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clochanamarc · 4 months

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u get another teaser drabble for what's to come in 2024 for aisling and the squad, but before i dive into it: this year is a whole JOURNEY, yk? a real saga of so many parts for aisling and the family and ur muses too (if u want!! bc i very much want ye to feel like u can be involved!) but this is like. i've been so excited abt this for so long, and that's all i wanna say atm, but i will be making a post to outline stuff if y'all wanna plot smth involved w this year's overall arc!

she's never driven as fast as this in her life. rubber burning, tires defying every natural law of physics as they power through puddles and thin air and loose gravel to bring her to the blooming flower of smoke that protrudes from the familiar block. the police have already set up the tape, not for a crime scene but rather to keep the others safe, when she skids to a halt next to them, abandoning the keys in the ignition, door open, knowing nobody would be stupid enough to steal it tonight.

" will! " she's racing forward, and the officer instinctively lifts a hand. " where are they?! "

" aisling-- "

" where?! " she's about to move past him, but he plants a hand on her shoulder with admittedly lacking wisdom. adrenaline and terror and trauma collide. she catches his wrist, twists it down and away from her arm, and uses a swirl of energy to pin him down against the bonnet of a police car.

" wait! dammit, wait, wait, wait! " he's yelling, his free hand waving out frantically, and it takes a second for her to grasp that he isn't speaking to her, but to the alarmed back-up who take positions and size her up, a hair away from a chaotic choice. " she's alright! she's fine, ais, you're okay, i'm sorry, let me explain-- "

" where the hell are they?! " she's releasing him, brushing past the others like flies, when she sees a familiar face emerging from the rubble of the diner. " woo-- "

" alright, let's all just take a second... jones, we found seven of the kids. they're fine, they're unharmed. well... eli dislocated an arm, but-- "

" i have eight children. "

" ... you still do, yes. but aisling, we... we need to talk about that-- "

" what... " she's not sure which way is up anymore. jimmy has an arm outstretched, but her gaze is fixed on the destruction around them. blackened bricks. scorched rubble. veins of darkness that spiral across the tarmac. metal lampposts twisted and contorted. her fingertips catch on a piece of lightly melted tinsel, flames reflecting against the cheap gleam of the plastic. " who's missing? " nobody answers her. nobody wants to say it. her hands curl into tight fists, and she turns, eyes filled with tears of heartbreak and rage and disbelief. " who did he take, woo? "

" well... that's just it, jones. aisling... mister kelly was not responsible for this. they did. they fled shortly after, and... there's something else you should know. "

" you're not making any sense; you mean one of my kids did this? one of my kids melted concrete and levelled a four storey building? "

" please. aisling-- "

" aisling. " the voice alone drives her stomach into the ground. he's standing in the hazy smoke, soot and dust staining the holy collar, black shirt crumpled from the madness. oisín. the boy who forgot. the man who remembers. the lost-and-found brother who opens out his arms, and places her in a gentle, feather-light embrace. " i need you to listen now... "

" no. " her voice betrays the full measure of fear and devastation that besieges her heart. but he won't let her pull away; he holds her tighter, and places a gentle hand on the back of her head, voice thick with tears.

" he's gone, ais. i'm sorry-- "

" shut up, shut up, don't you-- oisín, please, please-- "

" he's dead. "

she's crying, and her legs give out beneath her, but he holds her upright, forcing her to bear it all. " don't do this- "

but he has to.

and so he does.

" stanley's dead. "

#drabble.#death tw #death mention tw #( i'll say this tho: it's not what it seems )#( that's all u get )#( also like )#( it's not an event that happens NOW )#( this actually happens in april but i want to set it up for u <3 )#( just to show the stakes and the themes )#( plus it's so important to me that aisling isn't the only main character )#( the moving pieces and parts and players in this are all so vital )#( and also i got angsty while listening to hoz.ier so this is the drabble )

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daisywords · 8 months

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it's been raining all day here and I've been drawing with 2008 doctor who in the background

#envy me #anyway last night I went to get started making wip pages #but then I ended up changing my blog theme #and then I finally added a background to my icon so you can see it lol (although it's not showing the latest version for some reason?)#and then I browsed for page themes and tried a couple #but I couldn't find one I wanted so I think I'm going to try to do it from scratch #(well not entirely from scratch more like skeletonize a few and then frankenstein them together and build from there)#but then I was like #you know what I'm going to want to put on the page? character portraits #so now I'm doing that lol #I would chastise myself for getting sidetracked but that's the point of a low-stakes creative endeavor #I am just here to make things and have fun

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carelesscuriosity · 6 months

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Captain Laserhawk kinda sucked? It felt like an ip-focused cash grab that didn’t actually have anything meaningful to say covered with a coat of cyberpunk paint

#captain laserhawk #captain laserhawk spoilers #captain laserhawk hate #<- ig i don’t rlly hate the show just think it could’ve been better #so the tags so ppl can mute me lol #anyway it was rlly lame thematically and kept deflating any buildup by killing ppl #im sorry but the board of directors reveal? just some group of shadowy ppl controlling everything in a surveillance state? weird choice #like cyberpunk is an inherently anticapitalist genre so the fact that this show just didn’t touch on that theme at all #… i blame it on the show being an ubisoft property designed to remind u of their games/products #if a singular rando super soldier can take out the entire army in a day then what even are the stakes #if it’s supposedly a surveillance state and oppressive regime then why is the literal military force not even a threat #‘ubi’ is probs a reference to ubisoft but meaning ‘universal basic income’ in-universe? sideeye…#so many of these thoughts are sporadic but tbh i think my issues rlly can be summarized as: the show shouldn’t have been billed as cyberpunk #cyberpunk is a scifi subgenre and while laserhawk was scifi it sure as hell wasn’t cyberpunk #outside of the visual aesthetic it just fails the genre as a whole

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swingsetindecember · 2 years

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look, there aren’t that many female lead sports films. a league of their own means a lot to a lot of girls. i just wish they spent more time on the show about the actual baseball and how amazing it was for women. the show just uses it as backdrop and it’s a missed opportunity

#so many of my friends wanted to show the show to girls but the show isn't about baseball or succeeding against all odds as a team #it's really just about whiny white women who act like it's 2020s instead of 1940s #a league of their own #my coworkers girls play fast ball and a league of their own is their fav film sadly the show is not the same #i read a review that said : The result is a show that feel less like a lived-in story than like a reverential “A League of Their Own”-themed #and thats it #the show isnt a sports drama #they dont even talk about the games #like we barely see them play #argh #i feel that the writers want flowers for writing this but they don't land scenes or moments its just poorly done with everyone's story #and it frustrates me because i want to care but like i don't care about carson or greta or even max because they are really just selfish #and not lifting any other women with them #they dont build the charaacters #like glow used the ensemble better and just also did complex stories so like a league of their own is just disspointing #they are so oblivious to everything and like its the 1940s and just feels like the writers dont know how to write stakes #like they dont address the racism they just are like the roosevelt order lets us be here and thats it #srsly just bad writing #nothing is earned #like carson becomes coach #why?#literally no reason #max gets a job at the factory #becomes shift lead #doesn't care #its just frustrating

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icharchivist · 2 years

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laughing at people talking about the lgbt rep in gbvs and specifically avoiding talking about Belial. Like, making a list of the lgbt chara and not mentioning Belial.

We know he is toxic rep but own up to it. Belial didn’t give us the most fascinating arc of toxic devotion through death and lack of self worth to become the most beloved and incredible antagonist of the saga for u to not count him just because he’s a baddie. Who hasn’t started two apocalypses for their lover once anyway.

#mister is out there whoring himself out showing his sideballs and he's not even put on rep lists despite being a hero of fanservice #like booo where's our representation for messy bitches who can't handle a break up did you think of that #(trying to resist getting serious in the tags about how it's fine he's toxic since he's a foil to Sandalphon who's also gay and not toxic)#(like yknow when it's clearly narratively driven and not because 'eheh gay scary')#But i don't want to be serious while the other reason is just that i think Belial being toxic makes him hella fun sorry he's not boring #also apparently another fighting game from the same company that distribute gbvs has added a second trans chara to their rooster #so that's why now i see so many tweets about the lgbt rep in gbvs #but booo coward move to ignore belial com'on #ichatalks about gbf #ichasalty #also it's really funny bc it's like no mention of Belial but mentioning Vira as 'feral lesbian'#i'm so glad we moved past accusing Vira of being toxic rep but this is such a whiplash as well #also ultimately my ultimate serious take is that #the lgbt charas in granblue especially are so fleshed out as individuals that it's about them as characters #not as arbitrary 'good' or 'bad' rep #(ofc to some exceptions and esp like. mishandled stuff. but that's not the topic rn)#they have flaws because they're fleshed out #some of them have horrible flaws because this is a story with stakes as high as corrupting powers and apocalypses #and themes that escape the limits of human limitations (re: primal beasts losing it to immortality and purpose)#sometimes to allow chara to be interesting and fleshed out in depth you have to accept they won't be entierely positive rep and it's fine #it's about whenever they make the narrative interesting #GOD I SAID I DIDNT WANT TO GET SERIOUS IN THE TAGS #belial makes me think unwise don't start weird stuff in my replies thanks bye

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womanaction · 1 year

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I love the diversity of opinions in the btvs fandom but Buffy vs Dracula rules ok

#beginning of my favorite season #establishes quest to learn more about being the slayer which ends in Buffy REDEFINING what it means #twice technically both here and in s7 #sets stakes for the season - the big bad will be someone bigger and badder than DRACULA #also establishes what hot shit Buffy is in universe lol #DAWN SHOWS UP #like idk it’s probably the most campy and fun episode that season except maybe triangle #but to me it also establishes the themes not just of the season but of the rest of the show #btvs

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redgoldsparks · 8 months

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My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.

So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.

Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.

It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."

Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3

Maia Kobabe, 2023

The Nib

#maia kobabe #banned books #library funding #comics #book challenges

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6ebe · 1 year

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nearly finished black sails season 3 🤨🤨🤨

#some of the best dialogues and themes and questions raised of this whole show but the way it drags ?#they could have dropped 2 episodes I swear I need this season over 😭#like I don’t have any huge complaints but I’m sure I would on rewatch #the pace just feels like it’s dragging #every silly annoying sideplot has a use bc the plot is dense and well constructed #I just feel like it could have been tighter idk #like I feel like this is the season I’ve enjoyed least so far #season 2 is above and beyond just absolutely stunning #s3 isn’t anywhere near BAD like sometimes it’s so GOOD and profound it catches me off guard but also ??#I think I also care less for the plot #s2 had a gripping narrative arc AND personal arc with the flashback storyline and such #the stakes were smaller ? but that felt greater ? more grounded ? idk #I miss the emotional arc like sure I enjoyed flints su*cidal era but #the scenes with him and Miranda didn’t hit like I think they’re meant to sndhdjfkf #also Thomas isn’t even a ghost in this season he’s barely mentioned it’s like #grief begets grief. Miranda’s death would only make Thomas hurt more ? it’s weird she’s like #the only one being mentioned #ofc she’d be the greatest loss but it’s like. the loss of those who know him now is complete #the people who knew and cared for Thomas are all gone like it all tied up #and Thomas is nothing now except an occasional plot device #it’s like they’re trying to het-ify that whole thing trying to make us forget 😭🤣🤣#ah well #no bc their whole continuing relationship was so much about THOMAS why is he not here #like sure don’t pay the actor but like mention smth ? 😭😭 other than ‘damn Thomas wanted this plot devise’ 💀#OH AND. I want flint to be depressed again like I get having a purpose and doing violence distracts him and is what makes him function #but are we going to get no more conflict and emotion like give me sooooomething #I love the pretty words but I need some emotional connection #that’s a minor complaint bc it was great at the beginning of the season and I’m sure it’ll come back #it just feels like it petered out with no satisfactory conclusion

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derinwrites · 16 days

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The Three Commandments

The thing about writing is this: you gotta start in medias res, to hook your readers with action immediately. But readers aren’t invested in people they know nothing about, so start with a framing scene that instead describes the characters and the stakes. But those scenes are boring, so cut straight to the action, after opening with a clever quip, but open in the style of the story, and try not to be too clever in the opener, it looks tacky. One shouldn’t use too many dialogue tags, it’s distracting; but you can use ‘said’ a lot, because ‘said’ is invisible, but don’t use ‘said’ too much because it’s boring and uninformative – make sure to vary your dialogue tags to be as descriptive as possible, except don’t do that because it’s distracting, and instead rely mostly on ‘said’ and only use others when you need them. But don’t use ‘said’ too often; you should avoid dialogue tags as much as you possibly can and indicate speakers through describing their reactions. But don’t do that, it’s distracting.

Having a viewpoint character describe themselves is amateurish, so avoid that. But also be sure to describe your viewpoint character so that the reader can picture them. And include a lot of introspection, so we can see their mindset, but don’t include too much introspection, because it’s boring and takes away from the action and really bogs down the story, but also remember to include plenty of introspection so your character doesn’t feel like a robot. And adverbs are great action descriptors; you should have a lot of them, but don’t use a lot of adverbs; they’re amateurish and bog down the story. And

The reason new writers are bombarded with so much outright contradictory writing advice is that these tips are conditional. It depends on your style, your genre, your audience, your level of skill, and what problems in your writing you’re trying to fix. Which is why, when I’m writing, I tend to focus on what I call my Three Commandments of Writing. These are the overall rules; before accepting any writing advice, I check whether it reinforces one of these rules or not. If not, I ditch it.

1: Thou Shalt Have Something To Say

What’s your book about?

I don’t mean, describe to me the plot. I mean, why should anybody read this? What’s its thesis? What’s its reason for existence, from the reader’s perspective? People write stories for all kinds of reasons, but things like ‘I just wanted to get it out of my head’ are meaningless from a reader perspective. The greatest piece of writing advice I ever received was you putting words on a page does not obligate anybody to read them. So why are the words there? What point are you trying to make?

The purpose of your story can vary wildly. Usually, you’ll be exploring some kind of thesis, especially if you write genre fiction. Curse Words, for example, is an exploration of self-perpetuating power structures and how aiming for short-term stability and safety can cause long-term problems, as well as the responsibilities of an agitator when seeking to do the necessary work of dismantling those power structures. Most of the things in Curse Words eventually fold back into exploring this question. Alternately, you might just have a really cool idea for a society or alien species or something and want to show it off (note: it can be VERY VERY HARD to carry a story on a ‘cool original concept’ by itself. You think your sky society where they fly above the clouds and have no rainfall and have to harvest water from the clouds below is a cool enough idea to carry a story: You’re almost certainly wrong. These cool concept stories work best when they are either very short, or working in conjunction with exploring a theme). You might be writing a mystery series where each story is a standalone mystery and the point is to present a puzzle and solve a fun mystery each book. Maybe you’re just here to make the reader laugh, and will throw in anything you can find that’ll act as framing for better jokes. In some genres, readers know exactly what they want and have gotten it a hundred times before and want that story again but with different character names – maybe you’re writing one of those. (These stories are popular in romance, pulp fantasy, some action genres, and rather a lot of types of fanfiction).

Whatever the main point of your story is, you should know it by the time you finish the first draft, because you simply cannot write the second draft if you don’t know what the point of the story is. (If you write web serials and are publishing the first draft, you’ll need to figure it out a lot faster.)

Once you know what the point of your story is, you can assess all writing decisions through this lens – does this help or hurt the point of my story?

2: Thou Shalt Respect Thy Reader’s Investment

Readers invest a lot in a story. Sometimes it’s money, if they bought your book, but even if your story is free, they invest time, attention, and emotional investment. The vast majority of your job is making that investment worth it. There are two factors to this – lowering the investment, and increasing the payoff. If you can lower your audience’s suspension of disbelief through consistent characterisation, realistic (for your genre – this may deviate from real realism) worldbuilding, and appropriately foreshadowing and forewarning any unexpected rules of your world. You can lower the amount of effort or attention your audience need to put into getting into your story by writing in a clear manner, using an entertaining tone, and relying on cultural touchpoints they understand already instead of pushing them in the deep end into a completely unfamiliar situation. The lower their initial investment, the easier it is to make the payoff worth it.

Two important notes here: one, not all audiences view investment in the same way. Your average reader views time as a major investment, but readers of long fiction (epic fantasies, web serials, et cetera) often view length as part of the payoff. Brandon Sanderson fans don’t grab his latest book and think “Uuuugh, why does it have to be so looong!” Similarly, some people like being thrown in the deep end and having to put a lot of work into figuring out what the fuck is going on with no onboarding. This is one of science fiction’s main tactics for forcibly immersing you in a future world. So the valuation of what counts as too much investment varies drastically between readers.

Two, it’s not always the best idea to minimise the necessary investment at all costs. Generally, engagement with art asks something of us, and that’s part of the appeal. Minimum-effort books do have their appeal and their place, in the same way that idle games or repetitive sitcoms have their appeal and their place, but the memorable stories, the ones that have staying power and provide real value, are the ones that ask something of the reader. If they’re not investing anything, they have no incentive to engage, and you’re just filling in time. This commandment does not exist to tell you to try to ask nothing of your audience – you should be asking something of your audience. It exists to tell you to respect that investment. Know what you’re asking of your audience, and make sure that the ask is less than the payoff.

The other way to respect the investment is of course to focus on a great payoff. Make those characters socially fascinating, make that sacrifice emotionally rending, make the answer to that mystery intellectually fulfilling. If you can make the investment worth it, they’ll enjoy your story. And if you consistently make their investment worth it, you build trust, and they’ll be willing to invest more next time, which means you can ask more of them and give them an even better payoff. Audience trust is a very precious currency and this is how you build it – be worth their time.

But how do you know what your audience does and doesn’t consider an onerous investment? And how do you know what kinds of payoff they’ll find rewarding? Easy – they self-sort. Part of your job is telling your audience what to expect from you as soon as you can, so that if it’s not for them, they’ll leave, and if it is, they’ll invest and appreciate the return. (“Oh but I want as many people reading my story as possible!” No, you don’t. If you want that, you can write paint-by-numbers common denominator mass appeal fic. What you want is the audience who will enjoy your story; everyone else is a waste of time, and is in fact, detrimental to your success, because if they don’t like your story then they’re likely to be bad marketing. You want these people to bounce off and leave before you disappoint them. Don’t try to trick them into staying around.) Your audience should know, very early on, what kind of an experience they’re in for, what the tone will be, the genre and character(s) they’re going to follow, that sort of thing. The first couple of chapters of Time to Orbit: Unknown, for example, are a micro-example of the sorts of mysteries that Aspen will be dealing with for most of the book, as well as a sample of their character voice, the way they approach problems, and enough of their background, world and behaviour for the reader to decide if this sort of story is for them. We also start the story with some mildly graphic medical stuff, enough physics for the reader to determine the ‘hardness’ of the scifi, and about the level of physical risk that Aspen will be putting themselves at for most of the book. This is all important information for a reader to have.

If you are mindful of the investment your readers are making, mindful of the value of the payoff, and honest with them about both from the start so that they can decide whether the story is for them, you can respect their investment and make sure they have a good time.

3: Thou Shalt Not Make Thy World Less Interesting

This one’s really about payoff, but it’s important enough to be its own commandment. It relates primarily to twists, reveals, worldbuilding, and killing off storylines or characters. One mistake that I see new writers make all the time is that they tank the engagement of their story by introducing a cool fun twist that seems so awesome in the moment and then… is a major letdown, because the implications make the world less interesting.

“It was all a dream” twists often fall into this trap. Contrary to popular opinion, I think these twists can be done extremely well. I’ve seen them done extremely well. The vast majority of the time, they’re very bad. They’re bad because they take an interesting world and make it boring. The same is true of poorly thought out, shocking character deaths – when you kill a character, you kill their potential, and if they’re a character worth killing in a high impact way then this is always a huge sacrifice on your part. Is it worth it? Will it make the story more interesting? Similarly, if your bad guy is going to get up and gloat ‘Aha, your quest was all planned by me, I was working in the shadows to get you to acquire the Mystery Object since I could not! You have fallen into my trap! Now give me the Mystery Object!’, is this a more interesting story than if the protagonist’s journey had actually been their own unmanipulated adventure? It makes your bad guy look clever and can be a cool twist, but does it mean that all those times your protagonist escaped the bad guy’s men by the skin of his teeth, he was being allowed to escape? Are they retroactively less interesting now?

Whether these twists work or not will depend on how you’ve constructed the rest of your story. Do they make your world more or less interesting?

If you have the audience’s trust, it’s permissible to make your world temporarily less interesting. You can kill off the cool guy with the awesome plan, or make it so that the Chosen One wasn’t actually the Chosen One, or even have the main character wake up and find out it was all a dream, and let the reader marinate in disappointment for a little while before you pick it up again and turn things around so that actually, that twist does lead to a more interesting story! But you have to pick it up again. Don’t leave them with the version that’s less interesting than the story you tanked for the twist. The general slop of interest must trend upward, and your sacrifices need to all lead into the more interesting world. Otherwise, your readers will be disappointed, and their experience will be tainted.

Whenever I’m looking at a new piece of writing advice, I view it through these three rules. Is this plot still delivering on the book’s purpose, or have I gone off the rails somewhere and just stared writing random stuff? Does making this character ‘more relateable’ help or hinder that goal? Does this argument with the protagonists’ mother tell the reader anything or lead to any useful payoff; is it respectful of their time? Will starting in medias res give the audience an accurate view of the story and help them decide whether to invest? Does this big twist that challenges all the assumptions we’ve made so far imply a world that is more or less interesting than the world previously implied?

Hopefully these can help you, too.

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edenianprincess · 5 months

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INTRO !! ❤︎ ׄ Dialogues Intros .ᐟ

Dialogues intros about characters’ relationships with a gender neutral!reader. Characters chosen are Johnny, Bi-Han, Kenshi and Kitana. Content warning: very slight suggestive theme in 2 dialogues. There’s a small bonus angst part for Bi-han but the rest of his dialogues is taking place in a world where he didn’t betray his brothers. Please, respond to the poll at the end!

Johnny ! Mirror Dialogues

You: Two of us? There can only be one. You: Yeah, if Johnny see this he’ll go nuts.

You: Jo-Johnny?! But how?! You: Hollywood makeup, darling.

Johnny: Let’s be real, Y/n would totally prefer me. Johnny: You got balls to say this as a copycat.

Johnny ! At each other

You: Are you ready to show me off your skills in kombat? Johnny: Real question is, are YOU ready to be impressed by my skills?

You: Just because I’m your partner doesn’t mean I have to watch every of your movies. Johnny: Who said the only thing we were going to do is watch?

You: The model who talked to you, she wanted what? Johnny: Who cares, is someone jealous?

Johnny: Win this, Doll, and I’ll show my biiiig surprise for you. You: Let’s not waste time then, and just show me it now.

Johnny: I’ve got to say, I never went on a date as odd as this one. You: Could you please focus, Johnny.

Johnny: I may be the outlaw, darling. But you're the one stealing my heart. You: From which movie did you steal the line this time?

Johnny ! With other characters

Mileena: How can you have a partner with your pride is beyond me. Johnny: You know how many people wish to be at their place?

You: Why do you want to train with me that much? It has been a week now. Smoke: I just need to work on my technique, and you’re the best fighting partner!

Smoke: I don’t think I can hold on much longer, they’re starting to doubt something. Johnny: Please Smoke, my man, I just need a bit more time.

You: How is working with Johnny? Kenshi: Even the Yakuza didn’t make me work that much.

Johnny: Will you accept to be my best man for the wedding if Y/n says yes? Kenshi: It would be an honor.

Scorpion: The Shirai Ryu are in need of members. You: I can advise you Johnny’s paparazzis, they sneak into your privacy without your knowing.

Liu Kang: I’m glad to see your heart has open again. Johnny: I’m thankful for what Cris taught me but Y/n is without a doubt my soulmate.

Kung Lao: How is it like to live in a big celebrity’s house? You: Depends which house are we talking about.

Bi-Han ! Mirror Dialogues

You: There’s still a chance of redemption for your Bi-Han. You: Wait, what happened to yours?

You: Bi-Han wouldn’t be able to handle two of us. You: That’s why there should only be one left.

Sub-Zero: Y/n made you soft. Sub-Zero: We’ll see who is soft when your face meets my cold fist.

Bi-Han ! At each other

You: I don’t ask you to abandon your duties, just show that you care for me. Sub-Zero: Everything I do is for the Lin Kuei and you.

You: Do we really need to fight? I wouldn’t want to ruin that handso- Sub-Zero: Not in front of the new recruits.

You: Do I really need to train that much? Sub-Zero: I won’t gamble on your life to know the answer.

Sub-Zero: You’re spending too much time with the actor. You: You know he isn’t cooler than you.

Sub-Zero: You’re not my Y/n. You: I’m here to stop you before the shadows take over you.

Sub-Zero: How dare you call me with your foolish names in front of the champions?! You: *laughs* Let it go, Bi-Han.

Bi-Han ! With other characters

Kung Lao: Should I go easy on Babi Han? Sub-Zero: I’ll put your head on an ice stake!

Johnny: Seriously, him?! What does he has that I don’t? You: It’s more about what you have that he doesn’t.

Raiden: You… having a partner. That’s quite the amazement. Sub-Zero: And what is that supposed to mean?

Smoke: He didn’t even yell this time, how did you pacify him? You: A magician never reveals their secret.

Kitana: I see that this cold heart has finally melt. Sub-Zero: Don’t think this made me weak.

Liu Kang: You kept Bi-Han away to deflect towards the wrong path. You: I’m always looking out for him.

Scorpion: I’m really happy for you to have found your one, brother. Sub-Zero: With them by my side, the Lin Kuei can only flourish.

You: I am concerned for Bi-Han, do you think he’ll stay stable? Geras: This will depend on your actions.

Bi-Han ! Angst part

You: How could I feel a part of the Lin Kuei, when you reject your own brother? Sub-Zero: Tomas won’t be the one to insure the clan’s future.

You: You put more trust in this sorcerer than in me. Sub-Zero: It’s not about trust, it’s about glory.

Sub-Zero: We could have ruled together. You: Indeed, and you ruined everything.

Scorpion: You were lucky to have found someone like them, and you had to crush their feelings. Sub-Zero: They were lucky I deemed them as worthy.

You: I'm sorry for his words, I'm trying to resonate with him. Smoke: I've stopped caring about what he says a long time ago.

Kenshi ! Mirror Dialogues

You: Do you think if we switch places he’ll notice? You: We have to try that!

You: Your Kenshi has lost his sight too? You: This man really should try to protect his eyes better.

Kenshi: My Y/n died in my timeline. Kenshi: And you think I’ll let you this one?

Kenshi ! At each other

You: You may have lost the tournament but you’re the champion of my heart. Kenshi: *laughs* Since when did you become that cheesy?

You: Here comes the man in black. Kenshi: I know you love it when I wear that suit.

You: I wish I could have been here to protect you. Kenshi: You already do a lot for me, and I can’t be more grateful.

Kenshi: Wait, it’s not Johnny who told everyone I’m the best swordsman in Earthrealm? You: I’m simply sharing my honest opinion.

Kenshi: Don’t go easy on me. You: So, just like last night?

Kenshi: I feel like my past with the Yakuza is haunting me again. You: This time, we will fight together against them, mentally or physically.

Kenshi ! With other characters

Johnny: Have you seen the new hottie? Totally would sm- Kenshi: You don’t want to finish that sentence.

Kung Lao: So, I conclude it wasn’t love at first sight with Kenshi, eh? You: Very funny, Kung Lao.

Johnny: I swear, I didn’t know they were your spouse. Kenshi: Hmp.. as if you care for that.

You: Are you sure you’re up to fight? I wouldn’t want to match my husband. Mileena: Why, wouldn’t that be adorable?

Reiko: Should I steal your magic sword to see how quick you’d die? Kenshi: An angry spouse is deadlier than Sento and believe me, you don’t want that.

You: You’ll pay for what you did. Shang Tsung: I wasn’t the one to blind your lover.

Ashrah: I can only sense sincerity in your lover’s heart. Kenshi: They have helped me in many ways.

General Shao: Once I find your partner, he’ll lose more than his sight. You: Too bad you’ll have to pass over my dead body first.

Kitana ! Mirror Dialogues

You: Do you really think Kitana would fall for your tricks, Shang Tsung? You: I just need to make sure I’m the only one remaining, first.

You: I don’t think I want to share Kitana even with another me. You: How strange, I was thinking the same thing.

Kitana: Y/n doesn’t exist my timeline. Kitana: I wouldn’t be able to imagine a life without them.

Kitana ! At each other

You: How about we go at Madam Bo’s after this fight? Kitana: It will be a pleasure to go with you. I’ve heard only great things.

You: Your fighting is just as graceful as your look. Kitana: Flattery will get you nowhere, beloved.

You: How about a double date with Mileena and Tanya after this fight? Kitana: Are you suggesting that I should date my sister and her lover..?

Kitana: I have lost sight of you in the fight against the titans. You: Don’t worry, we can’t get rid of me that easily.

Kitana: Leading the army can sometime become overwhelming. You: Rest is important even for someone as competent as you.

Kitana: *laughs* Do not fret, my sister does not bite. You: Yes, she does.

Kitana ! With other characters

Mileena: While I respect you if I learn that you’re toying with my sister, I’ll- You: Rip my face apart?

Kitana: Sister, please, trust my judgment on Y/n. Mileena: I’m just making sure of that.

You: Your daughter is truly a wonder. Sindel: She takes a lot from her mother.

Sindel: Is this lover of yours worthy to be by your side? Kitana: I deem them as so, mother.

Raiden: I’m really happy for you and the Princess. You: Is that so? Why do I hear disappointment in your voice.

General Shao: I’ll exploit you and your partner’s weaknesses that is you both. Kitana: You cannot be more wrong, General. We are each other’s strength.

You: Sorry, Cage. Kitana is off limits. Johnny: Not even a small place for a third person?

Kitana: Should I thank you for putting me with Y/n in this timeline? Liu Kang: I did nothing, it was you both who found each other.

‘𝓣𝐇𝐄 𝓔𝐍𝐃 Please don’t copy/translate and don’t reblog if you’re a yand3r3 blog/reblog account, or you’ll be blocked. Besides that, likes/reblogs/comments are appreciated.

#mortal kombat x reader #johnny cage x reader #bi han x reader #sub zero x reader #kenshi x reader #kitana x reader #mk1 x reader #mortal kombat 1 x reader #mortal kombat imagine #mk1 intros #mortal kombat intros #kenshi takahashi x reader #Bi han #johnny cage #kenshi takahashi #kitana

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baltears · 2 years

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oh we're going to the BARN are we

#i have no idea how to interpret any of this yet still im just amazed at like the sheer quantity of references and repetition #if this were any other show it would feel like fanservice. at this point it may as well be references for the sake of references #but i guess we'll see #to be honest i miss the s1/2 notes of clearly establishing a theme and stakes early on in the season. even 3 was better about that #this season is dramatically more interesting than s3 so far but it's also a lot less coherent (again. so far)#westworld s4 #westworld spoilers #ww4 liveblogging

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comradekatara · 2 months

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i apologized already for making you think about natla yet i am here again. so sorry!

i’m not super active on tumblr anymore so most atla/natla posting i see is on reddit unfortunately, and i posted about this there. i was met with some nuance and some semi-interesting takes on it thankfully, but it’s a change to the show i didn’t like and i still have yet to see anyone criticize it, even ppl (redditors lol) who otherwise very much disliked the show/disliked how it butchered its major themes and beats. i’m not looking for someone to hate on it/agree w my take, i just wanted to hear your take, as this is a) not reddit lol and b) you are an atla-understander

i’ve seen soooooo many people praise the change where they make zuko’s crew the 41st division, and i get why ppl enjoyed it like it was satisfying i guess??? if that’s your thing? but i personally found it at best corny and at worst a cheapening of zuko’s arc as it relates to the fire nations twisted values and sense of honour. like it was futile for zuko to try and save the 41st bc of how fucked up the fn/its leadership is, and everyone but zuko knew that! his arc revolves around (in part) realizing how messed up his country is. ozai assigning them to him for The Lolz instead of them getting unceremoniously sacrificed offscreen anyways despite zuko’s effort – effort which gets him disfigured and banished and is perhaps the major impetus of his whole arc – just is… idk it’s cheaper it’s lowered stakes it’s not understanding zuko’s thematic relationship to his country it’s corny it’s not slaying to me…

lmfao I mean I salute you for attempting to be nuanced about a show that just fully sucks ass. but yes. you basically just said it all. the 41st division storyline (including all the ridiculous flashbacks that editorialize all the wrong details) is really just emblematic of the way the show fails as a whole to convey subtlety, nuance, or thematic depth. they feel the need to make the most obvious decisions possible, while simultaneously making the wrong decision at every single turn. zuko’s crew being young and naive also completely undermines the fact that zuko is supposed to look ridiculous commanding a bunch of old men. he’s supposed to be childish and inept. if jee is only a couple years older than him and respects him as a person, it completely negates the fact that his lieutenant is an experienced, battle-trained soldier a good 40-ish years his senior who has to listen to a spoiled teenager’s impulsive and foolhardy commands. it’s the way iago talks about cassio, not the way cassio talks about othello. so yeah, it not only misunderstands the political implications and dimensions of zuko’s arc by making his sacrifice heroic instead of futile, but it also just completely negates how his character is intentionally portrayed in book 1, especially in contrast to azula, although she’s also wildly butchered here, so like. swagever i guess.

#communistzuko #natla #asks #zuko #sorry for bringing in othello #actually wait no im not #I can’t help being the way that I am!!!!!

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anachronistic-falsehood · 1 year

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Vash and Femininity: Trigun Stampede and its Themes of Bodily Autonomy, Exploitation, and Vague Gender Fuckery

alright sit the fuck down. we're gonna talk about THEMES

I was on Twitter- terrible idea usually, but a couple people I follow made some tweets that got me thinking about Trigun's overall themes, and here we are. So let's talk about some themes in Tristamp! And I'll take a couple looks at Trimax as well, just for fun :3

Let's look at how the showrunners utilize gender roles and exploitation of feminine characters to show how unhealthy Knives' obsession with his ideal of Vash is, and how horrific his exploitation of Vash and the Plants is.

Vash, from the beginning of Tristamp, is someone who cares about people's choices. When people kill others in front of him, he reiterates that whether someone lives or dies is not another person's choice to make. This is something he learned from Rem (a prominent female figure in his life). He refuses to kill people because that is not his choice to make. To kill someone is the ultimate removal of their bodily autonomy. They can no longer make any choices at all; they're dead.

Vash is also someone who has almost no choice in what path his life takes. He's constantly dragged around by outside forces, namely situations that are caused by Knives (which we'll get into later). Vash doesn't make things happen, things happen to Vash. The majority of events that occur are not his fault. He's pushed and pulled in a thousand different directions. His entire life is completely out of his control.

This can be seen as early on in his life as the Fall, something he had no control over and had no idea he even had a part in. Even later, in the ship with Luida and Brad, after he's been rescued from the desert, he's kept in handcuffs right up until he's shown to be of use to them and the Plant on their ship. After that, he could theoretically say "no, I don't want to go to other ships and heal their plants," but he doesn't. He's Vash. He's helpful and nurturing at his core, and these people have done so much for him just by letting him stay, so he'll do whatever they ask, no question.

This carries over into his adulthood. At Jeneora Rock, he goes to look at their Plant at one simple request, doesn't protest when he's dragged into a duel-- he doesn't take initiative unless someone's life is immediately at stake. He lets people tell him what to do and lets himself get dragged around by the wrist. He doesn't even pretend to have control over his life like Trimax Vash does, which I mean. Fair. Why pretend to have a grip on your existence when it's impossible to do anything without a gun pointed at your head?

Vash is a very passive character. He's nurturing, kind, gentle- he's a guy that fits a lot of very typical feminine character stereotypes. If you wrote this same story but made him a woman, I wouldn't bat an eye (but I would definitely be looking at it a lot more critically, what with the amount of stereotypically nurturing/motherly female characters in media already.)

This contrasts directly with Knives. He makes a decision and carries through no matter what stands in his way. He takes initiative. If Vash is a passive character, Knives is an active character. Wherever he goes, he leaves a lasting imprint. He makes shit happen! If outside forces make things happen to him, he'll go out of his way to make sure that particular force doesn't affect him again.

These two tweets I saw are what got me thinking about this originally. I just feel like here's a good place to put them as a segue into talking about episode 11.

Episode 11 is where a lot of this feminine imagery really just. Explodes in your face. IT'S RIGHT THERE. You can't dance around it if you try. And it kind of reaches a peak when the connection reaches 100%, the gate opens, and. well. THIS happens to the Plants.

Plants, in both Trimax and Tristamp, are almost always typically feminine-looking. Knives and Vash are the only two who are male or even masculine at all. Knives, as the most masculine out of all of them, is the one trying to take charge, and mould the world as he sees fit, to a degree that is detrimental to both him and everyone else. And Vash-- passive, feminine, kind and nurturing, whose Angel Arm in the manga always sprouts decidedly feminine-looking Plant parts-- is the one being exploited for Knives' plans. It's no mistake that they made the giant plant formation at the end of ep 11 look like a giant woman that almost resembles Rem.

Vash wants people to make their own choices and keep their autonomy when it comes to their bodies and lives. Knives is the exact opposite. He wants all Plants to become independent and he uses Vash to achieve that goal, without asking what Vash wants or even knowing what the Plants themselves would prefer. He exploits Vash for the soul purpose of trying to make these Plants have Independent Plant babies. He's completely incapable of seeing that his choices are not for the greater good! He thinks he's saving them, but none of his actions are for the good of anyone but himself. He’s just violating them for his own gain.

They're really leaning into gender roles for these guys, but in a way that screams "HEY, LOOK AT THIS! ISN'T IT FUCKED UP? LOOK AT HOW FUCKED UP THAT IS. LOOK AT THIS, AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE, AND KNOW THAT IT IS FUCKED UP."

Because it is! It's so extremely fucked up. They're using this imagery and these roles, something that makes most of us intrinsically uncomfortable, to drive home how unhealthy Knives relationship with his ideal of Vash is. That's the point. We're supposed to be uncomfortable with this.

Now of course there's some nuance to it. Like, you could see Knives as somewhat of a feminine and/or queer-coded figure as well, ESPECIALLY if you look at some of his panels in the manga, which could in turn lead to themes about infighting and control within marginalized communities, but that might be something for another post. :3

And there's definitely different ways you could take this! Vash, with all this feminine imagery, could be either transfem or transmasc coded, depending on what way you'd rather see it, which could lead into themes of how people outside the norm constantly face a lack of bodily autonomy and are exploited for purposes outside their boundaries. We could also look at Wolfwood and his lack of choice over joining the Eye of Michael and becoming the Punisher, and how masculine men (particularly men of colour) are often forced into violent roles against their will. If we look at Trimax, the exact same could be said for Livio/Razlo and people with disorders such as DID/OSDD.

There are many different ways you could spin these themes, some of which I don't feel personally qualified to discuss. If anyone who is qualified to talk about Wolfwood or Livio/Razlo or even other characters related to these themes, then god PLEASE add onto this post or make a post and tag me or something. I would love to read it!

Anyway, in conclusion: Vash is a feminine figure constantly taken advantage of and exploited and and he's so incredibly trans/nonbinary-coded that it drives me insane. Thank you

#whiskeys word soup #trigun #trigun stampede #HI. HELLO. THIS DRIVES ME INSANE PLEASE READ THIS #and seriously if anyone wants to make a post about wolfwood or livio/razlo or any other character exploring these themes of bodily autonomy #on GOD. lemme know i wanna read it #well aware that some of this is probably me digging too deep for things that aren’t there but still!!! fun to look at #what is media analysis other than putting on ur queer glasses and picking out trans allegories within stories #it’s been a while since I’ve made a full analysis essay kinda post!! this is how i normally format them bc it’s easier for me to read

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