#I'm writing the climax of this story for my assignment so it has so much context that makes this sound less insane but you get none of it h

[tozettastone]

I'm working on my final assignment for class, and it's an excerpt from a larger work whose synopsis I had to submit for an earlier project. I'm having such fun with the Arthuriana aspects of it, honestly.

My main character is a seventeen year old girl on the outs with her ex boyfriend who did something pretty mean to her, and for reasons I won't go into here, Lancelot is one of her key confidants. He's a paragon of chivalry and knightly virtue, and she's like "ugh he does NOT understand Snapchat," but she values his insight (at least in part because he's hot) so she's like: "I think I really shouldn't have summoned Sir Gawaine to break [ex boyfriend's] nose, because I have power and he doesn't, and it's like Spiderman's always saying, with great power comes great responsibility. And Sir Gawaine always wants to break someone's nose!"

And Lancelot leans in so seriously, and he takes her hand, all soft and intent, and he's like: "Brittany. You are a very gentle young lady and you're scared of violence. That speaks well of your character. But I want you to know: you can still have him slain for this insult. It's not yet too late."

Lancelot's got that real, uh, real old world charisma, you know.

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita's Earth Symphony (2024)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I've embarked on a project to write about all the films, for as long as I continue watching them, at least.

For links to all of my Doraemon movie reviews, see here.

Movie premise: Nobita and his friends respond to a mysterious request seeking help from "talented musicians".

My spoiler-free take: A nice tribute to the human affinity for music, despite some issues with pacing.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: I was very intrigued when I first heard about the premise of this movie, because music is a theme that the Doraemon films had not really explored before. Having seen the movie now, I'm happy to report that I had a pretty good time! Beyond the handling of its main subject matter, I enjoyed that the foreshadowing here was surprisingly well thought out. There's so much setup in the beginning and middle of the story that pays off at the end. This includes the use of a gadget (the Future Diary) that would probably be considered "too overpowered" to be acknowledged in a typical Doraemon movie!

The film does have its flaws, of course, and the biggest in my opinion come down to the pacing. Several moments that are framed as emotional or dramatic are resolved or brushed aside too quickly, when they would've benefited from being given more time and gravitas. There's also some ending fatigue that kept me second-guessing, "Is this the climax? No, wait, is this the climax?"

However, the actual climax is quite nicely done and well worth experiencing in theaters for full effect. (It's a musical performance after all, as is pretty much a given in a movie about music.) As a tribute to the importance and appeal of music to humanity, I think the movie is very much a success.

As usual for a Doraemon movie, most of the character focus is on Nobita and his new movie-exclusive friends, but the rest of the main cast does have an active presence throughout. One thing I would've liked to see is more elaboration on why each character is deemed compatible with the instruments that they're assigned for their performances. Gian is said to be suited to playing the tuba due to his lung capacity, and the relevance of the recorder to Nobita's character arc is self-evident, but no such explanations are given for why Suneo gets the violin or why Shizuka is assigned to percussion.

Speaking of which, considering that Shizuka is the one main character who has an established affinity for playing musical instruments outside of school (she takes piano lessons and enjoys playing the violin, despite being bad at it), I'd hoped that she would play an important role in this movie. As it turns out... it would be a stretch to say that she's particularly important to the story, but the film did meet my bare minimum expectations for how much she would be involved. Her piano playing is relevant to the plot in one scene, and her poor violin skills also come up (albeit only during the end credits). Even so, it does feel like there were some missed opportunities; for example, maybe a scene where she wants to swap instruments with Suneo would've been funny. At the very least though, this movie doesn't contain a bath scene or any other similarly distasteful joke involving her, so that's good.

Star rating: ★★★☆☆

[funficwriter]

Gin Ichimaru x Subordinate who likes to write :3

A/N: Welp, this turned out much longer than I expected. Also you gotta love how I switch back and forth between darkfic to fluff. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: None for this one

Ever since you joined the 3rd Division, it was typical of Gin to be curious about the type of person you are outside of work.

So imagine his spiking curiosity when he hears excited chatter among the other seated officers about compelling characters and beautifully executed tragedies. I HC he's very much into literature, so you can bet he'll extend an ear.

"Hanako-san has to be the only antagonist I ever felt bad for! That twist regarding her child's death in the winter! And her last lines! That newbie here is something, eh?".

His mind jogs and traces it back to another subject of his curiosity. So you write well, eh? Why did he not know? No matter, he had a plan to see more.

You were assigned some documenting work. After a while, you decided to steal a little time working on your novel. As you confirmed no one was around and scribbled away, you thought of how a lot would be needed to bring you back into the real world...

Or just your captain's appearance.

Your trance was snapped once you saw a thin hand emerge into your field of vision, which was taken by your notebook, point to a line of dialogue: "My, my... You've already aroused the reader's curiosity in Hanako-san's legacy. Well done".

Before you could even think of saying 'thanks', your notebook was gone. It didn't take a genius to know who took it: "Sorry, little Y/N. I'm a fan of yours, but I'm still a captain and I can't let anyone slack off. You can expect it back by tomorrow.".

Generally, he doesn't do much with confiscated items, but you'd be so so wrong to think the same applied to your novel. No, he finished everything for the day, wore his comfiest kimono, brewed some tea... The minute he started to read, he was gone. Even Kira could barely hold his attention for any remaining matters.

The next morning, you find your notebook back in your room, next to a few persimmons, chocolate and a note in his beautiful handwriting: "I don't think I can go on without knowing how the story ends. I noticed you were free this evening. Please join me for a cup of tea so we can discuss further.".

And so, a new bond forged not of official relations, but a shared interest, began.

From then on, you two often had tea and snacks together, discussing books you liked, characters that stuck with you... You liked Gin's taste, even incorporating a bit of it in your next chapters. Sometimes, you two would get Izuru to join you.

Gin would totally encourage you to write for the Seireitei Communication. It's clear to the 3rd that you're gifted with words; Why hide it from the rest? And if you're nervous about the quality of your work, he'll gladly sit you down for one of his writing seshs, letting you look over his work and he yours.

Speaking of which, assuming he's older, ergo had more writing years than you, he's a pretty great mentor. He likes to praise but never gives it so easily so you're incentivized to keep getting better. He's also great if you feel that a piece isn't living up to its potential, but you can't tell why.

"I see... The set-up is exquisite, but I think you're preoccupied with the recurring details to a point where it harms the climax. Remember to let that shine on its own.".

There's also times where you two compete, whether it be on who can write the more coherent story, the more sorrowful character...

Congrats, you are now his much-touted 'writing companion'. If he wants to fluster you, though, it's 'writing playmate'.

After a while, some might notice that Gin's column and yours are... Answering each other? Like, if he brought up a certain topic, you would bounce off of it whether in terms of agreement or heated debate. Many readers expressed that they enjoy this exchange of ideas.

Once you two are close, it's not at all unusual for him to sneak up behind you while you write like the first time, sometimes even hugging you and resting his chin on your shoulder. Careful not to let him see the growing blush~

One night, you were writing a romance scene. Out of nowhere (as usual), you hear his low chuckle: "How dreamy~"

You turned back to see him grinning at you. Trying to keep stoic, you decided to ask: "I thought that they had good chemistry, unless you think otherwise?".

"Not at all! It was obvious, but just one detail I must point out; When you got to the confession point, you started to skim out on a lot of detail that could endear the reader to this moment.".

He had a point. Were you getting bashful about it?

"But don't worry, Y/N. There's nothing that improves writing like experience. If you ever need a real life example of such scenes, you can always ask me~".

Did he just... Allude to romantic moments between you two? With time, you find that yes, this darned fox couldn't let you know he was interested in you without teasing you.

For one, let's say that after you got together your romance scenes became... Much better.

You two would also use each other as characters in all sorts of writing. To fluster you, Gin would enjoy doing so in old-fashioned style romances. Sometimes he foreshadows dates through that!

If you're feeling petty, you can always present a story where he's the main character and gets beat down by a force of nature he can't control :p

By the time you finish your novel, there's probably a pair that is a lot like you two anyway.

Analyzing each other's work!

Gifting each other fine ink and writing tools!

Seeing who can write the most intense love letter to the other!

All in all, this is my brainrot and I'm gonna go hyperfixate bye bye :3

[marley-manson]

💌 💞 💫 for the fic ask!

Thank you <333

💞what’s the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

Definitely characters. I write because I want to explore things about my faves and spend some time in their heads. Plotting feels like a necessary evil lol, because I'm not into writing abstract character studies, I want the characters to do stuff. But god it's easily the worst part for me. Figurative language is up there too though, it's fun to come up with a good metaphorical description. I also want to add theme because I can't write without it, if I have no thematic statement I have no idea what I'm writing towards.

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

Your comments are definitely some of my favourites frankly lmao 💖 But generally I love to hear what people get out of my stories, intellectually and/or emotionally. Like what they enjoyed about it, how it made them feel, what choices made them go 'yesss,' etc.

And I know these are writing asks but I also want to add for vids specifically: I loooove when people point out specific editing choices/techniques they liked. Like I had one youtube comment on a Berserk vid point out a series of blood drops I timed to a drum rhythm by cutting out a few frames here and there and I was just like 🥺thank you so much for noticing��

Of course I love and greatly appreciate any and all positive feedback always, but yeah if I'm getting specific then these types of comments make me really flail.

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

lol this one was hard to answer bc I'm kind of in a slump right now in terms of my wips. But I'm at 50 pages (!!!!) and getting close to the end of Army Style which is def exciting, and I thiiink I've come up with the climax and essential thematic point of the story, if I can pull it off. Basically focusing on Potter as the good cop to the rest of the army's bad cop, and how that's what clinches Hawkeye's negative character shift, even moreso than the threats.

Here have an excerpt:

Sherm watched him go, hoping this wasn't gonna be the last he'd see of the life of the not-quite party that was the four oh double seven.

"Well," he said, "you have your assignments. It's time for me to make some phone calls." He slapped his knees perfunctorily and stood up. The other two followed suit and they went their separate ways.

He started with Sidney. A signed statement from him could take a day or two to reach Seoul, so the sooner he sent it the better - would've been best three days earlier when he’d asked if it might be necessary, but he supposed he couldn't blame Hawkeye for not wanting to admit that his name could be out there, considering what he was going through now. As much as he considered Hawkeye a friend, he was still his commander first and foremost, and that was the way it ought to be.

Once Radar got through he picked up the phone at his desk. 

“Always a pleasure, Sherm,” said the voice on the other end, “assuming you’re calling to schedule the next poker night.”

“‘Fraid not, Sidney. I need your professional advice. Our favorite captain’s gotten himself into trouble.”

“When’s it due?” 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. Lord save him from comedians. “Very funny,” he said, in a tone that he hoped conveyed exactly how much he was laughing. 

“All right, what’s the trouble?” Sidney conceded.

“Hawkeye’s just been hauled off to Seoul H.Q. to be investigated for degeneracy.”

“Ah,” came Sidney’s less-than-fruitful response. 

He filled him in on the details. “So what do you think? I was hoping you’d be willing to sign a statement on his behalf, but is there anything you can do besides?”

“Oh sure, I’ll write a letter.” The words came slow and steady, like Sidney was considering everything he said carefully. “I know a few of my colleagues down there so I can make a call too. Not sure how much good it’ll do if someone named him.”

“Near as I can tell it was a name once-removed, if that’s any help. A… friend of a friend of Hawkeye’s put his name on a list. Hawk’s swearing up and down that the kid was just handing over any name he’d ever heard the guy mention.”

“Do you believe him?” 

“I don’t think that matters, now, does it?” 

“If you say it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.” A sigh crackled across the line. “You know, if this was the old days, I’d just fly down there myself and do the paperwork to clear him. Now that could cost me my job.”

Sherm scowled into the middle distance. Maybe he shouldn’t blame Hawkeye; maybe his optimism had just been a decade out of date. He’d known the higher ups were stepping up the blues the last few years, but that was usually how it went in peacetime. He’d figured they’d cut it out while the war was on. But if even Sidney thought he might lose Hawkeye for good… “Is it really that bad?” he asked.

“It’s not good. But in Hawkeye’s case it’s hard to say. If he was a private it’d be over already, but a surgeon… especially one with his record - he’s got a good chance. It really just depends on who’s making the decision. But I’ll make a call or two and see what I can do to help from here. And I’ll send that statement tonight.” 

“Thanks, Sid. I owe you one.” 

“I’ll collect it in chips next time I come by the Swamp.” 

Sidney hung up, and Sherm kept the receiver up to his ear. Sure enough, there was still faint breathing on the other end. “Radar, get me General Imbrie,” he said, relishing the surprised yelp. It was time to start making a fuss until he got his chief surgeon back.

[rotten-potatoes-movie-review]

Fight Club

I do not know if I loved this movie or absolutely despised it. From the beginning I was not certain and as it continued I became more confused. The lead up was confusing, I didn't quite get where it was leading until it all hit me in the last 30 minutes. It was violent, sexual, and I should've expected it but I absolutely did not. Maybe if I had read some reviews before hand, maybe then I would have understood what the movie would be. I went in thinking this was a boxing movie if that helps you understand my utter confusion and mixed feelings.

I have a lot of words about this movie. I also have a lot of thoughts, feelings, and things to point out. Despite how much I hated it going in, I have to admit that I weirdly like it and am fascinated by the whole thing. But that isn't what this post is about, it's about getting an assignment done and over with. Let us start.

During the movie I had to chose a scene with a lot of conflict and dissect it piece by piece. I jotted down several scenes and their times stamp during the first half of the movie. Anywhere there was a physical fight, I have the time stamp. However, after watching all the way through, I am pretty sure this assignment is not about the physical fighting but more of the active intense conflict between people. Now the most obvious point in the movie to write about is one of the last scenes. The main character is fighting himself and needs to win to save the day but by winning the fight he also loses. That is the height of the movie, the realization, that is where attention is grabbed and held. So I decided to write about the scene at 1:52:00, one hour and fifty two minutes, a full 13 minutes before the climax I just mentioned. 1:52:00 is the moment our protagonist, 'Cornelius' or the narrator, realized that he is not just our beloved and confused main character but also Tyler Durden. That is the tip of the iceberg, the moment that everything comes crumbling down.

The beginning of the scene starts with the narrator stumbling into his hotel and frantically calling Marla. Our main character calls Marla, distraught and on the verge of realization while Marla responds with annoyance and hostility. That is where the beginning of this scene's 'fight' begins. Quick cuts between Marla and 'Cornelius' (I'm going to keep calling him this because I don't know his name) with close up shots show a visualization of the tension between them. Both characters are confused and angry in different ways, shown through their words and their tones. 'Cornelius' or not quite Tyler's voice is higher pitched and frantic as opposed to Marla who's voice is steady and around its normal range. When not Tyler yells it is when he is asking a question revolving himself as Tyler. His anger is towards himself not realizing, towards Tyler for what he has done. When Marla yells it is in response to 'Cornelius's' questions, it is in annoyance and exasperation. She is angry at 'Cornelius' or as she knows him, Tyler. Both characters can't understand each other because they lack both sides of the story. Stuck with only what they know, which is very conflicting against what the other knows, they argue and set the spark that lights the fuse for the rest of the extreme conflict to begin.

Despite that scene not being as high tension as many of the ones before it or the big ones that come after, I believe that it is just as important.

[qqueenofhades]

Hi, for the writing asks ⛰, 🎢, ☠ and⭐ for the lighthouse au please! Any or all of them, I just couldn't settle on one because I love the fic so much t.t Thank you!

Thanks so much!

⛰️-  What was the hardest part?

Not throttling Ivan when he has (yet again) failed to understand the assignment. I mean, he's a fictional character, so it would be difficult, but ALSO. WHY SON. WHY DO YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO.

🎢- Were there any scenes you were nervous about? For audience reception or otherwise?

I don't know that I was particularly nervous about any of them? I am generally very confident in my writing, storytelling, and character choices, so when I do something, it's because I have thought about it and worked out how it plays into the overall narrative arc of the fic and the journey of development that I want the two of them to go on. I do, however, know that there are certain moments where I am going to get shouted at more than usual, at the angsty parts or where they're separated or where Ivan has once more made an extremely stupid decision. However, that is just part of the fun.

I mean what.

☠️- Did you consider killing off any of the characters? Did you?

Aha, unless there is a really, REALLY good plot reason, I almost never kill off canon characters in my fics (especially the gays; we do not bury our gays in this house especially when they're probably going to be offed in canon shh). So Ivan and Fedyor themselves were always safe. I do, however, kill original characters sometimes, especially if they're total bastards (see: Konstantin). And there's a big storm a-comin' at the end of this fic as we reach the dramatic climax, so: stay tuned. Dun dun dunn.

⭐- What’s a scene/paragraph you’re proud of?

I'll cheat and say that instead of choosing a specific scene or moment, I'm proud of all the real history, culture, language, etc that is woven into this (as is usually the case with me, but still). The 1980s are relatively recent, but they are a time when most of Tumblr wasn't alive, and also extremely important for understanding why the world is in the mess it is in today. I had fun with the challenge of the first part of the story, where it was just two characters shut into a tiny space all the time and they were the only focus of what was going on. But I have also enjoyed how all the real political context of the Cold War, the visit to 1980 queer-mecca San Francisco the year before the AIDS crisis really hit, the depictions of landscapes and places such as the High Arctic in Russia and Alaska, the way classic Russian literature informs (especially) Fedyor's thoughts and feelings, and so forth enriches the atmosphere of the fic and the things that people can learn from it. At least, of course, so I hope.

[writing asks]

[movienotesbyzawmer]

April 12: Rocky III

(previous notes: Rocky II)

Because now that Rocky has done the unthinkable and become The Champ, we want to see him tackle the next challenge… win AGAIN.

I remember seeing this in the theater with my buddy. I don't know if I liked it. I'm pretty sure I found Mr. T to be as charismatic and as terrifying as they wanted. I'm pretty sure when I bought the ticket I hesitated and asked the cashier, "hey, wait, we get to see him do some variation on the triumphant steps jogging moment, right? Otherwise never mind I'll go see Poltergeist again". If I'm paying good money for boxing sequels, I want to be assured that the formula has not been altered.

Okay let's go.

Once again, this is Un Film De Sylvester Stallone.

Slight variation on the fanfare with the title, now there's a close-up of the Important Belt Buckle Of Punchsport.

Then we see the climax of the previous movie, maybe edited slightly for time. But not very noticeably different.

That segues immediately to a montage of Rocky doing many successful beatup games, scored by the enormous pop hit "Eye of the Tiger". I suspect this isn't the last we'll hear of this number.

The montage morphs into a different story, one starring Mr. T! He's watching Rocky win stuff and he is not pleased. He can also fist-game, it seems. But the montage makes it clear that it is our hero Rocky who is the star of commercial endorsements and marriage love.

I mock but this visionary filmmaker has indeed opened this movie with energetically cinematic choices.

0:8:40 - Arcade games! Paulie goes to an arcade and it is like the arcades I went to when this movie was out and I see games that I played! But Paulie doesn't like the Rocky pinball machine. It seems he is a sore brother-in-law.

Rocky is now very dashing. Paulie is drunk and whiny about how Rocky is such a big shot now, but he has a point about how prettied up he has become.

Later that night Rocky and Adrian are in their bed and it has a rich person headboard. The director, also visibly present in front of the camera, clearly instructed the production designer to create a bed that would reflect the elite level of financial flexibility that the protagonist has reached.

So apparently Rocky has gotten himself into the strange situation where he has to do a charity boxing match against a wrestler played by the increasingly famous Hulk Hogan. I had forgotten that Hulk Hogan is in this movie. Mr. T is watching this match and he looks intensely the same way he only ever does.

Whoa Hulk Hogan is way taller than Sylvester Stallone. Is that allowed? The rules have changed! And this whole thing is not boxing it is wrestling and it is that silliness instead of boxing. This is a long scene that is the same as a typical Wrestlemania thing, all manufactured drama made to seem like fighting and true menace, but at the end we see that they are just professional coworkers and we have all learned a valuable lesson haven't we.

At a statue-unveiling, Rocky announces that he is maybe retiring. MAYBE. But then Mr. T shows up talking smack, and ladies and gentlemen we have ourselves an end-of-Act-One.

As Act Two begins, we have a scene that was an A+ homework assignment for the screenwriting teacher of Rocky III's screenwriter, who you will recall is the craftsman Sylvester Stallone. Burgess Meredith is like "I quit! I won't help you with this fight! Mr. T is too hard to beat!" But then they talk it out to advance past that scripted complication. And now Rocky and Mr. T are training for their fight in their separate worlds.

Speaking of worlds, in the World Of Rocky, the famous theme that was introduced in the score of the first movie is actually known to the characters in this movie as Rocky music. They play it for him publicly to celebrate their pride in his violence accomplishments.

Apollo Creed appears to be retired, but he is a commentator at this Rocky/T fight.

0:40:00 - They're about to do the fight, but Mr. T is so The Way He Is that the wants to fight on the way TO the fight. That results in some tumult that makes BM have health problems. It was vague what happened, it seemed like BM was shoved aside by all the mad/scared/fighting people, so then he has a conversation with Rocky in a back room where he's like, don't stop the fight even though I am suddenly vaguely frail. He sort of clutches his chest like maybe there's a heart attack but just one of those everyday ones. I have those every time I click send on a work email. My friends should not be discouraged from championship fisticuffs when that happens.

This is the first Rocky movie to be made after Raging Bull came out, and I detect some influence in the boxing footage, like with close-ups of Mr. T.

Rocky loses that fight pretty quickly, and maybe the problem is that he didn't do a pre-victory steps jog. But the movie is telling us that BM is dying on a table in the back room and that's the real problem.

BM dies and SS has done some pretty ambitious cry-acting. Then the funeral is in one of those indoor above-ground file-cabinet-style cemeteries, which is not the normal cinematic choice so nice job there.

I can already tell that we're going to have another thirty minutes of a bummed-out Rocky to fill out Act Two before it starts to look like the setup for a fulfilling climax can begin. It's what I would have told him to write if he were my student at the third-rate community college where I'm a part-time screenwriting teacher in this scenario.

Apollo Creed has shown up to try to pep-talk Rocky, and he keeps saying "eye of the tiger" because of marketing departments. But also, he is a more mature person than in the first two movies. Even though it's a character shift, I do kind of buy it. It seems like another side of the character we knew slightly.

0:59:00 - Another scene beginning with dialogue that sounds like it was improvised by people who don't know what real life is like. "Come on you're going to be late to the airport!" "Maybe you should have packed another sweater" "no in California it's not too cold". AHA THEY ARE GOING ON A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA I AM ON TO YOU ROCKY III

When they go to Los Angeles and show us people on the street and the people have been told to look and act super different so that the audience will be like, wow California is different, then, well, we are at this part of Rocky III did you know.

Although there was my earlier expectation that we were going to have a prolonged funereal story arc, but what's happened is that Apollo is invested in training Rocky so they're showing us that side of Apollo, and that's interesting. But also it's the template of "Rocky is training and he doesn't look like he's going to get there, but then inspiration will hit and he will look like he is going to get there". S. Stallone, noted filmmaker, is using montages and flashbacks to show how recent bad news moments for Rocky are haunting him. It is working.

Adrian performs a pep talk monologue for Rocky. I don't understand her point. It's like a box of those refrigerator poetry magnets jumbled up together and spoken as movie script lines. I guess the gist is "don't give up" and he starts to think maybe he shouldn't give up. Then it's a new training montage, and it's got the classic "running far now" Rocky theme so we know it's going well. The twist on the classic cheering-atop-stairs cadence is it's Rocky and Apollo on the beach, and Rocky is a little faster than Apollo and that is great news for them both.

Now we're right before the final fight, and we heard Mr. T tell a reporter that he "pity the fool". I didn't hear the rest of what he said, I was just so happy to hear him say "pity the fool".

Oh but shortly after that he is asked what his prediction is, and he looks at the camera, OUR camera, at US, and says "PAIN". Submitted without comment.

That face-to-face moment right before the fight starts, Mr. T says "imma bust you UP" and Rocky says "go for it". Advanced Scripted Dialogue with Professor Stallone.

The final fight happens, and it's mostly the same as how the other ones went except without a montage summarizing a whole bunch of rounds. I think this whole fight ended in three rounds. But it ends with the exact same music that I'm getting sick of….

BUT! There is a follow-up scene this time! It's some other day later on and Apollo and Rocky are just palling around at the gym. And THEN the movie ends. I feel that the producers must have implored Stallone, artisan that he is, to just end the movie on that climactic moment right after the fight ends, just like the other movies, but he said NO. That is not ENOUGH for a SYLVESTER STALLONE FILM. We will have an additional scene with INCONSEQUENTIAL BANTER. It will last OVER ONE MINUTE. And here we are. Rocky III: it's like Raging Bull, but better!!

I think Talia Shire is the only female actor with any lines in this movie.

One thing that's very much worth saying about this movie is that there is WAY more actual boxing in this movie. The other ones had almost no scenes where there were live boxing matches, but this one had lots. Plus that wrestling one! And as I observed, the directing style with this one also had a newfound sense of visual pop. But the story seems like it changed not at all from how it was described in the first studio board room meeting where jackass producers blurted out what Rocky III might be like.

(next: Rocky IV)

[5lazarus]

Hey Laz! I'm very curious a about Fire in the Empire and Josephine, Leliana, the panties 👀🔥

And also Hilda if you feel like it because I love the name ❤️

hey!! thanks for the ask :) Fire in the Empire is the next chapter of Fen’Harel’s Teeth, based off this song. I like it because I think it describes every character’s state of mind as they tear through the Exalted Plains--Briala, Lavellan, Hawen, Solas, Blackwall, and Iron Bull. Especially Solas, Blackwall, and Iron Bull. here’s a snippet. I’ve always been fascinated with how you find the Soul Canto in the trenches, so I opened the chapter with it:

The girl is bleeding out all over the table, but under her is a leatherbound book that remains dry. Imladris tugs it out from under her, gently pushing the still-warm corpse aside. She can see the girl’s eyes through the grill of her armor. “What was she reading?” Iron Bull asks. Imladris examines the title. “The Tome of Koslun. Is she viddathari?” “Nah,” Bull says. “We moved all our spies out when the demons came.” The book is battered and the pages are thin and cracker-hard; it’s been left out in the rain before, and carefully dried. Carefully Imladris turns the pages, staining them with the grime and blood of her gloves. She reads aloud, “You have seen the greatest kings build monuments to their glory, only to have them crumble and fade. How much greater is the world than their glory? The purpose of the world renews itself with each season. Each change only marks a part of the greater whole. The sea and the sky themselves: nothing special. Only pieces.” She snaps it shut, thinking-not-thinking where she has heard it before, a Qunari woman in prison once, intoning those four words like a prayer to an atheist god, nothing special only pieces nothing special only pieces. The sounds of the fighting stops abruptly, and Blackwall comes crashing into the barracks. “That’s the last of them,” he says, panting. “The last of the demons. And the fucking Orlesians. Are you alright?” Imladris glances at the corpse, who turns its sightlesss eyes to gape at her. She blasts it with fire, leaping back towards the stairs as Iron Bull cleaves it with his huge greataxe. When they are done the girl is eviscerated, but whatever took her has returned in tatters to the Fade. They leave the room behind, but Imladris takes the Soul Canto with her.

For the Josephine/Leliana story, I signed up for Sapphic Solstice and my girlfriend ended up getting assigned me. This is the story she’s not writing, because I decided I wanted to do it. I decided I wanted to write more femslash in DA after she told me it accounts for less than 10% of fanfic, and why not them? I have only one line: “The food was bad and the shoes were worse.” Hilda, though, is a short story I’m working on, loosely based off my own grandmother. It’s about a whole host of things--how Eastern Europeans assimilated into USA whiteness & thus respectability, the rage of older women who have cut themselves into pieces for an ideal that has always lied to them, the sex work of bad marriages. I’ll put the rest under a cut. My original work tends to be very, very intense, though I've written some sillier stuff ("Nice Try, FBI" is the fucking funniest thing I've ever written, and I'm very proud of it). This one, though, is very much serious. Probably one of the nastier things I've written about, though I hope the fact that I'm writing it with compassion comes through. (but that's another conversation--I don't believe in writing with dislike!)

My grandmother was a Czech and Russian Jewish woman whose first language was not English, who told everyone she was Irish Catholic like her first husband, my grandfather, who died when my mother was a child. She kept having children to try and get that boy, put kept pushing out daughters, even as the family fell more and more into poverty. They’d move every month to avoid avoid getting evicted by the landlord when the rent was due, for example. And then my grandfather died, and my grandmother put herself to work as a secretary to explicitly seduce and marry her bosses, and netted three of them. She once told my mother, “Some women are meant to be secretaries. Others are meant to be married. I’m meant to be married.” That was the only two options she presented, and the only two options she still considers acceptable.

So it’s about those angry, hateful old women who never had any chance to be anything besides a helpmate for a man, who refused any chance to be anything besides a wife, who actively sabotaged her daughters and granddaughters who tried to be anything besides wives. There’s been this tendency in recent family epics I’ve seen from other white Americans writing about their ancestors’ “immigrant & assimilation experience” in very romantic terms, though the Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna pushes back against that for the Italian-American experience, and was what made me think that maybe it’s time to tell these stories that before, only get whispered after a few drinks while the women are cleaning up after Easter dinner in the kitchen. It’s experimental, and I suppose it's a very USA story! I want it to be fully drenched in its time--a small town half an hour outside of New York City, from the perspective of a woman who was born a bastard in 1938, raised by drunks and who married drunks. I’m writing it in the 2nd person and in stream-of-consciousness, and I took a break before I get to the climax. Here’s a snippet, content warning for the protagonist’s memory of antisemitism:

You do the dishes and run the water too hot, and you think about how you want a new kitchen, with enamel finishings, and little hens to pretend you have the comfort of a country life. Your mother was from the country, in the old country, and she hated New York. Too dirty, too loud, too prying. The neighbors would listen when she cried, and the whole neighborhood knew about the traveling salesman, and that he was a Jew, too. She’d cry over your curls; she herself was a perfect blonde, just like Jayne Mansfield, with the swoop of hair and a birthmark too. You hated it, you hated your hair, and so did your mother and she burned you and the kitchen too when you were a girl, trying to iron it out. The fire department all came and they laughed and they were rude to your mother, and the neighbors heard, and all the girls at school did too, and even after the birth of your third daughter, the women would smirk when you’d go by. You’re angry, you’re angry that you bleached your hair and you’re losing it, you’re angry that Shirley Temple had those curls and she never straightened them, everyone loved them and you had the same exact curls and nobody loved you, did they? Except those men. They loved something. At least you kept them away from your girls. Better than your mother, that’s the truth.

[spacejammie-eimmajecaps]

What I've found works best for me as far as long fics is to start with a very rough outline of the general idea (not really for chapters, but more for what happens in a specific sequence).

Could be as simple as:

1. Introduce main character, give some backstory

2. Main characters has xyz problem

3. Main character tries to solve problem and fails

4. Main character seeks help from friend/love interest/whoever

5. Some kind of climax event. Then the problem is finally solved

(Can also draw bubbles on a sheet of paper and do the above in that way, with each sentence in a bubble. You can branch out with little side bubbles to add detail)

And then once I know what direction I'm going, I can add more to each part as I think of it.

But I've found that creating character backstories at this point helps me decide what's going to happen in the story. For example, if I decide that one character has a fear of intimacy, that would impact their interactions with others. Or if a character has a habit of lying, has a fear of water, has a dark secret, etc etc. All those things could influence the storyline.

This is the base I use when making a character backstory, which I adapted from the D&D Player's Handbook and various online sources about character building (I'll give a random example character):

Name: John Doe

Personality traits: Always follows through when he sets his mind to something. Hates being interrupted while he's working. Speaks loudly without meaning to, in a way that makes him seem more intimidating than he means to be.

Ideal(what he lives by/what guides his actions): Hard work is the answer to everything. If something isn't working, work harder.

Bond(what connects the character to people/places): He doesn’t have any close friends, nor any family that lives near him. So he throws himself into his work.

Flaw(can be a bad habit or "negative" trait): Takes on way too much responsibility at work, and won't ask for help or delegate. He's constantly on the verge of burnout.

Goal(what he wants at the beginning of the fic. Can also include an "eventual goal" for what he will want later in the fic): Wants to get a promotion or a raise. Eventually wants to earn the admiration/trust of a certain coworker that just started at his company and has a strange charm.

Paragraph in voice(doing this for each character is pretty helpful, especially if one character tends to use "gonna" and another is more likely to say "going to." Or little details like that: "My favorite part of the day? I'd have to say late evening at the office, once everyone else leaves. It's nice and quiet then. I always get a lot of work done."

Generally speaking, I do this for any character that has lines or is important to the main character in some way. And once that's done, it's much easier to decide how to fill in an outline for actual chapters.

This is the point where I tend to find songs that go with the fic, because that also helps me build the story. Finding at least 3 songs, or a song per character that's in the main story focus, is my preference. I do find more songs later on while writing if those ones stop feeding my imagination.

After all that, I might go from the rough idea sequence above to an actual chapter by chapter outline:

Chapter 1: We meet John Doe. He wakes up alone, follows the same morning routine as always, commutes to work, and avoids his coworkers. People seem slightly uncomfortable around him because he's very gruff towards them. Has one or two coworkers that make an effort to be friendly towards him.

Chapter 2: John Doe is assigned to train the new person at work. He's not happy about the assignment since it's going to get in the way of his own work. That is, until he meets the new coworker. Something about them really draws his attention/or maybe irritates him. They spend the work day together. By the time he goes home for the night, his new coworker is stuck on his mind.

Chapter 3: He has no idea how to balance what he's feeling with how he should act in a professional setting. As the next few weeks pass, he seems to have more and more questions about this new coworker, and very few answers. He realizes wants to know them better in a romantic way. But when he tries to ask coworker out, something interupts or happens to prevent it.

Chapter 4: John Doe doesn't want to ask for help. But then a long-time coworker takes pity on him, and practically forces their help on him. They come up with a game plan.

Chapter 5: John Doe hesitantly puts the plan into action. And as it often happens, things don't go according to plan. But that's okay. Things go even better, in a weird kind of way.

Now obviously, you can do this with as many chapters as you want. Right now I have a 33 chapter fic I've been outlining for 2 months. The document is nearly 18,000 words, and all that it consists of is the character backgrounds (for over 50 characters), a list of what each character does for work in the story(because I need that for easy reference), and then the detailed outline(each chapter has between 3-8 sentences detailing what happens). Whenever I think of more details for a chapter in the outline, I'll go add to it.

And because it's a fantasy au, I've also made maps of the island on which the story takes place and basic blueprints of the buildings in which many scenes happen (doing that also helped me clear up problems with the outline that would have been plot holes, as well as add more details to it. Being able to imagine the setting with visual references really helps).

You can definitely make rough drawings for rooms, or any place for scenes where you feel a visual reference would help keep track of where the characters are/what their body language and action is during the scene. (I once drew a table and 8 chairs, and put character initials on each chair. To remember who was sitting where)

Now once you've nailed down character backstories and your outline, you can do whatever research you feel needs to be done (though you can also save research until you need it. Like if it's for chapter 5, don't look it up until you're writing chapter 5—or even wait until you're editing the rough draft of chapter 5, when the details get filled in)

Then you can choose to:

OPTION 1: Write/finish/post one chapter at a time, using your outline as a guide to move along through the story. This might be more appealing for fics with longer individual chapters or a greater number of chapters. (But for me, it also tends to make me feel anxious about finishing the story if I'm posting a chapter without the rest of the story already drafted)

OPTION 2: Write a draft of ALL the chapters. I suggest accepting that these will be very, very rough. Save the fine details for later and use [Need setting details] or [Funny dialogue] or [They walk from a to b] for places where you get stuck, then just move on and keep writing. You can fill in those [notes to self] later when you're editing.

Then (for option 2) you can either:

2a. Go back and finish one chapter at a time, posting each as you finish it. And what helps me with finishing a draft chapter is to go through each one multiple times looking for different details to add. Ex: Once for dialogue, once for body language, once for setting, etc. It's something I wish I'd have started doing earlier on in my fic writing. And then I highly suggest reading all dialogue out loud during the final read through. I even change my voice for each character (don't picture me doing that. It's kinda embarrassing haha). But as long as you read it out loud in whatever voice you want, you'll be able to tell if the dialogue feels natural. (Looking at a picture of that character before you read their dialogue can help you imagine if they would say it like that)

2b. Go back through the entire fic chapter by chapter, polishing it until you feel like all it needs is a final read through. Then post chapter by chapter as you finish each final read through. (But this method tends to be something more easily done with shorter fics—at least, that's how it is for me)

One last thought I'll leave here is that just because something works for someone else, doesn't mean it will work for you. All you can do it try out various methods until you find what does work for you. (It took me over 40 fics to figure out the methods above, and that was with lots of trial and error. And I'm sure I've got a lot more to learn in the future—which is both daunting and exciting)

hi! i need help. i've got an idea for a fic i've been sitting on for a while now, but it's a bit of an ambitious au that requires research and an actual plot that makes sense. i don't know where to start, and i'm the type of person who bases their worth on their productivity (something i need to work on, i know). i've had lots of free time, but even then i haven't written anything. any tips on where/how to start? or not feel shitty about this? thanks ✨✨

Bear with me for a moment while I talk about something that might seem totally unrelated: project management methodology.

There are two major ways that I've encountered for managing a project. One way is called Waterfall and the other way is called Agile. In Waterfall project management, you basically build the whole thing and then release a finished product. This is useful in a situation like baking a cake. Giving people the uncooked batter probably won't go over well.

In Agile project management, you build something that's referred to as the minimum viable product. This is a sort of stripped down version of the final product. It still does whatever it's meant to do, but it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles on it. If you play video games, you'll be familiar with this. They release the base game and then add more functionalities and levels over time, but meanwhile people are buying and playing the game and those sales help to finance further development.

So what does this have to do with writing a big fic? Well, writing longfic is its own kind of project management. Depending on your own personality, either a Waterfall or an Agile approach could work for you.

Based on this ask, I think you might want to take an Agile approach. Look at the overall story and think: what's the core story I'm trying to tell? That's the minimum viable product. You can add in all of the world building and the subplots etc. after you've got the main thread figured out, but that main thread is what you should focus on first. Any research on the main thread gets priority. Any research on the side stuff can wait for later.

And this can also be a way for you to get feedback as you write. That's another core of Agile development - getting feedback from the stakeholders (in this case your audience) throughout the development process so that the final product fits the need. You can do this with a beta reader or by participating in things like Six Sentence Sunday.

You can also break your huge story down into a series of smaller stories that can be posted separately and grouped together in a series on ao3.

Decide what the most important part of the story is that you really want to tell and start there. Once you've got that part, you can build on it.

How do the rest of you figure out a huge story like this one? Can you offer anon any advice?

[sleepydrarry]

Hey, I really like your fic recs and wanted to let you know I appreciate them , also could you recommend me some super long fics , I'm kinda new so I don't mind the #classics Thank you and 😘😘

Thank youuuu! So nice! Let me present to you, the 10 longest Drarry fics I’ve read* (*that I love enough to want to rec to you & everyone else):

• Secrets by Vorabiza (411k)Beginning with Draco’s unexpected arrival at the Dursleys, Harry’s summer after sixth year becomes filled with activity and many secrets. As his summer progresses, Harry generates several unexpected allies as he finds himself actively becoming the leader of the Light side. (I have about ten thousand favorite scenes in this fic, it is SO much fun, I love the characters, BAMF!Harry, the sweet Drarry, the details of the plot etc.)

• Cunning and Ambition by MinaAndChao (371k)Harry Potter has found out he’s a wizard and is on his way Hogwarts. He is found by a boy on the train. Who knew one simple sentence and one simple gesture could change history? A Slytherin!Harry AU.(Tear my heart out, why don’t you? This fic kills me, it’s the canon rewrite I always wanted. Much darker, more emotional. I’ve read it many times.)

• Foundations!verse by Sara’s Girl (a total of 364k)Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places. (This entire ‘verse is SO wonderful, you are going to fall so hard for this Harry and Draco. A+ characterizations, such sweet domestic fluff, EVERYTHING!)

• Turn, by Sara’s Girl (306k)One good turn always deserves another. Apparently. (I have too many words about how much I adore this fic, see my dissertation on the topic here. Beautiful story, amazing characters, excellent writing.)

• Malfoy Flavor by Vorabiza (222k)Harry’s ready to banish the Golden Boy image and take charge of his life. Unfortunately for him, or fortunately, there are surprises in store for him.(Fic aesthetic by me. I always have such fun with this one, I’ve read it multiple times. Very pro-Slytherin, secret identities, badass!Harry, sweetness…)

• Big Dick, Come Quick by Calanthe (204k)Draco’s got a theory. About sex. After much searching for the right candidate, it appears that only Harry Potter, his life long enemy, can help him test it out. (This one is amazingly hot, amazingly fluffy, and sooo sweet. Might not be ideal to read in public, but I think it’s well worth a read or five. Lovely Drarry.)

• Draco’s Boy by empathic siren (186k)A mysterious little boy named Harry moves in next door to Draco Malfoy, and he’s determined to make him his friend and learn all of his secrets. Years later, he’s determined to make Harry more than a friend. (I feel like this fic shortened my life with at least ten years, THAT’S HOW MUCH I CRIED. Sweet baby!Harry deserved better. Perfect for you angst-lovers.)

• Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (180k)Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. (Omggg this fic. Harry and Draco have such passion in this, there’s so much desperation, and the angst, oh it hurts. Another favorite of mine.)

• All Our Secrets Laid Bare by firethesound (149k)Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on. (Love. This. Fic. I have so many headcanons thanks to this one. Great writing, and wonderful pining, also humor, badass magic, Death Eather safe houses…)

• Consequences of Redemption by bobbirose (120k)When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco–and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated.(This one is all fluffy fun and sweetness, I mean they’re ADORABLE… until it casually decides to ruin your life. It’s not like I needed a heart anyway.)