#I haven't read very far yet but there's been one scene where a person did assume someone's gender identity

[nerdnag]

I keep finding it so uncomfortable when people differentiate between women and men in my surroundings, and assume that some people are men and some are women. It's uncomfortable both because what if someone doesn't identify with whatever gender they may look like, and because why is it an important distinction in the first place?

Granted, there may be circumstances where it's relevant, but for context let me list some examples of what I mean. These are examples that I've experienced in the recent weeks:

When playing a game that requires two teams, someone suggested that the women should play against the men, and then when this ended up being the case, regular jokes were being made related to gender whenever someone made a bad play

At lunch, someone said "looks like we're all women here today"

Whenever someone who presents as a man has done something stupid or whatever (whether a celebrity or just a regular person), it's common for people to tie that stupidity to the fact that the person is "a man". This seems like a tactic that's sometimes used in order to gain social benefit with women. For example, ending a story about something stupid someone did by going, "ugh, men"

It's also common to hear people mention someone's gender in a story they're telling as though the gender is relevant to the story, when usually it really isn't relevant at all. For example, "... and then she did X and Y, which isn't strange at all because she's a woman, and then he said Z ..."

I know these are innocent things people do and say, and they likely aren't even aware that it can be uncomfortable for some people. Maybe for people who strongly identify as either gender it can even be affirming to have people say these things. I just wish I knew a good way to say that it's making me uncomfortable without having it become a big thing or making them think I'm overreacting

[cripplecharacters]

Feel free not to answer this question as it's more a research-type question, I'm just not sure how to go about finding what I need: do you happen to know any fiction books with portrayals of medium to high support autistic people that are considered realistic and positive? All I can find is rep of low support autistic ppl (unless it's in semi-educational children's books) and it's making it harder to figure out how to write medium to high support autistic ppl myself.

Hello!

When I was diagnosed, it was before the levels were used (Or at least before they were used where I lived). I suspect that I would be considered 'level one autistic' today but would likely have been 'level two', bridging into 'level three' as a child. This is all just to explain my perspective with this.

That being said, here are some of my recommendations:

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

I just finished this book earlier today and while it isn't specifically about autistic characters, it does feature several autistic characters with high support needs as well as other disabled characters. The book is written from the perspective of two characters, one of which is developmentally disabled (Belinda). Although her disability is never specified, I do see a lot of autistic traits in Belinda. The premise of this book is a bit heavy. It's about two characters (Who are not disabled) who end up volunteering at a centre for adults with developmental disabilities. One of the things I appreciated about this book was how well rounded the characters are. Each of them has their own stories, interests, and ideas. I also like how it discussed sex and relationships in the context of people with developmental disabilities. Something to note is that this does have some sensitive topics such as ableism, sexual assault, and bullying. It is also written by a parent of an autistic child but, as far as I'm aware, the author herself is abled. I did have some conflicted feelings about specific parts of it but I'll leave that for you to make your own decisions about. Target Audience: Young Adult

How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby

I also read this book recently and I personally really disliked it. There were several scenes that made me feel very gross and I found that the autistic character was dehumanized very often. One line that stuck with me was another character about a blind character, essentially saying, "I thought she was going to drown herself. If I was blind, that's what I would do." Although the character does get to know the blind character and changes her mind, it really felt awful to read and seemed so unnecessary -- especially given the target audience. The way it talks about blindness in general bugs me. That being said, I have seen several autistic people recommending the book (Which was why I read it in the first place) so I'll include it here anyways since my opinion seems to be in the minority around this book. Target Audience: Elementary/Middle Schoolers This is a brief review from another autistic person. [Link]

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

This book centers around Nova, a young autistic girl with high support needs. Nova is a foster child who is missing her older sister and the story is told through a mix of narrative, letters to Nova's sister, and flashbacks. It's been a while since I've read this book but I remember really enjoying it (And maybe crying a little bit too). The author is autistic herself and also consulted many other autistic people with a variety of experiences, which I appreciated. Target Audience: Middle Schoolers This is a more in-depth review on the book from a reader who (I believe) is also autistic. [Link]

These are also a couple books that I've seen recommended but can't personally recommend as I haven't read them myself yet:

Real by Carol Cujec

Remember Dippy by Shirley Reva Vernick

I know it's not very much but hopefully it's enough to get you started! If anyone has any recommendations for anon, feel free to mention them in the notes.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[firendgold]

What a fun ships ask game <3 can I ask about Timetravel AU harrydore 🍩 🚗 🏝  💌

You sure can!

🍩 - their favourite snack to eat together? I can see them eating sherbet lemons together! The candy has been memed to death in fanfics, but in canon I don't think Harry ever actually has any of it—he just uses it once as a password in Chamber of Secrets. It's kind of funny to imagine Harry either introducing Albus to sherbet lemons unintentionally or being offered one by Albus and having a private laugh about "he still likes these!".

🚗 - which one drives and which one picks the music? Harry is definitely the driver and Albus annoys him to DEATH switching stations from offbeat song to offbeat song every three minutes.

🏝  - their ideal getaway? I actually have two answers for this.

You know that one scene in Goblet of Fire, where Harry's just had his first Voldemort-dream and he's wondering if he should write Dumbledore, and he imagines that Dumbledore is on vacation at a beach somewhere rubbing suntan lotion on his nose? That beach. That's where they go.

I think deep down, a part of Albus would love to go on the World Tour he never got to take. There's actually a non-time-travel harrydore fanfic which has Harry and Albus do this called A Moment's Surrender by inarticulateimbecile. (If you haven't read it, it is perfect and I highly recommend it!) Ever since reading that I have been even more convinced that this would be Albus' dream vacation. Ideally I think Albus would love it if he could travel as just another person, not as Albus-Dumbledore-Who-Will-Be-Stopped-Every-Five-Minutes, but eh. Priorities. Meanwhile, Harry seems to thrive in the midst of adventure, and as far as we know, he's never left Britain; so I don't think he would say no to a world tour either, especially with someone he trusts and respects so much.

💌 - a love note from one to the other? OOOH. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Dear Harry,

I hope you will excuse my forwardness in broaching this matter in this manner, but I have wrestled for some months now with a tongue that will not obey me when I try to bring this up in person. Too, I hope you will forgive my cowardice in waiting until I was a country away to send this letter with Fawkes. Between us, you were always the much braver man.

I must confess that I

Harry I

In the ten months I have been privileged to know you, you have overcome challenges I have seen devastate lesser men. More than that—you have never hesitated to stretch out your hand to help others less fortunate than you. You are kindhearted and compassionate, and your determination to do what is right is inspiring. Without your aid—and without your harsh words, which I admittedly did not react to well—I could never have taken the steps which were most necessary to secure your safety. Your happiness. Both of those things, your safety and your happiness, are very important to me. Even my cowardice is nothing in the face of disappointing you—though it rules me still, sometimes.

It is why I am writing you this from just beyond the borders of Germany—a mere Portkey away from Gellert's hidden stronghold. I know it may anger you to read this, to know that I have broken our promise and departed without you—but the thought of willingly subjecting you to Gellert Grindelwald gave me such nausea as I have never experienced before. Despite your magical power, your courage, your strength, your moral compass... you would be no match for Gellert and his machinations. He would observe you—he would realize your importance to me in an instant, and he would kill you.

Harry, I cannot bear to live in a world where you are killed because of me. Where you are dead at all.

I have no hope that you will listen to me, yet still I must ask: stay in Britain. Stay at Hogwarts, stay in my chambers for as long as you desire. No one will deny you your place, not after all you have done for them. Do not follow me; do not throw your life away.

Stopping Gellert from destroying our world is my penance; it has been my burden to bear for longer than we have known one another, my chicken finally coming home to roost. It is also my gift to you: A peaceful world, where you might find someone who will appreciate your hot head and your good heart as much as I have. Although... I must also confess to a good bit of arrogance. I do not believe there is anyone in the world who appreciates you as much as I do.

Harry, I have not left you with nothing. There will be a magical safe under your bed when you wake. Open it by tapping the left side twice with your wand, pausing for four seconds between each tap. The key to my personal Gringotts vault lies within. There should be more than enough gold to take care of you well into your dotage.

(Please do not give the money to Aberforth. He will swear at you, curse you, and then spend the lot on trifles out of spite. He has his own vault and is quite protective of what few belongings our family has left to us. I have already sent a separate letter to him asking that he treat you more kindly than he would me.)

Why do I tell you these things? Ah, because it is the only way I may work up to what I truly wish to tell you.

You must stay in Britain, Harry, where it is safe, because I love you most desperately, and the only way I can keep going is if I know that you are as safe and comfortable and happy as I can make you from afar.

Ah, Harry, it is easier to write after writing it once. I love you so. Even in this hellish place, the thought of you is making me smile. I have been fond of you since the moment we met, but now I cannot imagine life without you. I refuse to imagine such a thing. Thus I risk your fury, your disdain, even your disobedience—yet all those possibilities pale in the face of your possible death.

I will not ask you to return my feelings, or to wait for my return. Gellert and I are evenly matched, and you know the weapon he wields. It would be cruel to give you false hope that I might survive the coming conflict. But I will beg you: do not throw away your safety and anonymity for me. It is my intent to take him with me, and I would prefer not to find you waiting for me should I leave this earth.

Gellert's guards draw near, and I must seize the opportunity to catch them unawares. I must close this letter, much as I dread doing so.

Farewell, my love. Live well, my love. All I do, I do in your name.

Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

[the-great-knight-gay]

Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man Review: Episodes 1 and 2

I've just watched the first two episodes of YFNSM and I have one thing to say...

I was fucking right. It's not a bad show.

In fact, its pretty decent especially so far.

Full review under the cut: *SPOILER ALERT*

Characters:

One of the MOST important factors this show needed to get right was the characters and BOY DID THEY.

Let's start with the supporting cast.

Harry Osborn is the character with the least screen time so far (his only appearances being the 'Good Deed' clip in Amazing Fantasy and a shot of him on television in The Parker Luck) so there isn't much to say about him yet.

Next is Pearl Pangan, a character who hasn't shown up much outside of being Peter Parker's older crush who seems like a genuinely nice person. She also seems to be a less academically inclined version of Liz Allen-Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming (by which I mean that Liz was the captain of the Academic Decathlon and Pearl hasn't really had any scenes that show she has that level of intelligence). The similarities between the two characters are high so it might lead to people asking, 'Why not just reuse Liz?'.

The answer is, why not? Reusing Liz would have been fun but she doesn't add much to the story (at least yet) and the usage of Pearl has quite a few positives. One, it raises awareness about some lesser known Marvel characters (Pearl is a minor super hero and an Agent of Atlas called Wave) and it allows for different stories to be potentially told in the future. This is the same reason they used Nico Minoru rather than a character like MJ or Gwen, both of which he met in College btw not High School - pretty much all Spider-Man media since the first Ultimate Spider-Man comics have decided his ENTIRE supporting cast should be in high school with him. Personally the easiest way to rectify that imo is to just make an adaptation where he's in college or got a job already (adapt the JMS run marvel I dare you) but one can hope.

The characters in the Oscorp Internship where also a fun nod to characters in comics (looking at you Amadeus Cho aka Totally Awesome Hulk/Iron Spider depending on the adaptation) and Carla Conners was a fun addition (also I better not see anyone hating on her for being a genderswapped and raceswapped version of Curt Conners - there is no part of Dr Conners character that is negatively affected by these changes - its still the same character)

May seems to be very similar by the MCU version (which makes sense) so nothing much to say there yet.

Norman is a character we haven't seen yet in MCU media outside of Willem Dafoe reprising his role from the Raimi movies and I am LOVING it. Colman Domingo is FANTASTIC in the voice role, bringing just the right amount of menace and authority to his voice. All I need now is for him to be able to play crazy and we can get a potentially amazing Green Goblin when the time comes (also his design is just *chefs kiss*)

Next is the character that might actually interest me the most.

Lonnie Lincoln.

Anyone who has seen The Spectacular Spider-Man (or read my screenplay on ao3 - sorry for the promo but I don't get many chances to advertise it) will know who he is. Tombstone, a vicious gangster and mob boss and in this show, he's... an American football player.

And I love it.

Saying that he's been just put into the 'nice jock' category, while accurate, does not think to scratch the potential of this character. There is a scene where he's walking home and it's revealed he lives in a rough neighbourhood. In that same scene, we see that he is helping his family out in quite a few ways (for example the part where he offers to help his little brother with homework) but the part that stuck with me was with his mother when he said that he'd talked to someone about fixing their car and how to get a cheaper price for it.

Money problems.

What I'm thinking they're doing is they aren't showing Tombstone as a mob boss. No. They're showing his descent from upstanding citizen and star American football player to gang violence. We already see that they've planted the seeds and we know they're going for the long haul with this show (It's been greenlit all the way up to season 3 already) so I'm incredibly excited to see Lonnie's arc play out, especially if we're going to get Tombstone by the end of it.

"Cold as Ice. Hard as marble. What else would you call a Tombstone?"

Next, we have the main character himself. Peter Parker. The Amazing Spider-Man.

This might be their best achievement yet in the show. They have Peter's dorky attitude and nerdy demeanour down to a T and it's so fun to watch. He's also a genuinely good person, just how Peter should be. A scene that stands out is the scene where he's caught a shoplifter who's broken down and crying in his eyes and he looks at them and he doesn't see a criminal. No. He sees someone who was down on their luck and asks the shop owner to give them a second chance if they give back the money they stole. It's beautiful and it's so very... Spider-Man. This is the exact kind of thing Spider-Man should be. A friendly guy who's just in the neighbourhood. It's a scene that's very reminiscent of Tom Taylor's Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man in all the best ways. (also the shop that was stolen from is called Pizza Time and that's already the best thing ever)

Animation:

Okay so some people have been saying the animation of this show isn't very good which I can say is not an unfounded concern. The effort the show has taken to emulate the original Ditko comics have had a slightly detrimental effect to some of the series.

There aren't as many background extras used in an attempt to mimic the original comics and lots of the shots don't use typically cinematic shading, opting instead to use brighter and slightly less rendered shots to emulate the older style. In some ways, this is actually really cool if you can appreciate the attempt to mimic the 60s style but it can be quite off putting for some people which I can respect.

There are also some issues with the 3d models. The characters mouths don't always move directly in sync and sometimes, for when they do use background extras, they are just 2d images in the back which can be quite unsettling when standing in the same shot as 3d models (there is one scene at a party where Nico is on the phone with Peter and in the background there's a completely unmoving 2d person who's eyes just seem to follow Nico and its quite unsettling).

HOWEVER, there are some incredibly beautiful shots too. Some shots are a direct mimic of older MCU shots from Peter's first introduction in CA:CW like the opening shot and final scene of the first episode which stand out as incredibly well done.

The best part of the animation is easily the web swinging which is so well done and one of my favourite parts of this version of Spider-Man so far. His movement is rough and unrefined as it should be for a Year One: Spider-Man but it is very reminiscent of the Insomniac Games style swinging (which in my personal opinion has the best web swinging in Spider-Man media since The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and it is INCREDIBLY fun to watch when it occurs. They actually focus some time on the web swinging too unlike some other adaptations which see him shoot a web and then THWIP out of the camera frame so we get to really see the extent of this web swinging.

Story:

This is the one where I probably have the least to say, mainly because we're only 1/5 of the way into the season so far and we haven't actually gotten much of the story revealed yet. However, it definitely has a LOT of potential.

Episode 1 establishes that the Spider that bit Peter came from a portal (alongside this universes version of Doctor Strange who is fighting a demon looking creature which is credited as Symbiotic Alien - Klyntar easter egg?????) which might be slightly different to some people but to me this gives me a heavy JMS vibes.

JMS wrote for Spider-Man from 2001 to 2007 and created what became the foundation of the Spider-Verse by introducing the Spider-Totems to the Marvel mythology. He said that the powers that Peter received did not come from the radiation, but the spider itself. The radiation is just what killed the spider. It was never even stated that Peter was the intended recipient of the powers and was hinted that maybe he was just in the right place at the right time when the spider died, which really hammers home the idea that anyone can be behind the mask.

The spider coming from a portal which also brings a symbiotic alien that looks hauntingly similar to Shathra (also a character introduced by JMS that returned to the Spider-Verse in Dan Slott's End of Spider-Verse story line) hints that maybe YFNSM is taking a similar approach to JMS , which is always a good thing. I mean that man wrote Back In Black. (OMD and Sins Past were editorial and should not be credited to JMS despite it being his run people)

Now in terms of the rest of the story, we haven't gotten many hints yet but there is a scene where Spider-Man fights Butane and sees a symbol on his gauntlet that looks hauntingly similar to the number 8. You know what has 8 limbs?

An octopus. Specifically, Doctor Octopus.

We already know Doc Ock is in this show. My theory is that Butane's gauntlets were made by him but my main piece of evidence that tells me that he's the final villain?

The final episode of the season is called 'If This Be My Destiny...'

ITBMD is one of the most famous Spider-Man comics of all time and the panel where Spider-Man lifts the heavy machinery of his body has become legendary. It was used in multiple adaptations of Spider-Man, including Spectacular and Homecoming. Doctor Octopus is also the main villain of that storyline.

Norman Osborn seems to be a character that they're setting up as a main villain for the complete show but not the main season just yet, similar to how the insomniac games treat him. They seem to be putting Doc Ock as the first big villain and then following up with Norman later down the line, maybe around Season 3.

All in all, this show is shaping up to be an incredible adaptation. What are your thoughts?

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

How different book!Aegon is to his show version ? I keep seeing this take that they're so different but i couldn't see it in your fics i feel like they are the same even though i didn't read the book, maybe you write mix of both?

Hi anon, good question! Here's the thing. F&B has no internality for any of the characters whatsoever. That means we don't know what they're thinking, what they're feeling, or even their true motivations, not from their own POV. We know their actions and some of their words, but even these are secondhand. The only of our F&B sources who would have had much to do with Aegon personally would have been Eustace and Orwyle, and they have their own agendas. When we get told that Aegon "raged and drank" after B&C, for example, we don't know what was going through his head, we just know he was upset. F&B sadly doesn't give us any excerpts from letters or journals to tell us where his mind is at, so there really is no one fixed "book!Aegon" as far as his personality goes. Just as with any historical figure (and all the characters in F&B really) we don't really get a full picture of the person as an individual, so we have to create our own, just like Ryan Condal did, just like Tom Glynn-Carney did. That's just the nature of Fire and Blood.

There are a few concrete differences between show!Aegon and book!Aegon. He's slightly younger in the show, with a smaller age difference between himself and his nephews and a larger age difference between himself and Rhaenyra. In the book he was not friends with Jace or Luke because he was a good 7 years older than Jace, so he's more distant from his nephews. He was a hedonist in the book, a glutton and an alcoholic who got handsy with the maids and had affairs, but he was not textually a rapist. The child fighting pit story also came from Mushroom, who is not a reliable source. He supposedly had a "sullen look about the eyes and a pouty mouth," and was "quick to anger and slow to forgive" (almost the exact same words which were used about Rhaenyra, interestingly enough); he was handsome, was said to resemble Viserys in his youth, but he did not "look like a warrior." I think physically, Tom Gynn-Carney quite fits the description, although book!Aegon was maybe a bit chubbier? But even though he might not have been a swordsman, he was an excellent dragonrider and has a strong bond with Sunfyre. Although he was considered lazy before the war, he did care for his family; he did not try to run away, but he did at first resist being crowned until Criston Cole convinced him that his family would be killed if Rhaenyra and her bastard sons were allowed to take the throne. That's Viserys arranged his marriage to Helaena in the book, not Alicent, and like in the show, they were both very young when it happened, but we don't really know how they felt about it. We do know that his relationship with Helaena was probably not terrible because they did share a room before Blood and Cheese happened, and the aftermath of Blood & Cheese makes it pretty clear he feels something for them. Certainly he pays attention to their wellbeing because it's stated that after Blood and Cheese he had to take Maelor from Helaena and give him to Alicent to raise (Helaena wasn't taking proper care of him due to her depression). This is specifically attributed to Aegon, not Alicent or Otto or anyone else. In the show we haven't seen his relationship with his children yet, but he does look very upset in scenes following B&C.

The thing is, there's a LOT we don't know about book!Aegon, especially pre-war Aegon, and a lot of what people consider "changes" are headcanons, especially when it comes to Aegon's personality. There is definitely a contingent of fans that sees Aegon as some sort of gigachad dudebro and takes offense at the show's portrayal of him as a bit of a wet cat basketcase who wants love and validations. I too have seen the posts about how we were "robbed" of book!Aegon, but this is not a show!Rhaenyra vs. book!Rhaenyra type thing in which they gave her a whole new backstory, we just don't really know much at all about pre-war Aegon. Maybe he was an ultra confident sugar daddy type, instead of a bit of a fuckup. People are certainly free to headcanon however they like. But there's so-far nothing in the book that seriously contradicts the personality the writers and TGC have given show!Aegon either, because book!Aegon steps up and acts with courage and resilience only after experiencing horrific, life-changing events. We won't know how that affects show!Aegon's personality until season 2 and beyond air.

As for show!Aegon, I think a lot of how he's been characterized on the show does make sense based on what we know of him from the book. How would it feel to be the only eldest trueborn son of the king in history to be passed over as heir? Not good! In fact, it would probably result in some pretty low self worth. Mommy issues? Daddy issues? He doesn't feel good enough for either of them, and actively loathes Viserys. Self destructive behaviors? Checks out, that's straight from the book anyway. The book tells us he's lazy and we indeed see him lying around, sleeping in, not attending training. Didn't want to marry his sister? Makes sense given Alicent probably has a stronger influence on him than Viserys does. But again, so far we've only gotten 2 episodes of adult show!Aegon and a bit from the previews. For better or for worse, his show character has a lot of room to develop still. I am very interested to see what the show does with him post Rook's Rest because that's when Aegon really starts to become interesting in the book.

But is there some stuff that's inconsistent? Sure, and some of it is quite important. For instance, although it might have been a pure fight or flight response, Aegon running away in episode 9 gave many viewers the impression he didn't care about his family, including his kids. I don't know if the showrunners really intended this or not, but they're the reason he agrees to be crowned in the book so that's clearly a change. The child fighting pits were also a bizarre choice for one of the few major players in the Dance for canonically does not kill any children, and even spares Aegon III. Making Aegon a rapist gave many viewers the impression that all of his sexual encounters must be nonconsensual and so we get takes about how Aegon sexually assaults Helaena, when that's just not at all suggested by what's in the book. I think you can justify the choices the the showrunners made here, but they do lead to some contradictions between show and book.

The thing with writing book canon is that you can do for yourself what the showrunners of HotD did, and fill in the gaps in canon with what makes sense to you based on book events. So I'd say that rather than being a mix of book and show canon, the way I write Aegon ( together with @aifsaath in OFCIR) is a mix of book!Aegon along with what can reasonably derived from book's content. Some of that certainly matches up with how the show has so far decided to portray Aegon, but there are some differences too!

[my-mt-heart]

Where's Daryl?

This was very difficult to write. It opened up a lot of old wounds for me, so if you read this, thank you. If my thoughts on this show haven’t been your cup of tea, that’ll most definitely be the case here as well, so maybe just move along. ***Trigger warning for discussion of childhood abuse***

For about a year and a half, Caryl fans asked Where's Carol? as a pointed reminder that the spinoff was always meant to be hers just as much as it was Daryl’s. Even though she's back now, her fans didn't always know she would be (nor did the EP's 🙄) so her absence during filming and promotion of the first season was a heavy burden to bear. The irony is, though “Daryl Dixon” sticks out like a sore thumb in that ridiculous font, he's the one who feels absent sometimes, as if important parts of his character development were lost when he washed ashore while other parts come and go as the plot demands.

Zabel talks about swapping Daryl's iconic vest for "old man" suspenders as a matter of pragmaticism i.e. they were the only clean clothes available. Norman says it was a choice he wanted for some unclear reason, but neither of them seem to consider the intelligence of their audience, particularly Carylers, to see it more symbolically. The costume change is our visual reminder that Daryl isn't himself. In some scenes he's chattier than he should be, far more trusting of strangers with personal details, and far more theatrical. Then in others, the differences are even more alarming. He calls a child cruel names, puts his hands on him, and feels conflicted about returning home to his family, to the woman he said he loved.

I mentally prepared myself for retcons, but the one I'm struggling with a lot right now, which I haven't seen anyone bring up yet, is the retcon of Daryl’s childhood abuse. Daryl tells Isabelle that he and Merle had to take apart engines and if they couldn't put them back together, their dad wouldn't let them have dinner. It's a milder version of the stories the scars on his back tell us, though I can buy Daryl omitting the worst of it like he did in the pilot. What I can't buy is Daryl saying his dad was "hardly ever" around and emphasizing it as the main source of his pain growing up. It feels contradictory for one thing. When we see Daryl's scars for the first time in S3 of the flagship show, it's implied Daryl was trapped in an environment that enabled his dad to physically hurt him often. Presumably that's why Merle felt guilty about leaving him behind. The revelation also seems like it's only intended to highlight the consequences of an absent father figure, explaining Daryl's fear of not making it home, but also justifying his "close" bond with Laurent. The best stories allow a character's emotions to drive the plot, but this just does the opposite, twisting Daryl's backstory to fit the current narrative.

Daryl's backstory made so many people root for him in the first place. It allowed Carol to see him when nobody else in the group could. It helped me process my own childhood trauma. The ways I got to watch him overcome his violent past gave me hope that masculinity could mean more than what I grew up around—more than anger, shouting, and swinging fists. Daryl taught me that men could still be tender, kind, and loving even if those closest to them in their childhood never showed them how. I imagine Daryl's representation has been important to boys and men too, specifically to those who were afraid to speak up about their abuse because of the stigma around it. The implications of this scene may not be easily noticeable to some, but they are to me, and I'm deeply offended by it.

I’ve talked at length on this blog about how it takes a village to make or break a show, though it’s usually the showrunner who has to answer for it. I've already mentioned that I do blame Zabel. His knowledge of French history has no value when he obviously didn’t bother to study Daryl’s history aside from reading old scripts and (maybe) watching the first couple seasons. That's incredibly irresponsible and terrifying for S2. I also blame AMC for their short-sightedness and their determination to save face no matter how much it costs them. I blame Gimple for his pettiness. I blame Greg Nicotero for his insensitivity to Melissa and her fans.

As for Norman, he's hinted very loudly that he wants credit for the show being "different," so in theory he should be prepared to take some of the blame too. I can't name all of the decisions he specifically made, but no matter what they were, I can blame him for not speaking up about the shipbaiting, Daryl's wavering loyalty, and the childhood abuse retcon, all things that hurt his character and hurt the fans. I genuinely don't know what else to think other than Norman didn't give either the consideration they deserve. The show has been treated like nothing more than a vanity project, and it’s unfortunate when you think about what he and AMC had to gain from the original Caryl spinoff.

I love the version of Daryl I knew before this whole mess, I love Carol, and I love the relationship between them. I want them to have the story they deserve in S2. At the moment, I don’t know how to reconcile that with the agony I feel over the damages to half of my two favorite characters. If Carol is going to cross the Atlantic ocean to find Daryl, I want him to be the man who threatened to punch holes in all the boats so she couldn’t leave and the man who told her he loved her before—ironically—leaving himself. I need to hear Daryl admit he hasn't been completely honest with the French characters, not because he was afraid of getting too close to them, but because he didn't want to face the pain of potentially living without Carol and TF. I need to hear him say that he can't be Laurent's father, which is okay because the kid has plenty of other family to take care of him. I need to hear him say, out loud, that he could never love another woman romantically because he's already in love with Carol. That's what I need to feel better about this story. That's where my investment is. I feel like Carol is safe in Melissa's hands, but I don't feel like I have anyone to rely on for Daryl. That’s a big problem because their stories are so intertwined. There’s no Daryl without Carol nor Carol without Daryl. If you ruin one of them, you risk ruining both of them, and that’s a possibility I really can’t bear.

[ingravinoveritas]

Hello! I hope you are doing fine! I am *definitely* going to add to you overflowing askbox, so I apologise in advance.... (I didn't know where to post this, and I seriously don't know how to feel about this post)

Hi there! I...wow. Okay, I clearly turned off my Anons just in time, or at the worst possible time (I'm not sure which). But this was a hell of a thing to see first thing this morning, and after seeing the notes on that post, I think this person was right to send this question via a throwaway account, because they knew they would get flamed for it.

First of all, whether or not this person should have even asked Neil this question is entirely up for debate. GO season 2 is done, it's in the can and about to be released, so it's not as if there is anything Neil can do about Peter and Ty being in it. I can also understand Neil likening this person's concern about the casting to people saying prior to GO season 1 that it was a huge mistake to cast Michael and David. I could see him equating the two, in his mind, and feeling like this is déjà vu all over again and thusly responding from that vantage.

However...I'm really at a loss as to his opening sentence, in which he describes the person's question as "creepy." I've read and reread the person's question multiple times, and for my part, I did not think there was anything creepy about this question. The person seemed to take great care in asking it--especially with English not being their first language--and did not make any threats toward anyone, nor say anything inappropriate (again, as far as I could tell). This leads me to think that Neil very deliberately used that word, setting the stage for and tacitly encouraging what he alluded to but did not say aloud--that this person is silly and stupid for asking a seemingly harmless question and deserves to be treated accordingly.

There was one part of the person's question that Neil homed in on (and that seems to be a common refrain in the notes and on Twitter), which was that this person cannot separate the characters from the actors, nor tell fiction from reality. Yet I also did not get this feeling from their question, and was taken aback by Neil seemingly twisting around what the person was actually trying to say. The specific focus on this part of the question also seemed to serve the purpose of steering discussion away from the heart of the person's question, which was about nepotism. And it's here, at this particular point, that Neil's response does not really seem to stand up to scrutiny.

First of all, the comment about "a season that hasn't even been commissioned in parts that haven't been written" is disingenuous at best, as not even a week ago, it was Neil himself who said that Georgia was offered a part in season 2. So this is not really a hypothetical concern, as Georgia actually was offered a part. I also thought it was interesting that Neil conveniently did not mention the bonus episode of Sandman, in which both Georgia and Anna had voice roles in scenes with their respective partners. So again, not a hypothetical, but something that actually previously happened. And in both these cases, it does not seem that an audition was required, but rather that the roles were offered to Georgia and AL because they happened to be there/it simplified things since Sandman was recorded during Covid times.

Another thing that has been overlooked was David himself at the Basingstoke Comic Con this past weekend being asked about his favorite scene in GO 2. After mentioning that his son is in the scene, David also says his father-in-law (Peter) is in the show. The interviewer then asks, "And your wife and your neighbor?" to which David's response is "They are not in it, but it’s a sore point, so don’t dwell on it." I thought that was an interesting choice of words, because if everything involving offering Georgia a part did go exactly the way Neil described, why would it be a sore point? If Georgia researched the role and had absolutely no compunction about turning it down, why would she be annoyed or upset? It seems like something small, I know, but it just makes me question some of the things we're being told.

In terms of Peter and Ty's roles, I do understand that Peter is a fixture on the acting landscape in the UK, so I fully get Neil offering him a part, but I find his answer regarding Ty to be extremely dubious, at best. Neil and David have been friends since 2017--so, six years now--and is he truly expecting us to believe that he has no idea what David's son looks like? Even if they haven't had occasion to meet in person, does it really make sense that David would have never shown him a picture? Especially given how he beams with pride when talking about Ty and his accomplishments. Also, I realize the days of traditional audition tapes are long gone, but does it seem at all plausible that Neil wouldn't have seen Ty's name on the clip he watched, or that if he'd seen the name "Ty Tennant," it wouldn't have rung a bell?

But rather than address any of this, Neil--for reasons I can only begin to guess--decided to respond to this person as condescendingly and dismissively as possible. The bit about "shattered the fragile illusion and revealed to people that the David Tennant and Michael Sheen who play Crowley and Aziraphale are actors" was beyond insulting (as if we don't know that Michael and David are actors?), but what really grates my cheese is the fact that it opened the door to people in the notes accusing people who have had concerns about these issues of being "in an echo chamber." I would argue that the people who are somehow not aware of these concerns are the ones actually living in an echo chamber, because there has been a LOT of talk about this ever since Neil shared that cropped photo two months ago. (Also, I am aware that a combined 146 votes is by no mean a representative sample of an entire fandom, but if the results of the two polls I recently posted are any indication, a lot of people seem ambivalent (in the case of Ty and Peter) or outright against (in the case of Georgia and AL) these casting choices.)

Overall, I would say that I am deeply disappointed in this type of response from someone I've always thought was a brilliant writer and a really cool guy. I fully acknowledge that Neil can say whatever he wants, of course, but it's really strange to me that someone who has been so tight-lipped and "wait and see" about everything GO 2 up until now is suddenly delving into details. For months, Neil gave no answers regarding a trailer or character names or even a crumb of plot, so I'm just downright confused as to why these particular questions merited an answer. Neil could've even simply said, "Your concern is noted and appreciated, but everything is fine", or not answered this question at all (which I think probably would've been the better route), but instead, he went the way he did, and here we are.

So those are pretty much my thoughts on this whole thing. I am still looking forward to GO season 2, but this has definitely colored my perceptions to a degree. I guess we'll see what happens...

[wildflowerteas]

first half of our tsp ch15 reactions!!

i make such a big deal of sitting down to respond to these it's so. i have a fresh pot of tea ( Japanese sweet potato and chestnut with black sugar and some cookies, but that's beside the point ) and my hair is washed and my paper outlines are done and i can devote all my attention to giggling at my laptop screen like a freak. okay lets do this STARTING WITH SKK. and Orphydice. Because to love is to turn around. God . . . i really hope my insanity about dazai's suicidality in this fic shows. it's so complicated that it's got my brain going around in circles--at the start of the fic he's just burning through life and his job for mori, hoping that once everything is resolved and the people he loves are safe, he can kill himself as punishment for everything that he's done. but then he meets Chuuya, and suddenly he can feel good and useful for a reason and in a way that isn't so violent, and living for the sake of feeling that is enticing. but at the same time, he keeps pushing, slipping up, losing control, killing, and saying things that are almost incriminating because he wants Chuuya to know him and wants to see what he'll do when he does.

"falling for it just the way he's supposed to" (^_^)

TALS THESTJHGSA! THE TheTJSHJJA Yes they haven't said I Love You out loud yet because even though they're very clearly far gone, that would be too real for the both of them

Gun and No Badge . . . yeah. He was wearing his badge when he went home with Chuuya that first night. ALSO YEAH I realized as I was writing that this is the second New Year's kiss I've written??? how did we end up here . . .

sskk * explodes into red mist**

Woah picking up on the accent mention???? yes. Atsushi's gotten better at it, and at assimilating, but his first language is Japanese like Kouyou. The fact that you know nothing about TSP Atsushi is 100% intentional. even within the story, he's unknown to almost everyone. he's the golden boy at the precinct but there have been no mentions of his previous education, his time at the academy, or where he grew up ( beyond what he mentions himself in his POV ). The character that knows him best, and who he's revealed the most to is actually Mori if you can believe it. Most of the other characters are content to tell him things because of his open nature, and they don't even notice that the conversation is one-way until after it's over.

THE CROSSWORD. CRAZY. YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON TO NOTICE THAT. Yes...it's a gambling term. And the opposite is 'All on Black'

'fic author made for me' . . . (￣▽￣*)ゞ blushing and giggling and kicking my feet. WAIT WHYAM I GETTING CURSED?

that party image is exactly what it feels like when i see that I've been name-dropped in the discord gc.

i left the way they ended the night of new year's up to interpretation, because anything could have happened, really. they could have snuck off and left their dates behind to be in each other's company ( kouyou and yosano were bound to meet, anyway, considering Dazai's payment for her coming with him to the party was drinks at the Double Black -- which is coming up soon!! ). Or they could have gone back to the party, Dazai trying to shake off the feeling of having forgotten about something important, too caught up in the relief of having convinced Chuuya of his innocence. they really are unsalvageable, and were bound to end up like this regardless.

"you're an angel." was 100% intentional and you will be seeing it again because I'm insane

'I feel like the party was some fucked up fever dream' <- EXACTLY HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO FEEL. THATS WHY I STARTED THE NEXT SKK SCENE ON A CLASSIC ‘WAKING UP' MOMENT. OOHHH MY GOD THANK GOODNESS.

aha . .. ha..

anyway.

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kbookblurbs]

A Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J. Maas

2/5 - Don't read if you're not willing to re-write in your head as you go or if you actually like well-written fantasy

I'll be honest, this was my second time through this book. Upon the reread, I had already erased so much of the plot from my memory that it was as if I was reading for the first time. Anyways ...

All the usual Maas problems are here. Weirdly written gay relationships (if there are any), oversexualization of bisexual people, transphobic undertones, retconning characters to being PoC (lucien) a la JK Rowling (or no PoC characters at all), misogyny, CRAZY levels of toxic masculinity, plot holes, etc.

This book is mostly sex and characterization retcons. I really enjoyed Nesta's character arc, the Valkyries, and sometimes Cassian and Azriel, but everything to do with Feyre left a bad taste in my mouth. Favorite scene, no question, was Nesta's dance with Eris in the Night Court. That was the first scene where I felt they actually gave Nesta skills and a personality beyond bitter alcoholism.

That said, the cons of this book far outweigh the pros. As always, Maas' writing is a breeze to get through just because it's not particularly difficult prose, but her insistence (in this novel and in other books) on using Female/Male and weird gender essentialism is at best irritating and at worst actively detracting from the novel. The entire pregnancy plotline could (and arguably should) be removed from this book. It doesn't add anything to Nesta's journey, paints Rhysand and Feyre in a really bad light, and is frankly an incredibly stupid plot choice. You have magic, can shapeshift, and have indoor plumbing but C-sections haven't been invented yet? Really? The whole scenario is incredibly contrived and I actively skipped scenes dealing with it if I could. The entire Inner Circle acts immature, judgemental, and unforgiving, despite their own insistence to the contrary. Elain also still has no personality. I was also confused by the whole "Maybe Rhysand should be High King of Prythian" subplot like ... huh?? Where did that even come from??

The book tops itself off by using one of my least favorite tropes in fantasy, which is when women, usually main characters, have to give up all their power at the end of the story. Maas is very fond of this plotline. She does the same thing with Aelin in the Throne of Glass series. Personally, I find this trope to be misogynistic and often evidence of poor writing to neatly wrap up the end of a story, regardless of whether the choices post-power-loss are in character.

The version of this story that I was re-writing in my head, which cuts the weird bitterness between Cassian and Nesta and Feyre's pregnancy entirely (she's 19????) while expanding on her powers and letting her keep them, is much more interesting. But alas, that is NOT the version on page. Unless you (like me) had it downloaded on your Kindle and an 8-hr plane ride to kill, I wouldn't bother if you're seriously interested in reading fantasy.

[lostberryqueen]

My Eileen Essay (with lots of spoilers!)

(Just a note: I haven't read the book yet.)

When I got to the end of this movie, as soon as Rebecca said she had someone locked in the basement--the entire thing felt ruined for me. I was disappointed further when Rebecca didn't show--leaving Eileen to take the blame for the crime that Rebecca had manipulated her into, and then hitchhike out of town.

The movie stayed with me long after I left the theatre, and that is when I began to appreciate it as art. We see so many details of Eileen's life, so vivid and real.

I also have so many unanswered questions. Why didn't Eileen push the car into the pond, or set it on fire? Did she want the body to be found? It seems like when Rebecca didn't show, she decided not to blame her father--maybe deciding that at least he wasn't as bad as some parents. Instead of trying to hide the body though, she leaves it in her favorite spot, where if people find it, they are likely to suspect that she committed the crime. Is this because in some way, she's proud of what she did? I mean, at the end of the movie, she smiles.

Does Eileen realize that Rebecca drew her into her crime, and essentially tricked her into taking the blame for it? Does she believe it is her fault?

This film was set in the 1960s which means that Eileen could have read The Price of Salt. Although the trailer implied that this would have a less than happy ending, I still went into the movie with the hope that any of the crimes committed wouldn't be by Eileen or Rebecca. In the trailer it heavily implies that the thing Eileen can't tell anyone about is Rebecca's sexuality, so I do feel that the trailer misrepresents what the movie is about. Initially it seems really cruel for this movie to come out during Carol season. The season where we queers celebrate Patricia Highsmith's groundbreaking novel with a happy ending for two women in love, at a time when the only books that really got published about women who love women essentially followed the format of Eileen: one woman tricks another into lesbianism and moral degeneracy which ultimately ends in tragedy. The thing is though, I bet some of those books were written by lesbians, lesbians who couldn't get anything with a happy ending published. This sort of story that Eileen tells is a part of lesbian culture, a part of our history, finally getting to be shown on screen. So while I have to say that it is a depressing remainder that our culture hasn't really come that far in terms of accepting LGBTQ+ people, I also can't say that I wish the movie didn't exist. I think it has value as art. I just also think that it's a shame that we can't have more lesbian movies with happy endings.

On a more personal note, I have met many women like Rebecca (although fortunately for me, none of the situations involved anything sticky in a basement) and so the experience of being used and discarded by an attractive older woman is very familiar to me. In a way it's nice to see that on screen. Still, this is one of those movies that I'll be obsessively wishing for a better ending to.

I feel like their definitely could have been a more clever twist than Rebecca committing a crime and then tricking Eileen into helping her "complete it" so to speak. If instead, the ending scene had taken place in an office, with a threat but no real gun pointed at the confessing woman--it would have felt more real, less gimmicky. Eileen could leave her empty car by the pond, and hitchhike away--not because she'd committed a crime, but because Rebecca had rejected her, and she wanted to get on to her real life. All this stuff with guns is very dramatic, but a more skilled writer wouldn't need a gun or a main character randomly committing a crime to deliver emotional impact.

This is definitely the kind of movie that you're glad you watched alone in a near empty theatre. I got the perfect seat for viewing it too. There were some couples who went, and I could just feel their awkwardness and disappointment. They probably were fooled into thinking it was a romantic queer movie too.

[yesimtrashforit]

Oscars 2025

As a huge film fan, I'm fairly happy with this year's Oscar nominations!

Best Picture

I'm very happy to see Anora be nominated. It was one of my favorite films of 2024 and personally, it is one of my favs to win. I haven't seen The Brutalist and I have chosen not to. I'm sure the film is fantastic, but I've read about what it depicts and I'm concerned it may be triggering for me. I'm personally frustrated that, as I've heard, The Brutalist depicts gratuitous nudity and scenes of SA. I only hope that it's depicted in a negative light and it serves the story. I might see the film if it comes to streaming, just so I have a chance to pause. I did see A Complete Unknown the other day and thought it was fine! Timothee Chalamet is absolutely great as Bob Dylan. I started listening to Dylan's discography a while ago and I'm fairly happy with how the songs were used in the film. I saw Conclave a while ago and liked it! It's far from my favorite film of the year, but I thought it was beautifully shot and had great commentary. Dune: Part Two being nominated for Best Picture is more than appropriate. I love love loved it. It's a perfect movie. I have mixed feelings on Emilia Perez that I'm probably going to post about later. I'm quite surprised that I'm Still Here made it into Best Picture. I haven't seen it yet, but it is coming to theaters near me in February so I will definitely go see it! I haven't seen Nickel Boys yet. The Substance is one of my favorite films of last year and i'm so so overjoyed that a feminist body horror film about beauty standards directed by a woman is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars?? That is so cool!! Wicked was obviously fantastic and amazing. Such a well-deserved nomination.

Best Actor

I've only seen A Complete Unknown and Conclave, so out of the performances that I've seen in this category, my pick is Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown. However, I do think it is hilarious that Sebastian Stan is nominated for an Oscar for playing Donald Trump in a movie that depicts how terrible and abusive he was to his wife in the year Trump got re-elected.

Best Actress

I've seen all performances in this category except for Fernanda Torres. Out of these, I'm stuck between Mikey Madison in Anora and Demi Moore in The Substance. However, I have to celebrate the fact that Karla Sofia Gascon is the first openly trans actress to be nominated for an Oscar. That is absolutely incredible.

Best Supporting Actor

I've seen Anora, A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain. My personal pick would be Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain. I thought his performance was awesome.

Best Supporting Actress

This is one of the only categories where I'm rooting for Emilia Perez. Zoe Saldana is easily my pick for Supporting Actress. She has been since I saw the film.

Best Director

Either Sean Baker or Coralie Fargeat. I will be happy with both.

Best Cinematography

It's between Dune: Part Two and Nosferatu for me. I love both of those films and their cinematography.

Best International Feature Film

I've only seen Emilia Perez and Flow. Between those, my pick is honestly Flow.

Best Original Screenplay

It is so hard to choose, but I would go with Anora or The Substance here.

Best Adapted Screenplay

I'm choosing Conclave here, out of the ones I've seen. I liked its script the best and I think it is a very important story to tell.

Best Animated Feature Film

I've seen all except Wallace and Gromit. My pick is Memoir of a Snail. However, I did love The Wild Robot and will be happy if it wins, too!

Best Original Song

My pick is El Mal from Emilia Perez here. It's the best musical number in the film and the best sequence in the entire movie. Despite my mixed feelings on the film, I loved that part.

Best Original Score

I'd go with Wicked here. Beautiful score with some great details.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

I've seen all except A Different Man, but I am planning to watch it now! My pick for now is The Substance, but wow, all the makeup nominees were really good.

Best Costume Design

Nosferatu. Period. The costumes were incredible and seemed very accurate to the time.

Best Editing

Anora is my pick. That entire second act is basically one continuous scene and the incredible editing made it work.

Best Sound

Dune: Part Two. Easily. It's fricking astonishing.

Best Production Design

Got to give it Wicked. Those sets were all practical and built for the film! Absolutely stunning.

Best Visual Effects

I loved Alien: Romulus and I'm very happy it was nominated. However, I'm giving it to Dune: Part Two.

[darkenforcer]

2 FROM EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE PLEASE

QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN || accepting !

What caused you to start writing? What was your key point?

reading and writing have always been hobbies of mine, so when i learned i could write as the fictional characters i love? with other people!? i was so down!

i don't remember what keyed me in on it, though? i used to play pretend (it was just LARPing, lbr) on the playground until i was around 11, so maybe it kinda clicked in my mind that writing was the natural next step? no clue.

Do you tell your friends / family that you write?

KINDA... i tell people i write with a community online and create "collaborative stories," but i never refer to it as rp or go in-depth unless i know that person's also done it before / is in similar fandom spaces.

Are you happy with how your favorite canon muse was portrayed in canon?

sure, i don't have any major complaints about his writing! it's consistent and fun to compare how differences in the localization shift the tone of certain character/rship-building scenes, while still managing to keep the spirit of his character intact. my only "issue" is that they could've put more time into expanding his character arc in the third act (but the same can be said for every character... a fumble all around tbh).

Have you ever written a canon muse that you first thought of ‘meh’ when they appeared in their canon show/movie/book?

NOPE! can't do it. if i'm not weird about that fictional character from the start, it's very unlikely i'll ever put the effort into forcing myself to write them. i need that click! that spark!

How do you create an OC? What are your steps for developing an OC?

i haven't developed an oc in yearssss so i'm the last person anyone should be asking. uh... (1) be a preteen, (2) develop an insane normal fictional crush, and (3) make an oc to ship them with. bam.

Who was your first OC?

i made my first in-depth oc when i was a wee 9 year old... she started out as a self-insert sonic oc that i obviously had to ship with sonic and shadow bc, duh. i also forced my cousins to make ocs so we could roleplay together lol.

i had more before that one but they were basically just vague roles i slipped into when playing pretend with my friends.

Is there any fandom you regret exploring?

can i say all of them njgnjg i think every fandom out there has its subset of annoying fans who'll make you reconsider ever interacting with anyone you haven't personally vetted lol, even if briefly. for example -- just bc of its infamy -- i never interact with sonic fans outside my circle; i've seen way too many pointless debates and shitty opinions to risk venturing out there again...

In what fandom did you start?

i am SO glad sonic was the first because the ones after it are infinitely more embarrassing.

What are your favorite ships on here (feel free to tag?)

OOO good question!!! i'll start by saying i've been rooting for break/zhilan since day 1 -- love those goobers!! other than that, i enjoy seeing any ship get together on here, like lloyd/zelos, vash/wolfwood (both iterations), nicolette/wang yi... if you're shipping with someone just now i'm hooting 'n hollering whenever they interact.

Have you ever developed a ship based on writing with a certain other character / mun?

nope, not yet! it's not that i'm against developing ships after noticing chemistry betwen muses -- far from it! -- it's just never gotten to the point where i wrote one.

What’s something you find weird on here?

i can't think of anything in particular, so... tumblr's commitment to making their layout as annoying as unoriginal and bloated as possible.

What people make you happy when you see them on the dash?

commence the taggening... you (duh), @kleinstar, @moraypower, @hollowfaith, @cladinivcry, @ultimatelifefcrm, @innerbeast, @nicawlette, @twohundredpower, @spiderstaff, @lalaluuz, ... i can't keep tagging people i'll go on forever...

[sorryimananti-romantic]

you really got me thinking now about what i even like lmao. i'm really not very picky with tropes, tags, genres or shy of warnings, very much someone who will give everything a read at least once and see where i end up.

it's usually all thanks to the author's own way of writing, planning, detailing and imagination that has me continue reading their works - so it's really not me exaggerating when i tell you, you (and loren btw.) won't disappoint me since your writing gets better and better the more i read. <3

if i wanted to pitch some ideas to you, i might just have to dust off my own archive from when i used to write years ago lmao i'm sure i can find unfinished wips and mapped brainstorms somewhere neglected inbetween paragraphs lol but to maybe give a general idea or inspo so far..

my favorite ateez songs (you haven't written for yet) are: illusion, with u, to the beat, don't stop, halazia (outlaw, empty box)

my favorite yumi discography fics (currently at least) are: hala hala, dazzling light, horizon (duh), deja vu, be with you. guerilla, new world

genres/tags/tropes/aus i tend to be drawn towards: angst, slow burn, suggestive, corruption/manipulation/betrayal, hurt/trauma, comfort/fluff, mythology, thrillers, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, past life regression, paranormal/supernatural, like witchy/faerie/demonic elements just to name a few..

atz bias line: hongjoong🐿️ yunho🐶 wooyoung🦊 jongho🐻

damn.. after all there are things that i like and the more i write down the more strings connect, just gotta let it cook on low heat for now ig lol

○ chron 🃏

you're just like me then (most of the times when i want to read i dont even look at the wc/warnings and then sometimes i stumble upon sth traumatic (like a few things in smut that i don't like) and i'll be like ehh *continues to read it anyway pretending that part/scene didn't happen LOL*

honestly the two of us appreciate you so much AHAHA whenever you reblog one of our works and we read it we're like "hey did you see chron reblogged your fic" and then we're all :')) for a while AHAHAHA. i hope our writing never disappoints!

YOU USED TO WRITE HELLO? give me the key to the archives i need to see that right neowww LOL but okay of the songs that you like that i haven't written for yet, i have a few ideas for some of them [ateez come with new songs so quick i am convinced i can never write for all songs they have and that makes me SO SAD]

i'm honestly surprised dazzling light is a fav of yours (it's an old work and i personally think it's cringe as the writer LOL) but i see you have a thing for fantasy/royal-medieval i see the pattern hehe and you've got quite the taste chron i love that

i've honestly been wanting to cook up some fantasy bc it's been a while (says i who's written far too much fantasy) and i have one idea for san which i'm not really feeling yet (perhaps brain will be back to work after the break) and i have a really spicy flavourful fic for yunho planned whenever i feel like writing it but i'll try to think of more plots!

we can both let it cook, we have some time huehuehe and good things come to those who wait (pls i hope i get some good ideas after the break) but anyways if anything comes to mind or anything inspires you, lemme know! i'll see what i can do with it <33 and thank you for this <33

[undying-lilies]

was tagged to do this fic writer interview game thingy by @kanerallels, thanks bestie!!

How many works do you have on AO3? 27!

What's your total AO3 word count? 290,899

Your top five stories by kudos/likes:

The Clone Adoption Magnet Theory (the first installment in my Adoption Magnet AU, where the Bad Batch just adopt every child they come across - including but not limited to Omega, Kanan, and Cal)

SwapTales (a DuckTales 2017 fic where Webby wakes up in an alternate dimension where everyone has been swapped and everything is set back because of it)

Torn Apart (and Mended) (a sort-of fix-it AU based off of 2021 Lilies' theories about how The Bad Batch S1 would end)

The Evidence of the Clone Adoption Theory (the second installment of Adoption Magnet!)

Sleepless Omega (a cute fic about an insomniac Omega waking Crosshair up in the middle of the night; was written in between S1 and S2 but now am proud to say that it TOTALLY fits S3)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes!! I very much appreciate everyone who comments and I like to discuss my fics with other people :]

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? probably are you worth getting lost over love? If you've read that one then this one is ... self-explanatory

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Ooh this is gonna be hard because most of my stories have happy endings lol. I think the happiest ending so far is The Boy, The Witch, and The Wanderer because it ended in the Bad Batch gaining another adopted child!

Do you write crossovers? No but if given the opportunity I 100% would

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Nope

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Absolutely not

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, no

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have! I've also co-written a few original stories with my best friend before and those have all been a BLAST

What's your all time favorite ship? I don't know about favorite ship singular but my all-time favorite ships PLURAL are Kanera, Merrical, and Sniper Swan

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? SwapTales :( it had a fabulous concept and I still love it!! but I haven't written for that fandom in a very long time, and unless I get another random Drake & Gosalyn hyperfixation like I did last year I don't see myself finishing it

What are your writing strengths? dialogue for sure! I've also gotten pretty good at writing lots of characters in the same room

What are your writing weaknesses? action scenes, especially battles or fights. my ultimate writing kryptonite

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fics? I personally haven't done it, but I admire people who do

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? Hmm. I don't think I've written anything for RebelCaptain yet, which is a shame because they're fabulous

What's your favorite fic you've written? gosh that's so hard. I think it's tied between Adoption Magnet in general and the unposted survivor ficTM

I tag anyone who wants to play!

[artsimpourtzi]

Hi! I've read the Silo books too!! I loooove them so much!!

I'm very much enjoying the show as its own thing, like trying to see it as an alternate version of the books, so far it's working okay haha like basically my thinking is that the show has made changes that so far I find fairly interesting (even though I need Lucas back 😭) and I'm curious as to where they're planning on going with those changes, so I'm along for the ride even though it doesn't exactly adapt the books as I imagined them. Tbh personally the changes that bothered me the most were in season 1 (the flamekeepers? And mechanical knowing about the machine at the bottom when I loved the scene of Juliette digging it up and the whole silo thinking she's crazy 😂 ! Also I made my peace with Lucas not being Bernard's shadow because I thought in S2 we would get him meeting with Walker and maybe using her radio to talk to Juliette in the other silo. Which maybe will happen now? But I'm not holding my breath)

So now I'm just along for the ride, seeing it as its own thing that I enjoy separately from the books, you know. I still think the show is a masterpiece in terms of visual storytelling so that helps me enjoy myself even if they change the story a little.

The change of Solo being a shadow didn't really bother me so far because I figured he could have been a newly appointed shadow that was still a young teen and didn't know much yet, but I am disappointed he never left the vault, since him feeling safer to move about as the survivors died was interesting I think. But I'm still giving the show a chance to tell their version of the story.

I am very much anticipating how they will tell the story of Silo 1 though 😬 still with an open mind but a little... Anxious

Anyway sorry I rambled so much 😂 it feels like so much of the fandom is people who haven't read the books, so we can't talk about all this!

Oh hello!!! I missed your ask sorry for being late! Trust tumblr to find me the people who also read the books 🥰 I’m so glad you’re vibing with it. Honestly I’m mostly too, otherwise I would have dropped it.

Personally my issue is that I think many changes actually created weaknesses in season 1 that had me really struggling to push through around the middle of the season. I hadn’t read yet the books, but actually at the end of season one with THAT revelation I did and I was hooked and also surprised that the book story had much better pacing. That’s why I’m mostly baffled, I am not heavily emotionally invested in the characters so I’m ok with them making changes, whatever, but I don’t think they make it better 😅

Anyway I’m very very curious to see what they do for silo 1 and also the origins 👀

[micahtranslate]

Chainsaw Man Starter Rope Cast Interview: Tomori Kusunoki

How did you feel when you got the role?

Actually, I read Chainsaw Man at the recommendation of a friend, and when I read it he said, "If it's made into an anime, I want you to play Makima." Thinking back on it, that was really a ridiculous request (lol). As I read more and more, I became more and more immersed in the character, and even though it is a very difficult character, my desire to play Makima became stronger. And when it happened, I cried with joy. It felt like all my hard work had paid off.

What would you say are Makima's charms?

Her mysteriousness and her appearance are appealing, but I personally think Makima has really good "kindness timing." It's like she can tell Denji the exact words he wants to hear when he wants to hear them. She can see through everything completely, but she also has something mysterious about her that's beyond your reach. She's a character that I'm happy to see, but also a character whose appearance makes me nervous to see what's coming next.

How did you approach playing Makima, and what feelings did you tap into?

Makima doesn't get emotional or agitated, so I wanted to give off the impression, "I don't know what she's thinking, but she seems kind." All the actors in this work use a natural acting style. It's not to the level of narration, but Makima gives off a detached feeling; she suppresses the inflection of her speech. At the same time, I wanted to convey a vague and elusive feeling, like "Oh, was she being nice just now?" I often play young children and I had never played a role like Makima before, so at first I was trying to sound more mature. Director Nakayama and the staff told me that "My performance from my first audition is ideal," and "It's ok not to focus on sounding older," so I started acting more naturally.

How is recording going so far?

I believe I was able to achieve the Makima I was aiming for! My friend wanted me to play Makima, and I had read the original work thinking, "How would I say this line?" so I had a clear idea of the nuances I wanted to portray from the start. I was able to approach that, and even though there were gaps, I was able to try things out many times, so I think I created a Makima I was satisfied with.

What should we pay particular attention to in the early part of the story?

Makima's appearance in the first episode is striking, but my personal favorite is the scene where she tells Denji to say "aaah" at the rest stop. The udon noodles were moving so smoothly (laughs), I was shocked and thought, "This is how it is in anime!" I'd like for you to compare these types of small details to the original work. It's really amazing. It feels like, "This is how the director sees Chainsaw Man."

What was your impression of the original Chainsaw Man manga?

I haven't read a lot of manga since I was a child, and when it was recommended to me, I thought, "Maybe I'll enjoy it too?" but I ended up reading it in one sitting (laughs). The characters are charming, the illustrations are beautiful, and when you're reading it, each panel passes by like a movie. I think it became such a wonderful work because everything works well together. To me, the most appealing thing about it is that it seems like it's easy to understand, but it's not. You keep flipping through the pages, wondering, "What is the true meaning of this line or this scene?" It was like watching a movie, and before I knew it, I had finished reading it.

What are the highlights of the animated version of Chainsaw Man, now that it's finally airing?

We haven't seen the final version yet, but it looks like a lot of effort has been put into it. The battle scenes have a great impact, and even small moments like Makima's "mune dau" are reproduced in minute detail. The real thrill of anime is movement, so I want people to enjoy it thinking, "So this is how they moved in that scene in the original work!"

Do you have a message for the fans?

This is the anime everyone has been waiting for! Everyone's enthusiasm is so strong that Chainsaw Man trends whenever information is released, and the production side is working on it with just as much love. I feel that kind of love as I play Makima. Please look forward to Chainsaw Man, made with everyone's love.

Translation notes:

（笑）indicates laughter, so I translated it as (laughs).

Tomori describes Makima's "優しくしてくるタイミング" (literal, being-kind-timing) as her charm point, which I translated to "kindness timing"

Tomori says Makima "感情変化がなくて" literally meaning her emotions don't change, but I translated this into "doesn't get emotional," which sounds more natural but still conveys the same meaning.

Tomori quotes the staff and director as saying "最初のテープオーディションが理想", literally "first audition tape is ideal," I specified they meant her vocal performance from her first audition tape.

Translated "年齢感" (literal: age-feeling) to "sounding older".

"ムネダウ" is a direct quote from Makima, and I'm pretty sure she is referring to how they animated her saying the quote specifically, so I opted to just leave it romanized and untranslated.