#but yeah if your character has a flaw don't be afraid to write it friends!

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

I 1000% percent agree with your take on enemies to lovers! Like yes they need to have an actual REASON to hate each other 🙄. Do you have any recommendations for books that do this trope well?

UNFORTUNATELY NOT MANY because so many people SUCK at writing enemies to lovers! Also I am sorry if you don't like fantasy because these are basically all fantasy. However I will recommend

I recently read the Miss Dark's Apparitions series, which is a sequel series to the Miss Sharp's Monsters though you don't really need to read that trilogy first but it adds context. Anyway it's like Enemies But They're Forced To Work Together, I wouldn't say it's true typical enemies to lovers because they never really hate each other? But there's a real tension between the mistrust that they have for each other vs the genuine respect and friendship growing, and Molly the protagonist is so great she's so funny and she has so much self-respect from like the get-go she's like yeah I find this guy hot. I find a lot of people hot. Doesn't mean I'm gonna make out with him when he SUCKS. Huge fan.

Listen I will defend the Folk of the Air trilogy because YES it's a little YA (derogatory) at times and YES there is a bit too much equating attraction and lust with love and I'm like hmm no. But a. Jude my beloved girl makes up for a lot of that, b. they have a genuine reason to hate each other, and c. I believe they like each other by the end! I believe they get along as people and as friends! I'm like ok I can get behind that actually!

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge they could never make me hate you!!!!!!!! also honestly most Rosamund Hodge is some form of enemies to lovers and also it ALL makes me cry her romeo and juliet-based story that has basically nothing to do with romeo and juliet made me sob so hard I'm afraid to return to it. Shout out to Cruel Beauty also!!!

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is not my favourite NN novel but there IS some banger enemies-to-lovers in there huge fan of that.

Listen. I haven't seen the My Lady Jane amazon show but I've seen fans of the book say it sucks and is nothing like the book so if you saw the show I promise it's nothing like the book and the book is a delight. I was delighted. It's silly. It's rompy. It has a male protagonist whose Deep Dark Secret is that he writes poetry. It's a frothy YA fantasy that is so FUN. Fails a little bit in the reason behind being enemies thing in that it's a little bit of miscommunication but in context it's not like one of them was inexplicably like wow I hate your whole vibe for Absolutely No Reason I promise there's a reason for it.

Taking a break to say wow a lot of these have arranged marriages in them and then taking another break to say I do think arranged marriages books often overlap well with enemies to lovers because it forces characters to spend time with each other and have Real Conversations.

I'm not going to deny the flaws of these books, but I would argue they have a more fundamental respect for the reader than a lot of etl books I've found in that they attempt to create fully-formed characters rather than just hitting two hot barbie dolls together. And I also think importantly that they are all so much beyond the romance, and have depth and layers and interesting themes. I would reread all of them.

[pastafossa]

hi pasta :) hope your week is going well so far !!

i dunno if you’ve spoken about this or been asked before (i apologise if you have) but i was just wondering how you always get matt’s characterisation so spot on?? if i didn’t know any better, i’d have thought you wrote the show. i can literally always picture him doing/saying the stuff you write <333

😭😭😭 This is like, an AMAZING compliment oh my god, thank you so much!

As for the question I'm not sure if I've talked about it before but ironically seeing it in my ask box triggered a discussion with sis. Like, I know there are folks who have a different take on Matt than mine. That's valid! So I don't want to be like... 'I did the research and delved and etc etc' because they do too. But eventually me and sis arrived at a conclusion that it's a few combos of things that makes Matt easy for me to click with:

A lot of psych classes in college that ironically I've used more for writing than anything else. This helped me understand some of how Matt's background of abandonment and trauma would potentially affect him and influence his coping techniques and behavior. I like learning psych stuff in general so that all wound up being an influence. I'll always recommend digging into this when working with characters!

I've watched Daredevil over and over and over and over and the more I've rewatched, the more I wind up picking up on new things and analyzing what Matt is thinking or feeling (bless Charlie for giving Matt so many little hints and fidgets and subtle touches of what Matt's internally feeling). This includes interviews, behind the scenes stuff, anything breaking down the why of Matt. I'm familiar with him at this point.

There are certain parts of Matt's character that I relate to incredibly strongly as a disabled person with chronic pain raised in the church, and also as someone who went through a long lonely period of depression where I felt very isolated, and then was afraid when I did finally make friends that they'd leave me. So. There's always an element with Matt that's like, 'ah I get it', this sense of resonation. I feel like that natural click with Matt really helped me when writing him, cause... been there, get the motivation, also dude needs to cry more and let that stress out, trust me.

This sounds weird but me and my sis love to break characters down, rip them apart to examine their insides. We love our favorite characters and talking about all their wholesome or badass elements, but we also gd love and have fun dissecting flaws, fuckups, the shadow self, character trauma, are they the asshole, is EVERYONE the asshole, what does this mean when he did this or that. The whole Pasta clan is immersed in that - Dad was a theatre major so got a lot of practice, Mom's loved lit forever, and we all have this tendency, so I got very comfortable very early with taking characters apart in a really honest way to figure out how and why they tick and what the writer/actor is trying to tell you. And since we've all seen Daredevil, and dad has also read a lot of the earlier comics, we've all more than once metaphorically laid Matt out on the table like a frog and dissected his character. I feel like having someone who's not only willing to talk about these layers with you, but also comfortable enough with you to kinda push back and go 'Or what if he was doing it because of this' or 'Ok yeah you love him but he was actually being the asshole here because *valid reason*' is important. Get you some allies who love to know why characters tick!

So basically lots of reading, really enjoying picking characters apart with fam, and familiarity, all mixed up in a bucket of 'Ooooh poor thing, I've been there and that was not fun. You really need therapy and maybe some antidepressants.'

[ec2003]

The Reason Why Vivziepop Should Owe Up To Her Mistakes And Reasons Why I'm Defending Her

Viv' makes characters have ongoing insecurities and Blitz (one of the few) has been trying to connect to those he hurt, so why can't Viv do the same if she doesn't want anybody attacking her? I believe she's the same as Blitz. NO matter how much she tried to make herself feel better she still makes things worse by coping and, to me, is afraid of being alone and wrong. She was bullied when she was 17. I do feel sad for her, but still doesn't excuse her from being an asshole at times and I believe she was being taken advantage of. You don't have to agree with me, and it's understandable since everyone has different opinions, but despite her own flaws as a human being, I support her projects and yes, I'm a Vivziepop fan, but doesn't mean I can't criticize her. I don't think she came from a "rich white Latina girl" background either since she's known to criticize rich folks in Helluva Boss (despite having celebs), I believe she doesn't know how to socialize with people and change because she's too caught up in her own problems. Now, I respect people for their own shapes and sizes 100%, but I believe the reason why Viv's a bit fat in recent years is because she puts so much stress over herself. She should just have someone take over Twitter for her. As much as she frustrates me, I can't help it but feel sad for her. I've been in the same situation where I pushed people away with my own problems. As for being racist, I don't think that Viv was racist with the voodoo thing and was just being arrogant just because it seemed "edgy" and "cooler". As for being transphobic, I'm not gonna defend her on that one, yeah, she was being an asshole. I'm straight and have friends that are LGBTQ. Another thing I wanna point out is that she also has ADHD and before everyone argues, it's not an excuse for her actions, but I believe it's also part of the reason why she can't write at times and she has a hard time listening. As for CP on Zoophobia when it came to Addison and the teacher (since Addison is 17 and Gustav is 19), I'm gonna defend Viv on this one. Viv was born in Maryland and the age of consent in Maryland is 16 if you did your research. So, Viv was obeying the law, even if it doesn't feel right. As for ep 4, I at first thought they weren't gonna treat SA as a serious subject because at times, it's used for comedy and Viv does have this problem where it's only serious because she likes to pick favorites. Despite her hiring a fetish artist to be a storyboard artist in which I don't see a problem with that but she should still fire Raph for harassing a 15 year old, it was actually good. Here is the reason why I'm defending it. It's not perfect, but when watching this episode, I don't see it as Husk trying to tell Angel that his abuse doesn't matter and that he should suck it up. He called him a loser because Angel is coping with his feelings and made up a persona to hide from the fact that he is being abused in order to save himself considering that Valentino took advantage of him. Now, yeah, that did sounded fucked up for calling him a loser, but I believe that Husk wasn't comparing his situation to Angel which is way worse than Husk's, he doesn't want Angel to end up in a situation Husk was in because they both have been taking advantage of. The rape scenes are meant to be graphic and as for Viv adding a warning screen, in Amazon Prime, it will say Rated 18+ for drug use, sexual abuse, and so on. Only one episode was for 18 and up. You guys don't have to like Viv and I'm very sorry for those that were hurt, and obviously she deserves some of it, but I still don't want her to go down this path because I still see her as a human being. If I did encounter her in real life, I would really want to help her when the cameras are not rolling in hopes that she'll become a better person. It worked well with my friends, so maybe I can do the same with her. She inspired me to be an independent animator so in return, I make her feel better.

[rubycowashere]

Hey, Ruby, before I start, hope you're having a wonderful day/evening/night/timezone. I apologize in advance if you don't like to be bothered with asks, but uh, I got some questions, and would like to know the answers to some of these, if you don't mind.

How okay are you with answering theoretical questions, like "what would you do in this scenario?" and/or "what if this happened?"

Totally not trying to gather information for a "crazed" story idea I got. I mean, huh? Who said that?

I'm afraid that I am not very familiar with how to write you, even though I personally believe that you are a very cool person that I definitely should watch more of. But if you don't want/like to answer said things, then I could wing it, and most likely get things wrong. No hard feelings at all.

But anyways, thank you for letting me have a moment of your time

Well hello there and hi! I am having a GREAT day and I hope you do too :) Also I LOVE answering questions and it would never ever do such a thing as BOTHER me! Please ask away because even just the thought of me being written into a story makes me kick my legs and giggle like a 12 yo Highschool girly hahaha To be fair I think it also depends on WHO you are writing! My characters all act very different from each other but carry something from me as a person IRL! Like SBK Ruby loves to have 7 Million plans and is very resourceful tho she does have her flaws, is very resentful, holds grudges and lowkey manipulative. TSMP Ruby is very sweet and loving, she would do ANYTHING to make the people she cares about (Viking and Vintage) happy and does so to an unhealthy degree! (like plant thousands of beetroots and making and entire pit without thinking about their own well being first) She is very paranoid and fears death and when I say she doesn't care about her own health I MEAN IT! Like she was halfway dead and her first thought was "Is Viking okay? He looks beaten up" and "I want to make Vintage happy" so yeah- haha... Sapphire (T!Ruby's counterpart) Is more calculated. Being stuck in a Time loop for eons has messed with her loving demeanor and left her as a sadistic cold and manipulative person (who just wants to go home) lately she has started to warm up more but only time will tell how this will end... Obviously there are endless Ruby's that fit for whatever needed and all of them have a piece of me in them! I in fact am: Calculated yet loving. Paranoid yet adventurous. Extroverted and loud. I want to see my friends happy and succeed to a point where sometimes I might overdo it a bit. I am a hopeless optimist and romantic (pan woohooo) and want to enjoy life to it's fullest but also have panic attacks and fears just like everyone else :) As long as I am not portrayed as a homophobe, racist or something like that- I'll be happy with however people see me! I hope this can help somewhat. Obviously never fear to send me another message as I love to answer things! Haha- thank you for reading this and taking interest in me!

[dumbblondesposts]

I'm sorry, but if you genuinely still can't understand the reasons for why people hated Elena so much, after all these years, then I'm afraid you're a lost cause. All the hate, backlash, and criticism Elena received was 100% justified and deserved. She's by far the worst and most boring, bland, vapid, weakest, useless, and worthless excuse of a main protagonist I've ever seen in any movie, show, book, and media. Nothing remotely interesting or compelling about her in the slightest. She has no personality or agency, and she contributed nothing whatsoever to the show. Her only personality and the only thing she contributed was going back and forth between two brothers, constantly whining and crying and playing the victim, and being a selfish, self-centered, and self-absorbed little twat that makes everything about her and thinks the world revolves around her. 

And before you use trauma as an excuse to defend her, I've seen plenty of other female characters from other shows and movies that have been through similar or worse things than Elena did, and they were a million times better and more likable than Elena could ever be. Stop using trauma and abuse as a weapon and to guilt people into changing their opinions about Elena. Don't pretend to give a shit about victims of abuse and trauma, when I don't see any of you extending that same grace to people like Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine, Rebekah, and Vicki, who have all been through shit too, and were far more interesting and better characters than Elena were. And you hate them for the exact same reasons, just like how a lot of you hate female characters in general for trauma and abuse they've been dealt. 

So, don't act so innocent when a lot of you villainize the hell out of Caroline for being the only character on the show that actually acted like an actual teenage girl, had believable flaws and imperfections, and was actually a lot more relatable than Elena was. And when you also villainize and victim blame/shame and slut shame her for the rape and abuse she suffered at the hands of Damon. You hate Caroline for rightfully hating her rapist and abuser, and not wanting Elena to be with him. But you don't hate Elena, who's supposed to be the best friend, and clearly has no shame sleeping with a rapist, knowing exactly what he did. Makes perfect sense. 

And I will most definitely always hate Elena for her decision to kill Kol, along with thousands and thousands of other vampires in his sireline. I don't care what Kol did, she will always be a straight piece of shit and a fucking cunt for that. And the audacity she had to be mad at Stefan for sleeping with Katherine and Rebekah, when she was flaunting the fact that she was sleeping with his abusive, rapist brother? Yeah, 100% FUCK HER! She has no say in who Stefan can and can't see. 

How Elena even has fans or people defending her is beyond me. If she wasn't such a bland bitch and had an actual personality and something to offer to the story and was just a decent person in general, then people would've actually liked her and rooted for her. But she was never leading lady material. That should've gone to Caroline or Katherine, mostly Katherine. But I'd do fine with Caroline too, she doesn't need a family legacy or nothing like that to lead the show. LITERALLY ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN ELENA!

Jesus you hate her THIS MUCH 😭??

writing a whole article that only showcases you contradicting yourself is funny, Elena was not in fact any more of a morally corrupt character than the rest of them including bonnie and Rebekah whom you used as an example here who also befriended rapists/murderers so what's your point

Also how are you talking about the unnecessary hate female characters get for being rightfully traumatized after going through so much and then turn around to say Elena's trauma isn't justified

"she was whiny and self centered" so was every male character in that show

And what has Caroline done that's so much more impactful to deserve being the "leading lady" over Elena exactly?

[chemdisaster]

fandom asks ✨ 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 23, 24 (if it's too many, just choose the ones you wanna do!)

hi, thanks for the ask!! and no, it's not too many at all, i love answering questions

3. a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

any woman characters in anything tbh. this is in part due to how underrepresented women are in media, and i will also freely admit to being slightly influenced by the misogyny in our society and in fandom spaces, but i never really paid that much attention to female characters until i started actively participating in fandom. i do hope that i've gotten over that flaw in my perception, and will keep getting over it as my understanding of people and my characterisation in my own writing improves and develops

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

for hamilton - the very popular idea that ham is afraid of storms. i don't care that it's overdone or whatever, i love me some good anxiety and ptsd and i love me some good ham angst. for mcyt - i haven't actually read mcyt fics in a while, but i love the idea that all the life people remember every game across servers. it has soo much potential for angst in my opinion

7. your favourite tropes to read/write/draw

ohh man. hurt/comfort is everything to me, specifically the kind where one character cries in front of the other. hurt no comfort is also great, and there's also a specific one that i'll try to sum up in a concise way - character suffering in silence while everyone around them slowly begins to notice that something's wrong, all eventually culminating in them having some kind of breakdown in front of all these people in which the extent of their misery is revealed. this one's all i need in my life tbh, i wish there were more fics with this scenario

10. a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

well. i confess that you came to mind first. like, your fics? i've been afraid to read some of them because i know that i'll get destroyed (/pos). the founding fucks? i have so much fun there. i'll admit that i'm rather lonely and coming off a messy friend-divorce, so having people to talk to and have fun with and be inspired by has been quite great. also you're just so nice? and you introduced me to 1776? and whump: the musical has done wonders for my creativity, i've had so much fun coming up with all the prompts and writing them, and it's kind of made me realise - i can write whatever i want. like, it doesn't have to be a long multiple k words fic, or have a whole story - i can literally write one specific scene. i can write for fun, fully, without worrying about my perfectionism kicking me in the ass. which, my perfectionism does tend to lead to masterpieces, but not everything has to be a masterpiece, and whump: the musical has played a big role in me realising that. so, uh, yeah!! thank you so much for brightening my fandom experience!

15. the character that always makes you smile

well, to be honest, this changes - whoever i'm hyperfixating on at the time makes me smile. but some of my favourite characters are 1776 adams, ham, hewlett in turn, and also watching a mcyt's new video never fails to make me smile

23. the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual

all the musicals in whump: the musical tbh. i've added them to my List™ (that thing is sooo long help /lh)

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

it's provided me an outlet for my creativity and a place i can go when real life gets to be too much. additionally, my special interest is humans and their emotions, personalities, particularly their misery - so fandom plays right into that. and also some experiences i've had with certain people while part of fandom have taught me a lot about friendship, people pleasing, trusting people and learning how to interact with people in general. and while those experiences did hurt, i'm ultimately grateful for the stronger and better person i've become as a result

ask game

[oriocrack]

You have one missed message...

Hey-o, it's Techno. Can you hear me all right today? That's great. I'll hurry.

I'm one of a hundred other somewhat similar Blades. I'm probably not the one you remember. If I was looking for someone, though, you'd know. But no, it's been a long time since I've pursued the coveted 4/4. Maybe time has passed, maybe I've lost hope, but now I'd be a bad brother, uncle, friend and ...yeah, whatever, exhale. Hehe, you might ask why I'm writing this. Maybe I'm writing in the void and you'll never know it, but let me tell you a thing or two:

— Wherever you are, Theseus, I hope you don't give up. The world can be a complete bastard, but don't let it break you, even when you're not the main character. Take care of yourself, please don't be afraid to trust your loved ones, and please remember that you are loved. Even if you can be that rabid raccoon.

From Techno hugging you tight.

— Wilbur, twin, my half of the same whole. Even in a billion universes, we'll still be connected and even alike, and... you know, I'm kind of glad about that. Not to say I'm still cool with the whole family thing, but I worry about you, as I do about Tommy even through a hundred eras and universes. I miss you, even if that means I miss your dramatic antics and the loud voice of that gremlin. I know you like to think a lot and keep quiet about it. Don't be silent about it. Talk about it. You think you can be too clingy, too intrusive. Oh chaos, forget it. You're important. You're loved. You're good at being a brother. Yes, there are mistakes, but everyone is capable of them, it's normal. Take care of yourself. Get some rest. Create. Eat well and get out of your head more often. I've had enough of one Pogtopia... Please? Hm.

From the techno who brazenly ruined your hair with his hand.

— Phil... It's a tricky one, really. I love and respect you immensely with everything you've got. I hope you have your sbi or Kristin, Missa, heh, anyone you could discuss something with without feeling responsible for the kids. Zombie babies don't bother you, do they? You just say the word. Are you still the father of half the world? Huh, not an easy task, I guess, but when has that ever stopped you. Hope they're not bothering you too much, old bird.... It's been many days since I've seen you, since the last time we just sat together late at night by the old fireplace. I hold every moment of that time in my soul as if my life depended on it... It's silly, I suppose. But I believe that where you are now you are happy, if not, then... Don't drift, your happiness must be wandering around somewhere. Please rest once in a while. Don't take too much on yourself. Please take care of yourself. And be careful.

From wishing you well and a pinch of anarchy, your Techno.

I love all of you guys. Just remember that. With all your problems and flaws and absolutely every single thing you have. Remember that. Remember that you're beautiful stars.And don't ever let the world put you out.

From your God of potatoes and anarchy... Technoblade.

[mencnfire]

I just wanted to take a second to say that you're amazing - I know I sometimes feel like a broken record with all your blogs, but I sincerely mean it. You have a gift for picking these muses up when they do not have much canon information available and you somehow find the perfect balance between keeping them true to their canon roots and being something you have shaped into existence.

Your writing is always inspiring, and you're so fundamentally unique at what you do; I think you always find humanity where one might think there was none but you're also not afraid of delving into the ugly, nasty parts of a character and acknowledging their wrongdoings. I am always amazed at how beautifully nuanced and detailed your portrayals are and frankly, there is a reason I will follow you anywhere regardless of the fandom. :)

I know things are not easy right now (believe me - I know) and while I wished we both remained ignorant to this shitty aspect of living, I wanted to say it gets better (and that it won't be so bad every day). I'm here for you and I'm proud like hell of you for facing this a day at time. We got this, Han. You're good enough; you matter; you're loved and frankly you're an unique person that I'm forever grateful for having found here. <3

POSITIVE ANONS IN THE INBOX! 💌

(( that gif is literally me every single time i see u also kinda fits cause my muses are a little like dr evil sooooo

you're too kind to me, mari & i don't deserve your kindness one bit because the person who deserves it the MOST, is you ! i'm forever thankful for you partnering with me and writing alongside me when i write these dudes. i know not everyone would be chill with characters who range from a violent, genocidal tyrant to a sadistic, torture-loving colonel to all other sorts but you've always given me the chance and the platform to explore these men. & what you say right there validates me and makes me feel glad that i can get, like, the route i'm taking with these men somewhat across. like, i love exploring all sides of them - their good and their bad and i'm so appreciative that you see that.

i, of course, have forever loved everything that you've done with melissa. i feel like, everything i love in rp - you do. you've always come up with the best plot lines and the best stories. she's a realistic character who has the flaws and likability of a real person & i love that. like, i've forever loved how you make melissa this woman who ( lets be real ) i'd LOVE to be friends with. she's kind, compassionate, smart but also sexy, seductive, a little cunning. the verses we've had before now where she's taken the evil queen approach or even downright using lautrec - i just love. i love that i can approach you with the whackiest plots or aesthetics or ideas and you just run with it. i've always felt we're so compatible with both our writing & as friends that we just have this really special dynamic and i'll forever love and appreciate it.

and finally; yeah, you're right - we have got this! i've made no secret of the struggle the last few months have been, my head's been jelly at the best of the times and a depressive wreck at the worst. i know i perhaps haven't been the best person to chat with or be around; i haven't been as active, i haven't written as much as i usually do. but, just know that i appreciate you, sweet. i appreciate the asks, the messages, the threads we have and the plotting we do. i know i might seem a little weird right now but i will forever love you for being you and i will forever appreciate your friendship. i know that you've had a lot on your plate and to that, i say, i know you can do this. you've accomplished so much already & though you might not know it, i'm seriously in awe of how you live your life and the things that you've done. you're the sort of person that i look up to & alongside all of your strength, you remain kind. mari, you're a real treasure. thank you for being you & thank you for this message. <3 ))

[changbunnies]

Hi! I love love your Minho Phantom fics!! And I just checked out Phantom of the Opera because of that. Oh my gosh, I seriously can’t stand the sequel, Love Never Ends. Like, I get it satisfies the Phantom x Christine fans, but it just doesn't click for me. How does the innocent love between childhood friends get turned into this toxic situation? :(

But, in the Phantom Minho universe, do you think Minho could give her a love that’s actually good for her in the end, or is it just like the original Phantom? Also, what do you think about the ending of the Phantom of the Opera series? :)) Thanks! Hope you always be healthy and happy!! <3

AHH thank you so much !!

i was a lil surprised by how many people said they didn't know anything about poto but loved my fic regardless and wanted to check it out 😅 it's a fave of mine, and i've always loved erik (the phantom) even when i probably shouldn't lmao he's just so tragic and i'm a sucker for tragic, hopelessly in love antagonists

i'll answer what i think would happen with phantom minho first so that anyone who doesn't care to read my in depth poto discussion can skip over it lmao but my thoughts on phantom minho are long so buckle up for a read :')

phantom minho is so sincerely in love, and i imagined him being the same as erik in regards to his deepest desire being to not be alone, and to be accepted and loved for who he is, flaws and all, by mc.

he wants to write music for her, to sing with her, to watch her shine and perform, to always be with her and love her for the rest of his life; but he is still the phantom at the end of the day, so i imagine he does have a bit of a toxic leash on her.

he's really scared to let her go! i imagine that he tries to not be too possesive, as he doesn't want to scare her, but i don't think he can entirely help it; no one has ever loved him before, and he doesn't want to lose what he has with her! i honestly think that if mc had a raoul-esque character introduced, minho would try everything to get rid of him dfdfghf he definitely wouldn't be above trying to kill him

but as much as it pains me, there is something so beautiful and tragic to the way the original poto ends and i can imagine the same ending happening with minho :( like how because she loved him and showed him such sincere kindness and compassion he chooses to let her go, even if it means he will be alone. it's so sad and beautiful !! and i think that minho would let her leave if he felt like her life would truly be better without him in it :(

i'm more familiar with / a fan of the musical and the 2004 movie but there are two lines from the book erik says that perfectly encapsulates what my vision for phantom minho is, and i kept them in mind while writing! they are:

"you will be the happiest of women. and we will sing, all by ourselves, till we swoon away with delight. you are crying! you are afraid of me! and yet i am not really wicked. love me and you shall see! all i wanted was to be loved for myself. if you loved me i should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased." "if i am the phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. if i am to be saved, it is because your love redeems me."

AND LIKE!! THAT'S TRUE ROMANCE TO ME IDC!! and i do truly think phantom minho can be redeemed from his misdeeds by mc's love (but maybe that's just me being hopeful and biased lmao. but also i'm the author so??? YEAH. HE CAN BE REDEEMED BECAUSE I SAID SO.)

but yes, i do think that when met with sincere love and care, phantom minho would be gentle and doting and affectionate, which is why i wrote him very soft and pleasure focused! he loves to work her up by teasing because that's just so characteristically minho, but he'd also give her anything and everything she wants if she asked for it :') and she would definitely help him learn to accept and love himself, and help him be a better person during their time together!

anyways sorry that was long FDSGFD phantom minho has been in my head since finishing angel of music and i was excited to talk about him <3 on to general phantom of the opera discussion!

i share your opinion on the poto sequel! like i'm a phantom x christine girlie obvi but i still love raoul so it sucks seeing his character get butchered in the sequel. (like why tf is he spending all his money on drinking and gambling, that makes no sense ?? and he was such a sweetheart to christine and has one of the most romantic duets with her in the original musical so like ?? HELLO? i get he's upset that he thinks christine still loves erik but like. just talk to her????)

i love the phantom of the opera's ending when we are talking strictly the original! it's so bittersweet and my heart always tears for erik, but it feels right that christine would leave to be with raoul. erik's story is so sad and heart wrenching, but that doesn't make anything he did right or justifiable; and as sad as it is, ending the story with him letting christine go is, like i said before, so tragic and beautiful :(

tbh i almost never consider the sequel when talking about how much i love poto cause i don't like what it does to the original ending and the characters dssdfgf and again i'm speaking from the movie + musical perspective because raoul sucks in the book at times BUT part of what adds to how tragic erik's love for christine is how it pairs with raoul's love for her!

obviously erik's love for christine is enticing because he's so desperate for love while also having questionable morals and a compelling, sad backstory, whereas raoul is from a wealthy family, had an easy upbringing, and is very sensible. and then there's the fact that raoul was her childhood friend and sweetheart, and he's so sincerely in love with her that he's willing to marry her and run away from his family and his fortune just to be with her. it's so sweet and i know he's "boring" compared to the phantom, but i think that's the point !!

from my perspective, that's why the phantom has more of a focus story wise than raoul does; not just because he's ultimately the antagonist, but because you're supposed to feel bad for erik when christine chooses raoul

raoul obviously gets much less screentime, but he is such a perfect foil to the phantom! he loves christine just as genuinely as erik does, and in the sequel when you take away how much he cherishes christine and the trust they have between each other and how protective he is of her its just like ???? okay ???? you know what i mean fsdgdfs

so in conclusion, ending of poto is perfect when you disregard the sequel :) it's bittersweet, it breaks my heart, but it's what is right!

[carica-ficus]

“Fourth Wing”

26/12/2023

Reading progress: 222/498 (44%) Read through since last update: 117

Since I'm sick, I don't have much other to do than just rest and read in bed, which is the sole reason I managed to go through another 100 pages today. (I'm a slow reader so this is way more than my average.) Again, I'm having mixed feelings of this book. I like the premise. I really do. But the writing is very sloppy, and I can't oversee it. Still, I try to enjoy the novel as much as I can.

Thoughts on this section:

That fight with Xaden was cool, but unlike Violet who completely forgot they weren't alone in the training hall, I didn't. Which made me feel as if I'm a spectator to all of it. And it felt kinda awkward, not gonna lie.

Again, I know Dain means well, but the way he talks to Violet makes it seem like he doesn't know her at all. Worst of all, he kinda gives me the impression he has some anterior motives behind his kindness, like he expects Violet to love him because he's good to her. Of course, there's no concrete evidence for this, it's just the vibe he gives off.

That whole chapter when Violet talks to Xaden was so out of pocket. She's afraid of him and he kinda wants to kill her. They're not really friends. But then Violet takes this random opportunity to vent to him? Why?

Speaking of weird dialogue, that moment during Presentation when Violet asks Rhiannon whether she's getting a nephew or a niece literally gave me whiplash. Why does that matter now? I swear the last time this was discussed was after they have survived the Parapet, 2 months ago in their time.

Violets biggest flaw in this whole book is her size. Not her lack of physical strength. Not her lack in training. Not her vulnerability. No. She's just tiny. A tiny little fragile girl. Poor, poor Violet. Too curvy. Too clumsy. Too adorable. Too unlucky. How could she ever succeed? How could she ever survive? Who will ever love her? 😢😢😢😢

Ok, that moment when the two greens are sniffing Violet was so cute.

This is also very nitpicky, but if you have a fantasy novel, you cannot use specific words tied to our world. You cannot have October because it implies a much broader history that's tied to ours.

Tynan, Oren and Jack hunting and wanting to kill the golden dragon makes absolutely zero fucking sense and it's just put in there as a lazy shock factor. It's just so stupid.

But I'm glad it worked out! Black dragon, hell yeah!

And of course Violet is going to be a little bitch when she talks to it. Girl, please. I haven't felt this much second hand embarrassment in years.

On the other hand, I really loved the following chapter when they fly together. I like Tairn as a character. And I like that there's something he's yet to reveal about himself.

Andarna is really cute too!

I am really thrown off when Violet jumps in and adds her unnecessary and stupid comments. Chapter 15 was so good, and then Yarros end it with "And all hell breaks loose". Why? What should this mean to me as a reader? Just show it to me in the next chapter.

Okay, gotta hand it to the author, I like this twist where Sgaeyl is mated with Tairn, so, by default, Violet is now connected with Xaden. This is a cool way to make this romance stronger.

On the other hand, I feel like Yarros tries to bend her own rules in order to create tension. It makes no sense to me, based on what we heard till now, that if a cadet kills a rider, they might have the chance to bond with their dragon. What's the chance of that happening? I mean, sure, it's possible, but is it realistic?

Dain, you stupid fuck. Way to go with that kiss. (Future me writing down: that little weasel kissed her just so he can look into her memories!!!)

As much as I don't like Dain, I do respect him for choosing not to pursue Violet because of his rank. And honestly, Violet had no right to judge him on that. Oh, he's too uptight, he wouldn't want to break the rules for me. Yeah, I would sure hope so! He's your superior. I'm glad his moral compass is fucking functioning.

Was really shocked by the gruesome manifestation of the mind reading signlet, but then I got lost in the guy's rambling? He revealed some interesting stuff, then nothing at all. And I hate how Dain's thoughts took the spotlight. Like, he's only thinking of what he already said a 100 times.

Andara really went "Za Warudo". Slay 💅

That's it for now! I'll be sharing more notes soon.

[strawbbydraws]

It’s all good, I’m happy to have my tags used as a starting point for a good rant!

I share a LOT of the same thoughts! Unfortunately I’m not able to play the game anymore so I only get a superficial view of a lot of things but like. Yeah. This is all it. This is my issue. I can't word this as well or anything, but I have a lot of thoughts. (I apologize if I am wrong about anything, I've had to passively consume the content since I can't play it so there's a chance of me misremembering things)

I WAS a Mara "hater" (I use this term loosely) but the moment she got sanded down to be more… palatable? Easier to like and understand?- I really really missed what she was before. I’m just now starting to have a deep dive into her character and now it just sucks that she was suddenly smoothed out to hurry along the plotline. I didn't like her because she was an abusive conniver but I didn't hate that she was that way, she was written well and she was incredibly interesting. I like her but also am exploding her. Yk. I'm really not a person who has it in me to hate characters (seeing the nonsensical crow hate makes you just. not even want to be like that.) but man the change made my mostly neutral feeling I had to just straight up missing her. I've been out of the loop for awhile so there may have been earlier signs, but in Season of Defiance (low hanging fruit, I know) I really started feeling the weird character shift for her and Crow there, especially when he was mourning his dead friend and she tried to swoop in and give him advice ??? Sure, he snapped at her at first when she tried to tell him vengeance was pointless and dangerous, but his "vengeance" was a nothing burger and ended up being "good" and so that just whole interaction fell flat- so he didn't have to consider what she said or even think about her after it all went down. It was strange to see her trying to comfort this dude that she spent years and years (in)directly traumatizing. He should have been closed off to her of ALL people, but the opposite happened- he opened up and shared something he never mentioned to anybody else- which in itself isn't a bad thing. It would have been interesting if this was her trying to slip back into his life when he was emotionally vulnerable but it obviously was meant to be more genuine in some capacity.

I was confused. She really felt sort of out of place in that season as a whole, like she was being forced in just to get closer with Crow. (Crow's character was definitely watered down at times, and I don't want to be pointing fingers at "the casuals" for every writing decision bc some of their attempts they made at making the guy openly flawed had major issues [see: season of the risen, my opinion is very. complicated on that] and that wasn't anybody's fault. But there was a period where I was afraid they were going to permanently smooth his "negative" traits over like his brashness, hardheadedness, and snappiness bc of how controversial his behavior was to various parts of the community- and they did make him quite subdued in Defiance in general)

It made more sense once Season of the Wish happened, it was like. Oh. You were trying to mash them together for this. To be the bridge into the pale heart. But the thing was that they didn't have to be buddies! They didn't have to be trusting for this to work! In fact, any tension they had would have made this way more interesting. Crow didn't need to trust her completely to know he had to do this, and this could have been where they finally put their heads together for everybody else's betterment.

My idea of Crow vs. Uldren is very complicated and would take a separate post that I likely won't ever make, haha. I accept most interpretations (I particularly like interpretations along the line of yours), save for ones that seem to completely reject Uldren as having any association with him, they are both interconnected enough that Crow literally says "I" and "me" when referring to him at times. A lot of Uldren IS Crow and people need to stop treating Uldren like some evil bogeyman that might pop out of him if it gets bad enough- though that's a half tangent, but relevant in the sense that initially Mara couldn't even separate them. This due in part of the grief she was experiencing, and the fact she wanted to bring Uldren back, and was even told to leave him alone when he was struggling- potentially because of how he'd react or how SHE would act, which once again makes it weird for her to step in during Defiance, even if time had passed, but it's like they just flipped a switch and ignored all the characterization these two had since Season of the Lost to make them work. You can only chalk up so much to character development before it's just straight up rushing and switching things up to make pieces fit later on. I was thinking of the bait as well!! It was treated as a mysterious feat, like he had weird abilities or *something* going on, and then the visions, the Hawkmoon, the Radiant Accipiter, made him seem like he was chosen for something- like he was almost paracausal himself, or at least was given paracausal abilities. Hell, people were theorizing he'd become the next Speaker in the sense of ushering in a new period of communication with the Traveler, and while I didn't think he'd be the next literal Speaker, I held onto that for a long time and was excited to see how this would play out in TFS since he'd literally be INSIDE the Traveler, but Cayde literally ended up being the communing with the traveler, and it makes sense, but Crow should have played a bigger role. I'm sure they had a lot of ideas that they ended up scrapping over the years but genuinely, Crow should have been given the opportunity to be something more than being there to get handed the title of Hunter Vanguard and have that arc tied up into a neat little bow. Imo he should have been weirder (aka there should have been more paracausal things happening to him there and even leading up to that point).

A couple more things you could add that are smaller on scale but still are a little weird: 1. He also was given the psion anti-light tech to look at. I'm not sure if anything was done with that but idk. I thought it'd be used in WQ but I don't think anything came out of it. Honestly, the fact he's so clever with strange tech is so underutilized in general.

2. In lore, there was mention of Ikora setting him up with another hunter and a warlock for a mission or something and nothing came of it. I guess I shouldn't have expected there to be a follow up to it, but it felt like a really weird thing to just throw in there considering he was still very much not accepted into society yet. It felt like something that'd be brought up in a future season or something but,, nope.

3. Wasn't he supposed to go to court or something??? (I was told this so I don't know if it's true or not)

The fact that we have heard basically NOTHING from the awoken who lived through Uldren's genocide is insane to me. We haven't known anything for years, it wasn't even really discussed much post-Forsaken. It would be so fascinating to see something from the perspective of an awoken citizen but is there really nothing Crow ACTUALLY has to answer for beyond what he chooses to address willingly? I don't think it's necessarily fair to do that to him, but do people at least harbor some opinion of his existence at the Reef?

I AM glad he's finally getting some time to interact with Fikrul and there's been some good shit there, even with the goofs and awkward moments in Revenant. I'm hoping there's some genuine harbored guilt and emotional pain that gets to show through... I have my opinions on how they dropped so many signs of various mental issues like depression, anxiety, ptsd, suicidal thoughts, and I don't expect him to be absolutely miserable but he shouldn't just be magically better, yk? I want him to have realistic emotions and feelings due to what he's experienced- something that has been a little lacking at times.

I adore him and I love what good writing he has, but man.. Him and Mara, and honestly Uldren as a result,, have been done dirty with their relationship- Crow and Mara have been watered down in that aspect. Why couldn't it have been strained and weird. Uldren is made to look even worse (the FS statue dialogue between Mara and Uldren still irritates me to no end) and looks less and less like a victim who also made the wrong choices, and more like the flat, obsessive villain many perceive him as- sure, there's still bits of recentish lore that try to keep that nuance, but with the narrative shift Crow and Mara had, it just really makes Uldren's character suffer as well.

Yay! You made it to the end! Have a bunny

So I hope you don't mind my grabbing this and running with it in rant format, because you got my brain going, and I'm having a hard time focusing on my homework anyway (which is kind of bad because it's due by 11:59PM tonight, but I digress...).

There are some things in D2 I can look past, but The Sov Twins isn't one of them. That? The whole *points to Season of the Wish and beyond* thing with them making up and suddenly becoming uwu magic twins where nothing is wrong ever? It still bends me into a pretzel of malcontent. It displeases me greatly. Yes, sure, I am a Certified Mara-hater (tm), but even I can step back and go "hmm, hold up" at how Mara's been run over by a damn steamroller and flattened out. Even taking into account her being shocked into giving a fuck and changing her ways, it just feels like it all happened... too fast? It feels like her character kind of did a full on 180 degree pivot that feels very... not Mara-like. The one thing the siblings have had in common is they're both stubborn bastards at the end of the day. They don't change their mind easily, and I would think old habits would die hard. When you're toxic (and powerful) in the way Mara was, you don't just suddenly change overnight. It takes time, and there will always be the great risk and temptation to return to old ways to get what you want (which, if I recall correctly, was fucking godhood, so...).

Honestly, Mara's terribleness and motivations are what make her otherwise a great foil/"companion" to Savathun. These things, however, ring a bit more hollow with her current characterization of "turning a new leaf" and becoming a "good queen, actually". Mara was great morally grey/potential villain material because she wielded deception much the same way Savathun did -- she uses secrets and lies like finely crafted weapons.

And to that end, that extends to Crow, too. I'm of the "he's still Uldren, but better" camp, so I approach him as a continuation of Uldren and all of the problems that came with that, including his stupid hard-headedness. Heck, we SEE that through the course of his arc. Once he gets an idea in his head, he doesn't let go of it very easily. Both Saladin and Eris got to have the 'pleasure' of trying to pry open that steel trap. So it confuses me that he doubled back so fast on his sister when he showed previously, once he had his memories back, to be extremely leery of her (and rightfully so). In fact, I feel like he got even more reason to be weary as time went on, both indirectly from learning about events and things related to the both of them with newfound clarity he didn't have in his life as Uldren, but also through how she now suddenly expressed a desire in him despite having been cold and the opposite prior to Savathun giving him his memories, as that sort of behavior usually smacks of honeyed words placed in the center of a bear trap.

It's a great pity we didn't get to see their relationship be complicated, and zero respect be paid to Crow's lasting trauma from his relationship with Mara. It's also a pity because the whole point of his arc wasn't just redemption, but I feel it was also self-actualization. He was finally able to become his own man. Shit, even the Memory of Uldren outright states that if you found the right little memory bubble during Season of the Haunted. And yet, with how they (the writers) have chosen to progress his story -- their story -- makes that whole point kind of feel... empty, because he just cozied right back up to Mara in SoW and that was that. It honestly almost felt eerie, because it had that feeling like he was letting the leash start to get put right back on him again. It honestly felt like we're supposed to just pretend that the PTSD and the anxiety and the PROBLEMS Mara caused him are just suddenly... evaporated? All good and gone and resolved?

Yeah I don't buy that, I hate it, and it just feels really... icky. Mara put that poor man through the damn ringer and ultimately got him killed. Characters in-universe even acknowledge that fact, to some degree. (I'd argue even Petra acknowledges it.) So it just... ugh! It bothers me so much that there is zero complexity to their relationship now. No, I don't want Crow to hate Mara (though that would be justified), but I do think it would've been more logical for him to express large amounts of caution towards her. I would've liked to see them struggle to see eye-to-eye and grow -- or not grow, even. Perhaps it'd be the futile attempt at mending a bridge that can't be repaired? A trust that can never truly be re-earned? Alas, it feels like we won't get any of that.

I've had it suggested that Mara is putting up a front, by the way, and that this is all a long-con on her part to get Crow to trust her again, and get everyone on her side for her own nefarious purposes. I would be delightfully shocked if that were the case (I mean I'd feel bad for Crow, but it would be a nice touch of complexity), but I also have zero reason to believe that would happen, with how things have been set up so far. But, now that The Witness is out of the way, who knows?

On Crow's end, I do think there is still some room to explore the complexities of his character. One example is happening right now: how he deals with the very real and very complicated consequence of his life as Uldren -- Fikrul and the Scorn. There is a lot of heavy leaning on the Eliksni side of things this Episode, but I am hoping that we actually get some juicy stuff concerning Crow and Fikrul, too. It's definitely been interesting, so far. But yeah, you're right on the money: there are definitely things that have been mentioned and then just left hanging. There are two things I can think of right off the bat:

A minor item, but I still think back to Season of the Hunt and how Crow was able to pull an Eris and manipulate Balefire and Hive magic to create the Lures we used to hunt Wrathborn. Ghost comments on this being very shocking and unusual, and does ask outright how Crow does it, to which, of course, we get a coy non-answer from our favorite Hunter. (I still maintain he was flirting with us that entire fucking season...) And I agree with Ghost -- it's weird and suspect. With Eris, we're not surprised because she's been studying Hive Stuff for a long time. Homegirl made studying those bastards her whole identity. So it's no surprise when she whips out Hive Stuff like the boss she is. Crow on the other hand? A brand new Lightbearer? Something is fishy. We know Uldren was pretty fucking smart and good at making stuff (see: the drone spy system he apparently had deployed around the Sol System?), so it may be a bit of that manifesting in him at the time, but it's still a very intriguing and odd thread that has yet to be picked back up. But, clearly, there's something 'special' about Crow/Uldren.

A bigger item playing on the 'clearly there's something special about him' line: I genuinely thought he'd have a MUCH bigger role to play in TFS given just how much air time he's been given, both in the literal sense (he's been the center or near-center of so many seasons and arcs) and in the 'in-universe' sense. To expand on the latter: other than us, the Main Character, Crow is unique in his treatment from The Traveler. He's gotten visions, which is established to be rare in this universe, as I believe only The Young Wolf and Ikora at the time had gotten that treatment (and then later, add Micah to the list). Not even the Speaker really fully got that privilege, at least not without his mask. He's been given a paracausal ship. He got given a paracausal gun. Outside of that, there's him even being able to even minutely remember things BEFORE Savathun restored his memories (remember, he actually realized he had some recognition of The Dreaming City and how to get around). And then he gets to be potentially the only Guardian to get to "fully remembers his past life" status thanks to Savathun. I believe in the case of Ana and Micah both, they only know what was recorded for them to find. I could be wrong, but still. My point is that Crow has been given a lot of unique opportunities, abilities, things within the universe of Destiny 2 that felt like they were intentionally building him up for something, and I don't mean 'building him up to be Hunter Vanguard'. Sure, that's a big thing, but in the grand scheme... it's just a title. I mean building up to have some sort of major impact. So when we got to SoW and TFS, it felt very... underwhelming for him to simply be 1) one-half of a bridge into The Pale Heart and 2) be The Guy That Wished Cayde Back.

It just feels like there's been some very bizarrely abandoned threads that don't look like they're going to be picked back up, and it's disappointing.

This is all also without touching on exploring his relationship with The Reef and everything complicated with that, because the question becomes: is he still Prince of The Awoken? How do the Reefborn feel about this after he terrorized them for literally years and basically committed genocide against his own people? Does he still have access to Uldren's spy network? There are a lot of little questions that I don't think we'll ever get an answer to.

I still love his character (although I would love more sass), but I still also lament that, yeah, true to that reblog (that these tags are from), he could be a very deep character if they took the time. And before anyone says "you're expecting nuance and complexity in a looter-shooter": *motions to Eris* *motions to Osiris* *motions to Micah* *motions to the crazy complexity of the Osmium Dynasty siblings*

Destiny 2 has the ability to handle complexity and nuance. I can accept that I won't ever fully get stuff going down to the nitty-gritty, but I do wish we got just... a little bit more.

[theothervonkarmagirl]

ooc

I mean I say this not only for RP but for writing in general ok

It’s ok to have your character be the bad guy sometimes

It’s ok to have them make mistakes or hurt or upset others, intentionally or not

It’s ok for them to have bad habits or trauma responses and not have the words to describe why they do that

Because that happens with real people! Even people you like do things that get on your nerves. And there is a reason why they do that. And there’s a reason why that annoys you.

Fiction is a way to explore these things!

[bonesandthebees]

Not going to go super in depths with analysis because I don't have time, but still want to leave my thoughts.

The relaxing pace of the first few paragraphs, where Wilbur directly says that it's calming, then the quick turn with "That's what he told himself." That's just such a perfect line, luring the audience into a false sense of security, making us think that Wilbur is finally going to get a break... before a quick, punch-y reminder of Wilbur's nature as an unreliable narrator

The argument... I could write 12-page essays on that argument. It hit me so viscerally, it was so upsetting (in a good way of course). As a crimeboys fan I am struggling, I am seriously struggling. Though, Bee, you have inspired me. I'm about to go add an argument into the next chapter of my wip because you've gotten me in such a passionate mood. I love the fact that you've gotten to what seemed like an emotional climax, Wilbur's darkest hour, yet you're not afraid to keep the drama up. You don't immediately let us back down. It's a bumpy ride, and I think when I write I'm going to keep in mind that conflict and tension doesn't have to be so simple

Wilbur says "I want to trust Phil" when he clearly already does. He trusts Phil with his heart but not with his planet, even though Phil has much more experience running a planet than being a friend. Wilbur obviously isn't thinking logically, but I think the reason he trusts Phil with his heart is because he's gaining something with that trust. He gains a weird type of father figure. Meanwhile, the stakes of trusting Phil with his country are losing something. So even though he's obviously acting very illogically, his mistakes and missteps are very realistic. It's a great portrayal of a very flawed person

I'm very curious as to what's going to happen with that convo with Technoblade. And that apology towards Ranboo makes me more confident in my theory that Wilbur's going to apologize to Tommy first. He's gotten to the point where he is able to recognize where he's done wrong, he just needs to have some time to work through his own emotions. Without getting too personal, I'll just say that after being in a similar situation to him I felt like if I acknowledged what I had done wrong I had to blame myself for what was done to me. If he feels that way as well, then it makes perfect sense why he's taking so long to apologize to Tommy. There's so much tension in the air, and it's gotta break sometime, and Wilbur's the only one who can break it. He's very good at breaking things

Wow, I said I wasn't gonna do much analysis, what I liar I am

- 🔥

hi flame anon!!

ah yes I love tricking the readers into a false sense of security. setting a rhythmic sentence flow just explaining the day to day routine, only to completely flip it on its head with a very short and abrupt line. it's a fun writing technique and one of the ways I really enjoy using sentence flow and rhythm to my advantage.

YES!! GO ADD AN ARGUMENT TO YOUR WIP!! seriously writing arguments is SO fun and can inspire so much creativity. obviously you need to make sure an argument ties into your plot, and that any lasting relationship damage from the argument actually gets addressed and isn't just brushed aside once the argument ends, but they're such useful tools for making a scene really hit hard. and yes, when it comes to an emotional climax, you don't always have to just have it peek at one scene and then come crashing down. conflict and tension is rarely that simple. it can have lingering effects. tension can remain high for days even once the emotions have simmered down, and then it all sparks again the minute something else goes wrong. healing of any kind whether it be personal or relationship focused isn't linear, so these things take time and can go back and forth.

oh yeah wilbur definitely trusts phil a lot already he just won't admit it to himself. I think a really fun thing to keep in mind when writing flawed characters, especially ones that are super unreliable narrators, is the use of cognitive dissonance. the human mind can choose to ignore really blatant things or just brush off major moments if it truly doesn't want to acknowledge or believe something. you can find so many ways to excuse something so you don't have to confront the reality of it. to put it bluntly: no one is better at lying to you than yourself. that's a really crucial thing to remember when writing flawed characters.

hmm interesting theory. guess we'll have to wait and see how the apology plays out, but your analysis of wilbur is really really good. it can be really hard to acknowledge when you've fucked up, which is part of what makes apologizing so hard. there's a thin line between a person taking responsibility and piling blame onto themself, so it's one that can take time to find balance on.

thank you for the analysis flame!! love hearing your thoughts, so glad you enjoyed :D

[wowsoboring]

Deconstructing Baseless Harry Potter Arguments#2 (i) : Harmione Edition

Obviously I once again do not mean to target all Harmione shippers. I know quite a few who're very good human beings and tolerant and accepting above all. However these aren't. In this case, you might sense quite a bit of levelheadedness in the beginning, however you must not be fooled as it goes south and takes a nasty turn very quickly. Don't get your hopes up, this is some of the worst shit I've ever seen, especially the way in which it progresses through its course. Naturally, for this post I have picked my own style of writing which will match that of those redditors. Reddit is the perfect breeding ground for all these weird cults, honestly. I shall be resorting to a formal language and style of conversation, very much like a debater would to sound as pretentious as these do. These posts are found on the instagram handle toxicharmonyshippers who gather such toxic musings and sayings for Harmione shippers while respecting the ones that are nice.

1)

Oh yes, let's use words like 'vehemently' to sound smart, why not? Of course, this little tidbit of the highly stupendous post seems more or less civil at the start. They also have the common decency to say "some Romione shippers" rather than generalizing all of us. Very nice of you, how very saint like. Let's wait till they drop the act and show us their true colors. Harkening back to the argument, I have but one question for you, "where do you find these people?". Where's the proof? Who are these radical Romione shippers who worship Ron and dislike Hermione? I haven't seen any such shippers and I am surrounded by Romione shippers on tumblr, instagram and fan fiction sites as well and haven't met the people you speak of. Some point out her flaws, yes, but no one hates her or dislikes her that much. I have seen two or three Romione shippers across hundreds and thousands who're skeptical of Hermione's perfection. Skeptical. Not hating, disliking, or anything. Of course, unlike this person, I have evidence: find these pi charts for your referral (clickable): https://imgur.com/a/QfPnQbB

you can, through these, see the amount of Hermione bashing across Harry Potter fanfiction and you can see that even in Romione fanfiction there's more Ron bashing. Hermione-bashing is a non-issue. That's what it is. Regarding the "nagging" statement, where's the lie in that? "Annoying" is somewhat subjective, I personally don't find her annoying at all. Who are these people and how often do you find them? "Mary Sue" is only reserved for Movie!Hermione. I have only seen book fans call her that. No one has ever called Book!Hermione Mary Sue. The movie does paint her as a flawless, all-rounder who's also drop-dead gorgeous. Only things she's bad at are flying and divination, all of which she denounces as useless, even though flying is like biking for wizards, divination, sure, not that important. with a teacher like Trelawney, even I would denounce it as hokum.

2)

Remember what I said about waiting for them to show us their true colors, well here they are. Bask in the glory of their senseless arguments. Why, I am from reddit, heck I have 25 thousand karma points on there, I just left because it was too stupid for me but I can argue like them very well. And in this case I would like to say that these people are under the impression that Ron is just there in the story for the sake of existence. And he doesn't work hard. That argument is of course, wrong. Because Ron (in no particular order):

1) fights a troll when he's 11

2) is willing to sacrifice himself when he's 11

3) stands up for his friends

4) makes sure Harry feels like he belongs in the family

5) worries about Harry and rescues him from literal jail

6) stands up against Draco rather than by-standing and enabling his behavior

7) tries his level best to make sure Norbert the dragon is in safe hands and carries it out, albeit not in perfection

8) is with Harry every step of the way in his confronting the basilisk

9) sends Harry and Hermione long letters and calls them often to check up on them

10) stands up on a bitten leg to defend his best friend

11) always apologizes for any of his mistakes and is forgiving when others wrong him

12) works his way to join the Quidditch team unlike Draco who most certainly bought his way in

13) destroys at least 2 horcruxes

14) finds out how to defeat a horcrux

15) has an excellent enough memory and observation to notice Harry speaking parseltongue and also using it to his benefit which proves he's resourceful

now since I have 8 more such pictures to rebut and I do have a life, I will stop. These aren't even a twelfth of the remarkable things Ron has done though, so rest assured.

oh wait what did you say about him just existing and not working for anything? If I recall correctly, he did just as well as Harry did in school and didn't score well only in subjects he didn't care about. Which is true for most people except for Hermione who has an eidetic memory which not everyone has, understandably. Rote memorization is not the best way to get by in life, by the way.

what are the "so many reasons" behind why Harry is the best fit for Hermione? Kindly share so I can rebut those too, I'm rather free nowadays, my finals have been cancelled. You say there are so many reasons but don't even give one, yet you want me to take you seriously. I'm afraid that's impossible.

Romione shipper here, i don't dislike Hermione. I haven't met or seen many people in the book!romione fandom who dislike Hermione (except for Movie!Hermione). The question of someone you like ending up with someone you dislike doesn't particularly make sense. In Friends, Chandler ends up with Monica: now I'm not the biggest Monica fan (I don't hate her but I don't like her very much either) but they are my favorite couple because they make sense. It's about compatibility and character traits, not liking or disliking because that's just a set-up for a ghastly invitation for people to pair up hideousness. "Oh yeah, I like Harry and I also like Hagrid, they should be together. I mean it would be very very disgusting but that's my logic, now, you can't fight it. "- that's how you sound. Please read what you write. Your logic is just...abysmal. That's all I can say without breaking my resolve and berating you with colorful profanities.

3)

This is without the doubt, the easiest one to rebut. It's a delight to see such terrible arguments at my disposal. Come on, dear Harmione shippers, write something that makes me question my choices, not things that make me scoff in disbelief.

In this case, you're essentially providing us with theories. Unproved theories and speculation of what you believe because you'd say anything you like. Where's the proof of your theory, though? Where is that crazy radical Romione shipper who does this? Kindly show me these people. Oh yes, you wanna say we objectify Hermione and disrespect her and view her as a prize. This aches me, that you believe this. No one has ever insinuated this, ever, in the history of anything. What is this winner-loser theory? How do you round off Harry Potter to "an alpha-male ends up with lead-lady" trope and still say you're a fan of the series? Harry Potter doesn't fit in with that format. Ron, Hermione and Harry are co-heroes. Similar to how there's no main character in Friends or the Heroes of Olympus series or the Avengers. We're not living in the 80s anymore. Hermione will be a hero, invariably whether she ends up with Harry, Ron or no one. She ends up with Ron and that's it. Talking about her like this doesn't make you sound any better either. Now you're calling me a misogynist because I don't support the ship of two people who describe themselves as siblings. That's very mature of you. Well here's the thing- I'm not a misogynist. It's as simple as that. I believe that women are capable of anything and everything. I believe Hermione is an amazing person and she is a hero and a different person. I believe the series would be impossible without her. I believe she is no one's prize. There's no requirement of a prize. I just think, similar to canon and the truth and her romantic interest, she will have a great relationship with Ron. There's nothing complex or deep about it, really. No personal weird-thing, no psychological complex, no internalized misogyny. There's nothing deeper than what I said. I am not sexist. I am a feminist. I am all for women empowerment. I love women with the fabric of my being. I love Hermione. I think she's amazing. You only become sexist when you ship people with unstable power dynamics, a bully-victim relation or something of the sort. Neither Romione, nor Harmione are sexist. Heck if you paired Neville with Hermione you wouldn't be sexist. And I hate talking about this so much, I can't even tell you. This talk does make it sound like I treat Hermione like an object and I assure you I respect her and I normally won't talk like this unless someone just outright calls me sexist for something that's not sexist. And this is that situation.

4)

in the case of Romione, no one is too good for anyone. Both are amazing people who're heroes and have done amazing work. That's all I have to say. There's no league, they are romantically interested in each other. I have no intention on sounding lame, but, in love there is no league. As long as you're not putting in any effort and are extremely lazy and leech off of your partner, there is no such concept and no, Hermione is not "too good" for him. Unless of course you're talking about movie Hermione, who is too good for anyone.

5) (halftime!)

oh yes they try to pull this off and wonder why we hate them. Classic. This person likes to sound british, so let's switch up our language, yeah? At least then I won't be out of my element. Let me correct ya, Ron at his best is an amazing, loyal, friendly, brave, strategic hero. There you have it. Ron and 'git' can't be used in the same sentence. Now if you talk about Ron's achievements, I re-iterate you to point two. If it's too much work, here:

1) fights a troll when he's 11

2) is willing to sacrifice himself when he's 11

3) stands up for his friends

4) makes sure Harry feels like he belongs in the family

5) worries about Harry and rescues him from literal jail

6) stands up against Draco rather than by-standing and enabling his behavior

7) tries his level best to make sure Norbert the dragon is in safe hands and carries it out, albeit not in perfection

8) is with Harry every step of the way in his confronting the basilisk

9) sends Harry and Hermione long letters and calls them often to check up on them

10) stands up on a bitten leg to defend his best friend

11) always apologizes for any of his mistakes and is forgiving when others wrong him

12) works his way to join the Quidditch team unlike Draco who most certainly bought his way in

13) destroys at least 2 horcruxes

14) finds out how to defeat a horcrux

15) has an excellent enough memory and observation to notice Harry speaking parseltongue and also using it to his benefit which proves he's resourceful

hey, see, I like Ron and I took the time to copy-paste this instead of asking you to scroll up. And I'm a lot of bad things but I am not lazy. I stick to my deadlines like Hermione. I start my homework in library class and continue it during phys ed the day its given. And I am not exaggerating. Bloody hell, I wish I was. I'm the ceo of deadlines, mate, don't tempt me! So you can see that Ron is much more than just a "nice bloke". And being a "nice bloke" isn't a bad thing either. He's all the things I said: intuitive, strategic, helpful, loyal and on top of that he's also a nice person. Yes, I do see a bit of myself in Ron. I do. I see the insecure side. I waste my time hating myself and criticizing myself and undermining myself, telling me I'm no good. But Ron overcomes that. He inspires me to appreciate myself. Is that a bad thing? Are you going to shame me for having a low self-esteem? Do you want to worsen my low self-esteem and make me feel more like shit?

Now the person who replied to your comment saying, "he isn't a nice bloke most of time.", he is. He is not being nice twice in a span of 7 years. How often do you act rudely or with jealousy? Wasn't Harry yelling at everyone in caps lock in OOTP. Now I don't condemn him for that because he's a fucking hormonal teenager like me and that would make me a hypocrite, but by your logic why don't you condemn him? Or why not condemn Hermione for saying "I only date good Quidditch players" and shoving canaries at Ron's face because someone else kissed him, while she kept using Krum and Cormac to make him jealous. She wasn't being a nice girl, then, was she? Now, once again, i don't dislike her or hold that against her because guess what, mate, I'm a hormonal teenage girl who gets jealous most of the time and would probably react in a similar fashion in the spur of the moment (Not defending her actions here, just putting myself in her shoes.) In short, Ron is a nice bloke MOST OF THE TIME.

6)

It would be misogynistic to think that. The thing is, NO ONE DOES my dear friend! My dear daft friend. I have never heard anyone say that! why are you so hell-bent on portraying us as misogynists when no one ever says that? Stop assuming. Just stop. You are crossing a limit here, aren't you? Yes you are. You cannot say these sort of things. We never said that or believed that, no one ever said this to be a reason to ship Romione. God what is wrong with you? Literally, stop fucking ASSUMING god damn it! Do you want me to assume things about Harmione shippers? Do you want me to go there? Because I will go there! I will go there the moment you tell me to. Just challenge me.

Ron is not a perfect best boi , the reason why so many of us like him is that he's imperfect and tries to become better through the course of time. You are once again assuming and I am once again asking you to stop.

Ron might be an ordinary wizard. He might be poor, sure, but he's a pure-blood and won't face much if he chose not to fight. But he did. He fought. Now I identify with Ron's attitude a fair bit, but I am also likely to spend my day in a library without noticing. People aren't one dimensional. Stop trying to act like you're a psychologist, i know you're not. I don't even think Hermione's overbearing at all! You just insulted someone you're a big fan of. Jesus.

Both Hermione and Ron are strategic, jealous, passionate, feisty, argumentative, intellectual...

that's like 6 similarities. They aren't polar opposites in the slightest. Their differences are just: workaholic, not workaholic. Nerd, not a nerd. Like that's fucking it, man!

8)

being relaxed doesn't make you less independent or driven. A relaxed and levelheaded Hermione will think through things, not be impulsive, not panic etc. She doesn't need Ron. I don't understand your obsession with acting like we ever insinuated that. Then she doesn't need Harry either lol. Stop shipping her with Harry, then or like shut the fuck up. Being a bit relaxed won't stop her or anyone from hitting great strides. Just don't get relaxed to the point you're lazy and casual about everything, that's it.

9)

What do you mean? Ron is balanced. He does finish his work on time. And even if he does procrastinate, she could also help him not and be more driven. Of course, this is an open invitation for you to call me a sexist bitch because I said that she could help him and now you'll think her goal is to help him become better yada yada yada. Fuck off. Defeating the horcrux taught him enough. He respected her. He remembered about the elves when she didn't. He begged to be tortured instead of her. He wouldn't need it because school work and jobs are different and the same person might perceive those differently. Calmness and relaxation doesn't hinder your potential. Not caring and laziness does. You can't function if you work and are stressed 24/7 with zero breaks. Period.

10)

No i do not want (nor does anyone want) Hermione to become Ron. Being slightly calmer doesn't change up your personality. I'm sure many people dislike those sort of fanfics without a doubt. I hate OOC and I don't want Hermione to lose her intellect with Ron because that makes no sense. Ron himself is intellectual and loves arguing with her. They'd boost each other, more like it.

-------

okay thats it i am exhausted as fuck. thanks for reading, i appreciate it. notes and reblogs are appreciated, this takes work.

[fiercely-raging-writer]

Happy STS, Jai!

For any 5 characters: What are their fatal flaws? Bonus: are they aware of it? (LIST)

Describe 20 seconds left in 5 words or less.

Do any of your WIPs have a theme song? If so, what is it?

What is your favorite part of writing? Least favorite?

For the WIP that best fits: Why did you decide to tell this story? Are there any special meanings behind it?

What type of scenes are the hardest to write?

Which of your OC's is your favorite to write?

Share an image (or several) that remind you of your story. (For WMITTO)

Share a line you're really proud of!! (Bonus: why do you like it?)

Have fun!

~Morri 🗡(@memento-morri-writes)

hey morri, happy sts!! thank you for all the questions, i love and adore you <333

under the cut because it got. really long.

listing out alex [wmitto], iza [tkqg], anusha [20sl], suraj [20sl] and amber!! [elemental]

alex: would save his friends over the world. he. he Becomes Aware of it.

iza: prideful. will never bow down, or stop fighting. this, ironically, also happens to be one of her best qualities. half aware of it.

anusha: timid. she's only truly Herself while acting, and she's afraid to step up and into the light. not aware.

suraj: thinks he's better than EVERYONE. so arrogant and also a selfish dick. he's majorly flawed also i love him. he is VERY aware of his flaws.

amber: will carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. very unaware of this. my baby girl <3

2. ooh, okay, five words: 'girl accidentally becomes a spy', alternatively, 'kids try stopping bomb explosion'.

3. 20 SECONDS LEFT. it's got the mission impossible theme song and also this fallout one and this other mi3 one AND this james bond one and also this final spy one. i have a tiny mission impossible obsession. and a tiny james bond one. i'm so sorry.

4. favourite part: getting to create characters and put them in situations and have them experience crazy things that make them grow as people. and also getting to work through your problems as you write and also writing things i love to read. least favourite part: the planning, + the little filling up bits where you have to transition between a scene and the next and you're just. blank. and also when you WANT to write but No Words.

5. for 20sl, because i am Attached, i made up this story ages ago, and it was based off this one scene i really wanted to write with cool spy gadgets. as a kid i was OBSESSED with cool spy gadgets. i wanted to fly, but i couldn't, so i made my characters fly instead. anyways, the books i grew up reading didn't really have any indian protagonists. i have one [1] book in my collection with an indian cast, and i wanted to write something for myself, something 12 year old me needed, something cheesy and silly and something kids in india could read and love. and yeah, the idea of gadgets and spies was adjusted a little and BOOM! i just want to tell the story of a Normal 12 Year Old Schoolgirl who now has to save the world.

6. transition scenes. i don't even know why. i jsut. find them difficult. also, action scenes, if i'm not Feeling The Mood.

7. alex and amber!! i project onto them so much hhh and also i find writing the pov character in true colours really easy and comfortable as well!!

8.

stuff like this yeah. all images from pinterest!!

9. hmm, going with this:

her hands still reach out, grab my heart, and she whispers: 'did you even love me?' i did. i did. i do.

it's from a poem i wrote!! i like it because it's. i do not know actually. i just kind of do kjdjkfhs.

thank you again for the ask!!

[ratsoh-writes]

✨howdy!✨

alrighty, let's do this.

i would say i'm pretty chill, that is ofc, when you get to know me. i wouldn't say i'm rude to strangers, but i no doubt come off as either mean, bratty, or intimating if you happen to glace over at whatever me and my friends are doing without context. i'm a high-key shit disturber, and usually spend my time doing whatever i want, whenever i want. human lives are short y'know? gotta complete that bucket list sooner or later. i love bullshit banter with my friends, most people who watch us have a perfectly civil discussion probably think we hate eachother. i do have a love/hate relationship with cringe content and weird fanfiction.

i adore horror games and movies, especially the stupid ones that make no sense and have horrible editing. i have an iron stomach when it comes to food servings, and DESPISE when people waste food. it isn't a deal breaker, i'm cool with finishing plates at restaurants because other people can't. just don't intentionally throw out half a burger infront of me. i'm basically a human trashcan. y'know those awful food combo's kids make at lunch? like banana bits, mayonnaise, mustard and milk? yeah i used to eat those as a kid for money.

i'm one of those dumbasses who will refuse a dare but can't say no to a triple dog dare. y'know, like an idiot.

i'm not picky and wouldn't mind being matched with one of your non-skele characters.

flaws:

a total dumbass i trust to easily and get hurt by it.

hypocritical, i constantly nag my friends to take care of themselves while forgetting to do the same.

memory, i have shit memory, (half genetics half accident) and can't remember a lot of things, like names upon first meetings. possibly even second or third. i could get jumped and wouldn't be able to tell their faces later.

. . .

strengths:

the place i grew up wasn't too friendly, but that means I'm rather tough, emotional and physically! i learned to be protective of my friends and those who can't defend themselves. though most of your boys could most definitely take me in a fight. i usually have an arm or something on my friends shoulder or leaned up against them in public simply because it makes me feel as if they need me. although this has put me on edge, so no sudden grabbing or i'll punch you on reflex.

cooking, though i'm no gordan ramsey. i can make rather decent warm meals that serve their purpose. i'm house person material. (most of my money comes from commissions.)

optimism, though i am quite realistic, i can't help but assume the world means good, i just grew up in the wrong place. i always give people second chances and genuinely want the best for everyone in fights. which is both good and bad.

. . .

hobbies:

anything! i'm always down to do whatever my friends are doing though i do have a passion for art and writing. currently working on a game and think it would be neat to stay up with my S/O if they have a lot of work and keep them company while working on the game and commissions.

physical description:

quite tall if i do say so, still around 5'9, 5'10ish. blonde messy hair. my blue eyes have dulled in color over the years and look rather grey. i have bags (which pisses me off because i get like 17 hours of sleep, the day night cycle means nothing to me). a bit on the chubby side, but not by much. my legs are probably my most attractive feature, very long. i also got large thighs. thick thighs save lives fellas.

lover qualities:

my love language is physical touch. both with S/O's and friends. i would be down to pick my S/O and carry them around for no other reason than 'hehe small' i don't have any dealbreakers. i don't mind being the shorter or taller one. i adore listening to people rant about anything and everything they enjoy. please rant to me about science stuff i'm too dumb to understand you look adorable doing it. expect me to drop by your workplace to bring you a lunch and hugs. and if it's the mafia's my answer remains the same. i've been lucky enough to survive a lot of "how did i even get here" situations. if my S/O is also a shit disturber expect a lot of night time shit disturbing. classic romantic scene of me throwing them over my shoulder to escape horribly executed ideas. i would prefer for my S/O's family/friends to like me so that's something i will most definitely work on when i figure out i have a crush. asking them out would probably be a love letter and muffins left at their door.

✨

Ok! You can fit quite a few guys, but I think the best match here is……….SLIM (mafiaswap papyrus)!

Slim is a certified babysitter. He’s the most likely ally when it comes to wrangling in cash and bruiser. Your dumb-*serum stands no chance against his logic and supreme cover up skills lol

Another thing that he would live about you is how you have a thick skin and aren’t afraid to stand up for your friends. Strength is something all the mafias admire, but slim especially. He wants a SO that will go up to the cashier and tell them he ordered no pickles. In return, slim will take out anyone who tries messing with you ;)

You’re gonna be pretty shocked at just how much of an attention hog he is after dating. Slim can be pretty clingy and will happily go along with whatever crazy plans you come up with if it means spending time with you

Hun, you can pick him up anytime. He’ll absolutely love being slung over your shoulder. Even if his brothers tease him for it.

Something he appreciates a lot is you staying up with him while he works. Due to his night owl hours, sometimes his work days are pretty lonely.

Two other choices were butch and bruiser.