#and yeah it's harder to engage with your themes when you don't have a set endpoint in mind from the beginning

[marypsue]

The thing is, it’s impossible to not have themes in your writing. The damn things pop up like mushrooms anywhere they detect the slightest hint of Story, even if you actively try to avoid them. And if you don’t thoughtfully choose which ones to cultivate and which ones to prune, that’s when the dry rot sets in and your whole house collapses. 

#something stephen king failed to understand at least early in his career #credit where it's due the duffers are quite good at putting together a plot at least sometimes #they're just absolute ass at handling themes #and yeah it's harder to engage with your themes when you don't have a set endpoint in mind from the beginning #but! importantly! not impossible!

[artsy-hobbitses]

So if the TTB couples had a theme song to them, what would be their song? Ex: beauty and the beast : WindScream

MiragexHound: Tell Him/Something About The Way You Look Tonight (These bitches GRANDIOSE about their feelings)

Tell him Tell him that the sun and moon Rise in his eyes Reach out to him And whisper Tender words so soft and sweet I'll hold him close to feel his heart beat Love will be the gift you give yourself

SideswipexStrongarm: I think I’m in love/Hooked on Feeling (These bitches engaging in TSUNTSUN TO DEREDERE COMBAT)

I keep on frontin' Yeah, I stay bluffin' I keep you wondering Keep you hunting for my lovin' But I crave us hugging Yeah, I stay stubborn 'Cause I can't admit that you got all the strings And know just how tug 'em

WindScream: Carry Your Throne/ You Raise Me Up (VERY SPECIFICALLY the Lena Park version for that one Romeo/Juliet anime opening for voice AND narrative purposes)

They try to break inside the walls with These lies but I'm pulling up the draw bridge We rose this love from the dirt now Set fire to the sky watch it burn down It's a ceremony but the crowd's gone And you got nothing but my crown on If you're lost in this darkness I'll carry your throne No, I won't let it swallow you whole

RavagexLaserbeak: Head Over Feet/I’ll Be (These bitches DOMESTIC DORKS)

You're the best listener that I've ever met You're my best friend Best friend with benefits What took me so long? I've never felt this healthy before I've never wanted something rational I am aware now I am aware now

Dratchet: Writing’s on the wall/Love is all (These bitches ANGSTY)

I'm prepared for this I never shoot to miss But I feel like a storm is coming If I'm gonna make it through the day Then there's no more use in running This is something I got to face If I risk it all Could you break my fall? How do I live? How do I breathe? When you're not here, I'm suffocating I want to feel love run through my blood Tell me, is this where I give it all up? For you, I have to risk it all 'Cause the writing's on the wall

MegxOP: Someday out of the blue/A Million Dreams (Can these bitches pine any harder?)

I still believe I still put faith in us We had it all And watched it slip away Where are we now? Not where we want to be Those hot afternoons Still follow me

ProwlxJazz (QPP): Iris (No notes, Prowl baby ur an angle)

And I don't want the world to see me 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am

Overarching theme: L’envie d’Aimer (Because love--romantic, platonic, familial, community, all its forms--is what ties everyone together and saves everyone/the world in the end)

#inbox #save for later

[plothooksinc]

fic writer asks: 🌈🎈☯️?

🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

There is not! Not that I don't work hard/struggle with my writing, but if I'm having difficulty with a scene you can bet I've been whining about it to anyone who'll listen |D For scenes/themes I struggle with in general, though, definitely the connective tissue scenes which are required between Plot Point A and Plot Point B. In which just enough has to happen to pass some time or set things up, and very often my mind goes very ???? ????? for those and I keep sort of tapping away with random lines until something clicks and I'm like "ah yes this will work". (I can think of themes I would definitely struggle with, but those are themes that would not tend to surface in my work at all, for a variety of reasons. You won't ever get high angst in my stories, for instance.)

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

My style tends to be a kind of bastardisation between Janny Wurts, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Stephen King. 8|a It does change on the regular, subtle fluid changes which largely depend on who I've been reading more of lately-- I'm very easily influenced and inspired by the styles of others if I fall in love with their writing, but I suspect I have a base that stays the same underneath. The more confident I get with a piece of writing, the more experimental the writing may get, and sometimes I start something on a whim and go HEY YEAH LET'S BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT and I end up first person present tensing all over the place or some such weirdness. I shift slightly based on the kind of story I want to write. Most of my stuff falls into the action/adventure category so that's what you'll see most of the time. But then I want to write something that focuses far more on environment and harsh reality, and I'll sit down and try and really make my writing reflect that. I can see the difference. (It's much, much harder and doesn't come naturally. I'd put Snowblind in this category.) So...mostly fixed, wavers a bit at the edges, then changes drastically for drastically different themed projects (but probably veers closer to what most people are familiar with as I go on those). ☯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

Oof. Okay, so, I actually have a social anxiety disorder and a generalised anxiety disorder, so... I can say that, for me, it's very hard to reach out to other fandom people. When they engage with me first I can meet them on their level and it's much easier from there as my brain has tagged them as "oh they want to talk to me! :D :D" and thus it's easier? This is why my reviews to everyone ever are extremely terrible and one note because my mind goes utterly blank when I try to tug on someone else's sleeve and go "...hey", but I can reply to people just fine! The onus shouldn't be on other people, though, so I keep trying. For the other part of the question-- I think engagement is very important. It allows people in fandom to feel seen, to engage and share their love of characters and find other people on their wavelength, and it keeps fandoms healthy and colourful and alive. (It also creates drama, yes, so navigate the waters with care and don't feed the trolls.) So I'm always happy to talk fandom with people and I reply to all comments I get these days (I did go through a huge portion of time I didn't respond at all and I'm sorry to all those people who wrote me at Underdark or elsewhere and didn't get a response, you were seen and I loved you) and I'm happy just being silly in my own corner with anyone who wants to come and be silly with me. \o/ ...just don't ask me for in depth analysis on stuff because I'm... decent at writing that in a fictional sense but not so much on the fly. lmao. Thank you! Ask meme is here.

#@consultingjedi #fic ask meme

[fandomacademy]

Fanfiction 101 - Lesson 1

Today we're going to look a broad overview of necessary knowledge for writing compelling fanfiction. Fanfiction is a release, a way for fans to engage and explore media. It doesn't have to be a work of art, simply a fun thing to do in one's spare time. But the better you are at writing, the more you'll be able to share your work and connect with others.

Fanfics and original works share the same basic recipe. You need characters, a main character (or two), a plot, a message, and a setting. The only difference is that some of the ingredients are already provided for you when writing a fanfic. These ingredients are usually the characters and setting, although AU (Alternate Universe) works tend to change the latter. One of the most popular settings to change to is a fantasy one.

. . .

Now that you know the basic ingredients, let's take a closer look at what goes into a riveting plot.

Plot is what happens in your story. And usually the main character (along with side characters too) has a character arc during this adventure. A character arc gives depth to your character, and shows them growing. This growth can be either positive or negative, although positive is the usual kind, and is easier to pull off well. Positive character arcs are easier for the audience to identify with. It makes it easier for them to identify with your character, as they can see them becoming a good person. Maybe even one your audience wants to be like.

There are multiple different road maps that have been made over the years to help writers plan out their plots. Different ways to structure the path from the start of the story to its end. The most popular one is the three act story structure. Story structures are especially helpful for pacing. Pacing is exactly what it sounds like: making each plot point happen in a timely manner. It is incredibly important for making any and all plot points in your story feel relevant to the reader. This is usually more evident in angst fics, but it's an important tool for any genre.

. . .

Character voice and POV (point of view) are indispensable tools in your writing arsenal. Character voice is the unique way a certain character talks. More specifically, how you write their dialogue and inner thoughts. This makes characters feel more real, and helps give them personality. Here's an example: "This is a bad idea" vs "Yeah...I'm not sure that's such a good idea, guys." Both give different vibes. The first is very blunt and unfiltered, while the second is more unsure of itself.

POV is whose perspective the story is being told from. Is it from the view of a random narrator? The main character? A side character? This also determines what pronouns you use to refer to the narrator. If the narrator is a character in the story for example, the entire work would be them telling their tale, and would be peppered with "I" statements. whereas if it were a random narrator, the events would be told from third person.

Make sure to keep the POV consistent throughout the work. Unless you explicitly tell the reader you're switching, usually done by putting the name of the person whose POV you're switching to at the start of a chapter. POV changes by chapter are the most common, and the least jarring. Changing it while in the middle of a chapter is harder to pull off.

. . .

Let's say now you have the what and who of your story all figured out. But you're still wondering about the why.

The why of your story is the message, or theme. Not all stories are written with one in mind. And they don't have to be! A message adds a bit more oomph to the story, but it's not strictly necessary (especially for fanfics). However, if you have a character arc in your story, chances are you've already got a message. You just don't know it yet.

A message or theme is essentially what your story is trying to say. What do you want readers to take away from your work? Maybe your story is about a teenager who has an abusive and manipulative family, but eventually finds friends who love them, and they create their own found family. The message of your story might be, "blood isn't thicker than water" or, "there's always hope" or even, "if your family is abusive, you should get out".

But now imagine the same story, except instead of finding their found family, the teenager accepts their abusive family and decides "well, there's nothing wrong with this. it's just me." The message would be completely different! Your message and plot are carefully intertwined, even if you don't see the former yet.

. . .

Homework Read a oneshot of your choosing and take notes of what you like and dislike about how the story is told, then look back and see if it can be connected to one or more of the factors we covered today.

#fanfiction 101 #fandom academy #fanfiction #creative writing #story structure #character voice #pacing

[rattyoakenbitch]

❝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠❞ ─ 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦

after all this time, i start asking why i'm staying

were you ever mine?

are we something that's worth saving?

❥ content ; gn reader, eventual fluff, angst, happy ending

❥ warnings ; cursing, themes of cheating

❥ synopsis ; you're will's s/o. when he comes home from work, you can tell he's off. what you didn't expect was him to kick you out.

❥ a/n ; none!

"Will?"

You call out after hearing the front door to your house open and shut. When you don't get a response, you get up from your laying position on the couch and approach the front door.

There, Will stood. His back was turned to you as he hung up his coat, and although you could not see his face, you could immediately tell he was off. Even the energy around him felt dark and tense.

"Oh, hey, hun.." You said anxiously, trying not to set him off in any way.

Will didn't react to your voice. Instead, he backed away from the clothing rack and walked past you, not even bothering to spare you a look. This wasn't the first time Will acted out like this, especially considering he was exhausted all the time from the work Crawford gave him. But he would at least greet you soon as he walked through the door, not flat out treat you as if you didn't exist.

"Will," you sighed dejectedly, more to yourself than to your boyfriend. You quietly followed him upstairs to the master bedroom, where he began to strip off his work clothes, changing into something more comfortable. Still, he ignored your presence. You had to make another move.

You slowly approached him from behind, placing your hands on his shoulders. You were immediately taken back when he forcefully removed himself from your touch and walked away to another corner of the room.

"Will, I just-"

"What?" he scoffed mockingly, "You just want to help?"

"You're my boyfriend, Will, of course I want to!"

He laughed.

"It certainly doesn't help when you breathe down my neck every fucking minute."

Tears pricked in your eyes, Will's vicious tone scaring you. You searched Will's own eyes, trying to find any trace of remorse or regret. He had none. You didn't even know who you were looking at.

"What are you talking about, Will? When you want space, I give you space. When you want love, I give you love! What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to leave."

And then it was quiet for a moment. You both stood there silently, feet away from each other, eyes burning holes into the others.

"..What?" You stared in disbelief. "Wh- What are you saying right now, Will?"

"I want you to leave. I want you gone, Y/N. I don't need you anymore."

"No," you bit your quivering lips, hot tears spilling down your cheeks. Will averted his stare from your crying form, the floor suddenly becoming more interesting.

"No, you're lying. You're just saying that. You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me."

"I'm sorry, Y/N." Lies. "It's best if you just leave."

You choked on a sob. "What?! Where is this coming from all of a sudden? We were okay just the other day!"

Will remained silent, still not daring to make eye contact with you.

"Is there someone else?"

"I- No, Y/N. I don't owe you an explanation."

"So this is it, then? You're just gonna kick me out?"

"Please, Y/N. Don't make this harder than it already is."

"This is hard for you?! You're not the one getting kicked out!"

Will sighed, somehow managing to remain calm while you screamed at him.

"I'm sorry." And the conversation ended there.

You began to pack your bags. You also phoned a friend, asking them if you could crash for a bit until you had a stable job and a home. You were not about to sleep on the sofa tonight.

You opened and slammed drawers, taking your anger out on furniture as you took your belongings with you. You also did it to spite Will, who attempted to get some sleep. But he did not complain. He continued to act as if you didn't exist.

It made you wonder. Where did it all go wrong? How long has he thought about leaving you? Was there another person?

Will wouldn't answer your questions. At this point, you didn't wanna know.

You were able to finish packing up within an hour. Will was still wide awake during that time, listening closely to the angry banging of furniture, quiet sniffles and shaky inhales as you tried the best you could to keep your composure.

You loaded all your bags into your car, getting ready to head to your friend's place. You went back inside to get a couple more things and look around the house a final time. You stopped by the front door as you were about to leave, your eyes landing on a picture on the windowsill of you and Will. Your already tired, red eyes welled with tears again. You opened up the frame, sliding the picture out and folding it into your pocket. Not like Will would want it in his house anyway.

And so you left.

You didn't say your goodbyes. You just left.

A week had gone by. Will carried on with his job as usual, attended his therapy sessions, but he never once mentioned you. Not a lot of people knew about you and Will's relationship, or what was once a relationship. Since his coworkers already knew so much, or what Will deemed to be enough information about him, he wanted to keep your relationship secret. Not that you minded.

The only person who knew of your relationship was Alana Bloom and Jack Crawford, but even when it ended, he didn't tell them anything. He didn't tell them how guilty he felt the night he kicked you out. He didn't tell them he still had nightmares about you being harmed. He didn't tell them how he was the one harming you in his nightmares. He didn't tell them how empty he felt when you blocked his number and social medias (ok sorry but like little headcanon here?? will has an instagram and it's just pictures of him fishing / or of his dogs fnsmdnskdjsk).

He never told them how he tried not to stay in his house as often, because it reminded him of you.

He was definitely acting strange at work. It was easy to tell. Even Bev pulled him aside to inquire about his health. But he continued to keep his mouth shut, until he couldn't.

Will rushed to the front door when he heard little taps on the metal screen. Secretly, he hoped it would be you. But when he opened it, there stood Alana Bloom. Will always thought Alana was beautiful. But how could anyone disagree?

Her long, dark waves that framed her perfect, slim face were never unchecked and unkempt. Makeup or none, preppy work uniforms or pajamas, she always seemed to look her best.

You even found yourself feeling small and insecure when Will invited her over for you to meet. But he assured you that she could never even compare to you. You believed it.

Alana's thin lips curled up into a soft smile. "Will. Can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." He let her in and she walked through the front door for the first time in forever.

"Jeez," she chuckled. "How long as it been?"

"Maybe too long," Will simply replied.

Alana walked around the house, scanning every detail while Will patiently trailed behind her. The dogs were playing outside, so it was just the two of them.

"Why did you decide to come over today?"

"I've been worried about you." She turned around to face Will, who stopped a few feet in front of her. "But now that I'm here in your house, I can see why you've been acting off."

"What's your diagnosis, Doctor?" Will joked, an attempt at lightening the tense air.

"Y/N. They left, haven't they?"

There it is.

Technically, Alana wasn't wrong. You did leave, but Will never clarified in what circumstance.

Will looked at the ground.

"Yeah.. Took all the photos too."

"Hey," Alana began, her finger resting under Will's chin, prompting him to look up at her. "You don't have to hide from me."

A week had gone by. A long, lonely, miserable week. You crashed at your friend's for two nights before your parents invited you to live with them while you worked on getting back on your feet. They didn't live too far, so you thanked your friend for their hospitality and moved in with your parents.

As you finished unpacking your stuff, you realized you were missing some things. You cursed at the realization you would probably have to pick up some stuff from Will's.

You still had the key, so you would have no problem getting in, unless he had the lock changed of course. You were only worried about running into him.

What the hell?

You got dressed. You didn't wear anything fancy, but in case you ran into Will, you felt obligated to look presentable and show him that you could still make it without him. You decided on doing a bit of makeup. Again, nothing fancy. Just enough to conceal the dark circles under your eyes and make your features pop.

And then you headed on the dreadful drive to Will's place.

When you got there, you were too nervous and too focused on making the trip quick to even notice Alana's car in his driveway.

However, what did catch your attention, were the many dogs Will owned. They ran up to you as soon as they recognized you. They panted as they jumped and wagged their tails, expressing their happiness the most they could. You tried your best to pet them all, your mouth lifting up into a smile. You didn't realize it but you really missed the dogs.

You dug around for the key in your pocket and pulled it out, quietly unlocking the front door and letting yourself in.

"You don't have the hide from me.."

Your eyebrows furrowed together at the sound of a female voice.

When you walked into the living room, you were horrified to see Will with another woman. Alana.

Their lips were locked, engaging in a passionate kiss, not even noticing your presence. You felt sick as you put the pieces together.

"Now I know why you kicked me out," you whispered, half to yourself and half to Will, who almost about pushed Alana off him at the sound of your voice.

Both their cheeks heated up in embarrassment when their eyes fell on you.

"Y/N! I'm so sorry, I thought-"

"Look, I only came to pick up some stuff. Then I'll be out of your way." You didn't once look away from Will, deciding to totally disregard Alana's presence and apologetic mutters.

With that, you rushed out of the living room and into your bedroom, searching under the bed and in the closet for your missing items.

You heard faint talking from the living room but tuned out most of it, deciding it wasn't worth your time or even your business in the first place. Then you heard the front door shut and a car start from outside.

Before you could process what might've happened, you heard Will's footsteps stop outside the bedroom.

"Y/N, we should talk."

"No, we shouldn't."

"You blocked my number."

"What good would it do if I kept it?"

"Please, hear me out."

Disgruntled, you turned to face Will, sending a cold glare his way.

"Look, unless you found a way to make a time machine and give me back the time I wasted on you, I don't want to speak with you."

"Why won't you just listen to me?!" he snapped.

You scoffed, "Well surprise, douchebag, I have feelings and you hurt them!"

"Well, I'm sorry, alright?" he calmed down now.

"Are you? Really?" You shook your head. "A sorry won't fix this, Will. Not after what you did. Gods- I can't even look at you right now."

You laughed. "You know what fucking sucks? After all you did, after the cheating and the lies, I'm still in love with you."

Will teared up. "I was never with Alana, Y/N. It's always been you."

"Then, why, Will? Why did you throw me out so coldly like that?"

"I began to have dreams, Y/N. Nightmares," Will admitted, his voice beginning to break. "Nightmares about people hurting you. Criminals. It was too real. As much as I loved- As much as I love you, I never wanted you to choose me. I don't want people using you as a weapon against me. To hurt me."

You slowly walked towards Will, stopping a foot away from him. You looked up into his glossy bambi eyes as he spoke.

"It was when the nightmares got worse, when I was the one hurting you, that I realized you weren't safe with me."

You cried. "Oh, Will. I wish you had told me."

"I couldn't. I didn't want you to remember me that way."

You laughed. "Well, I ended up remembering you as the asshole who kicked me out, instead."

Will managed to give you a smile through his tears.

He brought his hand to your shoulder, and gently lead it up your neck to the side of your face, cupping it lightly and brushing his thumb across your cheek.

"I would never hurt you, Y/N."

"I know. I know, Will. You aren't a monster for having nightmares you can't control." You brought your own hand up and placed it against Will's, leaning into his warm touch. "I'm still here. I'm alive. In your hands. And I feel safe with you."

Almost hesitantly, Will leaned in, connecting his lips to yours. His body felt tense, but when you kissed him back, you felt his worries disappear into the air.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against yours.

"Stay with me tonight?"

#will graham x reader #will graham fluff #will graham angst #will graham #hannibal nbc #hannibal tv show #hannibal gifs #will graham gifs #will graham oneshot #will graham imagines #rattyoakenbitch #alana bloom #angsty #hannibal fandom #hannibal fanfiction #beach bunny #lyric prompts

[veliseraptor]

Been thinking a lot lately about the twin jades and the dehumanising aspect of high expectations/perceived perfection- when people put you so high on a pedestal they don't seem to see you as a person anymore- and how that fits with the overall theme of reputation/perception within the series- and i would be interested if you have any thoughts on that bc your perspective is always really interesting

oh yeah!!! this is the good shit anon, thank you, I feel like I do not talk enough about the Twin Jades on this blog but I love both of them very much. and this is a whole thing that I also love. In general everything about MDZS/CQL and the way it looks at perception and reputation and how that can shape and define a person even against their will, that’s a narrative kink and a half for me.

and that is, you’re right, very much a part of the Twin Jades. 

Like. Lan Wangji has his whole Statue Carved of Jade thing going on where he very much is like. “I am aloof and do not engage with people and do not like people and will operate according to my own strict code of conduct as a guide to moving through the world, because I am on the inside a human being who was very poorly socialized and also just not particularly good at people, and also have a lot of feelings but that seems like kind of a problem with me as a person.” 

Lan Wangji has so many feelings, you guys. He’s just constantly trying to not express them because expressing too many feelings is bad. 

But this also means that he struggles to connect with people. Like, he would anyway, regardless, I just don’t think Lan Wangji is a people person, but also the more that people hold him up as an idol the harder that gets. It means that he’s - yeah, not human, which means that people don’t relate to him as a person. They relate to him as a symbol, or a thing to project their expectations onto. (The way that Su She, for instance, talks about Lan Wangji.) This is why I think Wei Wuxian’s persistent use of Lan Zhan is so important - for so many people I think Lan Wangji will always be Hanguang-jun, forgetting that there’s a person under the title.

So connecting with other people is even harder than it would be for Lan Wangji already. 

and then there’s Lan Xichen. Poor conflict-averse Lan Xichen, shoved into leadership too young, Zewu-jun, overflowing with generosity and grace. That near-permanent smile. Diplomatic to a fault. In some ways I think Lan Xichen even more than Lan Wangji is so very, painfully conscious of this pressure and the expectations on him. Every one of his actions has consequences, every little move he makes is potentially dangerous not just to himself but to the sect he has to lead. And his authority, too, rests partly on that reputation. If he didn’t have it, then that would weaken Gusu Lan. 

Lan Xichen is trying to carry a lot of things on his shoulders, and he has to do it while making it seem effortless. A jade statue of his own, though his is smiling, and warm. If Lan Wangji is all walls, Lan Xichen is all open doors. And of course the cost of that is a lack of privacy, is a lack of personal space, is a relative lack of boundaries. 

And he, too, is less a person than a symbol, which means that he can’t be seen to be impatient, or to be angry, or, in some ways, to have needs or wants of his own that he can’t set aside for the good of others. Ever benevolent, ever gracious, and he can’t let that image waver. Lan Xichen doesn’t get room to be a person. If Lan Wangji is too isolated, Lan Xichen could do with a little more isolation. 

I’d be interested in some analysis of the ways in which both Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli are very much givers in the same way they’re also both conciliators. And for both of them it’s not entirely healthy. 

Anyway, that line about “fire from the front, ice from the side”? Spoken about Lan Wangji, maybe - but it fits both the Twin Jades very well, just in different ways and from different directions.

#lise does meta #(sort of) #lan wangji #lan xichen #aggressively headcanons #the sad queer cultivators show #anonymous #conversating

[sanctuaryforascrivener]

Hey I've been following you for a long while and at this point I'm just gonna ask so I have some context with your reblogs, what is the untamed about? I don't get any of it but I don't wanna unfollow so maybe if I can be like "oh yeah it's those men in wigs doing x again" it'll be less confusing before I scroll on. Also happy new year!!

!!!!! oh, hi! Happy New Year! I really.... need to actually start tagging stuff..........

It’s. My latest hyperfixation/obsession. I’m sorry that I’ve been spamming... Honestly, I had the same thing going on, seeing all these gifs of pretty people on my dash and being like “what is going on, I gotta know”. Let me see if I can give you a brief summary. The good news is that it’s on Netflix if you’re curious or interested, and I believe there are a few sites you can find it streaming free, too, if you don’t have access to an account.

Meta stuff first: The Untamed is a Chinese period fantasy drama that came out in 2019. It’s 50 episodes long and is based on a Chinese online boy-love novel called Mo Dao Zu Shi, often translated as “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” or “Founder of Daibolism.” There’s also a manhua (manga) and a donghua (anime/cartoon) that are both ongoing and, unlike The Untamed, don’t censor the explicit romantic relationship between the main male lead and the secondary male lead. Or, at least, the manhua doesn’t. Given the donghua is ongoing, it’s a lot harder to tell whether or not that’ll end up explicit or just as heavily implied as The Untamed.

Plot wise, The Untamed follows the story of Wei Wuxian’s life, death, and return. The first two episodes are a bit confusing because you wind up dropped in the middle of things without very much context, beginning with a scene of Wei Wuxian’s death and then jumping forward in time to when another man, Mo Xuanyu, sacrifices himself in order to bring him back to life, so that Wei Wuxian might take revenge upon Mo Xuanyu’s family. The reason he opted to bring Wei Wuxian back is because Wei Wuxian is the scourge of the cultivation world.

(Cultivation is a path of magic and supernatural study by which someone cultivates their own spiritual energy in order to, ultimately, ascend to immortality. Cultivators do a lot of ghost hunting and monster slaying as well, making sure that spirits and souls are laid to rest. I do not know a whole lot about all of this because I am not Chinese and very new to Chinese media, so this is a very rough outline, but the important thing to know is that they’re sort of magicians and they take care of supernatural stuff. There are various sects that pursue specific specialties and paths of cultivation, and there’s a LOT of political intrigue going on as well.)

After the first couple of episodes, there begins an extended flashback to the years shortly before Wei Wuxian died to show how he went from one of the greatest and most admired cultivators of his generation to the most reviled. When things finally jump back to the present, the rest of the show focuses on the mystery set up in the first couple of episodes and Wei Wuxian rebuilding his relationships with the various people he loved in his former life, as well as--ultimately--clearing his name.

There’s a lot of political intrigue, drama, humor, romance, and tragedy. The show examines some serious themes of good vs. bad, how the actions of a person reflect upon those around them regardless of intention, how people can become trapped by the society around them, what does it mean to sacrifice, whether the ends justify the means. Despite all of that, the show DOES end on a hopeful, if somewhat bittersweet note, and even though the explicit gayness is censored, there’s more than enough to be like ‘oh, yeah, okay you two,’ about it, and neither of the couple are shoe-horned off into some forced heterosexual marriage in order to make it clear that they’re not gay or anything like that, which is nice. Plus I basically refer to the set up and beginning as “Unbury Your Gays” given that the first ten minutes or so involve Wei Wuxian coming back to life. Because I think I’m funny.

It’s a beautifully filmed series, so many of the actors are drop dead gorgeous, the plot is engaging, the soundtrack is to die for, and I drool over the costumes. Basically, highly recommend. It’s not without it’s problems (the women characters are few but kick-ass, but also most of them die), and there’s definitely some triggering stuff in there--death, dismemberment, self-harm, suicide, and incest, and probably more that I’m not able to remember, so if you do watch it and any of those are triggers, proceed with caution.

But in general, I HIGHLY recommend it. I found a whole new sub-genre of fantasy that I never knew about! I’m telling myself I’m not going to learn Mandarin but I’m probably going to break soon.

Also, I’m really flattered that you actually asked me because you like my chaotic blog so much instead of just being like ‘meh, guess it’s time to unfollow.’ OTL Thank you.

#inked-to-bring-you-back #long post

[maneaterwithtail]

The politics are the cough. the disease is flooding to chase the trend of personal brand building. Events and confusing communities and arguably the arrangement of the direct market itself. No simplicity and lots of expense with shakeup one after the other.

And some transparently business or out of story disrupting existing (in humans versus mutants)

Starting Marvel, as an example, is harder than figuring out where to come in on the Fate series. I mention this because Comics are often compared to manga and yet however convoluted in silly may get for the most part you buy one collection, or let's not kid ourselves pirate, or wait until an animated adaptation comes out realize that it's pretty much faithful, go back to the core comic and so long as you start from the beginning you can follow to the end. Even if it's based off of a visual novel chances are everything will progress from beginning to end. It's usually when that models messed up with that something becomes destructive and difficult to follow or deal.

Unlike with manga where if you're having trouble following where to start with, like the Fate series, you can at least enjoy the latest Nasu verse offering. especially if you can turn your brain off and just engage with one example. Or if you don't want to deal with that you can just go to an entirely different property from a similar publisher that scratches a similar itch.

Like the premise of America Chavez buts I think she did it wrong? Well it's not like you can just switch over to Champions because that's a mess as well along with Miles Morales Spider-Man and ms. Marvel or spider woman.

it's expensive, patchy, filled with all sorts of weird continuity that you end up having to buy just to start. As such only the dedicated fanbase could possibly tolerate it but that also is exclusive in the sense that it's so to them with a history that it feels kind of off-putting.

I like the comicsgate comics I have heard of. I can also understand why we try to move away from that. Such as very obvious p*** tracing. And so on. Yes supposed diversity has basically led to a similar story of we're here now we're going to f*** the status quo too strongly relating to the audience or the author's pandering.

But it's not just they're going to have a trans person in an announcement. Which is a pretty major character trait I imagine that they want to talk about that or include it in the announcement.

the discontinuity does not help you build upsetting characters characterization and Circumstance. This is what I mean you're following themes story and events building to something then a new author will come in and he or she will wreck all that up so that they can go in an entirely different direction. Okay maybe you don't like the homosexual overtones of Eddie Brock and Venom. Maybe you want to stick it to all the slash shippers on Tumblr. But they've been the people who been following the comic and there's been a multi-year build up with sleeper, Eddie Brock and Venom's son.

going no now Eddy has a son he doesn't know about. oh and he was in the car that killed a child and him and Venom hate each other? Basically says f*** that other story we're going back to this story because I liked it better when I was young and I like it this way. And this kind of hostility is constant with every Changing of the Guard which can happen almost every two to three years. This keeps happening right when things are starting to get good or conclusion is reached. this undermines any death any major event or twist especially when it's in the headlines as if it's going to be meaningful

we can't even engaged in the illusion that someone has a plan charting something out when it feels like it's always fly by the seat of the pants the slightest whim can blow off the direction. We know in our conscious nothing that happens matters or at the very least when things end and we don't move on to something else then realize that there was a change but it seems seamless. Or at the very least it's a damn good seem that makes a very likeable and unique and distinct quilt. Again comparing and contrasting with manga

basically constantly ragging on the Politics as if that's what's causing the problem as opposed to Poor practices is off. yeah the customer service is definitely a no-go. But let's not kid ourselves Fanboys started it

I can straight up say that if you had a book that was straight up gay. like it starred the gay couple that once was Rescued by Captain America including his childhood hero And they were joined by the gender-bending exiled courtesan. you know those girls that always hang around in the background of Thor comics and everybody talks about winching and all that stuff? What if we actually focus on one of them and we threw in some mythological deviant queerness with the idea that men who practiced a certain form of Witchcraft had to be ladies. Now in practice this often meant anything from cross-dressing to performing ceremonies with a freaking dildo. But this is Comics so instead I can just go with the idea that after he uses magic so much he can turn or does turn into a lady. At first it's inadvertent but then he Masters the power so much that can transform into any lady. So he can go from weak little nerdy witch man to a Vanir (super durable pretty strong) or she giant.

It gets even more so when apparently he can change not just to a generic woman but any specific one. so he can literally clone an individual lady alive or dead. If she's dead you can act as a vessel for her soul so effectively while he might be booted deep within he can resurrect anyone's female loved one. Until changes back. The Twist is that while he won a beauty contest to be one of Odin's many many side pieces due to the politics and sociology of the time and the setup Odin didn't like admitting that they were both men or equals. Now the crossdressing courtesan isnt necessarily the nicest person. In fact the number one thing that characterizes him is that he hates the alpha male warrior culture or at least what he perceives of the negatives of it of Asgard. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he provides a good alternative. This will be a total retcon. not only would this make Odin effectively bisexual -although it's long since established that it seems like he's banged about so much he has had a child with everyone but his wife- but the idea that Loki and Thor grew up exposed to this weird gender-bending courtesan who tried to compete with the affections of their Queen Mother just so that that way he could get ahead and hated showing the absolute loyalty and Devotion to Asgard seeking glory in battle and death as opposed to conniving Gatling favor and trolling for booty while having to serve drinks for the Warriors that came by and were celebrated in the castle Hall.

Probably make up all sorts of relationships with other lesser-known Danny's that haven't been as much part of Marvel Thor but are important or at least well-known for the tradition. I would also shamelessly ripoff @gumon and her take on Norse mythology. With giants that just naturally produce children whether male or female. anyway ignoring all the continuity just so I could bring in the mythology that I want I would have it so that he was ultimately exiled because he got set up on a failure assignment. He got assigned to the Blue Mountain the traveling planet or set of rocks now that was the home of one of the Warriors Three the blue guy well the guy who wears blue and looks kind of like Angus Khan

The entire point of this is to get a different eye view of the Marvel Universe. What was it like to be one of those disposable pin-up girls. What is the gay population in gay culture and gay people been doing and light of the world that's been invaded from the ground been in a Perpetual fight with remnants of terrorists from World War II. And of course how they've been in for you property and making their lives and how are they responding to the fact that New York finally recognizes their marriage and of course life in the Twilight years as a gay couple that's constantly facing mortality. Also with the usual hey I'm an immortal mystical being who's having to relearn how to be human after having lived a life with a God's but neither being loyal to them nor a particular loyal to my own people. Along with the issues of the shapeshifter gender Dynamics and identity and all other sort of things. Pretty damn gay book. But I read it

Kids like imitating what they see so ripping the idea that someone's going to take some of the more iconic X-Men looks and style themselves after them when they know that their mutant doesn't seem wrong. I like the idea that we're going to open with someone who manages an online community for mutants. I like the idea of Trailblazer I like the ladies thick and I like the fact that she has a more utility power that she's going to have to work with and around hopefully being clever though that backpack does run the risk of becoming the Omnitrix and having the solution for every problem that you need.

Basically I like the children of the atom a bit more than the whole lineup of the new Warriors. I think people really should give the characters a chance so if you're turned off by yet another set of incest siblings in Marvel ya no problem or argument here.