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swallowerofdharma · 1 month

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Yashiro’s Cruel God part one

Disclaimer: this post contains a detailed and straightforward analysis of chapter 25. Doumeki isn’t the villain, if you were worried about that. Actually I must apologize because I wanted to talk about him too, but as usual I started this meta with Yashiro and got carried away. This is also why I am dividing it in parts to avoid having a very very long post. So other parts will hopefully follow to fully elaborate the premise I made. Thank you for understanding. And please take care of your wellbeing, if mentioning Yashiro’s stepfather upset you, maybe skip this one.

Premise: not a matter of perfection but of balance

This person I followed reblogged the Declarations of healthy adulthood by David Richo in big big font and - having only one thought on my mind apparently - I read all that text in Yashiro’s POV. I actually don’t think that this is a perfect model or anything, and I am generally skeptical of self help books (I only assume this is something like it), but why not use this as an example, while considering something that I find interesting about Yashiro and Doumeki? During the discussion about the latest chapter, I said something along the lines of Doumeki representing young love, while Yashiro’s approach has been more mature, and I meant it thinking about Yashiro being aware and cautious about hurting others [and being intentional when he does, since he put a bullet in Doumeki’s leg] and being quite self reliant, and yes I know that he is also afraid of being hurt/loved! in previous posts here, I have mentioned that Yashiro’s acceptance of his past is only-in-part denial or downplaying of trauma, because it has been also a strategy and an impressive sign of his maturity and determination to live in the present. Isn’t it exceptional that Yashiro doesn’t seem all that resentful of his parents? That he openly says that he doesn’t blame others? We have to confront his words always mindful of the fact that he usually is an unreliable narrator, but in many instances he says the truth or half truths and his demeanor confirmed that he did some of what David Richo proposes: I accept full responsibility for the shape my life has taken; I accept that I may never feel I am receiving - or have received - all the attention I seek; One by one, I drop every expectation of people and things; I let go of blame, regret, vengeance, and the infantile desire to punish those who hurt or reject me; No one can or needs to bail me out. I am not entitled to be taken care of by anyone or anything, I let go of control without losing control.

I thought that it was very interesting to consider the Yashiro/Doumeki dynamics from different angles, like older/younger, or even realist/romantic, for example. The point of this experiment isn’t to make a comparison of merit nor to talk about a character in better light than another. Maybe those differences need to be confronted or balanced: for example the realist maybe needs some of the romantic’s idealism to soar and not be stuck on the ground. Yoneda-san might be onto something so human and amazing here. An important clarification is due before saying anything else. As characters that are written as full human beings, with their complexity and contradictions, Yashiro and Doumeki can’t be put neatly into the opposite categories I proposed. The story is much more dynamic, so I ask you to take a further step and put those opposites at the ends of a spectrum and to move our characters freely in both directions. Yashiro tends toward being effectively the older and more realistic one but he has traits that make him move down towards the other end too, even to the extreme of being childish. Consider for example these other statements, from the Declarations of healthy adulthood: I need never fear my own truth, powers, fantasies wishes, thoughts, sexuality, dreams, or ghosts; When change and growth scare me, I still choose them. I may act with fear, but never because of it; I am still safe when I cease following the rules my parents (or others) set for me; If people knew me as I really am, they would love me for being human like them. These points clearly demonstrate Yashiro’s unresolved problems, where he is stuck if you want, and why probably nobody believed me when I pointed at him as being mature (eh, he has his moments tho, you can’t deny that).

I challenge everyone to consider that those four points in particular are quite challenging for most people in general, but particularly so for someone who has fear/betrayal as the foundational principle in their childhood instead of a normal amount even a scarse amount of parental love/safety. And I want to underline childhood here, not teenage years or later.

I need never fear my own truth, powers, fantasies wishes, thoughts, sexuality, dreams, or ghosts. Yashiro here is a mix of contradictions, because he outwardly seems to own those things, even making them a point of his persona, but most of those things are based on the lies he told himself, or his stepfather told him: see this other point

I am still safe when I cease following the rules my parents (or others) set for me. Isn’t this statement extremely helpful to understand Yashiro’s situation? To feel safe he had to build his personality according to the rules of the one who had all the power over him and had already taken away any sense of security from him. This is probably one of those things that can be hard to understand when you have never been there. Most notably, not only in the manga this has been pointed out, but it has been pointed out by Yashiro himself. He is self conscious of this, he knows that he lied to himself as a child, that he had to, and he is constantly choosing to continue lying because that is still the only foundation he has. There was no familial love, no other relative safety. Letting go of the lies actually means going to pieces and breaking down.

This isn’t different from what happens to people who are tortured. Yashiro’s father completely took away any sense of security and safety. The aggravating circumstances were that Yashiro as a child didn’t have any other point of reference or knowledge to understand what was happening with his body and in that state of mind what his father told him had to be the only truth possible. Parents who abuse their children most often don’t even realize what they are doing to its full extent. That’s the immense cruelty of these types of situations. The rules are lies, but the lies are rules to follow to be safe:

You like it when it hurts, right? If it doesn’t hurt, I can’t get into it.

What happened in chapter 25: why now?

Yashiro didn’t want to have sex with Doumeki and said so repeatedly. Doumeki has grown on him, behind liking his physical appearance or using him as a substitute for Kageyama: Yashiro truly liked this person and he liked that Doumeki was impotent. Thanks to that, Yashiro grew comfortable around Doumeki and with comfort and safety comes familiarity. When Yashiro discovered that the impotence was gone, he was angry and terrified. They had become too close and now the premise has changed and Yashiro couldn’t trust Doumeki or himself anymore. I won’t analyze here the scene in the shower but I’ll skip to the point. Doumeki only understood that his love was required, that he was wanted and stopped thinking. He acted passionately like any young person who had a normal foundation in love would. He didn’t understand anything that Yashiro asked or why there were mixed signals and what it all meant. He pushed and hurt and broke without being aware of what he was doing.

And Yashiro was trapped in a situation he had tried to escape from his all life: with a person who felt familiar, a person he loved and relied on, in the safety of a home, who wanted sex and was going to do what he wanted regardless of what Yashiro had to say. Yashiro desperately tried to control what was happening through usual patterns, making it hurt, asking Doumeki to do from behind, detaching the sex from his emotions, but he couldn’t and for the first time in his life sex was different from what he knew, because while Yashiro had loved his stepfather, his father didn’t love him and he didn’t treat him like Doumeki did. And every lies built around his father’s abuse came to the surface. Including the fact that his father never loved him. Doumeki broke him indeed because he broke through the lies/rules upon which Yashiro had intentionally built his entire personality/safety. And he wasn’t ready for it, he specifically said he didn’t want it, he had known all along, he already knew when men before Doumeki tried to make love to him and when he built a strategy to specifically avoid being confronted with those lies/rules. He didn’t love those men. He did love Doumeki though. But once again Yashiro didn’t have a choice. And he was physically hurt and recovering after being shot and knowing his life was in danger outside of that room. He had just discovered that Doumeki lied about being impotent the previous time he touched him in the car and before that. It was probably the worst timing possible for making love. At some point Yashiro grew resigned and even reciprocated a little, reaching for Doumeki, caressing his face, and he even reassured him before he fell asleep. There were words that Doumeki said that Yoneda didn’t disclose fully, choosing instead to immediately took us in the flashback with Yashiro. I think it is probable that what Doumeki said was something that Yashiro’s father had said and that we are going to confront before the end of the manga. I personally want to know these words more than what Yashiro said while an airplane passed by and Doumeki was unconscious. Morbid maybe on my part.

I have stated that I am not going to make Doumeki a villain here. The point of this analysis is just to see where Doumeki was in terms of maturity. To be continued…

#saezuru tori wa habatakanai #saezuru analysis #yashiro #doumeki chikara #yashiro x doumeki #yoneda kou #eri reads saezuru

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aristia-pjoheadcanons · 8 months

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HOO Crew - Argo Headcanons

Headcanons of the Heroes of Olympus cast on Argo II.

I´d like to imagine that they had bonding activities Behind-The-Scene, just so they can understand how each person works and figure out their strengths.

UNO, TWISTER, SPIN THE BOTTLE, TRUTH OR DARE, WOULD YOU RATHER- ANY GAMES AVAILABLE. Leo has thought of it all.

Connor and Travis probably snuck in theri prank supplies for them to use. Annabeth and Piper wouldnt mind pranking the boys - swapping theri shampoos and making them smell different. (small pranks that only they notice)

Percy and Frank are just confused why the duo is giggling and sneaking glances during breakfast.

Hazel wouldnt want to miss out, having the ourage to just walk into Annabeths/Pipers room "Hey, what are you guys up to?" and joining on the fun.

Making strategic plans for every duo, trio, and combining different people together for every scenario. My girls would think of everything, Annabeth taking the leader-role. Plan a way to attack a monster, with FRANKXANNABETH LEOXANNABETH, PERCYXJASON - Like I said, different combinations of people and figuring out the best choices.

Frank and Annabeth are the most versatile out of everyone. They can be combined with everyone. Percy, Jason and Leo have some drawbacks-since theyre used to doing things in their own tempo even though they have already been on a quest with people they cna easily defeat a monster by themselves. Piper and Annabeth decided to work together - a girl with emotions as her weakness (her pride) x a stubborn girl that ran away from her emotions but is forced to see it as her strength (because of the abilitiy Aphrodite gave). Piper being the best medeator, the balance that holds the glue but can also need reassurance - if the stress is too much she needs support.

Annabeth, Frank, Jason combo would work but would be somewhat slow since theyre all leaders and have great minds-but they have different POVs of things and can often fall into a deep discussion-which you often dont have time for on the battlefield. its not like they argue, but theyre the types of people to think very deeply for every plan. Jason would see the strategic side of Frank and invite him inside his cabinroom, because he can see a leader inside of him. Then, Jason would invite him to join his and Annabeths planning.

Piper and Percy would be awkward at first, until they start talking about monsters theyve fought. Percy loves the stories Piper tells, because they always have wisdom and something to learn from. Her stories helped him understand that every situation different perspetives if youre willing to see it. It taught him patience & tolerance. Instead of being quick to anger, control is important-perhaps thats why he could control the poison in Misery, Pipers teaching helped his powers grow in a different way.

Leo having insecurity issues, would struggle to fit in with the others. I see him almost as a self pitying character, but he denies any self pity at the same time. With Hazel and funnily enough, Frank he would see strength. More on this later.

Nico would sit on the highest branch on the ship. Frank would fly and give him a blanket and silently sit there as a bird. Nico would only eat grapes, Hazel would always offer food and Nico would smell it and say it smells nice but never eat it. "When you eat, I feel full" he would say to try to reassure her.

Percy wouldnt mind letting people use his room as a way to hangout, but the problem would be cleaning up after sleepovers. Leo has snacks stashed everywhere, where not even Coach Hedge can ge this hands on. They would all be on a sugar high and have a hard time sleeping afterwards.

You would think that it is the girls who gossip in theri room the most but NOO its the boys. They all gossip about someone or something. And they live for it. They would try to invite Nico but since he would say no, they just make sure to gossip where Nico is sitting so that he can atleast hear. The girls would be downstairs and the guys would be on deck talking smack about some bitch in the past.

Jason and Percys dynamic would be fine, but they would butt heads for no reason. Which could mostly be due to stress and not sleeping well. I just dont really see them fighting over any leader spot, since WiseGirl is there to take that role.

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avelera · 8 months

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Ugh, popped on Twitter to geek out about the Wheel of Time S2 and immediately find a bunch of WoT dudebro fans complaining that a 15 book series of 800+ pages each isn’t getting the exact word for word adaption that exists inside their heads when they read the books. And let me remind you all, these books were my life, my first fandom, and basically my personality pretty much from when I first read them in 1999 until Robert Jordan died (alas, I read to the end but Brandon Sanderson never quite captured the magic of RJ’s writing for me again, even if I think he did the best job anyone possibly could.)

So let me just say from a place of deep respect and obsession with these books that any hate for the show based on it not being a page for page adaptation is patently insane. Much of Wheel of Time relies on the strengths of prose which are untranslatable to a visual medium. Stuff like how magic (or the One Power) feels to cast makes up a huge proportion of the book. You can externally portray a feeling, sure, but there are still limits.

They forget that Book 1 was written to be standalone and has a ton of inconsistencies with later books that need to be shored up. That means logistical changes which cause necessary alterations almost all of which have actually been massive improvements in my mind. For all my love of Wheel of Time, its pacing is atrocious and I think even RJ would agree that if he could go back with the whole story in mind and edit it to be more streamlined, he absolutely would have. The show HAS to do that or we’d still be in the goddamn Two Rivers with the book pacing.

Centering the first season on the White Tower and Moiraine’s POV makes sense. The book relied on Moiraine being a Gandalf figure that gave information away at the pace of reader reveals, in tiny drips meant to tantalize a slow-paced book’s reader. That would be immensely frustrating for a tv show viewer of a story set in a sprawling fantasy world that needs tons of explanation and world building up front to have any idea what’s going on. Focusing on Moiraine, who has the answers, instead of sticking to the ignorance of the kids isn’t just a good choice it’s very nearly the only choice you can make. The White Tower is one of the most complex and interesting parts of that world. Centering it and introducing it earlier was an incredibly wise choice.

Other smaller choices make sense too if people thought about it for two seconds. Aging up the kids makes sense. They’re teens in the books and it would be incredibly awkward on screen. But once you age them up, it makes sense that at least ONE of them has been married before. Perrin makes SENSE to have been married if he left Two Rivers later. He’s a responsible guy with a good trade and a level head on his shoulders. He’s sweet and caring and mature. Of course he got married, he’s from a small farming community in a medieval-esque world with shorter life expectancies. Furthermore, I love Perrin to death but his obsessive fear of hurting Faile later is frankly ungrounded in anything that isn’t benign misogyny on some level. It doesn’t update and translate well on its own. Giving him Laila, giving him the manner of Laila’s death grounds his later attitudes towards Faile so well I literally gasped when I put it all together.

Other changes like in S2 having Min and Mat meet the way they do in Tar Valon was genius. It matters more that Mat and Min have rapport than that they meet in the same circumstances as the book (and Mat wouldn’t even remember that meeting anyway lol). The rapport set up and the way it showed Mat’s genius and con artistry was brilliant. Showing these characters LIKE each other was incredibly engaging and endearing which is so important because the adaptation has to be enjoyable to non book readers too, especially since the 15, 800+ page books of meandering pacing are pretty much impenetrable to new readers. Book readers simply can’t make up the majority of the audience, there’s not enough of them to sustain a show with any kind of budget which WOT requires. Thus, it needs to be an enjoyable show in its own right, not just a meandering exact adaptation ffs.

I can literally point to any show change and say it was either logical, practical, thematic, or simply genius. Wheel of Time desperately needs an edit to be accessible to modern audiences. What an adaptation prioritizes is always a risk that’s going to be run for a fan of the original material but so far I’ve been wildly impressed by every choice made in how logical or thoughtful and most of all loving it was to the actual important emotions and themes of the book. Any complainers are seriously missing the point of what an adaptation even is.

#wheel of time #wot

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3d-wifey · 4 months

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TBOSAS was a great movie and an even greater miss---here's why:

The problem here is no fault of the movie. It's not that it isn't a good adaptation or that it cut out too many important scenes. The casting was amazing, the acting phenomenal, the writing and plot translated immaculately into the screenplay format, and the ending was tragically beautiful. All of those boxes are ticked. The problem lies with one thing: Coriolanus Snow.

To understand what I mean, I'll bring the main trilogy to the stand. All of the books were written in first person from Katniss's pov. There were things that we as the audience don't know because Katniss doesn't know them and vise versa all do to her inner monologue. But there are also things we as the audience do know that Katniss doesn't because she's an unreliable narrator. She often misreads people because, whether she'll admit it or not, she's highly suspicious of those that aren't obviously weaker than her and is quick to judge in general. Her biases and black and white moral standpoint can be attributed to her environment, ptsd, and, though not confirmed, Autism (source: I'm actually Dr. Autism) or bpd. So, in this case, she's unreliable, but we understand it's not malicious and it was translated well in the movie (i.e. her thinking Peeta wanted her dead, her thinking Peeta is only acting like he's in love with her, her misconceptions about Finnick.)

Coriolanus Snow on the, other hand, is an entirely different case. He's a bad person at the start of the book and that isn't up for debate. His thoughts about Lucy Gray should make you angry, let alone about people who knew and cared for him for years (Tigris and Sejanus). He is also an unreliable narrator, but in a completely different sense than him. While hers is founded in ignorance and defensiveness, his is built in paranoia and narcissism. He's obsessive, possessive, demeaning to any and everyone, and thinks he's owed more than he is and hates anyone that has what he doesn't. We get all this through his inner thoughts as well (him hating the very idea of Lucy Grey being with anyone before him and likening her to a whore---implying she's slept with peacekeepers, wanting to own her in the literal sense of the word hating Sejanus for having basic human empathy, hating looking down on the Plinths who have been nothing but kind to him, so on and so forth). I say he's bad because, though he hasn't done any of the horrible things he thinks about or acts on them is because he didn't have the power or social standing to back them, something he has plenty of as a president. All this to say, the movie lacks that insight into the character that we gain with Katniss. Enough that people that have only watched the movie genuinely believe he was a nice person drove to the brink or thought there was a little gray area in regards to his morality. Enough that people that think the actor is hot will say they like "Coryo" not Snow, or some people send hate mail to the author because they think she tried to humanize him/excuse his behavior, the exact opposite of the point of the book. I don't fault the movie too harshly for this too harshly. Other than having a voice over, they could do very little to convey his every horrid thought. And because of this and Tom's phenomenal acting, Snow was able to manipulate the audience just like everyone else he fucked over.

Snow is a narcissist who can't wrap his mind around people genuinely being kind while having no ulterior motives, because he would never do that from the kindness of his heart. He thinks everyone is trying to back stab him and want to turn on him and are out to get him or are trying to embarrass him because that is what he would do if he was in their position. Unlike Katniss, he can read people and he can act his ass off, but unlike Katniss, he can't see the best in people because he doesn't want to/it doesn't benefit him. He had many opportunities to do the right thing or the kind thing and actively chose not to.

He, more than anyone in the Capitol, even more than Sajanus, should know what the Districts go through. He grew up poor, starved, and was forced to grow up too soon. He knows what it means to have nothing, be starved, and go into the arena and almost be killed. Yet, he looks down on them and sends children who were younger than him when he went into the arena, to their deaths because it benefits him.

He's a horrible person. He's always been bad, but he strove to be worse. I'm not saying the movie wasn't able to portray this in it's own way, but since it's not as obvious and in your face if you're too focused on how cute you think his face is, you can miss it. You'll find reasons to justify his actions just like he does and, ironically, become like his inner monologue where he continuously made himself the victim in almost every scenario.

Again, great movie! Fantastic even, my I beg of you, read a book. Or watch a youtube essay about it.

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viridianevergarden · 27 days

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So it seems that one of the main gripes that antis have about elriel is the way Azriel worded his big question to Rhys. That the way he said it screams entitlement to Elain? I’m going to break this down a little.

"The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."

I really don’t think anything is wrong here.

Consider how Azriel is for a moment. He is of a more sophisticated character and he talks that way normally. The sentence is structured poetically, yes? Azriel is of a poetic sort, as we have seen on many occasions.

Azriel is referring entirely to the numerical imbalance that is present between the 3 to 3 ratio because that’s what it is. A numerical imbalance. Thats why Elain is referred to as “the third”. Weren’t Nesta and Feyre referred to as the “two”?

But it’s only wrong that he referred to Elain as the Third? Okay.

He wasn’t specifically referring to the sisters individually. He was referring to them alongside his brothers as a group. Of course she is the Third, because that is what she is. You’d think an English class would teach that.

This doesn’t mean that he sees her as an object.

Its quite the opposite that he sees her as such, given the fact that this man -across 4 books- has risked life and limb for her, spent time with her, gave her his dagger for her own safety that no one else has ever touched, actively sought her out on many occasions, and defended her against Nesta and *Lucien? Come on now. Let’s be real.

*Voicing that she doesn’t even want him in the BC is a defense in her stead.

No one does all that to slip under someone’s dress or get into their pants. Across 2 years mind.

The “given to another” line really isn’t serious just like the aforementioned.

She practically was given to another. She was thrown at Lucien, as per Lucien’s pov, since he’s oh so important. The cauldron shackled her to him as he is to her. It’s merely an observation. No entitlement.

The way Azriel spoke about Lucien regarding the blood duel, fighting him and beating him, etc. People think that Azriel is screaming entitlement by merely stating that he’d beat him? Oh lord. After Rhys and the narration confirmed that it was true? Spending precious page space to make that known?

Not entitlement. Merely stating the obvious, an observation just like the rest. A truth that SJM was trying to convey.

And don’t start with the “He’S a HiGhLoRd’S sOn, He’D bEaT AzRiEl.” Respectfully, silence. Highlord power is passed on by the death of the current highlord. Highlord esc dominance ≠ highlord power. SJM spent page space to make the fact that Az would win known, get over it.

Then they have the matter of “well why didn’t he fight Rhys back and confess his love for Elain then?”

There’s three answers I can give:

This is a BC, he won’t do that until it’s in a book that he actually stars in as a main character, which obviously is the next installment.

Azriel, as a person, feels he should not love her. That he does not deserve her. That he taints her very being. And that she is too good for him and Lucien. So that statement would be completely out of character for him to do so here. This man hates himself so much that he feels he doesn’t have the right or reason to fight for his love for Elain. So he won’t.

Rhysand himself.

The explanation on Rhysand:

Rhys shut him down as soon as he walked in

Taunted and antagonized him

Threw wild assumptions at him

Instigated

Threatened him

And then immediately proceeded to shut him out

He effectively gave no room for Azriel to open up. He didn’t even ask Azriel what was happening or what he felt. It was an immediate attack as soon as he walked into the office.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Being shut down instantly

“What of Mor?”

Antagonized and taunted

“you think you deserve to be her mate?”

Wild assumption

“So you’ll what? Seduce her away from him?”

Instigated + assumption

“Snarl all you want. But if I see you panting after her again, I’ll make you regret it.”

A threat

“Get out.”

And shutting him out

After throwing knives of assumptions at Azriel, trying to bait him with Mor, he threatened him and then kicked him out.

Rhysand is at fault for not creating a safe space for his brother to explain. Azriel merely gave him curt answers in response because that’s all he allowed him to do.

It’s only salt in the wound that we know that Rhys knows of Azriel’s self worth/esteem issues and still treated him this way. But given the time this BC took place, I’m cutting Rhys some slack.

Again, keep in mind that Azriel won’t fight for his love because he feels he has no right or reason to. Not right now.

Could his question about the sisters and the cauldron have been worded better? Sure. I think it was worded well enough though because it explicitly states the disparity that he sees in a logical fashion.

Azriel isn’t entitled, he doesn’t feel entitled.

The irony of it is that some people think he is all the while the man feels as though he doesn’t even deserve to be in any close proximity to Elain. To be around her and to see her light.

People fail to consider the emotional and mental state of Elriel, completely ignoring their words that made it so obvious of what they’re thinking and feeling and wanting all so they can determine what they want them to do instead.

Very ironic indeed.

#The irony that surrounds Elriel and their haters is insane #Literally everything they think and feel in the books is interpreted the exact opposite of what they are saying #every damn time #elriel #acotar #pro elriel #pro azriel #azriel shadowsinger #elain x azriel

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desceros · 5 months

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pls, wise one, when you have time, share with your children how you structure and word your writing so, so beautifully! cause you have me in a choke hold and my soul hooked to a chain with all your writings! especially your Tea fic :) I strive to become as good as you <3

oh man. this is a tough one. i kinda, uh. just do it at this point without really thinking?? so hold my hand and maybe we can figure it out together LMAO i'll use an example blurb and try and break it down as coherently as i can.

so first you want to have a pretty clear picture of what you want to convey to your reader. the more defined it is in your head, the more easily you can communicate things to your readers. eventually you'll get a feel for how much detail to go into as you describe it. you really don't need to describe the placement of every limb at every moment... but also, the placement of a hand can tell you so much about what's going on in a character's mind, so it's good to know where it is. there's a fine line between purple prose and effective set dressing.

i was just whining about not writing enough soft donnie so let's do that. he's on the couch staring at you. let's write that really quickly:

notice i don't talk about his entire body placement, but the looseness of his limbs is important. it gives a picture of his mental state without overwhelming you with too much detail.

next: i like to start with big, grand statements, then slowly pluck them apart into the minutia. things like. he looks comfortable. ok; what does that look like? what shape does he take in your head? for me, it's that he's reclining. propping himself up casually. i emphasize the 'soft. relaxed.' by having them be their own short sentences.

on that note, mixing your sentence length is very important and guides the flow of things. longer sentences are like water, bringing your reader down the river you've crafted for them. short sentences have a lot of power, because they're a lot more percussive. you want to use them sparingly so you don't overuse that and retain that feel. mix where you put your independent and dependent phrases, but also know when to mirror yourself. parallel structure can invite your reader to compare ideas or generate momentum. for example, continuing this blurb a bit:

every sentence begins the same, going from long to medium to short in a way that makes the flow of the paragraph feel a bit like a snowball rolling down a hill, like your thoughts are rushing, so that by the end you can land on a thought that's monumental and feels a little breathless. this is possible because of the parallel structure of the sentences ("like ____. like ____. like _____.") pushing the reader forward. you can of course do it in the opposite direction as well, for when you want to slow a reader down and force them to linger in a moment.

word choice is very important. i'm pretty particular about the words i use for certain things, and i really love using similes and metaphors to create abstract imagery that catches the light more than a flat statement. but it's also important to know when to use those flat statements for a high-impact statement. let's try:

this kind of falls into my philosophy on the whole 'show don't tell' thing. i'm obsessed with showing. but sometimes, it's more impactful if you tell. like... here you have a very evocative description of him. it includes little things like a reference to a red string of fate (showing it's a romantic moment for you, not platonic), wanting to keep the image in your head permanently, pretty words that mirror what your POV character feels. at the end, you can land on just. he's beautiful. because really that's all that needs to be said, right? but it feels more weighty a thing to say after what came before.

one of the best things i ever did for my prose writing was study poetry. that gave me an appreciation for the weight of a word, and how to use it effectively. the right word or phrase can really change a sentence both melodically and emotionally.

consider the difference between these:

does he want something? or does he covet it? is he unable to look away from your smile? or is he ensorcelled?

a writer's vernacular is an incredibly powerful tool, so i recommend highly that you expand your vocabulary. make sure to focus on not just the explicit definitions, but also the implicit. some words are largely interchangeable (a touch that slides vs one that glides), but some very much are not even though at first glance they seem they should (a haunting kiss vs a lingering kiss).

anyway i hope that helped a little! this kind of minutia-crafting is like, a passion of mine so i probably went way overboard OOPS but hey if it helps even a little i WIN

#ask tag #writing tag #any excuse for sweatpantello am i right ladies #god. edit btw thank you so much for the compliments i totally forgot to put that in the tags fdsakfjkj

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acourtofthought · 4 months

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About who MC of the next book will be....I honestly agree with you. I mean, taking out ship discourse, all the arguments I've seen to support Az being the MC for the next ACOTAR book are using points from the CC series. But guess what....I've never read CC! I don't know what the heck a Starsword is or whatever connection that has to Bryce or whatever. And I bet there are plenty of people who've only read ACOTAR. (1/2)

Happy Saturday!!

I have found, not just in the book world, that people struggle to think outside of what they know.

For example, I remember getting into an argument with my mother who had been a teacher. Two years ago, my kids school announced that in two weeks time, the teachers would be getting a day off for a mental health day and I was discussing how that is inconvenient for the parents.

I know how hard teachers work, I truly do, But around here, children are expected to go to school 180 days and as parents, they plan on their children being in school as scheduled. So it's very difficult for a working parent to suddenly make plans to keep their children at home outside of the already "budgeted" for sick days, snow days, etc. It's an extra day where a working parent either can't be present for their employer or they need to pay for childcare.

But my stance upset my mother because she thought I wasn't respecting how hard she worked (even though she had retired so it was a moot point), that parents should be expected to take care of their own children.

I wasn't arguing against the fact that teachers worked hard or that parents shouldn't be responsible, just that it did put working parents in a difficult situation that they hadn't been expecting. But she was only focused on what she knew as a teacher and not how she might have felt as a working parent who lost income by this surprise mental health day.

When it comes to the fandom, I think there's a bit of that mentality because the fandom thinks in terms of what they know because they are in the fandom. Understandable but I do think it's important to step back and remember the many people who aren't immersed in the world of SJM in the same way. Something you understand with not having read CC.

Yes, there was a bit of buildup for Az's future story in SF (his name was mentioned often but that doesn't equal buildup, it simply means he shared dialogue and Cassian's plotlines). Hell Emerie was mentioned 421 times and no one is claiming she's getting the next book.

But it's not just about SF or even the crossover which happened months after SF. It's about the ACOTAR series in it's entirety (something I think fans forget when they focus only on SF) and there has been SOOOOOO much buildup for both Elain and Lucien. Two characters with unexplored powers. Two characters with an unaccepted mating bond that snapped. Two characters who haven't found a court to call their own. Two characters who have not gotten to share their traumas though their traumas happened on page since books 1 and 2 and beyond (versus both Az and Gwyn where we were told of their traumas after the fact. I'm not saying that lessens their traumas, simply saying we didn't experience them with the character in "real time", at least not Gwyn's trauma that was the reason for her going to the library).

We watched Lucien nearly killed by Rhys and almost killed again in the second trial, saw that he was whipped for helping Feyre, watched him being pushed down by Tamlin, read as he was forced to flee Spring, witnessed his SA by Ianthe, we witnessed his sadness over Elain and his past when Feyre slipped into his mind and he was given a POV (actually, SJM had Feyre slip into his mind on three different occasions in the actual book, that means just as much as an Az bonus), we saw his brothers try to kill him yet again, it was revealed that he has an unknown father, he met Elain's father and has untold stories with that, he developed a friendship with a female who, at the end of SF was about to be called back to Koschei, was living in the human lands but then was permanently stationed in Spring.

With Elain, she was taken against her will and forced into a Cauldron. Changed into an entirely new species. We had the chance to read how traumatic that experience was for Nesta but some do believe SJM is just going to skip over Elain's experience in favor of Az. Skip over Elain finally being able to talk about the loss of her father. Skip over Elain finally making a decision about her bond and her fiance and Az's rejection. Skip over Elain finally proving that she is capable. Skip over Elain finally finding her home.

I understand that SJM wanted to tell Nesta's story first but Nesta is also an Archeron sister. SJM has always spoken of wanting to tell the stories of these three sisters. So why would she skip over the final sister in favor of Az who the fandom knows is a capable warrior, who knows he belongs in the NC despite his struggles? Who isn't even fully aware that he has a mating bond?

Does it really seem like SJM would bench a FMC in favor of a guy? That Az's story is more important than the 24 year old who was violently taken from the life she knew and forced into a new one, where she recently lost her father and her friends and her fiance, is possibly struggling with her snapped bond and she just doesn't get a voice until Az has his story told?

This isn't meant to sound Anti Az because he deserves his HEA too, I'm just not sure his story is more important to tell than Elain's at this moment. Or even Lucien's.

Because regardless of what we learned of Az in SF or the CC (like you said, some won't read the crossover and from a publishing standpoint that means the next ACOTAR book still has to make sense for those readers), that doesn't erase what we were told of Lucien and Elain long before that.

The layout is:

Elucien bond plot introduced in 2016

Lucien being abused by Tamlin in 2016

Elain being made introduced in 2016

Lucien having to flee Spring /Koschei / Vassa / Helion as Lucien's Father / Lucien meeting Papa Archeron / Eris showing sadness over his relationship with Lucien introduced in 2017

Graysens Rejection / Seer powers Discovered / Elain killing the king / Elain's fathers death introduced in 2017

The IC needing Spring's borders protected / Lucien living with Vassa and Jurian introduced in 2018

Elain's powers gone dormant / Elain moving quietly being mentioned / Elain mourning Graysen and her father introduced in 2018

Elain's powers still dormant / Elain starting to stand up for herself / Rhys and Amren saying others have underestimated her / Elain reminding others of her trauma / Elain not fitting in with the NC / Elain being made for Spring, her scent a promise of spring / Reminder of Elain wanting to travel to the continent / More mentions of Elain moving with stealth introduced in 2021

Lucien commanding Cassian with a single word / Lucien being permanently stationed in Spring to be their eyes and ears because they need a strong ally / Lucien's "father" wanting to ally with Koschei / Lucien's friend Vassa ready to be called back to Koschei / Mor not able to get the peace treat signed in Valhallan / Lucien's brother becoming a character heavily involved in the plots and visiting the human lands where Lucien is living introduced in 2021.

Az got buildup in SF (2021) and he is part of the crossover (2024).....but she's playing catchup for him because he didn't have a lot setting him up to be an eventual MMC before that.

His newly introduced plots (of which they are still a little unclear outside the Illyrians) don't automatically take precedence over Lucien and Elain's plots. It doesn't mean she's pushing Elucien to the side in favor of Az.

It could just mean she's planning ahead for what comes after Elain and Lucien's story and the crossover isn't necessarily some sort of trump card when we have no idea exactly when or how SJM plans on introducing what happened in the CC into the ACOTAR series or when the next ACOTAR book will start on the timeline. The crossover doesn't eliminate the very real threats they were facing in their world in SF and if people are saying that she can "shelve" Elain and Lucien's stories regardless of the buildup they had in books 1, 2, 3 (etc), then why can't Az's story also be temporarily shelved regardless of the page time he got in SF / the crossover so she can first tell us Elucien's story and take us to other courts outside of the NC? Wouldn't the series ending in the NC make the most sense?

Shouldn't they deal with threats on their own world before they really start worrying about threats from outside their world?

You're right though (in regards to your second anon), whatever story she tells next is fine. But the arguments saying why it has to be Az don't make sense to me because if she could sideline Elucien then she can do the same to Az.

#elucien #pro elucien #pro elain archeron #pro lucien vanserra

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skayafair · 2 months

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Ok so we've all went through some stages regarding the finale and The Great Divorce (or lack thereof) in S5.

I'm not a patron so I have no idea which turn the plot is going to take in reality, but after some insight from the others I've noticed which way would have been the most enterteining for me.

So a lot of people already noticed that Arthur probably isn't going to be pissed at John all that much. Yeah the situation isn't peachy but they had worse, and I don't even mean like "part 18 The Madness" kind of worse. Whom Arthur took his rage on was Kayne, so the "you lied" might have referred to him as well. (REALLY, THANK YOU to those who noticed that, it made the finale MUCH better for me, although it was good and fun as is.)

If Arthur IS mad at Kayne:

Why did he sound so defeated in the end? Was it an act to gain some time to figure out how to get out of this predicament? Or was he shocked to witness two of his allies die or disappear (and I think he IS worried for Noel a fair amount), maybe spiraling to "everyone around you dies" and "nothing gold can stay" as a possible future implication again?

A fun part for me would be if there is some self-blaming, too. Because after hearing the whole story it's easy to arrive to a horried realization: after Arthur's deal John was supposed to be safe, and he wasn't, therefore, Arthur failed him.

Even though getting John back with no memory was selfish (because erasing the memory would have critically affected John when he didn't have a say in it, and that's obviously messed up) and not ideal (it still put him at least with his friend instead and gave a chance to develop on his own again rather than being consumed by the King, which... yeah... I often forget how fucked up Arthur's behaviour with Yellow actually was from this POV :')), it still helped them both. They had better chances at survival together rather than on their own. It wasn't the worst outcome, Arthur didn't betray his friend. John being safe(-er) was an equally important part of the deal as Arthur not being alone. But since Kayne didn't hold his end of the bargain, John wasn't just in danger. He was in the Dark World, for indefinite amount of time. That was a complete opposite to the conditions of the deal. If Kayne didn't strike another deal with John, they wouldn't have met again, probably. John would have stayed in the DW while Arthur could still have his life and a chance at a new friendship, however sour it turned in the end. So, in a distant, inderect way it was like Arthur was betraying John while not even knowing this. Because he thought he could trust Kayne on this deal. It's not exactly logical and is rather a stretch but it's easy to leap to this conclusion, especially for someone with self-depricating tendencies like Arthur's. He's doing better but I don't think he's completely past it yet. He was failing someone dear to him without knowing, again. We know how he feels about that.

Moreover, we know how Kayne emphasises time and again how powerless John is before him, but Arthur is just as helpless. His rage at Kayne seemed to die out in a span of a few minutes, giving way to a lifeless "I'll come" after Kayne's demonstration of power. Which feels unltimately out of character and I know HG knows his characters well, so there HAS to be an explanation and I'm just... WHICH ONE GRRR I NEED TO KNOW!11 He may be furious about Kayne's actions but still not be able to do anything about this. And in my mind this relates to the talk about faith he had with John: that if he believed in God, Arthur would have had to believe all the deaths around him, as well as Faroe's, was God's plan, and he just can't agree with that. Not said but I think implied: it would have meant that some very powerful entity decided to kill or hurt a person he deeply cares about with his own hands/ignorance, and Arthur doesn't have a say in this while being the one at fault. It's the same here.

Oh, wait, this isn't even the second time it would have happened! It's the third, the second was John's doing, with Parker's death. Arthur has a streak!

So all in all, if the finale revelations don't trigger some trauma in this department that needs dealing with, I'd be a bit sad. But not much, part 40 gave A LOT of new opportunities, so I feel like a kid in a candy store anyway. I wonder which ones are going to be explored in the show, and will be waiting for the ficwriters to do their magic, too :D

#malevolent podcast #malevolent spoilers #arthur lester #john malevolent #john doe malevolent #kayne malevolent

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ahoyimlosingmymind · 22 days

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if you (re)wrote the kotlc series, what would change?

Keefe would have way less page time

More showing instead of telling

Ro wouldn't exist, and neither would any of the bodyguards besides Girzel, Sandor, Luvise (and I forget the name of Biana's)

Focus more on the class-war that we got to observe in the earlier books

scrap the alicorns, or at the very least, the telepathy with them

Keep Forkle dead

I wouldn't have Sophie burn down the storehouse

I would have had Sophitz break up for a better reason than matchmaking

and then left Sophie single

Shrink down the main group to Sophie, Fitz, Biana, Keefe and Dex. (Maybe Linh and Tam)

However, all the rest of the side characters would pop in for important plot beats

Have one of the main kids' minds break

Have Alvar die in the troll goop so Fitz has to live with what he's done

Scrap the entire love triangle

never write a .5 book

Stop forcing all the girl characters to be self-proclaimed girl-bosses, and instead show why they're diverse and cool and powerful without drawing an unnecessary amount of attention to it

Answered what the Vacker Legacy was in book 7 when it was relevant

Would make it multi POV from the main group

#kotlc #I have beef in case that isn't obvious #basically I would change everything <3

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dinitride-art · 1 year

Text

Byler Fic Rec Week Day Two: S5 Speculation. Okay, so I missed day one because I was busy but. I’m gonna do todays! Also, some of these have longer descriptions than others and that is solely because I can figure out how to describe what’s going on with some of these fics more than the others. They’re all fantastic. I’m the problem here lol. (and all of these are byler. I swear. It’s just that sometimes the plot of the story is just as important as Mike and Will.)

1. The Secret to Being Unlucky by lovetriangled

So, Will’s POV, cool exploration of powers and plot stuff, angst/Will isn’t okay in the slightest, 13k, established byler, and I have read this fic multiple times.

2. whispers by dahlia_04, EmeraldTulip

Mike and Will’s POV’s, plot heavy, Will Byers is very not okay, Mike’s going through it too, 9.7k, and it’s got some neat formatting. I’m weak for anything that explores powers/supernatural/sci-fi stuff and this fic has a bit of that going on.

3. heat the pins and stab them in by clearskiies

Mike’s POV, 13k, and he’s going through it. Get’s targeted by Vecna. You know how it is. A fair amount of Mike thinking about Will too.

4. moth to a flame (or a lightbulb) by ApatheticLexicographer

Okay, Mike’s POV and my god does he get hit hard with this one. 7k, lots of character exploration and a fair amount of plot in there too, technically like one scene? But it’s really cool. Oh, also, this ones got some horror elements in it.

5. These feelings are not my own by Corvi_dae524

Will’s POV, cool power stuff/mechanics, and a funky little accidental emotional mind meld. 4k.

6. Wrong by jenlouniverse

Multi-chapter, Mike’s POV, Mike really REALLY goes through it, 21.4k, and basically is about Mike not being able to tell what’s real. Which is like plot stuff, but also interesting to see how it all plays out.

7. Tough tied and oh so squeamish by Cocalolhh

The POV flips around a bit, 8k, and it’s two chapters and mostly about exploring selective mutism through Mike. It’s not all s5 speculation, but most of it is in a setting that could technically be s5 speculation. But mostly focused on Mike.

8. you were bigger than the whole sky by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)

Mike’s POV, 28k, has a long time skip but is still directly dealing with s5 problems so I think this counts. There’s a lot of plot with sci-fi and at times almost fantasy elements to it. Mike is struggling a whole lot. And it explores hope, love and grief.

9. The End of the World by eagle_ace

Mike’s POV, 8.3k, focused on the Party and everything falling apart after season four. The writing style and formatting is also really neat.

10. I grieve in stereo by ferngreen

26.2k 1/2 chapters, Mike’s POV, Mike isn’t having a good time but hey. At least he’s got Will. Also a fair amount of plot with this one too, and mostly uses Stranger Things canon sci-fi elements, but along with an exploration of Mike’s character.

Alright, those are all the fics (most of them, there’s always more hiding somewhere that I’m probably subscribed too but forgot to bookmark lol) I’ve got for this category!

#byler #bylerficrecweek2023 #bylerficrecweek #fic rec #byler fic #i feel like this has way too many tags but half of those are for my own tagging system lol

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pedroscurls · 9 months

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Third Time’s A Charm (Part 17).

Character(s): Frankie “Catfish” Morales and Reader (female, second person POV) Summary: Frankie settles his divorce with Victoria, and he asks you a very important question. Word Count: 4,545 Author's Note: I just want to express my gratitude for everyone that has read, commented, and liked this story. Truly, it means so much to me. This story was so very special to me (and my first ever Frankie Morales multi-chaptered story) and I can’t wait to write more of him. We’ve got an epilogue left and this story will come to an end... I’m sad to see it end, but excited to see what other stories I write for this character. (also this is the ring if you wanted to see what it would look like) Warning: smut!!! (truly just very sensual p in v sex)

Frankie was exhausted. Finally, after six months of hell with Victoria and her lawyer, they had finalized their divorce. Frankie no longer wanted to fight with her, settling on allowing her to keep the house and everything else that came with it. He wanted to cut ties with her, to just start fresh in this new chapter of his life, and he didn’t want any reminder of her or the memories they shared. That isn’t to say that Victoria made it easy. In fact, the past six months were brutal with her bringing up the fact that he was an addict who was currently on probation. It hurt; she knew exactly where to dig the knife further and further until he couldn’t take it anymore.

But whenever Frankie wanted to react, wanted to scream and yell and tell Victoria how much of a bitch she was, he held his tongue. He kept quiet, only speaking to his lawyer and addressing Victoria when it was absolutely necessary and he noticed how it angered Victoria when she realized that she wasn’t going to get the reaction out of him like she had planned. That, at least, satisfied Frankie. To know that Victoria was no longer going to win, that she didn’t have any power over him like she used to, and it gave Frankie the confidence to keep showing up, to finalize this divorce so that he could continue on with his life and never have to look back.

The day the divorce was finalized, Frankie immediately called the guys to tell them the good news. He knew he should have called you first, but he had other plans in mind that required Benny, Will, and Santiago’s help. He climbed into his truck, letting out a relieved breath as he removed his tie and undid a few buttons at the top of his shirt.

“Congratulations, hermano,” Santiago said over the phone.

“Thanks, Pope. I feel like a brand new man.”

Santiago laughed. “So, what’s next?”

“Can you and the rest of the guys meet me? I’ll text you the address.”

“You’re not going home to celebrate with the missus?” Santiago teased.

Frankie chuckled. “Not yet. I want to do something first and I need your guys’ help.”

“Is it–”

“Just meet me, Pope.” Frankie smiled. He hung up the phone and sent the address to Santiago. Frankie pulled out of the parking spot and began making his way towards a store that you always liked to visit. He had told you months before that he didn’t want to waste anymore time and now that his divorce was finalized, Frankie wanted to make it official. He knew what your answer would be, but he wanted to make it meaningful, wanted to show you how much he truly loved you, and how excited he was to move forward with you as his wife.

Wife. It brought a smile to his face. You had always been the one that lingered in the back of his mind. The first time you two were together, Frankie was overwhelmed and truthfully fearful about how much he felt for you– he had fallen for you so fast and so hard and he hadn’t ever felt that way before. To this day, he still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have you in his life. You were so kind, so understanding and with such a big heart that he constantly wondered what good karma he did in his life to deserve you. Of all the things he had done, he never truly felt like he deserved you.

You were so good and he was just… not.

But you always made sure to show him just how special he was. You always looked at him with such soft and warm eyes that Frankie never wanted to disappoint you, never wanted to hurt you; he wanted to be a good, and better, man for you.

He knew that being in a relationship with him wasn’t easy and that dealing with someone like him took a certain kind of patience and empathy, but with you? It was easy. You never put any pressure on him to talk about the things that bothered him, never told him to just get over it… Instead, you constantly reminded him that you weren’t going anywhere, that you’d always be by his side, even if it meant that it hurt you. You were his anchor, his light at the end of the tunnel… You kept him grounded and reminded him that while days can be tough, you were still going to stick by his side no matter what, and that always brought him comfort.

As he pulled up to the jewelry store, he saw Benny, Santiago, and Will leaning against their cars. With a smile on his face, Frankie pulled into the spot next to them and climbed out of his truck. He removed his suit jacket, now clad in just suit pants and a white button-up with the buttons undone at the top and the sleeves folded to his elbows.

“Fish, congrats, man,” Benny said, pulling him into a hug. “We’re so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Ben,” Frankie smiled, giving the younger man a hug and pulling away. “I want to do this right and I want you guys to be part of it.”

“We’re gonna get the most perfect ring,” Benny winked. “She’s gonna love it.”

“And we already got her ring size,” Will grinned.

“You have an idea of what you’re looking for, Fish?” Santiago asked.

Frankie smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea. Let’s head inside.”

Once the four of them stepped inside, one of the workers approached them with a smile. Frankie let out a breath as he looked around the display cases, biting his lower lip.

“Hi there,” the woman said with a smile. “Is there anything specific you guys are looking for?”

Frankie looked at her and nodded. “A 1.5 carat oval diamond with an 18k yellow gold band? Maybe with some extra small diamonds on the band too?”

The woman smiled. “Of course, follow me.”

“You put a lot of thought into this,” Benny teased. “1.5 carat? 18k yellow gold?”

Frankie rolled his eyes, followed by laughter from Will and Santiago. “I just want her to have the best.”

“We’re just teasing,” Santiago laughed. “I mean, we didn’t even come with you the first time around.”

“I didn’t put much thought into that one,” he admitted. “But I want her to look at the ring and just–”

“We get it, Fish,” Will smiled. “She deserves the best of the best. If you know what you’re looking for, it makes this a bit easier.”

Frankie smiled, watching the jeweler pull out several choice rings to display in front of him. He bit his lower lip, looking at each one intently until one caught his eye. The moment he looked at it, he imagined it sitting on your finger and a broad smile lined his lips.

“That one’s perfect.”

The woman smiled and gently handed it to Frankie. The guys were all standing near him, looking over his shoulder at the ring that was now in Frankie’s hands. It was delicate, not too over the top, but was flashy enough to show just how beautiful and special it was. It was perfect for you and Frankie nodded to himself.

“That’s– She’s gonna love that one, Fish,” Santiago smiled.

Will nodded in agreement. “Oh, she’s definitely going to cry.”

“Because of the ring or because Fish is gonna propose?” Benny chuckled.

“Probably all of the above,” Will smiled.

“Es perfecto, hermano,” Santiago said.

“I think so too,” Frankie smiled. “Can we get this one?”

“Of course. What’s her size?”

Frankie looked over at the guys.

“Six and a half,” Benny said.

“Do you guys have that right now or would we have to place an order and pick it up at a different time?” Frankie asked.

“Let me go and check.”

Once the worker left, Frankie smiled and looked down at the ring. “If they have it in her size, I’m proposing tonight.”

Santiago grinned. “How are you gonna propose?”

“On one knee?” Frankie replied.

“Okay, smartass,” Benny laughed.

“I was thinking of taking her to the beach,” Frankie smiled. “Maybe during sunset and then just… Asking her to spend the rest of her life with me.”

“Always the secret romantic,” Will said with a smile.

—

Frankie walked into the apartment and saw you in the kitchen, pouring yourself a glass of water. He let his eyes rake over your frame, taking note of your casual loungewear of shorts and one of his t-shirts. He smiled to himself; Frankie always loved seeing you in his clothes.

“Hermosa,” he called out, walking towards you.

You looked up at him and smiled, bringing the glass of water to your lips. “How’d it go, my love?”

Frankie wrapped his arms around your frame, pulling you to him. You set aside your glass and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. “I’m divorced. Officially.”

“So, it’s me and you from now on?”

Frankie nodded. “Last chance to back out.”

You rolled your eyes playfully and leaned up to peck his lips. “Not a chance. You’re stuck with me.”

“Oh, you promise?” He grinned. “Because I kind of like the sound of that.”

“Kind of?” you said with a pout.

Frankie let out a quiet chuckle and kissed your forehead. “Maybe just a bit.”

“Fine, I’ll take it,” you teased.

Frankie smiled, pulling back to look down at you. “Look at you, wearing my shirt.”

“Mmm, I like wearing your clothes.”

“I like seeing you in my clothes, hermosa.”

You bit your lower lip, bringing your hands to rest on his chest. You tilted your head and leaned up on your toes to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Keep that up and we’re gonna have to go into the bedroom.”

Frankie grinned against you, his hands resting on your waist. “Can I take you out first? To celebrate?”

“You sure you don’t wanna stay in?” You asked, pulling back from him. “I don’t mind–”

“How about we grab some burgers and head to the beach?”

Your eyes lit up and a broad smile lined your lips. “And watch the sunset?” you asked.

Frankie nodded. “It’s been a while since we’ve done that and I figured–”

“Yes,” you interrupted. “Absolutely, yes.”

“Let me get out of these clothes and then we can head out.” Frankie placed a gentle kiss on your forehead before pulling away from you. “Can you wear this though?”

“What? Shorts and your shirt?”

Frankie nodded with a smile. “Please?”

“Only because you asked so nicely,” you chuckled. “And because it’s comfy.”

“I’ll bring a sweater for you in case you get cold too.”

“You just want me in all your clothes, huh?”

Frankie laughed. “I’d very much prefer you without any clothes, but–”

“Okay, get ready or else we’ll never leave.” you said with a smile, gently pushing him for him to turn around and make his way to the bedroom.

While Frankie was changing into much more comfortable clothes, you let out a relieved breath. You had seen how the effect this divorce had on Frankie; some days were rougher than others, but only because Victoria made it a point to make it difficult for him. You could see that he was constantly in thought, especially on days where he would come home quiet and to himself. Part of you had wanted to confront Victoria and tell her to grow up and deal with this like an adult, but you decided that she was just a waste of time and she wasn’t worthy of yours.

You had gotten a job a month after losing the one at the university. You were working at a community college, teaching literature to students who were only there for a general ed requirement. It was different and nothing like what you were used to when you were working at the university, but you were still grateful for the opportunity to have a job, still teaching a subject that you loved. It also helped that you had Frankie to come home to every day.

You were excited, hopeful for your future with Frankie. It finally felt like all the pieces were coming together, that now you both had the chance to be with each other like you were supposed to be. Frankie always gave you butterflies, no matter what he was doing, and whenever he looked at you, you always felt your heart skip a beat. You knew that he was the man you were meant to be with, the man you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with, and it felt good knowing that you now had the opportunity to be with him, forever. He had practically implied that he was going to marry you and while he hadn’t proposed yet, it still excited you to know that it was going to happen at any moment.

With your back facing the hallway, you gasped when you felt Frankie gently smack your backside. You turned around and looked up at him, biting your lower lip almost instantly at the sight of him. He was wearing a denim button-up shirt with the sleeves folded to his elbows and a dark t-shirt underneath with a pair of jeans, and as always, he was wearing his Standard Heating Oil hat. He smiled at you mischievously and wrapped an arm around your waist to bring you flush against him.

“You slap me again and I’m taking you to the bedroom,” you warned.

Frankie ran his tongue across his lower lip and winked. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

You smiled, moving your hands to his shoulders. “How about we get some food, watch the sunset, and then come back home for some–”

“Fun?” he grinned.

“Exactly,” you smiled, pecking his lips. “I love you.”

Frankie smiled. “I love you too, hermosa. Let’s go.”

—

You were both now sitting on the sand with a hamburger in each of your hands. The sun hadn’t yet begun to set, so you both were leaning against each other, taking a bite of your food. You always felt like the beach was a place where you and Frankie went to when the reality of life became too much; the beach and the sunset always managed to keep you both grounded, to remind you both to slow down and breathe.

“I can’t finish my food,” you said with a sigh. “It’s too much.”

Frankie chuckled, finishing his food and taking your burger in his hands. “It’s a good thing I’m here then, aren’t I?”

“It’s why I keep you around,” you teased.

“And here I thought you kept me around because you love me, hermosa.”

“Eh, maybe just a little bit.” you grinned, looking over at him. Frankie chuckled and took a couple of bites of your burger before wrapping it back up to put back in the bag. He wrapped his arm around you, feeling you lean against his side as the sun slowly began to set.

“Thank you,” he whispered, kissing the crown of your head. “For sticking by me, hermosa.”

You looked up at him and smiled, pecking his lips. “I told you I’d always be here and I never break my promises.”

Frankie smiled to himself. The sun was beginning to set and was casting a perfect glow around you and Frankie felt like he had fallen in love all over again. He used his free hand to rest over his pocket, feeling the velvet box inside before he stood up, taking you with him.

“Dance with me?” Frankie asked, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“Always,” you smiled. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, swaying side to side with him to the sounds of waves and distant laughter. You were looking deeply into his eyes, biting your lower lip as you leaned up to peck his lips. “I’m just so happy…”

“Me too, hermosa,” he whispered, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours. “It’s always been you… And I’m sorry that it’s taken this long.”

“The things that happened, were meant to happen,” you replied. “Because at the end of it all, we found our way back to each other.”

Frankie let out a contented sigh. “I was so hesitant when Santiago told me he was setting me up,” he said with a quiet chuckle. “I fought him on it for weeks, but we both know how persistent he can be…”

You listened, biting your lower lip as your bodies continued to sway with one another. “Oh, I know it,” you giggled.

“But when I saw you for the first time…” Frankie smiled. “I knew I was done for. Your big eyes looked at me in a way that no one ever had before,” he admitted. “You looked at me like I mattered… That no matter what I had done in my life preceding you, it didn’t define me.”

You felt tears stinging your eyes, staring up at him. “I was so nervous,” you smiled. “You were so handsome and I thought you were way out of my league.”

Frankie rolled his eyes playfully. “You’re the one out of my league, hermosa.” He pecked your lips softly and continued. “Pope knew exactly what he was doing when he set us up,” Frankie chuckled. “Because he knew, before the both of us, that we were meant to be with each other. You’re my other half, hermosa. I’ve told you plenty of times that you make me want to be a better man and I mean every single word.”

You bit your lower lip as you both stopped swaying, still just holding each other and taking comfort in being in each other’s arms.

“And I told you that I don’t want to waste any more time…” he began, pulling away to grab the box from his pocket before he knelt down on one knee. Frankie had removed his hat and looked up at you, seeing the smile lining your lips as you wiped at your eyes.

“Frankie…”

“I can’t imagine my life without you. I’m not going to promise that it’s going to be easy, but I will promise that I’ll be by your side no matter what. I promise to fight for us, no matter how hard it gets. From the moment we met, it was always you.” Frankie then opened the velvet box to reveal the engagement ring he had chosen with the guys earlier that day.

“I love you so much, hermosa. I want to spend the rest of my life with you… I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I see when I go to sleep. I want to continue to laugh with you, to cry, to make more memories with you…”

You gasped at the ring, the sun hitting it just right to cast a twinkle against the diamond.

“Yes!” you said immediately. “Yes, yes.” Tears were falling from your eyes as you wiped them away with a quiet chuckle.

“I didn’t ask yet,” Frankie smiled.

“Oh–”

“Will you marry me, hermosa?” he interrupted, staring up at you with those deep brown eyes that you had fallen in love with all those years ago.

“Yes, yes, yes,” you repeated, kneeling down in front of him and wrapping your arms around his shoulders to press your lips against his. Immediately, you moved your lips with his, smiling against him. Frankie had to pull away enough to take your left hand once he took the ring from the box. He looked down at your hand and slowly slid the ring onto your ring finger, smiling instantly.

“Perfect fit,” he whispered.

“I love you,” you said, pecking his lips. You looked down at the ring and smiled to yourself, tears still trickling down your cheeks. It was a yellow gold band with several small diamonds with an oval diamond on topic, sparkling against the setting sun. “It’s so beautiful, Frankie.”

“You like it?” he asked, biting his lower lip.

“I love it, but you know me… I would’ve been happy with anything.”

Frankie smiled, pecking your lips softly before he stood up with you. “I know, but you deserve something as beautiful as you and the minute I saw this ring, I knew it belonged to you.”

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” you whispered.

“Funny you should say that,” Frankie said quietly, wrapping his arms around your waist. “Because I feel the same way and…” he whispered, “I think you saved me, hermosa.”

You bit your lower lip, shaking your head. “You saved yourself, Frankie,” you whispered, running your hands along his arms. “I was just here so you didn’t lose your way.”

Frankie sighed contentedly, resting his forehead against yours. “You’re my dream come true, hermosa. You have no idea how much I love you…”

“Oh, I’ve got some idea,” you teased, lifting your hand to show him the ring. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Frankie.”

“Let’s go home and celebrate?” he winked, wiggling his brows together.

“Yes, please,” you grinned.

—

Once back at the apartment, Frankie was quick to lead you down the hall and towards the bedroom. His hands were on your waist, peppering kisses along your neck as he pressed himself against you. You leaned back against him, resting your head against his chest to expose more of your neck for him.

You couldn’t believe it. It still felt so surreal to know that you were now Frankie’s fiancée and you couldn’t wait to just spend the rest of your life with him. Your best memories were with Frankie and despite all of the challenges you both faced, you were just so happy to finally get another chance with him.

Frankie’s hands moving underneath your shirt brought you out of your thoughts, feeling his rough fingertips graze upwards to brush his thumbs against each nipple. You arched your back against him, biting your lower lip at the sensation.

“You weren’t wearing a bra?” he whispered against you.

“I never do whenever I wear your shirts,” you replied, letting out a quiet whimper.

“Fuck me,” Frankie groaned, turning you around and slowly lifting the shirt over your head to reveal your bare front. Frankie licked his lips at the sight of you, gently backing you towards the mattress. Once you felt the edge of the bed hit your knees, you fell back onto it with Frankie climbing on top of you.

Frankie moved his hands to your shorts, gently pulling them down your legs until you were now completely naked below him. He pulled back enough to let his eyes take you in, growling at the sight as he stood to undo his pants, kicking them off to the side. Frankie pulled off his denim button up, followed by shirt until he was clad in only his boxers. His manhood was pressing against the thin fabric and he brought a hand down to squeeze himself, his eyes focused solely on you.

“Get over here,” you whispered, parting your legs.

Frankie licked his lips, watching as your spread legs exposed your sex. He pushed down his boxers, letting out a quiet breath at the relieved pressure before he climbed back on the bed, settling himself between your legs. Frankie couldn’t wait; he didn’t want to take his time like he normally did. Instead, he just wanted to revel in the feel of you wrapped around him.

“Frankie, please,” you whimpered, feeling the head of his member brush against your opening.

He smiled, grasping his member and slowly pushing past your folds. Frankie kept his eyes on you, watching as you let out a quiet moan. He saw you move your hands to his chest, his eyes catching a glint of your ring and he smiled to himself, pushing further into you as your tight and warm walls wrapped around his manhood like a vice.

“Fuck, hermosa,” Frankie whispered, his hands resting at either side of your head. Slowly, he pulled his hips back only to push back into you, continuing the slow thrusts.

“Frankie,” you moaned, wrapping your legs around his waist. His slow movements were just as effective as his rough and fast thrusts, but this felt more intimate. Your eyes were locked onto his, the sounds of your moans mixing in with his as the feel of his member continued to slide in and out of your depths.

He lowered himself to rest his forehead against yours, lips brushing against you ever so slightly as his movements picked up. Frankie always loved to hear the sounds of your moans, the way his name escaped your lips; he took pride in knowing that he knew how to make you feel good and now he was going to get to do it for the rest of his life.

“I love you,” he whispered against you, moving both hands to grip your hips as his own drove into you repeatedly.

“Oh god, Frankie,” you moaned as your eyes fell shut at the feeling of getting closer and closer to your climax. Frankie just knew exactly what to say and what to do to get you to the edge of your orgasm and this time was no different. Your bodies moved in tandem with one another, breaths against each other’s lips, moans escaping quietly. “I love you too,” you whispered back, your fingernails digging into his skin at his upper back.

Frankie groaned against you, pecking your lips lightly before he buried his face against the crook of your neck, rolling his hips against yours. His fingertips dug into your hips as he felt your walls slowly begin to tighten even further around his manhood, throbbing against you. He knew you were close, so he gently nipped at your skin along the side of your neck as he pulled out to his tip only to slam into you. He repeated this motion several times, the sound of skin slapping against one another beginning to echo off the four walls of the bedroom.

“Frankie!” you moaned loudly, tightening your legs around his hips to keep him still as you reached your high.

Frankie let out a moan, feeling your walls milk his manhood to his own release. He pulled back enough to look down at you, gripping your hips as he began to quicken his own movements. He watched as your body bounced against his own with his rapid thrusts, becoming more erratic.

“Fuck,” he growled. “Fuck, hermosa,” he moaned, slamming into you once more as he released in your depths. His body shook slightly and he collapsed on top of you, breathing heavily.

You smiled to yourself, running your fingertips lightly along your back, brushing against the scratches you left. Frankie shuddered against you and pulled back to peck your lips, looking deeply into your eyes.

“You and me forever?” you asked with hopeful eyes.

Frankie brought a hand to brush his thumb across your cheek and whispered quietly, said quietly, “Forever, hermosa.”

---

Epilogue.

Taglist: @harriedandharassed, @tanzthompson, @casa-boiardi. @bitchwitch1981. @painitemoondust, @pedritosdarling, @vanemando15, @kittenlittle24, @gracie7209, @your-voice-is-mellifluous, @mikeyswifie

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physalian · 6 months

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Writing with Executive Dysfunction (or how to lower the barrier of entry)

So you want to write a book, but all you have is a cool one-liner, a niche super power you want to explore, and the blurry image of a love interest with a two-syllable kind of name. You don’t know where to start, what to tackle first, how to jump in the deep end.

Can you write the ending first? What if you want this really cool gimmick in a fight scene but can’t write action to save your life? Do you start in media res or with a prologue, or with the character starting their daily routine? Do you write the villain’s POV first?

Or do you start with an outline, character sheets, a title, summary, your themes and motifs? How many pages and pages of worldbuilding notes should you have built up before you’re good to tackle the first page? You’ve heard time and again the critical importance of the first three sentences. The first chapter if your audience is generous.

The pressure mounts to be unique, but not try-hard, descriptive but not flowery, intriguing, but not confusing, all in the first hundred or so words. You sit there staring at the little blinking black line on your blank page… and the idea gets shelved for another day. It collects virtual dust in the backlogs of your computer, forgotten until you have to clear out space on your hard drive and stumble across unspent potential.

Everyone and their dog has their own bits of writing advice and I’m sure I’m about to echo tips that have been around the block once or twice, but there are a few I don’t see talked about enough.

Whether you suffer from severe procrastination, fear of failure before you even begin, the overwhelming limitlessness of choice, or just can’t sit down and dedicate any time to see what happens, this list might be for you.

1. Write Every Day

This is nothing new, but I’m going to tackle the implementation of such a habit over why it’s important. You already know why it’s important. Writing every day doesn’t demand a full page of a Word doc, or 200 words before you can get up and do something else. Sometime a witty dialogue exchange comes to mind while you’re doing dishes – write that down.

Or you saw a cool name for a character in a commercial – write that down.

Or you had a dream about your characters in a high-octane street chase – write down the synopsis.

Personally, I use Apple Notes. It’s free, I can log-in to iCloud through a browser and keep writing, and my phone is always with me. I have dedicated folders to sort which notes belong to which concepts.

Disclaimer: Apple Notes is meant for exactly that: Note taking. I take it to the extremes, but it’s not a word processer. It’s not meant for anything more strenuous than putting virtual pen to virtual paper.

I build up so many variations of scene ideas and concepts for character arcs that my ‘notes’ for any given book can be as long as a full-length novel. Most of the time, admittedly, those ideas get outdated fast as I move on to bigger and better things, but the point is this: I never would move on to better things if I didn’t have somewhere to start.

I have a personal grudge against OneDrive for a sync failure losing 20k words of a WIP, so most of my writing is done through Google Docs and saved to Google Drive. It’s not the most powerful word processor, but you don’t have to worry about formatting until the very end and can export later. It’s free, like Apple Notes (assuming you have an iPhone), and the smart phone app for Google programs works phenomenally better than the MS Word app – so once again, the barrier for being within reach of places to jot down ideas is lowered. My phone is always with me.

It doesn’t have to be digital – carry around a journal or a notebook or a legal pad if you want. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing. The point is to have somewhere to take all the ideas you have in your head and get them onto paper the moment inspiration strikes.

2. Writing is Supposed to be Fun

The dreaded writer’s block, scourge of authors everywhere. You’ve reached the point in your manuscript where you’ve caught up to the epic adventure you’ve written in your head. The little writer in your brain has gone on strike and you’re left in the doldrums of how to transition from one chapter to the next. One idea to the next. One scene, one line of dialogue.

Answer: Skip it.

Unless you have a hard deadline to make, writing is supposed to be fun. Your best work comes when you’re passionate about doing it, not when you’re holding your fingers hostage to put something on the page or else.

When you start getting frustrated, walk away. When you get stressed, walk away. The manuscript will still be there once you’ve slept on it for a day or two and you’ll be glad for it. Or, write a different scene. Write a hypothetical scene (more on this point later). Write anything you want and come back to the hard parts later. The gaps will fill eventually, and if they don’t—consider what about that transition or scene is so hard and consider axing it entirely. If it’s frustrating for you, it’s probably boring or unimportant to the reader.

3. Script it

My favorite writer’s crutch is to make a skeleton of the scene I want to have, fill it with dialogue, and move on. The pretty thematic narrative can come later. It’s halfway between an outline and a first draft and, for me, someone to whom dialogue comes easier than narrative, this is another barrier removed to letting creativity flow.

I don’t have to think about dialogue tags or movement of a scene or how exactly I want to structure a sentence or describe the setting. Scripting lets me sus out the pacing of a given scene, test run a conversation I have in my head to see if it might really work before investing all the time and effort of a fully fleshed out first draft, only to erase it all later.

You can do this mid-narrative, too. If you just want to skip over a couple lines that aren’t coming naturally to you, script a vague sense of stage directions until you get to easier narrative and come back later.

When I say scripting, mine look something like this:

Character A (ChA): [position within the setting, tone of voice, any notable gesture or action that enhances the dialogue] “Dialogue.” [specific dialogue tag, if necessary] … (often a paragraph break) … “Dialogue.” Character B (ChB): “Dialogue.” [emotion, reaction, details about the setting that are now important, new revelations by the narrating POV] … “Dialogue,” [action. Tonal shift. Movement] ChA: “Dialogue.” [action] … (scene continues)

In practice:

… ChA: [kicks back against the wall of the room, arms crossed. Annoyed, waiting for ChB to speak first, but they don’t] “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to leave?” [head tilts, still waiting on an answer ChB isn’t giving] “All you had to do was ask.” ChB: “You were having fun,” [quiet, wringing their hands in their lap on the edge of the bed] “You wanted me there. So I was there.” [huffs, flips their hair back. Not sure how many times they’ve had this conversation. Will always hate parties, not going to suddenly like them just because ChA is there] “You can either have me there, or make sure I’m comfortable. You can’t have both.” ChA: “So now I’m the bad guy.” [foot thumps on the floor like a judge’s gavel] …

Scripting also lets you fill a scene with multiple new characters before you figure out their names or descriptions, tagging their lines with the bare minimum. I often test out entire action scenes (which I loathe writing) in script form, so I know I’m satisfied with the pacing, blocking, and amount of movement before I lock it in and write the first draft of actual narrative. It also forces you to make sure your characters are taking actions and not just sitting at a table like talking mannequins.

Transitioning from script to narrative can be mighty tedious sometimes if you try to fit in chunks of narrative in the exact places you left on your initial pass. Fictional prose is organic, so let it breathe.

Maybe you let a character monologue for too long, or they have too much movement in a scene that becomes unnatural and clunky. Or the entire scene ran away from you because the conversation was just that good. Whatever the case, a script, bare minimum, gets your foot in the door.

4. Write Fanfic

I like sci-fi and fantasy. I also like taking my sci-fi and fantasy characters and throwing them into ‘fanfics’ to test out relationships and start to get a feel for what makes them unique from the rest of the cast.

Sometimes the setting changes to something mundane, sometimes it’s a hypothetical scene that the current pacing of the narrative just doesn’t have room for, or it’s a flashback you’ll never include but want to have written so it’s concrete when you reference it in the present.

It also helps you fall in love with your characters when you can write them without consequence, doing whatever, doing whoever, saying whatever, going wherever. In fanfic, their personalities can start to write themselves and you discover them as you write them. And, hey, sometimes you come up with a concept so good, you change the entire real narrative around to fit it.

All your attention doesn’t have to be on the story you’re actually writing.

5. Keep All of Your Deleted Scenes

I keep so many of mine, the ‘deleted scenes’ doc of one book is 40k words longer than the actual manuscript, filled with numerous variations of the same scene written over and over again in vain trying to keep something that no longer works.

Keep them for several reasons:

It reminds you of how far you’ve come.

You can pick through the bones for bits of dialogue and setting descriptors even if the majority is trashed.

You remind yourself of what didn’t work before, so you don’t fall in that same trap again.

If you change your mind, all you have to do is copy-paste it back in.

6. Remember First Drafts are First Drafts

Let the word spew flow forth from your fingers and don’t look back and start questioning every decision and all its flaws until your creativity tank starts sputtering on empty. It’s supposed to be messy, it’s supposed to have plot holes and typos and inconsistencies and things to fact-check. If you start hyper-fixating on making sure your manuscript has absolutely no errors before moving on to the next chapter, it will never get written, and you’ll convince yourself you’re a terrible writer.

Writing is easy. Revisions are hard. Just as storytelling doesn’t have to be linear, neither does the writing process. If that critical first line just won’t come to you, stuff a mediocre one in its place and move on. Write the ending first. Write all the romantic entanglements first. Write the big climactic argument first and figure out how the rest falls into place around your beautiful centerpiece.

But remember: You do, at some point, have to write the hard stuff. Hopefully, when the time comes, you look at all the rest you’ve written and are proud enough of your progress that those daunting scenes that looked impossible before become much more approachable now. Do it for your future readers who want to know how it ends. Do it for your characters. Do it for you.

#writing advice #writing a book

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sy-on-boy · 2 years

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The Mystery of Melinda Desmond (and others)

Anyways I’ve been thinking about how the cast of Spy x Family upholds a very meticulously crafted status quo. ESPECIALLY the adults. And now with Damian’s mom (a highly anticipated character) introduced, the plot thickens.

So one of the main gimmicks of SxF is that everyone has a side they hide, but for most of the main cast, the “two sides” they have is clearly visible to the reader. Loid is a psychiatrist and a spy. Yor has a “normal” job but is also an assassin. Yuri is straight up introduced as a member of the SSS. Fiona has a job at the hospital but is also straight up introduced as a member of WISE. In each of these 4 characters’ introductions, we see their individual gimmicks. We, as readers, know their secret identities. Like, imagine if we didn’t know Yuri’s a member of WISE’s top enemy. There would be so much speculation and analysis, but the Yuri’s relevance to plot isn’t him being mysterious. It’s literally established that him and his brother in law belong to enemy organisations. Endo tells us so we can anticipate what might happen next. Endo uses the trope of double identities not to make us guess who is who. He immediately shows us who they are and tells us to enjoy the ride. Readers (and Anya) know the truth, the characters don’t.

For the more side-ish characters, we have an idea of who they are. We know Sylvia is like Twilight’s boss, but while she’s serious and cool, she also shows a warm, motherly side to Anya. Franky is stuck in the “comedic sidekick role who cannot get a date” but he is pretty useful and loyal to Loid. One might expect Henderson to be all serious and elegant, but he’s also used for comic relief. These characters are established as “good” characters who are on the side of our protags. Again, these traits are all laid out for us.

Important note: the above characters have all met Anya. Anya is a mind reader and she can read their true intentions. And since she knows their intentions, the reader does as well, and for the most part, we can trust them. And when an adult character hasn’t met Anya yet (and doesn’t get their own POVs), they’re shrouded in mystery.

We have our perceived antagonist, Donovan Desmond. From Twilight (and WISE)’s POV, he’s a cruel man who can start a war. But Donovan’s involvement in a potential war isn’t directly confirmed yet. Most info from him comes from WISE, so the readers understand Donovan from the lens of his enemy rather from a omniscient narrator or Donovan’s POV. It’s important to note that while Anya wanted to meet Donovan, she actually didn’t. If Anya didn’t fall asleep back then, she could easily read Donovan’s mind and boom, his mystery is gone, story ends, blah blah blah.

If anything, Melinda is portrayed as an even bigger threat than Donovan, because we know less about her. Loid admits that. Damian doesn’t even think about his mother. And when you pair Yor with Melinda, who’s oblivious to the politics (unlike Loid and Anya), as readers we know even less.

I think Anya is deliberately kept away from Donovan and Melinda because those two are supposed to be mysterious characters (that’s their gimmick vs the gimmick of Loid/Yor/Yuri/Fiona’s double identities). If the mysterious characters meet a mindreader, they’re not so mysterious now, are they?

Let’s analyse the field. Our mindreader Anya has only met Damian before, and Damian provides little information other than his parents don’t really care about him. The provider of our omniscient POV is only in touch with the least powerful Desmond. Loid, the spy who is suspicious of Donovan, has met him once under very very meticulous conditions. Yor, who isn’t actively aware of politics and sees Melinda as “the mom of the child my daughter punched”, is just happy to have a friend (even though she appears to be put off by Melinda’s weird smiles). Anya and Damian meet regularly, and Anya gains nothing about politics from him because Damian is a child who is unaware. Melinda and Yor have the potential to meet regularly, but Yor can’t read minds, nor does she have Twilight’s intel, so we don’t know how much she can get (and how much us readers will see). While Twilight is an excellent spy who tries to get info from Donovan, it’s extremely difficult for Twilight and Donovan to meet. Because of the limitations of each Forger-Desmond pair, the status quo can be maintained.

I guess this is why Damian’s isolation from his parents is relevant? If Damian doesn’t see his parents regularly, how can our deus ex machina Anya meet them? And if Anya is kept away from them, the mystery and the plot can continue.

The reason I suspect Donovan AND Melinda to be true antagonists (that go against the protags) is because while they’re not established as merciless greedy warlords, they ARE established as neglectful parents. And a huge theme of SxF is family. Characters who love their families are established as “good” characters (Forgers, Yuri, Sylvia). Loid and Yor have both defended Damian and apologised for Anya’s punch, but Donovan and Melinda threaten them with a smile while claiming “it’s fine”. Loid and Yor are quickly proven to care more about Damian than the Desmonds. The Forgers are the good parents, while the Desmonds are the neglectful ones. Even without politics at play, it’s easy to see which side we’re supposed to dislike or at least be wary of.

I would say someone in between “character on the side of protags” and “mystery character” would be the Shopkeeper. It’s, umm, morally dubious if Garden trained a literal child to be a murderer, but Shopkeeper is generally kind to Yor, and vice versa. But he seems to be pretty on guard when Yor mentions her husband being a “conservative”. Shopkeeper is still a mysterious character, but right now we’re more inclined to like Garden because so far, they’ve been nice to Yor and they gave her a job. It’s not like Yor is forced to be an assassin (she mentions she likes her job). But afaik Anya hasn’t met Shopkeeper yet. They are characters whose thoughts are deliberately hidden.

Demetrius is another mysterious character but he seems to be a child/teen (Eden student) who appears to care more about Damian than his parents do. Readers have met Donovan and Melinda, but we haven’t seen Demetrius. I don’t think he’s going to be as bad as his parents, but it’s telling how we haven’t seen him yet despite multiple past references. What’s up with Demetirus, hm?

TLDR: Since Anya can read minds, characters that she has met (and trusts) are established as characters on the Forgers’ side. Which is why she is kept away from Donovan and Melinda, who are both established as mysterious people who neglect Damian.

Sorry if this is a bit repetitive / not concise or has mistakes, I’ve had a bit too much morning coffee lol.

#spy x family #spy x family analysis #spy x family spoilers #melinda desmond #donovan desmond #anya forger #meta #ig #sxf analysis

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