#and i definitely went at this from a 'i'm a writer' perspective so sorry about that

[leverage-ot3]

Is leverage redemption worth watching? I love Leverage but idk if i could enjoy the show if hardison isn't in most episodes or if the reboot sells out in some way.

okay so I showed up to this ask like four months late with a smoothie so I'm sorry about that BUT

does redemption have it's flaws? yes, I will be the first to admit that!

however, as someone who deeply loves leverage, the characters and what the show stands for, I still can find myself enjoying redemption.

there's one post that's in my drafts talking about the differences between the og and redemption and the so-called universe physics (how logic works in both shows and how they are the same/differ) and there are definitely some differences. there are some really good posts comparing them in the tags and I'll try to tag them as watch redemption when they come up!

I'm going to be really honest right now and say that (no shade) I feel like redemption s1-2 were lacking because john rogers was not a main writer for them. devlin and the others are great and know their stuff, but redemption was missing some of the grit (balanced with everything else) that the original run had. redemption is more fun and lighthearted (where the og was still fun and had comedic elements but also had a more jaded perspective). I think part of that change is the absence of nate as a character and what he brought to the table, but the other part of that is very much the way the show is written overall

I have seen some criticism about parker being a caricature of what she was in the original run (ex: how she goes to a child's psychologist and uses puppets sometimes, is overtly weird, more loud about stuff, etc) BUT I will say that I think there's some nuance to that

I don't think the child psychiatrist thing is infantalizing- some methods of therapy work for people more than others and that is me speaking as someone who works in mental health. if play therapy and stuff like that work for you as an adult, good for you! whatever works for you is more than enough the overtly and loudly being weird thing I really do think can be taken either way. in the original run part of parker's character progression was that she was learning how to interact with people normally (or at least more efficiently), but her being more out about that now can be taken as she is more comfortable in her skin and acting like she wants because she is surrounded by people who love and support her. maybe she doesn't want to (or have to!) mask all the time and I don't see a problem with that

HOWEVER! there are certain criticisms that are related to her characterizations and overlaps with her autism and I don't want to speak over the autism community about those aspects and how they have manifested in her character in redemption so I'm leaving it there

as for the hardison being absent aspect- I was REALLY afraid of that at first BUT the loss isn't so deeply impactful when you have characters like breanna and harry added to the mix. I went in ambivalent about harry and excited to have breanna (a canon queer) joining the team, but I have come to love and cherish both of them dearly and wouldn't want to replace them or lose them as characters in this found family ensemble. I think the writers handled aldis' packed schedule really well and even though he isn't there in most episodes, his presence is still very much around. parker and eliot talk about him and reference him when he's gone. so do sophie and breanna, even harry. he isn't on the screen but the relationships he's formed with the other characters and the impact he's had on them is very evident.

there are some takes from users about whether or not the ot3 was queerbait, un-canoned, etc in redemption. I have a lot of thoughts about it and a lot of them are incomprehensible but what I can say is that I have renewed hopes for the progression and canon development of their relationship now that john rogers is back as the main writer for s3

[mrhaitch]

Hello hello Mr. Haitch!

I am seeking advice or perhaps an outside perspective on a certain matter. I've always wanted to pursue a writing career but I'm currently taking education due to my parents' influence. It's not really my cup of tea but I take what I am given.

Should I still pursue a career in writing even though I'll most likely not have professional training or education when it comes to it? I've always had a knack for it but I'm afraid my skill isn't as refined as it should be to make a living out of it (I am into creative writing).

I'm incredibly grateful for you response! I adore both you and Haitch very much!!!

Hey Anon. So sorry for the delay - Tumblr ate my first draft and then life got busy.

I can only give you my perspective here, drawn from my own experiences and the things I've seen and heard from other authors.

By writing career I'm going to assume you're talking about fiction - in which case you need a reliable and stable income. I'm not saying that to be mean, or bitter, or to taint your dreams; the reality for most of us is that writing does not pay, and if it does it does not pay well. As my PHD tutor once said "if writing is the vehicle to a better future, the novel is a fucking jalopy".

It took me ten years to get my first publication. Ten years where I wrote four novels and far more short fiction than I can accurately recall, and I went through the submission gauntlet for all of them. Everything I sent out into the world came back with a form rejection, except on three occasions. For each novel I submitted to maybe 40 or 60 agents, and almost never received a personalised reply (I'm actually friends with one who did, very nice guy). It was ten years of shouting down a well without so much as an echo for my efforts. When I finally did get published (short story), there was no payment.

In fact, at this point in time, writing has earned me nothing.

Agents and publishers work through thousands upon thousands of submissions, and only take a small handful forward. You're in direct competition for the attention of a very select few, against a vast multitude - and to make matters worse you're also up against that agent or publisher's boredom and disaffection after reading reams and reams of dreck. So that first impression has to be stellar, or they won't linger. It's a form rejection and back to the drawing board.

You will be rejected, and rejected often. Definitely more often than you're accepted - it can take years, decades, to get so much as a single, positive reply. Even then it might not lead to publication - it might be them saying how much they liked your work but are unable to place it at present. You have to learn to swallow that rejection every time, without losing heart or your cool, dust yourself off and do it again.

And again.

And again.

It's a Sisyphean task where the bolder typically rolls back over you, and gets stuck halfway up just to add insult to injury.

Again - I'm not trying to wreck your dreams, I'm just showing you what's behind the curtain. Everyone is tired and stressed and a little bit disappointed, and there's not enough money for everyone. The love of what you're doing has got to be enough, for now, maybe forever.

So I'm a big fan of writers having full-time jobs and careers. Doesn't matter what it is, so long as you're comfortable and secure. Do not expect the novel to love you back. Its a selfish and evil bastard but you can't help but love it.

[anticidic]

YOU

i am losing my mind unfortunately bc i started reading your fic "from a to o" and just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (i loved it sm)

but i am so iffy when it comes to reading abo bc i have to be in such a specific headspace for it but there was SOMETHING in your fic i SWEAR you put drugs in it bc i proceeded to spend half my shift thinking about alpha chuuya and omega dazai and now i've got an abo fic idea myself and so much background already for it and just.

how dare you. how dare you be such a good writer that you inspire me to write omegaverse. i cannot believe you.

oh my god?? I AM SO FLATTERED??

another one converted to the dark side, I need a counter now

no but, this really does make me so happy to hear! I understand the shame and stigma around A/B/O and I totally get it's a lot of peoples' 'NOPE' or a hard sell and I'll never be offended by that. For me, omegaverse is a fun sandbox I get to play in and build sandcastles based on whatever characters from whatever series I'm using. (sorry skk ya'll been subjected to it the most so far) The world-building around it is really fun!

I love alpha!Chuuya. SO MUCH. I can see him being more protective than typically possessive, but he'd definitely not want anyone touching omega!Dazai. It also totally fits Chuuya because he very much does show care and concern for Dazai whenever Dazai gets hurt in canon. (even if Dazai is a lil shit and joking around about his injuries)

I also like tying in omega!Dazai to his insecurities and suddenly becoming an omega. He went to sleep as himself one night, and the next day he was like a totally different person and having an identity crisis about it. He's not himself. He doesn't feel himself. And what does Chuuya think about all this? Or is it all just in Dazai's head?

But he's still Dazai at the end of the day to Chuuya, omega or alpha. They'll navigate those tricky waters together like they always have as partners. It's nothing new. And they'll get to learn about it together. Chuuya's really trying his best and seeing Dazai distressed about all the sudden changes and being in so much unbearable pain and not being able to do anything about it because oh god, they really fucked up and they're screwed if Fukuzawa or Mori finds out that they've secretly been together for a while.

ANYWAY. That's to say I really, really loved writing that fic. I'd like to continue expanding on it and reflecting on how Dazai perceives and approaches the world with a new perspective after suddenly feeling like he has to relearn everything. I said that after the 2nd and 3rd chapters and oh god, is this one gonna become a long fic as well but it is on my mind a lot

I would absolutely love to hear about your idea/read it if you ever do decide to do it! I'm so happy to hear I've inspired you!!

[t-allyitup]

i read chap 1 of your fic and i really enjoyed it! i appreciate that you went over some background for most of the other characters. i just love hearing other people's ideas about what everyone would be up to at various points in their lives. i'm so intrigued by your take on eddy as a football player who spends a lot of time working on his car. i've always low-key thought he'd be somewhat of a car guy, since it's pretty much agreed upon in the fandom that his dad sells cars. so i imagine he'd learn a lot about them whether he wanted to or not lol. anyway just wanted to share some positive feedback! love your art as well of course. your style is super cool 😁

this just MADE my DAY omg 🥹 THANK YOU SO MUCH! i appreciate the positive feedback sosososo much, im so glad you've enjoyed it so far!!! and thank you for the kind words abt my art also, it means a lot :))

i am SO excited to dive more into football player eddy, i know it's such a massive cliche but it's definitely not something he's super excited about ... in my head, his dad def pushed him to learn car stuff (totally agree with you on that one!) and do a bunch of other stuff he didn't want to do, football included. i think eddy is the type of guy who takes a lot of pride in his work and his accomplishments, so i feel like his car is something that is REALLY dear to him and he actually does enjoy working on it. football for him (and this will def be more detailed later) isn't something that feels rewarding to him exactly, it's more of a responsibility from the pressure being put on him, which i think is ultimately making him dislike it. it feels more like a matienece (i can't spell that word it's killing me) thing to him now rather than something he can actually steadily work on AND continue to achieve and take pride in. i'm definitely projecting a bunch of my own brain stew on these guys but i like to think that eddy would really enjoy doing something more creative, imo i think he would love doing jazz dance classes or electric guitar or something like that.

sorry for the rambling, you deffff got me thinkin about him and im super grateful for your feedback and hearing about your hcs/interpretations, its so interesting and helpful as a writer and just generally great to hear perspective from friends 🫶🏼 thank you again so so so much, love seeing you pop up on my dash and in my notifs always !!!!!!!!!

[spaceorphan18]

Do you think some of the Hummelberry friendship could be attributed to survival mode and later trauma-bonding because of the break-ups and later Finn dying?

this is such an interesting question nonny! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get to it! I mean, yes-ish? The break ups -- not really but Finn dying definitely.

Sometimes I find it hard to analyze Hummelberry because I'm always coming from the writers' perspective of they needed Rachel Berry to have a best friend and Kurt was popular so they made it happen.

I know they were planting seeds of Hummelberry in Season 2, and namely BTW and New York they kind of started this whole thing about the two of them bonding over having a shared dream of Broadway but I think Season 3 is where the deconstructing really becomes beneficial.

And an interesting take - more so than the shared dream - is this idea that Kurt now has a (literal) brother in Finn and Finn's girlfriend is Rachel Berry. And by proxy, by the fact that they have to share the same space not only at school but now at home leads to a sibling dynamic between the two of them.

I don't know if I'll ever fully buy the gay bff angle they were trying to push in Season 3 -- because Kurt Hummel just will not stand for being someone's gay bff - but because also siblings seems more apt to their personalities.

So getting back to the thoughts above...

The thing about moving to a place you've never really been before and going to college on your own, you kind of latch onto the only familiarity you might have. And for Kurt it's Rachel. Rachel, in turn, doesn't need that sense of stability in the same way -- she's busy reinventing herself anyway. But while that change is happening at that time in your life, you do hold on to things you know before spreading out and latching onto the things that make more sense.

So in that way - I buy Kurt and Rachel sticking with each other -- the same way Santana coming into the dynamic works, even if it doesn't. The familiarity and past experiences is what binds them together.

As for the break ups... this is such an interesting thought.

I think, first of all, their break ups were very much different. Because those particular relationships were very much different. Beyond the fact that I think Finn and Rachel, while always being tied together in a way for being a connection in high school, were always destined to be on different paths, Rachel was the one who broke it off. She needed space to grow up and find herself and learn who she was without defining herself with Finn. It's why she pushes Kurt to go out and date and experience the world because she wants him to be where she is.

And Kurt isn't. Kurt, when it comes to relationships, very deep relationships -- with his dad and with Blaine, is very closed off. He always guards his heart very closely. And Blaine (like his dad) was supposed to be a constant he always relied on. It's kind of insane that Blaine did what he did because Kurt just figured that he would always just be there and fixed and that's it. (Kurt and Blaine's issues aside - that's a full different conversation.) And when Blaine wasn't there anymore, his world shattered a bit - and he went inward. It was much easier to let Rachel lead him through the world because he didn't want to deal with his. But I don't really think Kurt let her in to the subtleties and realities of how deeply he was hurt. He kept his feelings buried for himself.

But I don't really think that made them closer. Once Kurt starts to be okay with himself, and his relationship with Blaine, and his relationship with New York - he starts to pull away from Rachel and be his own person and they kind of start their journeys of going through life in different directions.

Finn's death, though, did give them a bond that is permanent. It goes back to what I was saying about Finn being Kurt's brother and Finn being Rachel's partner. They shared a valued connection with this person who is no longer there, and they have a different grief from others that they can share between them.

I think that long after Kurt (and Blaine) have moved out of the city proper and are busy with their own lives and long after Rachel Berry has been happily married to someone else, there will be moments and times when they look to each other to remember this person who once meant so much to them.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Love reading your Anatomy of scenes and responses to questions. Thank you for those and your photo sets, I'm so appreciative for you and anyone else giving new content! Have you ever talked about Tim's reaction to the five player trade and the resolution between Tim and Lucy on the issue? Might be an unpopular opinion, but I get Tim's reaction and think he had the right to be upset. I did also love Lucy acknowledging Tim's feelings, but saying she was sorry, not sorry (and Tim's little smile, he's so gone for her!).

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read my analyses - and sending me this. If my little ramblings and photo sets help make this hiatus more tolerable for you, then my job is done. ღ

To answer your question : no, I haven't written about it yet - only the second part of the scene, when Tim gives Lucy his Valentine's Day present. I mean, I may have commented about it here and there, just not a full-on post, sorry. To be honest, I have some mixed feelings about this storyline so that's why I have been avoiding it for the moment. I haven't rewatched season 5 though (only a couple of episodes), so I'm hoping that once I get to it, it might inspire me more.

Tim's feelings were valid, I agree with you… Personally, I didn't mind that he was upset at first. My issue is that we didn't really explore what these feelings were. They barely got the chance to talk about it in the shop or in his office. That last scene implied that it was because Lucy went behind his back, which I found fair. Except he pretty much did the same thing : when he went to see Grey to move out of her chain of command, he didn't discuss it with her first. He only informed her once it was a done deal. Granted, he confessed immediately, instead of hiding it like she did - although she would have found out the next day regardless. But she didn't get upset with him. She actually appreciated what he did. We didn't get to see this from him and that's the part that has been missing, at least for me. I guess I saw her gesture as a nice departure from Rachel, who wanted him to start over in New-York and Ashley, who was trying to convince him to retire. And here was Lucy, who not only was ready to move to another station so he could stay in patrol, but also tried to create an opening for him, so he could get a job that he would find just as rewarding. He was finally with someone who was fighting for him. Someone who has always fought for him. I suppose, I wanted to see that acknowledged. A bit like how Tim recognised how she helped him for the sergeant's exam. In the end, this just felt a bit too contrived, you know what I mean? It stayed superficial, like the writers wanted a conflict, but didn't have time to delve into it.

That said, I absolutely loved that she stood her ground, explained why she did it while acknowledging his feelings as well. And his little smile too - he's so far gone, you're absolutely right. Even the way he was quick to forgive and forget was sweet. I just needed more substance. Hence my mixed feelings on the matter. But that's just my perspective of course :) It also doesn't help that the last time the five-player trade was mentionned, it was to suggest that Lucy might lose her chance of promotion for this… So that may have soured me on the whole plot. I definitely need to rewatch the episode, with a set of fresh eyes. This is why I love these little discussions!

[m0llygunn]

2, 14 and 20🥰

Sorry for the late replyyy!! I wanted to actually put thought into this, so it took a minute! Thank you for the questions Francy!!! <3

2. When you’re writing a new story, what is the one thing you need to know before you can start? I'm not sure if there's really one thing I need to know, usually everything I write starts with a concept, or builds off a one-liner piece of dialogue. Like when I wrote A Job Well Done I started with just knowing I wanted reader to be asking Eddie those invasive 'balls' questions because I thought it would be funny lol

14. What’s the one word you can never spell/use properly, no matter how hard you try? Definitely and immediately ( just used spell check, and spelt 'immediately' so wrong that it wasn't showing up) I don't know what it is about those words but I cannnnnnnnot spell them for the life of me

20. What is your best piece of advice for writing smut scenes? SUCH A GOOD BUT HARD QUESTION (and why I took so long to answer this) and basically I have to put a read more lol

I feel like I could have a lot to say and this could potentially fall into the ‘those who can’t do, teach’ realm, but I’m fine with it. Mostly because I hardly consider myself a writer, like, it's something I do, but it’s not what I am. I think more than anything I am a learner. I like to learn new things, and in this case, I learned everything I know from reading other people's work. Most boring piece of advice: read. Find your favourite piece of smut, and study why it's your favourite. For me, something is usually a favourite because of the vocabulary — fun words used, pretty words used, there's creativity in the words, there's variety, etc. I am a sucker for good words.

I think the biggest tip for this is looking up synonyms. Usually I write what I want to write first and I let myself be as repetitive as I want, and then I go back and change words that get repeated too often. I don't have as big of a vocabulary as I would like, but vocab is so easily hackable by looking up synonyms for words that you do know! (My testament is that I went to grade school in french but grew up in an english household, so basically I suck at both languages, and have to put in a lot of effort looking up synonyms, like you guys would never ever ever give my drafts the time of day lol)

Also, a fun little thing that I do is a very unorthodox version of research called turning to reddit. For example, if I’m writing a blow job scene, I’ll google something like ‘best blow job you ever got male perspective reddit’ and I’ll read a bunch of replies, pick and choose descriptive words that I like, add it to a list, then write something using said words. It's fun. It’s like a game. I enjoy doing it. You learn a lot (too much sometimes, but the ‘male perspective’ component is an added adventure and helps with variety and novel outlooks!)

But yeah. Sooooo rambley lol, and I don't know if this is actually helpful, but it could be a fun smut writing exercise to try!

[theladyofshalott1989]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for the tag @heyitszev, @thetotomoo, and @infernalrusalka! It was so fun reading all of your answers, too <3333

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Eleven!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 220,491 posted currently (about 60k more written but not posted yet).

3. What fandoms do you write for? Hogwarts: Legacy (10 works) and Bridgerton (1 work).

4. Top five fics by kudos? "Like Moths to a Flame", "Burning Bright", "The Reynolds Dilemma", "Heart's Pleasure First", "Love's Not Time's Fool".

5. Do you respond to comments? In the words of Severus Snape, "Always." <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? My Sebastian Sallow/You one-shot "What Was I Made For?"

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Nearly all of my fics end happily, but I think from a "wow, the characters went through hell and back and yet they somehow got a happy ending" perspective, I would probably say "Burning Bright."

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not directly on them yet (thankfully), but I have definitely received anonymous hate here on Tumblr and Reddit. Those people can suck it. Affectionately. 🙃

9. Do you write smut? Yup.👍

10. Craziest crossover? No crossovers yet, although I'm hoping to write a Hook (the 1991 movie) & Peter Pan (the book by J.M. Barrie) long-fic someday. That's not all that crazy though...haha.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of, but I don't go looking. Eek.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but that would be very cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I'm currently co-writing an MC x MC fic with heyitszev. Someday we'll (hopefully) finish it because it's SO FREAKING GOOD ALREADY. AHHH.

14. All time favorite ship? I have consumed many ships over the years, but the one that always sticks with me is Cassian/Jyn (aka Rebelcaptain) from Rogue One. My own ship (Sebastien, Sebastian x Damien) may also be added to this list soon as these boys have consumed my every waking thought for nearly a year and a half now. Lol.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't think I've ever not finished a WIP? Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself...

16. What are your writing strengths? Banter, emotional whiplash (sorry lol), foreshadowing, and plot twists. At least I think so. Haha.

17. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I like it! I minored in Spanish in college and have always wanted to use Spanish in a fic, but haven't really had the opportunity to yet. Maybe if I ever get around to writing a Cassian Andor-centered fic, I'll finally do it. We'll see.

18. First fandom you wrote in? Star Wars! I wrote a shit ton of Anakin/Padme when I was a young teen.

19. Favorite fic you've written? If you had asked me a few months ago, it would have been "Burning Bright", but it's now my current WIP, "You Cannot Put a Fire Out." I put a lot of myself and my insecurities into these two fics, and they were both written at a pretty emotionally turbulent time of my life, so they have a special place in my heart.

20. There's no twentieth question, so take this as your cue to give yourself a hug. (Yes, I'm talking to you!) <3

No pressure tags: @morelikeravenbore @endless-starlight-legacy

[vintage-bentley]

Omg! A radfem Good Omens fan! Finally a sane person in this fandom LMAO it feels a bit lonely to be honest. I have a few things to say (it's a bit long, sorry):

First, thank you for answering to that comment in your askbox so clearly! It's so funny reading "queer" people being shocked that we watch Good Omens. Like, we're gay AF and the show is gay AF. Plus, if radfems didn't watch shows/movies with the same worldview as them, they wouldn't watch anything at all.

I absolutely agree on the blind adoration for the actors. I mean, those guys are fifty and are clearly jumping on the "woke" train (don't really like the word "woke", but you get me) to get a positive image. But at the end of the day, they're just fifty year old men and I'm sure they have done or supported nasty shit too, like basically any man in the world. Thank you for mentionning Sheen's partner being so young and thank you to the radfem who explained David Tenant had a friend actor doing creepy things on set and he used to joke about it. Those two news are absolutely the least shocking news ever. I can't stand the way most girls and women easily fall the feminist, woke nice guy persona and get their hopes up only to learn that yeah, those people are still men. They are no exceptions.

Plus, I also think that the writer of the show is glorified to no end. I mean, he's a good writer, but it's too much LMAO. I agree with the bit about changing God to a woman being void of any meaning and I would like to add that God wasn't a woman in the book, the writer changed it for the show (likely to appear more feminist to the viewers).

Lastly, I wanted to ask you questions:

Did you notice that the most popular fics on ao3 for the Aziracrow ship contain at least one of the two characters having a vulva? If yes, what do you think of it? (Personally, it was shocking to me. I had just finished the show, went to ao3, started reading a fic and... omg skslsks It's so prevalent, too... Thank god we can filters tags nowadays.)

2. What do you think of people who use she/her pronouns for Azi and/or Crowley on twitter? (Again, it was shocking to me given there was nothing indicating that in the show. They're creatures in the bodies of men, and are seen are men by anyone. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and it feels forced AF.

(All in all, I think the fandom thinks the show is more woke than it actually is, because no one who isn't following the writer on tumblr would think "oh yes, those characters are definitely going by she/her and have vulvas". People are allowed to write what they want on ao3 and on twitter, I just think it's insane how prevalent it is in the fandom. But well, I suppose most people in the fandom are Gen Z...)

I'm stopping there. Thank you for reading all of this!

I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to this! 💕 but thank you for sending this!!

I see that sort of shock from “queers” often regarding shows with canonical gender identity having characters. I remember there being a post about OFMD that said “how are terfs watching this when there’s a nonbinary character?”, as if we combust on the spot if a character has a gender identity 😂

This attitude of “how can you watch something you don’t entirely agree with” says quite a lot about the “queer community” and their cult mentality. They can’t seem to wrap their minds around the idea of watching something and being critical of certain parts…because they seem to only want to watch or read things that perfectly align with their views (or that they can interpret to perfectly align with their views, as they’ve done with GO). Just look at how they act about reading/watching “terf” perspectives. “Don’t even look at terf blogs! It’s dangerous and they’re bad, just trust me!”.

They’re so used to this idea that everything they look at must be in agreement with their views, that I guess they just assume everyone else feels the same way.

And yeah, if radfems (I consider myself just adjacent, but I’m using the term broadly here) wanted to follow that line of thinking, we’d be shit out of luck. Misogyny is everywhere, seeping into the writing of every female character. And because radical feminism is so vast in the topics it covers, it would be hard to find something that agrees with every single position.

I hate the blind adoration for the actors and for Neil. Yeah, the actors are fun personalities to follow and watch in interviews, yeah Neil says some funny stuff on tumblr sometimes. But ultimately they’re all men, they’re all celebrities, and those two things rarely go well together without some sort of issue.

People treat Neil in particular like some kind of god because he validates their gender headcanons, and somehow can’t see that he’s just trying to string them along for clout. And I’m pretty sure there was something about writing a female child character in a really creepy way (snow glass apples?), but nobody cares because oooo he said trans rights!!

God was definitely made into a woman in the show for easy feminist points. And it’s disappointing because it would be so interesting to actually do something with that concept. The easiest thing to do would be swap the roles of Eve and Adam. But he couldn’t even be bothered to do that.

As for your questions…

1. Yeah, I’ve noticed and it drives me crazy. To me it reeks of homophobia. It seems as though these writers are taking the first opportunity they can to make a gay couple straight, and to assert their belief that heterosexual intercourse is superior to homosexual intercourse.

2. The she/her pronoun usage has gotten especially bad after season 2, and I think it’s really annoying lol. It seems like a way to cope with the fact that Aziraphale and Crowley were pretty clearly men the whole time, with Aziraphale even referring to Crowley as a man in the 40’s scene.

Again it reeks of homophobia to me because people seem so, so eager to take this gay couple and make them seem straight. Just let them be men in love.

It also reeks of sexism because often the she/her pronouns go to Crowley when he isn’t like, the pinnacle of masculinity. All it takes is for him to have longer hair than usual and suddenly everyone’s going “omg she’s so pretty!!!” It feels very performative (come on. Nobody actually thinks Crowley is a pretty lady. It reminds me of the people who comment on ugly TIM selfies like “omg slay queen!! You’re so beautiful!!” Because they know it’s expected of them to validate male feelings). And it’s concerning that people can’t seem to accept that having long hair doesn’t mean Crowley’s a woman.

The fandom absolutely thinks the show is more “woke” for lack of better term, than it is. They’ve built up a bunch of headcanons in their minds, and because Neil has okayed the headcanons, they’ve deluded themselves into believing it’s canon. But the truth is that there’s no explicit mention of angels and demons being nonbinary. The “sexless” line in the book is vague enough that it seems to be interpreted differently depending on who you talk to, yet the fandom has decided it means celestials don’t have genitalia (yet somehow have every other sex characteristic?).

The average viewer is not going to watch this show and go “ohhh, I see, they’re both nonbinary and this is a super queer show!”. They’re going to watch it and see two men in love. Which is amazing! It’s upsetting to me that the fandom has decided that two men in love isn’t enough. Unfortunately I think what’s happened is that it’s a bunch of straight women who got bored of fetishising gay men, and have now moved on to romanticising this idea of being as Queer and Different and Quirky as possible.

[onlyswan]

hi art <3 thought i'd answer your cute lil year-end survey because i just have to talk about my favorite drabble of yours...

but then i was going through the second masterlist and as i was reading each title i went 'oh that's definitely my favorite- no wait- that one, no no that one-' so it's safe to say narrowing it down to my top three was...a challenge. 

but! i did my research and found my answers cause you're my favorite writer and you know that saying that's like, 'if i could only paint one person for the rest of my life, i'd choose you?' it's like that for me but with your writing hehehe ♡♡♡

anyway, i'd have to say my three favorite drabbles from the in which collection are probably:

> in which you are jungkook’s religion and he wants to be your passenger princess

> in which jungkook can sleep without you, but he’d rather not to

those two are probably mostly cause i'm sentimental and they were the first drabbles of yours that i read so re-reading them makes me all mushy (and the very obvious fact that damn your writing is amazing)

and the third one is obviously the queen: > in which jungkook can’t sleep, and he can’t stop kissing you either (just now realizing that this is gonna be so long, i'm so sorry T^T) 

Next, some of my favorite scenes in your writing are where it's more from jungkook's perspective? it's so cute how he sees oc, and you are really good at painting a picture and making us see them in the same way (and also vice versa for when oc is thinking or talking about jk) 

as for some of my favorite paragraphs or lines, there's a specific way you write sometimes that i can't really describe? but it always makes me wanna bawl in a very endeared manner lmao. a few examples are:

"however, for the jungkook of today, control is an abandoned form of self-destruction and he can tell you in confidence that ‘here i am in all my glory. there are unfixable, fractured parts of me and i am laying them out on the floor for you to see- you can take me or leave me, but i know you’ll always choose the former’" 

"he wants to get under your skin, let his pounding heart cross the distance and meet yours like two penpals throwing caution to the wind. however, your hearts are prisoners to your vessels."

and oh my goodness there is another one i can't find :'( (my professors would be so disappointed in me not citing my final source lol) but it's an opening for one of the drabbles and i have it vaguely memorized inside my brain but can't seem to think of any of the words for it lmao. i don't even think it was from the second collection but all i know is that it talked about them moving mountains and crossing oceans to see each other and them loving living together. it is very dear to me hehe. (also may i just add, art. i-...stop lying to us all. how much poetry do you have published and listed with the biggest accolades? cause there's no way you just casually write like that and maybe i'm biased, but! if you haven't already received every accomplishment outside of tumblr for your writing it's cause your brain is too good at it for an accolade to even be created that matches it...)

ok, now for the favorite character question, it's not technically an answer but i love jungkook and oc both equally. i espcially love how they are very human. not to put down any other works, but the way you write is incredibly realistic which i really appreciate. just in a 5k word drabble i can instantly feel connected to both characters, what's happening in the drabble, and how relatable aspects of their personalities are. both your writing and the characters are soft and fluffy but also realistic in the way that it doesn't seem like they're in some dream-world where everything is perfect. they both have flaws and acknowledge them and just seem like, people? i don't know how to put it but argh you're very good at writing characters. 

as for which year i'd love to see more of, i'd say it'd be really fun to see the earlier aspects of their relationship and them being giddy over one another, but i also love the 2022-2023 stuff when they're living together because i'm a sucker for domesticity and i find reading about them sharing a living space and having bam so endearing. and then for the season i'd want to see more of, i'd say either winter or spring! i think spring is such a pretty time of year and brings so much to appreciate, but winter is my favorite season because the cold and snow are so much fun to me hehe. 

okok, i think that's it! sorry for this being so long :O but also just know that if you ever have doubts in your writing, someone just wrote a full 800 words on why they love it and appreciate it sooo....♡♡♡

anyway, i hope you're doing ok and have the time to do things that make you happy! please stay healthy and hydrated and i hope you have a nice day or night <3

-🌙 

just know that if you ever have doubts in your writing, someone just wrote a full 800 words on why they love it and appreciate it sooo....♡♡♡

oh, the way this brought me to tears. no kidding 🥲 my writing being worth the time to be also be written about by a person got me so freaking happy and also overwhelmed lol i want to give you so many kisses and huggies!!!! i don’t know what to say 🥹 i’m just so so so so grateful 🥹

oooo and i think the part you couldn’t recall where it’s from is the opening of in which alcohol plus k-drama is equals to your and jungkook’s tears !! 🥰 i rbed it recently that’s why i remembered but i wouldn’t have recalled it too omg it’s only this year but it feels so long ago

(also may i just add, art. i-...stop lying to us all. how much poetry do you have published and listed with the biggest accolades? cause there's no way you just casually write like that and maybe i'm biased, but! if you haven't already received every accomplishment outside of tumblr for your writing it's cause your brain is too good at it for an accolade to even be created that matches it...)

anonie ur such a cutie i love you 😭😭😭 how wonderful would that be <3 in the future though… might have to come up with a pseudonym. i’ll get find out too easily with artemis 🫢

i espcially love how they are very human. not to put down any other works, but the way you write is incredibly realistic which i really appreciate… both your writing and the characters are soft and fluffy but also realistic in the way that it doesn't seem like they're in some dream-world where everything is perfect. they both have flaws and acknowledge them and just seem like, people?

this is something i also very much appreciate hearing 🥺 like this is always one of my concerns, making them feel realistic as a couple and individuals. nowadays we seem to live in a near dystopian world and it’s beginning to feel like long term healthy relationships are seen as unrealistic and it’s honestly sad. it is possible !! between two flawed people who want to make it work !! <3 thank you 😭😭😭

this was one of the best christmas gifts i’ve ever received 🥺 i really didn’t expect to receive such a beautiful message in my inbox. as a writer it’s really so easy to lose motivation but rn i am filled with warmth and pride <3 i love you so much and i hope the year 2024 brings you all the joy you deserve in life! 🫂🩵

[my-excellent-bicycle]

So I finished reading Mark Watson's latest novel, Contacts, which is the second book of his I've read, following Eleven (which I now consider to be one of my favorite novels). I've decided to write down a few thoughts on the novel, light spoilers and very, very long ramblings ahead:

TW: suicide, depression

You could tell Mark drew from personal experience while writing this. If you follow his standup and interviews he's done over the years, you could draw parallels between himself and the book's main character, James. Both have family in Bristol, they both have a sister living somewhere down under (James' sister lives in Australia, while I'm 90% sure Mark's sister lives in New Zealand), and both experienced the dissolution of a years-long relationship. It's not immediately clear where Mark's own experiences and that of James, a character plotting his own suicide, necessarily begin and end, but the latter's characterization felt incredibly real and lived-in.

Overall I really enjoyed how Mark handled mental health and depression in this book. The sadness and hopelessness that comes with depression is talked about lots in media, and it pops up plenty in Contacts as well, but what's also discussed is the shame that comes with it: not even wanting to think the word "suicide," or feeling a certain way while also skirting around the language associated with it. James has these internal struggles at some points throughout the novel, and while it isn't something central to the plot itself, it added an extra layer of humanity to his character.

Circling back to my previous point, I came across an interview he did in promotion of the book, published by the Mirror (I wish I found a better source, sorry), where he said,

"There were stretches of life in which it felt as if it would just be good to be able to get away from it all, to turn things off."

This is fairly similar to how James' suicidal ideations were described in Contacts, in which he sought ending his life as a means of escape, or as a means of relief. I'll be absolutely clear and say I'm so glad Mark seems to be doing much better now, and that he's able to speak on this experience with clarity and in the past tense. But reading that wasn't the most pleasant revelation.

Another thing I loved about Contacts, and Eleven as well, is how Mark likes to write from the perspectives of several different characters, and weave them together to reveal overarching themes. I told my mom about Eleven when I finished reading it, and she went "oh, so it's like Crash?" I'll admit I've never seen Crash, and don't intend to based on all the think pieces telling me how it aged poorly and it was terrible Oscar bait, but I have heard that it deals with the same premise of how everyone's lives are more interconnected than they realize. With Contacts, Mark definitely takes from the same playbook, as with each chapter and switched perspective, he slowly reveals the emotional effects each character may have had on each other, and how every action can have its averse consequences.

Mark also does this thing that I love, where he hints at some catalytic event that happened in a character's life that forced them to act a certain way, but he doesn't quite reveal what that might be until near the end, which gives the reader a much fuller understanding to the character. Several questions are immediately asked near the beginning of the book: why does James want to do this? Why does his sister resent him? How come James and his ex broke up? Why did he and his best friend have a falling out? I enjoy that Mark doesn't insult the reader's intelligence by answering all these questions near the beginning, but instead letting the reader understand where they are emotionally first, in order to further contextualize what may have led them to that point.

Now, this is one thing I did struggle with -- the ending. I'll admit I went on Goodreads before picking up the book, and saw people complaining about the ending, or just finding it weak in general. Upon finishing the book, I was absolutely floored by the resolution at the end, but whether I think it's incredible or just plain confusing is something I'm yet to fully decide on. It was definitely a bold decision, and in the oft chance I'll ever get to ask Mark about it myself (which will probably never happen but a man can dream), I'd want to know his thought process behind it. Not that I want every author to explain the endings to their books to me all the time, but I feel he'd have a very thoughtful response.

Last night after finishing the novel, I went on Google to find any interviews he'd done about the book, and came across this appearance he did on the Writer's Routine podcast from 2020. It's an extremely refreshing listen, as Mark talks at length about his writing process, how he finds inspiration to write, and even his preferences in fonts. Most of the interviews I've consumed of his understandably deal with his comedy, which is of course how he pays the bills, but it was nice to hear from Mark Watson the author, and I wish the interview was longer than its 45-minute runtime. I learned Mark is a Grizzly Bear fan, which makes him cooler than he already was, and that even if he wasn't paid to write, he'd still be doing it anyway. The interviewer pointed out how unusual that was, as many writers he'd spoken to often say how laborious writing can be, but Mark's genuine passion and continuing enjoyment of writing felt inspiring to hear, and maybe it's why I made this giant post about one of his books.

Mark was asked about any advice he'd give to aspiring writers, and in true Mark fashion, he said something to the effect of "I normally don't give advice cause, honestly, I generally don't know what I'm doing," but he urged people to just keep writing and keep things on the page, even if it's shit or not your best work, just to keep the juices flowing.

The entire interview I linked below. It's something I highly recommend, and it doesn't spoil anything about Contacts in case you wanted to pick it up. I'm looking forward to reading whatever novel of Mark's ends up in my lap next, and I'm open to recommendations.

[jennyandvastraflint]

Hi!! Coming to your asks like I threatened to talk about the one frog king movie I enjoyed!

It is the German 2008 Version with Sidonie von Krosigk. You can find it here for reference & in case you want to watch it. (you might need a vpn if you're not in Germany but then it should be free I think? Also, I am just assuming now that I remember correctly and you speak German?)

Bear in mind, the last time I saw it is like 10-15 years ago so my memory is definitely faulty. But I remember I liked a number of things a lot:

There were Sidonie von Krosigk and Marie Luise Stahl and I found that very exciting because I am a child of the 90s and love witches and was accordingly into the Bibi Blocksberg movies that they appeared in (mostly the second one that involved maths tbh)

It's less about the princess and more about a whole friend group of nobles living at the castle and I remember them being precious together

They have that amazing thing (like really WHAT happened there?) that one of the princes only speaks in acronyms. Even when he proposes, I think. 'PS' f.ex. is how he adresses 'Princess Sophie', the main character. Flawless decision making in the writers department - this is the kind of stuff I will still remember in 20 more years. Also, I mean, it was definitely because he was the super rich and powerful prince, but everyone in the friend group accommodated for him, translating for him and making his speech pattern work. So A+ for solidarity there

The princess is - as far as I remember - very aro coded and her relationship to the prince is rather platonic, more like "two people with the same interest (=travelling) have found each other". Maybe I am making this up in my mind to make the movie appeal more to myself but that's how I remember it. Didn't feel much like a marriage in the end and more like, so, we're besties now, goodbye friends, we're off to see Spain! Like, still risky from his perspective to choose HER as a travelling buddy but at least it's not like she can throw him against the wall anymore, human as he is. And she gets to have more personality than 'spoiled' in this tale. So it makes a little more sense for them to go away together.

And I mostly wanted to ask whether you know the movie because of that shared interest being travelling. That is kinda similar to what happens in your story. Not the same motives but the result stays the same, the couple goes off to travel with their servant(s). So I was just wondering.

Anyway the number of frog king related things I enjoy went up to 2 yesterday and I'm very happy for it :)

(That said, I have never watched the Disney version and I feel like I might like it? But I also feel like it has little to do with the original.

...aaand I just remembered there are actually 3 frog king things I enjoy bc there is also a children's book about an unhappy prince and a frog is like 'I'm an enchanted princess, kiss me and you'll be happy and a king and we will have a thousand riches.' So he does and turns into a frog and they are happy together and rule the kingdom of the pond and have a thousand little frog kids together who are their greatest treasures. I liked that one, too. The art was gorgeous.)

Also I feel like I might just get my sister to rewatch the movie with me now. Very risky to do that with things you remember fondly from childhood (also I already remember the animation of the frog to have been terrible so there's that) but it might be fun? And I kinda wanna know how faulty my memory actually is.

Sorry, this is a lot of rambling now but maybe you enjoyed it? It all came up bc of your fic at least :)

I hope you'll have a good day today <3

First of all, hiii :D

I do actually know that one, I think I've watched it when I was younger! (I'm Austrian, so yes, I know German XD) I might have to rewatch it then!

The Disney one is quite nice! I haven't watched it in ages but I think it was one of the Disney films I enjoyed most.

Glad to have provided something happy for you to read!! (shameless self promo but if you enjoy Fairytale retellings - vague and closer to the original - I have one that's vaguely Beauty & the Beast inspired, and one that has a curse and mermaids XD Technically I have a plot for a Sleeping Beauty one but due to hhhhh work I haven't been able to finish any other fics to have time to write that yet. Herm, lots of fic ideas, there's also one with a Minotaur and the labyrinth :P) Tush, enough self promo! I'm glad you enjoyed my fic!

I realised btw that you're the Mels Zucker/Doctor Jones fic that popped up on my Tumblr a few times, and I'm so intrigued by it. I hope to be able to pick up reading it soon👀

Wonderful day to you too!

[rigginsstreet]

This is the same anon. I just figured I'd explain why Jason went crazy on the Sinclairs since you said you weren't sure. Yeah, they were looking Eddie and they were pretty sure he'd be there, and Erica was clearly on some kind of look out so Jason had Andy keep her from possibly warning Eddie about their arrival while Jason went in to check the house out. Andy threatened to break her arms if she kept squirming. That was fucked up and I hate that the writers included that line tbh. A lot of people have been attributing that action to Jason, saying that he instructed Andy to tackle her, but we don't actually see that scene. I do think that Andy is racist, but we don't necessarily know that Jason is but people will treat it like it's fact. (I'm not at all saying that he'd not, I'm not even saying that he's "probably not" in fact he was probably supposed to be in the writing, but it can really be hard to realize the prejudices of your friends if you don't actively talk about it and a lot of people just didn't in the 80s. I once met someone online who I got along with great, but the second they found out I was afab they got super condescending so you wouldn't know unless you were a member of the group. sorry for the side tangent.) He probably was meant to be racist, but for all we know he just asked Andy to distract her and he's the one who went and tackled and threatened her.

The reason he points a gun at Lucas is because he walked in on him with Max in her trance state and he was trying to get Lucas to snap her out of it, but he refused. And tbh, he gave him a lot of grace with it. He tried to wake Max up on his own, gently, but then Lucas got close and tried to physically stop him and he freaked out. He pulled the gun but didn't even shoot until Lucas later lunged at him. Until then he uses the gun to threaten Lucas just to wake Max up. He really is just trying to help in that situation, as well as he can. I really don't blame people for viewing him as racist though. The imagery of an older white boy pointing a gun at a younger black boy could absolutely be very triggering, and other assumptions can easily be made about how the Erica situation went down, and those assumptions could very well be true. I have no way of knowing.

I don't consider myself a Jason defender, but I do get defensive of him when people try to compare him to Billy, but don't even acknowledge the fact that while Billy may have motivations, he still caused a lot of unnecessary harm. It bothers me so hard that they just ignore the fact he attacked Lucas instead of doing, I don't know, literally anything else. I don't really blame him for pushing Steve down at the entrance, but he slammed a little boy into a wall for... existing around his sister? When his sister was the one who made the decision to be there? Like, yeah, the fact she was there could be read as a little sketchy, but he really thinks Lucas is the biggest issue in that situation and targets him? That sounds pretty racist to me. So if people going to talk about the Jason with a gun scene, could they at least explain why he felt the need to target the one black boy in the group instead of the one present adult (or almost adult at least) Steve.

Can't we just view both of them as morally grey characters with interesting perspectives instead of pinning them against each other?

This got a little long. Sorry

The Lucas situation, to me, ultimately has nothing to do with him being black. I mean, maybe it started out that way when billy sees him and max in the parking lot, that’s definitely a valid interpretation, but like…billy would’ve treated any boy max got close to like that. At its core I think it’s about max and who she hangs around with. If her love interest had been mike or will the situation would’ve gone down exactly the same. It’s about max defying his orders. It’s about billy having to keep max on a short leash

The duffers are terrible at writing racism cuz they either go too big (originally writing billy saying the n word) or they make it so vague/a non issue (sweeping the season 2 mike and Lucas ghostbusters thing under the rug) that no one can tell what the hell is going on

I think what sparks outrage about Jason, at least from what I’ve seen, is that he so perfectly mirrors the exact type of dudes we’ve been seeing on the news these past few years. It’s the “upstanding middle/upper middle class christian” white dudes who are marching and protesting about making America great again. The ones who are out shooting people because they think they’re fucking John Wayne or something, main character savior complexes. Jason touches on something very present in our culture right now and I don’t even think the duffers intended for that to be the case. So like, I can’t exactly argue with people not giving him a lot of leeway because we are seeing in real time what harm those specific type of men do. And yes, there are plenty of billys out in the real world too but again, his writing is so vague and there’s so many other valid interpretations you can take from it that it’s not as touchy (well, for those of us who actually criticize the writing itself and canon precedent. Antis with a myopic view of things don’t care to take in all the nuance of billys situation and motives so to them he’s …worse than Jason. Or at least on the same level. Depends on who you ask)

[deancasforcutie]

#co-signed #(and personally I'm booting anyone saying they/the Destiel fandom used to get hatecrimed by Jensen at cons) (via @ironworked)

#like fuck. ‘the writers’ were never the ones calling anyone crazy. it was literally the fandom fighting with each other !!!! #writers being vague abt an ongoing project is normal #and also doubly so when you consider it was actually the NETWORK that was censoring destiel at every turn #like of course the creatives involved are going to be ambiguous when talking abt the topic directly #they are TRYING to put destiel INTO the show #every single cut like or scene was WRITTEN by a WRITER #the writers are not the big anti-destiel enemy. you want someone to blame look at the network aka TPTB #aka the chuck stand in for the final season that the writers were making a commentary about #chuck may be a ‘writer’ but by the end of the show they definitely painted him more as a network exec type with the whole ‘canceling #all his other shows (worlds)’ and explicitly talking abt the spn universe as his favorite show rather than story or book #but anyways! #every time I look at old fandom stuff where fans felt they were being told they were crazy it’s never been from the writers #and most often it was literally just….fandom in-fighting and anti-destiel ppl shitting on the ship and invalidating it #by calling ppl who shipped it delusional. which I mean. i have been in many fandoms and that has literally just the anti playbook #people who are always against a big ship will fight it by calling the shippers delusional #this is getting long but. I’d also argue most of the ‘convention hostility’ was also just. antis / wincest crowd being shitheads #the audience were the ones making things inhospitable to destiel fans #and I am sorry but. actors whose main experience with fandom shipping was ‘being harassed for yrs to the point where #threats were made against his wife and kids and also his wife was given gifts to purposely injure her’ being wary of yet another Big Ship #is completely understandable #and I don’t think ANY of jensen’s initial thoughts on destiel had anything to do with being ‘homophobic’ or hating the idea of it #i just think this man was Tired and also didn’t understand shipping or fandom stuff much and thought ‘oh no the same thing that happened #with wincest /j2 is going to happen with this’ #but that was over a decade ago now and he’s clearly changed his stance as we can see with how much he’s gushed praise for the confession #and had countless positive interactions with destiel fans #i think too many ppl conflate the hurt they felt as a teenager hearing an actor deny their ship and have blown it up into a huge Thing #without ever thinking abt what his perspective on shipping was up to that point #but anyways. no destiel fans you weren’t crazy but none of the ppl the fandom collective hold up as their Enemy are actually the Enemy #fandom (via @angelsdean)

#does anyone recognize the name meghan fitzmartin? she was dabb's assistant hired in season 12 and (co-)wrote two episodes in 14 and 15 #anyway she went on this great podcast where creatives talk about their influences and favourite media #without any prompting she went into a discussion about shipping your comfort character as a proxy for self-love and acceptance #specifically how she relates to dean and likes to read about him being loved and taken care of by castiel #like I DO get where the feelings of persecution are coming from and I've felt that way plenty of times before #but you can easily throw a rock in any direction and find a writer who either hints or full on says they support it (via @microsoftofficesuite)

#give me one - just one - actual verifiable citation if you're going to spew this shit #no one is better at gaslighting supernatural fandom than supernatural fandom (via @swordofsun)

next person who perpetuates the completely fabricated anti-adjacent fandom myth that "the writers" shot down queer dean and deancas interpretations of the text and "told us we were delusional" for seeing any of it is getting blasted directly into the boötes void

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

April 2024 Reading Wrap Up

The Calendar

All hail April!!!! This has been a fabulous reading month. I'm now back on track and have almost completed some of my reading goals. I was really worried my health was gonna hold me back but it hasn't done. I've been ever the bookworm as the usual. Another month where I've read a lot of science fiction month but you can see towards the end of the month that we're dipping into other genres adding more diversity but I have a strong feeling that May is gonna be a very gay reading month for me. Spoilers for May but I have finished Pageboy and This Arab Is Queer and both were fantastic reads.

Finally got to more of my Readalongs for Palestine with This Arab Is Queer and Minor Detail and Minor Detail went really well but it wasn't an easy read at all. A nesscary but not an easy one, please be prepared if you want to learn more about Palestine. Look after yourself after picking it up and take your time, kind of wish I had done that but Adania Shibli deserves the whole world. It's a very clever story and it went ways I did not expect. Read it at least once. This Arab Is Queer is definitely one I'll be keeping as it helped me understand pink washing and scrub a lot of harmful stereotypes out of my head. Hearing queer Arab voices gave me a fresh perspective and a wake up call.

Only two Star Wars books this month which is definitely an improvement. Life Debt wasn't perfect but loads better than Aftermath and a huge improvement so I'm now excited for when I get to Empire Ends. Norra and Sloane are great and the og characters didn't overshadow the new ones. Highlight though was Brotherhood, like Claudia Gray gets Leia, Mike Chen understands Obi-Wan and Anakin, he needs to write more or at least a Mill solo novel. A wonderful Star Wars writer that needs more novels.

Funny how most of the covers I've read have been white. Guess I'm a cover colour reader too. Lallys Game stands out so much that it isn't even funny. My friend got me Lallys Game to keep and needless to say I'm only gonna re read it once then possibly discard it wasn't very good. Honestly it's a shame cos the Epilogue was the literal best part of the book. Based on the Epilogue I'm gonna give the others a shot though.

Highlight though was absolutely finishing S1 of the 8th Doctor Adventures. That season finale was mind spinning and super enjoyable. Review to come but that was definitely my second favourite story of the season and a really enjoyable listen. Part 1 mirrored Black Mirror which is like one of my favourite shows and Part 2 was an action packed battle against the Cybermen. The performances were great too and I'm now eager to explore every Big Finish I can.

2024 really is turning out to be more jam-packed. I'm hoping May will be more diverse in terms of genre but April was definitely a good start.

April Stats

These templates rule and I'm glad I'm sticking with them. Sorry January but my Stats are so much more tidy now. I did very well in April and I'm suprised there's no lighthearted mood in my Stats. May's Stats will also be very interesting. I'm blown away at the diversity and how different it is from January, February and March . It stands out from the other months in all the best way. That's being said let's review...

Again I'm on a 6 for 6 streak and have read 6 books this month but if you want to be more accurate. I've read four books and once again listened to two audios. Surprisingly I read less pages than I did last April as I read 1,137 pages which was 109 pages less than April 2023. I'm not disappointed though as I think I did very well considering how busy I've been with life. Next I listened 2.03 hours which is good bit definitely gonna shoot up as I listen to some of Big Finish's older main range audios. Done very well and I'm proud of myself.

Genres are a little bit more diverse this month I'm heavily impressed. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Literary, Horror, Historical And Contemporary. Of course though Science Fiction comes out on top with four reads/listens. Nice try fantasy. Yeah I'm not suprised, Big Finish is dominating my life to the point I'm really hyperfixated and heavily invested I'll never stop listening to it now the 8th Doctor Adventures have me hooked and eager to explore what else they have to offer. We'll see if another genre trumps it next month, we shall see.

Mainly reads is not budging or changing anytime soon. I do wanna read longer books in the future though as I'm getting really good with my reading speed and need a challenge.

Moods this month were a little more diverse. We had Adventurous (of course), Dark, Sad, Emotional, Mysterious, Tense And Funny. I'll honestly be suprised when Adventurous and Mysterious don't rule a month. I don't really like reading sad books and it's actually one of the lowest moods on my tbr but it was worth breaking that rule for Minor Detail. This month's mood has ironically fit with my mainly reads. I'm not particularly a mood reader but I'm glad I have more of a range this month.

Last April ended with an average star rating of 4.75 but in April 2024 I had an average of 4.46, not surprising though considering Lallys Game and the fact I'm reading/listening to more stuff. Two reads ended up being 4.5 Stars, whilst 2 listens ended up being 5 Stars. (Human Resources Part 1 + 2 absolutely earned that) One read ended up being 4.25 Stars (yes I'm abusing this rating more) and another ended up being 3.5 Stars. (You obviously know which) Let's see what May brings but so far February seems to be the best in terms of ratings.

What a good month of reading stats though, good luck May.

Read/Listens

As I mentioned 6 reads/listens and ones that were all very enjoyable.

Like I mentioned I did good with the Star Wars reads I had this month. Finishing Life Debt got me super excited due to how much more engaging it is but unfortunately Empires End is further down my tbr. Still never the less I'm still really excited now that Chuck Wending improved upon feedback and tried writing the Trilogy better. Man its darker and even more disturbing im suprised it wasn't listed as such. Like The Mandalorian it perfectly shows how corrupt the New Republic are. Brotherhood was just chefs kiss though, it was one that generally suprised. I'm not the biggest prequel fan neither am I the biggest Anakin fan but I still really enjoyed it. I don't want to spoil much about the business on Cato Neimoidia but let's just say that this book serves as the perfect sandwich between Attack Of The Clones and The Clone Wars Show + Movie. Manifesting Mike Chen gets to write another Star Wars book.

Man what a season finale. The 8th Doctor Adventures Series One ended with a literal banger it was absolutely perfect. Didn't beat Immortal Beloved for me but I still really enjoyed it. Chills literal chills. Part 1 felt like a f*** Black Mirror episode and Part 2 felt like a high stakes war battle but set in an office. It was fantastic and I'm now sold on sticking with Big Finish and potentially buying some sets. Didn't care for them at first but I've absolutely grown to care about Lucy and The 8th Doctor as a Tardis team. Human Resources wrapped up all the character arcs really well. One hundred percent a good starting point into Big Finish and a range I'd highly recommend checking out.

Minor Detail was apart of my Readalong for Palestine I'm doing in order to educate people who are still ignorant about the slaughter happening over there. It was a very hard hitting read but something that was nesscary to pick up. It got rid of my eternal biases and really hit hard that before Oct 7th stuff was still bad we all just turned a blind eye. I also found it super clever that the pov was split from a Soldier without making him sympathetic and a young woman whos a journalist wanting to discover the truth of the crime the soldier committed. A short but good read. It was definitely a good recommendation from people.

Then we of course have the Tales of the Pizzaplex series. I didn't know what to expect but I was terribly disappointed! (Don't hurt me fnaf fans)! After reading Step Closer I thought Tales would set itself to a higher standard but it literally doesn't and that's its problem. Lallys Game had lots of wasted potential and it's a shame that the best part of the book was the Epilogue. It earned its 3.5 Stars especially after reading Under Construction which harmfully used Cancer as a horror thing which I'd super creepy and off putting not in the ways you think. I hope Happs is better, really hope Happs is better.

Conclusion

A very good reading month where I got all my planned side reads done, listened and finished the 8th Doctor Adventures Season 1 and devoured some awesome Star Wars novels. Next month is definitely the Gay Month but this month in terms of reads is the Political Thriller month Between Life Debt, Brotherhood and Minor Detail. Very story Political stories I enjoyed. April was great and with my main course work done I'll be able to focus on my reading more. I'm very curious about how May will be.

If you are interested in checking out my full reviews of the novels/audios featured in this post then you can find my profiles on Storygraph and Goodreads

Good Reads: Melody Soundy

Storygraph: melsage1822

Well it has been an absolute pleasure exploring my reading stats with you, so until next time for May's stats.... 😉

-Melody-

They/Them

[oh-phineas]

RP RESOLUTIONS AND HABITS

Write your RPer Resolutions for 2024! (What are some goals for yourself as a writer? Improve descriptions? Plot with more members? Etc.)

Reading more! And not just RP stuff, but all kinds of stuff— fiction, nonfiction, fanfic, blogs, the news... but ALSO I would like to get better at keeping up with the dash. I think reading makes you a better writer and I actually do think I did a lot more of this in 2023 but I want to do it even more in 2024.

Follow-through, organization, keeping track of interactions and relationships (I know I put a version of this on every RP resolutions lmfao) There are so many great one-off interactions I have that I simply forget to follow-up about and then months go by and I'm like oh YEAH these characters interacted and it was great WHY did I let so much time go by without doing something new?!?!? Maybe there's a way to incorporate this into my tracker or something idk. I don't have a great solution here other than just being more mindful when I close stuff but I really do want to get better at this.

Quality over speed: I think sometimes I get so excited about putting something out in the world, whether it's a oneshot or a task or a reply to a thread, that I speedrun it when it might benefit from marinating a little longer. I'd like to slow down and smell the roses more this year!

Write at least one resolution, or “goal,” that you have as an RPer for your character(s)

Phineas: I want him to fail in some way! I think that'd be interesting to explore this year because things are going pretty well for him rn all things considered.

Tiana: Last year I talked about getting tempted by fame and fortune, this year I think I might actually be able to put it into motion! So I'll second that. Generally also just want to make sure I'm keeping up with some older relationships of hers, knights and stuff like that.

Aquata: Move her toward my goal of being involved in sports management stuff (y'know what she went to school for lol) with her work at the gym! Would also like for her to reckon with political stuff and what she's accomplished/hasn't accomplished on Board

Bruce: I hate to do this but I genuinely can't I'm sorry!!! But lots of growth and reflection and big decisions, that's all I wanna say at this point.

Anastasia: Introduce a new challenge with parenting Levi! I'd also like to delve a little more into her desire to get remarried because she's struggling with single parenting I think more than she expected to and I've written some stuff on that theme lately that I've really enjoyed.

Tanya: I haven't kept this a secret, she's gonna move on </3 But first I want her to get to a satisfying place in her relationships, which means working out her weirdness toward the Snow Quartz situation LMAO, maybe getting some closure with Penny, maybe open up a bit more about her past with Mim, stuff like that.

Mirabel: Get a little messy and #gayotic— she and Alice got into a monogamous relationship right off the bat and now I think it's time for her to explore. I feel like I kicked this off with Candace and now Penny but I want more stuff like that. Confront more of how she really feels about her history, and some family stuff that is #spoilers.

Lightning: I want to keep building toward him becoming a better person and rebuilding his relationship with Cruz! This year I also want to be better about portraying what's going on in the racing world because it's important and I sometimes let that fall by the wayside. I've realized in ruminating on his failures in his love life that he may need a female friend to tell him women's perspectives on things (sorry if that's reductive but he genuinely doesn't have any his own age and I think it would help him a lot LMAO)

Smee: Be a bad influence on the town's youth :D

Roz: Flesh out her relationships with Karen and Randall, maybe do some flashbacks??? I'd definitely like to do more RAS stuff with her, but also some regular situations where she draws on her RAS training. I think the big challenge with Roz is always Putting Her In Situations because she is an introverted/quiet character and you gotta be intentional with that sometimes so they don't stagnate.

Write at least one resolution IN CHARACTER for your characters. What do THEY want to accomplish or change in the New Year?

Phineas: Still get Build a Brand on the New York Stock Exchange! Be a good boyfriend to Fawn. Expand SPF and do more outreach. Launch that conference he and Pip were talking about?? Set up Ed with a hot new partner!! Be epic :)

Tiana: Beat Gusteau's Continue to make the restaurant a success! Be there for her friends.

Aquata: Get her certification to be a trainer, get her job on the Board back, protect the other merpeople of Swynlake

Bruce: Learn how to make tempura! Keep his Letterboxd up to date. Listen to more informative podcasts. Help the other merpeople of Swynlake.

Annie: Teach Levi something new. ...get a new husband, maybe.

Tanya: Leave everything on a good note :')

Mirabel: Master the basics of DnD! Pass her classes! Figure out wtf she's gonna do after next year...

Lightning: Become a better person (???)

Smee: Get the crew back together and get the hell out of this place

Roz: Assist the Swynlake RAS team and accomplish the Society's goals. Do something nice for Bob's birthday. Investigate new methods of sharing information among Swynlake Secondary parents?

List one or more characters you have never interacted with that you would like to do so

It's mainly new characters!!! Sorry folks the holidays have me running around like crazy!!!

Camilo - my cousin!! Let's flesh out that relationship!! Lots of exciting stuff coming up for the Madrigals so I think it'll be easy to make this happen

Tófi - insane that I have not written with our reptilian ruler yet. Something with Smee mayhaps? Let's throw those villains together >:)

Queen Clarion - I feel like we GOTTA throw her and Aquata together!!! I don't have a strong idea on this also but maybe something with Phineas because 1. he's a buffoon lmfao and 2. idk something to do with Fawn lol

Talk a bit about your plotting style – what plots are you most drawn to? Do you prefer to come with a fully-formed idea and plot off that, or throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks?

Plots I am drawn to!!!

I am generally pretty open-minded! I do a lot of silly little slice of life plots, hence my army of Mundus characters lmfao. I sometimes struggle with more intense lore-heavy plots but if you have an idea I am always down to clown just let me know what you need from me. I think I said last year that my genre is a sitcom episode (which doesn't mean there can't be drama and tears and magic!) because I am frequently very lighthearted but I like when things have a bittersweet emotional core. I like romance and shipping but I think my plots tend to more often be about friendship and family just because I write what I know and those are the big things in my life right now haha.

Also bears repeating from last year I think— I don't do smut but I'm always down for a steamy plot as long as we can fade to black or zoom out for the actual deed if that makes sense (I don't mind if we describe how the Scenario went, I just don't really want to get into the nitty gritty details basically). I think there is a lot of interesting stuff that happens around those situations and I'd love to explore that!

I also write a lot of fights and conflict and morally questionable characters, so as always, please feel free to come talk to me if an interaction is going an uncomfortable direction for whatever reason! At the end of the day this is supposed to be fun and I really want to make sure my partners are always having fun <3

Plotting style!!

I am a big fan of just throwing characters together to see chemistry vibes, especially if they have some interesting thing that connects them. This doesn't always lead somewhere groundbreaking, but sometimes it can be a good foundation and since my rping background before this was with a very plot-light group, I still like to use those improv muscles every now and than! So if we're in a thread like that and it's starting to stall sometimes I like to throw in a Quirky Situation lol.

With that in mind, PLEASE always feel free to let me know if you're not comfortable with the direction of something and we can retcon/walk it back/pause until we figure out the right direction! I hope that doesn't sound scary lol when I say "twist" I literally just mean like idk maybe my character suddenly spills their drink or maybe they say something goofy but I'd never want to ruin a thread for someone with something like that so yeah I am always flexible!!

ALL that being said, I am also always down to plot something out very specifically, whether it's a big arc or just a minor silly thing. Please don't feel like you need to have a fully-fleshed idea to approach me— I am always down to brainstorm. Sometimes I might ask if you have something in mind but if you don't that's totally okay! I just like to ask before I start taking over haha. I know I will frequently approach people like "hey I had this idea and I'm not totally sure how to accomplish it but if you're down to brainstorm...." and tbh sometimes I may ask if we can pause so I can noodle on something but again that's not due to a lack of enthusiasm that's just because sometimes my brain needs some time to marinate on an idea

Talk a bit about character relationships – what relationships are you most drawn to? How do you prefer to approach shipping (if at all!)? What, specifically, are you looking for right now for your character relationships? 

As I mentioned before, I write a lot of friend stuff and a lot of family stuff! I like when that stuff is complicated, when maybe communication has broken down or people struggle to understand each other or hurt each other even though there is love there. But I am also very happy with sweet chill relationships and I enjoy those greatly <3 I also write a lot of enemies! I'm very drawn to rivals and stuff that exists in kind of a gray area. I think it's fun when characters are wrong about each other or let their judgments and biases get the better of them.

I'm also down for a good ship! Ngl I tend to lean toward short-term stuff or at least relationships that change a LOT— I've never really done an endgame ship and I'm not opposed to them at all but I just don't have a lot of experience there! Honestly to me if a relationship is interesting I'll probably find it interesting whether they're together or broken up or friends or whatever. I always say this but I definitely need to be less shy about saying so when I ship something bc I tend to be a little shy lmaooo. But I promise I will never be offended if you don't ship something that I've said I do, as I've said we're all just here to have fun and I wanna work together to make a plot that works for both of our characters <3

Plotting Exercise! Pick one of the resolutions/goals in #3 and plan a rough guideline to how you could accomplish it. Here’s an example.

LIGHTNING LEARNS TO RESPECT WOMEN MORE

LIGHTNING attends a panel at Pride U on women's history month as a way to try and become more #educated and to help him on his #journey. Afterward, he approaches one of the panelists, QUEEN CLARION, and puts his foot in his mouth by trying to flirt with her.

HERA, overhearing the conversation, remarks that he's incapable of having a conversation that doesn't go a flirty direction, which he disagrees with. They make a bet.

To test the bet, they go to Pixie's. They relay the story to MARLIN, who is skeptical of Lightning but also offers some helpful tips about royal fairy protocol.

On the walk home, LIGHTNING and HERA actually have a deeper conversation about how LIGHTNING'S attitude is harmful. He confesses some of his reasoning for acting the way he does, but vows to do better.

Taking what he learned from HERA, LIGHTNING approaches CASS to apologize for how their date went. She quickly declines the idea of another date, but he clarifies he's just here to apologize— and they discuss whether they can eventually be friends.

At another town event, LIGHTNING once again runs into QUEEN CLARION and says something stupid— but this time, he remembers what MARLIN told him and manages to salvage the interaction.

He relays the whole story on a run with DOC, who rags on him but is ultimately proud of him.