#I’ve already done lots of the tropey stuff

[askamnesiamoonjumper]

anyone got any mj and hat bonding centric ideas? While focusing mostly on writing the prologue and my writing improving from doing so, I’ve been using it as a opportunity to rework a lot of the main fic events, specifically the early stuff so it flows nicer and isn’t as rushed, bc there’s not near as many pre manor chapters as post manor ones, while I was able to move one chapter earlier, I couldn’t do it with the other ones, mostly bc those ones relied too much on it being post manor to change (the chapter in question was shapes chapter bc I was able to rework the manor references into foreshadowing/set up and it definitely works a lot better that way as it builds up the tension :3 plus it makes more sense to have a lower stakes thing happen before a bigger stakes thing, and not the other way around yk)

ANYWAY while in the process of adding some ideas or splitting parts into their own chapters I realized I severely need some more dadjumper content, but I’m not the greatest at coming up with fluff scenarios off the top of my head, so yeah like I said any idea suggestions from you guys would be great!

[writingwithcolor]

Iam wanting to write a story about a girl who has asthma, a learning disability and is considered by society to be less than average. She is also a little over weight. When she has been given immortality other immortals shun her and want her dead. To escape from this she goes to a martial arts temple in China. She is also an American. I was wondering how I could incorporate both cultures in my story?

Overweight Chinese American girl with asthma & learning disability, martial arts, & China

Disclaimer: I’ve written this response assuming that the main character herself is Chinese or Chinese-American. 

Some stuff I’d like to discuss point-by-point:

Being an Asthmatic

Asthmatics don’t exactly have the best representation in media, so I’m worried about a non-Asthmatic writing a story where the main conflict is centered around the MC’s method of coping with ableism.

Especially considering how we’re portrayed as stereotypical nerds/geeks for not being absolute athletes (haha maybe because pushing ourselves that far will literally result in an asthma attack-)

I have a feeling that in addition to the point where Chinese people are already stereotyped as nerds, having her be asthmatic as well does mean you’ll have to be more careful in how you present her. We already have the whole “model minority, East Asian = nerd” thing going for us.

Being “overweight”

America’s definition of “overweight” looks different for all kinds of people! 

Someone who’s statistically considered “overweight” by American standards might pass as being “average” (in American standards once again) and vice-versa! The existence of the word actually insinuates the existence of an ideal weight-- pretty fatphobic.

If you mean to say that she’s fat, chubby, and/or plump, then do so. Don’t dance around the term just because it’s deemed ‘undesirable’ by our Eurocentric beauty standards. 

(Additionally, being chubby is associated with the nerd trope as well. More to watch out when developing her character.)

Mod Rune mentions the specific way you’ve phrased how as a result of her being overweight and asthmatic, she’s “considered by society to be less than average” and she’s shunned/wanted dead specifically for these two reasons.

Being disabled =/= incompetency or being less than an abled person. Once again, an OwnVoices situation would make sense; However I would still worry about infantilizing Asthmatic/chubby people this way.

The plot… oof.

I’m worried that your method of combating the already-delicate conflict (that she’s looking for a way to cope with her feelings of inadequacy induced by ableism/fatphobia), is pretty insulting. You specifically word her trip to China as an “escape” which I feel could have a much better reason-- your excuse as is sounds to lead into a story of “refinding myself at the home of my birth culture” or something like that- especially with the fact that she’ll be doing this at a martial arts temple. A very cultural aspect of China.

Martial Arts?

That being said; Even though a Chinese martial artist does feel rather stereotypical, it does help with asthma (source: me and Taekwondo)

Specifically, according to this study from NCBI on the correlation between asthmatic children and Taichichuan, results have shown that “12 weeks of Tai-Chi-Chuan could improve the pulmonary function, decrease airway inflammation, and improve quality of life in children with mild asthma”.

However Northern Shaolin, Hung Ga, Wing Chun, and other Chinese forms of martial arts could work as well! Please do research on the specific techniques and differentiate between them. Appropriating Chinese martial arts on top of the fact that it’s already rather tropey- very bad.

A different plot?

Perhaps don’t send her off to China to quote, "escape from how other [immortals shun her and want her dead]". 

I think a better motivation for this change in landscape would be “She wanted to train to get stronger and improve her health with how it was negatively impacted because of her asthma.” 

The thing with a lot of disabled people is that-- we don’t want to have to “keep up” with abled people. We don’t want to need to take all these extra measures just to be able to function ‘normally’ (or at least the one defined by society). I feel that the motives in your original plot panders to that idea that she must get stronger or else she’ll never be accepted by the other immortals. A Chinese-American asthmatic myself, I’d much rather see her self-worth measured through her own growth as an individual than how well she ‘fits in’ with non-asthmatics.

Marika mentions that people also often do martial arts for culturally-relevant exercise-- so this could also be a way for her to reconnect with her birth culture.

Sophia also mentions that being overweight has little on one’s skills as a martial artist; So it shouldn’t be used as an argument as to why someone shouldn’t be taking on a certain expertise. (Seconded, as someone who did kendo: some of the better kendoka were overweight and had more precision than I did --Jess)

Incorporating TCK Culture:

Look for stuff written by actual Chinese-American third-culture kids!

Every little part of life- from the stories parents tell their kids before bed to the kind of food we eat daily- is 100% influenced by both our caregivers and the community we live in. For me personally, we’d have hotpot dinners with other Asian families during the Lunar New Year and I’d typically be sent to Chinese school on Sundays as well. 

Mods Jess and Lesya touch up on some TCK elements in this ask as well! (Wanting to Learn More About Culture Because of Chinese Name) However your MC celebrates her cultures will also depend on how assimilated into America her family is.

Like I said earlier: look for materials that Chinese-American TCKs and immigrants have written! There’s no better way to learn about certain customs than getting them from the actual source.

My ending thoughts!

These are honestly traits that I’d love to see more, as an asthmatic Chinese-American myself who has done martial arts in the past, haha.

Be extra careful when a ton of your character’s traits are found in East Asian (Chinese) caricatures! Be sure to flesh her out as a three-dimensional character as this description that you’ve given us (regarding her conflict) makes me go >.>-- I don’t like it as is.

Give her motivations for herself that aren’t purely to conform to others (per the submissive Asian girl trope). Having a bullied Asian girl does feel like it plays into this, so please don’t have her measure her worth as an individual based off of the standards set by abled people!

Do tons of research on Chinese martial arts! Marika mentions huge points below that I want you to consider when giving her a specific speciality-- just saying “a martial arts temple” doesn’t cut it. 

(As always, any reader feedback/additions would be appreciated!)

~ Mod Emme

These are my thoughts as someone who has practiced various styles of Chinese martial arts. 

While the quality of the instructor and the student’s efforts are crucial, I think you need to be clear on the following:

The style of martial arts your character will be doing

Their physical limitations

The type of learning disability they have. 

Different fighting styles suit the limitations of different body types in different ways

A person who is overweight may find styles with explosive movements that put weight on vulnerable joints like the knees to be painful. Styles that favor stable stances may be more feasible than those that emphasize movements with lots of air time, crouching and jumping.

A person who is inflexible will need a style that encourages them to keep limber to avoid getting hurt.

A person with diminished lung capacity will need a style that safely challenges their endurance.

Different learning disabilities might make certain styles more or less difficult to learn

ADHD may favor fast fighting styles with complex move sets and a wide variety of weapons.

Issues associated with memory retention may make styles that emphasize sparring easier than those that focus on memorizing forms

Make no mistake, the culture of a style will be as much of a consideration for your character as the Chinese and American cultural influences. Do your research, and inquire with practitioners as to what styles would work well for your characters. 

The tumblr blog How to Fight Write would likely be a good resource on the physical logistics of different styles. 

- Marika

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Dark Greetings this Spooky Season Ms. V. Can we get a list of your favorite Halloween movies and specials? I know you have seen *everything* and I am trying to go beyond my usual rewatches this holiday month.

V. AIMMYARROWSHIGH’S CRITERIA FOR HALLOWEEN EPISODES

Does the Halloween element combine convincingly with the usual universe of the show (ex: Lizzie McGuire 2x09 “Those Freaky McGuires” is not good as a Halloween episode because it changes the rules of the Lizzie McGuire universe, whereas Community 2x06 “Epidemiology” is a GREAT Halloween episode because it manages to logically introduce zombies to the regular Community universe)?

Does the Halloween element advance the plot of the episode/series (ex: the reason Boy Meets World 5x17 “And Then There Was Shawn” is literally the best Halloween episode ever made is that it uses the horror movie tropes it satirizes to provide a CRUCIAL turning-point to the plot of the show)?

Is the Halloween episode in the forefront enough that it’s clearly a holiday episode (ex: HAVING ONE JACK-O’LANTERN ON A DESK DOES NOT A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL MAKE, LAW & ORDER 16x03 “GHOSTS”! You gotta go ALL-IN, like Bob’s Burgers 3x02 “Full Bars”!)?

Does the Halloween theme balance well between spooky and warm-n-fuzzy (ex: Criminal Minds 11x21 “Mr. Scratch” is too fucking bleak, but Criminal Minds 12x06 “Elliott’s Pond” has a joyous/celebratory tone to the ending despite being a genuinely scary episode)?

Is it generally a well-written, acted, and designed episode of television (ex: Saved by the Bell! 3x26 “Mystery Weekend” is seriously, not exaggerating, the worst thing I’ve ever watched in my life; Psych 1x15 “Scary Sherry, Or Bianca’s Toast” is a triumph of the medium)?

THE BEST, bar none, Halloween special ever made is Boy Meets World 5x17, “And Then There Was Shawn.” Period. There can be no argument, except MAYBE Community 3x06, “Epidemiology,” but I like “And Then There Was Shawn” better because the parody and homage as less… biting? And because I think it continues and addresses the emotional core of the regular BMW season better than “Epidemiology” does for Community s3. “Epi” DOES plant the seed (…heh) for the Season 3B major plot arc of Shirley’s pregnancy and Chang Deciding To Murder, but it gets some major minus points for mocking Yvette Nicole Brown’s weight with other characters’ responses to her costume, tbh. And “And Then There Was Shawn” is just fucking iconic. It is THE Halloween episode manual, IMO, if there were to be a textbook on how to write a perfect Halloween episode for your sitcom.

HOWEVER, I also have to give major props to Bob’s Burgers and Psych, as complete series, for their CONSISTENTLY excellent Halloween episodes. A lot of series that have multiple Halloween eps really phone it in after one or two, because they don’t have any more ideas for how to incorporate Halloween pastiches while maintaining the overall feeling of the series (tbh B99, while the Halloween Heists are excellent in general, is/has been coming very close to this line, and I think that if they HADN’T had to switch out the Heist to Cinco de Mayo in s6, they would have jumped their Heist Shark [and I think they know it, too, because it was lampshaded in the episode itself]) or they just straight-up don’t have any more ideas for what or how to have the characters they’re bound to parody or pay homage to a Halloween thing after they’ve already done one or two. And let’s be real: those one or two have probably been either The Shining or Rear Window, because those are pretty much the two that every show starts with.

Bob’s manages to make every Halloween episode feel very fresh and organic to the series, which I think they do have some leeway to do because of the nature of cartoons keeping the Belchers living a kind of loop of never aging, yk, but amazingly they’ve only done the “Tina feels too old to trick or treat, maybe? Nope, she’s not 14 yet, so there’s still time!” thing in a way that felt tropey once (in 3x02 Full Bars). They’ve been able to address Tina being 13/in 8th grade, and worrying about it being almost too late for her to keep trick or treating, in ways that were in-character and added to the overall episode in 4x02 Fort Night, 5x02 Tina and the Real Ghost, and 9x04 Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street, without me rolling my eyes at the screen and going “TINA, EVERY SINGLE SHOW WITH A TWEEN IN IT HAS ALREADY DECIDED THAT THE AGE AT WHICH YOU MUST STOP TRICK OR TREATING IS FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, COME ON NOW” which… at this point, is a Feat. Because like, I’ve POSTED over a thousand Halloween episodes, right? But I’ve watched and screencapped ::checks folder:: 3,905 Halloween episodes since 2014. Which is, um, a. lot. The ACTUAL BEST Bob’s Burgers Halloween episode is 6x03, “The Hauntening,” which is just… achingly perfect television. I know I’ve posted about it before (probably a couple times tbh) but the way that it aired originally back-to-back with The Simpsons 27x04, “Halloween of Horror,” so that the evening of Sunday cartoons juxtaposed eight-year-old Louise whose family worked so hard to scare her like she wanted with nine-year-old Lisa’s family working so hard to keep her from being too scared and make sure that she felt safe… reader, I FUCKIN CRIED. Little girls being deeply loved while also Spoopy Things!!!!!! IS WHAT HALLOWEEN SPECIALS ARE!!! FUCKIN!!!!!! ABOUT!!!!!!!

Psych, though, has the benefit of not really having any, like… central tone to the series? Beyond “friendship” and “having fun with joking,” tbh? So it’s able to do what a lot of series get docked “points” for in my Foolproof Halloween Special Ratings System That Is Completely Subjective To My Tastes And Mood, which is really just run full-tilt into parody and homage without really worrying about overall tonal connection to the rest of the season or series. 1x15, “Scary Sherry, or, Bianca’s Toast,” while it DOES fall victim to the way-too-common Halloween episode trap of making mental hospitals into a Scary Thing (they are a medical normality and a necessary thing for health for many people and should not be feared), is delightful Spooky Fun AND has the benefit of having Shannon Woodward in it.* We all know by now that if an episode of any show has Shannon Woodward as the guest star, it will by default end up being one of the best, if not THE best, episodes of that series. It’s just how having Shannon Woodward as your guest star rolls. I also really like, with Psych’s Halloween episodes, that quite a few of them understand the underlying thematic scope of Horror, which is “The Monstrous Feminine Is A Thing And All Horror Tropes Are Actually About Women’s Interior Lives Because Men Can’t Write Women And Fear Women Always,” yk, in a way that is neither TOO Actual Horror, which I am too afraid of to Do, or too trite and demeaning, which is the other basic trap that Halloween stuff falls into A Lot. Like, Scary Sherry is very much about women villainizing other women, avenging other women, and being in very specifically-female pain, even though Shawn & Gus are still the lens through which we solve the mystery, and so are 4x04 The Devil Is In The Details And The Upstairs Bedroom and 6x03 This Episode Sucks. But they give their Monstrous Females dignity and breadth, which is impressive, ESPECIALLY since they’re one-off guest characters. Also, 3x15 Tuesday the 17th is just plain funny and well-done, like, just give it props for the title alone.

*(Speaking of Shannon Woodward, another amazingly good Halloween episode is Raising Hope 4x07, “Murder, She Hoped,” which is among my very favorite Rear Window homage episodes and has probably the funniest gag in ANY Rear Window ep, in Martha Plimpton floating across the screen in the Grace Kelly silk nightgown and peignoir and announcing that it was on sale at Walmart, can you believe?! and honestly, yes. Perfection.)

Also excellent:

• The Addams Family (1991) + Addams Family Values (1993) • Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WERE GAY FOR SIBELLA AS A CHILD!) • Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE GAY BECAUSE THE HEX GIRLS!) • Halloweentown + Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge • Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire! • Z•O•M•B•I•E•S (to a lesser extent, Z•O•M•B•I•E•S 2) • Clue (1985) • Coraline • Corpse Bride • 6teen 2x00 Dude of the Dead • Arthur 21x00 Arthur and the Haunted Treehouse • Lamb-Chop in the Haunted Studio • Arthur 8x04A Fern-kenstein's Monster • Arthur 10x02 The Squirrels • WandaVision 1x06 The All-New Halloween Spooktacular (I KNOW YOU, SPECIFICALLY, DEAR @plavoptice, HATE MCU!WANDA AND I DON'T BLAME YOU, YOUR REASONS ARE VERY VALID! But this is a good Halloween special so I'm putting it on my list In General.) • Boy Meets World 2x06 Who's Afraid of Cory Wolf? • Ghostbusters (2016) • Gravity Falls 1x12 Summerween • Leverage 4x02 Ten L'il Grifters Job • The Loud House 2x40 Tricked! • Mockingbird Lane 1x00 Unaired Pilot • It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Classic, etc.)

I'm SURE I'm forgetting some that I'll rewatch this year myself. I'm a big Halloween Baking Championship fan, tbh, which is on Discovery+ now so I recommend that if you like mostly-relaxing nice people baking cakes that look like bats and such.

I'm also IMMENSELY INTENSELY EXCITED for The Muppets' Haunted Mansion on Disney+ next week!!!

[mattelektras]

Opinions on what MCU done to Doctor Stranger?

i think the casting is terrible, first off so i find it very hard to say anything nice. and i think they took a lot of what’s problematic and tropey from the comics and.. didn’t do anything to fix it? but that’s a whole other issue. as for like. strange as a character. he’s just not likeable lmao. i think benedict cumberskajsveudkeb makes every character he plays unlikable because he himself has an inherent superiority vibe and whilst comics strange DID start out as an arrogant douche, he learned?? whereas i don’t think mcu strange has. the entire lead up to him crashing his fancy car in his fancy suit just made him so fucking unrelatable. and like i said, there’s a certain element of that which is necessary to strange as a character but idk i think they tried to make it an understandable arrogance or whatever but just missed because very little in the mcu is ever actually ABOUT character.

he treats his love interest like actual shit the entire time, even after he’s had his big magic epiphany. not ONCE was there any chemistry or anything that makes you think there’s any real respect towards her. which is why the what if episode ppl were foaming at the mouth over a week ago or whenever was incredibly funny like. he goes evil because the woman he was horrible to dies??? she had a about 5 lines in the entire film, essentially didn’t matter at all to any of the characters and isn’t a character that’s recognisable as an iconic staple of the franchise? she’s not mary jane or anyone memorable so it’s just very funny that they’re trying to use her death to make this bitch seem even slightly likeable as a character. CLASSIQUE comics girlfriend dying man cries about it situation. he deserved everything bad that happened to him because it was the consequences of his own bullshit so. unfortunately i will not be sympathising

also the progression in his abilities are genuinely laughable like. predictable because dr strange is mighty whitey trope central second only to iron fist but even looking past that. the first time i ever saw him in a movie was in endgame because i didn’t watch dr strange so with his powers i was just like ok i guess he did a lot of work n there was a lot of development in his solo? n then one day it just happened to be on in the background on like. a tv channel w commercial breaks n he just??? doesn’t do shit?????????? one day he’s unshaven and shaking when doing a portal and the next he’s just throwin them around like it’s aperture laboratories??? get outta here w that shit. he’s already an incredibly rich, pretentious, arrogant man and then without changing any of that he can now do magic?? not once was there ever any change in how he thinks of other people as lesser than him or as pawns to further his medical career etc, never did he learn that he’s not all powerful or that there are repercussions to your actions. there’s no GROWTH which makes an initially arrogant character a likeable one. i don’t care for mcu tony stark but i see why people do. he IS likeable, he HAS grown and learned and i see his motivations for wanting to be iron man and a superhero, w strange there just isn’t any of that. he doesn’t particularly like helping people or doing good? or care about the world around him? why would he want to be there on a superhero team???? he doesn’t even have the good sense of being FUNNY in that 12 y/o boy just learned what boobs are mcu humour kind of way. he gets rewarded along the way w the sanctum, the eye of agamotto and the cloak and for doing WHAT exactly

comics strange was a dick, this is a fact but there’s layers to it?? his girlfriend died and he couldn’t help her when he was in med school which soured his outlook on medicine as a whole because he took it as being his fault, same with his parents. so like, already, there’s some kind of a reason for him being the way he is other than. smart rich fancy man thinks he’s better than people because he’s smart fancy and rich

he ended up at the ancient one as a selfish move to fix his hands and wasn’t having any of the mystic shit but one day he saw mordo doing some shady shit and mordo did some shady shit to him magically speaking and thought hm don’t like that and WANTED TO HELPPPPP AND STOP HIM!!! so he stuck around and eventually realised the best way to do that would be via magic and such a big part of him learning that was that he wanted to do so for unselfish reasons. and it took YEARS. he travelled and built relationships with other sorcerers and did good w them and then eventually the avengers. and the sanctum and sorcerer supreme thing was given to him because he earned it and he only ever actually set out to be a mystical consultant, he CHOSE to do the superhero thing off of his own back. it’s just… leagues apart. he’s unrecognisable. even the friendship with wong isn’t there. they’re like mystical matt and foggy but in the mcu i don’t even get friends vibes from them. strange wants a servant and wong tolerates him. where is the heterosexually gay married aura of it all

ANYWAY. i’ve read a fair bit of dr strange stuff and literally not one thing that i like about it was in any second of that movie or at any point since. the commercial breaks were the best bit. capitalism saved me. if it wasn’t an mcu movie people would have criticised it SO much but mouse free pass i guess

[idontlikeem]

3 and 6 for wine flowers and blood!! (a world I am still obsessed with) —jes

! <3 omg hiiiiii such a big fan.

So I sort of answered 3 here already by quoting a few of my favorite lines! But…

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

I don’t write, like, “hard” stuff. I write fun easy to read skim the surface not tons of plot tropey fiction that gets the reader from a problem with a moderate amount of low-stakes strife to a satisfyingly sex-filled resolution. That’s just how I’ve done it, it’s where my strengths lie.

But for this one, I really made an effort to tighten the POV down and focus in on leaving little hints of what the end would be without totally giving the game away right at the start. I also was a lot more considered and careful as I was writing—I tend to sort of just word-vomit whatever’s in my head and then hope my beta readers chop out the unnecessary shit, but for this one I was a lot more thoughtful about how I constructed my sentences, because I wanted Zhenya to have a specific style of inner voice, and I wanted him to take in these clues without interpreting them properly, and I wanted who he was and the sort of “larger picture” of the world he inhabits to bleed into the very narrow focused story I was telling to give it tension and stakes. I think I was at least partway successful! So for me, the special-ness of this fic really comes from how I took the vibe and tried to string it through the whole story while making sure the story had depth, as opposed to sort of just…writing what pops into my head. It was fun!

Thanks ))))))))

[adamsvanrhijn]

👻 😈 🧠 🌝

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

None that are already partially published!! Yes I am still insisting this!!!! I think the most at risk one that is partially published is the Robert and Thomas go to New York one but I still have a lot written for that that I just.... can finish....

As for unpublished I think S3 chauffeur Richard might be Never Revived.... oh well :-( I wrote a lot for it but it isn't coherent enough to put on ao3

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

Cliffhangers baby

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

I've started writing this but, I really want to do a 5 times fic w/ Thomas and the Duke that goes Through The Years, hit all the tropey beats... war, New York, throw a few other things in for good measure.... You know. Stuff that's been done already but my own spin on it.

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

Rose is I think the last answer I have for this question, I don't think any other as-yet-unwritten character calls to me all that much

[destressjournal]

DCOM Rankings #84: Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure

So when going into this movie, I figured it would be a cutesy, little girl-type movie, direct-to-video sequel that’s just something for the kiddies to watch, and just not very good quality. You know the type I’m talking about (Cinderella 2 I’m looking at you, basically most of the Disney direct to video sequels, but also direct to video kids movies in general)

Long story short, my hunch about this movie was totally correct....but objectively it was a good movie anyway.

It took me awhile to finish it because the story doesn’t really grab me personally, but I cannot deny that the movie had excellent pacing, great characters, one of the most popular Disney channel characters of all time as the lead, and the logic all pretty much makes sense, except for a few understandable things.

So let’s get into it!

First the flaws:

- because this is a direct-to-video sequel type movie, I’m gonna be a little bit nicer to it because I had different expectations going in. Though I thought the idea of having the dogs audition for the role in the show instead of the owners was a little weird. And having them fall in love was kind of a useless plot line. They didnt have to do that in my opinion. I feel like that is such a tropey thing.

- and this is just my personal opinion and not so much a flaw, the entire premise of the movie could have been at least little more mature. I felt that this was all dumbed down for the little kiddies. Like, the HSM series I feel like really spoke to pre-teens and teenagers and was slightly more mature. This movie feels like an episode of my little pony (but an episode of the good series, I will say). But yeah I had more enjoyment watching HSM 1 and 2 than this movie.

-Just a quick comment on the logic. I guess with her money she could afford anything in NYC but the film student?? Those apartments look huge still, even if they’re studios with the bathtub literally in the kitchen.

-and that’s another thing, the film student may be hot, but I felt like the movie had a missed opportunity to focus more on him as a character and their relationship. I don’t even remember his name! But it seems like all he does is admire her and want to follow her around and tell her how great she is while being a genuinely nice guy. Like, sharpay, are you gonna ask about him at any point? Relationships are a two way street, and I feel like the film student is being taken advantage of. But whatever, if he doesn’t mind not being the center of things and she loves it, maybe they’re great together.

-Lastly, the villain was just a little ridiculous at the end, like they really had to spell it out that she was the bad guy right before they revealed her to everyone. Idk, I guess it bugs me when villains start out subtle and then by the end they are so theatrically evil that it’s hard to believe them. And I’m mostly saying this for live action movies where the villains are just regular people and not like “super villains”, those are where I love to watch them be theatrical. But I guess this is a movie about Broadway so I’ll give it a tiny pass.

Okay done with the flaws, let’s go to the good stuff!

- yes while the premise of the movie is not exactly my cup of tea, this movie is really well executed and was still a relatively easy watch! The logic was mostly really sound, and the pacing was near excellent! Everything seemed to flow into the next thing and character choices and motivations are really logical. I was honestly pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. For a girly cheap direct-to-video sequel, this is some of the best you’re gonna get.

-Sharpay really did deserve her own movie and I’m so glad she had the spotlight for once, and it was really cool to see her character grow when she gets a taste of her own medicine while also getting a new backbone. It’s so satisfying! She’s not like other Disney channel antagonists, she’s really enjoyable to watch and there’s a lot more to her than just being a mustache twisting villain. She just wants to be a Broadway star and you kinda need to have a backbone if you want to compete in that world. She’s driven, full of confidence, and turns heads whenever she walks in a room. But she’s not evil.

- the guy main character is so hot...I wish I remembered his name....but he was the cinnamon roll none of us deserved. But I did think that he and sharpay had a decent amount of chemistry. More than many of the DCOM’s I watched recently thats for sure.

-I didn’t really mind that this movie wasn’t a full musical because I think it would have been overkill. I did like the songs that were in the movie, except maybe for the beginning song, it just needed more omph!

This review isn’t going to be super long. But I was sure I would hate this movie and I ended up really liking the execution of it. People knew what they were doing when they made this movie, they’re like “don’t fuck this character up” and they literally did the opposite. I love sharpay even more because of this movie. Her eventual breakdown is understandable AND necessary for her to grow and it’s just beautiful to watch. Like I said, it’s told in the context of a little girl movie, and the script and direction probably had something to do with that, which was a turn-off for me. But honestly I would recommend this to any fan of the HSM series if they haven’t seen it yet. If nothing else, its a really cute movie with cute dogs in it. And a hot boy. Need I say more?

I’m gonna give this an A- NOT BECAUSE I HATE IT, but personally I don’t see myself watching this again, yet I can’t deny how objectively good it is. It’s going to the top of my A- list for sure. I think an A- is still a really good grade considering I was so ready to give this a B or C. Don’t let my dislike for certain parts of the movie keep you from wanting to see it.

Okay, the next movie is our 3rd? Animated DCOM! I can’t wait for this one because I know I’m pretty much already gonna love it. This is definitely the last one I’ve seen all the way through, so it will be a bittersweet review. See you then!

[anonniemousefics]

I love your writing, especially the nine terrifying moons! What does your planning process and how do you manage to write your characters and their dynamics so well? Any tips would be so so helpful :)

Oh, damn. We’ve got some hard-hitting journalists up in this blog. That’s an excellent question, anon! (And so flattering, holy shit, now I’m flustered) I was hoping someone would ask me something fluffy like what kind of socks am I wearing or what kind of music do I listen to while I write. But we’ll dive into this! I can do this. (she says with feigned confidence) :D 

So! My biggest piece of advice and the most helpful thing that I’ve done for my writing process -- and you’re going to despise this answer -- is just keep writing -- and reading, like a writer. Yo, I know. How horrible am I right now? So horrible. But so much of one’s writing process is honed through trial and error -- it’s really individualized. I don’t have like a prescription that’s going to work for everyone. I’ve just been at this for awhile (like years before I decided to write some fanfics in quarantine to publish them on Ao3 for the public to consume). I’ve made huge mistakes over those years. I’ve written horrible, tropey, contrived shit. I’ve written cheesy and terrible dialogue. I’ve lost the plot and made more plot holes than I care to keep track of. But none of it is wasted. I’ve learned a lot of things by fucking up. So, my biggest tip is: fuck up. Write and fuck up and hate what you write and keep writing until you don’t hate it anymore. :) 

That said... these are some things I do these days. It’s not a formula everyone must use, and I don’t think it’s a substitute for fucking up. You still must fuck up. But this is what’s helpful for me. :)

These days, my planning process goes something like this. I start with an idea (example: I want to write about Jude hating being pregnant!), and then I make this insane mess of a list of ideas of what all could happen within this idea -- no real structure, just pure chaos. Every idea I want to include, all in a list. (That list continues to grow as I write. I usually keep it in my phone or a notebook somewhere.) After awhile, I take that list and I start putting them into some kind of order that makes sense. I then focus on filling in the important blanks in the order of events, such as -- what’s my inciting event? What events contribute to the rising action? How can I raise the stakes? What’s the climax? How do I resolve the conflict? What do I want the characters to learn? How am I going to teach them? 

When I’m plotting out a novel, I separate out all these events into acts, like a play, and I organize the events into sequences of action that fit within that structure, so that each act is ending with some element that’s raising the stakes and advancing the plot. When I’ve done NaNoWriMo, I write down those sequences on sticky notes and I line them up in order like I’m storyboarding -- on my office wall, like I’m that dude in A Beautiful Mind, like so: 

(This workspace was fairly new when this picture was taken. My desk is never this clean. lol.)

When you plot out a long fic like this and you inevitably come up with a new, must-use idea while you’re in the middle of writing, it makes it easier to write down the new idea in a sticky note and insert it into your plan. And you can rework later events without having to redo the whole thing. Plus, it means you give off mad-scientist vibes, and what’s not to love about that?

As for character dynamics, I’m sitting here and wracking my brain about how to give an answer to that. I’ve literally been writing fanfiction so long, I honestly do this subconsciously now. (My first fanfics I wrote as a teen when the Lord of the Rings movies were coming out....to give you an idea of just how old and nerdy I am.) I think what’s helped me the most with becoming more comfortable with this has been developing characters of my own. When you write your own novel, with your own characters, and you’re reading books with the intent to notice what other authors are doing to develop their characters, you start to get a sense of what questions those authors were asking themselves to create those characters - does that make sense? Like, when I’ve created my own characters, I do character sheets for them: the names, their ages, their appearances, but also their likes, their dislikes, their fears, the internal conflicts, their relationships with their parents, their motivations, the quirky thing they do when they’re stressed, all that stuff. Sometimes these things reveal themselves to you as you write the character, sometimes it’s stuff you just sort of know about them as you’re developing them. (PS - All of this is stuff you can’t figure out unless you’re willing to fuck up.) As you get used to creating this way, you’re more aware of how other creators created and the intention they put behind it, and it makes it easier to sort of step into other already-created characters when writing fanfiction.

So, I think that’s all I’ve got on this -- hopefully some of it is a little helpful. :) Remember that, as long as you’re creating, you’re a writer -- and you’re allowed to read like one and fuck up like one. When you’re a writer, all writing counts as writing -- even shitty writing. Especially shitty writing. Shitty writing is not a waste. All of it serves to move you toward finding your voice and writing things you really love -- which is what this is all about in the first place. :)

-------

I’m answering asks to keep from flinging myself of a cliff in the midst of an incredibly frustrating work day. Anon is always on - ask me things!

[zevons]

what are your thoughts on the old guard movie!

Hello lovely anon! You've caught me on a lazy Sunday where I've done nothing but vacuum, do laundry, and drink a lot of Aperol mixed with various other liquids. Most of them gin. So I have an enthusiastic answer for you. I wish I was better at Analysis and could give you a more meaningful answer but instead you're going to get my feelings and excitement. But whatever.

The short answer is: I really enjoyed it! I like action films and I like supernatural elements and I like Charlize Theron. So it was very good to me.

The longer answer is: all that PLUS the fact that it felt wildly refreshing to have a ‘cynical old warrior finds new faith in the dark and cruel world by training a bright young talent’ story that revolved around two women, and also I’m always into Greg Rucka heroines so really I never had a chance against this story. I’d not read the comics beforehand (I’ve fallen off the comics bandwagon for the past couple years but this was a nice reminder that hey! I should get back up to date because there’s some really good stuff out there) so when I saw a couple gifsets floating around tumblr I didn’t realise it even was Greg Rucka- then I saw the opening credits and immediately had to pause and look up the details. I’m currently living quite a distance away from my very well-stocked public library and am also what they call,,eeuuuh,,, poor, so in order to read the comics I [redacted] but I will say that I did put my eyeballs on them and found them extremely good. A lot of the changes between the comic and the film I thought were well-chosen- particularly the choice to make Merrick a Pharma Bro in the ilk of Martin Shkreli rather than the tattooed vaguely-muscled dude he is in the original- it read as being a lot more relevant. The movie hit the beat of a pseudo 'for the greater good.....but actually money' villain that I KNEW (netflix notwithstanding...do //they// know??) that I enjoyed in a big way.

Also in terms of the comic- the comedic gold of Andy saying that the invention of sports bras is evidence for humanity being worth saving. Full agree.

So the source material is highly enjoyable. In general I'm a fan of the sort of ~dark age of comics~ stuff that is in fact quietly optimistic about the worth of humanity (call it a sign of the times, but I'm currently quite burned out on nihilism. Is it because I'm genuinely feeling quite nihilistic about everything, particularly at the moment? Maybe so!)  

I'm also a massive sucker for historical AUs so giving me a canon where historical AUs aren't AUs at all but are in fact FACT is absolute catnip. I'm currently being murdered to death by the twin powers of work and the Terror Big Bang but once I've flung myself over those hurdles I'm going to jump head-first into the worst kind of self-indulgent history fic. Can't wait!

The story itself I also found really tight. Was it the most original thing I've ever seen in my life? No. But what is, anyways? I've seen some criticism that it was fairly predictable, which I can understand, but which I don't see as an entirely negative thing. Sometimes you're in the mood for a tropey tale. And this scratched that itch perfectly.

Honestly the only plot point I take umbrage with is Andy becoming mortal-for-good (apparently), but really just mostly because 'depowered' is a long-time least-favourite trope of mine. I thought the way it was handled in the film was quite good, actually- the whole scene with the pharmacist! Andy trying to figure what the heck she needs to patch herself up because she's never had to do it before! What is a band-aid! Very good. But the trope will just irk me incessantly so I can't get over it as quickly as all that. But otherwise every beat hit me riiight in the id. Found family, immortality, let's not-get-exploited-by-big-business, been-through-the-wringer kind of stuff: gaahhh. I also looooooooooved everyone's interactions with each other. Catch me crying in the club about the way Andy was so concerned about Booker coming back after he got half-blown up during the raid on the church. CATCH ME FLINGING MYSELF OUT OF THE WINDOW OF MY REMOTE WIZARD'S TOWER ABOUT THE WAY JOE NEEDED NICKY TO BE OKAY IN THE VAN SEQUENCE. There's a limited number of people in the world who could possibly understand what is it to go through this! So they gotta stick together! Even after Booker’s betrayal, he’s still a part of that group and they work with him! It makes his judgement so harsh, as well. Particularly since he's already the most susceptible of the bunch. Joe and Nicky have each other, and Andy's been through actual hell and forced herself to deal with it, but Booker's already borderline unable to handle the pain of his own condition. And so his punishment of isolation is basically the worst thing they could have given him. Oof. (I dig it.)

Also I've for sure rambled about this to friends before- movies NEED to realise that the sure-fire way to make me ship a heterosexual relationship is to Drop Hints but not actually show anything concrete, hence I think Andy/Booker is a gr9 ship. Andy in general is my little black dress for this canon. Andy/Booker, Andy/Nile, Andy/QuYNH??????? THANKS I'LL TAKE THE LOT. The airplane fight sequence would have been a sexual awakening if I hadn't already been so awakened by Keira Knightley pretending to drop the pirate medallion overboard circa 2003. (I'm required by boat-funkin lesbian contract to mention Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl in everything I do. Sorry.) 

This is all disconnected garble with no deeper meaning whatsoever, but that's sort of my thing these days, so I'm at peace with it. Anyways. In conclusion, I'm rewatching the movie with some friends in about 15 minutes, so yeah, I liked it. <3333333333

[izupie]

H, I, and U.

[From this writers ask game]

Thank you so much for sending these in!~

H: How would you describe your style?

Wayyyy too many parentheses. (I just can’t help myself.) And an overuse of character monologues. I’d like to think the little details I add in have made themselves into my style??? Maybe?? Dumb stuff like drinking the stale water left out from the night before, or throwing keys into a dish by the door. Small stuff. Real stuff. But I don’t know if that really comes through or not, or just feels like unwanted details ahaha.

I genuinely have no idea, I don’t use betas. I reread and edit until I love it, and by that point I’m already a fan of my own story lmao so I struggle to recognise what’s Writing Style and what’s Bad Habits oops.

(But mostly the brackets thing.) (God I love adding in brackets.)

I’m genuinely curious though if anyone else would like to describe my style??? Do I have a writing style??? Help

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

Oh definitely what I said before about Character A interrupting what Character B is saying by kissing them. Look I know I shouldn’t like that because dubious consent. But DAMN it’s just a good trope. Total guilty pleasure. But only if they’re both into each other anyway - like, if it’s a build up of pining tension or something.

I love to write secondhand embarrassment, that’s a guilty pleasure with my writing. I know it makes some readers uncomfortable, but I’ll be honest, when I get a comment telling me that it made them cringe I feel the biggest sense of achievement!! Ahahaha

Oh and the absolute shameless classic of fake-dating AUs. I will drink that up. And it’s always so tropey and cliche, but I love it. It’s such a guilty pleasure. I have read so many fake dating AUs with stuff like ‘oh no there’s only one bed’ and I will screech over it every time. OH NO THEY HAVE TO SHARE THE BED. OH NO THEY HAVE TO PUBLICLY HOLD HANDS. eheheheh

U: A pairing you might like to write for, but haven’t tried yet.

Hmmm... maybe one of my real rarepairs like Madoka and Mami from Madoka Magica. I think their dynamic is all kinds of adorable. Oh or maybe Link and Midna! I loved their interactions in Twilight Princess. Namine and Riku are such a fave too recently. And Cloud and Aerith would be soooo much fun using her updated personality from the ff7 reboot/remake. Soul and Maka have great chemistry too that I’d like to explore. I kind of also want to do something real different and out there and write short ficlets about Amaterasu and Oki or Ninetails and Himiko - suuuuper rarepairs. I’ve been planning on just having fun and experiment with writing characters and dynamics again after my current bigger project is done. Lots of ideas!

[50shadesofmittens]

Oh hey I finally did something Rapunzel.

It’s super fucking tropey and looks like a one-way relationship from the context here but oh well have fun. Thanks to @coaxionunlimited for doing the prompt-swap with me that led to this. I needed to write something TTS that was not-fluff and not-humor (too much 3TtD) and this came out, the emotional climax of a 300-page mega-fic that is not yet written

EDIT: I walk away for literally 20 seconds and get better ideas. So there’s been some minor changes to this. since it’s posting

At the base of the silver Tower, on the back of a rented camel, one lone Custodian disguised as a mutant Tzeentch worshipper (read: wearing a paper-mache mask over his helmet and a T-shirt over his armor that proclaims “I <3 Change”) stands planning the next step of his daring assault.

Then a red lasso grabs him and yanks him up to the highest floor, in through a hole in the liquid-solid walls that closes as soon as the Custodian is deposited on the floors.

“Are you insane? Do you realize what will happen if even a single daemon finds you here? I’ve found you here! Tzeentchhas to know by now, and if you’re still here that means this is all one of his plans. Probably to end with your humiliating death or corruption!”

“Nice to see you too, Magnus.” The Custodian groaned as he got up from the floor. “Was that a hair-lasso you grabbed me with?”

“Shapeshifting is the easiest spell for me to cast if I don’t want to be seen.” Magnus replied, his hair rapidly shortening back to its usual length. “Not that it works completely- there are some forces which can, if they/she/it/whatever the squid is right now choose so, can see everything I see. And since I’m on probation/house arrest, again, I’m being watched fairly closely right now. So if we’re going to get you out of here alive-”

“We’re not.” Magnus startled as the Custodian continued, “We’re staying on this planet, and getting the planet out of the Warp.”

“Have you gone completely mental?” Magnus barked out a laugh. “Wait- don’t tell me, I should’ve known  when you thought it was a good idea to come out here, alone, with just yourself and is that a camel?”

“Right behind you.” Sure enough, the camel had followed it’s rider up the tower. This rider gave her many head-pats and good oaty snacks. She liked head-pats.

“The fuck-” Magnus shook his head. “Never mind. The point is, you have to go, before whatever scheme this all is gets too complicated for me to pull you out.”

“And what if sending me away is the scheme? Hm?” The Custodian shrugged. “It’s not like you can prepare for every plan Tz- that one has. Weren’t you the one who decided that it was better to just work with what we had, than to think too hard about how to win?”

“That was a very different scenario. Besides which, I’m not trying to win- I’m just trying to get by. For now,” Magnus added hastily, “once I’m in a better position I can-”

“Stop. Just- before you tell me what your long-term goals, are tell me this: how do you plan to get into this ‘better position’ in the first place?”

“I’ll work with what I have, just like you said!”

“So, what, Tzeentch mentions he wants this subsector conquered, you work on it, get further into his good graces, and just keep going until he’ll let you be free?” The Custodian shook his head. “We both know it’s not going to work like that.”

“I don’t expect it to go that far. I just need enough to make things… better.”

“You’re mixing your goals up. You’re planning too far ahead where you should be thinking about the now, and you make your immediate plans where you should be thinking about the long-term.”

“At least I’m doing something.” Magnus snapped. “Isn’t that enough? I used to just wait, wait, wait, planning every step and making every choice based on a thousand pre-existing factors, until I got too lost in my own head. You helped me break out of that- and I’m grateful, really, I am. I’m so, so glad I met you.

“But please,” and Magnus took the Custodian’s gauntlets into his own hands, “don’t destroy yourself trying to save me. You already have- in more ways than you’ll ever know. If I’m to live with the memories of you as my guide, don’t make one of those memories be your death. That’s not how I want to repay you.

“Go home, [R E D A C T E D]. The other Custodes need their Captain General, and the Imperium needs its leader. Don’t throw all that you’ve accomplished away. I’m not worth it.”

“I’d debate you on several of those points,” the Captain General said, “but for now, I’ll settle on a question: are your sons worth it? Are your people?”

“Don’t.” Magnus pulled away, and he turned away. “Don’t ask that.”

“Magnus.”

“Don’t tell me to choose- between the one thing that’s made me happy and the duty that I’ve only just really started to love again- you know, ever since I got back, I keep seeing all the amazing things I knew before but kept missing or mistaking for something worse. ‘We humans have a peculiar ability to turn the worst, stupidest dystopian situation into stuff we can laugh  grimly at, I appreciate that.’”

“the-nothing-maker, early second millennium assorted internet. Volume, Tumblr.” The Captain General said, “I read you that one.”

“You use my words against me, I use your quotes against you.” Magnus said, though there was no bite in his words. “You know, in the few times I haven’t been alone here, everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy. That you were tricking me into neglecting my kingdom so it’d fall into disarray, or were going to tell me to burn it all down so we could start over later.” Magnus sniffed. “It’s all rubbish. There might’ve been some downturns, but the working infrastructure hasn’t exactly collapsed without me- which is more than most daemon planets could say. Besides which, it’s not like I’ve been doing much governing since then.

“And the first offer you make is to save the planet- though if you were a daemon or another Tz-“ The Captain General made a loud noise of protest to keep Magnus from saying the whole name, “-follower, I could buy  that it’s some plan to destroy the planet, but… that’s not you. That’s the farthest thing from you. That’s why I- I can’t sit by while you’re destroyed.”

“Magnus.”

“No just-” Magnus swallowed hard and looked the Captain General in the eye. “Just listen to me. It- it’s crazy but… if I died there would be another war, big fucking whoop it must be Tuesday, but… if you died, I think the galaxy would become a little colder. Because every time I look at you and try to decipher what sort of man you are, I find something wonderful there. Every time. And you can be petty, hypocritical, and cowardly, but even when you are those things that… kindness, that spark that makes you shine is still there. It doesn’t shine consistently, but it never vanishes completely. And… there’s nothing else I’ve seen or heard of in this galaxy that can match that. Not the Gods, not my Father, and certainly not me.”

“Magnus…”

“I know you still think, somewhere deep down, that you’re not worth it, or that you could be replaced. But I’m telling you, you can’t.”

“Magnus.” The Captain General said, louder now, but something scratchy in his voice as though he was pushing back tears underneath the helmet. “I didn’t come here to die. I know you think- that the place you’re in and the person you are makes it impossible to get out but- you keep forgetting one key thing, in the way it most counts. Who you are.

“You’re the person who saved hundreds of thousands of entire civilizations worth of culture and history- through negotiation and diplomacy, and just giving them respect. If it wasn’t you, someone else would’ve done it, and they wouldn’t have been anywhere near as kind. We both know by now that the kindest thing would’ve been to have left the galaxy alone, but that wasn’t gonna happen, so you made it happen your way. No matter what anyone else said, or did, or how they mocked you for it- you did what you thought was right. Just like in the Heresy, your sons were kept from the war because you fought back against the poison in your soul, and kept them as far from the madness as you could.

“You’ve done a lot of evil, I’m never going to argue on that, but you’ve got a lot of drive to do good- and you’ve done a lot of good, over and over, from the moment you got the chance. What you did for me, during [REDACTED]

“[REDACTED]”

“[REDAC-] But you showed me that you want to go farther- and you are going farther, from the twisted paths that came before. You managed to hold out longer than any of your brothers (exceptmaybeMortarionI’mnotclearonthetimeline) when it came to corruption.”

“You...” Magnus said, “are the only person in the galaxy who truly believes that intentions have any value.”

“Maybe that’s because the galaxy doesn’t value people’s hearts enough. That life is so disposable nobody bothers trying to help the hurting. I think that’s bullshit. And Magnus, you stood up with me against the indecisive squid once before, and with your help I won. Now, I’m asking you to stand with me once again.

“Please, Magnus.” The Captain General held out his hand, “trust me?”

And Magnus closed his eye, sighed deeply, shook his head, opened his eye, then reached out and took his hand. “Okay.” He said, voice breaking, “What must I do?”

[comicteaparty]

June 8th-June 14th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 8th, 2020 to June 14th, 2020.  The chat focused on Devil Tongue by Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Devil Tongue by Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto~! (https://deviltonguecomic.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until June 14th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

1. I really appreciated how this comic felt really authentically shonen manga right off the bat without feeling tropey or overwrought. 2. I liked when the protagonists confront the ghost in the theater. I just really enjoyed the ghosts dialogue and dramatic jestures. 3. Moira is my fav so far. She's got a sword and seems capable, though is also still an apprentice so I'm looking forward to seeing how she grows.

boogeymadam

1, ALL THE CATS!! :D but more seriously, the way the characters are introduced through their job, and yet their personalities still shine through~ 2, i liked the scene when they're leaving the Lemaire house and walking on a dark misty neighborhood street at night. It's so atmospheric and perfect for their discussion on what kind of ghost their target might be, as well as what kinda threats it may pose :0 3, I can't decide, they're all interesting. Leera was introduced last but I like her enthusiasm! 2, Moira and Leera during the scene where Moira is explaining tinctures to Leera. Moira's so goal oriented and focused while messing with some apprently-very-dangerous stuff and Leera's just trying to avoid boredom. Moira seemed patient of Leera (for the most part) and willing to explain stuff, which was cool. It made me smile. 5, Oh Man, a lot!! The lines are so very clean and precise, every characters' silhouttes is distinct. It's hard to pick which page is my favorite, but I'd have to say https://deviltonguecomic.com/comic/chapter-01-page-32/ because of all the dynamic angles and expressions on the characters. 6, Pupils taking over from the mentor. I like how Emery is allowing his pupil, Moira, to prove herself, and she seems extremely eager to do so and also: good at it! I can only imagine what Emery is like at this job :0 8, A fun and classic premise of paranormal investigators, of a sort, but with magic of their own, making it even more interesting. It's easy to root for the protagonists and feel curious about what got them into this business, or what they were like before they reached this level of fame and skill. And also, there are talking cats!! Huge draw!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I agree with your #6 Boogey. I do really like how Emery is like "I'm just here to mentor, this is Moira's job." I like seeing the apprentice really get to take point on the mission. I did see though on the cast page that Emery's magic type is just "?????" which definitely makes me what to see him throw down some magic now XD very curious what it is

boogeymadam

OHHH i hadn't spotted that! a secret, how exciting :0c

copperine (Lady Changeling)

I'm not familiar with this one, but I'm intrigued now (and should stop reading this channel till I've read the comic...)

I'll read in the morning and try to give some thoughts

RebelVampire

What I like about the beginning is the character development. Cause we get a lot of it and find out things like Emery being an ex-magician, his relationship with Moira, etc. Yet, at the same time, the plot is not sacrificed and the story is still moved along smoothly, which is a great balancing act. My favorite moment in the comic so far is actually all the times Emery feigns that he doesn't care but then we get those shots of him peeking and spying. I find those adorable but just also really nice character moments. My favorite character at the moment is Emery. I like aloof characters and he fits that bill. I also like his general cynicism about life. Emery is the sort of character who I'd have as a friend in real life. XD As for characters interacting the most, probably Leera and a combo of Emery and Moira. Leera has pretty different motivations for being there, is somewhat opposite in personality from the main pair, and just all around adds an interesting dynamic too the group that kind of makes certain elements of the story seem more grounded. I really just in general love the comic's linework. Not only is everything super clean (making the action easy to follow), but it really knows how to bulk up the shadows to create specific atmospheres that really work for each panel and add so much to each scene.

In terms of themes, I like that the comic somewhat explores with Emery the concept of what to do with your life after your previous life fails. I think we all kind of like to believe we'll do X forever and X comes to define us in a lot of ways. But then suddenly X might not be there and it's like, what is life now? How do I deal with life? And with Emery, I do think we get to kind of experience one path that kind of takes. What I like about the comic's overall content is the...strange mix of fantasy and realism. I can't really put it into words. Like this is definitely a fantasy story, yet there's elements of realism thrown in I wouldn't expect. Like things are almost scarily normal in some respects like the houses or journalism, etc. So everything about the world really intrigues me since it feels super unique in tone. Finally, for strengths, I'm referring back to the art here. I think the atmosphere the art adds to each scene really helps give the comic that extra oomph.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Everyone's covered all the stuff I like about the characters, so let me just throw in some extra praise for the backgrounds. Those elaborate buildings! That towering opera-house interior! That one sequence with light streaming through elegantly-patterned windows!

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think Emery did that caused him to be exiled by the Magician Order? How does this factor into his general cynicism and bitterness? Also, do you think Emery will ever be a magician again?

10. How do you think Moira became Emery’s apprentice despite Emery being an ex-magician? Similarly, why do you think Moira hasn’t joined up with the Magician Order? As the story develops, how do you think Moira will grow and change as a magician?

11. Besides following Emery and Moira around, what role do you think Leera will have in the story? How might Leera’s presence hurt or help the duo on each case? Also, how will Leera change as she experiences things firsthand?

12. How do you think Moira and Emery will resolve the haunted opera house situation? Can the kidnapped girl be saved, or is she truly gone forever? Additionally, what other sorts of cases do you expect to see after this one?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

RebelVampire

Honestly, I get the impression that Emery was good but also just a rebellious rule breaker type. So he probably got exiled for just not fitting in with the club regardless of anything else he might have done. Which to me would explain the cynicism cause it would show him how much of life is just a popularity contest. As for being a magician again, maybe, but the bigger question is would he want to? My current theory for Moira was that she's just ill-suited to the order. I'm sure she's heard awful things about it from Emery, so why join team lame when you can join Emery and be on team winner. As for how Moira will grow, I think she'll just learn to take things a bit more seriously and mature (though probably still pretty happy and excited). I've talked about Leera a bit already, but I think her major role in the story is the grounding element and reader's eyes. Cause someone needs to ask questions for the readers, and I think that will be Leera. But in terms of plot, I also think Leera will just help them get more work by spreading their name to lands far and wide. I think in terms of how Leera will change, I think mostly she'll maybe find better things to publish about and the power she wields with words. I think the kidnapped girl can be saved, but that it needs to be done quickly. As for how this will ultimately resolve, I assume epic battle followed by emotional ghost revelations. As for other sorts of cases, I actually am expecting lots of drama ones with heavy emotional reveals from side characters. I could be wrong, but that feels like the route the comic is going. O_O

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Ryccomics

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic? Very good dynamic introduction between Moira and Emery. Very quickly and effectively I understood Emery is an older cynic, and Moira is the energetic and out to prove herself. 2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)? The magic reveal of what the potions/chemicals do is fun. I do not really understand how they work at this time, and I don’t really need to. 3. Who is your favorite character? Mauretta, she’s a lot of fun in design, and she gets to talk more than usual character type. I’m not sure what this character type would be called, but I’m going with person who starts the Scooby Doo mystery. 4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most? Moira and Emery have good chemistry. Having the young rookie be more powerful than the experienced partners adds to the dynamic. 5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

So much going on in this panel. All 5 characters are doing something. 6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores? I don’t have an answer yet, because how this encounter goes will shape the narrative, everyone could die. It could be resolved peacefully, it could wrap like a monster of the week story, or lead to bigger things. 7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content? I like the map in FAQ area of site is cool. Gives information for those who want it, but can be safely ignored by those that don’t. 8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are? I like your line art, a lot. The silhouettes read really well. And when working in black and white having distinct shapes is so important, you’ve color code your characters. 9. What do you think Emery did that caused him to be exiled by the Magician Order? How does this factor into his general cynicism and bitterness? Also, do you think Emery will ever be a magician again? I know from the Cast FAQ, he broke their laws, in what contest will tell a lot about Emery and the Order. I am a little unclear what the Magicians are at this points, how powerful they are in this society. Are the Magicians outside of the Magician’s order?

10. How do you think Moira became Emery’s apprentice despite Emery being an ex-magician? Similarly, why do you think Moira hasn’t joined up with the Magician Order? As the story develops, how do you think Moira will grow and change as a magician? I think Moira will have to confront what caused Emery’s cynicism. I expect she will get more powerful as the story begins. 11. Besides following Emery and Moira around, what role do you think Leera will have in the story? How might Leera’s presence hurt or help the duo on each case? Also, how will Leera change as she experiences things firsthand? I Leera’s role will be mainly to ensure the characters get back onto the plot. Most stories have some form of this function, whether it is the Greek gods, a ticking clock to motivate the characters to act right now Given she works for a newspaper, she can prod the characters to do news worthy things. 12. How do you think Moira and Emery will resolve the haunted opera house situation? Can the kidnapped girl be saved, or is she truly gone forever? Additionally, what other sorts of cases do you expect to see after this one? I feel it will have a happy ending, monster defeated girl saved. This is because the character dynamics would change really drastically if Moira had to confront extreme darkness so early, she would get cynical. 13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic? Will be interesting to see how the combat functions with regard to group dynamics, are the other characters going to plan a part in the combat, or are they on the sidelines. 14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic? I was sad when it ended.

RebelVampire

I am looking forward to finding out more about Emery and what Emery is capable of despite the circumstances. As for final words, this is just a lovely comic with tons of unique aspects about it that I really like.

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Devil Tongue this week! Please also give a special thank you to Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Devil Tongue, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://deviltonguecomic.com/

Devil Tongue’s Story: https://deviltonguecomic.com/store/

Samuel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sainezart

Lucas’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucaswordcraft

[mr-meekers]

January Book Reviews

Hopefully, once a month, towards the end of the month, I’ll sit down to type out little reviews for all the books I’ve read this month. It’s my goal this year to read more, and, equally as important, finish more books (even if I don’t like them.)

So let’s get started!

1. Loveboat, Taipei by Wen

I initially started reading this book to participate in a book club coming up in February. I didn’t think I’d like it much as it lies pretty far out of my wheelhouse being not only contemporary fiction but also a teen romance. Now, I can definitely get into these things, but my problem with those genres is that they fall so so so easily into the usual tropes that are, honestly, just very annoying. Like, love triangles and love at first sight and “there was a misunderstanding that occurred that one small conversation could clear up but I’m gonna stew about it for the rest of the book” kinda tropes. I’m just tired of them and can’t stand them anymore and I know the genre can do better.

Loveboat does. It really does. I’m still surprised I liked it so much.

Basically, the story centers around Ever, who is the eldest daughter of Chinese immigrants. Typical story ensues- her parents want her to be a doctor, and basically guilt her into following their life plan for her while never really giving her a choice and making all her decisions for her. But Ever wants to dance and this is what sets up the main conflict in the story: what Ever wants vs. what her parents want for her, and all the hard choices and consequences that come from such a conflict. The majority of the story takes place at a summer school in Taipei where a bunch of fancy, high achieving Asian kids go to not only make connections, but make connections~~~ if you catch my drift. Ever is convinced she’ll hate it- her parents forced her to go, signed up for all her classes for her, and even snuck a bio textbook into her luggage with a not so subtle hint to study. So, our main conflict begins. Ever decided to break every ridiculous rule her parents ever set for her. And the plot unfold from there.

Yes, there are two love interests. I’ll hive ya that. But the relationships in this book aren’t based in convenience. They feel real and well thought out and genuine. A lot of great themes are explored, from the good ol’ “finding yourself” meme to the different kinds of burdens our families can put on us, and whether or not we decide to carry them forever. The characters felt deep and by the end, I was truly happy for them. Loveboat, Taipei gets a 4 out of 5 from. Definite recommendation.

2. The Guinevere Deception by White

A new take on the Arthurian legend has us following Guinevere instead of the Once and Future King. I’ m not a fan of Kiersten White’s other books and stopped reading them before I could finish them, I did thoroughly enjoy this one. I’m a sucker for a good fantasy with a strong female lead and this is just that. We all kinda know the legend of King Arthur already, and White does a good job of adding in elements from the original story but then twisting them to make them her own. Despite the lack of romance (something else I also thoroughly enjoy) for most of the book, I still found myself hooked on the plot and guessing and wondering what would happen next.

The plotline starts pretty simply, but with a major twist. We start with Guinevere being escorted to Camelot to wed Arthur. But, it is soon revealed that this is not the real Guinevere. The true princess is dead and buried (I forget the CoD) and this girl, the daughter of Merlin, has been disguised to take her place. No one can know who she is, for magic is banned in Camelot, and she is a witch herself. Merlin has sent her to Arthur’s side to protect him from a mysterious magical threat he sees coming. But that’s all he will tell her about it. Now, Guinevere must protect a king and his city and so much more. I can’t say much more without spoiling it, but even if it may seems a little bit dull at first, I did truly enjoy myself by the end. I’m excited for the second book.

Again, I give this a 4 out of 5. Certainly worth picking up.

3. The Rogue King by Owen

This is a fantasy romance I picked up for shits and giggles. I am of the opinion that most fantasy romances are cringey, tropey, and just downright awkward. I have a very, very difficult time finding ones with actual plots and characters that feel more like people that convenient transportable genitalia. But, I must say, Abigail Owen’s Rogue King was none of those things... for the most part.

The story centers around Kasia, a phoenix shape shifter, and Brand, a dragon shape shifter. Now, there’s a lot of shifter politics to unpack, but the basics are that dragons and phoenixes usually mate because they both revolve around fire. Phoenixes then bless their mate’s clan and make that dragon the king of all kings and clans. It’s, like, a big deal. So Brand is out for revenge against the reigning High King and if he delivers Kasia to the Blue Clan king, he can finally have his revenge. And we go from there.

The thing I liked about this book was that it did have an actual plot. There were things going on besides focusing on the two leads going at it and falling in love. I mean, they still do, but there’s stuff in between that matters this time. In fact, the love making was the thing I mostly had a problem with. Kasia and Brand’s relationship felt too forced. It’s played off as “they’re mates and it’s destiny” but it just feels rushed and awkward and at times, random.

The second book comes out later this year, but I’m not sure I’ll pick it up. Still, it gets a 3 from me. Not the worst thing I’ve ever read.

4. The Wallflower Wager by Dare

Too cute. It was too cute. Yes, it was your typical 1800s London high society “fall in love with this duke and pretend you know what the word “rake” means” kinda story but still! It was good!!

We follow Penny, a young woman who has taken to caring for stray animals that no one seems to want, including (but not limited to) a dog with no back legs, a goat that is definitely certainly entirely not pregnant she assures you, and a parrot from a whore house that says “Fancy a fuck, love?” all the time and is genuinely funny. Her new neighbor, the notorious Gabriel, is renovating his new house to sell for profit and having a menagerie next door is not helping his property value. The two must work together to find suitable homes for all of Penny’s beloved creatures before the month is up, or else she’ll be forced to move out.

Obviously, they fall madly in love in this month. And their romance does seem natural and heart warming and the sex is fantastic. The ending made me tear up it was too gosh darn sweet. I can’t spoil it for you, but know that it was wholesome AF. It gets a solid 4 from me. I desperately wish there was more.

5. The Merciful Crow by Owen

Just my cup of tea. A good fantasy story with a strong female lead and wonderful romantic interest. The not so subtle themes of classism, racism, and the way the privileged avoid holding themselves accountable are very topical for the day, but also timeless in their application. Other themes like the cost of selflessness, going after what you want, balancing your needs with those of others, and being the first to strike change are all heavily applied, as well, and beautiful done.

The story follows Fie, a Crow girl destined to be beaten down by her own countrymen for the simple act of existing. Crows are the only caste in the country of Sabor immune to the Sinner’s Plague and thus are the ones who deal with the bodies. For a price. When Fie and her clan collect two dead lordlings from the palace, she certainly didn’t expect them to still be alive. Turns out, the prince is on the run from a queen who wants him dead. If the Crows can deliver him to his allies, he swears a Covenant Oath to grant them protection from the Oldeanders, not-so-subtle references to the KKK in their white sheets and nightly raids on Crow camps, killing as many of them as they can before dawn. It’s a deal too good to pass up, so Fie’s Pa, their chief, agrees.

This story is just... so many things. Before I forget, though, I want to congratulate Margaret Owen for the fantastic LGBT representation. Within the first few chapters, we already have non-binary/gender non-conforming character in Madcap, who uses they/them pronouns. The prince is gay. Tavin, his bodyguard, is bisexual. The kingdom’s master general is not only pansexual but polygamous. Fie is the only character of importance who seems straight, but even then we don’t really know as there are no other women her age around (there are other women, but Crows mingle only with Crows, and their bands are small). The romance here, while some may say is too hasty, I say felt just right. It’d been building and building and building and then finally happened and it was like letting out a breath. But even more satisfying was Fie’s character arc, and the Prince’s too, maybe even more so. So much happens and there is so much growth that I really just need you all to read it for yourselves and see.

5 out of 5 for me.

Thanks for reading this far! Hopefully there will be more reviews up in another month!

[binart]

bina i’m really poor and having a patreon would really help me out. but the only thing i’m good at is writing. i post fanfiction but i’m not popular. not at all. i get almost zero feed back. if i had a following i’d offer early access to new chapters, but there’s no one even reading. any advice?

yeah! okay so if you want to be Popular & Well Known here’s my three tips that will get you there with an EXTREMELY HIGH SUCCESS RATE. uhhhhh i just need to remember them hang on...

OK I REMEMBER

#1 MAKE FANART/FANFICTION. people tend to not care about your original content (for a whole lot of different reasons but WE WON’T GET INTO THAT), so if you aim to have a large audience you gotta make what people already know and love aka ESTABLISHED MEDIA CONTENT. you’re already doing this so you’re good

#2 MAKE CONTENT CONSISTENTLY. if you post frequently enough, you’ll be seen more & are more likely to retain a readerbase! i can’t stress the importance of this step, despite how i haven’t followed it all that well myself throughout the years. if you look at the more popular fan-artists/fan-writers, they’re mostly the ones who post consistently.

& #3, MOST IMPORTANT STEP IMO, is to CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENT!! to be blunt, if your art or your writing isn’t particularly good, no one will care about you or your work.

from what i’ve noticed, writers seem to have it a bit tougher in this regard compared to artists. you can post fanfic & you can post consistently, but if you’re not particularly good, or if your ideas aren’t compelling, people WILL skip over you. it’s rough, and even i straight up drop fics if they’re not written well enough. 

so first and foremost, work on your writing! study other writers & constantly try to improve your craft. The best writers/artists are the ones who can take a “””boring””” idea and make it something compelling! 

speaking from personal experience, the ability to make something boring/tropey/overdone into something new and interesting comes from being PASSIONATE about it!! so for me, putting my favourite character into a completely unfair & dangerous situation solely so that they can go through an extremely difficult ordeal alone has ABSOLUTELY been done before, but that doesn’t matter. i’m passionate about the idea, so i can make it into something pretty good B^) arguably. lmao.

so basically, write about what interests you!! constantly work to sharpen your skills, and once you’re good enough & consistent enough, people will start giving you feedback & following your works. then a patreon could be a viable option!

it can just take a while to get where you want to be. 😭 i’ve had a social media presence since like, 2011 or so? and only in the past year has patreon been something that i could even somewhat make work.. be patient, make stuff, and do your best to improve!! that’s all i’m doing B^o gl!!!

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hi. Since you are famous for analysing SPN/ Meta writing, I wanted to ask you, if you ever felt like the spark went missing because you approached the show from an analytical/objective standpoint/view or rather the opposite, because you started to appreciate the details behind the bis picture more? Cuz I'm scared that an analysis of anything I like will make the special feeling go away & make it seem rationally boring.

Hiii! :) I love the idea I’m “famous” for anything, but thanks :’D

I definitely feel like this is something a lot of people are concerned with especially when complaining about doing Literature classes at school, where they’re made to pull apart a book and find it very dull... I think for me it’s always been, that only sucks if you actually find the book boring, and if you’re interested, getting more of an explanation or suggestions on how to read it actually opens it up in a really interesting way. As someone who ended up doing Literature and analysis all the way to university level I have a habit of consuming all media like that. Another way that’s more popular for this has been TV Tropes but this has also lead to people making up “cinema sins” etc and other ways of complaining that a movie has tropes in it. Which is very much like complaining that a house is made of bricks. Once again, it’s really meant to be a method for understanding and not one for turning anything into deconstructed meaningless chunks. 

I do think in SPN’s case it can be pretty tropey so there’s things I’ve felt a lot of resistance to and one of those would be the fact that the show has had like 3 antichrist and multiple evil magic baby figures, and the Son of Satan is a particularly well-worn horror trope and it didn’t help I’d seen multiple movies with that kid in, AND grown up adoring Good Omens which was a wild subversion of the whole thing (now streaming on Amazon Prime, go watch :P). 

So when Jack was conceived, literally and figuratively, into the show, I was full eye roll and deeply deeply distrustful and bored specifically based on the trope and the well-worn paths that this trope can go down, and that was very much a resistance to the story based on over-analysis and fatigue with the show’s handling of such things under Buckleming and their frankly disturbing obsession with the trope. 

But being me I withheld judgement on the giant naked manbaby for the hiatus, and was determined to go into season 13 with an open mind, and of course Dabb got first shot at Jack, not Buckleming, and as a result he made Jack instantly compelling and the overall season story of Jack was fascinating, especially in the ways he was used for the other main characters’ stories... He even is still doing it in season 14 like winning Auntie Rowena over. Those are new and fresh tropes to apply to the old character type, in the same way that back when I first read Good Omens I’d never seen anything like it. But I had definitely taken over-analysis to the point that the last part of season 12 was pretty much a bunch of grimacing in horror that they were really going to go there... 

Even though I knew the show has a habit of subverting things and there was a pretty much 0 chance it would have been done straight up Rosemary’s Baby, the potential for it to be twee, gross, cringey, or wildly off the mark in some other way was all laid out, and the fact it was a white male baby, Lucifer was turned into such a godawful character, and they’d already done similar with Amara in just a previous season or so all really made very very rocky territory to navigate through. 

For sure, Alex and his acting nuance saved Jack in the initial episodes as much as the writing. And over-analysing THAT as I watched helped me to immediately start to root for the kid and fall in love with him by the nougat line, exactly as I was supposed to, because that was Dabb telling us to relax and go along with him. 13x01 was a trust-building exercise, which is why it was so slow on the action and finely tuned emotionally. Being able to instantly recognise HOW the writer wanted to twist my heartstrings didn’t make me feel manipulated - it actually made me more trusting and easy about the story I was being told, because I could see that he and I understood things on the same level and I knew why he was writing what he was, and that a lot of the writing choices, such as the comedy beats in between the angst, were very much about trying to take our hand and lead us through. Having an instinctive layer of media analysis running through my veins as I watched was deeply soothing :P 

...

On the other hand it does mean that for something I’m heavily invested in like SPN, by this point I need 100% brain capacity to absorb it, and I KNOW that my normal magic power of remembering everything I watch failed me on SPN before because I lost almost all memory of watching season 7 & 8 as they aired to a similar patch of bad health as this one, so struggling to get to the end of season 14 is a mountainous task because I’m catching 5 minute glimpses of the episodes before the effort of understanding 14 seasons of storytelling all in one go completely overwhelms me and gives me a blinding migraine as if I’d tried to do complicated maths equations >.> There’s only TWICE the amount of canon as the last time I was flailing around this badly at watching stuff. But that’s all just me personally... Unless you also have chronic fatigue and migraines I don’t think analysis will actually physically harm you :’D

[iris-writes-things]

Two Guys and a Baby: Day 5

Read on AO3, FF.net or under the cut, or read up to 2 chapters ahead as a $1 Patreon patron!

“I swear, Ezra, he talked!” Crowley said with some exasperation in his voice. Ezra raised his hands in self-defense. “I believe you, dear,” he said in a tone Crowley knew was designed to calm him down.

Or, a lot of talk of talking, but no actual talking occurs.

Chapter 7 of 20 Ongoing 2199 words Romance/Humor

‘Anthony dear.’ 

Crowley hadn’t been called that in a long time. No one had called him by his first name since he started carefully avoiding Ezra, but once he apologized to the man for almost kissing him that one time, there it was again, awakening things in him that he’d painstakingly kept dormant, even with their now-increased contact.

And he said his eyes were beautiful.

Now, that was another can of worms on its own that awakened things in him which he would have a hard time pushing down. In fact, there wasn’t much of anything more cheesy, tropey, borderline romantic one could say to someone they liked, and Ezra had gone and did it.

He’d laid awake for hours after he had come home and tucked the already sleeping Adam into his crib, mulling over what all of it meant. Ezra Zacharie Fell was not exactly a paragon of subtlety, but what it meant- no, what it could have meant, was simply too good to be true. Crowley had done nothing to deserve something like that. After all, he was always on the verge of fucking something up one way or another and this couldn’t be an exception to the rule, he felt. 

Speaking of which, his morning was going far too smooth.

Adam wailed from his crib in the living room. There it was. At least it was better than being left alone with his thoughts any longer. He got up from his bed, pulled his ‘86 Magic Tour T-shirt over his head and slinked over to the crying baby, who was standing and hanging onto the edge of the crib. The kid calmed down slightly when Crowley came into his view. He stopped screaming and looked up at the man with tearful, blue eyes.

“What’s up, Adam?” Crowley asked casually, not expecting an answer in return. 

Instead, Adam made grabby hands at him, which could only mean one thing. 

“Up!” Adam said.

Crowley frowned. “Up?” he asked.

“Up!” Adam repeated.

Lucy hadn’t mentioned anything about Adam speaking, however small or simple the words might be. The man immediately rushed back to his bedroom to grab his smartphone, pulled up Whatsapp on his way to the living room, almost walking face first into a narrowly avoided doorpost. He opened his chat with Lucy and pressed the little microphone.

“Can you say that again, Adam?” Crowley asked expectantly, smiling in encouragement.

Instead, Adam looked at him with his big eyes and made a gurgling sound instead.

“Work with me here, Adam, I just heard you say it. Come on, you can do it.”

The boy’s little face scrunched up as he seemed to give this due consideration. 

“What’s up, Adam?” Crowley repeated, in an attempt to garner the same reaction, but nothing came. He sighed in disappointment and laid his phone down in the crib. “Okay buddy, time for breakfast.”

*

“I swear, Ezra, he talked!” Crowley said with some exasperation in his voice as Adam explored the ground floor of the bookshop again and, per the older man’s request, his sunglasses now rested on his hair instead of on his nose. “Man, I wish I could have just recorded it for Lucy. She’d love to hear it.”

Ezra raised his hands in self-defense. “I believe you, dear,” he said in a tone Crowley knew was designed to calm him down. “At this point, it’s important that you keep talking around him and to him. Ask him questions, so he can start associating words with people, objects and actions.”

Crowley nodded. “Duly noted,” he said curtly and he tried not to think of the day before. About the way Ezra had looked at him. Had talked to him. “So, what do you suggest we do?” he soldiered on.

Ezra shrugged. “Just talk to him constantly, don’t even think too hard on it, but do make sure you articulate. Oh, and you could read him bedtime stories.”

“Oh, I’m very good at that,” Crowley grinned. “I used to read picture books to Anathema every week.”

“Then you best get into practice again. I know I’m not a library, but you can borrow some of the picture books I have stocked here,” Ezra said as he got up and beckoned for Crowley to follow him, which he did closely. 

“That’s actually very generous. Thank you,” Crowley whispered.

“You almost sound surprised,” Ezra smiled softly as he looked back at him. “Just kidding, you’re welcome, Anthony,” he added. His eyes sparkled with… something or other. Mischief, probably. Pride, more likely, as no one in London believed in carrying out the seven heavenly virtues more than Ezra Fell and his family. But the sparkle, the smirk… suddenly, there wasn’t a single holy thought left in Crowley’s mind. Gaping like a fish out of water, his mouth abruptly felt very dry. If he was staring, Ezra didn’t seem to mind. But in due time, he turned away from Crowley and back to the matter at hand.

The children’s section of the bookshop was next to the staircase that went up to the second and third floor of the shop, and the apartment attached to it, was stocked with brightly colored, hardback picture books, as well as novels and informative books for young readers. It was decked out with colorful little flags and bean bags. Years ago, Ezra had the idea of organizing reading afternoons, where volunteers would read to visiting children while their parents shopped. It never caught on.

“Is there anything you’d like to read to Adam in particular?” Ezra asked as he crouched by the bookcase that contained the picture books. Crowley followed suit.

“Um,” he started. “I don’t really know any of these new ones. You’re the owner, what do you recommend?”

“A lot of the little kids that come in here are particularly excited about Rainbow Fish, because of the shiny bits, but I think the Very Hungry Caterpillar may be a better jumping off point. Oh, and Dick Bruna’s Miffy books are a personal favourite of mine. They have a very good sense of rhyme and rhythm.”

Crowley took the book Ezra held in front of his face, Miffy at the Zoo, let himself fall into one of the bean bags and opened the book to a random spread. With practised ease, Crowley found his storybook voice and read aloud:

“‘They must have traveled for an hour but now they’re here, you see and Father Bun steps out and says come Miffy, follow me.’ Oh, that’s cute. I’m sure he’ll like that,” Crowley noted as he looked back up to Ezra, who pointed to the space just beside his head. When he turned around, he found Adam watching over his shoulder, enraptured with the bunnies on the page. “Did you like that, Adam?”

Adam looked at him with bright blue eyes, a broad smile on his face and gave them a resounding “Bun!”

*

Ezra sat behind the counter as he listened to Anthony read three more books to Adam from his perch in the windowsill. He found his eyes closed and any tension left his shoulders as Anthony’s voice filled the shop. His reading voice was smooth, steady and well-articulated. That this was soothing, to say the least, reflected in that halfway through the third book, Adam had fallen asleep against his chest.

“You know, my dear, if there’s anyone you should call ‘angel’, it would be Adam. As someone who has worked with children in the past, I can guarantee you that children, much less babies this well-behaved are very hard to come by.”

“Ngk,” Anthony choked. “I really hoped you would have forgotten by now.”

“You seemed to make a point of repeating it, so no. I didn’t forget.”

“Right.” Anthony sat up straighter, but kept Adam securely cradled to his chest as he laid the book down.

Out of Anthony’s sight, Ezra’s hand still laid upon the magazine.

4. He acts differently around you. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you...” Ezra tried, but he found that the words he originally intended to say drowned in a flood of doubt. He frowned, looking at Anthony, who looked at him expectantly, if a tad uneasy. “If something were, so to speak, ‘up’... you would tell me, right?”

 “‘Course,” Anthony said almost hastily. He got up and walked up to the counter, still holding Adam like the most precious thing in the world. He looked up at Ezra, amber eyes piercing blue. “Ez, you are literally the best friend that I have, I can promise you that if something is up, you’ll be the first to hear.” There was an almost pleading quality to Anthony’s voice as he said that and a frown made deep creases in his forehead. 

“So the reason you’ve been acting so off lately is…” Ezra asked.

Anthony paled. “I…” he said, glancing down at Adam as if he would provide a well-timed distraction, as he had before, but the boy stayed soundly asleep. “I’m just… figuring stuff out, you know?” he finally admitted. “But like I said. You’ll be the first to hear.”

“When you figure it out?”

“When I figure it out.”

Ezra nodded. “That seems reasonable enough. And if you ever feel like you want to talk about whatever you’re figuring out—”

“I’ll know where to find you,” Anthony smiled apologetically.

“Good.” Ezra said with an almost satisfied nod. “And just for the record, I don’t mind if you want to call me ‘angel’. It’s just that no one’s ever bothered to give me a nickname before, is all. Especially one as ‘blasphemous’ as ‘angel’.”

“Well, like I said, it suits you. And you know I’m all about blasphemy according to your family, with my radical views on the world, what with that trans people should be able to transition, and same gender couples should be able to get married and whatnot.”

“Yes, well…” Ezra mumbled with a pout. He didn’t particularly like it when his family was brought up, especially when they’d been having fun before. He quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, it had me wondering what I should call you,” he tried. That ought to steer this conversation elsewhere.

Anthony chuckled and smiled his lopsided smirk. Ezra couldn’t help but gaze at his lips as he said, “I think I’ve told you upwards of a thousand times that you can just call me ‘Crowley’.”

Ezra’s cheeks heated up. He blinked hard and shook his head. “Well yes, but I don’t want to. That’s your family’s name, it’s not your name. I was thinking something more along the lines of—”

“Of?”

‘Handsome devil’, Ezra would have liked to have said in that moment, or ‘silver-tongued demon’, perhaps, but he quickly found that any such courage escaped him. He glanced away to the counter. “I forgot,” he lied, softly. “But I’m sure I’ll remember sooner or later. It’s a shame, though. It really suited you.”

Anthony smiled and hummed in amusement. “Sticking to ‘my dear’, then? For the time being?”

“I suppose so…” Ezra mumbled as he slid his magazine further under the counter. 

*

“Dearest ms. Device,” Ezra mumbled as he tapped the buttons on his cellphone repeatedly to get the letters he needed. It was the middle of the night, and as such, he lay curled up in his bed as he typed the electronic letter. The lights in Ezra’s room were still on, which bothered him, but the screen of his cell phone wasn’t backlit and had to be illuminated somehow. “It has come to my attention that your uncle Anthony has been behaving rather strangely as of late and I was hoping you could give me some insight into the situation, as he appears to be sending me rather mixed messages. One moment he’ll be borderline flirtatious with me and the next, he’ll be denying any such thing. It’s becoming rather frustrating, but I don’t know what to tell him. Thank you in advance. Yours sincerely, Ezra Fell.” 

He gave the string of three SMS messages another quick once-over before finally pressing the button to send them. Anathema was very wise for her age. Surely, she would know what to do. He put his cell phone down on his night stand and got up to turn off his lights when suddenly, his phone started buzzing frantically for what felt like an eternity. With shaking hands, he picked up the device and read its screen. “Ten new messages?!”

“He’s in love with you.”

“Like, head over heels.”

“I don’t think he knows how to tell you.”

“Or maybe he’s still in denial about it, tbh idk.”

“No wait fuck, he said he didn’t wanna ruin your friendship.”

“Obviously he loves you enough not to want to risk what you have.”

“While he definitely has trouble, you know, not acting on his feelings.”

“Which is kinda sweet but painful to watch.”

“But you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Love, Anathema.”

“Thank you,” he replied. Turned off the lights and his phone and crawled into his bed. “Obviously he loves you enough to not want to risk what you have…” Ezra sighed. Tears pricked behind his eyes. That wasn’t reassuring at all.