#it’s really great to see more novels getting licensed | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

goodluckclove · 25 days

Text

Hey. Stop scrolling for a second.

You scroll through writeblr a lot, don't you? I get why. Lots of fun people, interesting concepts and prompts. But maybe you haven't taken that jump from collecting resources on writing to actually writing.

Once again, I get it. It's daunting if you've never done it before. I've been doing it for a while and I genuinely can't think too hard about the act itself as it happens or else I get all sweaty and confused. I flopped spectacularly at a game of Scrabble tonight because I just ran out of words to think of and I'm in the middle of my 13th novel. Writing to me is like side-eyeing the sun - but that's besides the point.

What I mean is that you should do it. That idea that you think could be, might be, maybe has potential. More than that, I think you should do it right now. Right now.

Ooh but Clove, it's one AM and I have to do open heart surgery tomorrow. Cool. Write three sentences and go to sleep, then see if you want to do more after you get your license revoked.

But what if it's not good? Okay. What if it isn't? But what if it isn't, and it GETS good later? Or what if it isn't, but then later in the story you find a way to make those three initial sentences make sense? Three sentences isn't a story, unless you're Ernest Hemingway or a Haiku Man. Moving on.

Clove, where do I start? Honestly if you've never finished a project, or really never wrote anything at all, maybe just start at the point that sounds the most interesting in your head. To find the process that works for you takes work and experience so maybe for now you get dessert for dinner.

But I don't have an outline/character sheet/world map/mood board/playlist/ECT! Cool. Maybe that's an issue. Maybe it isn't. There's only one way to find out.

But it's hard! It's hard at first and then it gets easier. It's a muscle. You work at it consistently and you'll get to a point where you struggle to remember what it was like to not know how to write.

But it's painful! Hah yeah. That's kind of the more honest issue, isn't it. It's easier to think that your idea WOULD BE GREAT rather than face the fact that you might not be able to MAKE IT GREAT. That fear isn't based in reality, though. People like different things. You might write a work that you're displeased with in one aspect and find that it's changed someone else's life for a completely different reason.

What if I'm not a good writer? I struggle with this a lot and I've been published. It doesn't really go away even when people cry at your work and heap praise on it. But if you like to do it, if you would still be doing it even if there was no end promise of fame and success, you should do it.

What if I'm not a writer at all? I used to ask myself that. There are lots of answers to this question so I can only give my own: you are a writer if you write - past, present or future. If you haven't written in a long time but you're trying to get back to the craft, you are still a writer. You just have to keep trying.

What we do is half-trade, half-religious act, and because of that it is easily one of the weirder passions. I don't really get why people romanticize the field but at the same time I guess it seems pretty magical at times. As a writer, though, our job is to be the proverbial Man Behind the Curtain. You have to know how the magic trick works enough to do it successfully, but you also still have to be amazed. It's weird. I don't know why I do it.

I still do it though.

Write three sentences. Right now. Why not, right? If you send them to me in an ask I'll read them, or you can send them to me at my email address that I posted a few posts back because I'm old enough to know online safety and choose to ignore it. Or just do it for yourself.

Make something. You deserve to be a source of creation.

#im a little drunk #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #writing #on writing #authors of tumblr #creative writing #write #actually writing #writing prompt #writing inspo #writing inspiration #i need more people actually writing

53 notes · View notes

cooki3face · 5 months

Text

about me ♡

This is what I look like, obviously lol ^^

- my name is Bayyinah (by-ee-nuh) , it means the clear evidence that god does exist. From sura 98, of the Quran

- California native, born and raised 🐻❤️

- I was raised muslim, but chose a different life path for myself and fell in love with spirituality and found my purpose.

- I prioritize self expression and being intentional about everything I say and do. What you see is what you get with me, and I never say anything I don’t mean, I never do anything I don’t feel called to do.

- I love the arts, I’m a writer and love to create.

-I’m a big fan of aesthetics and visual stimuli, and I love Pinterest and organizing all the little pictures.

- my big three are: Sagittarius sun, cancer moon, and Virgo rising.

- both my venus and mars are in scorpio. I’m in love with love. A great deal of my life lessons are learned through my interpersonal relationships.

- I’m very passionate about children, motherhood and the home. My moon is in cancer and I have heavy influences in my life surrounding motherhood, my relationship with my mother, and the dynamics and things I’ve experienced growing up. A large quantity of my work, and my lives purpose has to do with breaking generational curses/trauma, spinning gold out of my experiences, and creating room and creating change for youth.

- I’m on my journey to become a certified and licensed midwife, and outside of that I work mainly with children with autism in helping reduce and substitute certain behaviors.

-I love makeup and fashion and the process of putting myself together.

-I’m known for my compassion and empathy and my ability to connect with others.

-my dream is to create and have a better world and I do my part in helping the collective by using my gifts for good, using my heart and my empathy to help heal and create space for others where there wasn’t space for them before.

- I have dyscalculia and struggled with it all my life until I eventually aged out of school and before I moved onto receiving higher education. My mind simply does not process numerical information or processes well. I was either always told that I needed to practice more or that I was simply stupid, neither were the case, but I struggled with a lot insecurity growing up and I always felt like I didn’t really belong in educational settings because of this set back.

-I can draw, and I’m quite good at it but I don’t draw regularly because there are times when my inner perfectionism really gets to me, and I feel the same way about singing, I can sing as well but I don’t because they’re untapped talents that I have and my natural ability does not reach my idea in my head of what true talent is in those areas.

- I struggled with having an anxious attachment style for a really long time. It took me a long time to understand my worth, understand that I was worth keeping, having, loving, paying attention to. And that my worth wasn’t what I could do for others or how much I could tolerate or how much I could stand beside someone through thick and thin and hell and back.

likes:

- I love writing. Journaling, writing stories,etc. my goal is to write and release a novel of my own soon.

- I love smooth jazz, classical music and frequency music, probably a whole lot more than regular music and non instrumentals. I tend to be a little sensitive to stimuli or can feel very easily overwhelmed. So instrumentals and softer music and sounds are really wonderful to me and I love them.

- I love cooking and baking (but only when I feel like it) I like good food, and I’m sort of a foodie. I would travel all over the place just to taste the world if I could. And I love spicy food and Mexican Candy and dumping loads of chili flakes on my food for no reason.

-I love history, and have stored random historical facts in my brain because I just think it’s so interesting.

- I love period pieces and period romances. Romance films, and horror movies. I consume mostly romantic content on purpose.

- I love the sims

-I love animals, and my favorite animal is a cow. If you look up the spiritual significance of a cow as well I think it’s really beautiful. I also really love my cat. She’s my favorite person.

Dislikes:

- I hate being or feeling misunderstood, it took me a lot of time to learn that I didn’t have to bend over backwards to make people see me for who I was or for my intentions or for my gifts or what I can do. The best I can do is be honest and remain intentional about what I do and hope that those who are meant to hear me, will.

- I hate people who have such deeply rooted hatred or disdain for other people who’ve done nothing but do what makes them happy or live in their truth. I hate homophobic people, racists, bigots, red pill men and misogynist, etc.

- I hate it when people can’t take accountability for their actions, are dishonest or lack self awareness on such a deep level that they make everyone else miserable or have a hard time because they refuse to see themselves or grow. I hate it when people don’t grow. I’ve lost a lot of friends and had to let go of a lot of people who couldn’t do what I could do for them, be in alignment with me, or prioritize their healing, alignment, or growth.

- i hate it when there’s too many sounds playing at once, there are certain sounds and stimuli i just can’t tolerate and won’t.

- I hate it when I have to buy new jeans or pants because finding good pants is hard and I never know if the size I think I am is accurate because some pants brands make their pants differently. And I’ll never know if I’ll have that stupid gap in the back of my pants bc of my waist.

- I hate being super cold. I have anemia and the cold really whoops my ass every time. That’s one fight I just won’t win.

- people not valuing my needs or continuing to do something I said I didn’t like or invalidating me because they can’t fathom the fact that other people have different needs, or that just because you feel some way doesn’t mean someone else shares the same sentiment.

- I hate it when things don’t match or aren’t aesthetically coordinated in some way shape or form. I have a spam account on my Instagram and it drives me insane because it’s all these different colors and it’s disorganized. So I just don’t look at it anymore.

-I hate it when I can’t find the pen I’ve been obsessed with and I hate mechanical pencils with thick lead.

***

Ok, that’s all lol. ❤️‼️

#self love #self care #self improvement #self discovery #dream girl #self expression #healingjourney #self healing #manifestation #about me #tarot readers of Instagram

46 notes · View notes

moonstarinfinity · 2 years

Text

Kalliope/Calliope Asteroid #22

Hey Friends!

This is the first post in our Greek Muse Asteroids Series, and we are excited to share the mythology, general meaning, and astro observations with you all! We are starting with the "leader of the muses," Calliope. Her asteroid is number 22, which corresponds to spirituality and is a master number in numerology. Let's get into who Calliope is and what this asteroid indicates!

*Please do not copy, redistribute, or alter and claim our work as your own. We work really hard on our content, so please be considerate and credit us for the time, effort, knowledge, and love we put into our posts. All of our astrology posts are for entertainment purposes only (we aren't licensed in things like medicine or psychology so we legally have to put this here) and as such should be taken as they resonate, and not as legal, medical, or any form of health advice. Not everything will fit with you exactly with astrology in every situation, so please be discerning about what feels right for you. 💜 *

Calliope

Muse of: Epic Poetry, Eloquence Other associations: Singing, Leadership Other Names: Kalliope

Mythology: Calliope (also spelled Kalliope) is the muse of epic poetry and eloquence. She is the oldest of the nine greek muses and is also often called their leader. She is said to have a beautiful voice, and to have been graced with singing talents. According to Hesiod she was also the wisest, and most assertive muse. Her symbol is the Lyre, which is a stringed musical instrument, similar to a harp. She is often depicted with a writing tablet, a roll of paper, or a book in her hand. She also usually wears a golden crown, and is shown with her sisters or her children (in some cases.) She was married to Oeagrus, the King of Thrace in some stories, and is often said to be the mother of Orpheus and Linus. There is also a famous story in which she had a singing match with the daughters of Pierus, the King of Thessaly. It is said that they challenged her thinking they would win, but they did not. Their punishment for losing after challenging Calliope was being turned into magpies. (A type of song bird.)

Asteroid Kalliope #22

This asteroid can indicate talents in writing, specifically in poetry or the fictional category. It can indicate someone who really has a way with words, and who may have a pleasant or harmonious voice. People with this strongly and positively aspected may be able to command the room with their voice, or people may listen to them (and their innate wisdom) very intently. Depending on the placements it can indicate someone who is an inspiration for someone else's poetry, song lyrics, or music. (This is something you can see in synastry or the composite chart between two people.) Prominent placements can show someone who is wise, or who is a great leader or teacher of some sort. There may also be indications of someone who is very assertive. However, hard aspects may show someone who is more reserved or struggles with assertiveness. It can show someone with a love of novels, epic poetry, mythology, and other forms of creative writing. Career wise it can show someone who would excel in journalism, research, documentation, making documentaries, technical writing, astrology, painting, or art. It can be seen prominently in the charts of some Librarians and Teachers as well. With it's correspondence to angel number 22 it may also indicate someone who is interested in spirituality or philosophy, as well as someone who seeks balance and justice in the world.

Asteroid Observations

✨ Kalliope in Libra, Gemini, or Virgo can indicate someone who enjoys writing or reading. It can also indicate someone who is very wise or intelligent beyond their years. These people may enjoy getting lost in novels, or they may really embody the academic aesthetic. They could be really into reading stories or writing about justice, or the human condition. They may be collectors of books, and you may often see books, art supplies, instruments, etc. in their environments. (Dark academia lovers unite!)

✨ Kalliope in Aries or positively aspecting Mars can indicate someone who is very assertive or creative. These people may make really great leaders, or have a very commanding presence, especially if Kalliope is conjunct or positively aspecting the Ascendant. They may really embody someone who naturally seems to be gifted with words, a beautiful voice, or leadership capabilities. It can even seem as though sometimes people follow them blindly into things.

✨ Kalliope in a Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, or in the 4th, 8th, or 12th houses can indicate someone who uses creative writing, poetry, or music (usually in the form of lyrics) to process their emotions. These people may also use their emotions to write or create a lot. There are a lot of musicians who are talented with lyricism that have these placements in their charts. It's the same if this asteroid is conjunct the moon or Neptune.

✨ Kalliope in Scorpio, the 8th house, or conjunct/aspecting Pluto can indicate someone who can use writing, reading, or the arts to transform themselves or others. These placements or aspects may show someone who also likes to keep their talents somewhat hidden or use them only in the safety of their own space. You may never know that these people have a talent in writing. Poetry may be a specific strong talent for these types.

✨In Aquarius, the 11th house, or aspecting Uranus can indicate someone who is able to use their voice to lead in social causes. It can also indicate someone who loves technical writing, who is popular for their writing or creative talents, or who is able to easily establish non-profit, or organizations supporting causes.

✨ In Capricorn, the 10th, aspecting Saturn, or Aspecting the Midheaven can indicate someone who writes for work or who uses their writing or voice for work. Potentially someone who is famous for their voice. Singers and authors may have these placements. It can also indicate someone who is able to lead a company or who is a manager or in a higher up position where they work. They may also be someone who starts their own creative business. I could see someone owning a stationary store, or a book store with these placements.

✨ Kalliope in Sagittarius, in the 9th house, or conjunct Jupiter can indicate someone who is very wise. This is a place where you can see someone who is a librarian or teacher. The 3rd house and Gemini can indicate a teacher as well, but Sagittarius, the 9th, and Jupiter can indicate higher learning, so it gives off the professor type of vibe. These placements can also indicate an affinity for astrology, psychology, and mythology. These placements can also show someone who writes stories or poetry based on travel experiences. People who make documentaries or who write about other cultures and philosophies besides their own can have these aspects and placements prominent in their chart.

✨ In Libra or the 7th house can indicate someone who really loves academia aesthetic. Their home or their style may look like a library, or it may look very put together and beautiful. Generally this placement is wise, and is very balanced when it comes to their writing or communicating. They may really like classical style, greek mythology style. (Think like...white columns, sistine chapel, classic beauty...) They are also prone to enjoying romance novels, and may be really good at writing in the romance genre themselves. Libras are usually naturally drawn to being writers, so this may add a little extra dose of interest there. These types may also make really good lawyers or judges because they are gifted with communication skills centered around balance and fairness. They can easily explain and help others understand morals.

✨ This asteroid in Pisces, the 12th, or conjunct Neptune can indicate someone who may not see their natural talents in writing, singing, speaking, lyricism, music, or art, but who is very very talented in these areas. These people may find comfort in journaling, painting, or writing for their own pleasure. Creative writing and writing music may be really big hobbies for these people. You may see some people with these placements use music or books as a way to escape their daily life. They can get lost in these hobbies when they need a break from reality. They may have a tendency to be more shy when it comes to their talents, and they may never share the things they create in private, but if they do people will notice.

✨ In the 6th house, or in Virgo this can show someone who has a lot of wisdom, and may use writing or music to help others. They may read a lot of books and gain a lot of knowledge. Generally they may be shy to share, and there's a possibility they give off the shy girl next door vibes (although this also depends on what else is in your chart.) An idea of what types of things this placement would write: Cookbooks, medical journals, plant encyclopedias, etc. Think earthy academia. They also may have a knack for poetry, or for communicating thoughts in creative ways that others easily understand. They may be prone to using metaphors. (Virgo is traditionally ruled by Mercury.)

✨ In Leo, the 5th, or aspecting the sun can indicate someone who is famous for writing, their voice, or their artistic talents. This person may get noticed easily when it comes to what they choose to write about. Creative writing, fiction novelists, and lyricists can be indicated here. Some celebrities that sing or give speeches can be seen with these placements.

✨ Gemini or the 3rd house can show someone who is quick and has a great sense of humor. They could be comedians, as their voice is easily heard. They also could be someone who enjoys teaching children, or who is able to create easy to understand and aesthetically pleasing online content. These placements can indicate someone who may make a good teacher. Because Gemini is one of the two signs ruled by Mercury, communication comes easily to them. They may also have a pleasant voice, and could give ted talks or be able to lead a marketing team, or speak at conferences. (Cute side note they could be great narrators, especially for children's books.)

✨ In Cancer or the 4th house, or positively aspecting the moon or the IC, can show someone who is the leader in their family. They may also really love to have their home be a place of learning and creativity. They may own a huge collection of books or art supplies. They may also encourage their loved ones or children to be more creative, or to be more assertive. They may really love visiting libraries and museums, and they might like to have classical music playing in their home. The moon is associated with emotions, the home, and nurturing, and this can indicate someone who enjoys poetry, music, and storytelling as a self care tool. They may read books to help them ground, or they may listen to music as a way to get out of their heads. These placements can indicate someone who finds safety in books, novels, music, or art.

✨ In Taurus or the 2nd house can show someone who values literature, the arts, and teaching. It could also be someone who earns money from the things associated with Kalliope, or someone who has a more eclectic "academia" aesthetic to their home or surroundings. They may also be someone who likes to buy hardcover books, instruments, or stationary. This is extra true if there are positive aspects to Venus.

✨ Hard aspects between Kalliope and mercury may show someone who has difficulty in expressing themselves through writing, or someone who may have difficulties with reading or with learning. They may have more misunderstandings when texting or messaging than other people do. In some cases this aspect can make it difficult for the native to speak or to communicate in general.

✨ Hard aspects to the sun can show someone who doesn't feel as in touch with their creative side, or who may feel that writing and reading are not really their thing. They may not like their voice, or have trouble being assertive. They can also come off more shy depending on other placements. They are more likely to stifle their voice, or to shy away from any writing, music, or vocal talents. They also might not feel like they have the capability to be a leader sometimes.

✨ Hard aspects to the moon can show insecurity in writing, music, lyricism, assertiveness, or a struggle with desire for these types of things. Either the native isn't interested in the things associated with this asteroid at all emotionally, or they are interested but don't have confidence in their talents or gifts. They may be very hard on themselves when it comes to their voice as well. Example: If a singer has this they may always feel like their voice isn't good enough, or deep down have an insecurity about their talent, even if they seem confident on the outside.

✨ Conjunct the descendant can show someone who seeks a partner that is assertive, or who is a great leader. They may gravitate towards people who have beautiful or unique voices, singers, musicians, writers, or teachers. This is also a sign that these natives can use writing, singing, lyricism, art, or music as a form of self care, or to express love to themselves or others.

✨ In synastry if your Kalliope asteroid is conjunct any of the other person's planets, especially the moon or Venus, it can indicate the other person seeing you as a muse or as inspiration in general. They may really love your voice or the way you talk. They could also find you interesting to listen to or compelling, just by you being yourself. You may also find this person to be a muse in the topics related to the planet Kalliope touches. If your asteroid touches their Venus you may be inspired to write about their looks, aesthetic, or your experience with the way they love/your partnership with them.

----------------------------------------------

We hope you enjoy Kalliope and find out a little more about yourself and how she influences astrology! Don't worry if this asteroid isn't prominent, even if you love any of these things. There are lots of other placements in your basic astrology, as well as other asteroids, that can indicate an interest or talent in the same areas as Kalliope. If you aren't interested in these things then it may just not be a prominent placement for you, or you may not have unlocked those passions or talents yet. Regardless: take what resonates. Let us know what you think and how this asteroid feels for you in the notes, and check out the other Muses once they are posted!

#Calliope #Kalliope #22 #Asteroid #Asteroids #Asteroid 22 #Kaliope Asteroid #Astrology #Astro #Astro observations #Astrologer #Asteroid astrology #astrology interpretations #greek muses #greek mythology #the 9 muses #muses #nine muses

635 notes · View notes

spockandawe · 5 days

Note

Hello! I've been thinking about binding some danmei novels in my native language, but I don't know where to start. I found your blog recently and find it very inspiring! I was wondering if maybe you could share with me what tools and materials would be good to get started with?

Sure!!!! So, I'm on mobile and don't have links at hand, but if you go back through my bookbinding tag, there are other replies I've got about the materials for making a book specifically. The renegade publishing blog also has resource documents that walk through the bookbinding process and include links to educational materials, etc. So for here, I'll focus on the danmei side of things!

So, a fun feature about these books is that they tend to run LONG. I've seen a number of people try to take up bookbinding in google docs, and honestly, it's doing things on hard mode. For many danmei, it's basically impossible. I think my EARLIEST earliest attempt at svsss began in gdocs, and that's not a super long novel, but gdocs was choking on it. A word processor on your desktop is going to be your best bet. Personally, i invested in a microsoft office license, because it was familiar and i could afford it. But the free parallel to that will be libre office, which does basically everything word can do, with just minor differences.

On the fancy end of bookbinding software, affinity, indesign, and microsoft publisher are also names you may hear tossed around. These can do fancier, more artistic layouts, but also come with a heavier price tag. And because i had webnovels on my radar from the start, i wanted something ROBUST. I wanted to be able to dump all of the husky and his white cat shizun into a single file and work from it. And i did eventually do that! Being able to typeset a single file rather than repeat each step across several is great, especially since i tend to tweak design choices as i go.

For danmei, you're also going to want a robust printer. I have a color laser that's been an absolute beast of a machine, but a black and white laser can get you a long ways, and monochrome designs can be very elegant. You don't want an HP brand printer, their toner subscription practices are downright predatory, but Brother and Canon are names I've seen recommended highly. You probably don't want an inkjet printer, because long books take a LOT of ink. The one exception would be if you can find an affordable ink tank printer.

And the last major thing i can think of is that if your main computer is a laptop, consider typesetting with an external mouse and keyboard! Danmei novels are split into lots of short chapters, frequently split across just as many web pages, with lots of footnotes to format, and laptops are convenient but not ergonomic. Doing too much on there is just asking for a repetitive strain injury. I've done it, but often paid for my sins in pain! And your laptop keyboard may start complaining too, I'm almost certain my first typeset of mdzs was the nail in the coffin for my last laptop's keyboard, haha

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you! Ive found binding cnovels to be EXTREMELY rewarding, even though my original reason was because these things would NEVER be licensed in english 😂 I'm delighted to see people experimenting with it for other translations in other languages, I really hope it goes well for you!!!!

#spock replies #bookbinding

18 notes · View notes

ystrike1 · 1 year

Text

I Don’t Want the Obsession of a Twisted Archduke - By Bultandat (5/10)

Stop wasting my time. STOP doing self insert main characters. I cannot fathom why every author in Korea seems to believe that romance readers don't want original female leads. Who is licensing all of these good plots...and giving them to lead characters with the personality of a bread sandwich?? I am praying that this trend dies soon.

Riddel would have been an interesting character. She's an illegitimate daughter of a mid-ranking noble. She was never loved by her family, but her fiance is her true love. As far as we know he treated her well, and she wants to start a family with him. She wants to leave her scarred past behind for love.

Riddel really is unfortunate. Pitiful. Easy to empathize with. Her story is racing towards an execution ending. Why? She was married off to Archduke Kyle because the Emperor is deathly afraid of him. The man killed a dragon, and was cursed with the power to freeze living things. Also, he was cursed with the urge to kill. The Emperor has every reason to fear him. Riddel is married off to him because she's expendable. A beautiful daughter of impure blood with no value to her family.

Then she gets married off to a cursed madman.

Then...Riddel is just gone and the author of the novel takes over. Yup. We're in a novel. How meta. The actual author of the plot becomes the most beautiful woman in the land, and now she wants to save Kyle. She feels no attachment to her fiance. She wants to save him to live a wealthy and prosperous life. When Kyle wasn't cursed he was the best bachelor. He's dreamboat material without it.

He is the hero of the people. Peasants like him because he actually fights for them. He was an upstanding man before the curse. The curse made him act violent in front of the Emperor, who immediately gave up on saving him. Kyle also does die in the original story. He's a side character. Riddel only knows how to save him because she's the author.

That's....so....boring!!!

Kyle is mean, powerful and suicidal. No one is interested in saving him, even though he sacrificed everything for his country. He tells Riddel to stay away from him. He will allow her to keep his cash upon his death, because he no longer cares about anything he achieved in this life.

Riddel bugs him and she acts like an immature brat. We're supposed to think it's charming, but she doesn't have a personality.

I started rooting for Kyle when he got angry at her. She's trying to save him for selfish reasons too. Riddel is executed after Kyle dies in the book. She isn't sincere about wanting to help until she falls in love with him. Every thought in her head is about "the plot" and she still sees most of the characters as characters, not people. She keeps making bullshit assumptions and...getting away with it...

I get it.

He's handsome.

He's a hero.

He becomes obsessed with her. He tells her to forget her fiance. He's possessive........vanilla. Kyle is boring. He's a bog standard yandere with no flare.

Riddel meets Marina, the main character. Marina is a beauty who gets bullied until she marries the hero that comes after Kyle. Riddel makes Marina her personal maid. Having Marina gives her more power over the narrative, and she goes on and on about how great she is for protecting Marina.

It. Is. Unbearable.

Literally there are ten "I'm a savior" panels like this, and they aren't well drawn. The art is below standard 5/10 if you're being generous mass produced shit.

The romance is supposed to be slow. Sweet, but there is zero chemistry. Kyle picks up a book off a high shelf for her...and that's the nicest thing he does in the first five chapters. There is no hook. There's no fun.

Where is the fun????

They get married. They save the world. She becomes the main character instead of Marina. We’re supposed to see Riddel as an underdog, but as the original author she literally knows everything. She literally knows how to save Kyle and how to beat every enemy in the book. This is trash. If this was my first introduction to otome isekai I would not be a fan of the genre.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #otome isekai

79 notes · View notes

nutzgunray-lvt · 9 months

Text

Hot Seat

It's finally here! I had the plot more or less outlined from the beginning, but writer's block hit me in regards to the ending. I wasn't sure if I wanted Aizawa to realize how much of an asshole he had been up to that point or double down on it, so I decided to leave it open for the most part. I wrote this fic because the scene this was inspired from (the 4th light novel where the teachers have a get together after the School Festival) really pissed me off. They knew damn well that Izuku had trust issues in regards to going to his teachers for help... and did nothing. Only All Might cared, and everyone else just brushed it off.

The School Festival went off without a hitch, but Toshinori wasn't happy.

After enduring two villain attacks less than three months apart, UA's students got to be just that again: students. The school buzzed with an intense energy that seemingly invigorated everyone present, and the first years in particular presented one amazing event after another, but Toshinori wasn't happy.

It didn't make any sense. He should have been happy. School was closed today, as well as the next, letting everyone have a much deserved break. Everyone had a blast visiting the various kiosks, games, and shows. He was slowly but surely getting used to a life of retirement, and he had gotten his teaching license.

So why wasn't he happy?

After everything had been taken down and the students were sent off to bed, Toshinori had been cajoled into staying up with the rest of the teachers for a sort of after-party (as if they hadn't done enough celebrating during the festival). He wasn't in a particularly celebratory mood, but he didn't really have the energy to fight Present Mic's incessant tugging on his arm as he tried heading upstairs to his room.

"It won't be any fun without you!" the younger blonde had pleaded.

As the other teachers made drinks and broke off into small groups, Thirteen seemed to notice his less than cheerful mood. She pulled him into a corner with two non-alcoholic beers to regale him with stories of the latest nature documentary that had just been released. It had actually worked for a while - he and the young Hero both loved nature and she was good company in general, but Toshinori couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Out of the corner of eye, he could see Aizawa peering over at him in between sips of his own beer.

It made him feel unexpectedly angry. God, just what did he do this time?

Since starting at UA, Toshinori had quickly learned that the young Underground Hero had some sort of bone to pick with him. Efforts to make things right (what had he done wrong?) had proven to be less than fruitful, so Toshinori gave up and decided to settle on a peaceful co-existence with him. After all, it wasn't the first time he hadn't gotten along with a fellow Hero, and it wouldn't be the last. Seeing as how the man had to be blackout drunk to say anything remotely kind to him, Toshinori knew he had to pick his battles.

But that seemed to not be working out anymore.

Now, Present Mic was looking concernedly over at him as well, and he wasn't being subtle about it either. Thirteen had been gushing about a section of the documentary centered around the Eastern Siberian Mountains, and Toshinori tried to be as engaged as much as he could (she had a hellish recovery from the USJ attack, so she sure as hell deserved that much), but the feeling of two additional pairs of eyes on him was making his skin crawl, and he hadn't even touched his drink -

"Yo, All Might!" Present Mic called out from across the common room. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? What's with the bad mood?"

That had gotten Cementoss's attention as well. "Is everything alright?" he asked with genuine concern. The gesture was nice, but now everyone was looking over at him.

Great.

"Sorry," he mumbled, running a hand over his worn face. God, he should have just gone to bed. They could deal with one night of him staying out of the party. Now, he had ruined everything -

"Our colleague is dispirited over the incident concerning Midoriya of 1-A," Ectoplasm explained patiently.

As everyone nodded and murmured to one another about this development, Toshinori let the memories of this afternoon wash over him: how Young Midoriya's phone kept going to voicemail, how the older man had been so overcome with worry that something bad had happened to him that he spent a good fifteen minutes in the staff bathroom, barely holding back a panic attack. He had known the green haired boy for a little over a year and half, and he had already held a very special place in the retired teacher's heart. It's why it hurt him when Ectoplasm had told him about the boy's fight with Gentle Criminal and La Brava. He had bested them and got away with little to no injuries, but why didn't his successor tell him what was going on? He wouldn't have been in any trouble. Ectoplasm and Hound Dog were out patrolling for a reason, and they would have taken over without hesitation. They wouldn't have faulted him for deferring to his teachers - Hound Dog told him that.

Why did Young Midoriya never tell anyone anything?

Did he not trust him?

What was he doing wrong as a mentor?

"He's always doing this, shouldering these burdens by himself. It's like he's incapable of reaching out for help…" Toshinori muttered, sighing heavily.

"Hey, are you seriously getting drunk off of this non-alcoholic stuff?" Midnight teased as she took his drink and double checked the label, admittedly looking more troubled than her comment let on.

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. "This is serious, Midnight," he said as patiently as he could. "First Hosu, then Kamino Ward, and now this? Clearly this is a recurring issue with Young Midoriya, no matter how many times we get onto him about it. I'm terrified that this will get him killed."

Aizawa's expression was grave as he shook his head and muttered, "Yeah, and that sounds just like a certain hero we all know, doesn't it?"

And that did it for Toshinori.

He tried to stay calm, he really did. He could hear Nana's steady voice telling him, "Count to ten. Get control of your temper." But something about Aizawa's remark had made him so angry that it overtook the remaining rationality he had been operating on. He had initially been planning on removing himself from the situation entirely and sleeping it off, but protective rage and unresolved tension between the two put the retired hero on the offensive.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped, trying to calm his shaking hands as he shot to his feet.

The common room was deathly quiet now, the tension so heavy it could be cut with a plastic knife. Knowing that the raven haired man would undoubtedly want to have the last word, he preemptively shot a hand up to stop it. "Actually, don't answer that question. I have something that I've been meaning to say for quite a while now."

He began pacing back and forth, trying to count to ten as Nana had always told him to do when his emotions began getting the better of him. As much as Aizawa had infuriated him in the moment (and since the first of school, if he were being honest), the rest of his colleagues didn't deserve to see him lose his temper on them.

"Aizawa, I know that you'll probably never get along with me, and that's something I've grown to realize and accept. But whatever negative feelings you have towards me have nothing to do with Young Midoriya!"

The other teachers looked amongst each other in varying degrees of surprise and uncomfortableness before staring at Aizawa, who for his part, looked unflappable.

"What are you getting at, All Might?"

"We both know what I'm talking about, so don't play ignorant," All Might responded. "You've had a bias against him since the first day of school, placing him last in your Quirk Assessment Test and threatening to expel him in front of his classmates over his -"

"I was trying to be realistic," Aizawa interrupted, setting his beer down. "He can't keep hurting himself every time -"

"What exactly are you doing to remedy that?" Toshinori asked, his voice getting louder. "All I've seen you tell Young Midoriya is for him to figure it out himself! For that matter, that's all you tell the rest of his classmates as well! Young Kaminari risks brain damage every time he misuses his Quirk, and Young Aoyama -"

"They've had their Quirks for well over ten years, Yagi," Aizawa impatiently said, getting to his feet. "If they don't have control over their Quirks by now, why are they even here?"

Midnight raised a placating hand, her eyes darting between the two men.

"You have a point, Yagi," she interjected. "But so does Shota. The kids should have been regularly seeing a Quirk Counselor starting in elementary school. Surely it should have helped."

The retired hero closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He had wanted to keep One For All and Young Midoriya's past Quirklessness a secret for a reason. Not only was it not his place to go around telling everyone, but it had been for his own protection - especially with the League of Villains and All For One actively targeting the school. But as the saying went: the road to hell was paved with good intentions. In his efforts to protect his successor, it seems to have only caused other ultimately unnecessary problems for him in the long run.

Would there ever be a moment where he wasn't failing his boy?

"I understand where you're coming from, Midnight," he slowly started, not exactly sure where to get where he was going with this. "but Quirk Counseling isn't infallible. And as for Young Midoriya… he didn't get his Quirk until last February."

Silence. Dead, heavy silence.

Out of the corner of his eye, understanding dawned on his colleagues' faces as they exchanged unreadable looks amongst each other. A part of him felt vindicated when he saw Aizawa's brow wrinkle in confusion, but that opened yet another can of worms that he was too angry to keep closed.

One problem at a time. Potentially letting them know the truth behind One For All could come later. Right now, he needed to know why Young Midoriya's homeroom teacher looked so uncomprehending of this revelation of his.

"His Quirk manifested late for his own protection. Had he not had the physical conditioning and muscle mass he has now, it would have killed him. It was in his file that he got his Quirk Status changed the week before the school year started," Toshinori said slowly, disbelief slowly overtaking the anger previously coloring his voice. Surely the younger man at least read his students' files before school had started? Right? Surely, he wouldn't be that negligent. "Did you not read it? Did you not read any of their files?"

The silence that followed his question said it all.

Hound Dog was glaring at the man, crushing his empty beer can in his hand, and even Present Mic shot his best friend a soft, "Seriously, Sho? What the hell?"

"Prejudices exist," Aizawa said, trying to justify himself. "History can be misleading. I'd rather get to know my students as they are now than have my judgment clouded by someone's opinions on them from elementary and middle school."

It took everything in Toshinori to not hit his head against the wall over and over again (it was right there, just another two or so steps). In theory, Aizawa was right on the nose. People changed, especially children. It's why their end of term report cards included comments from the teachers; it was the best way to document these changes. For that matter, teachers could be biased, prejudiced even. The myriad of cases of teachers falsifying student records due to Quirk related discrimination said as much.

But how could Aizawa, a man who prided himself for his logical decision making, be so perceptive yet so obtuse?

"I understand that, Aizawa, and you're right to a degree," The older man conceded. At least the sheer disbelief was calming him down before he well and truly lost his temper. "But have you considered that as well intentioned as that line of thinking may be, it's led you to form prejudices of your own?"

He had clearly hit a sore spot, given how Aizawa glared at him.

"They're not prejudices," he ground out through gritted teeth. "They're rational observations -"

"You saw a child struggling with a strength enhancement Quirk, automatically equated it with me, and proceeded to mistreat him over it. You wax poetry over how biased society is towards powerful, flashy Quirks, yet you completely neglect to help the students you have that are negatively affected by that belief. You also saw another child with a flashy and powerful Quirk, yet you turned a blind eye to his horrible behavior due to his 'hard work'. If that's not prejudiced, then I'm the Pope."

At the mention of the blonde, red eyed boy, Cementoss fished out a value sized Aspirin bottle, popping one in his mouth before handing the bottle off to Ectoplasm. Despite having been expelled back in September, the mention of Young Bakugou was still a headache trigger for his colleagues.

"He was a hard worker…" Aizawa doubled down, seemingly realizing how hollow the reasoning sounded.

"Hard work doesn't justify bullying!" Hound Dog growled, stalking towards the younger man. "As a homeroom teacher, it's your responsibility to make sure your students have a healthy environment to grow in!"

As the counselor dissolved into a mess of growling and barking peppered with "Aizawa" and "emotional negligence", Vlad King guided him outside to help him calm down. As the door to the courtyard was quietly shut, everyone's attention turned back to the man currently in the hot seat.

"I'll admit to my own shortcomings as a mentor," Toshinori said to get things back on track, "because when it came to Young Midoriya and Young Bakugou, I was unable to see the forest for the trees. I also thought that their relationship was a long-standing rivalry that needed to be worked through, but I should have stopped and asked myself this a long time ago: does a rivalry involve such one-sided animosity?"

"That's why I paired them against you for the final exams. It was so they could learn to work together -"

"Again, the final exams showed that this lack of cooperation was a one sided problem, Aizawa." Toshinori bluntly interrupted. "May I remind you that Young Bakugou not only assaulted Young Midoriya for attempting to follow the directions of the exam, but he told me point blank that he would rather fail outright than cooperate with Young Midoriya? In what way does that indicate an issue on both ends?"

Aizawa bit on the inside of his cheek, crossing his arms defensively.

"That's not even counting the Battle Trials, which is also my mistake. Young Bakugou was attacking with lethal force, and the only thing he said to me when I warned him to stop was: 'he won't die if he dodges.' He knew he could have killed Young Midoriya, but he didn't care."

"Damn," Snipe muttered from next to Cementoss, shaking his head.

"As I said before, I'm also not blameless when it comes to this. I should have stopped the match right there and lobbied for a stronger punishment. But do you remember what you said after seeing the recording? 'Grow up already. Stop wasting your talent.' You said this in response to him knowingly nearly killing another student -"

"You've made your point, Yagi!" Aizawa warned, his voice raised as he glared up at the older man.

"And their fight the night of the Provisional License Exam," Toshinori continued, his own voice growing louder. "Footage from the Camera-Bots showed Young Midoriya attempting to leave and deescalate the situation, only to be stopped by Young Bakugou, and yet you decided that Young Midoriya was equally at fault for what happened. In light of all of this, let me ask you this: do you hate Young Midoriya?"

He thought that Aizawa was going to go to the grave before giving an answer, given how he gripped his bicep and glared at him. but to his surprise, the Underground Hero shook his head.

"No. I don't hate him."

Present Mic scoffed, shaking his head in what seemed to be disappointment as he stared up at his friend.

"Well, that's what it looks like, Sho," he said with a grave look on his face. "Do you ever think about how you sound when you talk to him, or how it comes across when you talk about him to us?"

The Underground Hero couldn't quite hide the betrayal he felt, but it was mitigated by the guilt and knowing shame he was fighting not to express. It seemed like he wasn't used to Present Mic going against him in matters like this.

"The rest of us," the English teacher motioned to the other teachers, "really enjoy having Midoriya in class. He's kind, cooperative, and incredibly smart." His point was punctuated by Midnight, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm nodding in agreement. "You, on the other hand… you're constantly calling him 'Problem Child' and you don't acknowledge him unless you're threatening to expel him, punishing him, or otherwise criticizing him for something. Come to think of it, I've only heard you say one positive thing about the kid. One, and it wasn't even about him alone. Can you really blame people for thinking that you hate him?"

Aizawa slowly shook his head, sinking back into his chair with an uncharacteristically troubled look on his face.

"I just don't want him to get himself killed with his recklessness," he said more so to himself as he stared at his lap.

"There are way better ways of showing it instead of acting offended by his very existence," Midnight piped up, looking thoroughly unimpressed with his answer. "You can't treat people like this and expect them to completely trust and rely on you. Why else do you think he keeps going behind your back and getting into dangerous situations? For that matter, why else do you think your students are terrified to come to you for any questions they have on their assignments or anything else school related?"

Frustration clouded the younger man's face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Trust and respect is a two-way street," Ectoplasm said. "Midoriya has been making wonderful progress in regards to his Quirk control, but that effort rarely goes acknowledged."

"We understand the hardships you've endured as a Hero," Cementoss added. "But you shouldn't take your negative feelings out on your students. They've done nothing to deserve that behavior from you."

"Your expulsion record speaks for itself," Snipe said, having been silent up to this point. "If it were just a handful of kids, we wouldn't think anything of it. because some of them just aren't cut out for heroics. But over 100 students? Something's clearly not adding up, and it's not the kids."

Aizawa opened his mouth, then closed it. For someone who always needed to have the last word, it was a little disorienting for Toshinori to see him at a loss for words. Though he still looked unflappable for the most part, the way his eyes moved showed that his colleagues' words clearly hit home for him. But whether or not he took these words to heart was something that was left up in the air.

After all, Aizawa was an incredibly stubborn man.

#mha fix it fics #anti shota aizawa #anti aizawa shota

34 notes · View notes

astoundingbeyondbelief · 1 year

Text

Kaiju Week in Review (November 27-December 3, 2022)

Netflix released the Norwegian blockbuster Troll on Thursday. It's decent. I'm glad that original creature features can still exist, but unfortunately there's not much to set this one apart from the pack besides the novel setting and monster. Readers of this column will have no trouble predicting nearly every story beat. Props for including a cute hacker (and the wacky operation shown above... trolls hate church bells, you see).

IDW finally published Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan, which was originally supposed to come out on May 25 with a different artist. I'd say it's my second-favorite of the series, after the King Ghidorah issue. The premise—the Nebulans upload fighting techniques from gamers around the world into Gigan and sic him on Seattle—was always going to be a winner, and it actually does something with its period setting. Great action, and I'm delighted the Nebulans finally came back in a big way.

The Colorado-based toy company Titanic Creations has licensed Gorgo, and they've got big plans for the Irish Godzilla. The DopePope sculpt above will be the basis for a super-articulated figure; announced alongside it were a graphic novel that follows the 1961 film and (more tentatively) an animated film! The comic is due in 2024 and will be set in the same universe's that the company's original kaiju inhabit. Now they just need a bawdy novelization of the new film to complete the Gorgo hat trick.

Student-run Studio Mujaku has a short in the works, titled Midnight the Era, which will combine tokusatsu and hand-drawn animation. Fascinating premise—in a world where nuclear weapons are replacing human-controlled kaiju as deterrents, one of Japan's kaiju decides to resist its decommissioning. The storyboards and teaser trailer look lovely too. One scary caveat, from the SciFi Japan article: "Unlike many student works, MIDNIGHT THE ERA will not be released on YouTube. Instead, it is scheduled to premiere at the Summer 2023 Comiket comic convention in Tokyo. DVDs of the film will also be sold at Studio Mujaku's booth during the convention." So this might end up being one of those kaiju shorts that'll be nigh-impossible to see in the West unless you go to G-Fest (if that).

youtube

Godziban dropped another mostly-filler episode which recaps season 1, though it does start with a short scene of Rodan teaching Radon to fly. They're really testing Wikizilla's color-coding abilities with all these segments!

Radon is also getting a Bandai Movie Monster Series figure later this month, alongside the Godziban Anguirus. Images not to scale; I'd expect Radon to be about the size of the Minilla and Little figures.

In other Godzilla toy news, Playmates VPs of Marketing John Stelzner and Pat Linden went on the Adventures in Collecting Podcast and revealed some of the company's plans for the line. Offerings next year will include Baragon (not sure which one) and a new Titan Tech figure. They'll also be making more figures of MonsterVerse kaiju from before Godzilla vs. Kong, are working on a line for the fifth MonsterVerse film, and have their sights set on Hedorah and Biollante for the classic line.

I'll close with a reminder that Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time will be playing in U.S. theaters on the 6th, 8th, and 11th. My semester also ends on the 11th, so I'm in crunch mode now, but I'm still hoping to carve out the time to see it.

#kaiju week in review #kaiju #godzilla #troll #godzilla rivals #gigan #midnight the era #gorgo #titanic creations #godziban #rodan #radon #anguirus #bandai #toys #tokusatsu #comics #idw #art

95 notes · View notes

yomigaere · 4 months

Text

I just finished Virche Evermore about a week ago, and because I loved it so much, I thought I'd do a personal ranking of the characters and throw down my thoughts on all of them.

To be honest, I'm partly inspired to do this because I heard Mathis is the least popular love interest to the point where he even got rated beneath a few side characters in the Japanese official popularity poll, which I think is absolutely criminal.

Needless to say, major spoilers for the entire game below the readmore!

Mathis became an instant fave for me as soon as he was first properly introduced in the common route. He's so, so cute. I pretty much lost my mind from sheer cuteness at the CG of him being flustered when Ceres walked in on him writing his novel. His romance is sweet and I feel like he and Ceres go well together. His actual situation is tragic. Since he was my first route, I was so glad when I unlocked the salvation ends and could finally get a happy ending (by Virche standards) for him; he deserves a million times better than the death of personality he suffered in his main bad end, and his salvation end, while bittersweet, was beautiful.

Lucas is my poor little meowmeow. I feel so sorry for him, even when he's at his worst, not least because he's been dealt such a shitty hand in life. His route might be the biggest pain train of them all, especially given that even his salvation end is tragic as all hell; he and Nadia and Ceres deserve so much better. (It sure was a narrative choice to have the branching point for his endings be after Nadia's turned into a monster and he's been drugged into going on a murderous rampage, though...) I was a little bit skeeved by his romance at first when it was initially revealed that he'd been in love with Ceres for years, but it became more understandable when the circumstances behind it came out (guy was 15 at the time and in a very bad place) and by the time Ceres got to see the full truth of Lucas's situation I'd become way more invested in their relationship. The "goodnight kiss" CG in his salvation end absolutely broke me.

Yves is very cute and very sweet and has the best romance with Ceres and deserves so much better than he's gotten from shitty randos. The scene with Ceres kissing his facial scars while he's crying is my favourite romantic moment in the whole game. I like that he cries a lot, even if it puts me through the emotional wringer as much as he goes through it in his route. (This game's great for crying vulnerable long-haired pretty boys. I swear this isn't me being a sadist.)

Ankou is evidently the top husbando in this game's fandom, and besides his looks and voice, Le Salut certainly let me see why. He has one of the cutest blushing sprites, and after 600+ years of misery I really think he deserves way more happiness than he can get in any of the canon routes; he's a big reason why I'm hoping the fandisc will get licensed for an English release. His death in Le Salut's salvation end is the other most heartrending moment in the game for me.

Ceres isn't my favourite otome heroine ever, but I do like her quite a bit. It's easy to feel for her when everything she's been through has taken such a toll on her self-esteem, yet I love how her resolve to be less resigned and more proactive gets reflected in most of the right choices in the common route. She has nice moments of strength beyond that, too; I particularly enjoyed how indignant she could get at Capucine, and her defiance in the face of Jean hoping to capture her despair on camera was metal coming from someone like her.

Hugo is my favourite side character, regardless of how controversial he apparently was with the Japanese fanbase when the game originally came out there. (Heaven forbid that a gay character exists in an otome game, amirite? Especially one who happens to have feelings for one of the love interests...) The "Resemblence" bad ending with him is my favourite game-over, heartwrenching though it may be. I do wish his death on Yves's route didn't come immediately after my favourite romantic moment, though; that was a bit too on-the-nose for my comfort. I liked what Le Salut did with him towards the end, including him deciding to join Yves on his journey to Japan and the possibility being left open that maybe, just maybe, if Yves doesn't remain stuck on Ceres forever, Hugo's feelings for him could have a chance of eventually being reciprocated. (Yes, I ship this too even though I love Yves/Ceres. I feel like the part of the fandom Hugo was so controversial with might tear me apart for this, but I don't even care.)

Nadia is the sweetest little cinnamon roll who's too good for this world, too pure, and she deserves only good things and no bad things... which is a major reason why Lucas's route is such a pain train. Still, I'm glad that at least in Le Salut's salvation end she and her brother get to live and be happy. ;.;

Adolphe's okay; I like him well enough. In fact, I don't think it makes a whole lot of sense for an Ankou fan to dislike Adolphe too much, considering that Ankou is Adolphe from another timeline, even if Ankou has been through more than enough of his own experiences that he 100% qualifies as his own person. I don't think his angst over being "normal" is that hard to get behind in the context of this kind of story; he's the one "normal" person in a place like Arpéchéle, which from their point of view would make him the oddity if they knew, so I can't blame him for being afraid of what might happen if the truth about him got out (with Ankou's backstory being proof of the possible consequences).

Salome turned out to be a very interesting and complex character, and she looks so lovely without her habit, though I also can't help feeling like her writing was a little bit untidy in places. That said, the fact she got rated the second-least-popular character on the official poll, even below Jean of all people, is criminal.

Scien is my least favourite love interest by a big margin, and his route was also my least favourite by far. I realise that this is an extremely unpopular opinion, given that he's one of this fandom's biggest darlings, so I can't say I'm not wary of potentially getting some backlash for this. =/ I'm not opposed to asshole characters in the slightest, and Scien has his enjoyable moments, but he just doesn't do it for me on the whole. Furthermore, I tend to dislike characters who come across as "creator's pets", and Scien definitely feels like one to me between the favouritism he gets from the narrative and how his route acts like he can do no wrong to the point of bordering on double standards. I'll spare anyone reading this too much more crankiness from me, but I do want to add that it was super satisfying when he got called out for a change in Yves's route.

Dahut gave me very mixed feelings in the end. On one hand, he's a pretty good "final boss" and I have no issue with how he's written. On the other hand, his hypocrisy drove me up a bloody wall and I wish he was more sorry for his role in screwing up the Proust siblings' lives. Good character, but too frustrating as a person for me to really enjoy.

Jean is a scumbag, and as a Mathis fan I feel no remorse in hating him for the lies and abuse and other bullshit he put my boy through. Also as a Mathis fan, I felt enormously frustrated by how Le Salut was way too forgiving towards him and basically gave him a slap on the wrist for everything he did, even to the point where it felt like Mathis was being made to pander to his abuser; it's my one big complaint about that route, which I otherwise enjoyed. I was much more okay with how Jean was handled in Mathis's own salvation end; it wasn't perfect, but at least he wasn't a karma houdini there.

Capucine is an even bigger scumbag and thoroughly deserves his place as the most hated character. I lost count of how many times I went "fuck you" at him for his treatment of Lucas and Nadia. Every death he can get, whether it's being blown up offscreen or being butchered by Lucas offscreen or being mauled by Nadia onscreen, is cathartic and very well-deserved.

#virche evermore #shuuen no virche #mathis claude #lucas proust #just to tag in my favourite boys #virche spoilers #my unpopular opinions let me show you them #... just to be safe

12 notes · View notes

pallastrology · 1 year

Text

grounding skills

hello friends, today i thought i'd talk about grounding.

(when i talk about grounding, i'm talking about the self-help technique, not the witchcraft practice, though there are some similarities between them. i will make a post about grounding and centering in witchcraft another time.)

when we are stressed, one of the ways the brain can respond is to enter a state of dissociation. dissociation runs on a spectrum, and at the extreme end, it can be a highly distressing and frightening experience, and if this is something you can relate to, i would recommend reaching out to a licensed mental health professional for support. at the milder end of the spectrum, dissociation can feel like daydreaming, losing track of time, or a feeling of numbness or disconnection. sometimes this state of dissociation can feel safe and comforting, but at other times, it's confusing, frustrating or even frightening. to bring us back, we want to ground ourselves.

grounding is the act of reconnecting to our minds, bodies and the world around us. there are lots of methods to ground, and it takes time to discover what works best for you, but below is a list of techniques and tricks to help ground.

broadly speaking, grounding skills can be grouped into physical / sensory, mental / intellectual, and coregulatory. today, i'm mostly writing about physical and sensory methods of grounding. if you'd like to learn about other techniques, let me know and i can write another post! i hope you find this post helpful :-) - kira xo

sight: name and describe 5 things you can see. imagine you were writing a description of the object for a novel. study the objects, and get to know them. drawing from memory and then comparing is a more fun way to utilise your sight.

smell: smell is one of our strongest senses, so it's brilliant to utilise for grounding. i use citrusy scents to ground myself to the present day. peppermint and coffee are really good for this, too. it could be a certain perfume, or even something like detergent.

sound: here, we could think about putting on a video, audiobook or podcast, listening to a voice message from a friend, listening to music, or practicing being mindful and listening to the sounds around you. what do you hear? birdsong, traffic, a radio playing somewhere?

touch: there are two threads to this method; texture and temperature. i personally have a spiky rubber ball for physiotherapy that works brilliantly for texture, and holding ice cubes or a hot mug of tea (be careful not to burn yourself if you're feeling numb) can be really useful starting points for temperature.

taste: when feeling numb, taste can be useful to bring us back. as with smell, citrus, mint or coffee are all good tastes to try. chilies can be good too, as they can be an intense sensory experience. you could also try tastes that have a positive emotional tie, like a particular tea, or something sweet or comforting.

an anchoring object: for this, i use a rough-cut crystal that fits in the palm of my hand but isn't sharp. it's cool and has lots of texture, and i can grip it as firmly as i need to without causing any harm. for an anchor object, it's a good idea to choose something that reminds you of the present day, or of something comforting. this object can be used when you're feeling disconnected, to help remind you of when and where you are. any additional properties help

moving your body: movement helps to bring us out of a freeze response. you don't have to go for a run or start dancing - though these are both helpful and if you can, great! even subtle movements can help, and they may feel more manageable too. i like to start by stretching gently, and paying attention to where i'm tense or numb. you can shake out tension, drum up some energy with speed-walking, tap along to a comforting song, or just get up and make your bed. it all helps.

muscle relaxation: this is a way to physically ground yourself, and it helps with anxiety too. allow yourself to focus on just one part of your body - say, your jaw. tense it as much as you can, and hold that tension for a few seconds. then, slowly relax your jaw until it's completely loose. now, do this for your facial muscles. and now, your neck and shoulders. you can use this technique as a full-body grounding method, or just where you feel safe to do so.

anchoring yourself: i learned this technique in therapy actually! when you notice you're feeling disconnected and spacey, find a chair with arms. sit straight in the chair with your back gently pressing against the back of the chair. put your arms against the armrests, and gently hold onto them. if it helps, you can alternate gripping and releasing the armrests. now, plant your feet onto the ground, and visualise yourself taking root in the ground as you do. if you're anxious, it can help to practice some breathing techniques while you do this. i've found it to be a very helpful way of bringing yourself back down to earth.

#pallastrology #grounding #grounding techniques #mental health

29 notes · View notes

siena-sevenwits · 9 months

Text

My June/July Reading Review

Not as excited to share this time, because I don't have as many books - or as much variety - despite being a double month. Life has been extremely busy, and I had to put my reading mostly on hold for a bit. This led to a reading slump even when things got more manageable, so I have been concentrating on getting out of the slump. I permitted myself to read lots of short, fun things in order to get back into the reading habit, as that has worked in the past and I know I'll be intentional about reading slightly more difficult works once the habit is re-established. But it does make me feel silly typing this up. On, then.

"Nicholas Nickleby" adapted by Tim Kelly (Play, literary adaptation) - FOUR STARS - As some may know, Dickens' novel is extremely close to my heart and figured into several important passages of my life. I was extremely keen to propose a Dickens adaptation for next years' school play, and was very impressed with this one. (Of course no adaptation will ever compare to the Royal Shakespeare Company's eight hour stage adaptation, which is possibly one of the best adaptations of anything ever, but if we're doing Nickleby in two hours, with students, Tim Kelly has done a pretty great job.) Alas, for financial reasons we need to go with a free script rather than one that requires licensing, so we're falling back on good old Shakespeare, but I am glad I got the chance to order this one in and read it.

Beren and Luthien by JRR Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien (epic poetry, fantasy, mythology, Tolkien legendarium,) - FOUR AND A HALF STARS - My appreciation of the tale truly benefited from reading this anthology. It's remarkable to see how Tolkien's imagination reinvented itself over time. The first version of Beren and Luthien feels like an Edwardian children's short story, with Luthien the fairy hiding behind a flower from the gnome Beren, and singing a song of long things like ladders and vines and the lives of cats to magically give herself Rapunzel hair! And of course the absolute delight of the Sauron character instead being "Tevildo, Prince of Cats" who loves napping in the sun! The later versions have cool variation too - the poetry really emphasizes different aspects than the prose tellings. I also love the dignity and equality of both Beren and Luthien, and how they are equally heroic. Luthien especially is wonderful to me.

The Whispering Skull; The Hollow Boy; The Creeping Shadow (Books 2-4 in the Lockwood & Co series) by Jonathan Stroud (MG, mystery, adventure, thriller, supernatural) For sheer enjoyment, I'd give the second book 2 1/2 stars, and the third and fourth books 5 stars. They are for the most part intelligently written, and just such a blast. (The fun is enhanced by the fact that my brother frequently asks me to narrate the story to him (as opposed to reading it,) and so I get to unleash my love of storytelling. Book 2 is okay, but has middle book syndrome in a way the others don't. Books three and four have better plots and characterization on the whole. I read the scene at the Rotwell Institute at 2 AM during a terrific storm, and though it did not creep me out, I did get a nice suspenseful shiver! (These books don't spook me at all - suspense is really the operative word here.)

"The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie (play, mystery) - THREE STARS (and that might be rounding up) - My sister had read the entire Agatha Christie canon save this one, as they were kind of her thing in her teens. I have not read as many, but I've definitely read at least twenty-five of her books, plus a large number of short stories and plays. But for many years we had a pact that we would neither of us read this play, because we had an ambition to travel to London and see it on its original run (now more than seventy years running!) at St. Martin's Theatre. Now we're both adults and very much have our own lives, and I am about to embark to England without her, so we decided it was time to mutually break the pact. We had meant to see a community theatre production February, but that fell through, so we made tea and had a spot of reader's theatre. We had tremendous fun, even though the play itself was only so-so - certainly by Agatha Christie's standards. Maybe we just know her too well as an author. That being said, the reader's theatre session was a hoot. We watched this trailer first:

youtube

and predicted what all the characters' personalities and backstories were just from the trailer, as well as the murderer's identity. We were correct on almost everything. It also added to the fun because we based all our character voices on the appearances of this cast. My sister stole the show, as far as I was concerned, with her comedic performance as Christopher Wren (the guy in the sleeveless pullover.) I think we actually had more fun doing reader's theatre than we would've seeing it in person.

The Frugal Wizard's Guide to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson (science fiction, historical fantasy, dimension-hopping) 3 STARS. Fun, but really not Sanderson's best. As always with Sanderson, read it aloud to my brother, and the connection with him is always a good thing.

Ongoing:

Five Children on the Western Front (I can't wait to do my writeup of this one - it's really good!)

An enormous collection of Medieval and Renaissance Italian short stories. For some months I've been reading through the first volume of a multivolume anthology series of the world's great stories, organized by time and country. The first half of this volume was all ancient tales (and, with the exception of Cupid and Psyche, all stories not included in your standard mythologies and such.) Now I am in the second half, and reading all the stories Shakespeare used as inspiration for his stories. The original ending to Romeo and Juliet is... something.

Epistle to the Romans - I continue my slow deep dive, working my way through it with copious notes, two commentaries, sundry articles, etc.

Iphigeneia in Tauris by Euripides - I do mean to keep liveblogging this.

The Empty Grave by Stroud (last Lockwood of them all)

Beowulf (reread)

Fellowship (reread)

#recovering reader #coreander's old books #Youtube

8 notes · View notes

waateeystein · 9 months

Text

Frankenstein Adaptation Review #2: Frankenstein (1931)

Masterpost of my Frankenstein Reviews

Title: Frankenstein

Year: 1931

Medium: Film

Director: James Whale

Produced by: Universal Pictures

Synopsis/Intro

One of Universal Pictures original monster films, Frankenstein (1931) sets a precedent for many future adaptations of Shelley’s story. It is also responsible for creating many of the iconic symbols that we associate with the mythos of Frankenstein (even if those symbols have little to do with the original story.) I went in mostly blind, but was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this film, and better appreciate the creative license it took when adapting the novel. This is the first in a long series of Frankenstein-based Universal monster movies, and I am very curious to see where the films go from here! Buckle in because this is a long one…

Grading

Faithfulness to the Source Material

First off, this film is extremely different from the book. I didn’t realize this going in, I knew there would be some differences obviously, but even just from the opening credits I was so surprised at just how different it was. Right off the bat, we establish that our main character is actually named Henry Frankenstein, and Victor takes the role of what would loosely be Henry in the novel. (Elizabeth does stay the same and I think that is very iconic of her.) I think this name swapping is really interesting, and I’m sure some film/literary scholar has a much deeper thematic analysis on this than I could write. My take is that it was a way of distancing this version of the story from the novel right from the get-go, letting audiences know before the first line of dialogue is even spoken, that this story will be a very different story from its inspiration, and your expectations of this story will be literally flipped. Henry also now has a sidekick/apprentice named Fritz, who I assume is the original version of “Igor” that we see in other adaptations (but I guess I must continue watching more movies to prove that assumption!) I won’t go through every single character here, but those to me were the stand-outs worth mentioning in my own game of spot the difference.

Like the novel, Henry is indeed a college drop-out, although here he leaves academia to create his creature, rather than as a result of his creation. This adaptation also makes our Frankenstein more open to sharing his creation with others, although he still does this begrudgingly. And in general this Henry is not too dissimilar in characterization to the novel’s Victor. They are both obsessive scientists who crave the power of great discovery, and want to overcome the state of death and create life from it. They also both put their work before their love, ignoring Elizabeth and their father in the name of their occupation and obsession. I think Frankenstein’s characterization here, although not one-to-one with the novel, does the most work of relating this film back to the novel, especially when so much else of the plot and characters are completely different. Frankenstein the novel, and Frankenstein the Universal Monster movie are two very different mythos that I am coming to understand are often conflated. I want to better understand and explain how this film created its own modern mythos, but I also want to specifically highlight that Frankenstein himself is very similar between the two.

More on that modern mythos I was talking about, this film is responsible for so much of what we today associate with Frankenstein. The lighting table hoisted into the sky to give life to the creature, the hunchbacked sidekick of Frankenstein, the very iconic “it’s alive!” line, and of course the creature design itself. Most of these are not present in the book at all, or at best are very loosely based on certain descriptions in the novel. But I also don’t hate that they exist here! The lighting table is an homage to the lighting strike that book Frankenstein witnessed as a child that helps spark (pun-intended) his interest in science. Fritz here could be interpreted as a loose allegory for Henry Clervil in the book. Frankenstein’s gleeful “it’s alive!” is also a great foil to the immediate regret and fear that book Frankenstein feels at the successful creation of his creature. I think the film pays a lot of respect to its source material while still being its own creature (once again pun-intended). “Frankenstein”, in my opinion, is a very difficult novel to 100% faithfully adapt. This version chose to completely change the story to serve its own artistic goals and resources, their goals being to create a more horror-oriented and visually-minded adaptation of Shelley’s novel. And we know they were successful because it is one of the most iconic and famous monster films of all time.

So to conclude this section, no, this film had very little accuracy to the novel, but for all the reasons above, I do think in many ways it was still a good and somewhat faithful adaptation in its own right.

Total Category Score: 7/10 points

Production Design

There is so much to say here about this film’s design, both scenically and costume-wise. Starting with the production design, this film distinguishes itself from the novel by putting our setting in a German village set at about the film's release of 1931. Obviously this is another big change from the source material, but I like this decision for two reasons. Firstly, it was probably more practical from a production/costume design perspective, because with all of the other special elements of creature creation in play, adding a period setting on top of that would have an added difficulty that would not be present by just setting it in their modern day. Secondly, I think setting this film in a modern time to its original viewers makes the horror feel more plausible and real to those original viewers. Obviously us viewers over 90 years later won’t feel the same way with this exact film, but it’s probably a similar feeling to what we feel when we watch contemporary horror films today. On the other hand, I am not a huge fan of setting this film in what I presume to be Germany. There are a few different European countries that play a role in the novel, and Frankenstein is a very German-sounding name (I don’t have the linguistics knowledge to tell if if it actually is or not), and some of the creatures time in the book is spent in Germany, so I understand where the decision probably came from. However, I still wish it was set in Switzerland instead. I think this is another way that the mythos of this film tends to overshadow the actual events of the novel, and although it is a minor point, the backdrop of the Swiss alps where Frankenstein lived and where much of the actual conflict between Frankenstein and his creature took place would have been so cool and beautiful to have from a design standpoint. And without doing more research, I don’t have the off-hand knowledge to say how accurate the design of this German town/costumes were, but as a viewer it was beautiful and it did give a strong sense of the given setting. Finally, I want to acknowledge how interesting the windmill was as a choice of setting for Frankenstein’s laboratory. Many adaptations put him in some kind of castle situation, but the windmill feels right for the setting they chose. It gives the impression that Frankenstein cobbled together this somewhat remote lab as to be far enough from the village to have privacy and a high elevation, but also still be close to home and Elizabeth for their upcoming wedding. And the imagery of this burning windmill at the film’s ending is just so epic and even gives a somewhat ambiguous ending as to if the creature was able to escape or not. Although, upon further inspection, the interior was almost entirely stone and the exterior was entirely wooden, so with this continuity error I don’t know how well it would have actually burned, but maybe that’s for me to do more historical research on. (Also I am very excited to one day visit the Frankenstein windmill restaurant that is being built in Universal’s new park in Orlando.)

And now the obvious star of the show, the costume and creature design. Another reason I like their choice of time period is because we get to see these late 20’s/early 30’s garments that tend to get forgotten for the more stereotypical 20’s and 30’s silhouettes. In particular, I was in love with every costume we see in the wedding scenes. Elizabeth’s wedding dress was so beautiful, and the way her veil/train would drape across entire rooms when she moved evoked art nouveau fashion plates which I am obsessed with. The menswear also did not disappoint, I love the outfit he changes into for the final scenes of the film with the flare-hipped breeches. I did a little bit of research and learned that although these garments were mostly associated with motorcycle policemen, they were also associated with big-game hunters, which is perfect for Frankenstein as he is attempting to literally hunt his creation in these scenes (fun fact this garment is also called a “Jodhpur”.) They are a big goofy considering he is not wearing them while horseback riding, but it makes sense thematically so it gets a pass from me.

The creature design gets its own paragraph because there is so much to unpack here. Going in to watching this film, I knew what the creature design would be. It is extremely iconic, and it is what most people associate with the character and is the basis for most adaptations after it. Conversely, because it is so iconic, I was seeing it out of its original context and I was actually not a huge fan of the design in terms of faithfulness to the novel. But now having seen the film and seeing this design in context, I think I’ve mostly changed my mind. The novel only gives us a vague description of the creature, but we know that Frankenstein built him to be beautiful but he ended up being terrifying to all that saw him. I was surprised to realize that the film's design balances this pretty well. He is obviously still grotesque, with his elongated head (a possible nod to the creature design of the 1910 silent film version), neck screws, darkened facial features and scars across his body. But he is also very well-kept and handsome in many ways. His hair is neatly and intentionally styled, the scars are symmetrical and surprisingly neat for being a bunch of separate body parts stitched together. Even his outfit, which is intentionally designed to be too small in some proportions to make him appear larger and more hulking, is a clean suit and pants. The designer has managed to give him these humanizing aspects, while still making him appear horrifying and other-worldly. And it is a testament to the genius of these design decisions that this creature’s design has stood the test of time. The only things I might have changed would be putting his screws at his temples rather than his neck, and changing out his dark t-shirt looking garment for some kind of collared shirt (only because he unintentionally looks like he’s from the 80’s, but I guess it is kind of cool that this creature dressed in trends 50 years before they actually happened.) Obviously that is me being nitpicky, but I absolutely get the obsession with this creature design now, and I am excited to see how or if it evolves in this film’s sequels.

Total Category Score: 9/10 points

Entertainment value

Despite the extensive creative liberties that this film took in adapting Shelley’s novel, I still had a great time watching it. There is always a worry with watching these old films that they will automatically be boring to a modern eye, but I don’t think this film had that issue. I was always anxious to see what Frankenstein or the creature would do next, and knowing the plot of the book, I was always surprised because the plot of the film was so different. The creature’s kill-count is much lower than in the book, here he is only responsible for killing the doctor and a young girl named Maria. The scene with the creature and Maria was one of my favorites. It was a necessary moment to show the creature’s humanity, and that it only really meant to hurt those who had antagonized him first. He accidentally and very suddenly kills the young Maria, and this is what ignites the village to hunt him down. [edit: I had a later realization that this scene parallels a scene in the book where the creature saves a young girl from drowning. It’s interesting that in both mediums, whether the creature saves her or accidentally dooms her, he is persecuted. Another example of how this movie literally flips the script of the book.] Like the novel, he is continuously misunderstood and mistreated by everyone he meets. But unlike the novel, where the young William immediately distrusts the creature, little Maria only shows him immediate kindness, and reminds us of the innocence of children. I like that the film implies that children are not born with hatred, but learn it instead, a theme that we mostly don’t see in the novel. And that’s the great thing about film adaptation, we get to explore themes and ideas that might have been glossed over or missed in the source material, and I am very glad that this film did that. And obviously the horror of this very old film will not feel the same watching it today as it would have when it was originally released, but at times I still found myself feeling the horror which was surprising.

Total Category Score: 8/10 points

Bonus Points

Character(s) included/mentioned (1 point each):

- Robert Walton and/or Henry Clerval: no. - The DeLacey Family: no (Maria and her father are a close allegory though.) - Justine Moritz: no. - William and/or Ernest Frankenstein: no.

Victor(y) points (1 point each):

- Is Victor aged 18-26 years old: Yes! - Is Victor a college dropout: Yes! - Does Victor have an accent that is not American or British: no.

Miscellaneous (1 point each):

- Setting is primarily in Switzerland: no. - Are there homoerotic undertones: no. - Does the Creature have intelligence: no.

Total Category Score: 2/10 points

Final Score: 26/40 points

[Housekeeping notes: I had to change to the legacy post editor because this review was literally too long for the new editor to handle. If anyone has some tips for that let me know, in the meantime the text formatting might just look slightly different. Also I’ve been making slight review formatting changes, so I may go back and update previous posts to reflect those changes, although the content of the review will be the same. Thanks y’all!]

#frankenstein #frankenstein or the modern prometheus #mary shelley #victor frankenstein #Frankenstein movie #universal monsters #universal monsters frankenstein #movie review #frankenstein adaptation #waateeystein reviews

8 notes · View notes

literaticat · 11 months

Note

Graphic novel question! If a series is released in graphic novel form on a platform like Webtoon, would that make it more or less attractive to an agent to pitch to a bigger publisher? I’ve seen the insane success of those that are in Webtoon Originals that then are put into print, but it seems like some of the print runs are published under the Webtoon umbrella, so who knows if/when agents become part of those conversations.

I guess I’m just curious about whether an agent would be interested to see a series “beta tested” prior to accepting it, or if it’s better to create the series without posting online and pitch it that way. Thanks!

OK so I have literally no knowledge about this, so I did a little digging. However -- I didn't dig THAT much, so other people probably know more about it (and if you do, feel free to comment on this post and add things or correct me!)

My cursory understanding is, when you upload your work to Webtoon, you keep your IP rights (that's good) -- BUT, you do give them some sort of exclusivity with regards to posting that series - you can't just post it in multiple places. And if it is popular, they might elect to buy some of the IP from you and license it to another publisher (as happened with Lore Olympus, for example), or publish it as a book through their own publishing arm (which is fairly new.)

Now -- I have NO IDEA what their contracts look like, or what the terms are of uploading, or what they "own" or have "first dibs" on or whatever , how much they might pay you, or anything else. What it SEEMS like, is, if you are publishing on WebToons first, you are potentially going to have WebToons be a part of the conversation forever should the series really take off, OR, have to wait a certain number of years before you can do something else with it. According to this Reddit Thread, they have the exclusive rights to distribute digitally for three years, and they have the option to acquire a percentage of the IP for a pre-determined amount of money, which would likely mean that they are always going to "get their beak wet" when any deals are made for print books or whatever else. Maybe that's a great deal! I have no clue.

I don't THINK an agent would be involved though? (THOUGH I COULD BE WRONG????) -- because it feels like those deals are done THROUGH WebToon, whether or not WT publishes it through their own arm. (See the Reddit thread link above that includes the copyright page for Lore Olympus).

So, basically what I'm saying is, maybe publishing on WebToon first is a good bet -- if you are publishing the kind of thing the fans there love, and you are genuinely just INTO the idea of posting and getting immediate feedback and seeing fan reactions in real time etc -- and hey, if it really takes off, maybe your book will get published and you'll get some money, but really you are doing it because you love the community and all that stuff. (After all - compared to the sheer volume that is up on that site, while there ARE huge hits that become books - it's not like MOST things do. There's no guarantee of that.)

If, however, you want to do an original GN but aren't interested in all that stuff -- you'd probably have more freedom about the rights and such by NOT publishing it on WT first.

(One potential option - TRY doing a series on WT "for the people" -- why not?! -- But then create a totally separate GN that is just for you, and try to get an agent / sell THAT one to publishers. Because WT only has any rights to the series you are posting on there - not totally separate work you create. So maybe that's potentially best of both worlds - you're building your fan base on WT, and maybe that ends up being a book and maybe not -- but meanwhile, you are also getting another book out there in the world that WT has nothing to do with, but your WT fans might also buy!)

(Also that might be a dumb idea lol, IDK!!!)

8 notes · View notes