#great scene though imo it showed off a lot of character and it's like. within the first 10 episodes or something

[ban--tam]

yangtober day 15: angy “The heart of a warrior? It's because of bastards like him that the war can't end!” ... it feels like i drew a 'yang' but with a 'reinhard' expression

[geothewriter]

ATLA Live Action Thoughts

Well hello there! After letting the events and creative choices of the Live Action ATLA show absorb for about 24 hours after finishing the series, I think it's time to put my thoughts to the page.

Yes, that was a mouthful of a sentence. Sorry about that.

To start things off, I loved it! Did I love every single part? Not exactly, but the creative choices and how everything was weaved together? YES! It felt exactly like a fairly well-put-together fanfiction for me. It incorporated loved pieces of the show while warping them slightly to fit within the creator's vision.

Now, we all like lists right? I know I do, so let's do some listing.

The Good:

The CGI for the fights was pretty well awesome alongside the choreography for the scenes. While some fights lacked a bit of depth (Katara vs Pakku) and certainly could have had more oomph with more length, I can still appreciate them for what they are.

To add to that, the bending looked freaking awesome! The earthbending had a signature ..crunch to it, water flowed, fire was punchy (though had one small bit to be desired - I'll address this later) and air was flighty.

The CGI creatures were great IMO. Momo was a little gremlin, which fits him perfectly. He was still cute in spite of his gremlinosity. Appa - I absolutely loved him. I think he's as good as he could possibly look in the media. He's still a ten-ton flying monstrosity of a bison, and he's perfect. He's fluffy. He's Appa. OSTRITCH HORSES! They were awesome and looked like living dinosaurs - nuff said.

The acting and line delivery, while rougher in the early episodes flourished as each episode went onward and the kids got more comfortable/experienced. You could really tell they were giving it their all, and I applaud them! Awesome work on their part!

Storytelling - the combination of different episode topics together flowed rather well! I really enjoyed them putting together the things they did.

And now for a bit of a read more for spoilers.

The storytelling was rather well done, especially things like adding Omashu, Jet and the freedom fighters, and the Mechanist (as well as the cave of the two lovers) together. Overall, it played well, and I'd like to think it was a good approach NOTE: This is from someone who is actively adapting the series in my own fanfic, and I can see aspects of that approach in the adaptation. I love to see it!

Ozai playing his children against each other is probably one of my favorite aspects of the entire thing! He's a manipulator in this version, which if they were going to have him on-screen rather than the ominous shadow emperor, then I think this was probably the only choice. I loved it.

----------------------------

The not good not bad:

Nudging the story in a darker direction was a choice. I know I just spoke at length about how I liked the creative choices and I'm not sure how I feel about this one. As someone who's throwing a lot of trauma at the characters in his fanfic, It can be a lot. To have that on screen is difficult since it can end up hiding characters' sense of being if not handled correctly.

Katara - in the animated show - always a go-getter, filled with righteous anger, not backing down, and strong-willed Katara - in the live-action show - fairly timid, but slowly growing over time into her strength of will. I wasn't a fan of the vision of Katara early in the season, but by the finale, it was starting to feel like her. (I still wish her fight with Pakku was better)

The family of Aang, Katara, and Sokka - I've seen quite a few posts talking about how they don't feel like a family in the live-action. In the animated show, after rewatching it recently, I feel like they didn't really grow toward a family unit until after the North Pole. They were good friends traveling together. Yes we had the line from the Southern Air Temple of 'We're your family now' but I don't think I truly felt it until season 2. Don't get me wrong, they were close, but I didn't get those true bonded feels until S2.

Iroh felt like Iroh half the time, and the other half, I'm not sure who he felt like, but it wasn't in a bad way? Like, we explored a different part of him. With his first interaction with Aang, we even saw him as the reluctant Fire Nation general. As he still was at that point. I can appreciate the change and don't mind it a ton.

Bumi. I think I've decided that Bumi was where Katara's righteous anger went. He doesn't immediately forgive Aang for disappearing, and then reappearing. Bumi has fought a war for a hundred years and has had to deal with ALL THAT for a hundred years. To say he'd be prickly is an understatement. Honestly? He has no reason to forgive Aang. I don't mind this change - though he could've toned down the dickishness IMO.

Katara's bending progression: In each episode of the show she improved both in skill and strength, when finally she fought Pakku, she used self-developed techniques. Those are the traits of a master bender. While we don't get to see her training with Pakku, or demonstrating that she truly has mastery over the element, we get shown that she has indeed grown immensely. A few extra training scenes would've gone a long way, especially with Aang.

Speaking of Aang. Aang had no water-bending training along the way north :( I would've liked to see that, but it's not a deal-breaker.

--------

The bad/meh- Let me preface this by saying I still love the show. There were a few moments that were lacking though (and one that was meh throughout):

The firebending, while amazing in almost EVERY SINGLE ASPECT, was lacking in one. FIREBLASTS AND FIREBALLS ARE SHOT FROM THE FIST, NOT GATHERED IN YOUR HAND LIKE CHI BLASTS. Sorry.

Katara. Where were your responses in some of those interactions? You sat there and listened (which in some cases is a good thing for someone expressing their emotions) but didn't respond when you could have/should have! I feel like we missed a bit of her character when we lost some of her in those. It's not enough to be a truly detracting piece of the show, but I should say that I wasn't a fan of that choice.

Roku was a bit...too unserious. He was the serious avatar in ATLA (in terms of brooding and wanting to help guide Aang.) He...got the Bumi jokes. That was an odd choice. I hope they revisit him in the future and he is able to redeem that aspect.

At the end, during the scene at the North where Aang gives himself over to the ocean spirit, I didn't really like the idea that the avatar was lost to the spirit. I also didn't like the "I need you" from Katara. Not from a shipping perspective, but from a character perspective. In the animated show, Katara spent a lot of effort showing that Aang is her hope for a better world. In the live-action, that wasn't there, so that line seemed out of place.

Hmm, four negative points. I'm sure there were more, but none are springing to mind at the moment, so perhaps I'll edit this later.

----------------

Final thoughts.

I need to stress that the likeability of the show hinges heavily on how you approach it. If you approached the live-action hoping for a perfect retelling of the ATLA story, then you are going to be severely disappointed. If you instead approach it for what it is - an adaptation of the story, with nudges events in one way or another, and includes new approaches, then you'll love it. I went in expecting a fanfiction type of show, and I think I got more than expected. The kids gave this thing their all, and it shows! Everyone showed improvement through the episodes and by the end really fell into their roles.

I certainly hope the future has another (2) season(s) lined up because I'd love to see what twists and turns we're in for.

Oh yeah, and scarf. I liked the scarf scene. There is no shipping bait in Omashu.

[celiaelise]

Just watched Chainsaw Man, it was pretty good. Feels very Written By Men but 🤷🏻‍♀️🙄

I liked how efficient the characterization was! Like within one or two scenes of knowing a character, you'd have a pretty good grasp on what their deal was. The whole "we kill devils except for when we use their powers ourselves except for when we just straight up become them" thing is definitely intriguing! Obviously lots of room to explore there. I have questions about them representing different fears/scary things, mainly about what happens when they get killed?

It was funny how Hayakawa was like, "🙄OBVIOUSLY we kill every fiend, they're just the same as other devils, they're not like people at all, are you stupid?" only for there to be like five fiends on his personal team. And, "we don't talk to or make friends w devils, we ONLY violently murder them," only for everyone he knows, including himself, to have active business deals with them. Like, I get that we're doing the whole irony thing, here, but it just seems like that worldview would be a little difficult to maintain. Also the fact that he got mad at Denji for killing the guy TOO efficiently?? Again, I get that we are establishing the character and the world, but it was a little baffling imo. But I guess he also did jump Denji in an alley following their very first conversation for literally no reason.

(I tried really hard not to find it off-putting that Denji was groomed/sexually harassed/assaulted by almost every woman he worked with, because I'm pretty sure that wasn't the context intended by the story 😬)

Anyway, I get the "morally dubious gov agency that uses people, including children, like pawns as a means to their greater good-motivated ends" thing they're doing. I can dig it.

It was a little wild in the season finale when they were like "okay Division 4 is going to go in the building now", showed the four characters we've become acquainted with entering the building, and then were like, "okay here are the members of the Division", and started introducing four completely different characters. Like, okay, yeah, surprise reveal or whatever, but at least a hint that there was even something to reveal would've been nice? (I remember the comment at the dinner party, but that didn't register at all) I guess I also just don't get what is even narratively gained from that surprise. Like, "there are several other members of this group, who we haven't met yet", doesn't seem like that weighty of a reveal, or to big of a hint to drop. Maybe I just didn't follow something, though. I'm not great with fast-paced stuff even when it's in my native language, so 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

Normally stories like this bother me by throwing around trauma, violence, and murder so lightly, but I feel like this one does a really good job of being like, "these people are Fucked Up, their world does not look like ours and they do not function the way we do." And, like, everything annoying or frustrating about the story or characters is justified. That redhead is on a different level though lol.

I liked Power just as much as I thought I would! 😊 The duo she and Denji have become by the end of the season is really sweet. I was excepting to see Pochita much more than I actually did. Visually, I find a lot of the animation really cool, including the ending sequences. It feels like the artists really like the color orange/amber, which, as an Orange Appreciator, I can appreciate. I think the "suits with sneakers" look that everyone has going on is pretty cute, though it does get a little boring.

Honestly, I think my favorite arc was the hotel level 8 one? idk why but it was very interesting, and gratifying to see Denji get such a definitive win.

[thewillowbends]

There’s two things going on here that are coming to a head that need to be discussed. What you’re seeing a collision of different community needs within a broader context.

One is that lgbt content should exist for teens since orientation effects more than sexuality. Minors deserve to have their emerging feelings examined in places where they are safe, thoughtful, and appropriate. LGBT+ people also deserve happy, loving stories that aren’t filled with endless drama and a angst.

On the other hand, a lot of older LGBT+ are aware that sex and risk are impossible to remove from the equation of queer identity because sex and gender are the two primary agents where LGBT existence challenges the existing hegemony and are often the ones targeted by laws. Wanting to see more age appropriate content is one thing, but we should absolutely be wary of the increasing trend of sanitized content when it comes to sex and violence, especially around LGBT+.

We aren’t living in the post-modern world yet. There is, in fact, a huge conservative backlash building in the underbelly of the political machine. It’s most obvious in the anti-trans rhetoric and the overturning of Roe, but if you’ve been keeping up with it, they’re not stopping there. They’ll gladly come for everybody else’s rights. Some have blatantly said it.

The sanitization of media isn’t an exaggeration. We are actively seeing it happen. Fandoms are infiltrated by socially conservative purity culture now. People are talking about removing sex scenes from movies and shows like this is a totally normal idea and not one deeply entrenched in religious moral rhetoric from the past. (Not violence, though! Which is totally fucked when you think about the obsessive focus on consent and how often violence isn’t but sex IS consented to.) It’s happening even on shows that don’t start that way — I literally watched a show on Netflix over six years go from great bi rep to bizarrely conservative, evangelistic narration where the two bi characters got married, had kids, and then had to denounce their former slutty ways. Talk about a bait and switch!

I had a friend comment to me one that it felt like we only got marriage as a silent trade off to being “good gays.” That’s why you have young LGBT railing against the audacious displays of Pride. That’s why you see more and more adult LGBT+ content (especially wlw content!) being pulled right and left. You can have your legal rights, they said, but you need to get rid of the queer. You need to be as much like us as possible to pass!

I don’t think she’s wrong, and I think it’s obvious by now it’s a lie. They still hate us. They still want to overturn Oberfeld. They still want to take away trans and women’s rights. For some, the only good gay is one that doesn’t exist.

But even outside of LGBT+, we are starting to see the impact of media sanitization and the lack of productive sexual dialogue on young people. They’re scared of it. It’s been put on a pedestal that they can’t approach sensibly, and so they either don’t at all or do so incautiously. There’s new wave conservatism rising amongst some of them, but on the other hand…STD rates are on then rise. Fewer young people are getting into relationships, both as a result of the economic stresses of their society but also because we aren’t modeling healthy ones for them. It’s the worst of both worlds.

So while I agree that things like Heartstopper and Love, Simon should exist for kids, I do think we should be critical of the increasing lack of adult queer content. We need both, but there’s a very obvious trend of the latter being canceled or sanitized to avoid the complex realities of publicized queerness. What’s actually happening is that the group that’s criticizing the former, IMO, is having trouble articulating their actual fears about the latter — not that things like Heartstopper are a problem but that it feels like media is selling sex and gender minorities a false sense of security at odds with the political reality.

Their problem isn’t with that media or the kids who see themselves in it. Their problem is with the corporations who want to say it’s the only acceptable experience by way of sweeping the rest of the mess under the rug. That’s where I think the disconnect between different parts of the LGBT+ community on these issues is mainly coming from. People would have less concerns if things like Heartstopper existed in the same world where things like Warrior Nun did, but they aren’t, and it’s becoming glaring.

seen lots of articles and people saying that heartstopper was like "too clean" and that teenagers aren't that wholesome and they should be having sex and doing drugs and stuff and sure some teenagers definitely do have sex and party and do drugs but honestly a lot of teenagers DON'T and the idea in tv that all teenagers do that kind of thing can really fuck you up when you're like 16!!!! because you think you're behind your peers but mostly you AREN'T !!!!! we need boring teenager representation not everyone has a euphoria skins degrassi teenagehood some of us didn't drink or party or date some of us just did the kind of stuff they did in heartstopper like walk dogs and have sleepovers and skip prom to hang out at a friend's house and dance and have a good time and watch sitcoms!!! like heartstopper is good representation for people who just had regular uneventful teenage years!!!!

[cloverbeaverfriend]

Tiger & Bunny Season 2 First Cour Analysis Part 1: Ryan and Karina

Okay guys, I finally finished the first half of Tiger & Bunny 2 and let me tell you. It was great. Better than I expected, and even more enjoyable than season 1, which I know may be a hot take.

I didn't want this to be a serious analysis, more so just my thoughts, but I ended up talking too much about everything and going off on a bunch of tangents so I guess it ended up like that and now I'm separating it into parts. These are really more just reactionary things though so sorry that it's all over the place. Feel free to hmu and discuss! :)

The thing that I really liked this season was the character development. Season 1 was understandably focused on building up the relationship between Kotetsu and Barnaby (homo buddy-cop storyline ftw) but it still did alright in giving the other heroes a little bit of the spotlight. I haven't read the supplemental material in depth (manga/guidebooks/etc.) but I hear the relationships between the other heroes as well as their friendships with the main duo were explored a lot more there. Anyways season 2 blew season 1 out of the park there imo.

With Ryan, I think we were all pleasantly surprised at how he was handled this season. For me personally, I had nothing against his character in the Rising movie. From the get-go he seemed to be more of an obstacle rather than a fully fleshed-out character, there just to be part of the circumstances tearing Kotetsu and Barnaby apart. He was more focused on gaining points than hero work, but that was because he was placed to be a direct foil to Barnaby's character growth so I wasn't really upset with Ryan, but I thought he was just gonna be a one-off side character, and I shouldn't expect anything too interesting from him. It’s clear that I'm not the only one who thought so, nor the only one who enjoyed how episode 3 gave us so much more. Just the fact that he had character motivations and insecurities was great, and they were very understandable and relatable ones as well. They were also slightly surprising to see because of his stereotypical "ladies' man" persona. It was a nice subversion, and Ryan’s character moments just got better for the rest of the series.

Ryan and Karina as a duo was some of the most anti-sexist writing in anime that I've ever seen. Many people have already talked about how the sexualization of Blue Rose as a celebrity acts as commentary for how sex sells, specifically when the one selling is a young woman who fits the common beauty standard. Only her hero persona is sexualized—the part that society sees, while Karina the person is never sexualized, because she's only seen by her friends and family, who don't view her as a sexual figure. I've appreciated this from the show before but I was really stoked at how the feminist commentary got even more blatant in season 2. First of all, Karina herself is holding her own as a character. When Ryan acts or says cringey stuff and hams it up, she confronts him and calls him out immediately, which is important because it shows that within the universe of Tiger & Bunny, Ryan is a cringey person hahahaha. But seriously, too many times when characters act insane, you end up side-eyeing and wondering whether the author is really criticizing their behavior, or enabling it. Having another character call out Ryan (and even better, having Karina do it herself) makes it clear the behavior is wack hahaha. It's just really great that Karina can speak for herself. If this were a different show, Kotetsu would probably step in and always defend Karina (yuck). Really happy that that wasn't the case.

Also can't talk about anti-sexism without mentioning the scene in Ryan's car though, which was delightfully straightforward. The show already subtly enforced how Ryan and Karina are equals—I was already pleased that Ryan's comments remained cringey and never broached into obscene come-ons, and doubly pleased that the writers didn't force Karina into romantically-tinged blushing scenes. But to have Ryan outright state that he would try harder to treat and think of Karina as an equal, and that her gender shouldn't have affected the way he sees her as a fellow hero, that was really moving for me tbh. Even today it's still rare to hear anti-sexism said so clearly in an anime. I also like how Karina is not a perfect person either and doesn't fall into the trap of being the infallible female character. She still has her celebrity crush/schoolgirl crush on Kotetsu, and it's appropriately toned down to show that she's matured, but it is still very much there. Also, Karina is quick to lose her temper and can be rude and stubborn, as well as judgemental sometimes. When she found out about Ryan's insecurities, that made her want to try to be better so she could prove that he could trust her. If that doesn't add more proof to how the two of them are true equals, I don't know what does.

[gr-ogu]

Hello! As requested, here is a tutorial on how I make my gifs. I would like to preface this by saying there are many ways to make gifs, and there’s no right or wrong answer imo. This is just how I personally go about doing so!

I will be using PS CC 2017, but as long as you have the video timeline option, it shouldn’t matter too much; on any version of PS, you should be able to adapt anything I mention here! You will also need some kind of screen recording software. I’ll talk a little more about that under the cut.

To start, you need the source material you will be making the gifs from! I get mine from snahp(.)it (avoiding links so tumblr hopefully doesn’t banish this from the tags lmao) and I always opt for either 1080p or 2160p. Not all laptops will support 2160p as it’s 4K, but either works great! You just want your gifs to be the best quality possible.

Next is where the screen recording comes in. I don’t use the screencapping method to make my gifs (where you use a program to cap a clip and then load those caps into a stack in PS). This isn’t for any particular reason… it’s just how my friends, (who very kindly taught me to gif), had always done it, so it’s now how I do it too. Personally, I find the quality to be just as good as the screencapping method, and have never noticed a difference between the two.

As I have a PC, I use the software built into it for screen-recording. If you go here: theverge(.)com/2020/4/21/21222533/record-screen-pc-windows-laptop-xbox-game-bar-how-to – you can see how to use the XBOX screenrecorder to record from files you have d*wnloaded. This also works on some streaming sites, but I think it depends on what browser you use. Personally, I recommend Firefox, as that seems to bypass a lot of the blocking and ads that occur when trying to do this sort of thing.

For MAC users, I have been told handbrake works well, as it converts MKV files to MP4, which can then be used to make gifs. You only need to convert part of the file to MP4 depending on how much you want to gif, and this also bypasses the screenrecording stage, as you can edit MP4 clips on Quicktime. I am told you can split them into smaller clips by going to edit > trim and it saves the new clip!

I have also used anyvideoconverter for small clips, but I can’t say what it does to the quality of your video, or how big of a file it lets you put in! With the XBOX screenrecorder, it doesn’t matter what type of video files you get, as the recording will save to MP4 anyway.

LOADING YOUR FRAMES

Now, go ahead and record whatever clips you want to gif. Make sure you have the video timeline open, by going to window > timeline. Then, go to file > import > video frames to layers.

Next, select and open your clip from where it has saved (with the XBOX recorder, it saves in video > captures). You should see a little window pop up, where you can move the sliders back and forth to clip your recording to whichever part(s) you specifically want to gif. I recommend trying not to load a lot of frames into photoshop at once, but I would be a hypocrite to say that, since I do it a lot lmao. Just be patient if you do!

Once you have chosen the length, click okay. Never, EVER, I repeat NEVER click the button that says “limit to every __ frames”. This really ruins the flow and quality of your gif—it’s better to have shorter, but smoother gifs, I promise. And with tumblr’s new 10 MB limit, it shouldn’t be a problem anyway!

Then, your frames should open up. What we want to do is make them into a smart object, so we can edit all the layers at the same time. To do this, click the small button in the left-hand corner. ALWAYS click this first. If you don’t, it will only convert the first frame to a smart object and the gif won’t work.

Give it a second to sort itself out, then, on the right-hand side, select all your frames at once using the shift key.

Then, go to filter > convert for smart filters. This might take a minute. Don’t click anything else in case PS gets angry lmao, just leave it for a second and it’ll do its thing. The more frames you have, the longer it takes! Now we have our gif, but it needs to be cropped, sharpened and coloured!

CROPPING

You want to start by selecting the rectangular marquee tool on the left-hand side, then drag it across by clicking and highlighting the area you would like to crop your gif to, like so:

What I tend to do is select everything inside the black lines you sometimes get around your gif (this depends on what file you d*wnload), and also the tiniest bit inside the sides. This is because I’ve found if you crop it right up to the edge, you get a tiny bit of transparency on the sides of your gifs, which I’d rather avoid.

Once you have your desired selection, go to image > crop. Now, the dimensions for tumblr are 540px width, so all your gifs have to be that width. However, the length is up to you. I really like big gifs, so sometimes I even make a full square, or even longer. It’s entirely up to you, and what kind of set you want to make.

For the purposes of this gif, I will stick to what I usually go for, 540px by 350 px. This will mean you’ll have to crop some width off, but that’s okay, since Marisa isn’t central anyway. The cropping is always trial and error for me, as sometimes people move out of the frame within in the gif. The best thing to do is just try it, and then move the slider in the timeline window at the bottom to see if the person stays inside the gif, and if not, adjust accordingly.

Next, go to image > image size:

In this box, if I put the width as 540, the gif is a smaller height than I want, as it keeps to the dimensions of the gif when you load it into PS. That’s okay, just put the height you want instead, and we’ll crop off the excess.

Then click OK. Using the rectangular marquee tool again, we need to remove the excess width. Part of the reason I like this version of PS is that it tells you the width of your selection as you do it, but you can always use the ruler as a guide, and check the size of your image by going to image > image size again.

Again, use image > crop, and your gif should now be the correct size!

You can also use the crop tool in the timeline window to crop the length of your gif:

However, I tend to wait until later on to do this (which will be explained further down!)

SHARPENING

Next you want to go to filter > sharpen > smart sharpen.

These are my settings. However, 0.4px is very sharp, too much so, but that’s easily fixed.

Go to filter > blur > Gaussian blur and then set it to 1.0.

Now on the right-hand side, we need to reduce the blur, so double click the little adjustment button, and change the opacity of the blur. I usually go for 20-30%!

Then click OK, and that’s your sharpening done!

COLOURING

I picked this scene on purpose as it’s dark, so good for showing how to colour a gif. I have a base psd which consists of some very basic adjustments, but it mostly exists so I don’t forget what adjustment layers I like to use. I adjust them every time I make a gif, essentially colouring each gif from scratch.

In this case, the psd actually makes it darker. So, what I will do is turn each layer off, and adjust as I go. A lot of people say using lots of adjustment layers ruins the quality of your gif… I have never found this to be true, as long as you are gentle with them. If you whack the brightness right up to the top, it’s going to ruin your gif no matter if you use 1 adjustment layer or 100. I would just say use your common sense, and adjust a little at a time!

I start with a simple black to white gradient map set to soft light, because I think it helps you see depth once you add some brightness to it. I usually do this on about 10%, or more if needed. It’s probably unnecessary, I just like how it looks!

Then, I move onto using curves and levels. This is where things can diverge depending on who you’re colouring. If this person is white, it doesn’t matter too much. If they’re not white, you don’t want to white wash them. My best advice is to play around with it. By adding vibrance and other (usually the red) selective colour settings later, you can ensure you don’t change the person’s skin tone from what it originally was. You can also use layer masks at varying opacities (various shades of grey), on your curves and levels, to remove some brightening so that you’re not changing anyone’s skin colour. Just brighten slowly and check in with yourself honestly about how your gif looks.

Some people don’t like using levels, or curves. It’s completely up to you. I tend to use both because levels are good for bringing depth, even if not brightening (though I like to use them for that as well). 

One thing you can do is use the white point of the gif to make PS adjust the curves itself, however I like to drag the sliders myself and see what it looks like. Just make sure it’s not too bright, as we will be using further layers to brighten more, after.

Next is levels. The slider on the left controls the black point, the one in the middle controls the midtones, and the one on the right controls the white points. The black brings depth, the midtones adjust the overall brightness, and the white points produce stronger highlights. Again, you’ll get a feel for how this works as you practice. Just don’t use the white point excessively, especially if your characters are not white.

Then I add vibrance (+20!), because we’ve removed a lot of it when lightening the gif. Next is exposure, which I find brings out the highlight and shadow areas more effectively:

Then colour balance! This helps with scenes that might be a certain colour, i.e. too blue, too green, too red, etc. Moving the sliders in the opposite direction of the colour your gif is will counteract it. The best thing to do when accounting for different colours, is to make a new layer every time you change colour, so that you don’t get confused. I always add a new layer for colour balance and selective colour if I want to change more than one thing. So one for red, one for yellow, one for pink, etc. 

A layer of brightness just to make the gif pop, and because the scene is extra dark, I added a very gentle extra curves layer:

SAVING YOUR GIF

Time to save the gif. You can go ahead and file > export > save for web (legacy) now, but then you’ll have to reopen the gif to reset the frame rate from 0.07, to 0.05. Instead of doing that, I use a modified action. The original was made by the very talented @elenafisher! So I do not take credit for that at all. You can find the original here: elenafisher(.)tumblr(.)com/post/190817437374/gif-sharpening-action-2-preview-download and in my resources tag. Please reblog it if you’re going to use this!

To use an action, first make sure you have actions turned on in window > actions. To load in your action, go to the little lines circled, and then load the action from your downloads:

Obviously if you don’t want to sharpen your gifs yourself, you can use the action as it is, and it will give you a beautiful glowing effect. If you’d just like to use it to flatten your gif into frames like I do, make sure to take out all the items I have highlighted:

Until it looks like this!

Make sure you have the layer under the file name highlighted, and then click the play button at the bottom! (If you get a screen saying select all frames cannot be found, don’t worry, just click continue!) You can delete the layer that does that if you want, I just keep it in case I realise I’ve forgotten to do something, because you can click cancel and edit your gif before you flatten it. Of course you can undo the steps to get back to the smart object version of your gif, it just takes longer!

And now your gif is in frames and set to 0.05 already, so you don’t have to change the speed! All you need to do now before saving is change the gif cycle to “forever” in the bottom left-hand corner:

Then to save the gif go to file > export > save for web (legacy). Sometimes, the gif is bigger than the tumblr 10MB limit. You’ll be able to see this in the bottom left-hand corner of the gif save settings. If this is the case, I like to preview the gif, to see whether it would be best to cut frames off of the beginning or the end, or both. When you’ve decided, you can select the frames at the bottom, and in the right-hand side panel, and delete them both using the little bins/trash icons.

I keep checking and deleting frames until I get the gif under 10 MB! Just don’t delete frames from the middle, as then you’ll have the same issue as if you selected “every other frame” when making the gif: it won’t flow!

Lastly, these are my save settings:

So that’s it! That’s how I make all my gifs. Blending I do when the gifs are in the grouped, smart filter stage, whereas text I add on during the framing section above! Really hope this is helpful, please feel free to ask any questions you may have! 💖

[autisticcassandracain]

Just finished Mister Miracle and the Great Escape! Rating: Mixed. I did overall enjoy reading it, but I didn’t feel like it was a very good adaptation of Scott’s story/Fourth World lore, and I feel like a lot of the changes made to it didn’t benefit the story as a standalone novel very much either. It felt bloated by a lot of unnecessary plot points as a result.

Expanded thoughts under the cut, featuring spoilers:

Overall, I liked Scott and Barda’s characterization. Scott’s constant tendency to deflect with humor and mouth off to everyone in a 200 mile radius were a lot of fun to read and true to his character, and I think they did an overall pretty decent job getting Barda’s character down, considering the adaptational changes made to her. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Himon was involved; that, and a few other mentions (Barda wanting a garden, connecting her to nature; Scott having to free himself through right of combat) did make it clear they’d read the original Mister Miracle series, so the changes at least weren’t made out of ignorance.

I also think the commentary on class divide and bigotry was overall pretty well-done; the adaptational changes give a much easier to understand, structured view of Apokolips that definitely benefited this. I felt like it was pretty surface level and on the nose, but considering this is a YA graphic novel, I don’t mind that.

I liked how they symbolically had Scott defeat death; I like how more modern stories with Scott have started leaning into the ‘Death as Scott’s greatest enemy’ angle more, and it’s always interesting to see where people go with it. I also think playing with Scott’s want to figure out who his family is pretty interesting, and him not getting an answer and in the end deciding it doesn’t matter goes counter to canon, but it really works within the story and I think it’s superior to how the original Mister Miracle series handled it for sure.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I like the inclusion of Scott’s fascination with Earth heroes. It’s not something he ever really expresses in canon, but it makes a lot of sense given this particular story and setting, and it’s an interesting addition to his character, imo.

Aside from that though... admittedly I don’t necessarily have much good things to say about it. Not because I didn’t enjoy it - again, I did. But I enjoyed it in a rather casual way; the art style works well for the story, Scott’s character is fun, the jokes land, the ending action scene was great. But when it comes to the meat of things, I have a lot more problems than praises.

I think my main problem with the story is that there are a lot of things added that weren’t in the Fourth World lore that just... don’t add much of anything to the book. Scott’s friends are a great example; like, they exist, but they get little to no personality, little to no time was spent showing Scott’s relationship with them, and they ultimately feel like they only exist as plot devices to make his escape a little harder. I honestly feel like you could’ve replaced them with any given McGuffin Scott had to take with him but couldn’t and the plot would’ve stayed pretty much the same. They aided in showing what kind of people are disadvantaged in the school/Apokolips, but that’s really about it? And I feel like you could’ve easily done that with them as side characters as well.

Same goes for Barda coming from Armagetto, and Armagetto being changed from the slums of the Lowlies to what appears to be a pretty free-thinking village. It does allow Barda to be against Darkseid from the beginning, and therefor get her on board with escaping quicker, which I don’t necessarily have a problem with; I get that a graphic novel has limited time to tell its story, and the slowburn way Barda turned against Darkseid in the original Mister Miracle series may not have been a good fit for it. But changing Armagetto this way and having Barda be the only survivor of a massacre raises so many questions that just never get answered; Why was she the only survivor? How did she become part of the Furies? Is she a Lowly? She’s also not shown to have any trauma or PTSD from the event, which I find kind of strange, considering the fact that the book makes a point to show that Scott DOES have PTSD.

Another big problem I have is the prophecy. I just. Don’t understand why it’s there? I get there needed to be a reason for Granny/Kalibak to single Scott out, but the canon reason (him being the son of Highfather) would’ve worked just fine with that? You can maintain Scott never finding this out, and but you could’ve had Kalibak and Granny talk about it, and give context to us that way. (If you had to include Kalibak at all, that is. I feel like you could’ve written him out of the story just fine, tbh, if you’d replaced the final obstacle for Scott with fighting the Furies rather than him.) Granny specifically really didn’t need a reason to have it out for Scott. He mouths off to her, refuses to acknowledge her authority, and crawled out of the X-pit. That’s more than enough for her to target him. I don’t feel like we needed an extra reason.

In addition, this also raises something of a plothole? If Granny was specifically ordered not to kill Scott, then why throw him into the X-pit? If Scott’s the only one who’s ever made it out of there, she HAD to have known that it would most likely kill her. Did the order come afterwards, when people started suspecting Scott might be the kid from the prophecy? If so, why does Darkseid not just kill him? In the original series, Darkseid orders Granny to torment Scott but not kill him because he WANTS him to escape; but what reason does he have to not kill Scott in this series? It just raises so many questions that really didn’t need to be there if you’d kept the plot of the original series, or even just cut out Kalibak/Darkseid entirely and have Granny be the driving antagonist throughout.

There’s just... a lot of stuff that’s introduced that just feels really unnecessary. It’s not that I have a problem with making adaptational changes, but when those changes honestly feel like they make the story worse rather than serving it in a new medium (or, in this case, shorter, stand-alone format), it gets annoying. For example: if you’d replaced Scott’s friends with Aurelie, and had Aurelie befriend Barda as well, only for her to be killed, you’d have an instant motivation for Barda to change sides and try to escape/help Scott escape, as well as providing an additional obstacle in Scott’s escape and an opportunity to show what people are Grunts/how they get treated. This is usage of a canon character and plot point in a new way, and it would cut out the need for the Armagetto background (here to make Barda want to escape) and the need for Scott’s friends (here to provide an obstacle in Scott’s escape and show different ways in which Grunts get treated).

Basically, much of the changes feel superfluous and like they bloat the story more than anything.

That said, for the most part, I don’t feel like the changes go against the thematic core of Scott or the Fourth World lore, with the exception of one: the prophecy. That’s by far the worst inclusion in the book, in my opinion. It’s entirely unnecessary to Scott’s character; he never was the subject of a prophecy, and moreover, really shouldn’t be the subject of one like this. Scott is not MEANT to fight endlessly; hell, he’s not even meant to run endlessly. Scott’s meant to escape. And a prophecy that states that he is intended to defeat Darkseid? That’s the opposite of escaping.

It’s ambiguous whether that prophecy is even real, but honestly, we have no reason to assume it isn’t? The Fourth World has no problem employing prophecies, and within the story of the Great Escape itself, Scott fulfills all requirements for the prophecy except killing Darkseid. It’s very reasonable to assue that it’s a) real and b) that Scott is the person it’s talking about.

If they’d employed the prophecy to specifically show him rejecting and escaping it, that would’ve been one thing? He did escape, but it didn’t feel he like he was escaping the prophecy, really; the prophecy had very little thematic weight to Scott’s story, and was just there to motivate Kalibak, essentially. But either way, even if that was the case, escaping this specific prophecy would’ve been counter to the framing of Scott as a hero. The reason Scott could escape Apokolips in canon and never come back to help was because it was, ultimately, not his responsibility. He can help people on Earth and be just as heroic. But if he was specifically the subject of a prophecy that says he could defeat Darkseid and lead Apokolips into an era of peace and prosperity? And he rejected it to go garden on Earth with Barda? That would’ve been grossly irresponsible and REALLY wouldn’t make him read as a hero, but rather a selfish dickhead.

With the prophecy in place, his escape feels hollow, because at the end of the day, you can’t escape destiny; at least, not if escaping your destiny would make things objectively worse for everyone. Sure, he’s on Earth now, but for how long? Will he come back to fulfill the prophecy? Will he leave everyone to rot? Who knows!

It’s SUCH a weird inclusion! It violently goes against Scott’s thematic core, and on top of that, it also just shafts Orion?? Like Orion’s destiny IS to kill Darkseid?? I know he isn’t in the book so maybe I shouldn’t bring him up, but it’s so hard not to when they make a prophecy framing Scott as the one who will kill Darkseid like. That’s ORION’S story! Not Scott’s! For a reason! For Orion, fighting evil is a triumph; for Scott, escaping evil is a triumph. They’re different stories! They don’t mix!

Just... could they REALLY not have figured out a different way to have Kalibak take a special interest in Scott? One that didn’t open up ten cans of worms at the same time?

Some more minor complaints in bullet form list:

The final escape felt very half-assed after the amount of time spent on the specifics and logistics of the first escape. Where did they get that hovercraft from? Who knows. It felt like a cop-out tbh.

I don’t understand why Himon a) thought that Granny Goodness would help him, ever, and b) thought that killing himself would make her help his daughter??? Huh??? I was happy to see Himon involved at all, but his character felt significantly weaker than he was in the original Mister Miracle series.

I have mixed feelings on making Granny’s school more of an actual, you know, school. On the one hand, the way it facilitated discussions of class divides worked, and it also makes a lot more logical sense than the portrayal of her orphanage in canon. On the other hand, it really looses the ‘inescapable fortress’ setting, since it’s hard to believe the children of these Nobles don’t go home? Is it only the Grunts/orphans that are stuck?? I genuinely don’t know, they don’t explain it. And considering the fact that escaping the Academy is the entire point of the novel, that’s a pretty big oversight.

The portrayal of Scott’s PTSD was incredibly shallow. All it was was a handful of flashbacks and panic attacks accompanying it. PTSD is much more than that, and considering how important it was during the final battle, it really should’ve received a lot more attention, and a more in-depth look into how it functions and how it affects ones life.

Bekka is the definition of a plot device and it’s a shame bc she’s cute but like. Her literal only function in the story is to provide (time) pressure for the escape, which is already present, considering Scott and his friends are gonna get shipped out to the front lines soon. Once again, it’s an example of the story being needlessly bloated, imo.

...Did the story imply that the original Mister Miracle was Himon in a band? Did I read that correctly? Because if so that sure is a Choice.

The development of Scott and Barda’s relationship was somewhat rushed, but this is forgivable due to the time constraints of working in a graphic novel, imo.

The plotpoint of having Barda spy on Scott felt - say it with me here - useless. It didn’t even cause much tension between her and Scott? And Himon turned himself in anyway, so it’s not like the plot needed Barda to betray Scott so his escape attempt could be foiled. I also don’t quite understand how it worked, since Scott came to Barda? Did Barda report that to Granny, to have Granny say to continue it and spy on him? Did Granny have Barda give the medicine to Tyrone, somehow figuring that this would attract Scott’s attention? It’s a nitpick, but with the plot point ultimately doing little for the overall story, it’s worth questioning why they’d open up even such a small plot hole for it.

They just HAD to put in a reference to Tom King’s Mister Miracle huh. Just to annoy me, personally, presumably. At least the ‘Darkseid is’ thing works better here than it does there lmao.

Again, I did enjoy reading it; I don’t mean to trash the novel, truly. But there’s a lot of stuff, individually very small, that bothers me, that really ended up adding up.

[crusherthedoctor]

Can you list anything you unironically like in the games (and cartoons and comics) that you don't like?

I won't bother mentioning music, since that goes without saying and is to be expected for a Sonic game... unless you're Chronicles.

Sonic Adventure 2 (mixed gameplay-wise, annoying story-wise) - While I prefer Sonic's SA1 levels for a number of reasons, I still think his and Shadow's gameplay in SA2 is fun on its own merit. I also don't mind the treasure hunting gameplay returning or how big the levels are this time around, since Knuckles and Rouge are still fast and not '06 levels of slow. It's mainly the gimped radar that creates the unfortunate domino effect of making them a problem.

- Introduced Rouge, one of my favourite characters for how playful she is and how she's a lot more nuanced and intelligent than you'd expect.

- Some genuinely good scenes, like Eggman's trap on the A.R.K and Sonic escaping from the G.U.N. helicopter.

- Had some good ideas going for it, like the Pyramid Base and the Biolizard as a scientific monster instead of an ancient one.

- Despite my thoughts on the backstory itself (or rather, its execution), Shadow has enough depth and subtle qualities and occasional unintended hilarity to stand out from the typical dark rival characters you see in media.

- The Last Scene's music in particular is one of my favourite cutscene tracks in the series.

Sonic Heroes (mixed gameplay-wise, loathed story-wise) - The gameplay is fun when you're not being screwed over by repetitive combat, overly long levels and/or ice physics.

- Boasts some of the most consistently Genesis-worthy environments in the 3D games, up there with SA1's and Colours'.

- The in-game dialogue that isn't the same tutorial drivel repeated ad nauseam can be interesting, funny, etc.

- Reintroduced the Chaotix, which provided me with another character I quite like in the form of Vector.

- Bringing Metal Sonic back in full force and front and center in the plot after a long absence (not counting cameos and the like) is a perfectly fine idea. Just... not like this.

Sonic Battle (decent yet repetitive gameplay, mixed story-wise) - Emerl's arc is compelling, and it earns the emotional weight of having to put him down at the end.

- While some characters are iffy (read: Amy), other characters are extremely well-handled. Shadow is probably the prime example.

- Gamma's belly dance healing animation is fucking hilarious.

- When I was young, and the game was first announced, I was really excited about being able to play as Chaos. This proved to be my downfall when it turned out he was arguably one of the worst characters in the game due to being slower than me during the writing process, but I still recall that excitement fondly.

Shadow the Hedgehog (comedy classic) - The sheer amount of legendary stupidity this game has going for it makes it practically impossible to actually hate. It helps that it's not quite as white-knighted on the same level as '06... usually. You know you're in for a unique experience when you hear a gunshot every time you click something in the menu.

- By extension, Black Doom never gained an unironic fanbase like Mephiles/Scourge/Eggman Nega did, which means I'm a lot more willing to take Doom's dumbass brand of villainy in stride. He even has a unique design... a terrible one that rips off Wizeman granted, but alas, even that is a step-up from Fridge Shadow and Bumblebee Eggman.

- Despite being... well, Shadow the Hedgehog, some of the environments would fit right in with any other Sonic game, like with Circus Park, Lava Shelter, and Digital Circuit. Even the Black Comet levels look pretty cool.

- This game understands amnesia better than IDW does.

Sonic '06 (what do you think?) - The obvious one: Shadow's character was handled pretty well, even if it came at the cost of everyone else being a dummy and being forced to interact with Mephiles.

- Like SA2, there are some good moments, like the Last Story ending sequence with Sonic and Elise.

- In the greatest form of irony ever, I like Solaris as a concept and design(s), and its backstory has potential to serve as a parallel with Chaos without being a complete ripoff. Iblis sucks, Mephiles sucks, but I'm fine with Solaris.

- Introduced legendary characters like Sonic Man, Pele the Beloved Dog, Hatsun the Pigeon, and Pacha from The Emperor's New Groove.

The Rivals duology (apathetic outside of Nega-related grumbling) - There were some cool zone ideas in both games that were sadly let down by the restrictive and limiting gameplay. I particularly like Colosseum Highway for thus far being the only full-on Roman level in the series instead of merely having a couple minor hints of Roman, and Meteor Base for the unique scenario of the space station being built into an asteroid. These level concepts and others deserve a second chance IMO. (At least Frontier Canyon got a second chance in the form of Mirage Saloon, amirite?)

- Ifrit has a better design than Iblis. Not saying it's amazing, but the Firebird motif it has going on is a lot more interesting for a fire monster than the Not-Chaos schtick they had with Iblis.

Sonic and the Secret Rings (a very frustrating gaming experience) - Erazor Djinn, A.K.A. Qui-Gon Djinn, A.K.A. Dr. N. Djinn, A.K.A. I'll Take It On The Djinn, A.K.A. Not From The Hairs On My Djinny Djinn Djinn, is one of the best villains not associated with Eggman in the series. He's a Mephiles-type character done right, and there's actual weight and reason to his actions, however sinister or petty.

- I don't have strong opinions either way on Shahra as a character, but the Sonic/Shahra friendship is sweet and well-handled.

- The ending is one of Sonic's greatest moments. The sheer contrast between how ruthlessly he deals with Erazor and how comforting he is towards Shahra speaks volumes... Still gonna make fun of the mountain of handkerchiefs though. (Before anyone lectures me, I understand the significance of it and can even appreciate it from that angle... doesn't mean I'm not allowed to poke fun at it. :P)

- Another game with some redeeming environments. I love the aesthetic of Night Palace, and Sand Oasis looks gorgeous too.

Sonic Chronicles (my personal least favourite game in the series) - Uh...

- Um...

- Er...

- I like Shade's design?

Sonic Unleashed (overrated game and story IMO) - The obvious two: the opening sequence and the Egg Dragoon fight deserve all the praise they get.

- Seeing Eggmanland come to life was an impressive moment to be sure. While part of me does feel it didn't quite measure up to what I had in mind (ironically, the Interstellar Amusement Park ended up being closer to what I had in mind), it still looks badass and works well for what it is. I also don't mind the idea of it being a one-level gauntlet... key word being idea.

- Obviously, the game looks great. Not a fan of the real world focus (real world inspiration is fine, but copy-pasting the real world and shoving loops in it is just unimaginative), but it can't be denied that the environments look good.

- This game pulled off dialogue options a lot better than Chronicles did, since they didn't rely on making Sonic OoC.

Sonic and the Black Knight (just kind of boring all around) - Despite my gripes with the story (Merlina wasn't nearly as fleshed out as her unique anti-villain status deserved, which ends up severely undermining the ambition of the plot in more ways than one, and the other characters go from being useless yes men for King Arthur to being useless yes men for Sonic), I will admit it provides interesting insight into Sonic's character.

- Like '06 and Secret Rings, the ending is very nice... well, aside from Amy being an unreasonable bitch ala Sonic X at the very end.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (apathetic) - The admittedly few new concepts sprinkled within had promise. They may not have been as fleshed out as they could have been, but level concepts like Sylvania Castle and White Park, bosses like Egg Serpentleaf and the Egg Heart, and story beats like the Death Egg mk.II being powered by Little Planet, all could have been brilliant had they been better executed.

SatAM (apathetic outside of SatAM Robotnik-related grumbling) - I'm not a fan of the environments on the whole due to them looking too bland or samey, but there are some exceptions that look pleasant or interesting, like the Void.

Sonic Underground (apathetic) - The character designs make me feel better about myself.

- Does "large quantities of unintentional meme material" count as a positive?

Sonic X (mostly apathetic outside of Eggman's handling) - Helen was a better human character and audience surrogate in her one focus episode than Chris was throughout his entire runtime.

- Actually, most of the human characters not named Chris were legitimately likable. Including everyone in Chris' own family not named Chris. Hilarious.

- Despite arguably having the most Chris in it, I actually don't mind the first season that much, partly due to slight nostalgia from seeing it on TV when it was new, but mostly because Eggman actually acted like a villain for the most part, and certain other characters weren't quite as flanderized yet. It's season 2 and onwards where things started going off the rails IMO. (Incidentally, Helen's episode was part of season 1...)

The Boom franchise (apathetic) - Along with Chronicles, the games provide yet more proof that just because someone isn't SEGA/Sonic Team, that doesn't mean they're automatically more qualified to handle the series.

- The show had some good episodes here and there, and Tails' characterization was probably the most consistently on-point out of the cast.

- Despite not exactly being favourite portrayals for either character, even I'll admit that many of Knuckles and Eggman's lines in the show on their own were genuinely funny.

Archie Sonic (pre-reboot is mostly terrible, post-reboot is mostly... bland) - Whenever I doubt myself as a writer, I think back to Ken Penders, and suddenly I'm filled with a lot more confidence.

Sonic the Comic (apathetic) - Fleetway isn't a comic I tend to recall much of aside from how much of a loathesome cunt Sonic is, but IIRC, Robotnik's portrayal is pretty good. Different, but good.

IDW Sonic (stop pissing me off, comic) - Putting their handling aside (and being too obviously "inspired" by MGS in the latter's case), Tangle and Whisper are good characters IMO.

- Same goes for Starline, before he was killed off-screen and replaced with Toothpaste Snively.

- Execution aside (noticing a pattern?), the zombot virus was a fine concept on its own and an interesting new scheme for Eggman.

- I get to remind myself that I've never drawn scat edits and posted them publicly on Twitter.

[kbsd]

not sure if you’ve answered this before, but what’s your process look like when you make an amv? i’m just curious and in constant awe of ppl who can make videos like you do :)

hello all!!! i have answered this before and i have a vid help tag with other asks i’ve gotten about stuff like this! but i’ve gotten several more messages along these lines so i’m just going to answer a bunch of them together (under a cut since i love to ramble about editing lol). i do just wanna say i’m definitely not the authority on video editing and obv everyone has their own techniques!

edit: i just finished typing all this up and it’s SO long so sorry in advance LMAO god bless anyone who reads this entire thing

so i work in news tv and we have a very specific workflow for writing scripts, sourcing video, producing, and editing. i’ve just applied that to making amvs! for every video i make, i copy the song lyrics into a google doc and adjust them to match the song i’ve cut (i often will trim songs for time and/or content purposes). then i start planning! i’ll mark down what clip i want to use for each lyric next to that line, and any sound bites i want to use (with episode numbers!). i’ll color code between video and sound bites and lyrics, so my scripts end up looking something like this (for my honeybee amv):

doing the planning ahead of time makes everything much easier when it’s a video that spans the whole show or involves a lot of sourcing, like honeybee or sports analogies. that way when i get to the actual editing process, i already know what i’m going to do and have a game plan. for videos like happy ending or believe it or not, where i’m mainly just pulling from a few episodes, i can just plan it in my head as opposed to writing it all down, and produce as i edit. obviously i do make in-the-moment decisions while editing—sometimes a shot doesn’t work the way i thought it would, or i go where the video takes me—but planning ahead definitely helps. i know some people use spreadsheets as well, with columns for lyrics, video clips, and sound bites if applicable. once you find a system that works, it actually goes pretty quickly.

as for sourcing clips themselves/finding clips within episodes, i talked about that here and kind of here. the short version is that transcripts are a must, and the supernatural wiki is hugely helpful by cataloguing all the hugs, prayers, phone calls, etc. in the show. gifmakers that tag episode numbers on their posts are your friends. it gets easier the more video you make—that’s another huge reason i make the google docs for each video (even the ones i plan in my head, i end up going back and making a loose script with episode notes just for reference). if i can’t remember where something is but i know i used it in another video, i can easily reference past scripts!

i also cut all my videos in the same project in premiere pro, so i can flip between them easily. instead of checking a past script, i can just go to the video sequence itself and copy the clip i’m looking for! this was especially helpful when i match cut together the 5x18 and 4x22 wall slam shots for my bestie video, and then stole it from myself for honeybee hahaha. at any given time i have at least 8 sequences open:

because of the sheer volume of videos i make, it’s worth it for me to download the entire show—i have all 327 episodes in HD, plus deleted scenes. if you think you’re only going to make a few videos, i’d start with scene packs. you can usually just google “destiel [or whatever ship/character you’re looking for] scene packs” and there will be any number of ones you can download. if you need other specific scenes, you can always download/torrent individual episodes or screen record netflix (that’s what i did before i got HD download links). i’m happy to share my links if you DM, but be warned it’s a lot of disk space (about 500GB on my hard drive). someone also compiled every destiel scene, downloadable here.

having every episode already loaded in premiere for all my projects also makes it a lot easier to source clips. once i use a clip in a video, i’ll put a marker on the episode file, so that after a while i have most of the important scenes/lines marked to easily find them. to give you an idea, this is my episode file in premiere for 12x10 lily sunder has some regrets (markers at destiel scenes, the car fight, hot girl cas, etc.). markers are the green tabs along the bottom:

premiere also lets you color code and name markers, so ONE DAY i will go back and color code them all. the ones above are all the same color, but in a perfect world, i’d have a myraid—for destiel shots like hugs, touches, looks; for important pieces of dialogue; for action shots; etc. but for now this works ok for me, so that’s a project for another time!

between detailed scripts, one giant premiere project, markers, the wiki, and my own memory, i have so many points of reference that i can usually find any clip i need in about 2 minutes max. sound bites are often harder to start out, or tiny specific shots i haven’t used before, and that’s when i turn to tumblr gifsets or beloved mutuals to crowdsource. but if you’re as obsessive about marking/keeping neat scripts as i am, it gets easier and easier with every video you make. that’s part of why i’m able to cut videos together so quickly. (also i want to stress i do this for a living and have to produce/edit a new piece for my show every day so i’m used to it. and compared to constantly updating content/sources and news that changes every day, 327 highly documented episodes that never change are much easier to handle hahaha)

this is all great for me since i make so many videos and plan to continue doing so, but if you’re only making a few, this level of work isn’t worth it imo. really it’s all about developing a system that works for you. whatever you do with episodes/sourcing, though, i cannot recommend planning things out in a script ahead of time enough. 

everything i just mentioned is producing, though. for the editing process, i usually do it in this order:

music first. any parts i want to cut, i make sure it all sounds smooth

then soundbites. i usually try to weave them into the lyrics—i have characters talk in breaks between lines or instrumental sections as much as possible. i’ll sometimes go so far as looped/extending an intsrumental part to make room for the soundbite i want there lol. if i do have dialogue over a line, i do the sound mixing/levels at this point as well to make sure everything is audible/one doesn’t overpower the other. (also i always include the video that goes with these bites when i drop them in, and decide later if i want to show the character speaking or have other clips cover the dialogue)

once i have all the audio locked in, then i bring in all my other video clips. sometimes i edit completely chronologically, sometimes jumping from section to section—it depends on the song or how i’m feeling

double check sound mixing. i usually listen to my videos through a few times, with headphones and without to make sure it’ll sound good no matter how people watch it

once i have picture and audio lock, i go through and color correct my clips. i’m basic and just use lumetri color in premiere, and usually just play with brightness, saturation, temperature, and tint until i like it

render and export! :)

i always have several audio tracks, but i try to keep my video tracks condensed. i’ll drop clips on a V2 level, and edit a section there, and drop the whole chunk down to V1 so i know it’s finished. that way when i leave and come back i can know where i left off/what’s done/etc. to give you an idea, this is the timeline for my what the hell video:

i always render as H.264 with high bitrate, and make sure to check “render at maximum depth” and “use maximum render quality” for the best quality. i’m sorry, but i don’t know what the equivalent options are in final cut, imovie, kdenlive, etc. i post on youtube mostly so i don’t have to sacrifice quality, but usually just using a lower bitrate will get you under the tumblr file size limit and it’ll still look good.

as for the anon who asked about “polishing”: first of all, thank you!! second of all, it’s in the details. all of this is a matter of taste and my own insanity, but here are some little things i always try to do:

after i color correct, i blur out any credits from the starts of episodes. i use gaussian blur for this, but really any blur tool works

as much as possible, i avoid clips where we see a character’s mouth move but don’t hear the words. in tv/film we call it “lip flap” and i just think it looks messy. also i’m trained to avoid it at all costs at work hahaha. it’s more for serious videos that this matters a lot to me (e.g. i think i did a really good job eliminating lip flap in my happy ending amv)—for comedy videos i don’t sweat it as much

i put audio fades on the start and end of every single audio clip i use, even if i don’t think i need it, to make sure everything sounds smooth

i use markers for timing, especially in action-y videos like what the hell. i’ll put a marker on the clip i’m using at the exact moment a punch lands, and in the song on the beat. if i have the magnet/snap in timeline tool on i can just easily snap them together instead of having to spend time finagling it

this is such a small thing but i dip/cut to black for a tiny bit at the start and end of every video. this way if i post with tumblr video player, there’s black between the loops, and it gives you a beat before the video restarts. i do this even on videos i post on youtube, just because i think it looks nicer/more professional

this is 1,500 words so i’m going to stop myself before i pull something. if you have follow-up questions feel free to ask and i’ll continue to add them to the vid help tag, but any more questions about sourcing clips or my process in general i’ll just link this post going forward. anyone who made it this far, i am sending to a telepathic kiss. thank you for reading and happy editing!

[alyblacklist]

Hi Aly, firstly I want to thank you for your great efforts in this tumultuous time! I wanted to ask you, what is your opinion about some people being angry at Megan? Personally I get that people might be upset that she’s leaving the show or breaking their favourite ship, but being angry at the actress about it seems a little strange to me. Obviously it’s up to her, and the things a lot of people are accusing her off is speculation (her feeling too good for the show now, etc.). Personally I think its pretty obvious that she seems hurt, hence she changed some captions. People are making a big deal about those captions, but it’s not like she’s throwing tbl or her costars under the buss with them. Nor is she actively hating on anyone. If anything her changed captions remain vague, but I don’t think it’s offending to anyone. I think the show screwed her over in every way, including how they kept writing her character. Not to mention how people treated her because of how her character changed. And now people are angry at her for leaving too (which I’m not sure she did exactly willingly, at least not the way it’s going now). I mean she was fine with the show until a short while ago, something must have gone sideways for her to feel this way and disconnect. I think if we should be blaming anyone, it should be NBC. I feel like it is sus that the news dropped just a day before an important episode. You bet this is going to bring in viewers. But that’s just speculation, and we’ll probably never know. But I do believe NBC/tbl should have treated her and the character better, within reason of course but better. And of course, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be changing captions, etc. either, but everyone deals with hurt in different ways and the fact is we’re not in her shoes. We have no idea what the hell went on behind the scenes, but it wasn’t fun. A lot people think she wanted more money, but I have a hard time believing this since Megan is really comfortable financially due to her grandparents I believe. If all she wanted was some recognition, I thinks she should have gotten it (but within reason of course!). I think Megan just deserves a bit more respect, everyone’s allowed their opinion of course but I don’t think it’s right to hate on an actress who brought so many good years to a show while actively getting some of the worst material to work with. And a lot of hate throughout its run, for 8 years. I feel bad for her mostly, and I am going to miss her and tbl. And Ressler. But this was it for me. But I really don’t blame Megan. I mean I think it’s a little strange no female actress/character ever stayed on tbl. But again, I know nothing about what happened behind the scenes. Just sad to see Megan/Liz go. I am going to miss the Keenler scenes and her dynamic with Red. I loved those moments the most. Imo they’re all such great actors who worked together so well. But I guess you’ve got to draw the line somewhere (even though they get blurred when you dram them in the sand - Red, S1). I hope she finds what she’s looking for, and I hope she’ll get a little respect on the way ✌🏻I would love to hear your thought on this.

That was a really, really long commentary ask and I honestly don't have the energy to even attempt to respond to all your points.

We all have our personal views, especially those of us who have been around this fandom for a long time and have lived the ups and downs of her interactions with the network and the fans over the years. I find it hard to ignore the rumors and to muster much sympathy after her very public war with the network back in 2017 over her worth and her representation. The changing of her IG captions unfortunately is precisely the sort of petty gesture that suggests to me that the majority of the rumors are true.

I wish her well in her future endeavors.

[songofclarity]

For a character who was the catalyst for all the events of the novel WRH got way too little attention and show time in the novel heck we don't even get a face off between him and the protagonists. To me if JGS was a pig in a golden pigsty, JGY a sneaky fox, and XY a rabid dog, then WRH was a mighty dragon. He had all the makings of an amazing villain but that potential was wasted and imo that is one of mdzs' greatest flaws

Mighty dragon Wen RuoHan is so true, Anon!

The spoiled pig in the golden pigsty came out on top after the Sunshot Campaign. He had all the money, a beautiful family, and an intact sect, and yet he wanted all the power left in Wen RuoHan’s wake--as if the world hadn’t fought for three years to get rid of the original.

The treacherous snake who cuddled up to others to steal their warmth and yet bit to kill at the first sign of movement. He acted like that warmth was his due and he had no choice but to bite. Surely the actions of others would either do him harm or leave him cold! He tricked Wen RuoHan into believing their scales meant they were similar, but he only ever dreamed of being a pig in that golden pigsty. (There is a connotation of mischief and charm with “sneaky fox” that does not fit Jin GuangYao in my mind lol)

The rabid dog who was used to being beaten and yet would accept a warm bed and a dish of food from any kind hand. He won’t bite the hand that feeds him but he will absolutely maul anyone who threatens that warm bed and new home he found--or anyone who looks like an easy target for some fun and games.

And then there is the mighty dragon!

I've been trying to respond to this ask for a few days because I agree and yet I also kind of disagree on that last point. I find it hard to say Wen RuoHan’s potential was wasted because it’s his potential to do harm that kept the Sunshot Campaign alive but also his lesser-discussed potential to be influenced towards doing good that could have prevented a lot of grief. Although he didn’t get a lot of page time, his importance to the story is practically on par with Wei WuXian himself and he continues to exist as a specter of evil even after he is dead.

This quote comes to mind during empathy:

On Koi Tower, people came and went. Before Nie MingJue's high viewpoint, the crowd parted again and again, with both sides nodding at him in respect, calling him "ChiFeng-Zun." Wei WuXian thought, Such a show of extravagance is going to reach even the heavens. All these people both fear and respect Nie MingJue. There's quite a few people who fear me, though not a lot who respect me. (Ch. 49 ERS)

One of the major conflicts in MDZS is based on one question: who gets to be the next Wen RuoHan after the Sunshot Campaign? And the sane answer is that it should be nobody. The Sects are independent entities who should take care of themselves and work in cooperation without controlling each other. The Wen Sect was never actually in charge of the other sects so it’s quite twisted for the Chief Cultivator position to be created in the wake of Wen RuoHan’s death. Wen RuoHan is still a catalyst for events even after he is murdered!

More so, when people were saying they hoped Wen Qing would one day take over as Sect Leader Wen because she had a normal way of doing things, it’s because Wen RuoHan calling the former Sect Leader Nie over to passive-aggressively slap his saber a few times and tell him it is a good saber is just bizarre. Of course Wen Qing’s ways of doing things are normal!

Compare Wen Qing being angry:

"If you really are grateful then put in some effort! What [the] hell kind of medicine did you just make? Brew it again!" (Ch. 60 ERS)

To Wen RuoHan:

And, thus, Wen RuoHan wasn't pleased anymore...

Wen RuoHan laughed after he heard. “Are you sure about that? Well, I want to see.” (Ch. 49, ERS)

But back to the scene at Koi Tower, it’s funny that the one closest to becoming Wen RuoHan is quite possibly Nie MingJue, the one now respected and feared, the one who fought the most against Jin GuangShan creating the Chief Cultivator seat. Why did Jin GuangShan create the Chief Cultivator seat? Because no one was ever going to respect him or to listen to him, much less respect him and fear his power to let him do whatever he pleased. But even then, Nie MingJue had to travel to Koi Tower to point Baxia while he made his demands. Jin GuangShan and Jin GuangYao had to murder and lie and scheme to get what they wanted. Wei WuXian had to figuratively set himself on fire. Wen RuoHan simply had to call his target of his ire over and he came, and then he let fate run its course.

Wei WuXian, Nie MingJue, Jin GuangShan, Jin GuangYao--none of them ever held even a fraction of the power wielded by Wen RuoHan. A power shown when Lan XiChen and a bunch of other juniors looked at the waterborne abyss and didn’t even dare to speak the name of the Qishan Wen aloud. Our spoiled pig and even rabid dog look to demonic cultivation to gain that fear element since they lack the wow factors of a powerful cultivator. Wei WuXian and Nie MingJue end up dead because a spoiled pig and a treacherous snake want their golden pigsty to go uncontested.

So it’s hard to speak of Wen RuoHan not meeting his potential when all the Sects left in his wake never achieve a fraction of what Wen RuoHan had. And even then, at no point in the story does Wen RuoHan ever wake up in the morning and pick murder, although the same cannot be said for the likes of Wen Chao, Jin GuangYao, Xue Yang, and even Wei WuXian.

So what I’m getting at here is that despite Wen RuoHan’s lack of appearances, we learn a lot about him through other characters trying to either work for or against him or emulate him. And he does face off against one of our protagonists: Nie MingJue! Although that we don’t get to see their first fight in Yangquan when Nie MingJue was fresh is truly frustrating!

Because even though we do get a Wen RuoHan face-off with a protagonist, it’s his assassination that gets all the attention--and it’s because Nie MingJue avoids talking about traumatic experiences and Jin GuangYao already got what he wanted from that event. The mural at Koi Tower immortalizing the assassination of Wen RuoHan is a snapshot of the heroic Jin GuangYao taking out the Big Bad in a glorious moment. It was also, however, a huge red flag that Jin GuangYao is willing to murder someone who gave him respect, protection, and empowerment so long as he could use their blood to pave his road ahead.

I do have to wonder on the degree of Wen RuoHan’s villainy when he didn’t even bother to take the life of his son’s killer and he passed on the opportunity to torture him, too. But no one in the story talks about Wen RuoHan as a person. They talk about Sect Leader Wen as a symbol, and he becomes a symbol of evil.

Everyone becomes so focused on Wen RuoHan as the Big Bad that for all the crimes the spoiled pig and the treacherous snake perpetrate, the majority of the cultivation world responds with, “If this [evil act and/or abuse of power] was done by the Wen Sect, we would be really concerned. Since the people doing it are not-Wens, it can’t be evil and thus we can allow it to happen.”

And thus the Jin get away with doing a lot of evil. Lan XiChen can look at Jin GuangYao and say, “he has his reasons,” because Lan XiChen has been victimized by the Wens and Jin GuangYao murdered Wen RuoHan so surely there is a divide there between good and evil, right and wrong. This is a very convenient way for letting the Jin get away with doing a lot of bad things! Wei WuXian rescuing the Wen Remants, meanwhile, places him conveniently within the Wen-Sect-Is-Bad camp, and we all know how that goes.

So I do agree that Wen RuoHan had all the potential to become a great villain, not just because he has all the power and followers that let him do whatever he wanted but also because the cultivation world sold us the story of him being a monstrous villain who loved blood and torture. But when the other sects create an uprising against the Wen Sect and label it the Sunshot Campaign, not once does Wen RuoHan try to subdue them. Not once does Wen RuoHan ever turn to violence and punishment or slaughter. He had the potential to be a great villain and stomp on all of them! But he doesn’t.

And I don’t think that’s because his potential went unmet. That’s just his character. He is an antagonist with the potential to become a great villain and yet he stays his hand. His power instead draws villains to him like flies to honey. There’s a reason people wear their time spent as a guest cultivator of the Wen Sect with pride! Wen RuoHan is good to his Sect. The perks and benefits cannot be matched.

But it’s not only the dregs of society that come to the Wen Sect and abuse its power. Wen RuoHan has three morally distinct people closest to him that reveal that he has the potential to be well-rounded:

Wen Qing: speaks her mind, a doctor, refuses to kill, intelligent, talented in the liberal arts, accompanies Wen RuoHan to discussion conferences, pays her debts, won’t die for the main branch which is just an alternative of her don’t-kill policy which is don’t-die-for-stupid-shit-customs policy

Wen ZhuLiu: loyal to a fault, dedicated, obedient, was told to protect Wen Chao and does his job incredibly well because this is how he pays his debt to Wen RuoHan for saving him, doesn’t do anything unnecessary, doesn’t speak unnecessary words

Meng Yao: loyal only to himself at the end of the day, prideful, hardworking, scheming, ambitious, supports petty revenge, pro-murder, stabs as a warning, will sell you to satan for one corn chip, does not acknowledge owing debts to anyone but has the receipts on what others owe him

All three characters are respected for their talents and effectively do as Wen RuoHan tells them. Wen Qing leaves for the Yiling Supervisory Office and takes her rational mind with her. Wen ZhuLiu leaves to protect Wen Chao and leaves Wen RuoHan undefended. Meng Yao makes himself useful in Nightless City and thus stays closest to Wen RuoHan’s side. So who is the one speaking in Wen RuoHan’s ear the most? The one saying murder is OK so take revenge.

And even then Wen RuoHan still doesn’t take his revenge, I’m just saying.

But what I’m trying to get at on this scenic route is that Wen RuoHan is left with all this wonderful potential for a reason. Not only do we see his potential but other characters see it, too. His potential is turned into someone else’s profit. Nie MingJue claims that Wen Qing should have spoken up more, which implies Wen RuoHan has the potential for change or even to do good. The majority, however,  persist on not just his potential but his status as a great evil. The characters in the story make Wen RuoHan into the penultimate evil by a post-war consensuses. With that, the ceiling is pushed so high that other evils are able to bloom in the glass house they’ve made.

“Whatever we do can never be as bad as what Wen RuoHan and the Wen Sect did,” the cultivation world says as they let a mass murderer run rampant, as people are used for demonic cultivation test subjects, as prisoners of war are beaten and killed, as a dozen women are raped and murdered for petty revenge, as brother betrays brother, as a father murders his innocent son for political gain, as juniors are kidnapped and used as bait...

So absolutely Wen RuoHan was a catalyst for many events because people either wanted to be him, have him in their fighting corner, or kill him. He perpetuated events by wanting to correct the cultivation world as he saw fit by indoctrinating juniors in the Wen Sect ways or by setting up supervisory offices to prevent rebellious behavior. He delegated these tasks which put people in positions of power that they only saw fit to abuse.

But Wen RuoHan’s potential to be a great villain competes with his inherent lack of interest in causing death and destruction. I think that makes him not just a compelling antagonist compared to all the others but a fascinating character in general. Considering MDZS gets praised for all its morally grey characters, I don’t think Wen RuoHan should be left out of the conversation.

[ajoblotofjunk]

Sorry for the unsolicited ask, but I remember seeing you said that Ned Stark was Lawful Neutral. What DnD alignments do you see for the rest of the characters at the beginning of their journeys and where they are now in the books? Also, what should have the TV adapted from the book and what should the book series take from the TV’s changes and pitfalls?

Hi! I love unsolicited asks, no apologies necessary. :) 

I’m going to pick a handful of some of the more interesting-to-me POV characters since it’s been a minute since I did a book re-read and also there are a ton of characters in this story. So. If there’s someone in particular you were hoping for, you can ask!

Ned Stark - Lawful-neutral from start to finish, ALTHOUGH. I think Ned’s great tragedy is that at the very end he bent and it didn’t do shit for him anyway. He still was killed, because he’d gone too far and he was too unwilling to bend when he had more power. Also my first D&D character ever was a LN gnome fighter and I just have a lot of feelings about LN fighters.

Catelyn Stark - Here’s a hot take: I think Cat is True Neutral at the beginning, and then when things start to happen to her family she slips a bit into Neutral-Evil, with the selfishness focused around her pain and her family’s well-being. (There’s an argument to be made that she’s chaotic-good/chaotic-neutral but I think Cat feels more strongly about authority than that suggests.)

Arya Stark (yes, my secret is out: I am a Stark fan) - Arya is very chaotic-good at the beginning of the story and where we’ve left her, I think she’s chaotic-neutral and poised on a tipping point where she could slip to chaotic-evil but I think she’s gonna go back to CG. Maybe True Neutral, but I don’t see her becoming the true Faceless Man archetype that requires in the books (in the show I think she did become TN).

Cersei Lannister - I think Cersei is Lawful-Evil, because Tywin is Lawful-Evil and she thinks she’s female Tywin. In reality she’s probably Neutral Evil, especially where we’re at in the books, though she still lets herself be bound by authority in a way that suggests she might still be LE.

Tyrion Lannister - Okay here’s the thing. I don’t like Tyrion. Which, if you’ve read my fics, is probably not a surprise to discover. I liked him in the early books! But as he’s gone on I’ve liked him less and less and now he just annoys the crap out of me in ASOIAF. I think Tyrion was probably True Neutral at the beginning; honestly there’s an argument that he might’ve been Neutral-Good, but he’s definitely Neutral-Evil now, MAYBE Chaotic-Neutral if I were being generous with him. Which I am not.

Jaime Lannister - Jaime has had I think the biggest alignment shift out of anyone in the entire series. I think he started life as Lawful-Good, and then when the authority he trusted betrayed him, he shifted to an outward Chaotic Neutral/inward Chaotic Good that’s struggling to reassert itself. I think where he’s at now in the series is transitioned into that Chaotic Goodness more outwardly, and I think by the end of the series he’ll be fully CG, POSSIBLY Neutral Good but I’m not sure I see him making that shift completely.

Brienne of Tarth - Brienne is maybe my all-time favorite character of anything ever, so I have a lot of Opinions about her and this one I hold dear: I think a lot of fandom thinks she’s Lawful-Good, but I think she’s Neutral-Good. She is extremely driven by keeping her promises, but not, IMO, because of the weight of authority but because of the weight of her own moral beliefs in making a promise. She wants to do good because it’s the right thing to do, not because any oaths she takes tell her to. It’s why she was willing to hear Jaime out about what he did to Aerys when others (like Ned) wouldn’t - because she recognizes that good is the choice, not the oath. BECAUSE HERE’S THE DEAL. If Brienne were Lawful-Good, she would have stayed and married someone on Tarth. But she’s not. So she didn’t. I think she will retain her Neutral-Goodness through the series. I could see her slipping to maybe Chaotic-Good, but honestly I think she’ll stay NG/return to NG by the end.

I am very curious if people disagree on any of these (even Brienne!) so discussion encouraged. :)

Whew, that was pretty long. And I still have more of this question to answer! So the rest I’m putting under a Keep Reading cut.

What should have the TV adapted from the book and what should the book series take from the TV’s changes and pitfalls?

This is a really complicated question, and I really like it, but I’m not sure I feel confident answering it.

I think the TV show suffered from trying to refine an unfinished story to its core themes without knowing where George was going to end (except I guess with Bran as King?). I used to think that the choices they made about what they left out where telling - all of the Targaryen nonsense limited just to Dany and not any of the other stuff, for instance - but given the finale, I think D & D both hyperfocused only on keeping the main points they needed for what they saw as the end while also only paying off the bones of what they’d adapted from the first three books and didn’t have room for the ways GRRM expanded the story after the third book nor for the ways his end will probably be more complicated than the one they were limited to by it being a TV finale.

All of which is to say: I would have loved them to adapt the Lady Stoneheart arc, particularly for Brienne, but that D&D had no idea how to make that work within the confines of what their limitations both of what they’d chosen to focus on previously and TV, and so I understand why they didn’t. I would have loved, as well, to have more depth and see more of the Dorne arc with Arianne and Myrcella and Tristan, but that adds a whole season’s worth of episodes that the show just could not absorb. The show was forced to choose early to focus on the Starks and the Lannisters, with Dany as a third party, and they never were able to sway from that.

If I were starting over from scratch, I would have to have a long talk with GRRM and figure out what his point is, and work backward from there. I don’t get the sense D & D worked backward from anything but the Red Wedding.

(To be honest, if I were writing the show, I’d do everything the same up to season 6, at which point I’d separate Jaime and Cersei, and make it all about setting up the War of the Five Queens in s6, then we deal with the threat of the White Walkers as a serious, full-season arc for season 7, and then spend season 8 paying off the Queens War and ending with whatever thematic ending it is GRRM is going toward (humans are the ultimate monsters! Women make it work! Women fuck it up just as badly as the men did! Democracy for everyone! Peace is tentative and must be fought for in a tense standoff that all of these older, weary women now understand! Which is what I would have chosen. heh.)

As for the other way, what do I think GRRM should learn from the show. I mean I love the tent scene and would love to see something like that adapted somehow to the books (when Jaime comes to Winterfell to fight, would be my personal suggested placement; imagine the drama and romance!). I think GRRM could also stand to learn from streamlining to key characters and plots, which is what I hope he’s doing in TWOW. But where we’re at in the story in the books is so different from where the show went that I think it’s hard to make any specific suggestions. Mostly I just really want him to look at the story he’s telling and understand it, and recognize that it may have changed certain endings he may have considered previously before his story unfolded itself and he realizes that Jaime and Brienne living on Tarth can be the sweet part of the bittersweet. Ahem.

[unpopularly-opinionated]

Went and saw Black Widow today and it was pretty good. No spoilers since I’m on mobile and can’t hide them.

For an MCU film, it was strangely dark which I suspect is largely the reason they took so long to actually do a Black Widow movie. Her backstory has a lot more darker themes including lots of murder, brainwashing, forced-sterilization, etc. which are usually darker than what are usually pretty kid-friendly movies tend to show.

Again, without spoiling anything, I am starting to notice a trend forming within the MCU which is a bit disconcerting if true, but it seems like they’re really trying to avoid fans guessing the plots to their shit, so they throw out misleading signals and then reveal (usually dissatisfying) plot twists. It happened with WandaVision, it happened with Black Widow, and I’m somewhat certain at this point that it’ll happen with Loki too when we see the season finale next week. It’s just frustrating because obviously I understand that in some cases it’s purely the fans fault for over-speculating, but on the other hand they are the ones who set themselves up for this speculation and it’s not always unwarranted speculation either.

This isn’t to say this movie is bad by the way, it’s really not. It’s nothing spectacular, sure, but it’s definitely far from the worst MCU movie IMO. I’d also say it’s a pretty good send off for Black Widow as a character, and let me just say, it does girl power movie WAY better than Captain Marvel ever did. The secret to girl power is don’t go into it thinking girl power, just have your girl characters be the natural bad asses they’re usually written to be and let the movie speak for itself.

Another tidbit I’ve noticed that I thought was both interesting and also sort of about time is that it seems like they’re finally owning up to the fact that this is a connected universe and you’re expected to do at least a little homework coming into the movie. W/o spoiling things, the end credits scene doesn’t make much sense unless you’ve seen Falcon & Winter Soldier and Endgame. It’s not like too too important, but the intention will be lost on you w/o the context. It always seemed like they’ve gone to great lengths to make subtle remarks to the other movies, but still explain everything that goes on in that movie as if you’d never seen the other movies which I know some people like but since I’ve seen all the shit I’m just like don’t waste runtime explaining things I already know, ya know?

Anyways, I’d say a solid 7-8/10. Not bad, though really not worth having delayed it 1.5/2+ years to force me to see it in theaters. The SFX ain’t movie theater great, if you know what I mean.

[thequibblah]

⭐ honestly there are so many things that I'd likevto ask which is why I want to ask a broaderish question.. How do you approach the characterisation of your "Main cast"? I think you have created some really great complex characters even though they do not exist in canon or even fanon (Germaine in example)

I hope this isn't too broad lol

no, i don't think it's too broad! just let me know if my answer doesn't actually touch on what you were wondering about haha

character creation for me tends to be spontaneous rather than conscious — i.e. i'm just writing my way through a scene and i'm like anyway, these people are new and they're friends or they're dating or they hate each other, and there's rarely a ton of forethought put into it. the vast majority of the ct cast was like that, i would say, except possibly michael, who was the first love interest i invented so there was a little more intention there

(but other than him i was really pulling things out of nowhere for the rest of the students especially — including with emmeline which sometimes surprises me)

the exception is, of course, the main cast. they and sara were very intentional, and i wrote little bio thingies for them before i started even outlining the fic. i mean the non-canon main cast, of course, lol — mary, dorcas (they're both canon but i've invented virtually everything about them, so), and germaine.

i did actually do a lot of hemming and hawing about how many girls there would be in lily's year in gryffindor. as discussed in a previous "my beef with j/k/r" instalment on this blog, the numbers of the hogwarts population really don't make sense at all, so i knew i could be flexible and kind of hand wave any questionable bits away. but the composition of the gryffindor girls was crucial in deciding lily's characterisation, imo — an easy way to convey implied characterisation is to show someone in contrast to the people around them. so: who is lily within the context of her friend group? is she friends with all the girls she rooms with?

separately, i've always liked writing friends in groups of four. in the planning stage of this i was like urghhh it's four girls, the four marauders, is that like too perfect....... and one thing i HATED was that people could then map on each marauder to each girl (lily = james is a bit questionable, though i firmly believe they're much more alike than they seem, but it kind of works.... mary = sirius, dorcas = remus, germaine = peter). and i didn't, and don't, want to make it seem like i've just made vaguely distinct female versions of each marauder!

i've made my peace with that risk, of course, and i think each of the girls is significantly different from "their marauder" (LOL) that it's actually fine — and, better still, if that thought occurs to anyone i hope that their characterisations will go on to provide interesting nuance to the parallels

but, anyway, tangent aside, i love groups of four because i think basically all my life i've had groups-of-four friendships. to absolutely go to bat for us foursomes, it's nice because no single person is the obvious odd one out, and each combination in pairs brings something different to the table — the role that doe plays in the group of four at large, for instance, isn't exactly the same as who she is in her individual friendship with mary, lily, or germaine.

the three main cast members came of some very clinical answers to those initial questions about lily.

one, i have always liked having mary be one of lily's friends, and in my characterisation of her she's obviously a great foil to lily, as a fellow muggle-born student. so, she was a lock.

two, i wanted to write one other canon order character, but i didn't want it to be marlene because in my reading of her canon mention, lily is unlikely to write a letter to sirius with her full name (paraphrasing but "i was so upset when marlene mckinnon died, i cried for ages") or, indeed, write a letter discussing how sad marlene's death made her, if they were besties and schoolmates. i went with dorcas because why the hell not? in developing her i then added all these thoughts

three, i felt the need to make up an oc so i could have absolute freedom over their fate. i had certain preconceived notions about mary and dorcas and what their stories would be, so there were other things (e.g. playing quidditch) that i wanted to have a friend of lily's do that they couldn't. plus, i wanted to write a massive lesbian.

another little sticking point, though, was that i (for a very SHRUG?? reason) didn't want lily to be besties with everyone she's lived with, but i didn't want to insert a catty rival into her dorm either. (now, don't get me wrong, i do love a good rival. i did, after all, write mary and amelia, and i am a known appreciator of carlotta meloni, and i adore TLE's marlene mckinnon. but i wanted the gryffindor girls to be like lily's safe space — a contrast both to her home life and to her recently-strained friendship with snape, where she's spent some time having to second-guess herself a lot. in my mind her friendships with all three of her besties coalesced at various points organically, until she was like wow wait i do actually have a home base here.)

the compromise was someone who was friendly with lily, but there's no strain on that friendship to be more than it is — which, sara and lily respect each other but have also learned they're not so alike that they need to hang out all the time. sara, to lily, is the girl you do things with because you're schoolmates, and then once you're out of school you amicably drift apart and occasionally leave a nice comment on their instagram

so that was how the gryffindors coalesced in my mind as placeholder figures. i will fully confess i start with tropes and then work out ways to deconstruct them or complicate them — as i've talked about in multiple of these questions, i think a lot of my characters are caught between sticking to their perceived label and acting the way they want to, aka the ripest high school drama fodder known to humankind

Wearing a fake smile and watching her sister’s sickening love life had put things in perspective a little. Why should she always do what was expected of her?

(we construct ourselves in contrast to those around us....)

mary started off as boy-crazy, doe started off as idealistic, and germaine started off as struggling to find her place. then i built up from those foundations, adding in tropey bits i enjoyed and wanted to engage with — i wanted doe to be passionately principled, but the gentler counterpart to mary, and even-tempered where lily runs hot. i wanted germaine to be a little bit thoughtless, changeable, someone utterly herself but still uncomfortable in her own skin. knowing, then, that the other two were going to be, how shall i put it, gentler hearts (LOL), i went back to mary and decided she would have this tough-girl, queen-bee persona.

then doe got her family background, which added in her ambitions and hinted at her future, and made it so her foundation would be threatened by events of the story. obviously i was writing mary in the aftermath of the mulciber/avery incident, so i needed to ask how much her take-no-shit vibe was threatened by it — and if not, why? how? unsurprisingly, even to people like amelia...

“At least I’m not overflowing with insecurity,” said Amelia. Mary laughed. The sound echoed through the courtyard. “We both know that’s not true.”

...the persona is put-on, but the "real mary" is so caught up in the invented mary that even she couldn't hope to uncover an authentic self...nor would she necessarily want to, because her affected self is still her...

wait don't get me started

germaine was already a quidditch player, and i wanted her to be a seeker because that's automatic investment in perhaps the single player with the most impact on the game — crucial for what i knew would be many, many quidditch sequences, where james wasn't always the most important pov! some of that seekery vibe leeched into who she is: she's searching, right from the start, for a sense of self that feels just out of reach:

“This year is going to be a year of change,” Germaine said [...] “Henceforth I will be going by... Gemma.” The girls looked at one another for a beat. Then Lily, Doe, and Mary burst into laughter.

she's more anxious and outwardly uncertain than her friends, and i wanted to consciously engage with that — proper teenage awkwardness, the kind that wouldn't really happen to Main Character lily, I Have No Sense of Shame mary, and I Am Overflowing with Good Sense doe. more than the other three, germaine is a normal person in the context of this world — she's not a muggleborn, so the war has a different impact on her; she's not the child of activists; she's not well-off. an absolutely spontaneous invention that i was really quite thrilled by was having her sister be crouch's secretary, because it's such a sudden, shocking realisation for her that she's got such a close connection in the thick of it

Germaine clapped a hand over her mouth. “Big news soon,” she mumbled. “Big news soon, that’s what Abigail said, only she didn’t say what big news…”

so germaine is really just... living her life, an indie coming of age film in which her friends' subplot is a fucking war LOL

i defined germaine in contrast to the other girls a lot when drawing out the characters for myself, mostly for a practical reason — i didn't want her to overlap too strongly with any of them, since she's the only one who's wholly my invention. i think some of that remains in her characterisation, but i decided to make it conscious instead:

Germaine saw herself as a happy medium, flexible enough to stretch sympathetically between her friends. But— What does it mean that I define myself in comparison to them? Nothing. She was only seventeen and she was finding her way.

i knew germaine was going to get the chaotic sporty romance pretty much right off the bat, but, fun fact, i hadn't actually picked out who her love interest would be until after i started spitballing other sixth years' names and had a basic idea of who emmeline was. wild!

i feel like i haven't said all i want to say but let's stop there or i'd go on forever, ha!

[professorchaos]

IF UR STILL DOING THE CHARACTER ASK MEME. pippey wippey :3

Why I like them

he's very sweet and i LOVE his design. his voice is cute. he has a lot of wasted potential, imo, and it's always really cool to see what fans do with that. he reminds me of the very early days of the show, and thus makes me feel very nostalgic!

Why I don’t

i don't find his character particularly funny - the recurring gags with him (slapstick violence, relentless bullying and a british accent) got old extremely fast.

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

probably damien! i also have a massive MASSIVE soft spot for two guys naked in a hot tub.

Favorite season/movie

maybe season 3? i don't remember it that well but i know that he's in that one and that i like it better than 1 + 2. i kinda like season 4 as well but i don't remember pip being all that prominent, aside from in pip (though i may be wrong here! i don't rewatch those early seasons all that often).

Favorite line

"i'm the head whicker nicker, and you are all little whickershams. we all sing 'the merry tune of stratford' until i say 'terah!' and then you all fall down laughing, and i join you, as i find it funny too." (excuse me?)

Favorite outfit

his metrosexual look was so cool!

OTP

i don't really have one! fan content of dip is very cute and i often find myself absolutely adoring it, but in canon it didn't speak to me all that much. i can really see why people love it so much though, there's a lot to be explored there and their designs look great together.

Brotp

i forgot to put this in butters' one but i have so... so many thoughts n feelings about pip, dougie and butters as a little trio. some of the "foreign kids" fan content is really fun too! fanon estella i care you

Head Canon

because he's such a strange and lonely child, as well as because of how he attempted to befriend damien, i feel like he's the type to get really engrossed in mythology and folklore and try and talk to ghosts and fairies... from a classical literary standpoint i think that there's something very satisfying about a ghost-loving kid who ends up slowly disappearing and then dying. it's like an old ghost story. whisked away by the fairies or stomped on by mecha barbra streisand... what's the difference, really?

Unpopular opinion

to me, because of how it was framed, his backstory as outlined in pip is not necessarily canon. i find it more interesting in many ways to imagine that he might just be a really weird and lonely kid with a sad home life who decided to tell the class the story of great expectations as though it were lived experience. because of this, i don't tend to consider joe, estella and pocket (etc) characters within the south park universe as many do (though of course, they could be representing other people or concepts in his life)!

A wish

some kind of nod to him in current lore would be AMAZING! iirc there was cut content in one of the games that included pip's skull - i sincerely hope for another game in the future where this concept is revised and brought in. i'd also love to see some phone destroyer cards for him! perhaps it'd be weird to have a dead character, but there are undead characters like satan and unreal characters like the woodland critters, so it's not totally off the table. the ideal in my eyes would be for him to get a supervillain persona, but even just a reference to him would be really awesome!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

he already died so it's hard to think of anything HAHAHA

5 words to best describe them

cheeky nandos bit sad innit

My nickname for them

pippy, pippy wippy, pippywise

[imbellarosa]

Hiii! I was wondering if you read fanfic?? And if so, what are your fav tropes/works??

Hi!!!! I read A LOT of fic from A LOT of fandoms! My fav tropes are either flat comedy or enemies to friends to lovers or friends to lovers or something like that! I only read happy endings, but I don’t mind some angst in the middle. Idk what fandom you’re looking for so I’m gonna give you a list of some of my all time favs from EVERY fandom, and I’ll add one that I’ve written!

Walk That Mile by purpledaisy- 150k words 1D enemies to friends to lovers road trip AU across the US for a fun, banter-y time with some real communication issues that really get resolved well. People always say that a rom com should have a good answer for “why can’t they be together NOW?” And this one does it really well! No real angst, and a lot of fun. 

Have Love, Will Travel by @kingsofeverything - 97k words 1D YouTubers on a roadtrip AU! If you liked the first one on this list, you’re gonna love this one too! Sweet and long and full of the memories you would make on a road trip. Lots of laughs with this one, and I wish I could see the “Have Road, Will Travel” video series irl! 

Tell Me Now, Tell Me Now by @vanillabeanniall - 55k words 1D Miraculous Ladybug AU but you don’t need to watch the show to ADORE it - I know that I sure do!! Funny and sweet and SUPER ironic, with superheroes and Paris mixed in and great characters! Who wouldn’t love it?

So Let’s Cross the Lines We’ve Lost by thecoloursneverfade - 165k words 1D friends to enemies to friends to lovers uni AU that was one of the first that I read in the fandom and really made me fall in love! Good friends, some angst, hard convos that lead to real growth, and lots of really great characters. This feels real, for a lack of a better word, and is always compelling. 

Ain’t That A Kick in the Head by keysmashlesbian, wreckingtomlinson (karasunonolibero) - 23k words 1D comedy AU ft. football player!Louis, Disaster gay!Harry, memes, frogs, head dives, Blue Coolattas (whatever those are), and a very sassy Red Robin waitress named Fiona. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read it, and I always laugh, and I always find something new to fall in love with. 

Leave it To the Breeze by @hattalove - 82k words 1D GBBO AU. This one feels like a warm hug. It’s gentle, fun, has great characters, believable angst, has you rooting for more than one of the characters to win, and is also hilarious, somehow. I’ve read this fic over and over and over, and I especially do it when I have time before a new season of GBBO. Also, have snacks!! It makes me hungry

The Section by bananaheathen - 11k words 1D Uni AU with grad student TAs, sophomore undergrads, art classes, movie analysis, and final essays as methods of seduction. Also, nicknames, nude models, a Halloween party, and absolutely shameless flirting. I loved it, and laughed the whole way through. 

I’ve Heard it Both Ways by @adoredontour - 26k words 1D Psych AU. I love this one. I love the fic, I love psych, I love the author. I’ve read most of her works, but this one has such a special place in my heart. Go read it!! 

Play it All Night Long by janine_tangerine - 43k words SPN radio AU with DJ!Dean and bartender!Cas, with music, annoying coworkers, sassy siblings, and lots of love. WHOAH WHATS THIS A LIVEJOURNAL FIC??? I know but I read this ages ago, and it has music EMBEDDED WITHIN THE FIC! It was my first introduction to Bob Dylan, who remains one of my favorite artists of all time. 

Crossroads State by Mercy - 51k words SPN slice of life AU with Mechanic!Dean, Teacher!Cas, Law Student!Sam, and lovely lovely moments. All sweet, some tension, but no real angst. I read this forever ago, and still come back and back and back to it. 

Peace and Good Luck to All Men by KismetJeska - 31k words SPN College Au. DO YOU MEAN THE BEST CHRISTMAS FIC EVER OF ALL TIME??? I read this on the first day of December every year, and it makes me laugh every time. Cas falls in love with his sister’s boyfriend, Gabe and Luke are in a seduction competition, Michael is tired of everyone, and Dean doesn’t know what hit him. 

For All You Young Hockey Players, Pay Attention by @thursdaysfallenangel - 144k words SPN enemies to lovers hockey AU. Just. Please go read this. Gorgeous and still one of the best fics in the whole fandom, imo. Cas is the new transfer on Dean’s team, and Dean doesn’t like change. 

The Complete Works of Emmanuel Allen by @violue - 54k words SPN small town AU ft. writer!Cas and local business owner!Dean. Dean meets his favorite author, but does not know it’s him. Shenanigans ensue, with a lovely warm feel. Dean builds a mausoleum and owns cats and lives in the woods. Cas needs a change of scene. Sam thinks everyone needs some more company. 

The Mirror by cloudyjenn - 25k words SPN parallel universe AU. This was one of the first fics I ever read, and I still love it. Dean touches an enchanted mirror and travels through universes in search of an answer to a question he hasn’t asked. Full of love, family, and companionship. 

Asunder by rageprufrock - 24k words SPN AU with Social worker!Dean, Doctor!Cas, Sober!Sam, and RUBY!!! Ugh I love this fic for Ruby alone. This one is more bittersweet. Dean hasn’t spoken to Sam in years due to his struggles with addiction. Sam, now sober, is getting married, and has invited him. Dean can’t face his family alone. 

But It’s a Good Refrain by lady_ragnell - 23k words Merlin Radio AU! Merlin has an anonymous gossip radio show, and someone calls in to put Arthur on blast! Morgana is a fan, Arthur is not amused, and a sort of enemies to lovers thing occurs. Just lovely, and it makes me laugh every time. 

And Like the Cycle of the Year, We Begin Again by @katherynefromphilly - 208k words Merlin canon compliant. This is the Season 6 we should have had. If you’re at all into this fandom, go read it - it’s still an all time fav for me. Hundreds of years later, Arthur walks out of the lake. Merlin has been waiting. 

Give The Dragon a Chili by @supercalvin - 47k words Merlin magical AU based on the story in New Zealand of the cat stealing someone’s underwear. Merlin’s dragon is sort of a thief. 

Fundamental Imperfection by Starlingthefool - 12k words Merlin famous author AU. Arthur likes Dickens. Merlin does not. They get into it on a panel, and twitter stan wars ensue. And enemies to friends to lovers where literary arguments are an expression of love, and stories are magical. 

The Student Prince by FayJay - 145k words Merlin Uni AU. What a classic!! It’s a magical realism royal enemies to friends to lovers AU ft. a dragon in the walls, a lovely gay soc, Gwen as a Muggle, and some really great characters and moments. Do yourself a favor and go read this one. 

Call it Love by @dalek-in-heels - 30k words Merlin RPF. UGH THIS ONE!!! Okay 1.) the author is one of my best friends, and she’s amazing! 2.) lovely fic that takes place at the end of Merlin, and still has one of my all-time favorite misunderstandings in fic ever. “Yogurty Heart” is my favorite way to say I love you. 

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by @watsonshoneybee - 35k words Sherlock AU canon compliant through season 3. This one is sad, but the title is taken off of one of my favorite books, and the writing is gorgeous - as is the characterization. Happy ending, though! I promise! So the journey is all worth it! 

In All of the Lives We Are by @dalek-in-heels - 20k words The Magicians canon compliant through the first half of season 3. Sarah does it again and writes one of the best fics I’ve ever read. Art as therapy, a sweet love story in more than one universe, and finding the will to keep going through the worst days. The writers of the actual show should have read this fic and put it on the screen. This is my canon. 

A Happy Ending? Sure Enough by me (imbellarosa) - 8k words The Magicians canon compliant up to season 4. This is the only one of mine I’m putting on the list, because I still really like this one! You need some context, but not much? Idk, just if you want to see how *I* write!