#also no title bc I couldn't think of a clever one

[flowersandmiel]

I've finally met Hunted during his main chapter The Beast (I'd only met him during The Eye of the Needle and the chapters where they're all here) AND OMG I LOVE HIM SM??

Not judging or anything (/gen), but I'd only seen him be characterized in fics with this sort of "overwhelmed and animalistic anxiety" in fics, instead of what I would describe as a "hypervigilant and quick-thinking survival-driven fear" during the Eye of the Needle. And it just kinda confused me bc like, how could he act so different in Eye of needle compared to the Beast and Den?? But that's the thing, he doesn't, the fic just weren't accurate /nm (i still loved those fics btw /gen)

it just reminds me of this post about Paranoid i reposted not long ago about how fandom tends to stick to one character trait of a character and overly exaggerate it to the point it's almost mischaracterizing said character.

and it also reminds me of another character from another fandom who's a bird-like creature too, and they both get mischaracterized in that similar sort of dehumanizing way?

I'm not sure how to explain but i'll try

Basically, It's just so obvious that the author loves the fact that the character is bird-like, that they do not realise that they're kinda 'feti$hising' them??

And like, i've got nothing about letting a half-human half-animal character lean into their animal instincts, but I find it strange how many people do not realise the way they write it is just not believable at all. You can have a character lean into their bird side without having them be dehumanized and infantilized by the narrative. They're not an animal, they're part animal.

Idk, maybe it's because I grew up being dehumanised and infantilised, but if I was part animal/part human, and that i needed to let myself lean into my instincts, I wouldn't take well being treated by my friends as if I'm only an animal???? Or called 'birdie' or shit like that??? Like, i know i don't like pet names in general, but i can't be the only one who find calling a half bird half human character 'birdie' kinda weird?? I'm sure most mean it in a very sweet way btw, but i always think that if i was a half cat half human, and i was called 'catgirl' or 'kitty', i wouldn't take it well lmao?? even as teasing???

Kinda reminds me of how dehumanized and infantilized disabled people are. Having "animalistic behaviors" does not make one less human. idk how else to say it.

I'm not sure I'm making any sense, i've seen nobody talk about this and it makes me feel kinda lonely ngl x,)

I just needed to ramble a bit about it, it's not an "issue" only related to STP btw, which is why im talking about it actually xP it's weird how many fandoms i've seen this phenomenon in. I know many people only create art for fun and simply do not care about believability, and they have every right to do so, but sometimes i think that some people just genuinely do not think about it because nobody talks about it!! I'm only sharing this in hope that I can make authors self-reflect a bit so they can write "better" :)

Just, remember please. You're writing characters with consciousness. They're not animals, they're not birds, they're not just their instincts, they're not just their wings. Even while being chased, Hunted isn't nothing more than his instincts, he's clever, a quick-thinker, observant, worried, has good reflexes, takes risks, his voice is soft, maybe he'd even be delicate if he wasn't being chased! and many others! He's more than his name, than his title, than his instincts. He's not just a prey, he's a Voice, created to help us survive and out of fear of the Princess.

(btw im not using examples i've seen in fics bc i think it'd be rude af to do that.)(i've still mostly enjoyed the fics i've read that had this problems btw <3, i just couldn't get it out of my head and i hate that i see nobody speaking about it so, here i am ig!)

[not-scared-of-microwaves]

The Tortured Poets Department Review

Now that I've sat with it for a few days, I actually have some coherent thoughts on TTPD, though I won't know where it falls in my overall rankings for a while.

Overall

The thing people aren't getting is that this is Taylor Swift. This is, quite honestly, one of the most quintessentially Taylor albums she's ever released. It has the lyricism of Folklore, the sensibilities of Evermore, the self-awareness of Reputation, the storytelling of Fearless, the specificity of Debut and Speak Now, the vagueness and metaphors of 1989, the synths of Midnights, the rawness of Red. It's American Gothic. It's fictional. It's nonfiction. It's confessional, it's scathing, it's cringe, it's clever, it's more than a little crazy.

She admitted things in this album you couldn't waterboard out of me. People say it's the most unlikeable she's been, but it's also the most human. She's not censoring herself to keep her likeability. That's brave.

Fortnight [feat. Post Malone]

Do I like it? Yes. Do I think it should have been the album opener and the lead single? No, probably not. I'm planning on doing a track by track breakdown later, so I'm not going to go in depth on the lyrics here, but there are some interesting metaphors. You can tell she thinks she's slaying the "I want to kill her" line, and while she is, I don't think she's serving as much as she thinks. A vibe. On my playlist but not on repeat. 7/10

The Tortured Poets Department

The title track. This should have been the opener and lead single. It makes a much better mission statement for what this album is than Fortnight does. Who's gonna hold you like Taylor Swift? No fucking body. The production is.... twinkly? for lack of a better word. She's being specific and metaphorical, making cultural references, and she's self-aware--this is Taylor Swift, people. A vibe. Not on repeat, but only because I have others I prefer, not because I don't love it. 9/10

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

It's a metaphor, it's tongue in cheek, it's self-aware, it's heartbreaking, it's a bop. She knows the relationship is toxic and killing her, but it wasn't always, and so she keeps holding on hoping it will go back to the way it started. At the end, she accepts that it won't be going back. Lyricism? Peak. Beat? Peak. On repeat. 10/10

Down Bad

Incredibly real and human. She's reflecting on the feelings of being love bombed then left behind, how it feels so good until it really, really doesn't. A call back to New Romantics. The lyrics say sob, the beat says dance. 10/10 on loop.

So Long London

A track five. Does it live up to the name? I'm not sure. It's sad, certainly, but it doesn't have the rawness of All Too Well or My Tears Ricochet. It's more resigned and tired. She's accepted that the relationship has fallen apart and now she's just tired, frustrated, and ready to be done. Even if she's sad, she still has some control, and that makes it a little easier. Drags on a little long for me, but the flip of "so long" is definitely clever, and she has some very relatable lyrics, and I see the purpose to it being on the album. 7/10.

But Daddy I Love Him

Love Story's older sibling. Again, I won't get too into it bc I want to do a breakdown. She's self-aware but it doesn't help because she's just desperate to make her own decisions. Calling out conservatives and small-town churches. Cringe in places but that's our girl. Minus a point for the baby lyric being in the chorus instead of like. the bridge. Half a point back bc you SHOULD have seen my face. 9.5/10.

Fresh Out The Slammer

This has some juicy information, but I'll save that for the breakdown. Very metaphorical, but also specific enough we know what's going on. Excellent story-telling. Really brings us into the headspace she was in at the time. I don't have it on repeat but through no fault of it's own. 10/10.

Florida!!! [feat. Florence and the Machine]

Flop. The drug metaphor isn't that creative and while there are a few decent lyrical moments, it's just not that good and the soundscape isn't interesting enough to redeem it. That said, even a bad taylor swift song is better than a lot of other artists. 5/10.

Guilty As Sin?

I don't think I've ever heard a song approaching this issue (emotional infidelity) in this way. It's got all the hallmarks of a Taylor Swift song: pop culture references, references to her past discography, religious symbolism, an outro that matches the intro. It's painfully honest, unapologetic, and human. A bop. 10/10.

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

Mad Woman and Mirrorball are shaking in their boots. It's giving horror, it's giving Salem Witch Trials, it's giving a reflection on fame and its effects. It's terrifying, it's haunting, it's beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it's unhinged. 10/10 doesn't feel like high enough.

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

We're at the saloon and I'm happy to be there. Another song that is quintessentially Taylor: country sensibilities, religious themes, self-awareness, story telling, change in the outro, bad decisions made out of love. Not my favorite but only because I like other songs better, not because I don't like it. 9/10.

loml

This may be the saddest song she's ever written. Two meanings to "loml" as there should be. She's heartbroken and it's breaking me too. Vocals are giving "I'm on the verge of tears." Story telling, religious themes, metaphors. It's scathing, it's haunting, it's confessional. I'm not crying you are. 10/10.

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

Lyrics are giving heartbreak, sound is giving bop. So powerful and relatable. Excellent storytelling, and tells us so much about her headspace. We know exactly what she's talking about. It's giving Youre On Your Own Kid. 10/10.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

The storytelling, imagery, details--all peak Taylor. It's scathing, it's haunting, it's Taylor Fucking Swift. Wild to me that Mattie Healy's family listened to the album and were relieved because it could have been worse when this was in it. This, the take town of the century, could have been worse. Legendary. 10/10.

The Alchemy

If one more person tries to claim this is about Travis Kelsey there will be blood. "Oh but the football metaphor--" she's been doing that for years. Miss Americana, anyone? She's weirdly obsessed with high school football. This isn't about Travis, it's clearly about a rekindled relationship, not a new one. Travis can't spell "heroine" (I don't think he's stupid, but his tweets have proven he cannot spell). Metaphorical, clever, and definitely tells us her mindset. A bop. 9/10.

Clara Bow

This song. The Lucky One, Nothing New, they're both shaking in their boots. A reflection on what it's like to be a pop culture woman, the lies they tell you, and the promises they pull from you. Taylor saying her own name in a song. AND it's the album closer. 10/10 isn't nearly good enough.

Extended Album

The Black Dog

The storytelling, the way she took a single moment of stalking her ex and turned it into a beautiful lament on what it's like to lose someone and imagine what they're doing now, then in the outro brought it back to that one instant--and people say she can't write. Religious themes, references to past songs, this has it all. 10/10

imgonnagetyouback

Before people go around accusing her of copying Olivia Rodrigo, this would have been written before Get Him Back came out, so no copying occurred on anyone's part. They each took the concept and turned it into two very different songs. Imagery, story telling, craziness, a BRIDGE. 9/10.

The Albatross

Story telling, metaphors, literary references, clever turns of phrase, a change of meaning in the outro. Either a reflection on the way she's frequently depicted or is fictional, most likely a reflection on the way she's depicted through a fictional character. Just feels a little distant to me. 8/10

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

Heartbreak, metaphors, bisexuals--what more can I ask for? All while she's imagining her ex moving on and thinking about how it fell apart. Objectively good but just not that interesting to me. 7/10

How Did It End?

Another that's objectively good but just not clicking for me. Story telling, metaphors, the lyricism is slaying. Asking how it ended through the lens of a gossip uninvolved in the relationship, but not being sure how it ended herself. 7/10.

So High School

Glitter gel pen. Objectively, not that creative or interesting. It's just a bit of fun. She's not taking herself seriously, she's writing silly song about how she feels like a silly teenager in love, and it does have some interesting lyrics. It's a bop. You know Travis heard this and was like "this is great babe I love it." Objectively, like a six, but this song has a choke hold on me for some fucking reason. 9/10.

I Hate It Here

Everyone's talking about the racists lyric and I swear reading comprehension is gone. Piss on the poor. This is for the girlies who daydream 'too much', who devoured books in middle school, who took things to seriously and too literally. 10/10.

thanK you aIMee

This song is so funny to me. "Here's thirty songs about my mental state and btw fuck Kim K." Serving metaphor, lyricism, and homicide. A mythology reference. A scathing takedown. 8/10 an icon.

I Look In People's Windows

I've not seen nearly enough people talking about this one. It's so relatable, honest, and unhinged. Storytelling, imagery, wondering what if. Heartbreak. I've never heard a song take this approach to these emotions. 9/10.

The Prophecy

The desperation, the feeling of hopelessness, they hit hard. She's reflecting on the repeating patterns of lost relationships, and how it feels inevitable at this point, and how she's willing to beg for it. She's losing hope, and willing to do just about anything to have it again. 10/10 devestating.

Cassandra

I am a mythology nerd at heart, so using Cassandra as a metaphor was a guaranteed way to get me obsessed with a song. She's serving lyricism, story telling, imagery, metaphor, mythology references, anger, sadness, what more could I ask for? Heart breaking. 10/10

Peter

Literature references, lyrics, heartbreak. Objectively, it's very good, but I'm bored. 7/10.

The Bolter

Storytelling, imagery, lyrics, literature references, the Bolter serves it all. I'm not entirely sure what it's about but it's a bop. I think it's fictional, but it's Taylor reflecting on her own life through the lens of this fictional girl. 9/10

Robin

I. Don't care. It's probably got great lyrics or something but I skip before I'm through the first verse because I'm just bored. Sonically, boring. Lyrically, the first verse doesn't redeem it. I've listened all the way through once and it was enough for me. It's not egregious, it's just not interesting. Flop. 4/10.

The Manuscript

I also skip this one but I have more of an appreciation for it than I do for Robin, just because of the subject matter. I have my theories on what it's about *cough* All Too Well Ten *Cough*. I like this as an album closer as well. French press lyric kills me. 7/10.

[volann]

Everyone in tgcf is a foil character

Pt 2: Banyue

(here's pt 1, pt 3, pt 4)

While I'm sure something clever can be said about the meeting between Xie Lian and San Lang, if I do decide to compare them, I’ll do it later. So let's go straight to Banyue. I’ll start with Tian Sheng, and this is why: he is like Xie Lian when the latter was the crown prince. He believes in justice and wants to save everyone. He's also coincidentally seventeen years old. Tian Sheng represents the ideals that Xie Lian believed in his youth – he doesn’t understand why common people should suffer if they’re not the ones fighting. All the people who lived in wartime – Xie Lian, A-Zhao and Fu Yao – can see why this logic doesn't work in the midst of the conflict. There's not much more I can say about Tian Sheng, so let's move on to Kemo. We learn that he was weak when he was a child and people bullied him, so he swore to become stronger. He trained his body with stone mortar slate and thus gained his name (quoting wiki bc I can’t quote the books, I don’t have them in English). This sounds a lot like Hua Cheng, even though his motives might be different. Hua Cheng also gained his name by becoming stronger – the title “Crimson Rain Sought Flower” if taken literally and his reputation if taken figuratively. I don’t know what conclusion it leads to, but the similarity exists. By comparing Kemo with Xie Lian we can see how differently they treat people from countries that caused their respective homelands to fall: Kemo is still cruel to the people from the central plain even though Yong'an is long gone, while the prince, after almost bringing a disease to the same state, no longer wishes harm to anyone. He even protected and trained Lang Qianqiu, the crown prince of Yong'an.

Now, finally, about one of the more important characters – Ban Yue. With Hua Chen, or rather with Honghong-er, she is united by her difficult childhood and the fact that people around them treated them badly because of something they couldn't change - in Honghong-er's case it's appearance, in Banyue's case it's her mixed origin. Xie Lian helped them both survive. But her similarity to Xie Lian seems more obvious to me. During the war, Ban Yue tried to save as many people as possible from both sides, but it was hard. As a result, all of Banyue's citizens died because of her actions. She feels guilty for everything that happened even though it was impossible to save more people. Xie Lian compares himself to Ban Yue when they are speaking near Puqi shrine: he believes that the outcome of his actions was far worse than the consequences of Ban Yue's actions. Both characters don’t try to avoid the "punishment" - Ban Yue does not respond in any way to Kemo's beatings or resist when Fu Yao ties her up, while Xie Lian doesn’t try to get rid of his cursed shackles. They believe they deserve it. Another similarity is that both prefer to remember good things: Ban Yue forgets those who wronged her but forever remembers those who helped her, while Xie Lian prefers to remember tasty food rather than all the times he got hurt. They also died many times: Ban Yue let Kemo kill her to dispel the hatred of Banyue's warriors, and Xie Lian... the list is much longer here and it also includes deaths meant to save other people.

I don't think Pei Xiu can be called anyone’s foil, but it is still possible to compare his actions and opinions with those of Xie Lian. The situation here is somewhat similar to Kemo: Pei Xiu hates people with whom his country was at war. The difference is that he succeeded in getting rid of all the people of Banyue. Yes, it's worth noting that they were going to kill as many people from Yong'an as possible if they lost, but it seems to me that Pei Xiu would have been happy to get rid of them even without that. He talked quite a lot about revenge for what they had already done. Of course, there's still the question of how much he said to justify his actions, and whether the motivation of "I don't like Banyue" was stronger than "I need a better position in the army". Another aspect of his character that is completely opposite to Xie Lian is his treatment of the common people. Pei Xiu sent innocent people to certain death to maintain his position, while Xie Lian, as we know, wants to save the common people.

Perhaps I'll find out something else when these characters reappear, but let's stop here for now. I'll put off Nan Feng and Fu Yao for later again. It could be fun to compare Xie Lian and general Hua – as Xie Lian himself points out, their stories are quite similar, but I don't really want to compare the character to himself, especially when he has already done it. So it's time to step away from the characters for a bit!

In Banyue, you can only save a stung person at the cost of everyone’s lives. Many characters in tgcf are forced to choose who gets to live and at what cost, and I think in Banyue this problem appears for the first time – from General Hua, who saved the common people by interfering with the military and paid with his life in the end, Ban Yue  and probably even Pei Xiu to the place itself and the legends about it. Banyue is like the desert from the question of which of two people dying of thirst to give a glass of water to, and in the stories of many characters this is the central conflict.

[weirdfishy]

20 Qs for Fic Writers

thanks to @mashumaru for tagging me!! <3 i love these, and i've finally got a minute to do it!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

45! i started writing in the end of 2020, it's kina mind boggling to think that it'll have been three years in a couple months

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

76,628 :)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've currently written for Batman, Danny Phantom, BBC's Merlin & Sherlock, Spider-Man/Verse, The Sandman, Criminal Minds, Harry Potter, Heartstopper, Sk8 the Infinity, The Witcher, and BNHA.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Unknown Caller ID - danny phantom x batman, crack treated seriously, something i will eventually continue

Tim Drake's intoduction to ✨Ghosts✨ - dpxdc, silly goofy stuff

by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache - the sandman, dreamling get-together, my first multi-chap that i finished

just slip me on, i'll be your blanket - the sandman, dreamling angst, something that i've so far put a completed, but in my heart of hearts ik it needs more

crack, hob flirts back, heart attack - the sandman, crack, past hobrinthian, pre-dreamling, pov corinthian

5. Do you respond to comments?

i very much try to, yes, but i also tend to leave comments un responded to for fics i have yet to continue/finish

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

what's interesting abt the two fics i think have the angstiest endings, is they kina have the same tone? like, i wrote two fics abt two different characters having a 'life is absolutely terrible rn, i'm grieving the loss of better times, but no matter what i will keep fucking living god damn it'

anyway it's both to be forgotten but not forget (mcu peter parker) and never to sleep, never to die (hob gadling)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

[love how i totally forgot to answer this at first; sorry if tumblr tags u again for my editing]

imma go with something recent, a geraskier blurb based on art, :3 (that's the title, i couldn't come up with anything clever, so it's just that lol)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not directly

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

currently? no. have i? yeah. respect your local smut writers

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i never wrote crossovers prior to getting pulled into danny phantom x dc, and both of my posted ones are among my most popular

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of (if someone does steal a fic- that's shitty.)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not in the sense that someone has asked me to translate and repost, so as far as i know, no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, but snake n i have talked about co-writing before (we're busy as shit tho so it's yet to happen)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

merwaine in any form

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

it's not a WIP, but the second fic i ever posted i said i would rewrite and it's yet to come- i don't doubt that i will rewrite it, but that eventually is pretty far

16. What are your writing strengths?

prose-y scene setting maybe? i don't think about this, really, i just write

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

dialogue, in the sense that it doesn't much feature in my fics

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

personally i'll only do it if i'm 200% confident in its meaning (ie i've studied the language or i've got a second reliable opinion)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i've since lost it, but the first thing i wrote was for BTS (2018 almost-disbandment rlly had me emotional, ok?)

20. Favourite fic you've written?

i don't have a favorite, and i'm proud of every new thing bc it's a show of my progress

~

no pressure tags: @oliveofvanders @bootleg-exe & anyone else who would like to :)

[danthedisc]

Maybe Happy Ending

Yeah I didn't have a clever title for this one bc it already is. To use AI helper bots as an analogy for the world today is certainly apt. In relation to Redwood (bc I saw them both on the same day) which touched upon this theme of human purpose and that purpose being to fix what's broken loosely translates to the purpose of these creations made in our image that we might very well have in the not too distant future. There's already plenty of media playing with these themes but this show does it so uniquely, making these bots much more human through music, a very human construct. And Helen and Darren do very well to humanize these characters to the point that you'd forget they were supposed to be all wires and computing if not for the constant witty reminders of their synthetic existence which again could possibly be the point. After all, are we as humans also programmed thruout our lives by various restrictions. To that end are we ever free of this programing? We think we make choices but are we not doing what we're meant to in so way? Oliver and Claire can only be 'freed' if they are given their owners passwords, simple enough, but what sets us free? And is freedom truly what it ought to be or is the best we get the freedom to feel, both positive and negative emotions? To feel the weight of making your own decisions that is if they can ever be considered truly your own? This show holds that mirror up to us with such poignancy that alone should deserve recognition and attention. But aside from the themes and respective philosophical debates they might trigger, this show stands absolutely among the great modern musicals of my day with a clever and nostalgic soundtrack of a retro futuristic setting. I have to praise the sound mixing as well bc I could not only hear but understand nearly every word from the back of house. I loved loved loved this set for its blend of high tech with traditional construction which made for cleverly staged scenes that flowed seamlessly and cinematically. The leads carried most of the gravitas ofc but the supporting players shined thru as well, including those only present in recorded shots which was a nice surprise. There were too many good scenes I couldn't pick a fav but I'll just say telephone, car ride, motel and fireflies stood out most memorably. Seriously a must watch and hopefully adapted to film someday bc it needs to be immortalized or distributed for a wider audience. Please go see this show if you love theater bc it really has it all.

[troofless]

So I recently read book 1 of Qiang Jing Jiu and 70% of book 2 but couldn't get myself to finish it. The book tries to do an ambiguous enemies to lovers trope with political manoeuvring sprinkled in but it kinda fails tbh. Captive Prince still remains the No. 1 enemies to lovers plot with perfect setup to execution from start to end. Go read it. More thoughts under the cut:

Also as a side note, but recently I reread Captive Prince and god was it still so good even after all these years... I still need to buy a JP copy of the second book but I do have the first and third in JP with sick ass illustrations

The two protagonists

It's weird but the two MCs overlap in tropes and personalities that their dynamic is honestly just 'who cares'? As an aside, I really thought the title (as opposed to the original name) would allude to Shen Zechuan being the sword and Xiao Chiye being the wine, except they're... not? They both do the 'weaklings hiding their true power' trope. It's almost insulting how the main plot of the story hinges around this huge murder conspiracy that has three factions - the main antagonist, Shen Zechuan's faction, and Xiao Chiye's faction, and where the first and third are directly opposed while the second is just fucking around behind the scenes with nothing to show for it. (idk maybe there's a fourth faction if you wanna distinguish between the empress dowager and the conglomerate of rich clans who cycle between taking power but who tf cares). Like literally Shen Zechuan kills off some random unimportant official meanwhile Xiao Chiye is off crowning a new (idiot puppet) king and beefing with the empress dowager and doing cool political shit.

Shen Zechuan is supposedly antagonistic towards the first faction since they're the ones who falsely accused him, but he doesn't throw in with Xiao Chiye for unknown reasons???? Also the fact that Shen Zechuan is spared by the first faction's evil head, which makes you think, 'oh! she has a evil reason for sparing him! is it bc he has evidence that can be used to blackmail someone? something evil and devious like the Regent from Captive Prince...?' and it turns out to be 'the empress dowager saved him to try to get him to assassinate Xiao Chiye, which doesn't fucking work because Shen Zechuan has literally no (manipulative) relationship with the empress dowager so ofc he has no reason to obey her. Hell, she doesn't even try to take someone he loves hostage. She just threatens to kill him. Did anyone actually expect him to go through some agonising decision to get to the point where he saves Xiao Chiye.

Also who gives a shit about the plague plot point. Nobody cares about a 'forces of nature' arc unless it's done super well.

Shen Zechuan is the typical 'physically weak but clever' tropey ml. He's this falsely accused criminal that everyone hates and at the start of the story is beaten up and thrown into solitary confinement, and swears revenge over everyone that has wronged him. He's good in martial arts but takes medicine to hide his musculature so no one finds out, at the cost of his health, a plot point that absolutely ridiculous and only needed to justify 'ooooh but martial arts masters can tell just by how you walk that you're skilled so I need this plot medicine'.

.......How do I even describe his character and actions in the story? He's so... bland. And it's on purpose too. It's supposed to hide his true nature or whatever, except his true nature on the inside is the same bland thing ever. Xiao Chiye, the guy we arguably spend the most time in as a POV person, never shows an understanding of Shen Zechuan beyond the superficial 'we're the same', and is always second guessing Shen Zechuan's motives, etc. (Compare to Damen in Captive Prince who at least has some theories and very very explicitly angry feelings on the matter.) Shen Zechuan doesn't even show a sliver of (emotional) vulnerability to Xiao Chiye. The sex scenes aren't even vulnerable or emotional it's just him supposedly using Xiao Chiye. You may argue that 'oh it's just not here yet dummy, the plot needs buildup to a big payoff later on', but fuck it you need bait to get readers to continue reading and the bait is not there.

jfc Xiao Chiye has a point trying to suss out this mf bc wtf are his goals. Elevate his status. Cause commotion. Be in charge of a thousand different plots??? The narration is so secretive about him and his goals it's impossible to get invested in him because we don't know jack about him. He doesn't even get a cool scene to show off!!!! Let him destroy some cocky asshole with a sword!!! Solo an entire army! Who gives a shit about throwing knives? Why is his sole badass moment a scene where he interrogates and then carves the skin off this one official offscreen??? Where's the engineered public humiliation, or, idk, anything more dramatic and badass worthy than that? The humiliation scene of said official wasn't even gratifying enough!

I can't help but compare this mf to Laurent, who has a similar archetype of 'stone cold, logical, but can also be visibly spiteful and petty, is hiding his true strength, is struggling to overthrow a clearly superior entity that has wronged him' guy, except you actually get to understand him through the lens of the third party's POV of Damen. He shows vulnerability that is swiftly hidden behind a mask as a clever narrative way of showing there is more to him than just the mask. (I swear Xiao Chiye has no thoughts about Shen Zechuan other than 'we're the same, trapped here in this cage, haha i love you now bby'. Man.) Laurent also shows off that 'ice cold mf with a heart of gold' by standing up for his men at risk of taking a political hit. Meanwhile Shen Zechuan's relationships with his followers/subordinates are just 'master, grand master, and lackeys who he commands'. A relationship with mentor-mentoree can be written well, but in this instance his shifus just feel like additional advisors without any of the caring aspect. Like literally none of them sit down and have a heart to heart talk about 'yo how are you feeling' and stuff whenever something goes wrong. I get that there's also supposed to be lore with how the master and grandmaster have beef with the invisible masterminds of the whole story, but literally no one cares because they have so little screen time and characterisation outside of 'we are leaving everything to Shen Zechuan, good luck, but also we help plan schemes haha'.

Xiao Chiye is the more interesting of the two. His personality is the typical 'physically stronger but not as clever, but still clever enough' mc. He's also hiding his true strength by lazing about and drinking wine, when he's actually politcking around to avoid eyes on him (and eventually maybe go back to his homeland), has wrangled his lazy squad of men into a competent force, and set up prior schemes to make them pay off down the line. He also holds grudges. But uh he flies off the handle when it comes to Shen Zechuan for some reason idk. Literally the wastrel prince has a better dynamic with him than Shen Zechuan does. He also has better badass moments where he literally cuts his way through men (and plotted in advance for reinforcements) to crown his idiot prince of a friend. His longing to quit the viper pit of the capital and return home is so palpable and emphasised multiple times it's soul-crushing. You feel for him as a reader. (On the other hand, Shen Zechuan has nothing like this.)

He literally has a more refreshing and interesting two-sided dynamic with his idiot prince friend than Shen Zechuan ffs. The idiot prince is wary of him but also trusts him but also will likely stab him in the back to overcome the fear of Xiao Chiye stabbing him in the back first and feels guilty about refusing to send him back home bc Xiao Chiye is the only ally he can trust except can he really trust him? vibe. Meanwhile Xiao Chiye hates him bc he's being forced to stay in the capital bc the prince refuses to send him home but also puppets him but also thinks he's a good albeit naive guy but also a pain to handle. Meanwhile Xiao Chiye just thinks Shen Zechuan is interesting bc they're alike in that they're trapped here, maybe the beautiful face, and attraction for his scheming mind (ALL OF THIS IS INFERRED BTW WOW) and Shen Zechuan thinks nothing of Xiao Chiye because we are not allowed to get a glimpse into his POV. This is literally MDZS over again with me being interested in another dynamic over the MC/ML's. Fuuuuuuuuck.

The setting

Utterly confusing a MASSIVE word dump at the beginning that is supposed to cater to CN readers who have read more stories with 'the 4 generals, 1000 clans' trope, with multiple past side mystery plots of betrayal and backstabbing and false accusations that will probably be important later on but has no direct relation to the 2 MCs and we have no emotional stake in solving. All to resolve into 'oh yeah the clans are doing this to stop the Xiao clan from gaining power'. bruh.

The Empress Dowager politics

The idiot prince brushing past the fact that the empress dowager once plotted to kill him and is now projecting onto her as his mother is so. fucking. dumb. as a plot point I literally cannot continue reading after this.

All in all, a DO NOT READ-DID NOT FINISH/10 series. fuckin.... 2ha has a better mc/ml dynamic than this, and that book was garbage past the timeskip arc (and that's not even talking about the creepy student/teacher love dynamic).

As a side note, my (only) favourite quote from the book is the heartrending (on Xiao Chiye's side) exchange of "I want to go home" "I want to go home too" "If I can't go home you can forget about going home as well".

[grandaddy-of-all-liars]

Y'know what? Imma say somethig positive about the reboot... The title cards look incredible. I really love that they made some of them animated this time around! Renhattan, Bad Stimpy, 2 Slow 2 Furious, A Stimpy is Born, and Plane and Simple are my favorites based on visuals alone lol

thanks for pointing this out, what a great takeaway! and good on you for finding light in the darkness 😊 I did NOT notice some were animated so ty for that too!

sadly I couldn't find any info about the artist(s), which fits one of the major conception issues with the reboot. I think there may be more than one as there are some stylistic differences amongst them, don't ya think?

yes! I'm with ya on 'Bad Stimpy' and '2 Slow.' the rendering and composition of 'Aw Hell No' is pretty nice too. some, (only some) of these cards do a great job of enticing the viewer without giving away too much.

I've got an apple custard in the oven and a few mins to kill, so feel free to stop reading here, because I'm going to actually purge the peeves I've got with the rb title cards, in general. now, I am fully aware I am nooowhere near the best at drawing these guys. and no, not every tc from TRASS is cutting edge graphic design either. that said, I think the 'less is more' rationale applies to some very noticeable layout deficits. simplicity is the heart of a good illustration, which by design, should give a little appetizer of what's to come, or at least, a thematic glimpse to make you want to consume more.

just a couple comparisons for ref, chosen for somewhat similar color schemes.

I could absolutely get in the scrutiny weeds here, but I'll try for brevity; just focusing on artists' font choices respective of the content, and proportions and placement of figures within the frame. are the rb pieces nice drawings on their own? yeah, sure. do they function well as tc's? ehhh. I mean, look at ALL that negative space around the central images. too many tiny details in the background that become busy rather than contributory. plus, they are basically a fully rendered cel from the episode itself, offering nothing unique or compelling on their own. but really, just look how those images on the right pop off the screen! look at those pallettes! the use of space!

separately, some of the actual titles are just so...lame. like come on guys, this isn't even clever word play, it's just lazy homophones that make no contextual sense, re: 'Now Sea Here', 'Plane and Simple.' really, there were no other puns or phrases to choose from? limited to dated language like 'Aw Hell No' bc <HeLl iS iN ePiSoDe>! also, why is "Ren & Stimpy in" shown in each of these? are they seperate properties from their own show? I'm thinking the creators wanted to maybe harken back to older cartoons of yore, but it just feels even more awkward on top of the bad titling here, imo.

finally, wtf is this:

it irks me they didn't even bend the letters to the creases in the page, or maybe hey, use like a stamp font on a piece of paper that looks like a deed? smth topical? idk, wtfdik, right?

my custard is about done and this was probably way more than anon bargained for. I'm really hung up on the devolution of art in this show and many others over the decades overall, so, as my friend would say, this topic is one of my sleeper agent ignition switches.

thanks for the ask! and again for finding things to enjoy in life! now I'm curious about which tc's are fan favs 🤔

[eclipsecrowned]

If they had a kid for Aleary and Alia (not that they would) // @impercre

Name: Briseus ibn'Albahr

Gender: Ambiguously masculine

General appearance: He is his mother's son. Taut as a bowstring, fluid as water. Small for his age, whatever it might be, built in the classical ideal of his long-lost uncle. But his hair grows darker than a starless sky, trimmed short -- he is not his father. He does not flaunt his luck. He has Aleary's dark eyes, though, at least at first. The spice will rob him of such obsidian before he is a man grown, but he retains the shape, a sliver of his father stubbornly rebelling against his mother's ghost.

Personality: Pause. Breathe. Laugh. No one gets off of this planet alive, or any other. He sees how dire the world around him is, and he laughs at the absurdity of it all. Ancient prophecies, off-world messiahs, have the people truly bought into this children's story? These are chains that bind his family, not pedestals to elevate them. He is well-named for a foreigner god, doffing convention and playing the jester as he capers speaking of the failures of society. But he is not a fool to be laughed at. He is the Greek chorus laughing in the face of his audience. His blood runs hot, and his tongue is circled with silver, and nothing of man or witch's making can hurt him.

Special talents: A scathing wit, spoken of even elsewhere on the great sandy spoil of war his family occupies. It is strengthened for a prodigious mind that drinks greedily of knowledge. He is also an accomplished warrior, befitting the next verse in the song of a Knife. Does being an Atreides twink count as a superpower bc Frank sure seems to think so--

Who they like better: He barely remembers her, but she was beautiful. He's never seen eyes to compare to hers, cold and blue as a Caladan tempest. Her endless black hair, her stern mouth, the sharp, cat-like ways of her movements. He remembers this. He chooses to remember this, like half-imagined dreams of Eden. He loved his mother. He loved her as more than a mother, because he recognizes on some level the title never sat well with her. He loved her as a person. He knows that is true -- especially when she was her own. Some part of him stops laughing with the memory of her, recognizing that he was too young to protect her.

Who they take after more: This is Aleary's son. Where Aleary laughed in the face of what was beyond him, focusing instead on a single woman over building any community, Briseus acts as his mirror. There is still laughter, but the business of the Atreides is not his, and his path opens to the world beyond the palace.

Personal headcanon: Absolutely fucks off with the Fremen at age of majority, if not earlier. His cousin can always call him if he needs humbling, but the sietch suits Briseus better than the city. He is perfectly named, a foreigner to this world in some strange spiritual way, the beautiful youth born of a woman damned by her own kin, Dionysos on the mount with his clever girls and his absurdity. His chosen surname in the manner of his father's people is literally just 'the sea' in Aleary's tongue, and further highlights his stranger in a strange land vibe, an overt Caladan reference.

Face Claim: Lee I prommy I looked and couldn't find anyone that matched the vibe in my head --

[thelastspeecher]

In the Discord, we started talking about a D&D AU where the Stans are half-orc (Filbrick) and half-elf (Ma Pines).  And.  Well.  Here’s the Official Starting point of the AU.  Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              Stan squinted at the bright red berries.

              Those look kinda like cherries.  Should be fine.  He grabbed one and went to pop it into his mouth.  Before the fruit could pass his lips, an arrow flew through the air, hitting the berry and knocking it out of his fingers.  Stan stumbled back in shock and ultimately lost his balance, landing on the ground with a muffled thump.

              “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a voice said lazily.  “Those are poisonous.”  Stan whipped his head around in the direction the voice had come from.  He couldn’t see anyone.  Then, with a faint rustle of leaves, a woman dropped to the ground.

              “Who the hell are you?” Stan rumbled fiercely, baring his fangs.  The woman crossed her arms.

              “I’ll answer that if you answer my question,” she replied.  “What exactly is an orc doing in the woods here?”

              “I’m not an orc,” Stan muttered instinctively. The woman raised an eyebrow. “I’m…half-orc.”

              “Hmm.”  The woman tucked a stray strand of hair behind one pointed ear.

              Wait.  Pointed? Stan stared at the woman.  She stepped out of the shadows, and as she did so, Stan could see green freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, as well as a bark-like texture to her copper skin.

              “You’re a wood elf,” he said dumbly, remembering the term his mom had told him ages ago.  The wood elf rolled her eyes.

              “Geez, you’re quite observant.”

              “Since I’ve never met a wood elf before, I think it was pretty impressive of me to recognize you,” Stan retorted in Elvish. The wood elf’s mouth dropped open. “Yeah.”

              “Okay, seriously, what are ya doin’ here?” the wood elf snapped, slipping into Elvish.  The way she spoke was different than Stan was familiar with, like she had an accent of some sort.  “You’re a half-orc, but you speak like an elf prince.  Who are you?”

              “…My name’s Stan.”  The wood elf raised an eyebrow.  “My mom’s an elf.  She taught me Elvish.”

              “Your-”  The wood elf shook her head in shock.  “That’s- I’ve never heard of that happening before.”  She glanced away, chewing her lip thoughtfully.  “Well, you introduced yourself, so I might as well tell ya my name. I’m Angie.  Angie McGucket.”

              “That’s not an elf name.”

              “No, it’s my nickname.  And my last name, that’s ‘cause my great-great-great-great grandma married a human and took his last name.”  Angie shrugged.  “So, what are you doin’ wanderin’ ‘round here?”

              “None of your business,” Stan said shortly, getting to his feet and roughly brushing himself off.

              “I’m one of the protectors of this here forest, so yes, it is my business,” Angie retorted.  “Explain yourself.  Why is a half-orc half-elf in the woods tryin’ to eat poisonous berries and almost walking into bear traps?”

              “I didn’t almost-” Stan scoffed.  Angie nodded at the ground about a foot to the left of Stan.  Stan looked down.  An almost completely concealed bear trap was barely visible through a layer of leaves. Stan blanched and took a step back. “Okay, maybe I did almost walk into a bear trap.  But I’m not gonna tell you why I’m here.”

              “Fine,” Angie sighed.  “Are you alone?”

              “…Yes.”

              “In that case, follow me.”  Angie began to walk away.

              “Follow- why?” he asked.  Angie came to a stop.

              “Night’s ‘bout to fall,” she replied.  She eyed Stan.  “I grew up in these woods, so I know ‘em intimately.  But even I wouldn’t be caught out ‘n about in ‘em at night. That’s a good way to get yourself eaten.”

              “I can handle myself,” Stan blustered. Angie chuckled.

              “Sure you can.”  She continued to walk away.  After a moment, Stan sighed and followed her.

              Maybe I can talk my way into a free dinner. And if she’s trying to rob me or whatever, she’s the tiniest elf ever.  I can take her on.

----- 

              Stan stood awkwardly, feeling the tension in the room rise as the siblings bickered.  Angie had led him to a hidden ranger outpost that she shared with her brother, Lute, only for Lute to immediately start shouting.

              “Excuse me fer bein’ upset my baby sister brought home an orc!” Lute said.  Angie crossed her arms.

              “Baby?  I’m only ten years younger ‘n you!  And he’s not an orc, he’s half-orc.”

              “Humans ain’t that great, neither!”

              “I’m not part human,” Stan put in.  Lute whipped his head around to stare at him, dark eyes narrowed.  “I’m part elf.”  Lute’s eyes narrowed further.

              “Yer half-orc ‘n half-elf?” he asked.  Stan nodded.  Lute’s lip curled in disgust.  “So yer a half-breed.”

              “Lutesian!” Angie gasped.

              “Banjoleanna,” Lute snapped in return.  Stan winced slightly at the unwieldy elven names.

              I’m not really one to talk, though.  Thank the gods Angie didn’t ask me what Stan was short for.

              “It’s pretty weird of you to call me a half-breed when you’re one,” Stan said, interjecting before the brother and sister could resume their argument.

              “Excuse me?” Lute snarled.

              “There’s no way you’re full wood elf.  Not with eyes like that.”  In the better lighting of the shack, Stan could now see that both Angie and Lute had eyes that looked like liquid silver.

              Just like Mom’s.

              “And I know that wood elves are sometimes blonde, but your hair color, Angie, looks more high elf to me.  If I had to guess, I’d say one of your parents is a wood elf and the other is a high elf, probably sun elf.”  Stan shrugged.  “That’s what my mom is.”

              “So what?” Lute asked.  “That don’t make us half-breeds.”

              “To humans, probably not.  But to other elves, especially other sun elves?”  Stan raised an eyebrow.  “Everyone in this room is a half-breed, depending on who you talk to.”  Lute scowled. “But if I’m not welcome here, I’ll leave.  I’ve taken care of myself this long, I can survive a night in the woods.”  Angie glared at Lute, who finally backed down.

              “…Fine.  You can stay the night.  But I want yer half-orc self out of my house in the mornin’,” Lute said.  He drew a dagger from his belt and pointed it at Stan. “And keep that orcish blood under control.  No ravishin’ my sister.  Understand?”

              “Gods, Lute!” Angie snapped.  She rubbed her face.  “Go get some more kindling ‘fore it gets too dark.”

              “But-”

              “I’ll be fine.”

              “…Okay.”  Shooting one last glare at Stan, Lute stalked out of the shack.  Once the door had closed behind him, Angie let out a loud groan and collapsed into a chair.

              “I apologize fer that.  He had a bad experience with a group of orcs and half-orcs a while back.  I didn’t think he’d hold it against ya, but I guess I was wrong.”  Angie nodded at the chair across from her at the dining table. “Go ahead and take a seat.”

              Stan did as he was told.  He looked Angie up and down, getting a better look at her, only to realize she was doing the same thing.  Her gaze lingered on his orcish features: his square jaw, hairy arms, and broad shoulders.  He smirked in response.

              “I guess the elf ladies go nuts for shoulder hair. That’s the thing my mom liked best about my pops,” he said smarmily.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “I’m just gettin’ a good look at ya.  I’m a ranger, I’m s’pposed to be good at identification.  I want to be able to recognize another half-elf half-orc if I ever come across one again.”

              “Not very likely.  My brothers and I are the only I’ve ever heard of.”

              “You have brothers?”

              “…Yeah.”

              “Where are they?”

              “Dunno.  I left home ages ago.  For all I know, Ford’s a warlock and Shermie’s found some human who likes pointed ears and fangs.”

              “Hmm.”  Angie leaned back in her chair.  “Why did ya leave home?”

              “Orcish tradition.  When an orc male comes of age, we’re sent away to learn how to stand on our own.  Either we come back to our clan or start our own,” Stan rattled off.  It wasn’t the first time he’d had to explain why he was so far from where he grew up.

              “Yer mom didn’t protest against this ‘tradition’?” Angie asked.

              “She trusted Pops to handle the orc stuff.”

              And that’s all I’m gonna say about me.  Time to change topics.

              “You from around here?” Stan asked.  Angie cocked her head, a small smile playing on her lips.  She’d caught that he was done with talking about himself.

              “Yep,” she said.  “Lute ‘n I decided to stay in the area we grew up in.  But we’ve been wonderin’ ‘bout movin’ somewhere our skills might be more useful.  After all, we got some specific trainin’ in specific bein’s that ain’t too common ‘round here.”

              “Good thing you didn’t leave before stopping me from eating poisonous berries,” Stan said.

              “Is that the closest thing I’ll get to a ‘thank you’?”

              “Pretty much.”

              “Heh.”  Angie grinned.  “I like yer honesty.”  The door opened.

              “Did he-” Lute started.

              “No, he didn’t ‘ravish’ me,” Angie sighed.

              “Good.”  Lute marched over to the fireplace and dropped some firewood by it.  He paused.  “Say, I never got yer name.”

              “Stan.”

              “Stan?”  Lute snorted. “What’s it short for?”

              “Like I’d tell you,” Stan said.  He grinned at Lute.  “Lutesian.”

[wyrmalien]

local man forgets to post review but it's fine because a maximum of two people know what I'm even talking about

nonsense and rambling ahead I apologise mutals 😔 written on my phone so there may be mistakes now and then :"0

For context: this is a fourth response to these three asks

Signum Crucis: Unholy Mutation

This one I already knew I was going to like bc signum crucis is absolutely one of my favourites. The guitar is SO GOOD AUGH, and I love the little clips of the original song that fade in, especially Mazurewicz joining the choir and ofc the ruin of souls part. One thing I did catch was him saying his last confession was 30 years ago??? Which fair enough i suppose I am down for Elwood returning to Arkham and getting into another mess. His voice actor changing messed w me a lil bit but that's to be expected. Also the READING OF JENKINS' LINES WITH MAZUREWICZ'S BENEDICTUS DOMINUS FROM THE TITLE SONG IN THE BACKGROUND????? GOES INSANE AUGHHHHH THAT WAS SO SO COOL

Sleepwalker: Waking World

OH MY GOD. OHHHHH MY GOD. OK OK OK OK. Sleepwalker in the rock opera is a little meh-on-the-good-side for me; it's really short and you don't know what's going on unless you know the story. The only thing really saving it is the fact that it's the main theme in the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre adaptation of DitWH (which you should check out if you haven't! it's done by the same people and includes the same actors. I can happily provide a link to the production, though I highly recommend purchasing the MP3 file direct from the HPLHS website since they could use the support!) which I go INSANE over. Like when I first made the connection I flipped I couldn't stop thinking about it for several hours it is just. so cool. SO COOL you are so clever troy sterling nyes. But yeah, it didn't really have a lot going for it other than the connections to DART.

WAKING WORLD THOUGH? OH MY GOD

While it makes possibly even less sense lyric-wise, this absolutely changes the game why wasn't this one the one used in the rock opera. The part of the story Sleepwalker represents is Walter, Keziah, and Nyarlathotep kidnapping Ladislas Woljeko, which is extremely confusing in the original Sleepwalker because it's just Walter singing. But now? Keziah gets lines too!! AND it's the only duet between Keziah and Walter which I think really accentuates how deep he's been drawn in (you can travel space and time but you can not return etc etc). Plus Nyarlathotep not singing in this actually makes for a better reveal for him when he sings Azethoth.

Honestly I think this might be my favourite out of all of them <3

The Refuge of Penitence

Fr. Iwanicki time YESSSS ohhh this would make for such a neat epilogue if madness is my destiny didn't exist (which no hate I love mimd, it makes no sense at all and I like to make stuff up for what's going on because I can). You were right, anon, this voice fits him much better! I think it's actually the same guy who voices Dombrowski? But don't quote me on that I might be wrong. I LOVEE the cello in this woaah, love the tune being an altered version of Sleepwalker, too. The extra character that Iwanicki deserves, the doubts piling up during/after Elwood's confession and ESPECIALLY between reality and dreaming. Good for him, payback for being cut by HPL in the original draft of DitWH

Agro Navis: Heart of Darkness

FEMININE AZETHOTH VOICE?? OHHH WHAT WE DESERVE. Unfortunately between the guitars, the recitation being pitched lower, and my audio processing issues I only got like half the words rip but the music was incredibly cool and the return of the "aaaaazuuthoth" motif from the rock opera was so so neat (they are a recurring musical themes enjoyer). Also Keziah showed up again briefly!! I wonder if this was a concept for Azethoth initially because there's a lot of talk of signing the book/receiving a secret name, and, unless I misheard, it's said that Walter's secret name is the Agro Navis of the title?? I looked it up and ot translates to "field of the ship" so who knows, maybe I'm grasping at straws. But it's still cool to think about!!! I'll stick it in the same mental folder that contains my ideas of Walter being related to the Gilmans of the Gilman House in Innsmouth, I suppose

Astrophobos 1917

Art songs I don't understand but are still bangers....<3 once again the orchestrations are SO GOOD, and the madness is my destiny piano motif showed up which made me !!! Don't know who the narrator is (the title gives me 0 hints since DitWH takes place 32-33 rip) but I'm enjoying the vision of a mad poet lost in the dreamlands. Very neat overall

these were all SO COOL thank you so so much for introducing them to me, anon!! Sleepwalker: Waking World, Refuge for Penitence, and Agro Navis gave me so many thoughts bouncing around in my head like bees !!!! Downloading them all for sure, too