#but seriously i could make a list of these characters

[writingquestionsanswered]

Struggling with Feedback That's Missing the Point

triplecreature asked: I'm in a creative writing course in university and we're doing workshops where we review each other's poems and short stories. I'm conflicted because I don't want to be closed-minded about constructive criticism, but sometimes I feel like the feedback I get is missing the point. For example, the instructor indiscriminately marks up any "abstract" line, even if it's emotional sentiment or would break the structure/line scheme to remove. She's also biased against heavier topics because they're too depressing and said I can't make poetry about characters/conversational perspective. My short story got negative feedback from my peers because my protagonist wasn't inherently good or bad. They felt it his grey morality "didn't make sense." I don't want to be arrogant so I feel bad for struggling with the criticism I get. How do you gracefully approach a situation where you feel uncertain or misunderstood by feedback you get?

Here's the thing...

Reading and writing is a very, very personal thing. We all develop very strong opinions about what we do and do not like, and sometimes people confuse their own preferences as being universal truths. Abstract poetry doesn't seem to resonate with your instructor, and unfortunately she's choosing to interpret that as a problem with abstract poetry rather than a personal preference.

Having said that, it's really important that we not take negative feedback too much to heart. It's always worth analyzing where the feedback is coming from and whether it's more likely to be feedback based on a personal preference or actually credible feedback.

When you get critical feedback from a single person or a few people that feels off to you, you can generally disregard it, especially if it conflicts with the majority feedback. For example, if three people says your morally gray protagonist makes no sense, but ten people don't have that issue, you can probably assume your protagonist is fine. If you give your story to six classmates, and all six of them feel the morally gray protagonist doesn't make sense, it's worth considering why all six out of six people feel that way. Are they saying it doesn't make sense because they expect a character to be either good or bad, or are they saying it doesn't make sense because something you laid out in the story is conflicting with the idea that this character is morally gray?

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not to listen to feedback, but especially in a creative writing class, I wouldn't take the negative feedback too much to heart. If it's one person's opinion, smile, nod, and thank them for their opinion. If it's five people with the same opinion, take some time to consider whether there could be some merit to what they're saying. In any case, don't take it personally. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

#wqaadvice

[chrysalis-the-butterfly]

Sir Pentious perhaps?

Certainly, my dear!

Send me a character and I’ll list:

Favourite thing about them: His dorkiness! I like how he starts out trying to be intimidating so he'll be thought of as a formidable foe, and then learns to embrace his naturally dorky self and be a better person. Maybe there's a message there about toxic masculinity? Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Least favourite thing about them: That so-called 'joke' in Episode 6. You know the one. I mean, you can't have a whole episode taking sexual assault seriously when it happens to Angel Dust and then turn it into a joke when it happens to Sir Pentious. I'd have preferred it if, instead of Pen being dragged into the sex room, Valentino overheard his "sex with everybody" line and started offering him a job at the porn studio and making him flustered, and that was what motivated Angel to stand up for his friends.

Favourite line: "The only cool thing here is to say 'No' to drugs! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to not have sexual intercourse before marriage!"

brOTP: I like the enemies-to-friends thing he had going on with Angel Dust! My favourite moment is in Episode 5, when Pen is trying to shield his cookies for Lucifer from Angel's grabby hands, and then he has to stand up straight to salute Lucifer with a quick, "Your majesty!" before he goes back to shielding the cookies, but it's too late because Angel's taken one, but Angel doesn't make a big deal of it, he just says, "Heya, short king," to Lucifer as if there's nothing out of the ordinary going on. They're like brothers! Pen is the responsible one and Angel is the naughty one, but at the end of the day, they've got each other's back. It's fun to watch!

Also, now that Sir Pentious is in Heaven, I love the thought of Emily becoming his new best friend! She could show him how Heaven works, and he could teach her what he knows about Hell, and together they could try to find a way to let Charlie know that redemption actually works.

Plus, there's the angst potential of Sir Pentious interacting with Molly - he knows who Angel Dust is, and she knows who Anthony is, but they don't know they're talking about the same person... I'd love to see a Pen/Emily/Molly trio going on escapades in Season 2!

OTP: CherriSnake! I wasn't sure about the ship at first, but it's grown on me. It's a neat example of the enemies-to-lovers trope, where Sir Pentious' admiration for Cherri as a worthy opponent turns into something more romantic. And they could have bonded over being inventors - Pen with his gadgets and Cherri with her "brilliant explosive contraptions". Too bad he only confessed his love a few seconds before his heroic sacrifice...

I think I like this ship for its potential. What will Cherri do now that Pen is gone? Will she find out he's in Heaven? Will that motivate her to stay at the Hazbin Hotel, to get redeemed herself and be reunited with him? It's rife with story possibilities!

nOTP: Sir Pentious and Vox (StaticSnake?). Mainly because Vox told Pen to kill himself in Episode 2. That was unacceptable.

Random headcanon: Sir Pentious has a son! Remember that moment in the pilot when Angel said, "Harder, Daddy!" and Pen replied, "Son?!" I think Pen did actually father a child when he was alive, and he'd been scouring Hell trying to find him again. (And for a moment there, he thought Angel was declaring that he was his son.) Pen never found his son in Hell, but now he's in Heaven, maybe he'll have better luck...

Unpopular opinion: I actually quite like Sir Pentious' singing voice! It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. And I much prefer it when characters' singing voices match their speaking voices, instead of being wildly different. (Looking at you, Vaggie.)

Song I associate with them: @hazbinned made a video of Pen being kept awake at night by Angel blasting out "Made You Look" by Meghan Trainor, so now I associate that song with Sir Pentious! LOL!

Favourite picture of them:

#hazbin hotel #sir pentious #egg bois #angel dust #cherri bomb #cherrisnake #emily hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel emily #molly hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel molly #lucifer morningstar #charlie morningstar #vaggie #valentino hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel valentino #vox hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel pilot

[cooliogirl101]

WTL Deleted Scene

The bar had been closed for an hour and Mitsuo was in the process of cleaning up when he noticed the woman standing by the door. It was raining hard outside but she didn’t seem to notice or care, looking completely lost in thought.

Mitsuo hesitated for a moment before making his way towards the front.

“Can I help you?” He asked politely. The woman jolted slightly, before staring up at him with wide, startled eyes.

“No,” she said after a brief pause. “No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have come. Sorry for disturbing you.”

She turned to walk away and before he could think better of it, Mitsuo reached out one hand to grab her shoulder. She went alarmingly stiff under his touch and he hastily let her go.

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just that, well.” He took in her drenched clothes, the lack of umbrella, the water droplets running down her face. “You look like you could use a place to warm up.”

She glanced at the very blatant ‘Closed’ sign on the door before looking back at him.

“I think we have time for one more customer,” he said, answering her unspoken question, and stepped aside to allow her in.

~~

“So that bad, huh?” The woman, who had introduced herself as ‘Hana,’ asked casually. Mitsuo raised an eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean?” He asked, sliding a cup of tea over to her.

“The way I look.” Her lips quirked up slightly, a touch of humor entering her eyes. “I figure it has to be bad if strangers are taking pity on me and allowing me to take shelter for free after hours. Be honest, on a scale of drowned rat to drenched owl, how bad are we talking?”

He took in her shoulder length sopping-wet brown hair, brown eyes, brown coat. She did look a bit like a bedraggled animal, actually.

“Hmm, more along the lines of wet cat, to be frank,” Mitsuo said, smiling. “How’s the tea?”

She took a sip, then drew back, surprised. “This-- ”

“Not bad, right?” Mitsuo chuckled.

“Well. The standards of tea have certainly improved since the last time I’ve been in Inuzuri,” Hana remarked. “Must mean this place is doing pretty well, right?”

“You could say that.” They certainly weren’t lacking money anyway. “I think we have some food leftover in the back. Let me see if I can scrounge up something.”

“You don’t have to,” Hana protested. “Seriously, you’ve done more than enough.”

“It’s no trouble.” Mitsuo smiled briefly. “Besides, it’d hardly be polite to let a lady go hungry. Why don’t you take a look at a menu and see if anything catches your eye?”

“Absolutely not, I’m not going to—wait, who came up with the names of these drinks?” She asked incredulously.

“Ah yes, I’m afraid my brother had quite a bit of fun coming up with them.” Mitsuo grinned, suppressing a chuckle. “My sister, she was of the belief that we should be trying to attract a more diverse clientele and suggested that creating cocktails designed to cater to both men and women might be a good idea. Kazuki—my brother—thought it was ridiculous and was deeply upset at the idea of serving ‘girly’ drinks in his bar. Unfortunately for him, he was unanimously outvoted. The compromise was that he would be allowed to name the drinks.”

“And K—and they approved these?” Hana’s lips twitched as she scanned the list. “The Red-Hot Pineapple Monkey? Oh dear, the person who inspired that one must be a…character.”

Mitsuo hummed his agreement, hiding his surprise. It wasn’t often that newcomers guessed the cocktail names were inspired by actual people, and that one was a comparatively less obvious one.

“Maybe I’ll try something after all. This one sounds promising—the Flower Power Glower.” She laughed. “I’m sorry, it’s just that one…I mean, I would have loved to—” Her voice trailed off, shoulders slumping slightly. “But I guess that’s not possible anymore.”

Hana glanced up at Mitsuo, a wry twist to her mouth.

“Maybe alcohol isn’t such a good idea tonight.”

“Maybe not,” Mitsuo agreed gently. “And for what it’s worth, I understand. I’ve lost people too. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’d be glad to give it a try.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” She hesitated. “There is one thing. I just—your family.” Hana looked down at her hands, fiddling with her mug. “They sound like…like an amazing group of people. Would you tell me about them?” There was an odd urgency to her voice now, words coming out just a touch too fast. “Please?”

Mitsuo paused. By all means, he should decline her request. It wasn’t exactly a secret that two highly-ranked Shinigami came from their household and although neither Rukia nor Renji visited frequently these days, it wasn’t unfeasible that someone could come seeking information to use against them. And yet, he couldn’t help but instinctively trust that this woman meant him and his family no harm.

He hadn’t lived this long by ignoring his instincts.

“What do you want to know?” He asked.

~~

They ended up talking for hours. Honestly, they probably could have ended up talking for longer had Kazuki not stormed in, shaking droplets of rain out of his hair.

“There you are! The bar closed hours ago, where the hell have you—who the hell is she?” Kazuki drew up short at the sight of Hana and Mitsuo sitting across from each other at the bar, halfway through their second pot of tea. Hana looked at him with the same wide-eyed look she’d greeted Mitsuo with.

“Manners, Kazuki,” Mitsuo said dryly.

“Shut up, this ain’t the goddamned Seireitei,” Kazuki retorted without taking his eyes off Hana. “So who is she?”

“She is able to hear you,” Hana said, a touch sardonically. “You can call me Hana.”

“Just Hana, huh? No last name?” Kazuki asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

“You’re hardly one to talk, given that you haven’t provided either of yours,” she retorted without missing a beat. He blinked, then grinned.

“Fair enough. You can call me Kazuki then.” His eyes fell onto the mostly-empty plate of gyoza on the table. “Aw man, I was hoping to eat those later.”

“Don’t worry, we saved the smallest one for you,” she replied, tongue-in-cheek. Mitsuo blinked. That had almost sounded like—

“I mean, thank you for the drinks and the food,” Hana said hastily, interrupting his thoughts. “How much do I owe you? And don’t tell me it’s on the house again, I mean the real cost.”

“How much do you want to pay?” At her uncomprehending look, Kazuki smirked. “We operate on a donation-only system here. You pay what you want, and if you don’t want to pay anything, that’s perfectly fine too.” He looked her over. “Actually on second thought, I second what Mitsuo said. It’s on the house—please use any money you have to buy an umbrella.”

“That doesn’t seem like a viable way to run a business,” Hana pointed out.

“Don’t worry about that. Anything that isn’t covered by donations just gets added to Hisana’s tab,” Kazuki shrugged.

There was a pause.

“Hisana’s tab?” Hana questioned. Her voice was very small.

“It’s a system we set up in honor of our late sister,” Mitsuo explained quietly. “Well, us and her fiancé at the time. Anyone who comes to this bar only needs to ask in order to be fed.”

It had been Kuchiki Byakuya’s idea. The amount of money he donated on a yearly basis could feed more hungry orphans than existed in all of Inuzuri.

“Oh.” Hana swallowed. “That’s—that’s a really nice thing to do. I’m sure your sister would have loved that.” She stood up and bowed. “I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for your kindness—I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” 

“You have a place to stay?” Mitsuo asked, concerned.

“Of course. You don’t have to worry about me,” she smiled. “I’ll be fine.”

Mitsuo pursed his lips, studying her closely. There was something oddly familiar about her, something that had been bothering him all evening. Not her features—no, Mitsuo was quite certain he’d never seen this woman before in his life—but in her tone of voice, the way she tilted her chin up—

He shook off the sense of déjà vu and smiled at her.

“In that case, please feel free to come back at any time. You’re always welcome,” he said sincerely. “I hope to see you again.” 

Her smile softened into something a little more genuine.

“As do I,” she murmured. “Take care, Mitsuo, Kazuki.”

“So. Hana, huh?” Kazuki commented as soon as the door shut behind her. “Someone you know?”

“Not at all. I’ve never seen her before tonight,” Mitsuo replied honestly. “Why?”

He shrugged, staring off into the same direction Hana had left.

“Nothing. Just feel like I’ve met her before.”

~~

Hisana: “You don’t have to worry about me, I’ll be fine” while very much the opposite of fine

Mitsuo and Kazuki, immediately: wait why does this girl seem so familiar

Deleted this scene because I decided Hisana wouldn't risk going back to her family until Aizen was no longer a threat, no matter how much she missed them. But I figured I'd share this snippet anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

#walk two lifetimes

[absolutly-not-an-alien]

Traditional drawing of Geiger that I colored in post.

Tried to actually pay attention to facial proportions.

Ramble about the TV show:

At first I was worried that because of how damn simulator Geiger and The Ghoul are. (Like seriously, I could make a list.)

Fortunately, they are different enough to clearly be very different characters

AND

I get to see a badass, PreWar, genuinely-threatening-to-those-around, silly, cowboy ghoul on the big screen doing all of his ghoul-cowboy things.

Win-win

#geiger #my art #traditional art #fnv #fallout new vegas #fallout #fallout new vegas oc #fnv oc #fallout ghoul #fnv ghoul #ghouls #ghoul #fallout oc #ghoul oc #fallout tv #fallout prime #ghoul fallout #fallout tv series

[yuridovewing]

Wait if you think about it… there’s a few parallels there between Dovewing and Moonwatcher. Both are socially stunted individuals that get manipulated by an older mentor figure they trusted, they were isolated in childhood because of circumstances out of their control, and because of that isolation, their “family” and community don’t really accept them, also they have sensory based powers they have to keep secret (which further isolates them) and most importantly- they are both misophonia soldiers 🫡

#i remember when i kinned moon in hs and this is reminding me that if i was in a wc hyperfix at that point #i probably wouldve kinned dovewing sjfjdjfjjdjf #im not saying theyre the exact same character btw theyre absolutely not. a lot of the stuff i listed plays out differently in their own stor #stories. i dont think tui was copying the erins’ homework #also i view characters like secretkeeper more favorably bc while her plan had consequences you cant say she didnt love her daughter #and was acting in her best interests. sure she couldve given her to the rainwings but that had the risk of the nightwings finding her #when they started kidnapping rainwings into the volcano #and also the political climate around nightwings was extremely fucked when she brought moon back #so making her keep her powers a secret was genuinely for her own safety bc if the wrong person learned then she could get seriously hurt #which actually has seen consequences in the story with the jade winglet and darkstalker #meanwhile lion and jay isolated dove when she was a young child and forced her to keep quiet about everything while using her powers #and willingly let her relationship with her sister deteriorate while they themselves spilled the secret when it benefitted them personally #also ur meant to read darkstalkers manipulation as just that and a bad thing

[oscill4te]

sometimes im like wait why did i dislike horrace cramp? Hes not that bad. Then i remember how he treated lucien in harp wars and workout and im like nvm >:[

#i take cartoons too seriously... exhibit 1 #harp wars makes me really sad for lucien hes like the invisible child of the family and ik how that feels #and workout makes me rlly upset because he slammed a door in luciens face (also relatable) #dotty is no saint shes also awful as a parent but i can forgive her more easily because idk. i simply like her more lolol #i could list the things shes done too lollll #thats why i like CT. the parents in that show feel more realistic than most other cartoons #my feelings on the characters change a lot

[blujayonthewing]

I've had Melliwyk for SIX YEARS

#happy nameday mel #I had already built and designed her-- I almost always save names for last cause I'm bad at them lmao #quinzemela is a good name ngl it just wasn't the right vibe for her #I did also- years later- take tukklewin off this list for her dad cause I liked that one too 😌 #anyway. SIX YEARS. WHEW #and to think-- at the time I wasn't taking her very seriously because 1) her original concept was built around a joke #and 2) I honestly didn't expect to play her very much because I had so many other campaigns (lol. lmao) #these things are related! the joke was that she'd have magical narcolepsy that sometimes couldn't be shaken right away #so that if I was ever unable to make a session my character could be asleep in somebody's backpack #a totally joking thing I said while lamenting about how overbooked I was for dnd but then IMMEDIATELY went 'oh no. I actually love that' #anyway now it's been six years that's literally never happened I've put the most actual hours into playing mel and I love her SO MUCH #about me #my OCs #melliwyk #posts from facebook

[shopcat]

just thinking thoughts trying to articulate them but re: trans names and even "stereotypical" trans names i just think it's like. luckily it's died down for now at least on here or maybe i just follow people who aren't assholes but seriously what was with that whole era where people just made fun of people's names or tongue in cheek poked fun at each other with a little too much cruelty let alone done by CIS people... like that's so weird. like i do have what i'd call a Stereotypical Trans Name in that it's unusual and "weird" to other people and it's not even actually like, the most out there or individualistic thing ever it's just kind of an old timey name that isn't as popular anymore but i chose it specifically bc it was a "proper" name. and i STILL get shit for it like all the time. and it's just like. why do people CARE...

like. i know you can't make grand sweeping generalisations for a group of people as varied as every trans person on earth but for a lot of us i'd go ahead and say your name as a trans person and even just AS A PERSON... A HUMAN BEING is an important part of who you are and ties into your identity to a degree that differs from person to person. and for a trans person specifically can be one of the only things you have for... yourself, along with pronouns, especially in online spaces/if you're not out/if you are out but struggle for whatever reason to even be given the dignity of being called YOUR OWN NAME, etc. i'm not gonna harp on about that aspect forever bc i think we all know but it's just like, in the face of that annoying tiktok cunts making a list of "every transfem is called [blank] and every transmasc is called [blank]" and there being 6k comments talking about how stupid and unserious it all is is just NASTY. like man shut the fuck up 😭

i don't find it funny like 95% of the time i think it's just like mean ... i also know people could probably read this and be like shut up you're being annoying it's not that deep but like whatever man. i think it's basic decency to not make fun of people for something that's a part of who they are especially if that identity puts them at risk which to be real can affect pretty much everyone other than white cishet christians etc at FAR worse severity/cost and i think instilling the idea that "people's names are fair game" outside of actual tongue in cheek intercommunity good faith joking around is actually Bad. not that i'm actually comparing these things bc it's not 1:1 and has different levels but still i think it comes from the same like... source. the amount of times i've had people use my own name as if it's a gotcha in anon hate is actually astronomical and half of them don't even realise they're BEING literally transphobic is crazy. i mean i've joked about it and i don't take it that seriously but it's still like, transphobic and i hate these people it just also doesn't bother me because i'm a normal person who isn't actually insecure about it and who literally cares what someone's name is. and xfiles girls love me unintentional side effect.

#🐾 #like don't get me wrong i did pick the name bc i thought it WAS cute and a bit different and that made it like fun but like ?! how is that #a crime 😭😭 people naming themselves after nouns or angels or fictional characters has been happening forever first of all. and second it #just so seriously doesn't even matter #i also know that the notion of being like ''it's actually transphobic to make fun of a trans person who having a really typical western #english name'' could be weird bc like obviously they're not being targeted for THAT that's not what i'm saying it's just like. mean #to do to someone who chose their name (usually). esp if they're younger too like why are people bullying kids ... get a job ?! #i dunno... just thinkin... #also obv not comparable to you know. racism or antisemitism or antiblackbess etc and the way names being targeted there works #but it's also not like the asshole 16 year old boys on tiktok aren't also holding the same ideals #and i also don't really mean those things that are like Haha every transmasc is named [list of typical bames] though it is annoying #that's just like. well. like i said annoying. i just mean the amount of cunts who have been like is your name REALLY that #i can't believe that's your name i'd never take you seriously if that's true ... you mean that's your online name right like a pseudonym.. #you don't Really go by that it's not REAL it's something you CHOSE it's not Serious #LIKE DAMN!!!! shut up 😭 #also i actually have seen ppl make fun of a cultural name bc they thought it was a ''trans'' one and therefore fair game #''your name is literally [blank] 💀'' like ...?! #anywya this isn't super serious tldr it's just kinda weird hmmm...

[heinrix]

i hate knowing sm abt 5e mechanics, im looking at enver’s sheet and literally building a more balanced stat block in my mind for him

#goes for all the chosen three. though ketherics was the best imo especially when you have to waste a turn freeing ailyn #i could seriously make a list of things i’d change abt his abilities #i blame my brain overanalyzing ttrpg mechanics on my roommate/irl dm. especially 5e with how powerful player characters are

[messandamiracle]

So, in honor of the continuing hubris-driven journey I have yeeted myself on, here’s some thoughts on Wonder Woman 2009 (DC Animated Universe). 

Now, just to preface all this, I’ve never actually seen a Wonder Woman movie/cartoon/show or anything like that before, and I haven’t read any comics either. But lemme tell y’all, I was so ready to be impressed by an absolute queen of a badass Amazon warrior woman. And the first part of the movie seemed like it was going to deliver on those expectations. The opening fight with Hippolyta and the Amazons was so great - it was nice to see that they had uniforms which (to my poor and measly brains) looked reasonably like what any soldier might have worn in ancient Greece, rather than just being glorified leather bikinis. The fact that the crown which later becomes Diana’s wasn’t just a crown but also a bladed weapon capable of decapitating a man was a fantastic touch I did NOT see coming, and the fact that Ares was let off with imprisonment due to Zeus’ interference after committing a string of heinous crimes a mile long was both on-brand for the mythical character depiction and deeply frustrating in a way that made the Amazons’ retreat quite understandable and really tragic: they couldn’t live safely in a world where justice was constantly twisted in men’s favor, to the repeated detriment and harm of all others. 

(I would die for you ma’am)

And when Diana ends up experiencing the outside world for the first time, it’s revealed that these problems haven’t gone away, which gives us some moments that are really hard-hitting. There’s the scenes where Steve Trevor shows up on the island where all he does is a) ogle women b) violate their privacy in a way that is in fact criminal, and c) repeatedly weird sexual comments about the amazons. When she goes to America, there’s a really sweet scene where she teaches a young girl to swordfight because the boys she’s playing pirates have relegated her to the sidelines as a damsel in distress, and then the girl goes off and just absolutely DEMOLISHES them.

And there’s this killer quote (which I love), “Remarkable. The advanced brainwashing that has been perpetrated against the females of your culture. Raised from birth to believe that they’re not strong enough to compete with the boys. And then as adults taught to trade on their very femininity.” As someone who grew up surrounded by a lot of male relatives, this quote hit hard and was really relatable. And then there’s (to my mind) the MOST uncomfortable scene, where Steve takes Diana to a bar and is clearly trying to get her drunk with intentions that literally COULD NOT be more suspect. 

(can you FEEL the toxicity tonight?) (also the fact that Diana looks vaguely uncomfortable with Steve in every scene she’s in with him, including the ones where it’s supposed to be romantic)

And then it hits. It’s like you can FEEL the moment when the scriptwriters were like “whoo boy, guess we better pull back on this on guys, we might have made it a little TOO feminist. Time to pump the brakes!”

Because the next thing you know, she and Steve are going on a mission to stop Ares from taking over the world (or killing everyone in it - he doesn’t really have clear-cut goals, because he feeds off human suffering but if he kills everyone then won’t he just starve to death?). And they get beaten back by Ares’ forces and there’s a whole bit where Diana tells Steve to save the world and he DOESN’T and rescues her from the flying creature that had grabbed her instead and it’s like...supposed to be this whole redemptive moment where, despite the fact that he has done nothing but be an absolute sleazeball this ENTIRE film, NOW he’s a great guy. But like, look at Diana???

This is her waking up in the hospital. You know what I see? No cuts, burns, abrasions - there’s some kind of drip or transfusion line off to the side, but it’s unclear what exactly it is. She’s not in the ICU and doesn’t seem to have been in surgery, and like five minutes later she’s off to fight again anyways. But Steve claims he’s saved her life and it’s supposed to be some kind of “moment” for them, where she realizes he “cares” and whatnot. But like, if she didn’t need saving, as evidenced by the lack of serious injury, then Steve has just put his need to /feel/ like a rescuer over actually rescuing the ENTIRE WORLD. Keep it up Stevie. That whole hospital gimmick is sure gonna mean a lot when countless numbers of her relatives are dead because of your warped sexist savior complex. And what’s even worse is, in this scene, he actually has the GALL to chastise her for her negative view of the society she has found herself in, as well as men in general, and that not every man who opens a door is part of a misogynist plot. Which, like, first of all, she has seen NOTHING in her LIFE to dissuade her from this view Steve, least of all your sad sexist hide. Second, when EVER has this been about opening doors??? This is about your harassment and toxic behaviors, you stale box of apple jacks. But then she like??? Responds?? To this crap???? And seems to BELIEVE it so some extent??? Whish, given that she has STILL seen nothing to dissuade her from her opinions is HIGHLy out of character and makes me wonder what was in that drip line. 

(excuse me while I go screech out the window in horror and rage)

This is followed by a scene in Diana’s (very cool) jet where Steve accidentally truth-lassos himself and says (I kid you not) that he isn’t as much of a pig as he seems and just acts this way because he doesn’t “want to get hurt again.” But Steve, Stevie, Stevie my dude, YOU ARE A PIG. You don’t SEEM like a pig, you ARE one. There’s a difference. And with this ONE phrase, we’re just supposed to forget the harassment, the bar scene, the ogling, and creepy behavior in general. Good GRIEF. 

It gets worse from there. At one point, Diana tells Ares “How could you hope to defeat Zeus if you can’t even defeat a girl?” which is weird and even MORE out-of-character for her, and then the president’s assistant calls the Amazons “Armored supermodels,” and apparently the whole motive for one of the Amazons betraying them by letting Ares out in the first place was woman’s inherent need to produce children being thwarted by the island’s all-female nature (which, don’t even get me STARTED, because before this whole Ares mess in the first place, Queen Hippolyta SAYS that he killed their husbands and families, so there is NO. REASON. That family options would have been off the table for the Amazons to have again in the future if they wanted them. We don’t even see the queen saying that they CAN’T have them). And the movie ends with Diana being lectured by [the pig] Steve over how she should act more feminine and let men open doors for her or some crap like she’s a child, and then it closes with her running off to fight a female villain. Which, villains can be women, it just feels like the final nail in the coffin of Diana’s forced domesticity (because apparently she and the pig are a THING now (someone please bleach my brain DIANA DESERVES INFINITELY BETTER)) that of COURSE they end with the trope of the female hero fighting the female villain now that she knows BETTER than her TERRIBLE feminist ways. 

So yeah, Wonder Woman 2009. I have to say, despite the trash hand dealt by the writers/producers/directors/whoever was responsible for this travesty, I did love Wonder Woman. She’s now one of my favorite superheroes and this makes me want to go and watch the live-action moves she’s in because I’ve heard those are a lot better. There were some parts I really loved and some parts I really hated (every frame of Steve), and way more things I could talk about. I guess I’d watch it again, if only for the absolute amazingness that is the first section and (of course) Wonder Woman. However, I shall press on in my journey. 

#like seriously #what is wrong with cinemas inability to write good female characters #or they write one and they're intimidated by the sheer power of what they've created #Wonder Woman #I love her #I would die for her #i just think she's neat your honor #dc universe #dc animated universe #dc animation #this makes me want to learn video editing #so that i can make a cut of this movie with just steve edited out #like no one else is there steve is just gone #maybe i could edit in a corgi or something instead to just follow diana around #that would be a way better decision #wonder woman 2009 #on we go #goodbye my sanity #how far through this list am i #good grief there's 51 movies #why do i keep forgetting this #in this house we stan diana

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm having trouble coming up with a name for a character, I want something casual, a name you could see a real person having, but I also don't want it to feel like I just chose a random name out of a hat

Casual Character Name

What qualifies as a "casual" character name depends on your story's setting. A casual, realistic name in 1930s Brussels would be quite different from a casual, realistic name in 1700s Hawai'i.

When you say you don't want it to feel like you chose a random name out of a hat, I don't know if you mean you don't want it to feel that way to yourself, or if you mean you don't want the reader to feel that way.

Either way, you can avoid feeling that way by simply not choosing a random name out of a hat. In other words, put effort into your choice. Find something that means something to you, is relevant to the story, or makes sense for the setting.

There are oodles and oodles of name lists available online. You can search for lists of names from particular time periods and locations, you can search for lists of names starting with a particular letter or matching a particular theme. You can find lists of names inspired by book characters, historical figures, Greek gods and goddesses... you name it. Try looking for lists that feel relevant to your story, like names that fit the time and place of your setting, or names that fit a theme in your story. For example, if you're writing a dark fantasy, you might look for a list of gothic names. Or, if you were writing a sci-fi style western, you might look at names that were popular in the 1800s American west.

The links below will help you through this process. :)

Guide: Naming Characters Choosing the Right Name for Your Character

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

#wqaadvice

[todayisafridaynight]

Especially because in the end... Arakawa loses his son in small ways that just Accumulate... but Jo's the one who even gets to outlive his son... AUGH. THROWING MYSELF INTO A WOODCHIPPER

Also while going through old messages, I saw I actually had a dream back in 2021 that Jo came back in LaD8. I mean sure he had "longer hair" and "a new outfit NOBODY liked except me" and was Unserious like RGGJo whereas in the actual teaser he sounds more depressed than ever but I'm still taking credit alright... the vision came to me...

And in a Hell Will Freeze Over Before This Happens I Just Like To Think About It way. I want him in my goddamn party and I have for all of Y7 so it's not related to the new game. I don't care. I want to find out what his favorite flowers are I want to take him to Every Movie and get his commentary on all of it I want to take him out to eat and watch his little itadakimasu animation play out I want to have the most light-hearted and inconsequential conversations and I want him to chime in I want to exhaust every option on his Drink Link I want to unlock his sickass tag-team moves I want to wear True Hero and fight by his side I want to shower him with so much love and affection he won't know what hit him (<- channeling Arakawa tbh)

its just insane because from a metaphorical sense arakawa 'outlives' masato in that he becomes aoki and like. That's One Thing, but then Of Course. There's Jo. //stuffing my mouth with wet cement// like OHHHH the pain never stops it never ends,,

mate i think your brain was just tryna manifest RGGJo to make a come back through y7 ☠️☠️ CREDIT WHERE CREDITS DUE THO BUT DAMN would have been. THE MOST interesting change to his character though.... on the real.... because yeah he just sounds so tired from the trailer so far （；´д｀）would be hilarious if instead of entering a Super Depression arc bro's just. Yeah Alright Fuck It. What Can We Do Now Amirite. walk right out the cell with the white suit and snake-patterned lapels and all ☠️☠️

OK BUT MOST VALID RANT EVER. MOST VALID WANT EVER. would really just have the vibe of dragging your jaded uncle around the city i would died to have that,,, 😭😭

#snap chats #ON THE REAL THOUGH JO PARTY MEMBER WOULD'VE MADE ME YELL #it too is a part of my This Is Guaranteed To Never Happened But What If wish list..... #i still stand firm he shouldve at least been left with tendo for five minutes. JUST FIVE THEN EVERYONE ELSE CAN COME IN #first he necks his boss then he fucks up his office like LET HIM. GET A FEW SWINGS IN. it's what he deserves i think... #BUT REAL PLEEAASSE I WANT THE SAWASHIRO SOCIAL LINK GIVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW SEGA #id die and throw up because you just know he and ichi'd have to talk about arakawa at some point during it... #if the whole SL not JUST being about meetin arakawa or his early days in the family #also forgive me for calling it 'social link' i unfortunately played persona a lot years ago and just. Its A Social Link ok ik im a monster #persona's one piece of media that was crucial to my developmental years its in my dna now... #IN ANY CASE NOOOOO I COULD SIT AND THINK FOREVER ABOUT JO MAKING LITTLE COMMENTS... #its my mental illness... its my weakness i think..... just thinkin of silly scenarios... #see while im cringe at being intelligent i AM adequate at making funny scenarios... hehe even... #its a dangerous thing to put an idea in my head as Creatively Ambiguous as that one oh no i feel my brain being eaten alive already #PLEASE I NEED THE PARTY TO REACT TO JO 😭😭 IN A NON VIOLENT SITUATION 😭😭 #i hope when jo's forced to be in social settings he's just Weird. like not Weird weird but its painfully obvious he's never had friends #like he just doesnt know what to do with himself the closest friend in age he has is adachi and He. Is Definitely A Character (affectionate #i hope theyre all out to lunch and someone makes a lighthearted joke and jo takes it too seriously and one other mate gotta just #'my guy relax. it was a joke. see [explains the joke]' and bro just Hm..... Not Funny Didn't Laugh about it right #he's not gonna flip the table now at least #UGH why would you remind me of the timeline of jo being a party member. im gonna drive myself mad thinkin bout it （；´x｀)（；´x｀) #ITD BE SO SWEET JUST SEEING JO BE NICE FOR FIVE SECONDS. NOT EVEN 'NICE' JUST CHILL #jo karaoke wouldnt exist but it'd be cute to at least see him in the crowd... #I REPEAT IM GONNA THINK OF LIL SCENARIOS LIKE THESE ALL DAY NOW NOOOOOO im ruined 😔

[marklikely]

a while ago you said you hated the movie the eternals so I was wondering what you didn’t like about it? just bc I’m vindictive about marvel lol

god they just literally didnt do even a single thing right.

the acting was really bad from just about everyone (except maybe kumail nanjiani who was the only person who decided he would try to play an actual character), like everyone was just phoning it in. im going to chalk it up to bad directing because people also seemed like they had no idea what they were supposed to be doing on set, plus some of these people are decorated actors that have proven they were good at their job in other movies.

it could also be because the writing was just a mess on every level. like, how good could the acting be when no characters were given any solid motivations or personality traits (any motivations or traits that they DID bother to put in the movie were either told with 0 evidence, or just changed whenever it suited a plot twist to try and create some tepid and meaningless conflict within the team). the lore was tedious and nonsensical, there were no stakes because absolutely nothing felt earned or consequential at all, the overall goal of the plot changed like 8 different times as well as constantly being interrupted by flashbacks with no rhyme or reason as to when we would see a flashback or what we would flash back to, which led to a pacing nightmare.

and the tone was too dour and serious to be able to ignore any of this for the camp or fun either!! because there was absolutely no fun!!!!! it's like they wanted to make a Prestige Drama out of a movie that's 75% exposition dumps and half-assed sci fi lore and 0% actual character moments that make dramas work.

ok im typing too much so let's just rapid fire the rest: the color pallet was atrocious, just concrete and mud. the costumes looked like absolute garbage, cheaply made and extremely bland even just on a design level (i'm talking specifically about the hero uniforms here. the civilian clothes for every character were also boring and pointless, though). the effects were literally laughably bad, the object designs (like for the spaceship and other alien stuff, i'm not sure what to call this category) were ridiculous and never fully came together into something interesting or otherworldly. the score was trash and the needledrops were distracting. the diversity was shallow and insulting, you can't just constantly brag about diversity when you couldn't be bothered write those diverse characters to be actual, yknow, characters.

anyway if you want a well-made superhero movie about ancient heroes who have a deep love for humanity, that has diverse characters who are actually fleshed out and treated like characters instead of an Inclusivity Checklist, that has serious moments with emotional impact but is also capable of being fun, that has clear intra-team conflicts and morally grey characters that you can actually understand, that doesn't look like total garbage, then literally just watch The Old Guard. just watch The Old Guard im literally begging you. if you liked eternals just watch The Old Guard and see what it looks like when a movie actually does what eternals pretends it's doing.

#sorry anyway i decided a while ago that eternals is the new number one worst movie ive ever seen xoxo #if i could say one nice thing about it uh. again kumail nanjiani hard carried and he wasn't even that good. #its just that the bar was literally so low that him deciding to actually try and play a character was still leagues above everyone else. #uh. the opening song was by pink floyd and i like those guys. #although the song they chose was time which is like. completely antithetical to the entire movie so idk. #i guess they were just like oh its about time and these guys are eternal it must be perfect *does not actually listen to the song* #asks #the diversity thing really fucking bugged me too like they wont shut up about diversity but #then when we watched the making-of documentary to try and see what we missed that would make this movie make sense #like there was this one section where they all listed a bunch of personality traits for each of the characters #(and for most of the characters they either listed things that are not actually a personality or were things that were NOT in the movie) #and for one girl literally all they could come up with was that shes fast and Deaf and she taught them asl. #which is like. so fucking insulting. you couldnt think of a single personality trait? shes just fast?? #shes just fast and she taught the hearing people some asl because as we all know thats the only role a Deaf person can have right? #we dont need to give her an actual character we just need someone to fill the Deaf Marvel Character quota. #idk. if it were me and i realized that i couldnt name a trait for this character besides 'knows asl' and 'has super speed' id like #stop patting myself on the back for my Great Deaf Representation. because thats not good representation at all its just pathetic. #and the other characters were all similarly shallow but she's just. the best example of it bc they couldnt even PRETEND that she was deep. #movie diary #and again if the movie was even slightly able to have fun id be a lot less hard on it but it took itself so fucking seriously #and patted itself on the back so much for being like this Highbrow Next Level version of a marvel movie #and like. no. this is the worst marvel movie by a nautical mile even if youre judging by really strict standards of Art.

[sheliesshattered]

not me spiraling about what cosplays to make for a con that’s still more than ten months away

#cosplay #about me #2022 mood #I haven't done any non Doctor Who and non Wasteland costuming since 2015 #well besides the quickly thrown together set of four Disney Princesses for my niece's birthday in 2020 #it was the beginning of lockdown and all her birthday plans had to be cancelled so we a whole in-character Zoom call for her instead #but that was entirely just things I had in my closet/costume chest already and none of them would have passed muster at a con #but BESIDES that it's been all Wasteland costuming and Doctor Who cosplay for 7 years now #and Jack and I are talking about actually going to a good old multi-fandom convention sometime next year #we're looking very seriously at Dragon Con at the end of August but WonderCon in March is also a possibility #do I have enough costumes already completed that I could wear on extremely short notice? yes #will I still make new ones? also yes #Jack and I are kicking around a couple of ideas for couples cosplay #either something brand new for both of us or me making something to match one of his or making him something to match one of mine #or fixing up our Hitchhiker's Guide Arthur and Trillian a bit to make them even more screen-accurate #buuut I still want to do a couple of other things just for me #and in all likelihood I'll end up wanting to wear costumes when Jack doesn't feel like it #one of the (DCEU) Harley Quinn outfits is high on my list #as is the battered wedding dress from Ready Or Not #but which Harley outfit to make? I have a list of pros and cons for my top three choices lol #and if I do the Ready Or Not wedding dress which version of it is the most recognizable? #when it's freshly torn to shorten it? with just a little bit of blood splatter and missing one sleeve? or full on end-of-the-movie red? #see what I mean? spiraling #I have a sewing project on my table right now (plaid flannel shirt) but I really might start on costuming stuff in the next month or so #hmm hmm hmm #and suddenly I have the 'what should I be?' song from the Garfield Halloween Special in my head lol

[outcast-thingz]

Me: trying to figure out why I favorite Bakugou

My favorites in other animes: Inuyasha (..inuyasha), Kyo (Fruits Basket), Soul (Soul Eater) Kyohei (The Wallflower)

Hol- holy shit! I get it, now lower you voice ...damn

#nah truth is my favorites are all over the place #seriously i could make a list and you'd find at least four or five differnt 'types' of characters #i think that's roughly in order of me seeing those animes #switch fruits basket and soul eater.. #starshine rambles

[disdaidal]

something you're excited about AND top 5 characters currently ❤️

Oh heya! 👋💖 I already answered here what I'm most excited about, so. :3

My top 5 characters?

Cahir (The Witcher). He's my newest conquer so duh. This knight bitch already (kind of) caught my interest on the last previous seasons of TW because I mean - a cunty, ambitious, antagonistic guy on a holy mission, any means necessary? Yeah. But I was still like, hmm, he's kinda, you know, but I don't know. But s3, this season? He was just really kind of pathetic (like a sad, wet little kitten compared to the murderous little twink that he was in s1), but still cool and complex, and I decided that's it. I'm putting him in a box and taking him home with me. Like, villain/antagonistic dudes with potential redemption arcs? Sign me the fuck up.

Billy Hargrove (Stranger Things). I may not have been really active in this fandom lately because... well, you know. But he's still mine and you can pry this bitch from my cold, dead hands. I originally didn't care much for him in s2 (I didn't hate him by any means but I just couldn't take him and his macho-ism seriously lol), but then s3 came and his character arc just... fucked me up. Broke my heart. Like he had wronged and sinned, yes; he was a massive bitch and a bully, sure. But he was also never really given a chance to properly redeem himself, at any point in the show imo. And that fucked me up and broke my heart and so he's mine.

Ellen Ripley (Alien). My first (bi) awakening and also the first female protagonist that I felt like I could really look up to. She may not be big and muscular, or a man-hating girlboss who doesn't cry or show emotion when she feels bad, but she kicks ass. She kicks alien butt. She's a woman but she has big balls. She fucks. And she loves cats, too. And that I can appreciate. A lot.

Cara Mason (Legend of the Seeker). I feel like this is a recurring theme with me but a character who starts off as an antagonist/villain and then gets a redemption arc? Yeah. Like, she's also gone through so much shit in her life - she's been forced to go through hell and back and raised to believe emotions mean weakness - and then she allies with the protagonist and slowly finds home with him and his 'merry band', and starts to *feel* things and even show *emotion* and like. A simple girl like me, with simple tastes - how could I watch a character unfold like that and not feel *anything*? Anything at all? Impossible. Yeah, so she's also mine.

Fili (The Hobbit). I feel like he's a bit of wild card in this group because he isn't an antagonist with a complex story line, or some big ass protagonist ready to save the world. But I had such a huge crush on him when the Hobbit movies came out about 10 years ago, and having recently rewatched/revisited the LotR & Hobbit trilogies, I realized just how much I loved him back then and how much I love him even now. He didn't get a lot of screen time, not even that many lines. But his bravery, stubbornness and will to defy his 'destiny' and go to the edge of the earth, hell and back, to protect his baby brother touched me. Through his character, I also found his actor, Dean O'Gorman, and his numerous other acting projects and man, he's great. The Deano fandom has also been kind, chill and just a great place to hang out at every now and then, so. It's all thanks to this "golden lion prince" dwarf here.

#replies #hotdadlicense #<333 #why was making this list so goddamn hard????? #like i have so many favorite characters #how could i just choose top 5 #seriously #i also realized that all three antagonist/redemption arc types that i love are/were all played by australian actors like jkjkgkgj #why don't i just move there already #anyway thanks for the ask love <3