#but i'm so glad i get to experience the novel too where they're not related and they're all dumb young adults kickin' it in a haunted house

[infinitetbr]

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - Book review

Rating: 5/5. This was definitely one of my favourite books of all time, here's why...

I started reading this book in March of 2022 but stopped after reading two chapters, mostly because I felt really intimidated by the language (as English is not my first language). So I soft-DNFed it, and I'm glad I did because I was 100% not ready to read it then. I wasn't ready for the language, nor was I ready for the contents of this wonderful book. I came back to Wuthering Heights in January 2024 after a friend convinced me to read it, and I loved it. I read the book in a week (while balancing school and such). The English is not easy, but it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I could understand it without too many problems, and I'd say It was a pretty smooth read.

Short, spoiler-free summary: Wuthering Heights is a classic gothic novel by Emily Bronte that follows the love story (Although it's debatable if you can even call it a love story) between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. The novel is set in Yorkshire, England, and includes themes of passion, revenge, and redemption. Cathy and Heathcliff are forced to struggle against the harsh environment and social constraints of their time, and it all leads to tragedy. It also takes place over several decades (1770-1803ish).

What I liked (Spoiler-free): Now as I'm just starting this blog, I'm reviewing books I read a while ago so my memory isn't super refreshed and they won't be that long and detailed, but I'll post more reviews of books I recently finished after I get the hang of this.

Anyway, my thoughts. If you love a dramatic book that'll keep you entertained but also still be well-written enough to resonate with you when you're finished (and while you read), this is the book for you. To me, there wasn't a single boring moment in the book-- not even the start, which is usually fairly boring as you're trying to get into the story and you know nothing about anyone.

In the opening scene, the book already manages to create a sense of dread and suspense. From describing the melancholic and harsh environment of the moors to the shady actions of the main characters, it all gives you a great idea of where the story is heading.

The dialogue is very lively, though unrealistic (In today's standard anyway, who knows they might've been this dramatic in the 18th and 19th century...) but you will not get bored whenever you read the monologues or dialogues. I also found it very poetic at times, so the dialogue wasn't just entertaining but also very beautiful at times.

Its characters are deeply flawed, and that's what makes it so good. You might relate to Heathcliff for one second and be completely horrified by his actions in the other. They're realistic and human, they're not completely evil or completely good. They are driven (the two main characters specifically) by passion, but they are also stubborn, ambitious, and selfish, which leads them to make mistakes that have dire consequences. The other characters also react very naturally to the events that happen, especially our narrator Nelly, Cathy and Heathcliff's old nurse. But I'd say that the main characters are well-developed, with a clear and consistent arc throughout the story that showcases their transformation into tortured souls.

The novel's pacing is slow and deliberate, building up to the dramatic and explosive climax that reveals the extent of the characters' devotion to each other. But despite the slow pacing, the story stays very entertaining so you won't feel it drag on once/if you're really immersed-- so no I wouldn't call this a quick read you can squeeze in to get to your reading goal or a book you can have in your bag to read a few pages whenever. The experience would be better if you sat down and took your time, and it's truly an experience.

When it comes to tropes, the book is reliant on classic tropes of Gothic fiction, like an eerie and isolated setting, supernatural elements ("Ghosts" and stuff), and the presence of a (usually class-related) forbidden romance.

What I liked (Spoilers): My God this book was soul-wrenching!! The dialogue was gorgeous and poetic, whenever Cathy and Heathcliff talked about each other I was always moved. The part that really got me to get into the book was in volume 1, chapter 3 when Heathcliff almost throws himself out of the window screaming for Cathy after Lockwood told him that he thought a ghost was begging to be let in. The entire dialogue between Cathy and Nelly where Cathy confessed her love for Heathcliff was of course the most memorable and the one everyone mentions the most, and I definitely understand why as it's beautifully written and full of emotions. But my favourite parts (No I can't choose between them) of this book were 100%

When Heathcliff returned after disappearing for years. His reunion with Cathy was so passionate that I almost cried, and the dialogue, the "You have killed me and thrive on it." -- "You have killed yourself... I have not broken your heart, you have broken it, and in breaking it, you have broken mine... I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer, but yours! How can I?" (Volume 2, chapter 1) oh my GOD I was floored. Amazing.

When Heathcliff found out Cathy was dead after childbirth and lashed out. "Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest, as long as I am living! You said I killed you, haunt me then! The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe, I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always, take any form, drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! ...I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" (Volume 2, Chapter 2) I mean if you put the sheer beauty of it aside, you can really see how corrupt and dark these characters are.

What I didn't like (Spoiler free): To be honest there wasn't much I didn't like about this book other than the fact that it was really hard to understand what Joseph was saying because he spoke in an accent and Bronte kind of wrote everything he said phonetically. But this could be made easier if you listen to a British-speaking audiobook while you read because it's easier to understand what he's saying when you're listening to someone British reading it out loud. I recommend this audiobook, it was very fun. (Slight spoilers now, but not really, but I'm putting this to be safe) I also would've kind of liked it if they explored the paranormal aspect of the story more, like the ghost stuff was only mentioned like twice and I think it would've given the book more of a gothic flare if she continued haunting him both mentally and physically. But it's not really something that would ruin the book for me.

My favourite quote would probably be: "In every cloud, in every tree-- filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object, by day I am surrounded with her image! The most ordinary faces of me, and women-- my own features-- mock me with a resemblance. The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist and that I have lost her!" (Volume 2, chapter 14)

Reasons why you might not enjoy it:

Complex language, this was written in the 19th century and uses language that may be difficult to understand for some readers. Don't feel bad, I was 'readers' when I picked it up for the first time.

Slow pacing, the book's pacing is slow and intense, which may not be to everyone's taste. You may find it difficult to get invested in the story.

Dark themes, the story is pretty dark, some might say a bit too dark so that might be a reason you might not like it if you're not into that.

Unlikeable characters, they're not meant to be likable but they can irritate you and ruin your reading experience (I'm looking at you Linton Jr)

Similar book(s) you might like after (that I personally liked):

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

So if you're interested in Gothic literature or simply enjoy exploring the complexities of human nature, this book is a must-read.

[ashxketchum]

Okay for the OTP ask A, D, E, I, N, Z

Very interesting choices, thank you for sending these in!

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

When I saw this post and read 'not everyone has OTPs' I laughed and shouted COULDN'T BE ME lol. But currently I'm into TaiyoxMutsumi from Mission Yozakura Family, I was following this manga since it started almost and I'm very excited that the anime is finally airing! I just wish more people were watching it 🥹 I also recently started catching up to The Apothecary Diaries so MaomaoxJinshi is another ship on my mind, And even though Sousou no Frieren has ended, my obsession with StarkxFern is still going strong.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Do I drop the entire list or I think everyone knows that most of the Tyson, Hilary ships apart from TyHil are my notps. But I'm mostly okay with TyKa or TyRei or HilaryxEmily or HilaryxMao in those if I absolutely have to sorta scenarios, but TysonxTala and HiromixMing-ming are the two ships that I'm just never going to like, no particular reason too lol but they're not the vibes for me.

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

HAVE I?? Idk I think other people would have to judge just how crack-y my content is by the normal crack standards 😂 Mimato was considered a crack ship for the longest time in the fandom so I guess a lot of my contributions can be considered crack lol. Though there is one Bleach fanfic I wrote, which was definitely intended as crack, where it's a high school AU and Gin is the school's guidance counsellor and well, he doesn't really take his job as seriously as one would hope 🤣

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

VOLTRON. I watched the first two seasons in one sitting almost, and then I came online and met the fandom and I noped out of there pretty quick. It's difficult to explain why tho...like it was an experience for sure and I'm just very glad that the fandom has quieted down now (or maybe I just became much better at blocking things).

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

More TyHil.

I'm thinking, maybe......more TyHil.

Listen we just can't go wrong with more TyHil???

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

Speaking of TyHil, because whenever am I not I have this perfect hate at first sight sort of meet cute planned for them in my Regency Era AU setting, and I'm hoping that when the new season of Bridgerton rolls around right in the middle of Mayblade, I feel inspired to write something that I can post. Not to give away too much but also wanting to rant about it at the same time, basically Tyson and Hilary and first meet on a train and their interaction isn't very nice. Later they end up travelling on the same ship to some other country in Europe which I haven't decided yet, most likely France and are dragged together for meals and stuff by others. Hilary writes mystery novels under a male pen name and one of the scenes that I've given a lot of thought about is how Tyson badmouths her books over dinner one night, and she ends up defending it to the point where her identity is revealed. By the time they're getting off the ship, Tyson starts to feel guilty about his behaviour and wants to apologise but she keeps getting away, and thus begins the never-ending game of chase.

Send me a letter!

[x0401x]

What did you think of Tsurune S2 episode 6?

Okay, gotta start this as I always do: pointing out the positive and canon-complying elements first and foremost, because I love them.

First of all, Minato being a lovable little dumbass. We had scenes of him being clueless or distracted here and there, but in this episode we have him being the deadpan airhead that he is. That comes in the form of him doing things like saying funny shit without realizing how ridiculous it is (the unironic use of cute onomatopoeia is a classic for him in the novel and I’m so glad to see it making its way into the anime at last), or getting overexcited about kyudo-related stuff while his body language completely contradicts his straight face. Gotta love Seiya and Kaito giving him the Parent Look TM every single time.

I love that this season is very focused on all the minute details of kyudo. It's visible that the animators have dug deeper into this hole and done even more research on it. I specially appreciate the way they've been including the right breathing techniques into this season and we get a pretty good display of it whenever the camera zooms in on the characters when they're firing a shot.

On the topic of attention to detail, I almost screamed when we got to see Noa and Yuuna's houses. They got Rika's hair color wrong in one of the cuts of this scene but I couldn't care less. I loved it.

I love even more the tournament itself. The way that flower petals are used instead of tree leaves for the girls in order to showcase that their team has a different aura from the boys'. The flashbacks displaying their development and illustrating that it didn't come out of nowhere. The richness in their facial expressions and dialogues along the way.

I also like that they added a scene where Minato teams up with Seiya and Shuu for the first time. In the novel, we only ever get kind of an idea why these three were teamed in middle school, but we never got to see how this started or how they even knew they could work as a team in such a huge club like Kirisaki's. This also serves as a hint that they'd been doing kyudo outside of the club, which is a good explanation as to how they were able to nurture their skills given that Kirisaki's middle school kyudo club only allowed the third-years to actually do archery, while the juniors were stuck with other, more basic forms of practice and couldn't participate in tournaments.

Bonus points for it also being the first time Seiya realizes that Shuu is different around Minato, and that Minato has some sort of influence in him that other people don't. Plus, it gives us something that I missed a lot in S1 and that is being depicted beautifully in this one: Minato is a very charismatic kid. There's something about him that draws people in. His honesty, his innocence, his transparency - it all works to make people either love or resent him, and it's probably the most essential part of his character identity. After all, it's the eptome of Zen.

This scene was a very smart addition.

Speaking of his character identity, by the way, this episode was personality traits by the truckload. Minato's bow nerd-ness is at full power here. And also his impulsiveness being turned into productive, learning patience. He's on his way to being an even better archer and it all begins with the mindset.

Now, I wanna take a moment to appreciate Nanao being a little shit and Minato being embarrassed by it. Love me some in-character banter. And props to finally being shown that Minato's mom used to do archery and that she was his gateway to kyudo. I mean, we had seen that she was the person who taught him about tsurune, but she's also the first person who ever shared previous experience in kyudo with him, so it would've been unfair to just leave this fact out. Again, missed it in S1 and now we're making amends. Bless!

I'm almost in tears at the fact that the girls got themselves headbands too, as well as matching bow sleeves that have cute rabbit patterns to indicate that this is set in the year 2023. I'm also internally howling at the subtle, barely perceptible visual implications that Seiya is slowly migrating to Kaito's side. He's always right beside Kaito in every shot, and I almost didn't believe my eyes when he deliberately chose to sit next to Kaito instead of next to Minato to watch the tournament.

Now, for the things that aren't so positive. Luckily, there's actually very little negative stuff in this episode. It's been the most gratifying one to watch so far.

So, there's been a trend in this season ever since episode 4 where the storytelling ended up falling into the same territory as S1, in which we are getting a bunch of character arcs that culminate in a team arc instead of having a linear plot. It feels like we're checking boxes of character data and kyudo info that we were supposed to have had in S1, which isn't bad in itself, but the way it's being done strikes me as a bit inorganic. These arcs all serve a very specific purpose and are timed in order to fit exactly into the duration of each episode and it shows. It shows a little too much, I'd say, which makes them feel mechanic and somewhat artificial. Like, I know that I'm watching a fictional story, but that doesn't mean I wanna be aware of this fact.

Thanks to these arcs being a thing, we end up having another trend, which is that Minato's development is being delayed until his turn comes up. This ends up creating sort of a disconnect between him and his own habilities. In order to fit into his own arc while simultaneously serving as a proxy for the viewers who have no knowledge about kyudo, Minato literally seems to have forgotten everything. Ever since episode 1, we've seen Masaki do almost nothing but point out what Minato's been doing wrong in every single interaction they've had, so it's hard to ignore that Minato's been making a bunch of newbie mistakes.

This feels weird not just because Minato is the most experienced of the team, but also because he'd already received this exact kind of training at Yata Shrine during the beginning of the story, when he was getting back into archery and making up for the time he'd spent away from the dojo. He's already gone through this phase and was supposed to have overcome it. Besides, all of this stemming from just one fuck-up at a particular tournament is... a stretch, to say the least. Specially when said fuck-up was basically just a matter of teamwork-related mentality shift. It shouldn't mess up his entire form to a point where he has to almost relearn it from scratch, so we're left wondering what happened to his natural talent that everyone used to admire and how the hell he's managed to get to this point when he's literally sucking ass at the basics.

Speaking of Minato’s ordeal with getting back into practice, him using formal speech with Masaki during training is extremely uncomfortable to me. We do get the whole "awkward pupil who can't hold a candle to his mentor" vibe from him, but the formal treatment is pretty odd. In case anyone is wondering, Minato has dropped the formal speech since the second time he and Masaki met in the novel. So yes, this backtracking is something quite strange to witness.

Now, the thing that has me side-eyeing this character arc thing the most is that we seem to be wasting time with them. The show is using these arcs to flesh out the characters and make them likable because it failed to do this in S1, which is understandable, all right. However, I again would argue that having a linear plot would do the job better, not just because it'd feel more natural, but also because, while we're having these arcs, nearly nothing is accomplished except for working out non-canon, unnecessary problems that the anime has created... so that we could have these character arcs in the first place. And that's where I keep asking myself: why are we getting this instead of the source material's content? I mean, I do know the reason why. The original is too gay, we get it. But since I know what I'm missing out on, I at least want to see an on-screen justification for it. I want KyoAni to show us something that will make these changes worth it, because so far, it feels like they're dragging the story down in comparison to the novel.

I have already expressed this before but I still feel the need to voice my concern that this season is just as uneventful as the first. There’s just too little going on and therefore too little for the viewers to get invested in. The drama in the novel might feel exaggerated at times, but KyoAni doesn’t seem to have realized that it’s the only thing separating the series from... well, real life. Without that aspect, Tsurune is just a kyudo nerd-out galore with not much purpose. I’m of course not suggesting that they should suddenly insert into the anime the exact same amount of drama as the novels have, but that they could at least be a bit more daring than what we’ve seen so far and introduce some of it. Because I can't imagine how boring this series must be for anime-only’s.

I keep noticing, after every single episode, that I’m only enjoying this installment because I was already a fan of the original work. If I hadn’t read the novel and didn’t have it in me to read it, having the anime as my only form of contact with this series would’ve prompted me to drop it by S1. This season is way better than the previous one in every sense and it oozes good intentions, yet there’s still a palpable lack of excitement in it. The training at the inn, Shuu’s petty envy, the hotel shitstorm. So much stuff that isn't too far removed from the tone of the anime and that could be put to good use here, yet isn't.

KyoAni, I’m literally on my knees. I implore you to make this thing sell. Please make it sell.

But I want to end this one on a good note, so my last comment is gonna be on the later half of the episode. I adore Saionji's participation and the subtle, well-written explanations about what the boys' team is lacking. It was super refreshing to have the girls' team as the reason why they realized what they were missing in a different way from how the novel did it. Speaking of different way from how the novel did it, I like that we got to see Minato and Saionji's conversation about Shigeru. In the novel, we only had Minato telling Eisuke about it, so I'm happy that we got to actually see it. And gotta tip my hat to the scene where Masaki watches as Minato finally gets his form right once again. Pretty good punchline.

And of course, the last scene is a treasure. The girls being valued as important members of the team is my new favorite thing. Yuuna absolutely blasting Ren into outer space was a blessing. Minato being an unapologetic dork has watered my crops and cleared my skin. That nod to the one-eyed fish had me at the edge of my seat (yes, I still have hopes of it being at least referred to at some point, along with Masaki and Minato's scars). And finally, the Star Festival has been mentioned. Love the way that the dojo was decorated for it. Yata Shrine looks like a new world entirely, almost as if we've been transported to a feudal fantasy setting. I just don't get why it's gonna happen after the tournament. I guess this means we're not getting Ren and Minato's conversation and that honestly worries me, but as always, I'm just taking what I can get.

[wahlpaper]

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet Review

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow

CW: Poop, Divorce, Parental Fighting, Internalized Queerphobia, Low Self Esteem, Anxiety, Medical Descriptions, Tween Angst, Mentioned Racism, Ableism

5/5

Libby (the app) recommended Jake Maia Arlow's The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet to me. This was likely because I asked my library to add Arlow's How to Excavate a Heart. This is the first book I've read by them, but I know they're going to continue to be one of my favorite authors. This book was filled with Queer, Jewish, and chronic illness representation! The story wasn't a reflection of my life or anything close, but I still found myself relating to the feelings of the characters. I'm glad Arlow wrote a character as complex as themself.

In The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet, Al is diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at age 12. She has been pooping a lot, often having to run to the bathroom in urgency. She's not feeling good, physically or about herself, but it's made worse by her mother's constant worrying and the thought that she may lose her best friend, Leo. While Leo is busy finally following his passion by joining the school musical, Al gives in to joining an IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disorder) peer support group. Things start looking up for Al, but how long can it stay like that? Will her secrets or her stool come out first?

Although the pacing in Arlow's novel was hard to follow at times, I have zero other complaints about how it was written. This book invoked an impressive balance of emotions from me. There were funny moments, relatable ones, ones that made me annoyed with Al or other characters, and ones that brought me close to tears. There were just enough characters to make Al's life feel real, but not to overwhelm the audience. I know that middle-grade novels aren't for everyone, but I love how wholesome they are. They can tackle poop, anxiety, fights among friends, divorce, and big promises broken while still being sweet and healthy. Writers for adult romances could learn something from them, especially through the middle school romance featured in The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet.

The copy I listened to of Arlow's book had an Afterwards by the author. They talked about being nervous about writing a character who is queer and Jewish and has a chronic illness that involves poop. They worried about people calling it silly or too much, which I imagine bigots would do with even just one of these. Arlow figured that if all three were true for them, they could be true for Al too. I'm so glad they did! I don't have Crohn's, but these three things are true of me. I appreciate the representation very much and can empathize with Al and her friends. The diversity representation in this book includes anxiety, non-binary, racial, and aromantic. Nothing feels shoehorned, it all matters.

Singling out the queer rep, I appreciate that almost every character is a part of the queer community. It's highly unrealistic in TV shows where there are a bunch of straight characters and one queer one. We flock together. I also appreciate that this is just a slice of Al's queer identity journey. It's not the beginning or the end. It's unlikely that we figure it all out quickly. Al knows she likes girls and gets the chance to like a specific one. She tries out a label for herself, but she doesn't sound 100% sure of it, but that doesn't get resolved. She makes a non-binary friend who uses "she/they" pronouns (pronouns beautifully woven throughout the narrative) and starts to question if maybe that would work for her. She's in the stage that older trans people might call an "egg". Someday after the story ends, she may just find herself hatched as a non-binary person.

As multiple characters are Jewish, the audience gets to experience a nice sample of different personal relationships to the religion. Al and her mother aren't very religious, but they care about their Jewish identity. Leo and his mother are more religious. His mother runs a Jewish bakery and uses a lot of Yiddish. Leo is dealing with the realities of being a biracial Jew. He doesn't look much like his mother and doesn't "look Jewish". There's also Sephardic Jewish representation, although not as heavily explored. If you're looking for Jewish joy, you'll absolutely find that in The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet.

As long as medical descriptions don't deter you completely, I definitely recommend Jake Maia Arlow's The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet. Either you can relate to the chronic illnesses of the characters or you can learn a lot about it. You'll be treated to the sweetest cast of characters along the way in addition to Jewish food ideas. If you're looking for your next bathroom read, this is the one!

[carriagelamp]

i am about half way through the novel of hill house and let me FUCKING tell you. eleanor had better end up getting romanced in this goddamn book rather than being fucking killed. the fact that nelly died in episode one of the show makes me incredibly nervous but that had BETTER be a netflix creation because if eleanor doesn’t get kissed and live happily ever after with theo and/or luke i’m going to riot

[alastanor]

To start, I would like to thank @cis-het-angel-kinnie for bringing this video to my attention, even if it was to praise the video rather than to point out it's flawed arguments against Charlie for main character.

If you have not seen the video yet, I recommend giving it a watch prior to reading this or you may be confused.

Click to read more...

What Is A Protagonist?

I am not bringing up this question because I think the source used was incorrect. However, the statement that "protagonists ask questions and antagonists make arguments" is an oversimplification of both roles. And I am going to explain why.

The trope of protagonist vs antagonist is an age old theme which has been used countless times throughout storytelling's history in books, plays, films, and story-driven video games. As such, the definition of both roles has continued to flourish and evolve over time. It is no longer good vs evil.

While @diregentleman used books written by, I assume, published writers for his argument, I am going to use Creative Writing and Literary Experts from a Masterclass article.

In the article, a protagonist is described as this:

"In storytelling, a protagonist is the main character or principal character or group of characters in a story."

More than one character is capable of being an antagonist in this story. Given that demons are meant to be redeemed, fitting the theme of the story, it is fair to surmise that all (or the majority of) the demons surrounding Charlie are protagonists in some form.

The article goes on to state that the protagonist's goals reflect the overall story goals and the plot moves forward based on their decisions.

This being said, Charlie's overall goal reflects the premise of the story, that being that Hazbin Hotel is a story about redemption. This is a goal that Angel Dust does not have.

In DireGentleman's video, he claims Angel Dust joined the Happy Hotel with the intention of being redeemed, albeit skeptical whether it could actually be done. This is actually inaccurate, and we see this in both the pilot and the comic.

Angel does display skepticism straight from the gate, but when they explain their reason for approaching him (that no one else has agreed), he makes this face:

Does that really look like someone who believes redemption may be possible? But for further establishment of just how little Angel believes redemption is possible, Angel also laughs them off and calls their goal "lame."

The only reason Angel agrees to Charlie and Vaggie's proposition is because it is a rent free place to stay. He admits as much just a bit further into the comic. By the end, Angel says "Redemption, it's silly. Huh, Nuggs."

The tone we are led to believe he uses is one of contemplation and relief. Relief due likely to the fact that there is some light at the end of the tunnel to the shit situation he was in.

This is just comic evidence, of course. If we go to the pilot, when Angel is engaging in the turf war with Cherri Bomb, he explains that he is using Charlie and Vaggie for free rent. Further exemplified when he later asks if participating in the turf war meant he didn't have a free room anymore. But also in his conversation with Cherri, he also admits that he is still taking some drugs behind Charlie and Vaggie's back. Something that we see immediately toward the opening of the pilot when Angel buys a bag of Angel Dust.

Character Dynamic

I cannot emphasize this enough, the Hunicast is NOT a good exemplifier for character dynamics. Every single "character interaction" is based on fanon, not canon, and they are prompted by the fans themselves. Only Viv really knows exactly how Angel and Alastor would canonically interact. It is no better a source for character dynamic than the wiki is for accurate information. IE, some things may hold true, but the majority of it is not and it is better just to wait until it is confirmed canon.

Moving on...

There is a lot of focus on Valentino as a main antagonist, based entirely too much on the hope that Angel will be the main protagonist. And this is really just disingenuous when you consider there are two other implied Overlords, as well as several other sources of strife within the world of Hazbin Hotel.

An Antagonist is someone working against the protagonist to prevent them from achieving their goal. Alastor would not meet this criteria, as he is a self-professed observer and conflict creator. But he is not a main antagonist. Someone working against the goal of redemption could be anyone from the Overlords (which, far as we know, would include Valentino), Lucifer, or even Heaven itself.

Where antagonists come into play, quoting Masterlist once again, I think these two types of antagonists were overlooked:

A conflict-creator. An antagonist doesn’t have to be a “bad guy.” Sometimes, they’re just a character whose goals are in direct conflict with the protagonist’s, like Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Javert working to arrest Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.

The protagonist themselves. The main source of conflict in a story can be from within the protagonist themselves—their shortcomings or insecurities are keeping them from reaching their goal. A prime example of this is Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. While Holden comes into conflict with many characters in the novel, the ever-present antagonizing conflict comes from his own obsessions and insecurities.

Now, why did I bring up these two types? Well! I'm glad you asked! You see, where conflict-creator comes into play would line up more with Alastor. He isn't really the bad guy, but he does create some friction where his goals meet with Charlie's. He is a professed observer, but it is strongly believed that there is something else, another goal, that he has omitted.

As for the Protagonist themselves, this lines up pretty strongly where Charlie is concerned. You could argue that it does for Angel too, but Angel's goal, as mentioned before, is not Redemption. That goal is Charlie's, and hers alone. Yet it is her naivety, inexperience, and insecurities surrounding her failures as a princess that are holding her back from achieving her goal. Going by this, not only do we have multiple protagonists, but we also have multiple antagonists.

"So far, no one else's past is wrought with tension like Angel Dust's."

Even if this wasn't a sweeping, dismissive statement made with limited information, it would still be incorrect. Why? Because each and every character in Hazbin Hotel is going to have their own story to tell. Stories that will each be as relatable and wrought with tension, the only reason we know Angel so extensively is because Viv put the most work into him. She has admitted that Alastor and Angel were characters she wrote based on past dealings and experiences she had. Let those implications sink in a bit.

Now, to further this, people don't need to empathize with a character to like them. They can sympathize as well, even if they personally cannot relate to the emotions the character is feeling.

And where Angel is concerned, he is not addicted to drugs. Angel has used drugs to escape the pain of his trauma. His response in the pilot to having his drugs stolen from him is not one of a typical addict. Which leads us to believe the drugs are simply a coping mechanism more than they are an addiction.

Real Audience for Hazbin is 12 to 16

I would really fucking hope you are joking. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this was said by someone who isn't a parent. While yes, kids will be sneaky and watch or play things they're not supposed to, a show with drug use/abuse, rape, sex, physical/mental/emotional abuse, and suicide is as much for them as Rick and Morty.

Further, it is not just these themes that make the show for adults. It is the format of the storytelling. Yes, you can complain about what you consider issues with the pilot. But at the end of the day, it did it's job. It established the story premise, introduced important characters (Fat Nuggets does not fall in that category, calm down), gave a basic understanding of their relationships to each other, and get the audience interested in continuing the series. Considering the views for the pilot and the resulting disproportionate growth of the fandom, I would say it did that in spades.

Hazbin Hotel is not Steven Universe. I cannot say this enough times, and the reason I cannot is because I cannot tell you how many times I have come into contact with the underage side of the fandom griping about lack of lore, griping about lack of production information, and overall being exceedingly impatient. At the risk of sounding like an old miser, the underage side of the fandom has never had to wait for additions to a series. Like waiting for Homestuck updates, or the new release of a Harry Potter novel. They have had a steady schedule of content, along with shows that give exposition dumps "in the first 3 minutes."

So don't look at Hazbin Hotel through the lens of kids' show fandoms. It has so much more to offer than that.

Alastor vs Valentino

No, this is not about whether Alastor could beat up Valentino. In the video, DireGentleman pulled a huge pet peeve of mine and lumped Valentino and Alastor together, labeling them both "monsters." Which is opening a huge can of worms for me. So, I will give a brief summary of why that is wrong, and provide a link to one of my other posts for deeper diving.

So, there is a reason why Valentino is more hated than Alastor is. Lumping them together is a mistake.

Valentino is a pimp that abuses and manipulates his victims through intimidation and (implied through) some kind of addiction to the red smoke (whether that is real or symbolism is yet unknown). He takes who and what he wants, be damned the consequences or who gets hurt. He is incredibly self-serving, with no consideration for anyone else. He uses people like pawns, and when those pawns refuse to do what he wants, what does he do? He forces them to do it anyway.

By comparison, while Alastor may use his people like pawns, he also has more consideration for them and doesn't abuse them (far as we can tell). The evidence to support this is the attitude of those serving under Valentino vs those under Alastor. Niffty and Husk both seem to not have a problem with Alastor, and where Husk is concerned it seems that his attitude toward Alastor is their typical banter. But definitely nothing that displays abuse. In fact, when Husker is hesitant or even refusing to do as Alastor asks, Alastor doesn't force Husker. He offers payment in the form of something Husker genuinely likes.

Now, while some might argue this is also manipulating through addiction, one could look at it this way. However, Alastor didn't make Husker an alcoholic. That was Husker's vice to begin with, Alastor simply has no intention of fixing it. After all, Alastor has said he doesn't think anything can change a sinner.

For further explanation and delving into Alastor, click here.

Parents don't 'get' Charlie = Disney Princess

Once again, we fall upon the slippery slope of disinformed statements. While the joke was made that the princess of hell expresses herself best through song, parent issues do not equate to being something that is relatable primarily or only to kids and teens. It's kind of offensive that there is a sort or implication in this statement that adults don't have issues like insecurities surrounding their own failures, or parent issues like what Charlie has or worse. And once again, we fall into the empathize vs sympathize realm and I once again will say that the audience does not need to empathize with the protagonist to make them a good protagonist.

Charlie is a failed princess, her people don't respect her and didn't even prior to her hotel announcement. Yes, she is sheltered and naive. Likely due to how little she was able or allowed to interact with sinners. After all, her ex-boyfriend was from another hellborn family. One that, from what we can surmise, interacts rather frequently with the Magne family.

And it is because of this naivety and inexperience that her method to redeem sinners will not work.

In the video, DireGentleman states that we can pretty much assume that Charlie's redemption methods will work. But her methods, as we see in her song, is to inject demons with meds and take away/burn their vices. She is seeking immediate resolutions to problems that require therapy and a long process that should be making sinners want to change. All Charlie is currently accomplishing is earning the ire and scrutiny of her people. This is why I previously mentioned that Charlie is both protagonist and antagonist, as she is getting in her own way to accomplishing the goal of redemption. And this is where we find that Charlie meets the "starts out being wrong" requirement mentioned in the video as well as "admiring a character for trying."

Charlie is also in a perfect position to be the tour guide for us, the audience, as we observe the metamorphosis of every demon who needs to be redeemed. She is, once again, surrounded by those who need to be redeemed which means we will witness every character arc. This includes Angel, who does not need to be the central focus for us to witness his story.

Finally...

It was stated, or at least implied, that Hazbin Hotel's pilot is no longer relevant. This is a statement that pretty much leaves me puzzled. The only way it would be irrelevant is if Hazbin went in a completely different direction, and we have no reason to believe it will. Vivziepop is still creative director for Hazbin Hotel, and A24 is notorious for giving creators their creative freedom. What A24 is doing is animating, making VA regulations, and ensuring there is an air tight lid kept on the project. Especially given it's popularity in such a short amount of time.

Contrary to what DireGentleman said, Hazbin Hotel will definitely live up to it's hype. Being picked up by A24 will not compromise the show simply because it's not in the same realm of indie production that Helluva Boss is. And it's a bit unfair to Vivziepop to imply as much.

In Conclusion...

Please do a bit more digging in regards to not only the show, but everything surrounding it. Don't lump fanon and canon together and expect them to be equal sources, and please do not claim an obviously adult-audience show is more fit for children and teens.

And lastly, please do more digging to better understand media and storytelling. Reading books is great, but what you were using as the foundation for your arguments were far too simplified and vague,, given the complexity of the protagonist and antagonist roles. Overall, the video just came across as one huge helping of Angel Dust bias with a side of strong dislike for Charlie.

[citylightsbooks]

Writing from Fierce Love: Mira Sethi in Conversation

This is an excerpt of a free event for our virtual events series, City Lights LIVE. This event features Mira Sethi in conversation with Miranda Popkey, celebrating Sethi’s new short fiction collection Are You Enjoying? published by Knopf. This event was originally broadcast live via Zoom and hosted by our events coordinator Peter Maravelis. You can listen to the entire event on our podcast. You can watch it in full as well on our YouTube channel.

Miranda Popkey: I wanted to ask you about your protagonist at the end of that story ["Tomboy"]. And I won't spoil the twists and turns that the story takes, but she has a moment with her husband, where she's remarking on a mutual friend. And [the protagonist] describes her as “brave.” And I think that “brave” is a word that's overused when describing works of literature, but I'm curious what it means for her, for your character, but also for you, to be publishing work that is quite daring and that is really trying to paint a picture of different pockets, different communities, in Pakistan that we ignorant Americans may not be familiar with.

Mira Sethi: Miranda, thank you so much for asking that. And I'm not just saying this because I'm in conversation with you, but this has to the most thoughtful question I've been asked about my book, because a lot of the questions I've been asked so far have been about Pakistan and politics, and we’ll get to that. That's also very important. But thank you for asking that.

As far as my protagonist--without giving too much away--she calls the other lady “brave,” because that other lady is living life on her own terms. And it's not easy to live life on your own terms in a country like Pakistan, even if you have a lot of privilege, because of issues around sexuality and the often burdensome imperatives of family and your clan or your tribe and your parents. And then the larger superstructure above that, which is the state and the things that trickle down from the state. So my character says [the other woman] is brave because she, herself, is living this dual life and she hasn't yet been able to come to terms with what it is that she wants. Although this, I imagine, is a turning point for her.

And for me, yes, I did think a lot about what the repercussions might be for writing about queer lives in Pakistan. But, you know, I'm in my thirties now, and I believe very strongly in a certain set of principles. I'm an outspoken feminist in Pakistan. That sometimes gets me into trouble. And I am going to write the things that I know and I love deeply. This book actually comes from a place of fierce love, and trauma and heartache and comedy, but mostly it comes from a place of love. And buttressing my fear is my love for people who are struggling to live life on their own terms. And so I wrote this hoping that if there are--I know I have so many queer friends in and out of Pakistan--I'm hoping that maybe if they read this, they can glimpse their lives and feel seen, because fiction is ultimately the desire to write, the desire to be seen fully.

Miranda Popkey: Absolutely. I completely agree that it's hard to imagine a life that you have not seen represented. And I think that's the experience that your protagonist is having. In that moment, she's seeing the life that she wishes she could live. Instead, as you say, she's living sort of a double life where she's married, but she does have queer desires.

Mira Sethi: Absolutely. And I didn't just struggle with this. I was kind of petrified while writing some of these, and not just "Tomboy" but also the title story, "Are You Enjoying?" because it's about infidelity, a love affair, an illicit relationship, a taboo relationship.

So I'm writing about sex, you know? Yes, I worried a lot about that. I'm worried about if somebody screenshots a really vivid passage and then says, “Look at her. She's spreading vulgarity.” I mean, this is something I deal with in my life as an actress as well. But yes, at the level of the sentence, it's definitely something I think about, but I didn't ever let that stop me from saying what I wanted. And in many ways, Miranda, I think it actually makes you more creative. I am not wishing censorship upon anyone. God knows, when there was censorship in Russia, people still wrote. There is a ton of censorship in Pakistan, and we still manage to tell stories. And it's not great, but it does force your most creative instincts out of you in a way that when you can say things very openly and very clearly, the mind isn't concentrated. It leads to a certain concentration of the mind when you're forced to say things in code. And I did for "Tomboy" a little bit.

Miranda Popkey: I think just from the craft perspective, it's also interesting that the story that is most explicit in its treatment of queer themes, and most affirming and its treatment of queer themes, is also the only first-person story. I think that's an exciting, exceptional choice.

Mira Sethi: May I tell you a cute little story? So I wrote this story, which had a very different shape and form, literally three weeks before I submitted it to my editor. And I showed it to a friend who was queer. And she said to me, very politely, she said, “You know, Mira, I love you, and you're a great writer, but you're not queer. And you're writing this queer story from the point of view of queer desire.” My protagonist in the early drafts would look at women in a certain way. And she said to me, “You’re great, but this is not working. You don't know what queer desire is like, so don't try and enter that consciousness. But you do know about patriarchy. So why don't you reframe this story from the point of view of patriarchy.”

And man, that was such a hallelujah moment, because I was really struggling with the story in the early drafts. And then as soon as she said that, I was like, “Oh my god, yes.” This was actually reading as comic writing, because I don't know about queer desire. And then I reframed the whole story. And it was a real breakthrough moment for me, because then the story just ran when I started reframing it from the point of view of patriarchy.

Miranda Popkey: Well, I'm glad that your friend gave you this wonderful piece of advice.

Can you talk about your editing and revision process?

Mira Sethi: Oh my god. The most false thing about becoming a writer is that you have a book and you get to show off your book, and nobody talks about how much real writing went into it. I mean, I'm practically tripping over my words right now because I rewrote the shit out of all of these stories. And the writing takes you to places that you hadn't anticipated.

I often say that I think in order to write. The writing is what tells me what it is that I think. So after I’ve written the thing, I know what it is that I think. So the editing process works like this: I write something. It's very raw. I'm actually not self-conscious when I start writing, because I know it's vomit. And I know there's nothing to be done with the vomit, you just do it. And then later on, you can go and clean it, but it gives you something to work with. And so I write, and then I clean it up, and then I think around draft fifteen, I show it to my editor. It takes at least fifteen drafts. And then they say “Okay, you've got a scaffolding, but where is this going?” So I've worked on these seven stories for five years. That's a long time for seven stories. It's almost a story a year. Writing is really quite grueling.

Miranda Popkey: I agree. My joke about my first novel, my only novel, is that I had to think about it for twenty years before I could write any of it.

Mira Sethi: And you said that in your acknowledgments as well, which I actually really appreciate.

Miranda Popkey: Are you the kind of writer who plans it all in advance or are you one of those who need to surprise themselves and somehow, through the writing itself, the ideas emerge?

Mira Sethi: It's the latter. It's exactly what you said. I don't think, in order to write, I write so that I may know what it is that I'm thinking. And I don't plan in advance. And honestly, this is not a critique of writers who plan in advance. I can't relate to it at all, because so much of the beauty of me writing fiction is discovering things that I didn't know. For instance, my take on identity politics. Yes, of course, I'm progressive, and I have a take. But it was only after writing this book that I really understood what I felt about the world. And I think that is one of the most beautiful things about writing fiction. There is a kind of slow dredging up of your subconscious. And then you're like, “Oh, this is what I think about this issue.” It's really quite amazing.

Miranda Popkey: I completely agree. I write in large part to figure out what it is that I think and when I get the words on the page, I know if they're right, and I know if they're wrong, and if it's just a thought it's much vaguer.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Mira Sethi: If it consumes you, you'll probably end up doing it. Because I find that is the case with most writers.

And have a community around you! Something that I don't have in Karachi is a community of writers. And I miss it. I have a community of actors, but I don't have a community of writers.

And workshop your work with people you respect and admire and keep going. And, you're not going to get it right the first time or the tenth time or the twentieth time, but you might get it right the fiftieth time, and you'll have to be in it for the long haul. It's actually quite painful.

Because you don't get it right. And then one day you get it right.

***

Purchase Are You Enjoying? from City Lights Bookstore.