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lucemferto · 3 years

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Niki Nihachu & Barbara Kean

Gonna drop something controversial real quick.

Niki Nihachu is the most tragic character on the Dream SMP – and I don’t mean in the sense of her having a tragic story (though she is up there), but in the sense that she is tragically mishandled.

I want to start out by saying that this essay is by no means an attack on the content creator Niki Nihachu or her abilities as a performer. She is frequently one of the strongest actors on the SMP and I have no idea how much of her character writing was within her power. How much of it was improv, how much pre-planned, how much something she genuinely wanted to do and how much stuff she just stumbled into or – in the worst-case scenario – was forced upon her. I don’t know.

The Dream SMP is not very transparent when it comes to their creative process. As such I can only judge it as a discerning viewer and English major dropout, who retained some half-remembered stuff about narratology.

So, a few weeks ago, I tumbled on here that Niki’s character journey reminded me a lot of the character Barbara Kean from the hit TV-show Gotham. Then I got an ask asking me to elaborate. This is the elaboration.

Barbara Kean

So, a quick crash course for people who haven’t seen Gotham (the greatest comic book show on Television, seriously, what are you doing with your life?!): Barbara Kean was a major female character throughout all five seasons of Gotham – and not once during those five seasons did the writers ever figure out what they wanted to do with her.

Every 10-12 episodes or so, Barbara’s role shifted completely. She started out as cop-protagonist Jim Gordon’s girlfriend at home and moral compass, then became part of a bisexual love triangle, then a hard-drinking jealous party girl with a backstory as repressed, lonely rich kid, before being kidnapped by a serial killer and ultimately making her perfect metamorphosis into the psychotic ex-girlfriend trope.

And that was Season 1.

Since then, she became the pseudo-Harley Quinn to the pseudo-Joker, a whip-wielding dominatrix, the obligatory female member in a supervillain squad, some sort of information broker, a mafia kingpin, the leader of a girl-power posse and – my favourite – the reincarnated wife of an ancient immortal who also controls all of Gotham and transferred that control over to her before that plot-point was dropped harder than a half-dead Oswald Cobblepot of the Gotham piers.

Also, she’s Batgirl’s mom.

In short, it’s a mess – but that’s what makes Gotham kinda fun.

Character Cohesion

Now, obviously, Niki’s character journey has not been quite as extreme. But it falls into the same traps, I find. Namely, that there’s just a distinct lack of character cohesion or character continuity.

Now, character cohesion or character continuity doesn’t mean that the arcs these characters undertake can’t be explained in a logical way. Barbara’s character journey is logical in the sense that you can explain it all with in-universe logic – but it’s not logical from a narratological sense now, is it?

Character Cohesion basically means that a character’s journey is reflected in their personal conflict – their Want vs. Need. Their arc is the natural continuation of what was set-up in previous sequences. Everything falls into a whole with Set-up, Confrontation, Resolution – we set up the character’s Want, their Want and Need are conflicting, the Want vs. Need is resolved. Ideally this coincides with the plot beats of the large conflict surrounding the cast.

When you look at Barbara in Season 1 of Gotham, you’re not thinking “This one right here – she’s the reincarnated wife of Ra’s Al Ghul”. Because why would you? There was no set-up; it’s not part of what her character was about in this moment – or any moment before that concept was introduced. It’s not needed for her character conflict (or any thematic conflicts for that matter).

It’s quite transparently just something that is affixed to her so that she has something until the writers come up with the next at which that first thing will dropped, underdeveloped.

Niki in Season 1

Niki follows the same route, unfortunately. She’s set-up as the resistance in L’Manburg, allies herself with Eret and HBomb until – oops – it doesn’t end mattering, because that entire side of the “plot” is completely underdeveloped. Just be a damsel until Wilbur can swoop in and save you, Niki.

Okay, but now she has a big moment with Tommy and Tubbo just after the pit-scene. “We’ll figure something out”, she says. “We need L’Manburg back”. This is all before the backdrop of Wilbur completely giving in to his role as a villain and Techno’s apparent “betrayal”.

So, now, surely, Niki is gonna affect change in Pogtopia and will have some influence on either Tommy or Wilbur, the two people she’s closest to. What’s this? Her biggest contribution is holding a birthday party where Quackity convinces Wilbur to hold off on his TNT-plan? And after that … she’s just gonna be part of the Pogtopia-masses?

Now, I like Wilbur’s writing and Season 1 generally, but when it comes to Niki (and Eret) something went terribly wrong. Both of them provided many a set-up – none of which were taken advantage of, unfortunately.

And, just to be clear, I’m not putting the blame on Niki here (or at least not most of it). Season 1 was pretty firmly in Wilbur’s hand … and Season 2 was a train wreck.

Niki in Season 2

Niki is – for the most part of Season 2 – a nothing character. She has no real conflict, no character beats, no arc. This is because through some unfortunate writing decisions, Season 2 is pretty squarely focused on a specific set of characters – and even fewer of those characters are granted a fully explored, completed character arc.

It all culminates in her Doomsday villain arc – a moment that can be logically explained from both an in-character perspective and a meta-perspective, but unfortunately, it’s not justified from a technical writing point of view.

Niki burning down the L’Mantree is her “Ra’s Al Ghul’s reincarnated wife”-moment. It’s a big statement that put her character on the map for a large part of the audience again. It was a striking visual. It could not be ignored.

Most of that was because it was a stark departure from her characterization in Season 1. Now, such a departure doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. The problem comes in when

a.) The full potential of the character in their previous narrative role had not yet been fully or even partly exhausted

b.) It cuts into an on-going character arc and drastically changes its course

c.) It’s not foreshadowed or developed properly.

And most of those are true for Niki’s character. She was not necessarily underdeveloped but underexplored in Season 1 and had no consistent storyline going on in Season 2. She was a witness to Tommy’s trial, but that was never worked into an on-going storyline for her. No matter how much we retroactively pretend like this turn to villainy, this breakdown, was brewing deep inside of her – there was no foreshadowing.

The reason, why I said it’s understandable from a meta-perspective, is that the content creator Niki Nihachu had a self-admittedly hard time getting her foot in in Season 2 – because Season 2, for as much love as I will heap upon Tommy’s and Dream’s storyline, was a pretty messy.

So, the villain arc was not well foreshadowed and Niki’s turn was developed, but what happened after she was in it?

Niki in Season 3

Well, unfortunately that problem of an inconsistent storyline never really went away for her. In the beginning of Season 3, she hatched her wagons with Jack Manifold, which was a pretty big tonal shift – from darkly tragic to cartoonish villainy.

But as Jack kept developing his character in that lane and following up on big plot development with corresponding character moments, Niki again just … vanished. She then changed gears again, joining the Syndicate – a great idea if only the Syndicate actually streamed together and developed a storyline and group cohesion.

As it stands right now, Niki’s character exists in the negative space of the fandom imaginations. We are given some scraps and good character moments – her sleeping in a jail cell, “I started baking again”, her secret city – but those moments never coalesce into a full-fledged storyline.

Her character’s journey is still as fragmented and underexplored as it ever was. I really hope that – with Wilbur’s revival and the new character conflict that seems to arise from that for her – she manages to finally get the foot in and get the storyline and dynamic arc she deserves.

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becauseicantthinkwritings · 2 years

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*clears throat*

I LITERALLY READ SOYL 4 IN A TRANCE WHILE BEING HALF AWAKE AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP AND DREAMT OF IT, WOKE UP AND READ IT AGAIN.

IF THE GOAL WAS TO MAKE ME ABSOLUTELY CRUMBLE UNDER THE BURDEN OF LONELINESS AND TO REMIND ME JUST HOW TOUCH STARVED I AM, CONGRATULATIONS YOU DID IT!!

No seriously your powers are running rampant it's a health hazard for me. PLEASE NEVER STOP.

It was just so fucking vivid. So beautifully descriptive, almost tactile. I felt the coarse grass beneath her, i felt the warmth of the cottage, the ambrosia, the KISS.

Please idk how to be cohesive about how much i love this IT'S SO OVERWHELMING.

The way her whole being shifts in company of William compared to Peter was so, SO visceral.

"You're hurt" "I'm always hurt" WHEN I TELL YOU I CRIED.

Wolf Frank 🥺🥺🥺 PLEASE I WANT ONE. LEMON TOO. READER AND LEMON BEING FRIENDS IS SO PRECIOUS TO ME. LEMON SHOWING UP WHENEVER HE WANTS AT WILLIAM' MAKES ME WANT TO BURST.

The scene where they're standing on the boundary of the forest, him with his hand out for her to take and her standing just a step away DID THINGS TO ME. THAT WAS SO CHARGED WITH SO MANY THINGS I CANNOT.

Her wanting, no NEEDING to kiss him I- I think it's safe to say that we all collectively nodded our heads along to that because same. SAME.

THE FACT THAT IT WAS HIS HAND THAT SHOOK. AFTER ALL THAT. IT WAS HIM WHO LOST COMPOSURE. KILL ME NOW JUST DO IT.

"Good girl" ajsyqkkajagwjakqkaluwgdkqlsh

"You really wished he would take you, steal you away and force you to stay with him. You wished he would take your choices, so that you didn't have to feel guilty every time you longed for the forest- every time you longed for him"

*sound of me screaming and crying and choking on my tears in the distance. a string of exasperated meows follow*

"To reach for you and find you reaching back"

*screaming and crying gets louder*

Im fine. I'm fine.

THE KISS. THE FUCKING KISS CHELSEA. IT WAS SO SOFT AND SWEET AND GENTLE AND WILLIAM WASN'T THE ONLY ONE SMILING AND BLUSHING OKAY. HE DESERVES ALL THE AFFECTION IN THE WORLD PLEASE LET HIM HAVE IT. THAT WAS SO SO SO WORTH IT I WILL PASS AWAY.

Did I pretend to fall asleep with a naked forest god next to me? Yes. Did it work? No. Did I dream about him? Yes. Will I ever recover? No.

Please give yourself a pat on the back and a kiss on the forehead you deserve it.

*mumbling confused* I can pat myself on the back, but I cannot kiss myself on the forehead and that is terrible.

*thinks thoughts*

I didn't realise i was doing it, but you really can feel a difference between the time she spends with Peter and the time she spends with Will.

With Pete it's hollow and void, but with Will it's like seeing colour for the very first time or tasting something delicious and feeling a weight of completion in the soul.

The line reaching for him and to find him reaching back, I'm sure you know, isn't a completely literal thing. Her reaching for him would have started the minute she packed her bed with pillows and walked out of her house. A big step for her, and to find him there, waiting for her... I'm sure you guys can guess it, but he's always waiting for her. And when he can, he's looking for her. And he definitely saw the kiss between her and Peter, and he's biding his time for a punishment. He's an age old immortal and he understands patience. But he had to know she likes him before he exacts any kind of punishment. 😉😉😉😉😉😉😉

For all my fellow readers out there, I just want to put this out there, that Will drinks a lot of ambrosia and his mouth definitely tastes like ambrosia, and that's why her lips tingle for so long after the gentlest of kisses and kissing him properly would get her hooked on his lips so... good luck with that 😘😘

#ask #review #soyl #billy russo

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xxtha-blog · 3 years

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Okay, so, the Star Sanses, or more specifically just me talking about Dream, Ink, and Swap's dynamics.

Knowing the original comic was just for fun, I'm not going to use it at all for the basis of any of this.

So let's assume the three of them inadvertently have to team up, how would they act, what would they do.

Well, first off, all three of them are completely different kinds of reckless.

Ink is the: 'Oh hey, look at that, I'm going to go check it out- OH SHIT' kind of reckless

Dream is the: 'hey guys maybe we should make a plan or- OTHER PEOPLE ARE IN DANGER AND ITS TIME TO PUT THEIR SAFETY OVER MINE' kind of reckless

And Blue is the: 'well, we don't have a plan, and the other two are already gone, so I guess it's all up to me and nothing's going to stop me despite me being completely out of my element' kind of reckless.

None of them are the type to kill, I mean, Ink's a dumbass who's best fighting strategy is quipping. Dream and Swap are both too kind to actively hurt anyone more than they had to to stop them, so I can't imagine they'd get into many fights on how to handle a threat once it's been neutralized

However, imagine them trying to plan anything. Absolute disaster. Ink immediately forgets the plan. Dream immediately has to improvise to stop him from causing problems for the people they're trying to protect. Imagine how many times Swap and Dream have to say: 'Ink no'

Imagine how many times Swap would have to say 'guys please'

Ink runs off the second he gets distracted, Dream runs off the second someone needs help and Swap just stands there like, oh god, not again

Ink walks into the chaos and drags them all into it. Dream walks straight into the chaos to try to drag everyone out of it. Swap is unintentionally makes more chaos.

Dream is so selfless he probably wants to tell the others to leave half the time so he can handle it on his own. Swap's too heroic to let that happen. Ink is just doing is his own thing. Disaster I tell you. They're all terrible at working as a team. Horrible. An absolute mess, yet somehow manage to get things done, solely on the fact they all fulfill different roles and don't step on each other's feet.

Dream is the oldest yet the least knowledgable of them all. Ink thinks Swap is also like this at first, but quickly learns otherwise. Swap and Ink purposefully make jokes involving this. Dream is nothing but confused. However, Dream is the quickest on his feet and knows how to stop things from becoming worse. He's incredibly intelligent and Swap definitely acknowledges this and would trust Dream with his life.

Ink is

Well he's Ink, so he's probably making jokes and poking fun at everyone every second they aren't getting blasted at. But he's an absolute tank on the battle field and when he's actually working with the others, can be used to create just about any strategy the other two have already come up with.

He and Dream are also the two essentially immortals and Swap is probably the youngest, so they're both trying to take hits for Swap when Swap, I argue, has the most firepower of all of them.

Following the idea that Papyrus is the strongest character in Undertale, I'd like to think Swap is on the same lines as him.

All in all, absolute disaster team that only works because they're a cohesive disaster that will make an agreement: 'never again' The second they succeed.

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wonda-cat · 3 years

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For the character ask, can you do dream

How I feel about this character:

I despise him. He is one of the evilest motherfuckers I’ve ever witnessed in media, just short of Joffrey from Game of Thrones. And I find that to be absolutely fantastic. I love to hate him. From a narrative perspective, he is fascinating. Watching this character interact with others, especially when you know he is highly intelligent and ten steps ahead, is always fun.

Then there’s the added bonus of his unpredictability, lack of POV, and never being able to tell when he’s lying or telling the truth. And I adore that. He is my second favorite Dream SMP character of all time, just behind c!Tommy. He’s nothing short of fantastic. I want him dead. 💙

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

None. I love all of the DSMP characters too much to subject them to any sort of relationship regarding c!Dream. However, I will admit that I loved the idea of Fundy and Dream’s relationship during season one, although we all know how that turned out in the end...

(Side Note: While I don’t like c!Dream being with anyone, DreamXD on the other hand? It’s George, 100%. That is the only DNF content I can stomach, and it’s entirely because DreamXD is an eldritch abomination, which keeps things interesting. Because George is so, so unbelievably boring.)

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

I would say none for the same reasons as above, however, it wouldn’t be quite accurate to how I feel. Despite all of Dream’s interactions with other characters either leaving them worse off, dead, or hurt, he does have some fantastic interactions with a great many people that I find interesting. If I were to pick just one, it would be Tommy. All of their scenes are so intriguing and everything Dream says to him makes my skin crawl.

Just the possessive entitlement he shows toward what would otherwise be a stranger to him is bizarre and head-spinning. It’s an accurate and disturbing reflection of an extremely abusive relationship and I adore every bit of it. It never fails to make me desperately uncomfortable. And I live for that.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

If Dream turns out to be some kind of immortal or god or demon, I will hate it. It would probably become my most unfavorable plot moment in the entire series.

For the love of god, let this man be perfectly human. It gives so much importance to the abuse he inflicts on others; it is far more threatening and intimidating to witness. I have never been fond of any of the god or supernatural plots in the DSMP and I will not start now. No more gods. I am already ignoring the established ones in canon as I write this. I just want the war fantasy and political intrigue I started watching the series for in the first place.

(This is a tip from an experienced writer: If you’re running out of plot points as your story goes on, instead of jumping for the most outlandish things possible, especially if they conflict with the genre of your story, return to your roots. Remember what the first plot was that you wrote and try to echo that. It will please your core audience. It will bring thematic cohesion you may feel is missing. I promise.)

Please,,, DSMP,, return to your roots.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I don’t care what happens with him in future plots, I just want this motherfucker gone. I want him dead. No redemption arcs; he doesn’t even deserve that. I don’t care who does it, I just want it to happen at some point. I want it so bad, I can almost taste it. Let it be Ranboo. Or Tubbo. Or Quackity. Or Tommy. Or Philza. Or Sapnap. Just make sure he’s dead and never comes back. Bonus points if Wilbur beats the ever-loving shit out of him from the afterlife as well, as a treat.

#answered asks #ask meme #tw abuse #somewhat dsmp critical #dream #c!dream

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writtenbyhappynerds · 4 years

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Unit 3: Face Claims, Please Stop Using Emily Rudd

Ok. So now lets look at face claims. Face claims are a broader topic to character creation and OCs as a whole. I like face claims. They’re great, because they allow you the writer to get in your head what the main character looks like and how they fit in with the cast and the world. I have nothing against face claims, I use them myself because I like to visualize what I’m working with. However, as we’ve seen in Unit 2, it’s on the writer to convey what the character looks like. As we’ve seen in Unit 1, the character should be cohesive with the rules of the universe. Face claims and characterization can apply the first two units very easily.

Reference images are for your eyes only, so that you can see what the character looks like. When describing a character, pull details from your reference image to explain what they look like. You do not have to be overly specific. Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way is a prime example of being overly specific, given the first paragraph of her fanfiction My Immortal is:

“Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch, and I go to a magic school called Hogwarts in England where I’m in the seventh year (I’m seventeen). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eyeshadow.”

Never do this. I will find you and we will have a very nice conversation about how to improve your writing. Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way breaks the three big rules of characterization and character description: She drops the face claim directly in the narrative (Amy Lee, lead singer of Evanescence), she describes every characterizing feature about her (vampire teeth, ebony black hair), and she describes her complete outfit. To give a better standard of describing characters, we are going to fix Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way.

Young Adult novels very often stick to height, hair color, eye color, and body shape. This is something you as an author should think about, but sticking just to this blueprint can be pretty generic. When you look at other people, those aren’t the only things you notice, right? Those aren’t even things you necessarily need! A big example of going against the grain of the standard is found in The Great Gatsby. Despite having loads of color imagery, we never learn what Daisy’s hair color or eye color is. But somehow, we don’t need them because we are supplemented with, “Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it. Bright eyes and a bright, passionate mouth.” Fitzgerald focuses on how his characters carry themselves and their facial expressions. These give descriptions of their personalities. When he does describe hair color or eye color, he does it in a way that fits with the style and vibe of his writing, and you as a writer can do the same.

In my own personal opinion, eye color does not need to be described immediately. You can save small descriptions of your characters and sprinkle them in throughout the story, rather than dumping an appearance in one paragraph. In one instance you can describe what a character’s wearing, and in another later on, describe their hair as they pull it away from their face. Describe it as it changes from the normal. Jeremy Scott’s The Ables is a great example of character description and characterization. The main character is blind, which means that the cast gets by on contrasting personalities. We don’t know the ethnicity of many of the characters until we’re halfway through the book, and the main character only learns his basic appearance because it’s been described to him by his parents. Things like eye color and hair color and how tall someone is don’t matter as a whole. What matters is how it can be applied and further the story and the personality of the character. A character having curly brown hair? Don’t necessarily need that. A character who takes the time to curl her brown hair every morning? That tells me something about that character. Small moments, and giving descriptors through details can really help you avoid the paragraph dump.

Character Bios are the bane of my existence. Do not put character bios in the beginning of your fanfiction. All you’re doing is giving me a paragraph I’m not going to read. Character bios are lazy writing. It’s low-hanging fruit to mention them as something to not do. There are so many ways to incorporate detail into a story. By putting in a character bio, you tell the reader that you either: don’t know how to incorporate these facts, are too lazy to incorporate these facts, or don’t care enough about what you’re writing to incorporate this information that we must know immediately about your character. In addition, we don’t need to know your character’s favorite color and the music they like on page one, so why do that to yourself? Not caring about your work can ruin a fanfiction. If you don’t care about what you’re putting out there, how can you expect your audience to care enough to read it.

Another important aspect of characterization is show-don’t-tell. Which we’ve all heard, but I’ve rarely seen it used. When used effectively you can draw the reader in, and allow them to use context clues to draw their own conclusions. A good rule of thumb, and the Show Don’t Tell 101 is that you show emotions, and tell feelings. You don’t need to tell me how the floor swayed under someone’s feet and they felt as if they were underwater. You can just say they felt tired that morning. However you can show emotion, and show the full range of anger and pain when someone’s upset to convey properly how that character is feeling. This is something that requires a light touch. It ties in with context clues and foreshadowing. I shouldn’t know from the third line of dialogue of a Shane Dawson fanfiction that the OC has an eating disorder. I shouldn’t know when exactly two characters are going to end up together, or when two characters are going to split apart. It should come as a surprise. An example I can give is a story I have of two spies who fall in love. From the first chapter, it’s obvious to the reader how this world is a game to them, and how they click and exist on that same wavelength. Chemistry can be obvious. Banter can be a fun way to express chemistry. What wasn’t obvious in this story, was that one of the spies would be killed by his own organization. What wasn’t obvious was how this would shape the other spy, who became the main villain of later works. If you make the narrative obvious I want you to then surprise the reader. Because you yourself will get bored. That’s why you see a lot of fanfics get dropped after three chapters- the writer has it all planned out how something will happen, and this plan becomes boring, but they don’t try to change the plot to make it more exciting. Throw in a wrench. Shoot someone. Spice it up my dudes.

We titled this chapter Please Stop Using Emily Rudd because one, we see Emily Rudd, as well as other girls who will be in an imgur album at the end of this chapter, way too often as the main OCs in fanfiction, and two, they represent a saturation and an insecurity in the market of main characters. We as writers don’t need to rely on these girls, and we actually keyhole and limit ourselves when we stick to stereotypical goth/emo girls (ex: Eugenia Cooney, Aly Antorcha, and Taylor Momsen face claims), or pale girl with dark hair and green eyes (Emily Rudd) same thing different descriptor for Nina Dobrev, or that red haired girl with green eyes who I couldn’t find a name for but she’s in almost every Harry Potter and/or Weasley sibling fanfic so you know who I’m talking about.

These girls should not be the standard of OCs. On top of that, not every OC has to be “strikingly beautiful” some of these OCs are like, 11-12 at the start of the fanfic. It’s ok to not describe how pretty they are. On top of that, not all of the world looks “strikingly beautiful” and that shouldn’t be a character descriptor. When one fanfiction I read had the love interest describe the OC as, “nothing to look at,” they contrasted everything else I’d read before because they made the beauty in that character not about what she looked like but her actions and who she was as a person. She became more beautiful as the fanfiction went on because of her personality, and by the end of it, it made sense that the love interest fell in love with her because he loved her as a person, not as an object. That’s what it boils down to. These girls don’t have to be pretty thin models and celebrities to be good face claims. Spending less time on the appearance, and more time on the personality makes for a character more beautiful and more believable than if you used some model. Don’t feed the manic pixie dream girl trend.

Moving on. Your character should not fill a hole or replace a member of the cast. They should bring a new perspective and add, not take conflict from the original work. For example, if you are writing Harry Potter fanfic, the character should not be composed of all the attitude Harry and Ron didn’t get in the movies. If you write Sherlock fanfiction, the character should not be the voice of reason to apologize for Sherlock’s antics while still doing the same things as him. In my own Psycho-Pass fanfiction, my character should not be a manifestation of Shogo Makishima’s soul. All these things do are fill holes in the story without adding to the narrative. If they were removed the story wouldn’t know they’re gone. If you can add conflict or alternative plots to the narrative, making the characters and the cast go through something they didn’t go through otherwise, you make the OC matter more. There used to be a beautiful Harry Potter fanfic that got deleted, where the OC went on full fledged adventures without the cast. She did her own thing, hanging out in the Harry Potter universe. This fanfic worked because the OC was the star of her own narrative. She wasn’t hanging on to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. They did their thing, and she did hers. It made for a great fanfic that I’m very sad to have seen the end of. Try and give your character something to do that doesn’t involve the cast. Think of it like fanfiction’s version of the Bechdel Test: Can your OC go through a chapter of fanfiction without relying on the cast.

Let’s revisit our darling, dearest, dead, Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Ravenway. Using what we’ve discussed in the previous paragraphs, I am going to attempt to fix the introduction given by our dear Enoby in Chapter One of My Immortal. Pray for me.

By Year 7 at Hogwarts, I had given up on the uniform. I’ve been at this school for too long to keep wearing the same damn thing, and as soon as I’m done I can bow out of button-ups and itchy sweaters. Professor McGonagall had a fit when I walked in last year with purple and red streaks in my hair. I smile as I imagine her face when she sees my miniskirt and corset. I sloughed in front of my mirror, carefully winging out my eyeliner and dabbling my lids with red eyeshadow. I popped on a black lip, blew myself a kiss, and felt stupid for doing so.

McGonagall didn’t even let me make the Great Hall. She marched me back, and forced me to change into the school uniform. I added pink fishnets and combat boots, and rolled my skirt up before heading back down to the Great Hall. My classmates gave me a wide berth. As I walked past a cluster of Slytherins I could hear them whisper.

“Fangy bitch.”

“Say that again?” I said setting my sights on them. “Do you really want to insult me now? I haven’t even had breakfast yet, though I could make an exception.” They scurried off. I flipped them the bird as they went, and carried on downstairs. Remus Lupin was the best thing to ever happen to this school. Yeah, he was a werewolf, but I felt a little less alone. At least there was more than one monster running around here.

Next week we will be discussing names. Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way will make a return, as well as some other names that are uncomfortable and cringy to read. This is your warning now, that in 2 weeks we will have our first exam for Fanfiction 101. I did say in the introduction that there would be an exam, and it’s on its way. We will give you more information next week when we see you to discuss Nameberry.com.

Supplemental Instruction: The aforementioned imgur album of overused face claims and OCs. Think of this like a newly minted banned book list.

https://imgur.com/gallery/SpIGZhF

#ff101 #fanfic #fanfiction101 #writing #fandom #Harry Potter #DC #Marvel #Victorious #Addams Family #Supernatural #Twilight #Sherlock #Original Works #OC #percy jackon and the olympians #Percy Jackson #Avengers #self-insert

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lunelantern · 4 years

Text

~Sasusaku analysis ~

~Sasusaku analysis ~ ~~ Sasuke and Sakura - - pair analysis ~~ ~THE BRIDGE SCENE~ (Team 7 Reunion - - after the Five Kage Summit)

---PART 1---

Only in the name of love, would people be capable of greatest sacrifice; to abandon ration, logic and even morals and principles to completely surrender to the blazing flame of love.

The hallucinating pain of not being able to surrender to love is similar to having one's soul split in half. I can only depict what must have churned into Sakura's heart when she came face to face to the one she helplessly love with abandonment, with the intent to banish her feelings into silence and act upon her shinobi duty.

[How could I withstand the tempest in his smoldering eyes with the confidence of as shinobi, without him to read what's in my heart? How could I use my words as deceiving temptation when my feelings shine unbridled with love for only him? How could I level his gaze when he's seeing through my eyes like gazing into crystal waters? How could I pierce his heart with a weapon of death and destruction, when my heart wants to touch his gently with love? How could I force my lips to murmur words of deceit when they want nothing more but to touch yours with the graceful caress of a whispered spring zephyr? How could I kill you when I love you so helplessly? How could I kill the one I want to kiss with abandonment? How could I temper his hatred into love? And more importantly, how can I kill him without losing myself? ...for he always had my heart and I was always his. Now and forever we will be...]

Whether is the unprecedented conjunction between the full-fledged clashing shinobi and their rebelling romantic feelings, the implicit suppression of inmost emotions, the implacable destiny of a cruelly realistic anti-hero, the Weltschmerz of love and romance which devours and hurts before it heals and soothes, the heart-tucking incremental angst and melodrama, the tragic vista of an unrequited romantic love shattering like a broken piece of glass, the internal turmoil kindling like a nonpareil hymn of a Shakespearean tragedy, there are peculiar characteristics and symbols introduced in this heated encounter between Sasuke and Sakura that are simply monumental.

Every single panel and transition that supports the dialogue perfectly crayons the theatrical art of a tragic romance.

The cohesive construction, the smooth transitions, the constant leap between the subjective and objective levels of execution, contour a visually tragic love story with the master stroke paintbrush of a genius painter.

Sasuke and Sakura's gestures and kinesics are meaningful, illustrative and revealing for anticipating the sublime angst and pain that come as a hefty price to pay for love.

Only in the name of love, would people be capable of greatest sacrifice; to abandon ration, logic and even morals and principles to completely surrender to the blazing flame of love.

Some of the greatest romances in classical literature often depict love as all-consuming, spirit-draining unconquerable and scorching. It's exactly the tantalizing idea of a feeling that scorches, cremates and consumes the body and mind until it burns to ashes and yet lovers keep on wanting more and more, endlessly.

Sasuke and Sakura embody the same implacable fate as the classic literature's most illustrative couples as the pioneers of angst and drama, in such an iconic manner of construction, that one cannot but feel the tempestuous flow of their feelings transcend the inanimate pages of the manga and reaching to the bottom of the audience's hearts.

The heated glances, the suppressed feelings, the pent up angst and remorse, the churning guilt coupled with the immeasurable pain of seeing your heart drifting away from your heart are iconic.

The dialogue is animated and dynamic, strong and their implied romantic affiliation is brutally uncensored. Everything about this scene between Sasuke and Sakura draws the curtain of the stage of a perfectly theatrical love tragedy, with the pair as leading cast of unrequited love.

People are social creatures anointed with the most amazing of gifts that Heavens have imparted with us, the only holy prowess that ensures the liaison between our mortal human condition and our Creator. Metaphorically and what literary analysis depicts as sacred and profane, what elevated the spirit of a mortal sentient being from its implacable ephemeral condition is love.

We are made to seek love, to chase love, to desire to love and be corresponded.

Naturally, trying to suppress a feeling that's sine qua non to soul-completion is capable to produce a terrifying pain and it's exactly the excruciating constant attempt to suppress love and act against the very nature of things that Sasuke and Sakura experience in their fulminant clash in the bridge scene.

Let's analyze the scenery prior to get to character introspection.

Just as the setting is the lifeblood of any theatrical play, is noteworthy to highlight the importance of the backdrop as the extraneous elements of the surrounding background - - the objective level of construction - - perfectly supports the internal feelings - - the subjective level - - of the characters.

The surroundings emphasize and reflect what the characters are feeling.

Very symbolic elements presented in literatures as tools to introduce the readers in the heat of the characters emotions are also illustrated in this scene.

We have the half-destroyed bridge as the grand stage where the two actors play their theatrical love drama. In literature, the bridge symbolically represents the connecting pathway between two opposing worlds. It's a metaphor for connection, for union and conjunction; depending on what it connects, usually ascribed to a positive connotation; implicitly the bridge could mean prosperity, hope, fulfillment of a dream, relief.

Usually, the bride is overarching to a flowing water but it can also span over two ravines or crevices. In which, the pathway to connect two separated pieces of land; symbolically it marks the communion between two separates worlds that otherwise are meant to never meet, never come together.

A bridge could represent the inner conflict of a character in his decision-making inner turmoil. Someone who must decide what road to take in life, to make a life-changing decision. Naruto manga is a Bildungsroman - - a complex construction following a character's development from childhood to adulthood and is abounding with key situations that would change the dynamics and seal the destiny of a character.

When at crossroads or battling with uncertainty, characters are often presented as leaning against a bridge and looking over the underside ripple of the flowing water; a metaphor for mixed feelings, indecision, confusion, inner conflict in front of the impending flow of water - - the symbol of the merciless pass of time and nature's immortal condition in antithesis to a sentient being's perennial condition.

In mythology and folklore, what literati refer to as the "Greatest Journey", we have the crossing of a bridge as a pathway to enter the Afterlife. A bridge becomes the connecting and the final step of a soul's sojourn to the After Life - - his journey to eternity - - conjoining Life and Death.

Let's think about the other notable bridges in Naruto. The first that comes to mind - - and is intimately intertwined to the dynamics of the Sasusaku pair - - is the GREAT NARUTO BRIDGE from the Land of Waves which brought prosperity and good fortune to the enslaved insulated land.

Often, characters like Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto, Shikamaru or Sasuke have their moments of introspection on the bridges when confusion and uncertainty takes over (we have the illustrative and arguably amusing moment in Boruto Manga between Sasuke and Kakashi as Sasuke quests for advices about how to properly connect to his daughter Sarada).

The bridge represents internal turmoil as the mind and souls are torn between two conflicting choices: to take the left side or the right side? To proceed onwards to face the unknown or to take the familiar way back? To choose between A or B?

Crossing a bridge implies a level of risk as no one can certainly assert that he knows and is prepared to successfully face what unexpected occurrences might happen on the other side.

The other side of the bridge, just like in life, is sprinkled with unexpected occurrences that no one can anticipate, no matter how meticulous, cautious or prepared.

This pair specifically possesses an unparalleled zest for unbridled passion; Sasuke and Sakura are the hallmark of people who give their 120% in everything that they do, be it battle, career or romance. And that's exactly what turns their love story into an adage for scorching passion, intimacy, soul-consuming romance, enameled with tantalizingly elegant echoes of erotica.

It also sets the stage to a final battle between two opposing parties.

Sakura, the tragic heroine of this sizzling love story, foiled in the ineffable picture of a conflicted Madonna, is artfully portrayed in all the splendor of her inner conflict, as her duty as a Leaf Shinobi clashes vigorously with her hear that only flutters for the unpredictable Uchiha.

As per Zabuza's concluding words, shinobi share the same impending inner conflict that's the ylem to immense pain and turmoil: they have to find a perfect equilibrium between the soulless mask of their shinobi role (the Yin/the spiritual/the immortal/the sacrosanct/the darkness) and their human nature (the yang/the light/the mortal condition).

And the manga suggests that the human natured emotions surmount the shinobi as feelings (love, friendship, affection, kindness, honor, companionship, amour) manage to "fill this hole".

Sasuke and Sakura's encounter is glass-transparent epitome of a Naruto Shinobi's ominous condition, because they always have to find a winning solution for this antagonist dichotomy. To choose between love and duty/ to balance between the shinobi and the lover. To rebel against their hearts or their duty.

Duty and obligations come en route with their shinobi roles in the manga; the unyielding avenger in his thirst-quenching seek for knowledge (he must unravel the very condition of the shinobi as unraveling the quintessence and the enigmas of the Universe - - in this case, unraveling the purpose of a shinobi and his existence) and the renewed genius medic and Leaf Shinobi Haruno Sakura, who, ironically and tragically enough is also the pupil of the Kage (the heiress of the current system's - - Hashirama's and Ashura's - - political ideology; which is the same ideology that Sasuke wants to surmount and "revolutionize").

The very construction of Naruto Manga is contrived on antithesis (Yin and Yang antithesis).

And feelings are no exception.

. . . Sakura is mocking his feelings and Sasuke doesn't like to ridicule or laugh about feelings. He might consider it a trifle to the moment when he was sincere with her a candid moment between the two. She's using a past memory that he cherishes and was honest against him like she's invalidating his words. He might get confused. Was she lying then too to buy time for her friends to come? Is it a diversion tactic and she using the same scheme? She uses his words against him. She uses supposed love against him and Uchiha treasure feelings. Hatred is corollary to love and is one wrong step from love to hatred especially when it burns so strong. And so Sasuke then pays her with the same coin and retort with the same weapons. If she's clowning and ridiculing and stepping and tarnishing their moment as a mockery he's responding by suggesting that if she wants to mock him then she'll do the same. If she proffers a love that's deceiving and she's not feeling then he too can use her and ridicule her. Taking back his earnest thank you in response to acknowledging her love, he tells her that she'll be just a replacement a toll to be used and disposed of when she's getting rusty; shell be a disposable object that he'll throw away when useless to him with no remorse and emphasizes this by pointing to Karin "you'll take her place" - - meaning they you'll share her fate, I'll use you and when I don't need you anymore you'll be in her shoes as lying limpid alone and basking in the pungent waft of death and betrayal by my own hand. Is this what you want to be for me? Is this what your love means? Does you love mean so little to you? Sasuke doesn't accept her to mock love. That's why he becomes angry. He doesn't have any reason to get angry in a fight unless its personal feelings involved. He for angry at Danzo because he was directly involved in the murder of his family and he mentioned Itachi - - the memory of his brother is sacrosanct and a dinner like Danzo is unworthy to refer to it.

He gets offended and furious when Sakura tries to use past memories that were precious against him just like Danzo; it's a low blow from Sakura. She tries to deceive to fool him to she tries to lure and use him using a weakness just like every ordinary villain - - Obito and Orochimaru did exactly the same to lure him by their side.

His tone is very personal, is full of 1st and 2nd subject pronouns. The first part, the one that represents the real feelings the allusion to couples and lovers the first hypostasis.

Karin doesn't matter - - she represents the readers. She's speaking what's on our minds. She is a silent observer.

. . He's not the same Sasuke. He's a different person. 3 times for empathize is mentioned as the pair dynamic. Karin and Sakura might be under a false representation. They might love Sasuke for overlapping the ideal Sasuke from their past an idealized version that they worshipped and they hope to find the same Sasuke in the current Sasuke who grew up. Trying to tie dorm the bonds of a failed past. In love with must accept the person for what he became and what it was without trying to mistakenly look at him and see someone else. They fell for Sasuke the perfect: aristocratic lineage, wealth, top grades, unmatched ninja skills, caring personality. They seek for his best version and try to find their ideal man into someone who is no more that was the pure Uchiha child oblivious un corrupted and not this one who has life experience. Of course they never knew what demons and darkness lured into his mind they had the wrong impression that Sasuke is perfect and this one is closer to how he really is: passionate, uncensored and unrestrained and ready to fight anyone and sacrifice anything that might hurt the people he loves the most. This Sasuke erases the image of perfection they had about him.

Sakura wanted to join him back then too and Sasuke clears the confusion for her she didn't know that he was far from the perfect boy that her mind conjured up fantasy of a young dreamy girl. That's why she wanted to join him. And now he tells her this is me this is the one that you were willing to follow. Do you still feel the same seeing how I really am? . Sasuke-kun! Is again the sound of her voice that stops him and there are few selected people who could stop Sasuke from striking. Sakura can do this by just calling out his name. Sasuke wouldn't have stopped just because someone asks him to - - Karin asks him to stop attacking Sakura and he paid her no heed. Kakashi asks him too and he couldn't care less. When Sakura calls his name or asks him to stop... He falters. He does. He can't hide how much her voice affects him, the voice that speaks her owner's name one that's so precious to him.

For him to waver by a single call of his name, Sakura must be someone extraordinary precious to Sasuke, someone who's capable to conjure the feelings that he most tries to subdue. Love. Romantic love isn't like any other forms of love because this one evokes the most extreme of sensations and it’s an all body experience. It's the only type of bond that encompasses the senses, the mind, the heat, the soul and the body. It practically leaves one powerless, weak and helpless and no counterattack stands tall in front of it.

When love strikes, you can't but fall on your knees and surrender. And Sasuke feels exactly this. He is an Uchiha. They treasure and feel love like an out body experience. It's spiritual almost sacrosanct. Uchiha live every moment on extreme. They won't stop until the unravel the full potential of it, they live their lives at maximum. There's no status quo for Uchiha. They want to experience everything and they do it passionately.

They love with passion.

. . . We have another symbolic and powerful antithesis here. Sakura the iconic representation metaphorical of regeneration, fertility, innocence and eternal love - - the image of the flower which is symbolic for spring season - - regeneration hope rebirth - - hope and light and the tree that grown from Hashirama's cell, another illustrative symbol of rebirth regeneration hope. If Sakura is the figure of spring season then the tree is the key symbol of spring the regeneration the rebirth life exuberance. And yet... Karin is lying half death with life seeping rapidly from her body at the root of that tree. Meaning that the atmosphere between lovers is so tormented and broken and soulless and kit less and heartbreaking and hallucinating and painful that even a tree the symbol of life can't sustain life.

There is the reign of death, remorse, rancor, madness, pain, it's so en wrapping that life can't be sustained there (that tree is root less grown in stone as the bridge lies suspended ; trees have roots in the ground deep they don't hang floated in air which shows broken roots broken bonds kinless people who lost their roots). The scenery is ominous, depressing, the feeling of being hopeful, useless. Even Sakurara the embodiment of life and vitality lost her flow.

Spring... Can't melt Sasuke's icicle darkness (his pain and torment).

She can't reach to him yet, and heal and revive with "such a weak resolve" (as per her own words when she realized her mistake).

Sasuke himself tells her (he was always honest, this is one of his most memorable trait - Sasuke never lies, he's always forward and frank) that she can't be herself with the current him and points to Karin for emphasize; he tells her that he'll crush the wings of springs in its joie de vivre. He tells her that he's capable to break her so badly that he'll turn the spring - - the symbol of life force and rebirth - - into death "you'll take Karina's place - - you’ll be like her bleeding and half death /you'll die like her by my hand".

He assumes the role of the negativism /pessimist and Antinatalism a person who doesn't find the beauty in spring hope and regeneration. Someone who can't sustain life who can't give her what she wants she can't be her splendid form with him. Sasuke in his supposed craze moment of "sinking so low" still proves how much he cares for her. He tells Sakura that she can't be herself with someone like him. He can't let her be what she wants to be if she joins him. And he'll consume all her life force. A darkness so ominous and cold that's capable to absorb every wisp of light from her.

Why would she want to be with someone like him whose only surrounded by death, broken memories and darkness? "she has no reason to love me" - - why would she, the spring the vitality the exuberance the happiness the love would want to love a broken man that's full of demons and darkness?

When he says her name the following manga panel shows the immense distance between them, the antithesis the different worlds: while Sakura is in the untouched side of the bridge, everything around Sasuke falls apart - the bridge is broken crumbling under his feet, Karin is half death and bleeding at his feet, the tree is unable to sustain life everything around Sasuke is death and hollowness.

The shock it produces when she realizes that the Sasuke she fantasies about doesn't exist and the imagery of his Part 1 perfection is nothing but an illusion. "he's like a different person. Is this really Sasuke?" just like Karin, Sakura is also shocked to discover that the boy she fell in love with when she was 13 is a far cry from the man that she has in front of her eyes. She's so shocked that she already finds her resolve and her underlying plan crumble. For a shinobi, this moment of internal introspection and shock led to her downfall. You can't face a class shinobi with such a weak heart and a conflicted mind; she lost any chance to win against him from this very moment.

From her everything is just purely feelings and confusion doing the talking. The drama unfolds from here - - Sakura the shinobi lost with this panel.

Sasuke is always terse and brusque and forward. He doesn't censor e himself, he doesn't beat around the bush, he doesn't try to delicately introduce a topic by ramble uselessly, no. He cuts directly to the point in his peculiar manner. And the usage of 1st subject pronouns and his tone is absolutely intimate and very personal when he asks her: "what do you want with me?" this particular line is almost bittersweet hilarious and very ironic given the contest because it's exactly how a lover would ask.

The way Sasuke and Sakura talk, the dialogue and the interactions are very personal and intimate. The tone, the glances, the kinesics, the dynamic of the dialogue, the flow of conversation, the syntax of the phrases and the usage of 1 and 2nd subject pronouns are illustrative for two people who have something going on between them.

"Who is she?" is what Karin, the voice of the reader in this scene, asks rhetorically and we want to know as well. Who's this woman who stands before Sasuke? A shinobi or a woman in love?

Karin and implicitly the authors answer comes right after. "she must love him too." Karin who is a sensor natured type of shinobi the one who depicts the most intimate wavers in chakra and emotions emphasizes that she's Sakura the lover.

"Sasuke-kun, I'll follow you, I'll leave Konoha!" she doesn't cry anymore, her eyes aren't limpid like buffeted emerald diamonds shining in the moonlight with honest and love, no. This time her tone isn't affectionate or desperate or unhinged with sincerity, her voice isn't broken and melodious like a sad violin string lilting it's last farewell, her stance isn't supplicating, her hands aren't crossed upon her heart as she cried her most intimate feelings in his face - the crossed hands are religiously symbolic for a sacrosanct or holy. No, this time her tone is hoarse, almost like she is commanding someone or bossing someone around, rough, confident, almost reproachful and her emerald eyes are hard and seemingly emotionless. That's where Sasuke starts to lose it. She mentions their memorable past encounter which is iconic, sacrosanct and innocent and sincere, with unpardonably brazen confidence while using that image of her part self (implying that Sasuke's thank you words and that memory is a WEAKNESS for him Achilles heel) to try and DECEIVE him or lure him into a trap.

Of course he'd take it as a grave insult that can't go unpunished.

She takes a giant leap to each to him as the bridge between them is symbolically broken; there's no liaison to them except for feelings. The physical distance is hyperbolic. They are so far apart that she has to take a giant leap to reach to him in vain, because that leap and the hollow that stretches steeply under her feet represents all the unsolved problems between them - the demons, the broken bonds, words they should have not told, pain and negative emotions - and so the leap she takes to reach him now proves to be TOO much for her bucket to carry. This leap is her downfall because no relationship can survive on shaky grounds and unsolved problems.

#Sasusaku analysis #Sasusaku #Sasusaku romance #Sasusaku pair #Sasusaku explained #Sasuke and Sakura love #Sasusaku couple #sasusaku symbolism

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samaraclegane · 4 years

Note

Potential merthur prompt: modern day merthur except Merlin is like immortal so remembers their past life(S?) (ie everything that occurs in the show) and Arthur has been reborn. Their first meeting when Merlin first sees Arthur again.

author’s note: thanks for this prompt! super fun to work with. hope this came out alright for you :) also love the name lol, it’s got a ring to it

-it was uncanny.

-Merlin couldn’t believe his eyes. it had been so long since he had seen the man - flesh and blood, that is, not just from his memories and what little he could retain of how the man’s face looked - that he’d almost forgotten him.

-not him, necessarily, but rather the sharp outline of his face, the strong features. the way his nose - straight, but not quite a perfect line - complimented his piercing eyes, and how his mouth curled up at the sides first when he found something amusing.

-Merlin had always hoped this day would come, though he never allowed himself to expect it. he tried to stop himself counting the days since Arthur’s demise, the dreaded day he finally failed the too-young prince.

-he even stopped himself recalling their mutual experiences at a point, when it all grew too much to bear. now, though, it all came flooding back.

-he watched as Arthur - was he even called Arthur anymore? - chatted merrily to a man Merlin did not know, and for the first time in centuries he let himself wallow in their shared past, recalling each and every detail.

-Merlin remarked to himself, rather comically, that he hoped their next meeting would be better than their first. at least now, in modern times, there weren’t stocks for Arthur to throw him into whenever he so felt like it.

-he isn’t sure how to approach the situation. he’s not sure if he should introduce himself, doesn’t know if that would interfere with destiny’s plan for the two of them. perhaps Merlin’s new fate is to continually save Arthur’s life, but never have him know his name. maybe-

-maybe Arthur’s looking straight at him, stood right before him, and Merlin’s standing there like an absolute idiot, not responding to anything Arthur’s been saying for the past minute or so.

-”are you alright?” Arthur asks him, and Merlin’s ears begin to ring. it’s like a chorus sent straight from the heavens: he sounds exactly as he did all that time ago.

-”huh? me? yeah- yes, I’m fine,” Merlin stumbles over his words, wanting to say seven hundred different things at once, though barely able to form one cohesive sentence, “why?”

-Arthur gives him a restricted smile, like he’s not quite sure if Merlin’s fully in the room or not, “I was just asking if we’d met before. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere, but I’ve got no idea where, and I know it’ll drive me mad if I don’t ask.”

-Merlin’s stunned into silence for a moment. Arthur’s not supposed to remember anything, shouldn’t recognise him at all, and yet here they are.

-”no,” he forces himself to say after a moment, though the word comes out forced, like it has to be pushed out of his mouth for him, “no, I don’t think so.”

-Arthur takes only a second longer to look at him, squinting, then shrugs. “ah, well, one of those things, I guess. might as well introduce myself while I’m here: I’m Arthur.”

-Arthur gives him a classically warm, charming smile, and Merlin almost can’t speak. he still can’t believe this is happening, knows they can’t really be here, figures he must be about to wake up and this will all have been a dream.

-”Arthur,” he breathes the name like a prayer, ready to snap out of a fantasy and back into his isolated, mundane life.

-”and you are...” Arthur prompts after a silent moment, clearly not wanting things to stale and turn sour so quickly.

-”Merlin,” he finally manages, which brings a smile to Arthur’s face.

-”Merlin,” Arthur repeats, trying it out on his tongue, seeing how it tastes, “Like the wizard, right?”

-Merlin forces himself to keep calm, at least just for now, because he can’t go and ruin things now - not now, not after all this time.

-”yeah,” he chuckles nervously, sounding in his head like he’s on another planet altogether, “yeah, exactly. like the wizard.”

-oh, if only Arthur knew just how right he was, and what adventures the two of them had already been - and, hopefully, would continue to go - on.

#merthur #send me merthur #send me prompts #merlin x arthur #merlin x arthur pendragon #arthur x merlin #arthur pendragon x merlin

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mysticdragon3md3 · 4 years

Video

youtube

The Meaning of Death: BoJack Horseman vs. The Good Place by Wisecrack

When they started talking about “all books have endings”, I couldn’t help but think of comic books, going on and on and on. Before I switched to manga, I read American comic books, americomi. So it was a shock to me, to get into one of my first favorite manga series and reach its end. No rolling into new writers, artists, or storylines. Just “this is the end of the series”. And yes, it was nice to have a story so cohesive---with repeating motifs, foreshadowings, properly placed milestones of emotional progression, a perfectly unfolded theme(s)---because CLAMP had an ending in mind, even when they gave Rayearth a sequel series. But when that first series ended, I didn’t know what to do. Magic Knight Rayearth had taken up so much real estate in my brain’s fangirling, that I didn’t know what to do with it gone. I felt an empty spot, that was pretty big. And years later, when Ranma 1/2 ended, there was melancholy and loss too. ...Though, Ranma 1/2′s open-ended “ending” to the manga felt reassuring, that Ranma and Akane were still out there, up to their antics. But I think when that manga ended, some small part of me was still a little unsatisfied with the lack of finality. Though compared to the vast majority of fans, it was a very small part. I was actually very happy to feel like Ranma and Akane were still out there. Even if their further adventures were only in our imaginations. But yeah, it’s got nothing on americomi that has gone on for years and years and decades. LOL

I watched Bojack but not the Good Place, so I thought I’d stop watching this video before spoilers. But I don’t think this is even the first video essay on The Good Place, that I forgot to check out of before spoilers. Whatever. I used to be immune to spoilers. My immunity has gone down, but I still feel that a series is as good as the experiences of its moments, vs just knowing what happens in the plot and the end. I want a series/movie/story that feels good to re-watch, because the individual scenes are good experiences, in and of themselves. So what do a few little spoilers---like plot points---matter? lol

And maybe that explains why I never liked the idea that death gives life meaning. It sounds like the moment to moment experiences are negated or invalid. If you’re suffering, it “doesn’t matter” because death will make it end and that will be meaningful in some retroactive symbolic way. If you’re enjoying a moment, then it “doesn’t matter” unless it’s eventually ripped away from you, or you or someone else eventually suffers. Maybe it’s the suicidal depressive in me that doesn’t like the invalidation of the hells or heavens of each daily, “mundane” moment. Once my sister and I watched a suicide scene in a movie and she didn’t understand why the character did it because he was happy in his relationship. I just told her cryptically, “It’s an artist thing.” Maybe I didn’t want to actually talk about the fear of good moments turning bad or wanting to seemingly stay in good moments by making life cut off right there. Not that I agreed with the character. (Personally, I think death/suicide is for ending and resting from the never-ending suffering that is existence.) He could have continued on, having many more good moments, he couldn’t have possibly imagined with his significant other. My sister was right. Death doesn’t give anything meaning. It’s like what dream-Herb said in Bojack Horseman, “It’s just your brain trying to make sense of things.” That’s just what human brains do. But the comforting interpretations of people left behind doesn’t make anything better or worse for the person who had the actual experiences. Maybe my problem with the idea “can’t enjoy anything without it eventually ending” (or even “no light without darkness and no good without evil”), is because it probably plays into the same anxious insecurity that I have to deal with in real life. I’d like to be able to feel secure in good things/experiences staying and not being called “invalid” unless it has an end in sight. I’d much prefer for things to evolve. Even if they transition so much that they’re no longer recognizable from the original, then at least each state was gradual and the necessary fit for each corresponding situation. I’d prefer that good moments be appreciated, instead of being told they’re invalid unless they have an ending. And I’d prefer bad moments stop, vs being told it has meaning, like the universe giving you “tough love” so you can learn to become “stronger” or whatever. Sometimes shitty situations/feelings are just shitty. And anyway, there’s no guarantee that everyone reacts the same enough to predict whether “tough love” will yield a “toughened up spirit” or a traumatically scarred mentality; the only certainty is that the dispenser of “tough love” is being callous, discompassionate, and often trying to make excuses to “allow” such abuse. If there’s anything that’s given me the closest understanding of objecting to “the ends justify the means”, it’s my objection to the implication that the day-to-day daily moments don’t matter unless Death. Like Cloud said in FF7AC, “There’s nothing that isn’t important.”

Though I can be a little bit of a nihilist about life never having any inherent meaning, I actually just like the ideas that life can be given meaning and that there’s nothing cheap about that manufactured meaning. (Who told that allegory about a man-made fire to sit by, being just as good as a fire that came out of no where?) Even though I haven’t watched The Good Place, I like a lot of stories/series about immortality, my Personal Myth uses it a lot in Thought Experiments, and I do like muddling over such themes accompanying immortality. I feel, just like a truly enjoyable movie/series/manga, the value is in the experiences of scenes and moments. So what if you already have experienced everything for yourself and know how everything is going to end or know what patterns are going to repeat forever? You don’t know what a moment feels like to someone else. One of the tragic failings of language is that humans will still never be able to communicate their exact experiences to each other, no matter what the means of conveyance. Anything short of a psychic hive mind is still inadequate communication, even that could be considered a singular being who doesn’t know how to communicate to other entities. (Not without some trial and error, like in Eureka 7.) It would be just the same as like individual humans to individual humans. But maybe I just find an unusual amount of value and joy in experiencing things by proxy or from the outside. Maybe it’s because I’m oversensitive and the bluntness of actually having first-person experiences is too intense for me. But I enjoy watching someone else having an experience or even just imagining how they experience something, even if I myself have experienced it a zillion times. Like when I watch an anime I already saw, in a video room with other people at a convention, or listen to reaction videos of a scene or movie I’ve already seen. No matter how jaded I’ve become to the event, watching someone else have an experience and me trying to imagine what it must feel like for them, reminds me of how I felt when I first experienced the same thing. But not just a recall; rather, the feelings actually re-manifest as a full emotional experience in and of themselves. Not just a recollection of events in a plot. Of course, a whole group of immortals jaded with their own experiences could become too dependent and addicted to the need for fresh people to have experiences for them to re-experience things freshly, by proxy... ^.^; There’s just something irrevocably new each time, to dealing with someone who isn’t already experienced with everything. And all because no matter how jaded and “been there, done that” you’ve become, you still have to be kind and empathetic to other people. Like when I was a teacher’s aid for 3 year olds, for 6 years. I wonder if empathy is the reason why watching someone else’s experience, second-hand, by proxy, can be just as intense as a first-hand experience. I wonder if the writers of The Good Place or all the philosophers cited would have had the notion that “once you’re jaded to your own experiences, there’s nothing else to experience”, if they were neuroatypical? Where any of them HSPs? And I don’t think that using other people as proxies for reinvigorating re-experiences is the only use of inexperienced people. I think that genuinely caring for their emotions, not knowing what they’re going to do when you interact with them, having hopes that they’ll experience things well, and adjusting your interactive tactics to help guide them to good experiences, is instinctually emotional each time. Or maybe my brain is just weird to care too much whenever someone is standing in front of me in real life. But I really don’t think it’s just me. As proof, there’s a lot of problems in the world caused by people ONLY caring about people in front of them in real life, so it can’t be that uncommon. So then why get so jaded after depleting your own experiences? Am I saying that mentorship is the “ultimate answer”? lol I dunno. But it would explain why people like raising children, even children not their own, when working as teachers. In my Personal Myth, my main character is spiritually dying inside because she’s immortal and life is a never-ending hopeless trudge, that she no longer has the Strength to improve. So she hopes instead for death, as a lazy way out. But continually, new people she meets, and new experiences with old people she’s met before, keep pointing to the answer being to return to the Fight, the everyday battle to continuously improve. After all, even in the jaded mindset, apparently perfection is still unattainable, because even complacency and satisfaction can spoil into stagnation. So the answer was in the “martial arts anime” genre all along. That must be why it always rung true enough for me to encounter it again, seeing the same tenants repeated in the artist community. “Continual self-improvement”, “compare to your past self, not to others”, “progression is only measured by your own path, not someone else’s years of experience or natural talent”, “fear stagnation and complacency”, “be more concerned with self-improvement vs aggrandizing your ego”, “recognize the True Strengths of Compassion vs Power”, etc. Whether art or in anime martial arts, existence is a never-ending battle, constantly teetering on the edge of falling, then gritting your teeth to climb back up, again and again. There’s always so much to do in existence, how can any humans get bored? Maybe being jaded is less about having nothing new left to experience or do. Maybe it’s more about being too tired to contract and expand to adjust to other people? Or just being too tired to overcome the fear that nothing will be different, no matter what you do or what happens, enough to stop trying? Maybe I’m just falling into human cliches to value Evolution. Or maybe that’s just the necessary value of anything living. “Sometimes life is a bitch, but then you keep living,” to paraphrase what Diane said in Bojack Horseman. Believing that Living and being truly Alive has to be about constantly evolving, both spiritually and mentally, is probably necessary for my survival as a living being. Evolved into instinct, out of necessity.

#rambling #personal myth #immortality #jaded #death #video essay #the good place #bojack horseman #analysis #existential #reactions #americomi #spoilers #endings #processing thoughts #confused with myself

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astudyingreer · 4 years

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Annabelle and Henrik Reunite

Warnings: Slightly suggestive but nothing too crazy. You know me haha

Henrik put his glass on the tray of a passing server, his sharp eyes darting around the party. It had been a few hours since the exhibition began, and the buzz and active rotation of viewers walking by the art being displayed had now simmered down to sparse groups and hushed conversation. Half the guests had already left--they had probably come to purchase art without really looking--but there were a few who were still appreciating the paintings in depth. Henrik was one of those people.

The exhibition was for a small collection of early 20th century Italian painters, depicting rolling fields and stone farmhouses in dulled tones of green and yellow. It was one of Henrik’s favorite types of art: a little piece of someone’s life, ordinary but meaningful, immortalized forever.

He had just approached another piece and was beginning to examine it when a figure gliding across the room caught his peripheral. He turned his head, just slightly, his dark eyes falling on a woman looking at a piece a couple paintings down. She moved like water in a slim dress that matched her ivory hair. A heavy breath audibly escaped his nose as he watched the way she squinted at the painting, swirling a half empty glass of champagne. She was like a living marble statue.

Maybe he would have looked back at his painting and ignored her. Maybe he would have shrugged off every itch to go over and introduce himself, to put a hand on her arm and lean in close and ask her how she was enjoying the exhibition…

Maybe he would’ve. It would’ve been smart. After all, he didn’t need to go ask for her name; he already knew it. Part of him had known she would be here, when he had seen the list of paintings and contributors. Maybe that was the real reason he came, as much as he told himself it wasn’t.

God, nothing had changed about her. She was still impossibly, angelically beautiful. She still carried herself with a confidence he had envied his whole life. He looked at her face, and that was the end of any cohesive thought for him; all he could see was the girl that would never notice him in high school, that he had dreamed about every night. Annabelle Wagner.

What would he even say? “It’s been so long, how are you doing?” “Do you remember when I’d write your papers for you and then you’d pretend I didn’t exist?”

He should’ve just looked back at his painting, but it was already too late. She had looked up at him now, and their eyes were locked.

What was she thinking? Did she even recognize him? God, that dress.

Annabelle glided over to him, and he offered a small smile as he turned to face her. She didn’t say anything for a moment after closing the distance between them, just long enough for him to smell her perfume before she asked, “Do you like it?”

Henrik glanced back up at the painting on the wall. “Yes. I do.”

She nodded slowly, taking a small sip of her now-flat champagne. “Maybe it will ruin the beauty for you,” she murmured, gesturing to the right side of the canvas with her pinky, “but there used to be a big tear, right there. Someone dropped it when they were moving it.”

Henrik squinted at where she was gesturing. “Amazing. The repair work is completely invisible.”

Annabelle smiled. “Thank you. I conserved this one, and two others… all from the same collector. I guess they like my work. I always like to come back and look at them when they’re on display.” Her voice got a little quiet, and that pensive softness returned to her eyes as they darted over the canvas. “You spend so much time with them, they feel like friends,” she murmured. “I sometimes miss them.”

Henrik nodded. “It is so rare that someone appreciates art that way,” he told her. “People come by, and glance at it, or just buy it because it looks expensive, but very few people just… look at paintings. And even fewer have enough love for them to learn conservation.”

“Do you do conservation work?” she asked him.

“No. I paint.”

“Ah,” she mused. “The greatest love of all.”

A palpable silence fell between them, and a few seconds was all that Henrik could take.

He extended his hand to shake, pointedly catching her gaze. “It’s good to meet you,” he said. “Henrik.”

“I know.” She accepted his hand, shaking it gently and then tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve heard your name a few times in the art community. You’re quite the socialite now.”

“And you like to be in the background,” he pointed out. “It seems like we switched roles, doesn’t it?”

Annabelle laughed, almost to herself, and he noticed the slight flush in her cheeks. “We’ve both had a long time to change. I knew you’d become a doctor at least, but a painter too?”

“And a scientist. And a psychologist, if we’re being specific,” Henrik told her dryly. His piercing eyes were still fixed on her, and she could feel it.

She chuckled, eyes widening dramatically. “Of course. You know, just for fun.”

“Just for fun,” Henrik repeated, as a ghost of a smirk crossed his expression. “I didn’t know you thought about me in school.”

She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I thought about you a lot.”

That phrase seemed to freeze the conversation and a few more seconds passed as both their laughter turned to silence again, until Annabelle sighed.

“I thought maybe I’d be lucky enough that you’d forgotten about me,” she murmured, her icy eyes flickered to the floor. “Or at least the way I used to be. Part of me wanted for us to meet for the first time again.”

Henrik’s heart skipped as he watched her. Everything she did was elegant, even the way she tugged and adjusted her dress. Heat filled his chest in a way he couldn’t explain… being here, with her, when they were both so different. And yet, nothing had changed somehow.

He could feel it from her too. She was thinking the same thing.

“Maybe we can,” he told her. His voice had dropped a little, eyes darkening. “But… somewhere else.”

His heart was beating out of his chest, and he watched as she looked up at him with eyes that reflected what he was feeling himself. Nothing could explain the feeling of it. Maybe it was the champagne.

“Okay,” she murmured, and the tone of her voice made the blood roar in his ears. “I’m staying in an Airbnb a couple blocks from here.”

“I think there’s a broom closet.”

“Okay.”

#annabelle wagner #henrik schneeplestein #henrik x oc #henrik x annabelle #fluff

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thesweatycollectiontyrant · 5 years

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Favorite Shows

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about why specific shows mean so much to me, and I want to profile them in sort of a “why” type of post. No sort of big thing, just have a lot on my mind and want to talk about it.

Tuck Everlasting

This show deserved such a longer life than it had on a stage in New York. If I were only allowed to choose one thing that I adore about this show, it would without a doubt be the score. Every facet of it. Orchestrations, harmonies, reprises and all of that good stuff. Luckily, I make these rules.

The meaning and heart of this show is so vast and beautiful. First and foremost, the relationship that Winnie develops with the Tucks is something a lot of people fall in love with. She finds a father she never had in Angus, a nurturing mother she’s never had from Mae, an older brother in Miles, and a best friend in Jesse.

Something my friends and I discuss often is how natural of an actress Carolee Carmello is. She is nothing but honesty, truth, and transparency onstage. In this day and age, that’s something everyone should strive for. It’s truly a shame that she doesn’t have a Tony award yet (something I believe she earned in 1999). A little more about her character, Mae. Mae loves people, not things. Mae wears the same old clothes and is content with them. She rarely looks at herself in the mirror anymore by the time Winnie comes along, and her only prized possession is the music box that she has. She cares most about her family.

In terms of the immortality that the Tucks have, Jesse is often representative of the positives of being immortal. He’s young, spry, good-looking, and loves life and nature. Miles tends to be the figure for the negatives when it comes to living forever. He tends to skew Winnie away from the possibility of her also drinking from the spring and living forever. In “Time”, he explains to her that his immortality has done nothing but forced him to lose everything important to him., while Jesse tells Winnie in “Seventeen” that if she drinks from the spring that they can live together forever and live lives of happiness and possibly (probably) romance.

With Angus, Winnie has just lost her father, and Angus has never had a daughter. He tends to be gruff, but has a big soft spot for Winnie.

Of course, there’s The Man in the Yellow Suit, Hugo, Constable Joe, Mrs. Foster, and Nana, but whenever I get around to doing a full post dedicated to this show, I’ll talk about them too.

The themes in this show are something to love as well. It covers growing up, time and death, and loyalty to family. The Tucks, being in their predicament have seen and been forced to let go of many important people and memories in their lives. When Miles talks about his relationship with his son and former wife in “Time” or when Mae describes her favorite memory of when Angus asked her to marry him in “My Most Beautiful Day”.

The last thing I want to profile about this show is some of the lyrics in this show.

“Looking back is something to look forward to.” - Mae Tuck in “My Most Beautiful Day”

There is so much to unpack there. Come on.

“Time truly divides.” - Miles Tuck in “Time”

“Watching life pass it by just floating on top.” Angus Tuck in “The Wheel”

Every time I listen to this show, I am undone. It is such a beautiful and intimate story, and I wish it could’ve had a longer life. I am dying to work on this show in any capacity. Someday, I want to conduct it, but until then, I’ll keep rocking out to “Live Like This” on long drives. Or short drives to the grocery store three minutes from my house to get my mom mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Big Fish

I got the opportunity to be in this show almost a year ago and it was so fulfilling. The script, at times, is bunk, and the story can move a little faster than some can process, but what this show needs to succeed is a strong cast that is dedicated to telling the story.

There’s so much in this musical that I adore and if I were to talk about it in depth this would be a very very long post, so I’ll just cap it with saying that I love the score and the relationship between Edward and Sandra. I also love the relationship between Edward and Will.

I love the revisions made to the show for the small cast version with Sandra singing “Magic in the Man” (though I do love “Two Men in My Life” with all my heart) and Will and Edward singing “This River Between Us” rather than “Showdown. In the version we did, we actually assigned “Magic in the Man” to Jenny Hill to give her some more of a backstory on her relationship with Edward and left “Two Men in My Life” in the show for Sandra.

The show is really special because I lost my grandfather two months before we did this show. It was a real restoration to my soul to be completely honest. He was a lively man with lots of stories that he always told and a character like Edward Bloom is a pretty good counterpart.

The score is so lush and beautiful. I could listen to it all day.

Fiddler on the Roof

This show kinda ended the Golden Age. I really love the Golden Age and I think that’s where my heart lies when it comes to my love of musical theatre as a whole. It was very influential to many shows in the future and I’ll always love it.

I’m not Jewish, but what’s special about this show is that it was remarkable to many that it resounded beyond the Jewish faith. The center of this show is truly about tradition, togetherness, family, and true love.

Tevye and Golde is one of the most unique and real relationships on the stage, especially for that time period. They didn’t marry for love; they married so that they could have children and a successful life. Each one of their children progressively wishes to marry outside of that ideal, Tzeitel marrying her childhood sweetheart without a matchmaker, Hodel being engaged to Perchik without a matchmaker or permission from parents, and Chava marrying outside of the faith, directly disobeying orders from the family and with no permission from parents or a matchmaker.

Tevye has to make many hard decisions throughout the show, allowing his daughters to marry men for love. The turmoil that he experiences when disowning Chava has always been hard to watch.

There are so many lovely and beautiful and amazing moments in this show, including “The Dream”, “Tradition”, “Matchmaker” (especially how they did it in the last Broadway revival), “Sabbath Prayer”, and “Chavaleh”. Danny Burstein refers to the score as “musical theatre mother’s milk”. It is nourishing like no other. I will always love this show.

The King and I

This was a show I truly learned to love my freshman year of college. Like many, I’ve known “I Whistle a Happy Tune” and “Getting to Know You” for a very long time. I got to see it with friends from college when it went to movie theaters and I was amazed by Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe, and Ruthie Ann Miles. Each of them gave such incredible performances.

I wish this show could be done more often, but it requires a mostly Asian cast. I am so thankful that there is more representation now than there was when this show premiered, so much so that the last revival was cast completely appropriate. Kind of ridiculous that it took this long.

The women in this show are what propels it. There is a chilling scene in particular when Lady Thiang finds Tuptim and confronts her about her relationship with Lun Tha.

One thing I’ve always been fascinated by is race in the classroom. I’ve had the privilege of having teachers of all different ethnic backgrounds, including my preschool teacher. I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity to learn through all different lenses. I was moved to tears almost immediately when I saw the classroom scene when Anna is teaching all the children during “Getting to Know You” and then there’s the dance break where one of the wives performs a dance for Anna, and then Anna and Louis perform a dance for the children and wives, and then they morph them together! It’s just beautiful because that’s a symbol of people of different ethnic backgrounds coming together and teaching each other something so special that it’s beyond words: they dance. I adore that scene.

The relationship between Anna and Lady Thiang is also something I admire very much. The scene before “Something Wonderful” is also just gorgeous. There’s something to be said for Ruthie Ann Miles’ performance transitioning between Broadway and West End. As many know, she got into a near-fatal car accident while walking with her child and unborn child on the crosswalk, and both children were killed. In the West End, she used a cane because of the recovery from the wreck, which aged the character and made her a little less mobile, but it also made her more authoritative and made you want to listen to her and know what she was thinking. It was a brilliant decision to incorporate that into her character.

Getting to see this production, albeit in theaters, was an amazing experience.

John & Jen

I got to music direct this show my freshman year of college with two dear friends of mine as the siblings. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s real; all of it. I love it.

This score uses motif and reprises in a way that is really touching to me. If I were to choose a song that makes me happy, I’d say “Timeline”. It’s really groovy and it’s the biggest character shifts for the both of them. If I were to choose one that always makes me sad, it’d be “Hold Down the Fort”. Kate Baldwin and Carolee Carmello both were extraordinary in the role of Jen. It became so important to me when I got to do it. I’m thankful for this show.

Ragtime

This will be the last one. This show is so incredibly special to me. Other than something like Wicked, this show was one of the first shows I really got into. The story and score are so cohesive and they work together really well. I love Ahrens and Flaherty and their style is so broad, yet so specific.

Similar to my feelings on The King and I, Ragtime incorporates the lives of Caucasians, African-Americans, and Jewish Immigrants and they all learn things about each other through various encounters during the show. Some find love, some find hate, and it’s just an incredible show. I will never get enough of this beautiful story about justice and truth according the law.

Mother and Tateh’s relationship is one of my favorites in the mega-musical canon. *do y’all consider Ragtime a mega-musical? I do? or do I?*

The show requires a very large and very diverse cast that can sing and act incredibly well. Nothing is like the full orchestration doing this show. I love it so dearly. It has so many lessons we can learn from.

I really love these shows and they’ll always mean tons to me.

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so-shiny-so-chrome · 5 years

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Witness: Icarusdusoleil

Creator name (AO3): Icarusdusoleil

Creator name (Tumblr): icarus-doodles

Link to creator works: http://icarus-doodles.tumblr.com/

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: I have always enjoyed the Mad Max movies and I fell even deeper in love with the franchise with Fury Road. The characters were fascinating and the world seemed so fleshed out, despite only catching small glimpses of it. It felt very lived-in and real, because of the rich visual storytelling. Wanting more of Max and Furiosa in particular, I dove headfirst into looking at the beautiful art and reading the well thought out fanfiction and meta that the fandom had created. I have never encountered such a passionate, creative, observant, and welcoming fandom as the Mad Max fans. I fell just as much in love with the fandom as I did with the movies. I knew I had to create my own art and writing to express my love and admiration for Mad Max.

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?

A: I'm definitely the most interested in Max and Furiosa, so my art and writing mainly revolves around them. I like to explore their companionship because they very much seem like soul mates--somewhere between platonic and romantic. I think I often use ravens and creeping vines to represent them symbolically in my work... but that may just be because I had a dream once where Max was a raven.

Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: I think my favourite work overall is my fanfiction "Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things". I built a playlist of songs that made me think of Max and Furiosa and "A Horse With No Name" by America really stuck with me. The fic became very introspective and someone once likened it to Max acting as a ferryman taking Furiosa to heaven. Writing it was incredibly cathartic and the positive response I got was overwhelmingly wonderful. I also greatly enjoyed sharing my raven!Max dream, because Donda used the idea for the Corvus Cormax fic, which I enjoy so much. It was so cool to see my silly idea turn into such a beautifully written work. I love drawing raven!Max.

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?

A: Truthfully, I think the wasteland is a character in itself, because it is such a tangible and metamorphic force in the movies. So I think I would describe my wasteland as a mix between gritty, hopeful, and spiritual... maybe ethereal. The wasteland is certainly not gentle or kind, but there are moments of quiet and peace that lend to a certain thoughtfulness.

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: When I draw, my process is very much just stream of consciousness. Sometimes I use references, especially if I'm trying to draw Max and Furiosa realistically, but other times I just draw from my head. I draw both digitally and traditionally. For writing, I am much more meticulous and organized. I prefer to have a story completely planned and outlined from start to finish before I begin. I like using inspiration from history, mythology, and folklore, so I end up doing a lot of research whenever I write. I always listen to music, whether it's soundtracks or my Mad Max inpsired playlist. And whenever I hit a rough patch, I just take a break until I'm feeling ready to work on it again.

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: I have a whole Mad Max inspired playlist! Some of songs that I associate the strongest with the franchise are "A Horse With No Name" by America, "Cruel Sun" by Rusted Root, and "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. The song that reminds me the most of Max is "Wasteland" by Woodkid. And the one that belongs the most to Furiosa is "Chi Mi Na Morbheanna" by the Rankin Family.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: Finding time to create for myself has always been tough, because I have a full-time job as an art teacher. I often feel burnt out and don't have the energy to create indulgently.

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: Furiosa is by far the character that I relate to the most. I instantly felt connected to her burning determination, her incredible rage, and her open vulnerability. I often wish I had a character like her to look up to when I was a child. Max is the other character that I really enjoy, because I also identify with his disjointed anxiety and desperate need to help. I love writing and drawing both of them, because they don't fit into the conventional action hero and heroine roles, which is really refreshing.

Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?

A: This comes as no surprise... but Max and Furiosa. I've mentioned before how I view them as soul mates that ride the line between platonic and romantic. They are such complex characters with very weighty pasts behind them, so exploring how they would interact and play off of each other is a lot of fun. I would also like to explore more of Furiosa and Angharad's relationship in the future, but I haven't had the inspiration to do so yet.

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? Why or why not?

A: Drawing-wise: I'm all over the place. Lots of AUs, lots of canon, lots of "i don't even know but this was fun to draw". I just draw what I want because it's really fun to explore different ideas! Writing-wise: So far everything that I've written can be tied together or they can stand alone. I haven't though much into it.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: I break canon so much when I draw, because it's fun to just say "what if Max was turned into a raven" or "what if Furiosa grew out her hair and got a cool new arm". When I write, I actually stay fairly close to canon. I like using my writing as almost filling in the blanks of the established world. That being said, I really do like to add little twists here and there.

Q: Share some headcanons.

A: I really only have one that I'm super passionate about. I subscribe to the idea that Tom Hardy's Max is the same as Mel Gibson's, because I really enjoy the thought of all movies tying together. My headcanon vacillates between the idea that Max is immortal or that he died years ago, but his spirit still wanders restlessly through the waste.

Q: Who are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: "Drifter" by @kaasknot was the very first Mad Max fanfiction that I read and I was blown away by their version of Max. It truly stuck with me and was one of the reasons I jumped headfirst into the headcanon of an immortal Max. I also love "He Just Wouldn't Stay Away" by @cygnaut, "The Length and Breadth of Fury Road" by Proprioception, and of course "Corvus Cormax" by Donda ( @thatonezombiecosplayer . I'm also so incredibly inspired by all of the gorgeous art that has been produced in the fandom.

Q: What advice can you give someone who is struggling to make their own works more interesting, compelling, cohesive, etc.?

A: First and foremost: create for yourself. If you're not enjoying what you create, then find something that you do enjoy and make that instead. Take your time and start small. Your creation doesn't have to be a masterpiece. If you are truly stuck, then take a break or maybe ask someone to take a look at it with you to get some feedback.

Q: Have you visited or do you plan to visit Australia, Wasteland Weekend, or other Mad Max place?

A: I would love to go to Australia!. Not even just for Mad Max, but just because I have always been fascinated with Australia. And I would like to try Wasteland Weekend, because I know a lot of people who go... but I feel like it would be very out of my comfort zone and I would just be an anxious mess the entire time. So I'm not sure!

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: I'm currently working on a Furiosa-themed punk vest. It's been a slow process, but it's been a lot of fun to work on. I hope to share it soon! And of course I'm going to keep drawing fanart, because it just feels like coming home every single time I visit the wasteland characters. I have also been slowly trying to chip away at an idea for a fanfiction. I've had this idea for a couple years and it includes an older Furiosa, Max as either immortal or a spirit, and disappearing children. I've been calling it "Babes in the Waste". I'm hoping to actually start working on it this year.

Thank you @icarus-doodles

#Mad Max Fandom Creator Spotlight #Mad Max Fandom Spotlight #mad max fanart #mad max fanfic #fury road fanart #fury road fanfic #mad max author spotlight #mad max artist spotlight #mad max fanfic author spotlight #mad max fanart artist

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angelofseeking · 5 years

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once fallen || angel playlist

My kind once communicated through song, a resonance that conveyed complex information and emotion. We shaped worlds through our chorus, connecting to each other and to the universe with a depth that cannot be replicated or comprehended by the human mind. It was the way we lived, the way we loved, and that music moves within me still. It carries memories of a life that continues beyond my reality, a deep knowing of a grander cosmic self.

(Disclaimer: The following is a narrative I’ve had in my head since building a playlist based on vague memories. Writing this out is an attempt to piece it together in a cohesive way. I use names from the Abrahamic pantheon because I was raised Catholic and it’s what I am most familiar with, but I don’t necessarily believe that it is the singular truth. I believe that humankind has told the same stories since time immemorial, perhaps to describe events that happened or simply to explore the inner workings of our existence. The names are symbolic, nothing more.)

ACT I: CREATION

1. O Magnum Mysterium - Chamber Choir of Europe

“O magnum mysterium (O great mystery) et admirabile sacramentum (and wonderful sacrament” I was not born, but came into existence. My siblings and I have always existed. Our realm is one of harmony, moving as one through space and time. My Creator is my Father is my Mother is my Eldest Sibling. I think of him as Michael, and I am a fragment of him, and we are all fragments of the One. Our family is small, but we are all that exists. We love deeply, connecting with every facet of our being. I am me, but I am all of them, and we are One. There are others who came before, but they were gone long ago. We are all that remains.

2. Rainspell - Ingrid Lukas

“Mine üle, vihmakene (Pass, dear rain) vihmakene, vellekene (Dear rain, brother)”

We are World Makers. I am an Architect. Our songs build farms from lifeless rocks, where we nurture seas to grow and soil to burst with life. The molten crust cools and splits, the boiling oceans sigh and from its whispers life shall sprout. We transform cold, condensed starstuff into plants, animals, creatures that move and walk and think. They are fragments of the planet, made separate and self-aware. Do they know how they toil? Do they know us and our watchful gaze?

3. First Light - Starset

“What if you had the power to affect monumental change. Would you let fear consume or would you overcome?”

We are no sculptors of the universe. It has started and stopped and started, unending, much longer than I have dwelt within its darkness. I was created, just as I can be destroyed. The universe is change, and all matter changes. We must eat, so we must build. This is how it has always been. The farmer must sow, or is left to the mercy of the wilderness.

4. Immortals - Fall Out Boy

“They say we are what we are But we don't have to be. I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way. I'll be the Watcher of the eternal flame. I'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams.”

We lived by consuming a kind of life force. Not blood, but emotions. Terror is as satisfying as adoration. It was how we survived for a long, long time. We fed from the life of a planet -- its inhabitants being no different than the planet itself, and then we would move on to the next one. Soon, there were none left, and we were forced to create more. Earth is one of these, but it is not the only one.

5. Show Me How to Live - Audioslave

“You gave me life Now show me how to live”

Humans are shaped through selective construction, through a technique perfected over countless millennia. They are organic machines, stepping out of the darkness and blinking into the sun to ask the same question we asked of our Creators long ago: Why was I created? How may I fulfill my purpose? To a domesticated animal, man is master. To a child, father is god. Once, I was loved and feared, and wanted for nothing.

6. The Way I Do - Bishop Briggs

“Oh, but you will never know this love Will never know this pain Never know the way I feel for you”

I loved my Brother, Michael, my Creator, and I sought out his love. I remembered once when we were One, but now we thought only of survival. Another system, another planet, another farm. When the novelty of new life inevitably faded, the ennui set in. I was provided for, and I fulfilled my duties. I loved him but his love for power was all that remained. He was in control, and he knew no other way to be.

7. Centuries - Fall Out Boy

“Some legends are told / Some turn to dust or to gold But you will remember me / Remember me for centuries And just one mistake / Is all it will take We'll go down in history / Remember me for centuries”

I began to lose interest in the company of my own kind. I turned my attentions to those who I began to see as more deserving, those creatures under my charge: the humans. We were warned against indulging in sadism or devotion more than was necessary, but times were abundant and I easily lost myself in it. At this time, I saw them as beloved pets, whom I doted on like a loving keeper. In all my eons of living, very little could surprise me, and yet...

8. What You Are - Audioslave

“And when you wanted blood, I cut my veins And when you wanted love, I bled myself again Now that I've had my fill of you, I'll give you up forever And here I go, far away, I know you, you'll find another slave”

Michael and his Elohim had their doctrine, claimed our superiority and that we enslaved and consumed planets as was our birthright. I had no other reality than the one that I came to exist within, devoted to his word without question just as my siblings. But a new perspective had come to me through my time with the humans. Their ways were strange to me, but they were so different back then -- complacent, certainly, perhaps blissful. But they could not understand the hold we had on them. I was good to mine, but they had no choice. Just as I had none while under the jurisdiction of the Elohim.

When they decided that they had lost control of the humans and that it was time to wipe the slate clean and start again, it never occurred to me that there was any other option.

9. Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

“Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too So I stayed in the darkness with you”

There is a kind of loneliness that can only be understood through eternity. A loneliness that began with the thought that I had never truly felt otherwise. My family was so small, and they were all that had existed for me. Time seemed to stretch on and on, and survival began to lose its meaning. I found meaning through my charges, having violated doctrine to indulge in the waves of sustenance they produced in the midst of adoration. They would go mad without my songs, but so would I without theirs. They would be lost forever once the Elohim moved forward with their plan, and the thought filled me with a despair beyond measure.

#my posts #once fallen #act one #angelkin #fallen angelkin #music

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tarisilmarwen · 7 years

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I am full to bursting with rambles about the romances in my own stories so congrats Tumblr, you are now my writing dump box.

I will babble a lot.

Adventures of the Sea Siren: High fantasy, sea-faring adventures.

Fen/Maeve-- Main couple. Captain Farrell “Fen” Armant is a newly reformed ne’er-do-well pirate. Lady Maeve Endeleva, noblewoman of the Tarshaani court, was the one to convince the Calif to pardon him, moved by some strange pity. He does not make that decision easy for her early in the story, being kind of a pain in the ass and slipping back into old habits. They clash a lot initially but eventually come to have a friendship that blossoms slowly into love. Married at end of the series.

Fisrock/Tabitha-- I think they were supposed to be my already together stable happy married couple, lol.

Evander/Cappy-- Junior member of the crew and apprentice mage Lady Maeve picks up later on their adventures. They crush on each other. It is cute.

Allemant/Rura-- Teased. Ship’s scientist/inventor guy and a Mysterious Waif they found frozen in ice. I suppose the appeal would mostly be Allemant’s utter science nerdy glee in figuring out how she worked (she’s not exactly human).

Relligon/Aisha and Relligon/Nashiko-- Teased. Loyal bodyguard of Lady Maeve’s with either another member of the crew or a local girl they picked up with Rura. Don’t think I had anything major planned with them, maybe just little teases here and there for both of them.

Venderick/Rowena-- Villain couple. Hella unhealthy in the end but they seem genuinely enamored of each other at first. It does not end well.

Artelia: Queen of Eevalond: High fantasy, kickass single mom queen rules a country and fights evil ‘n stuff.

Haegan/Artelia-- Loyal soldier/guard and the queen herself. Artelia did genuinely love her husband and misses him terribly but has been rather lonely since he passed. Haegan is always there and caring and supportive and has been nursing an affection for her for a while now. The UST is real.

The DM Can’t Roll For This: Comedy. Local D&D-type chapter finds their real life problems seeping into their campaign.

Kenji/Helena-- Main girl and dorky sword nerd newbie. Helena awkwards all around him and he’s mostly either oblivious or hilaritized.

Bruce/Rika-- Married couple that games together. They play as two tanks with Belligerent Sexual Tension. IRL they are adorably smoopy.

J.C./Casey-- Perpetually shy Shrinking Violet and oversensitive drama queen. She eventually develops the spine needed to ask him out.

Eternal Skies: Sci-Fi/Steampunk, advanced city is isolated out in the middle of a seemingly endless ocean.

Levi/Aya-- Loyal bodyguard and the Empress of the city. The idea for the story first came out of a dream but frustrations with the outrageous injustice that was Aldnoah.Zero’s Slaine/Asseylum not being a thing reignited my deep and burning thirst for Bodyguard Crush ships so I revisited this idea and that kind of relationship dynamic fit right in with them, lol. Levi’s family tried to leave the city once, caught themselves in a storm, they drowned, the then-princess Ayalin saved him. He is hopelessly devoted to her and constantly worries about her safety. As well he should, given that Aya is sometimes reckless and prone to battling bouts of crippling depression. He doesn’t know it, but she’s loved him nearly as long as he’s loved her because he, in her own words, was “the first person who made me want to live”.

Jobei/Hiriko-- Teased. Jobei lucks into the airship guard via a chance meeting with Aya, and Hiriko sort of becomes his trainer. She’s intense and scary and very intimidating sometimes but he kinda likes her. She comes to be kind of fond of him too, though she’d never admit it. I still don’t know if I wanna make it canon or leave it up in the air yet.

Four Seasons Warriors: Magical Girl type series, themed around the four seasons. (Duh.)

Sean/Soldad-- Stable couple that gets together early on. Sean is in theater. For some reason I always read his dialogue in a British accent, I should do something with that. Soldad is bubbly cheerleader type. They are full of playful banter and when she eventually confesses to the Masquerade he takes it rather well.

Chase/Autumn-- My Slap Slap Kiss couple. Chase likes to flirt with her and she gets so confused and offended and “What is this thing called human flirtation my files contain no such data.” and acts prickly to him sometimes but then sometimes is like, “Two can play at this game, Mister.” and banters back. For the most part he’ll shrug and back off when she’s in NOPE mode but when she teases back he’s like, “OKAY WAIT I’M SO CONFUSED.” and they basically bumble around accidentally being good supportive friends to each other in their low moments until they finally have to have the dreaded, “Okay what is this relationship exactly?” Which starts as an argument but ends with kisses. I mostly have it to add lulz. :)

Mitsuki/Lina-- Mitsuki is a shy nerdy geek type and Lina is the cool stoic big sister of the group. So a big Geek Boy/Stoic Girl dynamic here. They have a Meet Cute early on and Mitsuki is hopelessly crushing on her for much of the story. Lina is oblivious to most of it but tolerates his hanging around, as it keeps the bullies off him. She gets a temporary love interest (Sedaris) that is the polar opposite of Mitsuki--tall, charming, good with words, classically handsome, basically fangirl bait--and falls for him pretty quickly but PSYCH! turns out he’s evil and just wants to kill her. Mitsuki is a really supportive shoulder to cry on and she warms up to him soon after that. They get together about three-quarters through.

Adam/Elsie-- Elsie is cripplingly shy and timid and has had a crush on him forever. He’s oblivious. He remains oblivious until Trickster, a flirtatious villain with a thing for Elsie, involves him in a hostage situation. They get together. His (almost) death triggers her super-powered form.

Trickster/Elsie-- One-sided on Trickster’s side. He likes to flirt with all the girls and annoy them but Elsie he particularly takes a shine too. Hypnotizes her into serving him once. It doesn’t stick. Continues to try and get under her skin whenever he can.

Trickster/Brittney-- Brittney is actually a clingy jealous ex of Chase’s. Through some odd events she falls in with Trickster, and they hit it off... remarkably well. To the girls’ chagrin and disgust.

The Geek In Glass Slippers: Basically Cinderella at Comic-Con.

Chris (Leonid)/Cindy-- Like a lot of modern Cinderella retellings, I had the prince and the Cinderella equivalent meet before the ‘ball’. They were actually friends in high school. Then he went off and got rich and famous. :D They’re just your basic nerd couple really. She fights his fangirl army in the climax. It is awesome and hilarious.

Gutter Glamour: Steampunk/Historical Romance, three brothers gotta get married before their grandpa kicks it in order to secure their fortunes. Family drama and fiendish plots ensue.

Evander/Rita-- Main couple. Rita was a homeless urchin Evander encountered in the streets and treated to lunch. Having no luck finding a wife elsewhere, he returns to her the next day and proposes marriage. They are awkward dorks together. It is precious.

Sebastian/Vivian-- Evander’s more responsible older brother and his spacey artist girlfriend. They just recently got engaged at the start of the story so his search for a bride is over fairly quickly, lol. They have a baby partway through the story.

Destan/Lilian-- Lilian, a prim and proper seamstress, doesn’t think all that much of wild, trouble-making Destan when he comes to call and begs her parents for her hand at first. But she can’t deny she’d be marrying well so she doesn’t put up much protest. They become rather... comfortable with each other over the story.

Aidelaird/Evaline-- Happily married couple. They are so sickeningly in love it is almost revolting.

John/Penny-- Past relationship. Penny passed on before the beginning of the story. She and John had a nice little Sunshiney Optimist/Grumpy Grouch thing going on.

Farraday/Tamara-- ‘nother happily married couple, mostly got a Savvy Guy/Energetic Girl dynamic. And hella kids. Tamara wears the pants in the relationship, and Farraday is most just constantly amused by her antics.

Donovan/Cherise-- Yet another married couple although much less happy, lol. Both schemers and plotters, Donovan is still hung up on Evaline, who rejected him in favor of his older brother way back when, and Cherise is a crafty seductress whose womanly wiles play a big role in her manipulations. She initially snared Donovan in an attempt to get away from her family, only to have Donovan wind up working for her family’s company out of resentment at his own family. So their relationship is a bit, uh... frigid. And complicated.

Devin/Tia-- Hella unhealthy. Devin only married Tia to fulfill the requirements for Grandpa John’s will, and thus inherit the family’s fortune. Tia tries her best to be a good wife but Devin isn’t interested in being loving or kind. Protagonists break them up and pointedly keep her in the family and ostracize Devin.

Haegar/Ianna-- Antagonist couple. A more stable and cooperative version of Donovan/Cherise. Their machinations and schemes work more harmoniously with them as a cohesive team.

Nolan/Ingrid-- Semi-sleezy politician and snobby upper-class lady. Despite said character flaws they’re rather happy together.

The Protectoress: High Fantasy/Gateway Fantasy. Every hundred years an asteroid fragment carrying an ancient evil immortal despot comes to terrorize and destroy a magical realm. The power to stop him reincarnates into a partner team of a Chosen One from that realm, and a Protectoress from ours. Story is about the last partner team.

Ren/Lori-- The Chosen One and the titular Protectoress. Mostly inspired by MeruPuri and also just because I have a thing for relationships where the older member is sortofkindofbutreallynotreally a surrogate parent/guardian to the younger member. So Ren starts getting hot as he gets older and Lori has this moment of, “Well look at YOU!” They have a simmering kind of slow-burn chemistry, Lori naturally feels very protective of him (and not just because her inherited magical powers make her feel that way) and comes to care about him a whole lot, but holds herself back from pushing anything until Ren is older and actively starting to pursue his own feelings for her.

Sakura Squad: Sci-Fi war drama IN SPAAAAAACE. Protagonists become a mini propaganda shoujo heroine squad to inspire hope in the masses.

Keiji/Aiko-- Aiko is smitten at first sight and has a lot of trouble making herself coherent around him. He mostly just thinks she’s cute at first, and brings a good vibe to the team, but unconsciously starts taking steps to protect her in combat. His freakout when he learns about her secret Sakura Squad doings are partly motivated by his fear of her dying. Through some close calls they quickly warm up to each other and get together towards the end.

Ryuuki/Masayo-- Ryuuki is the fangirl-bait ladies’ man who is always flirting with the girls on the team, but finds himself inexplicably flustered and awkward around shy mousy timid Wrench Wench Masayo. She’s oblivious to his affections and her own feelings for most of the story.

Tarou/Kiyomi-- They have a supportive, friendly, playful banter kind of friendship. Always kind of low-key flirting with each other. Kiyomi fervently denies that they’re anything but friends but they’re caught later making out in a closet. It is hilarious.

Shiki/Kaname-- Happy stable married couple. Kaname wears the pants hard. Sunk at the end when Kaname dies in battle.

Starship 227: Sci-Fi. Elite investigative team for the galactic government fly around in their spaceship and have adventures and stuff.

Arden/Kina-- Ship captain and cute resident nurse. Arden also has a female first mate that you’d think he might get together with in a Slap Slap Kiss fashion but nope, they just don’t like each other and are also half-siblings oops. Arden is constantly hitting on Kina or looking for excuses to see her and she’s somewhat oblivious at first but soon grows to have feelings for him as well.

Squadron 15/Haven Academy: Your basic superhero high school.

Redbird/Firelily (Aiden/”Lily” Keliannar)-- Main couple. Very Brooding Boy Gentle Girl. Redbird is awkward as hell around her and she makes him go all blushy but he can be real sweet and protective and caring and she just warms up to him more and more over the story and becomes protective over him too and there’s a lot of mutual caring and concern for each other. They get together later.

Shard/Vapor (Cliff/Shawna)-- Shawna’s dated around and actually has a boyfriend at the start of the story, whom she breaks up with because he’s a ~dramawhore~. Shard lowkey has a bit of a crush on her the whole story and she doesn’t exactly discourage him and jokes about how she should totally date him all the time. Eventually he realizes he really likes her and plucks up the nerve to ask her out. He is huge and she is tiny and it is cute.

Quickster/Silkworm (Miguel/Kimiko)-- Just cute kids who like each other being cute together and going on fun dates.

Captain/Illusion (James/Janet)-- Team Dad and Team Mom. They have a playful, comfortable sort of relationship and just like to spend time around each other away from the craziness of their “kids”.

Captain/Sketcher (James/Ellie)-- Teased. Not emphasized much but hinted on occasion that Sketcher has a crush on him. It never develops into much and she forgets about it quietly as the story goes on.

Crimson Ray/Silver Shield (Leonid/Alisa)-- Sweet good-natured nice boy and sweet good-natured Ill Girl. They are lowkey and quiet and very heartwarming. Also endlessly tragic when the ship is sunk with Alisa’s Heroic Sacrifice to save the city. I milk the angst for all it’s worth. It is almost mean.

Flint/Solar (Andrew/Doris)-- Happy married couple. They kind of needle and poke each other playfully and make each other flustered. It’s cute.

Nighteagle/Cosmar (Douglas/Zoe)-- Stoic introverted Angsty McAngsterson and the bubbliest, sunniest, most energetic ball of energy ever. Cosmar has a massive, not-so-secret crush on him and it confuses and baffles the hell of out Nighteagle.

White Eyestones: High fantasy war drama.

Indin/Elarin-- Happy married couple. They have their rough patches but they smooth them out quickly. Sunk when Indin dies halfway through the story.

Elsiron/Thelnaela-- This one was almost kind of an accident? Lol IDK I just really liked writing Thelnaela being all teasing and playful around him and their banter almost wrote itself and I was like, “Ah yes. This should be a thing.”

Winds of Ikilia: Fantasy quest in an asian-inspired world. To try and win a war against an evil empire a crown prince kidnaps a young tribesgirl with mysterious powers. Her friends come after her to rescue her. They have adventures.

Kai/Nadi-- Main couple. Hella cute. Been friends since childhood, get matched by the matchmaker early on in the story. Have a very deliberate Older Girl/Younger Boy thing going on. They spend a lot of time being worried about each other and having playful banter and saying heartwarming things to each other that make my character Tiri groan and roll her eyes. Decide to start officially referring to each other as betrothed and fiance partway through the story. Married in the epilogue.

Ainusan/Ta Lian-- Oh gosh this is... *giggles* This is actually kind of a running gag. See my protagonist Nadi once disguises herself as a noblewoman while she’s looking for her friend and Prince Ainusan comes in and basically confuses her for Princess Ta Lian and is rather impressed by her spunk, being that he thought she was more of a ditz. Ta Lian herself hears about his poor first impression of her later, from Nadi, and is so OFFENDED and ANNOYED and “That jerk I liked him!” and from then on I basically just make cracks about how they should totally get together. And then the payoff comes in the epilogue where I reveal that they totally did. I did it because it was funny.

Ainusan/Kiria-- Teased. Little bitty hints here and there that Kiria has a tiny crush on him. Nothing major.

San/Tiri-- Teased. Tiri likes to flirt at him and he sometimes banters back. Doesn’t go anywhere but provides much lulz

San/Kiria-- Also another case where little hints are dropped that Kiria has a crush on him. What can I say, she likes dem older boys.

Korda/Keyla-- Married couple. Nadi’s parent’s. No big.

Wings: Magical girlfriend story. Fairy family gets stuck living with normal human family for a while. Their kids fall in love. Drama ensues.

Hideki/Elaina-- Main couple. It’s pretty much love at first sight for Hideki, and he immediately wants to ask her out. She’s thrilled at his attention and forwardness and caring and becomes super protective of him and they are basically adorable at each other. They get married partway through, in a magic ritual that will serve to protect him from fairy machinations.

Kubo/Haruna-- Married couple. Hideki’s parents. Not much else to be said about them. They’re stable and healthy and long-suffering together.

Oberon/Titania-- Their marital problems are the driving background noise behind literally every single problem the two families ever have. They seriously need counseling.

Ronan/Amara-- Married couple. Elaina’s parents. Amara had a lot of bitterness in her heart from a previous first love (a human, ordered killed by Oberon when he found out because he’s hissy about fairy/human relationships because Titania’s a cheating skank with them) but Ronan managed to soften her and help her find a measure of healing and happiness.

Tallas/Elaina-- One-sided. Tallas is a fairy noble who has a creepy interest in Elaine and has on one occasion tried to ask her father for her hand. Ronan sensed he was bad news and vetoed that right away. Amara was later approached with the same offer and told Tallas where to shove it. He persists in trying to woo her himself but she’s not flattered or interested and he basically slips more and more into an adolescent hissy fit of If I Can’t Have You, outright brainwashing and threatening Hideki in one case. Roundly thwarted in the end.

#romance writing woes #ships #shipping #story ideas #nanowrimo

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kharmaploys · 6 years

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existential crisis

I had my first existential crisis when I was about 9 years old. I knew that life was meaningless, but postponed that inquiry. Currently, I cannot escape this inquiry and have sought to find an answer. I will try to explain it as best I can in multiple perspectives of the same concept. It's strange because if you attempt to explain it directly, it looses cohesion. It's similar to saying "I will live a happy life" will bring about a life of misery. Perspective 1 - E. Becker premise - humans are mortal, and we know that we are mortal. We don't like that. Therefore, humans will attempt to find some sort of immortality project. Life itself has no meaning; the meaning of life will not come to you. You must create it. He provides 3 solutions. Solution 1. - religion - To be a part of something bigger than yourself. Either God, universe, nationalism, cult, patriot, rebel, apple store acolyte, etc. Ever wonder what all the religious wars were about? Incompatible immortality projects. Solution 2. - romantic - to join together spiritually, and in love. Selflessness and/or egolessness. Solution 3. - self expression - My work will grant me immortality. I have made a mark on this world. Through my work, I will live on. Solution 4. - medical research (new). To actually become immortal. see, Dr Grey. though, this doesn't solve the boredom problem. Perspective 2 - We are the divine. Alan Watts proposed an interesting thought experiment. Suppose that you can dream an entire lifetime each night. And you can dream whatever you wish to dream and the experience will appear as real as anything else. First you would dream about no problems. no bills, no loneliness etc. A better life. Then after a few of these, you start to get bored. Then you start taking risks and go on all sorts of adventures. Then you take huge risks and get tired of that. After you do this for a while, you tried everything and then you say "I don't care. I want to live a life that is completely random". And you find yourself exactly in the life you are living now. Nietzsche - Suppose you lived your life 1000 times over without changing anything. Do you have any problems with this life? Regrets? Joseph Campbell / Jung - Follow your bliss. Individuation. Campbell's hero's journey is similar to Jung's individuation process. There is a calling in one's life and one has a choice to answer that call or not. Then our lives become this adventure. Spiritual - heaven and hell aren't in another realm. They are created each time we make a choice. This gives us an extraordinary power to create meaning for ourselves. To do whatever we wish. And this makes us gods. Matrix - you are the programmer of the matrix. You can create for yourself anything you want, but according to the perspective that you choose. Perspective 3 - aristotle eudaimonia and enthelechy. the flow experience. Do you have a vision? Do you have a dream? If you say "yes and it's not working" then you have to dream bigger. MUCH bigger. Perspective 4 - The theater, pascal's wager, sisyphus The theater is an interesting thing. While the show goes on, anything can happen. People die, get born, get into trouble etc etc. But when the show is over, everyone goes home. It wasn't until I heard of a surgical theater that I got tot thinking. Why would they call the operation room and surgical theater? Ah I see. It is because no matter what happens in the effort to prevent death, they cannot ultimately prevent death. But even in the face of ultimately failing, they do indeed try. So then life is just a theater. The wager is this: You are at a casino and nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. Do you not play at all and let time pass, or do you ante up and have a small chance of winnings? Sisyphus is an immortal god condemned to push a boulder up a mountain, forever. He cannot get out of this, ever. There are 2 solutions. 1. Gripe bitch and moan about pushing a boulder forever. 2. Become an expert boulder pusher. Studying every atom of the boulder and slope of the mountain. To fully engage in the doing of it. --------- In my own thinking of it, it's like renting a car. You already know you have to give it back. Do you drive it around following all the speed signs? Or do you step on the gas, zooming down a deserted highway and making donuts in the parking lot? Thought experiment: You know you only got 1 week to live. What do you do? Nothing you do matters so why bother, right? Ah but you see, you have your entire life to live, not a week. Now you have to figure out that rocking chair question. You are in your advanced years, rocking in a chair and thinking about your life. Was it a good life? - credit to james kim on quora

By the time I was 8 I has my first existential crisis. I remember it very clearly still

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