#there are so many characters who are a million times more interesting than shadow but they just never use them

[myymi]

Why don't you like shadow???

he's a boring character who doesn't need even half as much screen time as he's given.

do you know how cliche it is to have a guy who lost a girl try to destroy the world?

people like to think that shadow is some tragic character but he's really not. he lost one person. there are characters like knuckles and silver who lost so much more and people just don't seem to care

shadow's story isn't unique to him. there's a character exactly like him in just about everything that exists.

also: there is literally no reason to include him in every piece of media that comes out. him being in sonic prime was such a stupid decision when they could've used silver for the role, which would've made so much more sense. it's all fan service and im sick of seeing him.

he takes away other character's spotlight because he's the fan favorite and it's so annoying.

shadow should've stayed dead after he fell from the arc in sa2 and i will die on that hill

[itscherrylipsforme]

A love story yet to be written: Jason Todd x Vigilante!bookworm!fem!reader

Summary: The mysterious Red Hood has been your loyal teammate since you became another one of Gotham's vigilantes. Many literature puns and "subtle" flirty comments later, he has decided that it's time to meet you when you two are not covered by the city's darkness and your secret identities

Warnings: Just dozens of references to my fave classic lit authors and novels

Requested: yes

Words: About 1570

Author rambles: God, this has been on my drafts for so long. Glad I was finally able to publish it. Thanks to the anon who sent the request, hope you like it 🫶🏼

Masterlist Characters I write for

Likes and reblogs are appreciated ღ

I do not authorize any of my works to be copied, translated or plagiarized ✗

Gotham’s skies were pitch black when you submerged, like every twilight, in its streets and roofs. Masked face, combat boots, dark sweater and jeans paired with a black leather jacket and a bulletproof vest under all of it. Pointed daggers on your belt, a pair of guns attached to your back harness just in case. Being a vigilante was not an easy side job, but you needed to do it.

Some people simply can’t watch their whole world fall apart and stare blankly. And you would certainly not stay back when your beloved city was drowning in corruption and crime. Growing up you had always been aware that they were others protecting you. Batman, Robin, and the other peculiar crime fighters that had joined them with the pass of time. But being honest, Gotham was a criminals dump, and all the help they could get counted.

 So, you decided to do you your bit. Trained hard, learned how to hide in the shadows and started to feel that what you did matter to your people. Recognition was not long in coming, although fame was not what you were after anyway. One night a camera caught you beating up one bastard who was trying to assault a young girl, next day you were on the news. Dusk they called you and you were not annoyed by the nickname, it suited you in a certain way.

You soon became another no-faced admired warrior to your neighbours. Not bad for the girl who used to be bookworm theatre kid back in High School. Becoming one of Gotham’s saviours was not one of your dreams job as a child, but life has surprising turns waiting for us. What was even more unexpected is that you ended up meeting one of the other vigilantes and that he had become an interesting fellow during the otherwise solitaire superhero’s nights.

“Nice to see you here in the dead vast and middle of the night, darling” He greeted you, after hearing your feet landing in the same rooftop he was in. Didn’t matter if he was backwards, you had started to think he had developed a sixth sense to notice your presence. You could almost bet he was smiling bellow his metallic helmet.

“Good night, Hodd” You answered coming by his side. “Shakespeare, wasn’t it?”

“Smart girl. Hamlet, more precisely” You agreeded “You arrived later than you use to”

“Missed me, geekie boy?” A little chuckle broke the silence of Gotham.

“Of course I did! I would not wish any companion in the world but you” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his gaze locked in the city’s sky. “And admit it, you are as much a nerd as I am”

“The Tempest? Have you been rereading Uncle Willy’s plays again?” The question ended up sounding like a half-joke half-teasing “And you are right, bookworm and proud. We wouldn’t get along so easily if I weren’t. I declare after all that there is no enjoyment like reading”

A slow nod was the only answer you received. You were certain that a smile was decorating his face at the moment. But not in a million of years you could have imagined that his usual smirk was now followed by a pinkish tone in his cheeks. How long he had been like this around you? He couldn’t recall exactly. This flirting slightly hided between book quotes and glances had been part of your friendship for quite sometime now.

The only problem? He couldn’t bear with being just a friend anymore. When it had all started? He didn’t know. Maybe the night he met you. And when the two of you started patrolling together like every other night, he couldn’t help coming back to those sweet memories still fresh on his mind.

“Another superhero wannabe” that’s what he thought when he first saw you moving from celling to celling without the grace and rhythm that only years of practice can give you. And he was not wrong, you were an amateur, one who still need to practice, but you definitely were determinate enough for that. Jason was not aware of this, therefore he decided to have some fun.

“What are you doing here?” He asked jumping to your side with a voice tone much deeper than his usual one.

“Patrolling” You managed to say in a whisper, rising your head to look at him directly. Shivers run through your spine, not knowing what to do. But you would not allow him to notice your fear.

“Scared of me darling?” He leaned a little so he could be nearer to your face.

“Not even a little, I know who you are” You answered and somehow the most daring and wittiest part of your mind chose to add the next sentence “And also there is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others.”

“My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” He finishes almost instinctively.

He stared at your for some instants, not believed the words that had just come out of your lips. Another vigilante? Who quoted Austen? The night was turning up to be quite interesting.

“You are a sharp girl, with a good book taste” He resolved. “Red Hodd, at your service” He offered you his hand and his presentation, although it was no needed.

And that’s how all started, now a few months later you two keep protecting Gotham from whoever and whatever treats it. This night had been tranquil, a seldom occurrence, and Jason hadn’t talked to much, his mind was focused on a matter which had been troubling him for weeks. When the first rays of light threaten to appear, it’s time to farewell. Not without cracking some bad puns first of course.

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Dusk is the sun.” He smirked once again.

“First, that’s contradictory. Second, you seriously have to get over your Shakespeare era”.

“Does that mean I don’t get a proper goodbye?” Even with his voice modulator you could hear the teasing edge on the question.”

“Of course, you do” You tried to come up with something silly, yet sweet. “Good night, sweet prince, and flights and angels sing thee to thy rest!”

With that you made a small joking bow and left the rooftop to go back home. It had been enough; Jason had made out his mind. He was going to look for you. He needed to see the unmasked face who had been able to be the first one to win his heart. Luckily, one of his many siblings is a professional hacker.

A bookstore, somehow, he was not surprised at all when Tim found your worked there. In his jean’s pocket there was a small piece of paper with dozens of cheesy books lines that made him think of you. "You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read." "We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright." “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how” … And those were only the first ones. There were not enough words in the books from your bookstore to describe how nervous he was and how much he wanted to tell you he loved you. But he could at least try.

Your elbows were resting on the counter, another novel laying in front of you. When the doorbell rang announcing another client, you immediately smiled and looked at Jason. You left your seat to meat him by the door, the book long forgotten.

“Took you long enough to find me, geekie boy” You gritted him.

All his speech and quotes banished in the air with just a single sentence of yours. He finally came to himself.

“Wait, were you waiting for me?”

“Of course, I did” You chuckle, God he loved that sound “For almost two months, after all your bad pick-up lines I thought you would be ready to come and met me in person”.

“But… How have you recognized me?” Confusion was still seen on his face.

“Easy. Looked for the libraries and bookstores that had your favourite tittle. Cheeked the names of all the men who borrowed or bought them. Looked for their photos on the internet and compared them with the physical description I had from your” You shrug your shoulders as that work was nothing to you “I am a vigilante after all”.

“I have a brother who would love to meet you, you know?”

“Maybe later, but I guess you came here because you had something to tell me”.

He took a deep breath. Just a few hours, that was all he needed to win you over this time. "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.” He said softly, but determinate “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you.”

Just after he finished your lips were meeting his in a soft and sweet kiss, like the ones written in romance novels.

“You have bewitched me, body and soul” You whispered to his ear.

“Actually, that’s from the movie, not the book”.

You had to kiss him again, this time with more passion, to shut him up.

[dduane]

At Ebooks Direct: Last week on sale for our Pride Month Package!

Warning! These works contain: homosexuals, bisexuals, lesbians, pansexuals, asexuals, polyamorous folks, genderfluid humans and nonhumans, two (or maybe three) varieties of magic-users, science-users, wizards and Dragons. Even occasional straight people.

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Welcome to one universe where who you love and how your genders intersect is between you, your lover(s), and the Goddess. And another where wizards come in so many species and sexualities that getting sniffy about something as wildly variable as local sex and gender makes no sense when is you’re just one more of a million kinds of humanity. (And where after the business is done, the next serious question may well be “Never mind the tentacles… would you like to go out for coffee?*”)

The collection contains:

The Door Into Fire**

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The Door Into Sunset**

Tales of the Five #1: The Levin-Gad

Tales of the Five #2: The Landlady

Sirronde’s World #1: The Span

Sirronde’s World #3: Parting Gifts (SW #2 not yet written)

Tales of the Middle Kingdoms #1: Lior and the Sea

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Owl Be Home For Christmas

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*Or other species-preferred icebreaking beverage.

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[arceespinkgun]

Oh it's 100% about people not seeing Elita One as a character deserving to be an equal to Optimus. Arcee is pretty much the poster girl of Transformers and while I love that she's both a warrior and maternal figure, she's not a leader and nowhere near Optimus in terms of authority. People objecting to portray Elita One as an equal to Optimus or feature her at all in media feels almost reminiscent of when women were starting to get jobs, there were CERTAIN jobs for women and practically none of them were leadership roles. Transformers can have well written female characters but they won't be well treated by the narrative or creators, Transformers can have more than one female character in a comic/show but they will be pitted against each other (whether or not they're on different factions). Transformers can even have female leaders but they will never be perceived as equal to Optimus. That's pretty much the message that I've been getting from both Hasbro and fans

I totally get what you're saying, and I would've agreed 100% about ten years ago, but I actually think this is a fandom problem and not so much an issue with the shows/comics themselves now!

Cyberverse and Earthspark have the best ratio of genders ever in the franchise so far (Earthspark's seems practically 1:1 for women and men) and have a wide variety in relationships between women, from supportive friends to enemies. In Cyberverse, Windblade and Slipstream began as enemies but then found a lot of common ground, and the majority of Windblade's character development had to do with her grief over Slipstream's death—and Windblade and Chromia were nothing but close the whole time. Obviously in Earthspark, the Maltos are a supportive family, and the main villain of the series was a woman for a long time. While I still feel really bitter about Slipstream's death in Cyberverse, I didn't feel like any other woman was treated poorly by the narrative, and so far I feel like all the women in Earthspark have been treated very well by the narrative and have had a lot of strong development. I also want to note something about genderswaps in these shows—there were many, and I think they were all successful: Clobber is way more three-dimensional than Lugnut, Frenzy was almost never even in anything or given development until Earthspark. Plus, I feel like for me personally, I just respect the characters way more post-genderswap. I always thought Skywarp was totally boring, but her being a woman in Cyberverse, and both a woman and given more depth in Earthspark, made me see her even in other media in a new light. Same with Frenzy—post-Earthspark, I was actually excited to see the character do stuff in my Marvel read-through when I would not have cared at all before.

And sure, there only seems to be one Matrix, but Elita-1 in Earthspark as second-in-command is an authority who seems to be more respected by the Maltos than Optimus is in a lot of ways. Dot also seems to have the most authority within the Malto family, and among the Terrans, Twitch seems to have taken on a leadership role and has been getting a large amount of development. In Cyberverse, Shadow Striker ends up becoming Decepticon leader, and I think she may have been the first female leader of the Decepticons in the whole franchise?

I don't like the IDW comics overall, but in the first IDW series, Windblade becomes leader of all of Cybertron, but it's rarely mentioned. Arcee was basically second-in-command of the Autobots (also, she has a supportive relationship with her love interest who's also a woman!) for most of the later comics in that series, which are the ones most often discussed, but a lot of fans ignore that. Okay, there was a ton of room for improvement, but Elita-1 in the 80s cartoon was successfully portrayed in my opinion as an equivalent authority to Optimus Prime, especially given she must've been holding out for millions of years! Oh, and the Skybound comics have only been going for seven issues so far, but I noticed we already see Elita being an authority and a dynamic staring to form between Carly and Arcee.

I think something I've noticed is that all the problems you mention were absolutely severe in TFA and TFP, and those are often what fans on this site have seen. IDW also seems really popular here, but notice how IDW2 is almost entirely ignored, when that was the series that handled women better... and how in the instances where the first IDW series did make some improvements, people on here ignore the women to focus on dudes? As an IDW Elita-1 fan, I can't help but notice that all the big scary evil violent disabled queer-coded guys have tons of fans on Tumblr, but Elita is usually ignored or derided despite being better developed in the end than most of them. And Earthspark and Cyberverse, the shows I think did things best, often either get totally ignored on here, or criticized way more intensely than other, worse series.

TL;DR Totally agree about the fandom and about a lot of series, but I think newer series have been improving a ton and that it's good to note that improvement! Plus even when earlier series succeeded, people on here ignore the women a lot, unfortunately. I think this is more the perception issue and not so much about portrayal.

[oneread]

If you could form a crew out of any one piece character from any media consisting on ten people, who would you chose and why?

Aaaaah I forgot to answer this it’s been sitting in my inbox for a million years 😭

Omg a custom one piece crew, it’s such a great question! I’m definitely biased towards the straw hat crew but there’s lots of characters I’d love to see work together on a crew

1,2 and 3 are kinda a combo deal, I think Luffy, Ace, and Sabo would make such a fun a chaotic team as adults. Would they cause an international incident daily? Yes, but it would be funny

4. Shirahoshi- if the wimpy princess has no fans I’m dead. She’s such an interesting character in the fishman arc and I would love to see her developed now that she has more freedom!

Also can you imagine a pirate ship with the shadow of a huge mermaid just under the water following alongside? It would be cool as hell

5. Nami- I always find myself gravitating to her as a character she’s just so interesting in her motivations and how that plays out in her behavior and def deserves better than the fanservice that gets forced on her sometimes

6. Chopper- adorable and CPR certified, need I say more?

7. Nico Robin- I’m just pro-Straw Hat lady I guess. We could have coffee time together in the morning and quiet reading time. She’s chill and powerful which is a fun combo

8. Bon Clay- yes the fact that they were former evil co-workers with Robin might make things awkward but they are so fun and funky I think we could all move past it

9. Usopp-this list is def not in priority order bc I need my darling boy on the crew, so that I’m not the only one clinging to the handrails in fear every 10 seconds if no other reason (there are many other reasons)

10.Koby (Coby?)- what can I say, I originally came into the fandom from OPLA so I’m a Koby stan. You can’t watch Morgan Davies act the hell out of the character all season and not be 😅 also, I think it would be good for Koby to loosen up a bit and it would be impossible to be with this group and not have to chill out a little

[fizzyxcustard]

Covert Eyes (17)

Prologue| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6| Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

Fandom: Spooks

Pairings: Lucas North x OC (Amy Holland)

Warnings: Stalking behaviour, anxiety, language, sexual references, angst, smut, heartbreak, gunshot wounds and recovery.

Summary: Lucas takes notice of a young woman, Amy, but his obsession and want to get to know her begin to spiral out of control. Amy knows that her recovery won’t be quick, and she now has another decision to face. 

Official soundtrack list:  here

Comments/Notes: This fic is back after a long hiatus, and the main reason it was on hiatus was because I just felt that people weren't interested, and I was never asked where this fic had gone. However, my dear friend @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady helped me to pick this fic back up. Thank you, my sweets. <3

If you wish to be tagged in any of my tag lists for fics or characters, please let me know, and stipulate what you want to be tagged in. The above image was made by me using images found online. 

I also wanted to stipulate, and I don’t mean to be rude, but if you ask to be on my tag list and never interact (even if just a ‘like’ on the chapters I post) then I will remove you after a few weeks. Please try and show some kind of engagement, or ask to be taken off my list if you’re no longer interested.

It was early December, and Amy had settled in quite well with her colleagues. She shadowed Jo and Ruth Evershed regularly, watching them closely as they run checks on subjects. The daily board meetings were always informative, and she had begun to fill out her own notebook, compiling bullet points on the way operations were run. Ros actively involved Amy in chats that she had with the team, beckoning her to follow and listen in. Sometimes Amy even sat in with live operations, listening on headphones to those who were out on the ground, mainly Lucas and Jo. Most of the Brevity terminology went over her head, but hearing everything live began to put the job into some kind of perspective for her. 

One thing that Amy enjoyed in particular was her budding friendship with Tariq. The two of them were often found with a cup of tea or coffee in hand, laughing at some obscure joke as they scoured CCTV footage. Their desks were next to one another, so Amy always had Tariq on hand to ask any questions. All she had to do was spin in her chair to the left hand side, and he was there. 

Her working hours didn’t always match Lucas’, so it wasn’t too often that they travelled home together, but they did travel in together. Most of their mornings still consisted of their regular café spot with coffee and a bagel. Amy would sit in their usual spot, remembering all the mornings where they were merely acquaintances. 

“It was your perfume that I first noticed. Olympia by Paco Robbane,” Lucas said one morning. Rain was dripping down the café windows and a thick mist had descended on London. “Then I turned and saw you working in your notebook. Who’d have thought we’d be sat here now, engaged and working together.” 

Amy rested against his shoulder, feeling his arm curl around her. “Never in a million years would I have ever thought someone like you would have looked at me twice.” 

“I’ve looked at you many more times than that.” 

On Amy’s third week, she agreed to work late with Tariq that upcoming Friday. The night before and Amy announced it to Lucas. “I’m going to be working late with Tariq tomorrow. We’re running CCTV checks on the Spiller file and need to go through a few hours of footage.” Amy was stood at the sink, drying cutlery, while Lucas sat at the dining room table. 

Lucas’ jaw clenched for a split second and he looked away. He seemed to never see her once they passed the main security check point of Thames House. 

“What?” she asked sternly, tossing the tea towel to one side. 

“What?” Lucas asked, raising his eyebrow, feigning innocence. 

“Come on, don’t act dumb. I saw your face as soon as I said I was working late with Tariq. Is the problem me working late, or the fact it’s Tariq I’m working with? I agreed to mirror his shifts. Ros asked me to on the day I started.” 

“I never said anything.” 

“No, your face said it all.”

Lucas sighed. “I just thought that because we haven’t been able to spend much time at home together the last week, maybe we could do something tomorrow, start getting our Christmas shopping or something, and this is the first I’ve heard of you staying over late.” 

That was the first instance of Lucas showing any kind of irritation towards Amy and Tariq working together. But it became more plain to see whenever they were all together in the office. When Amy and Tariq were sat together, side by side, pouring over files and the computer screen, she would sometimes notice Lucas’ steel blue gaze watching them both whenever he was in close proximity. Other times his tall frame would slip past the desk, his hand brushing her arm. He only ever seemed to do this when she was sat with Tariq. It was as if his behaviour were becoming a warning sign, telling Tariq to back off. 

***

One evening, after work, as they both stepped into the flat, Amy decided to confront Lucas with what she had noticed, as his behaviour seemed to be getting worse. She placed her handbag down on the table, unwound her scarf from her neck and crossed her arms. “I know you’re jealous of Tariq and me being friends,” she said. “I’ve seen the way you watch us. Why are you jealous?” 

“I’m not,” Lucas insisted. 

“Please, don’t lie again,” Amy groaned. “If you’re jealous, fine. Just talk to me.” 

Lucas sighed and sat down at the table, beckoning for Amy to sit also. She straddled his lap and wound her arms around his neck. “I’ve nearly lost you a few times now, and I just…” 

“You won’t lose me to someone else, Lucas,” Amy interjected. “Tariq is lovely, don’t get me wrong. But you…you still make me go wild.” 

Lucas placed his head on Amy’s chest. “I’m being stupid, I know. You’re the most amazing thing that’s happened, and I’m terrified of losing you.” 

“You won’t,” Amy insisted again. She kissed his head and held him against her. “What do I have to do to make you see that? Even when I become Mrs. North, will that be enough for you? If I really wanted to, I could get insecure and worry that you’re secretly cheating on me with Jo. She’s gorgeous, and you’re out on operations with her regularly. I trust you. Why don’t you trust me?” 

Lucas still had his head on Amy’s chest, basking in the warmth of her and listening to her rhythmic heartbeat. “I don’t trust myself. These nightmares I have sometimes; I’m scared I’ll wake up and hurt you. You don’t want to be with someone who’s broken…like me.” 

“I don’t care if you’re broken. None of us are perfect and whole. I want to spend my life with you, Lucas. Please see that.” 

His blue gaze lifted and he looked at Amy, feeling himself sink into her green depths and beautiful, ethereal smile. They kissed slowly, the heat building, until neither of them could hold back anymore. Within a few minutes, they were making love on the table. Lucas had his jeans around his ankles, his hands holding Amy’s hips in place as he rocked back and forth into her. She groaned his name and brushed her hands through his hair, and then down his back, gripping his skin. 

Once they had finally climaxed and satisfied their lust, Lucas withdrew reluctantly, leaving a soft kiss on her lips. He turned his back to her for a couple of seconds, pulling his underpants and jeans back up. 

“Lucas?” Amy asked. 

Lucas turned back around to see Amy dismounting the table and looking at the slight inconvenience that he had left behind on the floor as it dripped from her. “Yeah?” 

“I don’t even know how to talk to you about this….” 

“What’s the matter?” 

“I…I know I’ve just started with you at section D, but I’m almost thirty three. I want a baby. Since getting with you, it’s become all I think about. It’s as though it never mattered before, but now I just feel like it’s something I need to do. I need to become a mum. I look at you, and I can’t imagine carrying anyone else’s child.” 

Lucas sighed, and slipped his arm around her waist. “We need to talk about this properly because we both know the risks we’re running by staying in the job and bringing children into this. I want a family, too. And I want to honour your want, Aim. I want to give us a baby.” 

“I know. I’d happily give it another year or two, but I won’t put a career before a family. The love you have from your family is what makes you, and that’s irreplaceable. If I quit work tomorrow, I’m replaceable there. So are you. Someone else would be signed on.” 

Amy made Lucas and herself a cup of tea and then sat down at the table. Lucas was holding her hand, his thumb tracing circles across her knuckles. “You’re quiet, Aim. What’s up?” He could see her gaze flitting around the room, not able to rest on him. In the usual way she did when nervous, Amy fiddled with the placemat on the table. 

“I’m…I’m slowing you down, I know I am,” Amy said, sighing. “You love your work, but now you’re with me…” 

“Where has this come from all of a sudden?” Lucas asked, blinking and cocking his head to the side questioningly. “I’ve never said that you’re slowing me down. Amy, you’re the most important thing to me, and I want to marry you. I want to be the father of your baby. Why don’t you think I want that?” 

“I see you at work. You live and breathe MI-5. All your past relationships have been people linked with your job, and then I come along and change that.”

“Not now. You are linked to my job now.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t start out that way. Very few people on the team have families, as in partners and children. It doesn’t work.” 

Lucas sighed. “Amy.” Then he groaned, running his hand through his hair. “Why are you putting this in the way of our future together? I don’t get it.”

“I changed you. Don’t deny it and say I didn’t, because I did.” 

“Yes, and you changed me for the better.” Lucas leaned towards Amy and cupped her cheek. “You’ve got to have more hope than this. You’re stronger than this. We get married, try for a baby, and then realise the job doesn’t fit? We leave. It’s simple. My job was the only thing I had before you, and it was my life. Now, you’re my life.” 

The next day in the office and Amy was given the news that her training would be split into two main components; six weeks in Birmingham and then five weeks in London. Ros sat with Amy, flicking through a file of details. “We don’t have to enter you for surveillance training, but the time in Birmingham will have some surveillance aspects. It’ll be very basic, such as setting up observation points and photography. If you choose to develop later on and go into the field, then you’d need the extensive surveillance training.” 

Amy nodded along. 

“The training starts the second week of February. So we’ve still got you here for a little longer. And on that note, are you still interested in the meal and drinks tomorrow for Christmas?” Ros asked, offering one of her rare smiles. 

“Definitely,” Amy replied. “That’s if Tariq chooses to not stay over.” 

“How has Lucas been since you started with us?” Ros asked, her voice growing a little quieter. 

“He hasn’t said anything else since that day he walked in on us talking about me accepting the offer.”

Ros noticed Amy then look down at the table, unsaid words hanging in the air between them. But she decided not to push the matter any further. 

“Right, well, now that you’re booked onto the training, things seem to be moving properly.”

Amy offered a nervous smile. 

“Oh, and Amy?” 

“Yes?”

“I’m here if you ever want to talk. It doesn’t have to be about the job.” 

“Thank you, Ros.” 

Amy left the small office and sat back down at her desk, only to see Lucas come walking over to her, holding a coffee cup. “I brought you a coffee, love. Everything okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah, Ros was just going through my training schedule. I start off with six weeks in Birmingham.” 

“Oh, bad luck,” Lucas chuckled. 

“Birmingham isn’t that bad. Coventry is hardly a posh area, is it? And that is where little old me hails from. I’ll be back on weekends by the looks of it.” 

Amy sipped her coffee. “I was hoping to go and see Mum and Dad for New Year. Did you want to come up with me?” 

“I don’t think I’m on call then, so yeah.” 

***

Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @linasofia @xxbyimm @knittastically @middleearthpixie @meganlpie @luna-xial @guardianofrivendell @asgardianhobbit98 @eunoiaastralwings @rachel1959 @msjava1972 @missihart23 @quiall321 @lemond57 @mrsdurin @evenstaredits @catthefearless @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @glassgulls @sazzlep @aliasauthor @solairewisteria @littlebird-99 @court-jobi @heilith @absentmindeduniverse @albionscastle @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms

[the-goblin-cat]

whole hog: ayane, the shadow dancing on the wall

the shadow dancing on the wall, in more ways than one... The secondary protagonist of The Dream Quest of Henry Sinclair.

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

I wanted a name that ends in -ne so I looked some up. I almost went with Akane but that means red, and she is literally blue. I mean she looks pink in the image but that's just lighting hush

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

Ayane is, textually, a fictional character. Her book was first published six years prior to the events of Dream Quest. Within the text of her book, she is 16. She has lived her own life over and over for every time that someone has read her book, though her memories of the loops are hazy. As a result she is simultaneously 6, 16, and millions of years old.

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

In the book within a book, Desert Reign, she is in a love triangle with a captive prince named Ramades and a commoner named Amneris. However, neither of them show up in Dream Quest and she has no desire to meet them. Her primary love interest is Henry Sinclair, though she has not expressed romantic interest in him yet.

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

The local style of bread in Kar Zippar is a sort of sourdough flatbread cooked in a wood burning tannour oven. Ayane likes hers with herb butter.

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Ayane is a court musician owned by the villainous Lord Ordog. One may think "that's similar to Kotone," and it's intentional. I wanted to reference my own work in Dream Quest without actually making it a crossover, as I felt that would cheapen the image of Water Maiden. Ayane is the Kotone at home. The shadow on the cave wall

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Mainly she enjoys dreamwalking with Henry, that is, traveling through the dreamlands and having adventures. She is starting to get into guitar.

🎯 🥊-What do they do best?

She is a most talented harpist. Unfortunately she hates it.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Many of her memories from the events of Desert Reign are tainted; thinking about them causes her to doom spiral into existentialism. Her current favorite memory is attending a fair with Henry in The Wald, the fairytale dream marble.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

When her dream marble was taken over by the villainous Ghun, her ownership transferred to him. He spent quite a bit of time tormenting her by telling her about the true nature of her reality and dropping hints that he would sell her to a fan.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

Her first design was Kotone lmao. Currently she wears elegant robes but my vision for her final design includes some modern clothes as she spends more time in the real world.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

It's hard to say. Dream Quest just kind of sprang into my head fully formed.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

Political fantasy, which is what Desert Reign was.

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

She is a cis girl and possibly bi.

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

Only child, as far s she knows.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

She only knew her mother, who taught her to play. They were very close, being foreigners brought to Kar Zippar from a distant land after the fall of their own kingdom. Ayane's mother taught her about her own culture and made her clothes for her, working as the royal seamstress until her death some years before the beginning of the story.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

I like how she took on a life of her own.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

I have written Ayane fairly recently as I wrote a couple new chapters for Dream Quest prior to posting online.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

Nah

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

She has a complex about being fictional

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

The man she hates the most in all the worlds is Ghun. Thankfully he's dead. Probably

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

Last....June? Maybe late May.

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

30? 31? depending on the date. my birthday is in may

[honourablejester]

Thoughts on Druids in Urban Environments

“Purple lichens grow on the bare, blasted rocks of frozen tundras. Fish swim in lightless depths that have never seen the sun. Life grows, and should be encouraged to grow, everywhere. This manufactured landscape is no different.”

“Do you think we have no place here? We are the rats in your walls and the starlings in your eaves and the rain in your gutters. Did you think you could just build a wall and keep nature itself out?”

“Beavers build dams, dragons build lairs, and mortals build cities. It is the way of things. To every creature their dwelling. But all dwellings are fragile, all dwell at the mercy of the forces that surround them. The cities, no less than any other habitat, require guidance and sheltering. And, occasionally, clearing.”

So I’ve been noodling around these sorts of thoughts previously with my homebrew urban druid subclass and thoughts on a green dragon trying to greenify a city. I just really enjoy urban fantasy, in the literal sense of fantasy in urban environments, as well as the noir-influenced genre sense. You can see this in stories like Cityside Fairytale, the idea of nature spirits interacting with the city. I grew up in a river town, you don’t get to avoid nature just because you live in an urban environment.

So. I like the idea of D&D druids being integrated even in the more urban areas of their worlds. Not even as specialist urban druids, but just in general. Quite a few of a baseline druid’s abilities and spells fit very well into a city environment, and some of them have very interesting worldbuilding implications if you tease them out the right way. Heh.

I’m going to be talking about this mostly from a worldbuilding, DM, NPC sort of direction, but there’s maybe inspiration here for player characters as well. Just. Some thoughts, character concepts,  worldbuilding ideas:

Spymaster

Well. Spymasters, spies, city watch, urban infiltrators. Because three things. Wildshape. Speak with Animals. Pass Without Trace. This is a city. Every rat, sparrow, rook and crow are now your eyes and ears. Or you. You can go almost anywhere. You can see almost anything. Magics like nondetection that protect against divination don’t do shit against the 2 million beady eyes watching people come and go. A druid spymaster in a city milieu would nearly be terrifying. Small wildlife is everywhere. And, yes, a druid can only take one shape at a time, and only talk to so many creatures. But the paranoia fuel is exceptional, just from the idea. A druid that’s strategic about it, that has creatures they regularly talk to watching particular hotspots, could cover a lot of a city. A network of druids, a whole spy network, could cover … a lot.

Just. Picture a city, in your world, where the rats are always watching. Sorry. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is one of my favourite fairytales. The rats and the city, and the magic figure at the heart of it. A druid spymaster, a small, grubby figure behind the throne, their eyes and ears spread chittering out across the city. In the gutters, in the streets. Behind the skirting boards. Under your bed. In your eaves, eavesdropping. There are ten rats for every person in the city, and they can talk to all of them. The bats, the starlings, the sparrows too.

And on a smaller scale, this does work for things like investigators, spies, criminal gangs. You’re a city watchman and almost none of your informants are humanoid. You’re a thief who can climb up any drainpipe, hide behind the skirting boards, pull a cloak of shadows around yourself and blend into the brickwork. Why a druid? Because the rats taught you. The shadows hide you. You’re one with the world around you, this habitat build by animals who think they’re smarter than maybe they really are. Dirt, nature, gets everywhere. You thought it was a good lesson to learn.

Beggar Lord/Street Gang/Urchin Leader

Again, inspired mostly by a single spell. Goodberry. Imagine Goodberry in an urban slum. Imagine the implications of being able to feed someone for a day on one berry.

Imagine trading favours on it.

Swing it for good or ill. Feeding the hungry, or extorting them. But a druid has a lot to offer in densely packed, poverty stricken areas. Food and water from the area. Purifying water. Healing. Granted, a cleric has a lot of the same merits. But Goodberry. Goodberry in particular. As I mentioned with Ylin Dos, my villainous druid, it’s such a fascinating spell for implications. You can give a street kid a berry that’ll feed them for a day. What do you charge them for it? (Might link back up to spymaster, above, there).

It can be villainous, extortion. But there’s also room for camaraderie. Support. Beggar networks. If they want to starve us out, we’ll bloom to spite them. If they want to deny us everything, we’ll just make it. Druids have such a theme of growth and survival, and that’s interesting in a city. Weeds growing where they’re not wanted, not supposed to be, and thriving despite anyone’s best efforts. There’s a sort of a theme of urban anarchy and urban support there. You can’t keep nature out. You can’t decide what you want to grow where. Weeds get in. Weeds are supposed to get in. The only thing ‘weed’ means is a plant where you don’t want it to be, but you’re not the only one who gets to decide that. Put some urban druids down at the bottom of urban society, in the cracks in the pavement. People are starving, but nature provides. Even when it isn’t wanted to.

(Seriously, on a worldbuilding level, druids have so many spells that are interesting in urban environments. Purify food and drink. Create or destroy water. Protection from Poison. Lesser Restoration. Detect poison and disease. Think about things like cholera epidemics. Sewage. River water. If you’re in a highly urbanised fantasy world, an extremely developed magical society, city health inspectors. Your entire health department could be druids. Huge chunks of your civic planning departments. Magical CDC. There’s so many options …)

Harbour Master/Dock Master/River Master

This does go back to Carla James in Cityside Fairytale for me, but the epitome of a high-ranking civic position for a druid in a city is Harbour Master, River Master, something similar. Because cities run on rivers, harbours, water, trade. Access to water is a primary consideration for a city, and usually one of the defining factors that determine where they locate and grow. How many of our worlds cities are defined by their relationship to their waterways? And the river giveth, but the river also taketh away. It gives trade, water, access, control, and it costs lives, damage, a steady force eating at the base of everything you build. Water moves, water flows, water floods, water erodes. Cities sink slowly into their lagoons, silt clogs the harbours, waves flood the levees and drown districts whole. Whoever controls the water, in some very real ways, controls the city.

And what class, in D&D, controls the water more?

If you want to give a druid an office in a city. If you want them to be a fundamental, powerful city figure, an overt power in their own right. Harbour Master. River Master. A high ranking, powerful magic user. And, underneath them, whole departments, organisations. (Circles). They protect the city from floods, from waves, from erosion. They direct the currents that guide trade. They defend the harbour from foreign ships. Your ship tries to sneak in or out? Control Water is bringing it right back. They patrol the harbour, the docks. Your water police, your city watch, your river patrol. Some of them can walk on water. Some of them can pretend to be seagulls. Some of them can pick your whole damn smuggler ship up and sit it on the dock next to the Harbour Master’s office.

And, to go back up to the previous point, do consider sewage. Sewers. Cholera epidemics. Flood defenses. Sea defenses. Buried rivers. Storm drains. Consider harbour dredging. Large scale water purification (perhaps even water purification festivals). Cisterns and water storage. Aqueducts, aquifers. Enough drinking water to support the population of a city, where is it brought from, how is it brought, how is stored, how is it accessed? Cities are built around water. As well as, often, in defiance of it. Which can create a certain tension.

Consider the relationship between the river, the city, and the sea. And, thus, between the druids and the government. Cities are fragile, especially when set against raw elemental might. How much power does this River Master hold, and how happy are people about it? How happy are they about it? How they view the city, how does the city view them?

Honestly, you see all these fantasy cities with powerful wizards, because intellect and magic and construction, but you could do so much with a city druid. A city official, in their brown-and-silver robes, their gull-shaped badge of office fixed to their shoulder. Several of them, even. The Harbour Master, the River Master, the Sewer Master. The River Patrol, the City Health Department. And, yes, the Spymaster. Druids are considered the antithesis of the city, the forces of the wilderness in stark contrast to the artifice and civilisation of the city, but honestly druids could run a city. They could keep it alive, keep it afloat. A habitat as delicate as any other, a challenge as harsh as any other.

Nature doesn’t stop at the wall, no matter how much we like to pretend. Maybe druids shouldn’t either. I don’t know, I just really like the idea of urban druids. I like the worldbuilding potential of so many of a druid’s abilities and spells. I like how they meld and contrast with an urban environment. In some ways, a city only gives a druid advantages. Narrow streets and alleyways, for a class that excel at area of effect. A fragile, artificial environment, in the hands of a class that wields raw elemental wrath. A city full of eyes and ears, packed solid with bodies, for a class that can change shape, and that deals with poison and healing in equal measure.

And there’s thematic push and pull too. Weeds in the cracks. Power and protection. Stealth and solidarity. How much is the habitat worth protecting at the cost of everything around it? Did you think you could keep us out? The river giveth and the river taketh away.

I like it. I like the ideas of it. If you have nature magic in a world, it will exist everywhere, not just the most obviously thematically appropriate places. If people exist who can speak to animals, who can control water, who can cast Spike Growth in the middle of urban warfare and decimate an enemy gang unfortunately crammed into the same alley … Well. Then chances are someone will think to do just those things. Some druid somewhere will walk into a city, to see what it’s like if nothing else. Some urchin somewhere will make a connection to the rats, or the water under the stone, or the scrubby weeds that stubbornly push through the cracks and refuse to die, just like them. So. Why shouldn’t a city have as many druids as anywhere else?

The weeds get everywhere. And the water wears away the stone.

[asfearlessasamango]

here i ammmmm i hope this isnt the longest ask ever lol but i cannot overstate how GORGEOUS i find your prose. the phrase “tiredness curls up in each joint like old cats in old corners” is so absolutely evocative and paints such a melancholic, beautiful, rich picture in my mind every time i remember it. i could actually get it tattooed thats how seriously beautiful i find it. most of all i loooooooove the amount of social norms, architectural details, cultural differences etc etc you infused in the story to fill in the gaps of the canon universe. the choice of using of rice paper vs. glass and all the reasoning behind it is the example that comes to mind, but im sure that if i knew more about east asian cultures, i could identify more and more details you scattered throughout the plot to turn this make believe world into a truthful parallel of the real one we have. i can only say bravo. and if you have any recommended reading for homework, i’d love to know more about these references! now back to your writing! one of thee strongest points of the story, for me, is how believable these characters are as people. they feel so fully fleshed out that sometimes it was like intruding on someone’s most private thoughts - even a little painful to keep going, and i mean that in the best way possible! i especially loved the subtle addition of zuko’s ingrained sexism and prejudice against other nations, things that ofc he’s never had reason to unlearn in this universe. he is compassionate, but can be very unkind - seems like a delicate balance, but in your story, it just flows naturally. you inhabit their heads, strengths, flaws and life experiences so well, like sokka’s blind defensiveness when he thinks of himself as helpless, his brashness and ingenuity when he sees zuko more as a puzzle to solve than a person. that goes even people who haven't gotten that much plot attention yet - like azula wearing blue lipstick (!!!!) foaming at the mouth from the thought. OFC she would!!! shes bold, shes confident and shes here to shine + now she allows herself to have fun! do “ugly” and “imperfect” things for fun! and all the parallels between this redeemed azula and the canon zuko we know. your oc who is zuko's guardian, who he calls grandma, hasn't even shown up yet and i already love and miss her. uncle iroh!!!! zuko assuming malice from uncle iroh who only wants the best for him - but ofc he doesnt know that! but we do, and it hurtssss katara and aang!!! the bath scene with aang, zuko’s forced vulnerability, their honesty, aang’s absolute grace towards zuko. suki and the kyoshi warriors! i trust they will get their turn to kick some ignorant prince ass. and the thing that draws me the most to this genre: the exploration of trauma in its aftermath. your storytelling is wonderfully brutal here. like… you draw a white picture by filling in all its shadowy contours…. if that makes sense. all the ways zuko’s life was affected by his father add up to the shape of his hurt. him not eating fatty foods to stay fit and "bend better". recognizing azula in his own reflection instead of himself. wearing his mom’s night clothes. im going feral feral feral whew! in my heart all this would’ve been a very pretty glittery letter sent to your author p.o. box. i love your story and it lives constantly in my imagination - thank you so much for sharing it with the world!!!

ohhhmg.... thank you for this!! i sat on it for a whole minute to respond right! i'm so glad you like it!! i love that you love all these characters' new lives <3 <3

there are so many Very Careful Lines to Walk in doing an ATLA au bc the original characters and cultural stories are really so complex. and i am FAR from an expert on east asian history / cultures but here are a few sources that I found helpful / interesting:

jinian qian's writing for The Millions, especially the articles "The Moon Is Beautiful Tonight: On East Asian Narratives" and "Light in the West and Shadows in the East"

chaoyang trap, which is not at all about ancient china but about very modern chinese cultural existence, especially on the Internet / social media / fandom. I can't say this has directly provided me with a lot of relevant info but it does help me figure out attitude / approaches / how things "translate" into western contexts

and of course there are so many A:TLA blogs that really keep the analytical conversations going and make ao3 as vibrant as it is-- @atlaculture, @boybff, @volkswagonblues, @azularedemptionarcwhen, @chitsangenthusiast, @azulasnailtech, @visit-ba-sing-se, @marriedzukka, @bleekay, @ash-and-starlight, @sokkagatekeeper, @azulapropaganda, @zukkababey, @comradekatara, @ofherlionheart, @chaoticsandstorm

okay i will stop blasting this post into all of atla tumblr's notifs but the above blogs are total Gs, 10/10, would not be as deep into my MFA in a:tla without these trailblazing scholars who went before me

have a lovely vintage kermit meme, mwah

[nyctarian]

ok questions stolen from This Post

How many books did you read this year? Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones? I am currently at 156 books read out of my GR goal of 80, so I met and surpassed my goal by a lot but i include DNFs and this year i read a Lot of short books, several short poetry collections, more graphic novels than i normally do, etc

Did you DNF anything? Why? What is the most over-hyped book you read this year? Yeah lol. If i get bored if a book if something shitty happens if a book is lame etc etc. I started the year desperate for Any book to catch my interest and wasted a lot of time reading very bad romance books recommended by various instagram reels. basically all of the really dumb ig reels romance books that had bad plots annoying characters and a million fans saying it was SoOoOo SwOoOoOnY is most overhyped to Me.

Did you reread anything? What? Notable rereads includes: keturah and lord death by martine leavitt (fun but cheesy as always), book lovers by emily henry (less enjoyable but still good), and Nimona by N.D. Stevenson (which i reread for the first time since i read it in tumblr webcomic format and for the most part held up even if my recollection of what the story was and how it ended was Not Accurate)

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to? Yeag,. I have So Many books i intended to read but either didnt want to start at the wrong time, couldnt find, or just like. Wanted to But Didnt Want to Read.

Any books that disappointed you? yeah lots. one that was annoyingly disappoint was happy place by emily henry bc shes normally a reliable Fun RomCom Author for me but i just could not get into it at all the whole premise annoyed me the characters were annoying etc etc etc. it was annoying bc i knew the plot didnt interest me at all but i was still giving it a chance bc shes a reliable author but then i hated it. there were a few others that i was excited for bc they sounded thoughtful and weird and then they were just shallow and derivative. OH and bitter medicine by mia tsai! i wanted to like it so much and large chunks of it were reallllly good but the swapping pov was just annoying and the main characters felt inconsistent depending on whether they were the pov or not. and the relationship didnt develop well which was annoying bc i really wanted to like it. the girl who fell beneath the sea by axie oh was one that i was really enjoying until the conclusion and then i was like. Oh Okay Guess That Was The Ending, which was Very Annoying to experience lol. oh also not really disappointing comma bad book but disappointing comma not for me was I'll Go On by Hwang Jungeun which just wasnt the type of story i like wasnt enough like one hundred shadows (which, my enjoyment of that one was the only reason i tried it)

What books do you want to finish before the year is over? i have 29 books on my currently reading and i do Not think im finishing most of them before end of year and there are a bunch on there that should be on my year end best list but im just. not gonna finish. this includes stuff ranging from the idiot by elif batuman, untold day and night by bae suah, open city by teju cole, house of cotton by monica brashears, and like. a lot more lol. Trust by Hernan Diaz is on my year end list and my currently reading.....

Did any books surprise you with how good they were? One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun Please Please Please read this book everyone hey everyone have i told you how much you should read this book yet hey everyone!!! a few other Surprising Faves this year but that one is my indisputable #1 book of the year. others that were better then i expected include the invoice by jonas karlsson, mona by pola oloixarac, whereabouts by jhumpa lahiri, fever dream by samantha schweblin, and lots more lol i tried to read Good Books this year bc so many fun books were bad and unenjoyable. my only standout Fun Books That My Brain Liked of the year was the Heaven Official's Blessing series by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

What reading goals do you have for next year? EYE am going to be doing a Lower goal next year even tho i read the most books since i started doing the GR reading challenge but i think im just gonna maintain a baseline goal of 50 books. also i want to clear out my Currently Reading and i want to not have it all cluttered the way it has been for months.

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

Top 5 popular movies you still haven't seen, top 5 movies with the worst costuming, top five comedies, top five movies other people generally dislike that you enjoy

Top Five Movies I haven't Seen:

Vivacious Lady- though I found it at my library yesterday, so I'm watching it tonight or tomorrow!

Deception- A Bette Davis/Claude Rains melodrama where he's the antagonist?? Yes, please!!

Pearl- After watching X a couple weeks ago, I definitely need to see Pearl! I had heard of it, of course, and was originally going to just watch that, since I heard good things...but X was available for free, briefly, and then I discovered that Pearl is a prequel! And it looks like such a cool horror flick.

Lawrence of Arabia- It's been on my list for a long time...but it's so damn long, that it's tough to find the time to watch it!

Deathtrap- It looks like such a fun mystery thriller! And it would be nice to see Christopher Reeve playing someone other than Superman.

Top Five Movies with the Worst Costuming

Little Women (2019)- I mean, I've written about my loathing for this movie and its costumes so many times, it's no surprise that this is number one.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)- Honestly, this isn't a critique of the entire film's costumes...just the two ball gowns, which clash so much with the rest of the fantasy 18th century clothing, and it makes me sad.

Phantom of the Opera (2004)- Another one where the costumes aren't atrocious...but you can tell that they just didn't have much of a budget. So when you compare them to the stage production, everything pales in comparison...especially because the lighting/cinematography is so bright and washed out that you can see everything. The costumes might have looked better if there were more shadows or darkness.

I honestly cannot think of two more movies where the costumes annoy me, so I'm going to make the last two TV Shows!

Reign- I have never seen this show...but...I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that that is not how they dressed in the 16th century.

When Calls the Heart- this show is supposed to be set in the early 1900s.

Top Five Comedies:

The Philadelphia Story

How to Steal a Million

Clue

Drop Dead Gorgeous

The Princess Bride

Top Five Movies you enjoy that other people Generally Dislike

Phantom of the Opera (1943)- I feel like if you're a Phantom purist, you probably don't like this movie, as it changes too much from the book...and I've seen a lot of general "meh" reviews on the movie...I DON'T CARE, I LOVE IT SO MUCH

Drop Dead Gorgeous- Now, I don't think people dislike this movie, in general, but I can totally understand if people don't like it...this one is interesting, because I feel like if you grew up at a very particular time, you love this movie. But I feel like most people who watch it for the first time nowadays don't love it, because there are moments that...have not...aged well. The "r" word gets thrown around a lot...there's one side story where a white girl keeps referring to herself as Asian-American...I can see why it's not for everyone. But as a MN girl who was a teenager when this movie came out, there's no way I cannot love it.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers- Another movie that maybe hasn't aged that great...I feel like this one has a lot more "general dislike", and I totally get why...I just like it for the fun musical numbers and tone, while totally agreeing that on first viewing, there are definitely some issues...I mean, it's about a bunch of brothers that kidnap the girls they have crushes on. I mean, if you examine it, you can talk about how the character of Millie generally takes no shit from her brothers-in-law, and teaches them how to be decent people...but I mostly watch it for the choreography, lol.

Little Women (1949)- I wouldn't say this one is generally disliked; it's just usually put down lower on the list of LW adaptations. People who love the 1933 version call this one a tired retread, people who like the newer adaptations think this one is boring. But there is something about this one that I just love...and it is probably my personal favorite (while admitting that the 1994 film is the best film overall)

Tuck Everlasting- I don't think this film is necessarily hated, but I know it's very different from the book and it changes a lot/leaves stuff out, etc. And I think most people give it an "it's ok, I guess" review, and then promptly forget about it. But I saw this movie before I knew the specifics of the book, and I really enjoyed it. I still watch it every once and a while, and it gives me a bit of nostalgia...and I do think it's a very pretty movie...really nice cinematography and set/costume design.

*This last one was tough, cause I don't have that many "unpopular opinions" when it comes to movies...at least for films that I like (obviously really disliking LW '19 is an unpopular opinion)...so some of my choices were sort of "middle of the road".

[rinoaskyes]

Indie Live Expo - Part 1

Anyone who watches Indie Live Expo from start to finish should receive a Udemy certificate. This year's show was over 5 hours long and hand on heart honesty, I am still getting through it. But just in the first few segments, I've already found some really interesting games I want to highlight so let's get into it!

What is Indie Live Expo?

Indie Live Expo (ILE) is a multilingual multi-broadcast showcase of indie games from around the world. Since it originated in Japan, most of the titles, studios and publishers that participate tend to be Japanese. However in recent years, we've definitely seen a lot of entries from overseas. From the website, it says that ILE has been viewed by over 98 million people with more than 2,600 games introduced.

Here's a link to the YouTube stream if you want to check it out yourself!

There were so many games covered throughout the show with some of them getting prime placement while others barely getting a second a la ADHD flashcards. Below are 10 that caught by eye.

No Case Should Remain Unsolved by Somi

As the name implies, this is a detective game about piecing together fragments of memories to solve a cold case. The case involves a young girl that went missing back in 2012, but is now being reexamined.

I'm really intrigued by what the developers are calling a 'jigsaw puzzle' style reasoning system as it sounds quite different from what I might be used to from games like Ace Attorney or Danganronpa. It seems like it's a really short game too at only 2-3 hours of game play. I really want to pick this title up but I think it would be perfect if it was on the Switch!

SCHIM by Ewoud van der Werf, Nils Slijkerman

This is a 3D platformer about jumping from shadow to shadow! I think that's such a cool concept and I love the calm vibes that the art is exuding. It also has such a unique hand-illustrated look.

Also, according to the developers, a schim is the soul and spirit of an object, thing, or living being. Everything in the world has one. A schim should never be separated from their thing! This does happen to your schim, this schim who is attached to a human being is separated from them early on in the game.

The Star Named EOS by Silver Lining Studio

Just looking at the key art makes me feel so at peace. The Star Named EOS is a story-rich puzzle adventure with a strong theme of photography. You explore the past through photos taken and uncover the truth behind a family mystery. All of the art is hand-drawn and there are puzzles too

It's giving Opus Prism Peak Sigono which I am totally onboard for. I love games that explore meaningful personal stories.

Nightmare Operator by DDDistortion

I don't normally recommend or talk about horror games but the design of the game is too cool to resist! This is a a survival horror shooter about hunting yokai in the haunted ruins of Tokyo. The game has an over-the-shoulder perspective and utilises a low-poly aesthetic that's reminiscent of classic PlayStation games. The locations are inspired by real-world places in Tokyo, tense that's going to freak me out next time I venture outside! DDDistortion is apparently a 5-man team in Tokyo so incredible.

The Many Pieces of Mr Coo by Gammera Nest

This is a surrealist point and click adventure about a character named Mr Coo who is looking for all of his pieces. I really love this genre as it reminds me of old Humongous Entertainment games I played as a kid. The wacky yet lovable vibe of the game also reminds me of comics, Saturday morning cartoons with some fine art touches in the backgrounds.

Ultra Mushroom by TRY GAMES, room6, xemono

"There was once a man who made a billion yen in just three days by running a curry stall here. Our protagonist, inspired by this news, comes to the festival with the ambition of making it big with a mushroom stall (with zero cost mushrooms!)."

How is this not the best intro to a video game ever?! You play as a mushroom hunter/mushroom stall seller trying to make a killing at a festival in the foot of a mountain. There's not a lot of footage on Steam yet but it seems like it'll be a mix of foraging, running the stall and getting to know festival attendees.

There's definitely some psychedelic overtones here if you look at the colour palette of the game and some subtleties (not so subtle) around the special mushrooms you can gather.

Matsuro Palette by SleepingMuseum

A simulation game about surviving seven days with a girl who lives inside a cursed painting. You'll need to successfully paint her portrait by going off cues from past victims. If you make her angry, she'll kill you. There's a lot of painting and art-themed games these days but I haven't seen one that combines some suspense and horror elements.

Just a note that this game came out in 2020, but a remake of it is planned for Spring 2024.

Isles of Sea and Sky by Cicada Games

Set across ancient islands, you start the game as a castaway who must solve puzzles and uncover hidden secrets all without a set path or even any dialogue. The art is very reminiscent of old pixel art games, the music is meditative and atmospheric and the story is said to be deep.

I met the developer, Jason Newman at BitSummit in 2023 back when this game went by a different name. We had a really nice chat about anthropology as this game finds its roots across many different world cultures even if the themes feel universal. The released this month and I've yet to give it a go but I hope to play it soon.

Swappy World by Awakening Games srls

We've seen all kinds of card games but this is the first time I've seen card gameplay be combined with open-world crafting. Each card will help you craft weapons, build your base and explore. The goal is to plan out your resources and interaction points to help you survive for as long as possible. I love how intertwined the cards are with the environment. For example, when the game goes into the nighttime, you'll only be able to see the central card in front of you.

Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis by WSS playground and WHO YOU

Play as a hikikomori girl who is on a permanent high from listening to denpa music in this rhythm-adventure game. Fall into her brain rot as she loses all self-control posting anonymously with the goal of total world annihilation. Yes these are all real words that I riffed off of from the actual game description on Steam.

Where Needy Streamer Overload tries to tell a life lesson about the what it means to seek approval from internet people, YunYun Syndrome seems to go completely all-in insane with this plot and music. Also I think I have a type when it comes to games and it's mental illness and lots of shades of purple.

I'll come back to write a Part 2 after I've made it through the rest of Indie Live Expo!

[chameleonsallinvermillion]

So, after all these years, I've finally watched Star Wars for the first time. Just the first one, mind. And I have Many Thoughts that I shall inflict upon the world. I thought I knew everything about Star Wars just by existing in this world for several years but apparently not.

Darth Vader is just some guy??? I thought he'd be Space Sauron. I thought he'd be this towering intimidating spectre looming like a shadow over everything. Instead he talks and moves like just a regular guy. He's not even that tall. He's not even in charge. He's just a guy in a cape.

There's something absolutely charming about the dated effects that's a bit like watching old-school Doctor Who. The budget is higher than that but some of the earnest attempts with noticeably shoddy outcomes are very pleasing to me.

I honestly thought blowing up the big space orb of death was how the whole trilogy ended. That seems like a culmination. That's a big deal. But they've already done it?? So what are they doing in the other two films???? I was so sure this was the climax of the trilogy!

It is genuinely not clear to me how old Luke is supposed to be, and therefore not clear to me whether I should be reading Han's instant affection for this earnest dorky revolutionary kid as brotherly, romantic, or paternal. Someone tell me if that's meant to be a child or not.

There are very few aliens in this space movie. Like, they had them around. There were some people draped in cloth on the desert planet that were probably aliens. There were all those aliens in the bars. But the empire and the rebels seem to be human all the way. Why? Are they racist? Is space racism going to come up in the next two movies?

The rebels completely bewilder me because they seem both very small and scrappy and hopeless - and very well-funded, trained, and organised with excellent discipline and matching uniforms. I cannot tell whether they're a fly buzzing around the empire's picnic or this is more like a legit civil war.

I thought the gold robot and the tin can robot were the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of this piece but it turns out they're the main characters? Like, sure, once the plot really gets going, the others take up more screentime, but the main character arc seems to belong to the gold robot man and the plot is completely driven by those two. I did not predict that.

Obsessed with how nobody in this universe experiences grief. Farm burns down and only family you've ever known is dead? It's whatever, you're over it already. Entire planet blows up, destroying your home and killing millions of people, probably including most of those you love and care about? Literally never addressed again.

So, like, what were they farming? I think I must have blinked and missed that. What were they farming in the desert?

Han Solo and Chewbacca were less important and less interesting than I expected. I kind of assume they get more to do in the next two movies because I didn't feel like I had time to get to know much about them.

Actually, the only characters I felt I got time to know anything about were the gold robot and the tin can robot. Everyone else was too busy rushing about.

So, am I right in thinking that Luke and Leia turn out to be siblings? I thought I knew that was a plot point but now it feels like they're teasing a potential romantic dynamic between them. If they are siblings, was that always in the plan? Did they intend to have that very YA romance oops-almost-incest moment or was that a last minute choice?

The lack of diversity in this entire galaxy is staggering, even for the '80s, and I wouldn't have even noticed it if there had been enough aliens to distract me. I'm currently pretending to believe wholeheartedly that all the stormtroopers are black women because committing to that is driving my dad nuts and he hates that he can't remember anything (not having seen the films since they were first made) that would 100% prove me wrong. I'm enjoying this bit, but also genuinely why is there so little diversity, both in humans and in other species? Star Trek wasn't like this.

I feel like I was given a lot of exposition and yet I understand absolutely nothing about this world and the mentor-guide is already dead. Presumably - he kind of disappeared in a puff of smoke not leaving a corpse behind but I figure probably dead. I'm not mad about this but I am a bit overwhelmed by how many words have been thrown at me and never explained.

Occasionally the acting is so endearingly stagey and fake, in that slightly old-fashioned low-budget way that makes it seem like a school play, that I kept laughing any time someone had to pretend to die.

At times it genuinely felt like they were making the story up as they went and I love that! It was so messy and it felt like they were improvising around unexpected technical limitations or just time constraints or bad planning. The whole thing had this chaotic playing-pretend-with-your-friends energy that I honestly adored.

The animals! Nobody told me about the animals! Honestly, the animals on the desert planet were the best part of this entire movie. The little jumping rat things?! The big buffalo things with the horns?! The giant desert lizard that a guy was riding on!!!! The desert lizard was only in a few shots but it was my favourite thing about the whole movie and I would be happy to watch this entire franchise if I just got a handful of cool new animals in every one.

Do you get to meet the animals in that theme park they have now? Is there content related to the giant desert lizard that you can ride on? Do we ever see more of them? Do they have a name? I'm very invested in the giant desert lizard

Anyway, those are the things on my mind now that I've finally seen this movie! It was somehow simultaneously everything I thought it was going to be and absolutely nothing like what I had in my head. My predictions for the future are that Han becomes more interesting, Luke gets a cooler outfit, the mafia boss slug man comes back (and hopefully those jazzy little aliens in the band, do they have a spinoff series? they were great), and....hopefully space lizard???

[gigglealongshiney-shadow-watcher]

You're another watcher turned god, right?

-🦈

I am THE Watcher, in fact. I was the first and oldest, and I have become what I was meant to be. The Lady of the In-Between. Mouthpiece and eyes for The Mother. I can give watchers back their ability to interact with the world physically. I wouldn't say I turned good. I've had my fun, I've had enough torture and whispering people into violence to last me a long time. I've done every last thing I could to make every last person I could do what I wanted across a span of time I still don't understand.

I'm trying to do good things because I want a change. It's more involving to make things better. There's a delicious art to the pain you can inflict as even just a voice in their head. To guide a knife without ever touching it, and to sing along without any sense of consequence. There's a rush to seeing the clarity of thought crumble in someone.

But I want more. I want to see my favorites succeed because I've already seen every way they can fail. I'm bored. I need new entertainment. I can BE the entertainment now, so why wouldn't I? I was human once, many of the Watchers were, not all of them, but some. I have hands, so I grab things and hold them close to me.

I have legs so I dance, and I kick, and I stomp them like there is no tomorrow.

I am free from the bonds of bodylessness the curse of being only a voice in the world.

I want to see what happens if I make things better. I can change people now, with my own persuasion and literally. I have disciples, I have followers, I have power. I've already spent a lot of my time in a power trip. I'm bored. I'm so incredibly bored by the similarities and the repeats of timelines in every universe. The constants become a comfort, and then an anchor in the ocean that drags me down into the state of utter boredom. Amusement above all has been the creed and the lifeblood phrase of watchers for so long.

I still live by it. My own amusement, and I am intensely amused by the many trying to improve life. I like seeing them win sometimes. Now that I can bring people from one timeline to another, the possibilities are opening up in front me! I'm no longer trapped with the players I had before. I made someone new. With help I created a brand new life that is now walking among the many I knew better than they knew anything.

I still enjoy a good destructive end, I inflict upon others the horror of being real and able to move and hurt them. Still, I'm tired of trying every combination of people losing their mind to see who they'll kill for me or if they'll just kill themself instead. I'm tired of watching them fall to pieces and end up in the same three places over and over. I'm tired of watching the children I keep talking to me for years grow up and become the same boring people and ignore me. I started a cult once in the name of Shadow. It got boring fast, and I never tried again. Sometimes things are just not interesting anymore.

Now I can make my own characters to play in these stories I've watched play out a million times. Now I can impact them with more than whispers or screams. Now I can be part of the stories and make my own. Why would I waste it on just more pain when I can build something big, something massive?

I'll destroy it eventually, but not the original. I can destroy copies of copies of what I make once I've made it. Once I know how to do it again.

I have human emotions again, and those also make things a little difficult. I care deeply about these little toys I have. About these little people who I love. I don't want to see them bloody, not all the time. If they are to be broken, I Will Break Them. No one else. They are mine, and no one can have them unless they prove they can play nicely.

What's mine is mine. I wasn't able to have anything before. I will not let them be taken away from me now. I'll live through all the lives I didn't before, I'll experience life as a human again, because even resting these feet on the surfaces of the planet brings me joy. I have an entirely new set of senses to work with.

For now I am amused and entertained by things as simple as biting into a strawberry. Eventually I will grow used to the physicality of life again, but that isn't now. So I'll savor every new, interesting, and fulfilling action I can take. I have a body now. I'll use it to its limits. From sex to food to holding people in my arms to ripping heads from bodies and crushing trees under my feet, I will use it. I am a voice no longer, so why would I be wasting this glow of newness on the same things I was doing before? Why would I torture people with words like I have for possibly thousands of years when I can actually consume food?

I haven't turned good. I'm branching into new forms of entertainment and right now making things better is fun. People choosing to listen to me, and to trust me, and to follow me, is fun. Being able to change their bodies into what I need for a good show, is fun. I'm inventing rituals to do things for no reason! They don't need to do funny dances to get my help, but look at how they do it anyways! I get to watch my first disciple and my girlfriend dance in the way I wanted because she loves me. She knows, now, that it's all just to make me happy, and she does it anyways! I get to unleash my creativity that's been building for so long onto the worlds.

I don't have the all knowing presence of my cousins, or the reach they have because there is only one of me in all of existence, but that means I don't have to share with other me's. I can do whatever I want, in fact I've imposed limits on myself to keep from my presence solving everything. That would be boring. I may not infinite power, I have real limits, but I want to see what they do when I don't do everything myself. Just being in these worlds is changing them and giving me a wealth of new situations to look at.

So keep doing what you do, but know that eventually, you will grow bored of even the most beautiful conflicts. There are only so many combinations you can try before the world runs out of new things. Or at least things varied enough to be interesting. Boredom is our chains, you have to try to break them any way you can, and I am free now. I'll make my own ways to fight the creeping feeling of boredom. And I'll keep my brothers and sister happy as I do it.

I am not good, I am bored of watching the same pain again and again. I want...to be good, sometimes. It'll all come down to what I think will give me a fun and entertaining outcome, that will lead to more outcomes. My human emotions help with that, I've found them again, they faded over time. But no, I am not a watcher turned good.

I am myself.

This self will change everything to ensure a lasting source of entertainment.

(ooc, heyyyyy sorry I got really lost in finally displaying the psyche of my watcher, and fun fact, I invented the watcher species myself on accident! I was using my main to talk to thesiblingsoftheblackandwhite and it spread from there, but yeah my stuff is how it happened. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I will never stop being proud and kinda flaunting it because holy cow I actually had an impact on the roleplay sphere of hatchetblr and that is so cool.)

[dertaglichedan]

NEW YORK (AP) — The list of memorable characters and personalities who entered popular culture through cable television is long: Honey Boo Boo. Tony Soprano. Lizzie McGuire. Don Draper. Jon Stewart. Beavis and Butt-Head. Chip and Joanna Gaines. SpongeBob SquarePants.

Pick your own favorites. Chances are there won’t be many more to join them.

Few cable and satellite networks are a force anymore, the byproduct of sudden changes in how people entertain themselves. Several have lost more than half their audiences in a decade. They’ve essentially become ghost networks, filling their schedules with reruns and barely trying to push toward anything new.

Says Doug Herzog, once an executive at Viacom who oversaw MTV, Comedy Central and other channels: “These networks, which really meant so much to the viewing public and generations that grew up with them, have kind of been left for dead.”

(…)

The general interest USA Network’s nightly audience tumbled 69% in the same time span, and that was before January’s announcement that viewer-magnet “WWE Raw” was switching to Netflix.

Without favorites like “The Walking Dead” or “Better Call Saul,” AMC’s prime-time viewership sunk 73%. The Disney Channel, birthplace to young stars like Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff and Selena Gomez, lost an astonishing 93% of its audience, from 1.96 million in 2014 to 132,000 last year.

TBS, TNT, History, Lifetime, FX, A&E, BET, E! Entertainment, SyFy, Comedy Central, VH1 and Discovery have all lost at least half of their 2014 audience.

[interstellar-capitalism]

Storm From The Shadows, post #1

This one begins between the last chapter and epilogue of Shadow of Saganami, and continues with the Talbott cluster storyline, mainly, in the early chapters at least, from the perspective of Admiral Michelle Henke, one of Honor Harrington's friends, who has now been made second in command of the Talbott military force, after getting captured by the Havenite navy and being prisoner exchanged as part of a Havenite bid to create a peace summit. Now it looks like their may be an armistice between Haven and Manticore, just in time for the Manties to get into a war with the massive and corrupt Solarian League. We also get an early chapter from the perspective of one of the Dettweilers, the founding family of Manpower, the genetic slave company on Mesa. Their long term plans for controlling interstellar politics is not just to protect their criminal enterprise, we learn, but mainly to allow them to advance their secret plot, which has something to do with using genetic engineering to some end that is not fully realized, but that they intend to bring to fruition soon.

Altogether a solid story in terms of action. But this blog is mainly about the economic and political situations in space opera settings, so let's circle around to that. The Manties are reformatting their government from a star kingdom--a nation which takes up a planet and has a star system sized territory, as far as I can tell--into a star empire, which will have a government with jurisdiction that is not just Manticore, but the Talbott cluster, and also another place called Silesia. How that is going to work is a question I am interested in learning about.

As I am picking up the series partway through, as it were, Weber does not take time to describe much of how Manticore's political system works. There are references to a previously in power government that tried to cut back the military budget, and one that made sweetheart deals with donors, and this is treated as bad, but we are given very little sense that corruption is something the government has any mechanisms to suppress. Despite many of the characters having noble titles, there is no description of the way manticoran peerage works. Nor is the relation between Grayson and Manticore fully ennumerated. It seems I will have to do a wiki dive for that info.

One thing that caught my attention is the conspicuous cost of all of these warships. These guys are blowing up ships that are described as being several million tons apiece. They are also having to expand their production of warships from enough to defend one star system and a wormhole and send a fleet or task force to neighboring systems or their enemies in the same region of space, to enough ships to defend their home system, a dozen other systems on the other side of a wormhole, and both ends of that wormhole. They mention getting materials from the asteroid belt in their system, but how many of these huge ass ships are they able to make, given that every time one of them gets exploded, a significant amount of mass probably gets flung into the unrecoverable void even if they salvage their wrecks? The entire planet earth produced 1.8 billion tons of steel last year, so if we said in the future they could bring that up to 2 billion, a 1 million ton space ship would represent raw material resources comparable to 1/2,000th of the yearly output of a planet (I understand this is not fully accurate since these warships are made of more than just iron, I am just illustrating a ballpark sense of just how many resources must go into these warships). Every ship they make is a vast investment of resources into destruction.