#but I don't think of King being the author of this story at all beyond the second act of Drawing. And he's fucking in it.

[creature-once-removed]

.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

If it is exposed that surrogates were used - still not convinced either way- how do you think M and H will spin this? Also, the BRF? Maybe for both parties if there were surrogates, it best the secret be kept because the level of outrage from the public would be beyond insane. However, I think whoever breaks the news first, does have a better chance of controlling narrative.

It's not going to make sense, but Harry and Meghan will say they had no choice, the big bad BRF made her because of antiquated "heir and spare" rules and maybe throw the race card in for good measure ("we had to have our own children because Harry's family needed the optics even though we told them we were happy to adopt instead"). If they're still together, that is.

If they're divorced, then Harry and Meghan will blame each other. Harry will say he had no idea because Meghan never talked to him or let him accompany her to her doctor appointments (which would validate some tea from their Australia trip). (This would also contradict the stories in Spare but that's a separate issue.) Meghan will say Harry forced her to lie because he was so desperate to be a father and she was too scared of his anger/temper to say no.

The BRF will claim that they had no idea because Harry and Meghan did everything themselves. There's enough evidence that they have plausible deniability - admissions in Spare of not communicating updates, the second pregnancy happening in the US, The Queen's doctors not signing the birth announcement.

Where the BRF gets into trouble is over how complicit they are. If Harry and Meghan have hard, solid proof showing that the BRF was fully aware - like emails or letters from Charles or Jason Knauf or Edward Young specifically discussing it - then Charles's goose is cooked. There's a lot of speculation that this is the case: someone at Buckingham Palace and/or Clarence House knows there was a surrogacy, and if this is the case, then it's mutually-assured destruction so it's in everyone's favor to keep it a secret: the Sussexes have their children in the line of succession and they get to use titles for the children and Charles doesn't get crucified by the public for tampering with the line of succession.

(William might see some blowback but ultimately he's safe from any fallout because he acted pretty quickly to get the Sussexes away from Kensington Palace and his staff. That it was announced in October/November 2018 the Sussexes were going out on their own means William was working on it since before the wedding, most likely.)

As for who announces, I don't think it's a case of "he who announces first controls the narrative." For me, it's a case of "he who holds the names controls the narrative." In other words, the "team" who has the proof naming someone who knows about the surrogate(s) and publishes it is the one who controls the narrative.

So if Meghan and Harry have proof naming someone in the BRF as having knowledge of any surrogate(s), then they control the narrative. But if they don't, then it's in the BRF's favor because the BRF doesn't have anything to lose. They have enough plausible deniability (plus Meghan and Harry being known liars) to keep the hot seat exclusively on the Sussexes. And I think that's where we are - if there are palace names named, they aren't senior enough and can easily be thrown under the bus but revealing surrogacy hurts Harry and that's why the BRF is keeping the secret.

I suspect that under King Charles, the BRF will keep the secret as long as Harry remains married to Meghan and/or as long as they maintain this detente in Sussex-BRF relations. If the Sussexes launch new attacks on the BRF (to include further Nigeria-like problems where they acted as royals without authorization) or if Harry leaves Meghan, then I can see the BRF nuclearizing them/her once and for all by revealing surrogate(s). (I feel like King William wouldn't hide it, but he also wouldn't reveal it either.)

On the flip side, I see Meghan keeping the secret as long as it remains more profitable for her to do so. So she will keep it until it's more advantageous to talk about it post-divorce in a memoir or revenge tour. And I suspect Meghan may try to use this for leverage in a divorce settlement to get more money.

All allegedly, of course. After all, surrogacy is only just a rumor.

[discordiansamba]

some more assorted thoughts about the earth prince zuko au:

his time with the avatar's group is dai's first time traveling the earth kingdom proper. it's eye opening in some ways. he's always known about the war, but it's one thing to see for himself how bad it's gotten in places.

it's relatively common knowledge in the earth kingdom that prince dai's mother was a mistress of the previous earth king. knowledge that she was fire nation is much less common, so the gold-eyed prince always catches people off guard.

inevitably, there are actually a couple of dai li agents who treat dai with genuine affection. they've become quite fond of the fake earth prince but most also agree that they've done him a favor by taking him away from the fire nation.

while in the foggy bottom swamp, dai sees a curious vision of a young boy in fire nation clothing...

hi gow. hope you like being kicked out of the earth kingdom army because dai absolutely has the authority to see that happen. you clearly don't even give a damn about fighting the fire nation, you're just using your authority to be a glorified bully.

dai promises gansu and sela that he'll have a request put in to look for their son, but that he can't really promise anything beyond that.

dai includes in his reports about general iroh's apparent change of heart towards the war and the fire nation. long feng files this information away.

i think dai should be able to use lightning. as a treat. iroh's the one who ends up teaching him while he's recovering from their fight with azula, because fate still brings the three of them together. most of dai's firebending knowledge has come from scrolls in the dai li's archives. he's never been taught by an actual teacher before.

he should be wary of general iroh. he's not only fire nation royalty, but he also laid siege on the city in which dai was born. but there's something... familiar about him in a way that he can't put his finger on.

(he does not tell long feng about getting firebending instruction from iroh.)

when the gaang learns that dai has been working for the dai li the entire time, and that he's been reporting back to long feng about them and their activities the entire time, it hurts. they've really come to think of him as a friend, and they think dai thinks of them that way too. that's the worst part actually. how can he think of them that way and still go behind their back like that?

long feng conceals the fact that the dai li have appa in their possession from dai. it's obvious he's been getting a little too close to the avatar and his friends, and that might cloud his judgment. perhaps it is time to keep the young prince at home again.

when forced to make a choice between his friends and the dai li, dai will ultimately choose his friends. this means backing their story about long feng concealing the war from kuei- and his own role in that.

in the aftermath, kuei and dai make a tentative peace between each other- as do dai and the rest of the gaang. they're still a little angry with him, but after hearing his backstory, they understand a little better why he had such a deep connection to the dai li in the first place.

(they don't know it's all lies.)

dai accompanies sokka to chameleon bay on behalf of his half-brother. he's not there when azula arrives, disguised as a kyoshi warrior, or when she plots with the dai li and long feng.

(in the end, it's one of the dai li that view dai with genuine affection that warns the group of azula's coup.)

kuei: now that the earth kingdom has fallen, i have decided to live as one of my people and see my kingdom with my own eyes.

dai: ...that's a terrible idea. why are we letting him do this?

[aaronsrpgs]

"Ancient World Fantasy" Reading List

(A little context to start. If you just want book recs, scroll on down to the first image.)

As I’ve been getting into RuneQuest (Wikipedia link), one striking component of the culture and community surrounding the game is that they’re very into the lore of its fictional world, Glorantha. I’m saying this as a comparison to a game like D&D, where the game is spread across tons of settings with no real sense of obligation to keep things in line with earlier editions.

Glorantha’s canon and worldbuilding has been going on since it was published in 1978 without, as far as I can tell, any big reboots. Which means that, unlike D&D, where people are bringing in all kinds of influences and doing direct adaptions of Jane Austen books and whatever, the RuneQuest game remains pretty tightly tied to the original setting. (There have been some exceptions. But not many!)

But since I run games for people who have ADHD or aren’t interested in studying up, I’ve been looking at all kinds of inspiration to drop into the game. Here are 20 novels that are roughly “ancient world” or “Bronze Age” like RuneQuest and deal with people interacting with strange gods, tight communities, and a world without fast overland travel or transferal of information.

I’m presenting them alphabetically by author’s last name.

The Brazen Gambit, Cinnabar Shadows, The Rise and Fall of a Dragon King by Lynn Abbey

I'm sorry for starting this post off with licensed RPG novels, but these are good! And I don't mean "good for licensed RPG novels." I've read tons of them, and most are so bad! But these are actually fun. Good character development in a sword-and-sorcery world. It's also an ecological apocalypse world, with godlike beings oppressing common folks, leading to a lack of technological advancement and knowledge of the past.

The Long Ships by Frans G. Bentsson

Written in the 1940s as a series of novellas, these stories take you on a tour of the Viking-era world, from Europe to the Middle East and beyond. Like a bunch of books on this list, this places them post-Bronze Age, so they're not officially "ancient world." But it gives a big spread of cultures, from the more clan-based Vikings to the bustling metropolises of Turkey. And it doesn't place any of them on any kind of linear advancement scale or whatever other gross way people "rate" cultures.

Tales of Nevèrÿon and Neveryóna by Samuel R. Delany

The master of weird sci-fi and gay historical novels, Chip Delany also wrote a fantasy epic. And it rules! Set on pre-historical(ish) Earth, these books describe the stories that maybe inform the myths we tell today? Dragons and slave revolts! A sort of "What if Game of Thrones was good?" series. Lots of good stuff about how people learn and how understanding expands.

I'm not listing the third book only because it's also a historical look at New York during the AIDS epidemic. It's an amazing book! But it strays from the "ancient world" aesthetic.

Baudolino by Umberto Eco

Another novel expressly set after the Bronze Age (this one starts in the 12th century). BUT it's about Medieval people's interaction with the knowledge they inherited from the past, specifically the myth of Prester John and the works of Herodotus.

I think I keep putting books like this on the list because roleplaying in a fantastical ancient world is not too far off from how Medieval people might have worshipped and referenced works from ancient Rome and non-European places.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf and Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

One of our best living writers! These are fantasy novels expressly set in a fantastical version of ancient/Medieval Africa. The books explore the same events from multiple points of view and are full of cool magic, awesome spirit combat, and a vast number of places and cultures that actively deconstructs most games's portrayal of fantasy Africa as a homogeneous place.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth

I think Kingsnorth has been outted as a sort of eco-fascist? I totally believe it, so feel free to skip this one. It's a historical novel set in England in 1066, as the Normans invade from France. It's written in a faux Middle English language and focuses on the lower classes and how they try to resist the invasion. A good reminder that "Medieval culture" (and especially the Renaissance as a time that "culture advanced") is often based on certain classes of society, such as rich people and/or men.

Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness

Speaking of how class intersects with technological advancement, this book is set in the 18th century, but it focuses on Iceland at a time when it was ruled by Denmark, and the lower classes there were under an enforced poverty. It's a book about how a rich Icelander was trying to recover the stories of his people in order to create a sense of national identity and resistance. But it's also a story about how a destitute man acts like a total weirdo when he's not allowed to fish in his own waters and is cut off from understanding his place in history.

The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie

A big part of RuneQuest is people interacting with and enacting their gods. That's what this book is about! And it's about the strange vertigo that comes to people when they try to interact with the impossible timelines that gods exist on. Very good stuff.

Night's Master and Death's Master by Tanith Lee

Ostensibly set on Earth back when it was flat and demons roamed the world, which is basically RuneQuest. Sort of like a series of hornier, gay bibles? With lots of gender fuckery, fun sex, and cool monsters.

Circe by Madeline Miller

The story of the witch from The Odyssey, told from her point of view. Beautiful prose, tragic and beautiful characters, and a great share of mythical strangeness. Perfect if you want to learn how to run NPCs that are adversaries without being shallowly evil.

Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

Semi-Medieval again, but low class and vague enough that it could exist throughout ancient history. The daughter of a robber grows up in a tower full of robbers and generally has a wonderful time. Lots of weird monsters live in the woods, and there's a great starcrossed romance with someone from a rival robber gang. Perfect inspiration if you're running some cattle-raiding runs in RuneQuest; this is how to make robbers fun and sympathetic.

Read the book, watch the 1984 Swedish movie (which includes a great comedic scene of full-frontal dudity), and then watch the Studio Ghibli series.

A Stranger in Olondria and The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar

Set in a world of pepper farmers and religious fanatics who worship a mysterious inscribed stone, these books do a great job of showing how people might interact with religion, rival cults, and mystery rites. It also portrays literacy and learning to read in places where it's gated behind social gatekeeping. And once again, the prose is beautiful.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola

The first African novel published in English outside of Africa, The Palm-Wine Drinkard is a funny, hallucinogenic story about getting drunk, stumbling through weird landscapes, and encountering fantastical spirits and people.

Tutuola also wrote My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, the inspiration for the famous(?) David Byrne/Brian Eno album. I haven't read it yet, but I'm keeping an eye out!

The Green Pearl by Jack Vance

This is a sequel to Lyonesse, which I haven't read because I love staring in the middle of things. Set around a mythical British Isles when Atlantis was still above the sea and part of the group of islands. Some great wizard shit, warring clans, romance, and a wizard whose name is fucking Shimrod (in case you need more convincing).

Those are my 20 novel recommendations! I'm gonna come back to add some nonfiction, comics, and myth resources for running games in fantastical ancient worlds. You can read SpeedRune, my ancient fantasy game, here.

[lepurcinus]

I'm going to find it highly insulting that in most (if not all) Watership Down adaptations they leave out the rabbit folklore part so much. They always adapt one or two stories and the others never appear or are told in a super abbreviated almost lost form.

I don't know about you, but I think that was one of the things that got me hooked on WD the most when I first read it. To me it was so amazing and clever the idea of creating an animal version of our myths based on their perception of the world, it was like a way to get me into a more into a mindset so different from my own.

Not only that, they detract from THEIR IMPORTANCE. The stories are meant to function as a "middle ground" a moment of relaxation and fun where the angst of the moment is set aside, not only for the author but for the rabbits themselves, as a connection. But beyond being a simple relaxation, the stories HAVE A WEIGHT on our characters. The story of El-ahrairah's blessing and the story of the black rabbit gave our protagonists the strength and will to go on and be like El-ahrairah, the story of the lettuce reminded us of the importance of cunning and trickery as part of the rabbit's life, the story of the trial gave weight to the role of Kehaar and the mouse, the story of Rowsby Woof gave Fiver the vision of the dog, even the half-told story of the fox in the water was important to make the female rabbits feel good during the siege of Efrafa.

Seriously, one of the things I loved most about WD was that whole role of culture and myth (something I personally have always been fascinated by) seen even in non-human animals. It's so sad how little weight people give them, they really deserve to someday be represented in all their glory.

In the movie we only had the animation of the prologue (simply beautiful that yes, of my favorite animated sequences of all) and a half-worked idea of the King's Lettuce ("cut the tone" my eggs, Rosen).

The '99 series was the only one that more or less gave them more weight even adding one or two new ones. It's appreciated, but I still felt them very empty and the black rabbit one was never realized (despite there being plans for a chapter dedicated to that, heck).

Of course the miniseries doesn't differ that much from the movie, just the prologue part. But at least it was kind of nice to have at least parts of other stories told occasionally (I would have loved to hear that version of the black rabbit story in full).

(I would even go so far as to say that other WD inspired xf stories have failed to reach this "height" either. Either because those stories are always left very briefly aside or the story is so fanciful that they just don't matter/impact in the same way).

[oleworm]

🔥 aegon ii

I'm going to talk about the show version only because I tried to read Fire and Blood and I didn't much care for it. I'm going to speculate that George published it because of pressure to get the last two ASOIAF books out and that's why it reads like the notes you write before the actual story. Moving on.

Surprisingly I have a lot to say about Aegon II, especially comparing what he actually does and how it is presented by the narrative vs. what Rhaenyra does and how it is presented by the narrative. I am aware that TGC was fighting to develop Aegon's character beyond being a rapist and a drunkard, so that already shows a bias by the writers. I don't know if you agree, but when I watched the series I thought that the audience is meant to find him foolish and ineffectual. He supports measures that alleviate the burden on the smallfolk and that's seen as bad--we can't do that, Aegon, we've got a war going on, they're going to have to get used to austerity. Let's ignore that, geographically, the blockade doesn't make sense because they should be able to bring in supplies by land, ha. OK! Maybe he doesn't have all the logistical details, but the principle was correct, if he is to govern these people he is also responsible for them--only, this is considered to be too naïve of a view. But I don't know, it could be giving the writers too much credit to assume they were trying to make a contrast between the ideal of a king, that is, the fiction that is sold to the people so that they accept his authority, vs. what a king actually does, which is funnel state resources to cement his political power and that of his kin-group.

Then he goes out on his dragon and gets burned to a crisp--we're supposed to think that he's emotional and stupid, but he sets Sunfyre on Meleys when he sees that she's burning the soldiers and no one on their side is doing anything about it. If anything, Criston and Aemond's plan was to let Rhaenys think it would be easy, let her kill a bunch of people before they bring out Vhagar. It was an impulsive decision to come in the first place, but it cannot be denied that he risks his own life in trying to protect them. It was significant to me that when Sunfyre was wounded it flapped its wings as to not to crush the soldiers that were running away in fear, and later Vhagar tramples them to death like they're nothing, the same way that Daemon and Caraxes did in earlier episodes.

I don't know what the show is trying to say in writing them the way they do. It is very inconsistent. Here you have Aegon, who threw in his lot with his people and exposed himself to many of the same dangers, even if it wasn't the most effective way, but that is supposed to be a bad thing because he is a ridiculous person? And you have Rhaenyra, who is queen because she said so, who starves her people and sends weapons of war while sitting comfortably in Dragonstone. In real life it would not be like that, we have different laws, but in their world outside of Dorne there is no precedent for a daughter passing over a legitimate son. It's like, in-universe Rhaenyra has the odds stacked against her for being a woman, but in real life we are supposed to root for her for that very same reason, and it has very little to do with either of their actions.

I read your reply to my ask and I agree that they should have kept that part about him abusing women that have no recourse, it adds complexity to his character that a lot of people don't like!

[irontragedyreview]

Ok, so I read the chapter with the official translation because if I'm going to say that Horikoshi is mediocre writer, that this arc was completely rushed and a shit show in general I'm going to use the official translations. It should be noted that honestly nothing can fix this chapter so meh, the relevant points would be

AFO loves Yoichi, some criticism focused on Afo saying this didn't make sense but  from the beginning of the arc we see AFO declaring that he loves his brother, since we know the story of OFA/AFO we know that he wantsYoichi by his side, but even beyond his methods of locking him up and wanting to break his will, the truth is that he wants Yoichi's decision to be by his side to be of his own free will. Even though he’s willing to break Yoichi, he didn’t want him to be by his side through some quirk manipulating his will, because that could have been an option, what he wanted when Yoichi was alive is for him to finally stand by his side.On the other hand, AFO's love isn’t healthy, it’s twisted and toxic because he considers Yoichi his, his first gift, the first object he had, so yeah, AFO loves his brother but no one is saying that this love is good or healthy.

Some people interpret that Kurogiri is dead, I'm honestly not interested in his character and the truth is I'm not very clear about what happened, I suppose it will be something that It will name above in the following chapters.

Midoriya showing empathy or compression for AFO? I've seen some comments saying that Midoriya's words are an attempt to show empathy towards AFO. Personally I think it’s completely wrong, if anything Izuku is telling him how small and pathetic he is, pointing out that he isn’t a demon king, he isn’t an incomprehensible monster, just a lonely man. There is no understanding or empathy but rather it’s establishing that he isn’t the terrible threat that AFO wants to think he represents but that he is ultimately a pathetic and lonely being.

AFO wanting to transmit his quirk to live in another body as a parasite, he says that Midoriya or anyone would do, this isn’t really true because although we know that a person can withstand a certain amount of quirks at some point it will fry their brain, Nagant handled her quirk well and one more, Spinner from what we saw became more irrational due to the quirk he received from AFO since his system was overloaded. So far the only one who has endured more than one quirk is Midoriya, although we can assume that he wanted to pass his quirk to another body and then if that body failed he could always look for another one.

bakugou is there, again nothing about horikoshi surprises me anymore.

Izuku and Tomura's talk, if those pathetic panels can be called that. Midoriya impassive, the only difference I find in the unofficial translations Izuku directly said he couldn’t forgive him, in the official one it isn’t so much the word forgiveness and more like he couldn't stand there just watching what he was doing. I use the official translations because 1) I don't know Japanese; 2) People usually argue that to discuss the points of story one should take the official translations. Since I don't know Japanese and the fandom is picky, I'll use these. Obviously it can be interpreted as that he can’t forgive what he did or forget it but well the truth is that I honestly don't think anything improves the talk. Tomura asking Midoriya to pass the message and telling him to tell Spinner that his convictions never changed, which it’s true I guess, although he also accepts that he couldn't destroy anything and that it may be that in the end he is that crying child that Izuku said, this line is interesting and something that a good author would surely seek to expand on, but considering that we’re talking about Horikoshi, we can leave it to the conclusion that hopefully the topic will be touched upon again or that nothing will ever be said.

Having said all the above, I imagine that there are only a few chapters left that make up a very long epilogue. At this point I doubt that Horikoshi will make a plot twist by reviving AFO a fourth time, I honestly hope not, some are talking about Tomura appearing in the form of Tenko? which at this point wouldn't fix anything either because you screwed up any chance of the save idea when you kept Izuku's plot going without a single introspective thought and ended it with him killing AFO in Tomura's body. The explanation would have to be very good to fix the shit show that was the chapter.

Some also say that Tomura isn’t dead, this is mostly because Horikoshi has used the resource of death and revived so many times that many no longer believe that he’s capable of killing a character, but I don't believe it if he’s saying goodbye, I doubt that miraculously appears alive. I would say that the chapters to come can’t be worse than this one but I fear that Horikoshi will take it as a personal challenge and do it.

[foxofninetales]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love!

Thank you (and all the others who tagged me) for this ask!

It was so hard deciding! I still don't know that these are my favorites, but they were the ones that spoke to me as I was scanning my list of works.

Gunpowder and Ink, (DMBJ) but very specifically the ficlet where Wu Xie and Pangzi meet for the first time, In Which Something Lost Is Found and Something Unexpected Is Recovered, which is a glorious romp involving vaguely Regency-era shenanigans, mistaken identities, and okay maybe a tiny bit of arson. This is VERY specifically written with the TLT2 versions of these characters in mind, and I'm very pleased with how the characterizations came out. Plus, possibly the best opening sentence I have ever written.

Hold Me Fast, Let Me Not Go (DMBJ, KanSang) I love a fairytale rewrite, and I especially love a good Tam Lin story. This one was written in a single day after I saw this piece of art from @psychic-waffles and went a little bit mad. Kan Jian's solid, earthy perspective is such a perfect lens for this story, in such contrast with the wild, unearthly beauty of the fey.

Unreliable Narration (DMBJ, Liu Sang + the Iron Triangle) Beyond characters and plot and setting, writing is about the joy of words and all the delightful acts of sleight-of-prose that you can accomplish with them. I'd had this idea in my head for a while before I felt I'd grown enough as a writer to attempt it. My goal was to create a story that was as satisfying on the second read as the first, and I think I managed it. The third paragraph from the end is one of my favorite pairs of sentences I've ever written. Plus, whump!

Where the Heart Is (DMBJ, Liu Sang, Wang Meng/Wushanju) This was another of those story ideas that had lived with me for a long time before I finally wrote it. I just really love the concept at the heart of this fic, and how different this familiar world is when viewed from another perspective and on another timescale.

Cabbages and Kings (Liu Sang + the Iron Triangle) Sometimes in exchanges you draw the perfect recipient to write a story that will resonate with both of you, and @dinomight was mine. I wonder if this will ever stop being my favorite of all the things I've written. There is so much of my heart in here: comfort, and home, and cats, that time of year when the world begins wrapping itself in winter, and finding a place where you can be loved for who you are. So much of writing this was trusting the story: most of the worldbuilding just spilled onto the page without conscious thought. I also really enjoyed using this particular writing voice - wry and thoughtful and very aware of the tiny beauties of the mundane.

Bonus mentions: The Language of Flour for teaching me that I could write humor, and Intersection for teaching me that I could write at all.

[bi-widower-dads]

bi-widower-dads' February Fic Recs: Canon

Thank you to everyone who submitted recs for us! We've done some sorting and collating, and we've got two posts for you: AUs and Canon-'verse - and a whole load of excellent fic for you to get stuck into while we wait for Barduil Month in April! Without further ado, here are the canon fic recs, featuring tags, links, summaries, and all the reasons why the recommenders think you should give these fics a try!

Header image by mod @piyo-13!

(a note about tags and trigger warnings: tags are selected from those on AO3 as being those that best describe the story for the purposes of this event; trigger warnings are supplied by the recommenders and may not be comprehensive - your mileage may vary. We've tried our best to include Tumblr handles wherever we can, but if we've missed yours out and you want it included, just let us know!)

One-shots

Scenes From a Not-So-Clandestine Romance by MasterofAllImagination / @cutlerbeckettt | G | 3258 words | tags: 5+1 things, so much fluff it's sickening, seriously don't even read this

Summary: As the relationship between Bard and Thranduil grows beyond merely that of two allies, they become proportionately blind to how obvious their displays of affection are to their people. Pretty soon their feelings are an open secret shared among everyone in Mirkwood and Dale-- except the kings themselves. (or, five times someone caught Bard and Thranduil secretly kissing, and the one time they did it in public) What do you love about this fic? The author's completely correct that this is just So Much Fluff. It's great, it's cozy, it's a palate cleanser that makes you go "aww" and giggle a little at how oblivious they are.

We'll lay here for years or for hours by bispecimen | M | 5000 words | tags: canon divergence, different first meeting, animal death, hunting, could be considered canon compliant since it still works w future events, dilf vs dilf parenting techniques, canon-typical violence

Summary: "The leaves were rolling, green and healthy. Swirling around the legs of the Bowman as if they were about to bring some magical creature in his presence. But Bard didn’t feel like anything good was about to be brought in front of his eyes. The stillness of the air was suffused with something nocive. This part was forbidden for a reason. The deeper he went, the longer he stayed. He knew, he knew that." What do you love about this fic? Am possibly biased because I did the art for this, but lovely and lyrical!

but the sun is eclipsed by the moon by RC_McLachlan | G | 5288 words | tags: none

Summary: The Battle of the Five Armies threatened to unmake the world, but The Negotiations of the Three Kings might actually succeed. Or, a short lesson on the lifecycle of dandelions. What do you love about this fic? Great writer I've followed for a long time!

more than words can wield the matter by BiSquared / @scary-grace | M | 5422 words | tags: cultural differences, love letters, miscommunication, accidental marriage, getting together, laws and customs of the eldar are somewhat followed, POV Bard the Bowman, post-BotFA, as canon-compliant as barduil gets

Summary: It might be uncommon, but Bard knows it’s not unheard of for humans to share a single night of passion and part ways in the morning – or if not to part ways, then at least never to meet as lovers again. Apparently it’s unheard of among elves, because the first letter that arrives from Mirkwood, two weeks after the elves’ departure for their forest, is significantly less businesslike than expected. What do you love about this fic? The premise is funny enough that it could have come across as crack, but it creates actual narrative tension and a satisfactorily cathartic ending.

The Well-Worn Path of Words by Ias | T | 10,725 words | tags: letters, slow burn, pining, miscommunication, love confessions, epistolary

Summary: It wasn't so strange that Thranduil would call him a friend. And yet the word seemed to draw them closer like a length of string, binding them together, yet still so fragile. [In which Thranduil and Bard begin writing each other letters over the long winter after the battle.] What do you love about this fic? Fantastic epistolary fic from a great Barduil author!

Multi-chapter (in progress)

Language of the Forest by BaccaratBlack | T | 1,095 words | tags: victorian flower language, sort of unrequited feelings, cultural differences, cultural misunderstandings, courtship, secret admirer

Summary: Bard is perplexed by elven courtship rituals. Thranduil is very determined and unaccustomed to not having his way. What do you love about this fic? Who doesn't like a fic with the themes of courtship, flowers and a "secret" admirer?

Multi-chapter (complete)

A Tale of Love and Longing (as told by Galion) by jotunblood | T | 39,288 words | tags: courtship, secret relationship, developing relationship, sexual tension, light angst, post-BotFA, slow burn, Galion POV, Galion is a good friend

Summary: Galion knew all the almost imperceptible ways joy, anguish, and hate could change his King’s face. He also knew-- Thranduil’s denial be damned-- exactly how he looked when he was pining. What do you love about this fic? We see Thranduil's and Bard's relationship develop through Galion's POV and he's the best BFF/Wing Man a King could ask for.

Blossoming Spring by SlytherinImpala | T | 56,210 words | tags: fluff, post-BotFA, snark, slow burn, healing, friends to lovers, scars, movie canon, first kiss, getting together

Summary: Bard and Thranduil meet again as winter gives way to spring following of the Battle of Five Armies. What do you love about this fic? I love the gentle snarkiness between the 2 characters and how they slowly learn to open up to one another. They feel very in character and when they fall in love it doesn't feel abrupt. Definitely worth a read if you love a gentle Barduil slowburn.

Series

The Kings of the North by Evandar | T | 14,240 words | tags: partial fix-it, interspecies romance, fluff, blind thranduil, self-esteem issues, communication

Summary: There is unease in the north, as old alliances must be rebuilt and leadership learned. Bard is confused, mostly by King Thranduil, and King Fili is determined to be the best king he can be. Sigrid, meanwhile, wishes things could go back to the way they were. What do you love about this fic? This was one of the first series I ever read for barduil and definitely played a huge role in getting me into the ship in the first place!

Boundaries 'Verse by Sir_Nemo | T | 30,967 words | tags: fluff, getting to know each other, getting together, family bonding

Summary: Bard has been working for the elves for years, never actually meeting one, until one day he notices an elf watching him work. The elf becomes a constant in his life, and the two of them slowly start warming up to each other. What do you love about this fic? Bard and Thranduil's personalities really shine through in their conversations, which I feel is a core component of the plot, and makes for a very stable relationship that the story can lean on.

[cosmo-watches-movies]

Wilde (1997)

Triggerwarning: Homophobia, Sex (in the movie, not depicted in this blogpost)

Plot: A part of Oscar Wilde’s life story.

Spoilers beyond this

Michael plays Robbie Ross, a good friend to Oscar Wilde and, delicately put, his first male lover.

Following are my incoherent thoughts as I was watching the movie: (some gifs for context, for the other parts watch the movie and you'll get it)

starting out chill with Oscar meeting his future wife

oh who might this dashing young fella be?

lol that didn’t work did it?

Nevermind it did work

I was so not prepared for this

This guy has a lot of thoughts in his head and none of them are holy

Bitch what

If someone looked at me like that I’d instantly fall for them too. Man brought his A-Game

Oh my god this is going too fast even for me and I’m just watching

Why would you give him lines like that?

(I refuse to clip the next part, I don't know who might read this)

What in the what I barely got into the movie, why would you do this to me

I have questions

I have so many emotions at once right now I actually feel a bit sick

I’m 16 Minutes in and my heart is breaking at the thought of where this might be going

Okay, I got used to the fact that I am actually watching a movie about gay men

Me watching a movie about a gay author: （☆ω☆ ）

Me when theres actual portayal of intimacy between men: （○ □ ○ ）

I swear I’m so normal about this.

Wtf Oscar why would you drop Robbie like that. I get that this was an affair, but like this? He picked that other guy up like an apple from a tree.

Watch Robbie take this like the king he is

Oscar met yet another guy (Bosie) and seems to fall in love with him and guy #2 litterally wants to khs and/or Bosie, while Robbie has only respect, acceptance and love to give.

lol taste of your own medicie, huh?

I hate Bosie

I love Robbie

Drama between Bosie and Wilde, which results in Oscar being sentenced to two years in prison

Oof that speech Oscar held in court tho, right in the feels

Robbie is an absolute treasure of a person. Get yourself a man like him. Don’t settle for less.

Wtf all this stress and heartbreak for Oscar and Bosie to break up after three months, the world is a cruel place

- End of incoherent thoughts-

That was heartbreaking in so many ways. The main story obviously is unbelievably tragic but we shall focus on other things. There are a lot of strong performances in this movie, the whole cast was quite good. You can strongly feel the love Robbie has for Oscar, he has this soft tone when he talks to or about him, he wants him to be happy even if it means that he himself wont be. He accepts that Oscar doesn’t love him the same way and still supports his friend under any circumstances. It's not just in the dialouge, it's also in the way Robbie talks to and looks at Oscar. He’s pure kindness, love and devotion.

He cares so much for him it's breaking my poor little heart :c

On a less serious note, my guy really went ahead and had his first on-screen kiss be a gay kiss!?! Fuckin hell! And he did so well! Icon, king, legend, right from the start!

Because there aren't enough gifs in this already, have some more little moments I enjoyed :3

✨Puppy dog eyes✨

Good save xD

Why would you hold it like that?

I don't even know why, just thought he looked dashing in this scene

Me too, Robbie, me too.

I probably could've written more, but that wouldn't do the movie and characters justice. Bosie's full brattiness alone is something I couldn't even capture in gifs. Kudos to Jude Law, he really made me hate that character. He's the exact opposite of Robbie. They had only two scenes together I think, but it's awesome to see their personalities clash.

I’d say you should check this movie out, especially if you’re lgbt+ yourself obviously. And then go ahead and read Oscar Wildes works, they're queer history and in general important literature anyone should know.

At the end of this I have learned that I, in fact, don’t hate love drama, I just like it if it's gay. And preferably has a certain actor in it.

[lemonduckisnowawake]

Rating (the translated, not actually OG) titles of manhwa/manga because I was bored

Monstrous Duke's Adopted Daughter/The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess - not egregiously long but boring when the story is actually interesting. 6/10. Rename it with something more snappish like the Adopted Shadow or whatever. idk. Have I mentioned I've been banned from naming things?

My In-Laws Are Obsessed with Me - 4/10. Also not horrible but it's clearly a clickbaity title and I roll my eyes. Better to rename it to like ..... something to do with blood maybe? Or if you want to keep it family-themed. Blood Ties? Also boring and you can tell I'm speaking from a western YA-genre reader

Beware the Villainess - 8/10. This needs no change

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine - .... it's exactly what the title says, ngl. 7/10. But it could be better and less of a summary. Don't know what, though

The Noble Girl Who Finds a Nerdy and Plain Guy Moe Thinks That the Arrogant Prince Is in the Way - 0/10. I just. Why? The official English title is something like The Lady Likes a Nerd over Princes, which I found weird but the summary was interesting (turns out it was a good manga. But the author just has zero respect for the agency of women. Like. Comically so that it's not even funny as it gets a tad bit narratively frustrating as it's used as a device to drag on the plot) Anyway. Just why?

An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride - 2/10. Not as unforgivable as the previous but horrible all the same. And while the concept was interesting and I gave it a try because it was a rec, it turned out to not be for me at all. The title is dramatic, I'll give you that. It reads like it's a self help book for demon kings who want to learn how to Love and that's basically the manga

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End/Frieren at the Funeral/Frieren the Slayer - 10/10. Look. Any of those titles are good. It doesn't pop out but neither does it force you to hide the title out of fear of being misunderstood

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World - 5/10. Inoffensive but another summary title. You could have literally just called it the Savior's Otherworld Cafe instead. Or something

I Listened to My Husband and Brought in a Lover - 1/10. Encourages cheating with consent. Actually, the manhwa kinda did too (the husband cheated first and was like you should cheat too). At least people know what they're in for? Don't want to retitle it. It deserves it for starting with decent potential for that premise and kinda failing to deliver.

I Stole the Number One Ranker's Soul - 6/10. Again, it's pretty catchy and not terrible but I still don't like these summary titles. Manhwa is amazing, however.

Can't Stop Cursing You - 8/10. Dying laughing because it reads as someone going "man, I just... can't stop cursing you. Really can't help myself you know? Sorry not sorry" while zapping you repeatedly with curses. Still pretty stupid when the actual manga was REALLY shiny with all that horror and bloody gore and interesting plot

Gingerly in Love - 10/10. Trust me. Once I saw what it was about, I died laughing. Not the most memorable manhwa but the wordplay of the title....

The Tyrant Wants to Be Good - 6/10. Again. Inoffensive but there's something annoying to me personally. The manhwa is great, though. Love me a woman who makes her trauma everyone else's problem, regrets it, and then internalizes the guilt in her do-over at life so bad that she ends up getting aggressively adopted into a found family

I Got a New Skill Every Time I Was Exiled, and After 100 Different Worlds, I Was Unmatched - 0/10. Why are isekai titles actually the worst sometimes. Manga itself is meh, in my opinion. It has potential ruined by the usual commodification of women, so I dropped it despite my interest

Bonus:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - 3/10. Twain really was isekai titling when he probably didn't know that Japan was even a thing, huh. Not terrible, but it has that isekai style of summarizing the premise.

Bonus again:

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders Who was born in Newgate, and during a life of continu’d Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Years a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her brother) Twelve Years a Thief, Eight Years a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv’d Honest and died a Penitent - -10/10. It was an okay book but you shouldn't have had this power over your book titles, Daniel Defoe. Seriously. My edition just says "Moll Flanders". Never have I wanted to shame a dead author more. It's not even an isekai but it's worse than an isekai title. It's a whole anime opening credits.

[nerdgatehobbit]

13 Books

Right, I was tagged by @old-man-ghost a few days ago and I'm finally getting around to doing this!

1: The last book I read: Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara, which was an interesting look at the involved films and their impact. It was self-congratulatory at places, but I think that's the trade-off for it being an official book.

2: A Book I recommend: Dinotopia by James Gurney, between the gorgeous art, the inventive world-building, and the great characters. The franchise as a whole is one of my favorites, but this is the book that started it all.

3: A book that I couldn't put down: I read the first nine a while back, but I really enjoyed the first volume of Spy x Family. I need to get around to reading the tenth & eleventh volumes.

5: A book on my TBR: In addition to the aforementioned duo and quite a few other books, I'm waiting until I'm further into The Librarians as a show before I read the 3 tie-in novels.

6: A book I've put down: This isn't probably what's meant, but it's the only recent example. Over a month ago, I checked out The Secret Life of the American Musical from the library specifically to just skim it to get a clearer grasp of the different types of songs in Broadway musicals. Though I did spot its section acknowledging the issues of relying on star power for musicals, which seems relevant to what went on with the Sweeney Todd revival.

7: A book on my wish list: This one is kinda silly, but I am curious about Ash's Atlas, it's just that I've been reluctant to seriously look into getting it because I know it's very likely not be a pseudo-guidebook, and more likely just acts to recap anime events. I'd like a Pokémon book that does more with discussing the geography, history, man-built places, & notable people.

8: A favorite book from childhood: I'm going to go for Midnight for Charlie Bone, the first in the Children of the Red King series. I didn't get to read them all as a kid, but the first few I definitely did. I still have a soft spot for this series, though the older I get the more I wish for a perspective flip novel(s) showing what the adults were getting up to, as it's very clear that they're getting up to stuff off-page in addition to what Charlie and his friends see. I'm definitely anxious about how the potential upcoming TV adaptation will turn out.

9: A book you would give to a friend: Hmm, it would depend on the friend's tastes. Maybe I'd be selfish and give them the Project Gutenberg link to Once on a Time just so I'd have someone to talk about it with. It's one of my favorite books (it definitely can be seen as a precursor to The Princess Bride and Galavant).

10: The most books you own by a single author: It's probably a toss-up between Tamora Pierce and Rick Riordan. Both of them are well into the double digits.

11: A nonfiction book you own: I have Team of Rivals, which is a really interesting look at how Abraham Lincoln got elected and then turned the other candidates into his cabinet during the Civil War.

12: What are you currently reading: I've only read the prologue to the Belle Mirrorverse manga, but I liked it. I'm pretty much just here for the BATB content (as seen by me currently having Funko Belle as my icon), as I didn't play the game for long. This says more about my minimal gaming skills than the game itself (no, seriously, I struggle with LEGO & Pokémon at times). I am curious how this altered story will play out.

13: What are you planning on reading next: I still need to reread Sense and Sensibility, especially as I keep meaning to locate the new movie (I like the gifs I've seen, I just need to find the time/energy to figure out how to temporarily get Hallmark access so I can watch it).

I'm on desktop at the moment and don't have a readily accessible current photo of any of my bookshelves. I'll try to remember to do something later and add it in a reblog when I'm on my phone.

This was fun, thanks for tagging me!

I'll tag @asokatanos @magic-owl @jadelotusflower @mylittleredgirl

@ladytharen @bex-pendragon @fantasysci5 and anyone else who'd like to do it!

[regarding-stories]

Until it breaks: Suspension of disbelief has limits

Nothing deals damage to suspension of disbelief like cold hard facts. Because once the analytical part of your brain kicks in, it's all over. All the Fridge Logic will unravel, and frankly, the enjoyment drains out the watching or reading experience.

Now, I picked this topic because of a recent Lupin III Part 6 episode I watched. Being one of the longest-running shows with endless material released over the course of decades, Lupin III has in general good writing. Or let's say it like this: Typically the authors nail the characters.

Yes, part 6 in general is a highly enjoyable show that can bank on the fact that our main characters - Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, Goemon, and Zenigata - are well fleshed-out, recognizable characters that you are just gladly along for the ride with and the general fun factor of the show ensures that you merely experience the differing quality of episodes as minor ups and downs along the journey.

There are exceptions, though.

When it holds

Lupin III is basically revived as "parts," where each part could be considered a big season. I'm currently watching Part 4, and several episodes definitely have the quality of Fridge Logic - you might question things after the episode finishes, but you're basically okay with how things unfold while they still do.

One episode, hitting that slightly noir vibe, focuses on Inspector Zenigata, Lupin's eternal complement.

The show aired almost ten years ago, so forgive me for spoilers.

The basic plot of the episode "Until the Full Moon Wanes" revolves around every scoundrel in the world believing that the widow of a media mogul sits on a huge hidden fortune because her husband seeded the rumor before he died. The first climax of the episode seems to be convincing the world that this was indeed a lie - a cooperation between Lupin and Zenigata. In the denouement we learn that the fortune actually exists and the widow wanted potential thieves off her back, Lupin shows up to steal it and is finally thwarted by Zenigata.

The episode really revolves about human folly, with a media mogul rescuing a girl from sexual violence, taking her as his beloved wife, then completely scorning her when she cheats on him once - including marking her body. This theme of scorn beyond the grave and its somewhat noir vibe playing on human passion and the unreliability of love and character are enough to keep us entertained until we get our inevitable finale.

I'd say this one stretches suspension of disbelief but doesn't break it. Though it raises questions - even if she had a huge fortune hidden, wouldn't it be easier to own it, hire guards, and just enjoy it? Furthermore, how did Lupin and his gang intend to steal the fortune?It's gold. It weighs tons and tons. (And yes, it's enough gold to be considered the reserves of a country. Did the author not watch "Die Hard with a Vengeance"?) It's also stacked in the most stupid way possible to impress the audience. Once you start to think about it, the story unravels and falls apart. But I'd bet while it goes on with its (somewhat forced) twists and turns, you're willing to follow it.

When it breaks

There are, however, some episodes too stupid to live, and so far the unrivaled king of the trash heap is "The Jet-Black Diamond". I'll spoiler this one so you don't have to watch it.

So, some small wooden dolls are somehow supposed to lead to a treasure. But the story makes no sense, no matter which way you look at it.

The central theme behind the treasure hunt is supposedly a love story. A somehow Japanese woman in Brazil falls in love with a pirate who basically sacks her village but spares her. (Because seeing people die you spent your life with is conducive to romance. Maybe she had Stockholm Syndrome.) They know they have little time so they concoct a plan to hide some treasure and meet again. Which never happens because the pirate gets executed shortly after and she commits suicide.

This might make sense on the surface but just wait for the rest...

The clues they leave lead to a cashew tree with magical red glowing flowers that only blossoms every 75 years. The biological facts themselves are mindboggling - how does it benefit the damn tree to blossom only every 75 years? And how is it so exact over such a long period of time?? And why is everyone showing up at the right time to see it???

Breathe. Slow, deep breaths.

So this basically means they planned to meet again when they were around a hundred. Instead of, you know, like five years later.

Then... piracy in the Caribbean and around South America was a phenomenon largely limited to the 16th and 17th centuries, with stragglers hanging on until the 18th century. Steam vessels and larger national navies ended it for good in the 19th century. (To put it very roughly.) The episode itself can be assumed to be set in 2021 when Part 6 aired. So, are we to assume that old-fashioned piracy occurred in Brazil in the mid of the 20th century? The age of airplanes and nuclear bombs? (Piracy persists but is a rather local phenomenon in the world, relying on quick hit-and-run raids.)

What is the treasure, actually? Pepper. Some special pepper, that supposedly ended up making the village prosperous. This is probably an allusion to the times when pepper was still highly valuable, something which was maybe true up to the 17th century (as a little research shows).

What we really have here is an author shoe-horning a pirate story into Lupin III, and somehow trying to tie it to a love story and a living relative. (Instead of a long-lost pirate treasure.) But frankly, the whole thing fails over and over again. The finale is devoid of any logic. Even the dolls are somehow important because their patterns help identify the tree by its blossom patterns. The only tree blooming in that particular year, looking entirely magical and obvious BY ITSELF!!

(Also some young local thugs show up to gang up on the old lady and her company because everybody thinks about the ages old treasure all the time and so the arrival of a Japanese lady is clearly stirring up the area.)

To make the offense even worse, just when the story focuses on Fujiko being in the lead for quite a while, Lupin shows up as a drone projecting a hologram acting as Captain Exposition, stealing her thunder. They couldn't be arsed to write him in properly, but they couldn't leave him off-screen for five minutes or have somebody else have the spotlight. Wow, that was horrible writing altogether.

And here we have it - it qualifies as a story. It's tied together by a plot. Events happen, characters appear, and the same mixture of twists and turns and a lack of treasure at the end (for Lupin or Fujiko) appears, but it doesn't work. You could be forgiven for not knowing about the history of piracy, but the notion of a tree with such magical properties is not a twist to a story, it's a ridiculous device meant to introduce one twist too many to a poorly written story.

Because for some reason the author was so focused on thwarting the thieves so much he had to set up an entirely unbelievable gotcha even for Lupin standards. A show where people evade bullets near point blank range or where eating a steak can restore Lupin's blood loss within hours. It's actually quite the accomplishment!

[nictelsm]

In addition to my MSPA ideas

Prison Part 2, also known as Jailbreak: Extended Play, is basically a different version of the Jailbreak adventure, including dialogue, animation, narrative shiftings from 1st person to 2nd person between characters, and even interactive pages... IF I CAN CODE THEM. Each stick figure character will be named, and some will look distinct.

This is the "Beyond Canon Mockery" adventure I mentioned on my previous post, also known as "Homestuck: Beyond Fucked Up" or "Beyond Awful." It's a changearound of Beyond Canon's story, with worsened content, but mocked in a self-aware way, has a lot of pop culture stuff, also mocks the controversy and culture around Homestuck, and introduces a character named " The Story Wizard," an obnoxious, plot fiddling, story changing, retconning, King of Town alien who's always here to make the story worse. In this adventure, John actually hates everything around him, probably just me making fun of his descent into depression, wheras in the original comic he's an emo James Rolfe, while here, he's nihilistic.

Freeplay is an adventure with no plot, no story, no gods, no masters, no author, just fun, but a few set of rules. You can do anything you want here. It's the infinite canvas of MS Paint Adventures, with loads of creativity for one simple panel.

There are a trinity of commands, however. NULLIFY will reset everything, REGRESS will revert a command that someone has submitted, and DISORDER will scramble the story you create into random, inconvenient places.

Nepal Silo was an adventure I was thinking about earlier this year. It's about a group of young researchers who live on a cold, snowy landscape, sometimes peppered with aliens and oddities. It's gonna have the same style as Homestuck, but it's not gonna have that "There's a teenager in his room and he shall be named, plus a world ending supergame" bullshit.

I was also planning to give this adventure a Kelly Bailey inspired soundtrack, obviously because of the planned influence from Half Life.

And here is one I dare to create. Adventure Boy! Planned to be an adventure about some kid (oddly looking similar to Zoosmell Pooplord) in a fantasy world that doesn't know him at all. The main, titular character is extremely joyful, almost stereotype joyful, and yet the world he's in ranges from dark to careless. Yeah, it's obviously one big trope made into an MS Paint Adventure, but I don't care.

Another one I'm thinking about is this oddball. It's a story about your favorite spider bitch doing really stupid stuff towards every other troll in the style of a Homestar Runner storybook (See: Sbemail 100 or Homestar Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest). Later in the book, the protagonist redeems herself off of being too mean.

But least could we forget, another project in the making. It's been done before, but we'll do it again. Comedy gold, adequate. Irony, stunning.

SWEET BOR AND HELLA JYEFF VIDYA GAEM DUDES INNERACTIVE COMIC made by ya boy Dave s. with iorny

Yes, I'm doing a Sweet Bro & Hella Jeff adventure. This one is more gaming based than slice of life or adventure. Think of it as early SBaHJ.

There's also gonna be a few new "bros" introduced into this comic. One's with a green shirt whom I call "THAT DUDE," and a pink shirt named "STAN-SO-CASH." Does Geromy count as a bro? WHO KNOWS!

At last, we have this.

An MS Paint Adventures adaptation of Homestar Runner's "Thy Dungeonman." This is basically gonna be a warm-up to everything else I'll do on MSPFA, sort of a practice to see if I can actually work on what I can correctly. I ended up doing Jailbreak: Extended Play first. The command system of Thy Dungeonman would be really hard to replicate in the MS Paint Adventures format, so suggestions will be sent one by one. Or I could just do the Bard Quest treatment.

So uh, BYE!

[jackoshadows]

The amount of big names in the fandom immediately discarding the strong possibility of Jon becoming king is baffling to me. They claim that Jon won’t have time for disputing over a title because he’ll be busy fighting against the Others and when duty calls he’ll choose to fight the Great War instead of ruling and that’s his fate. I ask: who the hell is more prepared to fight a war than a king? Who’s better at managing everything than the ultimate authority? That’s why it sounds so silly to me. Specially when tempered with “he loves his siblings, that conflict was solved, that’s why he’ll give up on Robb’s will”. Yeah, sure, George set that all up just for Jon to say “nope, I’m good”. That’s not how a complex story like ASOIAF works. Controversial but I have the feeling that they only say that as an excuse to shove Jon aside so S4ns4 can be queen even though she lacks half of the experience Jon has as a ruler. When they know they’re stretching it too far, they’ll say “why can’t all the Starks rule together like a sweet loving family???” so S4ns4 won’t be excluded and they can look reasonable and less awful in the eyes of the fandom for shoving Jon aside for S4ns4’s sake, like they used to do to Bran the Eternal Tree and Arya the Eternal Sailor. I personally can’t wait for Arya to crown him.

Exactly!! This is pretty much it.

And also, I would like to point out that these bnfs are also big Stannis fans! That's what so hypocritical and ridiculous about this. Jon's support for Stannis is entirely predicated on the acknowledgement that Stannis has the power of a king and therefore the ability to unite people, gather an army and make important decisions for the good of the realm. And Stannis knows about the threat from beyond the Wall and is still engaged in battle and politicking south of the Wall.

If that is okay for Stannis to be king, why does the same not apply to Jon with the only thing standing in his way being his bastardy?  Unless they think that being a bastard disqualifies him in some way that it does not for Stannis.

Also, the implication that the only reason Sansa would oppose a King Jon is because of sexism is 🤣🤣🤣. That’s right, book Sansa who has never, not once, pondered on the inherent sexism of Westerosi patriarchal ideals will be opposed to king Jon on the basis of it being sexist and not because Jon is a bastard. Classism and discrimination against bastards is totally okay - Jon should be precluded from power because of his bastardy. But sexism preventing a younger and less experienced Sansa from getting it over Jon? Oh no, how unfair 😱.

Jon is the oldest, most experienced of Ned’s children (the only one who can rule without a regent) but if he gets rulership in the North over Sansa, who does not know the first thing about what is happening all over the North - it must be the sexism that Sansa is outraged about, nothing else right? 🤣 The same Sansa who in the most recent book thought that because Lothor Brune’s birth was very low he would be a good fit for a bastard girl like Mya Stone....

And then there's the fact that they think these characters don't evolve and change at all over 5 books! The mind truly boggles. So 9 year old Arya at the beginning of AGoT going all 'eww boys!' and telling her father that she will never marry and have children apparently means that's permanent! And this is in a book series that liberally uses a rule of three, meaning, characters end up making different choices the third time.

Jon Snow himself is a perfect example of this:

Forgive me, Father. Robb, Arya, Bran. Forgive me, I cannot help you. He has the truth of it. This is my place. ” Jon Snow, AGoT

You were wrong to leave her, a different voice insisted. He wondered if his father had been torn the same way, when he’d left Jon’s mother to return to Lady Catelyn. He was pledged to Lady Stark, and I am pledged to the Night’s Watch - Jon Snow, ASoS

I want my bride back … I want my bride back … “I think we had best change the plan,” Jon Snow said. If this is oathbreaking, the crime is mine and mine alone - Jon Snow, ADwD

And there is also a deliberate ignorance of the chapter where Jon does make his decision to refuse Stannis. I have already written plenty on this - the reason Jon refuses Stannis’ offer to be legitimized as Lord of Winterfell is because the King wanted him to convert to the Lord of Light and burn down the Winterfell Godswood. Ghost’s timely appearance with his white fur and red eyes reminds Jon of the Weirwoods, that Ghost himself is a gift from the Old Gods and of his sworn oaths in front of the Godswood.

When Jon later brokers the marriage between Sigorn and Alys, their wedding is a mix of two cultures and religions - that of the Lord of Light and the Old Gods. Because unlike Jon Snow, Sigorn the magnar of the Thenns has no issue converting to the Lord of Light, as far as we know.

There is a clear difference between Stannis offering Jon Snow Winterfell and Robb Stark doing it. The emotional weight behind Robb doing it is simply immense for GRRM to not tackle that in Jon Snow’s POV

That morning he called it first. “I’m Lord of Winterfell!” he cried, as he had a hundred times before. Only this time, this time, Robb had answered, “You can’t be Lord of Winterfell, you’re bastard-born. My lady mother says you can’t ever be the Lord of Winterfell.” - Jon, ASoS

“Mother.” There was a sharpness in Robb’s tone. “You forget. My father had four sons.”

“Jon’s more a Stark than some lordlings from the Vale who have never so much as set eyes on Winterfell.”

Should I die without issue, I want him to succeed me as King in the North.” - Catelyn, ASoS

There’s every chance that we get a rule of three scenario here as well. I can foresee for instance :

1. Jon refusing Stannis offer

2. Jon’s emotional upheaval with Robb’s decree and wanting to accept it for protecting the realm with the power of a king,  but conflicted because there are some Northern houses supporting Rickon Stark and his baby brother is the rightful heir

3. Arya Stark turns up with Robb’s crown, names him king and we get Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell and KITN.

And yes, for all asoiaf fans proclaim that the books are complex tomes unlike traditional high fantasy and subvert tropes and all that, it’s ridiculous that they box these characters into specific roles like the show did.

The TV show did it simply because it’s an adaptation which combined plots and characters for budget reasons and because D&D are simply bad writers. So, if Jon Snow was doing everything his book version was on the show, what would they do with Sophie Turner considering they binned the Vale plot for not having more book material? They can’t ask Turner to sit out seasons. So they take away from book Jon’s plot and skillsets, and hand it over to show Sansa. Same with Arya and Bran. They put these characters into boxes: Arya: Assassin, Bran:3ER, Jon: Military man: Sansa: politician.

However, that’s not how it is in the books at all. If one has read these 5 books, imagine how ridiculous it would be for book Jon Snow to take any kind of advice from the 13 year old book Sansa we last see in the Vale!!

It was already ridiculous on the show because of how badly they shoved Sansa into Jon’s plot. It was not enough that show Sansa was the ‘politician’, she also is suddenly a military expert and demands that Jon ask her advise on offensive battle techniques, instructs northern armorers on the best way to make armor and lectures Yohn Royce on the strategic value of castles as a first line of defense!!

It’s doubly nonsensical in the books. Just like most medieval and feudal European monarchs (from whom GRRM has borrowed) had an education that was as well rounded as possible, so too are the noble rulers and leaders of Westeros and Essos. Jon, Arya, Bran, Dany and Tyrion all have political arcs with military aspects. Dany, Tyrion and Jon have participated in military defensive and offensive battles. They have ruled and administered over city states and institutions. They have made trade deals and negotiated political alliances. They have used both hard power and soft power in their dealings with allies and enemies. Arya’s arc has intersected with politics - both southern and northern - since she left for KL. Bran had an entire arc as defacto Lord/Prince of Winterfell in Robb’s absence.

Jon, Dany and Tyrion are competent leaders in their own right in all aspects and if Bran, Rickon or Arya do need an adviser or a regent because of their age then that regent will be an older, experienced person - ex. Davos. Not the least qualified 13 year old!!

[hildred-rex]

Hello, I love Hildred Castaigne! He’s such a fucked up unreliable narrator and he also reminds me so much of myself in middle school and I love him for it. What do you like about him?

First off, apologies for taking absolutely ages to answer this! Life happened and I promptly forgot tumblr existed for almost a month. Yay.

Anyhow, I think my love of Hildred is a combination of the factors you mentioned and the absolute state I got into shortly after I found The King in Yellow -- aaand here comes an essay. The last version of this got deleted, and apparently I've taken it upon myself to make its replacement even lengthier.

Hildred is a fascinating character to read and to write, and his opinions on things are (or would be) so different from mine that it's fun to try to puzzle them out. I keep a bevy of fictional characters that I can simulate reasonably well as a way to make myself consider how people get to opinions that differ from mine, and naturally he's among them.

Beyond that, I'm an absolute sucker for hints at a greater world, but only narrow viewpoints from which to try to figure out what's going on in that world.

The weird bits of The King in Yellow as a whole are superb at tantalizing you with smug allusions and tiny scraps of information about what, exactly, it is that the book is named for.

Is it a play? Is it an entity? What happened to the author? ...was the author Boris? (I don't think the author was Boris, but I won't lie that I've considered writing a fic where he was.)

I got hooked on Lovecraft for the same reason, and it's actually what put me on to Arthur Machen (favorite author) and The King in Yellow (favorite book).

Even with all that, I think my King in Yellow interest would have been a passing thing that returned occasionally, if it hadn't been the last thing I got into before my first set of high school final exams kicked my ass.

The tl;dr of freshman year is that I picked the wrong math class and it spent the semester wrecking my self-confidence (and my sleep schedule) before I finally managed to transfer to a better one. (Then I spent second semester picking myself back up.)

Hildred, notably, is self-confident to the point of it backfiring catastrophically on him. He absolutely should not have gloated to Louis, tactically speaking; in this essay I will-

Anyway. Stress is weird, so during finals season and its leadup I had quite a lot of unmarshalled energy that refused to work on what I actually needed it to do and that instead directed itself at my idle pokings at Hildred and his world.

Probably better than worrying about how my abysmal math grade was going to ruin my life.

It didn't, and I came out of the crucible with rather extensive additional worldbuilding. Since I essentially speedran getting invested in the project, I came away wanting to do more of it and... it just kind of stuck?

I mean, here we are several years later and my first impulse is still to name my tumblr blog for him. I've got a rough idea of his extended family back three generations. I have a design for that spring suit Hawberk had that was mentioned exactly once. I am the embodiment of

when it comes to this lol

_____

I couldn't find a good place to fit this in above, but Hildred was also the first time I encountered a story with an obviously intentional unreliable narrator after I'd encountered the term. Not sure how I missed it that long, lol. I spent probably half a decade looking askance at various authors and going "...do you know what you're writing there???"

I also couldn't integrate it anywhere, but I absolutely adore "The Mask." I have Thoughts on Chambers's ability to write romance more generally, the short version being that he writes Lovers™ and not characters and they're thus so wooden they're hard to read, but that he must have been in a position like the beginning of "The Mask" because holy god that is exactly how it feels.