#but in fiction imo it is. fine? but also i'd rather not that be the Only Reasoning but if others yeah there's no problem | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

northoftheroad · 2 months

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I know I just gave you an ask and you must be super busy, but what do you think abt Dickory vs Dickbabs?? Personally, I think Dickory is way better but in Tom Taylor’s run and the current runs, Dickbabs is the main ship. Anyways, I just wanted your opinion on it :D

Also thoughts on Tom Taylor’s run? I thought about it and I kinda have mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s great for fanservice and has some super cute and funny moments. On the other hand, the characters and their relationships are kinda one dimensional. Thoughts?? Take your time and thanks if you answer! <3

Hi, As I've said before (and I'm going to quote myself from older posts here quite a lot, if you happen to come across them 😉 ), I'm fine with both pairings as long as it's well written. I guess a lot of fans lean towards preferring what they grew up with and such like. I'm old enough to have started reading Batman when the idea of another Robin than Dick Grayson was ludicrous, and read the NTT in my slightly older teens. So I definitely have a nostalgic feeling for Dick/Kory.

I think they worked well because they were so different; they each learned from the other and grew as people. Being with Kory helped Dick become more emotionally open after some ten years of growing up with Bruce and Alfred. In NTT # 26, he talks about how he is too introspective and that Batman taught him to be guided by his head, not his heart. And in turn, I'd say Kory learned not always to be ruled by her emotions, and Dick helped to ground her on Earth. They had their fair share of problems, one obstacle was their different approach to relationships and sex. While Starfire is fine with being married to another guy, for reasons of state, but live with Dick, it takes Dick quite some time to come to terms with that he loves Kory enough to get over that. Dick and Kory were one of the most stable and loving couples in DC for over ten years. Now, in superhero comics, writers and/or editoral make the rules. There were plans to let them get married, but as far as I remember a change of editorial led to that being scrapped. We got Dick being raped by Mirage instead, and eventually, the couple split up. Disregarding that, I think you could very well see them growing apart. They were young when they started dating. I guess they were a couple for two-three years? At that age, it's not unreasonable to think they developed in ways that made them decide to go their separate ways.

If Dick and Kory were good because they were poles apart, I'd say Dick and Barbara are more alike. They have both worked with Batman; they are originally street-level detectives and athletes; they are used to work in similar ways. I could see them as a slightly more mature couple than Dick and Kory, being more in sync and relaxed with each other because they have similar backgrounds and shared experiences. (Which, of course, could make them a more boring couple in fiction…) I'm not a fan of the retcon that they've been friends since school, but they did work occasionally together as youngsters, so it can still make sense to write them as really good friends, imo. I honestly think Dick and Kory have been written as a good couple more than Dick and Barbara. Maybe things had been different if Devin Grayson had got the chance to tie up her long arc with Dick in Nightwing vol 2. Not that I think her run was without its problems, but it would presumably have been better if she had got the opportunity to finish what she started. The ending (or rather the absence of a decent ending) of her run, and the fact that the first Nightwing stories after Infinite Crisis were downright cringeworthy, has soured my impression of her writing of Dick/Babs. So I guess editorial decisions have ruined both Dick's most important relationships…?

I don't know if you're new to the debate about Dick/Kory vs. Dick/Barbara? Because it's sometimes a heated discussion, with people claiming he doesn't deserve either of them, he mistreated one or the other etc.

(Here's what Barbara herself had to say about Dick, by the way. In Birds of Prey # 71. By Gail Simone, art Ron Adrian and Rob Lea.)

I can definitely work myself up too much about fictional characters myself, but there are a few things I try to keep in mind… Fictional characters have no agency. Creators and editoral use them to tell stories (and sell stuff…). Don't get angry at fictional characters or, even worse, real people who love them. Also, reading comics is a lot about filling in the blanks between panels, and different readers can put a book down with very different pictures of what has happened. You can absolutely find examples where Dick has been written as behaving badly against both of them. Sometimes, it's a reasonable part of the writer's long game, sometimes it actually is bad and out-of-character writing. (And if you look, you can find examples where the women have been written as behaving badly against Dick too.)

Honestly, the most important thing for me when it comes to Dick and relationships is that he takes them very seriously indeed. Dick has not had a lot of one-night stands and is on record as saying he's not comfortable with casual sex. When he had one with Helena/Huntress, he wanted to talk about starting a relationship just because of that. When he (fake) married a girl to try to expose her as a murderer, he still avoided to sleep with her, and then he offered to stay with her when the case was closed, because he felt bad for deceiving her. Outside the blasted annual, I don't know of any time he was written as (knowingly) having sex with someone while he's in a relationship with another. Girls tend to break up with him, not the other way around. I'm sure other people have different ideas, and it can vary between writers and eras, but I think you can read Dick as someone who likes to be in a relationship, to be intimate with someone – but who's not into casual sex.

When it comes to Tom Taylor's run, I pretty much agree with you. I don't hate it, as some people seem to do, but I think the art has been the best part. It's mostly been pretty meh, TT has at several times spoken about how Nightwing is an A-lister among DC superheroes, but I don't think he shows it. And here and there he produces some really nice panels/pages (sometimes it's up to debate whether the characters are out of character or not). We're heading towards the end of his and Bruno Redondon's run and they've hinted he's going to stop being Nightwing. As if we need a third period of Dick not being Nightwing in ten years… 🙄 The best writer of Nightwing vol 4 was Sam Humphries, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it was very short.

Ok, this post has definitely gone on long enough... but if you want to go deeper into the rabbit hole, here are some earlier posts.

#dick grayson #nightwing #robin

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ohmeadows · 9 months

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Do you have any author/book recs for literary fiction? Or recs for beautiful writing (i.e. poetic, thought-provoking, interestingly structured sentences, haunting vibes, etc) in general?

tons, but i had to think on this so sorry it took me a while. i'm not including trigger warnings because honestly i'd forget half of the stuff others might find triggering, but you know. stay safe and research.

maddalena and the dark by julia fine had extremely poetic and beautiful writing, as well as a haunting vibe echoing through the pages.

the lonely city by olivia laing is a series of essays on art and artists and loneliness. probably one of the most thought-provoking books i've read on loneliness and the lengths we go to over it, as well as having an artistic practice rooted in it. highly recommend.

mourning diary and a lover's discourse by roland barthes. master of short fragment form, of turning just a few words into something you digest for days afterward. his theory books are rather heavy for me, but these are precious.

greek lessons by han kang. i love han kang's writing and this one delves into language in a very gentle, soulful way. painful and beautiful. probably a top 10 read of this year for me.

y/n by esther yi. i'm of two minds on this one. i wish it had been braver and weirder, but it is also really weird. it's about a woman who gets obsessed with a kpop band and it's very trippy, in the most positive way. i rated it a 3.5 because i felt it didn't carry itself to the finish line in a satisfying way, but it left me thinking.

love me tender by constance debré. on the limits of love in a corrupt system; debré came out as a lesbian and lost custody of her son because of it after her ex-husband made false accusations about "degenerate actions". she processes the slow, systematically enforced loss of time with her son and realizing he's a stranger to her now.

anything by maggie nelson, annie ernaux, édouard louis, sarah manguso, vivian gornick, anne carson. they all have very prolific releases to their names, i prefer their creative non-fiction/autofiction. i'd suggest looking through what's available and seeing if something grabs your interest here.

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong. masterpiece. i admire vuong's style and way of storytelling so much, i think he said "tell it true but tell it a slant". either way. love it.

natalia ginzburg is going through a revival as of late. i love her writing for the atmosphere, but think i prefer little virtues the most.

and for a tenth and final recommendation (for this round) the undying by anne boyer. nonfiction memoir/essay at its finest imo, she's unpicking illness and particularly her own cancer while exploring the cultural and historical aspects of illness, connecting it to other bodies of works. (can you tell i read a lot about illness and disability specifically?)

#ask meadows anything

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klm-zoflorr · 1 year

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@decafeined-moth was having some issues working out how to post on AO3, so I thought "hey, why not make a step-by-step post dedicated to this, this way it can help other people too?" So here's the

Guide On How To Post On AO3 For Noobs

First, keep in mind that 1) AO3 is a website with a lot of functionnalities and it's normal that it seems a bit intimidating. Thankfully, you can just plain ignore some of them, and only use them when you've learned what they mean! 2) If you need any more information about what some options mean, you can click on the small blue question mark! They provide information that is imo pretty helpful. Or you can ask me, I'd gladly answer any questions you have! And 3) All of the information that we're gonna fill out now is modifiable later. So if you make a mistake or you realise something doesn't fit, don't stress!

So, for starters, you're gonna need to have your first chapter already written out before creating the work. Well, you can technically write it on the website itself, but the page might reload and you'd then lose everything. So rather use google docs, or the notes on your phone, or emails, or anything of that nature.

You also need an AO3 account to post, i'll try to link another post regarding this particular matter.

First step: Go on the top of the website, and click on "post" -> "new work"

Second step: The tags

"Not rated" and "Choose not to use archive warnings" are basically the default for rating and archive warning, essentially the "i don't know". You should try to tweak them as soon as you understand what they stand for, but it isn't necessary.

"fandoms" is a very important one. You're gonna enter the name of your fandom. It could be Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, Hermitcraft, RPF (Real People Fiction), and a whole ton of other fandoms. Chances are if it's a book or movie or even youtube series, there already are works for it. If you don't know how your fandom is called, use the search function on AO3 and it'll probably come back with SOMETHING.

Categories: Is there a main romantic relationship between two characters in your work? If yes, then select the kind: Female/Female relationship, Female/Male, Male/Male. Or select "Gen" if it isn't the case, it means General.

Relationships: relationships in your work. They're either 1)Romantic relationships, separated by a slash (Blorbo/Shitto) 2)Platonic relationships, separated by a "and" (Borbo & Shitto). I am unsure of where Queerplatonic relationships stand in regards to this. Do not type in ship names (ex: reylo, destiel,...)

Characters: names of characters that appear in your work. This category auto fills as well. It's usually not considered very polite to put in characters that are only briefly mentionned in a throwaway line in your work, however it's perfectly fine if you intend to mention them more later. It's alright to tag them if they briefly appear, or if they're thought about for a big portion of it. Basically, if you could cut them out and nothing changes, maybe don't tag them.

Additional tags: You can basically enter whatever information you want to inform your reader of that didn't fit in the previous categories there. Ex: Fluff, angst, hurt no comfort, Protective Shitto, carrots, Time-travel, Established blorbo/shitto & any additional comment you want to add, like "i wrote that at 3am". People sometimes add in whether the work has been beta'ed or not with "no beta we die like men" or fandom-specific "we die like [name]" (ex: We die like Kenny, We die like Scar, We die like Ice Pick Joe), but it is by no means necessary

You're gonna have to add a work title and a summary of your fic. Summaries can be a lot of stuff including an extract from your fic, an actual summary, a series of open-ended questions made for the reader to want to find out what it's about,... Be creative with it!

Finally, you can check or uncheck the "notes" boxes to add author notes!

Now we're getting into the complicated/superfluous part. Thankfully you can just ignore most of it! You may learn what it means later, or not, but it does offer some great additional options!

We need to focus on this part tho:

Ignore the "set a different publication date".

If your work is gonna have multiple chapters, you should check the "this work is gonna have multiple chapters". Then you should enter the number of chapters. You don't have to name the first chapter if you don't want to, if you leave it blank it will simply show as "Chapter 1"

You need to choose a work language

You may now finally enter your first chapter/the text of your one-shot!

The website works with html, which means that to make some text italicised or bold you gonna need to enter a special set of characters before and after. You can find some explanations online very easily. Or, it also work in rich text, it switches to it if you click the "rich text" button.

We're finally done! You can then click on "preview" if you want to check the formatting, or "post" it directly!

#ao3 #archive of our own #ao3 guide #ao3 advice #ao3 tips #tips #writing tips #klm-zoflorr

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airasora · 4 months

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Disney princess casual outfits from best to worst IMO

@lovestrucklyuniverse asked me what my favorite and least favorite Disney casual outfits were since I made a tier list on which fancy dresses! So once again I've made both a tier template, which you can try yourself HERE, and also did an actual list from favorite to least.

Moana

You guys may remember that I'm one of the people who were PISSED when Disney Dreamlight Valley changed the color scheme for the Moana 10 level friendship dress... and I am STILL MAD. I LOVE HER COLOR SCHEME. Honestly I love her ending outfit too, I forgot to add it to my Disney princess gowns tier (oops) but overall I've always had an affinity for Polynesian-Hawaiian fashion. I love all the details without it being overwhelming, and that necklace is gorgeous too.

Anna

I know that TECHNICALLY Anna's real "casual outfit" is actually just her fancy gown, but with sleeves and a cape - or at least it's very similar, so for me that meant I might as well do this dress instead. Could I have gone into Frozen 2? Sure, but I didn't want to do that because then I would have to consider ALL Anne and Elsa's outfits and that'd take forever. If I were gonna do that, I'd rather do a list of ONLY Frozen outfits or something xD Anyway, I think this dress is HELLA cute! A real nice spring dress, with some cute nature details at the bottom along with a "corset" and long sleeves. I like that while it's overall green, there are some pink accents and it has multiple shades of green so it doesn't feel too simple.

Rapunzel

I already mentioned this in the gown version of this tier list, but I am overall a fan of all of Rapunzel's outfits. I would have LOVED to see her green concept art dress though, holy crap. I hope there's a cosplayer out there who has made that dress cause I want to see it irl SO BAD xD Anyway, the dress we got is cute! Different shades of pink and purple, SMALL puff sleeves and loads of small details along with lace. I'm a lace girl, love lace, will never say no to lace. Probably.

Mulan

Now see THIS is a much better outfit for Mulan! Which is interesting cause it has a similar color scheme to her fancy hanfu, dark blue, dark red, grayish white and a pinkish red as well. So... why does this look WAY better to me??? I don't know. It just does. Perhaps I'll try to do a color swap of these two and see if I can make myself like Mulan's fancy hanfu more that way xD

Ariel

This dress is so stinking cute and the bigass bow in Ariel's hair is hilariously oversized, but in the best way xD I like that it's blue, but three different shades so it - like I've mentioned earlier with Anna's dress - isn't just one solid color. It is just a tiiiiiny bit too simple for my liking though, which is why it isn't higher on my list.

Belle

Not gonna lie, I heavily prefer Belle's peasant dress to her fancy, gold gown. It's simply color-wise, but the color switch around enough for it to not feel like one solid block of color. White shirt with poofy sleeves and a collar, blue dress with thick straps and a white petticoat along with a white apron. No cute little details or anything like that, but it doesn't feel that boring despite only being two colors. Also, her hairstyle is super cute.

Kida

I actually like like Kida's outfit just fine. It's nothing fantastic though and I think it's a little bit safe. Atlantians are, from what I know, a fictional group of people and culture, right? Why not experiment a bit more? Make her wear something that stands out! Instead it's just something I can imagine seeing a random white girl wear at the beach. It's not bad, but it's one of my many issues with the visuals of the Atlantis movie.

Jasmine

I like Jasmine's outfit fine. But it's all the same shade of blue and has NO details whatsoever. Yes, the "belt" of her pants is a lighter shade, but not by much. If it had a bit more decoration on it, I would like it a lot more. And I don't like those earrings. They've confused me since I was a child. How high up are her earlobes supposed to be exactly??? I don't know about you guys, but my earlobes are parallel to just below my cheek bones. On Jasmine, based on the earrings, it looks like her earlobes are parallel to the lower part of her eye which is just VERY high up, isn't it??? Either way, a fairly simply outfit that I think only really works cause Jasmine's own beauty carries it all.

Elsa

Eh... this dress should be right up my alley. I love cyan and teal shades, it has long sleeves, there's purple there, there's some cute details without them being overwhelming. On paper, I should love or at least like this dress and I just... don't. I really can't explain why, it just doesn't do anything for me. My only guess would be that it's tight. It looks limiting. Which is kinda the idea given what Elsa is going through at this point in the movie, so I like it for her, but personally it just doesn't work for me.

Merida

Again. Dark teal/cyan, but with Merida's dress I can easily explain why I dislike it: IT'S SO FUCKING BORING. It's one solid color all the way through and then it has those small frilly thingies on her wrists and upper body and I despise frills. Hate them. Reminds me of whipped cream and I hate whipped cream too xD And the frills being fucking beige doesn't help xD

Aurora

Boring peasant gown is boring, but I love that corset! But there's too much... beige, gray and just... I like color, okay? Or at least just not "neutral" colors like this. I might honestly have liked it more if it had dark, warm, earthy color instead. I am anti-beige xD Also never been a fan of this type of collar. It's giving school uniform and it makes me feel two types of ways and neither are what I should be feeling looking at a Disney movie xD

Tiana

This shade of yellow is one of the ONLY shades of yellow I actually like, otherwise I am just not a fan of yellow, usually. I do think it suits Tiana very well, but outside of that it's just very plain. I like the silhouette, sorta, but that's about it.

Pocahontas

Again, not a fan of neutral beige'ish colors. And what pisses me off is that if you google Native American fashion, there are SO MANY gorgeous examples. Once again, I get that animators might not want to put a bunch of details on an outfit of the main character, but goddammit, why does it have to be THIS boring??? Thankfully the necklace is there, but the dress on its own is just really boring.

Cinderella

Do I even have to explain this one? Disney has made plenty of cute "housemaid" outfits (Nanny from 101 Dalmatians, Mrs. Jenkins from Pocahontas 2) and this is just not one of them. But considering that one of the reasons Cinderella is wearing such a plain outfit is to make her ballgown that much more amazing, and that I find that to be one of the most boring Disney ballgowns, this outfit doesn't work for me.

Snow White

I mean, come on. It's supposed to be ugly and they succeeded. Can't really hate it for doing its job xD

Check out my tier list for Disney princess gowns here!

#disney #disney gowns #disney dresses #peasant dresses #tier #favorites #least favorite

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aurik6 · 2 years

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Rank the diaboys?

Hey hii

I really didn't want you anon to wait for eternity, but sorry, I wanna express my stupid thoughts fully...

So here we go.

Worst to best diaboys imo, but I actually don't know which parameters of ranking to use here... anyways this is too subjective no matter how hard I'd try.

13. Mr. Kino 0 prince, 0 sense.

Honestly, I have no clue why rejet even thought about adding a new character, when they have rather new characters in the lore — the Tsukinamis. So at this point his existing is questionable for me, really... + I'm not really acknowledged of this character, I can't write dissertations about him, so he is more like "Kino... Who?..".

12. Shu aka Shoe aka perverted narcoleptic aka the main gay idk.

I think I've scramed in every corner how I hate... no, loathe him. Weak and boring. I'm not gonna lie, the type of a horny lazy guy who looks like a supermodel and has a depression sounds seductive, but... not when this fictional guy is Shu :/ .... But who knows, maybe thats because we really have OTHER OPTIONS to compare him with))) I mean, the very beginning of HDB route was kinda promising (idk for what), the scene when he lies down on the floor and sees Yui's underwear is such an iconic episode of some dark ecchi fiction, tho... that's all I really liked about him, and only because I love stupid ecchi harems.

11. Shin, aka :" what is wrong with amount of accessories on you ". Werewolfs werewolfs skies will brighten

Khm. I have nothing much to say about him. Applause. Well, actually, I only like his archetype of a character, I mean, he seems to be cocky, violent and the guts of the duet (with Carla), like he really could be a cool minor antagonist who carries more like a comedy rile in the show... Anyways, I just have high expectations for him.

10. Carla aka emo Karlheinz. Obviously he's going to be near his bro. He's a little but higher because of the Endezeit (srry if I wrote incorrectly) and the tragic fate he has as a result... That's always sad how such a mighty and (seemingly 👀) an immortal creature becomes that fragile (((((((. Tho I dislike his voice

Also I have high expectations...

9. Subaru aka Subaru (car)

I don't like him. Just from the first his appearance, why does he have to be a Sakura Haruno mode all the time punching something?... Jokes aside, for me he's a very annoying and not cute representation of a tsundere... I remember he really could run away because started blushing like... wtf🥰?. But I guess thus unstability is from his mother.... Guys making jokes of him being an "edgy emo", oml I don't know... he is a sakura haruno imo.

8. Azusa aka...he really doing drugs

Well... he is not a cinnamonroll sorry guys, no, not today... he's fate isn't dramatic but really sad, idk he makes me feel depressed, like, the guy realized he's living for pain:((( Also kinda manipulating, sometimes gives Yui the same comments as the other guys could , like "secretly you like being beaten etc, deep inside you desire this"... But he is...somehow represent himself as a victim too? That's why he's interesting for me. He said something like "I and Eve are the same" and my brain really interprets those word like being the weaker, knowing your place, feeling pain. Sick and sad.

7. Yuma aka the ordinary one. This is a good representation of a tsundere 🤡. Well, okay he's not a pure that type, but his temper annoys me LESS (like a lot) then Subaru's uncontrollable seizures of anger. Idk, Yuma is just fine. Yes, sometimes is rude, calls Yui the sow, but lol, he's the most adequate among Mukamis at least, thats the reason to feel honor....

(LOL Kaji from Evangelion and Yuma from DL would be good friends, cause "idk much about this life, Id rather water the plants )

6. Ayato the mascot. Okay, the most adequate among the Sakamakis, I guess. As the side character annoyed me asf, really, and sometimes was nasty in his own roote, but honestly, I have nothing against him. Sorry to everyone, Ayayui the best ship

He really has the balance of an ordinary teenager creature and the freaking vampire, I also like the comedy-side of this character, he is cute from time to time. Deserves to be a mascot, because obviously red hair means the main and has the suitable personality.

5. Kou. MEOW MEOW HELLO KITTY....

Honestly, when I've read his MB route for the first time I wanted someone to squeeze my eyes and then throw away. God. What the fck did a read.... But actually the character itself is written hella good. I love how hypocritical he is, the contrast between him having the immortality and the special eye but will eat from the floor as the dog because there were awful times in his life when he didn't have other choice but to eat anything and anyhow... thay is genuinely sad and he's the asshole, but I love trash and those kinda characters.

4. Kanato aka Lenore the cute little dead girl

There's something wrong with me, because shota's aren't my type (at all), BUT if there's a pshyco... hmm... eatable.

I mean Kanato is extremely annoying because he is always yelling, but he's not boring at all. Every chapter from his routes are like visiting the circus without clowns. But seriously, his character is more than just schizophrenic infantile tantrums, I believe he actually could be a more mature version of himself. Also wtf he's sometimes looks like a child and sometimes so damn seductive, dealing with him is playing with fire honestly...

3. Reiji, looks like a butler more than the butler.

Jokes about mama reiji will be taken offensive, tho they're a little bit true.

Hohoho. Sexy. Reiji gives black butler vibes tho I didn't watch the anime or read the manga, don't hate me because of that. Idk this is the character I really sympathize since HDB guess because he (one way or another) took the "responsibility" of the household, jeez he's unpaid manager... someone appreciate reiji pls. Idc when people say he's only "book-smart", idk he shows himself as the honorable man. Little crazy, but so fcking intelligent, so his behavior looks like a work of acting art. He's the perfect guy here. Also his routs are quite romantic, yet bizarre sometimes, because reiji is a sophisticated bitch...

2. Ruki aka the intj mode.

Honestly at first I thought he's the worst what could happen to me, but I didn't kill myself when I was reading his MB... That was 10000 times better than Kou's... (and I expected they'd be similar idk why).

So another "book-smart" tho as in the example above I don't really care, because my favorite part of Ruki is his own understanding that he is circled in the cycle of sins... He struggles a lot, because he wants a second chance (living as the immortal),but there's always been a question:" Does he deserve it?" Does a boy, who had better pay for his sins with his life, deserve this exact life with an urge to revenge the world?.. But he really understands that he's already sublimed by the depth of vice and has no other choice than just do something, now that's he is led by other man's will, the circle closes. And Ruki is so damn miserable guy, tho he doesn't show this much, but he's seen shit. Ofc he's an asshole, but the atrocity he went through is worse. That's why the bad endings are so heartbreaking, when he turns mad, kills everyone, because it seems like he flew up once and fell immediately... 💀

1. Laito aka mind-body-problem.

Laito is a treasure: has a fucked up backstory, miserable, im silent about his fcking thoughts about his life in LE💀, has a facade, sometimes annoying asf, but he's a vulnerable soul, it's so painful to realize how sweet he actually would be, if there weren't some of consequences....

He suffers a lot, I mean, yeah, every diaboy suffers in "their own unique way" but idk in Laito's case his pain is the most heartbreaking. The conflict of a person with the fate/world is fascinating, but the inner conflict is just mind blowing. And I'm... I'm a suckered for such things. Welcome to the club of eating glass guys, I've always been there, yeah, I like to cry with a good reason, especially if it's about fictional characters 😀.

Really Laito's whole image (with all the facades and the true feelings) is an icon. Literally perfect for me, so damn interesting character...

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emeraldxphoenix · 1 month

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numbers 10-20 for this or that meme!

munday this or that meme (a day late oops)

10. Loud neighbors or nosey neighbors? Hmmm so I've experienced noisy neighbours a lot more than nosey ones, and honestly a noisy neighbour we used to have actually drove me insane at times, so nosey all the way.

11. Vacation or staycation? Okay so I need to clarify the meaning of 'staycation', cos to me it means stay at home, but it seems to have come to mean stay in the same country as your home? Which is not a staycation imo, but anyway. A holiday (cos I'm british) but within the same country is fine by me :)

12. Netflix or Hulu? Guess it will have to be Netflix cos I've never had Hulu before.

13. Night or morning? Night, all the way. I am not even slightly a morning person, it takes me literal hours to adjust to being awake, whereas I am LIVING in the evening.

14. Art museum or history museum? History all the way. Art is cool, but I get annoyed if I can't touch it, and I'm an absolute sucker for history i love it. History nerd through and through.

15. Owe money or owe a favor? Hmmm... Honestly I don't know? Probably depend on the situation and the person. I don't tend to keep a track of 'favours' that people owe me or anything like that? Like I'll just help them out if I can, I don't expect anything back. So it feels like it would have to be super big for me to owe that? We'll go with money.

16. Be embarrassed or be afraid? Literally wrote all the others then came back to this. By far the trickiest. So fear isn't something I experience a lot, I don't really have phobias, and things tend to generate anxiety in me rather than fear - any fear I have tends to be about a big life-changing event. Meanwhile, I cannot BEAR to be embarassed. I can't bear people looking at me too much or paying me too much attention, and I get second-hand embarassment SO easily. Still, I tihnk I'd take embarrassment over fear.

17. Wine or Beer? Wine if I have to, I guess. Beer is the worst. Not particularly a wine person though - give me a cider anyday.

18. Roommates or live alone? I have never lived alone, because I am sheltered and risk-averse, but I don't know if I could deal with having roommates - my family was enough when I was growing up. Alone.

19. Attend a party or host a party? Attend, then I can leave when I want and don't have to deal with the detritus left after.

20. Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction. My long time lifeline, is reading fiction books. Non-fiction is cool, but I couldn't survive without fiction. My first coping mechanism <3

(Also tagging @victoriousfidelity cos she asked me number 11)

#ooc: out of time #yowza: i'm a mirrorball; i can change everything about me to fit in

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shesmore-shoebill · 2 months

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im not even an rpf consumer personally but ur prose in the s&b courtmangela thing was. mwah. chefs kiss. so lovely to read. going straight into my writing inspiration saves. if u ever write non rpf consider me seated sat and listening

askfjabgisbfjshf holy shit thank you sm!!!!! that means a ton 🥹🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️. I used to write recreationally a lot more often but suffered some like. life and creative burnout that im slowly trying to push through, and so thats super affirming to hear. ☺️ Moreso if you dont normally enjoy this stuff!! extremely high praise hahaha.

I actually also did not partake in/like RPF previously! until now, when the. Fixation Got My Ass. Along with talented writers already being in the fandom. So, like, extremely valid stance, haha. I haven't decided if/when I'd want to like. cross streams in terms of other fandoms/things i do, but if i do, anon, and/when i write other stuff. i will let you know. somehow.

anyway i started sharing thoughts about rpf as a whole under the cut before realizing you did not even remotely ask for that so uh. they're under a cut if you want them. ignore it otherwise. thank you for the kind words though! i appreciate them a ton :'D

In case you were curious- I think I got more fine with RPF upon very explicitly understanding it as like. A pure fiction exercise rather than speculation. RPF (or at least rpf i prefer to interact with or consume) is more about fictionalized images/perceptions in a choose your own adventure sandbox that may or may not resemble reality. IMO its almost more akin to like. Mentally casting actors to be the faces of your OC's? Which I think can still verge into weird/unhealthy territory if you're not careful, but. Hey thats true of a lot of fiction. Its VERY important to remember that you Do Not Know these people and thus the images/characters/headcanons are. 100% Not Real. Made up out of air. But I think thats important to remember whether or not you're actively writing/reading RPF.

Its also interesting bc as someone who hasn't really written a ton of fanfic before, largely out of hesitation of making characters OOC, there's an element of freedom with RPF fanfic bc. Hey. Everything is kind of automatically OOC. You're makin' these guys up. Its more important to get it right within the context of the world/characterization you've built/decided on. In a weird way its a form of fanfic that loops around to something more akin to original fiction and character building. Which! i find really neat.

Anyway, totally understand not liking/wanting to consume RPF. Its an interesting space for sure though.

#this is a very sweet compliment ty :')))) no higher praise than getting someone to enjoy something out of their norm #ask tag #idk how to tag this tbh #s&b courtmangela #personal #(kind of)#smosh rpf #but like about the logistics of it

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gorogues · 2 years

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Spoilers for the Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #3!

You can see a couple of pages here. Sorry about the quality of the above images, I had to scan them from my copy.

So what we've got here is something of a modern take (dare I say…spin) on Roscoe, as he's a former robotics engineer who experimented on himself to get powers and increase his intelligence, and is now selling his advanced weaponry to the highest bidder. He's not a Rogue, and doesn't seem to be a former petty criminal. What's interesting is that he's selling anti-metahuman tech despite now being a meta himself, and doesn't note that he's built in failsafes to protect himself. So either he's not very chatty about preventing an obvious flaw in his business model, or the problem never occurred to him. For his sake, hopefully it's not the latter.

There are obvious callbacks to his stories with the atomic grenade and the top bombs around the city, as he's got massive city-destroying tops which apparently each have the power level of a small nuke. Plus, he gives Central City 24 hours to decide on his demand: hand over the Flash or he destroys the town. Just a tad less ambitious than the ultimatum to be made ruler of the Earth or he'll blow up half the planet, but probably a little more realistic. I'm not gonna lie though, I miss that kind of unhinged supervillain demand, as it's got a certain panache to it.

But the city refuses to hand over the Flash, which is oddly decent of them. I did chuckle at Roscoe's comment about "And just when I thought the people of this city couldn't get any dumber", which is frequently true and actually something I'd expect his DCU counterpart to say…except usually in a more genteel, erudite manner. But he does get more blunt when flummoxed or emotionally unstable, so truthfully I like it.

And then my biggest gripe about the issue is that Roscoe simply exhausts himself in battle against the Flash and that's it. He just gets taken into custody and we don't find out what happens to him, and it didn't even seem like he'd so strenuously exerted himself to reach the point of collapse. That was a huge letdown, IMO, and the issue's biggest weakness. I liked Barry's arc about self-confidence and that there was resolution in the post-fight scene with his dad, but I also wanted some resolution for Roscoe even if it was just "Aw nuts, and here I am in prison".

I feel like some modern takes on Roscoe are missing something when he's just a regular supervillain who isn't a top-obsessed or spinning-obsessed oddball. Otherwise he's just a garden variety asshole, and those guys are a dime a dozen in fiction. Obviously yes, he's got top-shaped tech in this story and that's good, but it seems more like an aesthetic than something truly important to him. Maybe with more development we'd learn that tops really are special to him for whatever reason, but unfortunately we don't get that in a single issue which understandably focuses more on Barry's internal struggles than Roscoe's motivations. So he just seems like a showy jerk rather than a guy struggling with psychological issues or maybe family problems like Girder and Tar Pit were. Which I guess is fine if that's what the writer wanted, but it leaves me somewhat disappointed.

I'm glad that the issue was finally released and glad to have seen it, but it certainly has its problems. I think it could have been a lot stronger if there was more space to develop Roscoe's character and his defeat was less bafflingly abrupt, but as it is, the ending left me thinking "…is that it?" as I was reading it. That's not the best way to end what was a fairly exciting story. But I did like that the story went all-in on his comics trappings, including the classic striped costume and some top paraphernalia, and he honestly was enjoyably fun to read. So I quite liked the issue until it petered out at the end, and that's a shame. It's a decent story, but notably flawed. Still, as a Roscoe fan I'll take what I can get.

#the Top #the Flash #spoilers: comics #Flash movie #reviews

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ceresprime · 2 years

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Hello there!

I’m in the UK and apart of my county’s only regiment. Historically speaking. It’s rather funny but regardless - I was talking with the sergeant about joining up myself (having a ton of experience with Napoleonic drills and weaponry+combat, etc) and he said that sure, of course. There’s only one woman (she uses horse hair mutton chops and glues em, very cool imo) as one of the men and the sergeant mentioned that a lot of other HRA groups are very strict about having women join as enlisted soldiers. As I mentioned, we’re quite tiny and the only regiment in the county. Seems you do a lot more high scale type stuff, very well known wars and battles. Does that same rule apply over there? I’d imagine it to be quite strict, but I was just curious. Cheers!

Women in Reenacting

The rules here are sometimes just as strict--historical reenacting is a white male dominated hobby. Some organizations that coordinate separate groups still don't allow women to join the ranks as male soldiers (on paper at least). It really depends on the individual group and is often safest\* to join one with other women.

I find that if you do the work with the right people and do your homework (i.e. research the history of the people you portray, what they did and how they looked), you'll be just fine.

I'm glad you found a group that you can join, have fun!!

Appearance

Like you mentioned, you have to make sure you're portraying a man properly. I'm lucky to not have to worry about facial hair since generally men were cleanshaven in the American War of Independence, so I wish you luck with the mutton chops! Do your best to look more manly, even something as silly as tucking in your shirt more to the front of your pants, or manspreading rather than crossing your legs when you sit. I style my hair the same way as the men who wear wigs, in a late 18th century club. (I've been wanting to chop all of my hair off, but I'm refraining until after the 250th anniversary events to be most accurate.)

On the aspect of uniform, since you're portraying the Napoleonic Wars, you'll have a bit less gear but still quite a lot. (This might be TMI, bear with me.) I highly suggest planning bathroom breaks between formations/battles/etc so you can go without crossbelts, cap, or coat. As someone who's dunked their bayonet scabbard in the toilet, trust me, you'd rather have less gear to deal with.

I also tend to try lowering my voice when yelling "huzzay" during bayonet charges and the like. From a distance during a battle, the public generally can't tell male from female since you're all wearing the same uniform.

Social Things

When interacting with the public, be prepared for lots of condescending "well there weren't actually women soldiers, were there?" but also be prepared for the cute little girls who run up to you in a parking lot asking "is it okay that you're a girl? can I do that too?". I like to answer these questions the same way: play along with the scenario. I always react with surprise as if no one else can see that I'm a woman and tell them not to tell my officers. I like to pretend that I play the role of Hannah Snell or Deborah Sampson or (fictional) Louisa Baker, and use this as an opportunity to tell their stories. But don't forget to add something about women who portray women, i.e., camp followers being sutlers and soldiers' wives. (I can elaborate on this topic in another post.)

There's a great interview from a woman in my RA unit here if you'd like to hear another perspective.

I appreciate this ask, although I've attempted to make my online presence as boyish as possible so I guess I've failed in that lol. I'd really prefer if I personally could be seen as a "none of the above" gender, but no matter how I dress I will inevitably be seen as female which brings its own problems.

\*These problems being safety. As a young person who looks clearly female, it's simply more likely for sketchy people (reenactors or the public) to pick me out. I'd like to think everyone is good, but it's simply not the case. This is why women tend to join units with other women, especially at overnight events where alcohol is involved. I do not want to scare you. I am telling you to 1. find a good group who will look out for you and 2. be aware of your surroundings (if a guy gives you bad vibes, leave and find your people).

TL;DR Try to appear like a man but be aware that you are a woman: use this to educate the public but also be safe!

#im going to add to this later to talk about women's roles in the late 18th century military historically #reenacting #history #military history #american revolution #napoleonic wars #women #advice

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pussyhoundspock · 1 year

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very intrigued by what book you're talking about

YELL well it's a very heavily praised one and i've been sort of mainlining a lot of books that i assume most audiences and readers of this book doing the praising haven't read which i'm sure colors my opinion and ALSO i think it's objectively like a very good book just that it does have some flaws and also everything it says and does i've seen said and done better elsewhere and also i just personally didn't like the humor or writing style of the author which is fine and personal and not an objective critique and i thought it had some really graphic intellectually but not necessarily narratively justified stuff. i mean that's kind of what i'm talking about the author was like 'i see a lot of books about this topic have a woman be x and then y and i didn't want to do that' but then he DOES do that and like intellectually it does make sense for like the larger academic point but also it isn't really narratively justified IMO with the other stuff going on and also sort of fails to avoid the pitfalls he talked about wanting to avoid ... ultimately the academic/intellectual remove hurt it for me because i prefer subtle books and also like if i'm getting an academic analysis of a topic i'd rather just read a full on nonfiction book if that makes sense. and i do read a lot of nonfiction i actually love nonfiction and probably read more nonfiction than fiction sometimes but yeah. i think i'm just pretty specific in what i like in books and also i read a lot so there's that! AND i read this book AFTER reading an IMMEDIATE top ten of all time book about a similar topic so yeah didn't help with this book. sorry this didn't answer your question but i love an opportunity to rant about Book.

#asks #books

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dreamsclock · 3 years

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Sparrow I'm surrounded by people who absolutely despise c!dream in a discord server I'm in, pls help. I'm scared to voice my opinion bc i don't want to start discourse but also i don't even know how I'd articulate the reasons Im c!dream posi

hi anon, i hope you’re doing well, sorry this is late!!! that’s a really really difficult situation,, i’ve been in a situation like that before and it’s a hard one.

at the end of the day, you shouldn’t have to feel guilty / shouldn’t be made to feel guilty over liking a fictional character, no matter what they’ve done. fiction isn’t real life, and liking a character ≠ condoning their actions. even then!! people adore villain characters all the time ,, picking and choosing between which villains are ‘acceptable’ to like and which aren’t is precarious territory and, imo, completely redundant.

if you do want to tell them, feel free to link them to some of the posts on this blog, or many others like this that are smp!dream posi !! i have loads of reasons that people are posi about his characters (not that you should have to justify this, but i 100% understand the urge to, considering my whole blog LMAO), and lots of analysis they might be interested in.

unfortunately, though, a lot of smp!dream antis don’t want to hear other thoughts on smp!dream; i’m not trying to be mean, it’s just pretty true. as far as a lot of them are concerned, he’s 100% evil, at least now if not forever, and it seems nothing is going to change their minds. which is fine, but it’s certainly an awkward position for you.

my advice? it depends. if you think they really are genuinely hardcore antis and wouldn’t be the nicest if you said you were smp!dream posi, then i would recommend maybe ,, not saying anything, because i know some people genuinely get upset over people saying they’re smp!dream posi. so pls be careful if you do decide to say anything, because i don’t want you to get upset and/or get anger directed at you!

if you want to potentially get involved in discourse, then i would recommend explaining your views, or at least mentioning that you view smp!dream as an “interesting” character with “a lot of mystery and potential” — which is what i did for so long rather than explain i was smp!dream posi, because it’s neutral enough people can’t attack you but understand you’re interested in the character.

obviously though, these are only my thoughts, and there are other options out there too. maybe you guys could reach something of a compromise where you don’t talk about smp!dream in front of each other?? it’s a bit odd but it might prevent you from hearing hate about the character.

sorry, this isn’t the best advice, but it’s the best i got!! i hope things work out good for you, anon <3

#> my asks !!#smp dream critical

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ilikeswishcheese · 3 years

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just my thoughts on dune

after reading reviews online for Dune, the book, movie, prequels and sequels. all i have to say is people are so emotionally charged and all so many judgments that are negative towards Dune , either the movie, the originals series or the prequels/sequels, are based on a presumption they would not like them to begin with.

The original book series. Although all the Frank Herbert novels on Dune are regarded as fantastically good, there are some fans that say the second and last book are not as good because the pacing is stalled, and the character growth is focused rather than world building. All I have to say to these critiques are, although its true that world building in Dune original are what make it a sci-fi classic, you cannot have world building after world building in a book written about people. you have to have engaging characters and they have to be actively doing things. So taken with a grain of salt, Dune the Frank Herbert written ones are all great imo, just a misunderstanding of the perspective he was writing in, and a dismissal of the fact that the stories are focused on a person and their actions and not just the world.

The movie. Criticisms about the movie have all stemmed from a couple points. 1. the movie is long and stalls too much. 2. This ties in to the 3rd point, but people who complain that the acting is trying to be more profound than the dialogue shows 3. People coming into the film with the idea that the script would be word for word the book.

1. The movie stalls so much because its the beginning of a entire new science fiction scene set 10,000 years in the future. To try and drop and audience into a story and make it pace well, while also trying to teach the audience of the entire world and geo-politics of the time is inevitably going to take ALOT of exposition. But I think the pacing of the film is understandable given the scope of the information being thrown at us, especially if you havn't read the original dune.

2. Its a film, not a book. In a book, you can explain each thought the character has, and the conclusions they reach. you can describe in vivid detail the way they think and the hinderances they face in their own mind. On screen however, i think the actors they cast to play their roles did so wonderfully in every regard. Each character in the book will have more exposition written than the actors can show on screen, and this is true for any book adaptation. So I think its fine the level of acting combined with the short comings of how the dialogue comes together.

3. The script will never just be a 1 to 1 of the book. People who are over charismatic and love the Dune books, might criticize how the scenes develop, the order in which they're shown or even the flow of the plot. As mentioned above, the pacing needed to be long to introduce a heap of characters, motives, and world building to boot. This being said however, I do take it that some characters who are more important in the book don't get much or any real dialogue, and some are really worth the effort to include like Piter, Vlad or Chani. This is the only criticism I have of the film, that the adaptation from the book, while given its tough task, does a wonderful job at expanding the characters from the start of the film while but missing some important interesting characters that could carry some scenes. However this was part one of a potential trilogy, and there has been rumors that there is an extended cut that is much longer (no real evidence imo). So because the introduction of these other characters is missed in the first, i'll be interested to see how they introduce these characters in the next film.

Finally, the most controversial topic in the Dune fandom, is the Originals, vs the Brian and Kevins.

Firstly, i'd like to say that the Originals will always be better just off the fact that they are the Originals. They carry with them the whimsical writing style and world building characteristics that put Frank in the spotlight to begin with (nothing againts Brian and Kevins writing style, they can be interesting but cannot compare to Franks). His ideas on geo-politics, humanity, society and identity are so personal to his development as a creative mind that not even his son can reach.

This being said, the sequels/prequels are good. Good in the sense that they provide so much missing exposition from the Original series. Some diehard fans for the originals take the stance that Frank let our imaginations fill in the gaps in history that allow us to get to this point in time. And given the fact that Brian and Kevin have since written so much on the past that the stories have been full fleshed out, the diehard fans say the Brian and Kevin books do the thinking for you, telling you what happens rather than letting your mind do the connecting. I strongly disagree. Even though the events of the past are made crystal clear in detail through the lens of some 2-D cardboard characters typical of an action movie, I see the value in reading these prequels. Specifically my investment into the Dune worldbuilding, and my interest in how Muad'Dib becomes who he becomes and how the fremen do aswell. If your investment of the character and the fremen only go as far as his original 6 books, you're doing yourself a disservice by belittling them on the basis that they're not written by the same person. By letting others into the creative sphere theres always a risk that they wont compliment or diversify the original and i dont think thats what happened. They might have notes that Frank wrote, they might not, but the stories they weave together to show the history in The Butlerian Jihad are compelling enough to read through, and more thought provoking in that sense when thinking about the Originals through that lens. I actually think you can think more deeply about the philosophy of Paul and the other characters through this nuance.

The other thing that diehard fans say is that the prequels/sequels are inconsistent with the original, in plot, in writing styles and in philosophical intent. The fact that the machines actually enslave humans, that Paul actually had a life before Dune the original and ect.

At first Glance, this may seem like a terrible thing for Frank. Someone else coming into his creative sphere and making new branches off the tree he built. But I think the prequels/sequels are actually good because of these facts. Frank died in 1986. A couple years before the collective internet was popular, and a decade before computers, cell phones and AI are more commonplace.

Dune was written pre-cellphone. The fact that Cellphones exist and dictate so much of our human lives, interactions and news would shock Frank, i'm sure of it. And its not lost on his son and Kevin, the fact that the warnings Frank gave about the environment, political leaders and the nature of the species is flying in the face of it in 2021. Trump is exactly the type of politician that runs on personality and internet news manipulation to win elections rather than politics. And Frank would have loved to put a fat warning symbol on his head. And he also would have hated how much advertisement content we consume and are dictated for and by machines, specifically artificial intelligent machines.

With that being said, the blatant misrepresentation of the Plot of the original vs the prequels/sequels are, in my opinion a necessity to 1. Further the development of the Dune world building but more importantly 2. To try and bridge the gap between Franks time, and our time, while still having a wit about the dangers of our time growing more absurd than Frank could have imagined.

Now that i've kinda shitted and farted on the opinions of the diehard fans of the original, i will say this. Kevin and Brian are not good writers of sci-fi. They arn't good at writing sci-fi, they're good at writing action sequences and melodramatic plot reveals ala M. Night Shayamalan. This isn't to discredit their service at trying to do what i said above, but rather, the real question you should ask yourself isn't "What is different/wrong about the interpretation that Briand and Kevin have from the Original", but rather "What can the Dune Universe say about our society now, and beyond that, what can it reveal about myself." If you just want science fiction that takes you out of this world, go and watch marvel movies, or heroic films. Frank intended for us to Think. And for that i will always be grateful that theres more books coming, and more thinking to be done, even though they can't get their storylines correct 100% or possibly service every need the fandom requests them to have.

#Dune

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sendnotes · 3 years

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books i read in april.

this is going to be my thing from now on. i'll compile a list of all the books i read in a month and share my thoughts on each one every end of the month.

just so you know, i'm a little forgetful, and i have a tendency to forget names, plots, and other details. i'm hoping that writing these will aid my memory in recalling how i felt about each novel.

you can also find me on goodreads

so, let’s begin, shall we?

101 essays that will change the way you think (wiest, brianna)

self-help book

this book got off to a good start! some of the essays written (or should i say a collection of articles originally published on the thoughtcatalog website) made me think and consider my outlook on life, love, and so on.

the title overstates the case though. when i think of an essay, i picture something more argumentative and philosophical. not to mention that the majority of the ideas in this book are redundant. it made it difficult to get through. nonetheless, i was able to get past it because there were so many fantastic concepts and topics discussed.

overall, it's an interesting & worthwhile read for those who enjoy thinking outside the box.i lost count of how many times this book gave me aha moments. i swear, most of the entries soothed my mind and provided a great pick-me-up when life seemed to be frustrating.

the midnight library (haig, matt)

science fiction, fantasy fiction, psychological fiction

regrets, self-remorse, what ifs, family approval, drugs, dreams, love, passion, hatred, death, afterlife, multiverses, quantum physics, and a plethora of possibilities packed into a 304-page book.

i'll be honest: this book is already on my list of favorites. i'm simply blown away by how well-crafted and diverse the entire story unfolded.

a sci-fi novel with a dash of fantasy and a smidgeon of philosophy. if that's your thing, you should give this book a shot.

the first few pages of the book gave me an impression and led me to surmise it was going to be a cheesy ass chick lit novel that i'd only read and find enjoyable in high school. i was completely off base. it proved to be very mature, full of lessons, but delivered in a fun and entertaining manner— exactly my cup of tea.

it reminded me of a disney pixar film called soul, in which the afterlife is depicted in vivid detail. they differ on so many levels, but they both imagine life after death for people who are unsure of their path, purpose, and passion.

every chapter served a significant concept, so this book is well-deserved of a 5-star rating!

norwegian wood (murakami, haruki)

fiction, romance novel, bildungsroman

as i read the book and neared the end, all i could think about was how this book became one of murakami's most popular and influential works.

murakami offers a sprawling glimpse into the lives of a group of severely damaged youths grappling with the realities of what emptiness entails. take what you will from it.

i know a lot of people like it, which is fine. but please keep in mind that this book hit me square in the gut. it alternated between making me angry, sad, annoyed, and disgusted almost constantly. there isn't much else.

this book should come with a warning: "this is not a good place to start if you're new to murakami's works. this is not a representative of murakami's brilliance."

fist and foremost, the characters in this book are all repulsive.

toru watanabe was a fuckboy and a softboy rolled into one. what could possibly be worse than that? he'd have as many casual sexual partners as he could while also buttering a girl up by appealing to her emotions and displaying a "sensitive" and "vulnerable" side.

this book was made even more depressing by the fact that each female character was needy, weak, dysfunctional, and dependent. since they're all the same, i'm not going to go over each of these female characters one by one. you already get the idea.

reiko ishida, imo, was one of the best rendered sections of the novel. most likely because she had a better grasp on her emotions and goals than the still seeking youths... until, *spoiler alert* she wanted to do it with toru as well. a big disappointment.

to summarize, this book is primarily concerned with two topics: sex and death.

hidden meanings are everywhere, but when you get to the core, that's all that remains.

the four agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom (ruiz, miguel)

self-help book

first agreement ⏤ be impeccable with your word

this essentially means that you should not spew gossip or use words to harm others. because words have tremendous power and can cause significant harm. you are not only negatively affecting others with your hateful and thoughtless words, but you are also hurting yourself. this is something with which i generally agree. how i see it, when people are unhappy with themselves, they turn to others to make themselves feel better. as a result, they gossip about others in order to divert attention away from themselves.

second agreement ⏤don't take anything personally

alright. sure. don't let what others say about you bother you. it has everything to do with them and nothing to do with you. well, i don't entirely agree, but i think it's a fantastic idea in general. however, achieving this goal will be extremely difficult. i believe it would take a lot of practice to reach this level of zen. plus, i honestly believe that other people's opinions still matter because they keep you in check. the best advice is to not be swayed by these opinions, but to consider why they were expressed in the first place. see what you can do to improve yourself from there. sure, it can be difficult to deal with; after all, no one likes being told they're wrong or whatnot. but it's not all bad news because you can sometimes use criticism and judgment to give you a competitive edge. i mean- don't you think hearing someone else's point of view is also an opportunity to learn and progress? ruiz should have stressed that it's not just about "not taking it personally because you know you're not that person," but also about not retaliating with an extreme knee-jerk reaction even if you believe you're being unfairly criticized.

third agreement ⏤ don't make assumptions

this is a real eye-opener for me. i've noticed that whenever i become enraged by someone's words, it's usually due to my tendency to assume. personally, i can't help but make assumptions. i don't know what other people's motivations are, and i can't help but draw conclusions based on the information i have. even if the other person had no intention of causing me harm, it's too late. the thought has become ingrained in my mind, and i never ask for clarification out of pride or fear of appearing overly sensitive.

fourth agreement ⏤ always do your best

this section did not seem particularly useful to me. i mean, aren't we all reminded of this all the time? this section is filled with sloppy writing, in my opinion. as if he badly wanted to finish the book and impulsively thought: "okay, fourth agreement: always do your best. that should suffice. lmao"

overall opinion: the third agreement was my favorite, but the rest were a no-go. don't get me wrong, i appreciated his ideas, but i've heard them all a hundred times before. basically, the book's sole takeaway is that we are all suffering in some way in our daily lives, and we are all dealing with different issues. regardless, we all need to be kinder and gentler to ourselves and others.

the song of achilles (miller, madeline)

romance novel, historical Fiction, war story

i'll keep it short and sweet:

i really wouldn't have had this book any other way. miller's writing is breathtaking, so rich and full of lovely detail. it's incredibly a unique concept to me that authors are rewriting such ancient history and stories to make them lgbt+!

some suggest it's tedious, but i disagree. it isn't slow; rather, it is just right.

'cause at the end of the day, it's not about war, tragedy, or heroes - it's a slow-burning, organic love tale between two young men and their inevitable connection.

it's sad, tender, and painful, but in the best way possible.

circe (miller, madeline)

novel, historical fiction, fantasy fiction

"greek mythology, but with a feminist twist"?! sign me the hell up! this piqued my interest... only to leave me feeling completely let down. seriously now. circe was described as a "badass empowered woman," which was the single most compelling selling point for me, and thus the most wrenching disappointment, i must say.

sure, it demonstrated the value of feminine power, but it also did represent how this power can be a force of good or evil.

not to mention the fact that circe fucked a married man or two in this book- i mean- how is that an ~empowered woman~?

let's be clear right off the bat: madeline miller's follow-up to the song of achilles is epic in scope but not necessarily in execution. to me, this read more like a tedious island tale. regardless of how many five-star reviews this book has received... i just don't think it's well-deserved. don't get me wrong here. miller is a fantastic author with a lush writing! istg- i'm blown away by how beautifully she wrote and carefully chose her words. even the most mundane phrases were written poetically. after-all, it’s greek mythology. but how did she manage to make circe seem so... bland?

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mermaidsirennikita · 6 years

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I'd also love to see someone who is actually 20 playing Diana. I feel like more people would understand that marriage if the actors have a true age gap. I don't think an actress in their mid 20s could even capture just how young she was and just how naive. IDK, people were talking about Sophie Turner at one point which I'm soso on.

I love Sophie Turner for Diana, to be honest. She can play regal, she can play fierce, she can play a victim--I think she’s probably my first choice.

The thing with age is that I’m fine with a pass being given. I might feel more strongly about a fictional character, but whoever plays Diana is playing her from 19 to 36, and I’d rather they didn’t recast the role. So I’d rather them cast someone younger than older. Many 20 year olds in Hollywood do trend towards looking quite young, and while Diana did look very young when she began dating Charles, after the marriage... though she still looked young she looked very different compared to when the engagement was announced. Because she was being professionally styled, because her clothes were different, because, sadly, she lost a ton of weight due to stress and her eating disorder(s). While Diana was beautiful and young-looking, there were points after her marriage where I feel like she didn’t necessarily look as (very) young as she was due to the way they made her up and again, the other factors.

Again, I think Sophie would be perfect but whoever is playing Diana should be playing her throughout her life ideally. I just don’t think that her “time on the show” (yikes) would be long enough to justify a recast. It’s not perfect, but imo it’s easier to make an actress in her twenties look older and a bit younger than making up a very young actress to look like she’s in her late twenties. Sophie’s very young but has the advantage of, to me, looking a bit older very easily. It might be the height or her bone structure, idk. But then again, maybe they are going for a recast--I think Diana would be on for seasons 3-5 so it’s not impossible, but it would be kinda hard imo. And again, difficult to justify.

No matter who they cast, she’s gonna be up against a ton of public opinion.

#Anonymous

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