#dwj tag

[tacroyy]

devastated that i dont have copies of this. jane nissen—diana wynne jones's editor at methuen—sent diana wynne jones this letter after receiving jones's manuscript of howl's moving castle:

dated 4 June 1985:

I’m sorry it’s taken rather a long time to come back to you about Howl’s Moving Castle, but I’m sure you’ve heard by now from Laura that we are delighted to have it on offer to us and are looking forward very much to publication next year.

I’m enclosing quite a list for reconsideration of various points and possible revisions. These come from Miriam and myself—I wouldn’t want you to think that we hadn’t absolutely loved the book, but dearest Diana we did get a little confused in places! As I think I’ve said to you in the past, both of us cast ourselves in the role of your greatest fans and ask only not to be too mystified by your wit and brilliance. So could you possibly look at your manuscript again with these points in mind?

absolutely perfect, deeply relatable, flawlessly handled.

nissen in a different letter to jones, later: "I’ve been away on a brief holiday, during which I fell off a mountainside." i remember laughing out loud about this one and going and showing it to the archivist.

also, i think this letter was about hmc as well, but i did not say as much in my notes and can't guarantee it. in yet another letter from nissen to jones:

I do hope this change of [publication] date is not a source of too great disappointment or frustration. Because you are, as Jessica Yates rightly describes you, a jewel in the crown, we do want to publish you in the best possible way.

anyway, nissen is my new favorite person.

(i can't remember if i got to the hexwood correspondence/if it was present in the archive, but considering the state of that manuscript—i saw more inserts and revision in that ms than in any of the others, by far—hexwood must have been a real doozy to edit. ... although i don't remember what form the ms was in when she sent it off to nissen—if she sent it off to nissen? hold on, when was hexwood published. oh no, hexwood was 1993 and nissen left methuen in 198... 6? yeah, early 1986. so nvm lol. i mean, not that it wasn't edited, clearly, but not by nissen ofc.)

[kaontic]

Oh my actual Lord, the dream’s come true. O_O

*Kicks down door* OH THUNDERCRACKEEER~

BUSTER’S ‘BOUT TO GETTA NEW FRIEEEND~ (´∀`)//🐱

He’s got a pet human now too, I guess—

Why my dumb human ass, with my crappy art, could almost wish upon an evil shootin’ star, that it was me instead “What?” What—? 😶

Alright. Now we just need Skywarp to get one. Or two. Or a few. Someday. Maybe.

Um—

*Whispers* Psst, hey, Megs, I don’t wanna be that betch—I make unintentional mistakes I gotta edit for my sanity all the time—but, it’s “What do you say?”. That’s probably why they’re givin’ ya looks.

I mean, that’s pretty accurate Megatron dialogue ngl. Like this is the same guy that said in G1 “Power flows to the one who knows how”, as if that was an actual full sentence.

Ik, that’s beside the point of what the frag’s goin’ on, so, “respectfully” (with heavy emphasis on the quotation marks)—

Can ya just…rip out your own chain-smoker soundin’ aft voice box, and shove it? Pretty please? Mr. Geneva Suggestions?

“YoU kNoW tHe LiMiTs Of My PoWeR! i NeEd SoMeOnE tO wIElD mE!”

“But my leader, you have your fusion cannon—”

“Do NoT qUeStIoN mE sTaRsCrEaM!”

Unless Skybound’s gonna give us a “good” aft explanation for this, like some Cybertronian gunformer curse we dunno about yet (given the serious corruption goin’ on, from the looks of it, with Star and Op)—

I would say more about Megs’ gun mode as an effective concept, but I’ll save all that for another post.

Instead I’ll just spout out this scrap to review:

Most explanations are welcome for why villains do what they do, even if it’s just “Cuz I’m evil”. 😈

(TF One Sentinel tho…yeah. Gotta make a post regarding him as well)

Here, they wanna save their home planet as energy sources dwindle.

Ok, so resources. Got it. Yes. #1 reason why wars are fought, and wars need soldiers to fuel ‘em. Enemies turned potential recruits who are prisoners don’t comply? Well, logically speaking then— 🤡

Or maybe, just maybe—this might sound crazy, but—how about not start a whole goddamn war that will worsen this crisis, Megs?

How about not turn fellow Cybertronians into the worst versions of themselves, and delete their innocence? Cuz great, now ya created a monster that will betray ya!

Ask yourself: What the frag are you fighting for?

Cuz you’re just makin’ the problem worse, mate.

At least Jetfire tried to look beyond Cybertron peacefully for a solution, which despite how well that went, sounded a helluva lot better than exhaustive in-fighting, but no, frag exploration.

Frag trading with “filthy” organic alien species.

Frag experimenting for new sources of energy (lookin’ at you, Shockwave. Now I know your aft was enabled).

Frag examining Cybertron’s history for answers.

Frag speaking with Optimus like a civilized individual.

Population control’s where it’s at, apparently. ಠ_ಠ)

Jesus, so many questions NOT ENOUGH DEETS. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

WE NEED MORE FLASHBACKS STAT.

Skybound Megs so far, is coming off as a guy who, when the worst happens, will just use the situation/impending apocalypse to his advantage to do terrible stuff, and get away with it through all the chaos.

Furthermore, it’s like we’re watching him live out some sick fantasy of his while he’s all “This is for the greater good of Cybertron!”. Like no bitch! There’s other options! You have no excuse!

You wanna be a pred, who kills for pleasure and power, while demanding to share that experience with others with or without their consent.

There. That’s what kept me up last issue.

Well, this is one moral of this ongoing story, and life advice I guess:

BEWARE THE F*CKIN’ NICE ONES!

For they may be the worst of all. Great…

*Proceeds to pollute my sketchbook with more Megatron art cuz I am indeed that betch*

[nadiajustbe]

One of the most important problems with Miyazaki's film is not even the absence of Wales, the absence of about a dozen characters, or the rather fatfobic way the Witch of the Waste is animated, but the way Sophie's character is written. More specifically, her coping mechanisms and the way she sees and interacts with the world. Because if you remove those little details from Sophie Hatter's story, she just stops being, well, Sophie Hatter.

One of the most telling moments of this change for me is probably the scene of Sophie's reaction to Howl's tantrum in the movie. More specifically, she starts a whole monologue about how she never thought she was beautiful. And she cries.

And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with crying as a way of releasing emotions. I am a very tearful person myself. But this is just NOT what Sophie Hatter would do.

Her reaction to certain events has a lot to do with her lifestyle and her past. Being the oldest child in a family that went through a lot of changes in a short period of time, she was a child with a certain burden of conformity on her shoulders. It's not uncommon for older children in a family to hold a certain role, a certain burden, simply because they have someone to look out for. (Megan, by the way, probably has this same problem, but more on that later. I can't deal with the character who has two lines right now). In such a role, one usually has to push one's own emotions aside in order to deal with the emotions of the younger children who need to be calmed. Fanny herself said that Sophie was great at helping her sisters when they were having tantrums, and Sophie recalled how she looked after them. It's not a maternal role, that word would be too strong, but it's definitely a role of a responsible adult.

That is why her first reaction to Howl's tantrum is to calm him down. Exploiting the problem, exploring it, telling him he's just acting out, and immediately starting to clean up the mess right after the tantrum: these are all things she learned the hard way. BUT not to cry. Because crying would be pointless here.

There's even a moments when she wants to cry but doesn't do it. Because she's in the middle of dialogue with Martha, because she wants her to believe everything is good and because that's not the actual way her true self, not the tired girl Fanny was making, is expressing her emotions.

Digging further into this hole, instead of crying, Sophie's most common reaction to a stimulus is usually anger. Harsh responses to customers in the store, constant negotiations with Howl, cutting up his suits. assertiveness, and frequent impulsiveness. Those parts of her character that she had to keep inside for so long because of her role as the "oldest" and finally, having gained freedom because of her "old age", she was able to show. She's obviously not always angry, no, she can be pretty nice and calm, but it doesn't means she can't be angry, serious or mischievous in her own way If she wants to.

If I had suddenly realized that I had fallen in love with the worst wizard in the world at the worst possible time, I would have burst into tears. But Sophie? Sophie chooses to burn half the garden with a bucket of weed killer and then throw the same weed killer at the same man.

And most importantly: NO ONE, absolutely no one, blames her for it. No one tells her to shut up, stops her from throwing the herbicide, or condemns her. On the contrary, Howl instantly starts a habitual quarrel and says something about the color of the curtains. Just because that's how she expresses herself. There is nothing wrong with crying, yes, but there is nothing wrong with being angry either.

And don't get me started on how a complex, interesting line about seeing ourselves and how the future we envision for ourselves can hold us back is turned into a simple story about a "beauty complex." Sophie Hatter's problem was never that she wasn't beautiful. Her problem was always how she saw herself and her destiny, feeling trapped in a framework that she could so easily break. Not related to her appearance, but to her destiny, her life path, her disbelief that something interesting could happen to her, that she could become someone IMPORTANT. And she breaks this belief herself. Yes, Howl's words are the final point of the end of her idea, but she doesn't need a classic romantic man to tell her that "she is beautiful". She already knows it. She is proving to herself first and foremost that she is capable of better things, even when she doesn't fully recognize it.

And by simply making her cry, you remove in one fell swoop the aspects of her character that built it.

[liljakonvalj]

Some things I like about Sophie Hatter. In no particular order

Oldest daughter syndrome

Once ordered oxygen to surround her so she and her company could breathe on high altitude

Was inside for so long that going out to town in her hometown seemed an almost insurmountable task

Can speak things into reality

She's in love and she hates it

That one time the Big Bad is holding her husband in a chokehold and she laughs because she has such belief that he'll make it out not only unscathed but also victorious

Bullied her way into getting a job as a cleaner

Hates car rides

Made an army of rocking horses protect her child

Is genuinely kind

... and will put her nose in every person's business

Almost made her crush get married to a toddler

Believes the Rules should be followed at all times. What rules? Varies and is sometimes unclear

[jitterbugbear]

oh and this goes to all 2 and a half of my beloved followers who got here because of chrestomanci stuff - i have not forgotten, i see you and i am planning on more fanart. more specifically a certain scene which has haunted me for years and years and i really need to get it off my mind before i go insane

[zieht-in-den-norden]

waldjugend.

[jelotinousblog]

decided to pull all my DWJ books off the shelf to document which ones i have and which ones i still don't have copies of, then put back on the shelf in some semblance of organization (everything got jumbled in the move this summer lolrip) and of course had to take a picture for posterity. jareth wanted to be included as well <3

[windsroad]

It’s been a long time since I tried to recreate a book character in a video game

I think if howl was in bg3 he would seem like an astarion type but he would, without question, deck astarion the first time he steps out of line

You can’t make howl in bg3 though because his stats are TOO GOOD what do you mean this wizardsorcererwarlock has 16 strength???

[thatfoolsophie]

i guess someone going from the movie--where howl is presented as a romantic ideal--could assume that book!howl was intended as the same. but he very clearly isn’t--not only is he shown to be obnoxious and bad at relationships, he and sophie (and his sister, and mrs pentstemmon, and the people of market chipping...) explicitly point out his flaws at various points, so for the reader to draw attention to the red flags feels like... yeah duh?

a central part of the final scene is sophie & howl choosing a happily-ever-after together that will be “hair raising” where she says he’ll exploit her and he says she’ll cut up his suits to teach him. if you read that and think “that sounds like a terrible relationship, i wouldn’t want to be part of it” that’s a valid reaction, but you will probably also be perplexed by the book’s broader appeal

when i first read hmc i was caught off guard by the sheer catharsis i felt when sophie and howl choose their weird, hair raising, maybe even unenviable relationship, because the message it conveyed to me wasn’t “this is what a relationship should look like” but “you can find someone who is delighted and endeared by the things everyone else told you were failings.” most of howl’s flaws are comically human: lazy, vain, spends too long in the bathroom, scared of getting his ass beat by an angry ex, magnified into a larger-than-life fairy tale character, and like @ifitisnotayesitisprobablyano​ said, sophie is an equally flawed character, in equally human ways

and the book is fundamentally about sophie growing into herself, in a way that involves becoming confident and unapologetic and unpalatable and happy, and so a romantic subplot that involves finding a normal, palatable, ideal partner--or worse, finding howl in all his imperfections and “fixing” him--would definitely change the themes communicated by the story

hey hmc girlies (gender neutral) how do we feel about this

[tacroyy]

LMAO YELLING!!! this is from diana wynne jones to her editor—

Dear Miriam, I have been on the phone to Terry Pratchett who sent me a rough draft of a story which is going to be very good, but he is very anxious to know at what stage in the process he actually gets the money.

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

Aren't you tired of forced romances with no chemistry that only take away from the actually interesting plot? Don't you just want media where romance isn't portrayed as being superior and more important than (queer)platonic relationships?

Well, my exhausted aro ass is too, so here are a few tricks and wisdoms I've gathered over my years of being a-spec (which is all of them) on how to avoid romance (in media) in a very allonormative society 💚🤍🩶🖤

(this is a rec list btw. no I am not shitting on the shows that I tagged, quite the opposite)

1. Middle Grade

I get if you aren't really into that, because it is kind of annoying to be pointed to literal children's literature when all you want is a story that isn't constantly being interrupted by describing the main guy's heated eyes for the twentieth time.

However.

It is true that in middle grade, friendship is always more important than romance. Because, let's face it. Making two eleven year old characters kiss is kinda weird. So even if there is a romance, it isn't very prominent and treated more like friendship and/or a puppy crush. Plus some stories get surprisingly dark?!?!

Examples

- Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), technically a romance in the end, but mostly focused on found family, shenanigans, and finding your own value

- House of Many Ways (DWJ). Yes, again. I really like her books okay? They always have something so fantastical and whimsical about them. This is my other favorite book by her and it has literally no romance at all. Plus a hmc cameo that is so fun !!

- Coraline (Neil Gaiman). Maybe this is cheating because I never actually read it. However. a) the movie traumatized me. b) Wybie was added to the movie, he doesn't exist in the book, so if "power of friendship" isn't your thing this will be great. Probably vibes over plot.

Flyte (Angie Sage). Technically this is the second book, but I never read the first one and still understood everything. Once again, no romance at all. A fun read, which can get surprisingly dark at times.

2. Short Story Collections

Once again, I get it if it isn't your thing. Short stories are - as the name reveals - short. Which means: no worldbuilding, very limited narrator, open ending, no time to really get attached to characters, etc.

But.

The cool thing about collections, is that they always have a certain theme. And as long as the theme is not romance, romance will not be the focus. Even if there is a romantic relationship, it will be used to explore this theme since there simply isn't time for anything else.

Examples:

Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata) This is the book that actually made me figure out: hey! I do actually like short stories !! The main theme is basically about being different and it plays a lot with body horror and the perception of your own body in contrast with how society sees it. There is even a story about two women who platonically live together and raised multiple children!

Canterbury Classics: Classic Tales of Horror (introduction by Ernest Hilbert). As the name suggests, this is a collection of horror short stories, featuring well-known authors such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe or Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As these are classic old tales, the language is a bit complicated at times and you can read them for free on Gutenberg. However, the book is very very pretty and the introduction is very interesting (Origins of the genre, specific tropes and monsters, etc.)

3. Podcasts

PODCASTS!!! If you follow me, you are probably already aware of those. However, in case you don't, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Audiodramas.

The cool thing about Podcasts is that pretty much anyone can do it. All you need is an idea, a mic, a lot of motivation, and you're pretty much set to go. No producers or publishers you need to get approval from. So it is only natural that this medium is filled to the brim with queer creators. Basically every character is somewhat queer. It's awesome.

Examples:

- The Silt Verses. I adore TSV. I listened to the first season like, four times. (the second one is good too but OH MY GOD THE FIRST ONE). And one of the main characters is canonically and explicitly aro!! Sister Carpenter, I love you with my whole being. And the great thing is, it is very clear that the writers love her, too!! There is a lot (like a LOT) of body horror so it isn't for everybody. But if you think you can handle it I really recommend it. (Plus, not any romance plotlines at all !!)

- Wolf 359. This is one of the older ones and it is really good. It's a bunch of restless and very unwell people stuck in a spaceship under the unforgiving rule of capitalism. However bad you imagine it, I can assure you it is worse. But the really cool thing is that there literally isn't any romance at all. Like, there are great m/f friendships but they never even hint towards a romance. Some people are so unused to that that they literally ship the main dude with the fucking robot AI. (don't worry, not an actual romance plot).

- Girl in space. I am sure you will be absolutely shook to know that this one also takes place in space. It is about a girl. In space. Shocking, I know. Except that she has been on her own for well over a year when suddenly a fleet of strange ships arrive and kidnap her. There is also a very asshole-y robot. And questions about what makes us human. And found family!! And a goat. And cheese. Just go listen to it okay. This is also one of the shortest ones of the list, so maybe a good start.

- Malevolent. I have to confess that I personally am not a huge fan of this one? Like the premise is really cool - a detective who wakes up blind and with a demon in his head who can see through the detectives eyes. What the fuck?, you may ask yourself. So does Arthur Lester. Mysteries and other dimensions and a whole lot of pain ensues. Harlan is undeniably an awesome VA and a great writer, but his stories just seem a bit too repetitive to me? Nonetheless I know of lots of people who enjoy it a lot. Trying to define the relationship between Arthur and John (his demon) is perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. (Jk. there are multiple murders and stuff. they've really got other priorities)

- Middle:Below. This is another short one and probably the least famous of this list? It's about this funky lil dude with a ghost roommate and a cat who can talk (.....or can it?). There is a m/f friendship but it never turns into a romance (wow it is possible!!). They all go on adventures on the dimension between life and death. Despite the description, this is literally just a comedy. A bit spooky at best. Reminds me a bit of scarier kids cartoons like gravity falls.

4. "Gay" movies/series in countries with homophobic censorship

Now you may think, "hey that seems like a bit of an asshole move!". And you would be 100% correct in thinking that.

However.

It does also mean that the main relationship of the story can never be explicitly romantic. They can allude to it, they can try to show it. But they can never confirm. So it is very easy to interpret them as having a QPR. (because tbh I don't think I've ever seen one on television.)

Examples:

The Untamed. Look. I am aware that the first episode is so fucking atrocious, all right? And no, the CGI does in fact never get better. And sometimes the translated subtitles are a bit awkward. But I swear that it is so good. Trust me on this one, okay? Just make it through the first ep. It's a wild ride. Lan Zhan I love you. (However the book it is based on (written by a woman) depicts them being in an explicitly romantic relationship, with lots of very inaccurate and badly researched smut, so the fandom pretty much sees them as exclusively romantic.)

- Word of Honor. Very much in the same vein as The Untamed. Except that the first episode is less horrible. And the one dude has a very fruity fan. And they also raise a kid together. And the costumes of the villains are really fun!! I actually never finished this one tbh. I know that the book it is based on has one very extremely terrible ableist plot point, but I don't know if that made it into the show since I never got that far

The Devil Judge. The last two were fantasy, this one is a dystopia. Very tense and interesting. There is a romantic subplot (typical childhood friend vs bad boy love triangle), but he rejects the childhood friend and they can't exactly show him and the "bad boy" (who is actually a judge. and also kinda his sugar daddy) as explicitly romantic for the reason above. They also live in the same house and cook together and take care of a child together. Can totally recommend.

Assassination Classroom. A bunch of students have to kill their teacher who is an alien. that's literally the plot. I cried so hard at the finale. Nagisa and Karma have MASSIVE vibes and you can't convince me otherwise. (There is a romantic subplot that does end in a kiss, but they agree to continue as friends since those were..... extenuating circumstances. The dude very clearly is not into her). Nagisa also very aro-spec coded imo.

5. "Straightbaiting" Anime

Sometimes Anime does this thing (which I personally find very hilarious) where a boy and a girl will have no other romantic involvements or love interests while growing closer and closer, but never get together. A bit like reverse queerbaiting.

Examples:

- Fairy Tail. The ultimate power is friendship anime. That is all you need to know. (I should also perhaps warn you that the end of the last arc (and the sequel series, but we don't talk about that) are huge letdowns. Like the buildup? So good. But....welp. If that doesn't bother you too much and the idea to have a group of people be the main character instead of one person only, this may be the series for you. Just do yourself a favor and skip all the filler arcs

Soul Eater. I really love the vibes of this one. Once again, most of the fandom likes depicting them as explicitly romantic, but they never canonically are. It also reminds me a bit of creepy children cartoons. It is also where the superior fictional school exists, Devon. Frankenstein teaches there (the dude, not the monster). People transform into badass weapons. Nobody can convince me that Make Albarn is not a trans woman. However the ending deviates a bit from the manga, and I personally think the anime one is a bit worse

Noragami. This one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first anime I really watched. This one also has people who transform into weapons, but the vibes are very different. It goes a bit more into Japanese folklore in case that interests you.

Bonus: Canonically Aro/Heavily Aro-Coded Characters

They were not anywhere above because the stories they are in didn't really fit any of the categories. But they exist!

Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts). I adore Wolf. There is also barely any romance. Like, it will seem like it at first, but don't worry, it's only straightbaiting. There is a romance subplot but it's very brief and very much in the background. Overall very good aro show 👍

Isaac (Heartstopper) Very queer show, very high likelihood that you already know of it. The series per se is very romance focused, but as far as I've heard the a-spec rep in S2 is really good

Georgia (Loveless). Actually never read it. But, well. Title pretty self-explanatory dare I say. By the same author as Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)

Chance/Chris and Shadow/Ryan (woe.begone) Are explicitly in a QPR together !! they are also probably the healthiest couple in the podcast lol

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein). Henry is the "a couple of besties!!" to Victor's "we look like a couple <3"

Barbie (Barbie 2023) If you've seen it you know what I mean.

Jo Marsh (Little Women). I never read the book, but Jo in the 2019 movie??? very sus.

I would also recommend checking out Japanese books! I personally think they are much better at writing romance than the western people lol. It's more about knowing each other and sharing your views of the world, thus changing each other and leaving a mark forever, even if the relationship ends. (studio ghibli romance vibes). My favorite Japanese book doesn't have an English translation :(

aber an alle Deutsch-Sprecher*innen: Die Katzen von Shinjuku (Durian Sukegawa) -> og title: Shinjuku no Neko

Can't think of anything else right now, but please leave some of your own recommendations! Hope this helps ^^

[chelshiart]

cleaned up the sketch, slapped some colors, and made it a party!

(also, thank you to everybody who have been enjoying and reblogging my obscure dwj book posts lately! It's always a treat to read your tags and comments and know that you're just as insane about her books as I am haha)

[liljakonvalj]

It's the emphasis on in the 80s for me lads.

@lets-run-away-to-the-sea

[jitterbugbear]

noooo stop liking my age old chrestomanci fanart auuugggggggggffgggchhhj i take psychic damage every time i see a note on them i promise to draw new stuff once i finish my annual ish reread

[zieht-in-den-norden]

LANDESLAGERR