#i'm a great writer

[microwave-core]

Listen, I hate to cringepost on main, but I really want to talk about the XY rivals because they have SO much potential and I love them and I will not rest until I spread my obsessive thoughts with others so I'm gonna talk about how I would change this stupid friend group.

Just to set a standard, I'm gonna write this with the female protag in mind because I always pick her but also so I don't have to constantly bounce between saying Calem (or Serena if you pick the male protag) because that would gonna get annoying real quick. So assume whenever I say Calem you could switch in Serena.

SO. Starting off, I think the core of the rivalship should be between the protag, Calem, and Shaunna, reminiscent of the BW rivals. Calem, in general, is fine. He's the rival who wants to become the champion and is the strongest in the group, other then the protag. Personally, I would probably change his team comp a bit to reflect this, but that would be for a separate post. I do think he could use a bit more pizazz, though, because as is he's a little bland. Also, give him his hat back. He looks so naked and cursed without it.

Then there's Shaunna, aka the original gay bitch. Shaunna doesn't care about becoming champion or fighting gym leaders, instead opting to get stronger at her own pace while focusing on the cute little side activities, and it's all good and fun for awhile, but she starts to get more insecure as things start getting real with Team Flare. She starts feeling like she's fallen far behind everyone else in terms of strength and like she can't really do anything to help in a dire situation, despite actually being helpful in her own way (getting the grunt blocking the entrance of the pokeball factory to move, bringing in a machine from Clemont to get further in Team Flare's base, etc). This isn't really any different from how she already is, but I think there could be a heavier emphasis on her feeling insecure about this, but also give her the change to gradually overcome that insecurity. Also, bring back contests, because she's clearly made for them and it could be, like, her main thing she gets really good at.

Then there's Trevor and Tierno, and I think they should be more like friends rather then rivals. Have them be assistants for Sycamore or something (since Trevor really cares about the pokedex and Tierno brings you your starter). Let them be rivals towards each other rather than rivals with the protag. Let them kiss, I don't fucking care. This is the gay friend group featuring Calem as the one straight friend, and it's perfect.

I really like the idea of Trevor, since he cares about completing the pokedex, which makes him a stand out from other rivals in the series. I'm pretty sure whenever you compare dexs in game he always loses, though, which I think is lame. Let him have a certain amount of pokemon he's caught instead and make it an actual comparison. You could do some fun stuff with him, too, like have him tell the player about rare pokemon in an area or strange evolution methods to help fill in their pokedex, since he has pokemon like that on his team (orange Florges which only has a 1% encounter rate in flowers and Goodra who needs to evolve in the rain).

Tierno is another example of why contests should be brought back, because he's, like, a performer. Again, let him be more of a friend then a rival, who's just here to hang out and have fun. Actually, I think he could be kind of like a foil to Shaunna, in that he cares about the cute little side actives while getting stronger at his own pace rather then collecting gym badges, but have him embrace that. Have him be the one to help Shaunna overcome her own insecurities, and then THEY can become contest rivals. And if the player did high ranking contests, they could face off against them. It would be cute damnit, let me have this.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i vote that next year instead of reading Dracula we do a Jeeves & Wooster Book Club. those two never got the rabid tumblr shipping fandom they deserved (disqualified for the sheer technicality of being published a century too soon). we must correct this injustice

[ramen-writes]

"I pledge to you my life-"

"wh-what?"

"As your protector and knight"

"wait stop. No-"

"to serve you-"

"please stop. Not like this"

"and stand behind you"

"No- stand with me n-not-"

"I pledge to you my loyalty and from this moment on. I shall honor and protect, put your liege before my own-"

"stop. I bid you to take it back!"

"From now my life is yours and I shall serve you with honor"

"This is no oath I ever desire from you!"

"I shall become the sword that will protect you"

"There must be another way-"

"I will aid you to the top"

"There's no height I will reside upon without you by my side!"

"I am your loyal servant"

"No- you're the only one who isn't. You're my companion, my love, the only one by my side. Don't do this, please"

"who will reside behind you until my bones turn to dust and my heart sets to a stop"

"N-no.....please"

[novelconcepts]

I really think we as a society don't give enough credit to performers who thrive in an ensemble situation. It's always obvious when an actor is excellent front and center, and we're constantly rewarding that skill set with awards, but god, there's something to be said for the power of a true ensemble piece. People who are so good at reading one another and playing off what they're given, tossing the ball and knowing when to turn it into a grenade. As much fun as it is to watch a solid monologue or a solo show, I always find it so much more thrilling--and so much more authentically lived-in--when there's an ensemble just feeding one another in every single scene. Who do I look at? What is everyone else learning and deciding even from the background? This is what life looks like, and actors who really shine in that environment have really become my favorite to follow.

[calicoscurse]

I think I've realized my biggest pet peeves with most protocol theories I've seen so far, and that it's people act like it's still Archives. Like hinging on Smirke's 14, or including so much Jmart and Jonah lore that it would be confusing to someone only listening to Protocol, and in general people cannot scrub Archives from their brain of it and are viewing things with those lenses on. But it's also interesting? Because I'm almost certain Jonny has mentioned knowing people are going to do this. And I'm sure the team will take advantage of that and there will be things in there that won't disrupt a Protocol only listeners experience, but will lead a Archives listen on a fun wild goose chase because it would mean something big in the Archives universe and be a big red herring or just stop people to a dead path because they aren't looking at it clearly

[notbecauseofvictories]

it takes years for terry pratchett's books to get consistently good. I would argue that the series doesn't really hit its stride until Feet of Clay, which means that pratchett was writing and being published for 12 years before he found his groove.

and I genuinely can't imagine that. in part because I do think that pratchett's publication calendar looks different than what's expected of writers today---he had about 2 books published per year for his entire career. he must have been writing furiously, and the publisher must have relatively quickly gotten these to press.

but also....I just can't imagine any modern-day publisher keeping an author on their list for twelve years, unless that author is a prestige get or a constant presence on the bestseller list. And what does it say about the state of publishing that you can't go on publishing someone's good-but-not-revelatory books until they figure out what story they're trying to tell?

[welcometogrouchland]

I understand that literature nerd Jason Todd is kind of overblown in fanon compared to it's actual presence in canon (a few issues during his pre (and post?)crisis Robin tenure that highlight it) BUT consider that I think it's hilarious if the unhinged gun toting criminal has strong opinions on poetry

[tea-cat-arts]

I simply think this fandom doesn't give Wei Wuxian enough credit for the various ways in which he saved Lan Wangji

[kennafild]

That — very talented — actor still is our Benji Blackwood, right???? RIGHT!!!!!!!

[that-butch-archivist]

source: The Little Butch Book by Lesléa Newman

[newcathedrals]

sometimes I tear up knowing that most human beings on planet Earth won't read the greatest literature ever written (average Band of Brothers fic). I hope aliens are receiving internet signals and are enjoying the best of what the human mind has to offer (reading the top Band of Brothers fics on AO3)

[oh-snapperss]

hello everybody!! i'm very excited to share the first chapter of a Ren/Etho fic myself and @hitheeprithee have decided to cowrite!

Summary: Five times Ren wants to love his loyal knight, Etho, and be less than a king, and the one time he gets to.

----

or, Ren is the king, Etho his second in command. It's part of Etho's duty to remove the king's armor after battle--but sometimes, it's the other way around.

Chapters: 1/6

Warnings: None!

Words: 4008

enjoy!!

[twelvemartha]

Oh god, they'll never know. I... I'll just have disappeared. And they'll always be waiting. Call them.

[martyrbat]

if you could have a limited comic run (batgirl 2000-esque) for ANY minor character, who would you choose?

[wordsmithic]

Don't forget to reblog for sample size!

[nachosncheezies]

In defense of late-canon x files (including the revivals)

I was thinking about this poll after I commented on it, and I kinda want to be brave and say more.

Short answer to the poll's question before I go any further: If you're a new fan and a sensitive sort who thinks you'll struggle with your blorbos Really Going Through It and you really need a happy ending, I suggest you stop at the end of season 8. Do not pass go, do not look at spoilers. Disregard this post entirely, close the internet, and go look at something that makes you happy. (Also fuck every part of society that characterizes sensitivity as inherently weak and bad and some kind of personal failing, you are valid.)

That said, "quality" as a concept is entirely subjective, and the question of whether or not there's a decline in quality for any story is wholly subjective, too. In the case of x files? I'm not convinced there is a decline. I am going to be upfront that I haven't yet watched past season 8, though I am almost completely spoiled on events after that - and the reason I haven't watched yet is not because of how I know events are going to unfold, but simply because I don't want it to end!!! Ohh, the tension between "I CAN'T WAIT!!!" and "Nooo don't be over D:"

When I first came to txf fandom on tumblr and gradually became spoiled about what happens in late canon though, I was often left uncomfortable and tbh kinda queasy about it. As I said in my comment on the poll, the hate for especially the revival and IWTB, or to a lesser extent even seasons 8 & 9, is very well documented. But! There are other takes to be found here on tumblr if you figure out where to look, and my feelings have changed!

The thing is, I have yet to find myself in any fandom where there isn't a vocal subset of fans who dislike the story after a certain point. I am not joking when I say that no one hates the things they love as passionately as sci-fi and fantasy fans. In my experience, it often hinges on the extent to which a viewer has strong notions on where they would like the characters to end up. In particular with series where shipping is a dominant component for the bulk of a fandom, I have almost universally found that there comes some turning point in the story where "let them be happy you cowards" is the dominant view, and things that compromise the attainment of a degree of romantic stability and/or domesticity are, to many fans, annoying at best and despicable at worst. But! As one tagset on the linked poll said:

and I think for any fandom, that last tag especially is so so so important. (I think that's harder for people watching a weekly series live, bc you have so much time to analyze and speculate and dream before the next breadcrumb drops, but I digress.)

So why am I saying this and how do I apply it to x files? Well, I eventually found that there are also a subset of fans who find redeeming things right up to the very end and actually quite like the whole thing! The things that I had seen people rage and ventpost so much about honestly never quite sounded to me as "out of character" or "untrue to the story" etc as those same ventposts made them sound. And I've discovered I'm not the only one who felt that way. Do I love that the spooky squad had to go through all of those things? No, those poor guys D: Life is hard and they have been through so much trauma. But do those events and their choices make sense to me in light of everything that came before? Yes! And I honestly can't wait to see them fight to overcome those things, breaking, healing, always learning, always growing, always getting better.

So if you're wondering "where does it go wrong"... well, I'm a completionist, as many people who've answered that post are, but also my personal opinion is that I don't think it does go wrong. If you're new and interested in exploring why I've gone from "vaguely queasy" to "excited" about the whole thing, or want to maybe balance out the impressions you're getting about the later seasons before deciding whether or not you want to see the whole thing, I'll put a few blog names in the comments.

Final admission: even once I started feeling a little more confident in the possibility that "actually ok maybe I'm not crazy, maybe this all kind of is in character and does make sense", there was one big plot point that I was NOT looking forward to and I thought I would never be comfortable about. In hindsight, I think my discomfort came from the negative responses being SO seemingly universal that I hadn't stopped to let myself truly consider other possible interpretations on that point. (I mean my initial instinct when I first read about it was, why are we mad about this?? CSM is literally the most unreliable narrator in history???? it's obviously fake news?????? this must be either a fever dream someone's having or it's a misdirection ploy against whatever shadowy forces might still be lurking?????????????? but for whatever reason I guess I had halfway written that off.) Happily, just last month there's a new post-s11 novel out, and although reviews for the book as a whole are mixed, it seems to have laid the groundwork for resolving that plot issue in a way I think most fans would be broadly happy with. If you're interested in being spoiled about that and seeing how, I recommend searching #perihelion on @agent-troi who liveblogged reading it with receipts, scroll back chronological-style to the first post on the subject and see how it unfolded. (And never forget that Dana Katherine Scully is the queen of denial as a coping mechanism lol)

Everyone's mileage will vary. Each person can feel however they want! But for anyone new, I wanted you to know that the very many ventposts you might be seeing are not all there is to this show or its fandom. Some of us love it despite - or even because of - all the things that went "wrong". I think we just don't talk about it as much.