#for someone who pretty much always likes morally grey characters in fiction I’m way too concerned abt not causing any inconvenience to
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#for someone who pretty much always likes morally grey characters in fiction I’m way too concerned abt not causing any inconvenience to#people#quitting a job? can’t even breath normally when I think abt it#the anxiety is through the roof. but at the same time it is my life and I’ve always wanted to leave and sacrificing that for maintaining#good relationships with colleagues seems a bit too.. idk self-sacrificing?#but they did give me that scholarship.. although I haven’t even applied for it they simply chose me. so their mistake? lol#and I never promised anything? Jesus I sound like an asshole#i mean it’s a bit over a month till the beginning of the next semester I really should make a decision so that everyone‘s prepared#if someone ever quit their job with very nice people lmk how you did it lmao
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ive seen the argument that rhys killed the winter court children thrown around so much but thank you for saying that bc i was starting to think i read it wrong. kallias only agrees to help the night court when it's made clear that rhys didnt kill the children and that amarantha had another mind reader. and they even become allies because kallias and viviane are at some celebration at the housw of wind later in the books right? if it had been rhys none of that would happen.
there are a lot of reasons you can not like rhysand he was always meant to be a morally grey character (imo sjm made him too nice actually) but im always confused when people keep using this reason because it might be the only one he was proven innocent
i loved the story dont get me wrong but reader in that is closer to hybern than to rhysand like the whole thing with the ic is that they all did terrible things but with a reason and she's just a bitch for a lack of a better word
i also felt both az and rhys were justified in how they treated her, i mean it was tough to read but she went way too far in how she was talking about elain, calling her all type of misogynistic names just because azriel and her are together so ofc azriel lost it on her (and not even that badly like he meant everything he said and none of those were lies) and then ofc the last straw for rhys was her threatening to dig up the archeron dad, that's a disgusting thing to do and rhys doesnt play about feyre. also if she has had this personality for centuries i can only imagine the list of shit the ic has against her
id love to read more of this story but i think it's pretty clear she's a villain, not even morally grey like the ic. i do love villain stories though so im excited lol
I mean, with the Winter Court situation, I’m pretty sure that’s what happened? 🫣 I don’t have the books on me at the moment so I can’t check but I agree it would be weird if Kalias and Viviane came over for the solstice with the death of a dozen children between them, so I’m inclined to believe Rhys wasn’t the one who committed that particular crime for Amarantha 🫠😭
And with Rhys being morally grey, I feel like it gets a little confusing because we don’t really get to see what he’s like as a character without Feyre? I feel like he probably took a bit of a (positive) turn now that he has his mate if that makes sense? Also the fact he isn’t under the pressure of maintaining a mask so thoroughly has probably contributed to who he’s become? I’d really like to get a scene though where the morally grey part bleeds through, perhaps if someone’s threatened in a future book? 👀
Either way, he’s a fictional character (to many’s upset 😔) so I suppose his personal ethics aren’t a particular point of contention when held against some problems occurring in our world 😕
‘i loved the story dont get me wrong but reader in that is closer to hybern than to rhysand’
You do not have to worry about a thing, she is fully intended to be easily and actively dislikable though I don’t think it’s an issue if some people take her side since this is a work of fiction 🧡💛
However, I am really interested in seeing what sides people take when it comes to what she does and her motivations, as well as what she holds dear and who she’s loyal to when it comes down to it! I’ll be curious if anyone will feel her actions might be more easily justifiable or at the very least understandable once more of her past is dug up? Whether people feel a bad deed is always a bad deed irrespective of circumstance, or whether the context and environment surrounding an action should be taken into consideration before passing judgement :)
‘calling her all type of misogynistic names just because azriel and her are together so ofc azriel lost it on her’
To be perfectly honest with you, I really enjoyed getting to write the parts because of how inappropriate they were given the situation 🤦😭 Her trying to convince Az to be with her and then insulting the person he claims to be in love with 🫣
‘and then ofc the last straw for rhys was her threatening to dig up the archeron dad, that's a disgusting thing to do and rhys doesnt play about feyre.’
I mean, not only is she a prominent figure in society, but she also has some pretty intense power readily disposable, and she doesn’t really act like she’s responsible enough to handle it (but we’ll inevitably examine those parts, too, because it would be weird if she just came into all that power without any sort of accountability or understanding of death and life, right? 👀)
‘id love to read more of this story but i think it's pretty clear she's a villain, not even morally grey like the ic. i do love villain stories though so im excited lol’
Honestly I’m still figuring out what’s going to happen in the end? She’s going to get with Az, but I’m indecisive on whether it’ll be a clean ending or not? I feel like if it is going to be like that, there’s a line that she won’t be able to cross, whereas it might be quite interesting to see how people try to reconcile her actions while still keeping in line with their own morals?
Also witnessing through her actions what sort of person she’s become and what situations have led up to that (and whether there are other people partially responsible for the things that have happened)
Either way, I think it’ll be exciting to figure these things out! There’s still so much of the story yet to be decided on, so it’s going to take some time for a next part to come together! And thank you so much for writing in!! I absolutely adore getting to read thoughts like this, it makes me so happy to know you’re invested to this level 🧡💛
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how do you deal with hate? like from what I understand, you posted your first "controversial" post knowing that people might hate you for it, and you did so anyways. even tho it might have felt like you were the only one who believed those things at the time. where do you get the confidence? cause honestly that was such a slay.
Like, obvi we all have our own opinions and I don't agree with everything you said but the confidence you had.. grrrr i like it so much 💗💗 i love it when people are real with their opinions.
okay ty, im sorry for rambling, gonna stop here now 😭😭
I really want to play it cool and say something like “I just don’t care what people think of me,” but honestly? Yeah I was terrified of posting my first BSD-related post.
I had been enjoying the BSD fandom from afar for about a year before posting anything about it. I’ve always had this personal pet peeve when (fictional or real) bullies get a free pass to be assholes when they’re conventionally attractive, but that applies to all fandoms, not just BSD and not just Dazai.
(Note that that’s not a moral stance, there’s nothing wrong with liking a morally grey character, and there’s nothing wrong with finding a bad (fictional or real) person to be physically attractive. This pet peeve of mine stems more from how (fictional) bullies who aren’t attractive are seen as the biggest evil unleashed upon the world, while fictional bullies who are attractive are seen as The Ideal Boyfriend)
One day I saw a post pointing out one of the things Dazai did that bothered me, and I really wanted to add to it via reblog, but I was concerned I’d derail the original post, so I screenshot it and wrote a whole follow-up rant.
Then I saved that post in my drafts for three days.
I posted something vague like “I really want to talk about this one character from this one fandom, but the fandom is very aggressive and they’d burn me at the stake if I said anything too controversial”
I don’t think I intended to explicitly tag it with anything searchable, but I must have said something like “#yeah this is about bsd those guys are scary”— apparently that counts as tagging it #bsd by tumblr’s standards, and someone from the bsd fandom (who I’m now mutuals with) responded with something like “most of us are nice! We wanna hear what you have to say!!”
That was enough motivation for me to get that post out of drafts, and even then I didn’t post it immediately. I scheduled it to post for a time when I wasn’t home, so that if there’d be backlash I wouldn’t have to witness it live and I could just delete the post later.
Not only was there no backlash, but hardly anyone saw the post. Iirc it got between 3-5 notes. That was what gave me the confidence to continue talking about my (admittedly controversial) fandom opinions.
My main blog is primarily a Shakespeare/Classic Lit blog, and the online fandom for those things encourages controversial opinions (as opposed to the standard anime blog, where it seems like posting controversy is a taboo). So once I had the confidence to interact with an anime fandom in the first place, it wasn’t too hard to post my controversial opinions, because that’s the internet culture I’m more used to.
As for how I deal with the hate, you’ll be glad to know there’s only one person on this entire site who sends (bsd-related) hate. If you’ve received any hate, it’s from her. So while I have received hate messages (everything ranging from “your blog sucks” to graphic suicide bate and murder threats), knowing it’s all from the same person makes it all pretty meaningless. Everyone else on tumblr just blocks what they don’t want to see, either by blocking blogs they’d like to avoid or by blocking tags for subjects that annoy them.
Since I tag anything that speaks of Dazai in a negative way as “#anti Dazai,” I don’t often run into people who don’t want to see negative character analysis who’ve discovered my posts accidentally.
If you want to post about something, go right ahead! The people who enjoy the content you make will follow you, and the people who don’t will block you, and everyone will curate their own tumblr experience to make this site something we can all enjoy. Admittedly if the fandom you’d like to post to is bsd, you WILL get harassed by that one person, but everyone else in this fandom has gotten harassed by her too. We mostly just ignore her at this point.
Posting controversial opinions to fandom spaces can be scary, but if you have something you’d like to post, go for it! I personally would recommend starting a side blog for it, that way if things really do get out of hand you could delete it easily without losing your tumblr account. But the most likely outcome is that it wouldn’t gain enough traction for anyone to be overly bothered by it. Controversial things are more often ignored than hated on.
(For context, I’m referring to this blog too! I’m a tiny little blog. So please don’t interpret that as some veiled insult, I’m in this group of “tiny controversial fandom blog” too)
Anyway. Best of luck to you!! And remember, the point of posting things is to have fun! If it’s causing more stress than enjoyment, there’s no shame in taking a break or logging off for a bit. I’ve taken multiple breaks, and I only post to the Anti-Dazai Series when I enjoy what I’m posting.
[Also. I absolutely love controversial fandom opinions, especially if they’re well written. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not I agree, so long as it’s a cool or original take on the source material. So if you wanna dm me, I’ll definitely follow you and your blog full of all your hottest takes]
#Anti-Dazai Asks#The internet it scary! Fandom spaces are scary!!#You’re right and I agree with you!!#The hardest part is getting started. Once you start posting the people who like your stuff will follow#Plus maybe more people agree with you than you think!!#You never know until you take the initiative#I have more mutuals here than I ever would have guessed#I think you’ll find that whatever controversial takes you have. there are more people who agree with you than you realize#I’m honored that you view me as a confident sort of person though!!#I’m actually Just Some Guy (<-girl)
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Hey! Do you have any advice on writing morally grey royal characters, but more specifically those who were born into royalty? I’m thinking obsession with wealth, power and class attitudes. Thanks!
Writing Morally Gray Royal Characters
Lots to say here, so I'm going to break it all down into a list!
1) It Depends Somewhat on the Setting - As with any character portrayal, some part of the depiction depends on when and where your story is set. The attitude and behavior of an 18th century British royal will probably differ from that of a 15th century Aztec royal. Both will probably differ from a 21st century monarch of a Muslim country, which would differ somewhat from a 21st century royal in an Asian or European country.
2) Beware Royal Snob Cliché Territory - Money-obsessed, power-hungry, elitist jerks appear so often in fiction that they've become a cliché, and one it's best to avoid. For one thing, it's a silly stereotype. Sure, some royals may be accustomed to the finer things, and may enjoy their power and privilege, but that doesn't mean that they can be described as "hungry" or "obsessed" with any of those things. Also, part of what makes the "royal snob" character such a cliché is that tends to be the extent of their character development. They have no other personality beyond this hunger and obsession. In reality, royals have a lot of the same problems, dreams, fears, and hang-ups as everyone else, even if they may play out a bit differently because of who they are.
3) Obsession with Wealth, Power, and Status Does Not Make a Character Morally Gray - A "morally gray" character isn't a character who has some unpleasant characteristics like an obsession with wealth or power. Morality is a distinction between right and wrong as it applies to the well-being of a society. Since wealth is almost always unevenly distributed and kept out-of-reach from a segment of a society's population, one could certainly make the argument that wealth and obsession with wealth are immoral, but here's the problem: immoral beliefs or behaviors isn't what makes a character morally gray...
4) "Morally Gray" is About Motivation, Actions, and Goals - Morally gray characters are neither good or bad, but somewhere in the middle. What puts them in the middle is that their motivation and goal is generally good, but their actions are a bit on the fuzzy side of morality.
A great example is the character Kaz Brekker from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology and Netflix's Shadow and Bone series. Without getting into spoiler territory, Kaz was a nice, innocent kid once. Then someone really bad betrayed him and a loved one, and his number one priority became getting revenge. But, along the way he built up a family of skilled misfits, including one who is also haunted by an event from their childhood, and this person burrows their way into Kaz's cold marble heart. The result is that Kaz is primarily motivated by three things: 1) Avenging his loved one by defeating the very bad person who betrayed them, 2) Protect his love interest's life and freedom, 3) Do what he reasonably can to protect his found family. Kaz isn't afraid to murder someone, which is generally considered a bad or immoral action, but he's also not going to kill good/innocent people but people who are pretty awful anyway. And that's what makes him morally gray. He kills (immoral) but only bad people for good reasons (gray area.)
5) Morally Gray Characters Need Complexity Too - Morally gray characters need the same depth as any other character. The exact depth obviously depends on whether they're main, secondary, or background characters. However, no character should be defined solely by their moral grayness. What else is interesting about them?
In summary... your best bet is to start with what drives these characters. If you absolutely must make them driven by wealth, power, and status, at create a sympathetic reason why those things matter so much to them. And try to give them some benevolent actions, too. Like, they may be obsessed with wealth, but they also give generously to charity. Or they're power hungry, but it's because if they lose power, the family most likely to fill their shoes is deeply evil and would harm the kingdom. Also, remember that it's not just about what drives them but what they do. Maybe they spend money hand over fist, but they would never spend money in a way that causes harm or embarrassment to someone. Hopefully this all makes sense, but if you need a little more help, let me know! ♥
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JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 7: SCARAMOUCHE (1921)
Hello, Citizens, and welcome to the seventh meeting of our lovely Convention!
I deeply appreciate your wishes for my speedy recovery and I assure you that I’m right as rain.
So, with that out of the way, let us begin.
1. Introduction
“Scaramouche” is a historical fiction novel written by Rafael Sabatini, who might be familiar to some of you via works like “Captain Blood”, which was among my favorite novel series when I was growing up as I’ve always loved (and still love) me a good swashbuckling story and I never quite grew out of these tastes in literature.
In the case of this novel, it never was a blip on my radar when I was a kid but my renewed interest in the French Revolution and my research of topics for future reviews led me to this story. Apparently there’s a sequel and I might review it in the future.
I found the ebook readily available in English on Project Gutenberg so it’s pretty much in public domain now.
I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a swashbuckling novel set in Frev - the setting is like a perfect fertile soil for external and internal conflicts, adventures and drama, so it was only a matter of time before someone came up with an adventure novel in this setting.
That being said, at first I had quite a few fears that this book would be just another propaganda piece, especially since the author was technically Anglophone.
Did my fears come true? Let’s find out.
2. The Summary
The story’s protagonist is one André-Louis Moreau - a ward and godson to a Breton nobleman and a lawyer by education who swears revenge on a Marquis who kills his friend in a duel.
To escape the gallows after landing himself in hot water for igniting the fire of revolution in Rennes and Nantes, André-Louis joins a troupe of traveling actors and performs as a character called Scaramouche, hence the title.
3. The Story
Like I said, I have a soft spot for swashbuckling novels so I actually quite enjoyed reading the book. And, on a pleasantly surprising note, the revolution is NOT demonized. If anything, the protagonist actually becomes an idealistic republican by the end, which is a really uncommon narrative choice in Frev media.
The narrative clearly portrays the nobility as too privileged and corrupt and the people are in the right - at least, this is what the protagonist understands during his arc.
There’s also not that much Thermidorian bullshit, at least no popular stereotypes, which I really appreciate.
That being said, I do have three main issues with the story.
Firstly, sometimes there’s too much filler and it feels like the narrative is barely dragging along, which got tiresome at times.
Secondly, I didn’t like the romantic subplot between André and the niece of his godfather, Aline. For context, the two were childhood playmates and grew up referring to each other as cousins, only to fall in love as adults.
Maybe it’s just me, but I find romance between family members (no matter how honorary) gross even if there are no shared genes involved. I know cousin marriages were more common in the past but personally I think the novel would’ve benefited from Aline and André only sharing a platonic bond and familial love.
(Spoiler alert!)
Thirdly, I highly doubt the “I’m your father” twist was necessary here as I usually dislike such plot points because they’re hard to do right.
Here there was no proper building up to the revelation, at least in my opinion, and the twist itself can (and most likely will) seem predictable to modern audiences.
However, it was resolved in a fairly realistic way. Marquis de la Tour and André don’t immediately reconcile just because they’re father and son but André calls off his revenge quest, grants the Marquis a safe passage out of the country and doesn’t want to see him again, which is understandable considering their prior enmity.
On that note, let’s take a closer look at the characters.
4. The Characters
Right off the bat, the biggest issue the modern readers might have is that the characters are too “black and white”. In the era of “grey morality” and complex characters, these archetypes might come off as done to death and boring but, other than that, the characters were mostly easy to empathize with.
Personally, I didn’t like André himself in the beginning but he grew on me.
He starts off as a stoic almost to the point of coldness, a cynic and a borderline nihilist who believes fighting against the noble class is futile and there’s no point in trying to improve the country.
But when his idealistic best friend is killed, André vows to take the Marquis down by using the volatile revolutionary climate to his advantage. Slowly, André too becomes a revolutionary and an idealist, which is admittedly rare as usually people in stories become cynical by the end.
Seeing this character ark but played in reverse felt quite refreshing to me so even though at times André’s sarcasm and stoic attitude made him insufferable, I think he is pretty well-written and fleshed out as a protagonist.
Next is Aline, and unfortunately she is underdeveloped in the novel, more so than a female lead should be. She is ambitious, which makes her consider marrying the Marquis, prejudiced against actors due to her upbringing and in general is a typical noble ingenue.
Her and André are playfully witty at times and verbally cruel to each other at others and, unfortunately, they suffer from the “misunderstanding” trope which makes them unable to talk things out. I always find this trope annoying and, coupled with prejudice and not being fleshed out enough, it played into my apathy for Aline as a character.
Then there’s Marquis de la Tour, the typical privileged corrupt noble. He loves women, is a master of fencing and has no heart. André even calls him the embodiment of sin various times.
I know despicable people can and do exist, but here it seemed like he was made a bit too evil, to the point of being simply cartoonish and hard to perceive as a threat or, for that matter, take seriously.
At least he wasn’t threatening for me personally as a character and was more amusing than anything else.
Interestingly enough, historical figures don’t feature much in the story but we do get cameos of Marat, Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, as well as Mirabeau.
Mirabeau is called a hypocrite by the author but the other four, surprisingly, aren’t portrayed as evil villains. Marat is even called a philanthropist and his pamphlets inspire André! How rare is that, Citizens?!
Anyway, let’s continue.
5. The Setting
Although at times the text is overloaded with descriptions, all of them were vivid enough for me to imagine myself in the story with the characters.
Sabatini sure knows how to convey the images of villages, cities, nature, inns, etc in an exciting and engaging manner. I just wish that the descriptions were a bit shorter.
6. The Writing Style
Seeing as the novel was published in 1921 and I’m pretty good at English, I didn’t have many problems with reading but there were some outdated grammatical structures and vocabulary so be prepared.
Besides, in the version I read didn’t have translations of French and Latin phrases that occasionally pop up in the text, which was a bit annoying but not that much as I could understand the context of the phrases and therefore figure out what they mean more or less.
In general though, despite occasional overload of descriptions and the aforementioned grievances I have with the text, the writing style is engaging, very easy to understand and not too complex.
7. The Conclusion
In short, I can definitely recommend this novel to anyone who loves good swashbuckling stories and hates propaganda. Not the most original story but enjoyable and a good read regardless.
With that, I announce the end of the meeting. Stay tuned for updates and stay safe, Citizens!
Love,
- Citizen Green Pixel
#french revolution#frev#history#maximilien robespierre#jacobin fiction convention#robespierre#frev art#frev propaganda#frev literature#camille desmoulins#georges danton#scaramouche#rafael sabatini#jean paul marat
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No, Mia isn’t "low-tier" compared to Ada (morally speaking, or w/e) – a measured answer?/essay
So, a couple of Ada haters tried to put up a false symmetry between both of these characters there on twitter, and it inspired me to put my own thoughts down in a more articulate essay as to why that's (Ada's somehow being morally worse than Mia) not sustained by canon in Resident Evil.
standing there, killing time
can't commit to anything but a crime
all the good girls go to hell
'cause even God herself has enemies
and once the water starts to rise
and heaven's out of sight
she'll want the Devil on her team. ⁕
First things first: let us debunk the false symmetry that they tried to establish between these two characters with extremely distinct archetypes – and worse, the following replies to this false symmetry and its poor arguments trying to validate it, pointing out that, in fact, no, character B (that would be Ada, btw) – which is so evidently and ridiculously different from character A (and that would be Mia) – is, in fact, WAY WORSE than character A, and then proceeding to assert some unsupported propositions about misogyny in Resident Evil (which, tbh, definitely IS a recurring problem in the franchise, but that in this case particularly, little or does not apply AT ALL) and how Ada contributes to "the perpetration of a biological cold war".
Starting with what differentiates Mia from Ada grotesquely: we know NOTHING of Ada's true alliances in RE's world. Mia, however, canonically worked for a group that participated in the importation and exportation as well as the manufacturing, testing and marketing of biological weapons: "The Connections", a CRIMINAL SYNDICATE which, amongst other things, was also involved in money laundering, assassinations as well as weapons and drug trafficking. I don't care at all about Mia, so I don't intend to waste much of my time going on about her role in the plot, but people should've already realized by just that much how infinitely dishonest is to try to put these two characters as "similar" ones, or argue that Ada is somehow worse.
Another detail that shouldn't escape anyone's attention too, are the origins and nationalities of both – and yes, I intend to briefly bring up racism against eastern-Asian looking characters (a silent plague that takes form by each passing day in all fiction fandoms) and anti-China xenophobia, but for now, hold this tea there just before I drop it: Mia is canonically American, and previously a Texas-state resident; meanwhile, we have no confirmation of Ada's nationality except for her pretty evident Chinese ancestry. But, as I said, hold it there for a while.
i) espionage — the job
red so silent
wait a minute
or just a little while.
what are you looking for? ⁕
At all times that Ada's "job" was brought up in this franchise, in ALL of her cameos, she has NEVER been called a mercenary in the original Japanese. She's always referred to as a SPY. Even in RE2R, the most recent title in which she's featured in, the original text of the game makes a point of labelling her as a SPY (and not a mercenary) in the dialogue that transpires between Annette and Leon.
It's the North-American translation and correspondent localization that now and then falls for the equivocal use of this other term. This distinction is important since espionage NECESSARILY implies operating in an organized service for, perhaps a country, or a political cause, or a class/group, or a corporation, or whatever. While a mercenary is someone who's acting per their self financial interests, indiscriminately selling their specialized "labour" and skills to anyone who'll offer more.
Ada's not a mercenary, she's a spy. But Mia, in addition to being hired to a canonically criminal company, was also the handler personally assigned to Eveline. I don't care how exactly Mia got in that predicament but the fact is: Mia was canonically employed by a company that profited over illicit activities and directly watched as a family was destroyed and toyed with by this new killing machine (Eve). Yet, we can't state for sure that we know to whom or to what Ada is truly affiliated with.
ii) sources — check them
who's a heretic now?
am I making sense?
how can you make it stick?
and I'm on a trial
waiting 'til the beat comes out. ⁕
This fandom should put a little more thought into which translation and localization of the game texts, dialogues and files they are using to support their arguments. I know that in some cases the United States people have a bit of an inclination to think of themselves as the owners of the planet and deem English as the only language that matters in this world, but let's not forget that RE is a Japanese franchise (wow, insane, right?!). Therefore, the most valid script, with the greatest amount of details, and highest credibility, is the Japanese original. Throughout these years, there have been several errors in translation and localization of the Japanese original to North-American English. And, believe me, curiously enough, plenty of those concern Ada, since she's often mentioned or referred to in a very vague way – without the use of pronouns or adjectives or adverbs that could help in indicating gender. This ended up causing those details and mentions to her to get overlooked, even though in the Japanese text it was a clear reference to her character (per observation of context).
iii) the good guys — one of
head in the dust
feet in the fire
labour on that midnight wire
listening for that angel choir
you got nowhere to run
careful son, you got dreamers plans
but it gets hard to stand. ⁕
Yes, as much as haters try to minimize it, it is SIGNIFICANT that Ada saved so many important characters and stood for unquestionably heroic actions in so many moments - like stopping everything she was doing so she could help completely random Chinese civilians with the helicopter she managed to pilot in that chaos in China (yeah, I know you haters love to forget about this, but it happened, it's there in canon, and no, it wasn't her direct OR indirect responsibility what was going on in China: REPLAY RE6 and for the love of GOD, never again argue that what she did was somehow "the equivalent of evacuating a city after selling a WMD to destroy that same city". It's a case of pure intellectual dishonesty to say such a thing. It's canon that Carla was the one who caused what happens in China, PLEASE, PLAY RE6).
Furthermore, Ada shows compassion on some occasions even for characters who are directly putting her in harms ways, like Annette (in RE2 OG, right after - in order to defend herself - she slaps Annette leading her to lose balance and collapse over the sewers fences, Ada makes an effort in trying to pull Annette back and prevent her from falling) and Carla.
Replay RE4 and pay attention to it, pay attention to her solo campaign: getting involved with Leon's journey in Spain hasn't brought any real benefit to her mission or herself: Ada deviates from her main path several times due to worrying about him and trying to help him and almost ends up dead in several of these occasions over her insistence in doing so: by saving him from Bitores Mendez, by helping him and Ashley against Sadler, by confronting Krauser and stopping him.
It's so lazy to only read/listen to a file in which she says in English that "Leon might be useful to her plans" (this is way more nuanced in the Japanese original of Ada's Report), and ignore everything that was SHOWN in the game: every effort she made to ensure that Leon could rescue Ashley, remove the parasite from his and her bodies, and escape from that hell-island.
The jet-ski she left for their escape was ALREADY there before she was captured by Sadler (or you think she arranged it while she was caught?). Leon having to intervene and save her from Sadler WASN'T her plan. It WASN'T her plan to take the sample from Leon's hands. She wanted to help him get out of there with Ashley and she guaranteed he could do so, she wanted to get the sample by herself and escape too while sending that hell to kingdom's come. But, because she chose to help Leon rescue Ashley right in front of Sadler, she ends up captured.
On her end, Mia never did anything minimally compared to that, and all of her "selflessness" or self-sacrificing actions involved a much, MUCH smaller scope than Ada's: wanting to help her husband and HERSELF is not at all comparable to saving a few dozens of unknown Chinese civilians. So no, they aren't "cut from the same cloth". They don't come from the same place, nor do they share the same intentions or goals, and their contributions to the RE storyline are quite different.
iv) unknown true purpose (shades of grey)
lining up in the background
waiting for the crowd shot to be seen
in the shadow of the big screen
everybody begs to be redeemed. ⁕
In databooks, Ada is recurrently described as "a Chinese spy with extraordinary physical abilities, vigorous health and composed mind and spirit, capable of coping with grim situations and handling even the most difficult requests without losing composure". If we are paying attention to the storytelling ingame, however, we know that this isn't always the case: Ada did let her mask of unswerving emotional and physical strength fall and showed a very fragile side under strenuous circumstances a couple of times already.
Also, in these databooks, they often point out that "she has her own 'true purpose' and has FREQUENTLY betrayed organizations and clients to achieve it". Huh, we can AGAIN, by this only, see how completely different she's from Mia, who personally watched an entire family being driven to insanity by Eveline's hand.
Furthermore, in these databooks, it's often said that "this true purpose is still obscure and whether she truly cared for anyone or simply used her charms to manipulate people that crossed paths with her isn't ever clear". If people are willing to be open-minded and exercise their text comprehension skills, though, they'll see that in multiple occasions of emotional confrontation it has been established time and time again that yes, Ada DOES care. She wasn't capable of shooting Leon and there has been a couple of other times that failing to choose a cool, sociopathic calculation and pragmatical demeanour over empathy and humanity towards others has put her in harms ways: nonetheless she still chose it.
v) positive impact
I'm gonna break the cycle
I'm gonna shake up the system
I'm gonna destroy my ego. ⁕
To this point, RE's plot systematically leads us to believe that Ada has been covertly acting behind the scenes of multiple biological incidents COLLECTING INFORMATION (the job of a spy, who would've thought! lmao), that is valuable to numerous organizations, companies, groups and different contexts, but at the same time of allegedly offering to handle this knowledge for the right price to the big players involved with bioterrorism and clandestine trading of bioweapons, she's also working to sabotage said players.
This is evident throughout the franchise: she intended to hurt Umbrella's business. She outwitted and deceived Wesker multiple times. She even undermined Simmons, someone who was in a position of power in the US government and actively using that position to lead bioterrorist ventures on the parallel side.
There's no concrete evidence or hint as to what she does with the information she collects, and for all purposes and effects, I can presume that she's gathering this knowledge to assist in the discovery of countermeasures and vaccination studies. I might as well argue that she is a Chinese spy who is working against European and North-American capitalism and the imperialism that creates such monsters like the biochemical and bioweapons industry and that her real objective is to dismantle the market for bioweapons and bioterror supported mainly by the USA (see: Simmons and The Family).
That is, as long as it is unclear what her true purpose is, I have the freedom to surmise whatever the heck I want and that all of what she's been doing was for the sake of the greater "good" - and I'll even have canon moments to support this reasoning as it's clear that she regularly sabotages her customers (customers that are unquestionably established as playing for the "evil" side, with perverse intentions) - throughout the franchise. She did this on RE2, RE4, RE6 and Damnation. It's there, transparent in canon, people just choose to ignore it.
She laughs in the face of whoever she's talking to by the end of Damnation, saying she doesn't intend to deliver the Plaga; she scoffs at Simmons; she betrays Wesker and kills Krauser. She had been sabotaging Wesker for so long, that he sent Krauser to be the main agent in the mission in Spain, and Ada was just a "side effect" that he didn't have in control and had to keep an eye on, so he ordered Krauser to keep tabs on her. It's not a mutually beneficial dynamic. Ada doesn't want Wesker to succeed, she despises him; this is clear in the games in which they interact. There are even files that indicate that she was trying to double-cross and get in the way of his plans for at least 2 years before Spain, and he was constantly catching up with her. See here and here.
On her end, Mia was employed by and consciously working for a criminal syndicate.
vi) a (secretly) helping hand
oh, I'm a master pretender
just felt more alone
the further I'd go
but I'll stick around
I'll be your master defender
yeah, I'll stick around. ⁕
Ada approached characters such as John Clemens and Luis Sera, and both had a canonical intention to, in addition to putting an end to their connections with the criminal companies and organizations they've been working for, also expose and denounce them for their crimes. It's in this context that Ada comes into contact with them. And why is that?
Check John's background: he had made up his mind about disclosing Umbrella's crimes to the public. Check Luis' background: Ada went to Spain to assist in his extradition since he feared for his own life if he resolved to turn his back on the cult of Los Illuminados, and also dreaded the consequences of the liberation of Las Plagas on an international scale.
Keep in mind that Ada handed over to Wesker a USELESS Plaga sample. Wesker only got the sample currently circulating in the underground market because he went after Krauser's body. We don't know what Ada did with the master Plaga sample she obtained. We only know from Ada's Report and the Plaga Recovery file that she didn't deliver it to Wesker, and he needed to go out for a plan B to get it.
Even the G-Virus sample that fell into the hands of the clandestine business, it's possible to argue that Ada's involvement in it was flimsy, since Simmons CANONICALLY made over a thousand laboratory tests in Sherry, and, as we know, he was a leading figure in bioterrorism and bioweapons trading with the aid of his position in the US government.
But, guess what, Ada clearly is a non-white character with obvious Chinese heritage and Mia is white, so of course, OF COURSE, someone can so nonchalantly affirm that Ada, this "vile bitch", is somehow WORSE than Mia. The same Mia who watched the Bakers being destroyed. Right.
Also: trying to validate one's point by claiming anything related to the misogyny present in RE franchise, while IN THE SAME BREATH AND TWEET reducing Ada's entire character arc to that of "a sociopathic bitch cured by the magic dick of her love interest" is supposed to be a joke, right? No, really. Joke.
conclusion and a word against misogyny
we are waiting on a telegram to
give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report
dear Paris is burning after all
we have taken to the streets
in open rejoice, revolting
we are dancing a black waltz
fair Paris is burning after all. ⁕
To any Ada fan that has been reading this so far: PLEASE, I ask to consider refraining to use the "oh yes, Ada did some bad shit, bUT" take to defend the character because that isn't sustained by canon in RE, lmao. She didn't do anything evil that had an indisputable bad impact on the plot and other characters arcs. For one, I myself do love some villains, but that isn't the case with Ada.
She did do some unconventional shit yes, since she's a morally GRAY character and an anti-heroine, but by the end of the day, each and every action of hers had a positive impact on the journey of other characters and main plot. Just pay attention to it.
Like idk man, Black Widow, Elektra Natchios, Scarlet Witch and Black Cat from Marvel, Catwoman from DC, Yennefer from The Witcher (some pop culture examples that come to mind).
Saying that this is an "extremely selfish prototypal bad bitch except when it comes to the magical redeeming dick of her love interest" it's a grotesque reduction of a complex female character, and, in its attempt to critique the misogyny present in RE's franchise an expression of misogyny in itself.
Remember: Ada has actions and impact on the franchise ASIDE and IN ADDITION to her romantic involvement with Leon.
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So as a Harry Potter fan who watched the movies before reading the books, I have a few shall we say controversial opinions mostly on the film adaptations. Now, let's get one thing straight here; I 100% believe that the books are superior and there are definitely changes I didn't like in the films. Nonetheless, the opinions I share here will surely cause most Harry Potter fans to hate me. So here we go.
- Harry may not have contained the majority of his sass from the books, but that does not ruin his character. Daniel Radcliffe still manages to portray his bravery, loyalty, intrigue and inner struggle, in turn making a near perfect representation of Harry Potter.
- On that note, Ron may not have had a lot of his better moments from the book, but there was still enough in the movies to give me the idea that he was a loyal, if at times difficult friend to Harry.
- I really don't care about the shipping war drama. Ronmione is canon and that's all I need. The chemistry Rupert and Emma share is good enough for me.
- Following that, I prefer their kiss in the movie than the book. The book was all told from Harry's point of view, so we had to witness the kiss in the midst of all the panic students after they said what they did in the Chamber of Secrets. The movie takes proper advantage of its visual medium and shows us Ron and Hermione traveling to the Chamber of Secrets, destroying the horcrux, and then sharing a kiss in a much more private and less chaotic location. Yes the chamber isn't the most romantic place and yes the book kiss can be seen as an 'in the heat of passion' moment, but I still find the movie kiss to simply be more practical and better presented.
- Harry's final duel against Voldemort is flipping epic in the book, don't get me wrong, but I think the movie made the right choice in changing it to a more active fight. I simply see it as a proper change of medium. In the book, Harry and Voldemort having that last verbal argument before finishing the duel in a single strike is amazing to read, but in a movie it would have been pretty boring and slowed the pacing to a crawl. So instead we get an incredibly dynamic battle where they teleport, evade each other and finish it off in the courtyard literally crawling to each of their wands, while other parts of the battle happens at the same time. It was simply amazing to watch.
- Harry's decision to break the Elder Wand in the movie made perfect sense to me. Unless I'm missing a detail (which I will surely be ridiculed for if I am), Harry's intention with the Elder Wand, as well as the other Deathly Hallows, was to keep them hidden and out of touch from the outside world, so that when he dies, likely from natural causes, the Elder Wand will lose its power and have no true owner. In this sense, I find breaking the Wand and tossing it off the bridge makes more sense if anything. Boom, problem solved and we get a good visual of Harry humbly rejecting that kind of power. (He could have used it to fix his own Wand though).
- Dumbledore screaming at Harry about the Goblet of Fire was certainly a bad choice, no argument there. I can certainly go on about why that was a wrong change to make. However, it doesn't ruin the movie's interpretation of Dumbledore nor does it ruin Michael Gambin's performance. RIP Richard Harris, it would have been great to see you continue to play him, but Michael Gambin did a fantastic job of portraying the complex old wizard in the later movies.
- Hagrid does not get enough credit as a character and Robbie Coltrane does not get enough credit for playing him perfectly. To me, Hagrid is the embodiment of true humility. After everything that happened to him, the harassment he recieved as a half giant, being falsely accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets, and all Dumbledore can get him is a job as a grounds keeper, and the man is still honoured to be working there without a hint of bitterness or demand for higher retribution. He only ever gets angry when someone else is bullied, harrased or threatened. The way that Robbie Coltrane changes his tone with the Dursleys as soon as they insult Dumbledore still gives me chills, like he can go from big lovable teddy bear to drawing out his umbrella and muttering "don't ever insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me ever again". Agrh, such an underrated performance.
- Snape is first off a very different character from book to screen. Where as the book version is a downright abusive sociopath, the movie is much more like a moody loner, which means that those who only watch the movies don't tend to hate him that much. On that note, the scene where Ron defends Hermione from his insults in the book but not in the movie is more of a difference in Snape's character than it is if Ron's (that's right, I'm defending movie Ron again). Because of the downright cruelty of book Snape, Ron and pretty much all of the Gryffindors jump to her defense when Snape calls her a know it all, even though they'd all agree with him. They probably make fun of her for it on their own time but that doesn't stop them from banding together against a man like Snape. The movie version of Snape doesn't portray nearly the same amount of cruelty so there isn't much of a motivation to argue against him.
- Speaking of Snape, I'm going to say something that will cause you guys to shutter. I hate book Snape as a person and don't think he deserves forgiveness, but I love him as a character and wouldn't change anything about him. I'm here for a fictional story and sometimes truly complex characters and morally grey characters are what I want. He truly is a despicable human being, but when he does something noble, even if it's for selfish reasons, I am more invested in his character. Movie Snape might be a more likable person and more sympathetic in a sense, but book Snape will always be a more complex, interesting and ultimately unique character.
- Finally, and please hear me out for this one, Black Hermione is not canon, but I still love the idea of her being black in Fanon. There is a line in the third book that describes her white face as she's looking around a tree. Boom, not canon. That being said, I love seeing all the fanart and fanfiction that re-imagines her as a black woman, as well as Harry as an Indian person. I like it and I encourage other creators to continue to explore it. But if you're going to argue that that stuff is canon, there's simply concrete proof it isn't. I know I'm speaking to a minority with this one as most fans clearly understand this and don't take it too far, but if you're someone who not only tries to debate this but also openly mocks and harrasses others, especially the filmmakers for casting caucasian actors in the roles, then you're the one being truly disrespectful.
Well there you have it. Those are my controversial Harry Potter opinions. Feel free to hate me for them.
#harry potter#books vs movies#ron weasley#hermione granger#hagrid#albus dumbledore#severus snape#voldemort#black hermione granger
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I finally finished listening to Gallifrey for the first time today (and I've loved it so much, I wasn't expecting it to be quite this good but it was AMAZING), so here's some incoherent thoughts in no particular order:
Starting off on a happy note before I get going - Gallifrey is just? So good?? I'd heard a lot of good stuff about it long before I'd even started listening to Big Finish generally, but it really blew me away with how brilliant it is!
I really love how well-defined the characters and their relationships are, and how they all grow over the course of the series. The developments all felt really natural and in response to what each character went through, and very believable in general
I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to love the main four characters either (I only really knew Leela and Romana from watching Classic Who, knew nothing about Brax other than "the Doctor's brother" and "causes problems", and almost nothing at all about Narvin), but I have to say I'm really attached to them all now :)
Leela and her whole arc throughout the series is just amazing. I'd already liked what I'd seen of her in Classic Who (even if I do have... issues with the basic concept of her character and the stereotypes it's based off), but imo she gets taken to another level in Gallifrey altogether. I just love her whole story about grief and healing and learning to find a place for yourself in somewhere you don't seem to fit... and Louise Jameson's acting is fantastic
Romana's arc and growth is also wonderful. Like she comes so far!!! She goes from being unable to admit even that she has friends and just cares about people, to saying that she loves Leela and Narvin in Unity and it really gets me :')
I'd heard a bit about Narvin and his character development beforehand, but it really impressed me how well done it all was? I'm gonna admit that when I was listening to s1/2, I didn't like him much at all, but the growth and changes he goes through as a character are incredibly well written and I have a lot of love for him as a character now
Brax is great. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from him, but he's actually so much fun as a character! (Even if some of his decisions are... interesting, let's just say) I like the unique dynamic he has with the other main characters, and think he also provides a v interesting contrast to them as someone who's a bit more morally grey? But yeah. He's very cool I like him a lot
Leela and Romana's relationship in particular is my absolute favourite in the series, and just. I love them. They both care about each other so much and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I have thought about "There will be a place for you with me. For always. Whatever face I wear." every single day since I first listened to Spirit in November someone help me
I think overall (although I've enjoyed all of them) series 2 is probably my favourite? It's just so incredibly chaotic and the plot and character work tie together so well
In terms of favourite episodes, there's a lot tbh, but Spirit, Imperiatrix, Renaissance, Lies, Soldier Obscura, Mindbomb and Disassembled are all up there (you can see my s2 bias shining through there oops)
Idk if this is a controversial opinion (I've only really lurked around the edges of the fandom so I'm not 100% sure what the general consensus is) but for the most part I generally enjoyed the Time War series?
Like, I think overall the earlier series appealed to me more, but I did still get a lot of enjoyment out of the time war stuff and thought there were some really good stories in there (Soldier Obscura, The Devil You Know and Unity in particular were absolutely brilliant)
I guess my one main issue with that part of the show is probably (and this is something I've seen a couple of other people bring up) that the characters were all so far apart for most of it? Like I understand that the writers were wanting to try something new and were wanting to avoid retreading the same beats as before, but imo the crux of the show's drama is the relationships between Leela, Romana, Narvin and Brax, and the fact that they weren't together for most of the episodes after TW1 meant the emotional resonance wasn't quite the same - the plots were still v good and I enjoyed that aspect, but I did miss them interacting more regularly yknow :/
I think this also ties into my problems with the finale (although apparently bf have confirmed they're making more? so idk if it's really the end), because the story itself was pretty good, but the lack of any real emotion in the few interactions we got between Leela, Romana and Narvin hindered it from having as much impact as it could have, and some of the writing for them in general just felt very off (esp. in regard to Romana). I'm also just. Not hugely convinced by Matt Fitton's ability to write finales from my own listening experience and I think that feeds into it too but yeah
A similar issue that frustrated me a bit tbh was how consistently Brax was left out of the series altogether for most of the time post-s4? I'm not an expert on his character (Gallifrey!Brax is the only one I'm familiar with), but I liked him a lot and having him as part of the main cast of characters was really fun, so it was a bit disappointing that he didn't make as many appearances, especially as I would've loved to see his relationships with the group develop as much as the ones between Leela, Romana and Narvin did
On a completely unrelated note, as someone who's hyperfixated on the War Doctor audios a Lot™, I loved spotting all the little references and nods to those in the TW series. It just made me really happy and the sense of continuity was cool
I got very excited every time they mentioned Ollistra ngl. She may be Awful but I love her
The parallels in Gallifrey are also so good?!?!?? There's so many that I just go completely insane over
The parallel between Romana's promise that Leela will always have a place with her in "Spirit" and Leela telling Romana she'll never be alone because Leela is coming with her in "Renaissance" particularly is just. Yeah. I think about it a lot ngl
Also love the K9s. The bickering between them in the early series is incredible and I wish they'd kept that going longer
Darkel is just the Worst. Honestly think she's one of the most effective villains I've ever come across bc I don't think I've felt that much unbridled rage at a fictional character before. It certainly made watching Trial of a Time Lord for the first time the other week an Interesting Experience
The fact that seemingly all the main four basically adopt Ace as their child is incredibly funny to me ngl
And going on from that, what I'd love to see (and what I know Big Finish will never make :/) is a series set between Enemy Lines and TW1 that's just the gang + Ace messing around and having fun yknow? I want to see them all being happy and making chaos at the CIA
I also find it really funny that at the start of the show, all the characters would go on about how the CIA are Suspicious and Not To Be Trusted, and how the whole organisation is kind of antagonistic at that point, but then by TW1 every single main protagonist is involved with the CIA in some capacity, like. Way to go guys
I hadn't actually listened to The Apocalypse Element, Neverland, and Zagreus when I originally started listening, and it didn't stop me enjoying anything at the time but I have to say certain stories (especially Extermination) make a lot more sense with that context; it should be interesting relistening to the earlier stuff now I have that context tbh
And. Yeah. I am already wanting to relisten again even though there's a lot of free stuff from the BF website on my account which I haven't touched yet oops
Anyway long story short, Gallifrey is genuinely brilliant and I'm so glad I've listened to it
#bethan talks about dw#bethan listens to big finish#idk if anyone is actually going to read this (and if you do i admire you bc it's. long)#but i've had a Lot of thoughts over the past 3 1/2 months of listening so i wanted to get some out haha#usually i'm kinda nervous about posting text here (maybe bc people will actually see it? idk)#but my need to scream about gallifrey has overcome it which is impressive ngl#and fingers crossed the read more works i don't want to clog up anyone's dashes :/
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SIX OF CROWS AND CROOKED KINGDOM-LEIGH BARDUGO
There is no secret to anyone that knows me that the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo is my favourite thing to ever exist. The books are my comfort books; there is no describing the comfort I feel whenever i talk about them or read them; but if you are a reader like me, I'm sure you understand. There are so many things in those two books that just make me feel so safe and happy although I always end up sobbing whenever i read them. I'll try to tell you a bit about the characters and why I absolutely adore all of them, without spoiling too much(or anything). First of all:
1. Kaz Brekker: 17 year old boy, dark hair, tragic past. Need I say more? Kaz is a morally grey character, extremely smart and gifted with lots of abilities. Although he is part of a gang, and has scammed and killed people, he isn't 'bad'. Everything he does has a purpose- and in a city like Ketterdam, is rare to find people who wouldn't do anything and everything for money. While he does love money(quite a lot) he is motivated by his need of revenge. It's pretty rare that he loses control and does things without thinking them through. Amazingly developed character with an incredibly cool name.
2. Inej Ghafa: did someone say the strongest girl I've ever read? 16 year old who went through a life time of trauma. She kills and helps Kaz with his schemes, but she never loses her faith or her good nature. She is vicious, dangerous, deadly-but never cruel. She is wise and smart and just overall has a good heart. She does what needs to be done to stay alive and to keep her friends alive, but never enjoys it. One of my favourite female characters ever because even though she has feelings for one of the other 5 people in her team, she knows she deserves better and she never settles for anything other than that. She puts herself and her dreams and plans first. Also incredibly skilled and brave.
3. Nina Zenik: 17 year old powerful queen, sarcastic, brave and confident. A soldier who fights for what she believes in and stands her ground. Loves food and isn't hiding it. 10/10 one of my favourite women.
4. Matthias Helvar: 18 year old bigoted prick but we grow to love him as he develops. Looks like he could kill you and he most definitely can, but won't because he's a sweetheart (after he overcomes the prejudices that were put into his head).
5. Jesper Fahey: 17 year old that loves his guns and his gambling. Comedic relief, smart, incredible sharpshooter, charming and just overall a lovely character. I love him and some of his scenes broke my heart. He sometimes deserves better than what he gets.
6. Wylan: 16 year old- the rich boy of the group. Smart and brave. Even tho he is sort of 'nerdy' I love that he wasn't stereotypical at all. He is sassy and stands up for himself and for those he feels are being wronged, even against Kaz when he's at gis worst-definitely shows the kid was some courage in him.
Positives:
I love that we get chapters from all 6 perspectives. This way we really get to know the characters on a personal level, really see inside each of their minds. They are all brilliantly well developed characters- they go through changes, they learn to adapt, they learn that some things are not as black and white as they thought. We really get enough insight into their past, and we learn why each character is the way that it is. Details are given in time, not all at once. It really feels as if we are literally inside their brains. Each chapter made me feel as if I was becoming the character. The only character that doesn't have his own chapters in Six of Crows is Wylan, but Leigh Bardugo makes up for it in Crooked Kingdom.
-What attracted me to this book in the first place was the gang aspect; it somehow reminded me of Peaky Blinders. Despite it being about a heist, there is romance, not as the main focus but more as a subplot I would say-just enough to make you enjoy it without taking away from the main plot. The books also have lots of funny, heartwarming moments. Not to mention the heartbreaking ones. I can't even remember how many times I sobbed reading the books. I still cry about it sometimes, years after I read it for the first time. This what tells me a book is good: I think about it months and in this case, years after I've first read it.
-another positive is the diversity in these books: we have characters dealing with addiction, disabled characters, characters of colour, plus sized characters, characters dealing with trauma, characters dealing with various mental disorders, characters of different religions(although fictional) and characters of different sexualities. There is something for everyone. It also deals with xenophobia and sex trafficking, forced prostitution and fetishizing of different traits such as skin colour, hair colour etc. It also keeps a pretty feminist approach- there is no rivalry between the two girls in the group( Nina and Inej) and they are incredibly supportive of each other( i LOVE a good female friendship). Even when talking about the girls who 'work' at the brothels, they aren't shamed if they are there by choice- they are supported, which was good to see; it is important to see a book where sex workers aren't shamed or judged, especially considering that there is still stigma around the profession.
-what i also enjoyed is that the plot is not predictable. It keeps you on edge, it challenges you to guess the possible outcomes of every situation. Even the plans and schemes are sometimes(most of the time) hidden- we don't really learn the purpose of something until after it is done. Leigh Bardugo's mind is incredible- she comes up with the most amazing plot twists and turns. You can't really get bored of it- because if you don't keep reading, you may never find the real plan, the real purpose, why the characters choose to do certain things. It is honestly so entertaining to try to guess what happens next.
Negatives: -it does take a while to get into the action. The beginning of Six of crows involves a lot of planning, scheming, secrets- which to me seems only natural. We follow these characters through their journey and their journey isn't action packed at all times(this said, the book is never boring; there are interesting things happening at all times, even if we didn't reach the main part of the plot). The actual heist itself is more focused towards the second half of the book and that's where it really gets intense. If in the first half you find time to relax and breathe, in the second half everything comes crushing down. For me the pace wasn't a problem but I know some people like to get into things right away.
-sometimes it's hard to believe that the characters are 16 to 18. They seem so much older, so mature at times but this again seems normal to me. They went through traumatic events that most people don't go and shouldn't go through at such a young age. They were forced to grow up and mature fast because otherwise they wouldn't be alive. It's not really a negative in my opinion, but thought it was worth mentioning.
Overall, this duology is a 10/10 for me, 5/5 stars. I read it so many times and will continue to re-read it. Each time I read it, I enjoy it the same as I did when I first discovered the books. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing author.
#six of crows#leigh bardugo#crooked kingdom#kaz brekker#inej ghafa#jesper fahey#nina zenik#mathias helvar#review#booklover#books
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My thoughts on Act 2, Episode 5
Yes, I’m incredibly late to the party. It took me longer than I thought to finally be able to finish reading Ep 5 BUT here it is! I’m gonna try to summarize my initial reactions and how I feel about the main plot points here both for myself and for anyone that wants to read them.
Long post under the cut!
One small thing I want to mention before delving into the big stuff: seeing all the boys starting new stages in their lives was honestly super heartwarming; they’ve grown so much both as individuals and together as a company (and as friends), and it was a delight to see it. As a fan of small details, I loved to see that the conversation Banri and Yuki had in “Into the Night!” (about him taking acting seriously and maybe going to college to bring back the knowledge to the company) was reflected in his choice of going to Veludo Arts University.
But anyway! There’s 3 main things I want to talk about in regards to this episode:
First up is Masumi’s arc:
Hooooo boy, I hadn’t been this angry about a fictional parent since we learned about Misumi’s family. I think the main thing that irked me a lot about his dad was how little regard he seemed to have for his son as an actual human being. Especially because of how hypocritical it sounded when his secretary said stuff like "Mr Usui is concerned about you living without a parental figure for so long" because we all know that Masumi has been living basically on his own for a long time and the excuse of "Masumi has only been living in Japan this long due to his parent's desire to keep his environment as stable as possible while they were married" felt super empty because yeah, right, coming back to an empty home every day is the healthiest way to raise a child, it surely can’t affect his well-being and his sense of worth in any way.
Masumi saying "I thought it might make them happy if i got good grades or did well in sports, so I tried my best, but...nothing ever changed" and the story about him begging his parents to come to the show and tell and his dad's response was just "Listen to your parents, that's all we want from you" was so heartbreaking. It made me incredibly angry but it also helped me understand Masumi as a character a lot more; no wonder he has attachment issues (which are mainly centred around Izumi/the MC) and his constant need for validation, he just wants people to be there for him and be proud of his accomplishments. He just wants a family but his parents were just too busy to even give a crap.
Also, in relation to Izumi: I think he still needs to learn that the obsession he has with her is not healthy (and hopefully one day he can grow out of it) but it's clear that he doesn't do it to purposely make her uncomfortable; he's misguided and he doesn't know how to deal and express the affection he feels towards one of the people that genuinely cares about him. Also I'm not saying that he doesn't have a crush on her, I think he does but he behaves this way because he never learned how to express his feelings in a healthy way and he's probably scared someone "could take her away" at any moment because boy hasn't he had to deal with people going again a lot already.
About Masumi’s grandma: love her, she’s a darling and she clearly cares for her grandson’s well being. One thing she mentions is that her son changed when his company found success, and like, I get that he needs to put time and effort to keep his company afloat but like. not even considering what your son wants and feels? Maybe talking to him every once in a while? Being busy it's not an excuse; your son shouldn't have to wonder if his parents love him. But this also ties to the end of Masumi’s arc when his father finally lets him stay in Japan: I'm glad that Masumi's father apologised and realised the error of his ways, it doesn't undo the years of loneliness Masumi had to endure because of it, but it's a start.
Final thoughts on Masumi’s arc: 10/10 would read it again for the feels. I really loved the depth they gave him and how they made him realise that Mankai (not just Izumi) are important to him because they’re his precious family and he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. One little moment after that warmed my heart was when Izumi tells Masumi that she's glad that he's been taking care of Tsuzuru while he's busy writing and he answers with "I mean, he is...family",,,,,,,,,,,I’m not crying, you’re crying. I hope we can get more moments with him in the future that are centred around his personality, his likes and dislikes, and his relationships with the other boys.
In second place, Chikage’s introduction and arc.
Let's see. I knew coming in that Chikage was a controversial character within the fandom and I knew the main reason why because of spoilers, but I didn’t know all the details. Also, something you should know about me is that I found morally grey characters interesting, so that made it so I went into this with an open mind.
Overall, I liked the episode and I ended up linking Chikage as a character well enough. But I’m not gonna lie and say that everything was perfect. The biggest issue I had with his arc was the way they handled his relationship with Izumi/the MC, especially in regards to the kidnapping. I’m usually pretty good at putting a dividing line between fiction and real life, which is what allows me to enjoy villains and morally grey characters; but as a woman who grew up with my mom saying “never leave your drink/food unattended”, seeing it done here and then having it go unpunished really left a bad taste in my mouth; because every girl grows up hearing this (and i know this is a problem that affects all genders) and it’s horrible because it has happened to so many people. So my biggest gripe about this part of his arc is the consequences, or more so the lack of them.
The only things that made it a bit more acceptable *for me* were three things:
This line from Izumi: "What Chikage's done is unforgivable. But I can't just ignore August's dying wish and Hisoka's thoughts on the matter." I have some mixed feelings about it but It just aligns with Izumi’s personality; she’s always been portrayed as incredibly selfless and giving, someone who’s ridiculously kind (to a fault) and who always tries to see the best in people and puts others before herself (and also because ~plot~ demands it, but that’s a thing with a lot of media these days) Do I wish she had been angry and wary towards Chikage after having been drugged and kidnapped? Yes, I do, it would have been nice to have a portion of the story dedicated to Chikage having to earn her trust back because what he did really was not okay.
Sakuya’s conversation with Chikage when he tries to leave after opening night and in particular these two lines from Sakuya: "This isn't about the play....for some reason, I get the feeling we shouldn't leave you alone right now" [...] "You're different now. I can tell you're broken and hurting. I feel like you've lost your way." Regardless of personal feelings, I think Chikage showed that he really was shaken by the weight of his own actions after he found out the truth. He knows that what he did was wrong and that’s why his emotions and all his guilt were crushing him all at once. He was driven by revenge and anger for so long that once he learned and accepted the truth, he completely lost himself. And seeing him have to deal with all of that made me really glad, because even if he’s not gonna have to deal with external consequences (aka having to deal with the rest of the company’s distrust, even though I wish he did), he still had to find a way to not only forgive himself but also to atone in his own way for what he did (aka putting down his walls, fulfilling his promises and making it his mission to protect everyone at mankai from the organisation)
Now, as I’ve been saying, I really wish Chikage had been able to tell the others the whole story about what he did and why he did it but…..we didn’t get that. What I am glad about, though, is that at least he told them that he took her away on purpose (even if he didn’t tell them how or why); also both he and Hisoka pointed out that anyone who knows the full truth about their lives could be in serious danger and that having Izumi know was already risky enough. And yes, that is indeed very plot convenient but it’s the bare minimum and I’m willing to give it a pass this time.
tl;dr I think Chikage is an interesting character that has a lot of potential and I have hopes that he will get some more development in future events. BUT, I really think they could have handled his arc in this episode a lot better.
Now, all that said, if you still couldn’t bring yourself to forgive or look past what he did and you still don’t like him: no one can force you to like him after the things he did since it can be very triggering for a lot of people, so remember that your feelings are totally valid.
In third place and in relation to Chikage’s arc, I also have to mention Hisoka and the development he got as a result.
The only thing that bugged me in relation to Hisoka was that even though I knew he couldn't because of ~plot~ (and probably because part of him is still unsure about what he didn't remember and how it could affect the others even if he did say that the person he was before didn't matter anymore) but I really wished he had told anyone "hey so like......Chikage said some weird stuff to me just now and I might need help" because their first 1 to 1 confrontation was a threat if I've ever seen one.
But yeah, other than that I really love that we not only finally got to learn about his past, but also we got a good foundation for his development in the future regarding his interpersonal relationships with the winter troupe. The fact that he couldn’t remember who he was has been a point of conflict in the past and this brings that issue to a close in the sense that he is willing to tell them (part of) the truth once he sorts things out. And I loved loved how the trust Hisoka has in them is the direct result of all the ups and downs that the winter troupe has gone through so far in learning to open up to each other. I know they said during nocturnality that they’re not a family in the same sense the spring troupe is, but I honestly disagree; they way in which they’ve come to rely on each other shows how strong their bond is.
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Kisame X Mei
Q&A about one of my favorite Naruto ships, Pt1.
1. Why I like this pairing?
It’s Shark Boy and Lava Girl, what’s not to like? No but seriously they would have such a compelling backstory. They’re both around the same age, and not only did they survive the era of the bloody mist but they are grouped together with some of the strongest Shinobi in the history of the Hidden Mist Village. There is no way these two hadn’t crossed paths multiple times before the main Naruto plot had begun. Kisame was somewhere in his 20s when he left the village, that would have given him plenty of time to form bonds and have many interactions with his fellow Mist Nin (maybe even getting it on with a certain future Mizukage?!?!). So not only is KisaMei chronologically possible (that is if you’re thinking in cannon universe) but I think they would have amazing chemistry as well! Polite, respectful, quick witted, and ruthless in battle, this pairing has a lot more common ground than just their roots. However what would make this pairing so great is not their commonalities but rather how they contrast! The optimist v.s the pessimist. They lived through the same times yet perceived and experienced things in a totally different way. While Kisame gave up on what Kiri was, Mei kept fighting for what she always hoped it could be despite all the corruption and bad blood that consumed their home. On a less serious note, I think Mei’s short fuse and emotional outburst opposed to Kisame’s nonchalant attitude and funny cometary would make for a good dynamic. They would definitely be a very spicy couple, and have an amazing sex life if anything.
2. What would the nature of their relationship be?
In Cannon universe? undefined, bittersweet.
In the cannon universe I don’t think they could ever be in a serious relationship due to the fact that Mei is the FREAKING Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village and he is an actual ninja terrorist aiming to do away with all the hidden villages. However, I like to headcannon that before Kisame betrayed the mist he had kinda a thing with Mei, like a very casual on and off again relationship with some feelings on the side. I could see them having very playful banter and seeking companionship in one and other due to that fact that they were in a relatively small group of the most elite ninja in the village. I think they would both have a lot of respect for each other despite having different core beliefs. Mei would be open and understanding towards Kisame’s controversial take on their purpose as shinobi, and likewise Kisame would hold her in high regard due to her unwavering loyalty and genuine desire to fix a broken system. I think they would both always hold very tender feelings towards one and other despite being on sworn to two opposing organizations. Now if we're venturing outside of cannon rules, definitely married. Kisame would totally wife that scary dragon lady. Mr. & Mrs. Smith all the way.
3. Who makes the first move?
Kisame
After much goading from Mei that is. Mei is very flirtatious and forward, yet when it came to down to it she kept waiting for Kisame to initiate things for the first time. I think Mei is a woman who is used to being chased and not being the pursuer, Kisame definitely knew this and was using it agains her. She would be dropping sexual innuendo and not so obvious hints left and right, The swordsman might have given her a chuckle every now and again or at least a huff of amusement, sometimes he would play dumb to her intentions only to get a rise out of her (which it did). But eventually his desire won out. It was after a couple of close calls, resulting from drunken nights after the exhilaration of battle, that Mei had pretty much given up faith in her comrade when he took her by surprise one day with a rather rough and much anticipated return of affections. xxx
4. Do either of them get jealous?
No, neither of them do. I don't think there is anyplace for jealousy in this relationship. They’re both mature adults and usually too occupied with shinobi duties. It just wouldn't work with their life style and professions, plus they're both very loyal people. Mei can be quick to anger as shown a few times in cannon, but at her core she is very intelligent and perceptive. Therefore she would know Kisame well enough to be confident in that he would never intentionally hurt her in anyway. Also Kisame wouldn’t do well with a jealous partner and would find it rather insulting to have someone questioning his character all the time.
5. Do they want/have children?
Selfishly I’m going to answer yes to the later.
I could see them having a child out of obligation to the village, I imagine after the third world war and Zabuza’s academy massacre there must have been a high demand to produce a new generation of strong ninja to defend the village against future attacks. Mei had always wanted to start a family of her own, but ideally in a time of peace when her village no longer needed her to fight. I think they both would have strong reservations about bringing a life into such a corrupt and morally grey world, especially Kisame. I have my own KisaMei OC children that i’ve been brainstorming for a while now, hopefully i’ll get around to writing that fan fiction one day.
If you guys like this paring as well let me know or send me a KisaMei request some time! It’s always great to get inspired by my fellow shippers.
#kisamei#kirigakure#hidden mist village#naruto shippuden#naruto ships#crack ships#but not really#kisame hoshigaki#mei terumi#kisame x mei#akatsuki#mizukage
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I’m so sorry I did another long post so soon...
So a long time ago, I received a flame on Spec Ops 98: Jazz's Interrogation at Soundwave's Pedes. I hadn’t received a flame in a long time, and I haven’t received one since (which is amazing, since this was on chapter 26 back in...dear heavens, 2015. This fic is officially an epic.)
In fact, I stopped reading the flame once I realized it was a flame, about four chunks in. 2015, five years ago, I was changing principals, changing schools, trying to figure out how to marry my Canadian then-fiance and figure out immigration. (Fun type--marry her in Vegas, wait a couple years, bring her over. Use a lawyer to make sure it’s all kosher.) So yeah, didn’t read.
And then a concerned reader mentioned to me that I didn’t deserve this awful flame and that they loved the story. And I thought...oh yeah, there was a flame on this. That was a couple months ago.
I finally decided to break the flame apart like I used to. This feels very nostalgic to me. I found out that this is really the flamer’s only claim to fame--they flame fics and troll writers. I’m not going to name them then, although you can find the easily on the ff.net review page for this fic.
My father once told me that, if anyone ever spraypainted slurs across my house...leave the slurs up. Don’t pay to remove them. Let the awful words stay up until everyone in the neighborhood is begging us to take them down again.
I think leaving the review there says more about her than me. And I’m going to enjoy clawing this apart, I think, like a cat scratching apart a lizard.
Flame begin:
We’ve got a problem if Soundwave is involved here and he’s not pulling his usual ‘Decepticons, Superior’ line. Add on a fic about perverts and we get this. Ah, well. What are you gonna do?
Remember the character Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, and how he said “Bazinga” all the time? That kind of went from a joke to an overused character crutch. Like ‘dynomite!’ or ‘did I do that’? Is it really good to rely on a character line to the point where we can call it ‘usual’?
“I’ll take my pleasure and that sweet aft” – Sounds like a cheesy commercial for Robot Chicken. Fireflight is locked up in a dungeon and is about to be whipped by a BDSM Starscream. That’s not at all OOC. Basically it’s a fanfiction that talks about fanfiction.
I...um. Yes. Yes, it’s an OOC line modeled directly after pulp fiction zines and tijuana bibles. I literally looked up several of those on the Internet Archives and various old men’s magazines covers. It’s not fanfiction directly, although it’s certainly what fanfic evolved out of.
Do these look subtle? Low key? Classy? Tasteful? It’s cheap trash and it’s fun as hell. I don’t think readers at the time thought that these were in any way true. This is right along the lines of drawn hentai. So I think the flamer admitted despite themself that I did good.
“We’re stuck here in the middle of a war...we don’t have time for sex” – That’s right. But that fact doesn’t apply does it?
...reading trashy, porny magazines is not sex. It’s actually something you do when you can’t get sex for whatever reason. I would know. A lot of us would know. Apparently not the flamer. No one thinks that “hey, I got a chick/dude willing to bang right now...but the new issue of Men’s World is out! Can’t miss that!” Unless you have some serious fetishes that your partner is too weirded out by, I think this does indeed apply.
Then Jazz gets captured and lo and behold, Soundwave is revealed to be the Christian Grey of the story. I hope he has some maid outfits for Jazz.
...our flamer hits the sludgy bottom of the joke well and grabs their shovel. They do not try very hard for originality in their insults. And, while Grey was a jerk, Fifty Shades wasn’t quite a prisoner of war scenario. No, that was a cheap romance for chicks. I’m writing more akin to men’s...oh.
The flamer is a chick.
Their only bdsm or bad romance experience is with Fifty Shades.
I don’t think they read much.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we have a shower scene. Damn if it’ll be Carrie!
Iiiiiiiiiiiii did not write a shower scene?
Dudette, did you even do the reading you say you did?
There’s no point in adding moral ambiguity, especially in regards to Soundwave. He won’t be swayed easily, or at all, by Jazz’s speech. He’s cold hearted for a reason. He serves the Decepticon cause until the very bitter end. He’s a lot like Shockwave that way. Highly doubtful he would find meaning or even the relevance of writing pornographic fanfiction, but eh, this was never meant to be serious, was it?
...no. It’s a humor fic. The flamer is criticizing a humor fic for being humorous. Kudos for identifying the genre? I mean, the flamer is also complaining that I did not write Soundwave as a one-dimensional factionalist without examining what that means for him and how the mission creep has left the original political crusade behind. It’s not like I took pieces of Soundwave from Gen1, IDW, and the comics and blend them all together.
This reminds me of the fanboys in the TMNT fandom who keep pushing for every iteration to simply rehash their nostalgia boner for the original toon. I feel like I’m getting the Transformers version of wanting less of this:
because it isn’t the familiar characterizations of this:
“So what’s the down low?” – You, Jazz. You’re going to give the down-low to Soundwave. I can’t wait to read how shiny his robo-vagina is.
...wow. Classy there, flamer. Also I really don’t think they read anything. This whole fic is plug n’ play. There’s exchanging of cables, talk of code and positronic souls and sparks and revving engines. There isn’t a drop of sticky, spike, or fluids.
Chapter 15’s sex scenes bore me. Nothing is worse than having a guy ask to remove every bit of clothing. Just do it already! And why is Jazz a virgin? Come on!
Look--the thing about sex and fetish and whatever revs your engine is that it’s not going to rev everyone’s engine. You don’t like the type of interfacing here? Fine. I don’t like those kind of sex scenes in my porn either. But I wasn’t write that scene for porn. I wanted write warbuild Jazz dealing with violent subroutines while interfacing with Prowl. I had fun with it.
Why is Jazz a virgin? The previous 15 chapters discuss that.
I really don’t think the flamer read the fic.They scanned for anything remotely sexual, so I don’t think I’m going to take anything they say about this fic being ooc for perversion’s sake.
“Everyone here is damn pervy” – In which a character talks about the author.
“We gotta get Soundwave to finish writing his story” – Why? I mean, what’s the point? It’s not doing anything for them, unless it’s to show how castrated Soundwave is. I’ve seen him act better in Mary-Sue fics.
There is a whole plot about Starscream and Skyfire, and I thought I could trust the readers to be intelligent enough to make the leap with the parallels between Soundwave and Jazz.
This is literally the only review that questions why Jazz said that.
The Mary Sue shot just echoes the Fifty Shades swipe. I think this flamer did most of their flames roughly ten years ago--the insults are pretty dated.
The Decepticons don’t know about Ratchet? Why? I mean, he’s one of the oldest dudes there. He has a reputation. When you have a reputation, people know about you. It’s inevitable. I think your inner logic slips a lot.
At this point, I literally have 21 previous chapters of world building.
I am not surprised that the story’s logic was slipping away from one of us.
It’s funny to read the forum responses in the story. It’s like the author is trying to make fun of detractors yet ends up making fun of herself.
Okay, this part is hilarious for a reason only briefly noted in the fic. I think that the only things this can refer to are the comments from the chapter titled Flames of the M4gn1f1c3ntSkyPr1nc3--because those are literally the first flames/comments I put in the fic. And I didn’t write them!
My wife wrote them! I don’t write Starscream well but she just poured those out like water--she’s seen more of the hysterical side of fandom, particularly the earlier TF fandom, and I snipped out pieces for the fic.
So...I mean, we’re pretty happily married, so I don’t think she counts as a detractor. ^___^ Ultimately I started writing this fic for her.
“Your optics make me crazy” – Not at all a cliché.
Good thing I didn’t write that, then. Here is that little section in the Prowl/Jazz section. (Took me a bit to find it since I plugged that into the Find and couldn’t bring it up.)
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I like what you do to me. Jazz allowed him in, tilting his helm. I never really understood it, y'know? How mechs could lower their guard so much. Let someone this close.
And now? Prowl drew back, wanting to see Jazz for the answer. With a quiet ping, he warned the other mech even as he raised his hand, touching Jazz's visor.
I still think you're crazy always going on about my optics, Jazz said, venting even as he disengaged the locks and let Prowl gently remove the blue polycarbon.
Your optics are perfection, Prowl corrected him. And you let me see them. Hundreds of mechs wondering what's under that visor, but I get to see.
Still shy about letting someone else see them, Jazz turned his head, only for Prowl to touch his cheek and turn him back, coaxing his optics to open with a soft brush of his thumb.
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Not bad for an asexual, I think. I mean, it’s not like I have a ton of hands on experience, being kinda broken that way. But I have read plenty of pulp magazines and pulp radio shows!
This didn’t take long. I skimmed through this work, because there was so little content. Lots of ridiculous shit, though. Soundwave writes fanfiction, the Autobots are weirded out/turned on, capture Soundwave, Soundwave realizes that his whole life was a life and decides to defect. Yeah, about that. He wouldn’t do it lickety split, let alone EVER. Hell, the reactions in the forum bits show what some would think of this, if they weren’t too busy fapping.
The funny thing is I don’t think the mechs can even fap. I don’t write them doing that. But yes, flamer, I do believe that you skimmed through the work. Particularly since you’ve recounted it backwards...Soundwave captures Jazz as the capstone to a long internal conflict within himself, but rather than go through chapters of internal monologue and Decepticon politics, I started the story as close to the inciting action as possible, not quite in media res.
I won’t hash out why Soundwave defects. I mean, I spent 22 chapters at that point explaining it. But it’s my fault the flamer skimmed, I guess?
Needless to say: the romance bored me senseless. It was poorly written, and overall there’s really no skill attached to this. You don’t grip the audience and Jazz’s virgin mode made me roll my eyes. Reads like a first-time waifu manga.
Nah.
I’ve been writing way too long and am more than self-aware enough of my own failings that I’m also pretty self-aware of my own strengths, too. And no. It’s not poorly written. I definitely feel I could improve the first few chapters a bit, but that’s because I wrote those over five years ago and I’ve improved since then, too.
Empty insults. Maybe if the flamer had gone so far as to give a critique beyond a couple of misquoted lines and their own headcanons, I might have listened, but there’s literally nothing of substance here beyond a child tantrumming that I’m stupid and bad and should feel bad.
As for the other pairings, booooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.
Usually I have a fun time setting these fics on fire, but this one bored me senseless. Yes, it was stupid, but the author’s attempt to authenticate it are just as sloppy as anything else.
“Authenticate”?
Is this person talking about using fandom tropes as my setting?
There are 22 chapters at the time, and now 51 chapters, building up this world and using roughly 20 years of fandom background to inform the fic.
Maybe if they hadn’t skimmed, they might have found something interesting. But considering that they skimmed over anything character related and stopped for the sex scene--I don’t think that says anything about my writing and more about their own proclivities.
They were trying to read one-handed. A plug n play fic. A long meta look at fandom in war in a humor fic. And they came here for the sexy times.
I don’t have to draw the conclusion here, do I? Well, for the flamer, probably. And then they’d glance at it for a second, call it sloppy, and say I showed nothing, and what I showed was boring, and that boring stuff was ooc anyway.
One thing I am thankful for is the fact that it is not long.
51 chapters later and I’m still not done.
Nothing’s worth remembering in this and I don’t need to tell you that these characters either act like simpering imbeciles, or are virginal waifus. All I’m missing is a senpai in the bed, some tissues, and some high quality lotion.
...why do they keep referencing gay human sex? I mean, I get it, they’re saying that it’s similar to yaoi fics, but.
This is anti-yaoi with its last hurrah, isn’t it? The late 90s, early 2000s, rising from its sludgy well to try to shame the easily cowed and intimidated, the young writers easily startled by long lines of text. No wonder the citations used are so...15 years ago. I mean, who was talking about Sues even 5 years ago. That criticism kind of faded a long while ago, even then.
I think the sad thing is, even the badly written Sue sex fics end up being more interesting than this. If Ebony Darkness D’Mentia Raven Way were to come along, I think this story would get better. What with her ‘I shot him a gazillion times’ lines.
...and there’s the cherry on the top. Third cheap shot firing blanks. Sue + Fifty Shades +...shit, I can’t even remember the title for that infamous fic. It’s that old.
...this fanfic flamer is old.
Like, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got fandom moms and grandmoms who cut their teeth on fandom print zines in the earliest conventions. They’re not “old” in the same way.
This person has lost any joy, humor, or playfulness that fanfic comes from. No one should go into fanfic expecting fine art. I mean, sure, it happens sometimes, but this is a playground of pulp, experimentation and just plain childish fun.
All in all, not worth remembering. It’s makes me tired to read it. It’s not even stupid enough to make me laugh. You’ll still get a fail rating for me, especially with the shitty version of Soundwave here.
Yes, fanfic flamer. You are indeed tired.
He should be on Big Brother. He’d be great making soy lattés and purees.
Big Brother in 2015 was in its 17th season. There were roughly around 6 million viewers at the time. The demographics for the tv viewing audience were graying even by the 2000s, and by 2015-18, it was significantly older.
Granted, it’s a very tenuous conclusion to draw, but combined with the old fandom references, the anti-yaoi vibes I’m getting, and the fanboyish desire to curate their own headcanon of a character to the point of insulting writers on the internet...
Flamer grew from being a reader to a bitter, old person angry and the whipper snappers for writing stupid, trashy crap that they criticize with broad, unspecific insults.Flamer is the stereotypical mean adult in any 90s cartoon or heavy metal rock video.
A little depressing. Poor flamer. I do hope they found more creative, engaging, and positive things to do.
Me? I just wanna rock.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk on pulp fiction and bitter cultural creators.
#in a nutshell#sorry for another long post#I just wanted to finally do this#after thinking about it for awhile#felt like a loose end#fandom#fanfiction#transformers fanfic
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Let me start by saying that I love all of your meta and analysis soooo much especially the ones about Ozpin. I was curious to hear what what do you think are some legit motally grey things/mistakes he did, not the garbage the haters love to throw around. The only things I can think of are either in an impossible situation with only shitty options (where I don't really consider the decisions as immoral since morality needs agency and the chance of a better choice) like with Pyrrha and Oscar (1/2)
Thank you, anon! And honestly? I couldn’t agree more. I often say that Ozpin has made mistakes partly so that people don’t blow off the points I’m trying to make with, “Oh an Ozpin stan. Ignore her, she thinks he can do no wrong and thus can’t provide an objective opinion.” But honestly? Not all mistakes are created equal. There are mistakes one makes because they’re selfish, foolish, didn’t bother to take precautions---things that are preventable and therefore invite heavy criticism and an acknowledgment of responsibility. However, there are also mistakes that, as you say, are simply outside of your control. You don’t have the information available to make an informed and therefore better choice, or you simply just have bad choices from the get-go. For me, the vast majority of Ozpin’s mistakes are the latter.
Overall, I think the largest mistake he bears responsibility for is prioritizing his love for Salem over basic ethics. AKA, choosing to become a wannabe god with her and encouraging this mentality that they are intrinsically superior to everyone else in Remnant. Granted, there are many other factors involved in this, including Salem’s status as a creature now consumed by darkness (she was heading down this road no matter what Ozpin may have done differently) as well as her abuse towards Ozpin, her manipulation, and the sheer overwhelming terror of the goal Light set him. Which just reinforces that all Ozpin’s mistakes are understandable to one extent or another. He’s human and his mistakes resonate because, if people are honest with themselves, they’d probably admit, “Yeah. If I found the love of my life again I’d be tempted to ignore Light’s warning about her too. If I was offered a life of luxury and power under the guise of protecting the people, I might cave and go along with that as well...” We get how Ozpin got to that point, we may admit we couldn’t have done better, but we likewise understand that the man he became, regardless of how he got there---from natural human desires to abuse---isn’t okay. As Oz and his host ask themselves, “What are we doing?” And we see how he comes back from that edge. How he rejects that sort of power later when it’s offered to him after the Kingdoms were reunited. Ozpin learned from his mistakes.
Which adds further complications to his choices in the present day. Just as Ozpin learned that the world doesn’t need him as an all-powerful figurehead, he likewise learned that sharing secrets leads to nothing but the worst kind of consequences. The first time he reveals what he’s hiding? His wife announces that she’s going to take over the world, then murders their children, then him. A more recent time he reveals information? A very close friend betrays him to said wife. Tries to kill him. Nearly kills his allies. Is eventually killed himself. The latest time he was forced to reveal information? People are shouting, grieving, he’s punched into a tree, the one friend still at his side completely rejects him.
The fandom points to Ozpin’s lies and secret keeping among the group as his greatest mistakes and yes, objectively I agree. Without context I can say no, he shouldn’t have made a promise if he didn’t intend to keep it. He should have just told them that there were questions left, or that the relic attracted grimm. But the thing is that context is there and it always matters. I��ve spoken before about how I think Ozpin made that promise with precisely zero expectation that he’d ever be put into a situation where he might conceivably break it, that I’d also hesitate to tell a group that there were invaluable questions left when they were clearly eager to use them recklessly (which they then did), and that keeping the grimm aspect secret was the only logical course of action because telling them would just attract more. But even ignoring all of the potential justifications attached to each choice, I simply don’t believe we can ignore Ozpin’s trauma. I might not have lied to people like that, but I haven’t been horrifically traumatized for a thousand years whenever I do tell someone information. Ozpin has been conditioned not to tell people and though yes, everyone technically has free will, trauma like that will “force” you to take what you perceive as the only safe option. It fucks with your perception and your understanding of what even is an option in this situation. Ozpin simply no longer has the ability to go, “I’ll trust them!” like the others around him do and their reactions certainly didn’t help teach him otherwise. Imagine that for a thousand years you’re punched every time someone lifts their hand. Then someone you’ve just met demands that you stop flinching whenever they raise theirs. No matter how much you may want to stop, you can’t. Not immediately on someone else’s order. The human experience doesn’t work that way.
(As a side note, the reason why I emphasize a thousand years so much is because I believe the extent of the trauma and its implied consistency is really relevant here. As is the close tie between that trauma and Ozpin’s choices. There are many other characters out there who I don’t believe “But they had a hard life!” excuses their actions: Snape, Bakugo, recently what I’ve read of Yennefer---among others. It’s notable to me that Ozpin didn’t endure traumatic events by revealing information and then, say, go abuse his students for years. Or tell someone to kill themselves. Or take over someone else’s mind. Not only is his trauma more extensive than the vast majority of characters we meet, but he hasn’t used that trauma as an excuse to get away with horrific---and unrelated---choices. The love of my life rejected me and then died... so I’m going to abuse eleven-year olds under my care. My mom is demanding and people cater to me too much... so I’m going to gleefully beat up my weakest classmate. I dealt with being ugly for a good chunk of my life and now can’t have kids... so I’m going to take away someone’s autonomy and endanger a whole town. Unlike most other characters with tragic backstories, Ozpin has a one-to-one correlation between that hard life and the mistakes he’s made: people hurt me when I tell them things... so I just won’t tell them things. By keeping that strong connection it eliminates the possibility that Ozpin is just using his trauma as an excuse (knowingly or otherwise) and he is, notably, still a good person beyond those very specific choices. We see his horror at the decisions he has to make. We see his endless attempts to be as kind towards others as possible. We see how much he’s fought not to allow his trauma to warp him into a person he’d despise. A person like Salem. Just like not all mistakes are created equal, for me not all people making mistakes are equal either. I’m less likely to forgive your mistakes if you’re an all around horrible person. You’re clearly a good person trying your best? Your mistakes are easier to stomach and, as discussed above, I’m more inclined to assume that these mistakes stem from things outside of your control. If someone who has been nothing but cruel to me lied I’d automatically be pissed. If someone who has been nothing but kind to me lied, I’m inclined to ask them why they did that, expecting that there’s a good reason attached to that decision.)
So did Ozpin make mistakes? Technically yes, but I think they were mistakes largely outside of his control. Either he only had shit options available to him or he was in a position where the group demanded something of him that his mental health simply wouldn’t allow. People have to remember that we’re not Ozpin (insert obligatory, “He’s fictional” here). We have more options available to us when it comes to our choices, simply by means of not having gone through what he has. His choices are always limited, both by outside factors and his own experiences, and they likewise always have inevitable downsides. Ozpin doesn’t get the luxury of choosing anything that turns out well.
As a final note, with Volume 7 underway I’d say that another potential mistake has been introduced: making Pyrrha the Fall Maiden. Meaning, unless the story reveals that Winter actually can’t become the next Winter Maiden due to her age (unlikely given that others have said the non-canonical age limit is 30), it raises the question of why he’d choose a 17 year old over a 20-some graduate. However, to me this is pretty clearly a writing issue. The creators were more concerned with keeping the story revolved around RWBYJNR than they were the implications of having Ozpin choose Pyrrha over a more suitable adult. So though yes, I’d technically consider that another mistake.... obviously not much Ozpin could do against his own creators lol.
Which finally leads to me saying that although Rooster Teeth seems to want us to believe that Ozpin is a morally gray character, they haven’t succeeded in writing one well. That characterization requires a fair balance between what most would consider “good” and “bad” traits. Not a good person presented with only bad choices. Or a character so horrifically conditioned that his ability to make a better decision is almost impossible. We wouldn’t call a person who was manipulated or forced into doing bad things a morally gray character, nor would we use that term if, somehow, they were sick and that led to those choices. That’s how I view Ozpin, mentally as opposed to physically sick. After a thousand years he needs evidence that trusting people and giving them his secrets won’t result in him being hurt. Until he’s shown that, expecting him to trust people just because they insist they are trustworthy is like asking someone with a broken leg to run you a race. They can try, but good look expecting them to succeed.
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name / alias : leigh
gender / pronouns : female + she/her
where ya from ? : europe 👀
the current time : 18:53
height : 164 cm, i think that’s 5′4
job or major : double major in sociology and media communications, still grinding
pet ( s ) : two dogs! one is a 7 year old maltese and the other a 3 year old cane corso
favorite thing ( s ) about yourself : im a great listener and i give great advice, i’m straighforward which some people don’t like but oh well, i’m pretty adaptable. i got some nice titties
any special talents ? : i can roll my tounge in any direction + crack a lot of knuckles ajkdshaj
why you joined hqclouds : i’ve been itchng to write more lately, so when love told me about their group i thought i’d give it a shot !!
meaning behind url : strawberry moon was just a recent occurance irl which was really cool + i associate marinette with strawberries for some reason, and i’m a big fan of the lady moon
last thing you googled : i’m having some issues with my michrophone and zoom so i googled how to fix it, but no dice
birthday / zodiac : leo ! my birthday is august 11th
in your opinion , does your sign suit you ? : yes and no. leo’s are very misunderstood imo, but each sign has the “more popular” or well known traits and then there’s the flipside of the coin—which i think suits me more
myers - briggs : ISFP / INFP
moral alignment : chaotic idiot
hogwarts house : gryffindor
three fictional character ( s ) you see yourself in + why : i honestly see myself in katara from atla, the whole smothering mothering routine. it’s becoming a regular thing for my friends to say “thanks, mom” or “ok, mom” so i guess i’m the mom friend. also fred weasly... he’s a twin.. i’m a twin... that’s all i need. and lastly, and very leastly, neil josten from all for the game series. most of you probably don’t know it, but he’s a demisexual chaotic idiot who says “i’m fine” way too much for someone who is most definitely not fine.
i started roleplaying : probably when i was around 16-17 was my first official roleplay experience. it was on facebook and kind of a nightmare
types of rps i enjoy : i like college stuff and small town rps, but i also love plot heavy rps that push you into developing your muse. really anything that isn’t too restricting
favorite fcs to use : i don’t have go-to faceclaims. i tend to make a character around a FC and then use them until i lose muse or just feel like they need to rest. switch it up a lot, but some faces that i’ve really enjoyed playing for a longer amount of time are steven kelly, cindy mello and ellen v. lora
fandom ( s ) you’d like to write in : i want to write in all of the fandoms i know nothing about and look like a dumbass. also harry potter, the hunger games, avatar the last airbender, gossip girl, etc etc
fandom ( s ) you aren’t in but are curious about : marvel somewhat, any video games are very fascinating to me even though i’m not a gamer + know nothing about them, any distopian kind of fandom re: hunger games
share a funny roleplay horror story : recently an admin of a twitter rp tried to use my male muse for their weird ship narrative. they tried to make him look like an asshole (& i do play assholes but this one wasn’t one) + used another male muse to make it seem as if these two boys were fighting over the person’s girl, even though she actually had a ship all lined up. they were also running the gossip twitter, so they made up a bunch of stuff about our muses without our consent and consequently i told them to fuck off, and both of us left the group. then she had no more “groupies” so she cuffed and the group closed two days later. it was petty hilarious.
fondest roleplay memory : once in an OC group, i wasn’t “technically” doing a ship with a friend, even though the characters had feelings for each other. but for some reason the status of their relationship was a hot topic group wide, meaning everybody had their nose in it and wanting to know what’s up, so they publically kept doing things to make people think they’re together while denying it in the same breath. it was really fun to let it play out like that.
favorite canon muse ( s ) to play : roy mustang from fullmetal alchemist, katara from atla, and my baby marinette
favorite original muse ( s ) to play : the last original character i played and fell in love with was named alex. im obsessed with him. still doing 1 x 1 with his girlfriend. they’re having a baby, it’s all very emo and domestic. maybe i make him relapse for funsies.
canon ships you can’t help but love : lupin x tonks from harry potter, korra x asami from legend of korra, danerys x daario naharis from game of thrones, katniss x peeta from the hunger games, etc...
trope ( s ) you tend to be guilty of : i use the rich kid douchebag stereotype a lot. i also make a lot of my characters addicted to something to make them struggle with that.
i prefer . . .
angst , smut , or fluff : bro... i am a sucker for ansgt and smut. i do fluff on special ocassions >:)
long or short replies : i prefer when they start out shorter, but medium is my fave
pre plotting or chemistry : chemistry all the way. plotting can be really fun but it’s a miss more often than a hit for me. plotting can be good for pre-established relationships but that’s about it
sentence starters or headcanon memes : sentence starters
single muse or multimuse blogs : i’ve never done a multimuse blog, and i’ve actually been super against them in the past, but i’m starting to change my mind hehe
gif icons , medium gifs , or static icons : static (or none honestly)
grab the book nearest to you and pull a quote from it :
❝ You were children. was there no one to protect you? ❞
— ❝ Was there no one to protect you? ❞
what’s a quote or song lyric that speaks to your soul ? : ❝ I loved her, and sometimes, she loved me too ❞
top current celebrity crushes : zendaya, margot robbie always
last movie you watched : 365 days (2020)
did you like it ? : i hated it, what a waste of a perfectly good 2 hours
favorite movie ( s ) of all time : harry potter franchise makes me nostalgic, perks of being a wallflower, my sister’s keeper
favorite tv show ( s ) of all time : for some reason i’m obsessed with grey’s anatomy but i hate it
favorite tv show that hasn’t ended : well fricking grey’s anatomy
favorite series of books / novels / comics : the hunger games, harry potter
sports team ( s ) you rep : my friend is into sports i rep her ksdsdj
favorite video game ( s ) : the sims. i like playing animal crossing vicariously through switch owners
favorite youtube channels : don’t usually keep up with yt channels but i just binged some stuff from psychology in seattle
hobbies : procrastinating
what are the three non essential things you’d bring to a deserted island ? : sunglasses, hairtie, hand cream
put your music on shuffle. what six songs pop up ? :
say goodbye by skillet,
off the grid by alina baraz & khalid,
bury a friend by billie eilish,
break up with your girlfriend by ariana grande
get back by nine lashes
marry you by bruno mars (man)
personal aesthetic : growing out my hair only to always wear it in a bun
dream vacation ? : i just wanna go to the seaside with my friends
dream job ? : i literally can’t stand capitalism. wanna move to italy and collect berries and draw titties all day
dream car ? : something that drives itself
if i could live anywhere , it’d be : somewhere in canada near the woods
favorite musical : mama mia? counts
favorite food ( s ) : bananaaaaas, ice cream, cereal. these are all foods ok
coffee order : i don’t drink coffee
unwatched stuff in your netflix / hulu / etc : 13 reasons why (i’m too bored), the flash, outer banks, elite, the half of it, intersteller, locke & key aaand some stuff that’s not mine but someone else using my account
what’s a subject you know too much about + never get tired of talking about ? : idk anything about anything askldhl
#CLOUD:OOC#i am doing this now bc im avoiding studying#but it was fun hehehe#i still need to figure out a tagging system + write up an intro#which let us not kid ourseleves i'll probably end up doing by tonight#╰ ♡ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐟 ↷ ooc.
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hello! i wanted to check up on you since you haven’t updated recently to make sure you’re okay!! I’m glad to see youre fine. I want you to know that despite all that’s going on right now, it’s not yours or xz’s fault! a Chinese law was enacted at the same time everything went down so I suspect the timing was merely coincidental.. Whatever you decide to do, I support you!
I’m not going to lie, I’m extremely upset by what’s been going on with XZ and AO3. I know it’s no one’s fault but he still got hurt by this and it’s very distressing. I was watching to see how this situation develops, and so far things are getting worse and worse - AO3 being banned, then retaliatory negative reviews making the ratings of The Untamed plummet, affecting other works of XZ’s like Joy of Life and The Wolf. Endorsement contracts with XZ getting cancelled as a result of this. My heart goes out to all the Chinese users of AO3 who can no longer access this website without VPN.
My heart is in so much turmoil. I’ve also been travelling, I spent 2 days on planes travelling from one side of the world clear over to the other. I wrote a chapter on the plane, but I haven’t posted it. I need to let my heart clear out a little bit before I can be objective about this.
There are a few good videos for those who want to get up to speed on what’s going on:
Xiaoyu’s Analysis
AvenueX Analysis (must watch)
The most sad thing about this whole situation is that everyone starts with good intentions. For the original writer, who portrayed XZ as female - there are so many reasons why a fic like this can be interesting to explore. Whether it was XZ or Yibo, it doesn’t really matter (and I could easily see it being written the other way) - it’s just that it would be a way for people to explore an idea, someone questioning their gender, and to frame that idea more clearly in their mind by using people they know well. That’s what all fanfiction is, a way to explore ideas using familiar characters (in this case, people). Every fandom I can think of has examples of people trying out changing the gender of people to explore how this would make the story different.
For XZ’s fans to take this as a case of “defamation”, clearly their goal is that they want to protect their idol. I think it’s obviously very clear that the writer wasn’t trying to suggest that XZ had gender dysphoria in real life, so for them to claim defamation is a stretch. In my mind, as a writer of this type of fiction, it’s very clear to me that there’s a big difference between the XZ in the story and the XZ in real life. They aren’t meant to be the same. But clearly for those outside of this fandom it appears as an attack on the real person.
AO3 was probably destined to be banned at some point or another in China, sadly. This incident was a spark that ignited this but more than anything this is really just a debate about “creative freedom” vs. “morality.” And it is a grey area. Even though we want to always put our pin next to creative freedom, what if someone writes a rape fic about a real person? And that real person reads it? Is that okay? Once we start to say, ok, no, that’s not okay, then we enter a realm where we are now trying to define the “line.” What does it mean to cross the “line.” And this is where morality comes in and what one person deems to be immoral can be incredibly different than what another thinks is immoral, based on upbringing, culture, and personal beliefs.
For people who use AO3 as an outlet, as a forum for creative expression and a community, it can be devastating to lose touch with that community. I can relate to this, too. I feel so buoyed when I receive a comment on a fic that I write. I feel a connection between me and the readers (even though I’m pretty bad at responding to comments, I read and treasure them all). I can understand how people would be upset about AO3 being banned, upset enough to want to lash out and try to find a way for them to put it back again. But is attacking the idol in question the way to do that? Is that going to help AO3 come back?
I can only hope that this incident can somehow result in a cultural awakening in China, where people can realize that their actions have consequences. That there are real humans whose real lives are affected by online bullying.
As for me, I am leaning towards believing that my creation is still something pure, loving, and beautiful, and deserves to continue. But I need to give myself a little time for my heart to settle down. 😔😔😔
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Why can't I hold all these cool stories?
CURRENT CRAVINGS: Please see this GDoc, because I have some plots I’d like to try! I’m primarily interested in original plots and characters; setting them in original worlds or fandom worlds is fine. I am not interested in playing canons other than as side characters/world filler as of right now.
DISCORD: KYLO REN AT CHILI’S#8808
PERSONAL PREFERENCES
I’m over eighteen, and would prefer my partners are, too. This doesn’t mean I’m interested in NSFW-heavy plots; I do not write smut. It just means I’m more comfortable writing and interacting with other adults.
I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am, than I would with someone who isn't very engaging but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.
I’m not interested in playing only one type of character or playing against only one type of character. I typically don’t enjoy writing with people who are only interested in playing one type of relationship dynamic or one kind of character (such as only m/f, playing the female, or m/m, playing the “bottom”). I have no problem with these dynamics or characters at all, nor do I have an issue playing against them. I just prefer more variety, compromise, and opportunity.
OOC chatter is really important to me. I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know. I’m looking for friends, not a faceless reply robot. I won’t communicate over any medium but Discord. I've tried Kik, Hangouts, etc.; they just don't stick for me. If you would prefer first contact be through email, you can shoot me a quick message and your handle to [email protected].
I’m fine with threading in a GDoc or a server, but I will not thread over DMs. It’s difficult to have OOC chatter and the thread over the top of each other.
If you're looking for a partner that writes a reply a day without fail, that's not me. I prefer that we don't have "posting schedules” or set posting times, because I find that it turns writing into a chore. It's great if you reply immediately, and it's totally okay if you need a week to figure something out! You’re absolutely free to poke me. I’m not always the most mindful. However, I’m not going to reply every day. Three to four times a week is my frequency.
PLOT PREFERENCES
I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. I don’t necessarily prefer one or the other.
I definitely prefer canon doubling from my partners in fandom plots; I mesh better with people who do a little give-and-take when it comes to that. If you only play one canon character or only play OCs against canons and won’t play canons, I don’t think we’ll work.
I can play as many characters as needed, whether it's just one or it's six. Whatever our story calls for, I can manage that. In fact, I would love to play multiple “main” pairings so we can both get what we want, versus a single main pairing (unless it’s a pairing/dynamic we both like equally well). I find more than one facet to a plot really interesting, and multiple characters helps flesh out a story’s dimensions.
I’m absolutely interested in joining groups, so please don’t be shy about asking me to participate in plots with more than two players. So long as they don’t involve me writing sexual NSFW, we’re Gucci; everyone else writing NSFW isn’t a deal breaker for me.
Multiple threads and plots at the same time are no issue for me. In fact, I love the idea that we click so well that we just can't stop coming up with good ideas! So definitely don't be afraid to pitch something new to me, whether it's because you want to switch gears (and drop a thread for another), or want to do everything at once.
Romance is a must for me! I prefer slow and agonizing journeys to get there, but my attention is best held by romantic chemistry between characters.
I can provide writing samples upon request, though I never require them from my partner. Additionally, I have some plots written out if you're interested in that sort of thing. Otherwise, we can brainstorm together!
FANDOMS
I’m very much a fandom player. I’m always down for AUs, or inserting our own characters into the plots of fandoms! This is in no way a complete list; never be afraid to ask if I’m into something! I’ve probably forgotten a hundred things I love.
Most of my fandoms will have favorite canon characters listed with them, both who I like playing and playing against; you’re always welcome to ask about others not listed.* There’s a good chance I’m pretty good with them!
*I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.
ALWAYS
The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Nathaniel, Kitty Jones, and Bartimaeus), DC (any Titan, Jinx, Arthur Curry, Steve Trevor, Circe, and Diana Prince), Elder Scrolls (player canons and/or OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Fallout: New Vegas and 4 (Arcade Gannon, Paladin Danse, R.J. MacCready, Arthur Maxson, Veronica Santangelo, Cait, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and player canons), Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, and Willas Tyrell), His Dark Materials (OCs preferred), Hunger Games (OCs preferred), Inception (Arthur, and Eames, but OCs preferred), Marvel (Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, Miles Morales, Loki Laufeyson, Thor Odinson, Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Kitty Pryde, and Megan Gwynn), Miraculous Ladybug (Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste), The Mortal Instruments (Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, and Alec Lightwood), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez), Star Trek (Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, S'chn T'gai Spock, and Pavel Chekov), Star Wars (Obi Wan Kenobi, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, Mara Jade Skywalker, Rey Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Sintas Vel, and Ahsoka Tano), The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee, and Negan), Warriors (Firestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Hawkfrost)
SOMETIMES
Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (OCs preferred), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Cassandra Pentaghast, and Dorian Pavus), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I'll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)
NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE
Avatar: the Last Airbender (particularly Zutara), Eragon, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiznaiver, The Legend of Zelda, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, Tokyo Ghoul, Twilight, Yuri!!! on Ice
GENRES
For the most part, I’ll genuinely play most any genre! Of course, everyone says that, but then they shoot down all your suggestions because everyone has stuff they don’t like doing. I’ll try to make this as brief as I can, and know that if something isn’t listed, but you’re pretty sure (based on everything else) that I’m into it, then definitely let me know what you’re thinking!
SETTINGS
A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas, nor will I play overly trope-y, non-con, “boys love”/"yaoi" plots.), Age of Sail, alien worlds/alien invasions, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including “inspired by” retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-historical and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic
PAIRING DYNAMICS
arranged marriage (I’m always down for slinging our characters together, whether or not they want to. It’s always a bonus if their families hate each other.), enemies to lovers (I love conflict of any sort, especially romantic!), human x not-human (The not-human must be sentient.), bad guy x good guy, intellectual x emotional, captive x captured (especially when the captured is willful, annoying, and full of fight), step-siblings (I don’t play step-parents x step-kids, so please don’t ask!), status/power imbalances (such as characters being from different socioeconomic strata or different ranks/positions in an organization), celebrity x bodyguard (I’m okay with the celebrity being the son/daughter/offspring of someone famous!), famous x not famous, rivals of any sort, unwilling traveling companions, unwilling soulmates
If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!
#oc rp#multiple paragraph#para#semipara#oneline#long term#messenger#marvel rp#harry potter rp#marauders rp#mcu rp#dc rp#submission
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