#all of the characters are so amazing and the narration and interconnecting stories and the cinematography and the soundtrack and UGH

[alebrijediscordico]

i need to sleep soon, but i've been rotating pastra's new video with his own retelling of the jeff the killer creepypasta and. mein gott……

first of, Go Watch 🔫

and second of, spoilers under the cut, bc im gonna ramble abt it now!!

so there's thing ive noticed of a few rewrites i have read before is that many times the authors take a lot of creative liberties while rewriting and, well, many of them interested me a lot ngl! most of them are full rewrites with almost no similarities to the og story that isnt the characters and maybe one or two plot points, and i think about them and it amazes me how one can change a characters story and still make it feel like the same character

but the thing about pastra's rewrite, is that they understands Who jeff the killer is and What jeff is, and not only gives the original story's Feeling an actual structure, but a Why for it too

and that starts with the who. jeff is a villain in most narratives that had included him before, even if the original creepypasta aimed (?) for him to be sort of the empathetic, like. back then he was but a kid, maybe a violent one, but a kid that fell to his most destructive urges nevertheless (and with this extra, irrational fear that i think was more of a personal observation when i first hear of this creepypasta when i was Really young, of "oh god, what if turn out like Him" since he was around my age then, but anyways.)

but this jeff is not a kid anymore, is actually of college age, and for most of this rewrite's narrative he is this looming terror on the loose; death with a rotting, self made smile. and as more things are revealed, and both the detectives and audience get closer to jeff, at first one would think is going with the same, empathetic route like the original, with the bullies and stuff, but since we already know how that goes, pastra actually Uses that to get people by surprise and… no, he isn't just a kid, or in this case a man, Driven to madness by circumstances. he starts a villain, ends a villain

which perfectly pictures what jeff as a concept was and is in essence:

a brutal, unpredictable force of violence; a monster

and that's what makes him scary again, because he is still a human after all, but his actions slowly take away that until only his appearance, no matter how mutilated it is by that point, is what anchors him to his humanity; a tether to it made out of a spider's web string

like i remember listening to the narration in the background while playing splatoon some days ago, and sometimes having to pause the game just to listen more attentively. and in some parts, specially towards the end, making me actually feel kinda scared, not only for liu (which is also Very well written and the role he plays to connect jeff's past to the present and reveal his true intentions is Amazing), but for every single one of the witnesses too

and then that part. that one part after staying convinced most of the video that this rewrite would follow a similar plot as the original, liu says "but no. it was just… jeff" LIKE- that legit gave me Chills, and minutes after jeff's infamous phrase Actually used well??? like as i said, this actually brought back some of that fear from the original, tho it mostly impressed me for the execution, but genuinely what the fuck (legit said out loud while listening "are they gonna- no they won't- HE DID…")

n. well, this is less about the creepypasta now, but just me thinking how good pastra's storytelling is, the story's structure feels so clean and interconnected, the pacing is so nice but it has that touch of his that is across all his videos. and the voice acting!! the man genuinely sounded insane when jeff did, is incredible :D

[ekingston]

Your reply on ao3 about your wife’s screenshot and being a cheerleader stuck with me, because I’ve realized I don’t actually articulate enough how amazing some writers (read: you) are. I finished the most recent chapter of soup (after eleven-thousand unacceptable distractions), and I was going to plunk together a quick comment that would absolutely not do enough justice to express the genius I find your writing to be. So instead I opened a google doc and started smashing my keyboard which resulted in a pretty long-winded... something, but allow me to fan-girl for like, a second:

The quality and style of your writing floors me every time. There is an effortlessness about it that makes it totally and completely bingeable but also something that gives a little more each time I read it. For me, it’s the most replayable form of literature: I can go back for the plot, for the character rapport, for the punchy dialogue, or for the voice of the narrator. It fits all the moods. It charms me. It amuses me. I want to hug it.

Your work excites me, and when I think of authors and works that excite me, I’m lumping you in with like, Heartburn which is an all-time favorite for that exact reason: I can binge it in a day or go back and sip on it and discover something clever and witty and just impossibly gorgeous in execution.

And speaking as someone who CANNOT for the life of me write something that doesn’t eventually tumble into a vat of angst, I also just adore the way you manage tension without losing the light-hearted reading experience. Holiday wine is a masterpiece, AND I think Soup is almost better because you juggle so much more: the chorus of characters are taking on their own plot lines, the stakes are higher, you add danger and adventure, you weave a more complex, interconnected storyline, and you massage it all beautifully to act as a supporting cast to the core of the story.

Which brings me to the trope (and a complete tangent): miscommunication. Like, ok look… I usually can’t stand it. But that’s mostly because of the execution: the obvious interruptions, the clear misdirection and disregard for natural intuition, the not asking the right questions, the very blatant ham-fisted forcefulness of it just… I can’t.

AND THEN YOU WENT AND MADE A MASTERCLASS OF IT.

You took every complaint you didn’t know I had and put in the work to make it believable. Kara is charmingly oblivious but not for lack of trying. She perfectly talks past Nia and Alex and Lena not just once but every. time. and every time is just so well-conceived and articulated and *gesticulates hands in the air wildly trying to find the right word* gah. The world of her confusion and misguidedness is so believable and commendable and *gesticulates again* gah. This is the absolute genius of the work. I will give kudos till I’m blue in the face about the story as a whole, but I will die on the ‘Easter crushed the miscommunication trope’ hill.

And this is just ONE EXAMPLE of how you knock it out of the park every single time. I could go on about how solidly you write the characters, how charming your prose is, how epic your one-shots are, or how I don’t even care that I can’t trust your chapter count anymore but this is already a run-on and I'm running out of air.

I don’t know how you write, if there is one draft or a million, if you just stream–of-conscious this into existence, or if you summon the words through a ouija board, but it’s brilliant and commendable and THANK YOU for doing what you’re doing.

so. this message is. a miracle? and you are a GIFT. and i’m not going to be able to elaborate much beyond that, because unlike you, i am terrible; at writing attentive notes, at handling compliments, and—hilariously, maybe, since i’ve finally started thinking of myself as a writer again after a decade of self-loathing false starts—at writing down my thoughts in an easily digestible way.

can i say it’s the nicest thing i’ve ever gotten from someone who isn’t (yet?) a close personal friend? that the timing of it was almost implausibly perfect because it arrived in the middle of the deep breathing exercises i was doing after being made aware of some deeply stupid twitter discourse around Soup that was going on right as i was getting ready to post its final chapter?

i think i’ll stick to the important stuff: like THANK YOU. like how your (AMAZING) note completely obliterated the bad stuff and made me excited not just to wrap up this fic, or even to jump into the next, but about doing it all in the first place. that it was a very needed reminder of what an immensely privileged position i’m in to be able to put something out online that brings people (you) enough joy that you want to come tell me about it. and, obviously, that the specific things you chose to highlight are extraordinarily flattering, and i am absolutely not immune to that kind of thing.

i went back and forth on publishing this ask because it feels almost embarrassing, and boastful. but whatever, you know? you made me feel good about my writing again and provided important perspective and ultimately you put thought and effort and overall awesomeness into it and i’m not going to hide that away when you intended it to be shared.

thank you. SO MUCH.

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Book Nine is officially out in the world, and it's the first one under my new pen name, Noah Hawthorne.

Nine Books. I released the first one in October of 21', and there's been a lot of trial and error, tears (readers and my own), and so much damn work. I wouldn't change it for anything, and I'm proud of what I've written, especially my newer work. I've improved immensely, and I've established a writing style and voice that I love. I'm still learning, but that's the beauty of it.

I think one of the biggest learning curves is marketing, honestly. There is so much I wish I knew in the beginning, and things I wish I did differently, but that's part of the journey I suppose.

But I must be doing something right, because the Misfit community is freaking amazing. My readers, author friends, librarians, artists, narrators, and booksellers. Without all of you, I wouldn't be where I am now.

To finish up, I have some news.

Adventures in Levena, continuing under the Aelina Isaacs name, is officially going to be a 10 book series, and each book is an interconnected standalone featuring different couples. This includes a Thatch prequel, and an Arlo prequel, both taking place when they were younger.

The Sirione Chronicles, my new interconnected series under the Noah Hawthorne name, currently has eight books planned. Unfortunately for some of you (Rebel Fox lovers), each book features a different set of characters and at different points of time, but each story is key to the series as a whole.

I'll be announcing titles soon, but for now, here's a look into my writing future. Thank you for listening and supporting me. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈📚✍️

[chibi-tsukiko]

Emmy boo!

I finally read the prologue. I waited for a good time to read it and boy I'm glad I did! Now I'm going to go make myself a cup of tea because it's the only thing that can fix my heart right now.

I wrote a lil bit of a live blog (or whatever this is). My apologies for the rant!

BUT I HAVE THOUGHTS. SO MANY THOUGHTS. 

To me, the objective of a prologue is never only to set the scene, but rather to intrigue the readers and make them curious. About the characters. About the world we’re going to take them into. Prologues, sometimes, are chilling. I love a good chilling prologue and you did a fantastic fucking job! 

I know you’ve shared about Hein and his experience and story as an Essence. But to read it from the narrator’s pov is something else. My took me somewhere else (as if it often does) because the way in the mothers protected their (Essence) children and the things they did to protect their children reminded me of how in some communities mothers do similar things (even the same and even to the extent to infanticide) to protect girl children because they face a familiar fate. It reminds me of how fiction and reality are often very much interconnected and the cruelty we read about in fiction is often not fiction at all. Not everyone can write about pain and misery in a real way. You can. It's a skill and a curse. I hope you use it for good. Because the way you write pain is so beautiful.

I was also wondering if you ever wrote a story about an Essence child who was ‘chosen’. It would be such an interesting story to write from a child’s pov. Would they be scared? Would they confused? Would they excited to be chosen among all the other children? It’s a beautiful - and a difficult - piece to write! 

All the laws about the Essence are trash (but quite real) and I cannot wait for Mr. Takashi Han to say ‘fuck the law’ like another amazing boi we love - and for him to protect not just Hein but all people like him! 

The description of the island was so haunting. What a graphic visual! 

I love all the names of these characters. It makes me constantly wonder about their meanings. Just such magical sounds! 

Actual footage of me reading that interaction between Shohei and Hein. 

I already said it in the comments, but this is the most beautiful prologue I’ve read in a long time. It not only makes me want to read more but also completely changed the way I looked at Hein - and his relationship with Takashi, and the Han family. 

That last scene…poetry and pain. That’s it. 

When Shohei watched the seagull disappear into the sun, I just knew what was coming next. It was incredibly heartbreaking, but also beautiful. Because, Shohei did fly. He did get ‘to be free’ on his own terms, even if it’s not what I wanted for him. 

(I say this - but I am also in denial and can’t wait for Hein and Shohei to meet again lol)

I cannot wait to read about Hein and what he remembers and recalls about Shohei and his childhood. 

You are a marvelous writer. Thank you for writing and sharing this story with us. Thank you for building this beautiful, tragic, and big world full of people we can’t help but love and want to protect.

Lots and lots of lots of love to you (and to Shohei) 🤍

Dani x 

Dragon babe!! 💚💚💚

This was the best way to start my day. I'm so emotional after reading this, thank goodness I'm working from home haha.

When I originally wrote this moment, it was just a side story. Part of Hein's past that I wanted to explore, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like it made the perfect prologue. Especially, since Hein's POV is the one we get most often in the story, I liked how the prologue is told more from Shohei's. It gives a different light. I'm glad you feel the same.

I love the idea of exploring the story told from a child who has been chosen. I imagine there are parts of the world where the children know the horrors of being an Essence, but I feel like there would be others that dress it up like it's an honor. The different emotions would be painfully beautiful.

Painting the picture for readers is something I have always loved to do, I want to visually capture as much of the story as possible, so when I hear that I have it makes me so giddy.

Shohei did get to fly and in many ways his "end" is actually a beginning for him. It's a moment he got to choose something for himself. There's a moment in the story, between Takashi and Hein where Hein speaks of Shohei for the first time since what happens in the prologue. It's a bittersweet moment, but I think you would enjoy it. I think you'd especially like what Takashi does in response to learning about Shohei. He is the best boi. 🥰

I can't put into words how it feels whenever you say that you like my writing that you think I write well. It means so much. Thank you for taking the time to read it and share your thoughts with me and of course for always supporting me.

I love you! I hope the tea helped! 🙈

Oh! Also, you mentioned the names...I like to play with meanings and there is a bit of irony in what I chose for the children on the island.

Yang - light, sun

Ryuby (Ruby) - deep precious stone

Edytha - Prosperous in War

[kinstein-art]

sweet tooth was so adorable 😭😭😭

[mum-hen]

Rule of Wolves Review (spoilers ahead!!!)

I’ve been let down by series finales in the past, but this book did not disappoint! I genuinely love this book. It’s definitely up there with Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom for me. Also, I should say that I cried at least 6 times while reading this book. Sad tears, of course, but also happy tears towards the end!

First off, plot. There was a lot going on in this book in terms of plot - you had things going on in Ravka, Fjerda, Shu Han, and Kerch - but it didn’t feel overwhelming. Each plot line was interconnected and I didn’t feel like they took away from one another. I really enjoyed each character’s point of view, and I feel like each was necessary to the story.

Segueing into worldbuilding, Bardugo just continued to expand the wonderful world of the Grishaverse. It was especially interesting to see more of Shu Han, which hasn’t been a major focus up until now. It was also cool that Fjerdan culture was expanded on more with the marriage rituals and intricacies of the throne. Travelling to Kerch was like returning home, and even though I was reading from the point of view of an outsider, I fell into the familiar streets and characters right away. And of course, we all know and love Ravka, our perpetually drowning man. 

Next, characters. I have gushed about Bardugo’s characterization in the past and I will shamelessly continue to do so. Nikolai continues to be incredibly charming, and I loved seeing his journey of acceptance - of himself, his (literal) demons, and his feelings. Zoya’s character arc throughout this series is probably my favorite character development ever. She starts out as the confident, ruthless Zoya we already know and love, but we get the sense that she’s a somewhat unreliable narrator when it comes to her own feelings. By the end of this book, she is still confident, ruthless Zoya, but she is unafraid to love and let herself be loved. I almost can’t describe it - it was so powerful to witness her grow into such an amazing leader. Because of this book, she is now on my list of my favorite characters of all time (right up there with my girl Inej).

I know not everybody is going to like the ending, but I thought it was just perfect. I have no complaints. Zoya becoming queen made perfect sense - we’d been building up to this since the first book, and she’s grown as a leader so much since then. Nikolai giving her the throne also made perfect sense because it was never about the throne for him - he just wanted what was best for Ravka, and what Ravka needed was a wonderful, Grisha, Suli dragon queen. I’m so happy they’re finally free to love each other and got the fairytale ending they deserved! Nina and Hanne were also super cute, and I’m so glad Hanne finally feels comfortable in their own body. Just like with Crooked Kingdom, this doesn’t feel like an ending. Instead, it feels like their story is just beginning.

[lady-griffin]

So, I just saw Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Really fun and very enjoyable. It’s a pretty great movie in my opinion and is just a fun “superhero” movie.

I feel like the word “fun” kind of undercuts this movie, but it really was fun and just a good film to watch. 

I had a great time.

And I feel like you can tell this movie was clearly written and directed by women with women in mind. Which as a woman, I greatly enjoyed. 

I’m sure this movie will probably rub some guys the wrong way, just because of that alone, but honestly it’s a good movie. I don’t think it alienates men or discourages them from watching it or enjoying it. 

If you can’t enjoy this movie, because the characters aren’t “sexy” enough, then that’s on you.

And speaking of that. The Outfits.

Harley Queen and Black Canary have style, I want their clothes. Oh my god, do I want their clothes. Just so stylish and it works with who they are as characters. 

Cassandra, Renee and Huntress have clothing that looks comfortable and works with their characters as well, and Renee and Cassandra’s clothes really makes them look like actual people and normal woman.

Which is nice! I like it when you have female characters who clearly are different and dress differently. It feels ridiculous when you have a show or movie or comic, where you're suppose to believe all these “very different” female characters all love wearing supery sexy stuff all the time. 

I’m not against ladies dressing sexy, but it has to fit with the character and not just cause of the male gaze. 

Also Roman/Black Mask gets some serious style points. 

Bird of Prey is a fun, violent movie wear badass ladies beat and murder their way through Gotham City. Go and see it. 

It comes highly recommended by this random internet chick.

Also, there isn’t an after-credit scene just a Harley Quinn voice over. The music is good in the credits, so if you want to stay, you can, but honestly you can skip it. 

Spoilers Below

The movie does make a few choices that bug me. You know how in Suicide Squard, they spent like the first 30 minutes (maybe more) introducing characters. 

This movie does that too. Kind of. 

Honestly, now that I think about it, it does work a lot better here. Much better than I was initially thinking.

For one thing, the way the characters are introduced works with the plot and what’s happening and overall are pretty quick. For the main characters it’s fine. But Harley and her narrative kind of introduces everyone and their cousin.

But unlike Suicide Squad, this movie doesn’t stop everything to introduce a character with like a 2-3 minute character trailer/ad. 

It’s not awul or anything, but I could’ve lived without it. It worked well and was humorous at times, but it did bug me to a certain degree. 

And on that note, Harley has kind of Deadpool thing with her narration. I just think it was the wrong balance for this movie, it should’ve been in the movie either some more or some less and it probably would’ve worked better. It just seemed a bit off to me. 

I kind of wished Harley’s narration was just in the beginning and in the end. 

But let’s get into the characters

Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel

If you enjoyed her in Suicide Squad, you will definitely enjoy her here. She’s fun, she’s wacky, she’s violent and crazy, and she does have a bit of a heart. She has a soft-spot for the kid. 

It’s definitely Harley’s show. But I’m not mad at it. I think without Harley no way this movie (with the other characters) would’ve been greenlit. No way. But now, maybe...I’m certainly not oppose to the idea.

So while Margot Robbie is definitely making sure the spotlight is on Harley Quinn, the light does get shared. 

Also her action scenes were so good, I mean she really gets to shine and it’s just awesome. Really amazing action scenes that really do the character justice I think, truly some amazing fight choregraophy. Just Excellent. 

And honestly I just want a Gotham Sirens movie with her, Poison Ivy and Catwoman even more now. 

Oh, and while not Bud and Lou, I love me some Bruce and Harley. 

Black Canary/Dinah Lance

If anyone has watched Arrow and has been annoyed, frustrated, angry or sadden how that version Black Canary is not like Black Canary at all. Then I think you will love Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Canary. 

I certainly did. 

She’s not the star, but she has a nice on-going story of how she doesn’t want to follow in mother’s footsteps of being a dead hero. Basically she doesn’t want to get involved in anyone’s bullshit, but can’t help herself or is force to get involved. 

They have a scene where they hammer that in a bit too hard. It was unnecessary, I felt like just by watching her scenes you get her story, without the details. 

She has some amazing style. She wears a few suits and boy not only do I want her wardrobe but also goddamn, was she sexy. You can see why Zsasz was nervous about her stealing his boss/lover away. 

I mean really the only negative thing I can say, is that she makes me hold a grudge against the Arrow show, because their version of Black Canary has got nothing on this one. 

I would love to see more of her. 

Huntress/ Helena Bertinelli

I greatly enjoy Huntress or the Crossbow Killer (loved that). I would say out of the other ladies (minus Harley obvi), she really does hold her own and her story while is as interconnected as everyone else’s to the main story, it just pops a bit more. 

A badass assasin murdering mob bosses/ goons to avenge her family, who also happens to be one social awkward baby.

Loved that dichotomy. I laughed several times at that. Just great stuff. 

It’s hard stricking the right balance in having a badass character and scenes/moments that undercut them for humor. And they struck it here. Really well done. 

She was such a delight. 

Really Mary-Elizabeth Winstead does such a great job as Huntress.

Other versions of her character don’t really seem to get the whole wanting to murder everyone who was responsible for her family’s death, in my opinion, because they also want her to be sexy. Here sexy isn’t really her thing and that’s more than okay with me. 

The other birds think she’s a badass and I bet every other women (and hopefully some men) in the audience think so too. 

I certainly want to see more of her, especially with Black Canary. 

Also this Black Canary and Huntress and their dynamic come so close to ousting my favorite versions of them from Justice League: Unlimited. Which is a big compliment. 

Renee Montoya

A cop with some serious issues, who maybe isn’t doing her best and probably has a drinking problem, but she’s trying okay. She’s trying. 

She’s an intelligent detective who knows her shit and does not get the respect she deserves from her colleagues. Due to combination of both sexism and her own personal problems. Luckily for her she found some new colleages who have their own issues. 

I certainly enjoyed that her problems at works seemed to be a combination of sexism at the work place, but not entirely, Renee is flawed. Wonderfully so. 

Rosie Perez brings the more human element to this movie with her Renee and is a nice grounded contrast to the others. It’s also nice seeing her more grounded style of fighting. 

Sometimes the scenes with her weren’t great. They sometimes felt forced, particulary the one with her and Canary and her trying to convince Canary to be like her mom. I could’ve lived without that.

That being said the movies has fun, pointing fun at her and basically saying she’s an 80s cop movie come to life. Which I liked. 

Cassandra Cain

I like the character, don’t get me wrong, but this is not Cassandra Cain. And it does bother me as a huge Batman Comic fan. It just does.

I feel like they should’ve based her on some minor character from the comics or hell just created a new character. BTAS did that with Harley Quinn in 1992, so why the fuck not.

That would’ve worked so much better in my opinion. Sometimes rewriting a character works, here it feels odd. Because I don’t get why they decided to call this character Cassandra Cain.

Honestly, remove the Cain part from her name and you have a great little apprentice for Harley, who brings her own moxy to the table.

Ella Jay Basco does a great job holding her own as a screen partner against Margot Robbie. And she did such a good job protraying a street kid who thinks she can handle shit, to a scare kid who is way over head. 

It was nice watching all these badass ladies keeping an eye out for Cassandra.

The characters reminds me a lot of Jade from Jackie Chan: Adventures. I mean both characters eat a valuable object and a bunch of bad people are willing to cut them open. Just saying. 

If you’re a big fan of Cassandra Cain, I would suggest just ignoring the times they say her full name and try to think of her as a different character, named Cassandra. 

Roman Sionis/ Black Mask

A murdering psychopath who thinks everyone and everything belongs to him. He’s power-hungry, cruel, violent and sadistic and is plenty messed up in the head. You see enough to get the picture and they don’t elaborate nor do they have to. 

He wears some amazing clothes, by the way. I liked this version of the character a lot. Even when he’s being nice and friendly, you know that he can snap at any second (which he does). He does not have it together. 

He doesn’t steal the show, but that’s a good thing. He’s a good villain, that allows our girls to be the perfect heroes/anti-heroes to his villany.

Victor Zsasz

Boy does he have it bad for Roman. He is very jealous and you know he wants to kill anyone who steals Roman’s attention away from him. A different kind of Zsasz, but enjoyable. 

I love the rivalry between him and Black Canary, or what he percieves as a rivalry.

Female Empowerment/Some Reviews

So some reviews, I’ve seen basically say they don’t like this movie or have problem with it, because this kind of “female empowerment” has been done before and isn’t good or isn’t as good as it thinks it is. 

And while, it’s not untrue that violent women willing to murder are not the greatest role models, I also am a bit annoyed at these reviews.

I mean, this movie does have a girl-power vibe to it without a doubt. 

But it feels more like the message is -- 

Girl are Awesome. Here are some awesome ladies with varying degrees of violent tendacies, who are badass and who all should definitely know a therapist aside from Harley Quinn.

I don’t think girls have to violent to be badass, especially not in real-life, but I also don’t think female characters can’t be violent or angry. And 3 out of 5, weren’t starting anything or actively seeking violence at least not to the degree of the other two.

Also, it’s an R-Rated movie about a villainous comic book character...I mean, what were you expecting. 

I understand the issue some people are having with this film, about women-empowerment and the celebration of violence and I don’t disagree with that.

In my opinion, the women-empowerment comes less from the violence and more from the fact that you had women as the center focus who were all pretty different and unique, and all of them had clear individual stories being told that created the plot of the movie. 

For me, the movie was saying here are some awesome comic book characters who are also women, enjoy watching them beat and murder their way through Gotham City. Also enjoy them kicking several men in the balls, it’s quite fun. 

I had great time with this movie. 

So I hope people see it and I hope they have a good time. 

[beatricebidelaire]

sugar bowl gen fic recs

this got a big long so i’m putting it under the cut

all fics on this list are safe for work, i’ll probably be making another list for the not safe for work ones

enjoy!

call me from the road by @deweysdenouement ; snickets & denouements & beatrice & bertrand

a story of interconnected scenes about of how these friends, family, lovers, and sometimes enemies grew up in vfd, from those (comparatively) innocent childhood years to when they’re all grown up, to when they lost so many people but they’re gathering together, the remaining survivors, to create a new beginning. very many emotional moments and just such a overwhelming amount of love between all of them that makes my heart ache and also made me cry.

beatrice by @whoslaurapalmer ; beatrice/lemony, also ft. kit, r, bertrand, olaf

lemony investigates the murder of beatrice - or so he thought he was doing. canon divergence au in a noir setting. absolutely in love with the whole atmosphere and vibes of this one, detective noir and murder investigation that isn’t what it looks like in the surface. all the character dynamics, platonic or more, friends or enemies, are so good and a deep look into lemony’s feelings and reflections of what happened at the end of atwq. amazing plot and very tight knitted, one of the first fics i’ve read in this fandom and i still think about it a lot.

place daturas on my grave by @ceruleanvulpine ; kit & quigley

a conversation between kit and quigley, with a lot of kit’s inner thoughts, especially about losing her brothers. there’s a quiet yet overwhelming kind of sadness in her here and it absolutely breaks my heart. very very good kit characterization.

close encounters of the sibling kind by @deweysdenouement ; jacques & kit

5 times jacques and kit almost ran into each other in the city, and the one time they did. lots of snicket siblings feels, small details of what kit remembered about jacques that she would recognize anywhere, a cameo of dewey, and j&k talking about lemony.

Uninvited by @parsleysoda1984 ; beatrice/esme

esme shows up at beatrice’s wedding reception. very good snicketverse narrating style and also excellent dialogue between beatrice and esme, including monologues from both sides and commenting on each other’s choices of language, and also revelations of certain backstories. absolutely love the tension between them.

Double Edged by @lyeekha ; lemony/ernest

a card that read “the manager requests your presence” brings lemony to a particular room at hotel denouement, and back and forth conversations of trying to obtain and obscure information ensues. very fun character dynamics and great characterizations, and the lemony-voice is excellent and very on point.

An Eye For An Eye by @ladynoblesong ; beatrice/esme

beatrice and esme, through the years, featuring longing and want mixed with bitterness and hatred, grief, thievery, and vengeance. a deep insight into esme’s thoughts and feelings with regards to beatrice that makes me feel for her. amazing characterizations.

The Unpleasant Arrival of Dramatic Irony by @parsleysoda1984 ; jacques/jerome, also ft. esme

jacques visits jerome and tries to warn him about certain things and people. all the unsaid feelings and unspoken secrets, small details about jacques that kept stealing jerome’s attention, physical touches such as a hand on his shoulder that made jerome stay still. also features the animosity between esme and jacques, and just in general very good dynamics study of the three of them.

slow dancing in a burning room by @littlesnickets ; beatrice/lemony, beatrice/bertrand

in depth character study of beatrice, from her childhood to motherhood to the very end, all the glamorous glory and all the flaws, and the growth that comes with it. amazing insight into different relationships of her lives. very good characterization and very vivid description, i can feel her emotions throughout reading. beautiful and makes my heart ache.

Lonely Souls by @virtualfindingsdocumented ; kit/ellington

kit and ellington, through the years, from their first meeting to years years after kit died and ellington meeting her daughter, from reluctant allies who had to work together to friends to lovers to friends again. exploring the complicated relationship they had, tangled with kit’s involvement in vfd and all the work she was trying to do. also features interesting occasional insights into vfd politics

and i've written pages upon pages trying to rid you from my bones by @whoslaurapalmer ; beatrice/bertrand/lemony

the famous 200 paged breakup letter (just not 200 paged). featuring talks of younger and happier days, and all the shared moments and all the small details they know about each other, but also the heartwrenching part about how this isn’t going to work out, the hard decisions that needed to be made, and how sometime love isn’t enough. a mixture of moments that delight me and the ones that break my heart and very very good characterizations of all of them.

Charles Remembers by @gellavonhamster-remade ; kit & charles

backstory for how charles got into vfd. very very interesting and i absolutely love the dynamics between them here, charles’ impression of kit and him remembering their first interaction, and also some insight into the snickets from how kit talked about her brothers. reading this makes me feel like i’m watching an old movie, probably black and white, with all the vintage vibes .... exquisite

Rattle by @lesbianscieszka ; kit & jacques

a rattle in the taxi led to kit trying to figure out the issue, untangle ratchet straps, and think about jacques. she remembered the things she said as she worked on it, and how safe he used to drive, and how that didn’t help in the end. very many snicket twins feels and insightful looks into their characters. a quiet kind of sadness.

An attempt to help a friend correct a passive moment by @littlestsnicket ; lemony & daniel

a conversation between lemony snicket and daniel handler about lemony wanting a pair of bright red shoes, which led to daniel buying the said pair of shoes. very fun and enjoyable to see daniel handler in fics - we know he is canonically a character in the snicketverse and the agent for lemony - and i love the general tone and vibes of this, feels very them.

[carmenpeach]

aauuuauuaaugtgghhhh whats your favourite show rn and why? sell it to m bruh tell me all about it

this may be a surprise but its... hunter x hunter LOL for a lot of different reasons...

without spoilers best i can, first of all the storytelling/ world building of it is so precise and detailed, thought out years in advance to tie so much of it together as it progresses. watching it a 2nd time i saw many more little details of allusions to parts that wouldnt even be written in the manga for years (im think about watching through the end of yorknew again tbh) i think it has such good rewatch value well beyond just for entertainment. and i feel it's worth noting that i have a hard time just sitting down and watching things since it's hard for me to focus for too long (and when i first watched it at 19 i watched 75 episodes in 10 days somehow?)

the narration throughout it can be a little drawn out sometimes but the story would have a lot less impact without it. togashi (author/ artist) goes into such detail about aspects of the story to add to the experience is so well rounded. especially when it comes to nen (the "magic powers" of the series) and how it functions i feel that nen could be real.

beyond that i feel the main pull of it is the characters. even side characters add so much to the story that they dont come across like unnecessary/ filler elements. one fault for sure is how some female characters are just plot elements but that improves over time. but it's the main four, gon killua kurapika and leorio, is what makes the whole thing come together. the way they interconnect with each other is amazing. from narrative foils to the bonds they form. the show is about love at its core, how these characters love each other and how they sacrifice for each other (not always in the best way but in what they think is the best, from self sacrifice to separation).

i know everyone says this, but really it's a love story also romantically. it's definitly about killua and gon being in love, there is no other way to interpret their relationship really. i feel like if i saw this show as a closeted 12 year old then realizing im gay wouldnt have been so complicated tbh but that's besides the point.

it's really how intricate the whole story is woven together, how the focus shifts between the main 4 (and how even though gon is the protagonist, we havent even seen him the current arc and we are back on kurapika and hopefully leorio too, which makes sense since the chimera ant arc was only killua and gon)

it's also how serious the series gets as it progresses which is also another thing a lot of people talk about with it, especially in the manga right now. the chimera ant arc is where this switch clearly happens and it gets pretty brutal (my first watch of hxh i stopped in the middle of this arc since it got a little too intense for me. seeing not only gon and killua having to be child soldiers and dealing with loss and revenge while trying to protect each other and fighting the ants while also seeing the whole situation from the ants part of view) (side note yeah the enemy are ants but they end up being anthropomorphic creatures) and it's when we really see gon and killua pushed to their limits :(

but my favorite arc is the yorknew/ phantom troupe arc because it's a kurapika arc and i LOVE kurapika. everything about his character hurts so much. i feel like kurapika has the most obvious at first development to changes with his character and even though this arc is before the ant one, it definitly sets the tone for how the series is going to slowly change. im definitly more biased towards kurapikas role in the story which i think is... a little obvious by the way every other post by me is about him LOL but this whole part really sets the tragedy of the series too (but also shows that all the suffering isnt pointless and how love still shines through etc but that could be a whole long post on its own....)

anyways the show starts off so fun and happy like most shonen, and even though it follows similar story points like most (journey begins, trials and goals, training under mentor etc) it quickly becomes very unique and goes off track of this average heros journey (though yes i know almost every story follows this, i really cannot emphasize enough that hxh takes it a step further beyond "hero goes out to reach an end goal" considering that goal is met already 2 arcs i think before the current)

and i feel bad not touching much on leorio since his character tends to get sidelined unfortunately, and many people think he isnt too important just because his journey isnt about some huge difficult adventure, it's to be a doctor to help anyone in need for free, placing everyone else's wellbeing as absolute importance (and the way this works as a narrative foil and strain between him and kurapika is amazing too) (and hes handsome)

well i wasnt planning on writting an essay but. here it is, written kinda sloppy since im just trying to get my thoughts out. it's both painful and rewarding to watch but ultimately worth it. pls watch hxh (i STRONGLY recommend the 1999 adaption. i could also write a huge post on the difference between 1999 and 2011 but that's for another day)

[clockworkouroboros]

Telling a Story // The Scarlet Empress

There are many essays, discussions, and works of fiction that all try to explain what Doctor Who is all about, but I believe that none understand or grasp the key to understanding this franchise more than The Scarlet Empress. In one novel, Paul Magrs skillfully tells both a fantasy quest and provides a hypothesis for the continued endurance of Doctor Who.

A central theme in The Scarlet Empress is that of stories. The alien world of Hyspero is a world of fairy tales come to life; the people there obey all the laws of storytelling. This is a world where bad guys will eventually get their reward and good guys will win in the end.

Even more than that, stories play a major role in the plot and the overall message of the book. The Scarlet Empress is a book about the joy of storytelling, the power that a story has, and the universality of all stories. Everywhere one looks, there are hints at this. Some are more on the nose than others, of course, but this book clearly hints at stories all throughout. This book features a band of ruthless mercenaries, an evil empress, pirates, djinn, and the power of love. It also features some less well-known ideas: guards with portions of a map of the entire planet tattooed on their skin, fusing into one symbiotic being with your lover, ancestors stored in jam jars, and a time-traveling London double decker bus. (Not to mention the driver of said bus!)

These stories, the book reminds us, have power. Look at the Scarlet Empress herself: referred to by a title, not a name, the fearful despot of Hyspero who remains shrouded by mystery and the legends of her cruelty. Or what about the Doctor and Iris, whose stories are interconnected and, perhaps, stolen from each other? Or the Lady; another unnamed character, one who invites mystery and intrigue, who inspires loyalty and devotion from the close-minded townspeople of Fortalice because of the enigma surrounding her. She has a story, but one we don’t find out. The band of mercenaries are a story, too: there are legends surrounding them, fact and fiction intertwined, but who’s to say which is which?

Which brings us to the heart of the matter: in The Scarlet Empress, the Doctor frequently functions as a cynic. This is an interesting choice to make in writing the character: this particular incarnation of the Doctor in this particular series is full of naive optimism. He assumes the best, even when the worst is thrown at him. (and those who have read these books know that the worst is frequently thrown at him.) The Eighth Doctor is full of hope and joy and possibility. So what could possibly make him the cynic?

Well. Iris Wildthyme could.

In the world of Doctor Who, Iris Wildthyme is a special case (Both the character and the audio spinoff, I don’t separate the two.) Iris is a particularly good example of writers (or perhaps just one writer, Mr. Magrs) thumbing their noses at the rules Doctor Who has built up for itself. Other writers have done as much, but none have managed it in quite the same way that Paul Magrs has with Iris Wildthyme. The trans-temporal adventuress doesn’t care for rules, and she shows it by stealing Doctor Who episodes and adding them to her own personal timeline. Or at least, she does in this story.

At least, that’s what the Doctor would say. The Doctor glowers moodily as Iris entertains Sam and Gila the lizard man with tales of her sordid past, tales that he informs Sam actually belong to him, like Iris has plagiarized his past.

But as the story continues, Magrs comes back to the same idea, over and over: Iris did do those things. Or she didn’t. It doesn’t really matter. For Iris, it isn’t the adventure that beckons her, the way it beckons the Doctor. It’s the stories she gets to tell afterward. With Iris, it’s all about the glamor. She breaks the fourth wall so often that it may as well remain shattered. She’s a character, and she’s aware she’s a character, so you can bet that she’ll do her best to play a part. (And we all know she wants the part of the main character.)

That too, however, misses the point. In the end, the stories don’t matter. Whether Iris stole them or actually lived them doesn’t matter. The content doesn’t even really matter. What matters is the storytelling.

That’s what The Scarlet Empress is about. It’s about storytelling. It’s about the power of stories. It’s about the joy in expression. Iris’s journals, which chronicle both her adventures and the Doctor’s (although they would all appear to be her adventures) are intended both as journals and as stories. They’re at least partially apocryphal, Iris admits. Did she stop the Dalek invasion of Earth in the 22nd century, or did the Doctor? And more importantly, does it really matter? The Doctor would say that it does. Iris would say that it doesn’t. And the reader is clued in to be sympathetic towards Iris, even if they also hold the Doctor’s opinion.

You see, what the Doctor fails to grasp is that all of this doesn’t actually matter. When he and Iris are captured by a group of anthropomorphic birds and made to tell stories, he fails to understand why they can’t just leave. He willingly shows them how to create a story: the science behind the art. All fiction is alike in some way, especially pulp science fiction. The plots are familiar, even with all of time and space at an author’s disposal. But the plots aren’t what make the story special. It’s the storytelling.

The anthropomorphic birds understand that. They don’t just want the stories, they want the Doctor to tell them the stories. “We like your voice,” they tell him. (Any fan of the Eighth Doctor understands perfectly.) Tellingly, they don’t want Iris to narrate any of “her” adventures. The birds are genre-savvy, just as she is, and they’ve picked up the fact that the Doctor is the main character. (Perhaps one could ascertain that Iris’s stories are lies from this, reasoning that the birds can hear the truth in the Doctor’s words. It’s silly, but it could fit with the main themes of the story.)

In all of this, then, the story of The Scarlet Empress isn’t actually the plot. It’s what lies behind the plot and around it, presenting it, prettying it up. It’s the presentation, the prose, the imagery, the dialogue. This is a joyful story about the beauty of storytelling, and it fully indulges in it. This is a story where the bad guy is vanquished, where the trickster genie is himself tricked, where the good guys survive. At the beginning of the book, Sam reflects that she’s been meaning to ask the Doctor if he’s truly happy. By the end of the book, it becomes clear: this is the type of story where everyone gets a happily ever after. Even Iris. Even the Doctor. (But only for a little while: this series has a truly astonishing amount of torture and trauma.)

Where is Iris and her story-stealing in all of this? I like to think that Iris isn’t actually stealing those stories. I’m not saying that all of them are true. I’m fairly certain, in fact, that most of her stories—even the ones that actually happened—are jazzed up, made more glamorous, more movie-star, more Iris. But if Iris is stealing her stories, what does that say about us? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and she knows it. What is Iris if not a fanfiction author who can’t help but write self-inserts? Her stories drip with this: in The Blue Angel, she saves the Doctor by taking him to the obverse, where he and Fitz and Compassion can live out a domestic AU. Her audio stories are parodies of different eras of Doctor Who, and the narration she provides makes it totally possible that these stories are straight out of her journals.

And this is why The Scarlet Empress is so amazing. This book doesn’t care about story-stealing. It understands that all fiction is going to seem repetitive at some point. What matters is that we find joy in the fiction we create and consume. It understands that we were made to be storytellers. And this book takes great comfort in that fact.

After all, that’s what Doctor Who is about. It was never about the plot. It was about the act of telling the story.

[lovingalexlots]

Fictional Rec Friday (v.2): Emrys Ascending

Our second FRF! This week’s chosen recommendation is a beautiful Merlin and Harry Potter cross over fic that I’ve read at least 3 times despite it large word count XD

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Title: Emrys Ascending

Author: tricksterity ( @tricksterity )

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags: BAMF!Merlin, Reunion fic (kinda), Merlin goes to Hogwarts, Future Fic, Trans Characters, lgbt diversity, Magic Revealed

Ships: Merthur and FemOC/FemOC

Words: 110,864

Chapters: 26

Published: 2013-2016

Summary: 

In the depths of the Crystal of Neahtid, Merlin sees the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, an event that will tip the balance of the world so far out that only he has the power to intervene and set it right, or stop it from ever happening. For that, he'll have to pose as a student and attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The only problem is, he's been chosen instead of Cedric Diggory as a Triwizard Champion, and there's a recently reborn Arthur Pendragon in Gryffindor House.

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If you’ve never heard of a Merlin/Harry Potter crossover, you are soooooo missing out!! 

When I first found this, I thought I would give it a chance. I was never a big Harry Potter fan. Kinda was avoiding that fandom for a while. This fic though... this damn masterpiece proved me wrong with a large beautiful smack to the face. I thank it and will gladly get slapped again if it wanted to so.

Not only did this get me into the HP universe, but it also introduced me to the AMAZING BREATHTAKING ARTIST @mushroomtale-fanart 

I have the title picture for this story on a freaking pillow.

No seriously.

Look

I don’t regret a single penny thanks.

Tricksterity might only have Emrys Ascending, but there will be quite a few other Mushroomtale appearances for FRFs in the future.

BUT ANYWAYS, I DIGRESS

The way the author seamlessly interconnects the two worlds makes me want to bow down to them. The attention to details, the way they describe each scene, ugh, it makes me all giddy just thinking back to it! The narration is a wonderful mix of both HP book’s and Merlin’s, giving it a well balanced and natural feeling for the tone and pacing. 

The humor is great, the OC’s are so lovable you can’t help but think they deserve to be canon, the actual canon characters are spot on, the interactions between everyone clicks perfectly, and the emotions hit you to the core.

If you don’t want to read it in English, that’s fine too! They have a Русский translation and in Español! 

It may seem long word wise, but trust me, once you get to the end, you’ll be screeching for more.

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I wish I was better at encompassing the outstanding perfection of Emrys Ascending, but I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it and go check it out!!

Next FRF will be posted on Oct. 11th and will be about Leverage (a TV Show)

Ao3 Link

[thecatsaesthetics]

Round-Up:l Historical Fiction I’ve read in the past 6 months or so…

I wanted to do a round-up, I don’t think I’ve told people here but I got a job last December where I work from 3pm to 11pm as a data processor and I’m not allowed to have my phone or anything on me but an mp3 player. So I’ve been listening to audible books after audible books. So today I’ve going to give you a short round-up of the books I’ve listened to. 

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey:

This book centers on the Young Marie Antoinette, through her childhood to her accession to the French Throne. It’s a rather good take on the character of Marie Antoinette, they show how underprepared she was for life at the French Court. How different the Austrian Court was. They showed how Maria Theresa had to fight battle after battle to ensure the alliance took place. The marriage of Louis and Marie was so well done. The author really took her time to slowly build the relationship up and highlight how deep there love for each other became. This book was actually perfect for a historical fiction novel, stuck to the facts, very well researched about the era and had interesting characters. The only issue I had is a series but the rest of the series isn’t available in audiobook format. I hope one day the other two books get narrated and I can listen to them.  

The Romanov Empress by C. W. Gortner: 

This book centers on Tsarina Maria “Minnie” Feodorovna (mother of Nicholas II), it starts with her sisters in the engagement of the future Edward VII and to WWI and the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. The book closes out on Minnie and her remaining children fleeing to Great Britain. 

Now this book was very conflicting for me. The problem I had with this book was the characterization of Alexandra Feodorovna (Nicholas II’s wife). It seems Gortner is of the opinion that Alexandra caused the downfall of the Romanov’s, which frankly just isn’t true. The problem for me is, it could be Gortner doesn’t actually believe this, historically Minnie and Alexandra didn’t get along, the book is written from Minnie’s POV. So it’s natural that there is a lot Alexandra hate, but it also seemed over the top. The book blames Alexandra for Nicholas for celebrating after the Khodynka Tragedy (which literally ensured his poor reputation amongst the people). However, everything I’ve read on the topic indicates it was Nicholas’ uncles that insisted the parties continue. To blame Alexandra for every action Nicholas took is just incredibly unfair and simply not true. Alexandra certainly wasn’t a victim but we really need to let Nicholas II stand on his own. If you’re interested the History of Russian Rulers did amazing podcast episodes on Nicholas and really showed how his own actions led to his demise. Now the positives of this book are it really highlights Minnie’s relationship with her sister Alexandra of Denmark (who was the wife of Edward VII). It also shows how interconnected all the families of the first WWI was. The characterization of Alexander III is spot on, and the love between him and Minnie is incredibly believable. I also loved Alexander II in this book (his good and bad sides). Minnie’s relationship with her sister in law Maria of Mecklenburgh adds spice to the book. They were true frenemies. The book does a great job of taking you back to the late 1800s and into the last hours of Imperial Russia. They also highlight the danger the last Romanovs were truly in and how naïve they were to the challenges they were facing. It also showed how Minnie and Alexander’s parenting came back to bit them. Minnie seems to just face conflict after conflict with all of her children. But it’s also heartbreaking to read her reaction to her sons (not just Nicholas but also her son Michael) and grandchildren were murdered. Not to mention the other children she lost (to illness). Also the death of Alexander III was touching. If you’re interesting in Russian history I would give this a go, but take the Alexandra stuff with a huge grain of salt.

The Queens Vows by C. W. Gortner: 

This book centers on Isabel of Castile, going from her childhood to events of 1492. Now I’m going to say this if you’re interested in Gortner as an author you should read this book. Out of the three books I’ve read by him this is the one I believe is most worth your time. His exploration into the character of Isabel is near perfect. While he does have a few inaccuracies (which he mentions at the end of the book) they only add to the story. This book was really able to capture the 1400s for me in a way no other book has to date.

The marriage between Isabel and Ferdinand in this book is extremely well done. You get to see how much they love each other and how troubled the marriage could be. I truly enjoyed the characterization of her brother Henry IV. The weaknesses he had and the struggle between him and Isabel. If you enjoyed the Isabel TV Series this would be a great add on. It’s not exactly the same (Gortner makes it near certain that Isabel’s niece is illegitimate unlike the show) but it’s a perfect add on if you have been craving more since the show ended. I think Gortner handled the Jewish expulsion of 1492 very well. He notes in the back we really don’t know what went through Isabel’s head during that decision, he chose to take one version of it. He also notes how incredibly powerful the idea of damnation was, and that even if Isabel had no personal issues with Jewish people in her realm the overwhelming religious pressure cannot be denied. I agree with him on this point, and while it’s easy for us (in the 21st century) laugh off the idea of damnation in 1492 it was a part of there reality.  

The Vatican Princess by C. W. Gortner: 

This follows the life of Lucrezia Borgia from the start of her father’s succession to the papacy to her entering her marriage with Alfonso d’Este. This one by Gortner was my least favorite. Like the other two, it was incredibly well researched and it does a great job pulling you back. However, I personally didn’t like the characterizations or the route he chose at times. I’m going to give spoilers for the book FYI so scroll past if you don’t want to know. He took the route of victim Lucrezia, which doesn’t appeal to me very much. Also he had Vannozza dei Cattanei hate her daughter for steal the attention of Rodrigo, it has Giovanni Sforza be an abusive ass who sexually assaults her, it has Rodrigo sending Giulia to sleep with Giovanni Sforza to keep him off Lucrezia (And sleep with Juan as well for some reason), it has her brother Juan rape and impregnate her and he does this because he’s upset Cesare killed his lover Prince Cem and wants to hurt Cesare, has Rodrigo grow to despise Lucrezia for Cesare murdering Juan, Rodrigo allows Cesare to murder Alfonso of Aragon to hurt Lucrezia like he was hurt by Juan’s death, oh also Cesare doesn’t murder Juan for the rape itself it’s more about Juan getting to have Lucrezia “first”, it also has Vannozza upset with Lucrezia for Juan raping her as well, and has Lucrezia end up despising Cesare after the murder of Alfonso of Aragon.

Now I’m not a Borgia expert by any means but the book seems to just be filled with nonsense to me. The only good parts of this book were Sancha of Aragon and Lucrezia’s friendship (WHICH BOTH TV SERIES DENIED ME OF) and Giulia Farnese massively calling out Rodrigo for basically pimping her out. While I find the latter inaccurate it was enjoyable to read Giulia talk about how Rodrigo took her when she was barely more than a child and ruined her. Personally, I’d skip this book it’s really not worth it.

The Accidental Empress and Sisi Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki:

This follows the life of Empress Sisi of Austria-Hungary from her childhood to her assassination.  

This is a series but the two books were read by different people so it didn’t feel like to me. I think all series should have to be read by the same person. To sum it up, the first book is interesting and the second book is a dud. 

The first book I enjoyed so much, it follows Sisi from her childhood to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. It follows her disasters marriage with Emperor Franz Joseph at the age of 15, her struggles with her mother in law, her struggles with postpartum depression, and her romance with the Hungarian Count Andrassy. The first book really makes you feel bad for Sisi, she struggles with a rather cold abusive man who claims to love her (but only really loves her image not her) and her struggle for freedom in the Austrian Court. Sisi is more or less pushed out of Franz Joseph and her children’s life. Franz replaces her with mistresses and her mother in law takes over the role of mother to her children. The book ends on a clear high note (Sisi gaining Hungary proper status in the Empire) and honestly the author should have left it there. 

The second book is set after the birth of her final child Valerie (the only child she’s allowed to raise) and to her assassination. The book was a drag, I personally didn’t like the narrator and it took me forever to finish the book. The book makes Sisi incredibly unlikable, it makes it seem more like she abandoned her husband and family rather than being pushed out. The book opens up with Sisi having the opportunity to oversee Crown Prince Rudolf’s (And to have more involvement in his upbringing) but would rather go to Britain to ride horses. She basically is framed as being responsible for his tragedy. The author also ruins the love story she had set up between Andrassy and Sisi (which I had adored in the previous book). Now I understand you have to keep with history but you can’t set up a massive love story in the first book and they tear it down a few chapters in by the second book. The whole second book was a massive let down, I’d reread the first one but not the second one.

The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown, The Autumn Throne, by Elizabeth Chadwick: This book series centers on Eleanor of Aquitaine from childhood to death.  

This series was by far one of my favorite reads of 2019. You should really believe the hype about this series, it truly is that good. Now the books span a massive amount of time so I can’t go into everything but it was 1000% worth reading. The books explore the early Medieval World incredibly well. The author takes a highly realistic approach to Eleanor (who at the end of her first novel claims wasn’t a woman ahead of her time but rather a woman of her time) with a few dramatizations. This book series should be picked up for a TV series on Starz, HBO, or Showtime. It has all the material you need to make an epic TV series. I highly enjoyed the exploration of her marriages to both Louis VIII of France and Henry II of England. How different and yet strikingly similar the relationships were. The only slight issue I have is the author does tend to go the route of King John evil, King Richard I good. Which I personally don’t believe is true. However, they do a great job showing that even though Richard is Eleanor’s favorite she does love John. Again the books take a highly realistic approach to Eleanor so the author more or less stays away from all the rumors about her  (with the expectation of one which I find to add more to the series rather than take away). This is a must-read series, and I can only hope Elizabeth Chadwick will write more series like this. I also hope one day a TV network picks up the novels to adapt.

House of Rejoicing (Part 1), Storm in the Sky (Part 2), Eater of Hearts (Part 3) (The Book of Coming Forth by Day Series) by Libbie Hawker:  These books have multiple points of view (GRRM style) set in Ancient Egypt during the Amarna Era. Starting at the end of Amenhotep III and to the death of King Tut. The POVs range from Kiya, Nefertiti, Tiye, Sitamun, Beketaten, Horemheb, Meritaten, and Ankhesenpaaten (I might have missed some but idk). This series is not for the light of heart, the books include rape, incest, pedophilia, violence against women, etc. I mean this book series is just a lot to take in. The author goes down the route that Akhenaten was an abusive pedophile screwing every barely 13-year-old girl he could get his hands on (his daughters, sisters, sister in law etc). The concept of this series was excellent. A multi-narrative series set in Ancient Egypt, however, the series just misses the mark. I feel like Hawker wanted this to be the ASOIAF of Ancient Egypt novels but couldn’t commit. One of the biggest writing issues I had with this was how short the books were for A. the number of POVs we had, and B. for the span of time we went through. I think this series would have benefited from more books and longer novels. The author also tries to dive into the misogyny and how it affected women. However again she just misses the mark somehow. I could see what she was attempting but it just never got there if you know what I mean. I think this series feels more a draft than a finished product.  Also, the plot is a jumbled mess. Now it’s Ancient Egypt you can really do anything (especially with the Amarna era) but this series was so out there… and I’ve read Philippa Gregory. Some of the things that happened nearly had me bursting out laughing at work.  I really can’t get into all craziness of this series but it’s a lot just trust me. Like I said Akhenaten is a pedophile (actually a lot of the men were) in this book, which idk I don’t feel comfortable with how all of the problematic stuff was handled. The first book was the best book of the series and the last two are really where the craziness begins. But truly I would skip this series unless you up for hours of nonsense and craziness.

[lightbluewisp]

Rapunzel and the Great Tree

I’m catching up with Tangled the series and I’ve finally watched “THAT EPISODE” placed during mid-season which is plot and character development heavy and .......

My mind is BLOWN!!!

IT’S SO SO SO GOOD!!!

I don’t know if any of you watch RTA or if  don’t want eventually to be spoiled, it has been months since it haired after all, but just in case the tag is obviously: “Rapunzel and the Great Tree” which would be ep s2_14. I will be re-blogging non-stop from it after this post, so be warned.

Anyway, since I’ve carefully avoided my dashboard just to skip any Tangled content until I could resume my backlog, I knew nothing of what it was waiting for me, and for this reason the experience had been amazing.

Tangled has many stand alone episodes in-between, which may seem mere fillers at a first look. But they are not. Because they introduce a lot of references, foreshadowing, and hints that are always recalled later. In this show everything is interconnected and nothing is left to improvisation.

Other than that, the episodes in the middle focus a lot on world building and character development. Those characters grow, change, learn, because this show (unlike others) has a timeline, and the story usually progress from point A to point B, showing how much the protagonists have in the meanwhile evolved. (Yes! I’m pointing at you Miraculous Ladybug. This is how it’s done.)

It’s when episodes like “Rapunzel and the Great Tree” show up that everything comes back fitting so nicely in the flowing of narration, and even the smallest details make finally sense.

The animation was incredible. So was Cassandra’s new song. And Dark Punzie is scary and fascinating at the same time.

Those writers definitely know their business.

[agnesmontague]

what is tma? i see a bunch of stuff on my dash and it seems p interesting

is it some kind of rite of passage for tma bloggers to get at least one “so what’s tma?” ask? i see it a lot in the tag HAHA

anyways: short answer, tma (short for The Magnus Archives) is a horror fiction podcast! it’s presented at first as a series of unrelated short horror stories, read/narrated by a character named jonathan sims, head archivist of a paranormal research institute called the magnus institute in london. the stories are the “statements” that come into the institute from people who had paranormal experiences firsthand. jon quickly starts to learn that the stories are a lot more interconnected than they appear, however.

if you’re the kind of person who does listen to long-form serial fiction podcasts (and i know not everyone is the type), and you don’t mind a little horror, then i very strongly suggest giving it a go! obligatory plug here but it features almost no jumpscares, no sexual horror (so nothing like sexual assault or rape being used for cheap spooks) because the creators have a strong distaste for such “shock value”-based horror, and a solid cast of lgbtq+ characters.

what it does have:

extremely good worldbuilding, that you’re eased gently into instead of having a whole bunch of nonsense shoved in your face at once (there’s still a lot of intriguing grey areas that aren’t cleared up yet, and theorizing’s half the fun!)

absolutely stellar voice acting for the most part

i can’t emphasize how good the worldbuilding is, like not to spoil too much but there are things in earlier episodes that you’d probably just pass by that come back in much later episodes as important plot threads

really good sound editing, courtesy of the director alex newall (who also does an amazing job voice-acting martin, one of the deuteragonists)

subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) humour. like, it’s a horror podcast, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and i really appreciate it for that

the ability to worm into your brain after you’ve listened to it and colour your entire worldview forever afterwards

it touches upon a variety of horrors and fears, so even if some things don’t really frighten you, there’s something in there for everyone, and you’re likely bound to find an episode or two that really gets under your skin if you’re into that ;)

the characters are fantastic - i haven’t met anyone so far who isn’t super-attached to at least one if not all the characters in their own way, and some of them undergo arcs that range from cathartic to tragic to just about everything in between. even the one-off “npcs” are charismatic and each have their sizeable fanbase! everyone is believable, sound like actual people, and are (in my opinion) hugely likable despite (or even because) of their flaws

s3 episodes have trigger warnings in the description should you need any; earlier eps don’t, but i heard they were working on that last i checked in

anyways if it’s not obvious, i really really really love this podcast lmao…. if you’re curious what the heck it is that tma thing cerise/charlotte’s been blogging so madly about these past few months, i do absolutely give it my full recommendation!!! it’s a good podcast made by good people and the fan content for it is fuckin balls to the walls amazing

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 7/9/21 - BLACK WIDOW, SUMMERTIME, THE LONELIEST WHALE and More

Well, well... It certainly looks like I’ve been given a bit of a “bye week” to recuperate and recover from all the insanity of June, huh? The 4th of July weekend saw a nice boon for Universal Pictures with the top 3, although The Boss Baby: Family Business ended up doing better than The Forever Purge despite the former also being on Peacock. But neither of them really got great reviews, so I’m not sure either of them will have much impact on this week’s big release…

BLACK WIDOW (Marvel Studios/Disney)!

Yes, after nearly two years, Marvel Studios is back in theaters with the long-awaited solo movie for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, who has appeared in the movies going back to Iron Man 2, also played a key role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as three of the Avengers movies. The Black Widow movie goes back in time to after the events of Captain America: Civil War and before (SPOILER!) Romanoff was killed in Avengers: Infinity War. This one reunites her with her family including Florence Pugh as her sister Yelena, as the two of them want to take down the Red Room where they were trained to be killers. It also stars David Harbour as the Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as their maternal figure, and honestly, you probably don’t even need that much to know that you probably already want to see it, because IT’S MARVEL!

It’s actually hard to believe that Black Widow is Marvel’s first theatrical release since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, and obviously, that wasn’t supposed to be how things went. Marvel’s original release date for the movie was kicking off the summer of 2020, but when COVID hit and theaters were closed, it was delayed, first until the end of the year and then until the summer of 2021. It must have been difficult because Marvel had already planned a series of television series that led into the movies, including Wandavision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the currently-airing Loki.

Marvel’s first theatrical release in two years currently has a relatively decent 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, which for comparison’s sake is a better rating than Captain Marvel and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but that’s about it. I mean, at least it’s not stinking up Marvel’s track record like Iron Fist and The Inhumans did, so there’s that. I’ve already reviewed the movie, so you can read what I thought about it here.

More important than any other factor, there’s the Disney+ in the room, because Disney decided to offer Black Widow for a Premium on its streaming service this Friday, basically for $30, which I’m not sure if that’s for a certain amount of time or to own (which would make more sense). That’s a pretty sweet deal if you have a family and a nice home theater, because taking them all to the movies might cost $100 or more with concessions, etc. But for a lot of people, it’s long past time to get back to theaters, and despite the success of the Disney+ shows, many will want to see this on the big screen. At least that’s my theory, and I’m gonna stick with it until I’m proven wrong when numbers come in on Friday or Saturday.

It’s very hard to determine how many of the millions of people who went to see Avengers: Endgame over two years ago are ready to get back into theaters, but one benefit that Black Widow has over other upcoming Marvel movies (okay, well, Shang-Chi) is that Johansson’s character is a known commodity from previous movies, which certainly could have helped Tom Holland’s solo Spider-Man movies, although you would think that Spider-Man: Far from Home would have opened bigger following Endgame. To be fair, the Spider-Man movies were opening with over $100 million WELL before the MCU, showing the popularity of the character, although we also could see a bump with the second Captain America and Thor movies after their appearance in 2012’s The Avengers. Oddly, 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp didn’t see nearly as big an opening bump following Avengers: Infinity War from the first movie, but Ant-Man hadn’t been as big a player as Natasha/Black Widow. Oddly, the Spider-Man and Ant-Man movies have something in common -- they both opened in July vs. May.

The other factor, of course, is COVID and whether a movie can open even bigger than the $70 million opening weekend of F9, currently the biggest post-pandemic opener. If anything is going to do it, then it’s going to be a Marvel movie, especially one that should be as big a draw for women as for men. No, we don’t subscribe to the myth that female-led action movies don’t do as well as males ones. The MCU is all about the characters and the universe, and those factors should help Black Widow should be good for somewhere around $80 to 85 million over the weekend, which will make it the new barometer for the post-pandemic. (Incidentally, this is only about $11 million less than my original prediction from last March, and that didn’t have the COVID or streaming factor in play.)

Hey, you know what I haven’t done in a long time but probably should resume?

MY TOP 10 BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS!

1. Black Widow (Marvel/Disney) - $84.3 million N/A

2. F9 (Universal) - $9.6 million -58%

3. The Boss Baby: Family Business (Universal/DreamWorks Animation) - $9 million -45%

4. The Forever Purge (Universal) - $5.7 million -54%

5. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) - $2.2 million -45%

6. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) - $1.4 million -55%

7. Cruella (Disney) - $1.3 million -47%

8. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Sony) - $1.2 million -42%

9. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (New Line/WB) - $600k -57%

10. In the Heights (New Line/WB) - $550k -43%

Although one can expect big drops all around, this should be another weekend where the top 10 domestic grosses $100 million, but that’s kind of a given with Black Widow likely to make much of that itself.

I guess this week’s “Chosen One” is SUMMERTIME (Good Deed Entertainment), directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting, Raya and the Last Dragon), which is a pseudo-doc, pseudo-narrative that follows 27 Angelino poets in a typical day in Los Angeles. I’m not really a poetry or spoken word fan so much, but the way that these talented poets are showcased, each in their own compelling segment. While having some kind of interconnecting story might not have been necessary, it’s actually what keeps you invested as you go from one situation and style of poetry onto the next. You can tell that there are some real stars of the future in this that will likely appear elsewhere. There are just so many great numbers from Tyris Winter complaining abut the price of food at a restaurant, Mila Cuda expressing her sexuality on the bus to an obvious homophobe, a couple at a marriage counselor relaying their issues through song and rap, an amazing dance number, and so much more. My favorite running storyline was the one involving street rappers Anewbys (Bryce Banks) and Rah (Austin Antoine), who are trying to make it. The incidental music is great, and the performances are embellished with cinema verité style shots of L.A. that really helps enhance the mood and set the environment for the story being told. It’s hard to call Summertime a musical, but there’s so much great rhymes and music that it just has a great youthful energy that seems so perfect for this time of the year.

You can read my interview with Estrada over at Below the Line later today.

Streaming now on Disney+ is the first episode of the new Pixar series Monsters at Work, based on the characters from one of my favorite Pixar movies, Monsters Inc., with new episodes airing every Wednesday.

Joshua (Cropsy) Zeman’s doc THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 (Bleecker Street), exec. produced by Leonardo DiCaprio hits theaters on Friday and then will be on digital July 16. Oddly, it’s the second movie in the last month about whales. This one is about the search for the 52 Hertz Whale that was discovered in 1989 and has become a global sensation as it lives in solitude, emitting a different frequency from other whales and therefore unable to communicate.

I have to admit that I was quite cynical about this movie, mainly because it looked like it could potentially be boring, as we watch and listen to a bunch of oceanographers talking about whales, and I was mostly right. Zeman himself is not the most interesting subject or narrator for his own doc, so that doesn’t help much either. Essentially, the entire movie is this group of rag-tag oceanographers (as well as a musician who plays clarinet with the whales -- yeah, he should be thrown overboard first, I’m thinking) looking for this elusive whale that no one has seen since 1989. As you can imagine, it’s a fairly fruitless expedition that makes you miss the excitement of Ron Howard’s whale movie, but if you’re just watching this to see beautiful whales in their natural habitat, the movie does deliver. I’m sure the less cynical than myself will find more interesting aspects of the film to enjoy, and yes, this is a far superior film to the recent Fathom, but it also shares lots of potentially interesting facts about whales and their history, which doesn’t make it a complete loss.

I have to imagine that The Loneliest Whale should be appreciated as a fine nature doc if you’re into this sort of thing, but if you’re looking for something particularly groundbreaking or moving, you’ll have to search elsewhere.

Judd Ehrlich’s doc THE PRICE OF FREEDOM (Tribeca Studios) takes on the gun debate and how the National Rifle Association has divided the nation and cost countless lives along the way. The movie features the likes of President Bill Clinton, activist (and Parkland survivor) X Gonzalez, Senator Chris Murphy, Representatives Jason Crow and Lucy McBath, and many more on both sides of the gun debate.

Also opening on Friday in theaters and virtual cinema is the Tunisian horror film DACHRA (Dekanalog), written and directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, which follows three journalism students as they investigate a cold case which takes them deep into the woods.

Netflix launched its “Fear Street” franchise last week based on the book series by R.L. Stine, and this week, the second movie, FEAR STREET PART 2: 1978 (Netflix), debuts on the streamer. I’ve actually seen Fear Street Part 1: 1994, and it’s a fun little slasher set in the town of Shadyside, the “Killer Capitol of the USA.” I honestly had no idea these were Rated R, since I thought it was more of a young adult type thing, but it’s really straight-up Wes Craven Scream. I might have to check out some of these books, but the first movie was quite enjoyable even if they generally seem derivative of other slashers.

Also, Eytan Fox’s Sublet, which has been playing in select theaters will now be available to Watch At Home via Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, FandangoNOW, Google Play, YouTube and DIRECTV. Also, Ivan Kavanagh’s horror film, Son, will be on Shudder this Thursday so if you missed it in theaters and VOD, now’s your chance to see it, and you can read my interview with Mr. Kavanagh over at Below the Line.

Oh, and TONIGHT at the Metrograph, as part of their Live Screening Series, they’ll be showing Rashaad Ernesto Green’s Gun Hill Road (2011) as part of their FIrst Film Series with the Green Brothers, which will be followed next week by the first film from his brother, Reinaldo Marcus Green.

And that, my friends, is it for this week! Next week, we have SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY from Warner Bros., and that’s about it! (Well, there will be a lot more limited releases, as well a Emmy nominations, so back to the grind!)

[venuzreviewz]

Ludo (2020)

Crazy, quirky and consistently entertaining. Must watch

Ludo, directed by Anurag Basu is a dark comedy built around an ensemble cast with multiple storylines interconnecting each other. This is also by far the most entertaining movie made by Anurag.

So, we are introduced to one character at a time with their storyline and how every storyline has a strange connection with the other. A gangster and his men are looking for a Malayalam speaking nurse and a timid salesman who are on a run with his bag loaded with cash, local goon and a hotel owner goes to any length to escape his one sided love’s husband from prison, an ex convict returns from prison to meet his wife and daughter and the last story is of an unusual couple who find their intimate act being recorded in a hotel room while drunk and uploaded online, they are in lookout of the hotel since the girl’a marriage is fixed.

It’s a crazy ride filled with some hilarious scenes involving people climbing on buildings, chasing involving cars, vans and also a huge blast. Around all these chaos there is also an emotional plot involving Abhishek’s Bachchan character which shifts the gear of the movie. Screenplay moves with a brisk pace and never slows down. Basu uses Ludo game as a reference to the character’s and their pasts and present which leads to their fate. Weakest link is the Aditya Roy Kapoor and Sanya Malhotra’s track which doesn’t add much to the entire plot and also is the most predictable story.

Overall, Movie is beautifully shot by Anurag, smart and crisp editing by Ajay Sharma, Pritam’s music is refreshing and nicely woven in the screen play and works well with the narration. Ludo is technically a very strong film.

Performances by everyone is top notch in their respective roles but special mention to Pankaj Tripati who is terrific, check out the scene where he calls his men to get an update about the lost bag, or all the scenes in the hospital involving his character, he is simply amazing. Rajkummar Rao is over the top crazy whacky guy who is a huge Mithun fan and dresses up like Mithun is outrageously funny and sinks his teeth in the character, check out for his hilarious introduction scene or the scene where he dresses up like a cop to find two people pointing gun at him.

This could be the best Dark comedy to come out in long time and his deserves multiple viewing.

Watch out the sheer performances. Don’t miss this gem.

A must watch.

4/5