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comfyswitcherblanketfort · 3 years

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My insomnia is kicking my ass and I'm at a stage where I need to just get things off my mind by confessing into the void.

Sometimes I'll read through things in fandom and think "why do people need to make everything gay" and then I'll mentally slap myself and say "because people like me have insisted on making everything cis and straight" and I just feel guilty that my first reflex is so toxic and I just feel like a bad person.

Nonie, I’m afraid you’re not going to like what I have to say on this. But these are two of the things I actually give a fuck about so I put my god’s honest opinion under the cut. Also bc my inbox won't let me tag things so i have to post then edit the tags and i dont wanna surprise anyone with shit they dont want to read

Okay, I’m not the void. I’m a person and this is my inbox. If you really want to post into the void, make an anonymous side-blog and tag your stuff properly. It doesn't happen often to me since I don't have a lot of triggers, but a lot of other bloggers I know get triggering/draining asks like this that are asking them to make the sender feel better bout this, that, or the other and that’s not cool. No creator/blogger is responsible for your wellbeing. That's you fam. And it’s not looking for support when it's anonymous. Support implies connection, understanding, and the possibility of reciprocation. That’s not possible here. There is no asking for context like one could with a DM.

Now for the second chunk.

I definitely used to think like this. It’s something that our society and mainstream media conditions into us from a young age (especially those who grew up with religion). However, you clearly know it's not necessary and you’re correcting your thinking immediately so you’re working against that conditioning. It takes time, you'll get there. This self-flagellation isn't necessary nor is it helping anyone. No one gets special points for beating themselves up. Just make a note, make an effort to do better next time, and move on.

I was honestly thinking of just deleting this ask but this is a really important topic to me. Not the representation (though that is important) but the idea that we have to justify why we make things the way we want them or put references in art/a body of work. What is wrong with letting people enjoy things the way they want to? It’s not hurting anyone. It doesn’t matter if you (collective, not specific to nonie) don’t like it. There is something to be said for trying new things and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, but if you don’t like something, just fucking move on. If it’s not harming anyone it doesn't fucking matter.

This idea of ‘feeling uncomfortable’ is often misidentified as ‘feeling unsafe’ by cis straight white people, and even more so with men, and they are not the same thing in the slightest. A straight person may feel uncomfortable with homosexual/romantic themes because they aren't used to it and have been told it was wrong in one way or another regardless of what their logical conclusion on the topic is. They may claim feeling ‘unsafe’ because they no longer feel completely comfortable with the way they behave or the comments/thoughts they may entertain. While women, people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, and quite frankly anyone who challenges the status quo can and have been threatened with bodily harm for being who they are or suggesting who they are isn't offensive.

So yeah, I’m glad you feel uncomfortable with that first thought. You should. Because that thinking has caused untold harm and misery on so many different levels and you’re beginning to acknowledge that from your place of privilege. It gets easier. Who knows, you may start to realize that you’re actually not all that straight when you start working through shit like that (like me lol).

But I’m not going to sit here and tell you you’re an amazing person because I don’t know you. It’s also not my responsibility, nor am I likely to be successful in soothing your guilt. Just change your behavior going forward. That’s literally all we can do regarding thinking patterns like this.

#comfy answers #regan answers #one sided relationships #white privilege #cis privilege #straight privilege #conditioned thinking #societal conditioning #regan rants #like a lot #dont dump emotional labor on your bloggers #representation #make it all gay

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i-want-my-iwtv · 3 years

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I hope the rumours of Louis being a brothel owner aren't true, but if they are I can sort of see why they're going for this route? I mean, with a black Louis they can't have him being a slaver anymore, so maybe they're trying to find something that is also morally reprehensible for him to be.

TL;DR: My kneejerk reaction was to be saddened, and I don’t like that this is starting up, and will continue to fuel, fandom drama. Ultimately, if we want peace, we’ll embrace the fact that the existence of this adaptation doesn’t take away from the existence of the books, and it also doesn't mean we have to acknowledge it.

It makes me wonder whether AMC wants us to make a storm about this. We’ll see...

After all, what makes this adaptation any more important than the graphic novels of the ’90s, the graphic novel Claudia’s Story, movie!IWTV, or movie!QOTD? In fact, many fans here on tumblr consider VC to be a trilogy only!!! and don’t accept the majority of the PUBLISHED CANON so what makes anyone think we have any obligation to swallow this AMC adaptation as some kind of gospel?

I see movie!QOTD as a buffet of ideas carried in an official fanfiction work, and I don’t accept as my headcanon the various things it changed about the books that I didn’t particularly like, such as merging Magnus and Marius (which, IMO, effectively made both characters more morally reprehensible). I accepted the things I did enjoy, like casting a Black/POC actress to play Akasha. I see this AMC adaptation as a buffet of ideas, some can be taken, and some not, it’s just another official fanfiction work.

[Anon, I need to catch other ppl up on the information, too.]

Deadline.com informs us that in the AMC adaptation for Interview with the Vampire, Jacob Anderson has been cast as Louis. I'm not familiar with him, but it looks like he’s a successful actor, from Game of Thrones and other things, he’s also joining Series 13 of Doctor Who. I’ll have to check him out from an acting standpoint!

Aside from his talent as an actor, this is by far the most controversial thing that's happened in VC fandom recently. I've been thinking about this for a few months now, talking about it privately online and offline, still gathering my thoughts. So this post is not engraved in stone, it’s initial thoughts on this.

I’m glad to see ppl talking about it and I’m sure we’ll have more public discussions. I’m trying to discuss it very carefully, but also, this is an entertainment blog, my opinions are mine alone, and I’m not looking for dogpiling on anyone, I have no obligation to respond publicly or privately to anything. Plenty of other ppl have differing opinions on this. So take all of the following with more than a grain of salt, I’m not being salty, I’m providing the links to the little info we’ve seen pulicly, I’m giving my initial thoughts, and I’m also trying to add a little levity because ultimately, again, this is an entertainment blog, and I try to add a little humor to help with such serious topics, humor can help ppl talk about controversial things.

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The casting of a POC/Black actor (I’m sorry I don't know the preferred terminology, let me know if you know what Anderson prefers) confirms at least one part of theilluminerdi articles that stated that Louis’ race will be different from the books. I didn’t post about these before bc I wasn’t sure how reliable theilluminerdi’s sources are (and I'm still not sure), but this was one major aspect that theilluminerdi announced before Deadline did, so now seems to be the right time to share those articles. For now, you can go check them out yourselves rather than have my reposting of the information, trigger warning: mentions of sex workers and race in the changes to the canon story of Interview with the Vampire.

>>>theilluminerdi articles from May 21, 2021 and July 15, 2021:

www.theilluminerdi.com/2021/05/21/interview-with-the-vampire-amc

www.theilluminerdi.com/2021/07/15/interview-with-the-vampire-amc-2

^Meme of Dr. Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park reads: “Your writers were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

I’m using that meme with a little levity here, clearly an AMC adaptation of vampires in which the producers/writers have chosen to change the race of a main character (arguably the original protagonist of the series) isn’t in the same VICINITY as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park that broke out of containment and killed visitors to the park, but John Hammond’s intention for the creation of that park was very good, as I assume this race change was intended. Time will tell.

“But with this place, I wanted to show them something that wasn't an illusion. Something that was real, something that they could see and touch. An aim not devoid of merit.”

“Creation is an act of sheer will.”

- John Hammond, Jurassic Park

Race is a more complicated subject than ever, so for AMC to make this bold change, I hope they have POC and Black writers on staff and are handling this very carefully. Even then, no racial group, including POC and Black people, are a hivemind, disagreements are bound to happen in the writing room, whether in good faith or bad. People have different intentions and motives, compromises will probably be made with the story in many ways, we all know how it goes with collaborations; the end product is a shared vision among multiple creators. This could be a potentially controversial adaptation, I don’t know whether they’re aiming for that or not, but with the elements it has so far, it seems to be headed that way.

Here's a comment by "Angellus" on the 5/21 article. It's undeniable that there's going to be the accusation of racism thrown at anyone who has any negative view of this change, regardless of their reasons. I find it unfair and narrow-minded that any negative response is automatically assumed to be coming from a racist point of view. To say that changing Louis' race is unequivocally an improvement fails to take into account how that change has a Domino effect on all of the other parts of the story. Not the least of which is that, if he is still a slaver/slave holder/plantation owner/(insert your preferred term) that adds a whole new racist element to his owning Black/POC people, even though, apparently there were Black/POC plantation owners.

Not the least of which: How will this change impact his relationship with Lestat? Particularly when Lestat has the added issue of being described in those articles as having “mind control abilities” and “insistent that he gets what he wants and when facing rejection,” a terrible combination in terms of consent, even in a relationship of the same race, let alone invoking Caucasian/white dominance over Black/POC people, AND Lestat being the catalyst to Louis’ questioning his sexuality:

Lestat is insistent that he gets what he wants and when facing rejection, petulance can quickly turn to ruthless rage which causes frenzied acts of horrifically brutal violence. Lestat also has mind control abilities. Lestat initially infuriates Louis, but this soon turns to fascination which leads Louis to question his religion and sexuality.

^Screencap reads: "I love how racist everyone is in the damn comments, this doesn’t pervert the story you’re all racist and it’s disgusting. I’m looking forward to it, I hope you keep crying your salty racist tears asswipes."

It makes me question whether Angellus truly believes what they wrote, if this is an ideology, or a troll. I would suggest their use of the term “pervert” is correct though, pervert means: “alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.” That’s what this race change does, factually. Although, in this context, “distortion or corruption” carries a negative connotation. It would take a lot to show how this change does not meet the definition or “to pervert,” though.

I hope the rumours of Louis being a brothel owner aren't true

I agree 1,000%, I was hoping that these were just rumors. But, aside from the race change, if this were the only change, I find Louis being a brothel owner to be equivalently morally reprehensible to being a slaver/slave holder/plantation owner/(insert your preferred term). Ideally, they’d change his career to something that doesn’t involve benefiting from the bodies/labor of others in any morally reprehensible manner.

I mean, with a black Louis they can't have him being a slaver anymore, so maybe they're trying to find something that is also morally reprehensible for him to be.

He might still be a slaver. Who knows. Being morally reprehensible as a mortal man didn’t seem to me to be crucial to the story, but they still could have chosen something better. It seems to me like they want a brothel so they can have eye candy for an audience who want to see sex workers, maybe full frontal nudity.

-----

What also gets my attention is that Anne and Christopher Rice have not yet posted publicly about it, which leads me to believe that this change wasn’t their choice. They take every chance to brag when they’re proud of something, every chance to crowdsource about casting ideas or which VC books Anne’s fans liked best, etc., and in this case, as of Aug. 31, 2021, (and to be fair, maybe I missed it), I haven’t seen either of them post about this on the official VC FB, Anne Rice’s FB, Annerice.com, Christopher Rice’s FB, or christopherricebooks.com. If it had been their choice, I think they would have gladly trumpeted their credit by now, but maybe they’re waiting to do it in a specific venue. Time will tell.

#vampire chronicles #interview with the vampire #louis de pointe du lac #race #racism #tw race #tw racism #tw sex worker #jurassic park #memeything #ian malcolm #anon #ask #anne rice #christopher rice #long post #iwantmyiwtv has opinions #Jacob Anderson #vc casting

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mallowstep · 3 years

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What are your opinions on forbidden relationships in Warriors? I've seen people label it as a "trope" because of how common this is. Some find the forbidden romance aspect intriguing, though others find it extremely repetitive and old

I'd like to know your thoughts!

hm. well, it is a trope. i mean, there's an average of one major one a series, right? greysilver, leafcrow (and others, but that's the big one), heatherlion (and implied others), tigerdove, idk i don't remember anything from avos but violetshine luv her but there's probably something, bristleroot. dotc doesn't count bc well it's dotc.

anyway.

definitely a trope.

but that's not a bad thing.

what i think people don't give warriors enough credit for is that these are not all the same forbidden romance. most of them are handled in different ways and bring up different conflicts. i understand why people are tired of them, but let's not discredit one of the only good things in warriors romance: that they make forbidden relationships different.

like, with grey and silver, it's about loyalty and responsibility. leafcrow is just bad idea central, both heatherlion and tigerdove are about responsibilities and young cats, and they have two different answers, and bristleroot is challenging the whole idea from the start.

so like. give credit where credit is due: we're not doing the same (forbidden) relationships again and again. i don't see enough people talk about that.

okay so it turns out i have um. a lot of thoughts about this. idk i just kept writing and now it's over 2k words. so you know. under the cut: matthew does half-baked media analysis to talk about why the code and cats' relationships to it are misunderstood. while actually staying on topic.

anyway from here on i'm just going to say relationship/romance, and understand that i'm generally talking about the forbidden kind. also i'm talking exclusively within the realm of warriors romance, which is, on average, bad. so when i say "X is good," i don't mean "X is good in general," i mean "given what we have, X is good." just to be clear.

right! basically, this is a tool. it creates tension and drama, and that's fine. warriors is a soap opera, remember. soap operas use secrets and relationships and all sorts of plot devices over and over again. warriors is not Serious. it can be dark. it has serious moments. but it is not a Serious Book Series for Serious Kids. it is a soap opera for Future Theatre Kids. yeah?

from that perspective, i'm a-ok with forbidden romance. (also, as a mini-aside, it creates some much-needed genetic diversity when kits are involved.) and again: all of the major relationships are different, so i think that's better than a lot of people give it credit for.

yeah, heatherlion and greysilver and tigerdove are all about the same general idea (loyalty and responsibility), but they all have different circumstances and different resolutions.

so like? yeah. sure. why not?

plus, like, who's reading warriors for the romance? i separate the concept of "romance" from a "relationship" here: i like the relationships in warriors (ivy and dove tension my beloved), but i'm not here to read about tigerheart wooing dovewing. (yes, i do love the tigerdove scenes in oots. no, that's not because i think they're very good at being romantic.)

but i digress.

if warriors was a Serious Book Series for Serious Kids, i'd have a different take here. having been in an IRL forbidden relationship, i have the Personal Insight and Experience to say they're this weird mash of "very much how it feels" and "not at all how it feels."

tigerdove is probably my favourite bc it's the closest to my circumstances, and i think dovewing is a good pov. i like how she breaks up with him because it's a bad idea, but that's not the same thing as not feeling for him.

(heh. twelve-year-old me reading oots like "this will never apply to my life" what did you know)

but to the point, if warriors was serious, i'd point out that the consequences always seem to be internal. we haven't seen characters be punished for their actions. and so on.

but warriors is a soap opera.

and here's my actual thesis: we haven't seen characters be punished for their actions, because "forbidden relationships" are a normal and expected part of clan society.

like no, fandom-at-large, you're kind of missing the point. okay, you know how like. people complain about. idk. ivypool and fernsong being distantly related?

(third aside/very long ivyfern rant, i put a nice big "rant over" after it if you want to skip past it: they're third cousins. they share, max, 2.2% of their genetics. they are fine. do you know your third cousins? do you? yeah. and like. they live in a closed society. there is no one new.

i've never seen someone complain about forbidden romance and ivyfern at the same time, and i do generally agree we should have more mystery fathers, altho for a different reason, but like. idk. this bothers me.

their last shared relative was nutmeg. that's so far back. god. i get it, there was a prophecy saying they're related, but if you remember my rant about how dovewing shouldn't be a part of the prophecy because of how distantly related to firestar is, you know how i feel about that already.

complaining they're related and that's a problem is. deep breath here. it requires demonstrating that warriors has kept track of kinship all the way back to firestar's mother. and even if you wave that requirement, you still have to convince me they would care about that. this isn't a "they're cats, harold" situation, this is a "you would not know your third cousin even if you lived in the same town" situation.

i mean maybe you would. some people do. but my hometown has generations of people who married within its borders. you get as far as "cousin," maybe "second cousin" if you're feeling fancy. i'm not trying to make an always true statement, i just. every time i see someone complain about ivyfern being related, it strikes me as not understanding how extended families work?

i know third cousins isn't technically classified as a distant relative, but you have, on average, 190 third cousins. i feel so strongly about this i looked it up.

like i'm not. okay if you say, "I don't ship ivyfern because they are third cousins and that makes me uncomfortable" you are Valid. in general, you are all valid. i do not think you have to, on a personal level, be okay with ivyfern. you are free to do as you wish.

but. if you want to argue "ivyfern is a Bad Ship because they are third cousins" you have a hell of a burden of proof. simply saying "they share a great-great-grandmother" does not meet that, because like. yeah. we're all pretty damn related.)

(ivyfern rant over)

IVYFERN RANT OVER

right so. anyway. if you remove forbidden romance? you're forcing a lot more of those situations.

i've been messing around with modelling some small-scale fan clan-adjacent stuff to double-check the ratios for wbcd, and it's. it quickly becomes a necessity, is what i'm saying.

but i got distracted like. researching how related third cousins are. my point is not about that, that's like. a different topic. that i crammed into here because i have no self-control.

no, no, what i was trying to get to is: oakheart straight up tells us that cats have half-clan kits all the time, it's not a problem, no one talks about it. and that? that is exactly what we see modelled by warriors.

the only reason greystripe and silverstream have a problem is that silverstream dies and greystripe claims the kits. i feel very strongly that if she had lived, the kits would have been born and raised riverclan kits, that might, maybe, one day, guess who their father is.

we haven't had any half clan kits in a while, which yes! i think is a problem, but like. the fact that the three are medicine cat kits seems to be a bigger issue. which feels right.

and i'm not trying to argue what i think should be, i legitimately believe the text of warriors defends this, even in newer books which throw out a lot of the older world building in favour of more human-like conflict.

as readers, we are naturally following protagonists. we are following the interesting story. but imagine you're just a background riverclan cat. minnowtail, if you will. do you think, do you honestly think, anyone cares about minnowtail?

not in a bad way, just. if she's meeting up with mousewhisker at night, do you think anyone cares? of course not! no one cares. she's not a Protagonist. her kits aren't going to be prophesized about.

heck, finleap switches clans! and it's barely a big deal. it feels like one, but when's the last time anyone bothered dealing with it? that's what i thought.

(also i forgot like all of avos so that very last point might be a bad one if it is my argument stands i just literally do not remember anything in avos but violetshine. none. zero.)

but it's easy to get caught up with characters like hollyleaf and bristlefrost and forget that like. not everyone cares about the code. most of our protagonists do, because it's become mostly equivalent with being moral. and i have an essay draft titled "the code as religion vs the code as law" where i want to expand on this more, but i think like. that idea, that we as readers should use the code as a way of evaluating cats' behaviour, is flawed.

like, i'm not talking about being inconsistent with how that is applied. if you want to say, "the trial leafpool goes through for having half-clan kits is legitimate because of the code," i still think your approach is flawed.

because the cats themselves don't seem to think that way.

the code doesn't, to me, feel like the ten commandments. it does not feel like "you must do this to be a good cat."

rather, it feels like aesop's parables. "here are mistakes cats made and what we do instead of that."

i don't think the cats know the code the way we do. i do not think they memorize a list of rules as kits. i think they know what is and is not part of it, but i imagine they know the stories far more than the rules.

(i'm working on my lore stories to replace code of the clans.)

and even if that's my thoughts, i do think this is supported by the text. no one ever teaches the warrior code, cats just learn it in pieces. "don't waste food because we don't have enough to spare" is taught, not "there's a rule about food and starclan on the code."

that's why the whole arc of the broken code even works: the reason the imposter is able to manipulate things is because cats don't treat the code as a rigid set of rules and commandments, but guiding principles.

the parts of the code that we tend to focus on the most are relationships, apprentices, and battle. or that's my perception. i didn't do a poll to obtain that. there's also the leader's word, but readers don't usually think of that as a good rule, so i'm not including it.

but the parts the cats focus on most are food, territory, and the leader's word. which makes sense: those are basic needs: food, security, and...i don't want to say authority so much as some kind of social system. explaining it would be a whole thing. just trust with me, if you don't mind.

i don't think we have any real reason to believe cats care about half-clan relationships half as much as we do. yes, apprentices are chastized about it, but that's not really the same thing as being punished.

and it's hard to tell, because apprentices being punished has really fallen off, and that's kind of the problem with any argument i try to make about warriors, but.

wow.

i'm actually still on topic? i'm 2k words in and i'm still on topic? a day i never thought would come.

let's wrap this up. cats seem to care about half clan relationships in that: a) they lead to conflicted loyalties, b) they mess with borders and prey, and c) they are in the code as bad. in that order.

and again, if the code was some high and holy religious doctrine, we couldn't have the broken code as an arc. it does not work if the cats are already following it to a t, and know it word for word, because it's signfiicantly harder to manipulate people if they do.

not to the level the imposter does, at the speed he does.

and yes, you could argue that it's more bad writing, but. i think that discredits warriors. yeah, it sure has its fair share of bad writing, but i don't think that's in the way the imposter works. instead, he seizes on a big important doctrine that's nebulous, and uses that to control people.

and that? that feels much more interesting.

so with that in mind, i don't think the cats would care about your typical, non-protagonist forbidden relationship, and i don't think we should, either.

as far as a plot device, i think we're okay with what we have. don't get me wrong, i understand why people are tired of it, but i think we also should remember that warriors is not repeating itself. having multiple forbidden relationships is not repetitive. now, if medicine cats were having half-clan kits every series, i'd make a different argument.

but all of the major forbidden relationships have different outcomes, lessons, and circumstances, and for me, i think that's signficantly interesting.

i didn't really check sources and quotes for this, so like, if you spotted something wrong, feel free to correct me. my overall point stands, but there's a lot of warriors and i have a bad memory, so i could have missed somthing major.

#ask #anon #essay #mine #discourse #not really but you know

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off-in-the-moors · 3 years

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It is not the responsibility of art to be morally instructive. It is 100% YOUR responsibility to research something if you know you are a sensitive person, take responsibility for your self. Art does not need to be some clinical sanitized morality play, get over your weird Puritanical obsession that all art must conform to your specific world view. Either engage in challenging works or stick to children’s cartoons where you can feel ‘safe’.

Dear Anon,

I’m truly confused by this. I have no idea what are you referencing and what “inspired“ you to send me this “ask“. But I will do my best to give you something.

(It only took me this long to answer, bc I don’t log in very often.)

Let’s start with your assumption of me.

I’m not a sensitive person, in any meaning. I actually love reading and engaging in media that’s morally questionable or straight up morbid and disturbing. Some of my favorite thing are: paintings by Goya and Beksiński, folklore/mythology (in it’s most unchanged form), “Perfume“ both film and book, Hannibal tv series, true crime, to name a few. Your assumption that I’m just “a girl obsessed and only enjoying modern cartoons“ is insulting.

I actually do agree with you that art, in any form, isn’t responsible to be morally instructive, but every work of art is made to send some form of message, be an obvious one or hidden between pages. In my opinion, authors and writers should be aware of what message they want to send with their works and what messages they are sending with what and how they’re presenting.

On your “It is 100% YOUR responsibility to research something if you know you are a sensitive person, take responsibility for your self“ this is also true. But on the other hand, given media should provide you with some kind of warning and not a third party entity. For example, if I pick-up a YA book from a bookstore, bc of its synopsis or someone (be a person I know or a creator) recommended it to me, I don't expect "spicy" scenes or blatant a*use of a character by its love interest or just "torture p*rn" scenes in it but here they are. With no warning. Is it my fault? Partly yes. Is it the media's fault for not giving me any warnings? Also yes.

Even with researching "warnings" isn't that simple. When it comes to books, the only way is reading reviews or recommendations. With reviews, they're either positive and say nothing book related or are negative and full of spoilers. Recommendations nowadays most of the time don't even give you what the story is about, just "it has x, y and z in it", let alone "warnings". From my own experience, they either don't tell you about "unappropriated" stuff (be r*pe, d*ug a*use, a*use, etc.) or they down play them and in worst cases, excuse it or say "it gets better/it's addressed in the next book/later in the series".

But if you feel the need to micromanage everything you engage in, go for it. But most people don't and a warning would be nice.

(This of course doesn't apply to thing and character's actions deemed "problematic". If said stuff is well handled and addressed, it's perfectly ok to portray it. But again, if it addressed and/or showed as wrong, and not ignored, excused, or played as a joke.)

I don't know from where you took the "your weird Puritanical obsession", bc 1) I never petitioned for that in my posts, and 2) I'm actually against censuring and sanitation of media.

Now, on to what "inspired" you to write this.

Again, I have no f-clue. So here are my best guesses:

If it's about Pathologic: I only have problem with people forcing their politics, modern sentiments and opinions/interpretations on to something they don't fully understand, because they're from a different cultural climate. An American can't fully (or in some cases, refuses to) understand something made by Europeans (in this case Russians) for Europeans in mind. I don't want to mix myself into the fandom discourse/drama, because I don't care what people think or how they interpret stuff, even if it's taken from something minor or from nowhere with no support (or even is debunked) in canon. I don't care if people like or hate this one character. Just don't police people for liking things, you don't like. Nor do public shaming or send people on those you don't agree with. You don't like a pixel man on platform shoes? Fine. Just don't bully and attack people who do.

If it's about my post about B*rdugo's adult book: I will admit, the wording and presentation wasn't the best. I was writing it from a place of strong emotions, but I'm still standing by my opinion that some things should not be presented with graphic details in a book without any type of warning. Here we could have a discussion about trigger warnings in books, hers response to the idea of putting them on her book and what is consider "too far", but this isn't about that. I actually have a lot of problems with B*rdugo and her fan-base, besides that. Her use of Russia, it's history, religion iconography and culture only for aesthetic and not doing proper research (she called her series "Greg's trilogy") or showing any respect for it (with characters, how are not main and secondary characters, a Slavic stereotype); her portray of dyslexia and how the fandom likes to use it as a joke in relation to this character; or people shielding her from any form of criticism with "She's is xyz, so she can write this". But I don't care about her and her works.

I stopped reading YA books, because I can't stand them any longer and their "handling" of topics, with people holding up every-single-one as "the best book ever written", not because of the quality or story but because the author is xyz, and spitting at every book written before 2000s. I'll get flag for it but YA novels are the Pulp fiction of our times (of course not all, but most of the popular ones are). I stopped trusting people recommending them to me, because 90% of the time, I'm just disappointed by them.

If it's about K and TRC: I already said so much about this. Margaret isn't aware of her audience, she writes for herself (which she admitted on a podcast) and refuses to change it to please anyone. She created and killed K for two reasons: to further Ronan's character arc (to be used for teaching him to dream better and a (not working) foil of him (or Adam... or Gansey)) and as her weird catharsis of killing everything she hates (who she apparently was; "fratty boys and chortling men") personified as one boy (and yes, boy, because this fandom likes to forget he’s only seventeen, the same age as the Gangsey. If you excuses their actions, like Ronan and Adam’s racist jokes or Gansey’s toxic behaviors towards Adam with “they’re just teenagers”, why K is excluded from being a stupid teen?). With Jordan, it's now obvious that she has a bias of suffering/dealing with your trauma (and addiction) "in the right way", of which in her eyes, K wasn't. She could not create K or she could not make him a harmful stereotype of a Slav, but she did. In a book targeted at 13-18 year olds, we have a drug-addicted boy committing a public s*icide and being demonized and forgotten by everyone.

But I'm done with this fandom, I never had a place in it. TRC fandom is 80% P*nch with a 1% being about K, but even this little corner is "too much" for the stans. I left for a reason, the only thing I regret is not apologizing for my out-burst. If someone who knows what I’m referencing is reading this, I’m truly sorry.

So, yea. I hope, I addressed your issue, Anon.

#ask anon #ask #pathologic #anti leigh bardugo #anti trc #anti maggie stiefvater

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likealightsw1tch · 4 years

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17 & 20 for the fic ask thing? i absolutely love your work :)

Awww thank you! I love that you love my work & always have such kind things to say about it.

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage.

I do have a plot half-laid-out for another WIP but I’m gonna keep that one under lock & key for a little bit, bc I just need to focus on my CURRENT multi-chapter stories that desperately crave my attention.

Instead, I’ll list off some of the (many) partial drafts of one-shots that live in my Google Docs library that may one day be published:

- A high-school!Kevin piece that goes a little deeper into my headcanon that he was kind of a lonely teenager who pushed himself full force into his religion and kind of created a cycle of isolation. It also touches on the smallest hints of his being closeted. But he was VERY deep in there.

- One-shot (or possible incorporation into The Longest Night of Rain) of Kevin & Connor’s first night in their first NYC apartment. It would be maybe the fluffiest thing to ever come out of me, right before it turns to smut.

- Again, smut, where Connor comes home from a run and Kevin notices how those strength & conditioning classes for his theatre performance major are paying off in the best way :)

20. Do you have a favorite fanfic or author? If so, tag them/post a link and share the love!

OH GOD YOU’RE REALLY DOING THIS TO ME HUH. I’m always afraid of leaving someone out because I inevitably will. But I’ll give you longtime favs along with the works of theirs that stand out to me most. (in no particular order)

Mirimea - I’ve talked before about how this author blows me away, but by far her best and most haunting work in my opinion is Bricks. I think her versions of the characters are very different from anything I’ve read in recent years, but she sells it so beautifully and I love everything she’s written. I am still holding onto the hope that she will resurface after 5 years and finish her work lmao

xoxoxo (@warrengabrielzuko) - Forever a stan of literally everything she writes. Literally all o fit. I hang on every word. She came into the fandom like a wrecking ball when I was craving some good dark content and blew my expectations out the water. And then continues to do so every time she posts something new. It’s really tough to pick just one story of hers to highlight as my favorite, because I really love them all and genuinely feels like her writing is tailor-made for my interests as a reader. But I’m going to go with Hello. If you haven’t read that... fuckin’ brace yourself.

@elderkevinmckinley - Absolute queen of producing high quality content at such a high volume and always hitting it out of the park. Her writing is laced with such a tangible love & respect & understanding for the characters, it’s difficult not to fall in love with it. Once again, it’s so tough to choose a favorite, but I am really digging her new story The Way We Live Now. But you should give it all a read.

lolamit (@sprinkleofharries) - This person is nearly singlehandedly responsible for selling me on the enemies-to-lovers trop. I don’t typically read them, and I didn’t typically read AUs either, but I defied both of these rules to read A Pizza My Heart but I’m so glad I did. It just feels so... full? Like everything was so well thought-out and her take on the characters was so great. Also the balance of humor and drama is impressive.

@e-sawyer - Look, we have a common interest of projecting all of our sadness onto Kevin Price and making him as miserable as possible in the process. I love that she enables me in this. I’ve said it before (and to her a million times) but the piece of hers that stands out to the most to me is Miraculous, which did accomplish the rare task of making me cry real life tears over a fanfic.

@afterafternoons - Hers was some of the earliest work I read when I first joined the fandom and was in my absolute frenzy of consuming all the content that existed on the internet, but I remember even back then that her work stood out as some really clean, insightful, beautiful writing. I really have had a renewed appreciation for this since she started writing her newest piece What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way? I just love it so much.

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bleachintothemultiverse · 4 years

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THE MEGA RP PLOTTING SHEET / MEME. First and foremost, recall that no one is perfect, we all have witnessed some plotting once which did not went too well, be it because of us or our partner. So here have this, which may help for future plotting. It’s a lot! Yes, but perhaps give your partners some insight? Anyway BOLD what fully applies, italicize if only somewhat Mun Name: Phoenix (Pho) (can also be called blaze-bc of my discord username. though i use that name for a oc) Age: 17 (18 in august) Contact: Discord, ims

Character(s) I rp: Aizen,grimmjow, Uryuu, renji, Byakuya, Kusaka, Hanataro Which muse(s) inspires you the most atm?(for MM): Aizen, Grimmjow, Byakuya and Uryuu Current Fandom(s): Bleach, fullmetal alchemist, Yugioh Fandom(s) you have an AU for: Fullmetal alchemist : Brother hood, Yugioh My language(s): English, spanish //Kinda- im learning it// Themes I’m interested in for rp: Fantasy / Science fiction / Horror / Western / Romance / Thriller / Mystery / Dystopia / Adventure / Modern / Erotic / Crime / Mythology / Classic / History / Renaissance / Medieval / Ancient / War / Family / Politics / Religion / School / Adulthood / Childhood / Apocalyptic / Gods / Sport / Music / Science / Fights / Angst / Smut / Drama / etc. Themes/Genres you have an AU for: Modern.

Preferred Thread length: one-liner / 1 para / 2 para / 3+ / novella. Asks can be send by: Mutuals / Non-Mutuals / Personals / Anons. Can Asks be continued?: YES / NO only by Mutuals?: YES / NO. Preferred thread type: crack / casual nothing too deep / serious / deep as heck. Is realism / research important for you in certain themes?: YES / NO. Are you atm open for new plots?: YES / NO / DEPENDS. Do you handle your draft / ask - count well?: YES / NO / SOMEWHAT. How long do you usually take to reply?: 24h / 1 week / 2 weeks / 3+ / months / years. I’m okay with interacting: original characters / a relative of my character (an oc) / duplicates / my fandom / crossovers / multi-muses / self-inserts / people with no AU verse for my fandom / canon-divergent portrayals / au-versions (as main or only verse). Do you post more ic or ooc?: IC / OOC. Are you selective with following others?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.

Best ways to approach you for rp/plotting: message me either on ims or discord. ^^ I am open up to any idea that you may have What expectations do you hold towards your plotting partner: Uh knowing what muse they want to interact ahead of time. Normally I can create a plot if they already know what Muse they want to rp with. How do you usually plot with others, do you give input or leave most work towards your partner?: I say it kinda 50/50 I tried to build the plot equally with the rp partner.

When a partner drops the thread, do you wish to know?: YES / NO / DEPENDS. - And why?: I know some things happen- so its okay if you don’t want to tell me if you are- I normally figure it out after weeks of not responding. (Unless you are a low activity blog- then i figure you are just busy ^^) - Will you tell your partner?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.

Is communication in the rpc important to you? YES / NO. - And why?: Because communication is important, especially for plots we are winging mostly. and if they have any questions about how i portray a certain character. - Are you okay with absolute honesty, even if it may means hearing something negative about you and/or portrayal?: I wanna say Yes. It really depends- If its about me. I want to know why you say that especially if you don’t know me well and we could possibly clear up a misunderstanding or something. But if it for a character Yea sure. As long as it done explaining what they don’t like on it or if there is something I could improve. - Do you think you can handle such situation in a mature way? YES / NO.

Why do you rp again, is there a goal?: to explore my muses and expand on the more complex ones. (Like Aizen for example) Wishlist, be it plots or scenarios: TYBW stuff. more Pendulum arc stuff for Aizen. Muken Aizen related things. What Type of Starters do you prefer / dislike, can’t work with?: I can work with basically any type of starters? As long as it has a clear way to make interaction happen.

What type of characters catch your interest the most?: Characters i’m familiar with. Characters that is well done (Especially Oc’s). What type of characters catch your interest the least?: Characters that seem way to Mary or gary sue. (More Oc related things). Characters who are just- evil because they can be.

What are your strong aspects as rp partner?: willing to learn about different fandoms. Open to literally anything. gets invested in ships easily. What are your weak aspects as rp partner?: Being to anxious to communicate. Forgetfulness. Loosing track of threads (Because threadtracker hates me-) Do you rp smut?: YES / NO. Do you prefer to go into detail?: YES / NO / DEPENDS. Are you okay with black curtain?: YES / NO. - When do you rp smut? More out of fun or character development?: I don’t rp smut. - Anything you would not want to rp there?: N/A Are ships important to you?: YES / NO.

Would you say your blog is ship-focused?: YES / NO

.Do you use read more?: YES / NO / SOMETIMES.

Are you: Multi-Ship / Single-Ship / Dual-Ship — Multiverse / Singleverse.

- What do you love to explore the most in your ships?: Relationship building. Having moments that can be expanded on between the characters. Having relationship conflict. Even know i don’t rp smut- There is so much that can explored with ships that is more then just sex related things.

- What is your smut tag?: N/A

Are you okay with pre-established relationships?: YES / NO. - And what kind of ones?: Familial, Friendship.

► SECTION ABOUT YOUR MUSE.

//you said to pick my favorite muse- so here we go xD// - What could possibly make your Muse interesting towards others, why should they rp with this particular character of yours now, what possible plots do they offer?: Oh jeez- he is the main villian of the series. One of the most unpredictable muses that I have. Possible plots- depends on the time line. If its in the pendulum era. Literally anything can happen. There is a large gap of time (9 years) of things that could of happen but the anime or manga didn’t show. The same goes with his Captain era. We don’t really see much then or anything relating to his time in Muken. There is a lot of different situations that could happen with the right other muse.

- With what type of Muses do you usually struggle to rp with?: muses who are hopelessely romantics. muses who don’t have much to work with in a plot. - With what type of Muses do they usually work well with?: muses who has similar mind set as him or could be as unpredictable. . Characters that could possibly catch him off guard or catch his interest because of the way they act.

- What interests your Muse(s) in general: evolution, Science related things. hollowification experimenting. becoming a god. - What do they desire, is their goal?: Their goal . It depends most verses its to gain access to the royal realm and become the one true god, and change the soul society. - What catches their interest first when meeting someone new?: The way that they handle them selves, there intentional personally. - What do they value in a person?: Loyalty. Hard working. - What themes do they like talking about?: he likes when people talk about themselves. He can learn more about them. But he also likes talking philsophical debates about existence and morals. Or anything that would relate to his mindset about life. - Which themes bore them?: anything to romantic. He does not like that. like full on fliriting. He doesn’t do at all.

- Did they ever went through something traumatic?: Yes //though it can be debated what is consider traumatic to a adult who causes there own trauma mostly// //But like- he had to have seen some stuff in his childhood that would make him more desensitize to murder and killing fellow Shinigami// - What could possibly trigger them?: Experiencing the feeling of dying. Sensory deprivation. //after his 20,000 years in Muken. Which is underground. away from most sounds and sights and feeling// - What could set them off, enrage them?: Making him question his motives. Making him actually feel something. making him loose his goals.

- Is there someone /-thing they hate?: Urahara, Shinji. - Is there someone /-thing they love?: //Romantically- in most verses no// Platonically : Hiyori (only in pendulum arc). Hougyoku. his self.

Is your Muse easy to approach?: YES / NO. - Best ways to approach them?: catch their attention. Literally just talk to him. don’t go trying to challenge or question his ego. Literally just talk to him with any amount of respect . depending on the verse- his responses may very. but other then that- He is rather easy to approach depending on your intentions to be approaching him. - Where are they usually to find?: His office in division five, hueco mondo, (Specifically in Los Noches), Muken. The forest near rukongai (only really applies to pendulum verse).

Something you may still want to point out about your muse?: he is nerd with a god complex. he deserves a more flesh out back story then what the Manga gave him. I try to keep him as close to the manga, keeping all of the things that happen in the manga and anime as canon. Only changing his child hood and early divisions days- as that isn’t really shown and expanding his relationships with some of the visoreds. I also portray him as Aro/ace in most verses so its very Awkward if you try to ship with him in most verses unless discussed in ims or discord. tagged by @skyvar //thank you for the tag snow uwu// tagging @rukia-kuchiki-divided @redeyeschaosdragon @kaibacorpbros (any bro) @viciousvizard @hirako5hinji @bookofaion @gentleshinigami @goofyshinigami @windstormwielding @cxb3r @nightbeat-cat @world-duelists / @loyal-to-chaos (if you want ^^) and you! if you want to do this uwu.

#dash games #about mun #about muse #//wow this was a long one :D but i had fun uwu//#Long post

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cat-in-a-basement · 7 years

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I was...cautious, about posting this. I tried my very best cover all angles and counter every viable point I could think of, but it is still a rather heated topic.

Let’s discuss the differences between why is okay to make heterosexual characters LGBTQ+, and why it is not okay to make LGBTQ+ characters heterosexual.

Naturally, I will be using Warrior Cats as my example.

I would like to take this time to try and explain the sort of...the sort of difference that comes with shippings, and sexualities/romantic attractions in Warriors.

So, it's a logical thought process. Why is it to okay make characters in a heterosexual relationship in canon a different sexuality/attraction, but making LGBTQ+ characters straight is not?

I occasionally see it, and, in theory, it is correct. 'I have every right to change what I don't like about the series.' Yes, you do have the freedom to say, change Tallstar and ship him with Reena. But, is that 'right?' Objectively speaking, no, it isn't. But I'll come back to that point later. Let's start on the differences between the two.

This is the difference between changing heterosexual characters and changing LGBTQ+ characters.

With LGBTQ+ characters, you already know their sexuality/romantic attraction, or what they identify as. The only way to add onto that is to make the character into an even more specific category. For example, you could in theory change the previously mentioned Tallstar from gay and attracted to Jake to something along the lines of 'Is attracted romantically to Jake, but doesn't have a sexual attraction to any cat'. So he loves Jake, but at the same time, doesn't desire a sexual relationship. The overall original character's attraction stays the same, but more is added to it that doesn't change from what is canon. It does not erase the feelings of the character in canon.

BUT, if you decide to completely erase this already established canon and erase it to be heterosexual, then it is going backwards. You're not adding onto the already established canon. You are reversing it. This is erasing what is already confirmed, and choosing instead to ignore the romantic attraction/sexuality confirmed. This is not acceptable in an environment that typically encourages the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves. It shouldn't be socially or morally acceptable in any environment, but sadly that isn't the case in many countries and religions.

So, on tumblr, you are going to get negative reactions due to the nature of reversing the sexuality/romantic attraction already confirmed. This happens on the forums as well, as people who chime in they prefer Tallstar with Reena, or Ravenpaw is better off with a she-cat, often get ignored or a flame war starts if people take the bait. This is because It continues the very real problem in society of erasing LGBTQ+ communities and individuals because of who they are attracted to.

I mean, you have the freedom to ship who you want, but if you're erasing canon romantic attraction/sexuality to do it, you're probably not going to get many positive responses. I fully believe in the neutrality of the internet, but I also believe in progressive ideals and in giving people a character to represent them in their respective fandom. Ultimately, it’s up to whoever to decide for themselves. Your freedom to create what you want should be respected. But, at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to be mindful they are plenty other characters to work with.

This is why the same idea doesn't hold up with heterosexual characters.

The thing with heterosexuality, is that unless it is explicitly implied in the books, it can't really be confirmed. This means that writers have free reign to interpret the relationships as they like, because they are not erasing the sexuality. (Unless the sexuality/romantic attraction is explicitly defined, that is.) They can only add onto that character. For example, Blossomfall had a brief crush on Toadstep, and later on, has scenes that could be implied as her liking Ivypool. However, she does have a canon (unfortunately...) relationship with Thornclaw. (My apologies for that bout of bias there. I'm just...processing the information. Slowly.)

You could very well headcanon Blossomfall as bisexual but only romantically attracted to other she-cats. It does not erase what is canon. It adds onto what is already established by giving Blossomfall layers and making it so that she only develops a romantic attraction to she-cats, but is sexually attracted to both toms and she-cats.

And yes, like before, you can do what you want. Say Mothwing is explicitly stated to only be straight. People can and will still ship her with Leafpool.

And, this is where things differ. It is not acceptable to erase canon LGBTQ+ characters. But, due to the nature of heterosexual relationships being generally undefined, it is acceptable to change heterosexual relationships to LGBTQ+ ones.

I know. That isn't exactly 'fair'. It's kind of hypocritical to say only heterosexual characters that are canonically straight can be made LGBTQ+, while the exact opposite will net you a ton of angry people telling you that you are wrong.

But...here's the thing. Heterosexual people haven't endured the same. They don't have to worry about some of things LGBTQ+ people do. I don’t speak for them, as I’m not going to silence their voices, but one has to admit that LGBTQ+ community is constantly facing hurdles, obstructions, and hate. Heterosexual people do not have to worry about the same struggles. Sure, both may have bills to pay, a job they need, and like memes galore, but the attitudes of the people around them can change depending on their sexuality and romantic attraction.

Not to mention, heterosexual people have quite literally over a million heterosexuals in media and literature to choose from to represent them. In the Warrior Cat books, they have over a thousand to pick to represent them. LGBTQ+? The only confirmed (and it's debated whether it was, even at that) representation is Ravenpaw and Barley, and Tallstar and Jake. Two. Two couples. One might understand why they choose a non-confirmed character to represent them and give them a different sexuality/romantic attraction other than heterosexual.

If you want an example of that, it’s why I headcanon Hollyleaf as ace-aro. I see lot of myself in her and her redemption story, and so I portray her as ace-aro like myself. Since only Mousefur (again, debatable as to whether it was explicitly stated or not) is possibly asexual, that just leaves me with her as a canon asexual character. However, I don’t know a lot about Mousefur. But Hollyleaf, who has stated she doesn’t want kits or to be a queen and whose only possible ship was Fallen Leaves, and they basically acted as friends...now her I can relate to.

And I can understand some criticisms. The books focus on the plot, not the romances. The romances are added to give some drama to the story, try and give character depth, and try to complete character arcs. It shouldn't matter what their sexuality/romantic orientation is because 1. they're cats - cats don’t care, and 2. the books aren't geared to detail every little romance that happens.

I get that. But what needs to be understood is that there is a major difference between 2 gay canon couples to choose from and a thousand heterosexual couples (well, unconfirmed heterosexuality). I get wanting to create your own thing. But you have to understand that people may not respond as you like if you choose to erase this when you have thousands of other characters to work with.

I also get that not everyone needs a character to represent them. And that’s fine too. But, there are people in this fandom who think differently, myself included. I want characters to represent my lack of attraction. It’s perfectly fine if you don’t concern yourself over it. But for others, things can be different, and I think it’s important to be able to distinguish this.

So, I guess in my personal opinion...are you going to tell somebody whose sexuality/romantic attraction is constantly dismissed, erased, and prosecuted they can't change a heterosexual character to a sexuality/romantic attraction that represents them? You can, but you're not going to be considered a good or decent person for it. And, it isn't fair. But neither is what LGBTQ+ people go through either. So I can overlook a fictional heterosexual character being made LGBTQ+. (Well, as long as it is written and done well. I can't condone shipping cats just to ship them. I have to give them a backstory and character development. But that's more my opinion than anything.)

"But...BC, it's a book about fighting cats. It's really not that important, or worth making an analysis over."

Here's the thing. In objective writing standards, it is illogical to rewrite a story where a LGBTQ+ character's entire sexuality/attraction is replaced just to have wish fulfillment. You could say the same for heterosexual characters being make a different sexuality/romantic attraction, but as stated before, there are generally less LGBTQ+ characters to work with. So unconfirmed sexualities will receive fanworks to give them background and a story, as well as a character who can be represented.

And, as stated before, you are only going backwards if you decide to erase the canon sexuality/romantic attraction. You can add onto it, but going backwards is taking character away. It doesn't add anything new to the character's feelings. I made this to explain why the two are different, and while one is acceptable and one is not.

I mean, you could still do what you want. Nobody can stop you from expressing ideas. Just don't expect to erase a canon LGBTQ+ representation without people telling you how it isn't acceptable. Myself included.

And finally, I’m not one to censor criticism. If you disagree, then you are absolutely free to state so. If you think I got something wrong, then tell me. This was an attempt at an analytical essay explaining the differences between the two, and if it wasn’t satisfactory, tell me so I can learn for next time I make an analysis. I’m not trying to be a mouthpiece who parrots words. I do my research and homework, for I am a nerd. I try to be non-biased (Unless it’s BlossomXThorn because WHO ON EARTH thought that was a good idea?!), while also trying to see both sides PoV.

If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and whether you agree or disagree, you have every right to give your opinion.

If you are heterosexual, and whether you agree or disagree, you have every right to give your opinion.

Regardless, I hope everyone who reads this has a great week!)

#BC analyzes things #warrior cats #comparision #explanation #I must have rewrote this 5 times until I was satisfied it covered everything #lgbtq friendly

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lets-get-fictional · 7 years

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hello! I'm really glad to find your blog because it helps me a lot to get through many things for my future project! I also wanna know if you maybe can help me, bcs the world of my project is just like our own Earth, but there are monsters and people who can control elements like air, fire, etc. I'm still confused on how to make the world seems realistic and relatable to the readers, I wonder if you can help me? and I'm not a native English speaker, sorry if there is any mistake. thank you!

Hello, love! Your English is great 👍 And thank you for following!

That sounds like a really cool universe :) I strongly relate to your struggle with relatability – I tend to make my worlds complex and a bit inaccessible to readers. And that’s the kind of problem that, when you look at it as a whole, feels pretty overwhelming. That’s why I break it down into three different areas…

The Three C’s of Relatable Stories

In general, there are three big parts of your story that you’ll need your characters to understand and, on some level, relate to. While your fictional universe should be unique and different from our real world – especially the more removed it is from real-life science and society – there should be a few common threads that your readers can see and think, “Oh, that’s just like real life!” Examine your story in the following three areas:

1. Culture

This is the topic I’ll discuss most, so I put it first. Your story’s culture is, for some readers (including myself), one of the most immersive and exciting aspects of your fictional universe. Everything that creates your society – architecture, art, history, education, food, fashion, sports, politics, religion, medicine, community, major moral beliefs and conflicts – will shape how your readers experience your story. Interesting fictional culture also promotes fanfiction, cosplay, and strong fandom ties that enable you to write sequels/spin-offs (J.K. Rowling is living off how strong her fictional culture was).

Because we want our cultures to be so unique and entertaining, though, many writers make the mistake of creating cultures too exotic or fantastical to reach readers. But there are certain “human” parts of culture that reappear no matter what universe you’re in, so make sure your story has at least a few of the following:

Games. Even wild animals, who have nothing to do with our society, play games with each other in real life – so unless fun and games are strictly outlawed in your universe, you should probably have some. Games aren’t necessarily going to mirror ours; after all, we have board games, card games, video games, arcade games, sports games, drinking games, and games that don’t require supplies (guessing games, tag, hide-and-seek, charades, I-Spy etc.). Different games are more appropriate for different ages – some are associated with certain genders, certain events, or certain environments. Develop some of your own games, and maybe use some that mimic real games (with different names, of course).

Food. Food isn’t just something we eat – it’s a culture. Food culture = answering questions like:

Where do people of [lower/middle/upper] classes eat?

What sort of events are tied to food? (e.g. Thanksgiving, harvest festivals, etc.)

Are there special foods or meals for special occasions?

What do children eat in schools?

How difficult is it to get organic ingredients?

What is weight culture like? In other words, are people viewed as more healthy when they eat more/less? What figure is considered normal or attractive? Do people diet?

Sports. No matter where you live on planet earth, there’s generally some kind of sports culture – some sports are more dominant in some places than others (think about the U.S.’s relationship to soccer vs. everywhere else). Some cultures use sports as a social activity for their kids, while others cultivate serious sports practice from childhood. Certain sports are environmentally more relevant to certain places (which is why Canadians are so damn good at the winter Olympics). Some sports are more violent than others – and each one has certain values: strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, agility, artistry, precision, rhythm, teamwork, or strategy. Assess your fictional region’s values and develop sports culture that mirror said values.

Politics. Every type of government comes with its own benefits, challenges, and conflicts. Issues of allocating funds, handling corruption, checks and balances, legal rulings, outdated laws, controversial leaders, foreign relations, taxes, inequality, nature conservation, church vs. state, overpopulation – many of these problems will likely exist in your universe, in some form or another. Pick and choose what political conflicts you’ll share with readers, and think about how they relate to and reflect in your fictional society.

Theology. Decide on the majority worldview/s (theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, pantheism, new age, post-modernism, etc. – although these worldviews shouldn’t be mentioned by name in your work) of your universe. Read about these worldviews and how they shape society’s morals, legal system, government, interpersonal relationships, parenting, and environmentalism. Create characters who align with the majority, and characters who contrast with the majority – thus creating conflicts that are very familiar to us. This doesn’t mean your story has to become a religious or political commentary, of course! But these belief systems have effects on every aspect of life, including life-or-death situations, romantic entanglements, and day-to-day affairs like work, money, and school.

2. Characters

Arguably the most important aspect of relatability, your characters are the driving force of empathy and comfort for your readers. Although your characters will have some level of difference from real people (especially if your genre is fantasy/supernatural), there are a few common things that your characters should more than likely have:

Desires. Everyone everywhere has desires, both attainable and unattainable, that drive them through every action. There are large-scale desires – dream colleges, dream jobs, dream power, dream relationships – and small-scale desires – to help someone through a hard time, to make money, to eat right, to be a patient person – and even unknown desires – answers, fulfillment, guidance, the “right thing”, passion – all of which will exist in each character simultaneously. Decide what your character wants, and you’ve already got multiple platforms for relatability.

Weaknesses. Where there are desires, there are weaknesses that get in the way of those desires – and that’s usually the best way to find them. What gets in the way of what they want? Look at the Seven Deadly Sins; look at your own flaws, and the flaws that annoy you the most in others, and the flaws you don’t mind in others. If your character, for example, wants to become famous on Broadway… what makes it a challenge? Does she have social anxiety? Is she impatient? Does she struggle with her responsibilities? Does she struggle with internalized discrimination? What makes her dream personally, circumstantially, or socially unattainable?

Self-image. So they’ve got their desires, and the weaknesses that keep them from those desires, so the real question is: how do they see themselves? Do they focus on their failures or their successes? Do they see their dreams as attainable or impossible? Do they make steps to better themselves or do they feel comfortable with who they are now? Do they absorb other people’s opinions of them, or reject those opinions? Self-image is almost more relevant to a character’s story than their actual image, because this directs a lot of how they behave, how they struggle, and most importantly, how they narrate their own story.

Sins. Bad habits, conscious choices, past sins – the sins they don’t even know are sins – these things are the ultimate stuff of relatability. When someone reads your book and sees a character who shares their struggles, they won’t put the book down. Don’t be afraid to let your character do bad things. Don’t try to make them lovable angelic cinnamon rolls who do no harm. Let them do things that make your readers cringe because damn it, she’s yelling at the people she loves again – stop pushing them away! This will keep readers involved and allow them to feel your character’s failures as if they were their own.

Humor. Everybody’s got a sense of humor – even those dumbass middle school boys who joke about sexual experiences they’ve never had. Everyone has their own type of humor based on the kind of people they live with and the TV shows they watch and the experiences they’ve had. Writing humor, however, can feel less natural – because there’s this pressure to make everybody laugh. Don’t worry about that. Just give your characters their own senses of humor, and someone will find it relatable.

Love. Even villains have love to give. Every person, and therefore every character – from every background and every trauma and every bad relationship and bad childhood – has love in their heart, as cheesy as that sounds. They have love they want to give to people (sometimes a particular person) and love they want to receive, and different methods of expressing their love (see: The Five Love Languages) to others. They have love for themselves, too, and conditions on which they’ll treat themselves with love. Determine their potential for loving themselves, for loving others – both platonically and romantically – and for unconditional love. Then allow this to grow over the course of the story, and you’ll have a character arc everyone can appreciate.

3. Conflict

Here is a post I’ve written discussing 4/5 of the main types of conflict, which are:

Man vs. Man

Man vs. Nature

Man vs. Society

Man vs. Self

Man vs. Technology/Supernatural

The reason these categories of conflict are so popular is because they’re the same conflicts we face in day-to-day life. The fight over territory with your roommate = Man vs. Man. Trying to find your car in the rain = Man vs. Nature. Making the same New Year’s resolution for the third year in a row = Man vs. Self. So identify these conflicts in your story, both large-scale and small-scale. Both are important, but the personal conflicts – the ones that most affect your characters, like their resolutions or their roommate, or the killer beast that’s trying to eat them or the A.I. that’s taken control of their spaceship – will give your story stakes that, on their basest level, your readers will understand.

That’s my only real advice for you, since this is something I also struggle to manage – but I hope some of this makes sense for you and your story. If you have any further questions, hit me up and I’ll try to get back to you way sooner. Good luck!

If you need advice on general writing or fanfiction, you should maybe ask me!

#writing #writeblr #writing blog #writing tips #writing advice #my post #ask #corosays #conflict #characters #culture #relatability #planning #worldbuilding

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