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howaboutcastiel · 3 months ago

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It’s posted

(chapter 19 of Find a New Way)

I’m gonna add some extra authors notes no one probably wants to read here. So it doesn’t clog up the already massive ao3 page (the chapter is 10000 words for Christ’s sake. WOW)

In my opinion this chapter kind of went from, idk 60? To like a 90. I’m not going to call it 100 for obvious reasons. There was no death and no described sexual assault, and the non-sexual assault that took place was not described in great detail.

Some of it parallels the TV show’s narrative. Some of it is how the characters in my story would differ from the show’s characters in their decision making. Din has killed plenty of people in front of Grogu, and presumably would in front of Ragnar, in the show. He hesitates in the story though. Idk, that wasn’t what was important to me.

I had the plan to redeem Paz for a while. Gotta be honest and say he ticks me off in the show for being a religious zealot, but he also had an honorable death and ultimately lived the way he thought was best and I wanted to honor that for him. So I decided maybe he’s not just a creepy stalker asshole that broke Din’s heart.

The rituals… yeah, they’ve been in my back pocket all along. As well as the belief that Din was the Mand’alor. I didn’t put much foreshadowing in for the latter, just because I didn’t know how. Unsure of the former and if it came across as consistent with how I talked about their rituals previously.

I think that Din in the show and the story has always been a messiah figure and he would be a good ruler of Mandalore (not Bo Katan Favreau what are you THINKING)

He was so faithful that he saw the corruption of his religion and how it was hurting his people (and his family) and he’s always adhering to the IMPORTANT parts of the creed like honor and loyalty and dignity.

In regards to “Cobb doesn’t need to know”… I have nothing to say for myself. Din thinks it would be better to keep the really bad stuff a secret. He hasn’t told Cobb everything and he doesn’t really plan to. The conversion therapy was bad. The rituals the Watch performs are bad. The festivals are bad. The child abuse was bad.

As for Qin… I just needed it to be confirmed that Din in this story has killed someone. It’s pretty obvious Cobb has. And Din’s entire thing in the show is being a bounty hunter and therefore killing people a lot. Qin was a good target for that. Fuck him anyway. And Din did indirectly kill him in the show. And would have directly killed him if he had to.

Gideon I have no notes about. He’s a mean old man that likes power. And he wanted one last chance to be the hero and he’s jealous of Din’s mantle.

That’s pretty much it. I know it’s at least three chapters worth of content, realistically. But honestly penultimate episodes get really intense really fast in lots of media. Look at episode 6 of moon knight. Look at episode 9 of Star Wars. They cram that shit in there at the last second all the time.

#yapping #find a new way #the mandalorian #dincobb

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soodoonimin · 4 months ago

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World War Z was a read

The first time I read this book was when I was like 11 or so and that was mostly because my dad read it so I wanted to but then realized that it wasn't really about zombies and I got really bored really fast and put the book down and never picked it up again.

Until a couple weeks ago.

And it's funny because I read Deevolution and saw the World War Z movie and was didn't care for either of them so idk why I wanted to read about zombies all of sudden but I did. So I read this book and I have a some thoughts lol

So for me, it's kind of funny that you can kind of tell that a white guy wrote this book? And not just a white guy but you can very much tell that this book was like written with the mindset of "both sides of the American political isle are bad but capitalism is still good guys."

And there are definitely some egregious examples in this book that are just exhausting but honestly I wasn't too surprised. This book was written in the early aughts, post 9/11, mid-bush admin, and by a potentially middle class born and bred dude.

And really there were some times where I laughed at the sheer absurdity of some of the things people were saying (and who was saying them). But there were also times where I saw had to stop reading because of the sheer horror and existential dread Brooks was able to conjure up.

This is an old book but idk some people are weird about spoilers sooo:

Like the penultimate chapter where the Navy guys talks about the whale population being depleted for various reason that may or may not have been integral to humanity's survival, the entirety of the battle of Yonkers, or the story when the German military was leaving its people behind and how he was willing to kill his superior officer because he was so angry at him for ordering them to leave like that and angry at himself for following orders, but the two stories that really made my blood run cold was the story about South and North Korea I won't spoil this one bc I think this one really needs to experienced without spoilers (especially that final line) , and finally the recounting of events from the semi-rehabilitated feral child. CHILLS. I understand that a book like World War Z couldn't be written (necessarily) without the politics, I just wish it had been written by someone who could conjure up that same unbridled terror and had a competent understand of actual world politics and history and not just the American version of those two things.

Idk. this book is almost 20 years old and I will honestly truly, never read it again but I'm glad that I did come back it at least this one time and got to experience the existential terror of World War Z.

#random post #world war z #Idk what brain worm got in my head to read this book but I'm not mad that it did #I just really wish Max Brooks was smart #like it makes me kind sad and annoyed #but whatever #good horror

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bonesandthebees · 1 year ago

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Also, while I’m here. Could you do 2, 4, 6, 13, 17 and 18 for the ask game if those haven’t been answered? Or pick any of those cuz it’s a lot.

-🌲

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

Absolutely. I write my fics for myself first and foremost, so yeah I reread them a lot. It doesn't hit the same as it would reading someone else's fic, but there are so many times I want a very specific niche of content I can't find and I'm just like "well gotta do it myself." A lot of times I even get distracted from writing bc I start rereading a different fic of mine. that almost happened with world forgetting last night but I pulled myself out before I could start rereading it bc I had stuff to do lmao

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

Uh. This depends on your definition of WIP. If you mean something in progress I know for sure I will continue posting, then 2 right now (glass and tinfoil) (and also the series that roses was a prequel to but I haven't started properly writing it yet I've just been doing a ton of worldbuilding for it recently). But if we're talking anything in progress that I might end up posting at some point but probably won't... too many to count

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

the thing is with the fics I REALLY enjoyed (like from a storytelling perspective) I won't actually reread that much because if I do, I want to sit down and do it properly yknow? so the fics I reread tend to be easier, simpler one shots or just snippets of fluff fics if I just need a shot of serotonin straight to the brain. I will say though, I make it a point to reread ritual purposes by thanotaphobia on a semi-regular basis because there's just something about the atmosphere and the story and all of it that really hits for me. just the way roxy describes small details scratches an itch in my brain so I adore rereading it just to pick up on those smaller bits

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

If it's a 'smaller' fic (ie: anything below 100k words like honey and tangerines and below) then I'll usually do a loose bullet point outline of the entire thing before I start writing. if it's one of my big fics then when I start I usually know the beginning, the end, and some in between scenes I know I'll throw in at some point, but that's it. I'll do a loose bullet outline usually 2-3 chapters at a time, but I won't plot out the entire thing in one go because then I'll get bored of it. Coming up with most of the plot as I go helps me to not only keep myself interested, but I feel like it helps the plot flow better because I get into a rhythm with the story and I can let it go places I didn't originally plan

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

well the other day I googled "heat capacity of rivers" doing research for the eventual big royalty fic I'm gonna do after glass is over so. learning a lot of climate stuff! (apparently the reason coastal cities have a cooler, more stable climate than inland areas is because of the heat capacity of the ocean so I wanted to see what the heat capacity of a river would be and if a river would have a similar if less noticeable effect on the climate of a town)

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

I usually answer with the same thing every time so I tried finding a different answer to this question this time around

I really loved this whole segment I wrote in the penultimate chapter of stars. especially the lines about Prince Theseus being a child of Eldingvegr itself. Idk what I was on but I just love the mental image this provokes

ty for these spruce!!

ask game!

#ask game #spruce anon

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kitlaf · 11 months ago

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i read the penultimate peril and now i can die happy. (it gave me rabies)

the netflix chapter of TPP is wonderful and i love it but there were just some things I found odd that they left out. however it does provide us with that wonderful wonderful opera scene. I think I like the book better, though. gonna read The End tomorrow might finish it in one day or two idk. ok VFD nation, signing off 🔥🔥💯💯

#asoue

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superblysubpar · 10 months ago

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I came across a drable for it had to be you and I was like cool I'll read the story first...girl that was this morning it is noon and I've spent the entire day giggling kicking my feet and sobbing over it (seriously idk if it's because I'm PMSing but the second he showed up with Leigh I was a goner) like holy fucking shit what a series?!?? the penultimate chapter with the confession straight up belongs in a romcom I'm gagged I need a million more drabbles from the universe (honorable mention to Eddie who was a sweetheart the entire time)

You have no idea how much this means to me!! I'm so glad you found the story and this world, it's become a very close piece of my heart I'm sharing 💛 and I actually did get inspired from this fic and everyone's reactions to jump into a new career and I am trying to write those romcoms you speak of in this incredibly too kind note 💛💛 I hope it's a movie on people's screens one day 🥹

I hope you continue to love the universe and I'm so glad you're here!! (And yes, wcil Eddie is very close to my heart, I hope we can all continue to convince @rebelfell to share her story of him she's been working on 🤞🏻)

#taylor's asks 💋#we'll call it love

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aizenat · 1 year ago

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Since I’m uploading my penultimate chapter of my story, I read tvat and then the last chapter and is it weird that it had me so emotional? Like I was reading it not like I was a writer, but as if I was a reader? I got all emotional and even TEARED UP during the penultimate chapter. And then the last one I had to pause to like fangirl and get super excited over something I WROTE AND ALWAYS KNEW WOULD HAPPEN! And like idk it’s super fun???? I’m so happy! I just want to write so much!!!!

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mysteriesofloves · 2 years ago

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the milk and honey route + 3,7,9,13 <3

the milk and honey route

What’s your favorite line of narration?

i’m going to go with the first two (passages) that popped in my head, from chapter three:

The girl – her name escapes him, maybe she never gave it – has her tongue in his mouth, sweet from her drink, and his bottle slips from his hand, fingers curling in thick hair. He thinks that’s how Blair’s hair would feel in his hands, a fistful of her curls and a mess of gloss between them and that perfume of hers. This girl doesn’t smell like that – she smells like sunscreen even though it’s almost winter.

and chapter five:

Dan is still grinning, although the shit-eating has been dropped into something more sincere. There’s a sweater stuffed in her dresser and books on her bedside table and a pack of candy on the counter, and while none of it carries the same weight as the little gold heart she passed around from sleeve to sleeve, Blair wonders if maybe they’re the same thing.

Where did the title come from?

so when i was planning the fic i could not for the life of me think of a good title that encapsulated the vibe i was going for, and then i was rewatching mad men and the penultimate episode was titled the milk and honey route, and it’s in reference to the saying “the land of milk and honey” where things are plentiful and life is easy. the fic has nothing to do with the episode, and i think the episode really means it in a more ironic sense, but when taken genuinely i felt it fit really nicely, and it’s still one of my favourite titles <3

Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

oh my god SO MANY. the fic that is posted is nothing like the original first draft, really only the first two chapters remained the same. for one it was going to extend for another 2-3 chapters but i ended up axing the end because i was really frustrated with it. i didn’t truly love anything i had after chapter 8 so i ended it there. for another the entire getting together in chapter 5 was supposed to happen solely over the phone—like, i had a funny, clumsy attempt at feelings declarations turned phone sex and a completely different actual first time scene for the longest time. don’t ask me why i cut that, idk why. there’s literally so many scenes and alternate storylines that i took out because i just couldn’t get them down in a way i liked. i know there’s one in particular i’d like to take a second crack at and post because i loved the idea—a scene where blair comes across a younger girl by herself in the bookstore and they end up having a conversation about their moms and boys.

What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

so i always listen to music while writing, not necessarily to get in the mood for the story but just because i need music. charli xcx’s album how i’m feeling now and the weeknd’s album after hours were on repeat in general, and folklore came out while i was writing and posting and invisible string and mirrorball were on repeat, and those make good accompaniments! also the chorus of cardigan, but just the chorus, because of The Sweater.

other than those, i think you are in love is the anthem for this fic, right?

fic ask game

#tmahr #asks

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twinge-of-cosmicangst · 3 years ago

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I don’t usually talk about books on here (other the asoiaf) but I just finished girl woman other and asbbnmallsnk the epilogue had me generally shook even though I should of seen of seen it coming:

Major spoilers below for Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo:

So anyway while reading the book I was under the impression that all the women in the book were poc of African descent, and then the Penelope chapter came along and I was like ok maybe not then, but then of course her chapter mentioned that she found out she was adopted when she was an adult but didn’t know who her parents were. For most of her chapter I was like ok then it’s quite likely that one of her parents were poc, but that theory was kind of pushed to the back of my mind while I was reading. Penelope was an interesting character as Evaristo made you empathise with her and then you’d fell bad for doing so because you’d be reminded how racist she was, she was someone mildly racist on the outside but deeply racist on the inside (what I mean by this is that the way she presented her views outwardly, people may think “she was born in a different time” or she just old fashioned, but actually seeing her thoughts makes you understand how her views are intreched in white supremacy) Her views were also actively harmful because she was a teacher in a diverse school, she would obviously never say anything overtly racist to the kids because it is taboo but because she viewed minority students as inferior she would obviously consciously or unconsciously treat them differently which would obviously effect their education, and it illustrates that if say 1 in 10 teachers in every school are racists (and its probably more then that) and there are about 40 teachers in a secondary school idk, 4 of them would be racist, that would have big negative impact on poc children’s education nationally. But I think the fact Evaristo humanised Penelope, despite her wretched views, is incrediblebly important because racists are human, all humans have the potential to let ignorance and bias effect them and cause them to harm other people even if they don’t realise they are doing so.

By the end of Penelope’s chapter the question of her biological parents is not resolved, though for some reason I did not find this odd and moved onto the next chapters without wondering who Penelope’s parents could be, eventually I got to Hattie: the penultimate POV before the last chapter “the after party” Hattie was probably my favourite out of all the characters, I enjoyed her whole story and felt heartbroken for her when she became pregnant as a teenager and her father forcefully took her baby away. I read her chapter and then her mother’s chapter which was also one of my favourites. I certainly felt more frustration about Hattie not reuniting with her long lost child then I did for Penelope not finding out who her birth parents were, but for reason I did not find it odd that Evaristo would write this plot point and go nowhere with it, I suppose I thought she was just demonstrating how life is tragic and often things don’t get resolved and the plot point happened in the first place to demonstrate the misogyny and injustice that women, historically could just have the baby’s taken away because they were bastards and would ruin their reputation. Before now I had thought myself quite an observant reader, but obviously not, as I could not connect the date that Hatties baby was taken away with that fact that an age appropriate Penelope who didn’t know who parents were although narratively speaking it would make sense that one of them would not be white.

Anyway I read the after party and then finally got to the epilogue which of course was about Penelope, At first I was shocked that Penelope of all the characters was the one that Evaristo had decided to end the book on, but obviously within a few pages I realised WHY the book was ending with her, as soon as she was talking about doing a DNA profile it FINALLY clicked that she was obviously Hattie’s daughter. When I realised I began to speed read like it was a thriller! not the piece of literary fiction that it is, I had to find out if she would find out who her mother was after the DNA mapping and when she did I was desperate to see them meet, at first fearing that Penelope would hesitate either because of her racial bias or because of the understandable reluctance to meet birth parents that many adoptees go feel, obviously there was extra anxiety reading this because Hattie was incredibly old, sentiment shared by Morgan via email! lmao. But thankfully Penelope decided to meet Hattie straight away. Evaristo’s character work really paid off here as at that moment I felt so invested in Hattie and Penelope that they seemed like real people now, not fictional characters anymore. I felt relief and closure when they finally met, my only complaint is that I wished we’d seen more of Hattie and Penelope’s reunion, even if was just a page, especially considering most of the final pages before the reunion were discussing Penelope irritating new partner who liked to read a lot but had never EVER read a book by a woman 🙄. I would of liked to of seen what Hattie and Penelope made of each other, of course Penelope’s racism wouldn’t of been immediately cured by finding out she has a mixed race mother but it certainly would of made her question some of the beliefs she holds, and of course I just wanted to see a bit more of Hattie as she was my favourite.

Alas the best writers always leave you wanting more, and the fact that Hattie and Penelope were just 2/12 of the characters centred in this book and yet I had this much to say about them goes to show just how much of a great writer Evaristo is. The other characters are also intertwined in many different ways, some in obvious ways and some more subltle, but all the connections feel natural and not forced. One of the main things I took away from this book was that how we see ourselves and how we see ourselves in relation to other people is often very different to how other people see us and vice versa, and for this reason we should be less judgemental of people because we don’t always know their life, their story, we don’t know how it feels to be them and they don’t know what it feels like to be us, but we should always try to understand what it’s like to for them even though we can never fully knows what it like to be someone else to have someone else’s experience, we should try to understand, to have empathy. Idk if anyone has bothered to read all my ramblings but if you have and you read this book, did you see the Hattie and Penelope thing coming or not? was it actually not that obvious or am if just and idiot? lol. Anyway it was a 5/5 star read for me, it was the first book by Evaristo I have read but I will certainly be reading more!

#girl woman other #bernardine evaristo #books #booklr #booker prize #woman’s prize for fiction

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piercebaron · 4 years ago

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episode 22 and adaptations

Actually, I do want to talk about it! I feel like episode 22 encapsulates my “weird” feelings towards the anime adaptation and how it has cut and reframed certain things. It’s not bad? Just weird.

Spoilers for the Plunderer anime and for the manga, up to chapter 36.

prefacing all of this with a general note: if you’ve only seen the anime, please read the manga. You’re valid, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the anime, but please read the manga because as horny as Minazuki is (and the man is . . . very, very much so), his art is also amazing and some of his panels deserve a second, third, or even a fourth look. The little details here and there actually crop up later and become important, and it’s just great. Chapters 46 - 53 are some of my favorite in media in a long, long time and I absolutely cannot wait until they’re released in an official capacity so I can fork over my money for them.

(seriously, you guys don’t know how hard I’ve tried to legally purchase volume 13. I want to give my money to this series so bad.)

This will also be a little scattershot and bounce around between other episodes, so apologies in advance. I’m trying to double-check chapters and whatnot as I go but if I get something wrong or miss something, please don’t hesitate to correct me in the replies! I’ve been watching the anime through Funimation’s site -- dubbed up through episode 11 and then subs from then on.

Adaptations! Adaptations. By their very nature, they are not a 1:1 sort of thing. A lot of times, you’ll hear people say “read the book” when a movie adaptation of said book comes out. This is because by its very nature, a movie adaptation simply can’t capture everything in the book -- nor should it. Little things will slip through the cracks. This doesn’t make the movie adaptation bad, necessarily, just that it loses something.

By the same token, if someone tried to do a direct 1:1 adaptation of a book where, say, the book is used as a script (which is an extremely bad idea for so many reasons, please have a script oh my goodness), chances are it’s not going to be a very good movie. There are musicals, for example, where when filmmakers try to make them into films, they flop because they’re not “cinematic.” The directors didn’t take into account the shift in mediums or, more likely, they sorely underestimated it. Understandable, since it’s two visual mediums, but still.

This is all leading up to me talking about Plunderer, I swear.

Manga to anime is a tricky, tricky thing. A manga has [X] amount of pages to work with, depending on if it’s a weekly or monthly series (or even some different increment!). The author, then, has to structure their chapters accordingly, moving things along to keep the reader interested while also controlling the ebb and flow of the story. Note how when the chapters end, they’re engineered to keep you wanting to read more!

Anime is similar in that respect, except the crew has 20-22 minutes to fill over the course of 12 to 24 episodes depending on the series order. Plunderer, ftr, had a 2 “cour” order from the get-go. They have to plan out the series as a whole, figuring out certain things like, where will the season end? What are the big beats, when will we hit them? Etc. It’s no coincidence that the “school” arc started right around episode 12, which is the halfway point of the series; note how there was that filler episode with Hina and Lynne cooking, after all.

When I started watching the anime after reading the manga, I assumed they’d end the season with, roughly, the end of chapter 36. It’s a nice “resolution” to a lot of things that had been building up over the series. Hina and Licht are finally together, Licht has resolved to keep his mask off and face the future, Jail has a new direction, Lynne -> Licht is basically resolved, and Pele’s layers finally get peeled back just a bit.

I saw some predictions online that they’d leave off at the cliffhanger in chapter 39 and while that’s a good guess, in terms of narrative ebb and flow for an anime, it doesn’t really line up. They’d really have to rush some stuff (Charles!! i love you, charles) to get there and in terms of a product that they want to be able to market in several territories, it makes more sense to give it some feeling of resolution. That said, what’s more likely along that vein is us potentially getting some sort of stinger at the end of episode 24 with one character talking to That Certain Character, and us getting a brief, shadowy shot of said character to make people go “ohhhhh shit, dude.”

but idk this anime has made some strange choices.

Going into that! I’ve mentioned this here and there and talked about it with a friend, but the choices the anime has made in terms of adaptation is, uh, pretty strange at times. When changes get made, my instinct is to try and think through why they were changed and, ultimately, if it really affects the story in any way. If I went through the entire anime, it would be an extremely dull read; please know, however, that I am forever sad we missed Jail’s computer antics and Pele being the ultimate shit when it comes to Nana’s video, even if I understand why they were cut.

That said, episode 22 is a perfect example of this, so uh. Let’s dive in, shall we?

The chapters that episode 22 covers are chapters 33 and 34. The events leading up to it are pretty much the same, but episode 22 contains some divergences. Going through them quickly:

We see more of Pele and Hina trying to stop Douan from going after Lynn.

Sonohara doesn’t show up during this confrontation. Hina gets her “the body was too clean” line instead.

Because Sonohara doesn’t show up, it’s Douan who attacks Lynn instead, causing her injuries with rocks. In the manga, Sonohara shows up, is drugged by Douan, and shoots a couple of bullets at Lynn.

Nana is just randomly lurking around?? In the manga, it’s clear she got caught at the same time. I’m really not sure what was up in the anime. Douan just yanks her out from behind a wall.

Douan sits with Nana, Hina, and Pele until morning, telling them he’ll kill them at dawn if Licht doesn’t show up. In the manga, he sits back and lets Sonohara terrorize them with a game of Russian Roulette, and Hina promptly (without words) calls Sonohara’s bluff.

Jail doesn’t show up in this episode at all. Instead, Hina gets his “did you check?” line.

We actually see Nana leave with Pele when he takes Lynn off. It looks like we’re going to actually see Doctor Pele in action, maybe? Hina is later sent off to help them.

Sonohara shows up towards the end, already drugged. Based on Douan’s line, it’s assumed that she was drugged off screen by the Secret Service. In the manga, he forcefully injects her.

The end of the episode sets up episode 23 to be Licht vs. Douan and Sonohara, with the preview showing Jail jumping into the fray.

whew, that’s a lot.

I actually get why most of these changes were made! Setting up the penultimate episode of the series to be this big battle is a necessary change for an anime. And narratively speaking, this is much cleaner than it was in the manga, where Sonohara shows up briefly at the beginning of chapter 33, is drugged, and then basically exists to be crazy and antagonize people. It’s less balls in the air for the staff to have to juggle and for the audience to follow.

Douan’s character also gets some more depth. It’s funny because I feel like in the anime, he’s much more cruel than he was in the manga originally -- which is a feat, let me tell you. The anime flipped that in this episode, though, by not having Douan force the drugs onto Sonohara.

The manga frames it as him doing it because he believes he knows what’s best for her, he’s trying to protect her in his own awful way, but it’s also, you know . . . nonconsensual as hell and gross on so many levels. This takes that off his shoulders which is a good change, honestly.

But we lose some little character moments for the others in terms of streamlining. I think the thing that bums me out the most is Jail’s stuff. In the manga, after the confrontation with Alan, Jail steps in, calls Sonohara out and snaps her out of her drugged stupor without much of a fight (”without conviction, your bullets can’t pierce me”) and then slaps down the iron throne, telling Douan to shut up because Licht is coming. Chapter 34 ends with him just dead-eye staring at Douan like yeah, it’s annoying, but look. You’re the one who calls him a cockroach. Jail saying “did you check?” is a major mic drop moment and it’s basically when, from then on, Jail does not give a single flying fuck about the barons / aces.

It definitely should be noted that some of these Jail moments will probably pop up in other ways in the next episode. I fully expect the bit about Sonohara’s bullets to come up, at least.

We lose out on Sonohara stuff too, though. She willingly throws herself into the lion’s den, shooting at Douan to distract him for long enough to allow Lynne to get away. It’s Sonohara who points out that Licht’s body was too clean -- something that makes more sense as someone who’s known him for 300+ years, knows what it means to be a baron / ace, and wasn’t immediately dragged off by the Secret Service. Her then terrorizing them while drugged is also a moment because when she forces Nana to play Russian Roulette, Hina immediately grabs the gun and points it at her head, firing all the “shots.” It’s empty, showing that despite the drugs, Sonohara didn’t want to kill them and Hina knew that all too well.

with all that said, I should note here that it’s entirely possible this scene will show up in some form next episode. Sonohara is still drugged and Hina, Nana, and Pele are all together in the bunker that is right nearby. I kind of doubt it given how the episode is framed and because narratively, it makes more sense to focus on the Licht vs. Douan and Sonohara -> Licht and Jail vs. Douan and Sonohara fight than to have Sonohara split off to randomly terrorize them, but. Like I said, this anime has made some strange choices.

Of course, character moments we get instead are Hina and even Pele being metal as hell. As much as I’m flapping my hands about losing the little character moments for Jail and Sonohara, it’s clear that they thought about how to utilize those moments while streamlining things, and they do work for Hina. And honestly, it’s really nice to see more stuff with her and Lynn? They get some cute panels later on in the manga (think chapter 55), but I like ladies and I like some lady solidarity. And Hina getting those little moments is on the same level as her straight up pointing a gun at her head all “you won’t kill me.”

and on a selfish note, I am actually really excited to see Pele tend to Lynn. The anime has been good about fleshing them out more and giving them little moments. My little shipper heart is delighted.

In the end, does it change much? Not really. These are small things, ultimately, just like how we didn’t lose much with the added filler and cut moments during the school arc. It’s all ultimately in the name of adaptation and while it’s weird, it’s not necessarily “bad.” It’s jarring for me as someone familiar with the manga (and having stared at some of these panels for so long, I’ve gotten really familiar with it), but thinking on it critically, yeah, I can see why.

they better damn well do the “how did you know I could do surgery?” scene in the last episode though or I will be super bummed, okay.

#plunderer #anime #long post #manga and anime differences

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littlehollyleaf · 4 years ago

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(I had a really long, detailed version of this....... but Tumblr ate it D’: so this is... heavily abridged, sorry!)

Tagged by the ever lovely @castiel-saved-me-from-myself <3

pick 10 ships without reading the questions

Interesting... ok!

1. Dean/Cas (obviously)

2. Aziraphale/Crowley

3. Nygmobblepot

4. Foxma

5. Babitha

6. Amy/Rory

7. Nomi/Amanita

8. Eve/Flynn

9. Catradora

10. Cosima/Delphine

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

I think I started shipping Amy/Rory during the Venice fish monster ep - cos that was when I felt Amy really did love him back and they had a future together. Before I suspected that her running away with the Doctor was a sign she and Rory weren’t right for each other.

2. Have you ever read a FanFiction about 2?

Only read a handful of Ineffable fic. Overall I’m perfectly happy with the canon alone.

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr?

Yes I’ve had Foxma themed phone backgrounds and a tumblr header :)

4. If 7 were to suddenly break-up today, what would your reaction be?

Disbelief and disapproval. Nomi and Amanita were one of the great constants of Sense8 for me. I think a break up would be out of character for them tbh. Plus it would be denying the black and trans characters a rare example of a happy ending, which would suck.

5. Why is 1 so important?

I wrote such a detailed thing about how DeanCas is not only important to me personally but also how I feel it’s been important for TV/media in general... ugh, tumblr!

In a nutshell - this ship helped me better myself in various ways. It introduced me to fandom, which boosted my confidence and independence via increased socialisation; it encouraged me to write more, which improved my writing skills; meta discussions educated me on lots of issues, inc. but not limited to abuse, sexuality, gender identit, autism and racism.

I also genuinely believe that the loud and open fandom support of the ship has been a significant help in the ongoing battle for more and better queer rep in media.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship?

Serious! Catra and Adora’s relationship is a core part of the whole show, relating to lots of the wider themes of abuse, toxic behaviour, growth and forgiveness. Plus the significance of a same sex romance involving the lead character in a CHILDREN’S CARTOON really cannot be overstated.

(but it is also cute and funny sometimes :p)

7. Out of all of the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry?

I’ve spoken before about having issues with the concept of ‘chemistry.’ If I ship characters it’s usually because I find the combination of their characterisation and story arcs interesting/compelling. I often don’t notice (or I guess care about?) chemistry.

So I think I’m not qualified to answer this one.

8. Out of all of your ships listed, which ship has the strongest bond?

Agreeing with @castiel-saved-me-from-myself here - you can’t really beat the Ineffables millenia long romance :)

9. How many times have you read/watched 8’s fandom?

I’ve rewatched The Librarians 2 or 3 times now. It’s DAFT. But it’s fun. And Eve and Flynn make me feel warm and fuzzy.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest?

Again, as @castiel-saved-me-from-myself said - it’s gotta be the Ineffables, both within AND outside of the story, since Good Omens was originally published over 30 years ago and the Zira/Crowley shippers have been going strong all that time. Otherwise it’s DeanCas.

(though idk if Catradora was a ship back when the original She Ra cartoon was airing, or when the original cartoon was made, so it’s possible that is also a contender!)

11. How many times, if ever, has 2 broken up?

Lol at @castiel-saved-me-from-myself for getting Nygmob for this one, as their relationship is, like, 90% break up :P

For the Ineffables though it’s basically just the once - when Zira chooses Heaven over Crowley. Not made such a Big Deal in the book IIRC, but in the show it’s the infamous Bandstand Break Up scene.

All other separations are only minor, temporary squabbles imo. Which is what makes the Bandstand scene so PAINFULLY, BEAUTIFULLY, ANGSTY AND EMOTIONAL and why I love it so!

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8?

I figure angels and demons probably can’t be killed by zombies, so the Ineffables are the most likely.

But Eve and Flynn did actually face off against zombie-ghost things in an alt universe during a whole Loom of Fate plot and survived, so I think they’d probably also make it.

13. Did 5 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

No, Babs and Tabs were always open about being together, even when Tabs was also in a relationship with Butch.

I might argue they hid the depth of their feelings for each other though, even from themselves, and instead made out what they had together was just a casual ‘friends with benefits’ type thing.

Though Tabs did hide things a little when she sent assassins after Jim cos she blamed him for putting Babs in a coma. She clearly knew her brother would disappprove, which is why she didn’t tell him what she was doing. I guess that kinda counts as hiding her relationship with Babs? She was trying to conceal how much Babs mattered to her?

14. Is 4 still together?

Lol, Foxma were never together (ALAS!). But the show did end with their lingering fondness for each other intact I think.

15. Is 3 canon?

Is Nygmobblepot canon? Rather a touchy question for the fandom tbh.

If we are talking EXPLICIT canon - then no.

They never got a kiss or a MUTUAL love declaration (and they had a controversial ‘we’re brothers’ exchange in the penultimate episode) - ergo there is not enough, imo, to say they ended the show officially romantically involved.

However, Ozzie DID EXPLICITLY DECLARE HIS ROMANTIC LOVE for Ed, and that was never rescinded. There is also LOTS OF SUBTEXT floating around Ed to imply he reciprocates. Plus they did end the show together as clear Partners in Crime.

So is Nygmob subtextual canon?

I would say yes.

But explicit, CANON canon?

A frustrating no that fandom remains, understandably, critical about.

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

I think a toss up between Nygmob and Babitha - because everyone else has too many morals that would hold them back from killing :p

(and since Ed and Oz have both bested Babs and Tabs in the past I lean towards them... but it would depend on when in Gotham canon the games were happening!)

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 10’s ship?

Breaking up Cosima and Delphine was a LITERAL PLOT POINT of Orphan Black at one point, so very much yes! I forget the details (the show got very twisty, with lots of different organisations working on different agendas in the shadows), but I’m pretty sure Delphine was shot because she was protecting Cosima. I remember it BROKE MY HEART and I thought it was a casebook example of Bury Your Gays. But, spoiler: it wasn’t ;)

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond?

Going with DeanCas, because I think that, historically, it’s the one that’s been in most need of defending.

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 1’s tumblr page?

Not anymore I’m afraid. Though 3 or so years ago I used to spend most of my free time on DeanCas and spn meta. Ah, nostalgia.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she´d break them all forever, which ship would you sink?

Foxma. Because while I adore the idea of a messy, confused ~something between them, in my heart I know that Foxy deserves better :P

I was too tired to bother with tagging the first time I completed this - DEF not gonna bother now!

Play if you want - it’s fun :D

#a true but boring story #about me

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kinktae · 5 years ago

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The penultimate part🥺 I’m not ready to say goodbye, Bitchin!Jungkook has definitely been one of my fav characterizations of him that I’ve ever read. Thank you so much for sharing your work with all of us💖

bitchin 9 asks bc i suck

sapphireprinces5 said: bitchin’ pt9 was just so beautiful?? the way you explained the emotions and interactions between the characters was just amazing!! I felt myself hanging on every word wow excited for the end but will miss bitchin’ so much 🤧

Anonymous said: TAEHYUNG AND YARA SIGN ME UP GURL!!!!

Anonymous said: Like I just feel like if Jk really liked y/n he wouldn’t have slept with Kiri, you know? It shouldn’t matter that he didn’t know how y/n felt. And it’s obvious that he has feelings for y/n so I just hope that’s something y/n addresses when she talks to him. Don’t settle for less girl! Get you a man who will fight for you regardless 👏 (btw this is not me criticizing how you wrote it in any way! I’m just so invested in the characters and am thinking about how I would feel in this scenario :) )

Anonymous said: I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GONNA HAPPEN WITH YARA AND TAE I FELT IT SO DEEP IN MY BONES IM SO HAPPY FOR THEM 😭😭😭

Anonymous said: Hi! I just binge read bitchin in a day and can I just say that I loved it! I really love the female characters as well, you’ve written them so beautifully 🥺 if I was y/n I wouldn’t be concerned so much about Jk not sleeping with Kiri if he knew the way y/n felt, but rather the fact that if Jk didn’t want to sleep with Kiri, he wouldn’t have, regardless of y/n’s feelings or not. IMO y/n’s feelings shouldn’t be the issue here, but Jk’s should! If I was y/n’s bff that’s what I would tell her LOL

Anonymous said: OH MY GOODNESS! YES !!!! YESSSSS Y.E.S Muchas graciaaaas!!!

Anonymous said: tae and yara are my new ship)

unknowntalesx said: okay but like tae and yara thooO they got me all smiley being like oh yeah bayyybeEE das what im talking about 😏 ALSO OKAY NOW THAT I AM MORE LUCID KIRI GOT FUCKING WRECKED I LOVED THAT SHE GOT A DOSE OF HER OWN MANIPULATIVE MEDICINE I AM ��😤😤😤😤

Anonymous said: im not ready for bitchin to end )):

Anonymous said: I SCREAMED WHEN Y/N TOLD KIRI THE TRUTH. YES QUEEN. STAB AND TWIST THE KNIFE!

Anonymous said: ROSE AHHSHSJSKSD FUCK U I’m all hot and bothered with anticipation for pt 10 now 😩😩😩🥵

sydney--chan said: We really stan y/n for using her big ol brain to rock kiris world oh my god I yelled also I say what's your damage all the time bring that shit back

Anonymous said: a tae x yara spin off series or one shot...... haha jk..... unless..... 👀

Anonymous said: Fuck kiri's scheming ass. I'm glad YN ripped her a new one

Anonymous said: AAHHHHHH once again, I love this chapter so much!!!! I was screaming at Yara and Tae part. Seriously!!!! I am SURE she felt that spark when he kissed her. Is she going to be the one falling for the guy while he wants something casual now? Or maybe Tae will fall for her as well? Ahhhh so cute! I feel like that would be a nice spin off yk (no pressure, I swear). And Erik, woah I didn't expect him to be like that. To be so nice and wise. Great character development indeed! It was really nice (1/2)

Anonymous said: To see their interaction and the way he opened her eyes (for some reason I couldn't help but picture him as Namjoon). Ohhh the Kiri part tho!!!! I felt really petty but in the best way lol. Anywaysss I am really excited for the last chapter (really sad too) and I am sure it is going to be the best because you are a genius! Thank you for sharing another amazing chapter with us! ♥♥♥ (2/2)

Anonymous said: OKAY I absolutely adored Bitchin part 9 😻 I always thought that it was also OC fault for what happened between her and jk, he obviously was the main jerk but she never actually admitted her feelings to him and he doesn't read minds so??¿¿? Really loved that she came to understand it. And I was rooting SO MUCH for yara and tae MAN I AM CRYING THEY DESERVE IT 🙌🏻

Anonymous said: you came through with the tae x yara content we all needed omg thank you!! if anyone’s gonna make yara fall in love it’s tae lol

Anonymous said: I honestly lowkey hate bitchin’ jungkook right now. I thought I’d get over it but I just can’t imagine how hurt and disgusted Y/N was when she found out that jk and kiri were together just hours before they were like ugh. It doesn’t help that I’m also really interested in Erik’s character development now so it would’ve been really interesting to see how he’d fit in Y/N’s life. 🥺

Anonymous said: jungkook and y/n wANT what yara and tae have

Anonymous said: TAEYARA YES FINALLY OUR WISHES HAVE BEEN ANSWERED 😍😍

Anonymous said: just want to let you know you’re an absolute angel and all you create is nothing short of perfection. *sends you all of the love*

spring2787 said: I jus came from a 4 hour long class and it's finally here... Thank you so much dear 🎂 💜

Anonymous said: Is yara me ? Like when she said that boy act like they understand the no string involved but then fall in love , dude I felt that , that's literally the story of my life lmaoooo Like the number of time a dude told me yeah I'm okay with that and then acted shocked when I told him I didn't feel anything for him is impressive lmaoo Anyway I'm so eager for the last chapter!!!! you did an amazing job!!

kuhweenbri said: The way I already finished but anyways girl I absolutely loved this part and now I’m excited for the next part 😭😭 will we be seeing more of T-ara??

Anonymous said: OMG YARA AND TAEEEEEEEEE. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEANT BY FANSERVICE. JSJSJSJJSBXBSBSB But on a serious note, this fic just keeps on getting better. The fact that there's only one chapter left still hasn't come home to me 😭 but thank you so much for blessing us with this!💜💜

Anonymous said: YO! bitchin is flippin brilliant! you have done so well! jungkook broke my heart in part 9! im emotional but also so ready for part 10! please take your time. have a lovely day

Anonymous said: i don’t normally talk to writers on here but bitchin is really bitchin, i haven’t read a fanfic in so long that makes me excited to read the next part and maybe it’s because i’m so used to all of the aus being recycled but bitchin is truly a breathe of fresh air to me for some reason, maybe because you fleshed out the right hand mans for both characters idk or the it being a different time period, but i just wanted to say you are smashing bitchin dude and i love it!!

shy-kpop-girl said: BITCHIN': I just caught up on 8 & 9. Shocked & angry at JK. Because regardless of whether he knew y/n' feelings it was a dick move to sleep with Kiri one night and y/n the next morning. And it wasn't like he came over to talk/tell y/n about Kiri & things escalated because he went right at it as soon as she let him in. Even tho it was hot. 😳 But Erik. I wanted to hate him but dude surprised me with his reasoning. I loved that dialogue! Once again your writing is amazing & I love this story!

Anonymous said: Bitchin is the best fanfic on tumblr. And no one can change my mind. You’re doing amazing!! Much love xoxo

Anonymous said: “Think of life as one big puzzle and everyone you meet is shaped differently, right? Yet somehow… they fit. We find those that complete us. And they’re not necessarily opposites but—“ MAAM that part hit SOOO different omg your brain!?! Outta this world! Like this is whole ass literature!!!! I stg Bitchin’ is the best thing on this app and I meant that w my whole chest.

Anonymous said: I'm not ready for Bitchin to end. It's soooooo good 😍😍😍

kmultifandom said: Since there's a cast for bitchin I wanna audition for y/n because i wanna be a biologist and I have some similar personality traits *mic drop* Also great work, I seriously love it. No other fan fiction I have read was so close to my actual self and that impresses me even more and make it like it 10 times more djksksks

Anonymous said: how will I live when bitchin ends agghhh I haven’t even read 8-9 cause I’m waiting for the happy ending before I’m heartbroken and left waiting for the last part

Anonymous said: you know what would be super fun and crazy 😛😛🙈🙈 if you dropped bitchin’ pt 10 right now 😳😳 haha just kidding .... unless 😏😏

Anonymous said: lets gooooo!!!!!!!!!!! bitchin pt 10 better haunt me for the rest of the year

Anonymous said: I feel like I’m going to get so emotional once Bitchin’ part 10 is released. It’s like I’m sending off my non-existing kids to university because I won’t be able to see Bitchin!Jungkook anymore 🥺

Anonymous said: I can’t believe Bitchin’ is for real ending 😩 it’s soo gud

Anonymous said: Can’t wait till bitchin PART 10 Probably gonna fall asleep before u post but I’ll try to stay up for it 🥺

Anonymous said: i love your writing honestly and i just really want you to be happy. your writing is immaculate and i really want you to know that you are talented and skilled so yeah. sorry if this is out of nowhere but i just really want to show appreciation to writers because they don't get enough and you are definitely my favorite writer:)) hope you have a good day!!

Anonymous said: okay but if Bitchin' goes on for 50 chapters that would be good too.. just sayin'.

tpo-quinn said: Bruh, I can already feel that I'm gonna cry from the last chapter of bitchin'...I CAN'T WAIT!

leojjeon said: so i've re-read bitchin ready for chapter 10 an I am feeling all sorts of emotions. it's fair to say it's my favourite series I've read!

Anonymous said: y did i forget bitchin would have an end like 😳😐we’ve been on this bitchin journey w u for so long i’m sad it’s over

Anonymous said: What what what?? Bitchin is ending??!!! Didnt it just fucking start like all the drama and tae&yara!!!! Omg girl!!!

Anonymous said: ur the absolute fucking GODDESS of writing angst, ive never ever waited for a ff to be updated before as if it was a new episode of my fav show coming out. thank u for writing and be so active, muah ur amazing

Anonymous said: a moment of silence for our loved bitchin who will die soon 😔 gone but not forgotten, she will always be in our hearts. all the best rides come to an end 😭

#ask

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whoslaurapalmer · 5 years ago

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is it time to talk about how we got into snicket shenanigans for bad beginning’s birthday because i have been sitting on this story for a long time

it was, okay i am 99% (i would say 100% but, what is memory, okay) sure it was early 2004ish, i was nine years old in fourth grade, and we had one day a week where we’d go to the library and the librarian would read a chapter of a book to us. i have no recollection of any other book she read, but she read us the bad beginning, and i was absolutely enthralled. i still remember the way she said puttanesca. my best friend at the time was already into the series and she let me borrow her copies to read (and i think two of the copies i have are in fact still hers. sorry i never returned them, sarah), and i was HOOKED on this series and then i got unauto that summer and that started my lifelong obsession with lemony snicket the character. he fascinated me much, much more than the baudelaires. i grew up in a very small town and watched a lot of old black and white noir-adjacent movies growing up and i was DESPERATE for my life to turn into a ripping spy thriller. i was so excited by the vibe of vfd (i was nine. the actual vfd vibes wouldn’t reach me for some time.) and spent a lot of time trying to put all the plot threads together, with little success. the following conversation did in fact happen.

me: HEY MOM I THINK I HEARD A NOISE OUT THERE mom: what kind of noise? me: no. no, mom, you’re supposed to say, ‘it was nothing.’ and then I say, ‘if there’s nothing out there, what was that noise?’ mom: oh, okay, we can – me: NO, MOM, THE MOMENT IS GONE

obviously, my life did not turn into a ripping spy thriller. (then again it could have and really none of you would really know that it didn’t. if you assumed, somehow, that my life was a ripping spy thriller, keep at it. i thrive on that vibe.)

in december of that year, the movie came out, and i begged my parents to take me and we did not go. thankfully my friend had a birthday party that involved a bunch of us going to see it, so i got to see it, and we enjoyed it because we were ten year old kids enjoying a movie. (we were all ten by that point.)

then for some reason i stop reading halfway through penultimate peril and just forget about the series entirely, pausing briefly in september 2006 to get excited about the beatrice letters and to wonder who beatrice was, and then not buying the book and continuing to forget about the series entirely. (i think there was another pause in high school where i happened to google the ending of the series, so the ‘forgetting entirely’ was more like ‘forgetting entirely until i got reminded of the series and thought well that was sure a time of my life and that ending is, mm, something i guess?’)

FAST FORWARD TO EIGHT YEARS LATER, when i am eighteen and a freshman in college, wandering through a bookstore, as one does. the first atwq book had just come out and i locked eyes with that book cover in the store and thought to myself ‘holy shit, there is a god,’ because here was LEMONY SNICKET, writing ABOUT lemony snicket, in the style of a NOIR, which was EVERYTHING my childhood self had wanted, and i was holding it in my hands!!!! like it was made for me!!!! i buy the book. i read the book. i decide to dedicate the rest of my life to this sad lemon man and never look back, for real now. and this time, i did not look back.

i finished ?1 and took the opportunity to reread the series and finish it, which i did, for about half of that year. i wondered why penultimate peril was the book i wound up stopping in because it became my absolute favorite. i finish the series (and the beatrice letters, which i finally bought, and reread unauto, which because of how much i reread it as a kid was falling apart, and still is) and at eighteen years old come to understand a lot more of the series than i did previously about vfd and lemony and the kids and, you know what, i’m glad i finished it when i did. there are some things i read as a kid that i don’t always think i look back on right because i was a kid and sometimes i think i still see it through that lens and that i’m not thinking about it Right, or something, idk. i’m always so worried i don’t, not enjoy things right, but process or interpret things right, or that i miss something, or rely on other people’s opinions to form my own because i miss something, but, whatever, that’s not entirely the point here.) but i look back on this series and think of myself in college, really devouring it for the first time and being able to like it differently and not, like, like it Right or something, but take it with me into how i was thinking as an adult, or barely an adult, but then also as the adult i grew into after that. i’m happy that i got back into it when i did. maybe it’s just that when i was a kid there were other books i needed and when i was an adult this was what i needed and it meant more to me, to see it now.

also my brit lit unit on gothic lit lined up with me rereading the series, and like, i can’t ask for a better coincidence than that.

a new atwq book came out each fall of my college career, and i do not say this lightly (although i don’t think anybody does), but i don’t know where my (increasingly failing as college went on) mental health would have gone if i didn’t have atwq to latch on to. sometimes i wish i could go back and read atwq for the first time again though because so much of my memories of those first readings are sort of, distorted by the massive dissociation and depression i was experiencing (especially ?4), but i wouldn’t really trade reading it then for anything.

and then i graduated college, and got to work on ‘beatrice’. (i’d written ‘a phrase which here means love’ in college and looked back on it with the complicated feelings of any writer who looks at their writing of three years previously and is in pain.)

there wasn’t any point in my life where i had stopped writing fanfic (i started writing it when i was about eleven and have been since then), and i had posted ‘a phrase which here means love,’ but i hadn’t really....written something, something that i liked and thought was important and something i had FINISHED to POST. i thought i was cursed to 1) get into a fandom 2) get a giant fic idea 3) start writing the idea 4) stall in the idea 5) never finish the fic and be filled with regret, as that had happened for, at the time, a record three (possibly four) fandoms.

but i was DETERMINED to write ‘beatrice.’ i had this idea based on one of my favorite movies and i was going to stick with it and i was going to see this one through. and i did, and at 36k, it is, thus far, the longest fic i’ve posted. and BECAUSE of writing it, i got back into writing fic with the intention to finish it and post it AND enjoy it, and i made so many new friends, and i still am, and!!! this post really got away from me but i owe a lot to danhan. someday i hope to make faces at him from across a room, and/or sit down and eat some good soup and talk about ?4. and i’m looking forward to everything else i’m going to do in this fandom, and everybody else, too.

#lulu talks about the sad lemon man #this is a long post this story REALLY got away from me #or. multiple stories. there are a lot of things in here

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afreakingdork · 4 years ago

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Review Revisited: The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross

So after I posted my 2007 Manga Reviews I got to thinking about how those series formed my early manga opinions and how much I’ve grown as a person since reading them. In the spirit of that, I thought it would be a great idea to revisit those series of yore and update my reviews of them with my older, wiser perspective.

The first up is the first that was on the list and a series that was closer to my heart than I remembered: Shinkuro (Shinshi Doumei Kurosu or The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross). Here’s the 2007 review as a refresher:

ShinKuro: Or Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross for those that aren’t familar with it…Ok so I love this series and its awesome bottom line~ 1-3 are out currently, its one of those stories you gotta read over at least 4 times before you understand the plot, or maybe i have a focus problems who knows, all i know is you need to go out and read this, its got everything yo! Straight, yuri, yaoi…idk I’m not much of a gay fangirl, but hey ya gotta cover japanese basics~

Before I get into the veritable mountain of things I want to talk about (I mean, I have 14 years of feelings to sort through), I first want to tell a story of fate. When I decided to re-do these reviews, I went to look for my old manga. It’s not far, about 50 steps away to my bookshelf, but I didn’t see Shinkuro anywhere. Confused, I waited until the next time I visited my mom to look there and could not find it. I knew when I moved out of her house in 2017 I had sold some extra books to make the move easier, but couldn’t recall a specific memory of packing them up. I checked my email and the only clue was a listing on eBay, but there was no sold email attached. I’m usually really diligent with stuff like that, so I was totally stumped. Regardless, I had no manga, so I went ahead and started reading it on some pirating website. Now, I don’t condone these sites, but I couldn’t find the series anywhere else for whatever reason. I was only able to get a few chapters in before I just couldn’t take it anymore. The site I was using (one of the only sites to even have a pirated version. Seriously, why had this series totally disappeared from the US lexicon!?) only had a fan-scan of the series. Now, Shinkuro is something I’ve read many, many, many times and, while the fan-scan wasn’t unreadable, I kept getting really hung up on how different it was from what I remembered. I would read a line and my brain would make an error noise and respond with what the line should be. As I clicked through the pages, the errors piled up more and more and my brain was relentless about how the lines should have been translated.

Frustrated, I totally gave up and the next time I saw my mom I told her of my plight. I could see the lightbulb go off over her head and she asked me if ‘that wasn’t the manga that didn’t sell on eBay and I gave to her to give away?’ I was taken aback; I hadn’t told her about the eBay email I found and instead only told her I couldn’t find the series I didn’t think I had gotten rid of. She said it was stored in a guest bedroom with a bunch of junk we were going to sell just before the pandemic struck last year. I was still incredulous, but she went back there with me to look for it. Now, no one knows my mom like I do, but I will tell you she is absolute garbage at describing stuff. She gave me this crazy description about a box that was the size of a loaf of bread and it had a hinge on it and I had no idea how that worked with cardboard. It took a long time, moving a metric shitton of full-to-the-brim boxes around to no avail. Since we were getting to the bottom of boxes that were stacked high, we were tag teaming the project where one person would lift and the other would rummage. It was at the bottom of a box in a 3-box stack that mom deemed the box incorrect by only shoving her hand inside. She said she felt a box, but it didn’t feel right so she moved on. I felt a pull and tilted my head so that I could see into the only sliver on the box, a tiny crack. I told her ‘I saw a box that looked kinda like a shoe box and is that what she meant by a hinge?’ She said she wasn’t sure, but we made quick work taking down the stack to reveal the smaller box. Upon closer inspection she said this had to be it and as I opened it there lay the entire 11 volume series. I tell you, I almost sobbed right there on the spot. What are the chances that I would try to sell the series, it wouldn’t sell (I listed all 11 volumes for 40$!!!), I would give it to mom to give away, she wouldn’t do so (she wasn’t sure what the age range for the books were), and then years later we would happen across it and mom would dismiss it while I pressed to check, to find these books. They were meant to stay with me is the only conclusion I can make and after re-reading the series I can say this is totally true, so let’s get into my renewed feelings:

So, looking at my old review, I know exactly what my younger self meant by rereading the same bit 4 times to understand. Arina Tanemura has a penchant for putting 1000 screentones over every page and sometimes she swiftly moves through conversations and even locations between panels on the same page. It’s a breakneck speed to try to give every character of this ensemble class a time to shine. There’s also the hurdles of Tanemura’s style that can’t be ignored. When my partner saw the manga, he asked me if all the art really looked like that and I showed him that, yes indeed, and that was almost a pretty standard art style for shoujou manga from that time period. He was aghast and didn’t believe he could read something like that and I can totally see how that would be off-putting for the average reader (I’m not average in the sense that I’ve read it so many times I know all the ins and outs). For example, in middle school Haine cut her hair off and dyed it blond. She dyes it back when she goes to high school, but halfway through the series she cuts it and dyes it back to blond for Ushio’s sake. Tanemura doesn’t change ANY screentones during this time and you only find out that Haine dyes her her back ONCE AGAIN in a throw away line. I’ve held the pages up side-by-side and it’s totally indiscernible when Haine’s hair is blond vs. brown.

That being said, one of the greatest parts of this series is how it was translated. There was so much love and care put into these Notes on the Text that it was the perfect series to start shaping my understanding of Japanese culture and writing. Instead of just a glossary saying what ‘-san’ meant as a suffix, these sections go so far as to explain why certain phrases were translated as they were and explain what the original Japanese text said and how it was a joke or a play on words. That is so rare to see in manga and I feel like it should be more standard.

Now to face the elephant in the room head-on: let’s look into the LGBT+ themes in the series. 2007 Alex was quite afraid and prejudiced against queer culture. I can’t tell you where exactly it stemmed from because I don’t really remember feeling that way. I know it happened, I have evidence and my friends’ testimonies, but it doesn’t feel like I had that much hate in my heart. It’s systemic to our culture and that may be why, but regardless, I feel awful that I once felt that way. I was scared getting into this series that the LGBT+ themes would be handled so poorly as it often is in manga. Thankfully, that didn’t end up wholly being the case. In her author’s notes, Tanemura stated multiple times that she was not a fan of mlm or wlw content, but she wanted to use this series to push herself to do a lot of things she didn’t like otherwise. I want to put an excerpt on her final thoughts on those themes in the series here:

I don’t know how the readers feel, but I’ve never been very fond of reading guy x guy and girl x girl relationships. But that was another reason for me to have done this series. I thought the series would have a nice twist to it if I tried to draw something I didn’t like.

I regularly challenge myself to eat things I don’t like. I don’t like the idea of having dislikes, so it became an opportunity for me to get over that.

And the result was... I still couldn’t get myself to be interested in it. So it’ll probably be a topic I’ll never write about again. But I think it was still worth it that I found that out.

I won’t take the time to break down homophobia in Japanese society, but I find it interesting that Tanemura sees queer relationships not as a real thing in her stories, but instead as a commodity that she can compare to tastes in food. I found the story lines really compelling. Take Maora, for example. Tanemura refers to Maora as eccentric for cross dressing in her author notes, but in story Maora is actually characterized with a surprising amount of care on the subject. While some may view Maora as a ‘trap,’ I would instead posit that he’s genderfluid. Obviously he goes by he/him, but I think it’s so interesting that when told that boys couldn’t marry, Maora goes to great lengths to present as a female so Maguri and him could be together as they always wanted. When Maguri rejects this because he’s gay and prefers male presenting individuals, Maora holds on to his ‘femininity’ because it means something to him. All the work he put in is a representation of his love and later becomes something that he enjoys doing. There are, of course, a few pitfalls. I’m not a fan of the fact that when going to the Emperor’s Association meeting, Maora feels like he must dress more masculine because it’s a serious event (giving the connotation that dressing feminine is just a frivolous thing). I also really hate one of Maora’s final lines in the penultimate arc when the student council is breaking into Shuichiro’s house and he says “Don’t you blush! I’m a guy!” before kicking someone. I think Tanemura meant for that to be a cool one-liner, but instead it just undercuts who Maora is.

On the flip side, I really like how Ushio’s love of Haine is characterized. While Ushio’s means of capturing Haine aren’t the best, I think her love is a beautiful arc. Ushio fell in love with a blond yanki that happened to break into her house to hide when she was at the lowest point in her life. When Haine has her night with Shizumasa and decides to ‘move back into the light,’ time stops for Ushio as Haine leaves her. Ushio is left looking for that person who saw her when everything else in her life was filled with hate. There is a beautiful story there where she realizes her love for Haine isn’t romantic or sexual love, but instead the powerful love in friendship. This story always holds the different types of love in high regard. It is stated multiple times that Takanari and Haine both hold their best friends in their hearts higher than their romantic partners and I adore that. It’s such a healthier way to represent relationships. Your romantic partners shouldn’t just supersede your other loves just because.

The development of loves on the other hand can be a bit rocky. The bonus story between Kusame and Komaki is always one I held in such high regard because it’s characterization of changing love. Kusame, who’s been in love with Haine, starts dating her sister Komaki out of obligation and he ends up falling in love with her not because she’s similar to Haine, but instead because of how different she is and how those were things that he grew to appreciate and love about her instead. Can you say relationship goals?! Contrasting that, you have the relationships between Itsuki Otomiya, Kazuhito Kamiya, and Maika Rikyuu. Maika and Itsuki were secretly dating in high school and Kazuhito sweeps in, steals the position of emperor from Itsuki by underhanded means and ensnares Maika in a marriage due to obligation for her family’s failing company. Over time, Maika grows to love Kazuhito and the whole thing always left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe if the pages had been given a little more time it could have worked, there’s small signifiers, like how Kazuhito and Maika met and were friends before he pulled his repulsive plot. There was a precedent that the two got along and could have fallen in love, but instead it went full Stockholm and that is painted as ok. I do want to take a moment to say that scene where Itsuki returns from visiting Maika for the first time since all that happened where his current wife Ryouka stayed up because she was afraid he was going to leave her and he reassures her that he would have never done so was downright incredible.

The timeline of Maika losing her memories confounds me as a way to keep her away from Haine. I know Kazuhito didn’t give her much choice in the matter, but she had a whole other child before she started to lose her memories and there is quite an age difference (like 7+ or so years) between Komaki and Tachibana, where Maika had her memories (for a few years?) and just made no effort to contact Haine in any way. It just seems overly cruel and unnecessary when Maika wrote a letter to Haine saying she would continue to write even though she couldn’t see her. I know a maid was watching her, but she couldn’t send a letter? She already sent one letter! Kazuhito’s goal was to give Haine back to Itsuki so she could live freely without the burden of his influence because he knows he’s an asshole that only cares about Maika and clipped her wings. He wants to atone for still keeping Maika trapped by letting Haine soar, but keeping Haine from at least talking to her mother through letters is just erroneous. That didn’t keep her free from him, it only made her miserable from not being able to talk to her mom. Ugh, just writing about it makes me so mad.

It’s interesting to me that in her distaste for LGBT+ themes, Tanemura was about to have a polyamorous ending to the series. It’s disheartening that the only reason she didn’t do so was because she could only imagine there would be a power imbalance where Shizumasa would have been a pitiful party in such an arrangement. It’s not like I was rooting for a threesome (especially since two of them are twin brothers), but it’s an outdated view on what polyamorous relationships are actually like. Also, Takanari is the clear winner and I’m not sure why it’s ever a question for Haine. When you break it down, Haine really only spent one single night with Shizumasa while she actually had months and months of time built up with Takanari to build the foundation of a real relationship, but that’s neither here nor there.

Overall, I’m so glad I re-read this series and I will never try to resell it ever again. It means so much to me and even though it’s CW levels of dramatic happenings (I can’t believe Toya pulled a gun on and shot Haine), there is a market for those things and they’re enjoyable in how bizarre they are. There’s obviously some failing to the story, but as a whole I still love it, even nostalgia aside. I think it’s a great series for those new to shoujou drama’s to read!

Verdict:

Read Right < Left

#me #manga #manga review #review #The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross #Gentlemen's Alliance Cross #Shinshi Doumei Kurosu #shinkuro

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