#i always think it's fun to explore darker themes and topics

[pilindiel]

cw: mention of harassment

just snooped around on ur twitter, yes it was this tweet!! https://x.com/pilindiel/status/1079057844731826177 (I KNOW IT LOOKS WEIRD BECAUSE IT WAS FROM AGES AGO I PROMISE I WASN'T STALKING YOUR TWITTER 😭😭)

seriously if akito had a thing for kaoru it'd probably explain about 25% of why he's so bitter towards kyoya. not only is kyoya able to be out of the closet with minimal issue he has a very pretty boyfriend. one that akito does NOT think about often and will be contacting his legal team if you imply otherwise.

tho thinking about this headcanon too deep makes me sad.. i'm not sure if it would apply to upper class social circles like kyoya's, but as an asian person, with the kind of family culture we have here in these situations unfortunately (realistically) there's a big chance of this leading to s/exual harassment :( idk if kaoru being a guy would change that, but for women it's sadly not uncommon

sorry i think that was prob too dark of an analysis for a random headcanon 😭 still love the posts about it in general, i wish kyoya's family was explored more!

Ohhh anon you are speaking my LANGUAGE. (Also props to you for finding that omg) It was something @rhetoricfemme and I were talking about ages ago:

I love the "Akito is infatuated with Kaoru" headcanon because it can go in a really funny way but also in a really dark way, including the way you described and worse (like ki/dnapping? The possibilities of dark fiction are endless...)

Would Akito get creepy about him? I would say, only if he thought he could get away with it. With him being closeted, I also think he would spend more time insulting Kaoru in any way he can think to do so, whether that's to his face, to Kyoya, or to Yoshio. There's plenty of ways that kind of insecurity and internalized homophobia could manifest!

Either way, the flavor is immaculate and I am glad I am not the only one who thinks so!!

[tallulah477]

❀ About Me | Asks: Open | Requests: Closed | My AO3 ❀

Kaltxì, yawne! Oel ngati kameie 🧡 Welcome to my blog!

My name is Talie, but you can call me Tal. This blog contains works that are NSFW / 18+ and are meant for adult viewing only. Please do not interact if you are a minor. My works nearly always contain sexual elements or explicit smut, and might also explore darker themes (non-con, dub-con, stepcest, etc.) so please make sure to read ALL warnings listed at the beginning of each work.

This is a no judgement zone! Bullying will not be tolerated. Let's all remember that fiction is fiction, including all the events that happen to the characters and the characters themselves. Reading and writing is a way to dive into your fantasies and experience them in a safe and contained way. You are the only one who knows your limitations, so consume dark or inappropriate content at your own risk - but do not judge or hate on others for enjoying things that you don't and remember: okay in fiction does not equal okay in real life.

If you are under the age of 18 or smut / darker content might not be your thing, this is not the space for you. However, if all of this sounds exciting to you, then welcome! I hope you find something you enjoy!

Have fun! <3

✩ Comment here to be added to my main taglist :)

Collections

Luna's Kinktober 2023

Kinkmas 2023

Colors of Pandora 2024

Works

Too Much

Neteyam licks your pussy while you lick his kuru.

Prove To You (DARK)

It was only ever supposed to be a hookup, something fun to pass the time. But to Neteyam, it was so much more than that. He's in love with you, obsessed with you - his perfect little mate. But he doesn't know why you keep running away.

Feral (DARK)

You never understood why the Na'vi don't use this particular plant in their healing practices. It's a miracle plant for the humans - cutting healing times nearly in half when used as a topical paste. You would think it would have some similar benefits to the Na'vi. You would be wrong.

Playing Dirty (DARK)

Neteyam is supposed to be yours. Your mate. So who the hell does he think he is running around with someone else? You need to do something. In this game, you'll be the victor - not her. Even if that means you have to play a little dirty.

Drabbles:

Forbidden Late Night Rendezvous

(Coming Soon)

Soft Touches ⭒˚.⭒. 1K Follower Special .⭒.˚⭒

You enjoy a nice lazy morning with your mate after a long night of celebration.

Drabbles:

Spider Headcanons

Reader reuniting with her mate after he is rescued from the RDA

Reader likes to fuck Spider in her head

(Coming Soon)

Royalty AU (credit 🤍 Anon)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Extras: One | Two

Drabbles:

Na’vi gets affected by the Blood Moon

©tallulah477 2024 | Do not copy, translate, or repost any of my works to another site without my consent.

Last Updated: 9 November 2024

[jaynesilver]

Hiiii!

So, you're one of my favorite Kylux authors, y'know, your stories are SO GOOD!

It made me wonder what are your favorite Kylux tropes to write and to read and are there any differences between the two categories?

Thank you so much! I am so flattered, haha. I'm still always surprised when someone likes my work this much - it is such a lovely thing to hear. You really made my day! I adore so many Kylux tropes. They're so versatile. Among my favorites...Let's see!

Starting with touch-starved. They're both so isolated, and covered head-to-toe (quite literally, in Kylo's case), and you can't tell me that they're not dying for a hug. Has Hux ever been hugged at all? Hux's life has been so isolating that I'm not sure he'd even be aware of how touch-starved he is; Kylo, I think, has received enough affection in the past to be painfully aware of how badly he wants affection now. Touch-starved leads us into virgins / first time. The vulnerability of it is compelling, and I'm a sucker for when they let down their walls to let someone in. Delicious! Third up is power dynamics! The variable power dynamic between the two of them is part of what I feel makes Kylux such a compelling ship. I can see a strong arguments for either of them being the "dominant" or "submissive" partner, and exploring how that would pan out is so fun. Kylo has more literal power, in terms of physical strength and the Force; Hux has more theoretical power, in terms of control of the Order and himself. The variations in how you interpret that can lead to so many different outcomes - as in Negative Pressure, where they learn how those dynamics can be cooperative, or in Thrall, where Hux learns to abuse Kylo's power for his own amusement. Omegaverse! Omegaverse is already fun, and mixing it with the existing power dynamics / personality issues of Kylux is even more fun. Who's the Alpha? Who's the Omega? How do they feel about it? What a delightful sandbox to play in, I tell you. And I read tons of tropes - these tropes, and beyond! I have written what I would consider to be darker topics (Lethe gets pretty dark, as does Dead Memories), and there's angst in many of my fics, but I read more dark-themed Kylux than I write. What can I say? I'm a sucker for villains finding love. I almost always give them a happy ending (cough sorry, Restless Ghosts). On the other hand, I don't often write pure fluff, simply because I am, quite frankly, bad at it, haha. The two have too many issues to work out! They have to earn it! But fluff after some angst? That, I'll do.

Thank you for the wonderful ask! I really had fun thinking about this!

[frans-hourly]

Welcome to my blog!

Current artist searches:

Hi! Mod V here, short for Void! I'm just a friendly traveler through the void, exploring all there is to see, and sharing my thoughts and what I think is interesting.

Some of you may know who I am, likely from my initial post announcing this blog, but while I'm here I shall refer to myself as simply Void or Mod V, and I ask you do the same, though you may pick whichever you prefer. For reasons (mainly because I think this theming is fun), I'll ask that you not refer to my main blog here.

As you can probably tell from the name and theming, this is a blog about Frisk x Sans! All are free to follow and interact, but do be warned that this blog will not strain to avoid darker topics should they come up. I will attempt to tag them, though, for all your blacklisting needs.

Asks are always open! Feel free to interact and share your thoughts, and I'll make sure to do the same! Any prompts I share here are totally open for your use, though it'd be nice if you gave some credit.

Posts will be queued to ensure an at least near hourly stream of posts, though I will try to keep newer frans posts at the top of the queue. Of course, this limit does not apply to asks, and the like.

If you find any frans posts from deactivated being reblogged, be sure to mention me so I can reblog it here too! keep a special eye out for artists mentioned above!

[iamnotawomanimagod]

What did you think of Gag Order?

Oh god, I love it.

And, as per usual, when I love something, I write a damn essay about it. The shortest version: this is going to be my album of the year. I think it's Kesha's masterpiece.

It's definitely Kesha's most mature and vulnerable album yet. It reminds me a lot of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey, in that they both deal with a lot of reflection, confronting their self-loathing, finding faith. But while I think IICHLIWP is ultimately Halsey's story about finding faith in love and in themself, Gag Order is about Kesha seeking answers and surrendering to something else.

It's powerful, nameless - and hard to resist wanting to follow her when she cries out for it. Some might call it "god," but I think that, while she does name-drop some religious figures, she's not really talking about any specific religion or belief system.

But I also think this album is about Kesha struggling with the darker parts of herself. Rainbow and High Road were so much about finding peace and acceptance, forgiveness and redemption. Even when she explored darker topics or her trauma, it was couched in this (probably necessary) optimism and positivity that acted as a wall between the painful truth and our perception of her. Maybe even her perception of herself.

I don't think she was willing or ready, for whatever reason, to fully leave the "Tik Tok"/"Die Young"/"Blow" party-queen of the early 2010s behind. Both Rainbow and High Road have had multiple party anthems on them, even if they were more grown up and less focused on youthful recklessness than the songs on Animal and Cannibal.

But the closest thing Gag Order has to a party/dance anthem, the kind Kesha is most known for, is "Only Love Can Save Us Now." And while it starts with a really aggressive, thumping (fun!) beat and the verses feature that iconic Kesha kinda-rap (her words, not mine,) the chorus bursts out in this incredible, gospel-esque belting chant of Kesha begging god to save her. And the music shifts from a dance/club beat to an acoustic guitar and a gospel choir arrangement.

It's so powerful, and while I go nuts to it, it definitely is a far-cry from songs like "Die Young" and "Blah Blah Blah," or even "Woman" and "Tonight."

It's not a song about partying. It's a song about surrender.

The same themes are echoed in songs like "Eat the Acid" and "Something to Believe In." Kesha was reckoning with some dark shit, and she found herself seeking something more. I don't know if she always liked what she found, or enjoyed the process.

As a result, it's also definitely Kesha's saddest album. She's had one or two sad songs on every album ("The Harold Song," "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes," "Resentment," "Father Daughter Dance," etc) but this record has at least four, depending on how you interpret them.

"Too Far Gone," "The Drama," "Living in My Head," "Fine Line," and "All I Need Is You" are all pretty sad, definitely more slow-tempo and ballad-y. And "The Drama" is the only one that ends with any sort of tongue-in-cheek humor.

That protective armor, the silly party-queen persona, is almost non-existent on this album. And as a result, this is Kesha's best work yet.

And I love party-queen Kesha, don't get me wrong!! I've loved Kesha since the beginning, I never had a moment where I didn't. I talk a lot about Halsey being the artist that changed pop music for me, but Kesha came before. There's no world where I listen to Halsey without Kesha. (God, y'all, I think I'm realizing how much she means to me writing this, lmao.)

The hopeful songs are definitely there, like "Hate Me Harder," "Happy," and "Peace and Quiet." But even those have a melancholy to them.

Sonically it's also really different. Not just the instrumentation, although that's a big part of it. It's more trance-y, industrial, kind of psychedelic, and the vocals involve more chanting and repetition. She's also using her voice in a really cool way, often more like an instrument than just a way to convey the lyrics.

The vocalizations in "Peace & Quiet" and "Living in My Head" are really novel, and I've never really heard her sing like that before. She started out singing as a yodeler, and I think people always underestimate her voice. It's stronger and more interesting than ever on this record.

I also really liked how she used the repetition of "you don't wanna be changed like it changed me" as a rhythm element in "Eat the Acid."

This album is definitely a departure from anything she's ever done, and I think it's going to have a mixed reception as a result. "Only Love Can Save Us Now," the closest thing to a party song, is already quickly becoming the most popular one on the album. A lot of them haven't even cracked 1mill plays on Spotify yet. (I'll get them there by myself dammit.)

But, if you ask me, it's a no-skip album. I think Kesha's first.

This is so long, and although I could absolutely keep going, I'll stop now. But I'll go deeper into my album ranking/what I think of each song if anyone asks, haha.

But yeah. Go listen to Gag Order. Unless you don't wanna be changed like it changed me.

[supernovadragoncat]

I wanted to ask you about this since I find you to be one of the more understanding people in this fandom... I'm not writer but I can't help but feel these pointed comments about dark fics (BTW: not talking about Littlefeather's posts; 100% think she's right and fully support her decision) can discourage and alienate writers and readers who do enjoy reading fucked up dynamics and themes. I don't want to enter a fandom that is already made out to be some 'freak fandom' by the larger ASOIAF fandom only to find people lowkey judging others for enjoying darker aspects of an admittedly fucked up canon ship, you get me? I feel like there's SOME policing going on and I just don't see the need to look down on people for enjoying these fics if they are properly tagged or make these little comments about how we somehow we don't truly get the dynamics. Sometimes I want to read about Sandor being a creepy stalker and sometimes I want to read about Sandor having a secret affair with his Queen lol. Why limit the pool? Am I being sensitive?

Hi Sweet Nonny!

First of all, you’re not being sensitive at all. There will always be a place for you and everyone in this fandom. I don’t mean that in a kumbaya way. I mean that in the sense that fandom and shipping should be a fun and enjoyable experience. It shouldn’t be mired in negative feelings. Not for you, not me, not for people who like drastically different things. No one.

Your preferences and triggers, the things that make you squeal with delight and the things that make you “nope” out immediately—they are all valid. Everyone deserves to feel included and safe to explore this ship however they like. That doesn’t mean, of course, we all align, but just that there’s a spirit of respect and understanding extended to others, whether or not they enjoy the same flavors of the ship.

I'll put the rest under the cut since I've apparently written you a novella, but I want to say that I value you in fandom, whoever you are, and thank you for coming to me with this ask! ❤️

The topic of dark content versus light content is one where I do honestly see both sides of the discussion. This is also a complicated discussion because it’s not just a matter of preferences, but very often there needs to be parallel discussions about triggering content as well as kink shaming. That’s where it can get unwieldy—trying balance these facets in a fair and reasoned way.

When discussions of fandom trends come up, it can create a sense that parts of fandom are being ostracized. I empathize with that feeling and I have felt it when these topics are raised. When you’re on the receiving end of “why is this trend/thing happening in fandom?”, it can feel like your preferences are being policed or that you’ve been voted off the island, so to speak.

In 2013/14, there was the great Sandor woobification debate where the fandom tendency to show the softer side of Sandor was hotly debated. After Game of Thrones brought in a lot of new fans in 2011 and 2012, there was the show!sansan vs. book!sansan debate. There were many debates about “how sexy is too sexy?” re: Sandor headcanons (there was bearded insta-thotty Sandor; then that time when several of us fell down a WWE rabbit hole). The rise of Modern AUs. The debates about dark fic and kinks.

All of these were discussions where people undoubtedly--myself included in more than a few--felt like they were not shipping “correctly.” Of course, that’s silly. It’s a ship. You can do whatever you want as long as you’re kind and you tag things properly, which most people are and do. And yet, the best of intentions can still go awry.

In these discussions, sometimes the topic becomes a monolith where, for example, something like Dark Fic™️ encompasses not just the content itself but the writers, readers, and artists who exist in that part of fandom. I think most of the time this isn’t intentional but is where the discussion can become hurtful. This is why Littlefeather’s post was so bang on—it tactfully decoupled the creator/consumers from the content itself, such that there were no value judgements being passed.

If I can offer a perspective from the flip side, imagine you’re scrolling the sansan tag on AO3 and you see an influx of sansan fics that are tooth-rotting fluff or domestic bliss sansan. If this isn’t your jam, it’s perhaps, at worst, annoying or eyeroll-inducing. However, imagine you’re scrolling the sansan AO3 tag and you see an influx of darker fics, especially fics that deal with a topic that is triggering to you. Even if you don’t click on the fic, it very well could still elicit a feeling that the ship isn't a safe space anymore or a general sense of unease.

My point here is that this topic is more complicated than just “don’t like, scroll on” or “dead dove, don’t eat.” Triggers are deeply personal and many times don’t manifest in ways that make sense or are predictable. This is why I personally espouse the mantra of “better to tag liberally than not enough, spoilers be damned” for dark fic.

“…Only to find people lowkey judging others for enjoying darker aspects of an admittedly fucked up canon ship, you get me?”

I get you completely and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head of what the divergences really boil down to.

First of all, no one—I don’t care how long they’ve shipped sansan—gets to lay claim to understanding the dynamic better than anyone else. Only GRRM gets to say that and, 10+ years from the last ASOIAF book, I’m not even sure he gets to say that anymore.

Everyone is drawn to this ship for their own reasons. For some, the darker aspects drew them in—a deeply traumatized man and a girl whose dreams were ground to dust. For others, the canon dynamics are fascinating from a psychological perspective. For some, it’s the BaTB dynamic. For others, it’s envisioning a happier, kinder future for two characters who’ve suffered so much.

There are many sansan shipers who are or were victims of abuse, domestic violence, and/or sexual assault and something about the ship is their way of working through the trauma. Someone once said that they were drawn to the ship because Sandor was the type of protector they wish they’d had when they were being abused. As the saying goes, you never know what battle someone is fighting or has just survived but is still healing from. Fandom may very well be their port in the storm.

However you ended up here, it’s valid. There isn’t a VIP entrance to this ship. We all get here how we get here, and it doesn’t really matter other than it’s cool that this ship means different things to different people. That should be cause for celebration, not division.

When there are people who come to this ship to escape dark things that’ve happened in their life or just to enjoy the love and romance, it’s probably hard to understand why some of us like and want to explore the darker, angstier side of the ship.

When you like and are attracted to the ship because of the complicated, fucked up aspects (I think we can all acknowledge the fucked-up parts of canon sansan), it can feel a bit disingenuous when others are baffled that this ship attracts people who appreciate the darker side.

Whichever side of the ship you like, you don’t need to explain yourself. You don’t need to justify to anyone why you enjoy what you enjoy. This is especially true of the darker side, which can be subjected to kink shaming. If you like creepy stalker Sandor, you never need to explain why you do and why that's valid. If you write creepy stalker Sandor fic, you don’t need to justify yourself to earn your place in fandom. If someone doesn’t like it, there are 4,000+ fics in the tag. I’m sure they’ll find something they like or they can write the fic they want to read.

Fandom dies without diversity. We need diversity of voices, interpretation of the ship, the identities and histories we all bring to the table, tropes, headcanons, themes. If we have one flavor, guess what? No one’s coming to the popsicle stand. It's amazing that the fandom keeps trucking on with the absolute breadcrumbs GRRM and GOT has given us. I credit that to fandom diversity and a willingness to accept new approaches to the ship.

Write shamelessly what you want to write (just tag it). Read shamelessly what you want to read. Draw shamelessly what you want to draw. Podcast shamelessly what you want to podcast. You get the idea...

If anyone intentionally makes you feel bad about it, block and carry on. I strongly believe in creating a bubble in fandom to exist in if you need to.

I hope this helped, nonny, and my ask box is open to you or anyone, anytime. Take care of yourself! Much love to you. ❤️

[sonic100]

Sonic the Hedgehog CD - 1993 - Sega CD

Ah, Sonic CD. The game that gave us Metal Sonic, Amy Rose, vocal themes, a darker tone, and more exploration. By and far a defining moment in the forming of Sonics' brand! The plot for this game and all the games in future are much bigger, and will now be detailed in a separate band rather than in a quick paragraph like before.

The 100% requirement for this game is; Destroy all Generators/Collect all Time Stones, and destroy all Metal Sonic holograms then beat the game.

---

Little Planet, a habitable natural satellite, appears over Never Lake for one month a year. Eggman steals the Time Stones, a new, never-seen-again magical jewel set, and anchors the planet to the earth. He then proceeds to take over the entire planet, covering it in a big metallic shell and sending machines into the past to before Sonic could stop him.

Sonic goes to Never Lake and finds what Eggman has done. Climbing the massive chain connecting Little Planet and Earth, he goes through the zones, destroying the generators in each area and saving the future. Along the way, he meets Amy Rose, another hedgehog who followed Sonic after reading her tarot cards (something that was forgotten about until recently). However, she is quickly kidnapped by Metal Sonic, Eggmans' new robot Sonic clone.

Eventually, Sonic makes it to Metallic Madness and defeats Metal Sonic in a race, saving Amy Rose and scrapping the badnik. Beating Eggman, he detaches the planet from its chains, saving it, and escapes with Amy back to Earth.

---

So, Sonic CD is apparently a mixed bag to some people. Easy bosses, hard levels, and apparently some people don't like the music! Wild. I personally think this is one of the best classic games in the franchise, behind Sonic 3 & Knuckles (we will get to that eventually).

The gameplay loop is different from previous games; the levels are really tall and long, and functions slightly differently when you travel to the past or the future. You can go straight to the end of the level, of course, but when you reach the third act you are forced into either a Good or Bad Future. Unless you do a special requirement, you will ALWAYS go to the Bad Future.

So, how do you 100% this? There are two things to do; go back to the past and destroy every Metal Sonic hologram (that was a personal goal of mine, really), as well as every Enemy Generator. When you destroy the generator, you go to the Good Future instead!

There are still only 7 stages here, so I'll go over them briefly. Palmtree Panic is CD's Green Hill, being a lush open plains-type area. New gimmicks are abound, such as a ramp that goes straight up and sends you flying. Collision Chaos is a mechanical forest and this games pinball stage. Tidal Tempest is an OK water level (still better than Labyrinth), Quartz Quadrant is a lot like Gimmick Mountain, with conveyor belts and weird terrain, and Wacky Workbench is... It's bad, just another Metropolis Zone.

The two last stages! Stardust Speedway is the most famous out of all of the classic zones, up with Green Hill, Chemical Plant and the Death Egg. You go as fast as possible, zipping through, until you get to race Metal Sonic to the end of the zone. He unfortunately gets completely obliterated by a closing door. Poor guy... I hope we get to see him again :3

Finally, Metallic Madness has you go through Eggmans' base, beating the doctor himself and saving Little Planet. Most of the stages in this game are very fun! Unfortunately, Wacky Workbench continues the trend in the classic games of having bad, slow, platforming stages.

Also, this game has the best Special Stages. It's enjoyable but challenging, and so much prettier!! On the topic of pretty, quick mention to the Toei animation at the start and the end. Absolutely iconic, and I love how they look even in pixel format!

[hekateinhell]

Hi! I would love to know which of your VC fics you're the most proud of, and can you tell us a little bit about the thought process behind it!!!! Like the DIRECTORS CUT if you will.

KACYYY omg hiiiiiiii 🖤

Oh man, here’s where I get to be more self-indulgent and self-absorbed than usual. Brace yourselves. Alright, let’s roll! For the sake of this ask, I'm going to eliminate AUs simply because they take the vampire out of VC lol.

I want to preface all this with a quote from AR I remember as a young teen (had to dig it up). She was reading from TVA, and she said that book, more than any other, was a metaphor for the vampire as, “A creature who thought he was damned and lost and still had a vision of the world as a beautiful place.” It just speaks to me, both as the person behind the screen writing and as something I try to keep in mind re: my characterizations at this point in the fic process.

Anne also got a lot of credit for being the one to humanize the vampire in the 70s and 80s which, I want to point out, isn’t the same thing as taking the monster out of the vampire and making them human—especially in the moral sense. Just another note re: my personal characterizations.

And now to fics! We get mature under the cut. :)

I couldn't decide between these two, so you get both! Lol or you can stop reading after one! In no particular order:

Shake The Disease (previously Bijoux Box)︱Armand/Daniel ︱Rated: E (more out of caution atm, but she'll soon earn it!)

This isn't even a proper fic lol this is my prompt collection. And I absolutely love it because it's my tiny tribute to the pairing that hooked its claws into my brain fifteen years ago and never really let go. It took about six months of writing fic to get to where I thought that maybe ?? I could ?? do them justice ??

My first time writing human!Daniel and Armand, outside of little flashback scenes in other fics. Given how little material we have to work with (consider the Devil's Minion chapter compared to the rest of the Chronicles), it takes Great Depression era creativity and dedication to get the absolute mileage out of it that this fandom has. And it's tricky, because while I want to nail the cadence and dynamic of canon, I have to acknowledge that my take on D/A will be different in its own way. How we all individually process and analyze lit is such a unique thing, no two takes can (or should be!) identical. So finding a balance is my goal.

Additionally, it's been really nice to actually give something back to the fandom through prompt requests (I didn't even specify Armand/Daniel when I posted the prompt list, but my sweet, wonderful, perfect moots know me ❤️).

Closer ︱Armand/Lestat︱Rated: E ︱this one required the Consensual Sex tag, lord help me.

My third (I think?) fic ever, and imo it kind of shows, but it's special to me because here’s where I started feeling comfortable enough to venture into darker themes. I’ve always enjoyed exploring power dynamics and play.

There's a good dose of D&S (dominance and submission) themes, and something I enjoy with this pairing (just like with human!Daniel/Armand) is the vampiric mindreading ability that can be used to confirm consent. Now, obviously, this is a fictional adaption of already fictional characters, but a reminder for anyone reading since we're on topic—if it's not consensual, it is not BDSM and it is not sex.

Armand and Lestat are just fun to work with because they’re very similar in a lot of ways (abusive childhoods/adolescences, this obsessiveness/neediness in their relationships, a tendency to deflect/unholy tempers, underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes, Mutual Marius Issues, etc.) and there's a lot of good and bad history. Sequel coming very soon, bless my heart.

My fingers have run out of breath, but I did want to share this I posted a while back, half-jokingly, but hopefully marginally helpful for anyone wanting to dip their toes into fic-writing (and if anyone wants an cleaner, updated version lmao I will do it): Hekate’s Tips & Tricks for Not Wanting to Capri Sun a Rat & Sob All Over Your Keyboard

Thank you so much for this Kacy, it was really fun and interesting (for me!) to actually take a beat and think about my own creative process. Rip.

[mfpeace]

@justbeingedgy @weird-colombian-gurl You asked me to elaborate on the "Ches already has a kid" theory in the notes of that one mf analysis post (which I really liked, go check it out!!), so that's why I'm making this one, cuz notes are a bit too restricting for what I want to talk about!

Though next time think twice before asking me to talk about something I'm interested in, because you never know when you're gonna wake up lovecraftian horrors!! :DDD you'll see what i mean when you press read more :))

So, I'll say it right now - this post is largely inspired by the second story highlight of this Instagram user (sorry, I don't know their name, only that their Instagram handle is dee_girl_metalfamilyfan), it's in Russian though, so keep that in mind

Alright, so I'll break this theory into two parts: the first one will be all about Ches, and the second will be about his potential child (spoiler: you might've seen her!)

Without any further ado, let's get to the Ches part:

1. The creators said that they're gonna explore Ches' character in the second season. Obviously, it doesn't mean anything on it's own, but just wait.

Dima: Let's talk about the second season a little. Of course, the seconds season will show development of the old characters, as well as new ones. That's in short. As you see, Ches looks a bit different here.

Alina: Yeah, we'll show a bit more about Ches at the ages of 18 to 20. His past. We'll reveal a bit more about his complex character, as much as it's possible.

(The source of the translation) Also I think they also said at one point that adult Ches will get some character development too? But that's probably a given, considering that we wouldn't see his youth if it wouldn't have affected him in the present, flashbacks without any relevance to the overall story don't sound so good

2. Not sure about this one (we don't know how much in character it was) but I can't not mention it.

Alina: Actually there was this one fanfic that I really liked. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was about Ches having a daughter, which is a cool topic. It was relatively in character and truly interesting. It’s great when people focus not just on sexual relationships of the characters, but also try to look at their development. That was a really interesting one. That’s it.

(UnityCon '19)

3. This one's a pretty big one, in my opinion. So, this is what they said on ArtWave '19:

Dima: Ches also has flaws.

Alina: [to Dima] Don’t spoil stuff.

Dima: His flaw is that he's very... irresponsible, let’s say.

So, maybe, just maybe, Ches does have a child but he, you know... left them? As the Instagram highlight from the beginning say: "he might be irresponsible enough to leave his child, and he's probably irresponsible enough not to use any contraception" (rephrased, not the exact quote)

4. Alright, so, the only mention of this one I can think of right now is the aforementioned Instagram highlight. The Metalfamilyfan says:

I contacted Korg/Корж, (admin of @ metal_yama [and I believe one of the organizers of the Metal Family Meetup in Moscow]) and she asked Alina on one of the meetups: "if Ches were to be a father, what kind of father would he be?"

And she said: "The kind of that would say "kid, look at that birdie over there!" an then he would run away"

Someone's words are not the perfect source, but they did tag Metal Yama and from what I know they didn't disagree with what the author of the page said. if anyone has anything to say about this (disprove or definitely prove what I said) feel free to do so in a reblog, notes, DMs, send me an anonymous ask, or in any other way you feel comfortable with

5. Ches has literally been through the same thing, and we know how important the theme of the cycle of abuse is in Metal Family (or, in this case, the cycle of neglect? Abandonment? Idk)

You managed to hide your PREGNANCY from me! AND you've been hiding the child from me for a whole year!

YES, because you would've insisted on aborting him!

AND NOW I'M INSISTING ON PUTTING HIM UP FOR ADOPTION! OR I'LL LEAVE RIGHT NOW!

6. Here we can see Ches with a blonde girl. Nothing too special, probably just a one time hook up. He doesn't seem to be interested in her, and she seems to be annoyed with him.

But wait...

What is this?

Like, it doesn't even matter if there's actually a punk/rock/whatever band named MOM or not, I just think it's pretty weird to put it in this particular drawing of Ches and this random woman who is implied to have slept with him. It's not integral to Ches' character as, for example, Korol i Shut is. It's just... there. For some reason.

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

Alright, now, finally let's get to the second part of the theory: who is, exactly, his child?

The short answer is, according to this theory, her:

First, let me list every single instance of her appearing in canon (and by canon I mean everything made by the creators. Even with this definition of canon it's not much, I promise): The screenshot you can see above on the left (it's a screenshot from the second season and it appeared here), an instagram story posted by Alina (above, right), and two drawing with a lot of characters where you can spot the girl which I'm gonna call her PinkHair or PH for short, I'll mention them later I feel like I should mention this, comparing the sources of the images and the dates when they were posted, it's safe to assume that the screenshot in the classroom has the latest and final version of her design. The red hair most likely doesn't mean anything

1. Alright. So. we've seen Dee and PinkHair in a classroom together, so they're most likely related in some way, or at least they know each other. Their exact relationship doesn't matter here, because all that matters here is that they're related story-wise

Let's look at the first image. This is the banner of the main Metal Family channel. Ches is near Heavy (they get along quite well and I'm sure Heavy aspires to be like Ches in many ways), Dee (we can see his classmates/friends near him, they're all about his age), and we can see people related to Glam on the left side of the image (including Ches!), and Vicky's - on the right side (notice how the hell sign is also there)

Now, I'm not absolutely sure about this one, but it's still kind of weird - look at the image on the right (it's from ArtWave 2021 btw) - wouldn't it make more sense to put PinkHair near Dee? Also, Curiously enough, not only is she not close to Dee on this image, but she's also standing next to Ches.

Though this whole thing could be explained by art theory (too many small things in one corner of your drawing isn't great composition wise lol sorry PH) but I still can't quite skip this point

2. Remember the "MOM" lady? Fun fact, she has the exact same pearl earring that PinkHair has on the screenshot.

3. I'll put all similarities with her supposed parents in this point: Mother: * She's also pretty uh.. glam? for the lack of a better word? Or feminine in a traditional sense, yeah I think that's a better way to put it. Like colors they prefer to wear for example, and jewelry. Characters like that aren't common in Metal Family * She's gotta be a blonde. I can't imagine her being anything but blonde. If she manages to maintain that hair color as a brunette I'm just straight up assuming her character arc is gonna be killing God because these kind of people are capable of anything. I fear them with every fiber of my being. * I can't say for sure because of the shading, but it seems like they both have gray eyes, and she also has darker skin compared to most MF characters. Though, it's likely that Mom just applied a lot of fake tan Ches: * We know that Ches for sure has darker skin * AND grey eyes * There's also some possible personality similarities but I'm not sure if you can compare a child to a parent they've never really known in this way

That's about it, I suppose, I hope there isn't that many grammar mistakes and logically unfinished parts and whatnot in this post I forgot to edit lol x) I'm not sure how to end this post other than to remind you guys that almost all the points in this posts are inspired by the "тупая теория" highlight on the dee_girl_metalfamilyfan's Instagram page, so go check them out and subscribe, they post Dee x The Quest Girl fanart and and always credit the artists. Without them this post would be much, much shorter.

Thanks for reading this post, please feel free to let me know your thoughts on this post <3

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: The Anime (pt. 1)

I could go on and on about these two and I think I will, just because I don’t often see people talk about the analysis behind them. The meta I have seen about them has included a perspective that equaled the anime and the manga and I don’t think that’s an accurate way of viewing their relationship.

The anime is a different species than the manga, something that frequently happens during the adaptation from page to screen. Since they’re so different, I’ll analyze them separately.

There's going to be many parts to this so I'll keep a table of contents right here so people can more easily navigate (though you can also read through the "let's talk about natsumikan: the anime" tag on my blog):

Anime Analysis

Part 1: Exposition & Episode 7

Part 2: Episodes 8, 9, 10, & 11

Part 3: Episodes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17

Part 4: Episodes 18 & 19

Part 5: Episodes 20, 21, & 22

Part 6: Episodes 23, 24, 25, & 26 & Conclusion

The anime makes changes, as anime adaptations often do. The most outstanding changes are appearance related, as Natsume now has brown eyes instead of red, in addition to other characters who have hue-shifted eyes and hair. But there are also story changes, and I’ll be focusing on the changes that occur, specifically in regards to Natsume and Mikan and their relationship.

For one, their relationship starts evolving much earlier in the anime. I think it’s pretty undeniable that in the anime, Natsume started liking Mikan at the end of the dodgeball game. That scene never happened in the manga, but in the anime, it’s a crucial step in making sure nothing seems too sudden or forced.

The anime is 26 episodes long. If Natsume only starts liking Mikan after she saves him during the Reo Arc, then we’re already halfway through the show when positive feelings between the two appear. On the other hand, the feelings develop more slowly in the manga because there’s more time to properly develop the relationship in a more drawn out way.

My analysis will start with the anime, because it’s shorter and easier to discuss.

Exposition

It’s impossible to say that the anime was completely loyal to the manga. It very frequently couldn’t be, because it needed to fill in time in episodes or give closure early before the manga even addressed it (Natsume’s backstory in the anime, for instance, is vaguely referred to and implies deviation from the manga).

The most obvious difference between the manga and the anime from the get-go is visual. Not only do they have differing art styles (I don’t dislike the anime style but Higuchi Tachibana’s art style is so distinct and unmistakable while the anime’s isn’t so unique), but the setting is also different.

While the manga started in the depth of winter, the anime starts off in summer/fall. It always struck me as odd that while the first page of the manga has Mikan running after Hotaru in full winter-wear, the anime starts off warm and idyllic. You could almost think of that as a general warning for the difference between the anime and the manga. After all, while the anime has a reputation for being a cutesy and upbeat story about friendship and magical powers, the manga is much darker and discusses many morbid and depressing themes that can and WILL fuck you up. Warm vs. cold seems like an accurate difference, though I don’t think that was intentional.

We see way more of the village life in the anime, including Mikan’s efforts to keep the school from closing. This is a welcome change because Mikan’s passion to keep the school open is nothing compared to her friendship with Hotaru, and even after the school is saved, she runs away to see her friend, even if it means she goes to another school. The manga doesn’t imply that Mikan knew already about the school’s fate, and since she is always so preoccupied with Hotaru anyway, we don’t really get the impression that she cares very much. To Anime!Mikan, Hotaru is more important than saving the school, something she was so passionate about she rallied to get signatures. It’s an extra scene to prove just how much Hotaru matters to Mikan, and to show even more how selfless Hotaru was to go to Alice Academy, since she knew how much the school mattered to Mikan.

“Sign my petition to get a Gakuen Alice anime reboot!!!”

My boy Natsume is only introduced properly in the second episode, when we actually see his face and he speaks. His appearance is different from the manga’s too. I’m not sure if this was to appeal to a younger audience or what, but Natsume’s eyes are changed to brown instead of their iconic red, something that was always my biggest peeve about the anime adaptation. His hair is also somewhat purplish instead of entirely grey/black and, although this does bother me a lot less than the eyes, I wonder why they made this change when other characters have black hair. It might have been to differentiate him from Hotaru, another main character with black hair, though I’ve never had issue in the manga telling them apart.

His first interaction with Mikan is a lot more pleasant in the anime than in the manga, although that’s not really saying anything. Mikan’s skirt simply falls off and Natsume draws attention to it, rather than the unpleasant events that took place in the manga. This different event makes it a lot easier to support a relationship between the two of them right off the bat. They are still antagonistic but it’s not as terrible as it is in the manga. This makes it easier to establish romantic feelings earlier on, and might have been changed in order to achieve just that, or possibly also to appeal to a younger audience. Maybe both? Who knows.

“You can’t sit with us!”

With Natsume presented the way he is in the anime, it’s easier to make the claim that he’s simply a good guy who acts the way he does to protect people. And it’s true! He is! But he is also so much more. In the manga, he’s a more complicated character. Although he is a good person, he still requires character development, which is something he does go through, and something I’ll talk about more in his meta analysis later.

Most of the events at the beginning of the anime parallel the events of the manga. Mikan goes to Alice Academy at the same time of year, Natsume shows up with an explosion, Mikan has to go through the Northern Woods, she discovers her powers in her fight with Natsume, etc. Some of the continuation from episode to episode is different than the transitions between chapter to chapter, there’s extra scenes inserted to fill up time, and some of the exposition seems strangely presented (in the anime, Mikan finds out more about the school when she finds Narumi and Iinchou waiting for her at a tea party, which is…. Super weird…), but all in all the information and events are mainly the same. The big differences start with the dodgeball episode.

“Look how happy she is. Makes me wanna barf.”

Episode 7 vs. Chapter 9

I love the dodgeball episode. I feel like for the most part, the anime does deviation from the manga pretty well. With the last arc as an exception, I generally enjoy their changes and additions to the plot. The anime has to be different, has to progress at a different pace, has to introduce topics at different times. They have an episode to fill, and less time to build relationships. Natsume and Mikan are both different characters in the anime but it’s very subtle and has to happen due to the fact that the anime is shorter and seems more designed for younger audiences, in addition to wrapping up before the manga could explore more of the story.

Anyway, let’s talk about the dodgeball episode. AGAIN THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE MANGA THE SAME WAY so when discussing NatsuMikan as a concept, the anime events cannot be treated the same as the manga events. A lot of people maybe forget that the manga is very different than the anime when it comes to this episode. I see the two media conflated in plenty of fanfics, where seventeen year old NatsuMikan reflect on the dodgeball game from their youth that changed everything, and I get it because the anime version of the dodgeball game is cute! It's shippy! It's fun! But it doesn't happen in the manga the same way.

There's a similar trope with the sakura tree, which I can only remember from the anime, and yet it's such a fundamental aspect of NM fanfic it might as well have played a vital role in both anime and manga. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course. I'm just making it clear that my analysis will cover the two media as separate for the sake of a cohesive essay. Separating them in fanfic is far less important.

This look could probably kill someone. I’m surprised Mikan is still alive, TBH.

The chapter’s focus is Mikan starting to feel more at home in Class B, making friends with her once-hostile classmates, but the episode is more preoccupied with Natsume and Mikan’s perspectives on each other. While in the manga, the game ends with a tie and Mikan accidentally hits Hotaru in the face with the ball, the anime draws out the game to fill an episode and to introduce an evolution in the way Natsume sees Mikan. The first part of the anime episode is Mikan introducing her friends to her new senpai, Tsubasa. After she invites her friends, we see Natsume glowering at her and promptly ditching the next class, saying to Ruka that he can’t stand being in the same class as her. This addition to the plot already foreshadows that their relationship will change in some way by the end of the episode.

Tsubasa tells a frustrated Mikan that if she wants Natsume to be less unpleasant, he’d need to release some of his toxic energy. Thus, the sporty Mikan introduces the concept of dodgeball to the unwelcoming class. When they finally agree, Natsume gives one condition: that they play with the notorious Alice Ball, which is powered by the thrower’s alice (a detail absent from the manga). This Alice Ball is particularly terrifying with the threat of Natsume’s dangerous fire alice. Mikan also needs to get more people on her team, another aspect absent from the manga. While in the manga, Mikan only had her few friends on her team (including a wandering Ruka) and this ended up playing to her advantage, the anime has a humorous plot of Mikan tracking players down for her team, including a fake mustache she makes with her pigtails (she’s so cute, I love her), paying Hotaru to be on her team, and blackmailing Ruka to participate. This was mainly to fill time, but it makes the dodgeball game more important as well.

In the manga, we don’t see how the game ends, just that the teams tied and that everyone in class is having fun and bonding. In the anime, more emphasis is put on the “Mikan vs. Natsume” aspect, so a tie like the manga’s would be anticlimactic. Thus, the anime concludes the dodgeball game with Mikan and Natsume being the only kids left on the court, and Natsume not using his alice when he throws the Alice Ball. Even Hotaru leaving the game is something she does out of boredom instead of injury, further separating the other characters from the plot. It’s about Natsume and Mikan, and everyone else is mostly a side character. (Though Ruka also plays a vital role to this episode AND chapter, and it’s at this point that I think he started developing real feelings for Mikan as well. So when it comes to the anime, he and Natsume fall for Mikan around the same time, but in the manga, Ruka likes her first and the “he liked her first” argument for Natsume vanishes, though he never had that “advantage” to begin with.)

“Thank you!”

Natsume wins (something that shocked me at twelve years old) and is ready to walk away with his handy “tch” and all but Mikan thanks him for not using his alice and he goes off on her, demanding to know why she’s still smiling despite her loss. She says she’s happy that he had fun and was involved with the rest of class for once, and that in a way that means she wins. For Anime!Natsumikan, this is it. This is the turning point. “I just wanted you to be happy and have fun,” is what Mikan might as well be saying. “Really, this was all for you!” It’s sweet and it’s thoughtful and I don’t think Natsume ever imagined he’d be on the receiving end of her kindness, especially after all their beef. Manga!Mikan would probably not say these things to him, even if she meant them, for the sole reason that Mikan is stubborn and holds onto her pride, especially when it comes to her early relationship with Natsume, but Anime!Mikan is much more forgiving and much more willing to extend an olive branch, like in the dance episode. In any case, Natsume starts falling right then, and it’s obvious too, because he is pissed, and even more angry because he’s not even mad at her. He’s angry with himself for his change of opinion. This is the girl he was fully content to hate forever and yet here he was, starting to like her. Not ideal.

This scene, something so crucial to the development of Anime!Natsumikan, is completely absent from the manga. In the manga, Natsume still dislikes her by the end of the game although he does have fun.

He's not angry, just disappointed. In himself.

I’m not going to say one is better when it comes to starting up NatsuMikan because they’re very different creatures and I actually thoroughly enjoy both.

Anyway, the NatsuMikan after episode 7 is almost the same as in the manga, but the events carry a different weight since we know Natsume likes Mikan now (even if he would never admit it).

Summary

I hope this first part was interesting, and that it introduced the idea of Anime!NatsuMikan as being a little different from the manga's version. Yes, it is more or less the same story, but with so many thematic and plot changes, they take a different form as well, in a perhaps more subtle way, kind of like a slightly canon divergent fanfic. Fanfic where Natsume starts liking Mikan a bit earlier on in the story.

Next Part ->

[ratsoupee]

Things I Would’ve Loved To See In A Danny Phantom Reboot

I’m a big enthusiast when it comes to storytelling, and Danny Phantom literally has so much potential. And I’m very upset Butch was too coward to go darker. So here are my thoughts on if DP had a reboot:

Deeper ghost lore and kinds of ghost, A lot of fanfiction I have come across have so many versions of lore that all totally make sense and are supper cool (e.g. Ghost core types, states of ghosts, the idea of ghosts being ghosts, ghosts’ obsession). Ghosts that wreak havoc upon Amity Park because they are so filled with rage and need to be contained and put back in the ghost zone. Ghosts that, despite having moved on from their past, stay because they want to see the next Cowboys vs Aliens 3 movie happen and only cause trouble for the fun of it (exhibit A, Johnny). 

Spookier ghosts, just give us way meaner ghosts! Ghosts that have eyeballs hanging out! You can’t just give us funky ghosts and funky ghosts only. From the physically gore-ish to the psychologically horrifying ghosts (Like Penelope Spectra!), I would have loved to see these kind of ghosts and episodes.

Different cultural interpretations of ghosts. Of course, done respectfully, with deep research and understanding of said culture. So many cultures touch on the spiritual aspect of ghosts and spirits. It makes for incredible stories and ideas.

Danny Phantom being Trans, need I say more? (Butch Hartman can suck a dick)

Danny Phantom with much more unique, mysterious powers, he’s a Halfa, of course he’s a mystery, a phantom! While other ghosts have powers solely linked to an obsession or something they relate to closely, Danny doesn’t have that. He’s a mystery. I want seasons of Danny exploring and discovering powers he doesn’t have the means of understanding or controlling because it’s just that bizarre and one of a kind. Maybe he can tap into the memories of ghosts when they are extremely emotional, something about having the human connection?

Hilarious quirks about being a half ghost, like Danny showing up in photos looking like a cryptic entity, being super silent, scaring the shit out of people. Fun ghost stuff.

The bullies need to have their character development moments!! They had so much potential for character growth and exploration. Topics like toxic masculinity, abuse and bullying could’ve been explored through them! GIVE THEM THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THEY DESERVED

The friendship between Tucker, Sam and Danny being tested in the form of their own self reflection. People have also written good fanfiction about it, and the one I love the most is when Sam is being questioned about being friends with Tucker and Danny because of her favoritism towards unconventional-ism to spite her parents (Of course, Sam loves her friends with a passion). Or maybe when Danny has had a tough day (i.e getting found out by his parents and just showing up to Tucker’s home) and the two have no idea what to do, but in the end, they just needed to be there for Danny and likewise. Friendships like relationships are complicated. I would love to see these things being explored.

Danny’s ghost powers becoming a little more unpredictable in the later season. In relation to the earlier comment about ghosts obsession, ghosts can also become powerful with fickle emotion, especially aggression. Danny has always tiptoed the line of human and ghost, but when he gets too angry in a particular episode, he goes absolutely feral, intense ghost form and stuff. It’s a new thing he has to struggle with and it even makes him fear becoming ghost.

More Danny and Jazz moments, because siblings need so much screen time to annoy each other. But also, I would love moments where Jazz has Danny’s back and sometimes, covers up Danny’s disappearances in front of their parents with humorous excuses.

Danny’s secret is revealed to his parents in an unfavorable situation, and his parents struggle to accept and understand Danny’s revelation. Jack and Maddie have spent their whole lives thinking ghosts are bad, and the only way to solve a ghost problem is to shoot at it. With Danny, its a whole ‘nother stack of cards to deal with. From the fact that their son is no longer human, throwing a wrench into everything they know about ghosts, to holy shit, we actually killed our son. Maddie especially finds it harder to accept, believing that they need to help Danny get rid of his ghostly half, even if it meant destroying his core. But Danny doesn’t need help, he’s long accepted that he’s Halfa. Slowly, the Jack and Maddie learn to accept it, and a comically unsure about their jobs as ghost hunters.

Hey that movie about Planet something, never existed. Saving a planet from an asteroid is suppose to be the peak finale of Danny’s reveal to Amity Park as a half human half ghost?? Get outta here

Instead, let’s have a season finale of an epic ghost showdown that even Danny himself, will struggle terribly to defeat. He has to face off against a ghost that even with the help of his friends and his ghost powers, seems almost impossible. Even the ghosts of Amity Park are threatened if they ever get in their way of world domination, and they don’t hesitate to crush the cores of the ghosts. Its a culmination of the past relationships he has made with the ghosts, friends, family, allies, and even nemesis, working together to stop an ultimate evil. Because when he first faces off the ghost, he’s alone, and in their final showdown, he has people who will stick with him thick and thin. With everything he has learnt, struggled to control, and mastered his ghost powers, there is an epic showdown.

Trust me, I have so many ideas for the season finale showdown in my head. The ghost having the power to just grab and destroy a core, or control it. They have their ghost armada and they enjoy playing mind games, torment any poor soul who dares get in her way. Danny Phantom attempts to stop her in the ghost zone before she can enter the human world, but he gets absolutely destroyed, almost having his core taken from it and you can bet that shit will hurt like hell. He gets trapped in the ghost zone, too weak to make it back to the human world and alone, until Vlad of all ghosts, manages to fish him out of the ghost zone and Danny finds that the humans and ghosts have taken refuge from the big Ghost boss. 

As much as I dislike Butch Hartman and his homophobic cowardly ass, make no mistake that he pioneered a generation of cartoon and art. He made a style uniquely distinct that even artists reference when it comes to character design. But his stories have so much potential that we can’t shy away from. We need more mature themes for kids to learn, more openly LGBTQ+ friendly episodes and of course, more diverse characters and cast.

Feel free to add more! There’s just so many ideas for a DP reboot, and they really are amazing

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

☕️☕️ fate zero

I love it a lot! It’s my favorite anime, maybe second to Heaven’s Feel. I adore the sheer bleakness and how in the end no one was really happy. Literally no one won. Idk I just thought that was neat. Also that extended, brutal, trolley problem sequence?? It’s such a fun show if you enjoy darker, noir style storylines.

And just from a craft standpoint, considering that Fate was already such a well established series, I’m pretty impressed with how Urobuchi managed to both make the story his own and make sure it holds up with the characters, timeline, and ideas already set up.

I also just really like what it does with its themes and how each of its characters explore them as foils to each other. The question of their goals (personal happiness vs legacy/a greater cause, and how they’re both always so drastically at odds with each other) and how they go about achieving them. Where they draw the line, if there even is a line, etc, and whether honor and integrity matter at all.

My main issue with the show though is how poorly it introduces its lore. Some of it is that it expects a baseline familiarity with Stay Night— which is fine! It’s a prequel! But even then, the way it sets up its major players and their conflicts is just really hard to get into. Similarly the final sequence where Kiritsugu speaks with the spirit of the Grail, it’s just hard to gauge the whole context of what’s happening when it doesn’t really have to be. I think it’s somewhat more impactful on rewatch because of that. But I mean that doesn’t really damage my enjoyment of it, it just makes it harder to get into initially.

Send me a ☕️ and a topic for my opinion on it!

[mypoisonedvine]

Hi JD, I hope you’re having a fantastic day. Your sleepover was really fun yesterday and it got me thinking. I hope you don’t mind me coming to you.

I’m a writer who has done somewhat of a variety of genres in my work with lots of different themes (from fluff to angst to soft!dark/dark). I love your writing because you always create such depth of character, setting, and situation—it’s really something special. I especially enjoy your step/foster/incest fics because I feel like the narratives you create around it explore some very dynamic relationships and emotions. It never really feels sleazy or shameful to indulge in the stories you create with these themes, and I really appreciate the beauty of you writing them like that. I have my own idea for an incest fic, but I keep changing my mind and reworking it so it doesn’t involve the incest themes—though doing so takes away some of the initial inspiration and motivation to actually write it. I’m kinda scared to delve into it in the story, though I really think it could be compelling, and in general, even though it’s something that I really enjoy reading. The story itself is set in a historical period where I think incest narratives can fit more ‘appropriately’ (sorta, if that makes sense?), and it wouldn’t be forced upon the reader character. But then I worry I’m romanticizing it since I envision it being a loving, somewhat healthy (if fraught) relationship.

I’m sorry if that’s rambling, but do you have any advice? How you go about writing your incest fics, the thought process behind them, or how you go about posting them? You’re the only writer I follow that writes stuff like this. And you do it in such a nuanced and romantic way (when the story calls for it). I know the story I wanna write, but I guess I’m hesitant based on the taboo nature of the topic (even though I haven’t shied away from other darker topics in previous works). I would really appreciate your thoughts on the subject.

okay first of all, THANK YOU for this very sweet compliment, i take it very seriously.

I very much relate to your struggle because I have a massive wip that explores similar themes and I worry sometimes that my attempt to explain why incest happens (in an admittedly fictionalized and fantastical way) will be confused for an attempt to justify that incest happens. but my stories are not about morality. they're about feelings.

personally I think the term "romanticize" has basically lost all meaning at this point. if you talk about anything negative suddenly you're romanticizing it, in some people's minds.

I always think about a scene in "fast times at ridgemont high," one of the first scenes, where a high school aged girl loses her virginity in an abandoned baseball dugout to an adult man who is a bit pushy and creepy. it's sick and awkward and makes your skin crawl, and they play a cheesy romantic ballad over the whole thing. there's an argument to be made that the filmmakers romanticized a clearly inappropriate and less than ethical encounter, but I always interpreted it as a way of showing how the main character herself was romanticizing it. as adults we look back and see how disturbing that is but she's been manipulated by a predatory culture to think this is some romantic, sensual experience.

I have a similar approach in my writing. I don't really make anything romantic, but the characters themselves might do so.

one of the first novels I read as an adult, and one that I couldn't put down, was flowers in the attic. perhaps the most famous incest fiction of all time. and I think it similarly walks this line very well where we see how the characters are creating their own false narrative as a response to such deep trauma. and that book is very controversial so take this all with a grain of salt but, try to focus on what your characters are going through and present their story without prejudice or agenda. your goal is to make us understand them even if you may or may not want us to like them, agree with them, support them etc.

that was a massive info dump so I apologize but yeah I hope any of this was useful.

[thegaytwentysomething]

Smile - Katy Perry: Full Album Review

Track by Track:

1. Never Really Over - 9.5/10

2. Cry About It Later - 9/10

3. Teary Eyes - 9.5/10

4. Daisies - 8/10

5. Resilient - 7.5/10

6. Not the End of the World - 8.5/10

7. Smile - 6.5/10

8. Champagne Problems - 9/10

9. Tucked - 9.5/10

10. Harleys in Hawaii - 10/10

11. Only Love - 7/10

12. What Makes A Woman - 7/10

Katy Perry, the quintessential pop star of the 2010s, is no longer #1. After a disastrous Witness era marred by weak singles, poor promotion, and a lack of good PR, Katy’s gold star was left less shiny, very well-dented, and collecting some dust. The chapter of Katy’s career as the number one pop star in the world has closed. This is the scene for Smile: what to do once you’ve closed a chapter in your life. In a sonically mixed 12 tracks, Katy explores this topic head on, and though very much imperfect, she succeeds in embracing her flaws and creates a template for her years to come.

On the triumphant opening track “Never Really Over”, Katy starts a breathy vocal just a second after the initial synth note - a quick rebound from the past few years. Throughout the song, she bounces between airy syncopation, belted choruses, and rapid staccato over a glittery beat. Though not a career-defining track, the song never tries to be. Instead, Katy sounds beautifully vulnerable, carefree, and self-assured. We’re off to a good start.

After, Katy sinks into a cool, modern sound with “Cry About It Later”. This track is perhaps her most radio-ready in years, embracing the darker minimalist EDM of Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. With that said, it doesn’t sound like Katy is clawing for a hit. A guitar solo after the bridge breaks up an otherwise completely tailored-for-radio instrumental. Katy’s lyrical voice is clear with vivid idiosyncrasies about champagne, tattoos, devils, and angels. A team of songwriters hired to ensure a hit would have sanded off all of the character of the track. Luckily, Katy keeps her voice even under lots of filters on this radio-ready track with an ear worm chorus.

Katy then does a 180 back to 2012 with “Teary Eyes”, a gay club-ready EDM house banger. The trope of dancing through adversity and heartbreak is a gay tale as old as Judy Garland’s ruby reds, and Katy gives us the goods on this campy, melodramatic, and infectious gem. The chanting choir mimicking the chorus’s melody in a grooving “oh oh oh” is the cherry on top of a saccharine, yet satisfying tune. The song takes the infectiousness of Britney Spears’s “Till the World Ends” and euphoria of Kylie Minogue’s “Get Outta My Way” and fuses it with the anthemic drama of Perry’s “Rise”. Will it succeed on 2020 radio? Absolutely not. Is it a worthy addition to her discography? Absolutely.

The album shifts gears into adult contemporary with the slightly banal “Daisies”, which marches confidently towards mom pop empowerment in the spirit of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” and Pink’s “Try”. Slightly more acoustic than your typical Democratic National Convention styled anthem, “Daises” comes from a place of earnestness. While it fails as a serious smash comeback single or a real classic like “Roar”, the track does just fine on the album, and doesn’t seem to be trying to prove anything in particular. Like the comfy Volvo station wagon in which this song may be played on adult contemporary radio, the song lacks sex appeal, but gets the job done.

“Daisies” almost perfectly segues into “Resilient” which sounds exactly as you’d expect. Safe, expected, and trite. On the plus side, the song does showcase some nice belts and is reminiscent of Katy’s very early pre One of the Boys lyricism. In an album context, the song succeeds quietly in letting Katheryn Hudson just be herself without pretense. There is a charm in the simplicity, and for that I won’t write the song off completely.

In a fairly jarring transition, Katy goes back to the trap-lite sound of “Dark Horse” with the over-baked “Not the End of the World”. This song isn’t bad, and in many respects, it is actually a banger. However, between the oddly-placed “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” sample and an aggressive use of auto tune, the song never seems to neatly achieve the impact for which it aims. Perhaps it is because the instrumental lacks the punch of “Dark Horse”, or perhaps it is because the triumphant theme is slightly discordant with a darker trap-pop sound, but the song never seems to really land quite as strongly as intended. It lacks focus. With that said, Katy’s Kim Petras-esque sing-talk verses are sung with a real swagger she so often lacks, and the song is anything but a bore. This track is certain to be polarizing, and on some level I applaud its chaotic approach.

After dancing through adversity and halfway creating a sense of empowerment through the first half of the album, Katy finally reclaims her “Smile” in the titular track. I recently heard the instrumental of this funk-lite track playing in the background of a Target advertisement, and frankly that is about all you need to know about the song. While I’m thrilled Katy has found joy, I’m less thrilled to hear corny lyrics like “I got a smile like Lionel Richie” on the title track of an otherwise good album. Katy truly doesn’t seem like she gives a fuck what I think on this track though, and for that I have to give some praise. It is nice when an artist isn’t seeking the public’s approval, and sometimes embracing joy can be cheesy. Maybe on a level, I want what she’s having.

The album starts anew in the second half with the very Harry Styles sounding track “Champagne Problems”. Like “Legendary Lovers” and “Roulette” before it, this song is sure to be an instant fan favorite. Every second is sonically interesting, mature, and satisfying. Like a crisp glass of bubbly, Katy seems mature, yet flirty and fun. I’m here for it. It’s great to be at a point where all you have is champagne problems, and this song sells that idea effectively. While not her best song, it is a good song, which is sometimes all you need need. Cheers!

If “Champagne Problems” was for those who love PRISM, then “Tucked” is for those who love Teenage Dream. From the strumming pop guitar to the big singalong chorus, “Tucked” leans into Katy’s strengths and embraces flirty fun in a way that she’s been trying to run away from for years. In the scope of the album and her career, the song is a blast from the past. It is a simpler Katy, and one which many have claimed to miss. At the same time, the return to form isn’t a desperate attempt at a hit. Simple pop songs like “Birthday” and “Last Friday Night” don’t make chart toppers in 2020. In that sense, this song is actually a bold choice, and a very confident one. To me, it says “I can still do that Teenage Dream stuff you always want me to do”, and it embraces it fully as one aspect of Katy Perry. Your past is still part of you, and you can go back to fun even when you’ve grown - and this song proves that. I quite love this little pop banger, and the album is much better for it.

I’ve written much in the past about my eternal love for Katy’s best song since “Dark Horse”, but let it just be said that I adore “Harleys in Hawaii”. Every second of this song is engaging, sexy, and sonically fabulous. For those who love the unique vocal and lyrical stylings of Katy Perry, this is a real treat. For those who don’t, this is probably just another so-so song. If you know what you’re listening for though, wow, what a track. It takes you to a fantasy, and immerses you in island vibes. This gem earned its place on this track list no matter what anyone says, and Katy knows it.

Then comes “Only Love” which drags on with trite, yet cute melodies and lyrics. For those who like the back half of PRISM, this song may really resonate, but for those of us who like a more sultry Perry, this track is a chore to listen to.

Closing the album is the personal “What Makes A Woman”. While not even Perry’s best album closer, the song is a cute cut, and may have done best replacing “Smile” in the middle of the album as an acoustic break between two pop halves.

All in all, this album does a good job of getting rid of the bitter taste of Witness and showcasing a broad spectrum of Katy’s distinctive artistic identity. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. That seems to be the message here, both through the lyrics and through the meta messaging of the album’s direction in the context of Katy’s career. Cliche but true: you don’t have a thing to prove to anyone - just be you. Similarly, nobody can ever take away the gold star Katy earned during the first half of the 2010s. Her legacy is secure, the tragedies are behind her, and now she (and we) can enjoy the joy of the full spectrum of life without judgement or fear of failure.

Overall Grade: B+

[etaleah]

A Goofy Movie Meta: On Pete and Goofy’s Parenting Styles

A Goofy Movie has always been one of my favorites, and when I rewatched it for its 25th anniversary, I realized the themes it explores, namely that of parenting via authoritarian harshness and parenting via respectful love, are actually a lot deeper than people give it credit for. This is shown in the contrast between the way Pete raises PJ and Goofy raises Max. The gist of it is that Pete is an asshole who takes an almost militaristic approach to parenting while Goofy is a loving, caring person who takes a respectful, do-what’s-best-for-them-but-always-with-love kind of approach. A parent like Pete sees kids as servants while a parent like Goofy sees kids as people. Here’s how we see that play out: 

First of all, we see very early on that PJ is TERRIFIED of his dad. Like, absolutely scared to death. As they’re setting up for the show at school, he mentions multiple times that if his dad finds out, he’s in trouble. Specifically, he says: 

He also says: “If my dad finds out, he’s gonna nuke my entire existence.” And then when the prank is done, he says “My dad is gonna squash me like a bug.” Notice how Max isn’t afraid of getting in trouble with his dad at all. Because he knows his dad loves him. PJ doesn’t have that reassurance. 

After the setup of Max trying to impress Roxanne and him being embarrassed by his dad, we cut to the scene of Goofy and Pete at work. Pete’s saying that he and PJ are going camping and Goofy says Max would never go for that. And Pete says:

Note that Goofy didn’t say Max wouldn’t spend time with him. He only said that Max didn’t like camping. But to Pete, that doesn’t matter. What this sets up, and what becomes MUCH more evident later, is that Pete thinks of kids like unpaid servants who should do everything their parents want without a word of complaint. At least, that’s what good kids do, and any kid who doesn’t must be a bad kid. He’s one of those parents who thinks respect = obedience. Max isn’t wanting to do something Goofy wants, therefore there must be something wrong with Max and he must be a bad kid. (The funny thing is that clearly Pete’s style of parenting doesn’t actually work, considering PJ has also gotten in trouble at school. So there’s that.)

Pete immediately starts suggesting that Max must be a gang member who’s stealing stuff and causing riots. Which...again, bit much when you consider that Goofy only said he didn’t like camping. But it makes perfect sense when you consider Pete’s worldview. And since Max has never been a troublemaker, Goofy of course brushes it off and says Max would never do that. The thing to remember here is that Goofy does not like Pete’s view and does not want to resort to that if there’s another option.

But then Max does get in trouble. And Goofy hears that he’s “dressed like a gang member” and “caused the entire student body to break into a riotous frenzy,” just like Pete was saying. At first he tries to deny it, but it’s a lot harder to brush off the principal than Pete. This scene is really something to watch. The lighting gets darker, Goofy starts breathing heavily, the colors fade...it’s heartbreaking. It’s an earth-shattering betrayal for Goofy because he cannot fathom this. 

He says “What am I gonna do?” because he really doesn’t know what to do. The last thing he wants is to become like Pete. So he gets the idea to go fishing. Maybe they just need to spend some time together. They can work it out like two people who love each other, can’t they? Of course they can.

But then Max doesn’t want to go, even after Goofy has exhausted every tactic he knows, so he has to resort to Pete’s way of using force by literally picking him up and putting him in the car. He’s willing to do this when he sees no other option, but it’s never his first choice. 

The next time we see the four of them together, it’s in the woods after Lester’s Possum Park. One thing I noticed here is that Pete seems really cheerful...until Max asks if PJ is there. RIGHT AWAY his mood dampens. It’s hard for me to capture, but if you watch the scene, I promise it’s there. The man has zero interest in his own kid. He then says, “Oh yeah, I’m sure he’s loafin’ around here somewhere.” Which is a really odd choice of words, considering the very next thing we see: 

PJ is cleaning the RV and seems to be working hard at it, if a little distracted while doing so. Why did Pete say he was loafing when he’s doing chores? And why is PJ inside cleaning when Pete is coming out to enjoy the outdoors? Probably because Pete thinks that’s how it should be, that kids should act as their parents’ maids and never receive any credit for it. And this isn’t an anomaly: the next time we see PJ in the RV at the end, he’s cleaning again while Pete is the one who’s loafing: 

Max says that PJ is lucky to have the RV, and it’s pretty clear why PJ doesn’t say anything in agreement and immediately changes the topic to Roxanne. I imagine he probably wishes he were in Max’s shoes. Then he might actually get to enjoy the camping instead of being stuck cleaning the RV. Pete was saying earlier in the work scene that PJ had been begging him to take him camping. If that’s true, imagine how disappointed PJ must be that this was his camping experience. 

And when Pete and Goofy are bowling on the roof, we get this: 

He SCREAMS for PJ so loud that everything shakes and Goofy flinches, and PJ comes running like he’s a soldier in the army, saying “Yes sir, comin’ sir, yes sir,” kicks over the pin, and then Pete pulls this really mean trick where he says “High five, son!” but then fakes it, and this is PJ’s reaction: 

He doesn’t look surprised. Just sad. His dad probably does this kind of thing all the time. Because Pete sees his child as a servant that he can boss around and make fun of rather than a family member that he’s supposed to love. This is the scene where he tells Goofy that it’s all about keeping them “under your thumb.” Then he pushes Goofy to do that with Max, and Goofy does. It works, but it makes Max absolutely miserable, and Goofy sees that. Unlike Pete, he doesn’t enjoy making his kid miserable. 

So the next day, Goofy entrusts Max with the map and appoints him the navigator. Since he doesn’t like being bossy, he tries to find a different approach. And he realizes that part of the reason Max is so unhappy on this trip is because he feels like he has no say in it. He doesn’t get to choose the stops, the destination, the music, any of it. As much as Goofy was looking forward to repeating the trip of his childhood, he values his son’s happiness more than his own. So he makes the sacrifice and allows Max to choose the stops from then on. That’s something Pete would never do. He believes kids do what their parents want, not the other way around.

And to Goofy’s utter delight, it works. Everything goes great. They’re happy again. Max is happy again. Sure, Goofy might not have enjoyed all of the stops he chose, but it’s still a good time. He’s willing to try something new for Max. He wants them to be friends and family who love and care about each other, not boss and servant like Pete and PJ. And now it seems like they can be. Goofy found another way. He’s thrilled.

Then they stop at the Neptune Inn (WHY is that not a hotel at Disney World??) and have a buddy-buddy moment, which is shocking to Pete: 

Again, it is incomprehensible to him that a parent and child could have this kind of relationship because the only one kind he knows is the authoritarian one he uses himself. So he immediately assumes it must be an act, and that Max is pretending:

Again Goofy brushes it off like he did at work. Things are going great, after all. He has no reason to believe this is anything but real, and again, he does not like Pete’s way. They go about spending the evening together, and again we see Pete harping at PJ to do some labor without any help: 

Jeez, poor kid. Even Max and Goofy look shocked at what he has to deal with. And Pete never thanks him for any of it. Why would he? PJ is nothing more than a servant, after all. He exists to serve Pete. That’s all he’s there for. And Pete is invested in this philosophy being true, which is why Goofy and Max’s buddy-buddy relationship is so off-putting, almost threatening to him. 

That’s why he’s so thrilled when he overhears that Max changed the map. 

Isn’t it great? Now he doesn’t have to be wrong. Now he has all the proof he needs that he was right, Max is a bad kid, he was pretending, and Goofy was wrong for thinking they could ever have a loving relationship based out of real respect where both of them have equal say and equal footing. Naturally, Pete can’t wait to tell Goofy and immediately does. In this scene, Goofy mentions that none of Pete’s techniques worked for him, which of course makes Pete unhappy. 

When he breaks the news, Goofy looks just as betrayed as he did when he got the call from the principal: 

And just like with the principal, he denies it. Couldn’t be, can’t be, not true. Because if it is true, then that would mean Pete is right and that a controlling way might really be the only way. That Max might actually be a bad kid. That all the joy they’ve experienced the past few days was based on a lie. So he denies it. And then we get one of the best quotes in the movie: 

“You know, maybe Max isn’t all the things that you think a son should be. But he loves me.” 

Maybe Max isn’t scared into submission like your son is, but he loves and cares about me. That’s enough. But of course, for Pete is isn’t, so he glares and says: 

“Hey. My son respects me.” 

Because for Pete, respect = obedience. PJ doesn’t actually respect him. He’s just afraid of him. And again, it’s not as if Pete’s tactics kept PJ out of trouble. He still got sent to the principal’s office just like Max did. Which is probably why Goofy responds like this: 

It sounds sarcastic. Goofy has seen Pete and PJ’s relationship. He’s disgusted by it. That kind of dynamic is the last thing he wants for him and Max. I like to imagine that if Pete weren’t his boss and their sons weren’t friends, Goofy might have told him off right then and there. Since Pete can’t bear to be wrong, he again yells at him to check the map. Goofy goes back and forth on whether to do so, but eventually does. 

And he. Is. HEARTBROKEN. 

All of his worst fears have been confirmed. He’s shocked, sad, and also tired. We see the next day that he has bags under his eyes; he didn’t sleep all night because he doesn’t know what to do. 

Should he be like Pete? Even though it may not work? What’s the right way to handle this? 

Max, of course, knows that something is up and has a feeling Goofy has found out but isn’t sure. They see the junction and Goofy comes up with one last idea: give Max the map and hope he’ll choose the right direction. Give him one more chance to prove that Pete is wrong, he’s a good kid, he loves and respects his dad, their good times together have been real. If he chooses Idaho, then there’s still hope and maybe the map change was a misunderstanding. If he chooses Los Angeles, then Goofy will know for sure. 

So starts the tensest moment in the movie, when Goofy is all but begging Max to choose Idaho. And Max almost does it! But in the end, he chooses LA. 

Goofy. Is. FURIOUS. 

He’s thinking, I trusted you. I believed in you. I sacrificed making the stops I wanted to make and tried all those new things for you. I stood up to my boss for you. And you go and do this. You think I’m so stupid that I can see a sign that says “Idaho right, LA left,” go left, and still think I’m heading to Idaho. You really think I am that dumb, and you’re taking advantage of it. 

Max tries to explain, but Goofy is too angry to hear it, and so Max sees this as yet another example of his dad not listening to him. And to be fair, he’s not entirely wrong. Goofy’s inability to listen is his biggest failing as a parent. 

Which is why, once he finally starts listening, everything gets better. I imagine he’s relieved to learn about Roxanne, as it means there was a reason behind Max’s actions other than being a bad kid. They have their reconciliation, and when all is said and done, Max is as proud of his dad as his dad is of him. They’re finally able to have the relationship Goofy has wanted for them all along, the kind that’s based on love. 

The one that, sadly, families like Pete and PJ will never have.

[guardmesherlock-rowan]

Nature vs Nurture

two book reviews

I went from one book to the other fairly quickly and was fascinated by the difference in the stories in how they address lineage.  Understandably, there will be small differences due to the setting, however I’m not entirely convinced it plays as big of a part as people might think.

We’ll start with ‘The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ by Leonard Goldberg.  As you can gather from the title this first story follows the daughter of the famous detective as well as the son of Dr. Watson we’re all so familiar with.  The characters are pleasant enough and the hints of romance are cute, however though, there are moments where I had to pause and question why a person would think certain conversations are appropriate for the stage of the mystery or the stage of their relationship.  The mystery itself is fascinating; Mr. Goldberg has managed to weave together a narrative that parallels the original mysteries of Sherlock Holmes.  While I was excited every time another classic case was referenced, it was also the main problem with the story.  I recognized the original cases and would immediately remember suspects and culprits in the original rather than focus on the actions and introductions of current characters in the story I was supposed to be reading.

In ‘A Study in Charlotte’ by Brittany Cavallaro we have a case where we are looking at the great-great-great grandchildren of Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson.  The story delights in dropping hints that the Holmes and Watson clan’s remain tight knit, with Jamie Watson’s mother even expressing how often “a Holmes pulls a Watson into trouble with them”.  The characters once again are recreations of their namesakes with the character of Charlotte emulating her ancestor, however, while Jaime Watson, who takes after the original John Watson, makes an attempt to differentiate himself from.  The mystery again centers on classic Sherlock Holmes tales, with the culprit recreating scenes and deaths from the original stories.

  To compare.

  Sherlock Holmes:

The legendary detective is not in these stories, but his bloodline is.  Comparatively both Joanna (Daughter of Sherlock Holmes) and Charlotte (A Study in Charlotte) are bright women.  Joanna seems to come to her knowledge through interest in articles and an excellent memory.  While it’s something that Charlotte was trained to have since her birth due to familial legacy.  Between the two Charlotte is a more human character as she experiences genuine hardships and reacts to them appropriately while Joanna seems almost untouchable.  If you prefer your Holmes to be more aloof then Joanna is your Holmes.  However my personal preference leans towards Charlotte as she is written as a flawed human being and thus feels more real in that regard.  Which may have something to do with the nature vs nurture that is brought up and/or hinted at in these two books.  I’ll get to that in a moment.

  The Watsons:

The Watson men act as our narrators for both tales, and while I would like to say I prefer one over the other, however, in taking a step back both these boys lose their minds over a pretty face.  Dr. John Watson Sr in ‘Daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ is very considerate towards women, and treats Joanna with respect while John Jr. seems to forget himself at moments.  Jamie(A study in Charlotte), however is much more immature in that he feels compelled to act protective for Charlotte’s sake.  While John Jr. does not seem to forget that Joanna is a Holmes and seems to be watching to see how close to Sherlock she is, Jamie does not always act like it despite how Jamie idolizes Charlotte due to her family name.

The Mysteries:

Both cases draw their inspiration from the original stories.  In ‘Daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ it’s interesting to see many past cases woven into the main story; for anyone familiar with the original source material you’ll find yourself looking for little clues and hints and often finding them. It’s a fun little scavenger hunt but as stated above does require a level of familiarity with the original source material.  In ‘A Study in Charlotte’ the story themes become darker, more foreboding.  Instead of seeing the fun scavenger hunt from the previous story, readers may instead see the looming threat as the mystery unravels. 

Nature vs. Nurture:

“Nature versus Nurture” isn’t a new concept, for those unfamiliar it asks if it is more important to be born with certain inalienable talents influenced by genetics and other biological factors or are a person's choices and talents defined by their collective experiences and exposures?  In ‘Daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ they tend to forget ‘Nurture’ as an aspect.  The bad guys always beget bad guys while good creates good, never allowing the apple to fall far from the proverbial tree. This leaves little to no breathing room for character growth, as within the world of the story, people will always be exactly what they’ve always been with no room for change.  The stories tend to become carbon copies, because if Sherlock Holmes did it this way then so too will his descendants.  It’s a shame, because it squanders the opportunity to tell a story, while not wholly original, from a different and unique perspective as no two lives are lived exactly the same.  Conversely, ‘A Study in Charlotte’ leaves  much more freedom to explore the nurture aspect.  While the character of Jamie wants to keep Charlotte atop a pedestal solely based on her family name, she is instead determined to be her own person and not a carbon copy.  The familial lines of past Sherlockian characters are given the chance to grow and change, to be their own person instead of trapped in an endless cycle.  No one is inherently good, evil, or given a pass based on familial connections.

Conclusion:

It’s hard to present both sides of a topic as complex as Nature vs. Nurture, however the overly simplified take of the concept in ‘Daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ made it hard to continue reading, in fact there were several times where I nearly gave up.  They mystery plays out like a standard police procedural, choosing to focus on methods and techniques.  How will they find the killer, how will they prove it?  The story does a good job of explaining the characters techniques and methods, but leaves very little for the characters themselves.  Holmes and Watson may as well be carbon copies of the originals and eschews actual character growth for sly nods to the originals.

 In comparison, ‘Charlotte’ plays more like a contemporary thriller. The mystery plays second to the characters but it still leaves enough clues and hints to entice you without worrying about every single detail.  You feel more invested in the character’s personal growth as they struggle both with their own personal legacies and the killer.

If you only have time for a single mystery in your life, I personally found ‘A Study in Charlotte’ to be the more satisfying read.  Both books are merely the first books in their respective four parts series and worth reading, however while I look forward to continuing the adventure introduced by Brittany Cavallaro, I will not be reading the next book by Leonard Goldberg anytime soon.