#is just a tool for ice’s development lol

[compacflt]

okay so something I love in what you've written is the running thematic element of how the "lack" of a character is treated as its own entity/character, not only with Goose--how he’s the “center of the universe” as you say--but also with Sarah. Idk if I just focused hard on Ice’s childhood/adolescence the entire time reading because I’m obsessed with how you wrote him, but the way there were bits and pieces thrown in about her as the story unfolded (Tom's pot-smoking era, the way they grew up so different but had a similar childhood, the unreturned letters and phone calls--also, Ice seeing Chorus Line on Broadway alone was so silly I loved it. Iceman Kazansky: pilot by day, musical theater fan by night. why was he so interested in fucking Chorus Line of all musicals.) but she never actually made an in-the-flesh appearance makes the entire fic, and Ice’s characterization, so dynamic and moving. Like Ice didn’t grow up as a sad little kid with no siblings and some evil overbearing Admiral father that turned him into a Navy-regulated cog in the machine; he had a sister (and grandmother?? A hipster Woodstock grandma?) who loved or at least cared for him a long long time ago, and her presence left a very visible mark (both emotionally and career-wise) on him no matter how “ice cold” he made himself. And in the very very beginning of WWGATTAI, he and Mav were bro-talking about their families and Ice was all like “grr I might as well not have a sister” because he’s secretly Popeye he was grouchy and young and Sarah had stopped talking to him, but then 9/11 happened and he kept trying to get in touch with her just to make sure she’s okay, and then they finally get to talk at the end of Debriefing and it's like...he's reached the top and he's become the person he's always wanted to become, but he's still the exact same. He wants his sister. He's “The Iceman" and can probably run the Navy on his own, but he’s also just someone’s little brother that used to smoke pot with all the other California hippies. He misses her but he can't talk about it.

Also, you didn't just shoehorn her into the story as a character that would be the Tom Kazansky Version of Carole-and-Goose (or as Ice's wife LMAO) and I loved how you gave her personal depth and a purpose/life outside the story while still adding to Ice's characterization through giving him another person to (a) care too much about and (b) shove into his closet of skeletons because the relationship he has with them is breaking some sort of federal regulation. I hope this all makes sense hahaha, but anyway I loved Sarah and how you treated her. It was so entertaining/heartbreaking to watch Ice wrestle with how the main three people he loves are his communist sister, a male romantic partner who is also a subordinate he bails out of sticky situations constantly, and the son of the man he was involved in the death of. crazy stuff.

ok this is so funny & I love this so much because… it wasn't really how I was thinking about it at the time & I'm so glad it comes across as much warmer than how I originally wrote it... okay like i could explain everything but muh “death of the author”…… eh fuck it okay. I’ll put it under a cut so you can choose not to watch me auto-fellate. another long post, sorry. 

so, on Sarah. 

I should start this post by saying straight off the bat that she’s literally just a self-insert for me, the author, as a leftist who lives in New York and would not give someone like Tom the time of day, so I could feel better morally/ethically about writing Top Gun fanfiction. So, there’s that. But she (just like everyone else in this fic) is just a tool to get across information about Ice and the story as a whole, and there’s a reason she was introduced in chapter one (two if you’re reading on AO3 i guess. no prologue, wtf is up with that AO3 you guys need to fix that). I wanted to convey a shitload of information at the start, especially because I was posting semi-weekly and wanted people to know what they were getting into because it’s a slow burn.

To summarize what happens in chapter one:

Goose is dead. 

Ice and Maverick kill some MiGskyites in addition to killing Goose and it cements some weird fucked-up hyperinterdependent relationship between them. 

No, this does not make them instantly friends. They are still fundamentally different people who dislike each other’s outlook on life.

Ice kills some more Soviets and becomes Maverick’s equal, though still not in rank/honor. 

Ice writes to his sister Sarah, who doesn’t answer. 

Ice hooks up with a girl, but finds that he can’t relate to her as much as he did before the experience of TOPGUN. Also, he can’t relate to women at all.

Ice tries to visit Sarah, and is rejected.

Ice sees A Chorus Line on Broadway by himself.

Ice and Maverick talk to each other as semi-equals, and Ice explains that his sister is a Commie who will never talk to him again. He also explains that he wants to get to the top because he thinks it will make him a good man, or that he can make the Navy better because he himself is a good man. Maverick says, yeah right bozo.

So we’re 5,000 words into a 90,000-word fic and already you know the following:

This entire story and everyone in it revolves around Goose’s death and who gets the blame for Goose’s death. 

Ice and Mav are brought together not because they like each other, but because the experience of killing both their friend and their enemies has made it impossible for anyone else on Earth to understand them to that same extent. From the first word, they're already both so fucked-up it really is each other or nobody.

This is gonna be a sloooow burn.

Ice and Mav might end up as superior and subordinate, but they are fundamentally equal ("you can be my wingman anytime/bullshit you can be mine"), and start out as equals. They are now directly responsible for the same amount of death.

Sarah is Ice’s sister, so Ice is definitely not getting married to a woman in this fic. Good news for everyone scared by the slow burn.

Ice had previously had fun with women, and still wants to marry a woman because it "follows all the rules," but after meeting Maverick/the whole TOPGUN experience he finds them annoying/unrelatable. He can’t relate to women at all and doesn't believe this woman when she tells him she loves him because he himself has never been in love with a woman. He is gay.

Ice sees A Chorus Line on Broadway by himself. He is gay. 

Sarah will not be in this fic, and Ice is a categorically lonely man who is isolated from anyone who could possibly help him talk about how he feels. 

Sarah is a Communist who rejected her military brother, not the other way around, so this is a leftist fic from a leftist perspective, but about conservative men whose conservative personal and political opinions will be repeatedly challenged by the end. This is not a pro-Navy story. 

As a corollary to that, the ship for Ice to “be a good man” has already sailed. He’s gonna try his best to be a good man—emphasis on man—throughout the story, but he’s already failed from the very first line. 

And Ice steadfastly and stubbornly refuses to be honest with us or himself about how he feels about any of the above.

So you basically have everything you need to understand the rest of the story. Now you (reader) and I (author) can meet each other in the middle on equal terms, and the real story can actually finally get started in the next chapter. It’s a lot of information. Which is why it’s not written very well and the pacing is fucked. 

But yeah I just used “Sarah” as an expository tool to help first-time readers understand the political lens of this fic from the get-go, so we don’t have to have a lot of hand-wringing when Ice becomes a war hero of the Persian Gulf War or anything like that (though in my a/n for chapter 5 i did admittedly do some hand-wringing. i gotta delete those a/ns). So, Sarah becomes kind of a weak stand-in for Ice’s political guilt. She’s only mentioned four times besides chapter one, i think—once when Ice is with “Laura” (he is still incredibly guilty about all the people he killed & feels like he let “Sarah” down); once with 9/11 (he still thinks about “Sarah” often enough that she’s the first thing he thinks of when the country has been attacked [still haven't decided if this is the real Sarah though]); once when he’s getting high with Maverick (he is constantly reminded by the brass of the ways in which he is not a good man); and once at the end of “Debriefing,” where they actually get to talk to each other—because he has finally “snapped out of it” and left the Navy.

This fic wasn’t meant to be my sorta-kinda-but-not-really-anti-military soapbox preaching, though, which is why Sarah’s hardly in it at all. It’s a D-plot. Maybe even an E-plot. All in service of the Icemav A-plot. That end scene has a couple different purposes, actually. The second is that Sarah, who at this point is pretty much just a stranger, becomes a receptacle for Ice to prove that he can finally be honest with himself and others about his relationship with Maverick. And…that’s pretty much it. I did do more with her in my Slider one-shot but i honestly dk if that’s getting posted at this point (ITS ROUGH) so im not gonna talk about it now. 

But—that was all Sarah as a symbol, which is very un-fun. Sarah as a character is kind of a blank slate, but how Ice thinks about her/misses her is not, as you said :) I’m wary of posting headcanons that are dependent on my fic, though I do have many, because I feel like that’s not really the point of headcanons… “compacflt!Ice-specific headcanons…” idk that seems a little self-aggrandizing even for me. But, yeah, I guess I would characterize my Ice’s childhood as not greeeaaat, because his dad apparently died in Vietnam when he was like eight and his mom apparently died in a car crash when he was twelve (which is why he’s such a good driver [ch 8 notwithstanding DO NOT DRIVE 120 ON I-5]), but also not, like, abusive or anything. Raised by his grandmother (in the Slider one-shot, which I might as well spoil for you since I’m feeling quite hopeless about it, Slider kinda helps Ice deal with her death in the second year they’re at the Academy together, and it’s how their friendship really starts) who might have been hippy-ish and encouraged him breaking the rules, but also he & his sister were very very impacted by the death of their father at war. This is getting kind of deep into it, and I’m just kinda making it up, but I think there was probably a lot of strife between him and Sarah when he was gearing up to go to the Academy/getting his recommendations etc., like actual arguments and screaming matches—yes, she’s disappointed in him, but more than anything she wants to keep him safe so he doesn’t die like their dad (relevant for ice/rooster later)—and he ended up losing her, so it made a deep, deep impression on how he handles (avoids) confrontation about serious stuff like this when he knows he's gonna lose… my ice has a confrontation issue, obviously. but so does canon. see him "apologizing" to maverick for goose's death in the movie for another example of this. bro is struggling.

But thats just me makin shit up so whatever.

But that’s me just makin shit up so whatever.

[zjasperwrites]

A Non-Exhaustive List of Tips For Managing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you type, write, draw, craft, or do anything with your hands, you are at risk for carpal tunnel! If you're developing any pain, or have none but want to take preventive measures, feel free to try these. I'm not a doctor, but these help my case of severe CTS!

This advice may not apply to everyone, but these are all things you can do without receiving medical care. Yet know that options like pain prescriptions, steroids, and surgery are possible for relief.

Give your hands a break when necessary and feasible. Even just implementing one rest day a week can be extremely beneficial.

Stretch your hands, fingers, arms, and neck regularly. This video can get you started.

Look into a hand massager. I use this one. If your pain is severe, I find massaging before stretching is most effective.

Vary your positions. You can reduce strain by trying differing neutral angles of arm/wrist position while working. Elevation helps.

Use ergonomics. Ones I use include an ergonomic mouse and mousepad, and this support pen from PenAgain.

Explore temperature therapy. Both heat pads or ice packs can be helpful depending on your needs and preferences.

Work on grip strengthening. If you already have CTS pain, be careful, but some wrist/finger exercise can help. I use this tool.

Train yourself to work more gently. Lighten your grip on writing tools, slow down and don't press so hard while typing.

If you already have pain, GET WRIST BRACES. Sleep in them to start, then wear them during the day if needed. You can also...

Try out k-tape. I personally get more pain if I use a brace 24/7, so this k-tape wrap is nice for day-time support.

Look into finger splints too. Finger hypermobility or exertion can strain wrists much more quickly, especially when typing.

Compression gloves also help. These are my "lowest tier" for support when my pain is mildest.

Get comfortable with voice-typing. Adjusting to this can be hard, but its an excellent way to keep writing without hurting yourself.

Especially if you have severe pain, consider tools marketed at amputees. Obviously be mindful of the resources you take up, but accessibility tools are for anyone who needs them. When my pain is at my worst, I am unable to use my arm/hand and can't even raise it, so tools to facilitate one-handed use are helpful.

And finally, not so much a tip, but a warning. Most likely, you'll get CTS pain in your dominant hand first. When that happens, do not switch to your non-dom hand and continue on. That hand is not in the clear, its next. Implement treatment and management in both hands, and use your non-dom hand when necessary while not overworking it either. Don't let yourself fall into denial because you can "get by" without adjustments. I promise the initial ability to keep working without inconvenience is not worth developing CTS in both hands lol.

If anyone else has advice please add on! I live as a walking warning to my husband who crochets to take care of his hands, so here's to hoping I can help others too!

[sizzlingstarlightsky]

Our favorite Azriel stan 🦇🖤💙 !!

1. Why is Azriel one of your favorite characters?

2. Is there a specific scene that made you like them?

3. What theories/headcanons do you have for Azriel?

4. Feel free to share anything else about Azriel that the questions didn’t cover!

OMG THANK YOU ✨️🖤 You're too kind.

I'll always find reasons to bring our Shadow Daddy up. So I love this, and I'm honored!

1. I'm mean... how could he not be a favorite? �� Honestly though, he's exactly my type. Well, one half of it, lol. His mind intrigues me. I'm fascinated with the dark and mysterious, so it only makes sense. I like complex characters.

2. It wasn't until he was shot by Jurian that I fully realized Rhys wasn't my fictional husband.

But there was the little sentence when Feyre was eating with the IC for the first time. I can find the quote, but it's something about him having a facial reaction to her story. I was intrigued. I wanted to know more. Then, seeing his quiet sarcastic personality solidified it for me. Confirmed with the tree scene in ACOWAR. I grew up with a huge crush on Danny Phantom and Shego, so is anyone surprised?

3. Theory wise: I'm terrified tbh. I don't trust SJM and her character development.

Az is absolutely more powerful than we know. I do feel he's connected to the stars but I haven't finished TOG or even thought about reading CC so idk all the lore. I want to see him deal with Illyria. Let him tear the place apart and wreck havoc. Gods, I also desperately need a chapter minimum just on his torture. I need to understand the inner workings of his brain.

Headcanons: He would love Agatha Christie books. He'd be a big Tool, Rush, and Pink Floyd fan. The best dancer of the Bat Boys. Tells his mom more than anyone else. She probably knows all his secrets, I love her. He feeds stray animals whenever he can. Probably has spare snacks, just in case. Would be a goth stoner. Loves gossip, but only shares to his shadows and tea club (of coursemama shadow is included). He's a side sleeper. Does hand exercises for the scar tissue.

I feel like he smiles when he tortures. Like, that part of him is happy to have a release.

You know the relationship is getting more serious when he starts leaving blades around your place.

I also believe this male is a pussy and cock CONNOISSEUR.

I saw someone headcanon that Illyrians have knots. Do with that as you will.

I can't think of anything else, so here's some outfits I could see Azriel wearing/ want him to wear 🖤🤭💙

[bropunzeling]

i think the research u do for fics is insane... thinking deeply about the logistics of soulbond/omegaverse/cisswap mattdrai where they invoke a partner clause like... policy writing IS fanfiction actually... would u ever consider diving into the logistics of the partner clause...

hello anon! what a funny/good question haha. this got uh long so under the cut are some thoughts about that (also, like, spoilers for linger if anyone cares)

want to set the table by saying (a) im SO not a lawyer, law school VERY not for me, i know a lot of lawyers and they all terrify me (affectionate) and (b) i do not really do much research beyond my ongoing love affair with hockey reference dot com (and stuff to inform characterization ofc!) -- but i think the existence of the idea of these like, bond clauses (explicit in the omegaverse one, may come up if i write more soulbond) comes from a general question that i think about whenever im writing an au concept which is: how would this one wacky change (people have another form of sexual presentation! people can have half physical half mental all emotional connections to another person!) influence other aspects of life besides me smashing my ken dolls together?

obviously the trappings are fun - reality tv! inane pop songs! if people can get bonded do they also have weddings? how does this influence pbs documentaries. but i often think about things from a public policy perspective because it's what i know lol. and with those examples in particular, my thought process was -- here's this thing that can romantically and sexually entangle people, but there's also a physical component. bonding in omegaverse or soulbonds often changes you/has some sort of tangible impact if you’re separated -- you get bond sick, your heat cycle changes, that sort of thing. there would probably be some sort of sociopolitical movement to protect those social structures because you can't have people getting physically fucked up if they aren't allowed to follow/bring a partner with them! maybe it was a given in many cultures and laws developed to formalize social structures. maybe in the us there's some sort of landmark federal legislation to provide greater protections in the 60s and 70s. maybe the un has a body of international standards.

and in any/all of those cases, it would be something that would get bargained in something like a sports cba because in a world where these kinds of intense bonds are possible between members of your same-gender league, inEVITABLY capitalism will run up against those off ice bonds, and people would feel strongly about keeping their partner with them!

also in linger specifically, i knew i wanted the main conflict to be this sort of, matthew vs his body, matthew vs his identity as an omega/what he perceives being an omega to mean, matthew's desire for independence and control vs his desire for physical and emotional connection and leon. and when i was first trying to figure out my way into a plot (especially how to handle The Trade) and spitballing on twitter, a friend was like what if alpha/omega relationships were a really big deal legally? and the idea of bond rights sprung out of that because it was the perfect narrative tool to be like, here is this tangible economic and occupational consequence if matthew gets bonded. here is a real thing that will happen that will cause him to lose that sense of control over his own life. here is the Threat that is always sitting in the back of his mind. and even though it hopefully comes across that like, leon doesn't think of their relationship that way, he wouldn't actually force matthew to stay close if matthew didn't want to, matthew doesn't know that! he's seen bond rights used before! he doesn't want it to be him! and then that really drives the conflict of the story, because he sees holding himself apart from leon as this way to achieve not just emotional independence and self-control, but also very literally control over his own career.

so yeah idk! world building! not only does it provide color and depth but hopefully it can drive conflict and plot as well!

(also tbc there is no such partner clause in the girl!leon verse, they are just being very savvy about contracts and cap capacity and eventually gonna finangle their way to the same team through guile and playing hardball)

[hollowfaith]

Pick 2 in every section except Canon Muses and Fandoms (pick 1 from those) :3

Questions for the mun

this is long so imma cut it lol

BASICS x2 What caused you to start writing? What was your key point?

in 3rd grade we watched the cartoon movie version of the legend of sleepy hollow and had an assignment to write a summary of it. i was barely out of ESL at the time but thought it was a neat assignment (and prided myself on my memory for details) so i hecking did my best and wrote a long detailed one (with pictures because it was elementary school and you could illustrate your stuff) and for some reason my teacher and the principal were all happy about it and made a big deal complete with ceremony and applause and made me feel important and cool.

after that i was like "yeah! that was awesome. can't i write more stories like that even outside of school?" and thus it kicked off my journaling obsession besides writing diaries of my daily life. i did a lot of original fics and sailor moon/digimon-inspired stuff but when i found ff.net it was like discovering a whole new world where you could control the characters to do whatever you wanted (while staying IC, cause that was definitely part of the "rules" of the challenge) and that was amazing.

realizing writing meant i could take destiny into my own hands for these made-up blorbos was such a fun power trip. i have tried to use that power responsibly ever since.

Do you still write your first muse?

dahlia hawthorne was my first real muse on tumblr and i poke her now and then, but she seems content in her semi-retirement in my brain. sometimes she wakes up to snark people but she's enjoying her vacation in peace right now : )

CANON MUSES x1

Have you ever written a canon muse that you first thought of ‘meh’ when they appeared in their canon show/movie/book?

don't shoot me but before i wrote yagen toushirou for touken ranbu i was like "yeah yeah okay this is just a standard big brother x cool doctor type trope," i actually didn't even pick him up until i wanted to try someone new and my other friends (playing other swordboys at the time) suggested him

then i had to research him and really fell in love with the dichotomy of his character, about how he's very human with his brothers but also 100% a weapon and embraces that fact, about the juxtaposition of DUTY vs. FEELING and the HUMAN HEART vs. OBJECT/TOOL he's been balancing all his life on a very fine line (and does flawlessly, because he's yagen) and i was like, heck! this is gonna be so fun to RP and make him deal with stuff

tho most of the time i got into crack threads again and shipping with Fudou it was still very very fulfilling and im glad my friends convinced me to try him out :D

OCs x2

Do you have developed dynamics with the OC of another mun that has influenced your OC or Canon muse?

yeah I mean this guy wouldn't exist without Jade's Klaus u know? his template might've been taken from his faceclaim guy but the rest of him i molded to fit Jade's OC, specifically his personality and to an extent his looks. in some ways Klaus has everything Aurelius lacks and vice versa, they have this classic balancing scales thing going on that i like very much and try to fill intentionally.

i also wanna say Klaus is one of the few windows to Aurelius' genuine gentle/good side, the side he might have been all the time if his father didn't screw him up from birth (of course i can't say his dad is all to blame, but he sure takes 60~75% of the blame).

as for developed dynamics im guessing this is asking about interactions with another OC that influenced this one...why do i feel like they've all been humbling experiences... Issy has shown him some humans are worth treating with care, Constantine has demonstrated how not everyone takes his shit, Dar is there to inspire working business relationships while highlighting Aury's awkward aspects fitting in, Huey undos all the good work everyone else puts in by proving how crappy some humans act, etc.

idk how to answer that part aside from "they help subvert expectations, but i don't know if that's enough to actually change the way he acts" why did i pick this Q the second part's hard to answer hahah

Who was your first OC?

time to get embarrassing so my first OC with an actually established backstory and stuff was this girl with a randomnly generated Japanese name i thought was pretty (Saikoubi) for a digimon RP group

and i intentionally gave her a happy-go-lucky personality and positive outlook because looking at the rest of the applicants everyone was like either emo or orphaned or both and my 14-year-old self was like "well! how are we going to save the world as digidestined if we're sad all the time" and basically made her the complete opposite of everyone else

it was rad, people got to be edgy, she got to be sunny, we didn't really get past the first region between our threads before the group died down but i think we all had fun and that's what matters in the end xD

FANDOMS x1

What is your favorite fandom in which you write?

i still like touken ranbu but it's more fun to write (RP) that when other swordboys are around, plus the fandom's so saturated with new swordboys these days it's hard to keep up with latest lore stuff. i still try to write 1 fanfic for it in the annual xmas secret santa thing the english-speaking fans host, tho i'm very very slow these days

beyond that i've been dipping into FFXIV fic writing a few times but i haven't grasped the language of the world well enough yet so i'm not satisfied with my work ehhh it is what it is for now

SHIPS x2

Do you plot a ship or see where it goes?

it's more fun to see where a ship goes because i like unpredictability. like the unscripted stuff feels more genuine to me especially if it surprises me u know? i do acknowledge the value of a well-planned romance but in a fall first vs. fall harder relationship i'm definitely invested more in the "fall harder and beautifully in all the disastrous ways" kinda person

i think that's how my past ships have generally gone, finding a connection between 2 muses, expanding on it, referencing it, and then boom! one day you know so much more about the other muse and you're always thinking about them and wait, what, we're hanging out together? just the two of us? is this a DATE? kinda revelations are very fun

What are you looking for in a ship?

i enjoy ships with room to develop. like it's cute when they come together and are all kiss kiss/blush blush but the process to getting there is half the fun! and the pining. and maybe a little misunderstanding here and there.

uhhhh i guess what im saying is i like the journey to get to the ship even more than the ship itself sometimes

or if we're in a ship let's go crash the boat for fun!!

hehe drama

TUMBLR x2

What was your first blog / URL?

preciousdollie

if it sounds cringe it's feenie's fault he came up with the nickname...even announced it to everyone in court of all places

Do you still have your first blog / URL?

yeah the blog's still up tho the theme's so old it's a little broken. i basically keep all my RP blogs around for archive purposes, i like going back to read the stuff sometimes (also the reblogs of art and aesthetic posts are cute + good cause some tumblrs delete and you lose that post forever otherwise)

[mnkiss]

A quick list of animes I watched and don't want to forget 2:

Spoiler, duh

OG post here:

Corpse party - similar to Another: I watched it and forgot about it…kids being creepy and killing a lot (i think) (2/10)

Yuri on Ice - loved it for the romance and the soundtrack but couldn’t care less about the skating lol Cute anime tho, I recommend it (8/10)

Kimi no nawa - cute, I cried of course, but i really wish we could have learned about their relationships more. I wanted to see them falling in love slowly and helplessly, not just a montage haha. Maybe a 7/10. Wasn’t thaaaaat great.

Dororo - I’m not as a big fan as others, but it was an interesting journey on the historical side with a much less repetitive story than I expected. It’s an old tale, a myth, told by an old man about demons and humans, and two children’s (well, an adult-ish boy and a kid) fate and character development. The show shows war and all it’s gory, terrible reality so be ready for some depressing episodes… The message of the anime is very clear and heavy. This is a remake, there is supposed to be a much older version of the anime with not 12, but 48 demons and missing body parts, but I’m not really sure if I want to watch it again. (7/10)

Citrus - Yuri, cute, well-done, but 1) Yuzu is sooooooo ugh, she is nice and kind but so easy to influence jesus she really is not the sharpest tool in the shed and that got soo annoying around ep7. >< 2) The story is weirdly written, they introduce characters as they go and as it gets comfortable for the plot, which feels like a rookie mistake but ok. Only 12 eps, two sweet girls and lots of sexual tension between them. Btw some people have misconceptions about the manga/anime. There is no incest as they are both teens and strangers when they happen to become step-sisters, and sexual assault does not get romanticized because if somebody is uncomfortable they struggle and voice that they don’t feel comfortable. That being said “You should consider other people’s feelings” is a fucking stupid answer to “Hey I don’t want to have sex with somebody”. Also the silent treatment? AND always coming with the “I had a bad childhood” shit? I’m treating the kindest, dearest person on earth like shit just because I was rejected once? Really? Fucking Mei lol. Yuzu deserves better. Like Harumi. You know, somebody who actually cares about her. 5/10

Baccano! - Gory mafia stories are always amazing but this one is like… dude. Watch it. It’s beautiful, has an amazing opening, wonderful characters (Naaa Miriyaa!!!! Neee Isaccu!!!!) and weird ties to the supernatural. No tears only happy smiling even during the 13th episode. One of my favourite stories of all time. (Oh and if you're one of those weirdos who love it when animes use weird brand names instead of the real ones [like hollywood becomes woodland, daily mail becomes daily days, hersheys becomes baccano] then you’ll love the small details lol) (11/10)

Tower of God - S1 is only a prologue :/ I usually don’t care about isekai or isekai-like stuff but this story is pretty immersive. I loved that there is only a moderate amount of gore even though people dying is half the anime. All the supporting characters are easy to remember, have enough screen time and we learn their history so we do care about them, the main character has all the characteristics a shounen protagonist needs but the anime itself is not in the shounen category. The soundtrack is phenomenal except the opening (sorry stray kids). Yeah, go watch it and be ready for the webtoon, they say its super long but worth it (8/10)

Wolf’s Rain - i love animals/shapeshifters in animes, but this was boooring. I was hoping for a crazy adventure with ancient legends and animaguses and stuff instead I got bored cuz nothing actually happened. I got to 17 episodes and just stopped watching. The story had potential, the wolfish behavior was fun. Maybe I'll try watching it again...later...some day (5/10)

Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Found family? Check. Cute girl? Check. Worldbuilding, sexy superpowers, neon lights, awesome action, greedy capitalism? Check. But for 10 episodes you’ll have the feeling that something will happen and yes, that thing indeed will happen (8/10)

Jujutsu Kaisen - S1 only yet. I'm - again - more invested in the adult's story and scheming behind the scenes. Character development? It is there, baby, and it is not just thought-provoking/brooding all the time. Competent enemy? There it is, the menacing, cunning, sexy-sexy enemy. Bro time? There is some healthy, masculine bro time! (9/10)

Chainsaw Man - This is a Jujutsu Kaisen 2.0. Teen boy gets adopted to an organization that uses dark superpowers that come with a price and they kill demons but they also are too crazy for the world and die easily. Also 2 boys 1 girl, the girl is nonconvenional but looks cute, the black haired friend of main character is super cold on the outside but has a heart of butter and is like a strong brother for the MC... I'd also really love if they'd STOP FUCKING KILLING ALL THE CHARACTERS. Seriously what's up with that nowadays?? They show you how friendly and happy they are together, and the next episode is just filled with deaths. However the story is fun, I like the pacing, the artstyle, the enemies and the music sooo S2 when? (8/10)

Spy x Family - Superduper cute, feel good anime with some badass characters. Some second hand embarrassement is in order tho lol (9/10)

Sailor Moon (90's series) - It's. So. Good. Such a comfort show. It has it's problems (the combat seems very... repetitive, the girls forget about their new powers, SM doesnt do much except in the movies), but a) this show is gorgeous b) it has characters that you wish they were your friends c) it's long so the story is well paced. It has good humour, super powers, a long and immersive story, surprisingly well made character arcs, ammmmaazing opening (and overall the soundtrack is ICONIC), 90's aesthetics and lots of gay vibes. However, it's extremely romance-centered, so probably not the best choice if you are in search for an action anime (9/10)

Soul Eater - 51 episodes of a surprisingly good story with surprisingly bad characters. The ending was disappointing, and the most powerful or intriguing characters just... weren't used? The monologues made no sense? Guy who can't die literally only fought 2 times? Madness wasn't mad? Brave girl wasn't brave? Like what even happened in this show? (5/10)

[whilewewereyetsinners]

I posted 1,878 times in 2022

That's 767 more posts than 2021!

42 posts created (2%)

1,836 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@i-istherefore-iam

@northerlygale

@luna-drinker

@officialyourdailyinspiration

@talesofsorrowandofruin

I tagged 1,309 of my posts in 2022

Only 30% of my posts had no tags

#christianity - 135 posts

#lol - 82 posts

#signal boost - 58 posts

#history - 51 posts

#christian living - 50 posts

#art - 49 posts

#prayer request - 49 posts

#jane austen - 47 posts

#lotr - 45 posts

#abortion - 39 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#there’s so much wrong with the world and so many people experiencing legit problems and this mauling of etymology is what’s most important?

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

18 notes - Posted April 16, 2022

#4

Colossal says it hopes to use advanced genetic sequencing to resurrect two extinct mammals — not just the giant, ice age mammoth, but also a mid-sized marsupial known as the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, that died out less than a century ago. On its website, the company vows: “Combining the science of genetics with the business of discovery, we endeavor to jumpstart nature’s ancestral heartbeat.”

In-Q-Tel, its new investor, is registered as a nonprofit venture capital firm funded by the CIA. On its surface, the group funds technology startups with the potential to safeguard national security. In addition to its long-standing pursuit of intelligence and weapons technologies, the CIA outfit has lately displayed an increased interest in biotechnology and particularly DNA sequencing.

“Why the interest in a company like Colossal, which was founded with a mission to “de-extinct” the wooly mammoth and other species?” reads an In-Q-Tel blog post published on September 22. “Strategically, it’s less about the mammoths and more about the capability.”

“Biotechnology and the broader bioeconomy are critical for humanity to further develop. It is important for all facets of our government to develop them and have an understanding of what is possible,” Colossal co-founder Ben Lamm wrote in an email to The Intercept. (A spokesperson for Lamm stressed that while Thiel provided Church with $100,000 in funding to launch the woolly mammoth project that became Colossal, he is not a stakeholder like Robbins, Hilton, Winklevoss Capital, and In-Q-Tel.)

Colossal uses CRISPR gene editing, a method of genetic engineering based on a naturally occurring type of DNA sequence. […] The eponymous gene editing technique was developed to function the same way, allowing users to snip unwanted genes and program a more ideal version of the genetic code.

The embrace of this technology, according to In-Q-Tel’s blog post, will help allow U.S. government agencies to read, write, and edit genetic material, and, importantly, to steer global biological phenomena that impact “nation-to-nation competition” while enabling the United States “to help set the ethical, as well as the technological, standards” for its use.

Okay, am I the only one that finds the idea of US government agencies having the authority to use this technology completely terrifying?

I remember when CRISPR technology was first developed bioethicists were like yeah, you shouldn’t do that, and everyone else was like shut up and think of the children! We can eradicate birth defects with this!! And have they eradicated birth defects with this? Don’t be silly, of course not! No, we’re going to build supersoldiers or morally-vacant human robots or something, that’s way more important!

20 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

#3

So if you love Jane Austen and think it would be fun to have veins throbbing in your temples, here’s something for you to read:

The film’s first trailer wasn’t roundly greeted with excitement, as many watchers (presumably hardcore Austen fans who have never once enjoyed the pleasures of something perfect like “Clueless”) took it to task for being too modern, too silly, too “Bridget Jones does Regency cosplay.” How very lucky we are then that one trailer, just mere minutes of a film, is not an entire feature.

I mean, the author refers to P&P 1995’s Fitzwilliam Darcy as Mark Darcy so it’s not as though she actually knows what she’s talking about, but I really just love it when reviewers insult people who love whatever book is being adapted. Especially when your review is a litany of all the ways the character is grossly changed from the original, but she’s really heartbroken and sad, yo, so that means it’s a good adaptation.

26 notes - Posted July 8, 2022

#2

Sample A: “There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.

Sample B: “A heartbeat ago, there were no two people more in rhythm than Wentworth and I. Now we’re strangers. Worse than strangers — we’re exes.”

Sample A: “My being the mother is the very reason why my feelings should not be tried. I am not at all equal to it. You saw how hysterical I was yesterday.”

Sample B: “The thing about me is, I am an empath.”

To clarify the obvious — something the movie under review today has no problem doing — the “A” excerpts are from Jane Austen’s magnificent novel “Persuasion.” The “B” excerpts are from the movie, which I suppose you could also call “Persuasion,” insofar as it appears to have lifted sentences from the novel and fed them through some kind of Instagram-filtering, catchphrase-generating, text-summarizing idiot bot.

Finally, a review written by someone who actually knows his Austen.

280 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Sewing patterns provide a uniquely detailed look at the lives of working-class people throughout history that clothing collections held at museums or universities seldom offer. These patterns — flimsy packets of paper covered in shapes, numbers, and symbols — guide sewists through the process of making everything from sweatpants to wedding dresses. And through most of the 20th century, before manufacturers moved production to capitalize on cheap labor abroad, sewing at home was a way to have high-quality clothing for less money.

But scholarship around patterns and home sewing is still relatively underappreciated, often dismissed as women’s work or insignificant to fashion and art. The common pattern’s ubiquitousness only adds to its disposability — patterns were cheap to purchase and finicky to preserve and were never meant to last.

For the community of vintage sewing enthusiasts, an unassuming website maintained by the University of Rhode Island is a priceless and irreplaceable treasure. The Commercial Pattern Archive is one of the few projects in the world that safeguards these documents that are fragile, easily forgotten, and born to die. A labor of love and insistence on the part of a small team of historians, costume designers, archivists, and hobbyists, the archive began in the 1990s and includes a physical stash and digital database of English-language patterns unparalleled in its scope and depth. CoPA is home to around 56,000 physical patterns going back to the 1800s, along with books, pamphlets, journals, and other related material.

1,264 notes - Posted June 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[starlightcats]

hiii! this is super random but i saw u in the replies of the polls post abt fandom phrases saying you still don't fully get dead dove, so I figured I'd try!!

So dead dove, or the longer, actual version of the name, dead dove: do not eat, comes from a scene in the tv show arrested development, where one character opens up the fridge, takes a paper bag out and opens it, and puts it down saying 'i don't know what i expected' and it fades out to show that on the paper bag the words 'dead dove: do not eat' are written, implying that, yes, he just saw a dead dove in the fridge.

in fandom terms this essentially translates to the same; aka, someone published a work on ao3 and tagged it quite extensively with heavy and/or taboo topics such as sexual assault, incest, dark/heavy angst etc or just maybe a pairing people don't like in the particular fandom.

it really just boils down to 'what is says on the tin' aka, you're gonna get what is described in the tags and the summary and author notes. It's really quite a helpful tool to look out for or even filter for. Some have started using dead dove as a way to completely know which works to avoid but that truly is down to personal preference, constitution and what genre you like to read.

For me, dead dove kind of goes along with 'don't like, don't read' which is an older fandom phrase basically saying the same thing but with an added aura of 'don't be a dickhead in the comments' lol.

hope this helped!! sending sunshine and happiness and sprinkles on ice cream and all the good things your way!!

Tysm!! That helped a lot actually.

[hufflepoofing]

So I think about the stardust crusaders a [HEALTHY AND NORMAL AMOUNT]. And I like analyzing media so let’s talk about stands and tarot cards! If there are any inaccuracies in my interpretation of the cards let me know, I’m not a tarot expert!!

Jotaro, The Star

Upright, the star arcana represents trust, belief, and rebirth. The journey to Egypt forces Jotaro to put a lot of trust into others that he wouldn’t have otherwise (for example the Lovers arc, the Terence D’Arby fight). He also learns to trust Star Platinum over the trip, going from seeing it as an evil spirit following him to a useful tool. Reversed, the star can represent despair and depression which could allude to the underlying worry over Holly’s condition. Tbh I wish I had more to say about Star platinum like I do the others but I don’t . I like his loincloth

Kakyoin, The Hierophant

Hierophant Green shows a lot of character, I feel, so I have a lot to say (totally not because I am biased towards kakyoin nooooo what makes you think that silly). The main stands in part 3 have a distinct kind of style to them. Human, plant (?), robot, anthropomorphi, and alien. Hierophant green’s alien appearance (as I see it) can be taken as an allusion to Kakyoin’s alienation as a child. That and Hierophant green has a mouth under its muzzle (?). In Heritage for the Future, when fighting Alessi and using Hierophant Green, the stand doesn’t have a mask. What does this mean Araki. It implies that a stands appearance can change over time without artificial means (using the arrow, using spin) or being evolved in acts. Is it trauma related? Who knows!!! I will say Hierophant greens painted face in HFTF is really cute to me :)

Tarot time! The upright hierophant represents morality, ethics, and tradition. In many situations, Kakyoin’s shown to have a strong sense of morals and often intervenes when Jotaro goes to just beat the everloving shit out of people. When compared to Jotaro, he’s also the more traditional highschool student compared to Jotaro’s delinquency. The jobros often serve a specific literary role and for Kakyoin, he acts as Jotaro’s foil, hence why I referenced Jotaro so much in this section lol. Reversed, the Hierophant represents rebellion and subversion. Kakyoin’s character arc centers around him rebelling against DIO. He revels against DIO for what he did to him and takes back his identity, and that arc begins when Kakyoin subverts the audience’s expectations and joins the crusade to Egypt despite being introduced as an enemy. Kakyoin my skrungly

Polnareff, The Chariot

Polnareff. :). Upright, the chariot represents willpower and direction. Despite being a wet dog of a man, Polnareff embodies these two concepts really well. Avdol, Kakyoin, and Polnareff’s encounters with DIO are really great character developing scenes. DIO is established to be a horrifying beautiful man who knows how to get what he wants from his targets. To get Polnareff to join him, DIO tempts him by offering to help him get revenge for Sherry. Polnareff wants to find his sister’s murderer, giving him a real and tangible goal that he has pursued for who knows how long. He’s so determined to find who killed his sister that he’s willing to team up with DIO who’s shown to intimidate everyone he meets. Reversed, the chariot is hostile, reckless, and indisciplined. I shouldn’t have to explain this but I love talking so I WILL!!!! Polnareff is reckless, often endangering others despite meaning no malice. Hanged man arc, that one time he fucking wrecked a car. In the Death 13 arc, he shows a lack of discipline within Mannish Boy’s dreamscape by accepting it as is and eating ice cream. In particular, his relationship with Avdol shows the dichotomy of his admirable determination and his harmful recklessness. He pushes Avdol to the side and makes rash decisions when confronted with J. Giel. Because of his recklessness, Avdol is injured to the point where it almost seems fatal. In the fight with Vanilla Ice, he overcomes this recklessness of his, I feel, after the sacrifice of Avdol and Iggy. In part 5, he shows a newfound sense of maturity.

Avdol, The Magician

Wine upright magician represents willpower and spirituality. When meeting DIO, Advol did not succumb to his charms and offers like Polnareff and Kakyoin did. Sure, he heard about how dangerous DIO was before from Joseph, but he also had the willpower to run away. Avdol is likely the most spiritual of all of the Crusaders. He’s a fortune teller and believes in fate (ex: when he let Jotaro draw the tarot card for his stand name). The concept of stands is introduced with Jotaro, but it’s not until Avdol appears that stands are actually explained. He acts as a mentor with spirituality within part 3. Reversed, the magician represents manipulation and trickery. He faked his own death idk what to tell you if that ain’t trickery then what is

Joseph, The Hermit

Out of all the stands, I feel like hermit purple embodies the tarot card the best. The upright hermit represents several things, one of them being a truth seeking nature. Hermit purple’s main power plays into that thought through spirit photography. The card also represents guidance and of Avdol is the mentor, Joseph is the tour guide. He’s not this part’s jojo, but he’s the one to initiate the journey to Egypt and is the one to really help everyone to get to Egypt. He’s almost a de facto leader of the group. Jotaro might be the muscles, but Joseph is the drive. Reversed means isolation and seclusion, and this is a bit harder to pin point. In a lot of Joseph centric parts, he’s kind of isolated? Like with the empress, first part of Bastet, and part of the Dio fight. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint this aspect of his character tbh. Maybe it means he misses his wife and daughter idk babes

Iggy, The Fool

I will be entirely honest and say The Fool is probably my favorite stand design in part 3. I just love it a lot idk what to tell you.

The fool represents a free spirit and new beginnings. Iggy is a free spirit to an outrageous degree. It’s the very first thing established about him. He’s a dog he doesn’t care for the others and does whatever the fuck he pleases. Good for him tbh. Even after he spends time with the crusaders, Iggy remains an independent member of the group. He’s forever a free spirit, even until the very end. He sacrifices himself not because he had to but because he wanted to. In the ultimate act of freedom, he chose to save Polnareff instead of himself. When he’s introduced, it’s at the beginning of the Egypt arc. It’s a “new beginning” for the story as well as for Iggy. Because he’s been ripped out from his home to help a bunch of weird guys in the desert. Up until the end where he saved Polnareff, he embodied the essence of the reversed fool. Inconsiderate, hasty, and reckless. As Araki said Personality; Terrible. I do love iggy tho

DIO, The World

DIO. For starters, the fact that The World and Star Platinum are essentially the same stand goes to show how intertwined the lives of the Joestars and DIO are.

Upright, the world represents fulfillment, wholeness, and completion. In the eyes of his followers, DIO is whole. He is the perfect stand user. The reversed world is a more accurate depiction of DIO. His followers see the World upright, but it is reversed. He is incomplete and inadequate. He sports a stolen body that had rejected his head. His body is not his. DIO is an incomplete god. As long as the Joestars live, he will be incomplete. He seeks completion by wiping them out.

The TLDR is that I have a lot of thoughts on jojo but have no one to discuss them with so I’ll scream into the void that is my blog

[thyandrawrites]

After annoyingly long time it's so refreshing to get more clear indications that Dabi does care for the League and its members, even if he claims otherwise. I don't think I'll ever get over this.

PS. Thanks for all the metas you have written about Dabi. About 6 months back I was sure that he'd die but after reading your metas I realized it wouldn't make sense so thanks for giving hope that our favorite arsonist will get his his redemption^^

"dABi's IRRemdeemAbLEE eeeeeVULLLLL hE doESN'T cARe aBoUT aNYoNE oR aNyThiNg beSiDes hImSeLf REEEEEEEEEEEEEE" Then why did he help Toga then? It doesn't benefit him or his plan at all. Sure, he wants his plan to succeed, and in his mind, the plan is #1, but if he was sooooooo horrible, why did he even bother to go out of his way to do that for her? Maybe, just maybe, he isn't an irredeemable monster after all.

So it's 100% confirmed that Dabi's "I don't give a shit, fuck everyone and everything." attitude is a front. As soon as Himiko Toga appreciates him for what he did, he goes "It's not like I wanted to help you or anything." lol

three different asks, but I'm answering them all together.

Dabi does care a lot more than he shows it. This is a deliberate character flaw of his that Horikoshi has been writing with purpose. He's too self-reliant to warm up to the concept of needing others. This of course doesn't mean he feels 0 warmth for them. It just means he lacks the tools to be conscious about it.

I'm saying that Horikoshi writes this flaw with purpose because Dabi parallels his narrative foil, Shouto, in this.

Before Shouto received character development—or more specifically, before coming to terms with his fire side and accepting it as his own power and not his father's, Shouto used to be aloof and self-reliant to a fault, too. He fought alone, tackled problems and challenges on his own without caring if he was leaving his classmates behind, wasn't keen on communication until called out on it, wasn't friendly and saw people who didn't take him seriously as an obstacle in his way. All of this clearly mirrors his brother; they're both laser-focused on goals with no room for sentimentality. Dabi also takes himself very seriously, is a lone wolf, left the League in the dark for a long time, and frequently complains to them for being less motivated than he is.

What this highlights is not that either of them is unable to care, but that they struggle to see others as peers. It doesn't come naturally to them. They have to make an effort to be social, to hang out with a group instead of just hanging at the corners of one, or ditching it for their own purposes.

A big point of Shouto's arc was that he was always thinking in terms of "I" and never of "we." He almost failed that joint excercise with Momo because of it. He took the lead without thinking much of it, and treated her like an asset to their victory instead of a peer. This was not because Shouto was purposefully acting cruel or callous to Momo; he did it subconsciously, but still came across as aloof and cold enough for her to have an inner crisis and start doubting herself. Dabi is very much the same. He doesn't see the League as a "we", but often does his own thing and treats them as assets to his victory against Endvr. This clearly despite how much his action show true care for them.

Neither pre-development Shouto nor Dabi are actually callous or cold-hearted, but they still project that image anyway, consciously or not. This is more clear with Shouto. Once the ice prince facade melts off (figuratively and literally, since he used to wear ice as part of his costume, lol), Shouto is shown to be a lot kinder than he initially appeared. My point is, Dabi is the same, deep down. He just has far more layers of trauma to peel off before you can get at that kindness. Shouto had people in his corner early on since he enrolled at UA, so he moved on fairly quickly from that initial aloofness. Meanwhile, Dabi is still largely stewing in that simmering juice of trauma/denial/anger that blinds him to the range of his other healthy emotions. (Shouto used to be blinded by that hatred too, by the way. That's a big element in his backstory with Inasa).

But slowly, Dabi too is getting there. This chapter showed us the first deliberate step from "I" to "we". He made Toga a part of his plan, and that's big for him. it shows that he cares, yes, but he already did that, though admittedly in a lot less straightforward way. The novelty here is that this act shows that he's slowly starting to accept and extend help, without immediately fearing that stepping away from toxic self-reliance would label him as weak

[rollercoasterwords]

ok circling back to this bc i think the essay has finished marinating lol.

so. when we talk about necessity in writing what we're really talking about is goals, right? like, something can only be necessary or unnecessary if the writer has a specific goal they are trying to accomplish. for this reason, i think necessity is more often a critique that works when we're talking about nonfiction. for example--if someone is writing a persuasive essay arguing that vanilla ice cream is better than chocolate, and they spend a few paragraphs talking about the origins of vanilla flavoring, someone might call that unncessary because it doesn't help support the argument that vanilla is better than chocolate to simply tell us where it comes from.

with nonfiction, the writer often has a clear goal or a clear set of goals--a point they're trying to make, a topic they're trying to educate on, etc. i've spent my fair share of time editing academic papers, so i know that "x thing is unncessary" can be a very valid + useful critique in certain contexts.

but with fiction, things become a lot more nebulous. this is because fiction oftentimes does not have objective, clearly defined goals--it has goals, certainly, but those goals are much more subjective + multilayered, so it becomes more difficult to use "necessity" as a truly productive critique.

i'm gonna use the captive prince series as an example here. the first book contains two very graphic scenes of sa. i've critiqued this book in the past by saying that i felt those scenes were "unnecessary" insofar as their goal was to develop a certain kind of relationship between the two main characters. i felt the relationship could have been developed the way it needed to be without the scenes, and they were therefore unnecessary. however, someone else might say--hang on a second, developing a relationship isn't the only goal in writing those two scenes, nor even the most important one. those scenes also provide important context + worldbuilding for the society they're set in and form a commentary on cycles of abuse that would not be possible, to the same extent, without them, and therefore they are, in fact, necessary. someone else might point out that the work was originally just published online as a kinky story, and in that sense the goal is to cater to certain kinks--which, again, makes including those scenes necessary to meet that goal. yet another person might disagree with my entire premise in the first place, and argue that those scenes are necessary to develop a certain kind of relationship, and without them the entire story would be fundamentally altered.

what i'm doing here is not saying that i or any of these hypothetical people are more or less objectively right--i'm simply trying to illustrate how a critique on "necessity" in fiction often becomes subjective very quickly, because different people will have different opinions on what goals are being discussed + the utility of certain scenes/mechanisms in accomplishing those goals. because fiction is so inherently subjective, it's often difficult for "necessity" to be truly useful as a critical tool aside from simply starting conversations about the text.

so! fanfiction. even if necessity can be a site for useful critique with certain literature (oftentimes less for broad statements about the work as a whole and more for detailed discussions about the utility of specific scenes or artistic decisions), i….just don't really think it can be for fanfiction. that's because the goal of fanfiction is, at its core, simply for the writer to write the story they wanted to write. like. fanfiction is a hobby; it's something people do for fun. for that reason, fanfiction is generally written to cater to the specific story the writer wants to create, and not to anyone else.

so like--my captive prince critique. saying "i found that scene unnecessary" if it were a fanfiction would basically be null and void, because the writer wanted to write the scene that way, and that's the ultimate goal of fanfiction (write what you want). so…if the writer wanted to write it that way, then it was necessary. y'know?

and the reason it bothers me so much when i see people talking shit about fics by complaining that something was "unnecessary" is threefold:

it's never okay to publicly shit on fics, as i have discussed multiple times on this blog

i often see the "critique" left at simply saying "x was unnecessary"--which wouldn't even be a good critique if this wasn't fanfiction. if you want to make a thoughtful critique about necessity, you need to end that sentence--"x was unnecessary for accomplishing y goal." otherwise, it just becomes another buzzword, a nondescript insult posing as thoughtful criticism by using the word "unnecessary" to act like it's saying something when it is, in reality, saying nothing

this ties directly into 2--because i typically see the "critique" left simply at "x was unnecessary," what is most often actually being said is just: "i didn't like x." like--people aren't actually making any sort of thoughtful statement on whether x was necessary in accomplishing some specific narrative goal. instead, they're really just saying "i didn't like x and would have preferred the story without it, therefore x was unnecessary for creating a story that i would have liked." which….is not the point of fanfiction. it doesn't matter whether you like the story; all that matters is whether the writer wanted to write it. you liking it is just a fun bonus if + when it happens.

and like. this bothers me even more when i see people using it to shit on fic writers for including darker/more mature themes in their fics. "the homophobia wasn't necessary" "the sexism wasn't necessary" "the death wasn't necessary" etc etc etc. because it's just like. what are you actually saying?? homophobia is necessary in a story where the writer wants to explore how homophobia impacts the characters. sexism is necessary in a story where the writer wants to say something about sexism. death is necessary in a story where the writer wants to explore themes related to dying + grief + mortality. like, a lot of the things i see people calling "unnecessary" are important themes that would fundamentally alter the stories they exist in were they removed, essentially rendering them entirely different stories. so it's just….useless. it's not a real critique. because to write the stories they wanted to write, the writers had to include those things. they were, by definition, necessary, even if they weren't necessary to the story you would have preferred the writer to create.

i also just think it's an odd way to like….approach storytelling. like, running with the homophobia example--i (far too) often see people saying "homophobia isn't necessary; this is all set in a magical universe, you can just get rid of it," as though it is somehow wrong for writers to include homophobia in their work. and it's like….what are you actually asking for here? do you genuinely believe that nobody writing fanfiction should ever write about homophobia? why? where are we supposed to go to explore + talk about these experiences, if we're not allowed to do it in our free writing that we're posting with warning tags on the internet as a hobby??

anyway. in conclusion: saying "x was unnecessary" is not a valid "critique" regarding fanfiction; more often it's just a way to shit on a fic by relying on buzzwords to seem like you're saying something insightful, when what you're actually doing is just complaining that you don't like it when people write stories that aren't catered to your tastes.

still pondering but. i actually don't think it's possible for "[x thing] was unnecessary" to ever be a valid or useful or productive critique of fanfiction....

[interact-if]

Day 5 of the interviews! let’s give it up for Ligia! :chinhands:

Ligia, author of Love the Guard, Be the King

Latino Heritage Month Featured Author

Mathias' heart has been bleeding since his father, the former King, decided to punish you for his mistakes. As the youngest child of a lesser bourgeois, you were raised in the castle, between the King’s cruelty, the Queen’s friendship, and  Mathias’s kindness (or supposed kindness?).

Now, more than twenty Carnivals since your arrival, the King is dead and the Queen’s sickness  worsens each day. As the azure taint spreads in the kingdom and the Opalean Wars come to an end, it’s Mathias’s time to sit on the throne.

Will the docile Prince become a kind King, a violent Monarch, or a ruthless Tyrant? Will you have any say in it? And how much will your relationship change?

Love the Guard, Be the King Demo | Author’s Kofi | Read more [here]

Tags: historical, romance

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT)

Q1: So, tell us a little bit about the projects you’re working on!

With pleasure! Right now, I’m working on three main projects. My personal Visual Novel project, “Love the Guard, Be the King,” a second Visual Novel I’ve been secretly working on with a good friend for the past 10 months or so, and I also have an ongoing book series about hot, quirky supervillains—but I’ll focus only on the first two cause that’s what we’re here for, right? Hahaha.

LtGBtK is a really intimist experience, focused more on the MC’s and RO’s character arcs and how we can change depending on our experiences and how we feel about them. The entire plot happens in only four days, but it takes into account almost 30 years of history—basically Mathias’s (the only RO) entire life!

“Crystal Library” has mystery, romance, magic, 6 ROs, and a ton of memorable scenes already. I’m working on the graphics and the programming for this one, while Coco Nichole (@dreamybard), one of my favorite writers ever, is the brilliant mind behind the plot and all of CL’s characters! I can’t wait to share this one with you all. Romance is optional in both. :)

Q2: What excites you most about using interactive fiction? What are some of the biggest challenges?

What I LOVE and FEAR about all types of interactive fiction is how it invites players to, on a much deeper level, be part of the narrative. When reading books, we all work hard to translate beautiful sentences and scenes into images in your head. We interact with it, yes, but when playing IFs, we also explore the narrative in a different way; we have so much more agency over what happens! We sometimes have different paths to choose from, beautiful illustrations to unlock, or character traits that change depending on our choices… it’s amazing, and, IMO, it’s a very unique way to experience narratives.

But it’s also very complex, very demanding, and it can easily get out of hand if you give the players too many options/branches to follow, mainly when working with small teams or, in my case for LtGBtK, alone. *takes a deep breath* I just hope I’m doing a good job. .-.

Q3: What has been something in your project you’ve had to do a weird amount of research for?

Besides programming lol basically everything. For LtGBtK, I’m trying to create this weird fantasy with a modern-medieval society (?), so I’m constantly researching medieval customs, traditions, tools, and weirdly specific stuff like socks. Did people wear socks in the medieval era? What were their playing cards made of? When was ice cream invented? How did they shave? How did kids become knights? What were their perfumes made of? And soaps? What did they eat? How different was their wine? And what kind of materials or slang or fabrics can I use, and what can I change without completely breaking immersion?

 And then I shove all that into a pot and adapt it to a world where Mathias can literally put the world on fire with a wave of his hands. ♥

Q4: Which of your characters is most like you? How?

I think I’m a mix of them all, but mainly Mandra and Rafa (one of my main characters in my supervillain books). They have wildly different personalities and stories, but those two have clear views of the kind of person they want to be, they’re not afraid of their soft sides, and they are ready to work hard to become good at what they love. Rafa has a specially strong connection to her brother, like my siblings and I, and Mand is often locked in an eternal state of wanting to be alone and wanting to be surrounded by family/loved ones, so I guess we meet there too!

Q5: Does your heritage influence your characters as you create them? (How? Why or why not?)

Yes! There are the very basic ways, like habits, names, food, family dynamics, settings (mainly in my books, which are all very Brazilian), and Holidays. And then there’s a more personal way that I’m not entirely sure I can explain because I lived in Brazil for 28 years, and I’m not sure I can put that into words. The classics of our literature are different, Art, architecture, and music developed differently, my country was violently colonized and still faces the results of that violence (including but not limited to structural racism, classism, misogyny etc), I learned some Capoeira in my physical education class at school, we call non-Brazilians “gringos,” and so on. This is my normal, and this is what my characters would see as normal too, because I don’t know any different.

At the very core, all my characters are influenced by my country’s history, by our relationship with other countries, and by the values my parents taught me, passed down to them by my Indigeous-Spanish-Portuguese-German foremothers/fathers. :P

The main, more palpable way my heritage influences my characters, though, is through humor and theme. I think Brazilians have a very specific, sharp, and often very smart kind of humor that, IMO, stems from the type of history our country has, and the way we look at life, sometimes translating pain into humor. As for themes, I usually write about what makes me angry... and there’s a lot in Brazil’s history and modern society that causes me that. :)

But all I know for sure is that I want to show the world Brazilians are much more than samba and soccer.

 Q6: What is something you love to see in interactive fiction?

Other people! In the same way I add my history and worldview to my creations, I always approach stories thinking that there’s a whole, well, history behind them. And I love that! Also, I adore choices that feel impactful + good friendships and family relationships + soft romances with mutual respect. ♥

Q7: Any advice to give?

Hmm. Be proud and celebrate who you are and where you’re from. Learning and understanding the world inside us is a life-long process, so it’s always a victory to discover new pieces of ourselves. :) Also, if you can, talk to people that come from different cultures than yours to expand your worldview, don’t be afraid to be soft (the world needs more kindness), and please study personal finance. Seriously. XD

[spaceorphan18]

have you ever read a detailed post about the glee cast’s singing voices? like all about their technique and stuff? reading your reaction to the ‘vocal coach reacts to glee’ video makes me want to know more!

Hmmmm, not really! Not from a professional vocalist POV, I don’t think.  (That I’m aware of.  This does remind me there was one vocal coach in fandom, and she hated Blaine, and I wasn’t too fond of her, or her analysis, so I won’t point you in that direction.) 

My background is in music, but not in vocal performance.  But I can give you a quick rundown of cast’s musical abilities if you like, though they won’t be huge on the technical side of it.  

ETA: I started this a while ago before I started doing the music retrospective - I’ll probably try to explore a little more as I do those.   If you guys want more conversation about one person in particular, let me know! 

But for now... 

*

Matthew Morrison: Is a classically trained musician with a very good voice.  It’s a shame Will was such a tool, because Matthew Morrison was very talented, had the ability to do a lot of great things with his voice.  People joke about his rapping -- but I think this stemmed from the issue that his background is in musical theater -- which teaches you a cleaner and more traditional way of singing -- opposed to a pop or rap style.  He doesn’t have the grit that rap often has, which makes it a little too much like a Kid’s Bop version of something.  When singing musical theater, though, he really shined. 

A number that showcases ability: Make ‘Um Laugh

A number that isn’t so great: Ice Ice Baby

*

Lea Michele: Lea does have a very good and solid voice.  She’s also been classically trained.  The one drawback is that it hinders her a bit on pop music, she lacks some of the grittiness often needed on a lot of the pop songs.  She also starts to lose some of her classic training as the show goes on (which I think is a shame) so that she can get some of the shine off her voice to make a transition to pop music.  

She has one vocal tick that drives me crazy, though -- she has a tendency to slide into her notes instead of hitting them dead on, which gets worse as the show goes on, and it makes her sound a little screech-y at times.  But for the most part -- she is really good. 

A number that showcases ability: Don’t Rain on My Parade

A number that isn’t so great: Ooops...I Did It Again

*

Amber Riley: The cool thing about Amber is that you get to hear her grow as a musician as the show goes on.  She had already started to get vocal lessons before the show started, but at the beginning, she was still a bit raw and unrefined in her technique.  But you can tell she did practice, and her voice is developed beautifully as the show goes on.  She was one of the best, well rounded vocalists on the show.  She had a good handle on pop and R&B music, but she could sing musical theater rather clearly, too.  She has great breath support - and can belt numbers out while still retaining the quality.  Can’t say enough good thing about Amber’s voice. 

A number that showcases ability: Someday We’ll Be Together

A number that isn’t so great: Sweet Transvestite (It’s not bad - but it’s my least favorite Mercedes solo.) 

*

Cory Monteith: Cory wasn’t a vocalist.  And, to be completely honest, I thought it was some kind of joke when they introduced him as some kind of hidden musical gem when Will hears him singing the showers.  He did really well with classic rock that’s allows not only for a weaker voice - but is often not as technically hard.  And I have to wonder if Cory got lessons, because he did get a lot better as the show went on, and I think his season 4 work is great! 

I will say that sometimes they pushed his voice a little too far.  A lot of times songs were either too high for his range and he often sounded like he was straining.  (The most notable of which is A House is Not a Home - which is far too high for him.)  That said - I think he did reasonably well along side Lea - mostly because often sang pop duets.  

A number that showcases ability: I’ve Gotta Be Me

A number that isn’t so great: Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore

*

Chris Colfer: Chris is such an interesting study due to the uniqueness of his voice.  He’s got a huge range both in terms of genre and literal range of voice.  He can sing quite a few octaves.  He’s got a great, clear sound, too, which is why he’s great with theater numbers.  Interestingly, Chris’s voice did drop over the years, and while I know people love his higher range, he has a gorgeous lower range that wasn’t used as often (and is often my favorite.) 

The one (nitpicky) issue was that Chris’s voice ended up getting pigeon-holed.  I know singing Diva-Broadway songs was his schtick - but it would have been nice to hear him sing a bigger variety of songs.  He wasn’t the strongest on non-ballad pop music, but they also didn’t give him that very often.  

There’s also the fascinating unusualness in that, Chris could really sing duets very well with people -- but in group numbers, his voice sticks out like a sore thumb, and he was often left out of some of the more general songs because of it.  His voice just doesn’t texture very well - which is why I get why they did what they did.  

A number that showcases ability: Being Alive

A number that isn’t so great: I’ll Remember

*

Kevin McHale: I feel like people are often surprised when they sit down and think about it, but Kevin has a great voice.  He has a solid range, and he’s able to do pop music very well (I believe it helps that he was in a professional boy band for years.)  Not sure if people noticed - but he’s often the lead on group numbers that don’t need to be related to specific story or character points.  Which is a bummer for Artie’s story - but if you’re a fan of Kevin’s voice, you get a lot to choose from.  

Kevin was also able to handle a lot of the musical demands that I think some of the other males weren’t? He’s a much better singer than Cory - and could handle leading a full number.  His voice isn’t as unique as Chris’s and can texture really well.  In addition he was fairly versatile.  He might have been the best rapper the show had, lol. 

A number that showcases ability: For Once In My Life

A number that isn’t so great: Addicted to Love (personal taste choice - I just don’t like the song.) 

*

Jenna Ushkowitz: Jenna is another one who is classically trained.  She has a strong, solid voice, which was unfortunately not showcased all that well on the show, and because of that, I’m not sure how she does on a wide variety of music.  I do think she sounds a little generic - but not helping is lack of being featured.  

A number that showcases ability: I Don’t Know How To Love Him

A number that isn’t so great: Gangum Style (She does fine - but the fact that they made her do it in the first place...) 

*

Dianna Agron: The interesting thing about Dianna is that she has a really nice low female voice.  The fact that they never gave her any punk or harder rock was really a shame, because I think she would have done really well with that.  The funny thing is that, more so in the beginning, they show tried to make her sing songs that fit her character - but weren’t necessarily great for her voice.  I feel like it wasn’t until late season 2 did they start really using her voice for the better.  

A number that showcases ability: Never Can Say Goodbye

A number that isn’t so great: It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World

*

Mark Salling: Mark had a really solid voice - that often lent itself well to folk and acoustic really well.  He was good with softer pop and classic rock, and the show showcased that pretty well.  I think, in general, Mark was a much better vocalist than actor, and the show often picked good music for him to sing - which helped with his character.  I don’t have a whole lot to say, only that I think he was underrated as a vocalist, but I get it - with all the other baggage that comes with talking about Mark. 

A number that showcases ability: No Surrender 

A number that isn’t so great: Fight For Your Right (to Party) (I don’t think it’s bad - I just hate this song.) 

*

Naya Rivera: Naya is a little tricky.  I think she has a good, smoky sound to her voice that makes her excellent at things like pop and R and B.  (Shame she didn’t have a good jazz number to do on the show - she would have been great at that.)  I think she was really versatile, though, and handled her Broadway numbers really well.  I do think she was somewhat pinched and nasal at times - and while I do think this was a stylistic choice, to me it’s not my favorite type of vocal sound.  But I do think she was really good at the numbers she was given, and was one of the most talented female vocalists on the show. 

A number that showcases ability: Back to Black

A number that isn’t so great: Alfie (I think I may dislike the song more than her singing on it.) 

*

Heather Morris: Heather wasn’t a singer, and I do think it showed at times.  She often had to have her voice autotuned more than anyone else on the show.  That said - she did do Britney Spears really well, and I think she deserves credit for that.  

A number that showcases ability: I’m a Slave 4 U

A number that isn’t so great: Dinosaur

*

Chord Overstreet: Chord’s background is in country - and that shows a bit through his singing - he’s got a bit of twang in his voice, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.  He’s a fun singer.  I don’t think the show knew exactly what to do with him (voice or character) but there’s a lightness to his singing that makes him easily adaptable to pretty much anything you throw at him. 

A number that showcases ability: Red Solo Cup (You think I’m joking - but I think this is the most fun Chord has singing a song.) 

A number that isn’t so great: Girls on Film (I think just by default of me liking everything else better.) 

*

Darren Criss: Ah, Darren, where to even start.  The thing about Darren is that he may not be the strongest singer, his voice is a little wobbly at times, and his range is somewhat limited, but his showmanship is just completely beyond nearly everyone else.  Darren has the unique ability to draw you in with his singing and hold you captive.  There are technically better singers on the show - but Darren just has this amazing ability to really sell a performance.  And I do love his voice, even if there are some limitations to it.  I really could gush about Darren’s performance abilities, but I’ll refrain... 

A number that showcases ability: Teenage Dream (Both Versions) 

A number that isn’t so great: Piano Man (Which isn’t bad - I just think the show had done it better, and it’s a rare time that felt like Darren was kind of phoning it in.) 

*

A quick run down of others, but first a quick aside - as they started adding people in, vocal ability starts being a factor.  I think a lot of the newer characters could sing better than they could act, which was both helpful and a hinderance.  I think we began to get more solid musical numbers as the show went on, but sometimes acting wasn’t always top notch - and across the board, old and new, hitting a combo of acting and singing ability didn’t always happen.  

Harry Shum Jr.: Not really a singer - but the show often played to his strengths, and his few songs played off the fact that he wasn’t a great singer to great aplomb.  

Jane Lynch: Can hold a tune, even if her voice isn’t the best - is really great at musical comedy. 

Jayma Mays: She has more singing ability than the show allowed to showcase, however, she’s another one whose voice was really unique, and doesn’t texture very well.  

Damien McGinty: Is actually a very good singer.  However, he’s very generic, too - which makes him a little on the bland side. 

Sam Larsen: I think he was fine - I don’t think he sang enough on the show for me to make much of an impression one way or the other. 

Alex Newel: Fucking Fantastic! Alex might be one of the strongest vocalists on the show - has great range, energy, and vocal control.  

Melissa Benoist: Her voice tends to lean on the pop-ier side, but it’s a solid voice, and her work on the show was pretty good.  

Jacob Artist: Has a strong voice, and could sing genres that weren’t often featured on the show (like hip-hop and R&B).  

Blake Jenner: His voice is fine, but like Damien McGinty, it’s generic and a little bland. 

Becca Tobin: She has a very quirky voice that brings in a different and unique sound.  They didn’t use her much, though, so it’s hard to comment. 

Noah Guthrie: An amazing singer, has a really unique sound, but is able to do blend in well with others.  

Samantha Ware: Another amazing singer.  She’s in full control and can do really great things with it. 

Billy Lewis Jr: Has a good, solid voice.  Not as strong as Guthrie, or some of the other guys, but he’s a lot of fun to watch. 

Laura Dreyfuss: Like Becca Tobin - has a uniqueness to her vocal quality that makes it stand out a little, but she’s still a solid singer. 

Marshall Williams: His vocal ability is okay.  It’s better than his acting ability.  I’m slightly confused how this dude got cast, tbh.  

[shimmershae]

So.  Thanks to my new anonymous friend, this is going to become a thing.

Shae’s thinky thoughts about the latest episode--Acheron:  Part 2--beneath a cut. 

Because spoilers, however vague they might be.  

Let’s be real here.  This is more a stream of consciousness than anything else so if that’s not your thing, you are most welcome to nope right on out of this post.  Trust me.  I’ll completely understand, lol.  Sometimes?  I wish I could nope right on out of my own brain and the way it operates.  

That said?  Without further ado--

Episode 2′s opening, though.  Maggie trapped with hungry Walkers converging?  It totally gives me Glenn under the dumpster vibes.  I don’t know if that was intentional or just happy coincidence but way to link Maggie to her dearly departed better half, show.  

Is it just me or has Father G had more OOMPH to him these last few seasons?  Again, I have to ask--Rosita’s influence or no?  Regardless, I bet Seth Gilliam is loving the job these days.  

Side note:  am I gonna have to go to bed early every Saturday night from now until the end just so I that I might be able to SEE?  Something?  Anything?  My curtains are flimsy-ass.  I admit it.  But this is more frustrating than TXF.  Angela, WTF?  

No, seriously.  It’s like complete guess work who’s in these subway scenes.  Some of that has to do with them being overly populated by redshirts and the rest of it has to do with me having to squint and turn sideways to make out their facial features. 

Look at Daryl busting through concrete walls!  Should I call him the Kool-Aid Man considering NR has once again allowed himself to be led right into a biased, shipper trap?  Hmm.  I might.  

Imagine seeking refuge in those dark, filthy subways.  Any second now I expect to hear the skittering of rats.  Will Dog lose his effing mind a la Divergence?  He’s been shown to go off half-cocked that way, lol.  Oh well.  Guess it’ll be in character if he does.  

Impressive graffiti storyboards.  Does it mean something that it immediately cuts to the Commonwealth storm troopers afterward?  Maybe.  Who really knows at this point?  They been trying to gaslight us forever.  

LOL at Princess yet again.  Yumiko is just like da fuq is this person?  

No, really.  LMAO.  “That was her.  From last night.  Did you see how she was looking at us?”  

Then you have Eugene, hahaha.  “Oh God.  Why did he tell off the big guy?”  Like the man is totally me in this type of situation.  Not even gonna lie.  

“That’s right.  We want to talk to the manager.”  

I literally cannot wait ‘til Carol and Daryl meet Princess.  Can.  Not.  Wait.  

How sad is that note on that $100 bill?  Small moment but it totally gives me Season 4 vibes when they were on their way to Terminus seeking sanctuary.  

Hmm.  Remember how that place wasn’t what they thought it was?  I’m sure neither is the Commonwealth.  But I feel like what’s left of Team Family is totally going to do Rick proud, lol, and prove they’re messing with the wrong people if they try something.  

Daryl, Man.  You gonna have to get a better handle on your headstrong Fur Son.  I wonder if Dog would listen better to his mama?  Things to ponder.  

Sounds like Miko has this group’s number.  Or does she?  

Princess and Eugene totally look like they’re waiting their turn for the Principal’s office, LOL.  

“Stop moving!  You’re taking my nerves over the edge to a proverbial 11 on a scale of 10.”  I feel you, Eugene.  I do.  Also you, Princess.  Two of the most relatable TWD characters right there, I’m telling you.  

Princess is me when I really, really, really have to pee.  TMI?  Sorry, lovelies.  LOL.  I just...she’s so relatable.  

LMAO.  “If that fine ass dude in the orange suit...”  Princess and Mercer incoming in 3-2-----

Princess’s excitement over the toilet paper=PRICELESS.  

Eugene, Man.  You desperately need to develop a poker face.  

There’s Daryl getting another cool camera shot.  Angela?  You playing favorites again?  

Carol’s claustrophobia could have never.  I bet that’s in the back of Pookie’s mind.  You can’t tell me it’s not because Carol lives in there rent-free.  

Ohhh.  Back to the subway car.  Looks like we got the Maggie redshirts leading the way.  First sacrificial “lambs”?  

Maggie pistol-whipping Negan was kinda deserved, but he wasn’t all wrong so.  

Damn.  I’m no Gage fan.  He can fuck all the way off for what he did to my baby Lydia.  But Maggie over there with ice in her veins.  

Yep.  I think the dude just got one of the most gruesome deaths in a while.  Yuck.  

I think Alden’s faith in Maggie definitely took several hits.  I feel like he kind of had her on some sort of pedestal dating back to Hilltop times.  Father G, though?  The man is continuing to show himself a SAVAGE MFer.  

Josh gives Eugene such believable tics and mannerisms.  He IS Eugene.  

Thank you, Maggie, for lighting that flare.  I could not see a damn thing.  

What are these bad memories Negan alludes to?  Hmm?  Him being a shit husband to Lucille back when he was still taking her for granted?  

Father G on Gage’s Walker--”All that is, is a shell of a man, who died a coward.”  Kind of ironic considering Father G’s own origins, huh?  Has he any warmth in there for anybody but Rosita and Coco?  Does he equate it with weakness?  

“There are worse ways.”  And Maggie proceeds to paint us a horror story with mere words.  

Dark Maggie really surpasses anything certain fans have ever accused Carol of being.  Is she too far gone?  Who the hell knows?  I think it’s clear that she and Carol are both on a sliding scale of sorts when it comes to being able to compartmentalize shit to survive.  Personally?  I feel like Maggie might have leap-frogged Carol in this episode but it matters none because of the double standards so deeply entrenched in this fandom.  Both women have endured and had to do some horrific things.  It’s not a contest.  But it’s probably going to be turned into a season-long one.  

It’s almost like Kang was like, “Ya’ll bitches think Carol’s dark?  I’ll show you DARK.  Check and mate.”  

Whatever the reasoning, Maggie just got exponentially more interesting to me if not likable.  And before anybody out there comes at me, it’s entirely possible to be on a character’s side in some things and not be all up their ass in love with them, lol.  Like I’m attached to her because she’s family and Glenn loved her.  There’s a loyalty there and she absolutely is justified in her hatred of Negan.  But I’m not going to pretend her shit don’t stink like everybody else’s.  

Speaking of my baby Glenn.  What would he think of this version of Maggie?  I think he would be gutted and heart stricken that events led to her being like this but he’d understand because he’s pure like that.  Don’t mean he’d be A-OK with it all.  

Dog must be protected at all costs.  

Confession.  I know not the fuck who Pony Boy is, but I know him because all my fandom friends have pointed him out to me, lol.  RIP, Man.  I think you’re number’s up or close to it.  

Okay, though.  I admit it.  I am kinda LOVING Badass Father G.  

That scene in the subway car with all of them working to take all the Walkers out was already badass.  Then Daryl arrived and made it, in @freefromthecocoon’s words, HAWT.  LOL.  

Eugene staring at that little black book like it contains torture tools, hehehe.  

“Processed?  As in administratively?  Processed as in bologna or other meat stuffs?  This inquiring (enquiring?) mind needs to know.”  OMG, Eugene.  I admit it.  Even if it makes me look like a lunatic, LOL.  I straight up LMAO at that one.  I mean, ten years later and Terminus still fresh on the man’s mind.  

“You like feeling nervous?”  Well, no.  None of us that do, Mercer?  Do.  

Then he proceeds to make me howl with his “You can’t lie for shit” to Eugene.  

Josh McDermitt?  I love you, Man.  40 year old virgin, LOL.  

All this talk over the seasons of Daryl’s virginity and we have Eugene, hahaha.  But was he telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?  

Finally.  Some daylight.  Where I can see.  

Eugene’s relief at seeing his friends safe and sound was such a beautiful thing to see.  I loved those hugs.  

Mercer’s face when he snarled “beat cop” in disdain to Ezekiel.  I think I’m gonna love this dude.  

“I went to West Point.  Asshole.”  Yeah.  I am.  

I know they probably catfishing Eugene right here because spoilers tell us that ain’t Stephanie.  But my heart still did a little d’aww.  Angela.  Don’t play with his poor heart like that.  

What’s got Daryl so pensive, huh?  Is it that the note reminds him of kids being lost or taken from their family? Or separated from their family?  Is he thinking of those Grimes babies and wondering if Michonne will ever make it back and why and how she was able to leave them behind?  Tell me it ain’t that Find Me nonsense.  

“This place sure has gone to shit since the last time I was here.”  LMAO, JDM.  I mean Negan.  Sorry.  Sorry.  I still hate Negan, but JDM has me entertained at least since they gave the asshole some shades of gray.  And speaking of shades of gray.  I’m loving the gray beard.  JDM’s looking GOOD (hear that NR?  Embrace the gray).  Negan can still kick rocks, lol.  

Anyway.  That scene was CREEPY AF.  Not even gonna lie.  

The Reapers strutting right on up to our group like it’s The Purge:  ZA.  

My bad, Pony Boy. Now RIP.  

Dark, dark episode with loads of tension broken up by some welcome humor by Princess.  The girl is fast becoming a fave of mine.  

My baby’s back next week!!!

I’m just going to plug my ears and pretend they’re trying to capture/recapture the horses because they’re pets.  Not because they’re starving so bad they feel the need to eat them.  La la la la la.  I can’t hear you.  

[missbrunettebarbie]

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#it would be interesting to see how all these strong and probably volatie personalities that have very different sortings interact

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

list 10 different female faves from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people

I was tagged by @laufire. Since this is such a large are to choose from, I decided to indulge into my Sortinghatchats obsession and try to find characters who are not Snake primaries.

1. Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars (Badger primary)

2. Paige Matthews - Charmed (1998) (Badger primary)

3. Mel Vera - Charmed (2018) (Lion primary)

4. Andy - The Old Guard (Lion primary)

5. Daisy Johnson - Agents of SHIELD (Badger primary)

6. Daenerys Targaryen - A song of ice and fire (Bird primary)

7. Lyra Silvertongue - His Dark Materials (Lion primary)

8. Padme Amidala - Star Wars (Lion primary)

9. Toph Bei Fong - Avatar the last airbender (Lion primaryl

10. Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Badger primary)

I am tagging @nectargrapes @mydaylightruyi @awinterrain @xxlionheartedgirlxx @the-phoenix-heart @sienarosso @lordeasriel @eyes-painted-with-kohl @buckybarsn @hizziemikaelson No pressure, of course. Also please ignore my SHC nonsense. I was bored and wanted to do something different than my usual faves xDD

42 notes • Posted 2021-02-11 17:35:19 GMT

#4

I'm stuck between Snake Lion and Double Snake. Is telling the truth but twisting it to your benefit a Snake or Lion thing? I don't like to outright lie because my Bird model tells me that's bad. And getting caught in a lie would end horribly. It's easier to just frame the truth in a certain way. Whenever there's friend group drama, I make sure to get in early and establish the narrative in a way that favors me without actually lying. I also hate talking about my feelings if that matters.

Snake Lion, definitely. I am sorry to say but I don't see any Snake secondary here. If anything I feel the Bird model that is probably Snake flavoured.

Ngl, I relate a bit to what you described in your ask, which makes me wonder if your secondary might be a bit burned? Not very badly, but enough to make you a bit uncomfortable in your own skin, maybe? Would explain the whole "hate talking about my feelings" thing, LOL.

51 notes • Posted 2021-02-27 20:00:24 GMT

#3

New ask game that came to me while talking to @starry-sky-stuff

Send me a name (eg Jane, John) and I'll rate it from 1 to 10. Bonus I'll tell you if there are any characters that influenced my opinion of the name.

55 notes • Posted 2021-11-09 13:56:24 GMT

#2

Has anyone tried to sort the characters from The Winx or the Barbie Movies ?

I assume you mean the original Winx Club and I am afraid I don't remember that enough to try and sort it. Buut I did a rewatch of (the more interesting) Barbie movies and with the help of @the-phoenix-heart @starry-sky-stuff @laufire here are the Babries we’ve sorted:

1. Clara (Barbie in the Nutcracker)- Lion Snake. The movie focuses a lot on Clara's dreams and goals. Her Snake is a bit more hidden, but she has the same quiet Snake secondary energy kids that grew up in controlling/abusive households tend to develop. Plus remember when she had to save Eric she straight up lied to the guards?

2. Rapunzel (Barbie as Rapunzel)- Double Bird; the brush is such a Bird sec tool and she has that Bird primary vibe. Not to mention this shows that you can have The (Mad) Scientist sorting with artists too 

3. Odette (Barbie in Swan Lake)-Badger Lion. Her secondary is a bit burned in the begining but she gets better. Badger because of how much she cares about literally everyone, from people to mythical animals.

4. Annelisse (Barbie in the Princess and the Pauper)- Snake Bird. Her People are her mom -for whom she might have developed a bit of a Lion model- and Julian and what other secondary would collect and classify rocks for fun?

5. Erika (Barbie in the Princess and the Pauper)- Snake Lion. She ~bonds with Annelisse which is the only reason why she goes along with Julian’s plan -her only other Person is her cat xD- and I will say Lion secondary because she is clearly Improvisional and so snippy to her employer

6. Elina (Barbie: Fairytopia series) - Double Badger. "For the friends you haven’t met” is such a Badger primary say and the only thing to get Elina out of her trance in the first movie. I hesitated between Lion and Courtier Badger but the last two movies made me choose the latter.

7. Teenage Barbie (Barbie Diaries) - Lion Badger. To quote Phoenix: “ People pleaser with dreams of being popular and a news anchor is a total Lion Badger ”

8. Genevieve (Barbie in the 12 dancing princesses) -Badger Bird. She is the one that is always willing to lend a hand and who keeps her mom's traditions alive. And she always go for logical solutions (dad is sick, call the doctor), makes the plan to defeat Rowena in the end AND when Rowena attacks her she defends herself using the fan skills she learned from the duchess herself :DD. Not to mention that she seems the most capable to rule out of all the sisters so The King sorting fits her well

9. Ro (Barbie as The Island Princess)- Bird Badger. We see her caretake in the very first minutes of the movie with Tika or how she chases away the crocodiles. I chose her primary mostly by elimination, but I think it’s fitting for a girl who has an entire song with lyrics that start with “why” and wears a peacock dress. Symbolism much xDD. Not to mentionBird Badger is The Survivor and Ro sure is one.

10. Mariposa (Barbie: Mariposa) - Lion Bird She's clearly an Intuitive primary abd the way she's carving adventure and visiting far-away places made me settle on Lion. Also it might be me, but the sentence "I don't know what's worse, failing or admiting it to people who believed in me?" sounds veeery Lion primary. She loves reading books, and uses the knowledge she gathers from them to accomplish her goal which is a very Bird secondary MO.

11. Liana (Barbie and the Diamond Castle) - Double Snake. Her Snake secondary is easy to spot: she tricks Slyder with switching the mirrors, she gets her and Alex to play music at the restaurant for a meal. It's obvious Liana is a Loyalist and for the longest time I thought she was a Badger, but a Badger would not have been happy living alone just with Alexa in their small cottage. Also, her very betrayed speech to Melody after Alexa leaves her is so Snake to me xD

12. Eden Starling (Barbie in A Christmas Carol). Snake Lion. Her primary is burned at the start of the movie and yet we can still see how she is loyal to both her dead aunt and her cat. The entire movie is about her unburning and it is cathartic to watch. Lion secondary because she is abrasive at the best of times and at the end she relies on grand gestures to make ammends.

13. Thumbelina (Barbie presents: Thumbelina)- Lion Bird. She's an inventor so the Bird is obvious. Her dedication to save her home, her adventurous spirit, and her confrontational attitude with Mackena all scream Lion primary to me.

14. Corrine (Barbie in The Three Musketeers) - Double Lion. Could the girl who lifted the ban on female Musketeers be anything else but The Revolutionary? Corrine is a dauntless improviser and very stubborn. She starts as a bit of an immature Lion who wants to fight for glory and has to learn to fight for what's right.

15. Merliah (Barbie on a Mermaid Tale)- Lion Snake. Another immaure Glory Hound Lion who learns to embrace her role as princess. I considered Lion secondary, but I am pretty sure her rival/co-protagonist in the second movie-Kylie- is one. And while they are similar, Kylie is much more direct and abrasive which makes me think Merliah is a Snake who loves to live in neutral. She's certanly charming enough to be one.

16. Actress!Barbie (Barbie in a Fashion Fairytale+Fairy Secret)- Badger Snake. She's an Exterior primary that's very affected by what the world thinks. Also note that when she wants to get away she does not go to a completely unknown place like her friends suggest, but to her aunt's fashion house because that's where she feels safe. Her determination to save both the fashion house and then Ken felt almost Lion secondary at times, but I think she's a Snake: she is an actress, the interaction with the crazy director in Fashion Fairytale points to Fluid secondary and The Advisor seems to pretty much sum up her role in the first movie.

17. Blair (Barbie in Princess Charm School)- Snake Badger. Probably the Snakiest Snake primary Barbie as everything she does is for her mom and sister. She's a hard worker as proven by both her job as a waitress than by the way she has to practice to do well in the charm school.

18. Kristyn (Barbie in the Pink Shoes)- Bird Snake. The Artist probably fits this ballerina best. She's an Improviser as the whole movie proves, yet has no Lion bone in her body. Also her glee at getting to play -not just dance the part, actually be- Giselle and Odette points to Snake secondary. Bird primary becauss when she's stuck in the plays her system automatically shifts to integrate the rules of the world she is in, no matter how crazy they are.

19. Lumina (Barbie: Pearl Princess) - Bird Badger. She craves adventure and it's most likely an External primary but has no sense of community the way Badgers do. Badger secondary because of how enthusiastic she was to have a job just because she got to work.

20. Alexa (Babrie and The Secret Door)- Bird Lion. All her daydreaming and escapist fantasies made me think Bird primary. I chose burned Lion secondary because in a lot of ways, Alexa reminded me of well, me.

21. Starlight!Barbie (Barbie: Starlight Adventure)- Badger Lion. She cares about people and animals a lot and well, she is an hoverboarder and a daredevil.

ETA: 22. Annika (Barbie and The Magic of Pegasus) - Lion Snake. Her sneaking out plus her Oedypuss style deception points to Snake secondary. Her rebllious and passionate nature as well as her determination point to Lion primary.

Wow, this was not easy. But also fun :D

59 notes • Posted 2021-09-04 19:35:58 GMT

#1

I finished Wandavision. I admit, I was a bit sleepy during the last two episodes so I didn't catch everything, but I 100% agree it's a writing masterpiece and deserves all the Emmy nominations. If we are talking about Wanda as a character and person....How can anyone watch this show and still consider her a hero?! And the fact that she was allowed to fly off into the sunset at the end of the show, eith no consequences for her actions, makes me ill.

64 notes • Posted 2021-07-19 06:49:06 GMT

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[snekjin]

t makes me ????? whenever i remember that sid/geno and ovi/nicky are super close but 1988 were never close friends off the ice

ehh I wouldnt say sid/geno or ovi/nicky are super close either. closer than jonny and patrick sure, but I don't think they're exactly texting each other off the ice all the time haha.

you can be really close with your coworkers, have some laughs at work or work-related functions, bond over how much you hate your boss or your other coworkers, and then go home and not really think about them at all.

It's all narrative vs reality. With the rapid growth of social media as a player marketing tool I think we're stepping away from the team-scripted content of promo and 'behind the scenes' documentaries as being as big of an anchor for a ship. To be honest, from an rpf narrative perspective, I don't like that players are so accessible via social media. I think it has a negative effect on the way that writers develop headcanons etc because we're starting to learn too much about the player and a lot of it is, at best, uninteresting and, at worst, unwanted.

As much as people write about the Hawks core like they were a group of best friends, I bet some of those guys didn't even like each other lmao.

not to mention kinda just a symptom of getting older too - when I was in high school/college me and my buddies would basically live in each other's pockets but at a certain point that energy just rearranges itself to your partner/kids (if you have one, lol, can't relate).