#it very much moves the plot forward in my opinion

[allylikethecat]

may i suggest On A Friday as the cliffhanger we were left with was brutal 😫 (but also no pressure i would be happy with anything you choose to update 🫶)

Hmmm we *did* leave Fictional!Matty in a pretty miserable situation... it would be such a shame to leave him there for much longer, especially when we could put him into an even MORE MISERABLE situation 👀 I'm not 100% sure which fic I'm going to finish the chapter for an post on Tuesday yet, but I will say you lovely anons are making a pretty good case for On a Friday!

Thank you so much for reading and for sending me this ask! I'm so happy you're enjoying On a Friday enough to be like, seeking out the next chapter! Thank you so, so much!! I hope you had a great day and that you have a wonderful rest of your week!

❤️Ally

[tagged-by-trauma]

Hands behind your back

After a long day and a very relaxing shower Joel waits for you sitting on your bed. He shows you just how tough his day was between quiet groans and dirty glances. Pairing: jackson!Joel x f!reader Warnings: established realtionship, explicit sexual content (+18), dom!joel/sub!reader, dirty talk, oral (m receiving), deep throating/throat fucking, hair pulling, boot riding (uhm... yeah), cum eating, soft aftercare and cuddles, but basically just full on porn without much plot Word count: 2.2k A/N: Hey everyone! I'm still new to fanfiction writing and this is my very first attempt at it. I would highly appreciate it if you left some feedbacks or your opinions about what should I improve! P.S: English is not my first language, so sorry if I made any mistake or typo! Also, if I left anything out from the warnings just yell!

Nighttime always came quickly and quietly in the little town that was Jackson. This small settlement that was hugged by mountains, forests, abandoned buildings and high walls that kept out every possible danger. This settlement where even though hell was raging outside the gates, the days were full of life and laughter. The town hall loud with the sound of cutlery clinking and people talking. The streets lively with children running around and playing with each other while their parents watched with careful and protective eyes.

You were getting out of the shower, the bathroom full of steam, the little house staying in quietness. Standing in front of the mirror you looked at your blurry reflection. Your body covered in scars earned by successful fights against clickers or aggressive and eager raiders along the road. You pulled a towel tight across your form and opened the room’s door but when you saw what was waiting outside—or more like who—you stopped in your tracks.

Joel Miller was there.

You met him first when you arrived in Jackson and instantly knew that he was the grumpiest, toughest, most insufferable man you’ve ever met in your whole life. With his broad shoulders, quiet intelligence and thick shell he was a very new and different face in town. But somewhere along the way you realized that he wasn’t that bad after all. Yes, he had bad days where he gave everyone the deadliest gazes, pretended to be tough when a word hit home too roughly but you saw right through him. And you couldn’t resist him anymore, but neither could he. And now, now he was sitting on the edge of the bed with the most unsettling calmness on his face you’ve ever received from him.

You took some steps forward and he was watching your every move with a hungry gaze. His usually brown eyes were so dark with desire now that they almost seemed black in the low light of the bedside lamp, jaw tight with restrained want and hands balled up into tight fists on his thighs.

“Joel—” you wanted to ask him something—anything—but he drowned the words into your throat with one lustful and sharp look.

“Come here,” his voice was low and gravelly, commanding in a way you couldn’t explain and before you could even think you were already moving and standing vulnerably in front of him, towel drawn even tighter around you, knees brushing against his flexed thighs.

“On your knees. Hands behind your back,” you obeyed him, slowly letting yourself to the ground and looking up at him with wide eyes. He reached for the edge of your towel and with a firm tug he let it fall to the ground exposing you to him. His eyes raked over every part of your body with lust, and you shivered—either from the want that built up in you from only this command or the slow vulnerability scratching at you from the inside—goosebumps covering your forearms. His sudden demeanour sent a rush of wetness between your legs making you squirm and squeeze your thighs together to relieve some of the pressure.

“You don’t get to touch unless I tell you to, understood?” you nodded, your own arousal building with every ticking second. He suddenly leaned forward and grabbed your jaw between his thumb and index finger keeping you in place.

“Use that pretty mouth of yours,” he whispered as he moved his head down the column of your neck, his rough beard scratching the skin and his mouth blowing slow kisses to your pulse, teeth scraping the warm and flushed flesh.

“Yes,” you breathed softly and couldn’t focus on anything else just his mouth on you. He pulled back and you let out a gasp at his sudden distance. He looked down at you with the smuggest smirk playing in the corner of his mouth.

“Good girl,” you felt yourself grow even wetter if that was possible and he leaned back on his hands, one coming to rest on the front of his jeans as he started to rub himself through the rough fabric of the denim, and you drooled at the sight of him, sprawled out on your bed, gaze fixed on you in front of him on your knees, hands behind your back.

He reaches for the leather of his belt and unbuckles it, the sound crawling up your spine and settling deep in your bones. Next the zipper came undone and you could see the huge bulge straining against the confines of his briefs. You noticed the wet patch of precum on the dark fabric and you couldn’t help but bite your lip and let out a small and needy whimper. He chuckled low at your reaction and stopped in his movements.

“You’re so eager, aren’t you?”

He reached for the waistband of his briefs and freed himself, his cock springing free and slapping against his covered stomach, your gaze glued to it. He was big, bigger than your previous partners, his tip flushed an angry red—almost purple from the restrained need—precum leaking from the small slit at the top. His hand reached down and grasped himself, letting out a strangled groan that didn’t sound humanly spiced with a swear. His hand started moving with slow and languid strokes, his thumb spreading the precum all over his length, coating himself.

He was feeling on cloud nine. You looking at him hungrily, like he would be the best fucking feast you’ve ever had, mouths parted, pupils dilated. He let his head fall forward, a low groan escaping from the deepest parts of his body. His eyes squeezed shut, not daring to look at you, because if he did he might have come undone.

Meanwhile his other hand came up to your jaw and caressed it with soft tenderness. Full opposite from what his right was doing. Your eyes moved back and forth between his cock and his pleasured expression. You closed them and started to move your thighs together, somehow releasing the pent-up tension that settled deep down in your stomach.

“Fuck, darlin’. Look at you,” his thumb moved across your lower lip and caressing it. You felt light-headed and breathless. Spiked by a sudden idea you seductively opened your mouth and took his finger into your mouth. He looked at you taken aback but his right hand sped up and you could see his cock twitching in his fist. You just hummed and swirled your tongue around him, hollowing your cheek.

“Jesus, darlin’,” he stuttered with a shaky breath. You wanted to pull your hand in front of you by habit, but when he saw your intentions, he pulled his thumb from your mouth and grabbed your throat with a careful but firm strength that knocked all the air out of your lungs. “No touching, remember? Otherwise I’ll have to punish you, darlin’,” you saw that he was serious, but couldn’t help and be aroused by the idea of being spread over his thigh, ass up and angry red with his handprints as he spanks the obedience into you.

“Joel—”

“Nah-ah, darlin’. Now, open wide,” you looked in his eyes, parted your mouth and sticked out your tongue. His arousal could be evident by the dark fire that was burning behind his lashes, and his hand came to the back of your neck, collecting your hair in one swift motion.

“Fuck, darlin’. Let me feel those perfect fucking lips around me,” saliva was already pooling in your mouth when you leaned forward and licked a stripe up from the base of his length to the tip. He let out and animalistic growl, his hand that was holding your hair tightening. Your tongue traced the curves of the veins that were running up on the sides. When you arrived to his head, you placed soft kitten licks there and lapped up the precum that was leaking from his length. He suddenly tugged at your hair and pulled you back. “Don’t fucking tease me, darlin’. I’m not in the fucking mood tonight.”

His hand guided you back to his cock and this time you didn’t hesitate to take him in your mouth. Your eyes found his and you let yourself take up the eye contact while you were going up and down on his length. You could feel his feet shuffling and you felt the tip of his boots between your thighs. You pulled back and let out a soft gasp, head tipping forward.

“Did I say you could stop?”, he pulled your hair back, so you could see his face now covered in sweat. “You’re gonna ride my boots while I’m gonna fuck your mouth, darlin’,” he slowly moved his boots back and forth, and you dived back down on his cock with a breathy moan. You swirled your tongue around his length, hollowing your cheeks and taking him even deeper with every move. His boots were moving with slowness for the first few minutes but as you picked up the pace, he did the same. You were a mess at that moment, your only focus on making him come. The shoelaces were rubbing against your clit with every grind of your hips, your arousal soaking the rough material of the shoes, leaving behind a very prominent wet patch.

He also placed his other hand around the back of your head and carefully pushed you, making you take him deeper. You relaxed your throat, and when you could feel the tip of his cock at the back of your throat and the soft hair at the base, you looked up at him and studied his expression. Jaw slack, eyes squeezed, sweat collecting between his brows, threatening to spill down the line of his nose. You hummed around him, and the vibrations ran through his whole body settling at his brain.

He gripped your hair tighter and kept you in place as he pulled back his hips from your lips and thrusted forward once again. You were a writhing mess under his touch, eyes teary as his tip touched the back of your throat over and over again while his boots were continuing its movements against your swollen clit.

“Fuck, darlin’. I’m not gonna last long if you keep going like this,” his head fell back with a strangled groan, and you could feel his cock twitching in your mouth. Swirling your tongue around his length he moaned your name and exploded in your mouth, the salty taste of him hitting your tastebuds. You pulled back and swallowed every last drop of him, opening your mouth so he could see.

“Good girl. Now, you get off by just riding my boots,” you nodded and grinded down harder. “You can move your hands, darlin’,” he murmured, and you obeyed, pulling your hands forward and placing them on his thighs, steadying yourself.

“Joel, I—” you moaned his name as your orgasm shattered through you. You were clenching around nothing and your legs shaking as you softly bit down on his denim-covered thighs. He was caressing your hair, your cheeks, anything he could reach.

“That’s it, darlin’,” he cooed with a tender voice, complete opposite to what he showed you just a few minutes ago. “Let yourself go.”

As you came down from your high, you slowly raised to your feet and looked at the mess you made on his boots. It was now covered in your juices, glistening under the low lights of the room. He unbuttoned his flannel and took it off, now completely exposing himself to you. You saw the faint outlines of his scars over his body and you couldn’t help but want to trace them with your fingers.

He pulled you down on the bed and tugged you close to his form, your head resting on his chest. This side of him was the complete opposite of what he always showed to people outside your house, and you loved it. Loved how soft he could get with you but be dominant if he had a bad day on patrol or someone annoyed him with their mere presence. It was like he was a completely different person with you.

You snuggled closer into his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under your head and the faint smell of sweat on his skin. Your hand came up to his face and rested on the little patch between his beard.

“Tough day?” you breathed against his skin, looking into his eyes.

“Hm,” hummed eyes closing, hands tightening around you. “Don’t wanna talk ‘bout it. But I’m glad you’re here.”

“Of course,” you said, and you could feel as his breathing slowed and his heartbeat calmed down. You carefully reached for the bedside lamp and turned it off, coating the room in complete darkness. As you settled back beside him, you gave a soft kiss to his temple and closed your eyes.

The bedroom was quiet except the low sound of a distant owl filling the otherwise quiet space. And here, tangled in the sheets—hugged close by his arms—his chest rising and falling under your cheeks, you felt like the world outside didn’t exist, and it was only the two of you.

[elluminis]

an (incomplete) list of things I loved from this week’s hgsn episode:

the scene in the grocery store. they did such a fantastic job of making the viewer feel just as uncomfortable as yoshiki does, whilst the cashier continuously digs into his family’s life. the detailed close-up on her lips. the shot from the security camera. the sound design. just…absolutely incredible.

the use of real-life photos and film! it’s stylistically brilliant, in my opinion, and it’s used so well to catch the viewer off-guard/make us uncomfortable. the photo-realistic raw chicken in particular was so good, and I love how the ed places the boys over top of filtered videos. it’s such a unique visual identity and it works!

the shots through yoshiki’s bangs. they’re so, so good. and because the show isn’t afraid to be experimental (and so much weirder than just a shot showing some bangs), those pov moments feel very intimate and important without feeling jarringly out of place—that’s reserved for things like, say, a photo of raw chicken.

the chest scene. I, like every other manga reader I’m sure, was so excited for that scene, and it was so well-executed! the eroticism, the disgust, yoshiki being flustered, it was just all fantastic.

“hikaru’s” red eyes. the glint in his eyes becoming pronounced whenever he’s being particular inhuman is so. good. it’s vaguely unsettling in the best possible way.

slight spoilers/speculation under the cut:

I’m cautiously optimistic about the speed with which we’re moving forward with tanaka’s involvement. it feels a little quick, especially with the indou family lore, but everything else has been handled so gorgeously that I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt that things will be integrated nicely! he continued to loom in the background fairly separated from the boys, so I again hope that he’s there to be freaky and raise the stakes while operating in parallel to the rest of the plot for a little while longer.

also kurebayashi, the goat! I enjoyed her presence in this episode, even though I felt she was a bit over-played in last week’s. once again excited to see where the anime goes!

[dysansohmin]

what do you think abt DT now?

(sucking down like an entire liter of water) hold on

I am not through 7.2 yet, but I suspect that's not going to effect my answer here very much! I've definitely had some time to sit and think about it, and my major takeaways are:

The format of main expansion story content has changed. I am not holding out hope for it to come back. The sidequests were crazy sparse, and Tural suffered for it. As overwhelming as it can be to get to a new area and see 50 sidequest markers, many of which are gonna feel like a chore to clear if you are rushing - every one of those is a character beat, a little nuance to the setting, a chance to pause and look around the environment. I think that there's a bit of rose-colored glasses about what I'm about to say next, and it's a sentiment I've seen expressed a lot, that previous expansions were **edgier** in that, we got allusions and direct plot-handling of lots of nitty-gritty everyday life shit. Dawntrail is the tail end of that progression, with like. The standard of living and intercultural conflicts in Tural being ironed over entirely, this sense of an absurd & universal standard of living, that Tural feels very much akin to Living Memory as being like, a perfect little facade. I am anticipating that this may be challenged, but I think it also may not be! (Much like EW's Garlemald segment, another bugbear for people with this opinion). I am frustrated that Alexandria is getting the goods when I was so excited to see what they did with Tural. There's a good chance Tural will continue to be a playground for a scavenger hunt, and Gulool Ja Ja's legacy will continue to be that of like, a beloved righteous superpacifist or whatever! We might never get Whalaqee either! I'm doing the Wachumeqimqi quests rn (I hate it I hate how they named it I hate it) and the fisher one is like. I don't want to be herrrrrre Then again, I am enjoying observing what the devs dive into and what they don't. I would love to peek at the JPN script, but my Japanese is rusty and elementary, so. I would LOVE to know if the Shock and Awe flyer in Living Memory was a localization insertion - it's one moment that comes to mind as "oh they are working with what they have to inject some interesting complexity." Woulda loved to see more of that in Tural proper and not have it all penned off in War Criminal Infinite Growth Torment Nexus Electrope Land. It made me yearn for Stormblood! I'm very excited to revisit Stormblood now! I don't think I appreciated Stormblood properly the first time through! I say this knowing that the Stormblood localization DOES make me want to claw my own eyes out every 20 minutes, and by GOD does Stormblood have its own issues about many of the same things- I think the localization HAS gotten better, and I think that there is a general move in fantasy games right now to tamp down on the colonial legacy of fantasy RPGs. I think Dawntrail is situated in that context. I feel they tried very hard to be respectful, and what we got is shallower for it. It's really hard NOT to read that next to, say, Veilguard as a State of The Industry thing. Anyway, this was the expansion with the graphical update, so it makes sense that there was less time/resources devoted to quest design and writing. But it's also a bar-set, and I understand how game studios operate.

I will be playing MSQ much more slowly going forward. Even with how sparse the sidequests were, completing them in time with MSQ as they unlocked left me with a MUCH more favorable impression of DT than most of the people I saw rushing through it. My full-game playthough on Evka, I am totally adjusting my approach to match how I played DT: clear every single area of quests before moving onto the next. This has helped me a lot with my FOMO about the game, and really helped me slow down and read closer. This approach is helping rekindle my appreciation for ARR. It puts me in a more receptive mindset for things like the interminable Tombstone Shaaloani bit, or the post-Titan wine fetching. And it requires patience. If I start feeling impatient, I stop playing. Believe it or not, I was like, not tremendously impressed with the post-ShB patches because I felt like MSQ was just rehashing. I remember sitting there looking at Ardbertlidibus like, "fuck man, power of friendship. we get it." I took it too fast, and I was impatient to be Caught Up. I genuinely wish I could replay ShB for the first time and NOT just mainline the primary story, because if I was close-reading I would have gone totally insane about this game like, two or three years earlier.

The on-level content's never been more fun. I loved the dungeons/raids this time around. They have really honed in. There's less though! There's less combat! There's less gameplay and more story, which is wild, considering how little story there is. This was a sparse expansion. But I'm having a blast with what was there, and did ultimately feel satisfied. Again, this is where I'm setting my bar for expectations going forward, if I'm pleasantly surprised than that rules. I like that they're getting goofy with dungeons ago. Much as I groan when I drop into Strayborough, it's fun, and it puts me in mind of things I liked about ARR dungeons. I also love how they continue to play with duty support as a diagetic tool. This is now approaching 100% on being a wonderful MMO for people who want a single-player experience, which is a weird sentence! Even though I like the social aspect, I appreciate being able to drop into a new dungeon as a healer and getting to learn the mechanics myself firsthand, instead of being obligated to spoil myself with a dungeon guide to ensure a zero-death run. Environmental design also wowed me. There is a great mix of detail and traversability. I do miss the little tiny tableaus and unused locations of HW & StB, having a multilevel space to poke around. I am not a huge fan of DT's "split the zone in half so we can use it twice" structure. I want those zones to become unsplit, at some point in the story, if that's the case, and have an available instance where a previously untraversable area becomes so. At least an interactable, like an NPC who will ferry you from one side to the other? But the zones were gorgeous, the settlements had tons of fun little details, Tuliyollal is, again, the most impressive hub city in the game. (Sorry Crystarium!!! SORRY!) There were places that could have used polish to match it - The settlements Urqopacha felt much more living than Kozama'uka, for instance.

Previous expansion content is starting to suffer. I have NO idea how they are going to manage further re-balancing. Many of the jobs are no longer any fun to play until like, 80 for me. This problem is only going to get worse, and it's going to require major overhauls more and more frequently, and those overhauls are going to simplify rotations and pare down interesting toolsets. I worry!

This game is going to be about itself for the rest of its lifespan. Shadowbringers was the thesis. Endwalker was metatext. Dawntrail is the rehash. It will be all rehash from here on out, mark my words. Unless they are willing to pull back the stakes and refrain from parallels and drop us back into something like HW or StB (which I desperately hoped DT would be!) It's going to be the Azem show forever. Which, again, means the story is now much less important to me in terms of perceived quality. I'm just hoping they get silly with it? I made a post about shark-jumping. I will be clapping like a seal as this story calcifies and crumbles under its own live-service weight. All that lives must someday die. Except our subscription based MMO, which you can play forever. The tension is impossible to reconcile, and this is the way of episodic stories. It's going to get funny. I'm ready.

I... Understand the beef with Wuk Lamat. The data doesn't lie. My girl Lamaty'i has an ASTOUNDING amount of dialogue. Record-shattering. My girl Lamaty'i cannot stop fucking talking. Hear feel think. Big bug. Oh no she's seasick again. I think Sena Bryer's been an absolute trooper, I think this is a star role she should be proud of, and I think she's settled into the character nicely. And also, I get it. Lyse didn't deliver the entirety of the StB script. If this was Alphinaud I'd be seething. But, and here's the kicker, here's why I love her: kibty.

I still hate that fucking train! THE TRAIN IS ONLY A METAPHOR FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS INSOMUCH AS COLONIZATION IS. YOUR WALKABLE CITY LIGHTRAIL IS NOT AN UNCOMPLICATED GOOD, AND ALSO NOT COMPARABLE TO A "TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD." TRAINS ARE NOT LEFTIST, WHATEVER THAT MEANS. ARE WOMEN BOURGEOIS ETC & also KOANA WAS SO HIGH ON ADOPTEE RECONNECTION HE SUDDENLY DECIDED HE LOST HIS PARENTS AS A SWADDLED BABE, WHICH. OKAY Subjecting me to the entirety of Smile for the first time during the inspirational train sequence probably didn't help me suspend my qualms long enough to huff that Spirit O' Progress. And I had source Jeryk & Train Friends ON my Dawntrail bingo card. I wanted to see it. I asked for this. (head in my hands) Actually, this is something I haven't talked about: I feel really conflicted about Smile! They tackled a lot of kinds of American music for this expansion and normally I would be really into gospel being one of those genres - but god is it a stinker. god does it suck. fuck. I really wanted Alexandria to be a little more experimental for the soundtrack. The gamer EDM thing is low-hanging fruit, imo. I wanted to step into Solution 9 and be as wowed as I was in Tuliyollal, I wanted like, avant-garde jazz or funk or blues. (Hang on I just imagined electroswing S9 and had a coughing fit.) I was even hoping for like, some disconnect between the sonic/visual environment. Haven't fought Dancing Green yet, so I'm excited to hear that track but. They could have been more textured with this. Vanguard having that dubstep breakdown over the Shaaloani music got me READY and then S9 let me down. Every time I go turn in materia clusters it's like stepping into an elevator. Snooze!

In sum: Still unhappy the game has contented itself to discard Tural as a backdrop for inter-dimensional Alexandrian drama. I think Tural was fun, and am sad it did not get more room to breathe. WRT writing about nations, peoples, colonization, technology: there is no winning, but there is trying. I felt like I could see things there that did feel like earnest attempts to engage - traditional ways of life being upended, lost knowledge & skills, indigenous ways of teaching, sharing economies, etc. And also, these themes are being evoked in ways that naturalize them in a way it's fair to file under "a bit noble savage-y" & are divorced from their relationship to colonialism. Why did all of the Hanu forget about the harvest festival that has ensured their livelihood for years on end, and had to be instructed on it by Wuk Evu? Well like, you know. That's how these stories usually go, isn't it? The lazy youth spurn their elders' knowledge, and there is no particular outside force that threatens to destroy indigenous technologies, and no purpose to those technologies being supplanted, Koana just happens to be the World's First Turali Sharlayaboo and the steam locomotive is a net good and obviously no one on the entire continent could have figured out A Balloon without the Studium's help... Hey what's this plot about a moneylender? You know, unless the Hanu were ALL play-acting for Wuk to teach a lesson, as in the quest chain that also occurs in Ok'hanu, and like the cooking contest in Yak'Tel and, well. That's not how it panned out! The Blessed thing was! like. La raza cosmica had to be on the mind, yeah? But... I can't even really articulate anything about the Mamool Ja because the logic of that story section is so alien and inarticulate itself. I think the Yok Huy were underutilized. I think blue-eyed-babyfaced Christopher Columbus in his magic avatar forest hut was weird. I FEEL LIKE I WON'T HAVE AN INFORMED OPINION ABOUT THE POLITICAL BAGGAGE OF DAWNTRAIL UNTIL I REPLAY ARR-StB! Genuinely! I need a refresher! This is a game written by a Japanese team which featured an entire expansion about occupied China! And I was, again, rushing through that! I think a lot of the people speaking about Dawntrail ALSO rushed through that! Because the playerbase EXPLODED with EW, and this is the first expansion where many people have been around for the full dev cycle. But anyway, This was a fraught setting, and it seems like they're eager to abandon it now that it's set up Azem's Weird Cup. That makes me sad, even despite all the failings, because I think they failed in interesting ways, and they were always going to fail, and they were always going to do some things right, and there is no ONE way to talk about these issues, yeah. Biggest gripe is still Xak Tural and the way it was handled, and choosing the spaghetti western vibe over like, the cultures indigenous to the American southwest, that hadn't changed. I wanted to see it. I still want to see it. Me and Erenville are going and you are all invited. But pulling away from text and into Me The Player My Experience: I'm sitting pretty tight with FFXIV. I think I'm in this longhaul style, and again, I am satisfied with it as a game. There is NO way they could have kept up those chops. We got a pretty incredible first run, and I will feel fondly about it as a piece of writing for a long time. And I don't feel like I'm settling! I'm having fun! Higher quality fights in lower quantity is FINE by me! And my favorite thing in this type of game remains the busy work & grind, and the outfits and the decorating. My gameplay experience has not suffered, I am in fact having way more fun now than I was pre-EW.

In sum in sum: I think FFXIV is still pretty good, for an MMO. The format of an MMO is at odds with nuance. The format of an MMO is at odds with a story about grief and mortality. That FFXIV has received its accolades and is being held to this standard is, frankly, insane, what a crowning achievement in narrative design within these constraints. I don't mean to sound like I'm shoveling garbage in my mouth but I don't think I could have taken another ShB/EW type deal. Now, if they would just Slow the Fuck Down and make something that is not trying to match Endwalker's pacing... & I still don't know what Solar Bahamut is. And that scares me.

[tossawary]

A while back, I had a playthrough of the PS5 "Spider-Man" game going on in the background, and I don't actually remember much from it, but it did do one thing that reeeeeally annoyed me at the time. Although, admittedly, I am not sufficiently familiar with the comics to criticize any of the writing choices with citations.

See, in this game, they had a redheaded love interest for Peter Parker named Mary Jane Watson, BUT this MJ was a journalist. In fact, there were a couple stealth sequences where the player briefly played as journalist MJ investigating some organized crime group.

And I had to stop working to squint at the screen for a while, because I couldn't remember anything about any movie, cartoon, or comic MJ ever doing any work as an investigative journalist. I'd thought that she was a model and actress??? I'd been under the impression that MJ had more of a party girl persona, at least outwardly.

I had to stew on why I disliked this choice, but I concluded that I hated the idea that female characters and their ambitions could be interchangeable. Not all people's personal identities are irreversibly intertwined with their careers, but some definitely are, and for others, career choices are still going to say something about their personality and background.

There are some characters who can job-hop across a wide variety of jobs and it doesn't impact their general characterization much. But there are other characters where I'm like, "If they lost their job, they would have an identity crisis and struggle to shift industries." Someone who is an academically minded scientist is not always going to have an easy transition into a profit-oriented sales job. Someone who likes to fix things with their hands is probably going to dislike switching to a job filling out spreadsheets. Someone who hates kids is probably not going to be a good teacher. Someone who was really professionally ambitious may not adjust well to being a stay-at-home parent, financially dependent on someone else and responsible for the well-being of a helpless little human being. And so on. All for various complicated human reasons.

I don't remember enough about the aforementioned game to be criticizing it specifically here. But generally speaking, I disliked the basic concept that a female character couldn't be interesting and challenging if she had a "shallow" and "feminine" career. I disliked the general concept that MJ could be "improved" as a character by being given a more "serious" / "intellectual" career. I disliked the idea that Peter Parker was REQUIRED to have a redheaded love interest named MJ, as per many preceding comics, but who MJ actually was as a person in terms of hobbies she enjoyed, ambitions she dreamed about, her opinions and fears and messy behaviors, could just be swapped out as if none of that internal richness mattered.

In my very basic knowledge, the "Spider-Man" comics have a wide cast of female characters, some of whom have been journalists or employees of the Daily Bugle! Peter has had MANY love interests over the years! And MJ apparently being "shallow" gave her specific (admittedly often misogynistic) relationship dynamics with other female characters like Gwen, which made MJ stand out as a unique personality. Not all superhero love interests have to be Lois Lane, investigative journalist!

To me, it's a little like making Lois Lane NOT a journalist, and making her into a model and actress instead. Like, you COULD do that. In fact, if you were really willing to put the work in for an AU, I'm sure you could do a fascinating character study about what would have to be different about Lois Lane's life to put her on a wildly different career path. But if there was a "Superman" game and you randomly changed Lois Lane's career without a great reason, you would get tomatoes thrown at you.

This game did have a reason to make MJ into a journalist: she became a source of information to move the plot forward and it briefly made her a playable character. Which is... fine. That's fun, even. I think you could have probably written the story in such a way that actress MJ was involved with something that ended up being a front for organized crime, to achieve similar results, but it is easier in some ways to just make her a journalist, I guess.

And hey, for all I know, this game really did a great adaptation of comics MJ into a journalist; maybe the writing had some really solid AU characterization for her. I do not remember it well enough, but I do remember the writing in other areas of the game being pretty solid. As a standalone character, I didn't think that this game's version of MJ was bad or anything.

But, lacking those citations to study her as am adaptation of the comics character, I still feel a little suspicious and salty about it.

I think this came to mind again because I was thinking about fanfiction AUs which change a character's career, and why they occasionally don't work for me. Sometimes, you take a character who is ordinarily fighting genetically engineered aliens in an apocalyptic wasteland, plop them in a Modern AU, and say, "They're a daycare worker now!" And I might be like, "Yeah, that's exactly where they'd be. That's their happy place. Hell yeah." But with other characters, you do the same thing, and I'm like, "I'm gonna be real, I think this would be this character's personal hell."

[annymation]

Reimagining the characters in Wish

(Part 1- Asha)

Hey guys! I don’t really know how to start this, but let’s just say that I… Didn’t like how Disney’s 100th anniversary movie turned out, like at all.

But I can tell there was a lot of unexplored potential beneath this story, that in my opinion felt overly simple and bare bones.

But if you love it, that’s awesome, more power to you, I wish I could’ve loved it too. And I don’t want to rewrite it to show I’m “better than the writers at Disney” because I’m definitely not lol, I have no experience in writing, and I’m sure they put a lot of passion into the project and I respect them for that. But this movie inspired me with ideas for a different story that I think is worth telling.

But I won’t start telling it today, instead, I'll start a series of blogs sharing my ideas for changes in the characters and their stories, after I get some feedback I will start posting more of the story itself.

If you’re interested, then come along!

Asha✨

Personality

- Asha is a 18 year old girl, with a passion for drawing and helping those around her, sometimes even worrying more about helping others than helping herself

- She’s like a big sister to her 7 friends, always being the voice of reason and acting responsible, but not in a bossy way, she’s actually very playful with them

- To the people of Rosas tho, she's seen as kind of a weirdo, for you see, she spends almost every time of the day drawing in her sketchbook

- She practices everyday to become a better artist, and the people of Rosas find this to be very peculiar, after all, why would you take so much effort to perfect a talent when you can simply wait to turn 18 and wish for the king to make you an amazing artist?

- Asha doesn’t mind these comments, although they have made her less willing to share her drawings with others that aren’t her 7 friends

- As the story progresses we see Asha flourish from a shy and introverted girl to a brave woman who after discovering a terrifying secret about the kingdom’s rulers, steps in and inspires others to join her and fight an evil sorcerer king and his alchemist wife (yes, I made Amaya an alchemist, more on that on part 2 when I talk about how I’d change Magnifico and Amaya)

- Some Disney characters that share similarities with her personality wise are: Belle, Tiana, Pocahontas and Esmeralda

Main Traits:

Calm and mature

Determined

Passionate about her interests (drawing, dancing, philosophy and stars)

Helpful and generous

Perceptive and always questioning things around her that no one pays attention to (like why do all the artists only paint the King and Queen?)

Playful

Compassionate

Backstory

Oooh boy I gave this poor girl so much angst, okay let’s go

Asha grew up with her grandfather, her parents both died in a fire when she was just a baby

(this isn’t just to fit the “haha Disney princess has no parents” cliche, there’s plot relevance in this “mysterious fire” that I’ll talk about later)

Growing up with her grandpa, he’d always support her dream to be an artist, like her mother, who was an art teacher

Her mother not only drew really well, but she also was able to create the illusion that her drawings could move, by flipping through the pages of her sketch books

In other words, her mom was an animator

Asha saw this technic her mom used as a form of magic, so she would often tell her grandpa she wanted to “Do magic just like my mom”

Her father was a philosopher (this was established in the actual movie but never explored haha whyyyy), who taught people that working hard to achieve your dreams is not only rewarding, but also essential, because it’s part of the human nature to persevere and fight for what we believe, even if we fail, even if it’s hard, just keep moving forward.

This philosophy may sound very “umm duh” for me and you since we all know and hear everywhere nothing in life comes for free… But that’s not the case in Rosas

In this rewrite the kingdom wasn’t created by Magnifico, but rather the kingdom has existed for many generations, being ruled by different kings before Magnifico who also granted wishes… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The point is that the culture of just asking the king to give you or make you whatever you want to be has been in this kingdom’s culture since forever, so when Asha’s dad comes out saying “hey! Maybe we should stop just relying on the king to make our dreams come true, right?” He’s actually being quite a revolutionary… and sharing a very dangerous belief to other people…

At this point you might suspect what caused that “mysterious fire”

So, back to Asha, growing up with her grandpa, they shared a lot of happy memories together. Reading her father's books and her mother's art books helped Asha connect with them even tho she never had them in her life.

But as her grandfather grew older, he became senile.

Asha went from being taken care of by her grandpa to being the one who took care of him when she was still around 13 years old, and when she turned 15 her grandfather passed away of old age

Asha went on to live with her best friend Dahlia, the two became like sisters.

Though she managed to move on from the loss of her grandfather, she could never shake the feeling that he died without getting his wish granted... But she had no way to prove that, it was just a feeling

The wish granting system works different in my rewrite, instead of there being a public wish granting ceremony once a month, there would only be a public wish TAKING ceremony, that would work just like in the movie, you turn 18, you go give your wish to the king yada yada yada.

But the wish granting part would work like this: Almost every night the king would release the wishes up in the sky, they would float down like balloons to their respective owners while they sleep, and once they woke up in the morning they'd feel that their wishes were granted, for they would wake up changed.

With this method, there's no way of confirming if someone really got their wish granted or not, unless you went to ask the king.

Asha never did ask the king if he granted her grandfather's wish, but her grandfather would sometimes express how he wasn't feeling completely fulfilled in his life, he felt like there was something... missing.

This feeling of hollowness persisted in him until the very end, no matter how hard Asha tried to help her grandfather, she never knew him as his real self, because he gave part of his soul to the king, the most beautiful part of his soul, his wish.

Asha had no proof that her grandfather didn't get his wish granted, only a gut feeling.

But because of this, Asha wasn't that thrilled to give her own wish to king magnifico, knowing there was the possibility of it never being granted.

Not to mention she didn’t even know what to wish for, “I’m just 18 and you guys expect me to already know what’s my heart’s deepest desire? I’m still figuring that out, all I know is that I wanna draw”

Plus she wanted to follow her father's philosophy and achieve her wish on her own, eventually, when she figured out what her wish even was.

Asha never rebelled against the system tho, she wasn't a confrontational person. She just accepted the people of Rosas preferred to rely on the king's magic, but that just wasn't for her.

However, on her 18 birthday, when it was expected of her to give her wish to the king, she simply said she didn't have a wish, and even if she did she wouldn’t want to hand it over, she wanted to make it come true on her own. This lead to an argument with the king, and after a series of events (that I don't have time to summarize here, but you can find out about it on my rewrite) leads to her finding out a terrible truth about her kingdom. And that's how her story begins.

Design

- I’d keep these braid ornaments that Asha had in the concept art

- Since in my rewrite she’s not that invested in the kingdom of Rosas, I’d remove all the Kingdom of Rosas symbols that are present in her design (there are a LOT of them)

- I’d replace these Rosas insignia with more star and constellations themed symbols, to reflect how Asha believes that the stars are connected to people and they can guide us, just like how her father believed.

Final Thoughts

My intentions with these changes were to give Asha a strong emotional hook, and something that makes her feel relatable.

The emotional hook here is how she spent so much of her life taking care of her grandfather that she kinda never had time to worry about her own desires, that alone can be relatable to caregivers of elderly people that watch their grandparents or even their own parents lose themselves as time passes, and end up worrying more about the person they’re taking care of than themselves.

Asha has this internal emotional conflict where she feels she needs to constantly help others the same way she helped her grandfather, and one of the things she’ll learn as the story progresses is that it’s not selfish of her to want more for HERSELF.

Another thing that would be relatable about Asha is her passion for drawing, and how most people in Rosas would say she’s wasting her time practicing so much when she can just wait until she turns 18 and wish to be amazing at drawing.

She’d never stop believing that taking her time to improve on her talent and trying again and again was worth every second of her time, because let me tell ya folks, drawing is HARD, and animating like Asha’s mom did is even HARDER, it takes a whole lot of practice, and Asha was determined to keep trying.

She’d be much like Belle, remaining true to herself even tho those around her considered her odd, and very passionate about drawing just as much Belle was passionate about reading.

I also find it funny how Asha’s motivations are fairly down to earth, like in Disney movies you usually have:

I want to be free from these palace walls!

I want to explore the ocean!

I want to open a restaurant!

I want to find true love!

And then there’s Asha here like

“My life is fine, I just wanna chill and draw stuff”

And that’s it, but, in her environment where everyone is expected to have this great wish that they have to give to the king so he’ll make it a reality, she’s kinda the odd one out, and I love that. Would be a great subversion of the Disney formula.

Of course after she learns Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions she gets a lot more agency and the desire to save her people, her “call for adventure” if you will.

But what are Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions? Click here for part 2 and find out!

Thank You For Reading!

[olderthannetfic]

So I watched that movie you recced, and it hit all my favorite relationship tropes and I really want more of those two. The youtube comments seemed to indicate there’s a book series, but I cannot read Chinese and am deeply unlikely to learn in the near future. Do you know if there’s an English translation somewhere (and also what the name of the series even is)?

--

Ohohohoho!

Okay, so, I will preface all this by saying that I haven't read most of the books and have only seen like half of the adaptations, so talking about this franchise in public is a little like being stupid about Sherlock Holmes stories in front of the ravening hordes of ACD fans who have Opinions™.

(In fact, Holmes is a pretty good analogy in terms of there being one original author, a lot of broad popularity, and a bajillion adaptations with new ones coming out all the time and many of them causing anger over the OOC.)

--

Big picture, the franchise is DMBJ/Graverobber Chronicles/Lost Tomb. (Not Locked Tomb—that's the lesbian necromancers—but Lost Tomb.) It's a series of mega-popular webnovels about a naive young guy from a family of tomb robbers and his two besties he runs into at the beginning of the series. None of these three characters appear in the tentacle movie.

In addition to finishing the main novel series, the author has written a number of side stories or stories set in the future after the main plot. A lot of this stuff is unfinished. Multiple WIPs is not only the fanfic author way but the webnovel author way!

At some point in the books, our three heroes encounter various cool and mysterious side characters, including Black Glasses/Shades/Hei Xiazi/Hei Yanjing and Xiao Hua/Xie Yuchen.

In Ultimate Note, the actors had fantastic chemistry. The characterization was a little off from the books, and the timeline was butchered, so the Trufen™ were annoyed, but everybody else was like "That! Now! Yes!" The characters seem much younger there and Xie Yuchen is supposed to be actually young. The vibe is different than in the movie, but I ship both versions hard.

The author has teamed them up in some stories (as a consequence? Was this after Ultimate Note came out? I'm still a n00b to this vast and confusing fandom).

The book you're looking for is the adventure in Russia that is referenced in the final scene of the tentacle movie. The fan translation is machine translation that has been cleaned up, but the fan has done some research to clarify cultural points and improve the translation, so it's pretty decent as these things go. Would I love a really artistic, skilled translation by a bilingual fan? Sure, but them's the breaks. I thought it was still a fun read, and it's quite slashy.

I will say that some fans interpret "immortal" in the scene where Xiao Hua talks to the corpse as being the same kind of immortal as Hei Xiazi, and this is something a better translation could address. But even if they're different types of immortal, I still find the scene very interesting in light of how shippy I find heihua (the smooshname for our two dudes) and the fact that Hei Xiazi is listening to Xiao Hua's whole speech. I just... have a lot of feelings! You'll see what I mean when you get there.

--

In terms of the franchise overall, the main three are Wu Xie (young, naive, goes through his "mob widow era" later and gets all dark), Zhang Qiling/Xiaoge (amnesiac, mysterious, turns up to save Wu Xie a lot, often with his shirt off and tattoos on display), and Wang Pangzi (The Fat One™ but also the hottest in some adaptations, fight me!).

Fandom mostly ships Wu Xie/Xiaoge (smushname "pingxie"), but some people—who are correct and right—ship OT3.

My faves are partly popular as a ship because they're fun together and partly because it gets both of them out of the way of pingxie. Hahaha.

--

Anyway, the side character side story novel is Moving Forward Through the Flowery Night; The End Comes Without A Sound.

Black Glasses and Xie Yuchen head to Russia to investigate a mysterious floating corpse in an Orthodox Church. In the midst of it all, they are recruited to help protect a Russian family from a deadly attack by a feng shui master.

The main fan translation is by merebear. You can find it here.

[0-95]

I don't understand the fight between hayffie shippers and anti-hayffies.

First of all, I don't speak English, so I use a translator to post. I hope you realize that if something is weird, it's the translator's fault, not mine. But if there's a really weird sentence (like a complete contradiction of what I'm trying to say), I'd appreciate it if you let me know.

As a hayffie shipper who has lived and breathed their fanfics for the past few years, I feel sad that Haymitch didn't get over Lenore in the epilogue of SOTR. I'll be honest. But that's no reason for us not to honor her. No matter what we do, she will always be Haymitch's true love, and that doesn't change. We have to accept that. We can't deny her.

We can support hayffie without denying it, and let's be honest, that makes it all the more delicious. How sweet it is that Haymitch loses Lenore and thinks he'll never love again, but ends up opening up to Effie.

According to our hayffie headcanon built up over the past decade, Haymitch's love for his girl leads him to deny his feelings for Effie, push her away, and hurt her again. It's only after the rebellion begins and he loses her that he regrets it and realizes his love for her. We've been Haymitch's love for Lenore as the essential precondition. So his love for Lenore in SOTR doesn't destroy hayffie, it just solidifies the headcanon we've created.

(For the record, I'm not suggesting that we use his love for Lenore as a tool for hayffie, I'm just saying that we should honor his and Lenore's past relationship instead of denying it and vilifying it.)

And it's not fair to criticize Suzanne for not putting scenes in the epilogue that allude to the hayffie. They were never official canon, and even if the hayffie is THG's 3rd most popular ship (according to ao3), she's not obligated to live up to that expectation and make them official canon. I don't think a writer who changes things because of reader opinion is a good writer, and Suzanne is just a good writer. (I'm talking about going beyond fanservice and making changes to the plot itself.) We shouldn't be upset that there wasn't an epilogue, we should be imagining the infinite stories that could be told after that. Fifteen years is a long time. (In my country, we have a saying: "Ten years is enough time for a river and mountain to change", which is enough time for Haymitch and Effie to change.)

Secondly, I don't understand the anti-hayffie people either. They say it's impossible to be hayffie. Why? There's no reason why it can't be. Just like in SOTR, Haymitch said Louella would be the only sweetheart, but in THG, he calls Katniss his sweetheart. It's not going to change that Lenore is his true love, but that doesn't mean he can't find a new one. I'm not saying Effie pushes her away and becomes his true love, I'm saying he can bury her deep in his heart and move on with his life.

A man stays single for the rest of his life in memory of a lover he lost when he was 16. Yes, it's very touching and romantic. But Haymitch has suffered too much for that, and I can't get it out of my head that his end is just cirrhosis of the liver from alcoholism, and even death won't be comfortable. Is it wrong for him to want to forgive himself for his guilt over Lenore and his family, to finally find peace in his heart, and to heal slowly? And I don't think it's wrong for him to want Effie by his side as he slowly moves forward. After all, she's been watching his rise and fall for 25 years.

He could sometimes lie in his bedroom and get bitter thinking about Lenore and his family, and then go to his new family (TEAM 12) waiting for him in the living room. On days when he misses them terribly, he can cry a little bit, and then be comforted by Effie or Katniss or Peeta, who enter his room discreetly. As a hayffie Shipper and a reader who loves Haymitch, I want him to be happy. I want him to be able to laugh at the simplest things, to laugh out loud sometimes, and then time I want him to have Effie by his side. He deserves that.

And then someone talks about Effie's age and makes it sound like hayffie shippers are idiots for supporting a relationship between a minor and an adult, which is absolutely ridiculous, and if you've read any hayffie fanfic at all, you know how ridiculous it is. In most fanfics, Haymitch and Effie don't meet until after the 60th Hunger Games, and they don't start using each other to get over the loss of their tributes until two to four years after they meet, by which time Haymitch is about 30 years old and it doesn't matter. Yes, I was surprised that Effie was older than Haymitch, but what difference does it make? At most, there's a six-year age difference, and that just makes it more interesting.

And then someone else says that Suzanne hates Haymitch and Effie's relationship, or that she doesn't care about Effie.... This is honestly not even worth discussing. To say this after watching their interactions in SOTR is... It's as ridiculous as denying Lenore and Haymitch's relationship, pass.

I'm rambling, but I'll summarize,

Please don't deny Haymitch and Lenore's relationship. You have to respect Lenore Dove. I know that the majority of hayffie shippers respect her and don't deny their relationship, but it's upsetting that all hayffie shippers are being made out to be a bunch of jerks who don't respect her because of a few people's videos (ex TikTok). We need to accept that she's the love of his life and that doesn't change.

And please don't make us hayffie shippers out to be stupid, who only care their ship, instead of grasp the essence of what Suzanne was trying to say in her book. We're just people who love Haymitch and want him to be happy. Is it so wrong to wish TEAM 12 peace and happiness?

+) Incidentally, Remember there is no any mention of Haymitch's girl when hayffie first set sail (THG), and the only mention of her afterward was in a single sentence.(CF) We didn't realize the extent of Haymitch's love for Lenore.

I know it's presumptuous of me to write this, but as someone who has been immersed in the headcanon and fanfic created by hayffie shippers over the years, and who has found great happiness in it, I can't help but feel really upset that hayffie is being denigrated now. I'm sure this discussion will be reignited when the new movie comes out in 2026 (probably on a bigger scale than it is now), and hopefully by then we'll all be respectful and considerate of each other's opinions.

I don't want to force anti-hayffie people to accept hayffie, and I don't want to tell hayffie shippers that Effie is second best. I just want us to understand each other's positions and stop judging. Younger Haymitch for Lenore, older Haymitch for Effie. Haydove and Hayffie can coexist.

I really hope that our ship, which has been cruising for the past 10 years, will continue to cruise for many more. I want to love them for as long as I can. A big, big thank you to all the hayffie shippers and fanfic writers. You guys made my day, my month, my year.

Finally, sending love to all The Hunger Game fans out there who may disagree with me, but want the same thing for TEAM12: happiness.

And to Suzanne, the biggest thanks and love of all to you.

[theblogwithoutfear]

karen page is so annoying in the show...is she better in the comics somehow or is she just like that

So I've actually wanted to talk about this forever, but I kept forgetting to make a post about it. Your ask is a perfect opportunity to write down all my thoughts. Brace yourself, because I have a lot to say. Sorry in advance lmao

I actually prefer Karen in the show. To be fair, I have not finished all the comics, but so far I think her TV counterpart is a lot better (I still like her a lot in the comics tho, don't get me wrong). The NMCU version of Karen Page also has a lot of Kirsten McDuffie (another comic book girlfriend) in her, which is great in my opinion.

A lot of people find her annoying, but to me it's her flaws that make her such a fantastic character. She isn't a caricature, stock-girlfriend character pulled from a box of tropes; she's a well-rounded individual, extremely realistic, a mirror of Matt Murdock, and a woman with real agency. Her actions have major consequences on the plot. In my opinion, a lot of superhero girlfriends (in comics, movies, TV, whatever) are written more like props than characters, and they don't have any agency or actual plot relevance. Which is why, when a lot of them die, their deaths feel so cheap and inconsequential. That's where fridging comes from. It's been a problem with superheroes since their very inception; and a problem in storytelling at large. So often in fiction, women are flat and unrealistic.

So to me, Karen's heavily-flawed character is refreshing. She is extremely impulsive; she's deeply intelligent, but makes such stupid decisions; she can be hypocritical, self-destructive, and petty. Sometimes she manipulates people, even unintentionally. She's very well-meaning, but constantly makes mistakes. And it's these mistakes that move the plot forward, and reveal important things about both her and Matt. Her actions have real consequences for the story, and she undertakes her own journey throughout the narrative. She is almost as much a protagonist as Matt is, in terms of her character development and growth.

For that matter, every one of the flaws that I listed are things that Matt does too. They are almost perfect mirrors of each other; people who are immensely concerned with justice and compassion, people who care for the truth, and people who want to make their city a better place. However, as they go about it, they stumble and make mistakes and endanger other people. They're hypocritical and contradictory and impulsive. They constantly have to call their own moralities into question, because they almost never live up to their high ideals.

(Also, as a side note, I think many of Karen's flaws—as with Matt's—come as a direct result of all the trauma she's been through: her mother's death, her brother's death, her alcoholism and drug addiction, her dad cutting her off, being framed for murder, almost getting murdered in prison, etc. So I think it's fair to give her some grace.)

But what makes both Karen and Matt so lovable, imo, is that they keep trying. No matter what mistakes they make, they get back up and try again. They do everything they can to atone for the blood on their hands.

I think also (and I'm not accusing you of this, just a certain subset of people in the fandom) that people are more willing to accept Matt's flaws than Karen's—because there's a lot of misogyny built into our society, and there's this ingrained idea that women have to be paragons of virtue. Women, both in fiction and in reality, tend to be put under a microscope and dissected, while men can get away with a lot more. So Matt and Karen have identical flaws, but only Karen gets hate for it, which makes me very sad.

It may be the writer in me, but imo flaws are what make a character—and a story—meaningful. A well-flawed character can take a ridiculous, implausible story and make it feel grounded and real and impactful. A well-flawed woman even more so. I love Karen for the same reason I love Jessica Jones and Wanda Maximoff; or, to go beyond Marvel, for the same reason I love Jo March and Katniss Everdeen and Miss Haversham and Katherina Molina. They all elevate their respective stories beyond the initial premise and plot. Flawed female characters are realistic and impactful, and therefore empowering.

Obviously, to each their own. Some people just find her annoying and don't like her personality, and that's fine. But for me, that's what makes her feel real, and that's why I love her.

[muniimyg]

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ bbydaddy!jk (16) ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ debrief ! + kimi's note

hi !

i've gotten a few asks in my inbox regarding part 16 that (i feel) lean towards negativity @ babydaddy!oc.

as much as i appreciate interactions,, it surprised me with how it (my work) was received. i understand that everyone has their own opinions, but some of the asks come off more as a vent/hateful pov,,

and listen,,, i get that this is a fanfic LOL

but the reason i'm making this a post is that, truthfully, i don't want to (individually) answer these asks. i've spent the past few days reflecting on the feedback i was given and the chapter itself... i've concluded that i’m all abt conversation (!!!) but don’t think these asks lead the ones i want to have on my blog. i also don't want to share them because i feel that these opinions undermine the experience of other readers who enjoyed and resonate with the chapter.

at the same time, i also don’t want them to go unaddressed because these are real ppl who spent time and sent thoughts in. one way or another, i believe my work resonated with u and the most i could ever really ask for as a writer is to write something that makes people feel.

so to those anons that sent in these asks, i want u to know i that i’ve let your thoughts sit with me and i think you made good points. in that same sense, i want to defend my work and explain a few things..

context:

full bbydaddy timeline (as of 16)

bbydaddy was originally meant to be a one time scenario

upon request, i extended the series multiple times

since the series extended,, in terms of plot,, i took as an opportunity to dig deeper into their dynamic (as a family, as lovers, and as individuals)

one: bbydaddy!jk and bbydaddy!oc's lore

first and foremost,,, there are no sides.

there are layers to their relationship. both characters go through and process differently. oc's experiences should not be invalidated just because her emotions are voiced 'wrong.' the career and the depth of it can and should be looked from different point of views. though i didn't write it in, i personally pictured oc to be the eldest daughter in her household. the constant need to be the best is a natural feeling for her and isn't necessarily seen as a flaw through jk's eyes. if anything, she believes in him more than he believes in himself. in her pov,, that's how she loves him. she wants more for him because she believes he deserves more and that he's worth more. it wasn't meant to be a 'greedy' attribute but i understand where it initially comes off as that.

all in all, i think this is one of my very few fics where i picked her flaws on purpose and wrote some in by accident. as a writer, i thought this brought more authenticity in her character as well as sparked the ongoing questions of; what does it really mean to love someone and how much of yourself can you give until there's nothing left? and when there's nothing left; what then? do you pick the pieces together? do you learn and move forward or do you stay where you are and feel it. feel everything and drown in it so you don't miss a thing?

i think oc's character dives into those concepts really well. initially, as i read the asks and 'reviews' on oc,, i felt bad for her (LOL) because truly... she's so misunderstood.

as for jk... i think that man is delusional to the core. but !!! that's my error. i think in the beginning,, bbydaddy jk has this... douche-ness in him that really captures and captivates their dynamic. over time, as the story goes on, you see how fragile he actually is and how pathetic he can get. him proposing to oc was 1) bad timing 2) inconsiderate since he was definitely in his own headspace for thinking and putting his feelings first 3) jus for the drama. LOL !

all in all, i don't think jk did anything wrong (neither did oc) i jus think their relationship is the sole definition of timeless but untimely.

two: asks and anons

please don’t send in asks that bring negative vibes. if u don’t like a character (it’s ok to feel frustrated and all) u can jus move on. no need to send in 'fuck her' if its not in an ironic way 😭 be mindful and remember ur manners. jus cos u’re on anon doesn’t mean u’re held any less accountable !

if u have nothing nice to say,, don’t say it at all. i may not be ur fave writer and this may not be ur fave character or fic ….

and that’s ok.

u are probably not my fave reader anyway 😝

i am not the only smau writer on this app or fic writer at that. i'd encourage u to branch out and find new writers if my characters frusterate u so much (ToT)"

i love receiving silly asks and heartfelt ones even more so when they’re abt my plot and are positive notes regarding my writing! i look forward to those because they remind me of my growth and make me feel appreciated. these fics and smau i make take time btw. like... lots! unfortunately, i'm not talented enough to wake up and write a fic all the way through the end in 1-3 sittings. i need like 5 business days to figure out which jk pic i'm using bro

anon will be turned off for my peace of mind (for now). ikkk it's annoying bc most of u guys are so kind and sweet ,, but it feels like every time i turn it back on,, ppl get ballsy and like srsly???

i am scared of balls

three: kimi's note

at the end of the day, i’m jus a girl writing a silly little story in her free time!

did u catch that? in my free time. the time i put into sitting down, writing, fixing and pacing plots, etc; are all unpaid. i do this because i want to share my creativity and delusions. with that, as a fic writer, i understand and have accepted that there are times when i should feed into the audience/readers' expectations and needs...

and that’s exactly it.

i get to pick and choose what to feed into, what i give out, and what i keep.

with being on tumblr for 4yrs, i've seen so many fic writers leave bitter notes because of how nasty their asks inbox gets. (thankfully, mine is nothing like that) i will not let my inbox become that. i refuse to let my blog and fics burn me out.

i’ve grown so much as a writer over the years. i'm so proud of myself too. yet, i am aware and understand that i am still continuing to learn abt what boundaries i need/have when it comes to my work. i am learning what that means with my social media presence. i am learning how to not let passive/negative asks bother me. i am learning.

if u've been following me long enough, u know how often i take breaks to take care of my mental health, school/work schedule, and maintain/improve my quality of fics.

to be honest, i was really hurt and discouraged when anons gave their 2 cents with my break idea. i posted that to communicate where my headspace was and to have received entitled and inconsiderate responses really threw me off. although, i understand it may not be that serious to the ones that sent it in and i (probably am) overreacting,, i would still like to put it out in the universe that i am not okay with receiving responses like those. please think before you send in. some things are better left unsaid and often unnecessary as it makes me feel like i'm jus a content machine or smt.

and in case u forgot— 

i am a real human with feelings (sometimes with too many).

i'm thankful to have realized and accepted my (known) boundaries. i'm grateful for the confidence and security i have with my wonderful readers and work, knowing that i'm worth the wait.

i know i can and will be taking all the breaks i want. i will binge/content dump all i want. i will take 2 weeks if i want.

through all of this,, i promise to do my best and be better in the future !

if u read everything,, thank u. i wanted to say everything from a place of love and reflection,, so i appreciate u taking the time to understand me. i hope i continue to be a writer u look forward to.

promise ! i'll make u proud ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა

all the love,

kimi ♡

[lonelyroommp3]

I'm interested in your opinion on it as the expert, but I think Les Mis 2012 switching Dreamed a Dream to after Lovely Ladies was the perfect move and makes it hit way harder after Fantinr has lost so much instead of before

i think it's a really fascinating example of a choice that is perfectly made in the context of adapting the musical from stage to film, and which would absolutely not work for multiple reasons if you tried to replicate it for stage productions of les mis.

firstly, the standards for emotional verisimilitude are much higher in film than onstage, even in a movie musical where everything is naturally heightened and exaggerated and the audience is already suspending their disbelief far more than they would in a non-musical adaptation of les mis. that's taken even further by tom hooper's intentionally gritty approach (compared to the megamusical gloss of les mis on stage) and his penchant for filming solo numbers so close up that you can practically count the actor's nose hairs. i think in that context (and, more cynically, in the context of giving anne hathaway a better shot at a big shiny academy award) it makes a huge amount of sense to transplant the song to a point where the stakes are higher, more has been lost, and there's therefore much more to work with as an actor. in a stage performance of "i dreamed a dream" you can afford to paint in broader strokes because it's a park and bark classic where the actor can get across the full emotional power of the song through general stage acting through song techniques. in a consciously more intimate version where every microexpression the actress is up for scrutiny (and anne hathaway, even though she does demonstrably Have Pipes, is matching the intimacy of the camerawork with a largely vocally subdued and acting centred version of the song) i think giving her more to work with in terms of the character's emotional background is a massively smart choice

now, while i think you could make the argument that "i dreamed a dream" would also be more impactful from a storytelling perspective if we moved it to after lovely ladies in the stage show, i would argue that this fundamentally would not work for multiple reasons:

purely practical considerations: parking a solo number between two big ensemble pieces (at the end of the day & lovely ladies), before anything else, gives you the opportunity to reset your ensemble. les mis is a show that is generally very focused on maintaining a smooth flow between scenes & very much does not go in for long passages of scene change music, so you'd be looking at a direct transition between those two songs, both of which heavily feature specifically the female ensemble. if i was a dresser and you told me i had about 15 seconds to do not only a costume change but also makeup & likely wig changes for every single woman in the ensemble i would be calling not only my union but also possibly the police, which is the big reason i think this change will never make it to a staged production

pacing and flow: another major change the les mis movie makes compared to the stage production is that it's not entirely sung through. this means that the aforementioned flow of scenes is not really a consideration, and especially not when we bear in mind how the music itself impacts the pacing and flow. the stage show tends to pretty reliably alternate mid to uptempo ensemble heavy numbers with either passages of recitative that move the plot forward, or solo ballads - a lot of this is what i just mentioned about managing your resources with the ensemble (which is partially why we are able to see an exception to this in red and black -> dyhtps; it's all the same people in the same roles + some added ensemble later in dyhtps who've had the whole length of stars and red and black to change out of their beggar garb from look down/paris), but from the perspective of an audience who paid anywhere from tens to hundreds of pounds to sit in a theatre for 2.5 hours, it also adds a healthy level of variety that prevents them from getting either overwhelmed or bored.

the movie does its own version of this with the addition of dialogue (whether straightforward or in the form of added recitative scenes, such as the one we get between valjean and javert that comes between at the end of the day & lovely ladies). not only does this give you the necessary variation in the pacing but from a verisimilitude perspective it's also easier on an audience (who may be more film than theatre minded) than maintaining a purely sung through version of les mis. this means you're not going direct from ensemble number to ensemble number here either, so it gets away with that particular pacing dilemma quite handily.

on the other side of it, you've got the question of how to get fantine out of the ensemble number, sing her song, and then hop right back in to recitative mode when bamatabois rocks up. the movie does this through a combination of additional context, silence, and scene changes - we see fantine have sex with her first customer, she's left in silence, she sings the song, we have a little more padding & scene setting on the other side, and finally bamatabois comes in (and, notably, we don't get the full recit here). this gives time and space for the audience to adjust between the busy, ensemble driven setting of lovely ladies & the intimacy of i dreamed a dream, and back again. i don't think you can get away with that in a staged production without, again, compromising the flow.

i think there's also the issue that, as i mentioned, much of the emotional impact of i dreamed a dream on stage is manipulated through musical and vocal choices. you'll notice that claude-michel schönberg structures most of the show's big ballads (think of on my own and empty chairs, for example) the same way: 2 verses sung at a sensible mezzo piano, bridge that builds the emotions, 2 further verses that build up to a big belty climax, quieter ending. THE key emotional payoff comes from that moment where the actor absolutely lets loose ("so different now from what it SEEMED", "i've only been PRETENDING" and "a world that's full of happiness that i have never KNOOOOWN", "oh my friends my FRIENDS don't ask me"), in a way that we've been building up to without actually seeing at any other point in the surrounding 3 minutes. like i said, that's important on stage because you're dependent on those bigger, broader vocal choices to depict the emotional trajectory as you don't have the luxury of big close up camera shots to convey the actor's subtle changes in facial expression to the guys sitting up in row G of the grand circle (until we get the daniel fish or jamie lloyd versions of les mis i guess. a girl can absolutely dream). going into "i dreamed a dream" right after fantine has gone "DON'T THEY KNOW THEY'RE MAKING LOVE TO ONE ALREADY DEAD!!!!!" is not only kind of redundant and repetitive storytelling wise in a stage version that can't afford to whisk her away to a whole other scene to continue the story, but like. she's JUST done her big dramatic belt for that point in her story. we can't just go and do it again. it wouldn't feel the same!

so yeah. i'm not disagreeing with you that it was a perfect choice for the movie - i just began thinking about why and got thoroughly carried away!

[lexel05]

Happy new year guys!!✨🌙

How are you? I hope fine!

Here a draw of this two because I loved them so much. The Dilf x Milf couple is always a guarantee and the fact that they (SPOILER) don't have a happy ending devastates me.

Ready to give my unpopoular opinion about this film: I liked it. True, it does not measure up to many classics and certainly the initial idea of how it was to be made was much better and contained more new elements, but still this film is a noble attempt to create a Disney classic. It has all the elements and even the animation style tries to recall 2D.

The characters are nice and I find the one most in-depth is Magnificent since we see his slow decline due to the forbidden magic and can thus observe more parts of his character. He reminded me of Scar in some ways, perhaps because of his eccentric personality, but I think he is a very good villain.

I also liked the songs, although some more than others, and the plot was nothing special, but not to be thrown away.

And then the fact that actually 100 years after the creation of this great Disney empire they decided to celebrate it with a story about dreams and wishes, a subject that is almost always present in every film by the publisher, made my heart clench.

I imagine that this film will be a flop because of the bad publicity and criticism, but I hope this will conclude an era of Disney, leading it to move forward and improve even more.

[awinterrosesstuff]

I found it rude on Sakura's part when she got the Byakugo seal she says she doesn't need younger green,this was very insulting,Tsunade turned her from a weak kunoichi to someone decent,the only good thing is that in Gaiden she looks really bad.

Besides, why do you think Sakura faints a lot after using her strength?

Hello anon !

I agree with you. Her comment does seem very rude and direspectful towards Tsunade. Bur lets take a moment to look at the manga. I want to discuss the entire situation, and I hope that's okay with you. I'll answer your question after that..

It happens just before the aforementioned statement. Naruto thanks her for healing him and asks her to rest. Sakura takes it the wrong way (as she often does). Naruto was taught that the medical ninjas has to stay away from the fight (Yamato made sure to emphasize on that during their joint mission). It's his turn to "protect" her. Then, Sakura starts ranting about how she isn't a 'weak woman.'

Sakura has a lot of insecurities about her skills and appearance, which is further demonstrated in the following panels.

I don't know why Kishimoto gives Sakura so much space to explain something we already knew (probably to build expectations). It's her who perceives herself as weak, but Naruto never implied that. He always complimented her, called her amazing and was impressed consistently by her strength and skills. She's projecting, something she's been doing for a long time. Interestingly, it's a very realistic trait. Insecure people often do the same in real life—when someone thinks they're ugly, they believe others see them that way too.

I'm sorry it's long, but I'm almost done. Here's the infamous comment.

After Kakashi and Chiyo, Kishimoto uses Hashirama (why though ??) and Shizune (at least it makes more sense) to praise her and compare her to Tsunade. It’s as though Kishimoto’s giving her a moment to impress others. She's praised for her little show. Then comes the quote " I don't have to waste any (chakra) to maintain a youthful appearance". Remembers what I said ? Sakura is insecure about her appearance — I’ve answered an ask about it and made a post about it a while ago. Sakura wants to look pretty. But in this context, what does her appearance have to do with her skills ? He ! Naruto and Sasuke are "impressed" by her physical strength. Hashirama compares her to Tsunade. And Shizune thinks of her chakra control. Nobody cares that she looks young of pretty. There's no reason for her to state that. She's again projecting her insecurities.

In my opinion, she's trying to assert her growth and her independance. Not only to Sasuke and Naruto, but to herself as well. And yes, it comes off as rude and direspectful toward Tsunade (you don't talk like that about your master, especially in Japan) But I don't think it's her intention. She simply enjoys bragging about her skills. That’s just who she is.

It's even worse when you look at this...

She needs to be saved by Naruto and Sasuke because she wasn't paying attention to her surrounding. Thanksfully for her, the boys are attentive. She doesn't even acknowledge her mistake...

Thinking about it, I feel kind of sad for her. She finally believes she’s reached Naruto and Sasuke’s level, but now she’s caught up in insecurity and delusion—a strange combination.

I hope you're still there anon ! Yes, in Naruto Gaiden, she doesn't look good. She's exhausted and sad (at least, that's my opinion). I think her fainting is mostly for comic relief, but it also helps to move the plot forward. Nobody is looking after Sarada, so Sakura’s fainting allows her to go after Sasuke. In-universe, I think she faints simply because she’s tired.

But I didn't know she had "a habit of fainting". I've never seen her faint in the Naruto manga.

I believe, her "habit" started after the Naruto's manga.

In that scene, she already looks tired, and it's a flashback.

And there's too, in the present time.

Did you notice she sweats a lot ? I think she has a hard time balancing her profesional life and her personal life. She's a doctor and basically a single mother, it must be tiring.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Annotated Editions: the case of Jane Austen's Persuasion

The other day I made a post about my poor opinion of David Shepard's annotated editions of Jane Austen's novels, specially in terms of how much praise they get in the Austen fandom. That last qualifier is important, because while in general I do think they aren't great in a vacuum, it's specifically the place of honor they get in fandom that makes my judgement harsher; not because popular=bad, but because, well, if you claim to be excellent, you should be excellent.

So I'm gonna try here to compare three annotated editions: Shepard's, Norton Critical, and Oxford World's Classics.

Let's begin with the introductions/prefaces. Prefaces are complicated, because for the most part there is a tradition in this sort of literature to treat them as a free space for an essay, basically fulfilling the role of an afterword, instead of working as an introduction, as a summary of the historical, biographical, anthropological, artistic, etc, clues that will facilitate and enrich the comprehension of the text by the reader.

How goes Shepard about his introduction to Persuasion?

There's a brief note to the reader before the preface itself explaining what kind of notes he has added to the text; so far so good.

The preface itself is roughly divided in the following sections:

a biographical sketch of Jane Austen (5-10%)

comments on the spot Persuasion occupies popularity wise in the list of Austen novels, followed by, as Shepard's argument for why it is so;

An in-depth comparative analysis of the whole plot and main characters of the novel, with other Austen novels, pointing "pros" and "cons." (90-95%)

A comment on how he thinks Austen's style would have been moving forward, disagreeing with Virginia Woolf.

The first section is useful to contextualize the work, but the second is basically spoilers + Shepard's opinions on the novel and on the novel as compared to other Austen novels; this latter part is of little or none usefulness to the reader, and even its quality as an essay has several very weak, "sloppy" points. For example, the assertion that Persuasion, like the rest of Austen's novels is a romance; not only because many would disagree, but because a good introduction would include a discussion of the genre of the novel, and for an Austen novel the discussion and explanation of the nature and tensions of romance, bildungsroman and comedy of manners is VERY important. Another weak point is the blank assertion that Austen never wrote a scene between two men alone, which is false). Another notorious absence in this introduction is the historical setting of Persuasion; it is a rarity between Austen novels in how relevant the Napoleonic Wars are for the plot and how firmly they date the narrative. Tied to this are considerations of class, and the meaning of the navy as a symbol of meritocracy and Austen's special relation to it through her family... none of which are even mentioned in this preface.

How does the Norton Critical Edition by Patricia Meyer Spacks tackle the same part?

When did Austen write the novel and when was it published.

Brief summary of currents of opinion on tone and theme of the novel.

A discussion of traditional views on the "femininity" of Persuasion.

Critical evaluation of this in relation to contemporary analysis of the ethical and the political in Austen and the novel.

Her own interpretation of the novel as an ethical study on the concept of self-love.

A brief note on the choices made for the presentation of the final text.

I do think, even by this brief summary, one can uncontroversially say this is a better preface. While it still lacks the practicality of information that is mentioned rather than explained about the context of the novel, its use of spoilers is sparse and isolated rather than extensive. No supporting references to other novels are made (which I think is a good thing, because those involve a certain requirement of familiarity for the reader), and while the personal interpretation of the editor is presented, it is not an opinion on why Persuasion is popular, but a reference, a way for the reader to organize and approach the text of the novel.

Now on to Oxford World's Classics, introduction and notes by Deidre Shauna Lynch.

Napoleon and the briefest historical context he provides for the novel

An analysis of Persuasion's uniqueness in the Austen canon through the character of Anne

The permanence/change break through the changed roles of houses and the predominance of travel in comparison to previous novels

The role of memory and with this a tieback to continue elaborating on the historical context of the Napoleonic Wars in England and the cultural change it brought in the understanding of History

Persuasion as a sequel-like novel, for which a main interpretative key is that of History and Memory

A stronger attention on aging and disability

The interrelation between war history and social history in the novel, and the time frame of the events

More elaboration on the theme of past and present and personal history, with a contrast between Sir Walter's reading of the baronetage and Anne's reading of the newspapers

An interpretation of Persuasion as commentary on Sir Walter Scott's restoration plots; Wentworth and Mr. Elliot as two forms of return of the past.

An analysis of The ConversationTM between Anne and Harville still on the theme of personal history.

A comparison between the two endings of the novel

The assertion that the novel isn't melancholy and nostalgic in the end, but open to the future

This introduction is much more meandering and essay-like than the Norton one, and in that way much closer to Shepard's, in its use of spoilers and commentary on a text the reader is unfamiliar with. It's definitely not a GoodTM introduction as introduction, but it still includes mentions of important historical context and keys to reading the text; and its commentary provides references not only to other authors writing at the time, such as Scott and Wordsworth, but of more contemporary sources as well. There is some poliphony to it beyond a mention in passing to Virginia Woolf.

Besides that, it's also worth mentioning that the volume includes a brief biography of Austen and a chronology of her life elsewhere, a full note on the text editorial choices, a selection of bibliography for further reading, and three context appendixes on rank and social status, dancing, and Austen's relationship with the navy. As much as I'd think those appendixes should have taken the place of preface and the preface a place of afterword, the information to the reader has been included.

In terms of this kind of extra, Shepard has included a chronology of the novel, maps, and pictures in his notes, which are features the other editions don't have that might be of interest; but he has not provided good contexts like the Oxford edition does, either in the introduction or as appendixes; or pieces of solid, well researched essays and contextual texts like Norton does. Both Oxford and Norton include the cancelled chapters in an annex; he doesn't.

Someone would reasonably argue that Shepard chose to include all contextual information in the notes, and here is where personal opinion comes across the strongest: I think he does it that way, not for the reader's convenience, but for the padding of the notes and to inflate the value of his role as an editor. The addition of titles to the chapters of the novel, and the repetition of notes and information serve, in my opinion, the same end. In my opinion, there is a substantial difference between providing someone contextual information before they engage with something, and giving it as the something unfolds. Your first experience of a soccer match would be entirely different if someone told you the rules of the game, the stakes of the particular match, etc, before you get to the stadium than if they were to feed them to you during the match; and I think the former is a much more satisfying and rich experience.

So, notes!

Shepard's editions have lots and lots of notes. For example, for Chapter I of Persuasion he makes 65 notes, against 9 of Norton and 15 of Oxford. A first impression would say "oh, that's a really nice lot of info!" until you stop to think if this is really such a heavy text that it requires a note every 40 words on average. That's almost two notes on the extension of this paragraph alone. Let's dig a bit more to see where are the differences in selection.

Norton's, as you might have guessed now, tend to be editions heavy on the commentary side through essays and articles, and so notes are minimal and sparse. The notes on this chapter are on "baronetage", "patents", "creations", "Dugdale", "worsting", "chaise and four", "Tattersal's", "black ribbons", and "alineable". None of the notes go over a line. Oxford includes all these, and adds "High Sheriff", "exertions of loyalty", "duodecimo", "heir presumptive", "awful legacy", "dear daughter's sake", "every ball", and "his agent". Listing all the Shepard notes would be exhausting, so let's try some general classification of the notes that aren't the ones above:

3 geographical notes that amount to "this is a place in England, see map", which are easily understood in context.

14 glossary notes which usefulness/necessity is very variable. Awful and town are very reasonable notes; one wonders the necessity of notes on bloom and independence which are easily understood by context.

This theme of usefulness extends to the rest of the general notes. That stillborns were not uncommon during Jane Austen's era, or that Austen's fabricated entry of the baronetage actually does look like an entry of the baronetage is trivial and not necessary for the understanding of the text at all. That lady Russell is the widow of a knight is something that the text will state the following chapter, and that knights ranked below baronets will be heavily implied there too. The explanation of what an old country family is literally reads as redundant. Many notes are like this: information that is trivial, explained further on in the text or easily understood through context. This is specially the case of notes like the one saying that cousin marriage wasn't illegal, that people of high status spent a lot of money showing it off, and that rich people also went into debt.

There are useful notes, but when you trim them down to the actually pertinent and useful, there aren't many more than the ones included in the Oxford edition.

Now let me take a look at some of the notes shared between Shepard and Oxford:

On patents/creations:

Shepard:

The book listed families in order of receipt of the title. Thus Sir Walter would first see the earliest patents (i.e., grants conferring the baronetcy); there would be only a “limited remnant” of them because most early baronetcies had expired by this point due to the death of all possible heirs. Sir Walter could only know this by consulting another book such as Dugdale (see note 9) and comparing its list of all baronetcies with the entries in his baronetage, for the latter would show only existing titles—that he has done this indicates how obsessed he is with the matter. This carefully acquired knowledge arouses Sir Walter to admiration for himself as the holder of a surviving baronetcy. He would later come to the many pages showing the creations, or new titles, of the last (i.e., eighteenth) century and feel contempt for their relative newness (his came from 1660; see note 12).

Oxford:

limited remnant of the earliest patents: a title was also referred to as a patent: ‘a writ conferring some exclusive right or privilege’ (Johnson). Sir Walter regrets the passing away of the families whose titles date back to the seventeenth century. James I had created the title of baronet in 1611 and had used the financial support he obtained from the baronets he created to fund his army in Northern Ireland. endless creations of the last century: Sir Walter’s contempt for the low-born recipients of the new titles that the government had distributed would extend to those who, like the commander of the Fleet, Lord Nelson (the son of a mere country clergyman), had recently been rewarded with newly created peerages for their war service.

Oxford omits information that will be said explicitly later on in the text (that the Elliot baronetcy dates from 1660), and in its place includes a very relevant example of a new patent to show why Sir Walter looks with contempt upon new creations, rather than simply repeating what the text says.

High sheriff:

Shepard:

The High Sheriff (often simply called sheriff) was, after the Lord Lieutenant, the leading official in a county, responsible for the execution of the laws. He served for one year. The position, usually held by a member of the gentry, carried great prestige and would be a source of family pride.

Oxford:

the chief representative of the Crown in county government, the High Sheriff presided over parliamentary elections and the administration of justice. Holders of the office (which is now a mainly ceremonial one) were chosen annually from among the principal land-owners of the county.

While Shepard gives me something I can gleam from the text itself (the social importance of the title) Oxford tells me what his job entailed.

The note on duodecimo is an interesting case, where technically Shepard's information is more complete, but he spreads it in such a way as to pad his note count and extension. He simply notes that it is a small book, and refers to a note on books on chapter X:

“Large” could refer to thickness but is more likely to refer to length and width. At this time books came in widely varying sizes. The principal ones were folios, in which a standard sheet of paper was folded in two to make the pages, quartos, in which the paper was folded into quarters, octavos, in which the paper was folded into eight pieces, and duodecimos, in which the paper was folded into twelve pieces. Thus the length and width of a duodecimo would be one-sixth those of a folio. The type of book would influence its size. Popular books, especially novels, tended to come in smaller sizes, while serious, scholarly ones were usually larger. Thus the size of Charles Hayter’s books helps spur the Musgroves’ worries about excessive studying. They might be naturally inclined to such worries, not seeming bookish at all themselves.

What's the reference for this note specifically? "and having been found on the occasion by Mr. Musgrove with some large books before him, Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove were sure all could not be right, and talked, with grave faces, of his studying himself to death." Clearly the natural place of this note is on "duodecimo" in chapter I, but by this strategy Shepard not only manages to make two notes out of where there should be only one, but inserts notes visually in chapters in such a way as to make it appear like he has lots and lots of substantial, erudite explanations to make all the time. This strategy he repeats a lot through the text.

It's these habits of trickery, of padding and puffing up that I find intellectually dishonest, and rather inexcusable in a man who is an academic and must know better. I have also accused him of sloppiness. Perhaps I could have been more charitable and say that Shepard is a Historian by profession, and the things that touch on the literary and the philosophical, his references are much more scarce and lacking, not particularly well researched (in contrast with his historical notes). I mentioned how despite being relatively similar in tone and aim, the contrast between Shepard and Oxford showed that the Oxford annotator was familiar with literary authors in ways Shepard wasn't. This reflects in notes as well. For example:

Pinny

Shepard:

Charmouth is another coastal town (see note 8, for a description). Up Lyme sits atop the ascent next to Lyme, and offers views of the town and sea. Pinny is a spot a little west of Lyme. (For locations, see map.)

Oxford:

Many readers encountering this description of the scenery of Pinny, just west of Lyme, have detected an echo of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan’ (composed 1798; published 1816). See lines 12-13: ‘But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted | Down the green hill athwart a cedar n cover. . . .’ The romance of the landscape is the product of a series of landslides, which have carried into Pinny Bay some of the cliff paths on which Austen must have walked during her stay in Lyme.

Marmion and The Lady of the Lake/Giaour and The Bride of Abydos

Shepard:

These are two long narrative poems by Walter Scott. In contrast to the above poets, Scott immediately achieved great popularity. The two poems cited here, his most widely read, were among the best sellers of the age—and in this age, poetry generally outsold novels, at least until Scott’s own novels appeared. Both poems are stories of love and war, set in sixteenth-century Scotland; a critical element of Romanticism was fascination with the past, especially the medieval past, and Scott was central to fostering this sentiment. Jane Austen mentions each of these poems in her letters. These are two narrative poems by Lord Byron, the other highly popular poet of the time. Both are tragic love stories set in the Middle East; fascination with foreign lands, especially ones regarded as highly exotic, was another feature of Romanticism.

Oxford:

The first two titles refer to long narrative poems, romances of medieval times, published by Sir Walter Scott in 1808 and 1810; the third and fourth refer to ‘Turkish tales’ published by rival poet Lord Byron in 1813. The poets’ representations of warrior heroes committing doughty deeds in picturesque settings probably contributed to their wartime popularity. Still, the notes that Byron appended to his poems adopt a more cynical view of their heroes’ sabre-rattling than do the poems themselves, in ways that distinguish their account of heroism from Persuasion’s, idealistic view of its chivalric war hero. Anne and Benwick prove themselves faithful observers of the literary scene when they attempt to adjudicate between Scott and Byron (an attempt they resume on p. 90). Similar efforts at a comparative evaluation of the decade’s two most commercially successful poets are pursued in William Hazlitt’s The Spirit of the Age (1825) and the anonymous A Discourse on the Comparative Merits of Scott and Byron (1824).

Our best moralists

Shepard:

These could refer to a wide array of works, especially from earlier years. The eighteenth century, whose spirit Jane Austen exudes in many respects, was characterized by a general preference for prose and an emphasis on greater rationalism than the Romantic period. Moral essays, frequently supported by observations on life and contemporary mores, were popular throughout the century. Collections of letters, often highly polished, also appeared. Finally, biography developed as a significant genre, and it, like much of the prose of the time, often had a moralizing tone, pointing out lessons and presenting examples of virtuous behavior.

The difficulty in following precepts of patience and resignation had been a popular theme of many writers, especially when discussing the influential philosophy of Stoicism, which counseled rational indifference to the ills of life. Similarly, as in all ages, many who preached virtue did not always live up to their preaching. One of the most influential prose moralists of the eighteenth century, and a favorite author of Jane Austen’s, Samuel Johnson, addresses this point in one of his essays (The Rambler, #14). He writes that “for many reasons a man writes much better than he lives.” But he argues, “Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues, which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory.” Rather, he claims that such a man should be commended for attempting to impart to others some of his own, possibly hard-earned, wisdom. From this perspective, Anne’s counsel to Captain Benwick, which does certainly come from her own extensive experience, would represent a valuable and benevolent service to him, whatever her own failings in achieving patience or self-control.

Oxford:

The texts Anne prescribes to Benwick would very probably include works by Samuel Johnson. Throughout the second half of the eighteenth century readers made an almost medicinal use of the essay series The Rambler (first published 1750-2), in which Johnson treats such topics as the dangers of solitude and the necessity of resignation in the face of loss. Johnson’s biographer James Boswell claimed of The Rambler that ‘In no writings whatever can be found . . . more that can brace and invigorate every manly and noble sentiment’ ( Life ofJohnson, ed. R. W. Chapman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), 154).

Here I would note that the much longer two-notes reference of Shepard sits between vague and repetitive, and that in my opinion both sin by omission of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper).

Dark blue seas

Shepard:

Byron’s The Corsair, a work Jane Austen mentions reading in a letter (March 5, 1814), begins with the lines, “O’er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, / Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free.”

Oxford:

Benwick and Anne perhaps recall the second canto of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812). Its description of the hero’s voyage from Greece and of the ‘little warlike world within’ (ii. 154) he enters when he boards the ship certainly glamorizes nautical life: ‘He that has sail’d upon the dark blue sea, | Has view’d at times, I ween, a full fair sight’ (ii. 145-6). They may also be remembering the lines that open The Corsair (1814), a description of the freedom that the poem’s pirates enjoy as outlaws: ‘O’er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, | Our thoughts as boundless and our souls as free’. In a letter of 1814 Austen sounds jaded about the Byronic heroes, such as Harold and Conrad the Corsair, who enthuse Captain Benwick: ‘I have read the Corsair, mended my petticoat, & have nothing else to do’ ( Letters , 257).

'eleven with its silver sounds’

Shepard:

The origin of this phrase, which seems, based on the quotation marks, to be from a particular text, has never been identified for certain. One commentator, Patricia Meyer Spacks, suggests the phrase may allude to a line in The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope, a poet Jane Austen certainly knew well: “And the pressed watch returned a silver sound.” The phrase does not represent a literal description of the operation of the clock, for the component parts of a clock were made of other metals than silver, usually brass or steel. Clocks were standard parts of a home, designed for elegant appearance as well as utility.

Oxford:

The literary allusion has not been traced. In 1921 Herbert Grierson conjectured that Austen was here misremembering the description of the coquette’s morning rituals that Alexander Pope gives in The Rape of the Lock (1712): ‘Thrice rung the Bell, the Slipper knock’d the Ground, | And the press’d Watch return’d a silver Sound’ (i. 17-18).

Note how here Shepard is crediting Meyer Spacks, but does not reference where (the Norton Critical Edition), whereas the Oxford annotation traces the conjecture to what appears to be its original proponent.

The pen has been in their hands

Shepard:

At this time there had been moves to improve the quality of women’s education, but it still was inferior to men’s, especially at the higher levels—no universities admitted women. As for books, while women had come to constitute a substantial portion of those who wrote novels, men dominated virtually all other fields of literary endeavor.

Oxford:

even as she has Anne object to examples from books, Austen echoes the precedents set by figures in the literary tradition who have previously commented on men’s monopoly of the written word. Anne sounds like the Wife of Bath in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales , who is exasperated by male clerics’ representations of women, and, closer to Austen’s time, like Richard Steele’s character Arietta, who recounts the story of Inkle, the mercenary Englishman, and Yarico, the native woman of Jamaica whom Inkle betrays, so as to counter her male visitor’s trite examples of female inconstancy. Arietta observes, ‘You Men are Writers, and can represent us Women as Unbecoming as you please in your Works, while we are unable to return the Injury’ (.Spectator, 11 (13 Mar. 17 n)).

I'm not saying that necessarily Shepard's notes should be absolutely excellent in every single way and aspect in order for it to be a serviceable/good annotated edition; but all the things I have mentioned above make them appear to me thoroughly undeserving of being considered excellent, above the rest, or definitive.

[elrielffs]

the way people downplay azriel and try to up lucien is so funny to me. this fandom babies lucien so much, i literally cannot. why are we acting like lucien is innocent? he isnt.

I have no idea. I think Eluciens or Lucien fans really cling to that first book version of Lucien and yah, he was interesting in that book, flaws and trying to send Feyre into a trap to kill her and all and had some great scenes UTM.

But imo he becomes such a non-character and plot device afterwards. SJM does not give him any major scenes and packs him off out of the plot--no chemistry scenes with Elain (him figuring out she's a Seer etc would have been a BIG moment for them, especially after Madja stating a mate would know what's wrong, but that's given to Azriel), no major scenes with Feyre that is not a means to move the plot forward, not a major player in the Meeting with the High Lords, the only thing he gets to do is go look for Vassa and I've seen Eluciens and stans opine that his big moment of returning with ships and an army was taken by Archeron Papa in ACOWAR.

And yeah, that's very telling that the culmination of his contribution to the story is given a grand entrance/reveal to another character. And SJM didn't just forget about him in that moment.

After that, Lucien is packed up and sent away again out of the narrative. Even though we don't see a majority of characters or Elain in ACOSF it would still mean something if we knew Lucien was actually there but he isn't. It's like SJM really can't be bothered with him atm.

This is my personal opinion but SJM writes Lucien post-ACOTAR with no flavor. Idk if she lost interest or just transferred that to Eris but like...

And as for Lucien beating Azriel in a Blood Duel? Absolutely not. Azriel trains if not every day, then weekly. Azriel uses his skills frequently. Lucien has sat in the Spring Court and gets winded going on a hike. Even with his supposed powers as a High Lord's son...Azriel was able to topple Eris so that's a no go as well. There's no version where Lucien beats Azriel on Azriel's worst day and Lucien's best. Rhysand even states that Azriel is almost as powerful as him and Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord ever.

Also...Azriel would never had sat by and let Jurian make a rape joke about Elain, mate or not. For all people go on how "gentlemanly" and "good" Lucien is...

And despite all what I typed, I don't hate Lucien. I'm just firmly neutral on him as SJM hasn't done anything with him truly after ACOTAR. People say Elain is boring but Lucien is truly, truly the most boring character in the series for me and the sad thing is, there are things to work with there, there are things SJM could have done but she didn't. (Jesminda, the Autumn Court, how he's supposedly a sly fox, his Human Land travels, his Jerry Springer daddy trouble)

If Lucien was a spice, he would be flour.

[skyfallscotland]

Fearless, by Lauren Roberts 👑

"The plague runs through my blood, same as yours, but it did not bless me with strength. I took it."

Why? That's...that's all I have to say. To everything. WHY. Anything you could possibly bring up about this series, I'd have a 'why???' for. I'm just...lost for words. I'm baffled that this has a 4.2 ⭐️ rating on GR.

I was really hoping this would be a redemption for the honestly kind of pedestrian second instalment, but no, it was more repetitive. Recycled tropes, recycled sayings and flowery prose, no character growth and surprise plot twists that were not only not a surprise, but also pointless.

Spoilers ahead ⤵️

This book is like, 300 pages longer than it should be, for the amount of plot that actually happened. I cannot tell you how over the prose I was by the end. I mean...

I can feel the exact moment my heart shatters. It’s when I turn, my eyes crashing into ones well memorized. When mist meets the deepest sea. When a Shadow faces its Flame. When inevitability meets its end. When I stare into the face of what it is I love most.

That's...so much.

And for recycled tropes and plot—why do the trials thing again? There were so many other directions you could have taken this with politics in the Kingdom, liaising with other kingdoms, or even just the two of them on the run, but no, we're going to just...repeat the first book again, ok.

The love triangle vibes? Why? Just...tell the dude, like I'm genuinely not sure why they're "keeping their relationship a secret" at this point and I say that in quotes because they never do a very good job of it. I just don't see the point 💀

Powerless at least had some interesting side characters. We don't really see much of any of them here, which is a shame. Jax, Andy, Lenny, Blair, Mak—they all show up super briefly then disappear again leaving you wondering why they were included in the first place 😞

More broadly, the entire book hinges on the reader just believing there's no other way for any of the characters to move forward except this way, with no explanation to back up why things are this way.

For example: Paedyn must marry Kitt or be killed...why? Literally why? If they wanted to just be together as normal people they could have run off into the sunset.

Everyone hates Paedyn and can't wait to see her die a bloody death and she likes to remind us of that every 2.5 seconds. Why do they hate her? Because she has no powers, I guess. That's all. A whole population hates her and we're never going to explore any of that dynamic, just accept it and move on.

Why is everyone swooning over Kai? He's basically nobody, his entire personality is just...being in love with her. Like in book one you think ok, we just haven't gotten to know him well enough yet, but nope, we still don't really ever get a feel for him as a person in my opinion. He's just...a blank slate.

I suspected Calum to be the villain from the first moment he appeared in Powerless, but when it actually happened so much time had passed without his presence at all that it was completely underwhelming, I just didn't care at all? And he hates her for 'killing' her mother in childbirth? Honestly it just feels like everyone in this kingdom has a lot of Big Emotions they don't know how to deal with. It's like an entire world that's been gentle-parented.

MAK??? Mak supposedly blaming her for Adena getting killed as if Paedyn asked to be in the first trials in the first place? As if he wasn't just using Adena before he fell in love with her in two days or whatever? Like I'm sorry but none of that makes sense either.

And I mean, we're all supposed to be sad and crying over Kitt when he dies after it's revealed he was actually the bad guy all along, but like...the guy wanted to commit mass-murder? He wanted to kill half the world's population for literally no reason whatsoever and then take over everyone else's countries (all while being weirdly obsessed with his 'brother') and I'm supposed to be sad about him dying? Girl, please 😭

And they named their KID after him??? Stop, please, I'm begging 💀 Poor Adena was the nicest girl ever and didn't even get a look-in, but the genocidal maniac? Yeah, let's name the kid after him.

Finally, the incestuous plotline...WHY? Why do authors persist in doing this? It doesn't add to the story, there is literally no reason that you need to have characters who are related kissing. Ever. I got reverse-Mortal Instruments here and I'm thoroughly unimpressed? Like I get it, they didn't end up together but by god, you really wrote a three-book love-triangle (almost) situation here knowing they were related the whole time? FOR WHAT PURPOSE?????

And even more concerning is the not-literally-incestuous, but emotionally incestuous obsession Kitt had with Kai, even when he thought they were full-blooded brothers? Ew.

In conclusion,

PS. (Other things I couldn't leave without mentioning):

✨ Fucking on top of your sister's grave is apparently like, the YA fade-to-black version of fucking in a war camp amid the screams of the dead and dying and I am not here for it 🫠

✨ If I ever hear the word pretend again, I'm going to hit the damn roof.

Beasts don't get the beauty.

PLEASE 😭😂

✨ And finally,

Her own is an ashy blend of Kai's ebony waves and my silver strands.

Girl, that's not how genetics works???? It's not like mixing paint???

In conclusion, pls respond if you too have been on this rollercoaster. I'm crashing out 🎢😮‍💨