prince are both other aspects of the princess. In other words, there is no girl in need of saving by a man. The man is part of the young woman. She is saving herself. There is no kiss to wake her up magically - this is symbolic of her emotional awakening and transition into adulthood. This is why she is named Aurora, a reference to the dawn.

We can look at every popular fairytale in this way and see that each character is an archetype. Each of us, male or female, holds all these archetypes within us. So, fairytales are not merely stories but ways of symbolically exploring growth experiences and journeys we all go through. In this way, even a little boy hearing one of these tales can relate to the princess. Every boy is the princess and prince - every girl is the princess and prince.

What is key is making sure that the symbolism is strong. Don’t explain all of this to young kids and ruin the magic. But as our children grow and begin to be aware of the symbols, we can explore it with them and teach them that each and every one of them has the power within to be their own Prince Charming and free themselves from any 'evil spell'.

[hazellark]

Originality: Fanfiction, Genre, Trope

So I wasn't going to post this anywhere ever, but I saw a post that made me angry so now the internet, and my one follower, get my essay on Fanfiction. I wrote it for a class, in case the sectioning is a bit weird, but it is a piece of writing I'm proud of. I have an annotated bibliography I will post separately. A different title that didn't make it to the final report:

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words or is the Cost the Thousandth Minute Spent Here

Image from: “Canon vs. ‘fanon’: Genre devices in contemporary fanfiction.” (McCain 8)

I started reading at around the age of 5, and I loved it. I was one of the kids that actively went to look at the books in the book cubbies of the classroom during free time, and once I was good enough at reading, I began tearing through the series I had available. Magic Treehouse, Boxcar Children, fairy tales, books on horses, cats, dogs. My parents wanted my siblings and I to always be able to have the books we liked available to us to encourage reading practice, so my dad made us all personal bookshelves and out of necessity, I ended up with the largest one. In elementary school, I chafed against the 3 books a week checkout policy. In middle school and early high school, with my limit removed, I would check out as many as 15 (my record) books at a time. My backpack rarely went a day without having at least one book inside. When I was still a preteen, my parents tried to encourage us to read critically one summer by offering to pay us for book reports, and I went ahead and read my assigned book and two more, hiding myself in my closet for a day to read all the way through Eragon. I would take free books home to the point that my personal bookshelf was often double stacked. All that is to say that I have always really loved reading. So when a friend showed me a site that allowed me to read hundreds or thousands of stories about characters I already liked, that I could access anywhere through my phone, I fell head first into the world of fanfiction readers.

Image from: A screen capture of my bookmarks page, on 4/17/23

When a reader begins, they're given books with simple words. The books tend to have consistent vowel sounds, and use basic words from everyday life. If they learn the written language early in life, odds are they never felt the need to seek out a greater variety of literature at that point in time. Books were basic fictional stories that taught how the lines on the page turned into communication. It's only once the basics are established that a learner can start to read for themselves. Fast forward a couple years and with a solid foundation of vocabulary, a reader can begin to have choice in what they read. One of the earliest classifications for literature that a reader gets is genre. Even books built for kids can range from the fantastical, like the Magic Treehouse series, to nonfictional books about animals, space, and history. As the years stack and a child reads more and more, they will begin to both notice and be taught about patterns. Even without knowing the labels, humans are used to pattern recognition, and as Thomas C. Foster put it, “Part of pattern recognition is talent, but a whole lot is practice: if you read enough and give what you read enough thought, you begin to see patterns, archetypes, recurrences”(Foster 29). The classroom and experience show similarities in story structure like the Hero’s Journey model, in characters like the tragic hero, and in story elements like a dragon fight to save a damsel.  At the point where a reader can recognize similarities, they can identify the types of stories they like, by genre, archetypes, tropes etc. Generally, people have a type of story that they like best, and shared qualities between two stories are attractive. A reader turned writer may like an idea, and want to put their own spin on it. The “what if” is the basis of all new stories. Foster, summarizing Northrop Frye, asserted that, “Literature…grows out of other literature; we should not be surprised to find, then, that it also looks like other literature”(Foster 29). In a world of literary repetition, what is originality? And in turn, what does that mean about fanfiction?

Image from: The back cover of Diana Winne Jones’ “Dark Lord of Derkholm” 

Following Frye’s line of reasoning, Foster concludes a very bold idea: “there’s no wholly original work of literature”(Foster 29). Yet contrarily, he goes on to explain that one of his favorite novels contains multiple recognizable archetypes and story elements, and called it “wildly original”(Foster 29), very intentionally using the word original once again. Those two statements seem to contradict themselves, but he draws the line at the combination of the familiar into something different from any piece on its own. My personal belief is that original literature, mixed from familiar traits like genre and trope, is spawned from the onset of the author asking the question “what if?”. We both agree that external inspiration does not deny creativity.

Image from: The fandoms tab of the AO3 main page

Genre

It’s not uncommon to ask someone their favorite genre. Most readers have a favorite genre, or at least a top two or three. It’s also not uncommon for genres to coexist in a piece: A high fantasy story can have a romantic subplot, a science fiction tale can have undertones of tragedy, and an autobiography can focus on the comedic parts of life. Introducing an element from another genre can be a strategy to keep an audience engaged, a way to fill time, or a side effect of a kind of world building. Fantasy, scifi, autobiography, romance, tragedy, comedy, mystery, westerns, horror, realistic fiction, and more are all considered genres of prose by at least some portion of the population. There are genres for nearly every kind of written work imaginable. There are letters for business, condolence, between friends, there are applications for jobs, schools, grants, and many variations of poetry. Beyond “types of things,” what is genre, and what does it have to do with originality?

Like how there is no singular list of major genres, there is not really a strong definition of genre that. In an article for “The Kenyon Review”, Northrop Frye grappled with two diametric definitions of genre, one being that it precurses and is “independent of creation” and the other being that genre is that it is born of and reliant upon the genesis and comparison of new works (Frye 8). His ultimate conclusions are that genres come from archetypes, and that “all literary genres are derived from the quest-myth” (Frye 15). Though he never says it explicitly, it can be derived from his statements that genre is related generally to content of works. The researcher David Chandler agreed with Frye on the difficulty in defining genre, stating that “Specific genres tend to be easy to recognize intuitively but difficult (if not impossible) to define”(Chandler 2). He goes on to say genres exist because classifications are necessary to make distinctions and descriptions, but that genre is not a static concept, something closer to a negotiation between the culture and the idea of it. He specifically notes that “Each new work within a genre has the potential to influence changes within the genre or perhaps the emergence of new sub-genres (which may later blossom into fully-fledged genres)”(Chandler 3). 

Suffice it to say, giving completely rigid definitions for genres does not work forever. Like with teaching metaphors, they work at a specific moment in time, but they might lack details, or be slightly incorrect, because the goal is to impart a main point rather than act as a perfect mapping of an idea. What can be said about genre is that it “provides an important frame of reference which helps readers to identify, select and interpret texts”(Chandler 7), and, in a later section about taxonomies of genre in film, indicates that similarities within a genre may be related to narrative, characterization, basic themes, setting, and iconography(Chandler 13). A loose definition can be drawn then, that literary genres are generally larger scale classifications of writing that involve the content of the text, useful for helping readers interact with the text for lower effort.

Due to genre being a wider classification of literature, it is not inherent that shared genre indicates a lack of original content. Conversely, because a genre tends to share enough content elements that by simply knowing the genre the reader understands parts of the book, genre forces some degree of shared features. Though not his intent, Chandler does address the mix of the two ideas, “while writing within a genre involves making use of certain 'given' conventions, every work within a genre also involves the

invention of some new elements"(Chandler 6). Though genre necessitates similarity, it does not inherently necessitate sameness. 

Image from: The YouTube channel ColeyDoesThings

(Note: Do NOT look up unknown fanfic tropes, you will SEE things)

Trope

Like every other literary happening, most people encounter tropes regularly, even if they are not always identified. They can span genres, or largely exist within one. Examples include found family, the wise mentor, friends to lovers, other worlds, the chosen one, and long journeys. They can act as a draw, a dissuasion or a cue to readers for what may lie in store. They exist normally, in altered form, in parodied form and more.

Trope mimics genre in the issue of varying definitions in different spaces, but because it is a “smaller” concept, it is a little easier. Speaking from the view of literary YouTube space, the content creator Merphy Napier identified trope as ”a literary pattern that gets used often enough that readers obviously, clearly, and quickly recognize it and generally know what they’re in for” (1:10 - 1:22). This is, again,  very similar in concept to genre, and for good reason: both need to be able to be used for clarification. Trope is, however, tied more closely to the story than genre is. Napier, later in the video, says that “All books either have tropes as the baseline of their story or as certain elements within the story. And what the author does to them to make them unique to that author, unique to that story, unique to those characters is what makes those books great” (7:42-7:55). Throughout the video essay, many examples pop up, namely characters, relationships, plot points, and setting, all of which fall under possible classifiers of genre. The general understanding that tropes are smaller scale classifications yet very similar to genre is well demonstrated by one of Napier’s examples: ”There are also certain genres that rely on tropes as their very definition. Time portal fantasy needs [time portals] to exist. If someone writes a time portal fantasy that doesn’t have the main element in it, the trope, this is bad” (4:05- 4:23). Overall, trope emerges as a smaller, similar structure to genre, though one a bit more story-centric.

Like with genre and exemplified in the second Napier quote, tropes are just a sum of a whole. They can be vital to a story, but there is always more. It should be said though, that most of the time, when people call a story unoriginal, it comes from the perception that too many genres and tropes are shared between two works- it is never just one or two. Because genre and trope necessitate similarity, the more shared genres and tropes, the more similarities are also shared. Thus, it is fair to say that two pieces of writing with enough shared tropes and genre seem unoriginal. Typically, when people do bring this up, it is due to a cause and effect- one story becomes popular and other writers jump on the bandwagon, writing similar stories in response to the popularized one. This explosion of subsequent stories is what generally leads a trope to be called overdone, and a story unoriginal. While there is merit in saying that in these cases the trope is no longer new, “overdone” is an opinion, based on the amount a reader is willing to read that trope (8:35 - 10:40). 

Image from: “The Works inspired by this one:” list of the fanfiction “Yesterday Upon the Stair”

Fanfiction

If someone spends a certain amount of time engaging with the internet, they likely hear about or see fanfiction in one of its variant forms. Though some sites are more popular than others, fanfiction, called fanfics or even just fics, exists in a variety of spaces in a variety of forms. “Household name” sites for the written format include Archive of Our Own(AO3), Wattpad, Tumblr, and Fanfiction.net (ff.net), but podfics (fics of the audio variety) can be found on Youtube, and threadfics- fics written with the thread function of social media posts to get past the character limits -get written every day on Twitter. The average reader finds their way into the fanfic space by first finding the community writing, drawing, and generally creating or engaging with the content of a published media, known as the fandom. 

Though fanfiction is sometimes called a genre, it varies in definition according to the context. The most basic definition is that fanfictions are “fictional works based on a work the author liked.” The meaning it carries in casual use is that fanfics are unmonetized, fan-made pieces of writing that are shared in an online space, generally designated for such writing. For example, fiction written by fans of Disney’s “Encanto” or the anime “My Hero Academia” would be called fanfiction, because of their format and the fact that they cannot be monetized without breaking copyright. However, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is not called fanfiction, because it is a published piece of work, based on a piece of literature whose copyright has already expired. Once again, there is more than one definition, and in this case, finding a middle ground cannot encapsulate everything. 

Fanfiction is a genre in that knowing a work is fanfiction can provide some expectations of what the story may contain, but fanfiction is a direct effect of other media, and while it is a type of fiction, it is larger than most genres are individually. The second definition may be correct by denotation, but it is not what people mean in conversation unless they want to imply even certain well known works like The Aeneid and fairytale retellings count as fanfiction. The third definition opposes the second, and even then it misses information. In her thesis, Katharine McCain, quoting Katherine Morrissey questions, ““How do we attempt to process a concept that is simultaneously claimed as an activity, an identity, and a connection to others?”(McCain 13). Fanfiction, as a concept, is too big. Fanfiction as a genre is inconsistent within itself, like every other genre. The definition of fanfiction, as it is used in conversation, misses the community that built and change the culture and practices. 

However, even if it cannot receive a codified definition, modern fanfiction can be described by some of its key characteristics. McCain identifies her subject as “a particular type of fanfiction—one that is becoming more and more prevalent among fans and acafans alike: a fanfiction defined primarily by its communal nature, its reliance on the Internet, and its desire to combine the creative with the critical”(McCain 13). Looking at this through the lens of AO3, the internet enables quick access and easy communication. An author may start a work and draw inspiration from the comments left on the works, as most writers of multichaptered works do not have everything written when they start to post. A common practice is writing fanfiction inspired by other fanfiction, as pictured above, which is born of the common attitude, “___ idea was good/bad, but what if.” Taking an aspect of a story, often a trope, and tearing it apart then putting it back together is the fandom way, and occurs both with canonical content(from the original source material, and also called canon) and fanonical content (based on a general consensus within a fandom- generally on what should have happened- and also called fanon).

With that in mind, McCain’s four main characteristics of fanfiction are the sharing and overlapping of content, common language and medium, “bad” writing, and the overlap of the creative and the critical. (McCain 15,16) The first and fourth aspect are both heavily tied to fanon and canon, the former referring mostly to the chain of inspiration from the source to a writer to other writers, and the latter referring to the practice of asking “what if” in creation. The second and third aspect both refer to the largely unmoderated nature of the fandom. Fanfiction spaces are always inventing, and are unrestricted by published work conventions. Regarding the second aspect, new terms are invented and propagated within fandoms to communicate the new ideas they generate. Fans describe genres and tropes alike as “alternate universes(AUs)” if they are not present in canon, for example fantasy AUs or Coffee Shop AUs. Formatting also varies greatly from fic to fic, as authors are free to format their story with any format they can create, and often will make specific choices to impart certain ideas or feelings on their readers. For example, keeping everything in lowercase can be used to make the reader feel like something is off, or slightly incomprehensible. The third aspect largely refers to Sturgeon's Law, a term derived from Sturgeon's Revelation, and imparts the idea that “90% of everything is crap.” Fanfiction can be written by anyone, and requires no editor to be published. Naturally, every level of content emerges for viewing- there are only filters when the author employs them themselves. 

Fanfiction is very blatantly unoriginal by most standards. It makes use of characters, settings, and tropes that can be directly traced to a source material. One writer, Patricia C. Wrede comments on her blog that “Fanfiction, as I have pointed out elsewhere, can be looked at as a sort of map of various alternate routes through the implied decision tree that the original writer used. The whole point is that it’s not purely original in itself; it has to have something to be an alternative to, or an expansion of”(Wrede, “Wrede on Writing”). An important note is on the wording “purely original.” Throughout the article, she agrees with the points of Frye and Foster, that near everything in existence draws from something else. Paired with my opinion that originality (not pure or true originality, just uniqueness) is spawned from the “what if,” this could mean that near everything has equal potential to be considered original or unoriginal. Genre and trope commonalities may have weigh-in as to the amount of uniquity in a work, but if hardly anything is “purely original,” there should not be a gold standard with which to punish other literature.

  As a final note on originality, it is important to note that even though originality is idealized, what matters most in a story is that it entertains its audience. It can contribute to that enjoyment, but as Wrede puts it, ”Originality is not the be-all and end-all of literary quality; it is simply one of the many and several ingredients that writers use to create stories.”(Wrede, “Wrede on Writing”).

Image from: The “History of Equestria and Other Headcanon Stories by Ink Rose” playlist on the YouTube channel of Ink Rose

Beginning to read fanfiction was a massive change to my life, but not in terms of type of content, or quantity. My main genre is still fantasy, and any drop in quality I attribute to Sturgeon's Law, as without the levels of review that published works receive, every level of writing makes it to visibility. Rather, it greatly increased the accessibility of reading. I no longer had to carry around books to everywhere I went, I could bring a phone or a tablet and with all my downloaded stories, I could have a much greater amount of readable content for much less to carry with me. For example, on family car trips I was capped at bringing more than 4 or 5 books to avoid taking up too much space. After I burned through them all, I would have to find books from whoever’s house we visited, hunt someone down to play cards, or set up a movie player. Fanfiction, existing in the online space or in the downloads of an electronic device, meant I could bypass the space limit, and, should the mood strike me, read near indefinitely. And I do read near constantly- waking up in the morning, between classes, while waiting, in my free time, in the bath, during breaks in schoolwork, when I really should be doing work, before bed, in bed, and possibly more. Some days I read a total word count greater than any individual Harry Potter book (the longest one is 257 thousand words). I did similar things before fanfiction, sometimes a book or two a day, but now I can read it anywhere, anytime.

Being a fanfiction reader means that for any popular media, I can typically find a story with my favorite character. It means that for any less popular media sources, I reread fics over and over, and lament the lack of a large pool of writers while bookmarking the works of my favorite authors and subscribing to their accounts, their series, and their works to catch everything they make. It means checking my email every day to see if any stories I read have a new chapter, and deciding between reading those chapters, if I remember the story, or ignoring them, waiting for the fic to be completed before reading it all at once. It means filtering out story elements, ships, or tags I don’t like, and reading the tags if I don’t, and even still stumbling upon something I didn’t want to read. It means reading vastly more than my mom, but still being told I need to read more “real” books and stories. It means walking around with downloads that make up days of reading available at any time, and that collection still not even coming close to my bookmarks count. It means having an account that some swear is the most personal thing they own, saying they’ll take their account information to the grave. It sometimes means loving and hating my fandom’s community in equal measure, and choosing to read on or leave based on prevailing feelings. It means loving characters or settings or worlds powerfully enough to read and read and read and read and only stop by the limits of the fandom size and my willingness to change my standards. 

The closest word to the love of reading is bibliophilia, or the love of reading/collecting books, but while I do love reading books still, I think I’m closer to a lover of stories. I could never read forever, as it is not where I find fulfillment, but it is where I find joy. I read everywhere all the time using my phone, from one of my dozens of open AO3 tabs or hundreds of downloaded fics. Nothing is entirely original, but it doesn’t need to be. I filter to my tastes and set myself loose, because I love reading fanfiction.

Image from: A screen capture of the main page of the fanfiction site “Archive of Our Own”

[synergysilhouette]

Remaking (Some of) Disney's live-action remakes

Well, I didn't think I would ever be making this post. In any case, this isn't all of the remakes; these are just remakes that I either didn't like and/or had something significant to add (some remakes I didn't care for, but didn't have any ideas for them at this time). Enjoy!

Maleficent/Sleeping Beauty--While Disney considered making a sympathetic film on Maleficent, they instead decide to remake a remake of "Sleeping Beauty," but fleshing out Aurora and Phillip, while still keeping the sympathetic elements for Maleficent without curbing her personality too much. Aurora and the fairies are also heavily saturated in the color of their clothing to contrast with the gothic setting (at least, when Aurora is out of her cottage dress). In this version, both Stefan and Leah protest the fairies' idea of taking Aurora away, and the three fairies are explained to be sisters. Aurora, now called Briar Rose, makes occasional visits to the castle since the fairies don't want her to be consistently isolated socially, plus it'd be hard to defend her against Maleficent if they were always alone. Not to mention, they want her to have a rounded education as a future queen. As such, Briar Rose befriends Phillip, who is unaware of her identity and is in disguise when she meets him on the outer areas of the kingdom, and Leah and Stefan do their best to make time for her, but with heavy hearts, keep their relationship to her a secret. When their relationship to her is revealed when she confesses her love for Phillip (though he uses a different name), she grows angry and turns against her loved ones, who are just as devastated as she is. Phillip learns of her identity and believes she's going back to the cottage, and goes there, but Maleficent catches Aurora before she leaves, and Phillip is captured at the cottage. The fairies' magic protects Aurora's soul from Maleficent's curse, allowing her to help the fairies find Philip and guide them to where she fell under the spell. Aurora's parents and fairies apologize for keeping her identity a secret, and Phillip and Aurora kiss, though their parents stave off marriage negotiations--well, for now; Phillip's father still tries to press the issue. Make sure to check out my fancast (though I do love the cast from "Maleficent"). Should I cover part 2? I have an idea or two.

Beauty and the Beast--Nothing heavy, except (just for fun), Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as cast as the leads, able to find room if their schedules for it AND "La La Land." Disney could also focus more on Belle's introverted nature, with the remake depicting her as socially awkward, and as a result of her treatment as the "odd" girl, she acts quite haughty to those who treat her coldly, seeing knowledge as the true form of supremacy. She also takes an interest in her father's inventions, but due to her interests in fantasy and romance over science and technology, her attempts to escape the Beast's castle are unsuccessful. However, most of the beats in the film play out the same. Gaston would probably have a different actor, but I'm not sure who; I'd like someone in a similar age range to Stone and Gosling.

Aladdin--Disney opts to go for a specifically Arab vibe for the film, and thus all major actors are of Arab descent, though the background characters include people of African and South Asian descent. As such, Jade Thirwall is cast as Jasmine instead of Naomi Scott (who I find underrated; IDK who I'd have play Genie instead). The storyline removes Aladdin lying to Jasmine, with his goals of presenting as a prince to be to inflate his own sense of self-worth rather than using his status to seduce Jasmine. Jafar's backstory is also expanded upon here, and is made to be the anti-Aladdin, showing how he came from nothing and that he had to lie, cheat, and kill to get where he is now. The film takes from the original story of Jafar pretending to be Aladdin's uncle, rather than the animated film having him pretend to be a fellow prisoner to Aladdin, and thus takes Aladdin under his wing and making Aladdin feel worthy of love (well, so he thinks). Seeing Aladdin as easier to manipulate than Jasmine, Jafar pressures him to continue boasting his supposed princely lineage so the sultan would slowly come to rely on him more.

Mulan--When approaching remaking "Mulan," Disney opts for their team to do more research in China, as well as hiring Aang Lee as the director and Miranda Kwok as the screenwriter, with Chloe Zhao making significant contributions in both departments. Stephanie Hsu is cast as Mulan and Simu Liu is cast as Shang, and Disney has the foresight to keep Eddy Murphy as Mushu. There's a big deal on whether or not the film "should" be a musical or not, so production stalls for a bit. Eventually it's decided it should be a musical, but of a different kind, with songs played to represent the character's feelings rather than the characters themselves singing, and Disney brings back the original singers. The story is mostly the same, but more screentime is given to Shang and his father to parallel Mulan's own motivation to make her father proud, and Mulan is given a younger brother to match (one of) the original tale, with Mulan noting that while her brother will have more societal freedom than her, she realizes as Ping that there are still rules men must follow and expectations they must meet.

(NGL, I had some other casting options directly from China, but I wasn't sure who spoke English)

Cruella--Directed by Emerald Fennel, Disney opts to do a bit more of a mature take on this film. As Cruella de Vil is a homicidal fur-obsessed maniac, she film is made to lean into the psychological/horror/thriller genres, but only slightly because they didn't want nightmare fuel to ruin their brand. The film is also noted for the occasionally tricolor visuals, opting for black, white, and red at times instead of full color. Helena Bonham Carter is cast as Cruella, socialite obsessed with status, and, after a horrifying experience hunting with her father, furs. Eventually she forays into the realm of fashion, and she becomes fixated on a pair of dalmatians she sees one day, and to her delight, one of them belongs to her former childhood schoolmate, Anita. When Anita and her husband Roger's dogs give birth to puppies, Cruella takes it as a sign that she's meant to have the furs, and when Roger rejects her financial offer, she sets about not just kidnapping the dogs, but ruining their personal and business lives, even going as far as making them question their sanity. But the dogs always know when she's around...

The Little Mermaid--While wanting to add diversity, Disney opts to take advantage of having Lin-Manuel Miranda on their musical team and decides to make an original version of "The Little Mermaid" set in the Caribbean, unaffiliated with the 1989 film. Rob Marshall still directs, but Nia DaCosta is brought on as co-director and screenwriter, with Frances-Anne Solomon providing additional contributions. However, despite the Caribbean setting, most of the actors are American (it was decided early on that the prince would still be white, but Disney felt hiring a European actor as the lead male in a fantasy realm post-colonization would have bad visuals). Halle Bailey is still cast as the titular mermaid, and several African-American, Latin-American, and some Indigenous American actors are hired for the film. Given critics' misguided belief that Ariel only became human "for a man," the mermaid in this film instead plays with a bit of mystery. While she does develop a fascination with a handsome statue and rescued a human, she is led to believe that he died later on. She thus becomes human to explore the sights for three weeks, and the sea witch warns her not to become attached, for if she becomes unhappy with returning to the ocean, she will turn to foam. Part of why she became human was because of her dissatisfaction in the ocean. Again, feeding on misconceptions, this time on the idea that Ariel had body dysmorphia, the mermaid is given a unique and exotic appearance above the tail (colorful hair and eyes, sharper teeth, cuttlefish eyes, etc.), and when she becomes human, she's pleased to see how "beautiful" she looks now. During her journey, she befriends a prince who's depression and sense of ennui has confined him to a wheelchair, and she tries to reinvigorate his sense of life as she explores (and he re-explores) the human world. It's eventually revealed the prince is the human the mermaid rescued, and his involvement in the shipwreck he was saved from was covered up to avoid public scandal since it was a night of debauchery on his birthday. The sisters of the mermaid give up their hair in order for the sea witch to give the mermaid a dagger to stab her feet, for now that her time is almost over, she doesn't want to leave the human world, but stabbing her feet before sunset will allow her to become a mermaid again. She acquiesces, and becomes a mermaid once more. However, when a coup occurs at the prince's castle, the mermaid finds out and encourages him to leap into the ocean, where she shields him. He sees who she is, and accepts her. Seeing how impactful their love has become, the mer-king helps the prince defends his kingdom from the coup, and allows the mermaid to regain her human form--but this time, her colorful, exotic appearance is largely kept, as she has now become confident and happy with who she is. The prince regains the strength to stand, and they marry.

Snow White--While the original plans were to make this similar to 2015's "Cinderella," Disney instead opts to make the film more original like TLM, citing it's positive feedback as motivation. After the success of "Encanto" and several Latin actors auditioning, Disney decides to set the kingdom in a fantasy kingdom inspired by a Hisapanic country (haven't decided if it should be Mexico or Colombia). Alfonso Cuaron is brought on to direct and Guillermo del Toro does the screenwriting, and Sandy Powell still does the costuming. That said, Disney doesn't entirely avoid the animated IP, with the protagonist's outfit being familiar in aesthetic (similar to Joan of Navarre's look, just with Mexican influence), though there's also other outfits she wears in light purples, blues, whites, and silvers. Most of the film takes place in the winter, and there's a semi-historical influence by making her stepmother a queen who was forced into marriage and has had to fight for her throne after her husband died and she failed to have an heir, being regent before her stepdaughter comes to power. As the princes grows older, the queen's staff start to ignore her in favor of the heir, and even her magic mirror claims that she will lose everything she worked for to her younger, kinder, more beautiful stepdaughter. This comes to a boiling point when a prince comes to ask the hand of the "future queen," and the stepmother has her daughter go hunting--though the huntsman lets her get away. That said, he lies to the queen and she claims the princess is dead, but when she learns this is false, she frames the huntsman for her death rather than it being an accident. Most of the film plays off the same, with the added detail that Snow White befriends an old woman who shares the cottage with the dwarves, and also works to guide the prince to her. As the queen becomes more erratic, the mirror gains power, showing up in reflections across the kingdom until attacking Snow White and the dwarves, making it easy for them to separate and the queen to deceive her. The dwarves find her and encase her in a glass coffin for the prince to bring back to the kingdom. Along the way, the apple dislodges in her throat and she awakens, allowing for a final confrontation between the heroes and the queen with her mirror.

Hope you enjoyed at least one of these ideas! Lemme know your thoughts below.

[comradesbooks]

CRASH COURSE IN WRITING MAGIC SYSTEMS THAT NOBODY ASKED FOR

Disclaimer: I reference some popular media in this post to use as examples of what and what not to do when writing magic systems in fiction. In spite of my horrible sense of humor, understand that I’m not berating any series, I’m just making a point. Like what you like.

AHEM.

In a medieval or ancient fantasy world, magic is a staple, and while it can be a challenge at times to work with a magic system, I’ve found that effective magic systems have three clearly established factors playing into them. These factors are as follows:

1. Rules and Limits

2. Plausible Purpose and Canonical Background

3. CONSISTENCY

1. Rules and Limits. When it comes to writing a magic system, I feel that the most daunting part of it is the sheer amount of freedom you have with it. It’s to your custom. There are no rules until you set them, and if you don’t set firm rules in your magic system, you end up with a weird free for all that makes your story fall flat. The hero needs to reach the peak of some secluded mountain to battle an ancient wizard threatening to destroy the world? Let’s just teleport to the guy and hit him a few times with lightning until he dies! That’ll do it! With logic like that, you have a story that lasts less than 10,000 words. And no lonely soul in the wee hours of a Sunday morning is going to want to read that to pass the time. 

This is why rules and limitations are vital to any magic system. Say your aforementioned hero (who is currently trying to reach that wizard but has no clue where he is) works with magic or has a sidekick who works with magic. Now say that this world does have teleportation magic, which is pretty OP. How do we limit it? Well, maybe teleportation, although possible, is dangerous because it makes the user tired, which is pretty impractical when you’re getting ready to have a final showdown with an all-powerful wizard. This could lead to a side arc that the hero must go through in order to reach the pesky wizard, therefore adding conflict to the story and opportunities to meet new characters, develop your world, and lengthen your adventure.

Earlier seasons of The Fairly Odd Parents come to mind. For those who grew up watching Butch Hartman’s brainchild, you might remember Da Rules, a huge book full of all the rules a godchild and his fairies must follow during their partnership. While rules are made up on the spot in some episodes, there are quite a few that stick around throughout the series and act as a hindrance in Timmy’s hare-brained schemes. In one early episode, Timmy wishes that he was the best skate-boarder in the world. This is fun, until he is challenged by his evil babysitter to a skating contest. Because of the stated rule that he can’t make wishes to win contests, Timmy is stripped of his magical skills, and is forced to git gud on his own in order to beat Vicky. If it weren’t for this simple rule being established early on in the series, the episode would have never happened at all. It’s a simple and childish example, but it gets the point across well enough. 

Put bluntly, limitation and necessity are the parents of invention. If you don’t have rules, you don’t have conflict, and if your story doesn’t have conflict, then you don’t have a story.

2. Plausible Purpose and Canonical Background. Why does your world even have magic in the first place? Why does it exist? How does it exist? How does it affect your story and the characters in it? If it’s just a background element or plot device, either edit it out of your story, or rework your story to make it important, if you want magic so badly. If characters rely on magic for their way of life, make it clear how magic affects people and how they use it in their day to day lives. If magic isn’t a common occurrence, do people fear and shun it? This could be a driving force in your story. 

To add to this, magic systems are about as interesting as their origins are. Magic doesn’t just exist. That’s not unique. It should have some kind of explanation to it. Even if it’s vague, it’s fine, if there’s a good enough reason. Maybe no one knows its true origins and so it’s only crazy theories that exist, which could be up to the reader to determine magic’s origins in that world. Open-ended world-building and characterization can be interesting, if done well.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a good example. Skyrim introduces a new magic system to the Elder Scrolls series; the Thu’um. To put it bluntly, the Thu’um is an ancient school of magic that was used only by Dragons. Humans couldn’t use it until a goddess allowed them to use it to fight the Dragons in ancient times, because without it, humans had no chance of overthrowing their cruel masters. Canonically, the Thu’um is a very powerful kind of magic, which at one point was used to break a piece of Skyrim off during a battle between two Dragon Priests, Miraak and Vahlok. The story behind the human use of the Thu’um is pretty metal, and therefore, interesting! While it doesn’t have to be quite that brutal, there should be an interesting story to the magic, which could also play into the rules limiting the use of that magic. Using Skyrim as an example again, while humans can use the Thu’um, it requires decades of training to actually do anything with it because the practice is not natural to humans like it is to Dragons. While a handful of mortals have been born with the ability to use the Thu’um without much training at all, only very few have existed in history, and even fewer actually used their gift. The magic is insanely powerful, but has strict limits and rules, depending on who is using, limiting the amount of people who can use it.

Use of the magic system shouldn’t be all the same either. There are different people who are going to practice it, and those different people are going to have different perspectives on the craft. A great example to look at is bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender. While the bending of elements in the show is technically a martial art, it’s treated like a magic system. Each nation has its own style when dealing with their respective element. Waterbenders are more fluid in their motions when waterbending, while earthbenders are very rigid and forceful when they’re chucking rocks at your face. Firebenders are offensive and aggressive, while airbenders are defensive and agile, preferring avoidant tactics in combat. Variations exist, such as the three main Waterbending styles, according to Wan Shi Tong; Northern Style, Southern Style, and Foggy Swamp Style. Some intellectualoids like Toph are knowledgeable enough to make brand new techniques completely unheard of in their craft in the form of metalbending, lavabending, bloodbending, and lightningbending. Others, like Iroh, are even able to borrow from other elements to come up with completely new techniques, like lightning redirection and using different parts of the body to firebend when the limbs are bound. Having multiple ideals in a world not only creates organic diversity, but also opens the doors to conflict. What if two kinds of magic users with differing ideologies clash? What kind of chaos could ensue?

3. CONSISTENCY. It’s pretty simple on paper, but writers seem to struggle with keeping their magic systems consistent. A small example in High Guardian Spice would is the portal magic introduced in the first episode by Aloe. If you have a portal that can take you from Point A to Point B with no established limits, why didn’t Sage and Rosemary just teleport from their hometown to the Academy? When the girls get trapped in a cave, why didn’t they just magic their way out using portals? Avoiding plot holes is easy if you stay consistent. If you write yourself into a corner, consider reworking the previous two factors in your story. To prevent writing yourself into a corner, plan your novel out before you write it, and don’t be afraid to rework some things if you get stuck. They’re called drafts for a reason!

This little brainbarf boils down to:

You make the rules in magic systems. Those rules can be whatever the heck you want, but to make a good product, you need to stick to the rules you set, and still find a way to make it interesting.

Take everything I say here with a grain of salt, as I’m mainly a fanfiction writer, however I have worked with fantasy games, and have rewritten some magic systems to make them more “novel-friendly”. (*cough cough* Skyrim, I’m lookin at you *cough cough*) 

Just understand that everything I said is entirely correct and valid and if you think otherwise, you are automatically wrong in every way.

I can provide examples of my own work with magic systems, if anyone is curious. I can also write up a part two, if anyone is open to discussion! 

[malec-ao3feed]

Lightwood After Dark

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/kQeJyGv by la_muerta, moni26 Everyone thinks Alec Lightwood has got it all. He's one of the most sought-after event organisers in New York, and it helps that he was born with a handsome face, natural blonde hair, and the bluest eyes. It's a little odd that he doesn't look like his parents at all and looks more like his adopted brother Jace, but it's probably not a conversation for polite company. But there's also the strange fact that nobody has ever seen Alec Lightwood after the clock strikes midnight… Words: 6307, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alternate Alec Lightwood (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted), Alternate Magnus Bane (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted), Alternate Isabelle Lightwood (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted), Alternate Jace Wayland (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted), Alternate Raj (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted), Jia Penhallow Relationships: Alternate Magnus Bane/Alternate Alec Lightwood (Shadowhunters: This World Inverted) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff, Fairy Tale Elements read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/kQeJyGv

[new-royston-cursebreakers]

(Pen pal from Micah to Cricket) Greetings, This letter may be a bit of a surprise, but allow me to explain. I'm a studying wizard of another realm. So far, I've only been able to observe other realms for short periods, and just send things back and forth. Long story short, seems like we're both in need of some friends. (My mentor won't stop nagging me about it.) Not to mention, seems your city is in quite the odd predicament. Then again, I'm in a world where fairies and giants exist, so who am I to compare? I suppose I ought to introduce myself. My name is Micah Cyprus. I'm studying a variety of magic, but have taken a liking to elemental and druidic magic. I have many animal companions, as well as my mentor Rhydian and my family. We live on the outskirts of Stellaris by choice, at least nowadays. Being poor has its own set of perks. You get to learn a thing or two that others don't. It's all about perspective. And speaking of perspective, and I hope it's not a rude question, what's it like being small? (I've tried asking a fairy when I was young, it didn't end too well.) Sadly, I haven't mastered that sort of spell. It seems rather fun! Anyways, do you like animals yourself? What kinds of stories do you like? I would be thrilled to learn more about you! Just leave your letter where you found this one. I'll pick it up tomorrow evening. Cheers, Micah Cyprus (took me a while to get to it, but here ya go!)

(Cricket's left a letter and small book alongside it)

Hi Micah!

First of all, this is probably the coolest letter I’ve ever received! And it’s even sized for me! That’s so considerate of you! I hope my handwriting is big enough for you, I assume your the normal size a human should be? That’s around bracket three right? Like four to seven feet?

Second of all, yeah, I’ve been in some need of friends. Since your from another dimension and you know things about me that I don’t talk about I assume you’ve been watching me? If so, please don’t tell anyone about the situation with my household. I am perfectly fine on my own and will be out of this situation soon enough!

Third of all…MAGIC?! I have a friend who uses magic too! His name’s Auster and he says the kind of magic he uses is called stregoneria! It’s a bunch of stuff with oil and herbs and charms and saints and stuff. I don’t understand a lot of it but I know that it works! He uses it to heal and to help people get good luck. What do you use druidic and elemental magic for? I assume elemental controls the elements, but what does druidic magic do?

Your right that being poor has its own set of perks. I look at my bigger richer friends and their problems and it’s so weird. ^ In New Royston those are the same thing, sorry! My giant friend Gio has a lot to live up to and he’s kinda scared of his parents. If you go through all the effort to be rich, why wouldn’t you want to be nice to your kids? And then your kids can get the money and make more money and pass it on to their kids and your set.

But I don’t think I’d give up being small. Ideally I’d like to have money and also be small. I’ve never really been big before, but I don’t think I’d like it. When you’re small, everywhere takes longer to go to and everything’s colder (Gio says it’s because we ‘have less internal organs compared to our skin’? So we put off more heat than we make) but when you can’t get to places so easily, the places you do go matter more and look all the more beautiful from a worm’s eye view. And when everything is so cold, nothing compares to the warmth from baking bread or being held in a pocket or a giant’s palm. And you learn to be there for other small people. I really hope you can learn a spell to shrink, I think being small is something that everyone should try once if they can. If you can’t, then I hope you can find a friendly giant in your world!

I do like animals, but I don’t get to meet a lot of them. Birds and squirrels are scary, and I’ve heard that bigger animals might try to eat me, but I’d love to meet a dog sometime. I’m a much bigger fan of bugs. On my friend Monty’s bug farm, I get to help take care of woodlice, dragonflies, crickets, all sorts of stuff! I’d love to hear more about your animal companions. As for stories, I tend to like them short and sweet. I left you one of my favorites. (https://archive.org/details/trent_0116405259619/mode/2up)

Hope to hear from you again soon!

Cricket

[naysaltysalmon]

8 shows to get to know you

I was tagged by @emiliosandozsequence​!!💖

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – I don’t think this one comes as a surprise to anyone who knew me before 2015. This was the show that got me into anime, the show that got me on Tumblr, and one of the most perfectly constructed stories to exist. So much of who I am is attributed to this show. Edward Elric’s determination even in the face of impossible adversity has helped me in so many ways since I watched this in middle school. I have watched this series at least 8 times over. The story and characters are perfectly cyclical, and the darker elements are completely earned. If you haven’t watched this show yet and you like anime, what are you even doing?

Hunter x Hunter (2011) – This is probably my favorite anime of all time and I highly doubt anything will ever top it (FMAB is a close second). This show carried me through some really depressing times in high school and early college. I made unforgettable friends in this fandom; my most popular fanfic to date is from this fandom. HxH destroyed everything I thought I knew about how narratives and characterization work. Every character is so 3-dimensional despite the seemingly simplistic storytelling. The animation is beautiful, the plot and characters are so endearing and sublimely constructed. Despite watching the entire series at least 4 times over, certain character moments will never stop me from crying for just how much these characters and this series means to me.

Spongebob Squarepants – What is there to say about Spongebob. The zany atmosphere, the absolute buffoonery. I would not be the master of meme humor I am today if not for Spongebob. I have no idea who I would be in general without Spongebob. As always, this counts for earlier seasons more than later ones, but my point still stands.

Fairly Odd Parents – Unfortunately, given its shitty creator and shittier new seasons, I hate mentioning this one at all now, but it’s true. Timmy Turner’s home situation and unflappable desire for mischief and adventure never failed to draw me in as a kid. I often wished I had my own fairy godparents to get me in and out of trouble, being the lonely kid I was. Timmy Turner is probably one of the first fictional characters I saw myself in in general, paving the way for the insanity of many others.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – No one goes as hard as The Clone Wars when it comes to turning a meme-y prequel trilogy into some of the most powerful, compelling, and emotional storytelling to exist on TV. I already really liked Star Wars as a kid, and even the prequel trilogy, and yet I didn’t get around to watching this show until it was on Netflix in 2016. It changed my life; of course, Ahsoka Tano had a huge part in that. I expected her to be just another cartoon protagonist who would contribute to the fall of Anakin in some way, but what actually ended up happening and who she became completely floored me with its development à la Episode III. It’s so empowering to watch, and brilliant to behold its methodical unfolding.

Garden of Sinners – I have only watched this show twice, but both times it changed me as a person. Despite watching it originally in middle school, it has stuck in my mind as one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever experienced. That still holds true. I recently rewatched it in January. Shiki is such a nuanced, tragic, and compelling character. The dark topics addressed in the series are treated with a depth and nuance that I have seldom seen anywhere else. This series has really impacted how I approach storytelling to this day in my own writing, something I didn’t realize until this year. It’s not a show I remember all the details of, and yet so much of it defines my tastes and style now.

Helluva Boss – Listen, if you haven’t watched Helluva Boss yet, and you like profane language and adult animation, you’re missing out, man. Not only is this show absolutely hilarious with that kind of zany, dark, and random humor I enjoy, but the characters are so endearing and entertaining. The animation is unique and colorful. The latest episode (s2 ep3) really got to me, as did s1 eps6 and 7. Not every episode is an amazing hit, but this is the shit when it comes to indie and adult animation y’all, and if you haven’t watched it, you should go do that right now.

The Untamed (2019) – What can I even say about The Untamed at this point. I started watching it in September 2021 with a friend as a joke. It’s really hokey. The lighting is terrible. Some of the plot makes no fucking sense. But the acting is really good. And I was going along, thinking to myself “wow this plot is really stupid.” And I was right. It is really stupid. And then I got to the end, and the unreliable narrator villain reveals he’s actually a poor little meowmeow, and he’s the one who killed his divorcee clan leader husband. Oh my. And he goes off on a glorious homosexual rant about it. My heart. I must now dedicate my entire fanfiction career to this little meowmeow, and let me say, I have few regrets. I feel my writing scope and ability went from 10 to 100 in the span of a year thanks to this meowmeow. The rest of the show is fun now too, but god, I’m really only here for Jin Guangyao (and his husbands).

The only live-action show on this list is The Untamed. If that doesn’t tell you something about my tastes and my particular brand of insanity... I don’t know what will. Feel free to fill this out if you want!!

Tagging: @stupidbluejay​ @miricactusito​ @mattbear-music-nz​ @jackshade21​ @lizard-dumbass @arrysa-clair @wifiwuxians​ @dogs-are-rad​