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jessequinones · 24 days

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Stop Using Slurs in Children Stories!

I bet that caught your attention. You might be thinking, what stories use the N-word, or the F-word, well...none that I found. However, there are two slur words that are often used in writing mainly in children's literature because I don’t think enough people know them to be slurs. Those words are cripple and savage.

Before I begin, I need to address a few things. First, I'll only use these words in full for educational purposes so nothing gets confusing. Secondly, I’m not hating on any of these authors. I genuinely think these people might not know cripple and savage are slurs. However, I still need examples of what I’m talking about to explain how common these words are used in writing as well as explaining why it’s a bad idea to use them, so I’m using these authors, not as targets but as examples based on the books I have.

Both of these words (cripple and savage) have a lot of history behind them, and while I strongly suggest, not using them, if for some reason, they have to be used, you need to hire a sensitivity reader who’s a part of the communities that has been affected by said words before you publish your story.

Cripple:

Before I begin, please understand I’ve consulted with a disabled person who’s well knowledgeable in this topic to help smooth out my points. I’m not apart of the physically disabled community. As I’ve been told there’s a big debate going on within the disabled community in regards to if mental disabled people are allowed to use the word cripple or not. This is beyond my understanding of the word, and the community so when I mention the word cripple, I’ll be referring it to the physical disabled community and not the mental one. Everything I’m about to say has already been said by the physically disabled community. I’m not adding anything new or talking over them. If you would like to know more about the language of disability, please read Cy-Cyborg’s article on the matter: https://writingwithcycyborg.blogspot.com/2024/02/LanguageOfDisability.html

Cripple is a world that’s defined one of three ways, to either describe someone who can’t function properly, to describe a situation that’s overwhelming, or to describe an object that isn’t working.

Example one: DragonFire: Sphere of Eternity (book 1)

“I mean, this morning, no offence, you were crippled.” (Describing a person.)

Example two: “The economy was crippled.” (Describing a situation)

Example three: DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) (describing an object)

The word cripple, even when it was used in a medical sense has always been a word to punch down and insult the physically disabled community. It was used to attack them and point out their disabilities. It became a common replacement for the word injured because it has a more of a punch. Instead of calling someone “severely injured” use cripple instead, it’s shorter and a lot punchier of a word. Over time it became part of normal vocabulary to use it while describing something as severe, despite it still being used as an insult at the same time. Let’s look at an example of how it’s being used to describe an injury in Robert Vane's A Dragons Chains: Book one of the Remembered War

“I moved my three non-crippled legs…” In this example, the dragon has an injured leg. Why did the author use the word cripple instead of injured? I think it’s because of shock value. Is it cheap shock value? Yes, but shock value for the reader is still shock value. Tell me, what’s the difference would be if the author replaced the word cripple with injured? “I moved my three non-injured legs...” Does using the word cripple add to the sense of urgency? Add to the sense of how injured that character's leg is? Or was it merely just a place for shock value?

But how often is this word used? Let’s take a quick look at the DragonFire series. There are currently four books in this series at the time of writing, and the word crippled is used twelve times throughout four books. Knowing it’s a slur...that’s a lot.

Some of the examples in which it was used are in things such as DragonFire: Fallen Star (book 2) where it reads:

“...he yelled, his scythed tail coiling round, only for the far less crippled dragon to kick him off.” DragonFire: Order of Enishra (book 4)

It’s not just the DragonFire series which does this, other examples include, The Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies

Which uses it four times in one book with examples such as “Lock these two in the truck with the cripple…”

Warriors: Forest of Secrets (book 3) has this line. “As Fireheart said goodbye to Yellowfang and went back to hunting, he felt a new surge of determination to bring Tigerclaw’s guilt into the open. For the sake of Redtail, murdered; for Ravenpaw, driven from the Clan; for Cinderpaw, crippled...”

And even Wings of Fire, one of my favourite book series uses it.

Here’s a question for you. Is it ok to use that word if the impact is meant to be insulting? In the Wings of Fire example, Queen Scarlet defeats Dune in combat, and is about to kidnap the main characters. Dune, still breathing can barley move upon which Scarlet killed him. Scarlet is one of those pure evil types of characters, this is something I could see her saying, but let’s take a step back and put your eyes in the eyes of a disabled child.

Here you are, a disabled child. You already know what the word cripple is, and it’s been used against you (don’t act like this doesn’t happen). You read Wings of Fire and you come across that sentence. What is the intent behind that sentence in the eyes of a disabled child? Are you supposed to be scared of Scarlet? Angry? Or are you upset, because even in a fantasy book with talking dragons, you can’t escape from real life or that word?

Some of you might say, “What if only the villains use that word?” While I can see Queen Scarlet calling Peril a stupid retarded motherfucker. It’s not something you want in a children's story, so why does cripple get a past?

I hope you’re getting the picture, it’s a very commonly used word, one which the disabled community has begged able-bodied people not to use. The word injured gets the same point across and it doesn’t have a history of it being a derogatory term. While replacing the word cripple with injured or severely injured isn’t a perfect fix, it’s at least getting rid of the other word which is a start at least.

Now before I continue with the other slur, I can hear some of you say you’re aware disabled people are using cripple to describe themselves. Why can’t able-bodied people use it? Here’s the thing. Not everyone in the disabled community is doing this, and it’s not a monolith. The word cripple has been used as an attack against the disabled community for decades. It targets them, puts them down, and it’s only used against them. You only use the term to refer to something as injured so there's no reason to use it on an able-bodied person. The community in which it was used against is taking that word and trying to empower it amongst themselves. You’re not gonna complain if someone who’s black uses the N-word, so why are you upset when disabled people use the word cripple to describe themselves but are saying you can’t? That word belongs to them and their community, not yours. Also, one more thing before I go, not everyone in the disabled community uses this word or wants to hear it. There have been plenty of disabled people who are fine using that word to describe themselves but won’t say it around others if other disabled people express they don’t want to hear it. So be mindful if you’re gonna use it and please hire a sensitivity reader.

Savage:

This word...I have a lot of history with it because it’s a word that’s used against my community, (indigenous) people. And yet, just like the word cripple, it’s used all the time and while it’s a very common occurrence where indigenous voices aren’t heard, we’ve been telling everyone to just drop this word. Unlike the word cripple, we aren’t trying to claim this word, we just want it gone.

The definition of this word is an easy one to understand. It’s to describe a person, object, or an action as barbaric, wild, aggressive, unintelligent, or barely even human.

Example one: “They’re savages, savages, barely even human” Disney, Pocahontas (1995). (Used against people)

Example two:DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) by LJ Davies

“I opened my muzzled to respond, but another savage roar drew our attention…” (Used as an action)

Example three:

(Used against a group of people)

Example four: “Savage weaponry” (Use to describe an object)

I’m gonna be using the series DragonFire a lot for my examples, because out of all the books I got, that series uses the word 19 times throughout books one, two, and three. It was used twelve times in book three and I guess someone told LJ Davies about this problem because it doesn’t appear in book four. But it DOES appear in the spin-off series “Tales of DragonFire: Rebellion” twice, and THIRTEEN TIMES in “The Last Monster on Earth”. Overall, that's THIRTY-FOUR TIMES in the course of five books, all meant for children.

LJ Davies isn’t my only example. Chester Young, used it nine times throughout books 1 and 2 of the Celestial Heir books Rowan Silver, used it once in Eyes of Silver: Dragons and Skylines (book 2) And Robert Vane, used it once in the Remembered War series in book 4

Let’s start by showing off some examples and the impact they have and please note, that this might be something you’re just not experienced with. So just like with the disabled child, try to imagine yourself as an indigenous child. You’re fully aware of the word savage, it’s been used against you, and your people. So when you read a text like “Trade with the savages...they wouldn’t understand the concept!”

It feels awfully familiar to lines you read in your history books about your people. Keep in mind, that you wanted to read a story about dragons so you could get away from real life.

(From the Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies)

I know the United States called the Native Americans savage monsters while stealing their land, it was used as a way to justify their actions, make the natives appear barley even human or in most cases, not human at all, let’s not forget, for a good majority of the building of the United States, those founding fathers didn’t see anyone other than themselves as humans. Reading text, asking how people became savage monsters overnight should remind you how people labelled indigenous people in the past and still do today.

"To confirm the princess’s words, yes, there is an army out there whose numbers vastly exceed our own. Nevertheless, they are a crude mockery of the noble kind they once were, and they are now nothing but savages….There was a series of grunts and nods at that statement...” (DragonFire: Age of Legend, book 3)

I think, this text is a great example of what I’ve been trying to say. In this text, the character who is speaking and the grunts and nods are all dragons with human-like intelligence. They're a stand-in for us. The Elder (who spoke in said text) has been seen and viewed as one of the good guys. He calls his kind noble, and he’s working with a princess, (let’s not forget our history books on how the royal family treated indigenous people). He calls his attackers “nothing but savages”. In translation, their monsters, who are no longer noble or righteous. There’s an agreement with his statement, as if what he says is right and we should be agreeing with him.

In that sentence, understanding everyone is of human intelligence and is a stand-in for humans. We have an old white knight, calling the enemy savages while the royal family are the heroes who are trying to protect their land from those filthy, disgusting, savages. You can kind of see why I’m saying we really shouldn’t be using this word.

“Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages…” Warriors: Into the Wild (book 1)

Savages...indigenous people, they aren’t warriors, they would’ve killed Yellowfang, and left her to rot in the wilds, Thunderclan is better than those monsters. Am I making my point clear enough when it comes to the history of this word, who it’s targeted against and how it comes across when reading in children's media?

You might’ve noticed I’ve mainly been using examples when it refers to a group of people, not necessarily showing off how commonly it’s used as either an action or an object because honestly...those are just kind of dumb. A savage roar? What does that mean?

Ah yes, because we really needed the use of the word “savagely” to get the point across that Misuk just destroyed a person's skull. The “turning his head into a bloody pulp” wasn’t enough on its own. Without the use of the word savagely how else could we get the aggression and power across? When savage is used as an action it’s mostly because said character loses control of their humanity. They become savage when they attack and the end result is a bloody mess because that’s the only way indigenous, I mean, monsters, I mean barbarians, I mean savage people know how to fight. You often see these kinds of moments when the good guy who’d never hurt a fly loses control and unleashes hell, they turn into something that’s not themselves, they turned into a savage and these moments are meant to be shown as shocking as the character forgets who they are for a couple of seconds.

Indigenous people were savages, with savage strength, and a savage kind of culture. They scalp people, beat them to a bloody pulp, and ate your children. Those monsters needed to be killed. Whenever you use the word savage, it circles back to a group of minorities who were just trying to survive. This word has been used so much, that I don’t think many people realise the history behind it, which is why I said I’m not hating anyone who uses it, but please try to get a sensitivity reader. Get disabled and indigenous sensitivity readers, even if there’s no indigenous or disabled representation in your books, the words you use, still affect us and it’s a good thing to be aware of the words of which you speak and write.

Please be aware of these words, especially if you’re writing stories meant for children because the more children see these words, the more normal they’ll think it is and the more often they’ll start repeating it. I think there’s a time and place for these words, but saying them as an excuse to make something more shocking, isn’t the time or place.

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khaoticvex · 2 years

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DRAGONFIRE TRILOGY

Here's a huge project I've been a part of this past year! I was given the incredible opportunity of illustrating the covers for an original trilogy called Dragonfire

This series is such a fun fantasy adventure! I am currently halfway through book 1 (having some spoilers due to doing these covers) and I definitely recommend picking up a copy of your own to support the author!

You can order these books in kindle or paperback here: LINK

#dragonfire #dragonfire trilogy #dragonfire books #sphere of eternity #fallen star #age of calamity #lj davies

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steviescrystals · 16 days

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love being a girl and watching sports bc the commentators say matt davis and ofc i know they mean du’s goalie but my brain immediately goes to alaric from tvd and warren from legally blonde

#fuck that matt davis though #lj talks sports

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pinkhazeandsilverchords · 1 year

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“It means-i don’t think he hates you, Jez. Maybe he has strong emotions for you, but from what I’ve heard I don’t think hate is one of them.”

Hugh tries and fails to give Jez a clue, huntress page 48

#hugh davis #book quotes #huntress #lj smith #l j smith #the night world #night world series #night world #the night world series #book: huntress

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shinelikethunder · 2 years

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#you gotta know how dire the gay tv landscape was in 2005 to understand why this show hit livejournal like an a-bomb#even if you were lucky enough not to get hit directly you were still living in the fallout zone of whatever the fuck this is

PLEASE elaborate 💖 i am sitting and taking notes

i mean, pretty much what it says on the tin - this was before even Glee, it was a fuckin' wasteland out there, especially for major/recurring characters in genre TV. Xena was over; Willow/Tara had long since gone down in flames; Doctor Who had just been revived by a gay showrunner who was being absolutely pilloried in the press for "pushing a gay agenda" over the mere existence of Jack Harkness. hell, even as late as 2009, when Torchwood had been a thing for several years and Russell T Davies was getting fan backlash for killing off one half of the juggernaut m/m pairing, know what the, again, then-current Doctor Who & Torchwood showrunner's advice was for shippers threatening to ragequit?

"I thank them for watching the show and I recommend they go watch Supernatural, because those boys are beautiful. And don’t tell me they’re brothers. [Laughs] Not in my mind."

over on livejournal, fic communities had been trending more and more open to weird shit for a while, but SPN was basically every possible kind of catnip for slash and iddy kink fic rolled into one and the only price of admission was getting over the incest thing. it... pretty much opened the floodgates on taboo fic. (not that there was any shortage of weird shit in, say, harry potter fandom, but there was still a mainstream vs. weird shit distinction, y'know?) the SPN and J2 kinkmemes were like. the twin black holes of weird gay porn at the galactic center of LJ fandom. the shit SPN generated/popularized spread so fast and so widely that it was Basically Impossible to exist on that corner of LJ without constantly hearing echoes of the latest bizarro J2 drama or encountering tropes that had crawled out of the seedy underbelly of SPN fic. we're talking "documented Patient Zero origin of the omegaverse" here.

basically, up until 2 months ago i had only ever seen one episode of this damn show in my life, but i feel like i've been unwilling neighbors with it for 17 fucking years, lol. because ever since the show first aired, it's been impossible to be in slash fandom and NOT be at least adjacent to it.

#supernatural #meta #fandom history #bloodyfirstblade #stanfordsweater #wincest #livejournal #russell t davies #fandom #shine watches spn

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wosobronze · 20 days

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https://www.versus.uk.com/articles/kerry-davis-honoured-by-the-football-black-list-as-first-black-lioness

kerry davis being the last lioness who scored vs ireland in the '87 match and LJ being the next lioness scoring in 2024 is actually so cool 💪💜 the history and future of black women in football

things we love love love to see!🩷🩷

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canardroublard · 2 months

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Fic writer interview

Thank you @takingoffmyshoes for tagging me in the thing!

How many works do you have on AO3?

51 (putting additional text in this line because if I don't tumblr makes the font truly enormous)

What's your total AO3 word count?

283,783

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

don't make me spell it out (TMFU. Aka The Pegging Fic)

poco a poco (Rogue One. Aka The Music Student AU)

a million different reasons (TMFU. Aka the one where Napoleon's self-loathing and Gaby's inability to identify or ask for what she wants delay a threesome for an inordinate amount of time)

breathe (Gotham TV. Aka that one Gotham fic I ever wrote)

least the rose alive must three (TMFU. Aka the soulmate AU)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try. If I'm going through a tough moment they often get unanswered, but I generally answer otherwise. Unless it's someone asking me to write more.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Based on the number of times the word "bittersweet" is used in the comments section and the crying emojis, likely don't talk just hold me closer (Star Trek: Discovery). Its sister fic nor made me feel so sweet is also a bit of a downer™

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I don't tend towards *unhappy *endings in my substantial works, but Dirty Talk (TMFU) is unrepentantly sappy so that I suppose

Do you write crossovers?

I don't believe I ever have

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I'm not sure I'd call it outright "hate", but have received multiple comments on a million different reasons upset at me because I guess Napoleon being an unreliable narrator is not obvious enough for everyone.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Every now and then. And, statistically, the threesome/moresome kind.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Even if I had I have no clue how I'd know.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so. I have translated a few of my own and others' fics as French practice.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nay.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Hmm I'm not sure I have an OTP to Rule Them All. The TMFU ot3 seems an obvious answer. That said, I am a chronic multi-shipper within fandoms so I rarely even have an OTP within a fandom. This may not be obvious in my writing but it is my reading habit if nothing else.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Before anyone says "so give me a line and take me home", it's getting finished. Just not quickly. Stop telling people I'm it's dead

In terms of genuine "yeah I'm probably not gonna finish that", birthright, my Rogue One Pacific Rim fusion.

What are your writing strengths?

I would say writing nuanced/ambiguous/fucked up little guy characters? None of my favourites are free from sin, if you feel me, and I like to explore those sins.

Also @takingoffmyshoes tells me they want to write Gaby/Napoleon the way I write Gaby/Napoleon so that, apparently :D

What are your writing weaknesses?

Structuring conflict and resolution. I often find myself resolving conflicts too quickly/easily in longer fics.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Entirely dependent on the context. I've done it multiple times, in multiple languages, some instances more successfully (imho) than others. For me, the most seamless way to integrate it and have the audience understand is via framing things in the POV character's thoughts (assuming they understand what's being said).

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who. Somewhere in the presumably purged depths of LJ there was an 11/Rose fic I wrote.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Too damn many. If I had to pic one, Widows (2018), a film which left me clinically feral in the best way, has a woeful lack of fic (or people who've watched it in general. Go watch Widows. It rocks. It will fuck you up and devastate you emotionally. It's got muscly Viola Davis in a tank top. Range.)

ETA oh and Lower Decks. Because the world will be forced to endure the result of my "Mariner and Ransom have been fucking since season one and neither of them acknowledges it and both of them kinda loathe themselves for it but the sex is so goddamn hot that it keeps happening" conspiracy theory slant on watching the show.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

I'm going to completely sideline the bigger/more popular fics of mine (such that my limited popularity is). They're fine. I like them. "so give me a line" makes me want to eat plaster (Affectionate) every time I return to it. Choosing trompe-l'oreille (Atomic Blonde) because it fucks severely. By which I mean it is both emotionally and literally haunting. That is a form of fucking, right?

Tagging:

@bioticsandheadshots

#tag meme

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violenttempest · 11 months

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[THE HIMBO]. Please welcome [LIAM JEFFERSON (HE/HIM)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [23]-year-old [VISITOR] who lives in [TOWN]. You may see them around working as a [UNEMPLOYED]. They are looking for [LENNON DAVIES] their [BESTIE/VLOG COSTAR] Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

Name: William "Liam" Jefferson

Nicknames: Liam, LJ

Face Claim: Felix Mallard

Age: 23

Gender/Pronouns: cis male, he/him

Orientation: Pansexual

Town Visitor

Neither Hunter Nor Gatherer

Occupation: Unemployed

Traits: Honest, Kind, Absent Minded, Excitable, Easily Distracted

Bio:

Liam had always been what his parents called "disruptive." Full of energy and with a thirst for knowledge most would have assumed he'd go far in the world but school just wasn't really his thing. Now don't get him wrong he was smart. With the right tools he could test well and he proved that by getting into college on scholarship. The problem was when Liam got bored, and that was often, he just wouldn't focus or do what he was suppose to.

As a kid this meant drawing all over his text books or playing on his phone in class leading to detention after detention. He wasn't a bad kid he was just easily distracted. College wasn't exactly much better. Liam spent most of his time researching the strange and supernatural when he should have been doing his work. It didn't really matter all that much though because through college he felt like he really found what he was suppose to do in life.

Meeting Lennon was like the stars aligning. Never had Liam met another dude (or semi dude) that vibed with him so well. They had all the same interests and better still Liam could talk for hours on end and Lennon wouldn't get tired of him. Pretty early into the college experience they both realised that higher education just wasn't for them and they decided to take their passion for all things spooky to the next level.

They had been running a successful youtube channel for a few years when they heard whispers about Huntsville. It was more than they bargained for upon arrival and Liam isn't sure what to make of it. He and Lennon split up to cover more ground to try and get the scoop but Liam misses living with his buddy and with Lennon acting weird these days Liam's questioning more than every if chilling in town was a good idea.

#character bio #huntsvillebio

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saucerfulofsins · 1 year

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Tag 9 people you want to get to know better!

I was tagged for this by @moorishflower, thank you!!!

three ships: I’m just going to go by the last ones I’ve read (and I haven’t read much at all recently): 1988, Brad/Nate (this is Gen Kill, not self-insert), Speirs/Lipton (yes yes from Band of Brothers).

first ever ship: Lennon/McCartney LMAO. I was a regular on a Beatles forum in the mid-2000s and there was an explicit rule against m/m fic being posted there, because that was evilgrossbaddirtynaughty, but there was no rule against OC/Beatle fics being linked. This was pre-ao3 but I remember distinctly that one of the links went to a tiny fic database which in turn contained a single super mild slashy fic (aka John and Paul kissing). It also called that type of fic “slash”, so suddenly I knew it 1. existed and 2. what to google for. This is how I found my way to LJ, and here we are, almost 20 years later lol.

last song: John Fleagle’s cover of Son ar Chistr (song of cider)

last movie: I don’t really watch a lot of movies, but I think a rewatch of Spirited Away?

currently reading: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, and Medieval English Lyrics edited by R. T. Davies. I’ll finish All Quiet probably later tonight or tomorrow and I’ll probably begin reading a modernized edition of the Winchester manuscript’s version of Le Morte Darthur by Thomas Mallory

currently consuming: "boterkoek” which is best translated to butter cake I guess? It’s dense and buttery and sweet and clearly very unhealthy but the flavour and texture are superb.

currently craving: honestly the thing I want most but also least rn is my thesis grade, I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks so I’m hoping it’ll be in sometime in the next week. I‘m ready for the entire SituationTM to be Over Officially, lol.

Let’s see if I can get to 9... @t-eminence @bradmarchandapologist @towez @plattelands @toewsy @nebulein @jonny-toews @undeuxtoews and @thisishowgalaxiescollide

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jessequinones · 1 month

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Writing Advice: Slow burn vs. dragging it out (relationship edition)

I’m currently reading Dragonfire: Fallen Star and I need to get this off my chest, it’s about the difference between a slow burn and dragging something out, namely in the way of creating a relationship.

In the first book, Blaze meets Risha and it’s obvious she’s the love interest and that’s fine. She doesn’t have much of a personality besides being moral support for Blaze but it’s whatever. At the end of the book, the author does something differently and doesn’t pair them together despite it being obvious.

That caught my attention, if it didn’t happen in the first book after the final battle and Risha almost died, maybe Blaze would get with someone else in book two? No ... he doesn't. It takes until the end of book two for both of them to admit they love each other and Blaze is confused because he never had a concept of “love” and didn’t realise he was in “love” or that Risha loved him. (I know asexuality is a thing however I can’t comment if Blaze is asexual or aromantic because I’m not either of those things. As far as I’m aware, Blaze isn’t.)

So let’s talk about a slow burn vs. dragging out a relationship.

A slow-burn love story is kind of the focus of the story. Most of the time you see them in either slice-of-life stories, romance, or even erotic storytelling, but the main focus of the story is primarily the relationship between two or more characters. You know it’s gonna happen, everyone around them knows it’s gonna happen, and the build-up of their relationships feels natural, and if written well, you’re waiting for that “I love you, let’s kiss as a couple” moment just like how everyone else in the story is waiting for it.

Now that’s not to say a slow-burn relationship is only found in those stories, as it’s a common trope with a lot of storytelling. Two characters are in love but don’t have time to do anything about it until the story is over where they can relax and admit their feelings for one another. (Insert nearly any story here).

The point is, if it’s obvious, and we know it’s gonna happen if it doesn’t happen at the end where we thought it would...then it becomes a love story which feels like it’s dragging on.

Case in point, Dragonfire book one and two. While I was caught off guard about book one’s ending where Blaze didn’t get with Risha, book two started off with the most obvious “I’m in love but don’t realise it” kind of writing there is and it doesn’t stop until near the end. This relationship was already established and written in book one, why does it have to carry over to the next book? Mind you these books are over 400 pages long, I basically, read an 800-page romance where they don’t get together until page 800. That’s not a slow burn, that’s dragging it out.

Slow burn vs. dragging it out comes down to how the reader feels about said relationship. I’ll use myself as the main example because I like slow burns. I giggle when I see them because I think it’s cute when two people are in love, don’t realise it, and they blush every time they see each other. I’m a sucker for romance so I’d like to see my slow burns every once in a while.

Slow burn for romance, slice of life, and even erotica are kind of the point of their stories. Two characters are in love, they spend a lot of time together and in the end, they get together. So I don’t need to explain much about them because it’s kind of the whole point you read them some of the time.

Slow Burns for nearly every other story is written in a way where two characters are in love, they don’t know it, but as the story progresses, they think about each other, maybe even flirt a little, and they sacrifice their lives for each other. (Typical romance in more adventure pack stories.) At the end of the final climax of the story (normally after a love interests nearly die) and the world is saved, they kiss at the end and everyone cheers. While the romance isn’t the main point of the story, it’s still a very obvious way to write one and a lot of readers expect something at the end after it was built up from the beginning. Even if the relationship isn’t written well, some readers might give it a pass if they know what’s gonna happen at the end.

Now what about a slow burn for multiple stories? At what point does it drag?

Slow burns for multiple stories can work, but you need to change the relationship a little. First of all, having the main character “not realise” they're in love isn’t a good way to avoid putting them together unless said character is aromantic or asexual. (Like I said, I’m not either of them and have no idea how to write a character who's like that, so if that’s what you’re going for I suggest asking other writers who are either of those things.)

The relationship needs to grow and others need to comment about it. The characters could be unsure if the other will like them or they could both be aware they like each other but have neither want to make it official because what if it causes their friendship to break? Just do something which indicates they’re trying, but have a good reason not to make it official.

Sometimes you can make fake love triangles. (Fake love triangles are love triangles which are put in place to further the relationship between two characters). Fake love triangles normally don’t last long, but last just enough for the slow burn to do its magic. Which is mostly by making one of the love interests either jealous or sad because they “missed their moment” even though the character they're crushing on is very obviously not gonna stick with their current partner.

Real-life relationships don’t just happen overnight, sometimes they can take years so there’s nothing wrong if you want to write a slow-burn relationship, the problem comes from the audience's patience and this is something which will vary from person.

From my own experience and how I feel when reading these types of relationships. If it was obvious, that they were supposed to get together at the end of one book but didn’t, that could either surprise me as I might've felt I read the entire relationship wrong or get annoyed because we’re doing this entire song and dance all over again in book two.

While I can’t give an example for every time I felt like this while reading stories, I’ll try to explain why I felt like some relationships were dragging on because as I stated before, this ultimately comes down to audience patience.

Enough time has passed: Most of the time between books one and two, there’s a time jump. Book one of Dragonfire and book two have a four-season time jump (so most likely a year) during this entire year, neither Blaze nor Risha get together? What were they doing this entire time?

I don’t know about other readers but I’d like to imagine what characters do when the story is over and if there’s a seconded book with a time jump, I'd try to imagine what they were doing in said time jump. Both of these characters were crushing on each other for the entirety of book one and yet neither made a move during the gap? Why? It also doesn’t explain why they never tried to make a move on each other during the gap in book two as well.

If you want to create a slow burn for several stories and you know there’s gonna be a time jump in between some of the stories, you need to explain why your characters, who now have some time to relax, don’t get together. Sometimes it can be as simple as “we already tried and it didn’t work out”, it happens. Sometimes people need to try a relationship a few times before getting it right. If this is the case, it’s more believable that while they still like each other, they don’t want to try again because what if it doesn’t work out a second time? What if they get into a fight and ruin their friendship?

You can also have one of the characters already in another relationship with someone else. This is leaning more on the love triangle side of things instead of creating a fake one, but how this one works is that one of the characters took a bit too long to say “I love you” so, the other character moved on during the time jump and now the character which took a bit too long to say “I love you” is upset about their actions. The reason why I say this isn’t really a fake love triangle trope is because if this love triangle is established at the beginning of the second book, then it’s gonna play a more prominent role throughout the story.

Maybe you could create a Romeo and Juliet kind of slow burn where the main characters know they love each other but they can’t make it official because of reasons. While this is on the line of creating an established relationship, there’s a difference between them kissing in secret compared to kissing in public and it’s the public kiss the readers are waiting for. You can also do this same exact love story but have it where one of the characters keeps refusing to progress because if others find out, then a war will break out or something.

The point is, that you need to acknowledge why they haven’t gotten together instead of the “I didn’t know I was in love” trope.

Another reason why I feel a slow burn turns into a dragging-on love story is when there are no other options. I know we all hate love triangles but they do serve a purpose. If two characters love each other, and there’s no other character that ever gets brought up as a potential love triangle then I ask, why haven’t they just tied the knot if neither of them have any options?

It should’ve happened already: This one is an easy explanation. If a reader feels like the relationship should’ve already been confirmed and it’s not...that feels like the relationship is dragging on. This kind of feeling will vary from reader to reader so if this is what someone says, it’s best to ask them to clarify.

The writer put too much emphasis on the relationship: If you want a relationship to take place over several stories, or even just one, but you want it to be a slow burn, while not creating a romance, slice of life, etc. If you bring up the fact two characters are in love over and over, to the point it feels like the relationship is getting more attention than the actual story, readers might want those characters to tie the knot just so the story can move forward.

Every single one of these examples is based on a reader's feelings about the relationship you're creating so it changes for everyone and everyone will have a different spot in your story they can tell you where it felt like the relationship is dragging on. For me, it was in chapter two of book two, I already felt like it was dragging on as soon as I realised this was gonna be the same thing as in book one.

Beta readers are your friend and if you’re gonna have this come across in multiple stories, then make sure to find beta readers who’ve read each story and ask them how the relationship felt for them. If someone tells you it feels like it’s dragging a bit. You don’t have to change the relationship entirely, but make sure you get multiple opinions because each reader will view your relationship differently.

Despite love being a very common experience everyone has felt, it’s also one of the most difficult ones to write. Just make sure to get different opinions and see what the majority of your readers feel like.

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koushirouizumi · 6 months

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{Blog P.S.A} For New Followers

Where to Find Me: MY "ABOUT"+F.A.Q {READ FIRST}: Here (About) + Here (F.A.Q)! A.0.3: Hikari {Currently/Mainly creating for Digimon, Adventure-related franchise} Other Sideblogs: izzyizumi (main Digimon blog) hikari-m (official Digimon {news+art} archiving; Asks or follows may come from here, Depending) taichi-x-koushiro (Archiving for Yagami Taichi/Izumi Koushiro) IF YOU ARE A NEW FOLLOWER OR LURKER, I'd really appreciate if you can send me an Ask and introduce yourself (you do not need to expect a response from me), even a short description like name (Pennames are definitely fine!), preferred pronouns (if any) and/or what brought you to my page and what you're staying for (Especially if you were here for re-source{s} posts, I've been curious if they've been helping anyone!) The reason I am asking this is because lately there's been a huge uptick of spam blogs following with particular "patterns" to their Likes, Follows, etc. and in order to prevent from being soft-blocked by accident if you are not actively blogging, it'd be great to know in advance if you're a real person. Aside from A.0.3 the only other 'active' archives of social media that I have are my old Live-journal and Dream-width accounts, and even they're not quite in use these days. However, if you also have active LJs or DWs and actively blog, feel free to let me know too!

It’d be very, very cool if people could also learn to read my FAQ page linked on the sidebar before sending Asks or interacting directly with either of my blogs or myself, because I’m seriously TIRED of people ignoring it and my rules for interaction.

I am a {diagnosed since childhood} Autistic, G.N.C {Gender Non-conforming} + THEY/THEM Jewish blogger. I reblog about those topics here for that reason. {Also my Ko-fi is here.}

* PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW OR INTERACT WITH ANY OF MY POSTS IF YOU BLATANTLY HATE/DISMISS, OR EXPECT ME TO HATE/DISMISS THE ADVENTURE [+02] + TRI + KIZUNA + 2020 CHOSEN, KOUSHIRO (*ANY KOUSHIRO, INCLUDES FOR EXAMPLE: TRI!KOUSHIRO, OWG!KOUSHIRO, 2020!KOUSHIRO, KIZUNA!KOUSHIRO), TAICHI (*ANY TAICHI, INCLUDING 2020!TAICHI, TRI!TAICHI, KIZUNA!TAICHI), DAISUKE MOTOMIYA (or “DAVIS”), SORA TAKENOUCHI (*INCLUDING 02!SORA, TRI!SORA, 2020!SORA, KIZUNA!SORA), HIKARI YAGAMI (*INCLUDING 02!HIKARI, TRI!HIKARI, KIZUNA!HIKARI, 2020!HIKARI), MIMI TACHIKAWA (*INCLUDING 02!MIMI, TRI!MIMI, KIZUNA!MIMI, 2020!MIMI), MIYAKO INOUE (*INCLUDING KIZUNA!MIYAKO), ALL/ANY OTHER DIGIMON GIRLS SUCH AS IZUMI ORIMOTO {FRONTIER}, JURI KATOU {TAMERS}, JUN MOTOMIYA {02}, OR MEIKO MOCHIZUKI. THANK YOU (I WILL PERMABLOCK IF YOU FORCE-INTERACT OR BLOCK EVADE)

* PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW OR INTERACT IF YOU CAN’T STAND MY SHIPS TO THE POINT YOU CAN’T EVEN BE RESPECTFUL WHEN INTERACTING WITH SOMEONE WHO SHIPS YOUR NOTP. (I WILL PERMABLOCK YOU IF I NOTICE)

** THESE RULES ALSO APPLY TO MY OTHER BLOG.

*** DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU SUPPORT HARASSMENT / BULLYING / ABUSE (I WILL INSTANTLY PERMA-BLOCK YOU) OR IF YOU SUPPORT / PLATFORM PEOPLE WHO DO.

NOTICE: I am much less active on a personal level on this blog nowadays (in the sense of making personal posts or fan-works/posting fic; I still reblog informative posts). I am slightly more active on my other socials, but most of them are private and friends-locked to older groups of mutuals. If you are curious or wanting to interact about Digimon (especially Adventures or about my favorite characters and ships for this fandom) specifically, please feel free to message me about them, but please understand I may not add or speak with anyone that I do not fully trust or know well. (It will help if most of your stances on social-justice issues align with and don’t blatantly conflict with my own. I tend to not add/follow people anywhere whose posts I cannot filter [i.e. there are many popular Western media fandoms / mega-fandoms I’m not in which I blacklist, types of fanworks I don’t personally care for that I blacklist, etc]. I do not do follow-backs so please do not follow or interact here expecting one). It will also help if you read my FAQ first and agree to it before asking.

PLEASE FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH MY FANDOMS LIST (notably more the major fandoms but) BEFORE YOU INTERACT WITH ANY POST ON THIS BLOG. If I check/quick-vet your blog and find nothing but hate{watching} posts/“Critical” posts for my fandoms (ESPECIALLY THIS ONE), unless I’ve reblogged from you first, I MAY HARDBLOCK YOU.

#koushirouizumi blog #koushirouizumi no rb #koushirouizumi personal #koushirouizumi text #koushirouizumi pinned post #(Making this now too)#(I've also been seeing various new interactions since 'The Beginning' sequel is releasing soon)#(But lately most interactions also seem from outside the fan base)#(This blog is my MULTI FAN BASE + Archival blog)#(If you are here and I didn't follow you first I'd really appreciate such an Ask when Inbox is open so I know you're a real person!)#(Please know I may not be able to respond however but also I'll appreciate anything I receive!!)#(And if we talked in the past but it's been a while please feel free to re introduce yourself too as re introductions help me out a lot too #(I will likely update this in future to add more info and reference links I am just getting this started now)#(because I'm also seeing a lot of talk of people seeing U.S. dub and other inter-national showings of The Beginning very soon)#(Another blog does this too and they got a lot of respectful response so I'd like to try the same!)#(Please understand pen names and the like are completely fine!!)#(I'd be really glad to not have to block more people accidentally looking like spam blogs to me)#(This is going to replace the old Pinned post when I have a chance to edit it soon)#(OK I also added old Info under the 'read more' from the old Pinned post but for the most part Yes this will be new Pinned)

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dnaamericaapp · 11 months

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The Incomparable Jessie Maple, 1st Black Woman To Write And Produce Full-Length Independent Film

Recently the film industry lost Jessie Maple, cinematographer, director and pioneer in the film industry.

Jessie Maple was recognized as the first Black woman to write and produce a full-length film independently.

She was also the first Black woman to be admitted into the International Photographers of Motion Picture & Television Union.

Maple had an extraordinary life. In the ’70s, she worked in a bacteriology and serology laboratory before taking on the entertainment industry. She eventually left science behind and headed to New York to write for the New York Courier. After attending Ossie Davis’ Third World Cinema through the National Education Television Training School, Maple was hired as an apprentice editor and worked on projects such as Shaft’s Big Score! and The Super Cops.

Maple was determined to become a camerawoman. After a long legal fight, she joined the Film Editor’s Union and the Cinematographer’s Union and worked as a news camerawoman for several years.

In 1981, Maple directed the basketball drama Will, which was the first independent film directed by a Black woman n the post-civil rights era. Maple and her husband Leroy Patton would go on to found LJ Productions, which screened films in Harlem, NY by independent and Black filmmakers.

The Black Film Center & Archive shared the family statement via Twitter with a caption reading, “We extend our deepest condolences to the entire family. We’re committed and dedicated to honoring her legacy.” -(source: news one)

DNA America

“It’s what we know, not what you want us to believe.”

#dna #dnaamerica #news #politics

#dna #news #politics #dnaamerica

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charleskeatts-blog · 1 year

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sat eve

Have not used tumblr in a long long time. Using medium and substack. This makes me sad for livejournal which was very good for a while, I still have friend from lj, who are on fbook now.

I feel like I have not done enough writing today. Listening to miles davis, recovering from the losses: mom in nov, gf in dec, my idea, but still. and uncle john yesterday. a lot of loss. and I am ok, sad, feeling all the feelings. glad I do not have a complicated and non supportive gf dragging me down, with work and life, parenting, being enough.

So many people are writing memoirs. Makes me think mine should be novels, but my new editor might help with that. It's not easy in some ways flipping an existing book from memoir to novel. Wanting it to stand out more. Not that many literary novels get written and there are so many memoirs.

#livejournal #grief #sadness #writing

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pinkhazeandsilverchords · 1 year

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‘The soulmate principal. The idea that for every person there was one destined soulmate, one true love, and that two souls were bound for eternity. Jez lifted her shoulders and dropped them without meeting Hugh’s eyes.

“Yeah, I heard. Don’t believe it though.”

“I’ve seen it,” Hugh said, and for a moment Jez’s heart stopped. Then it started again as he continued, “in other people, I mean. I’ve seen people are age who found their soulmate, and it’s really true; you can see it in their eyes.”

Hugh and Jez, huntress page 41

#hugh davis #jez redfern #lj smith #l j smith #the night world #night world series #night world #the night world series #huntress #book: huntress

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rickygoldman34 · 1 year

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Hi everyone Ricky Goldman here.

Its TNT:Ignition High Voltage.

1st match is Soner Durson vs Tu Byt in an iron man match. This is my 1st time ever seeing an Iron man match live. 30 mins is on the clock and the bell rings as Tu Byt goes right after Soner looking to get the advantage early on and does so with a roll up out of nowhere. They go at it until Soner makes it one a piece. The clock is ticking and the pressure is on Soner to keep it at 1-1. The action momentarily spills out the ring where they brawl before entering the ring again. Tu quicly targets and zeros in on Soners knee forcing him to tap out,2-1 now. Tu now wants to stay on Soners knee but Durson fights him off,they go to the top rope and fight off. Tu makes Soner pass out picking up another win here. Now its 3-2. 5 mins to go and Soner picks up a dub to make it 3-3. The fight is on and both of these know it,tick tock goes the clock with other 60 seconds remaining Soner gers the final win and there's nothing Tu can do about it. After the match Tu raises Soners hand.

Next up we got Chase Alexander and Tate Mayfairs vs Crash Boat. This was a good match and the story throughout was Tate and Jack Bandicoot fighting over Tate's briefcase. Tate controlled the action in this one,we saw frequent tags from Crash Boat and even a suicide dive to the outside from both men. Back in the ring now Chase looks to get back into but Tate wants the glory for this one. Jake Silver is thrown out rhe ring,Tate and Jack fight over the briefcase but its a roll up from Tate that gives Tate Mayfairs and Chase Alexander the victory.

Onto the next match and its Gia Adams vs Harley Hudson vs Lucy Sky vs Aurora Tevez in a fatal four way number one Contender match. This was Ok and actually went fairly quick. Gia took a seat in the crowd,Lucy was thrown out the ring whilst Harley and Aurora fought in it. Both Gia and Lucy got in on the action and all 4 women fought but its Lucy Sky with a pin on Gia Adams making her the number one Contender.

This was supposed to be Big Guns Joe vs Simon Miller but Simon isnt here. So this match instead is Big Guns Joe vs Issac North. Issac was very much in control for this one,Joe tired to keep getting back into it even putting the big man into a Boston crab which he fought out of. This was a quick match as expected,Issac hits a power bomb and puts Big Guns Joe away for the W. After the match Issac attacks ring crew.

Here we go with the next match LJ Cleary vs MVK,my 1st look at LJ here who seemed to have a comedy gimmick and he actually impressed me,he actually put down the bigger man of the 2 for a while but MVK soon got back into it,LJ comes flying off top rope but is met by a super kick followed by an attitude adjustment from MVK to defeat LJ Cleary. After the match MVK hits a 2nd attitude adjustment on LJ.

And now its the MAIN EVENT! it be Shreddy vs RP Davies for the TNT Ignition title. Jimmy Jackson comes out and Shreddy blind sides RPD and clocks him with the title but the match is restarted and is now no DQ. The fight is on, they brawl around the venue smashing each other into the bar and wall. RPD temporarily takes care of Jimmy cracking his head on the bar. Back in the ring now and Shreddy and RPD go at it,Shreddy hits a spear but doesnt go for the cover instead he wants Jimmy to use the title on RPD but instead RPD chases off Jimmy backstage throwing him off the top of the stage into the ring. RPD hits his finisher on Shreddy,pins him and takes the title from him.

It was a good show and I give it 6 stars out of 10.

Dont forget to add me on Facebook Ricky J Pate,follow me on Twitter @ricktherock30,go and check out WWA world wrestling alliance on Facebook and go to my YouTube channel the people's wrestling channel and like and SUBSCRIBE for month long shout outs.

Ricky Goldman out.

#youtube #wrestling #liverpool

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