#the actual central conflict of the story is???? you got to be kidding me

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

how on earth do people write longfics... i spent 3hrs today creating this excel sheet and sorting out all the half written snippets i have written, and like.

this is maybe only 40% of the planned scenes, of which less than 5% has actually been written. (the word count for that is alr at least 7k)

[marvelandponder]

one amazing thing about the Owl House finale is that it finally contextualized for me one of the central metaphors of the show. Spoilers for the series finale Watching and Dreaming ahead.

we good? no one spoiling themselves? beauty

for a long time now, I thought we had a pretty standard coming-of-age metaphor dichotomized by the show's central antagonists. you've got your protestant witch hunter Belos who introduces a maturity and ugliness to Luz's narrative; he clearly represents a particular, restricting form of adulthood, and just when Belos becomes his most threatening, boom, enter the Collector, Luz's dangerously naïve inner child to ruin all her development on the Boiling Isles. Seems simple enough

what I didn't anticipate was just how specific and personal their roles in the story actually are to Luz once you have the full context from the series finale

look again

this story - this whole series - is about the grief that a neurodivergent kid experienced at a young age, introducing the cruelty of loss and adulthood before she was ready to handle it. and, how to reclaim a more whole understanding of herself as she rebuilds her life with people who get her

Belos is designed to infect the titan carcass like a disease. a cancer. it's super goddamn significant that the titan is King's dad (King, who became Luz's younger brother). they set up Belos not just to be another fascist kids' cartoon villain (although yeah, he do be doing some of that), but to specifically become a force that oppressed the weirdness from the one place that understood Luz. the Iles. the dad. And by the end of the story, Belos's goopy body-horror isn't just for show, he's just like the cancer or other terminal disease that took Luz's dad from her

he's the thing Luz hasn't processed in season 1 that comes in at the end like a warning. he's the threat that forces Luz to grapple with her own humanity, feeling somehow (often completely unjustifiably) harmful to those around her, through the grief she doesn't want to be a burden or the weirdness (neurodivergence) others don't understand. he's the force that says there is something wrong with you, Luz, give in to your grief, this is what you can't face. this is the lie you've been telling to those closest to you: that you're okay

then you have the Collector. (notable that he's a collector, and we see Luz's mom and dad had quite the collection of nerdy memorabilia)

the Collector is the child too young to understand death. Too young to understand consequences, or why their playmates don't feel like playing anymore with someone so weird and maybe a bit too involved in their own world. The Collector is Luz's inner child, that kid we see right before the "worst week ever" — the one who didn't and couldn't understand what was about to happen even as it was going down. unapologetically weird, a bit destructive and short-sighted, but wholly colourful, wholly themselves. that's why the Collector wants to live out Luz's adventures, but without all the depth. just the fun escapist fantasy

but don't think I forgot the internal conflict! :D

because Camila's role also gets an added depth too: Camila was framed at the outset of the series as someone who loved Luz, but wanted her to fit inside a box that she just didn't. later, Luz completely misconstrued her mom's breakdown when she learned that Luz chose to run away. as many people have pointed out by now, Luz misremembers the actual dialogue that Camila says: Camila only wanted her daughter safe, not to lose her. Luz meanwhile felt like she had to choose to destroy this part of herself, or give up her connection with her mom altogether

but we know now Camila actually deeply relates to Luz. she may not understand Luz's fascination with horrific things like on the boiling isles (very akin to a kid getting more grim hobbies in the wake of a death, like Luz's taxidermy), but she loves Luz for who she is. all of her. she never wanted Luz to change

Luz was the one framing the central conflict of the show as go back to her mom or stay in the boiling isles. Luz was the one who felt like she had to punish herself by rejecting the one place where she felt like herself. once Camila realizes what's been going on, and how deeply connected it is to the loss of Luz's dad, she knows Luz is trying to make a "very bad choice for herself." And she won't let that happen (what a great mom!!)

But Luz does have one real choice ahead of her

because of the inner child who once again has to confront death (this time, Luz's own), Luz is able to connect with a father figure, the titan, the one place she feels understood. in the form of a power-up that makes her into a fantasy witch straight out of the Good Witch Azura, the one place she got joy after that huge loss, the titan gives her the strength to face the cancer—a force draining everything good in her life from her and making her question she deserves it in the first place—but only if she can choose herself

and that means choosing happiness, choosing found family, choosing love and friendship and self-discovery in the place she feels most at home! every bond she's forged, everything she's worked for, it all comes down to choosing to face grief and move on in life with weirdos who stick together.

hoot hoot, that's some good metaphor

[olderthannetfic]

I'm sorry. I would like to complain for a minute.

I know this is more than just a *fan* fiction issue, but it really bothers me how people write children.

I was reading a crossover, and the premise is the basic character from one world got reincarnated/reborn into another. How will they interact in such and such setting with the memories of their old life at play? Etc. Etc.

And this crossover had the same issue as others I've read that use this premise. That issue being that the author had taken away the central character's agency and treated them like they were not allowed to have opinions. Essentially made them into a doll for all the adults in the story to coddle and control.

It's maddening.

For one, that is a fully realized character with a whole past life, and the author is having them spend twenty chapters doing homework and being condescended to by whatever character holds authority (Which this latter point could prove for an interesting conflict, if I haven't read, time after time, the narrative falling on the side of the authority figure being right). ((And also just makes past life factor completely pointless))

And for second, let's remove the crossover example and say they were a child in both mind and body, they're still a human being with thoughts and opinions on their own. Why can't they be written that way? If you want the character from their POV, then why are they a passive existence?

I think why fanfiction bothers me in particular is because often it's the crossover above or a character de-aged or an actual young character, and I'm like that one meme, "they would not fucking say that" or in this case "that character would not fucking allow that."

It just gets under my skin cause it reeks of that conservative mindset that children should only be seen, not heard.

--

The precious and precocious moppet thing is dire too. People are just crap at writing kids.

[calamitaswrath]

I know this is probably just because it was the first Zelda game I owned and played to completion, but there's just something super specific about Twilight Princess on a narrative level that I just haven't really seen in any other Zelda game yet. What I mean is... it just feels like a private, or secretive story. Granted, most Zelda games aren't really the grand fantasy epic that some fans might have you believe they are, with most Links not even being recognized as heroes for most of their journey or afterwards. Like, in Wind Waker Link is just a travelling kid who occasionally helps some people, but is only really recognized by the Rito as a hero. Or in Skyward Sword, most NPCs know Link on a rather personal level, but don't really know what's going on with him. But I don't know, with Twilight Princess it just feels still a bit more... secretive, personal, or whatever you want to call it.

Link is from a tiny village at the southernmost edge of Hyrule, a tiny place that in Hyrule proper, few barely even seem to know. Hyrule in general is super populated even more so than pre-timeskip Ocarina of Time, but it's all completely localized in Castle Town, where Link is little more than a face in a crowd. And while the people in town obviously have an idea of something going on in the land, they only really notice Lake Hylia drying up due to Zora's Domain being frozen over (which no one even really knows about), and Ganondorf's barrier appearing around the castle.

Everything that Link does takes place in forgotten, ancient ruins and out in the wilderness, or at the very outskirts of society, in tiny villages or with the other races. And the chief of the Gorons never really learns what Link did for him, and the Zora don't even know or learn that it was him who saved them. All that Link does in and around Castle Town is meanwhile in back alleys and during stormy night, beneath the town itself in enormous sewer systems that doesn't even have a proper entrance that you learn about. And even in Ordon Village, where everyone knows Link, they also barely got an idea of what is going on.

The central conflict is also something that barely anyone even knows about. Ganondorf isn't some great demon king, he's just a thief that was already dealt with ages ago. Both his story, and the backstory of the Twili isn't even something that an actual person tells you about, or can tell you about, and you learn about them instead from the otherworldly light spirits and sages. And I know Wind Waker was similar in that regard, where the actual conflict was something that few even really knew about. But I think what makes Twilight Princess different in this regard is that at face value, its conflict is something you'd expect to see in a fantasy epic, with literal hordes of darkness invading the world. But then its literally baked into the story that most of the people don't, can't know what's going on. The Resistance is already noteworthy in that they actually put to together that something is going on... and they're only four people, five if you count Telma.

I don't know if any of this really makes any sense, but I don't know. Twilight Princess just always felt particularly private and secretive to me, and that's the best I can put it. And that's just something I always love about the game.

Also that true form Midna is hot.

[that-ari-blogger]

Deadly Simplicity (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief)

The Percy Jackson series is one of those ubiquitous franchises that almost everyone has at least heard of. The books single handedly sparked a growing interest in mythology and history, with a focus on Ancient Greece. But there is more to them than that, suffice to say, you don’t get to be the first google search result for “Uncle Rick” for nothing.

I have never been one for rewatching or rereading stories I like. I have a ton of books on my shelf that I read once and then never came back to, but having this blog inspired me to start re-experiencing things from a critical lens.

I decided to reread the Percy Jackson books and genuinely wasn’t planning on posting about them until a thought struck me. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is simple by design, and relatable on a level I was not expecting it to be.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief)

First up, a confession.

I got into the franchise in the weirdest way possible. The movie that we all try to forget came out when I was too young to understand why it was so awful, and my childish brain got hyped on the cool magic stuff. So, I read the first book, and then the Heroes of Olympus series that began releasing in the same year and I began to understand exactly how wrong I was.

This story would be unusual, if I hadn’t also done the exact same thing with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I’m sorry, I promise I didn’t do it on purpose. At least that one was a few years later, and my first experience of the true series was genuinely Bitter Work, take a guess at how quickly I worked out the difference in quality.

Anyway, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief feels like a bedtime story, and that’s pretty much what it was. But I would propose that the story also functions as a legend, or a folk tale.

I want to prefix this by saying that I am not a semanticist. The word “legend” has a specific meaning, and my basic knowledge leads me to believe that it fits, but if someone with more understanding argues contrary, they are the authority.

However, I’m not arguing pure definition, I’m arguing more on vibes, which are conveniently more difficult to pin down, and leave me with some wriggle room.

In any case, Percy Jackson is a legend because of how it develops. It’s a simple story told with a purpose, that evolved over time. Like the legends of King Arthur.

The series overall is famous for making writing about heavy subject matter with respect look effortless, but looking at the first in the series, its noticeable how many of the themes that would become central in the later books are absent entirely.

This is a story of empowerment about ADHD and dyslexia, that abruptly gains some family thematic at the very end. It’s got a cool backdrop with magic and a sense of humour, and that’s it. This isn’t trying to be anything more.

Which, for the record, works uncomfortably well. I am not dyslexic, so I can’t speak for that experience, but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and with that hindsight, Perseus Jackson came to my house, knocked down my door, and said “I see you.”

In every behaviour, from the inability to focus except in moments when he can’t do anything else, to the struggle with school, to the unrivalled inability to read a room, I have seen in myself a thousand times. But the key here is that these are reframed as empowering with one majour exception that is actually quite funny.

Percy’s ADHD becomes an explicit divine gift that will help save his life time and time again, and his Dyslexia becomes a secret language that only a select few have access to. It doesn’t even ignore the issues of living with the two, it just adds on a few cool magical powers to make them feel special. When you are a kid, or even as an adult, sometimes you need the affirmation.

But I mentioned an exception, and that is the main conflict of the story. The book doesn’t have a main antagonist, and Ares is tagged on at the end as a boss battle. But there is an opponent, the Summer Solstice itself.

Filling the role of villain in a story about a character with ADHD, is the threat of a deadline. And from that perspective, the story about characters getting sidetracked by everything under the sun, before getting their arses into gear the night before becomes half funny, but also empowering. It says, “you can do this, and you will do it your way.”

When I watched the Disney + series, I was originally offput but unable to put my finger on why. But I think it’s the tone. The series feels like it was written from the perspective of an adult looking at the adventure and going “he’s twelve, he’s gonna get killed”, while the first book oscillates between that and “I’m twelve, I’m gonna live forever”.

Case and point, book Percy gets annoyed at his father about twice, and immediately forgives him, while series Percy is well aware of the situation, and reacts to it with that knowledge in mind.

Watch this space for my coverage of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters for more details on this, because that gets really interesting.

My single biggest bugbear with modern internet discourse is the drawing of similarities between stories as if its some great revelation. Like, congratulations, you’ve discovered tropes, what’s your point?

In this context, the similarities being drawn are between Percy Jackson, Star Wars, and The Galbraith books (Harold Pots and the Spooky Triangle, Harold Pots and the Hole with a Snek in it. You know which books I’m talking about).

I’m not going to argue that there aren’t similarities, but I challenge you to write a story that is made up of entirely new ideas that nobody has ever thought about before.

All stories, for example, feature a young hero and a coming-of-age story. All have a tragic backstory and a wacky mentour. All have an introductory adventure to tie in a hint of worldbuilding, then lead into the greater story for the second act. All feel like they were written to be standalone stories with hints at a future added as an afterthought.

However, the differences between the three are so much more significant. Star Wars is trying to fit into the Hero’s Journey, the definitive writing stereotype, and it did so well at it that anyone trying to compare to the trope now compares with Star Wars.

Harrold Pots and the Life Rock of Live Giving Rockiness is trying to be a Bildungsroman, which is separate from the Hero’s Journey, but does have a fair few similarities. Notably the travel into a symbolic new world of adventure, and the return home as a changed person. But the theming is different, Harrold Pots, for all its many flaws, is a story with a solid theme. With friends, you can accomplish anything.

It also, as a side note, heavily implies the idea that forcing someone to be something they are not (I.e., the protagonist’s relatives trying to convince him that he is not a wizard) is impossible, and I chose to read that as trans affirming because I know Galbraith definitely didn’t mean it that way and I am petty.

To further back up this point, some people in the story aren’t born as witches or wizards (AMAB, assigned muggle at birth), but are accepted regardless. This reading is definitely based on the flimsiest of reasonings possible, but it’s a testament to what can happen when you see patterns in stories that aren’t there or aren’t as significant as the author meant.

Back to Percy Jackson, it baffles me that this gets lumped in with the two aforementioned franchises, because it’s truly awful at sticking to a specific structure. It’s a hero’s journey at parts, and a Bildungsroman by technicality, but it’s its own thing.

Percy learns about the stolen lightning, the title of the story, just before halfway through the book, and then he departs on his quest. I’m genuinely not sure to see the story as five act, four act, or even two act, and I don’t think it matters. That’s part of what I meant about this feeling like a legend, because it has the same meandering structure, it’s a story meant to be told, not marked on a scale.

Which leads me to my point about empowering. This book, by its very structure, backs up the simple theming of the story. You can do it, and you will do it your way.

Final Thoughts

There are so many little details in this book that I could talk about, so I’m going to focus in on two more before I leave.

Dionysus is my boy in the mythology, but in his introduction in this book, he manages to have more teeth than any other god in the series. Sure, Zeus is throwing storms around and being generally big (in a physical sense), but Dionysus comes across as powerful because he shows Percy just what he is capable of. Show don’t tell is a hell of a thing, and the choice to make the threat of “I can drive you insane with barely a thought” by literally getting in Percy’s brain and giving him examples of what Dionysus can do from the perspective of those he’s cursed shows a level of power and raw intimidation factor that nothing in the rest of the series will get close to.

There is one other similarity between this book and Harold Pots and the Oh-My-G-d-Its-Robert-Pattinson, and that is the one thing I dislike about the story. In this book, and only in this book, Riordan has a habit of indicating morality with appearance. Every evil person is ugly, every good person is beautiful. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.

But interestingly, this stops in the final few chapters with Luke’s betrayal, which is the series’ main turning point. Well, one of two. And this only works because the book has conditioned you to expect the handsome Luke to be benevolent, so the twist hits hard. It works, but I’m glad Riordan didn’t continue with the trope.

Next time, I will be looking at Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and exploring just how much this book is the opposite of the one I just covered. So, stick around if that interests you.

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Madagascar

So I haven't seen this movie in years, even tho I used to watch it all the time as a kid. And let me tell ya'll.. it's even funnier than I remembered it being! Like seriously, I think they strained any opportunities for humor out of Shark Tale and put it all into this movie, because I honestly think it might even rival Shrek 2 as Dreamworks' best comedy (so far at least).

So what's the story? Marty the zebra, Alex the lion, Gloria the hippo, and Melman the giraffe life at the Central Park Zoo, until Marty has himself a Midlife Crisis and through a series of comedic disasters (involving a certain group of iconic Penguins), lands the squad in the wilds of Madagascar. Chaos ensues and its some of the funniest chaos Dreamworks has had to offer (again so far).

The characters are all great here. There isn't a single one of them I didn't like. Marty is a goofball, who genuinely has some really solid moments of friendship with Alex, who definately has the most Dramatic Conflict in the movie thanks to his carnivorous instincts coming out. Melman and Gloria are also pretty great (I swear, Melman's whole hypocondriact thing got some of the biggest laughs from me), and so are the Penguins (they don't get a lot of screen time, but they shine when they do) and King Julian, who is probably the funniest character in the damn movie, and that's saying something given this cast.

The animation leans into the comedy so well, with a lot of rapid movements and insanely well-timed slapstick. The highly stylized character designs lend themselves well to that too, even if I think there were a few frames where they looked... a little uncanny as a result. The soundtrack is also really solid! A lot less pop songs this time around, but the few that are there fit really well into the story (I Like to Move It Move It is a certified Bop by the way, fucking fight me).

The story itself works really well. It's simple, tightly focused on developing its characters, and that's really what I like to see! It really hones in on the friendship between Marty and Alex especially, and the dynamic they have is a really fun one to watch play out. There were a few moments of actually compelling drama too, especially heading into the third act.

Something interesting about this movie is that I think its the first Dreamworks movie to not really have any actuall villain? I mean sure, there's the fossa, but they're not really characters, more just an obstacle that needs to be taken care of in the final climax above all else. Instead, the plot is driven by conflict between the main characters, something that I think is really fresh for a Dreamworks movie. It's also, aside from Prince of Egypt, the second Dreamworks movie to not be driven by a "because woman" plot, so that also shakes their usual formula up really nicely.

As a whole, Madacasgar is great! I'm very surprised its not more ingrained into meme culture, because it has the kind of humor that I think really appeals to everyone. Check it out if you haven't, cause its a very solid start to the second of Dreamworks many, many ongoing series.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Verdict: Eat Ass Everyday

Previous Review (Shark Tale)

Next Review (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit)

[words-and-threads]

The more I overanalyze bg3 the more fascinated I am by what it's not.

Despite reading and watching stuff about the game I have only the faintest idea of the overarching plot, because that isn't what people are talking about. I haven't managed to spoil myself on HOW YOU SOLVE THE CENTRAL CONFLICT but boy do I know what happens if you let Astarion ascend. There's a huge epic story and nobody cares half as much as they do about the companions' arcs.

Secondly, it's not actually all that progressive. I've seen people come up against this in a lot of ways. Everyone is bi and you can pick your identity and genitals, but you can't have a big nose and tits. Nobody good in Faerun is fat or ugly. Ugly races (and drow) are almost uniformly evil. Even dnd got away from that but in bg3 goblins really are just vicious and stupid. I've met one half orc so far and she's evil. Two drow, both evil. The tiefling kids are all criminals. If Astarion becomes a full vampire his character growth goes out the window. The people a 13-year-old with no critical thinking skills would expect to be bad because of how the story's told are in fact generally bad.

I want to stress I'm ok with that. I didn't go in looking for a story of social change because I had no reason to expect one. It's a dnd campaign. You save the goodies and beat the baddies. That's fine. But because so many people are both excited to play a super gay game AND frustrated by the ways it's actually pretty status quo, there's this interesting tension.

Another point of tension is the role-playing, which is actually quite limited in its way. The writers created an illusion of freedom while actually giving you a lot of necessarily restricted choices. There's no live DM, they can only give you the options they programmed and making games is hard. I've hit these limitations a few times because I'm such an obsessive character development weirdo. Why can't I speak up when my companions are talking about what nasty little freaks goblins are? Why can't I tell gale, shadowheart, and La'ezel that gods can't be trusted. Why can't I argue about politics with Wyll?

Again because there is already a mountain of dialogue and there are only so many hours in the day. But WHAT IF?

Bg3 is defined so much in my mind by what it might have been, but isn't, and I don't think I'm the only one. More than anything I want to see where people go from here. I love mods and fix it fics and I can't wait for the next game that Does what Larian Don't. I'm enjoying the game immensely, don't get me wrong. But in its gaps and shortcomings I see shimmering vistas of possibility.

[dragimal]

Fave Long Fics

good ol' @arahir is asking for everyone's fave long fics, so here are mine!

sorry if the rambling is a bit long, I just want to express my love <3

🌟: denotes a fic that belongs in the literary equivalent of the Louvre-- a stunning piece of writing even outside of its contribution to the fandom

JJBA

🌟 scheherazade -- shylittleghost; Josuke/Okuyasu-centric, but multiple POVs; canon-compliant prequel/sequel to part 4, necessary to read/watch part 4 to understand

this is one of those fics that not only elevates the original work in several ways, but it's a stunning piece of writing as a whole. the flow and tone of the piece is so unique and difficult to describe, with a fitting balance between mystery/horror and deadpan humor, and uses the narrating voice to play with the 4th wall in a really fun and satisfying way. oh, and one of the last chapters is a little RPG game, adding a bit little multimedia twist <3

BEASTARS

🌟 Mongrels and Strays series (mainly Mongrels and Lockjaw)-- HassouToby; technically Mongrels' primary ships are Legosi/Haru and Louis/Juno, but it's more genfic with multiple POVs. Lockjaw is Pina/Riz-centric; canon divergence from ch 156 of the manga, so it's necessary to read at least that far to understand

I have a complicated love/hate relationship with Beastars, but this fic honestly retroactively makes Beastars a better experience, imo. it not only enhances the source material, but engages and challenges its implications in ways that I frankly think Beastars itself failed to, introducing a new final antagonist, new thematic tension, and new challenges for the main characters to face. more than anything though, Mongrels feels like what the end of Beastars should have been. this fic isn’t afraid to up the stakes and have actual consequences, making the central conflict feel like a real threat to both individual characters and society as a whole. this fic is intense and brutal, and it’s not afraid to make the characters you love hurt

Homestuck

🌟 Detective Pony -- sonnetstuck; Dirk-centric(??); it's an extension of a one-off joke in the comic, but it's not necessary to know HS to read it (but it's def more satisfying if you're at least familiar with the Alpha kids)

does this fic even need to be stated, for any HS fan? this is a classic of classics, the best rec any HS fan could give. a fic that starts off with a goofy joke from the original comic (a Pony Pals kid's book that Dirk has edited with silly commentary), which gradually snowballs into a much deeper story. a stunning piece of writing, I rank it among the best works of metafiction literature of all time. this fic does an incredible job of imitating Hussie's writing style (specifically Dirk's voice) and the multi-media presentation of HS, it almost feels like it popped straight out of the comic

Endangered -- Mortior; Dirk/Hal, Dirk-centric; robot-apocalypse AU, not necessary to know anything about HS

rly fun au, and one of my fave whump fics, for any whump fans out there. it's also one of my favorite depictions of an AI personality, like the approach to relationships and perceptions feels believable

The Magnus Archives

🌟 Two Ships Passing -- pyrites; Gerry Keay/Jon Sims-centric; a canon-divergent au starting before canon which slightly shifts the flow of the original story, so it's not strictly necessary to be familiar with TMA, but it helps

I must admit I never got around to finishing this one after it finished updating (😭), but trust me when I say this fic is stunning. some scenes still grip me 'round the throat to this day even just thinking about them. and the additional lore/background-building for certain characters is so so fitting and satisfying, it adds so much depth

To The Moon and Back series (main fic is Banned Book Week) -- verboseDescription; several different POVs, though BBB is Gerry/Tim-centric; the main fic diverges from canon after season 3, so I suppose knowledge up to that point is fine

another one I need to get around to finishing someday (idk why I dropped off a bunch of TMA fics specifically...), but this one introduces some interesting new character dynamics, and additional lore-building for many of the characters that adds fun new depth. also a few OCs whom I simply adore <3

What Belongs to the Sea -- TwoDrunkenCelestials, WhyNotFly; starts Elias/Jon, with Jon/Martin endgame, Jon-centric; "Jon is a selkie" au, and the fic implies/explains the rest of canon well enough to read without being familiar with TMA imo

this fic approaches canon worldbuilding from the direction of a different species, giving a unique new perspective on established truths of the setting. I also love the way Jon's character is so different, but still fundamentally the same kinda guy-- "fuck around and find out"-ass man lmao. not to mention Elias' fucked-up dynamic with Jon is ramped up here in a really delicious way, it rly puts their canon dynamic into perspective

Danny Phantom

🌟 Phantom of Truth / Shadow of a Doubt -- HaiJu; Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton-centric; "what if" scenario divergence from an unspecific point in canon, would prolly be best to be familiar with the show but u can prolly get away with some wiki skimming

this one's a classic, and one of the big contributors to the "dissection/vivisection" genre of whump in the DP fandom, haha. it's such an intimate analysis of Danny's relationship with his mom, and it refuses to pull punches on Danny's situation and resulting trauma. I think it also does an excellent job challenging Maddie's perception/ethics in genuine and fundamental ways

Rise of the Guardians (movie)

🌟 Shadows and Light series -- not_poignant; Jack Frost/Pitch Black, Jack-centric; canon-compliant sequel to the movie (can't speak for book canon), u can prolly get away with reading a wiki summary if u don't wanna watch the movie

one of my fave fics for a decade now, I absolutely LOVE what this fic does for ROTG worldbuilding. so much thought is put into the politics of the fae community, and how magic functions both practically and thematically. and it introduces a ton of cool fae ocs, many of which now have their own stories, as the author has used their fae world here in other original stories as well (would also recommend!!). and the relationship between Pitch/Jack is excellent of course, with a lot of interesting BDSM elements to their dynamic (a common trend in this author's other writing as well)

Mob Psycho 100

🌟 A Breach of Trust -- Phantomrose96; Ritsu, Mob, & Reigen-centric, but multiple other POVs as well; diverges from canon before the start of the canon story, so knowing MP100 isn't necessary

this is a really fun "what if Reigen and Mob didn't meet when they were supposed to?" canon-divergent au. it pushes basically every character to their worst, most self-destructive ends, and it makes me want to throttle some of them (affectionate <3). the fic isn't done yet (as of posting this), but it promises to end satisfyingly-- it just has to put everyone through the wringer first lmao

Welcome to Night Vale

🌟 run, run, fast as you-- -- (orphaned); Cecil/Carlos, Carlos-centric; compliant with early NV lore, mostly diverges in some of Carlos' background and motivations moving to Night Vale. familiarity with s1 would be useful, but not strictly necessary

really really stunning fic, I love the additional lore-building for Carlos and Cecil here, so much is added to their characters. since this is such an old fic, some of the lore here ends up being retroactively false, as the podcast introduced different lore later on. but I almost wish some of the lore here was canon b/c it's just that good (like Cecil's whole thing with the orphanage, and how the orphanage even functions OUGH!)

The Devil Went Down To Georgia (you heard that right, the country song)

🌟 The Devil Went Down to Georgia (And Then Went Down on Johnny) series -- notbecauseofvictories; Johnny/The Devil, Johnny-centric; I guess a modern take on canon, kinda treated like an original story tbh, but like. you can also just listen to the song beforehand

the author clearly has a deep knowledge and passion for music-- especially country music-- and it rly shines through in this fic. the celebration of music and community and country culture here is just. idk, it's like being invited to the table, somehow, I love it. this whole fic is poetry and it makes me ache

Portal

Blue Sky -- wafflestories; Wheatley/Chell-centric; canon-compliant sequel to the second game, necessary to know the games to understand

I must admit it's been several years since I've read this one, so my memory of it isn't quite as strong. but I remember it being a very loving rehabilitation of Wheatley and Chell's relationship, and I believe it's considered a classic by the ship's fans.

How To Train Your Dragon (movie)

I Hear Him Scream -- Rift-Raft; Toothless & Hiccup-centric; diverges from canon at the point when Hiccup downs Toothless with the net at the beginning of the movie, so watching the movie isn't super necessary, tho I imagine most of us have seen it (as we should!!)

I don't know that I would call this one particularly well-written-- it can get kinda awkward and jarring at points, and the end of the story kinda goes off the rails for me. but the premise and worldbuilding make up for it, imo. but I admit I love xenofiction, so I love seeing the deep lore about dragon culture/society this fic presents

Kekkai Sensen

Fleißiger Junge -- TheLennyBunny; Klaus/Leo, Leo-centric; demon/angel au, not necessary to know KKSS

I really love the demon/angel worldbuilding in this one, with a delicious twist of horror that's so fitting to canon /chef's kiss/. and the way Leo's family is characterized (with several OC characters) is so so fun and charming. good eating for the starving Klaus/Leo fans out there 😭

RWBY

🌟 Teaching Qrow -- ByronNightshade; Qrow-centric; a canon-compliant prequel to the canon story, a bit of knowledge about the setting and Qrow's backstory are kinda necessary

I fucking love what this fic does for Qrow's character, it treats him with way more nuance and understanding than canon ever has (tho tbf, most Qrow fans do, lol). and all the additional OCs and building on the subtle implications of RWBY lore... AUGH it's good

My Hero Academia

Hero Class Civil Warfare -- RogueDruid; genfic with multiple POVs; "what if" scenario divergence from an unspecific point in canon, prolly necessary to at least be familiar with the world/characters to a point

really fun "what if this class exercise got got a bit too intense, haha~" au. it introduces a ton of fun new dynamics between the characters, and lets Izuku shine as a badass, chessmaster "villain"

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Imaginary Truths -- Mythril; Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk-centric; actor au, not necessary to know ORV

this fic does an excellent job translating the canon relationships/dynamics to this setting, and keeps the core of the story/themes intact in rly interesting ways.

new game (+) -- illusionedwhite; Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk, Yoo Joonghyuk-centric; role-reversal au, and since it starts from the beginning where where canon would have started, I guess it's not technically necessary to read ORV first? but ORV provides more context

this fic is rly careful about the particular way Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk switch roles-- it's very much about their story roles. their core characters/themes remain intact, they're just interpreted through a new lens here. this is for the fans that read ORV and thought, "what if I want to read ORV again, but slightly to the left?"

Genshin Impact

🌟 Begin Anew, O Lost Child -- DarthPeezy; Childe/Zhongli/Guizhong, Childe-centric; a time-travel au that diverges from canon at the battle with Osial in the Liyue chapter, so familiarity up to that point is necessary

there's something about circularity and connection, here. about reaching across expanses of time to connect with those you love, and those you lost. about the horror of fate, and the hope for a future in spite of it. idk, this fic did something to me

we were lovers -- ThirteenSocks; Kazuha/his unnamed friend, Kazuha-centric; "Kazuha loses his vision" au, with a few twists. this fic doesn't really touch canon involving the traveler, but familiarity with Inazuma is necessary, so at least up through that chapter in-game.

what else can I say except this fic is beautiful-- it has the same melodic quality that I associate with Kazuha himself, so it feels perfectly appropriate.

To Be or Not To Be (Human With You) -- lilbittofmatcha; Aether/Scaramouche, Aether-centric; diverges after the end of the whole Sumeru chapter, familiarity up to that point is necessary

I really really love Traveler fics that acknowledge that the Traveler is essentially an otherworldy alien being, and was perhaps even godlike(??) before landing in Teyvat. I especially love Aether's characterization here, and the obvious comparisons to be made with Scara's situation

Sinking Ships in Liyue Harbor -- whereherbonesareburied; Diluc/Kaeya, Diluc-centric; a "what if Kaeya left" divergence from canon sometime after the events of the Mondstadt chapter. it's necessary to be familiar with Kaeya and Diluc's relationship, so reading up on their lore is best, though familiarity up through the Liyue chapter will help with this one

something about the pacing and framing of this fic really charms me. like, Diluc's journey to find Kaeya is kinda framed as a series meetings with several new people, like snapshots from a photo album? it's fun to see so many different, brief impressions of characters through his eyes

Osomatsu-san

Dissociation Disease -- PyrrhicFiend; Karamatsu-centric; technically features multiple AUs, but the core story is show canon. not strictly necessary to be familiar with the show

a fic I never ended up finishing (someday..), but I remember it being incredibly trippy and bizarre in the best of ways. though it may not be the best fic to read dealing with dissociation themself, because it grapples a lot with warped perception and hallucinations

🌟 Frater, Ave Atque Vale -- (orphaned); Karamatsu/Osomatsu, Osomatsu-centric; fantasy AU, not necessary to know the show

this one's perhaps on the razor's edge of not being long enough for this list, but I'm counting it anyways. there's something about 'brief' writing styles that often captures me, like parsing a scene down to its bare essentials makes the tone/emotion land more powerfully. this fic is probably my favorite example of this style

Voltron: VLD

The Rites of Courtship -- calibratingentropy; Keith/Thace, Keith-centric; canon-divergence from the end of s1 ep12, and it's kinda necessary to be familiar at least to that point, though u might be able to skim the wiki

a rarepair I never woulda considered if a friend hadn't recced this fic to me way back, haha. this fic features some of my favorite alien worldbuilding, with a lot of thought and care put into Galran culture and biology, I think about it a lot as a specevo creator myself

The Favored Champion -- sugarapplesweet; Sendak/Shiro, Shiro-centric; canon-divergence before canon, while Shiro is still a coliseum fighter

real fucked-up Stockholm Syndrome abusive relationship, Shiro goes thru the wringer </3. I love the way the relationship with the Lions is depicted here too, the chapter where Shiro basically screams at the Black Lion grips me by the throat. another great example of cool Galra worldbuilding too, not as heavy on the bio side as the last one but fun to see either way!

Tokyo Mew Mew

The Deal -- RizuOnceAgain; Ichigo/Quiche, Ichigo-centric; canon-divergent from an unspecified(?) point in canon, and I um. I've never watched TMM and know very little beyond TMM's basic premise and main characters? so take that as you will

I don't often read fics from things I'm not familiar with, but I trust my friend's recs with my life, and this one did not disappoint. I can't speak on how faithful it is to the original, but Ichigo/Quiche's dynamic here makes me go crazy nutso bonkers!! it has me banging on the walls and chewing furniture, oh my god!! it almost makes me wanna watch the show even tho I know I won't like it nearly as much as this fic 😭.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

What? No no, let’s back this whole thing up. Shut it down. I need a full explanation and entire story behind Granny Ori here. Welcome to the inner circle of only the finest minor blorbos girl. I love her. And Shanks’s blasé attitude telling her to worry about old age. Good to know Cavendish, Leo, and the rest of those dudes are solid allied captains. Naturally, if we’re looking at them being involved in Egghead then any amount of fleshing out such a concept in parallel stories bolsters the hype. This has been an idea floating around, needing to have some discretion when it comes to followers. We’ll see a terrific climax for this chapter leading into a break week but ultimately my main takeaway is that 1079 is a bit uncommon in Egghead for simply building on what 1078 started. The more this unfolds the more it all seems to be coming together rallied around a central thematic core.

Figure I’ll finish the thought because we’re back to time not really mattering all that much. It isn’t just seeing Shanks’s interactions with his fleet, we’re getting to see a lot more of how the man operates than we’re used to. Is it not consistent with the type of growth we’ve been on about for Luffy? Especially when you add in the Giants. It’s that whole incidental impact, the idea Kid made things a lot worse by making a pretty stupid faux pas. Shanks is just so damn brutally efficient here and I love every panel of it. Especially the very cool display of Foresight. Put a pin in that. Oh and hey, here we are also answering a little lingering question about Wano’s end again. It was just like Kaido @ Marineford; Shanks consistently seems to be interested in something a little beyond simple good and evil. I’d say it’s consistent with someone who knows his fate is to be “in between” so he’s made his journey about protecting what he fancies. But he lacks a certain drive to be the one to actually pull the trigger. This is what’s always stuck with me about him:

Just doesn’t seem like the type to have grand ambitions of his own and he can be a little too conflict averse. If we’re getting this involved though, and especially with the echo of how nice Uta parallels from Film Red, I think it’s time to give the weird element of how similar Kiku ends up being to Redtaro its due. That’ll come tomorrow and I hope you all enjoy it. As for Kidd? I hate it for the guy but it’s right up our alley here. You had every chance to learn the lesson in Wano and refused, that came around to bite you. Just like Ace & Izo...shoulda listened to Killer dude. He’s the one I really feel sad for. Kidd’s acting like Luffy used to, Luffy on Egghead is at least acting more like Shanks now. There’s a solid point there Kidd is useful for illustrating; seek freedom, but too much of a rebellious spirit and unwillingness to play the part when it’s advantageous leads to things like making new enemies incidentally. The Giants by all accounts should welcome one of the men who ended Big Mom. The Blackbeard ship showing up is interesting too for what it could say about Law...but that’s more nebulous since we don’t even know if it’s actually Blackbeard. Anyways, time for time shenanigans. It’s very cool to combine a big Foresight Haki scene with...

More of this with York! I love S-Snake’s lil “You got it dude” thumbs up. Shit...that means she could petrify me doesn’t it? I feel like I might be able to resist the real Hancock. It’s on brand, we’re seeing York in a light very reminiscent of Monet with the Punk Hazard kids mixed with a dash of this motif of rules and hierarchies. It’s also York, who we argued revealed herself as a pretty solid foil for Kiku last time, using a bit of that same mindset and aptitude. This same logic is why Kiku ran and hid behind Zoro before fucking with Urashima, of course she knows she’s twice his height.

Very trendy, very heirophant. It’s the narrative structure I’ve been looking out for a long time though. Reveal the mystery, go back and fill in the gaps that are all there around the breadcrumbs that were always hiding in plain sight. Like I said last time though, this just feels a little more like a prelude than a payoff. It’s too insular when you have so many ways to roll in what’s come before. The real meat of Egghead is still to come, and I for one am very excited.

[redjaybathood]

For the ship ask game.

BruJay, SladeJay, CassJay

Wow, that's a lot to think about, thanks!

Brujay: more like ship it rather than not.

What made you ship it?

Bruce takes a central part in Jason's story and vice versa.

My relationship with this ship is pretty complicated. I love to explore it, both in writing and reading. Trauma, codependency, obsession, abuse, unrequited (not necessarily romantic) feelings, on one hand. Fate, going through hell and high water together, being closer than anyone in the world, trying to make the world a better place together, saving each other literally and metaphorically, on another.

When I'm writing, it's mostly the first, when I'm reading, it's mostly the second. It's a good vessel for both types of stories.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Tragic, doomed feeling of it all.

I love melodrama, what can I say.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Honestly, they would have been happier never met each other. In canon, I want them to stay away from each other, and in a good part of fics too. If it makes sense, it's also my notp.

SladeJay: I'm on the fence, honestly! I know quite a few great stories about them, and I see the appeal, and I don't even hate Slade as I did previously, when I just started reading comics.

So:

Why don’t you ship it?

Because I actually got introduced to Slade far earlier than Jason. It was Teen Titans, and I just hated him there, and I hated what happened to Tara, and then I started reading (about) comics and things were even worse for her there.

I did get over my hatred towards Slade, mainly thanks to Romiress fic series where Slade adopts Jason. But, I dunno. In my consciousness, Slade is primarily focused on Dick so that's the biggest obstacle for me.

What would have made you like it?

There's not much I would like to explore between them, and most of it would be gen with mostly antagonistic relationship. Like, how thoroughly Slade fucked up his kids - while Jason knew at least two of them, Joey and Rose, and his story somewhat calls out to Grant's. Or that time when Jason was trying to take over Gotham and Slade was working for organization backing Roman Sionis. Or maybe their mutual ties to the League and Talia.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

One of the best fics in DC fandom I've read was them. And overall, I do get why people consider it hot.

CassJay: don't ship it

Why don’t you ship it?

It's hard to me imagining them working together, much less having something more. It would have been an AU only. And it's not really that much compelling. Their main conflict is to kill or not to kill and they both lose.

What would have made you like it?

If they had more interaction in canon, maybe a team up, we could see how it went. As for now...

I can see a scenario where Cass maybe could get a fleeting crush on him, like with Black Wind, and Jason being Jason, he would either completely be oblivious to it. Or, worse, he would have fallen so hard, when Cass took him down and his target - a disgusting rich oligarch trading child slaves or something - got away because of her... It would break his heart, simple as that.

Or maybe after Stephanie choosing not to kill and dying for it, if you put Cass vs Jason in the UtRH... Also a lot of heartbreak but maybe also character growth.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

They would have made a BAMF team.

[championofravens]

Misogyny in a game from 7 years ago: Uncharted 4

Game critic and youtuber Dunkey made a new video talking about Uncharted 4, a game both me and my husband despised after replaying it a year or two ago. It was a very well done and positive review, drawing a lot more out of the game than I ever did and it made me start to question *why* I couldn’t made those connections.

Dunkey says at one point "You are ruining this dude's marriage to make him feel like Indiana Jones" and that was very validating lmao But Dunkey was also saying that things like the marriage conflict, how much we wonder why the fuck Nathan would abandon everything he's got with Elaine, or things like how much we dislike and distrust Drake's brother, it's all intentional... and maybe it is. These were all things that made me really bitter about the game super fast but Dunkey is able to tie it all really well into the grander story and themes that come up over the course of the world trotting adventure.

But it also made me think that I don't think anything could make me like the story of it. Elaine is the most shafted character in the whole franchise and after the horrible bullshit of the third game with her especially, it's really hard to gear myself up for "one last ride" with mister Nathan Drake and his shithead brother, y’know? It isn’t a new or unique storyline to tread that Elaine and Drake’s relationship is rocky and unstable because he’s a selfish brat and he does shit that hurts her. From the very get go with revealing that Drake even had a long lost brother, it felt clear to me we were just going to revisit the same tired trope of making Elaine’s pain the emotional core without ever letting it actually effect the narrative in any way. It felt to me like the game honestly could not figure out a way to close out things without using her as a punching bag again. I hate to say it but I think it's just misogyny! I think it's just me feeling completely overwhelmed with stories of men with comfortable rich fulfilling lives and partners wanting to ruin that for glory, riches, thrills, adventures, whatever. Dunkey said the finale made him overjoyed because it told him that Drake did eventually come to his senses and choose a life with Elaine and decided to pass down that legacy to his kid... but to me it was inevitable. It was inevitable because the only constant in this story (and the other stories) is that Elaine will always take back Drake and give him a normal comfortable domestic life when he wants it. There was no joy, no sense of relief. What, was he going to say NO to going home with his sexy charming ass kicking wife? It's funny how much Dunkey was able to fixate on things like all the places you go, all the game mechanics, all these unique and enriching things in the game because I felt distracted constantly by a story that was just leading to an incredibly predictable end and who's real conflict was that Elaine was home without knowing anything and "oh no when shes gonna find out and be mad". And that makes me mad!

It's almost sad in a way that this game has aged so poorly by virtue of millions of the same stories came out before, during, and after this game's release and whatever subversion Naughty Dog was going for became trite. But I don’t even know if it would have stuck a landing to me regardless. I'm genuinely jealous to hear Dunkey make these narrative connections to things and to appreciate this game on the level the studio probably intended for it to be played. I admit some of this most come from marathoning the games and the sting of the third game being so major, it made me tempted to suggest to my husband we replay 4... but writing up my feelings has made me realize that the best I could ask for is to just ignore all my feelings on a central story aspect and that doesn’t seem fun. Dunkey mentions “the fantasy” at a few points in his video review. He mentions how he think it's the best triple A action in any video game he's played, how the gun fights and intense action comes up later and really rewards you with the big violent set pieces like an indulgence. The game plays into the fantasy of the adventure, both for the player and for Drake. You are supposed to at once disagree with Drake’s decisions but also be too swept away by the intentional fanservice to judge him too strongly. And so I think both the core message and themes of the game, as well as the game itself, is just built around something so inherently masculine.

[starlit-mansion]

jade and emerald!

Jade: favorite relationship between two characters

Losing my aro relationship anarachy card for this but it's always between the two main ocs of a setting and it's usually a romantic relationship (but not always... about 25% of the time it's a platonic or quasiplatonic friendship).

But also, if the central relationship isn't my favorite, then i do have to recenter the entire universe, because there's something wrong with it. (This is why corv and i didn't pull the main characters of our former podcast out when we left, but we did steal the elevated npcs that we took over for a side story and decided were exes who were still in love)

So my favorite relationship of the fallen london ocs is hepsi and morgan and my favorite relationship of the fantasyland ocs is evie and mal, even though all of them as characters would consider their family relationships more important on purely a personal scale, and do have other romantic partners. Those are just the relationships that have the most creative energy to me because they created a world lol.

Emerald: hardest character to write

I stuggle a lot with the particulars of a person who is negative and draining to one of my pet characters without being a cartoon supervillian.

Like intellectually i know that yeah, people do say out of pocket shit to other people that they're close to, snipe at their career choices, openly hate their partners, manipulate them for access to their kids/money/other resources, but it's almost... too embarassing (literally cringe inducing) for me to do very realistically? I actually pay a fair amount of attention to advice columns and reddit stories for (somewhat) organic, free range versions of conflicts that aren't automatically skewed by sexism in media (i do kind of recommend that if you want to get some inspo for moms and other women that fucking suck besides your own/your loved ones')

But also i get in my own head about if the characterization makes sense, if it reads well as a realistic conflict, if it serves as interesting emotional grist for the main characters without it coming across like a fuckin. dhar mann video or something. Especially if you're creating the illusion of a years long relationship that's *mostly* tolerable.

So basically the thing i struggle most with are toxic parents and toxic friends that *haven't* been fully cut out of someone's life (...yet), and evie's got a couple of those, and i can usually barely get more specific than a few lines when writing them.

[evilkritter]

Tumultuous Realm: Dread Archon

Dread Archon is a straightforward character in concept, but he came together as a core part of the story and setting through a VERY complicated confluence of real life details. He’s also part of the main villain reveal for the first book, so I’m going to talk circumspectly (it’s like talking in a circle!) regarding his actual story role while still going into all the bits about him that make me feel clever. I’ll also get into the Lore context for him; if you read the Metamagic post already the name stands out.

He’s a very evil clown. Magical clowns are a big thematic and setting element I want to play with in the Tumultuous Realm and Author Wars in general, but they got displaced from the primary story by all the other big things I want to fit it. My Author Wars stuff is very much about trying to cram too many ideas into an already large story. Dread Archon started out metatextually as a reference/cameo of a friend of mine. I took a gamer user name they used for a lot of stuff, connected it with Shaco the League of Legends champion they played the most for a long time, and that gave me Dread Archon at the baseline. I don’t remember if the malicious schemer Horrors being called Dreads happened before or after Dread Archon, but it was close. The Autronaux rulers and leaders being called Archons was because of Dread Archon. I like to take disparate ideas and stitch them together, then let them organically join. It’s like I’m Frankenstein but I take care of my kids! He went from being a Horror that could appear as cameo to being a major central figure in the story.

Now we get to the part where I get to talk around things. I don’t see the first Tumultuous Realm book as being a genuine mystery for the reader because there is legitimately no way anyone reading for the first time could have the context to predict the reveals that happen. It’s an Epic Fantasy tour of a world following our main characters trying to solve a solidly Outside Context Problem. The biggest “twists” involve revelations of how extremely outside it is. Dread Archon is like…half of an Aizen (Bleach) reveal. But what if Aizen had to rely on scheming and illusion to protect him, and was only S+ rank powerful instead of being literally Plot Structurally Invincible. I’m saying I wanted Aizen to get his ass kicked a lot sooner and Dread Archon gets to be a part of that. Realizing I got approval for the Dread Archon cameo in high school but uh, not sure how they’d feel about it now. Probably fine.

So Dread Archon is both a Dread Horror, and an Archon Autronaux. Exact origins are still undecided, but might get developed into their own story based on my/audience interest. Especially if he gets woobied/meow-meowed. I’d be surprised, but unrepentant murder clowns get fangirls sometimes. In essence Dread Archon has been acting to unite and control the entities of the void under him for as long as anyone remembers him existing. He has absorbed Reish sufficient to function as an Empty, wearing a solid mask reminiscent of theirs. He also has extensive contracts and dealings with various Blood Devil and Daemon groups. He even has contacts on the Surface and the Soul Plane.

His lair has walls of his mask with subtly different expressions, and any costume he places a mask on becomes an instance of him, allowing him to be many places at once. Yes, his baseline powers and fighting style are modified Shaco shenanigans. His knives can poison for a variety of effects, he plants proximity traps, he can teleport and become invisible. His masks have a weak possession effect, but it can be easily overcome by a waking and coherent mind. He’s about manipulation and trickery, not direct mind control.

Ultimately I’m very excited about this character as an instigator of conflict between groups that would otherwise be motivated to not bother each other. A clown bullying a reality-warping nightmare from beyond the dark beyond the sky into attacking someone when it would rather just sleep is funny and effective. He’s a perfect fit for the kind of convoluted problems that require unraveling because “cutting the knot” with overwhelming power won’t fix the problem. At a metatextual level the heroes will always overcome powerful threats, and increasing the power of the threat hits a consequence-ceiling and starts to diminish audience interest in the stakes. But an antagonist that sets up messy situations? He’s the kind of problem you throw a massively overpowered hero at and still have a story.

[wenellyb]

My Eternals review, obviously there are spoilers below:

I really liked the movie even though it didn’t really feel like a marvel/avengers movies but that’s what made it good.

What I liked: 

- The casting. It was just perfect, no one felt like a side character. I think that Sersi and Ikaris were supposed to be the main characters but it didn’t feel that way. They all had their place in the story, even though we could have had more.

- The characters!!!! I loved all characters my favorite ones were Phastos and Kingo, and my least favorite were Ikaris and Sprite, but I liked them anyway ... They all had something to bring to the movie:

Phastos: My favorite one with Kingo, I feel like he and Kingo are the characters we got to really know (I don’t know a lot about Sersi except that Ikaris is her ex and that she loves humans). But Phastos, we saw how passionate he was about inventing, how he had lost faith in humans, how he found faith again thanks to his family and was willing to do anything to protect them, how he had a supportive and loving husband, and also how powerful he was. Honestly those last fighting scenes... wow, he’s kind of a badass. I loved him, loved his family, his husband should have had more screentime because they were just perfect together and Jack was just the cutest kid ever. I was afraid we wouldn’t get to see a lot of phastos in the movie and that he would be a “side character” but it was actually quite the opposite adn he played a big role in the resolution of the conflict at the end.

Kingo!!! I loved him so much, I like that he was an arrogant prick but we could easily tell it was a front and he was actually adorable and also funny, and also loyal, and also honest. His relationship with Karun was everything, Karun is so hilarious. What I liked most about Kingo is that he is the perfect example of why the Eternals wasn’t a movie about “bad guys” versus “good guys”. It was a fight between two opposite mindsets. I saw some people saying that Kingo left because he knew he couldn’t defeat Ikaris. But that’s not what I saw. To me, he left because he loved his friends, INCLUDING Ikaris and couldn’t pick a side because he didn’t see himself hurting Ikaris. He had  always followed Ikaris, so he was confused because for once Ikaris’ path might not be the correct one.  And he knew there wasn’t a Black and White answer. Ikaris’ plan to let the Celestial destroy earth  was the paln from the begininng and even Ajak agreed with it. I do’nt know if I explain it well but, to me Kingo didn’t “give up”, he just didn’t want to “chose between his mother or his father”.

Ajak, I loved her, but she woke up a little too late. I’m sad she died too soon. I will never forgive Ikaris for killing her. Salma Ayek did a terrific terrific job! Loved her, but still their cause, and rule was a little bit weak in my opinion. I don’t understand the principle of not intervening in ANY conflicts at all, not even a few and just being like ok...??? Wouldn’t you wonder about the purpose of everything you’re doing? Didn’t make any sense to me.

Sersi: I loved Sersi, loved to see her scenes with the humans and how she had felt in love with them. I also liked her relationship with Ikaris, her love story with him was so beautiful, and there was a lot of chemistry between the two... But something was missing. If you’re going to give the love story central place in your storyline you need to work on it more. I really felt like some scenes were missing ( maybe scenes showing how they fell in love instead of just Ikaris looking at her do stuff). I got more attached to Phastos/Ben and Gilgamesh/Thena relationship. That being said, the two of them were great together... those last scenes were  full of emotions,and her powers are great. I couldn’t care less about her love story with Dane, they felt like siblings to me. Dane’ character was good and funny and I want to see more of him and Sersi, but seriously, they work better as friends. I didn’t feel the romance at any point during the movie. 

Ikaris, perfect example of soldier following orders blindy without thinking. Ikaris  never getting attached to the humans (didn’t even know what a celphone was, didn’t try to learn the language of the places they settled in...The only moments he made that effort was for Sersi. He really believed in their mission. Killing Ajak was the worst thing he could have done . Yes he’s evil for what he did but not a villain like we usually see. He was blindly following their mission and his leader because he believed in the cause they were pursuing, he sacrificied the love of his life for that cause and stayed away from her for centuries because of the cause, and all of the sudden, it was all for nothing? I think Ikaris lost his mind a little and couldn’t think clearly. I believe him when he said he loved Ajak, he clearly had a lot of admiration for her and even worshipped her, that’s why he put everyhting else on hold for her. I don’t feel like he did it for Arishem because he didn’t even meet them, but he believed in everything Ajak said. That being said, what he did was f*cked up there is no denying it. And as I said one of my least favorite characters in the group.  

A lot of admiration and respect in his eyes.

Makkari, I loved her, loved her SOOO much!!! But I also felt like I didn’t really get to know her too much.... Makkari, you stayed on that ship for centuries for what?? To read???? (Ok I admit I would probably have done the same ahahah but still..) Her relationship with Druig was cute... they spent centuries apart but when they see each other again they easily fall into their friendship.

Sprite, really felt for her, and liked that they added this storyline, about a kid that is eternal and would never get to experience everything. the being in love with Ikaris was ok but useless in my opinion, to me it only had the purpose of showing me that Kingo was in love with Ikaris (platonically or romantically who cares) because that’s why he pickled up on it when no one else did, because he already knew the signs. That stabbing thing was bad bad. She was forgivent too easliy in my opinion hahaha.

The Deviants: Again: not the bad guys, they were brought on earth with a mission but were built with a defect, it’s not like they asked for any of this, so I was cool with them.

Gilgamesh...LOVE HIM!! Love his cooking, I wish I got to know more about him than he sacrificed himself to protect Thena. But still I enjoyed all his scenes, fighting, his scenes with Thena, the way he wasn’t afraid of her, and knew how to talk to her when the disease hit. His death was SO SO unnecessary??? I didn’t get the point....

Thena, she is one of my favorites too, I liked the storyline with the condition she had, I forgot what the name was. I really liked all the scenes she was in, the struggle to remember herself and also keep up with everything. I loved her relationship with Gilgamesh too. 

Druig is a character I started to understand because he was the only one who really started thinking that maybe that non-intervening rule was bullsh*t, so if there is one Eternal that could have been nominated for the good guy title it’s him... BUT I say could have been because he went to the other extreme, which is just as bad let’s say?? Like he was asserving a whole group of people with the excuse of “protecting them” or keeping them from harming each other. I see Druig as the exact opposite of Ikaris. Ikaris was blindly following the orders, and Druig intervening to an extreme where he was controlling the humans every step of the way. 

- The relationships between the characters, the fact that they were a dysfunctional family but a family nonetheless:  you can see they care for each other and why they care. Not all of them are friends, but for those who are, you can see that there is a genuine bond.

- I also enjoyed the lack of real villain, I probably shouldn’t saying this if I want to be taken seriously hahaha, but this movie made me think about Megamind a lot: You were brought here to do something, but you never think about whether or not you should be doing it. Megamind, was a villain because he was brought up that way, the Deviants killed humans because of a glitch in their system, Ikaris was ready to let all humans die because he was told that it is the way it is and never questionned it for a second. The Eternals were there to fight deviants and were instructed to never intervene in humand conflict, but never really questionned it and thought about whether or not it was the best way to go (Except Druig but he didn’t do great in the end either).

What I didn’t like:

- The storyline: not because it wasn’t good or something like that. But because their whole not intervention stuff didn’t make sense to me (especially since Ajak changed her mind later, why now and not before???). It’s not a good enough of a reason to let people die right in front of you just because you were told to.

It doesn’t make sense to me that they wouldn’t interfere in any conflict and then they’re just ok with it. Otherwise it means that they’re not the “good guys”.  Druig was the most sensible of them in my opinion, but he really went at it the wrong way.... 

This whole non intervention thing is why I don’t think the movie was a story about “bad guys” vs “good guys”, but just a story. None of the Eternals were good guys and even the ones that wanted to do good woke up way too late.

- The pacing was off too, I like that there were flashbacks, but sometimes it wasn’t as smooth as it should have been.

- In my opînion, they shouldn’t bring real life events (like Hiroshima) in the superhero world, I understand what they were trying to do, but they could have shown a perfect example with Sokovia and the ravages of new technologies (Ultron something like that) or made up a new event, but not a real event where there were real people who lost their lifes and an event that is still relatively close in time. It was the most f*cked up part for me. I don’t understand the reason of doing that in a movie like this, it felt very disrespectful and unnecessary.

[the-ghost-king]

I think ao3 has kind of spoiled me in the same way, because I can not only consume content im already predisposed to like, I can filter for very specific aspects and tropes as well. I wish goodreads and the like would work like that too, instead of having to search through lists curated by other users.

Alright I've got a lot to say....

(TLDR: It just gets really exhausting to feel like you + people like you are objects to be commodified and marketed to certain demographics.)

I see both sides of it because I definitely don't want book stores or libraries to be sortable by some of the tags we use on ao3. However, I wish there was something like goodreads that did that as well.

Like I'm cool with reading books that just have a decent plot but sometimes I do want a specific aspect of a character. The problem I have with YA a lot of the time is that whatever aspect that is becomes the only point of the character or plot.

For example searching for books with a trans protagonist always ends up with a narrative that uses transphobia for its progression. It's either a) a coming out story about overcoming internalized transphobia, b) a story about someone being outed and coping with that, or c) trans character with a romance plot but they're not sure if the other person will be okay with them being trans/the other person is transphobic and "overcomes it".

Which as a trans person just gets really exhausting. I want a trans character who their transness has very little relevance to the story sometimes, and my inability to find that becomes exhausting. I deal with transphobia everyday and I'm not interested in (often) non-trans authors turning my everyday pain into a plot line or a trope. Sometimes I can get over it, but other times nope.

Even sometimes when a trans author writes that sort of book I just... On top of everything else it's too much.

I want a trans character who just happens to be trans and it's an important aspect of their character but not a plot point. A son has to stop his father from unleashing a robot he made on the world but he only has 24 hours to do so, and we only know he's trans because of childhood flashbacks. Someone becomes a top selling rap artist and they fall for a country singer and it's only mentioned they're trans when they originally come out to a very uneventful reaction, and later on when they win the artist of the year award. A woman who writes news stories and travels the globe to tell these stories who isn't able to return to her home country for some reason and her being trans is only relevant because her transition made her want to live life to the fullest and then it is literally never mentioned again.

This doesn't mean that someones marginalized status can never be a plot point. There's a book "A Place Called Winter" where the main protag is into men. The story however is about homesteading. What happens is he ends up sleeping around with a male friend/colleague (don't remember sorry lol) and he gets caught by his brother in law who gives him an ultimatum. Either leave his wife and daughter to go live in Canada, or the brother in law is going to tell his sister what her husband has been up to. However the entire novel is about the reader trying to figure out how and where he ended up in an asylum- and, a bit of a spoiler, it's not because he's into men. So while his gayness has an impact on the story, it's not the central plot and at a certain point we are able to move beyond it.

Maggie Stiefvater (for better or worse) did manage to create a series where one of the main characters sexualities is really only relevant because he is attracted to another main character. His sexuality is never a point of conflict within the series, and neither is his (eventual) boyfriends sexuality either. However the actual plot is a bunch of kids looking for a dead Welsh king in a magical forest in Virginia. On top of this she manages to fit in disabled representation into a main character as well, in a way that doesn't feel forced.

While I've never read the book, The Sun is Also a Star is a movie I have seen. The protagonists are both racial minorities, who end up in an interracial relationship + one is an immigrant. It is absolutely a central part of the plot because it has to do with how they meet and where the go at some points. However the more central part of the plot is that they have 24 hours to fall in love. They just both happen to be minorities.

And while neither of those books are peak representation. The first full of a not-insubstantial amount of racism, and the second not much better. They do manage to do something so rarely done. And tbh it's a lot more interesting and a lot harder to find these sorts of things than it should be.

When I google "books with a Jewish protagonist" online or "books with a trans mc" I'm fine if some YA comes up, or some books where those aspects are central plot points comes up. At the same time though, I should be able to find a list of books with a Jewish protag where it's 1) not YA, 2) doesn't take place during ww2, and 3) doesn't necessarily always need to be a major plot point. That specific search always has returns that meet the first 2, and when it meets the 3rd one it's often a very forced relationship to Judaism? The author obviously designs the character to make them Jewish and then adds the personality in later, rather than designing a character and they happen to be Jewish as well. Or they start their design of a trans character of "wouldn't it be interesting if this character was outed in an extremely traumatic way? That would be fun... Should they be an introvert or an extrovert?"

It just gets really exhausting to feel like you + people like you are objects to be commodified and marketed to certain demographics. Then to turn and see "allys" upholding those books as "peak rep" for a group they have no right to be talking over or deciding things for (ex: girls on tik tok determining what m/m book they like best on tik tok.... etc ).

So yeah, in short I agree, it would be nice to have community ability to curate such lists and collections because then it would be like "oh hey someone in this community obviously made this" or something... The problem you're going to end up having (and idk how to prevent that) is people doing what I mentioned above, uphailing things as "the best ever!!" and those getting voted to the top by people who just want the certain character dynamic or aspect of a character... Rather than like a good mixture of different types and qualities of representation?

[crossbackpoke-check]

WHAT IS THE BRADEN HOLTBY STEP IT UP UNIVERSE PLEASE

ok i would like to preface this by saying i am so sorry if i have ever led anyone to believe that my vague aus exist outside a google doc and a thread compilation on my fic twitter to sort my own brain out

HOWEVER

the braden holtby step it up universe is a set of brainworms i had based on this post originally and also, because i’ve never been chill, ever, the sequel. (coincidentally, which i did not know when i had two entirely separate rants about this a month apart, both of those gif sets are from the exact same day. the more you know.)

so braden holtby is the principal dancer at an elite school for the creative arts, a lá nora from step up. head of the competitive dance team; assistant choreographer for the shows; holtbeast does it ALL because he is an overachiever and also because he really needs to look impressive in order to have a future in the ultra competitive world of ballet. somewhere in the central conflict, scouts from the american ballet theatre are coming to see holtby perform (the wbt and houston are also options for that 👀) and holtby needs to show everyone that he does deserve to be cast in the principal role/solo showcase spotlight after years of working for it.

[is this a high school au? is this a college au? am i potentially going to make holtby a part-time instructor for little kids to support and pay off the costs of living & dancing for some big company where he also finally, finally lands a role as principal dancer? keine Ahnung—]

the only problem with his life is that holts isn’t so sure he wants that anymore. dancing by day, harboring a secret dream of writing music by night, all while everything at the studio ramps up—they’ve got a national competition on the horizon, etc etc, standard semi-serious plot stakes, AND holtby has a as-of-yet tbd vague love interest who is interfering with all his plans by telling him he’s worth more than what he can achieve, that it doesn’t have to be effortless, and the ballerina balancing act of exquisitely painful exhausting grace is bullshit. somewhere the line ‘you make it look so easy but it’s not’ while said love interest has holtby’s head in their lap is judiciously applied.

the side characters are really just out here vibin’ out because at one point i had said it would center around the dallas four goalies (bish, holts, dobby & baby otter) which might still happen if only for the self-service of writing dobby in a velour fuzzy tracksuit, uggs, and leg warmers. y’know, like a ballerina.

jake is the new kid who braden takes under his wing and sees himself mirrored in—the foil for his love of ballet. jake is the kindness braden can allow his past self, but also a way of forgiving his present to let go, something something the passing of the torch handing off the baton etc etc. irl canon this would likely be carter hart but i’m on the fence because i want a cohesive narrative that doesn’t involve me making up interactions.

dobby (lovingly) is comedic relief and writing him would also would allow me to get somewhat technical (differences between russian/french, the mindset of ballet character study, etc) because he played in russia and he’s the perfect character to ride in on a scooter, drop the life-changing advice that drives the climax of the story, and scooter out with his slurpee.

apparently because my brain said so, i have now just decided ben bishop may be the backstage crew manager love interest for absolutely no reason. this is fine, because the first one is about the plot and we are allowed to only have vague undercurrents of Romancé blossoming (the love story is for the sequel) (the sequel may need its own post because that was a lie that one actually has more of a plot. why do i do this to myself me @ me you can’t write the sequel if the original story doesn’t exist)

optionally: somewhere i wrote down a thing about luke glendening and holts? tyler seguin may exist in this? i miss holtby on the caps?

miro, because i love him and it fits better, is in the sequel. re: the sequel post tags, miro is one of the spectacular new kids when braden comes home.

the simplest way i can explain this is that braden holtby gives me the intense vibes of a ballerina… but also the vibes of a mid-2000s shell-necklace-wearing quirky best friend/manic pixie dream girl*. the end result is that the step it up universe is every mid-2000s dance-battle-love-story-trope-y movie into one. it’s got a soundtrack that is a banger for no reason! gay undertones because i’m gay and it’s gay! tense dance battle scenes! no coherent plot but it sure does have a lot of glitter! acoustic guitar and questionable fashion choices (lovingly detailed dance costumes with feathers and sparkles here i come)! thank you for your time!

*somewhere there is a You Can’t Do That episode where this is explicitly discussed and it is absolutely correct