#not to be like ouat season 1 is television perfection but. it is. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

niki-frost · 5 years

Note

Say in a few years they decided to remake OUAT and chose you as the lead writer/director, what would you keep from the old show and what would you change (y'know, besides the obvious) and what would you add?

Fantastic and thoughtful question! Thank you!

(Showrunner would be the term used here, as a roomful of writers have to write according to the showrunner, directors have to direct based on the script they’re given, and there’s usually a different director for every episode. Showrunners often like to direct the first and last episode of every season, also.)

I think I would try to stay true to the first season as much as possible and then take things in a different direction from there. Season 1 was so very special and I want to honor that, to bring the show back to its roots in a rustic Storybrooke and a minimalistic Enchanted Forest, in a storyline that focused on character development and their relationships with each other in both the past and the present. As much as I adore Disney stories, there are a lot of crossovers from the rest of the show that I would cut out. Too many characters made the ensemble too wide, and we lost so many crucial moments for characters to grow and evolve and interact with each other, all for a few cheesy Frozen cameos and too many AU versions of the same character. When shows gain popularity and bigger budgets, it’s so easy to forget what’s important in favor of using more special effects and CGI and big fancy sets, and I think that’s where OUAT started going downhill. They got popular, received more funding, and started focusing on trying to please every single outspoken fan screaming for certain characters or ships or cameos... and they lost sight of their own story. Fans are vital to a show, yes, but most of them don’t know how to craft good stories for television. They aren’t professional storytellers for a reason, and they all want different things. Trying to implement everything they want in your story is a recipe for complete disaster.

I would try to keep a lot of the main cast, but there would for sure be some recasts to remove actors who have made homophobic jokes or have encouraged toxic behavior in their fans, as my version of a remake would definitely be SwanQueen endgame. That being said, I think I would keep a lot of the H00d/H00k stuff as important plot points, highlighting the unhealthy nature of their relationships so that in the end, Emma and Regina would come full circle and realize they’re perfect for each other. I don’t think I would have needed to change much about H00k’s progression, except this time around, Emma would actually be aware of his toxic behaviors, call him out on it, and eventually cut him out of her life because she realizes he’s bad for her. H00d would likewise be treated similarly, except Regina would kick him out of town the moment he tried to sleep with her while his wife was in a coma in the next room. (Marian wouldn’t be Zelena in disguise. There’s too much rapey context there for what was supposed to be a Disney show. Marian would awaken and have Roland again and she’d take over the Merry Men. I would have made Zelena her own standalone villain, sweeping into town in perhaps season 2 or 3 on a cyclone, having finally figured out how to escape Oz and get to Storybrooke to get her revenge on Regina, only to later be defeated and put through rehabilitation. The Regina/Zelena sisterly bond is too important and I think their progression from enemies to sisters should have been more thoroughly explored.)

Split Queen, as entertaining as it was, would not have made it into my version. It felt like forcing more drama into a character that had already gone through so much personal growth, and her suddenly being “afraid” of her own darker instincts and wanting to be physically separated from it seemed like absolute bull to me. Regina’s a smart woman, and that had been the dumbest decision she’d ever made. Dark Swan would have stayed in Storybrooke (bye bye, Camelot, you useless loaf of greenscreen) and would have brought out the worst in Emma regarding all her inner struggles with being abandoned and sacrificed by her parents for the “greater good.” There should have been so much more Emma/Snow/David angst that they completely missed out on, especially between Emma and Snow. The Emma/Regina relationship would have been in that I-hate-you-because-I-secretly-love-you phase around this time, H00k would turn on her and, in his obsessive hatred of any Dark One, would try to kill Emma, citing is as a “mercy” because he loves her and would rather her die than to be evil. Striking a mortal blow to Emma, he’s about to finish the job when Regina blasts him away. Emma’s fading, about to die from whatever Dark-One-killing-weapon H00k had stabbed her with, and Regina would save her with a True Love’s Kiss.

We’re all gluttons for punishment, so of course Emma will be in denial and Regina will be bitter about it. I feel like this would be an excellent chance to make H00k the villain he was always supposed to be, escaping his prison cell and fleeing Storybrooke, only to return with friends to get revenge on Emma for daring to reject him even after she was cured of being the Dark One. This would be a fun point to bring in a cameo or two of villains to join H00k and terrorize the town with a new curse. As our heroes deal with this new headache, Emma and Regina are forced to work together. Henry would encourage them to talk, and with his optimism, they slowly find their way back to their friendship and more.

I don’t know that Hyperion Heights would have happened in my version. It was an entertaining reboot in a fresh location and I loved adult Henry, Ivy, Jacinda and Sabine. But again, the convoluted storyline and cheating and rape and weird pervy moments kind of sour the whole season for me. I would have gotten rid of a LOT of the realm jumping throughout the seasons, focused on a lot of character backstory and relationships in Storybrooke, and then perhaps have made a single curse (much like the first curse) that simply dropped all our beloved characters in a new world somewhat like Hyperion Heights, except without the confusing time jumps and new/AU characters. It would have been the last big hurdle for the heroes to solve before returning home, now with the ability to portal-jump to the Enchanted Forest to visit their medieval friends. And of course, Emma and Regina would be the power couple overseeing it all, making sure to keep their worlds safe and protected for many decades to come.

I’m rambling at this point, but yeah, as a gay woman of color who already works in the TV and film industry, that’s my pipe dream of how I would remake OUAT. Hope that answers your question. :)

61 notes · View notes

killian-whump · 6 years

Text

OUAT 2x22: Rewatch Blog

Hey everybody! Here I am with another rewatch liveblog! This time, I'm rewatching the second half of the S2 finale: "And Straight On 'Til Morning" :)

By the way, the titles of this episode and the one before it are awesome. WAY better than "part 1" and "part 2" or whatever.

Anyway! Let's get on with the show!!!

Aww... Sad Milah portrait time.

Now that we know Killian has art talent, it makes more sense that he drew that portrait of Milah, rather than that she drew it herself.

Aww, Smee. Such a good pal. So supportive.

Oh, Colin. He's doing his best, but you can tell he's still injured when he walks down those stairs. Poor bunny.

Hahaha, you snarky bastard. He’s such a troll.

OMG THIS KID’S NAME IS BAELFIRE EVERYBODY

Oh, look at this peaceful, idyllic scene. Young lad, playing on a playground, an older lady watching him fondly... ARMED WITH A CROSSBOW.

Wow, Gold. Wow. That's cold, man. Stone cold.

Hahahaha, he's spending some time with his grandson, alright. Creepily. From the bushes. And... kinda murderishly, too. You do you, Rumple. Nobody else ever could.

"He wasn't supposed to die." Yeah, about that... Eh, whatever. You'll figure it out later XD

Awww. Now I feel bad for the guy who was gonna murder an 11-year-old in cold blood literally only a minute ago. Dammit, show.

Awww... Poor Colin, still limping. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like how they worked it into the show as remnants from getting hit by a car, but... I feel bad for my cookie T_T

"Who is telling you what to do?" "You know what, that's not your concern." OH MAN, YOU HAVE NO IDEA GREG

"It's not ours, either." Wait. Wat. That's just plain dumb, Greg. You're DUMB, Greg. Duuuuuuumb.

"We have faith in the sacredness of our cause." Thanks, Tamara. You get to be dumb, too.

"Absolutely." Not. Hahaha, I love his face after that. It's so very 'Ohhhh, this is awkward. How do I politely leave this party without offending the host?'

Flash. Bang. 'Nevermind, lads, I'm out of here.' That was the dumbest party ever.

Aww... Regina. Poor bean. Last episode was really hard on her.

A Regal Believer hug <3

Aww... There goes breakfast.

Or what's left of it. Seriously, do you people not clean up after yourselves?

"So we're all gonna die."

Henry “Random Outbursts” Mills strikes again.

HAHAHAHA I love the way Hook saunters in like he fucking just belongs there.

HAHAHAHA I love how David just fucking suckerpunches him right in the fucking face.

HAHAHAHA I love how Dave pulls out his gun and cocks it, like 'you have 5 seconds and I used 4 of them punching your stupid face.'

Oh, Captain Charming. How I love your sordid beginnings :D

"Quite hostile, aren't we?" Gods, you fucking snarky bastard. Why are you so perfect?!

Heeey, Felix.

The Lost Ones. I mean, they're all boys. Nobody's fooling anybody here. You can just go ahead and call them the Lost Boys XD

Mmm. I kinda like Felix threatening him...

Oh, great. The Pawn Shop is infested with dwarves now.

I must say, Josh Dallas looks good with a gun.

YEAH, HIT HIM, BABY. MAKE HIM SORRY FOR HITTING YOU WITH HIS CAR, THAT FUCKING IDIOT.

Guys, I just really hate Greg, okay? T_T

YEAH, GET ON TOP OF HIM, DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY, SHOW THAT PIRATE WHO'S ON TOP.

Guys, I just really love whump, okay? T_T

It's complicated and I’m emotional right now. Just let it go.

Tamara, you dummy. Who just trips and loses their gun? I mean, come on. Seriously.

"I'm not your mate." Ohhhh, Dave. Have I got some exciting news for YOU...

AHHHHHHHHHH T_T

This sceeeeeeeeene T_T

My baby Regina, doing the right thing and being a hero once and for all, for the son she loves so much... T_T

And she's smiling... T_T

"Let me die as Regina."

NOBODY TOUCH MEEEEEE T_T

Awwww... A touching Rumbelle scene... T_T

I’m just... I’m feeling a lot of things here, guys.

That dwarf infestation problem seems to have moved over to Granny's now.

She also seems to have a skulking pirate problem. Just look at it over there, skulking... watching... plotting...

JFC WHAT EVEN IS HIS FACE

How did they even air this face on television during prime time without warnings and disclaimers?! I had three heart attacks and five children whilst making this screencap alone.

"I didn't kill your mother." Ahhh, the pain in his voice T_T This whole speech here T_T

"As sure as if you ripped her heart out yourself." Ouch, Baelfire. I see you got your mother's cutting tongue there.

Awww... My poor pirate baby T_T

THAT FUCKING PIRATE ASSHOLE D:

Awww... He wants him to stay so badly T_T

But he won't stay T_T

AHHHHH the pain on Colin's face for that moment there T_T

Aaaaaaaand it's time to be an asshole again T_T

Aww, the sad version of Hook's theme T_T

Hahaha, they're all gonna die and Snow's like, 'YOU CALLED ME MOM, I'M GONNA CRY'

Meanwhile, everyone else in the audience has been calling Josh Dallas "dad" since sometime last season.

"You may not be strong enough, but maybe WE are." I LOVE THAT LIIIIINE <3

Imagine the director during this scene, though. 'That's great guys! Could we get more vibration? Just... vibrate the shit out of this scene. We need, just, ALL the vibrating you can possibly put into this right now. Like you're riding a jackhammer in an earthquake. That's great! Wonderful!'

Oh, that packed quite a wallop.

Hey, they saved the day!

And it's a Floor orgy. Everybody get down toni- Oh, you're all already down. That's the idea, isn't it. No, no, I get it. I just... nevermind.

HOW DID YOU GUYS LOSE AN 11-YEAR-OLD?

Ugh. These two. Can we kill them yet? Is it time for them to die? No? Not yet? Soon, though... right? Please?

I mean, the dialogue in this scene is literally painful. It’s just so bad. They don’t know what they’re doing or why they’re doing it, they don’t know who they’re working for or what the main point of anything is, they don’t make any sense when they open their mouths... I just really hate these two.

I love Dave’s face when he says they already did that. ‘Yeah, we did that... while you were fucking around on your boat, asshole.’

Awww, Rumple doing the right thing.

I gotta say, I love this energy here - heroes and former maybe still who knows villains working together T_T

I also love the angst on Hook's face when he says "Neverland."

Oh, the things I imagine happened there... :D

GAH, AND THE CLIFFHANGER...

Guys, this is how you DO a season finale. I mean, this is the BEST one in the entire series, in my opinion. It just ties everything up, and makes you EXCITED for the next season! Great episode :D

...and that’s a wrap! PEW PEW PEW PEW <3

#ouat rewatch #ouat liveblog #watching fairytales #2x22 #not whxmp #oc #kw reviews #anti these guys #ouat criticism

19 notes · View notes

melimelo-ao3 · 3 years

Text

Answers to the ask

So this is my answer to every ask of the “A Writer’s Ask Game” by agwitow that I reblogged just below.

Yes, I know, people are supposed to be the ones to send a number, and only then am I supposed to answer. But, since this blog has like, very, very limited interaction, and I had nothing to do, I answered them myself.

And I’m putting a time stamp on it: Wednesday 17/02/2021, because for some questions, in a week, it won’t be the same answer.

The Basics 1. Do you listen to music when you write?

I do, yes. I have a couple of playlists with songs – I know some people enjoy listening to music while they write, but only without any kind of lyrics. I don’t care either way. Some days it’s pre-enregistered playlists, others random, and others just piano.

2. Are you a pantser or plotter?

I’m mostly a plotter. I’ve tried to go pantser on a couple of stories (Pretty Boy is the last example that comes to my mind), but I end up knowing what I’ll put in the next chapters in advance. Even if it’s just the main plot point / scene.

3. Computer or pen and paper?

Computer. Except when I have writer block.

4. Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

I’ve never been published, and don’t plan on. I write my stories mostly for myself, and to me it’s a bit too over the top to, first, interest a publisher / editor, and then it would need lots of editing and… I don’t think I’m ready yet to see critics on my stories.

5. How much writing do you get done on an average day?

I have no idea xD I suppose I’m happy if I get 1.000 word a day, especially if it’s a day I only concentrate on writing. Sometimes it can be more, but sometimes it can also be nothing at all. On days I have other things to do, I’m happy if I can write one sentence more during the day :)

6. Single or multiple POV?

At the same time? Single. In a story? It depends. Some stories I’ve written in a single POV all along, others I switched between chapters, and others within chapters, with a distinction between the “parts”.

7. Standalone or series?

Um, series as in several “books”? If so, there’s this story I finished last year. At first, it was supposed to be one single book, but things progressed as they did and so I chose to cut the overall, finished epic into three books. So it’s supposedly a series now.

Other than this, I usually cram everything up in one story.

8. Oldest WIP

Oldest oldest? I started a story called L’année scolaire (= School Year) when I was like 10. It’s unfinished, so I suppose I can consider it as a WIP. Other than that, if I’m talking about posted fic, it’s a Harry Potter time-travel fanfic called Une nouvelle chance de vivre (= A New Chance At Living). Same, the fic has maybe ten years now (damn, time flies) and has been untouched for… about ten years I believe xD

9. Current WIP

I have several! On my AO3 profile, there’s Sunkissed (an Achilles x Patroclus Omegaverse ff), The Bravest Belief of All (Amandi) (a Peter Pan x Wendy Darling canon divergence from OUAT) and I Desire You (or worse) (which is an original work with original character that I’ve just started posting) that I update regularly.

There are more on my computer, much more than I can type here…

10. Do you set yourself deadlines?

Not at all. Because I wouldn’t respect them, and it would make me stress.

The Specifics 11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

Victor Hugo is the main one that comes to my mind atm. I love the way he writes and what he writes about. There’s Emile Zola’s Au Bonheur des dames, too, which is amazing, one of the best books I know of. And, for the beauty of language and the sheer poetry literally pouring from every single word, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand is. breathtaking. I don’t know if they influenced me, because it sounds a bit pretentious to say that one can find some of these authors in my stories if they look closely, but they definitely represent what I aspire to.

12. Describe your perfect writing space

In a silent room, except there’s music (I know, it’s paradoxical). I have my computer and my head is resting (I mean, I don’t have anything urgent to do, it’s all done and behind me for the day) and I can concentrate on the scene I’ve been imagining for a couple of days / weeks / months / years (pick one).

13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished

Usually I have an idea, I play it in my head over and over again until I really like it and I have a couple of things found out (like, scenes or dialogues or narration – depends if the idea is about a story or just a single scene). Then, I write it. Admittedly, the polishing happens mostly when I play it over and over in my mind until it clicks or sticks.

14. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I usually listen to them, because it means there’s something that’s nagging me about a scene, a moment. So I go reread it, I think back on it – what can I change? How can I formulate it in a different way? – and I change it until I’m satisfied with it.

I experience a (lot) of self-doubt at the moment, with the first three chapters of IDY. I chose to post them, but I’m not entirely sure I’d be ready if people began to hate them or find horrible flaws with them. that makes me doubt whether it was a good idea or not, but I know that I can always delete them if it really goes downhill.

15. How do you deal with writer’s block?

I stop writing. For a couple of days, usually, to let my brain the time to relax and focus on something else. Then, I sit back before my computer and I open another word document – like a blank page. I copy paste the scene I’m stuck on, and I rewrite it under, while using a couple of sentences I feel are good. I repeat the process until the words flow back again.

(This sounds a lot like a cooking recipe xD)

For the real, unbreachable writer’s block (like, if the above didn’t work), I try to focus on other stories. If that doesn’t help kick the inspiration back (like for No, but I do – even though the writer’s block was cemented by GOT’s last season but that’s another matter entirely), I push the story to the back of my mind and I give it up.

16. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied with a project?

As many as necessary until I’m satisfied with myself. I can’t give a number.

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have?

I imagine the scene beforehand, I listen to music, I write on computer… I can’t think of any other writing habit I have atm.

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

I don’t think I could collaborate with anyone, sorry - -’ When I have an idea for a story, I’m excited with writing every single part of it, so I don’t think it’s for me.

19. How do you keep yourself motivated?

With the scenes I want to write.

20. How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

At the moment (meaning the ones brewing in my mind): 11.

The Favourites 21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

It depends with the story. I liked Weston in Pretty Boy (I like him too in I Desire You), and Wendy in Amandi.

22. Who is/are your favourite pairing(s) to write?

Weston/Edmund. They’re my OTP for now.

23. Favourite author

I don’t have a favourite author, I search for fics / stories mostly.

24. Favourite genre to write and read

Romance.

25. Favourite part of writing

I love writing dialogues, especially when the characters continue to talk on their own and I’m just transcribing everything and the conversation ends up very different from what I imagined.

26. Favourite writing program

None, I just write on Word.

27. Favourite line/scene

That’s impossible to choose! xD

On a writing’s perspective only, I’ll say the end part of chapter 3 in I Desire You (or worse). When I reread it and I could feel what the character is feeling / does (I’m being vague on purpose because I haven’t posted it yet), I knew I had to post it somewhere. I don’t know, I’m just really proud of it (and have the most self-doubt over people’s reaction, which is – as always – very logical of me).

28. Favourite side character

In I Desire You, I like Lucy.

29. Favourite villain

I don’t think I’ve ever written many villains. Ah, yes, Peter Pan in my OUAT fic. He’s a villain, it works.

30. Favourite idea you haven’t started on yet

I’ve been beginning a lot of WIP at the moment, precisely so I could start putting down all the ideas I wanted, so I don’t really know what to answer to that…

The Dark 31. Least favourite part of writing

Writing description of settings. I don’t really like how I write those.

32. Most difficult character to write

Edmund. No hesitation.

33. Have you ever killed a main character?

No, and I never intend to. I want my characters to be happy and alive.

34. What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

Chapter 3 of I Desire You? Or maybe the chapter 2.

Or the beginning of Amandi, which depicts the Peter / Fiona relation.

35. What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

Um, none at the moment :)

The Fun 36. Last sentence you wrote

I understand how he feels.

But I’ll probably change it. I’m not sure yet. It’s for IDY.

37. First sentence of your current WIP

Well, I have three, so I’ll put the three.

A frustrated scream would have torn the eerie silence and thunderous sound of waves if Peter had any strength left in him to scream anymore. For Amandi

“Where’re y’all running to?” For IDY

Patroclus’ lip trembled when they pinned the crown to his hair. For Sunkissed.

38. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had

Oof, lots. I’ve often imagined confronting two versions of characters. Like, take characters, usually from period pieces or in mindsets that are very patriarchal, and make them see another version of themselves, usually in Omegaverse, in a sort of Harry Potter pensieve or television setting, like they just watch this alternate universe version of themselves as they go on their daily lives. And then I imagine all the ways this character would first be horrified / angered / dismissive of that version of themselves that they’d judge weaker because they’d be Omegas, and then, slowly, they see that they’re really badass and yk worthy of consideration, respect etc. Not just them, but all their mates etc. would too, as well. And then they would come out as this better person, who aren’t as prejudiced as they used to be.

39. Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had

I don’t know, I think it kind of overlap with the precedent question? Anyway, my characters are (only) plain, normal humans. Or, well, there was one time I had an idea to write a story with elves à la Tolkien, but it’s not really a weird character concept (or at all really xD)

40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

Well, all my characters’ important backstories end up being revealed, so I’m not gonna spoil anything here…

I’ll take Curly from Amandi. He grew up in an orphanage, a poor one, which didn’t have proper beds (hence why he calls them pockets, because they look like pockets). He has no memory of his parents because they separated before his birth and his mother died in birth. He comes from a magical land (since we’re talking about an OUAT AU).

The Rest of It 41. Any advice for new/beginning/young writers?

Write what you want to read.

42. How do you feel about love triangles?

I’m mixed. I’m not a fan of them, but I wrote one once, although it was a bit special because it looked like that: Person A is in love with Person B, and vice versa, Person C loves Person A and Person C (and the entire world) is convinced Person A is in love with them.

43. What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline?

I just go with it. They know better than me xD

44. How much research do you do?

A lot, but it’s mostly on little details. Like, not wars or political situation of the country at the time period, but more like were oil lamps still used for that class of population in said year, and can you snuff them out by turning the button (like in a slide sort of way, I’m not sure how to translate it precisely in English, but in my head it’s crystal clear).

45. How much world building do you do?

I do a lot. When I write a story, I like to know every little detail I can.

46. Do you reread your own stories?

Yes. That’s the main reason why I write them, to be true.

47. Best way to procrastinate

By searching for aesthetic pics on Pinterest. That thing can take hours and you never see them fly. It’s incredible. Worse than Youtube. It takes you from picture to picture to picture without you noticing. Amazing.

48. What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written?

I give a little bit of myself to every character I write about. Be it opinions, thoughts, childhood memory or taste. For example, Weston doesn’t like chocolate (he hates it with a passion) because I think chocolate has a disgusting taste (and because he never had the occasion of eating any as a kid).

49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

Weston, because he’s friendly and extraverted, and I wish I could be more of both, and I imagine that being his friend would make me mimic him in certain ways.

#personal #me myself and I #writing ask

0 notes

yetanotheremptypage · 5 years

Text

Happy Fanfiction Writers’ Appreciation Day!

It’s another fic rec list! Here’s last year’s, and here’s the masterpost with links to previous years’ lists. They are all amazing, so you should definitely check them out, but in the mean time, here’s some more. I tried to tag most of the ships and/or fandoms, so if you ship any of those or are in the fandom, check out the recs below the cut. Of course, there are plenty more amazing fanfictions/writers out there, and to them, I give a huge THANK YOU! Finally, for the shameless plug, if you have any interest in any of my stories, links can be found here.

all of my wrongs they lead me right to you series (Lara Jean x Peter, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) AO3 [In-progress]

Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky reconnect 6 years after breaking up.

Peter's hiding a secret that could change everything.

A great look at relationships and the happy ever after we all want for these two. Plus Peter as a single dad. Perfection in every story, from courtship to parenting.

And All The Devils Are Here (Rosaline x Benvolio, Still Star-Crossed) AO3 [Complete]

It's a simple story, really: Girl meets Boy. Girl hates Boy. Girl and Boy infiltrate the most popular reality dating show on television to expose its unethical treatment of contestants and have to act like they're falling in love... And suddenly, the lines get blurred between the sparks flying on screen - and the real thing that grows when the cameras stop rolling.

Did you know you needed a Rosaline x Benvolio undercover Bachelor AU? No. But you do. Trust me. It’s by the same author as Falser Than Vows Made In Wine, which I rec’ed another year, and it is just as perfect.

Close To The Ground (MCU) AO3 [Complete]

“Not done,” Tony slices a hand through the air, and Peter shuts his mouth immediately. “Because you must have done something. Last I remember, your mother wasn’t an insect.”

Peter winces, but he can’t help mumbling an “Arachnid,” under his voice.

“Excuse me?”

“Spiders are arachnids, not insects.” Mask clutched in his hands, staring at the floor, Peter decides this might just be one of the worst moments of his young, ever persisting life.

(...or the civil war biodad au that no one asked for.)

Need to recover after the Starkson feels of the recent MCU films and/or the Marvel-Sony battle? Try this on for size. It’s so well-written, though, that it could make things worse. But probably not.

Elegance Cannot Kill A Man series (Sansa x Tyrion, Games of Thrones) AO3 [In-progress]

What if a good deed resulted in Sansa and Tyrion being married before Ned Stark's death? How would this change the Game of Thrones?

A series featuring a Sansa who is strong and smart, a Varys with a plan, and a Tyrion who has no idea what he's gotten himself in for.

This series gives me SO MUCH LIFE. In a recent review, I described it as the political fantasy epic the TV series wished it could be. Everything about it is amazing. Everything. I’m on the fourth one right now and literally everything is amazing, even the sad stuff. Just do it.

Happiness Can’t Be Arranged series (Regina x Robin, Once Upon A Time) AO3 || FF [In-progress]

Set during the Regency Period, Henry and Cora arrange a marriage for their daughter in an effort to save their family’s name and estate.

I accidentally stumbled across this series due to a OUAT hyperfixation relapse, and I think the relapse occurred so I would find this fic. The characters are so well written to the point that I hear the actors’ voices in my head, guys. It’s got everything: friends to lovers, arranged marriage, mutual pining. Also, we were robbed of Henry and Roland interaction and I didn’t know it until this fic.

Home (Sybil x Tom, Downton Abbey) FF [In-progress]

The lives of Tom and Sybil Branson, both in Dublin and Yorkshire, as told through an anthology of stories. Proudly AU from 3x05 onward.

I don’t remember how I found this, but in excitement over the Downton Abbey movie, why not read a brilliant AU where Sybil Lives and she and Tom get to be happy? It is a one/two-shot series and is complete perfection.

I Wanna Mash-Up With You (Brittany x Santana, Glee) FF [In-progress]

"People think that she and Britt just fall together when they're drunk at parties, maybe in between boyfriends. And Santana lets them believe it because she isn't ready for them to know its not the falling together that does her in, it's the fact she feels like without her, she would fall apart." Brittana & Quick. Lots of Unholy Trinity & Pucktana friendship too. Canon couples.

Full disclosure: I came for the Quick, stayed for the amazing Holy Trinity relationship, and wait with bated breath for the Brittana I know will soon come alive (For realz, at least). The characterizations are on point, and I love how it explores motivations for these early Season 1 moments.

Identity series (Leia x Han, Star Wars) AO3 || FF [Complete]

A distress signal reaches Coruscant after the Empire's demise, claiming to be the beacon of Bail Organa. what would the reappearance of Leia's adoptive father mean for her life in a post ROTJ context. What would he think of Han Solo, and what could he tell her about the dark shadow of her heritage? H/L; significantly AU, I suppose.

THIS IS AN AMAZING AU AND I AM IN LOVE WITH IT. PLEASE GO READ THE SERIES. THE WORLD BUILDING IS FANTASTIC AND THE CHARACTERIZATION FLAWLESS. I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR THE CAPS LOCK.

Kindle (Harry x Ginny, Harry Potter) AO3 || FF [Complete]

Life throws a lot of unexpected things Harry Potter's way, but his luck has been pretty good so far.

THE Hinny Modern Single Dad-Ish AU you must read. We’ve got Weasley shenanigans, Sirius/Jily alive and well, Teddy as the Ultimate Shipper, and Harry and Ginny being super adorable and amazing all over the place. Plus, Harry as his awkward relatable self. A 10/10 must-read.

made weak by time and fate, but strong in will (Harry Potter) AO3 [In-progress]

In one world, James Potter is wandless when he faces Voldemort.

In another, he’s not, and everything changes.

*incoherent screaming for years about how absolutely perfect this fic is: the A+ characterization, the magnificent world building, and the fantastic pacing*

Poe Organa-Solo series (Star Wars) AO3 || FF [In-progress]

“You’re Han Solo’s kid, aren’t you?” he asks.Poe has no idea how to answer that, on a foreign planet no less. There are two types of people in the galaxy - those who hear yes and want to buy him a drink, and those who hear yes and want to kill him. He doesn’t feel like finding out which type this guy is, but then again does he really have a choice?

Hi, did you know that Poe Dameron was adopted by Han and Leia after Shara and Kes’ tragic demise, Luke is Kylo Ren’s father, and Kylo Ren is directly responsible for the death of Han and Leia’s biological daughter, Breha, and deserves to die for it? No? Then you haven’t read this masterpiece. Please correct yourself.

the santiago-peralta family stories series (Amy x Jake, Brooklyn 9-9) AO3 [In-progress]

This series is goddamn amazing and follows the two most amazing detectives raising some of the most amazing kids. It’s so well written and so FLUFFY and just amazing.

we’ve been together as long as i can remember (but we only make love in the spring) (Sansa x Tyrion, Game of Thrones) AO3 [In-progress]

She is always cold. And thin, so thin. He feels her bones protruding under her pale, marble skin, even with the layer of her clothes in his way: ribs and hipbone and the sharp angles of her shoulders, shoulder-blades, the notches of her spine. He ran a finger over them, once, in one of his braver moods, almost down to the small of her back, and felt her shivering lightly under the touch. Made of steel, he had thought, then. Today, he rests one modest hand on her shoulder. She's not drunk, he knows she's not, but he won't risk her resentment in the morning.

Still, even with the privilege that is to know her bones, he wishes he had a whole harvest for her.

This whole marriage is winterbound. He wouldn't call it love.

"Thank you", she mumbles, eyes closed and face hidden on his chest. "You're a good husband".

He reaches for the tip of the nearest blanket to cover her and bows his head down to puts his lips to her forehead. "You're drunk", he answers, and she chuckles briefly, too tired to argue.

[Where all the wars are over; the Starks are starting again; and everyone waits for news of spring.]

This might be one of the absolute best versions of Sansa and Tyrion coming back to each other, with all their demons, and making something beautiful out of it, that I have ever read.

0 notes

firelxdykatara · 3 years

Note

Reader anon here with a thought!

Do you like love triangles? I personally don't, there is something about them that is incredibly frustrating lol. Same thing for harems, though there are some that do it tastefully 😌 so I can't be too upset by them.

It honestly depends on the love triangle and the way the author writes all three relationships (and, for any genuine love triangle, there should be three relationships--they don't all need to be romantic, but there needs to be an existing and strong relationship between all three points on the triangle, otherwise I'm almost certain not to be at all invested), how they are presented, and what the narrative purpose of the love triangle is.

Ironically, one of the best examples of a love triangle done well (at least... to a certain point in the story, which I'll explain in a bit) happened in a television show that is fairly notorious for turning to utter shit in the latter four seasons and alienating pretty much the entire fanbase, to the point where most of us dipped well before the end and everyone celebrated news of the show's cancellation.

I'm talking about The Vampire Diaries.

(under a cut because i went on a LOOOONG ramble about tvd and why that love triangle worked initially and then why it failed, and then i talked a bit about another love triangle that was pretty weak and failed almost from the outset in OUAT but was ultimately axed in favor of the stronger relationship and character being given focus, and what all of this means for how i feel about love triangles in general)

While this is still very much a case where I only shipped one side of the triangle, hated the other, and couldn't wait for it to be resolved so that I wouldn't have to deal with the side I disliked any longer (the writing was on the wall as far back as season 1, no matter how in denial a certain portion of the fandom remained right up until the series finale) the development of the triangle itself and how it affected all three characters and their relationships with one another was done very well for most of the first four seasons. Damon and Stefan were brothers, with a bloody and complicated history and relationship, and they both fell in love with this human girl--Stefan almost instantly, because she looked just like Katherine and he found himself... (and here I'm going to be as fair as I possibly can to him, but if you want my full anti stelena rant I have many of them prepped and ready to go) following her, at first to make sure she wasn't Katherine, and then inserting himself into her life to protect her. Damon, on the other hand, took much longer, because he was still in love with (and trying to rescue) Katherine, and so when he did fall in love with Elena, it was because of who she was, not because of some idealized 'Not Katherine' pedestal he placed her on the instant he met her.

(I swear, I swear I'm trying to be fair to Stefan, it's just very hard.)

The thing is, Elena was in love with Stefan almost from the jump. (And one of the reasons I never really shipped stelena is because that kind of insta-love with very little conflict that isn't manufactured by the plot just isn't compelling for me, and I fully jumped ship about halfway through s1 when Damon and Elena took a road trip together. It's a long story, but that remains one of my favorite episodes in the entire show and it marks the beginning of their actual journey together.) Stefan showed up at a time when she desperately needed someone, and to his credit he did help her through her early depressive spiral--in large part because Elena's recent trauma (survivor's guilt due to her parents dying in a car crash from which she was the only survivor) meant that finding out Stefan was immortal and could not die and would not leave her resulted in her getting fiercely attached.

He was safe, he was stable, she could rely on him. But she could not grow with him, because for him, she was essentially a morality pet/the anchor to his humanity, and that meant that he could not accept when she began to grow out of her need for him. The fact that this coincided with her becoming a vampire only made things worse--because she settled into being a vampire much more easily with far less strife than he'd ever managed, and an Elena who enjoyed being a vampire in ways Stefan simply couldn't could no longer function as the idealized reminder of humanity he was desperate to cling to.

Damon, on the other hand, was the one who fell in love with Elena--not Not Katherine. He never put her on a pedestal, he never asked more of her than she could give him--when he realized how deep his feelings for her ran, he made her forget his confession because he knew he did not deserve her and he didn't want her burdened with his feelings when she was still in love with his brother and was always going to be. Elena's growing feelings for Damon coincided with her growth from a depressed and suicidal teenage girl into a young woman who began to realize that it was ok to want things for herself--to be a little selfish, to take what she wanted, to admit what she wanted. And, again, the fact that this coincided with her transformation into a vampire (although her growth within her relationship with Damon began well before that), meant that Damon's reaction to Elena-as-a-vampire was thrown into sharp relief against Stefan's--because he accepted her where his brother couldn't.

Ultimately, this led to Elena fully outgrowing her feelings for Stefan, and accepting, nurturing, and reveling in her feelings for Damon. The triangle was resolved, all three characters had growth separately and in their different relationships, and they could then move on from there along their different paths. Stefan could have had some truly excellent character growth involving moving on and finally living for himself rather than trying so hard to be this perfect brooding tortured vampire because he was the Good Brother, since there was no longer any need for that Good Brother/Bad Brother dichotomy. They'd both grown past it, as characters individually and as brothers together.

Unfortunately, where TVD ultimately failed (and this coincided with the way the show utterly lost the plot in terms of storylines, character arcs and cohesiveness and became an unsalvageable mess) is in refusing to let the love triangle die.

What should have happened is that once the love triangle was resolved--Elena growing as a character and moving on from her immature first love and fully embracing her feelings, as an adult, for her much more adult relationship with Damon--they abandoned the love triangle premise and let all three characters continue to grow outside of it. Damon and Elena should have been allowed to grow together and explore their relationship, Stefan to figure out where he still fit in their lives--as Damon’s brother, and one of Elena’s closest friends who she still loved dearly even though she was no longer in love with him--and then explore relationships of his own outside their family unit as he finally began to fully move on and grow out of his own overly idealized feelings for Elena.

Instead, what wound up happening is that the stelena side of the love triangle kept being teased--probably to keep the avid stelena shipping contingent invested in the story, hoping for ‘another brother swap’ as was lampshaded in one of Nina’s final episodes before she left the show (and, indeed, many of them remained utterly convinced that stelena would be endgame, right up until the series finale)--and rather than growing together, delena fans were constantly hit over the head with how ‘toxic’ Damon and Elena were for each other (even though this ran contrary to everything we’d seen in the show to that point, including having Damon regress repeatedly for, presumably, no reason other than to never let fans forget he was the Bad Brother and always would be, and Elena just couldn’t help but love him anyway), and all three characters and their relationships wound up suffering horribly for it.

That is an example of a love triangle that had a very promising foundation and development, right up through what should have been a resolution, and the reason it is generally looked on so unfavorably in fandom circles is because the show refused to move on from the triangle organically when the story needed it to, because it had already served its purpose.

For an example of a love triangle that, in my mind, simply didn’t work from the very beginning, I’d say my go-to example is from Once Upon a Time--the short-lived love triangle between Emma, Killian, and Neal. I think the first stumbling block there was that there weren’t really three relationships that mattered. Technically, Killian did have a connection to Neal--because they’d met in Neverland, prior to Neal remaining in the Land Without magic--but it functioned more as a backdrop to explain why Killian knew him when they got to Neverland again in the story, and why Neal didn’t trust him. It wasn’t actually developed as anything outside of that brief flashback, and they didn’t have any connection in the present outside of one episode where they essentially fought over Emma and she (rightly) got angry at them for it. There was no real exploration of who they were to each other outside of the fact that both of them had feelings for Emma, so it really was just one woman torn between her feelings for two different men, and with no real stakes attached to her choice.

The other problem with this particular triangle is that one side of it was... conspicuously weak. While Emma’d had a full season and a half worth of interactions and development with Killian--where they went from enemies, to grudging allies, to Killian openly acknowledging that he hadn’t ever believed he would be able to love again until he met Emma--she had... very little to support her potential relationship with Neal outside of their history. History which consisted of then-young-adult Neal knocking up underage Emma (she was 17 at the oldest because she was still in Juvie when Henry was born, and he was already ten years old the day she turned 28; so she was either 16 or very newly 17 when she got pregnant) and ensuring that she got sent to prison for his own crime, at which point he didn’t see her again until she was nearly 30. When he did see her again, he treated her incredibly poorly, up to and including getting angry at her about the fact that she didn’t tell him that Henry was his son--even though he had no right to that information, because Emma was in prison because of him at the time she found out, and she had no clue that he was in any way connected to the Fairy Tale world until she was helping Mr. Gold track down his son and it turned out to be Neal.

A big point is made, throughout the early seasons especially, about Emma’s walls and how much difficulty she has trusting people--and a great deal of that stemmed from Neal’s betrayal. This could have been the foundation for a story of healing and growth and two people coming back together--however, with the way Neal treats Emma in the present and how little closure she actually gets for what he did to her in the past, it comes across more as ‘well, she never did get over her feelings for him, so maybe he still has a shot even though she has no real reason to want to be with him now’.

Killian, on the other hand, never doubted Emma’s abilities and always had the utmost trust in and respect for her (after they became allies), and it was obvious that this is something Emma experienced very little of in her life. It’s notable that the first episode where they really interacted is the one in which Emma’s history with Neal is revealed, and it very deliberately paralleled and contrasted with her interactions with Killian. This already presented him with a leg up on the love triangle once Neal did show up, because Neal was the reason for a lot of the walls Emma had built around her heart, and it wasn’t until meeting Killian that she finally began to let some of them down.

I think that the show recognized this, and it pulled something that is actually a very frustrating pet peeve of mine--rather than write out the story that makes sense and have the main point of the love triangle make a choice and stick to it, the third point of the triad was simply written out. In this case, Neal essentially killed himself via his own stupidity, allowing Emma to angst about losing him without actually having to tell him she wasn’t in love with him and wasn’t going to choose him. (Veronica Mars pulled something very similar with the Logan/Veronica/Duncian triangle in season 2--rather than admit within the narrative that her relationship with Duncan was built on flimsy feelings of infatuation bc of their history, and a ‘stability’ that didn’t really work for who Veronica was at her core, he simply got written out of the story, running away for Plot Reasons and never forcing Veronica to confront the fact that she wasn’t actually in love with him and hadn’t been for quite some time.)

I think that in OUaT, the love triangle could have worked if a relationship between Killian and Neal was not only established in the past but developed in the present--Killian was in love with Neal’s mother centuries earlier, and something I’m actually really upset we never got is the two of them talking about Milah and maybe Neal getting some closure for his mother’s abandonment and someone apologizing to him for what they put Baelfire through as a child--giving stakes to Emma’s choice beyond ‘one of them will be all uwu sad that he wasn’t picked’. It also would have worked much better if we were given any reason for Emma to still have feelings for Neal in the present beyond the history they shared, which caused Emma nothing but pain for the last decade and change. If Neal had treated her more fairly--if he’d treated her like someone he actually cared about and even still loved, rather than blaming her for things that were his own fault and undermining her belief in her own abilities, among other things--then their relationship might have been strong enough to stand on its own opposite Emma’s relationship with Killian. I don’t think it ever would’ve been a relationship that appealed to me, personally, but then I could have at least enjoyed watching the three of them grow together and seeing all of their relationships grow and change.

So, ultimately, TL;DR: I do like love triangles, conceptually, but there are a few requirements they must meet for me to feel anything other than irritated at the inclusion. One: there must be at least three equally important relationships between the three characters. If it’s just one character torn between her (or his, but it’s usually a woman) feelings for two unrelated people, that can be compelling for a short time but ultimately I’m going to be left feeling frustrated by her refusal to just make a damn choice and put me out of my misery. Two: there should be some sort of development in each relationship which makes the presence of the triangle narratively significant. Why is it important for one character to have conflicting romantic feelings for these two other people at the same time? What purpose does it serve either their character arcs or the story as a whole? While I am both a Bangel and a Spuffy shipper, I’ve never considered Angel/Buffy/Spike to be a love triangle--they are very different relationships that she had at very different points in her life, and while her feelings for Angel never really went away (and do cause some angst for Spike near the end of btvs) they are never really competing for her affections in any meaningful sense. If that competition does exist, there needs to be a compelling reason why. And, as a further addendum to this point, I need to at least understand why the main point of the triangle is invested in each relationship, even if I don’t ship it and actively dislike or even outright hate one side of the triangle. (I loathe stelena, but I’ve always understood why Elena was in love with him in the beginning of the show, for example. And before s5/s6, I was really pleased with how the show handled her feelings for him and finally allowed her to grow and move on from them.)

And finally, three: the triangle needs to be resolved at some point--and, when it is, it needs to stay that way. Where TVD ultimately lost me (aside from the ridiculous plot contrivances and rampant character assassination) was the refusal to let the love triangle die a natural death when it is what the story called for, and all three of their characters, their relationships, and the show as a whole suffered massively for it. So, when the primary point of the triangle makes a choice--particularly if she had made one choice in the beginning of the story, but it was clear that she was ultimately moving towards choosing the other side as she grew and her feelings and relationships grew and changed with her--let that be the end of it. Move on to exploring what that choice means for the main pair and the party not chosen, sure--maybe explore their feelings about not being chosen and how that affects their relationships with both of the others afterwards--but don’t constantly tease the possibility of the ‘losing side’ getting back together just to keep shippers invested. It’s only going to hurt your show and make everyone look callous and stupid.

Alternately, a final possibility: make it an ot3 instead. But again, if the other three conditions aren’t met (particularly number two, and its addendum; if I don’t understand why the main point of the triangle is in love with both other points, an ot3 is unlikely to resolve that issue and I’m only going to wind up resenting it), then this won’t work, because it’s just going to wind up a lopsided and stilted mess of a relationship that leaves me wishing the offending point of the triangle had been killed off just so I wouldn’t have to keep hearing about them.

#tvd #delena #anti stelena #ouat #captain swan #anti swanfire #reader anon #oh man i rambled for days lmao im sorry #i hope this answered your question #on love triangles

19 notes · View notes

tayabak · 7 years

Text

002

a1. What’s your middle name? Nichole

2. What are you listening to right now? Birds chirping outside

3. What was the last thing you ate? Berry cheerios

4. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Husband

5. Do you drink? Occasionally

6. Do you smoke? No

7. What is the first thing you noticed in someone? Depends on the person. Sometimes smile, sometimes eyes.

8. What is your hair color? Dark brown

9. What is your eye color? Amber/green

10. Do you wear contacts/glasses? Contacts

11. Dogs or cats? I love both but I’m more of a cat person

12. What’s your favorite animal? Cats are my most favourite

13. What’s your favorite television show? ouat

14. What’s your favorite movie? What Dreams May Come

15. What’s your favorite band/singer? I like too many to choose just one

16. How old are you? 27

17. Do you have a crush on anyone? My husband

18. What’s your sexual orientation? Straight

19. What’s your favorite color? Purple

20. What was your most embarrassing moment? I had many

21. Do you ever wish you were someone else? No

22. What were you like when you were a kid? Intelligent, awkward, quiet

23. What would your dream house be like? If we can purchase our current home, I would love that! It is a bit small but its cute and I love it.

24. What last made you laugh? Husband was being adorable

25. What is your favorite word? Efflorescence

26. What is your least favorite word? Depression

27. What turns you on? Husband

28. What turns you off? People who act nice but are really assholes

29. What is your star sign? Capricorn-Aquarius

30. What are your favorite books? I have many

31. Do you have any siblings? 3

32. Do you like to dance? No

33. What is your definition of cheating? Doing intimate things with another person that isn’t your partner, that you shouldn’t be doing

34. Have you ever cheated on someone? No

35. Do you regret anything? Probably

36. Do you have any phobias? Yes

37. Ever broken any bones? No

38. Ever come close to death? Yes

39. What is your religion, if any? Lutheran

40. Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/therapist? I am currently seeing one

41. Are looks important in a relationship? Good looks are always nice

42. Are you more like your mom or your dad? Both in certain ways but nothing like them in other ways

43. What is your favorite season? Autumn

44. Do you have any tattoos? No

45. Do you have any piercings? 2 in each ear

46. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? 3 legit ones, plus one long distant ones

47. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? No

48. Who is your celebrity crush? I don’t have one

49. Are you a virgin? No

50. Do you get jealous easily? No

51. What is your favorite type of food? Filipino

52. Do you ever want to get married? I am

53. Who was your first kiss with? A cowoker

54. Have you ever been cheated on? Probably

55. What is your idea of the perfect date? Having fun with my husband

56. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert

57. Do you believe in aliens or life on other planets? Its possible

58. What talent do you wish you’d been born with? No idea

59. What is your saddest memory? Abuse from my parents

60. Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes

61. Do you believe in soul mates? Yes

62. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes

63. Has someone ever spread a nasty rumor about you? Yes

64. Would you go against your moral code for money? Probably not

65. What are three things most people don’t know about you? I’m trying to get better so I can work again, I know people are judging (thinking I’m just lazy), and that’s why I don’t like hanging out with people most of the time.

66. Who are you jealous of? Nobody

67. Do you sleep with a stuffed toy? No

68. How long was your longest relationship? Several years

69. Is the glass half empty or half full? Both

70. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you? Be my husband lol

71. Who is your most loyal friend? Husband, sister, and a few best friends

72. Are you in a relationship? Yes

73. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her? Husband; he’s an amazing person

74. Are you a bad person? I don’t think so

75. Are you a lover or a fighter? Both

76. What did you do on your last birthday? Went to birthday dinner

77. What is your favorite quote and why? “The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” -John Muir

78. If your best friend died, what would you do? I’d be incredibly sad if any of them passed.

79. If you had to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be? No idea

80. If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do? Be with my kids and husband

81. What is the strangest dream you’ve ever had? I have many strange dreams constantly

82. Are you happier single or in a relationship? Relationship

83. Who were you in a past life? Idk

84. What is your happiest childhood memory? There aren’t many...

85. Have you ever experienced unrequited love? Yes

86. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Probably

87. If you were the president, what would you do? I owuldn’t be lol

88. What is your ideal career? Botanist, ecological restorationist, horticulturist

89. What is your political affiliation? Democrat

90. Are you conservative or liberal? Liberal

91. Is the male or female body closest to perfection? *shrug*

92. Do you like kissing in public? Sure

93. If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change? I’d make people more loving

94. Where would you like to live? I’m fine where I am for now. Maybe we’ll move someday

95. Where would you go on your dream vacation? England ‘cause Steve would love that. But Versailles would be amazing too

96. Describe yourself in one word. Trying

97. Describe yourself in one sentence: Plants are cool.

#survey

0 notes