#it would be sexually charged me writing if there was cannibalism

[thevicariousviscount]

Coming out of the void withoht any spellcheck to just like. Spit out kylar ideas. I dont remember if any of this is already in the game.

So somno Kylar event. Could have hypnotic beginnings, getting you to dream about him. Before its real. Your clothes peeled off your body and you dont know where they are as your body remains paralyzed as he's fucking your hole. You could even still realize youre dreaming but every time you break free you actually fall deeper. A dream where you're now locked in a cage and shackled to a wall because Kylar needs to keep you away from everyone else. Shaky hands uncapping a permanent marker to write on you as his cock pistons into your pussy. Then more new scenarios that each get more insane than the last.

Once the sequence is over, you wake up naked if you weren't before you climbed into bed and incredibly sticky. From your sweat? Yeah. In between your legs? Well, there seems to be a lot more going on there. And you feel very sore.

What day is it in the week? It better not be monday.

[ponchusjbonchus]

i finished hazbin hotel so here is my master collection of all my silly notes

episode 1  

- treat angel dust better and give him actual lines and it’ll be better

- why do the background demons have more variety than the main cast 

- opening number is good 

- when will jesus appear 

- cannibal town is where i wanna live 

- i should keep a swear counter for this 

- charlie is the best character 

- adam shaving down a chicken bone in one bite is really funny 

- i like adam his voice actor is doing really good 

-  all the voice actors are really good. except keith david poor guy

- angel dust sexually harassing husk is not funny

- if adam is a human who sins then why is he in charge of the angel exterminators 

- nifftys commercial bit is funny

- alastors monocle  is on  his mouth in some shots and it’s funny 

- i like the foreshadowing of alastor hating tv 

- lutes design. heart emoji 

- adams song goes hard as fuck. very likeable villain 

- “fuck you i do what i want” contract made me giggle 

- i feel like all the main characters except for charlie and alastor are really one note and it bugs me 

- katie killjoy is still awesome 

- the cliffhanger is really intriguing and i will watch more

final score 8/10 despite the bad dialogue for angel 

episode 2 

intro song is good but the visuals are boring 

what is this cat. who

why is the animation worse in this episode 

paused to read valentino’s texts and the way he sways from calling angel a bitch to calling him babe and being like “don’t be like this” that is like.yeah that’s accurate 

foreshadowing is good 

JESUS APPEARED (sir pentious)

“trust us with your money” 😭

not really resonating with any characters. vox has the best character design so far though 

velvette is really entertaining 

valentino’s voice actor is good and his jokes are somehow better than angels. still a horrible person and i hope he gets exterminated

vox is really interesting and the thing his voice does is cool . i REALLLY wanna like this guy but so far i like adam better 

second time seven years has been mentioned . what happened 

WHILE HE HID IN RADIO WE PIVOTED TO VIDEO NOW HIS MEDIUM IS GETTING BLOODY RARE 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️vivienne be damned but the girl can write a song 

alastor fucking with vox after seeing him for seemingly no reason is really funny and in character . though funny it doesn’t really fit into the episode that smoothly 

hell being shaped like a pentagram is creative (side note when i looked up the name for it cuz i couldn’t remember the third result was “what is the star thing called”)

alastors angry demon design looks better than his regular design 

i love sir pentious so much he’s so cute

pentious and charlie are my favorites so far. i know pentious is a double agent but knowing him from the pilot/what we’ve seen in this episode i feel like he’s gonna be dumped by the vees cuz he’s a pathetic wet slop of a man 

the crackhead play joke is really funny 

angel dusts jealousy came out of.Nowhere. like i know charlie was saying like “hey you aren’t really a real resident” and he was mad about the game but it felt more like “ugh i can’t stand these people” not “ugh i wish i could be redeemed and people cared about me.” it was hinted at just not very well 

angel being lovebombed is portrayed.Fine.ly   like it’s realistic but not outstanding . it would mean more if valentino wasn’t making lighthearted jokes about how he kills and manipulates his workers 

pentious’ tail is randomly shrinking and growing 

the camera work in the fight scene is Awful 

pentious :-( 

first time in a while i have heard a show say you should kill yourself NOW 

imagine pentious immediately goes to heaven after the song /silly

final score 8/10 only because of pentious. overall episode is 7/10

episode 3 

pentious still being peak right off the bat. he gets the funniest jokes

alastor still isn’t very funny 

angel dust isn’t funny booooooo boooooooooo

vaggie centric episode? i think? idk i don’t like vaggie she’s kinda boring 

niffty is less funny than she was in previous episodes. she feels more remnant of internet “dark humor” from the time the pilot released 

okay i ended up watching the rest of this one during gym class so i didn’t have my notes. overall this episode was really good except for velvette kinda sucking . 7/10 

episode 4 

this isn’t the poison episode is it.

animation is noticeably worse

vaggies plain ass delivery of the “angel. what the fuck” line made me laugh

i thought the cold open of angel getting r worded would be a way of showing that his life is really fucked up.though it was just a joke bit which i was not expecting

pentious cowering in fear at pornography 

i really like charlie. kk said that she was one note and .i kinda agree but i still love her 

this one demon has a better design then the entire main cast 

angels real name is anthony 😭

okay the dressing room scene . the fear in angels voice through all of it is so jarring and it keeps you invested in the scene and Val being so fuckinh disgusting and evil . how do people like this guy at all. this scene is so creepy not just cuz of val being abusive but because of how horrified Angel is and the moment he asks the bare minimum of val not hurting charlie his life is put on the line. i feel like this was treated with the weight it deserves and it clearly paints val as a villain. unfortunately it’s tainted by the fact that the writers are aroused by this shit but they do a good job of hiding it i guess. maybe this will change 

it bothers me so much that angels head keeps randomly changing in size cuz all the animation is freehand

poison. im gonna be careful and respectful on how i go about talking about this . i actually really like this song and sequence but it’s brought down so bad and made so beyond creepy and horrifying to know that the writers are into this. i like the constant parallel of angel being his porn actor persona who loves sex and his abused reality where he wants to be free. and the scene where he’s dancing in front of a screen with the foxes intercut with his assault is really uncomfortable yeah but i like how it shows that he’s turning his own abuse and exploitation into entertainment . and the line “it’s so hard to resist another gulp!” or however it goes has a nice double meaning . it’s like “ughhh i love sex how could i resist it” but also “i want to resist but im so deep into this that i can’t” . i am not a sexual assault survivor so i don’t feel properly equipped to go into depth about the representation of angels ongoing abuse but from a PURELYcinematic standpoint as someone with a passion for this stuff i feel like this song did well, but again it’s made so much worse and creepier knowing the writers who made this 

the spots under angels eyes are more eyes??.huh

sorry for the lack of notes i am just. genuinely invested in this 

BEST SONG 💥💥💥yeah maybe i knew all the words to this song before i ever watched th show what are you gonna do about it

ohhi don’t really. like the message of that song actually 🙁 it has been established that angel dusts pervertedness and desperation for drugs is not who he really is nor who he likes to be but husk telling him “hey it’s okay to be like that” and angel immediately coming around to it just feels.ehhh…..it feels like he’s taking one step forward and two steps back . i get that the message was supposed to be “embrace the bad parts of yourself! it’s okay to be a loser!” but in the context of the episode it doesn’t fit. good song in a vacuum

iiiidont really know how to feel about this. the episode was great up until loser baby which,is a song that i really like but it kinda does kill the whole episode imo. 5.5/10 unfortunate 

episode 5 

halfway through the series who cheered

adam mention. win (adam and pentious are my favorites )

i hate niffty im sorry 💔 she was better in the pilot

dude. lucifer is so fucking funny right off the bat i love this guy 

is this guy autistic he feels autistic i like him

lucifer is peak character oh my god

why is??? alastor trying to fight lucifer for charlies dad figure??? i don’t understand this guy he just does shit

this is the character norm called out for being a jewish stereotype. and god i can see it jesus 

i love and hate mimzy. she’s ehh

okay nevermind i do kinda get alastors jealousy

i cannot express how good a character lucifer is. he is the funniest part of this show so far by a LOOOONG shot 

pentious does not know what a siege is apparently. honestly fitting 

mimzy served zero purpose dawg i hope this was just an intro and she comes back at some point 

baby charlie ❤️ 

meaning-wise more than anything is the best song we’ve gotten thus far. through the episode i didnt rlly understand lucifer i just thought he was funny but now i get it! and i love it 

this episode was okay. alastor and mimzy take up way too much screen time for barely anything to happen but lucifer was an awesome character and i love him a lot . unfortunately he can’t save this episode though 6/10

episode 5

this yuri tastes like chicken salad but not the good kind 

i despise cherri 

praying that pentious has a role in this one 

white man jumpscare THATS SUPPOSED RO HE SAINY BETER

the seraphims look sick as hell

emmy and charlie have more chemistry than charlie and vaggie im losing it 

why do the angels look exactly like the demons 

saint peter is .Stupid?????

ADAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ADAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!JOY

charlie should be in heaven. she doesn’t deserve being in hell

vaggie backstory! hooray this is actually sick as hell 

how did charlie not know that vaggie was a fallen angel if she saw her in uniform ?? wouldn’t she recognize that “hey that’s the outfit angels wear” 

adam is a bitch and i love him so much 

karen joke (awful)

websters dictionary joke (not as awful)

adam struggling to think of words so he writes them down,,,,god i love him so much i know he’s a bad guy and a bad person and a bad. he’s just bad all around but i don’t care i love him so dearly he’s my favorite character i think 

niffty is better in this episode 

WATERBOARDINH 😭😭

emily i love 

“fuck yes!!!” oug or character 

i want pentious to get into heaven. please 

angel being a good father 

the delivery of “hey……….i see the club has a sex room…………” is fucking hilarious and i laughed out loud 

i have laughed more at this episode than i have the entire series pentious is so funny 

valentino. gross

angel standing up to valentino is really nice 

why doesn’t emily have a nose 

why are we having a deep song with emily as soon as we meet her???? i mean it’s technically not her song or sera’s but like. we JUST met them it doesn’t rlly make sense for them to have this big number 

yeah it’s really bothering me that emily has this big number. we barely know these people and they’re treating it like we’ve known her forever WHO IS THIS GIRL

if hell is forever then heaven must be a lie 💥💥

I CANT THID RUCKING FACE 

i hate this episode a lot more the writing is worse 

okay. the writing is noticeably worse than the rest of the series in this episode the pacing is completely fucked. at least we get some adam content and vaggie lore but vaggie isn’t rlly a character i enjoy. however the humor is peak in this episode and pentious really carries it with his running bit. he can’t save much of the episode sadly. 4.5/10 

episode 7

the more i watch the intro i really don’t like it . it’s so boring 

pentious petting keykey 

i dont like alastor  bad character bad character whenever he’s on screen i want to kick something 

cannibal town ‼️‼️

awwwwwi love rosie. she’s like mimzy but better and more likeable 

i wanna make a cannibal oc. if i were in this version of hell i would wanna be a cannibal. this whole area makes me happy 

rosie didn’t swear ONCE in her opening scene im so proud of the writers 

i really like carmilla’s design and her stupid nsr hands 

if helluva boss is in the same universe as this one then why don’t they go through extermination ??? or is that like. an au

rosie is so cute i love her so much. 

susan is such an underwhelming name that’s so funny 

this episode is much better 

i know that this show doesn’t have the best writing but it’s honestly just a fun watch

out for love is the best number we’ve had so far 

carmilla walks around in steel ballet shoes all the time i gotta respect the woman 

rosie’s first swear came 2/3rds into the episode. new record 

i relate to charlie 

I LOVE ROSIE.SO MUCH uuhg$hd,s

charlie’s song is really nice 

the cannibals are the best part of the show. easily 

SHE GOT SUSAN 🔥🔥

vaggie getting her wings back . i love 

this is easily the best episode so far. both musical numbers were great and vaggie and charlie being apart and their stories being intercut only for them to come together at the end was amazing. cannibal town is absolutely amazing and perfect and there was a noticeably less amount of swearing. 9/10, praying that  the finale is this good too 

episode 8 (finale)

is this technically just a part 2 to episode 7 

PENTIOUS DRESSED LIKE A GENERAL.AW

i love vox he’s so goofy . i wish he appeared more 

charlie’s message is really nice i love her a lot but it was kinda ruined by niffty

cherri makes everything worse 

angel dust’s development is nice 

pentious being forced into a hetero love with cherri,,,blehh this is the most aroace guy ive ever seen 

mini more than anything reprise with charlie and vaggie is really sweet . 

ADAM 💥💥💥SICK ASS NEW OUTFIT BRO 

adam is still the best character in this show. “chill lute fuck” i adore alex brightman 

the battle outfits are cool 

alastor finally doing something helpful 

gyat DAMN adam. awooga 

vox’s stupid dance 

alastor saying nuh uh to the person trying to murder him is funny

i don’t want to kin adam but i Do. i Do he’s Awesome

while it interrupts the action vox watching and cheering as alastor nearly dies is super funny 

okay Actually dies then

i am enjoying this so much 

SIR PENTIOUS CLUTCH 💥💥

adam is the best character in the whole fuckinh show him oneshotting pentious is hilarious . i know he goes to heaven and doesn’t rlly die i think 

what happened to the angels fighting with reckless abandon??vaggie is getting her shit rocked

GET FUCKED LUTE

ewww adam is a white guy.ew put the mask back on 

lucifer and adam interaction this is just peak

why aren’t the angels going after the rest of hell once they realize that they’re screwed 

adam without the mask is fugly

HE .HE DIES ??WHAY YHE FUCK

the hotel:(

“the ultimate sacrifice” i love pentious a lot but HE DIDNT DO SHIT BRO 😭

i choose to believe that lilith divorced lucifer because lucifer was a gay man and she was a lesbian

why is cherri a main character now i dony. ew

alastor is alive ! boo

bro thinks he’s jack skeleton 

husk being mad when he sees that alastor is alive is funny 

WHAT THE FUCK 

VOX GET A JOB. STAY AWAY FROM HIM

sir pentious gets into heaven :) thaht makes me happy 

season finale! this was a phenomenal episode to end of a good series, though ill be real i don’t know if having a second season is a good idea. most if not all of the conflicts are resolved among the main cast. ending it off with pentious getting into heaven is amazing though. episode is a 9/10 it was funny and engaging and really fun all around.

overall score for the series is a 7.5/10 i really enjoyed it 

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

Release date: 4 July 2024

Genre: adult historical fantasy rom-com

If you like:

Grumpy x Sunshine

Only One Bed

Found family

Trio of disaster bis sharing one(1) braincell

A little cat-sized dragon

Horrible History (the author wrote for the show)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Upper London residents Fang and Lazare awake from their deaths to discover they are not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having acquired the power of immortality, they’re also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings that reside in the underground city of Deep London.

Thrown together by the curse they share, the two strangers set out to reverse the spell, all the while trying to ignore the intense connection between them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of…

Content warnings

Violence, death, blood

Child abuse, child endangerment, confinement, kidnapping

Sexual harassment (recurring)

Racism

Consumption of human flesh (not cannibalism)

Mention of animal abuse

Alcohol consumption

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! 🐉🐈��⬛🧛

I have to be brutally honest; this book could use a lot of editing.

There are PoV changes in the middle of paragraphs, sometimes it is not clear who is being referred to, and the dialogue could flow better. Also, the writing is very anachronistic. Like, "hot" and "hotties" are used multiple times throughout this book. I'm not a historian, so maybe they did say that in Elizabethan England, but at one point "re" was used, and as a computer science student I am fairly certain that emails had not been invented yet. If you are the type of person to be put off by this, be warned.

I also have to address the blurb and the fact that it is wrong! The blurb describes this book as a "cozy rom-com", which it is not! These guys die so many times, they are constantly adventuring and hauling ass. I think they chill out for like ONE (1) scene, then they immediately go back to being in danger! This is the opposite of the meaning of cozy!!

That being said! I freaking loved this. These characters are so fun to read and they were so endearing to me I fell in love with their dumbasses. These three adults share one brain cell and Nell has it 90% of the time. The other 10% is when Lazare is being emotionally intelligent, and Fang breaks the smart Asian stereotype by having the brain cell never. Also Amber the dragon is the sweetest little baby I want to adopt her and feed her all the meats she desires.

The world-building is rather interesting and fleshed out. The author does such a good job at showing how the supernatural creatures live alongside the humans, as well as how they are integrated into this society. It was really interesting getting to explore this alternate version of London (and also Deep London).

I appreciate that our main characters are PoC; with the way people get mad/debate about the existence of PoC in historical fiction, having characters that are not white + having their race be intrinsically tied to their backstories was much appreciated.

This book is also hilarious. Your mileage may vary; my bestie thought the humour was a bit much, and I personally found some of it to be ridiculous but I could still find it funny.

I also loved the stupid-ass romance. Lazare and Fang are so dysfunctional and stupid (endearing) (and moreso Fang). Their dynamic was so frustrating to read but in a good way, I promise! Also, this is pitched as a romance, but (IMO) one of the central tenets of the romance genre is that the couple ends up together by the end, which is NOT the case here.

Since this is book 1 of a series, they will probably get it together in the sequel. Which, BTW, I am beyond excited for I need it so bad.

(@ the author or publisher or whoever is in charge of this, I would love an ARC for the sequel hmu)

[miss-morgans-lover]

Power Rangers Dino Charge Headcannon 7b:

Songs Kendall Morgan would sing (Vampire AU + Human):

(see bottom for key for colours)

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

Boyfriend- Dove Cameron

Mamma Mia - Maneskin

I Wanna Be Your Slave - Maneskin

Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys

Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys

Part Of Me - Katy Perry

Voulez Vouz - ABBA

One Of Us - ABBA

Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie - ABBA

Killer Queen - Queen

Don't Stop Me Know - Queen

I Was Made For Loving You - KISS

Lotta True Crime - Penelope Scott

Hayloft - Mother Mother

Hayloft || - Mother Mother

House Of Memories - P!ATD

You Give Love A Bad Name -Bon Jovi

Crazy = Genius - P!ATD

Cannibal - Kesha

Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus

Beautiful, Dirty Rich - Lady Gaga

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Judas - Lady Gaga

Beautifully Unconventional-Wolf Alice

Heads Will Roll - Scarlet Johansson

Mz. Hyde - Halestorm

S&M - Rihanna

She's A Fire - Jeremy Renner

Girls - Girl In Red

Little Miss Perfect - Write Out Loud

Heaven Don't Have A Name - Jeremy Renner

Just My Type - Jeremy Renner

Scotty Doesn't Know - Maddie Ross

She Looks So Perfect - 5SOS

Girls In Bikinis - Poppy

ZITTI E BUONI - Maneskin

Womanizer - Brittany Spears

FLIRT - Halle Abadi

Friends Don't Fuck - HAVEN

I Love Rock And Roll - The Black Jets

It Gets Better - COUNTERFEIT

For The Thrill Of It - COUNTERFEIT

Now You Got The Best - TNS

When The War Is Over - TNS

We Go - The Next Step (TNS)

I Found My Voice - Lost And Found

The Other Man - TNS

Secret Love - The Next Step (TNS)

Fist Pumps - The Next Step (TNS)

Now Or Never - The Next Step (TNS)

Way Back Down - Brighter Brightest

Hometown Girl - Josh Turner

Doin' Fine - Lauren Alania

Heart Of Stone - Iko

I Caught Myself - Paramore

Boys - Briar Nolet

She Keeps Me Up - Nickleback

Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

Rude - Magic!

LoveGame - Lady Gaga

Legends Never Die - Halocene

Mr Loverman - Ricky Montgomery

Material Girl - Madonna

What Love Is About - Make It Pop

Where Our Hearts Go - Make It Pop

Gay Songs

Sexual Songs

Past References

Relationship With Shelby

Other

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Hello! Congratulations on 6k!!!

I hope it’s acceptable for me to ship you with Morpheus from Sandman. He’s pretty big, but! He is of the realm of dreams, a being beyond that is human, who can perceive you and who you are an a level different than any other. Introspection and writing, in my perspective, works very well with Morpheus. Plus, you’re always lost in your own head, so while day dreaming perhaps he could pop in for a visit, help with inspiration. I think he could enjoy observing you, watching you! And it might just be my experience, but I’m also asexual (technically aromantic aegosexual) which I think a being beyond human or god could really understand that.

Now, for me, I request the character to be from Baldur’s Gate (I’m not asking Sandman because if you didn’t tell me I’d be with Corinthian I would cry). Please feel free to assign anyone who’s in the game, be it party members, npcs, or villains.

So, sexuality wise, already said I’m aroace — and aegosexuality is “sex without the self”, aka the concept of sex is great but doing sec as me, in my body, sounds horrific. But! I am also exclusively attracted to men.

Now, personality; I am, first and foremost, autistic. I know this doesn’t define who I am, but I am actually quite proud of being autistic, it makes me happy, I brag about it. I am proud of thinking about things in a different way than others and I am proud of all the effort I’ve put into learning to empathize with others. I’m someone who is often disconnected from my own body, it rarely feels like it’s mine or fully representative of what I do or am. I often escape into fantasies within my head and can pace in circles for hours exploring those settings, not to mention all the fiction that I get too into and try to learn everything about. And through intense study and research, I’ve attempted to learn and understand how people communicate and work on a psychological level, fascinated by the inconsistencies and willing to be forgiving for many circumstances as long as I can understand it — however when I am unable to understand something I can grow increasingly distressed and frustrated. If someone refuses to explain something to me it can even lead to a full on breakdown. Another thing, I don’t like to be “in charge”. I enjoy assisting others, making others lives easier, and overall I also try to assume neutrality from others. It’s difficult to offend or insult me. Oh, also a quick thing — I am extremely morally strict with myself and the standards I hold (easy example; I won’t be friends with anyone who’s racist and will cut off family if I realize they are), if I make a promise I try to never break it and if someone promises me something I expect it to hold.

Final thing on romance : to me the most romantic thing that could happen (that is physically impossible) is mutual cannibalization. Or! Being able to curl up in someone’s chest cavity. Gore and gruesomeness has always intrigued me on a very deep level.

I ship you with Lae’zel

Lae’zel is a very straight forward person. She doesn’t feel the need to hide her opinions or her desires so communication would be a non-issue. She would admire your moral code and your dedication to it. It might, at times, conflict with her own, but that also provides an opportunity to change and grow. While she might not fully understand how deeply you get inside your own head an imagination, once she understands it importance to you, she’d be sure to give you space. She's also the one to pull you back to reality when the situation calls for it.

Overall you can trust to have a true and honest relationship where all your wants and desires will be heard and understood.

This would only end badly. But it would be beautiful.

(18/30)

6k Follower Celebration

[chidoknowshit]

OK, no but seriously. I started Hannibal after a friend recommended it expecting something along the lines of Sherlock, you know: a bit of tension between the mains, some innuendos and comments from side characters. Enough to keep the fandom interested and writing but nothing concrete enough that it could be accused of being (gasp) queer.

So i went in expecting some crimes, some gore and a good dose of mindfuck; also I enjoyed the Silence of the Lamb and Mads Mikkelsen has the kind of face and presence to pull off a really off putting Hannibal Lecter. So I said "why not ?" . It's not like I'm watching anything else at the moment and, back in my days, I survived the whole Sherlock thing relatively unscathed so a bit of early 2010's undertext would not kill me.

But then Hannibal compared himself and Will to Achilles and Patroclus. And gave him a literal broken heart made of man. And when Will asks Bedelia if Hannibal is in love with him she says : "could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes". And then they kill a man one of the most romantic and sexually charged scene I've seen in a while and holy shit. Holy shit, people. Why is it that one the most romantic thing I've seen is a show about a fuckin cannibal?

Just finished Hannibal. Not well. Check out later

[regulusblackfest]

Week 3 Round Up

We've finished off the third week of posting with a great many amazing creations that you can find beneath the cut! Once again, thank you to participants and readers alike!!

Title: Soul Powered Pairing/main characters: Gen, Regulus, Kreacher, Walburga, Sirius, Remus Rating: Explicit Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, murder, child abuse, attempted child murder, teeth pulling, cannibalism, suicidal ideation, major character death Medium/Word Count: 15,073 Summary:

In an effort to protect his youngest charge, Kreacher uses powerful magic against Walburga, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire course of the Wizarding war.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38488414/chapters/96194386

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Title: Barty And Regulus’ Magical Adventure Pairing/main characters: Regulus Black & Bartemius Crouch Jr. Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Medium/Word Count: 7119 Summary:

Weakly, with the blood rapidly congealing on his hands, Regulus says, “What are friends for?”

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38530387#main

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Title: Only You Pairing/main characters: Sirius Black/Regulus Black Rating: Explicit Warnings: Incest, infidelity Medium/Word Count: ~2600 Summary:

Regulus was getting married. Sirius hoped he wasn’t too late…

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38491033

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Title: But no one told me I could go too far… Pairing/main characters: Regulus Black/Pandora Lovegood Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: None Medium/Word Count: 15,085 Summary:

“I believe you. I can do it, too.” “Being different is always better when there’s someone who’s the same sort of different as you.” Prompt 149 of Regulus Black Fest: Regulus and Pandora have been friends for years, bonded through their special gifts. They end up destroying Horcruxes together.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38534365/chapters/96314572

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Title: Just Cuddle In Close Pairings: James Potters/Regulus Black, Regulus Black/Sirius Black, James Potter/Regulus Black/Sirius Black Rating: Explicit Warnings: Extremely Underage, Brother/Brother Incest, Implied Child Abuse, Explicit Underage Sexual Content, Dubcon Word Count: ~4500 Summary:

Sirius had run away to the Potters, but he couldn’t leave his little brother behind. James finds himself drawn to the boy, so small and innocent. He wants to protect him. To show him the love he deserves.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38503915

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Title: Drowning Breath Pairing/main characters: Regulus Black Rating: General / Mature (for canon character death) Warnings: Canon Character Death Medium/Word Count: 856 Summary:

Prompt 27: Write a canon compliant fic inspired by the lyrics of a song you think has Regulus vibes. I chose the song Youth by Daughter. The tragedy of the wasted youth of Regulus Black.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38534827

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Title: I am terribly sorry for dying Pairing/Main Character: Regulus Black Rating: mature Warnings: discussion of, description of, and ruminations on death; references to suicide; terrible parenting from Walburga; much angst from Regulus Word count: 22,487 Summary:

Regulus Black is a ghost. These are his diaries.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38539690/chapters/96328447

---

Title: don’t leave me (i want you here with me) Pairing/main characters: Sirius Black/Regulus Black, minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Rating: Mature Warnings: Incest, Main Character Death (off-screen) Medium/Word Count: 2714 Summary:

Post-Azkaban, Sirius tries to pick up the pieces of the life he had once dreamt of - with his brother by his side. In his rather humble opinion, he thinks he is excelling at normalcy. Regulus would beg to differ.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38539294

---

Title: beneath the ocean waves Pairing/main characters: Regulus Black Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: None Medium/Word Count: 5078 Summary:

For the prompt: Regulus survives the cave because his animagus form is an octopus.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38542147

---

Title: Marionette Pairing/main characters: Barty Crouch Jr./Regulus Black Rating: Mature Warnings: Tagged with Creater Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, but extra warnings for abusive relationships and implied non-con Medium/Word Count: Fic of 7042 words Summary:

Regulus wasn’t glass: fragile, brittle, easy to shatter. No, Regulus was clay: malleable, but crumbled away in the end. Barty was a sculptor, carving a man out of a lump of clay. But there was only so much he could carve away before there was nothing left to make.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38547792

[buryme-makeoutcreek]

Best shows I watched in 2020

I wanted to look at some shows I watched that I felt had some of the best writing. Most of these shows did not come out in 2020 but are shows that definitely deserve some attention for their masterful writing. Minor spoilers below. 

1.Succession

This show took me by complete surprise. While I love stories about complicated, and darker characters I went into this show expecting it to be a classic story about power dynamics among the rich. And it is but the show is really about cycles of abuse and trauma and how that relates to a capitalist system. The show follows the children of billionaire Logan Roy as they continuously jostle for power within the family company, it’s very Shakespearian in nature but also one of the most absurd and hilarious shows on.

The writing on this show is very interesting because none of the characters can actually say what they want to say, it is all disguised such as a politician’s word choices would be. And bringing that veiled rhetoric into a family dynamic makes for an exploration of power and manipulation. The writing is also significant for doing something called by the cast, “the language of strength” which is using aggressive and sexually charged language frequently, this is used both in the company and within the family as both intimidation and to show off. There’s really a lot to dissect in word choice and meaning in this show and for that reason it is fascinating.

2. Hannibal

This was another show I didn’t expect to like but was pleasantly surprised by. This show ended its series in 2015 but it has always been a cult favorite and has been receiving renewed attention as of late and all I can say is thank god. This is a brilliant show both visually and story-wise. As I watched the first season I felt like I was stepping into a different world of just complete madness, and the show is really escapism in that way even though it features horrific deaths every episode. While I don’t think this is the best written show out of all the ones listed here, and I do think it expresses itself more through visual prose rather than words it is still reminiscent of a dark epic poem. 

The show follows FBI consultant Will Graham as he investigates a series of grisly murders and comes across the path of notable psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (also notable cannibal and serial killer). The writing is very interesting due to it’s plentiful of metaphors. In regards to the main relationship between Will and Hannibal the distinctions between wanting to “eat” one’s love and wanting to be with them are really interesting and the word choices made can only be called poetic. 

3. Atlanta

I went on a Donald Glover kick after finishing Community and I’m so happy I did because it led me to this show. Many have called this show “what TV could be” and it really is. This show starts off simply enough with the story of Earn trying to become a music agent for his cousin, the rapper Paper Boi. But the show delves deeply into the surreal in order to illustrate its points about poverty and being black in America. 

The writing on this show bucks traditional story structure completely with each episode being more of a “day-in-the life” rather than a continuous plot driven towards a goal, this allows for much more experimentation but also the feeling that no matter what the characters do they’re going to get weighed down in some way or other. This disregard for classic show structure also bleeds into the genre, it’s hard to solely classify this show as a comedy because there are so many elements of horror, drama, and satire within it. The writing is overall beautiful, heartbreaking, and hilarious. This show is a must watch as it is probably the best thing on TV right now.

4. Ramy

This show is the spiritual successor to shows like Atlanta and Fleabag who have paved the way for this new brand of comedy show, often focused around a single character as they try to better their lives. Ramy is a show about a Muslim- American milennial who is trying to get more in touch with his religion, thinking that it will help him to get his life on track. While the humor can be brass and the story lines can get pretty weird and disgusting the first word I think of with this show is delicate. 

Especially in its second season, which has moved away from Ramy’s perspective to focus on the rest of his family. The writing in this show can swing from a really fragile sense of beauty to super crass and sexual in the blink of the eye, which makes it so hilarious and interesting to watch. The writers have complied a series of character studies under the guise of a TV show, and watching this family deal with issues of assimilation, lost dreams, religion, and loneliness makes the watcher feel deeply connected to them.There’s a lot of stuff happening in this show that is very fragile but very moving and also hilarious.

5. The Great

This show is chaos embodied. From excessive violence, sex, and rampant and ridiculous abuse of power this comedy which is extremely loosely based on Catherine the great’s life is a real ride. It was created by the writer of The Favourite and interacts with absurdity and power in similar ways.

The writing is really interesting because it is so crass. In that way it is meant to be humorous but also terrifying. Many things in this show act in more than one way- Peter (Russia’s emperor) is terrifying, ridiculous, and lovable sometimes all within a single scene. And this ability to be all of these things makes this a very good examination of power.

6. Veep

This is how you do a villain arc. Perhaps the best and most honest show about American politics Veep focuses on Selina Meyer, the first female Vice President who is surrounded by the most competent incompetent people and virtually powerless and unfulfilled in her job. Throughout the seven seasons we follow her through presidential campaigns and personal woes all in classic dark comedy style. While this show is first and foremost a comedy it is not afraid, as it’s ending shows, to dig into dark themes and character exploration of a narcissist with a bottomless thirst for power going after the highest office in the country.

This show predates the Trumpian era America currently finds itself in but much of it’s subject matter and even specific plot points have come to be echoed in our current history. Such as an election depending on the results out of Nevada and a politician’s base protesting to “Count the vote” and “Stop the count”. This just proves that the show is so in-touch with the reality of American politics (even when the show was just a satire rather than the bleak truth). This is a perfect dark comedy with excellent, well-crafted characters, and solid plot points. Definitely a must watch for anyone.  

[galemalio]

Mindful Consumption of Hazbin Hotel’s vodoo Content

There is no such thing as Voodoo; it is a silly lie invented by you whites to injure us. —William Seabrook, The Magic Island 

(Article and Study Link Sources will be in the reblogs because Tumblr doesn’t let linked posts appear) 

First of all, I’m not writing this as a Vodou practitioner. Or as a Creole POC. I’m simply an outsider making an effort to educate herself for mindful consumption of Hazbin Hotel content and avoid perpetuating misrepresentation of a religion.

(Image: Alastor with Vodou symbols and Vodou-inspired symbols behind him)

The portrayed dark magic of Hazbin Hotel’s Alastor is heavily themed with Hollywood Voodoo or the misrepresentation of Vodou in film. This can also apply with Dr. Facilier in “The Princess and the Frog.” Both characters are from New Orleans [18], [19] where Louisiana Vodou Vaudou is practiced. Both are therefore assumed to practice an evil version of said religion. 

During my consumption of Hazbin Hotel content, someone once pointed out the worrying factor of Alastor’s magic abilities identified as Hollywood Voodoo. 

According to my research, Hollywood Voodoo is a film outlet of “Imagined Voodoo” or the age-old White anxieties on Black people.

What Is Vodou?

(Photo taken from Huffpost)

Haitian Vodou is a religion of African descendants brought as slaves to the French colony of Haiti. It combines west and west central African religions with Native American and European cultural and religious elements.[1]

It is also known as Vodoo, Vodoun, Vudu and Vudun. But to avoid confusion, the term “Vodou” will be used consistently throughout this post when referring to the religion.

Slaves from Haiti are brought to New Orleans where it infused with its dominant religion, Catholicism. The Vodou-Catholicism hybrid religion is sometimes referred to as New Orleans Vodou.[2] 

(Photo provided by Cheryl Gerber)

All Vodou rituals are healing rituals. It's focused on the celebration of ancestral spirits (Lwa or Loa) through feasting, singing and ecstatic dance rituals to heal ailments and restore social bonds.[1]

Vodou practitioners believe of the visible world connected to the invisible world that can be transitioned to through Death. In the invisible world, the Lwa watch over and inspire us. The Lwa can be archetypes of human personalities such as Ogun the Warrior or predecessors. There is also the Bondye or their version of the supreme God who is loving but distant from individual human concerns. [3]

But despite this, a majority of foreigners synonimize “voodoo” with Haitian “black magic” or “sorcery.”[4]

What is Imagined Voodoo?

A Harvard study termed "Imagined Voodoo" to refer to the imagined religion and magical system of the American brain linked by the following White anxieties:

Black uprising

Black fetishization

Intermarriages that could lead to the dissolution of the White race

All under the guise of history or harmless entertainment, it negatively affects Black religiosity and in general, Black subjects. Unless we arm ourselves with information to prevent its perpetuation through us.

Alastor’s Themes and Voodoo Stereotypes

Stereotypes are often used in stories to save time on informing the audience through widely held and fixed oversimplified assumptions. The following Voodoo stereotypes are present in Alastor’s character traits and themes.

His Roots 

According to Alastor’s Wikia page, he is part Creole.[20] In New Orleans, the term can refer to many kinds of people. In early history, "Creole" is a term for:

A slave born in the New World[5]

A free Person of Color[5]

People of Mixed Heritage[5]

Later on, White French and Spanish people residing in New Orleans adopted the term to differentiate themselves from Americans whom they found greedy and ambitious.[5]  

A Creole person can be White, a POC or of mixed race from different places such as Haiti and Louisiana. 

The team behind Hazbin Hotel may have made Alastor part Creole in order to avoid religion appropriation. However, Vodou is not an exclusive religion. [6] (EDIT: Vodou is an exclusive religion.) And even if they want to represent mixed Creole people, pairing Alastor with Hollywood Voodoo may not be a good way to do it.  

Vodou practitioners today are targets of hate crime, especially in Haiti (sacred mapou trees are regular targets of vandalism and arson, worshippers risk harassment and violence, with lynchings not unheard of).[7] If the media continues to portray Vodou as evil, it may have a role in perpetuating the hate.

(Image of a Vodou ceremony from a video of The Guardian)

Depicted As Evil Magic

In America and Caribbean, Vodou was first practiced by slaves of African descent. Their religion was dismissed as superstition, their priests as witch doctors and their God and Lwa were denounced as evil. [3] 

“They were treated as cattle. As animals to be bought and sold; worth nothing more than a cow. Often less,” anthropologist Ira Lowenthal stated.[7]

“Vodou is the response to that. Vodou says ‘no, I’m not a cow. Cows cannot dance, cows do not sing. Cows cannot become God. Not only am I a human being – I’m considerably more human than you. Watch me create divinity in this world you have given me that is so ugly and so hard. Watch me become God in front of your eyes.’”[7]

During the Haitian Revolution, many of the slaves were Voodooists and some of their military leaders were priests who inspired and organized them to fight for freedom. The imagery and vocabulary of Vodou became threatening to European and American colonies and was then brutally repressed. [3]

(Image from Lisapo Ya Kama)

Years later, Hollywood Voodoo is rooted in racism and acts as an outlet for White anxiety of Black vengeance. One example is the movie, “The Skeleton Key” where Black hoodoo practitioners (who had been lynched) stole the bodies and identities of White people for years.

For Alastor to continue using Hollywood Voodoo themed magic may continue the misinformation of Vodou by inspiring baseless fear and horror. 

Voodoo Dolls and Pins

Voodoo dolls are universally associated with Hollywood voodoo and therefore, Vodou. But voodoo dolls are unheard of in the original Haitian Vodou. 

In reality, they were inspired from the "poppet" of European witchcraft after an American writer heard Vodou is a witchcraft [8]. This American writer is most likely Victor Hugo Halperin where voodoo dolls first appeared in White Zombie (1932) [9].

Dolls are used in Vodou but only to represent Lwa and Bondye, sometimes the dolls are nailed on graves and altars, in order for the practitioners to communicate with them. The dolls also act as lucky charms and are not used to curse or cause harm with pins. [10], [21]

Cannibalism

(Screenshot of Alastor the Deer Demon eating a deer)

On February 13, 1864, 4 men and 4 women were executed for abducting, murdering and cannibalizing a 12-year-old girl by Fabre Geffrad, Haiti's reformist president, who wished to make an example out of the 8 killers labelled as vodouists and leave the backwardness of its African past and its folk religion. With Haiti claiming their independence, the Westerns' view on Vodou was proof that the "black republic '' cannot claim to be civilized.[11]

No transcripts of the trial survive. The most detailed account of the crime was written by Sir Spenser St John, the British charge d'affaires in Port-au-Prince -the place nearby the village where the murder happened. It was his account that defined Haiti as a place where ritual murder and cannibalism were common and often goes unpunished.[11] 

(An artist’s engraving of the 8 “voodoo” practitioners found guilty of the murder and cannibalism of the 12-year-old Claircine from the Smithsonian Magazine.)

However, there was no other information supporting St. John's claim that cannibalism is a norm for 19th century Haiti. The only two reports of cannibalism provided was from a French priest in 1870s and a white Dominican ten years later. Both have no evidence and both are suspected from their claim that they have penetrated secret ceremonies wearing blackface -if they have been undetected. However, they have influenced Victorian writers who have never visited Haiti.[11] 

In the 19th century, American Jesuit missionary, Joseph W. Williams claims that sexual arousal from voodoo "orgies" causes devolution to lower animal states that causes them to cannibalize in an act of sexualized violence.[1] 

In Joseph Murphy's psychoanalysis, Imagined Voodoo allows White people to project their most disturbing desires onto a cultural Other.[13] 

"The erotic and ecstatic elements in African-derived religions are selected and transformed into images of unrestraint and become vehicles for white sexual and aggressive fantasies... What is ‘dark’ and ‘black’ within the white psyche is projected onto what is ‘dark’ and ‘black’ in the social environment."[13] 

Because of the accusations of cannibalism, Vodou is seen as savage. Alastor is hinted to be cannibalistic (as seen by a speed drawing of him, a deer demon, eating a deer).[12] To continue to associate cannibalism with voodoo practice may continue the harm of misinformation.

Vodou Symbols

When Alastor uses magic, Vodou symbols or veves would sometimes appear. 

In Vodou, different veves are used depending on the lwa or spirits the practitioners desired to invoke. 

(Veve image from Catherine Beyer)

Damballah-Wedo is believed by the Vodou practitioners as the Sky Father and primordial creator of all life. He is depicted as a snake or serpent and is seen as a loving father of the world whose presence brings peace and harmony. [23]  

(Veve image from Catherine Beyer)

A part of a veve in the screenshot is from the veve for Papa Legba -the gatekeeper of the spirt world. He is associated with the sun and is seen as a life-giver that transfers the power of Bondye to the living world. Rituals are started by praying to Legba to open the gates so that they can connect to the other lwas. [23]

(Ayizan Voudou Veve copyright 2009 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.)

The veve above is the veve of Ayizan. Ayizan is the lwa of commerce and herbal healing. She is associated with love and Vodou rites of initiation. Ayizan is believed to be the first archetypal mambo (priestess) and the protector of religious ceremonies.[14] 

(Veve Image from ErzulieRedEyesArtAndSpirit)

The veve above is taken from the veve of Papa Loko. He is believed to be the first Vodou priest. His name has nothing to do with the American  (EDIT: Spanish) slang word "loco" meaning crazy. Papa Loko is a revered knowledgeable spirit who offers spiritual guidance to those seeking formal initiation into Vodou.[15] 

Met Kalfou is the master of the Crossroads. He is the crossroads where magic manifests regardless of which lwa is using magic for. He allows it to travel without judgement.[16] 

Met Kalfou is often mistaken as some kind of demon or evil. He is believed to be the force through which all magic flows, be it good or ill. Met Kalfou is also the spirit of luck. As a manifestation of crossroads, he can see multiple outcomes of a situation. [16]

Santa Muerte is believed to be the personification of death itself.[17] 

Using veves to portray evil when it incorrectly relates to what they symbolize can result in misinformation. Even if only parts of the veve are taken to be used to portray malice, it doesn’t change the fact that they still came from sacred symbols. 

Is Alastor a Hoodoo Practitioner?

(Photo: Image of Hoodoo Candles from Wikipedia)

Hoodoo is based heavily on folk magic. It is not a religion. Although their beliefs have elements of African and European religions. Its tradition emphasizes on personal magical power with the intention to improve daily lives. Its a combination of African practices and beliefs and American Indian botanical knowledge and European folklore. It’s heavily practiced in the Southern US.[22]

Unlike Vodou, they have no designated priests or priestesses and no difference between initiates and laity. Hoodoo spells are commonly accompanied with Biblical text but are not performed in Jesus’ name. It uses tools, spells, formulas, methods, techniques. Tools can be herbs, roots, minerals, animal parts and personal possessions.[22]

Alastor MAYBE a hodoo practitioner. But there are possible problems of associating an occult of a minority as a tool of evil. It might be best if Alastor is only depicted using deer-radio-themed dark magic instead.

In Short...

Misrepresentation of Vodou has its roots on White fear of Black retribution as well as White “othering” and projecting of taboo concepts such as fetishization and cannibalism. This results in stigmatization of Black topics and Vodou practitioners. The continuation of Hollywood Voodoo plays a role in perpetuating its misrepresentation. However, informing ourselves may stop the perpetuation in us. 

[summerofspock]

Ask meme! 1, 6 & 7 💖

1. My favorite thing I wrote this year is Under Construction! It was cozy and lovely and it made me really happy to write in between bouts of illness.

6. Favorite bit of dialogue besides what I already said is this bit of Anathema dialogue from mad or well-advised and it’s mostly because so many people told me they liked it in the comments

“I figured out what it is.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“It’s a sex toy.”

Aziraphale blinked, as if that would correct his hearing.

“I don’t know what Crowley was trying to do with it, but this is definitely a sex toy. It was used to...I guess you’d say ‘have monogamous threesomes’? I have a book about occult sex toys. There are so many, Aziraphale. Literally so many. If you ever find an occult object and you’re not sure what it does, like seventy five percent of the time? Sex toy.”

“So, if I’m understanding correctly, the box is meant to create copies of a single person for...recreational purposes.”

“Sexual purposes,” Anathema corrected.

“Goodness gracious.”

7. Favorite bit of prose is hard! I’ve written over half a million words this year according to AO3 but a lot of through the silent wood is atmospheric and certainly prose heavy so here’s a chunk I liked with an image that sticks with me

A chill wind passed through the buildings around the square with a quiet whistle, disturbing the steam above his cider and carrying the scent of cinnamon to his nose. He glanced at Tyler where he was still directing the group of villagers by the fountain and took a fortifying sip of cider. It was, in fact, quite boozy, and the alcohol plucked sharply at the back of Aziraphale tongue.

The men by the fountain were all huddled together on their knees, furiously working on something Aziraphale couldn’t see.

“What is Mr. Tyler doing?” Aziraphale asked after another swallow of the warming drink. Neither Anathema nor Newt answered as Aziraphale moved closer to the group of men. Every one was swaddled in thick dark coats, making it difficult to understand where one man’s body ended and the other began. They spoke in hushed tones Aziraphale couldn’t make out. He turned to ask Anathema again, but she had gone off to Diedre’s stand. Aziraphale looked back at the group of men and thought of crows, of carrion birds, of cannibals.

The speakers by the fountain crackled, fading out into a harsh buzz before they cut out entirely. The men stood, forcing away Aziraphale’s morbid thoughts, and revealed the thing they had been working on.

“Good Lord,” Aziraphale breathed, dropping the styrofoam cup in his hand. The cider ran in sticky rivulets between the stones of the square as Aziraphale took a step back.

“Oh, Beatrice looks lovely this year,” a woman said from his right.

“Beatrice?” Aziraphale repeated, taking another step away.

Anathema appeared at his elbow. “Yes, for the Fall. Tyler was in charge of making her this year.”

Aziraphale glanced back at the Thing by the fountain, unable to believe it was supposed to be some simulacrum of a girl. It looked like a scarecrow, straw lashed together in bundles in an approximately human shape, matted cornsilk hair sticking out at odd angles. The worst part, the part that made Aziraphale want to turn around, to disappear into his house and forget about this festival were the eyes. Beetle black apple seeds were stuck into the straw, dead and glistening.

Thanks for asking Lydia <3 and for all your support this year

[hmgfanfic]

Talk about all the Fillory worldbuilding in LQoF, please :)

THIS IS INEXCUSABLY LATE. I’m so sorry!

And I wish I could say it was just my scatterbrainedness, which is definitely a constant factor, but it was also that when you sent this, I was deeeeeeeep into writing the final few chapters of Little Quirks of Fate and I was kind of... in my head about it. It took a lot longer to finish than I had planned (a cardinal sin to my particular combo of severe ADHD and Type-A personality) and I was spending excessive amounts of time making sure I figured out a satisfying ending by my own exacting standards, so I just didn’t have the headspace to think through my early process yet. Very sorry about that :( But now that I’m finally done, I’m excited to look back! So if you’ll indulge me a very late answer, I’d be tickled. 💗

Long ramblings and major fic spoilers under the cut.

The truth is a lot the world building came down to character stuff foremost, followed closely by my preferences as a writer. I adapted the world to the story I wanted to tell, while using the little bits of information we’re given in canon as a baseline, rather than building the story around the world. And that was a lot more fulfilling for me, since I only really love worldbuilding through the lens of character, rather than as an exercise unto itself (though it’s super fun once you get rolling.)

To explain what I mean by that, you need to know that Little Quirks of Fate was originally going to be a oneshot. My plan was about 25-30k (lol) of a pure S2 retelling, only with Quentin in the role of Fen. It was also going to take a much more traditional enemies-to-lovers’ path—with Quentin as an active member of the FU Fighters—and the whole thing was going to be in his POV. Also, they weren’t even going to kiss until after the bank heist (which, yes, was going to be a thing here), but that got abandoned the fastest in favor of trying my hand at smut. But two things made me realize I needed to significantly shift course:

1) I was struggling to make Quentin actually feel like Quentin. I wrote this very atmospheric early scene at the FU Fighters encampment, with lots of description of the bonfires and the way their shirts dyed in Fillorian red looked like blood (you get it.) It took place in the black of night, shrouded in secrecy, and when Bayler questioned Quentin about his new husband, Quentin said something like, “He’s a drunk idiot, we have the advantage.” It was all very lush and dramatic, but it really, really, really didn’t feel like Q in any recognizable way to me. Now, I’m not someone who thinks Q needs to be a precious sweetheart all the time, but what I was writing didn’t have his idiosyncrasies or a motivation that felt true to who I feel he is.

2) The draft was DEFINITELY missing Eliot’s story and his perspective. I certainly don’t think Eliot’s POV is always necessary (sometimes not having his direct thoughts heightens tension in romance especially), but it felt really necessary here, to fill in the gaps of what Quentin was assuming and also—more importantly—because the events were just as impactful on him, but in a very different way. So I knew I was missing half the narrative, but that meant I would need to deal more explicitly with the Beast (i.e., Mike, the most devastating storyline to me, personally) and I really, really didn’t want to do that.

My first step in making a more recognizable Quentin was figuring out a way he could more or less use the same syntax that he does on the show. Voice is the first way I connect with a character, so while many writers in this fandom thrive at modifying speech patterns and keeping the heart of a character alive, keeping close to Quentin’s canon speech was an easy fix for me in a story I was excited to get rolling. Sort of like the old adage of uplifting your strengths before putting outsize energy into things you struggle with.

The easiest way I could think to give him the same syntax was to figure out a way Quentin spent some significant time on Earth during his formative years. And once I rewatched 2x06 and was reminded that Ess went to Phillips Exeter Academy for high school, I lost my damn mind. I started sketching out ways that Quentin could get there too and that’s how I built out the idea of Umber brokering a marriage deal with the actual landmass of Coldwater Cove, which included an education opportunity for the boys (in a nod to Fillory’s patriarchal nature), and also the reason why Umber did that, which was to take advantage of his brother’s orgy mistake with the first Children of Earth to usher in a more productive and orderly Fillory. So that created a whole new set of rules and essentially a whole new world for me to play with... all for the sake of Quentin getting to say “fuck.” It was that important to me. :p

And as I worked through all that, I realized I also wanted to give Q magic, since Quentin’s relationship with magic is something I’m interested in. But I had read on ye olde Tumblr that the reason Illario uses a wand in 2x06 is a nod to the books, where Fillorians specifically aren’t Magicians and that’s the rationale for the Children of Earth royalty. And while I generally see the books as interesting supplemental material with zero bearing on the television show canon, I still said to myself, “Self, wouldn’t it be kind of funny if Quentin was the only native born Fillorian who had magic and so the FU Fighters believe he’s the chosen true High King, but instead of it being because he’s ~special~, it’s because Umber made a clerical error? Lol! Hilarious!”

So while all my questions for how to explain all THAT spun out into more and more detail, at the same time...

I caved to the idea that this story was going to be a No Beast AU, just like my last two stories, mostly because I really couldn’t bring myself to deal with the Mike of it all, even tangentially. I could have just changed that single element, but I’m not a half-measure gal! But I still wanted to stick with the vague background theme of Fillory = adulthood from a questing perspective and I wanted Julia leading the charge this time, but without the sexual assault that occurs in canon. So obviously, the answer was avenging all of the murdered and cannibalized “grown-ups,” i.e., master Magicians, by seeking out help from the gods in a balanced Fillory free from the devastation of the Beast. Duh! ;)

So then, like anyone would do, I rewatched every episode up to 4x11 that makes a mention of Fillory and took about twenty pages of notes on the canon worldbuilding, along with an analysis of how much a particular piece of information would be impacted or not by balance in the realm. For instance, the existence of geraniums (per The Fillorian Candidate and Tick’s misunderstanding of “power plants”) and the lack of diamonds as a precious stone (per the River Watcher not knowing the value of Margo’s earrings in Knight of Crowns) struck me as static facts unaffected by Ember’s reign of chaos. But I shifted the overall feel of Fillory to one that’s more functional and a lot more bureaucratic, leaning on things like the existence of socialized health/vision/dental insurance (the idea of which is canonical, per a petition from the beavers requesting dental coverage from acting High King Josh in Ramifications), strict taxation plans, and an overall sense of thriving Ceremony to show Umber’s influence.

Basically, I wanted Eliot to inherit a much, much easier Fillory to rule—especially with the highly educated Quentin as a built-in and passionate advisor—mostly so it wouldn’t completely strain credulity when a lot of his energy goes toward his love life rather than the intricacies of ruling (though Margo would say he still favored his personal life more than he should have, and she wasn’t... wrong. He wants to be a husband more than a king!) But I specifically made it so most of the chaotic elements were played as whimsical (sorry) quirky shit or smaller hints of greater injustice (see: Ember getting rid of STDs, but still letting magic-poor citizens die of sepsis because that’s too boring to deal with), all while a cataclysmic danger lurked under the surface.

After that, I just filled in details as they worked with character stuff and plot stuff, and I tried to make sure they didn’t contradict each other in a way that couldn’t be chalked up to “chaos.” I basically lived with the Fillory map open all the time and also took screenshots of Benedict’s map of Loria, which gave me alternate ideas for the overall feel of the landmass rather than just the kingdom. And pretty much that’s the basic process I used to create the world! It was extremely fun, and I learned a lot, though I’m *definitely* focusing on some pure relationship kind of stuff for a while because... oof, sometimes it was a lot.

Annnnnnnd if you’re still with me, here’s some stray observations, for funsies:

I wanted Quentin and Eliot’s starting points to be more mature than in the show. Quentin when we’re introduced to him as an adult in LQoF is a lot more jaded and cautious than S1 Q, which is because in this world, his S1 mentality happened while he was on Earth and came to a head during the throes of his fucked up relationship with Bayler. Similarly, Eliot had already gone through a lot of shit too, and was much more self-actualized by the time he agreed to be High King here than in the show. It was still out of desperation for purpose, but not coming out of a direct trauma spiral. I think if they had been younger, both in age and mentality, the story wouldn’t have worked because they would’ve blown it up day two. They’re both still disasters, as we like to say, which is why the... everything happens, but they’re not disasters in the exact same way as in early canon. I thought of them as closer to their S3 selves, pre-Mosaic.

While I mostly kept Quentin’s syntax the same as on the show, I did change it up in some ways to reflect his Fillorian upbringing. The most obvious was replacing “goddamn” with “godsdamned” and “Jesus” with “Hades,” but I also made him slow on the Earth idiomatic uptake and slightly more likely to use passive voice and less likely to use contractions, especially early on and especially when speaking with Fen. He also said slightly out of date things even for someone who last remembered 1999, since Earth was still overwhelming despite his immersion. E.g.: In the epilogue, he asks Eliot if he can spend some time “Googling the World Wide Web” instead of watching Gossip Girl together, even though by 1999 most people were saying “on-line” or “the internet” by a pretty wide margin. But in my mind, the first term he learned was World Wide Web and he stuck to it like glue.

I originally had a full-blown coronation scene, where Quentin helped Eliot with the answers to the 90s questions via subtle charades, such as flapping his hands at his sides to give him the answer “Wings” (and Eliot was eventually going to Eliot-Logically use that moment to argue to Quentin that maybe Q really is the true High King since he was the one who actually answered the Knight’s questions, etc.), but I cut it and only showed bits and pieces in flashbacks because it didn’t really matter. They had to treat it seriously because it was An Event in this version of balanced/un-Beasted Fillory, with a full audience bearing witness, but the whole thrust of the external plot was about dismantling that moment and the concept of monarchy in general, so giving it too much weight outside of the Eliot and Julia friendship felt disingenuous to the story I was telling.

This is also why it was important to me that Margo hated the title High King Eliot the Kind, even though I only brought it up textually once or twice. But in my view, she fucking hated it and never came around to it. Which isn’t because she doesn’t think Eliot is kind, it’s that it felt like a simplification of all that he is, and the coronation ceremony in general felt similarly shallow. It wasn’t just the four of them working out their shit on the beach; it was true ceremony after a year of questing toil and a lot lingering uncertainty/resentments (especially regarding Julia), so it was too Big Shiny Happy Bow to her.

Yet on the same theme, my greatest regret was not being able to work in the fact that Margo’s title for Penny (King Penny the Persistent) was supposed to be half-sincere and half-sex joke. She did genuinely admire that he stuck it out even through his initial heartbreak because he gives a shit about his people underneath it all, but—and this is a very important headcanon to me—she admired his dedication to the art of the female orgasm even more.

I was originally also going to include the One Day More sequence with way more details—such as Umber taking the Javert lines, Ember taking the Thenardier lines, Bayler taking the Enjolras lines, and Penny taking the Marius lines, but... uh... writing a musical number is apparently not in my skill set. Also, honestly, the weirdness of the original is its whole charm and so I didn’t want to improve upon perfection. See also, in a more serious way: Eliot bowing to High King Margo on the Muntjac, the events of Plan B, and Quentin & Penny in the Flying Forest. Would not touch it!

My favorite Fillorian detail was either the guy who sent a citizen petition requesting a “smidgen” of Eliot’s earwax for an undisclosed purpose, or the use of the verb “to peg” to describe a Pegasus flock greeting an outsider with honor. They encapsulate the obscene yet pristine feel I always tried to give Fillory.

My favorite subtle(-ish?) ironic moment is Ess, the heir to a hereditary monarchy, taking Quentin to task for not honoring the anarchy patch on his high school backpack. In general, I don’t like everything being neatly resolved, including on an overarching world level. And I very strongly felt they had ZERO business meddling in Loria, so it left some fun-to-me unanswered questions. Will Ess usher in democracy for Loria based on his experiences on Earth? Maybe! Maybe not, since tradition’s a hell of a drug and Loria has its own history and complexities. Who knows?

I misread the town name Sutton as Sultan on the map the first time I referenced Bayler’s hometown (Sultan’s Ridge), but instead of going back to fix it, I just made it a sister town. Whatever!

I do not know how Quentin got a full bookshelf of Earth literature back to Fillory with him. Magic, I guess. (That’s the answer to anything I didn’t totally think through.)

I occasionally get asked whether Quentin and Fen were physically related. The answer is no, though it doesn’t totally matter. But I intended heart-cousins to be more like close family friends. (Though I actually originally had a joke where Eliot still wasn’t sure by the epilogue, but it didn’t land/feel realistic so I cut it.)

The details of the magic frequency poisoning were DEFINITELY what I thought through the least. My main goal was to have something catastrophic happen to Fillory based in part from the historical actions of the Children of Earth and Ember, patently ridiculously but with lasting consequences. Hence, god orgy that took away Fillorian human magic and sent out a slow poisoning of the overall magic “frequency.” It sounds all well and good, but it’s definitely something that would fall apart with even the lightest bit of prodding. It serves it’s purpose though, so I figured the gaps could be filled in or politely ignored. ;)

This question was way too much fun and a helpful retrospective for me! Thank you so much for indulging me, many moons ago. 💗

[mst3kproject]

601: Girls Town

 This movie is vile but the episode has some amazing moments. The joke about assassinating Eisenhower nearly choked me the first time I heard it, and I love the skit about the honour system.  It reminds me of the one about Bobo’s Sandwich, in that I know where it’s going but it’s the trip that makes it work.  There’s something about Mike’s complete obliviousness while the wrappers fly that just kills me.

A guy named Chip tries to rape his date, and she allows him to fall off a cliff to his death (insert gif of woman with teacup saying “good for her”).  His friends know he was supposed to be out with a girl named Silver – she denies being there, but they turn her over to the police, who send her to a Catholic reform school called Girls Town.  Meanwhile, Chip’s ham-faced buddy Fred realizes it was actually Silver’s sister, Mary Lee, whom Chip attacked.  Fred decides to blackmail her, and Silver must somehow find the time to let God into her heart and escape Girls Town to help her.  Meanwhile meanwhile, a girl named Serafina tries to commit suicide because a squashed-looking singer named Jimmy will never love her.

Let’s count the attempted sexual assaults in this movie. We start off with Chip trying to rape Mary Lee.  Then a guy tries to force himself on a girl during the supposedly comedic fight scene. Serafina literally throws herself at Jimmy, twice.  The detective repeatedly tries to get cuddly with Silver when he knows she’s underage. Fred’s plan is to sell Mary Lee into sexual slavery in Tijuana, and at the climax, another one of Chip’s ham-faced friends is trying to rape her all over again.  Oh, and Silver is supposed to be seventeen and Mary Lee fifteen, so even if any of these encounters were consensual the men involved would still be rapists.

This is, obviously, repulsive, but it’s also the entire point of the film.  We’re here to see a bunch of titillating bad behaviour, just barely held together by an outline of a story.  There are two things in Girls Town that might be called a plot – one is the intrigue among the teenagers of who killed Chip and why, the other is Silver coming to realize that she can’t go through life without help, whether from God or other people.  Both these stories, however, happen almost entirely in the background in order to make more room for the exploitation content.

And what a lot of exploitation content there is!  We’ve got leering shots of Mamie Van Doren in all kinds of form-fitting clothing.  We’ve got girl fights with slapping and pulling hair.  We’ve got the aforementioned assaults, which are dropped quite casually into the narrative and never more than barely dealt with. There’s parties and dangerous drag racing and teen idols and the weird ‘scandal’ thing about Serafina’s obsession with Jimmy, which Jimmy seems determined to foster when he really should be getting a restraining order.  Yes, there’s something here for everybody, except of course for people who like good movies!  I find myself wondering if the writers weren’t given a list of things the studio wanted to include, and had to find a way to fit them all into one ninety-minute movie.

The result, as one might imagine, is utterly foul, and while it’s more unified than it might have been, I don’t even want to give it credit for that because it is so utterly nasty and sexist.  When it was first released I suspect the movie felt like a trick, like it lured in an audience with the promise of a good time, only to wag its fingers and tell them to say their prayers.  From the standpoint of sixty years later, it just reeks of hypocrisy. I’m pretty sure the church frowns on taking pleasure in (or profit off) debauched behaviour, even fictional debauched behaviour. Are we really supposed to enjoy all that and then take away the lesson that we should be loving, pious people? Are we honestly meant to believe that the film-makers were sincere about that message?

I commented on the use of the archetypes of maiden, mother, and whore in my review of Untamed Youth and here it is again in Girls Town, even less subtly.  The nuns are obviously mothers, even the ones whose official title is ‘sister’, because that is the role they fill towards the students.  The students themselves come into Girls Town as whores and leave having been remade as maidens, which is Silver’s arc mainly – as illustrated with a rubber mallet to the face when she meets her former self on the way out – but we see the same thing in others, too.  Serafina begins the movie ready to be a whore for Jimmy, and ends it as a maiden, having become a novice nun.  Mary Lee spends the whole movie under threat of becoming a whore, but in the end manages to preserve her maiden-ness with Silver’s help.

The sins and stories of the male characters are equally simplistic. Jimmy seems to have spent his whole life atoning for the theft of a laughable forty dollars (this might have been less laughable in the 50s, but it still wasn’t exactly a fortune). He is in the movie as a literal deus ex machina.  When Silver prays, it’s Jimmy’s car that God sends to her, thereby saving Mary Lee. Jimmy is also the instrument of Serafina’s redemption, inspiring her to marry the Lord instead of lusting after singers.  I don’t think it’s an accident that his name is James.  St. James the Greater is the patron of pilgrims, or those who go on a journey seeking salvation.

(Not that this has anything to do with anything, but when I looked that up I learned that the epithets ‘St. James the Greater’ and ‘St. James the Lesser’ are supposed to specify that one was ‘Tall Jim’ and the other was ‘Short Jim.’)

The only other major male presence in the film is Fred. Characters like Chip’s grieving father and the detective are introduced as if they will be important, but after a scene or two they vanish and never recur.  Where Jimmy is almost literally the movie’s saint, Fred is its devil.  Almost everything he does is reprehensible, starting with harassment and moving up through vehicular homicide to human trafficking!  If they could have gotten away with making him a cannibal they probably would have done that, too.

Girls Town therefore presents a world in which humans can be tidily divided into good and evil.  There are nice god-fearing boys who do charity work, and there are nasty murdering rapist.  There are sweet virginal girls and nice motherly nuns, and then there are whores. And it’s obvious within a few moments of meeting either type exactly which side they’re on

This is, frankly, a terrible way to present people in a movie, not just because it’s shitty character writing but because in real life you can’t just tell like that.  When rapists and serial killers are captured there’s always somebody saying he looked so normal, and I swear it’s because movies keep telling us that such people don’t look normal.  This makes us feel better because we like to think we could recognize a ‘bad person’ if we met one, and even more we like to think that we don’t look the way ‘bad people’ do.  The truth is that this just isn’t possible, and perpetuating such stereotypes encourages people to see danger where none exists and ignore it where it does.

One thing the movie does get kind of right is the culture the inmates have developed for themselves at Girls Town.  There have been studies about how hierarchies evolve in closed groups such as prisons and high schools (yes, of course people have explicitly made that comparison), and an outline of that exists in the film.  The nuns are technically ‘in charge’ but the students have a form of self-government as well, complete with a penal system, which their actual superiors have come to respect.  Rules that benefit the group are enforced from within it.  Alliances survive despite things that should break them, because they’re all anybody has.

As a movie, Girls Town looks okay.  You can always tell where you are and what’s going on.  The girls and even the nuns are easy to tell apart, performances are never outstanding but usually acceptable, and you can follow the plot even when it throws in weird shit like Serafina’s obsession and the ridiculous drag race.  The content is just so disgusting that none of these things actually matter, and the worst aspect of that content is the way it throws in sexual assault like seasoning – just toss in a rape here and there to spice things up!

The writers allow Mary Lee to plead self-defense since Chip attacked her first, but the rest of them are never dealt with.  We don’t know what happened to the girl in the fight scene, she and her attacker never even have names.  The detective faces no consequences for cozying up to both Silver and Mary Lee, despite the fact that he’s gotta be twenty years older than either.  Serafina is somebody to be pitied and the thought of getting her to talk to a psychologist never occurs to anybody.  At the end, it seems like even the nuns are willing to forget about all the nasty shit Fred did as long as he testifies that Mary Lee isn’t a murderer!

When all was said and done the movie’s makers probably patted themselves on the back and told each other than they meant well, what with the Good Christian Message and all, and slept very well that night.  They were douchetrumpets.  Fuck them and fuck their movie.

[sabotajuu-a]

                    Out of respect for my fellow roleplayers here, I didn’t want to reblog the original post with all of this so that the images didn’t stretch everyone’s dashboards, and I could put this under a read more.   The posts I’m referring to are @savagedesign‘s HERE, my response HERE, as well as THESE SCREENSHOTS of @discandi‘s post ( since I can’t link the post from the blog itself, nor force it to appear as a dashboard link ).   Apologies for the long post.

                    Regardless, here’s the tea:

                    First and foremost, I want to get the legalities out of the way.   The original poster states that the game’s box rating is M for MATURE, or 17+.   For the sake of posting my own information AS LINKED HERE for collateral’s sake, we can see from GameStop’s official website that the rating is the same where I live, which is in the UNITED STATES.   Other countries have mixed ratings, because other countries have their own laws regarding the proper age group to view said content.   So, while there are countries who say a game is rated 18+, and others state the ratings are 15+, so on and so forth, there are still laws that need to be discussed and taken into account.

                    The problem lies in the complications of differing laws across borders.   Just because you live in a country where the maturity age is considered 15+ to view and participate within certain types of media, doesn’t mean that you aren’t endangering other users across borders by writing the content within said media, where their country’s maturity age is 17+ or 18+.   To put it simply, A 15 YEAR OLD WRITING DEAD BY DAYLIGHT’S CONTENTS WITH SOMEONE IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE THE LAW IS 17+, PUTS THE OLDER INDIVIDUAL IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN BE HELD LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR DISREGARD TO THEIR COUNTRY’S LAWS.   And that, my friends, is called CORRUPTION OF A MINOR, because as far as the United States is concerned, you, as a person under 17 playing this game and partaking in its contents, are still a minor, regardless of the laws in your country.

                    And want to know why that’s a problem?   Because it can completely and utterly ruin that 17 year old’s life.   NSFW content is an umbrella term for all things considered within gore, smut / sexual themes, intense violence, blood, strong language, and things of the like.   Writing ANY NSFW content with a minor, regardless of any legalities determining age of consent for any and all media, is still illegal.   Allow me to source things that are applicable to this situation from my perspective, meaning me as a writer having to abide by the United States’ laws regarding content that is RATED M FOR MATURE.

                    ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE RATING BOARD ( ESRB )   :                                         MATURE RATING DEFINITION

Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

                    CONTENT DESCRIPTIONS   :

INTENSE VIOLENCE: Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons and depictions of human injury and death.

BLOOD AND GORE: Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts.

SEXUAL CONTENT: Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity.

STRONG LANGUAGE: Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity.

                    These ratings and descriptions are put in place to protect individuals from exposure to darker and more adult themes.   This is why employees are LEGALLY REQUIRED to ask for identification when a person is purchasing age-restricted media, and why employees are further required to seek consent from a legal adult while mapping out the media’s contents when applicable.

                    The content ratings are meant to protect age groups from content that they are deemed too young to view as mapped out by a chosen government.   This is meant to ensure a person is old enough to handle seeing intense violence, blood and gore, while also hearing strong language or viewing implied sexual themes, and knowing that what’s going on in said media is NOT to blur the lines of real life’s morality.   So in Dead by Daylight’s case, the maturity rating is put in place because we have serial killers running around slaughtering survivors, cannibalizing them, snagging them in bear traps, chainsawing them, poisoning them, and then slapping them onto hooks.   Not to mention that Hag literally has one of her nipples out, which is still considered sexual in some definitions of the law.   We need to ensure that people under the given age aren’t going to go around tossing hatchets at pedestrians on the street, or electrocuting people with tasers or live wires, just because they’ve seen it in a video game.

                    While studies show that video games don’t make people violent, it’s very clear that there are situations where others may commit crimes inspired by the media they’ve digested before the recommended age, with or without parental consent or guidance.   Let’s move on to the legalities.

                    CORRUPTION OF MINORS                                         DEFINITION

Although it’s a pretty loose definition, the Pennsylvania Superior Court defines the phrase as “corrupting the morals of a minor” by explaining that it includes actions that would offend the common sense, sense of decency, propriety, and morality.

                    TITLE 18   SECTION 6301 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( i )   :                                         NON-SEXUAL CORRUPTION OF MINORS

Corruption of Minors is graded as a 1st Degree Misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Since the offense is non-sexual in nature, an offense under Subsection (a)(1)(i) does not trigger sexual offender registration requirements under the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

A person commits an offense under the subsection if he or she is 18 years of age or older, and commits one of the following acts: - The offender commits an act that corrupts or tends to corrupt the morals of any minor less than 18 years of age; OR ( cutting it here since the first one is all that applies here )

                    This literally maps it out right there.   To simplify it, a person who is 18+ engaging in media that is considered mature with someone who is below that age is committing a crime, whether they know it or not.   Because it isn’t SEXUAL CORRUPTION OF MINORS, the older party isn’t being put on the sexual offenders registry, but they do serve jail time, FIVE YEARS OF IT, which may make it difficult for them to find a job in the future, or assimilate within society when they’re out.   It is still damaging to a person’s life.

                    Now yes, a 2011 ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court found that video games are a constitutionally-protected form of expression, and that laws restricting their SALE OR RENTAL based upon violent content are unconstitutional.   However, this is restricted to just that, the sale or rental of violent video games.   If, say, a parent were to find the content you were writing with another person, and they disagreed with it and contacted authorities, the other person could still be charged if their country’s laws differ from your own, and they could serve some serious jail time while paying serious fines to the government, as well as paying for a lawyer to try and fight these accusations placed upon them from your negligence.

                    Therefore, @discandi, your statement     In fact here is the games rating in MY country     holds no validity to the argument because it doesn’t matter when you’re possibly endangering others.   The fandom is so up in arms about individuals under 18 writing in the community because of the content as advertised, because that potential about endangering another’s life in legal terms is a genuine threat.   We’re not completely saying minors can’t write mature content, we’re just asking minors to respect a writer’s individual boundaries without getting pissy about it.

                    Let’s get into the other portions of the debate, shall we?   @discandi‘s post   ( as linked in the first little introduction )   features some points that I have to disagree with, and that I find appalling.   Firstly, calling the community a bunch of freaks is a big assumption, and pinning the whole ra.pe fetishization argument on the entire community is an even bigger assumption.   Not all Dead by Daylight roleplayers are entirely into writing the super dark content, and in truth the community is EXTREMELY against portraying ra.pe, or writing du.bcon.   Take into account the community’s DISTASTE for the Freddy / Quentin ship.   People shipping killers and survivors together is not ra.pe since both parties are ABLE TO CONSENT considering all survivors are confirmed to be 21+, and all killers are confirmed to be 21+ with the exception of Legion’s members.   Frank and Joey are 18 - 19, while Julie and Susie are still in that unconfirmed area of being under, on, or over 18.

                    And now I just have to map out the tags in @discandi‘s post, as screencapped by me:

                    Your logic of equating people who write darker themes to enjoying and justifying ra.pe fetishization is extremely flawed, because generalizing the fandom into this umbrella assumption without any real solid evidence to back it up is quite unfair to those of us who just want to write out the gore, or the murder, or the potential verses and character dynamics to be explored.   Are there people in the Dead by Daylight community who fetishize ra.pe?   Sure, but you will always find people like that in ANY FANDOM.   MLP, League of Legends, Steven Universe, Supernatural, Soulsborne, Red Dead Redemption, Disney, the list could go on and you’ll still find some no.ncon fetishization in the media as produced.   None of us ever said it was okay or valid of them to do that, and we in fact tend to voice our distaste for it.

                    In my time roleplaying on this site, which has been seven, almost eight years now, I have never seen anyone write out ra.pe or no.ncon or du.bcon in roleplay.   Even in a fandom that features a game as horrid as OUTLAST did I never see someone write out or fetishize these aspects in roleplay, even when you have those featured and implied in the actual game itself.

                    So saying that people who write darker themes and are uncomfortable with minors writing with them in similar media are just ra.pe fetishist freaks is a HUGE STRETCH to make.

                    In addition, bringing up @starlyht‘s reply to me, as screencapped HERE:

                    I never said a minors have never played a mature game, nor did I say minors haven’t engaged in material marked as mature.   Hell, I’m sure everyone’s done it.   What I’m saying is that SOME people, not all, are uncomfortable with minors writing mature content because it puts them at risk.   It opens up the possibility of legal troubles, or just doesn’t sit right with their personal morals because they’re 18+ and just writing with minors is uncomfortable.

                    And just when I thought I was done, here we have @hallowkills with their VERY UNINSIGHTFUL POST which I’m so glad to have seen before hitting post.   You’re going to come on here and get involved in this discussion, when you’ve made one of the most hilariously hypocritical posts that counteracts the comment you’ve made pertaining to the argument at hand.

                    On July 24, 2019, you posted:

ok little psa but if you rp a muse that’s like... from disney or any media that’s primarily directed at children (like cartoons, etc) i’m probably going to block you because this is a slasher blog and michael is not compatible with those sort of muses

                                        (   PROOF HERE   )     (   TAG PROOF   )

                    Okay, that’s respectable and understandable.   Personal preference, I get that, but then one of your tags proceeded to state:

                    Which can essentially be taken as your refusal to write with adults who write characters from children’s cartoons because you don’t trust them.   The same can be said about adults who don’t want to write with minors who write adult characters or adult media.   It makes some of us uncomfortable, and in some ways, it’s illegal.   So why are WE being called gatekeepers, or ra.pe fetishists, or harassers when we could just as easily pin the same thing on minors who write adult characters and media?

                    And then you continued to make a post today shown HERE, screencapped just in case you decide to delete it.   How hypocritical do you have to be?   Imagine being a minor and getting mad about adults writing characters that carry nostalgia from their childhood.   God forbid someone enjoys something when it’s harming nobody.   However, minors writing adult content with certain people CAN harm them, punishable by law, and that’s the tea.

                    Checkmate, thank you.   Hope the free educating helps.   Have a wonderful day / evening, I think I’ve made my point and earned my rest before work.   You’re more than welcome to continue the conversation in IMs, as I won’t be clogging my dash up any more than I already have.

                    And before you ask for sources, I’m a criminal justice major.   I will happily post a picture of my degree on request, with personal information blocked out of course, and post proof of my education completion.   Sources regarding the law are from online, some textbooks, and my own knowledge of how the law works.

[katesturtlestories]

World Building #1

Note: this is not intended as a how to guide, this is simply my process (so far), but it may help you with your own projects.

Whenever I start a world building project, I always start with a basic map first. There’s no right or wrong way to start, this is just how I do mine. It makes it much easier for me to figure out how everything works together (weather, environment, currents, travel, mountain ranges etc) when I have a basic idea of how the land looks. The following example is my current project and subject to many changes as things evolve.

I’m not going to go into how I figure out shapes and all that, it’s not particularly interesting, but importantly (for me), I line in where the equator and tropics would be. From this, we can see where things would logically sit, and I need my world to be logical, let’s blame my years of geographical and geological studies. These areas are the hottest and wettest parts of this world and where you’ll find monsoons and rainforests. Knowing where the rainforests are is a particularly important thing for me with the story involved with this project. I may expand on this in a later post.

Next thing I do is I make lists of things that I would like to figure out about my world. I normally start with the environment, but all I’ve figured out so far is rainforest, and only on the southern continent where the story will be set; that’s all I really need right now. I already have a story idea, and I want to move forward with the people, culture, customs, religion etc. I can figure the rest out later. Without further ado, here is my list of things to consider and build on.

Note: there is a lot of crossover between these sections, I’ve tried to keep to the main subject at hand with the questions asked so it’s not quite as confusing.

Culture

naming conventions (for both people and places) - how do the names work? are children named after their fathers or mothers? other family members? the alignment of the stars? a physical characteristic?

societal structure including hierarchy of class systems and distinctions between them - how different is a poor person from a rich person?

government type and structure - this will have it’s own section further down

housing (architecture, building materials etc) - where and how does this society live? family groups/tribes/cities?

celebrations - which events are celebrated and how (eg births, deaths & marriages)?

festivals and rituals

music, dance & art - what kind of music is listened to? do they dance? what kind of artwork exists in this world/society? are there paintings/sculptures/poetry/songs/musical instruments?

cultural relations - how does this culture think of itself in relation to other cultures? are they better than the next country/town over? are they proud of their achievements or jealous of those of others?

marriage/partnerships - do people get married? is there a ritual involved?

gender roles and sexuality - are there distinctions between genders? will one be shunned from society for not fitting the social norm?

clothing - what do people wear? what is their clothing made of? does it reflect their job or class?

jobs and employment - which jobs are required for this society to function? which are the best and worst jobs?

monetary system/trade - does this society have money? how much is it worth? is it a bartering society? both?

education - are there schools? are there class requirements to attend? how much do they learn? is this a literate society? what is the age range of students?

games, sports and recreation - what do people do for fun? what games do they play? how do children entertain themselves? is there a professional sports league?

food - what food do they eat? are they a predominantly vegetarian society? are they cannibals? do they only eat fish every second weekday? what is the standard fare? are meals eaten in public? with family only?

communal projects - when a house or temple needs to be built, does the community come together? are there monuments? who builds these things? who is in charge of organising them?

military/police force - are there either in this society? is it voluntary? is there a draft? how exactly do they use/abuse their power within this society?

Religion

importance - how important is religion to this society? to what extent does the population share beliefs?

origin story - is there one? how does this society believe the world/universe/god/s came to be?

end of times - what does society believe will happen? is there fire? does the sun explode? a meteor land on a god’s head who then takes his rage out on the planet? does society even care or think about it? will it really happen?

mythology - what are the myths prevalent in this society? do they have any religious beliefs at all?

deity - which god/s does this society worship/believe in?

astrology - do the stars have any power over events in this world? does society believe they do?

afterlife - is there an afterlife? what does this society believe happens when they die? is there a heaven/hell? are there any funerary rites/rituals? do they bury, burn or send their dead off to sea? are there cemeteries?

soul - what does society think the soul is? do they even think about these things? do they believe in soul damage? do their actions affect their souls? are souls reincarnated?

temples/places of worship - how big/important are they? are they any at all? is religion practiced in the privacy of one’s own home? is it compulsory to attend services? are there certain trees which are revered? which gods do they worship? does each deity have their own separate place of worship?

hierarchy - who is running the temples or places of worship? who maintains the properties? how important are priests or their equivalent? who are they in charge of?

festivals - are there any religious festivals practiced in this society? what are the rules? is there a costume or dress-code?

religious texts - is there a bible/koran/book of the dead-type volume? how available is it? does every follower have a copy? do they only know the parts that have been read to them?

prophesies - is there a person who has visions? are they seen as a madman, prophet, or just gifted? do these prophesies come true? are they believed to come true? are they written down, inscribed on temple walls or just passed on through word of mouth?

food - is there any religious influence on what food is forbidden or encouraged? what are the restrictions? when can certain foods be eaten?

magic - is there any magic that is received only from a deity? what kind of magic do deities have? what kind of magic do/can they bestow on their subjects?

Science, Magic & Technology

technology - what kind of technology is available to this society? do they have electricity? is everything steam/wind/water/kinetic powered? does magic make the world go round? are there machines? what are they capable of?

astronomy - does society think their planet is the centre of the universe? what do they know about the stars? do they believe the stars are souls of the dead? the gods looking down on them? do they have telescopes?

calendars/clocks - how is time measured? is it just a block of seasons? do they measure days/weeks/months? do they measure years scientifically through various measures such as astronomy or just at the end of each winter/summer? do they have clocks? sundials? does magic tell them how much time has passed? do the gods?

medicine - what medicine is available? which diseases can be cured and which are incurable? or is it just magic? are doctors/healers trained on the job or in a university-type situation? do they serve an apprenticeship to someone experienced? are there hospitals or medicine women? both?

healthcare (tying back into medicine) - is there a healthcare system? do people pay for healing? are the poor excluded from it? are there doctors/healers who work on a pro bono system? is it free for anyone to receive healthcare?

writing - does this society have a written language? is it hard to learn? how many people are able to read/write? is their written language different from their spoken language? ie English scholars who wrote in Latin.

messages/communication - how are messages transmitted between two people with distance between them? do they write letters? use a mirror? carrier pigeons? is there a postal service? are messages written on paper/slate/stone/leaves? what do they use to write letters with? do they simply send messages via telepathy?

metals - which metals are available? what are these metals used for? how skilled are the metal workers? where is this material mined from? does it just lie on the ground around the place? is it only found in streams on a sunny day? how is this metal transported from it’s resting place to the smithy? who mines it? are there surveyors? do you need to be specially trained to find/work it?

weapons - are weapons commonplace? what kind of weapons are available? how expensive are they? are they only available to the military or the wealthy?

paper - is it available? how common is it? is some other substance used for writing? is it a different colour? is it only available to the wealthy?

glass - is it available? is it common/luxury? is it only available to the wealthy? is it used in windows? are there skilled glaziers? can you see through it? is it full of bubbles?

architecture - what do the buildings look like? do people live in houses/tents/communal spaces? do they have flat/pointed roofs? do they have chimneys? fireplaces? stairs/ladders? are the windows arrow slits? do houses have inside bathrooms? plumbing? how much space is between buildings? how tall are they? do people have separate bedrooms? is one house a series of separate buildings/tents? how is a city/community laid out?

transportation - is there a public transportation system? are there taxis? does everyone have a horse/car/bike/donkey? how are the roads? is it safe to travel alone? is it possible to travel far? are there ships/planes?

Agriculture

produce - what can grow in this world? can it grow all year round? or is it a season-specific plant? is it easy to grow? does it require constant rain? is there a specific fruit/vegetable in high demand?

animals - which animals are farmed on this world? do they provide a variety of resources? ie eggs, meat, leather, fur , labour etc.

fishing - how common is fishing? is it the main source of food? what can be done with fish? what kind of food can be prepared? is this area known for good fishing? are they small/big fish?

farming - how common is farming? is it the main source of food? how big are farms? can a farmer have many different types of produce and animals or just a few? how many farmers are specialised in a specific plant/animal? ie grapes for wine

foraging - what can be foraged? mushrooms/berries/coconuts? does everyone have to forage? how far away from their homes do the have to go to do so?

hunting - is society allowed to hunt the local wildlife or is it prohibited? is it sport for the wealthy? which animals are nearby? do they make good eating? are they only hunted on special occasions? during a specific season?

preservation - which kinds of food can be preserved? are there any highly desired preserved goods? what are the problems that can arise from food preservation?

food stores - which food is able to be stored? can meat be cured? where is food stored? does food need to be stored at all? are there any bugs/beetles/mice that can ruin food stores?

grains - which kinds of grains are available? what can be made from these grains? bread/beer/rice?

irrigation - what kinds of irrigation practices are available? do farmers rely on rainfall/flooding to survive? do they build canals? a sprinkler system?

manufacturing - what kind of products are able to be manufactured from the goods provided from the agriculture industry? do farmers/fisherman/foragers/hunters manufacture their own goods or pass on the raw materials?

trade - does a farmer trade or sell his goods? where do they go to do so? do the buyers come to them? is there a marketplace? how does the farmer transport their goods? horse and cart/train/truck/goat/magic carpet?

Government

government type - democracy, theocracy, monarchy, theocratic monarchy, republic, autocracy etc

succession - how is a new leader chosen? are they voted in? selected from a lottery at random?

hierarchy - who has more power? who is second in command? how equal are the advisors? is the king only a figurehead? are the nobility able to influence government decisions? if society objects to a decision/law made, are they able to petition it effectively?

laws - what are the laws of the land? what is the worst possible crime someone could commit? what can they get away with?

legal system - how does someone refute a claim against them? are there lawyers? is there a courthouse? do they have to petition the king? who makes the final decision? judge/king/priest/god/public?

criminal punishment - what punishments can be expected for those proven guilty of their crimes? prison/death/excommunication/a fine/banishment?

taxes - how much does each person pay in tax? how is this amount decided? who collects the taxes? can the tax be paid in goods? does it have to be paid in goods/money? can someone get an extension/exemption from payment if they don’t have enough?

distribution - how are city funds distributed? are they distributed at all? what percentage of taxes go back into repairing the roads and erecting new town halls/temples?

This is far from a complete list, there are countless things I’ve missed and a hundred questions I haven’t asked, but this is basically how I do it. I find the things that need to be known and then ask questions. And this, my friend, is how I world build.

If there’s interest, I may do a series of posts of my actual answers to these questions, they’ll be much more bite-sized though, I promise.

[runby2]

Trigger warning for cannibalism and adult content ⚠️

It’s about a young King named Auburn who is depressed because his father was executed due to insanity. He is now in charge of Eitskinvale alone, and stress and grief is consuming him. He sends out a letter to the kingdom after secluding himself for 12 months. “If anyone can make me smile, you’ll be my hero.”

He performed to by many different performers. One of his friends is the court Jester named Cicero who plans a musical number with the village theatre. Its title is “everybody wants to be like you”, stating that the new king is better than any king before, and he’s destined for greatness. Cicero uses a lot of sexual humor but it’s an adult musical so it doesn’t matter.

After the performance the king sighs and says he’s not enough. He calls in the next preformance.

The next preformance is a wizard that has never been seen in the town before. his name is Zachius. He’s 45 and has back up dancers in his song titled “In this vial is a gift for a broken heart” - Though this song is manipulating King auburn with lines such as “but you would never need it.”

King auburn gives in at the end saying: maybe I do need it.

He drinks the bright red potion, and throughout the musical begins to become more insane with small scenes ending with more unnatural and surreal songs. These songs include lights mimicking the wizard’s song. All of Auburn’s songs end with “I’ll be the end of a new reign”.

After town villager after town villager goes missing, Cicero calls upon the neighboring kingdom in a panic. This number is titled “My dearest Koda” which surrounds Cicero writing a letter to king auburn’s best friend, Prince Koda of Candledale, to come save the day. Cicero addresses it under the false guise of King Auburn, hoping that it will get the prince to listen.

It’s sent off, and Prince Koda is introduced, running in on a horse to help his friend, but finding that the guards are blocking the way into the castle.

Koda shows the letter and is let in.

It is revealed the king has become a cannibal, bodies hanging throughout the dry-aired castle to prepare for a feast.

Koda runs past it all in a panic, reaching King Auburn in the throne room. King Auburn gets up from the throne, dancing unnaturally to “The end of a reign” final reprise, where he sings a full song about how the village will disappear into history after the ‘Feast for the Devil’.

Shadows rise from the floor of the throne room during the number, chasing Prince Koda around.

Koda manages to escape into the large freezer of the kitchen, finding Cicero tied up and hanging upside down.

Cicero says “I always thought I’d be tied up by the prince- well, king. But I never thought it would be like this. Thank you so much for coming, you saved my life.”

Koda unties him and explains that the king called upon him. He asks how Cicero knew of him being summoned from Candledale, and asks why the king is not mentally sound. Cicero sadly admits that he wrote the letter, and that he thought Koda could save Auburn from whatever was possessing him. He says this happened after a Wizard preformed for Auburn, and forced Auburn to consume a bright red fluid.

Koda exclaims that he recognizes this Wizard, and that the same wizard was a street preformer in his kingdom. He was exiled due to his songs using dark magic to turn the townsfolk into insane cannibals during a famine. The only way to break the spell was to sing a song that spoke directly to the broken soul of the cursed person.

They escape the castle through the kitchen window to plan the song.

The next scene is wizard appearing in the throne room, dancing with dark beasts around the throne and Auburn, singing “A lullaby for the broken heart”, where Auburn rises at the end and demands “bring me Cicero the Bold”

The next scene is Koda and Cicero writing a song in a village house. They’re panicking over what to write, and how to get the spell just right. The wizard suddenly appears from the shadows with screaming beasts.

He dances, singing to Cicero about King Auburn allegedly saying horrible things about wanting to eat him. “He says he wants to dry you, he said he wants to skin you. He says the salt will try your life and cause you to become numb.”

A paralyzed-in-fear and heartbroken Cicero is taken away by the shadows.

Prince Koda is left to rescue Cicero and preform to King Auburn “Nobody wants to be like you” a reprise of Cicero’s “Everybody wants to be like you”. The preformance is a tad humerous, as Prince Koda has never done theatre in his life.

Regardless of the way it was performed, Aubrurn smiles and starts to cry, and scream, the shadows falling and dissipating into smoke. King auburn is saved, and Cicero isn’t eaten.

The wizard is exiled and warned to never come back, and the oblivious guards outside chase him away.

The ending song is a second reprise of “Everybody wants to be like you” titled “Nobody wants to be like me” where the bodies of the dead townsfolk are being hidden, and King Auburn announces to the kingdom that “The missing people were killed due to the wizard, and a ceremony will be held in their memory tomorrow morning.”

Only Cicero and Prince Koda know the truth. End.

I just dreamed up an entire plot to a horror themed mideaval musical and wrote it down + wrote a whole song for it and made art about it. I think I galaxy brained last night.

[avidfanficwriter]

So... What to say, what to say. 

Have i not cleared up this a million times? Or clarified for dimwits what happened, not to mention given articles out about what happened? This is getting ridiculous and stupid. 

One: CASEY AFFLECK IS NOT A RAPIST!

Two: I’m not condoning and/or supporting any type of sexual assault. 

Three: Do not judge me for writing what i write or who i write. 

Writing is my outlet therefore by judging my work, you’re judging me. I am a writer, an author. I imagine a story, a plot, events unfolding and i write it down. Sometimes it comes out in peices or it comes out in one big run on sentence either way, it’s my creation. 

Yeah, it can be controversial. As is all writing. My god, Edgar Allen Poe was writing about someone hiding a fucking body under his floorboards or stoning someone alive,. Shakespeare was writing about two teenagers involved in a forbidden love that ultimately killed themselves because they couldn’t have  one another. Yet that’s a bloody classic. Hannibal is a fucking story about a goddman cannibal that outsmarts police. My god, their more examples i could put out there that are frowned upon? 

Movies are simply people who are hired to play pretend and embody these character. 

but please allow me to get this straight, you’re all fine when it’s these great writers that create this character, this person yet when i do it simply by substituting my own character/personality with an actors face, ya’ll flip a goddamn lid. Total sense. 

I’m simply using Casey Affleck, I’m giving you someone to visualize as you read this story. That’s it. I do the same thing with Chris Pine.  I’m simply using Afleck the same way I use  Pine. Which speaking of Pine, ya’ll are aware he has a DUI right? Or do we not talk about that since he’s never been accused of anything else? Cause here we have a man that was accused of assaulting a woman that wasn’t found to be true or untrue and another man that endangered the lives of others by drinking and driving. But god forbid we discuss that like adults. 

Second hand what the fuck is happening to Tumblr? I can’t do anything without some numbnut deciding to be a asshole and accuse me of something. How many times can i say the same thing over and over and over and over again? 

IF YOU DON”T LIKE IT DON”T READ IT! SKIP IT! SCROLL DOWN! MOVE ON! LEAVE!

I don’t need to be followed or liked by you, i don’t want and/or need approval. I’ll keep writing Casey Affleck, I’ll keep writing Chris Pine, Jeremy Renner or anyone else i want. Hell, I write where’s fucking waldo ifi want too.  You don’t co-run this blog with me, you aren’t in control of what i write you must definitely are not in control of my brain, so get out. 

Side note: If and only if the charges brought against Casey were proven would i consider to stop writing Casey but nothing has been proven. According to the law, he is innocent. Which means, I’m guilt free about putting him in my writing.