#i really really wanted big s1 vibes with this chapter

[rainbowchewynuggets]

re: the fate of TMA: Encore

Up to this point, I’ve been able to get most of TMA: Encore posted. But there are some issues that I’ve been struggling with for a while that are really starting to eat away at my ability to continue.

Even though Encore is practically fully written at this point and I’m just getting the planned drawing sections done, the writing itself is still largely what’s giving me the most trouble.

When I started this project in earnest, I was going off of a very rough outline and mostly writing on the fly. That method works fine for a lot of writers, but it turned out to be really difficult for me. I spent very long periods just trying to figure out how to get from plotpoint A to B to C. I eventually cleared some time to sit down and hammer out a proper coherent script. For logistical reasons, I gave myself about a month to get it done. And I did–which was a huge achievement for me. At the same time, as you can imagine, what I came out with was a little raggedy. I’ve been trying to make small edits as I go to smooth things out and pick up on missed opportunities, but I’m honestly starting to think that it’s just breaking other links in the chain.

The other big reason is due to my decaying relationship with horror. I used to love horror movies and video games, and I reveled in body and abstract emotional horror especially. The Thing. 1408. Silent Hill. TMA’s literary horror vibe was a transformative experience for someone who almost never read for fun growing up. It’s one of my favorite stories, period. Unfortunately, traumatic world events and difficult personal experiences have made horror a lot more… horrible to me in recent years. The tension and terror that used to give me catharsis now only causes me genuine stress. Writing horror still works for me though, which I think has also made it harder to keep myself from going overboard. That fucking concrete forest section with Jon gave me shooting pains to reread.

My point is, I just can’t get myself to relisten to TMA anymore or even take it in by summary. This has left me to rely on my own memory to keep the characters and world consistent with canon. Which is a lot like trying to draw a still-life portrait of wax fruit in 100-degree heat.

The worst part comes in realizing just how smart TMA is. Its explorations of the nature of fear and trauma are what inspired me to want to make Encore in the first place. But the structure and depth of it is even more substantial than I realized when I listened to it. For instance, I recently saw a post talking about how tragic Tim’s character is. He’s such a nice funny guy who does his best to roll with everything in S1, and is slowly ground down to a miserable angry stump of who he used to be by the time of his death. It takes years. And it’s not a natural part of his character. I didn’t write Tim that way in Encore. I figured it would be a lot easier to draw that negativity out of him, in the same way that it doesn’t take a lot of prodding to get Jon to misbehave. That interpretation serves the conflict I wanted to write, but it misses the point of his character, I think. There’s a lot of stuff like that in Encore at such a foundational level that it’s hard to level the dissonance when you compare it to the podcast.

Which sucks, because I originally conceived Encore as a retrospective on what the series was like to listen to (until it took so long to make that I pivoted to make it a separate study on the relationship between fear, pain, and agency, and the existential horror of time travel/immortality). I don’t really feel prepared to do any of that if I’m still discovering so much of what makes TMA work. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think unhinged, canonically-inconsistent fanfiction is bad or shouldn’t exist. But that just isn’t what Encore is supposed to be for me.

All this makes me feel really really… bad. A little bit incompetent, but mostly tired. There are only a few chapters left, and the script is mostly ready to go. Man, I don’t know if I want to go through with it though. My creative spirit has had it rough lately, and I’m about to make some big life changes that are going to make it way harder for me to get art stuff done. And, y’know, I’m supposed to be cutting back on the stuff that makes me more worn-out than happy.

I think I mentioned in a post a while ago that I’ve considered stopping before. I’ve had misgivings about the quality of the writing (and the sheer burden of making full pages of art) for a long time. I convinced myself to keep going because I’ve bailed on a lot of projects over the years and was determined to believe in myself and finish this thing. However, following an audit of the work I’ve put into it, I’m realizing that not finishing wouldn’t make the endeavor a complete loss.

The biggest reason that I make anything is because it makes me a better writer and artist. Even if I’m unsatisfied with the result, I feel accomplished that I sat down and wrote a whole script on a really tight deadline. My usual problem with any writing project is that it keeps sitting on the burner, boiling away, ballooning in scope until it’s impossible to finish. I feel like I’ve been able to make a greater level of peace with compromise and cutting down the stuff in my head to get shit out the door.

Also, tone is hard. Voice is hard. They can be even harder when you’re piggybacking off of another creator. Again, I don’t think that a fanwork or guest work necessarily has to have the same voice as the original. You’re different people, after all. A person can certainly train their tone toward a certain idea with effort, but it helps to know what comes naturally to them. I’m still figuring my own voice out, and it turns out that it isn’t this. The void left behind by my horror safe-space appears to have been occupied by a gif of Gir whacking Shinji Ikari over the head with a frying pan at high speed. Even in Encore’s most manic state, I strain to keep myself from pingponging out of bounds with violent emotional hyperactive energy. Maybe I can try sticking closer to writing action and comedy with only a moderate sprinkling of morose horror.

As mentioned last year, I made important realizations about the way I draw comics. I was taught to draw through studio art where putting your all into every piece is usually the goal. But that’s super unsustainable when you have 7-10 “pieces” to make on every single page. Falling apart halfway through a giant project pushed me to find ways to mitigate the workload without radically changing design consistency. That means formatting, rendering, and composition.

Even before that, the whole fear-color mechanic was a joy to build up. And I finally figured out how to do borderless color art! :3

I can bring all these improvements to the new things I do in the future. All the derivation-related issues in this project are making me think it’s time to move on to original stuff, anyway. Let me tell you, there is a ton of stuff I’d like to make.

TLDR; I’m considering not finishing TMA Encore because I think the quality of the writing has fallen apart, and I need to move away from writing horror and fanworks for a while.

So. The other reason I kept going after that long gap last year was because people appeared to be really into the story. I’d like to give you guys the chance to weigh in on how I handle this. Because for all I know, this is all happening in my head and everything is fine. Your options are:

A) Please finish the last few chapters with art, whenever you get around to it.

B) Please post the last of the script without pictures over the next few weeks.

C) Please don’t worry about finishing it.

Your answer won’t be a definitive vote on what I do, but I do want to value your opinion in what I decide. Through it all, I feel really happy that people have been able to enjoy and express opinions on the longest thing I’ve ever kept going. I look forward to whatever comes next.

Thanks!

Rainbow

------------

EDIT:

After careful consideration, I’ve decided to finish posting the whole thing. Chapters will be longer with way less art.

Thank you everyone, for your kind and sincere encouragement and opinions.

:’)

Here’s the next chapter btw

#tma encore #update #important

[gellavonhamster]

monthly media recap: august 2023

read:

The Song of Roland - I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't chance upon a neat old copy for free. It's, uh, educational? And the translation into Russian is quite beautiful

Angélique and the Demon, Angélique and the Ghosts, Angélique in Québec by Anne Golon - still reading this series and honestly can't wait to finish it - not because I don't like the books, but because the translation gets progressively worse with each volume. Someone please tell these people there's a difference between a wolverine and a lynx, or between a guinea pig and a porpoise (I know the latter two are called almost the same in Russian, but context, man. Context. Guinea pigs don't frolic in the waves). Story-wise, however, I am still having a great time

+ currently reading the next Angélique book and Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater (the sequel to Half a Soul I read last month)

watched:

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - honestly, I watched it because: 1) I wanted to check out the show but thought I won't understand anything without the movie; 2) Salma Hayek pretty. I didn't expect to enjoy it because it's written by Tarantino and I really, really don't vibe with Tarantino, but enjoy it I did. The hostage-taking part was actually unsettling and the vampire-fighting part was fun; the family dynamics were also good. Again, Salma Hayek pretty, which also helps

From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) - empty, skippable

From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1999) - now that's better, if only for the period setting. Ara Celi has perfect looks for a sweet kind girl tragically turned into a monster. I think the moral here is that if you're physically abusive to your kid, then your kid is better off being a vampire, what do you mean I'm misinterpreting?

From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (s1-3, 2014-2016) - as you could probably tell from the amount of gifsets I keep reblogging, I loved this one. Mythology, westerns, reluctant teamwork, family feels, hot people fighting and drinking blood - what's not to love? (Actually, that one character death is not to love, and the last episode is hella rushed, but what can you do). It actually isn't necessary to watch the film to understand it, but the knowledge of it makes it very interesting to compare the two and notice the cameos from the actors who were in the film. S3 kind of reminded me of Teen Wolf, which isn't much of a compliment, but this show overall had the same ambience as a lot of stuff I watched as a teen/in my early 20s (understandable, being made in that exact period), so that was nice.

Oak Thorn & The Old Rose of Love (2022) - this is like 20 minutes long but deserves to be on the list, because it's the story of Merlin and Nimue made by the director of The Green Knight, and it's beautiful

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) - it's good! Not "wow, incredible" good, but good, and I'm glad it is, because it's such a powerful and underrated chapter of Dracula. A slightly more detailed review with spoilers here

Woe Is No Big Deal / Раз, два — горе не беда! (1988) - rewatched this gem and dying to know if Leigh Bardugo has seen it, because this satirical fairytale/Cold War allegory was doing ~tsarpunk~ long before her

Wild Nights with Emily (2018) - that's right, there's more than one comedy about Emily Dickinson. This one's based on a play and feels like a play, which took some time getting used to, but in the end I enjoyed it

#talk talk talk #monthly media recap

[bepoets]

odd numbers (In Dreams (I'll Meet You In Warm Conversation) )

Unwritten/Unpublished Fic Asks

Thank you, Trish!!🫶

Okay first of all, for those who don’t know, “In Dreams (I Meet You in Warm Conversation)” is my very lengthy title for a tedbecca soulmate au I’m writing where Ted and Rebecca meet each other in their dreams long before they meet in person! Everyone cross your fingers that eventually I finish it because it is one of my favorite things I’ve ever written!!

1. What are you most excited about when you start to write it/publish it?

Are y’all gonna think I sound a little conceited if I say getting comments,,, I’m Sorry!! It’s true!! I love validation!!! There is no cooler feeling than getting comments from my friends being excited about something I made!!! That’s so fun to me!!!

3. If unwritten, when do you think you will start writing it?

Technically Some of it is written!! But I’m going to try and work on it this month, like hardcore sit-down-and-focus-and-write-time type work on it.

5. Is there any scene you're excited about writing?

Honestly every single dream sequence!! They’re so fun, and so full of little references to their future in ways that I just think are really cool!! Also writing Ted and Rebecca at a variety of ages is both nerve wracking and exciting and I cannot get enough of it. There is one dream sequence in particular that I cannot wait to write, it’s a little heavy but I’ve got it pretty well planned out so I can’t wait to tackle it!!

7. What are your plans for -Rebecca-?

My plans follow pretty closely to canon for s1 so far. Seeing as Ted and Rebecca don’t realize they’re dreaming with each other even after they’ve met in person because of … reasons !!!

Anyway!!! It sticks pretty close to the canon of s1 but I do have plans for Rebecca having a silly little tizzy when she realizes the person she’s been dreaming of for decades is Ted. Very much Rebecca dancing and yelling “top of the pops!” in s1e9 vibes but like … More. I really love when that woman is a little insane🥰

9. Is there anything in the fic you're not so excited about writing?

I’m pretty excited to write all of it!! I’ve been in love with this idea for so long I just want it to meet my little daydream expectations!! However, there are some parts where I have multiple options for how things could go and I’m not looking forward to choosing one because I love them all so much

11. Is there any scene you can't wait for people to react to when reading? Why?

A couple different ones!! I think their first dream meeting is very sweet and soft, and I’m really hopeful people that people will enjoy that!! As well as the big emotional dream sequence. Also I just love seeing the different things that people end up loving that I didn’t anticipate so like…all of them, all the scenes

13. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you haven't mentioned you're gonna do?

Considering I haven’t mentioned any of my unwritten/unpublished fics on tumblr the answer is so fucking many❤️ my brain won’t slow down it’s so many ideas and so little words!!! But there are a select few that I’m really really trying to push through and finish soon!!

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot?

For “In Dreams” I am literally always thinking about Rebecca’s inner monologue for when she meets Ted in person for the first time. It’s always there. Rattling around in my brain. It’s not written down but I have replayed it - at minimum - seven million times while folding laundry.

17. When publishing it, will you have a posting schedule or will you just update whenever?

I don’t intend to post it until it’s all written, but who knows!! If I do wait until it’s complete and it’s long enough for chapters like I’m planning it to be then I’ll post them 1 day at a time most likely! Or maybe once every other day.

19. Is there any scene that you feel is really planned out/going to be really planned out?

I have every dream they share before meeting in person very planned out!! In detail!!! Some of them are only planned out in my head but they are Planned!!! What I absolutely need to make very planned out is the reveal but that is a problem for future Brooklyn 😌

21. Is there any unwritten fic that you don't know if you ever will write?

For like a year and a half I’ve had a notes app page in my tedbecca fic plans folder that literally just says a lyric from the song “Marbles” by The Amazing Devil. (For those curious the lyric is “All the bastards applaud when I show that I’m flawed / You’re not flawed, darling, you’re just a little underrehearsed”) And I have tried so hard to figure out how I want to incorporate that or turn it into a fic and I really don’t think I’ll be able to!!! But damn do I love it!! So even if a fic never comes out of it, it’s still a nice lyric to think about and cry over!!

#ask game #ted x rebecca #realizing I haven’t talked about writing on tumblr in So Long that I don’t recall my old writing tag and definitely need a new one #bepoets fics #there we go that’s it now #anyway find me and my 2 published fics on ao3 under the same username as my tumblr url🫶

[wannaeatramyeon]

You're such a good writer omg 💖 if you don't mind me asking, how did you get so good at writing? Tbh I love making up story plots but ig anxiety stops me from actually writing. (Feel free to ignore this btw, I only popped in because I'm a huge Samuel simp and your Thankful story is one of the first posts in the Samuel seo tag) 💜 love you bye😘

Thank you for being so sweet! About 5% of stuff I really like that I write. (High key circlejerking myself here.) Most others - eh, but I tend to use it as writing practice. Um I've spent a lot more hours in the last 5 months writing than I want to think about so I would hope there's some improvement there. So I guess practice makes progress! Read lots, write lots. Even if it's just for your own private enjoyment rather than public posting.

+ I'm sorry to the anon that asked about f/m reader and ask I can't find anymore. I have started labelling my fics only from a couple weeks ago. It's a bit too big a job for me to go back and label everything. Altho who knows, I do enjoy the admin sometimes.

Most of my stuff is G/N, f!reader leaning but I've been clearer with my later stuff.

++ more responses below 🫡 including 460 spoilers!!

Lmao daddy's back huh. I am happy to see Eli's martyr arc is over tbh. It got so incredibly one note for myself.

I absolutely love when PTJ brings out the nightmare fuel. He has got a gift for creepy shit. Would love to see some Junjo Ito vibes from himself but probably a lot more focused on psychological and mental horrors.

YES! I agree that Gun is rubbing off on him but lil Daniel has now seen soooo much shit. No wonder he has grown so cold and cynical to the world.

S1 Taehoon is something else (his backstory omg). S1 HTF is something else. Let's just pretend that it all finishes by chapter 134 or whatever 🥹

Tell that to my parents.

(Joke. I am a delight.)

Between you and the Barbie movie, I am feeling a bit too self confident. Thank you sweet lyrics anon! 🥰💖

#🕊️ anon #ramen asks

[froggymarsh]

hi hi ^^ i like your storys and headcannons and i was wonderin if you had any that u wanted to share but havnt yet!

hallo hallo!! sorry this took me a minute to answer sjdkflsjlf

i've got a couple and it got pretty long so all of my rambling is under the cut :D

first off: pixlriffs. he is. my most specialist little guy i want to write him so so bad and then i never do sjdkflsjdf uhm here's a post about my headcanons for him (from my old blog i deleted, i gotta redo 'em one of these days cause my thoughts have changed sjdklfsj) and here are some pixlriffs stories i wanna write:

the second chapter of my one fic i have with cg!fwhip cause gunpowder boys my beloved.

the wedding in empires s1, Pixl has an encounter with Xornoth right before the ceremony and ends up regressing because Xornoth is terrifying and he ends up sending this garbled message to the universal chat saying something about him being late and he's sorry and Jimmy ditches Joel's pre-wedding preparations to help a little Pixl get ready (light angst and a lotta fluff and comfort, cg!jimmy because i love him big brother energy all the way)

empires s2 literally just. little!pixl and cg!joel because i saw these headcanons floating around about the Copper King and his lightning storm shrine thing, and God Joel liking the fact that someone actually went through the trouble of calling upon him (or something idk how to phrase it) but uh- then the world ended, and God Joel misses the Copper King and this little Archeologist reminds him of the King, so he feels. some kind of duty? i guess? to make sure the kid is okay and looked after and idk man just cg!joel cause i think it's fun (i've started this idea here but have no idea how to continue it sjdfklsjf. probably just. oneshots? who knows)

then the third one is an au of an au i cooked up on a whim one day where Archeologist Pixl and Bard Oli are traveling together to rediscover the secrets of the past, and both of them are werewolves. i made pixl regress because that's what i do, so he's just. an oversized puppy and oli has fun cg/big brother vibes and it's just no thoughts all vibes and i may write a drabble or something later

that's all for pixlriffs, next is team rancher!

Headcanons to start off (they're kinda long sorry)

Tango:

a regressor! not very confident in his cg abilities but he can keep an eye on someone before a "real caregiver" (his words) can come to take care of them

so incredibly adhd coded where do i even start

he is. a liddol guy. probably like 5-8 is his usual range? he's a lot like Big Tango, always ready to jump at the chance to do stuff, but now he doesn't know what consequences are, so uh. keep an eye on him.

not like, constantly clingy, but definitely clingier than usual! he'll jump on you and hold your hand while he's showing you stuff and he's a lot more open to hugs (especially impulse hugs)

he's pretty hyper and runs all over but also crashes really hard, like it's surprisingly easy to get a little tango to fall asleep. (getting him IN bed is a struggle, yes, but once he's there you just kinda pet his hair. and then he's asleep. it's like an on/off switch sdjfksljdf)

will ramble at you forever if given the chance (he only goes completely nonverbal when he's a toddler/infant, one easy way to tell words are hard for him is when he's lightly chewing on his fingers or just. generally has things in his mouth that he then refuses to take out)

he usually refuses a pacifier but likes to chew on teethers and such

he doesn't have a lot of negative triggers- they're usually stuff like being alone in the dark or having a nightmare or wetting the bed/having accidents, but those are pretty rare

nobody can really pin his positive triggers cause he just regresses when he needs/wants to and doesn't try to stop it (which can be good and bad depending on the situation but mostly it's good)

he's really open about his regression! he lets his caregivers know beforehand when he's feeling fuzzy so there's no confusion when he does slip and he never tries to hide his age checks

(except he does try to hide accidents and bedwetting and the like but i'll get to that later)

Jimmy:

a flip! he adapts to the situation, if that makes sense. if it's better for him to be small he'll regress, and if not he'll stay big and caregive.

very caregiver coded and idk how to explain that beyond "he's jimmy"

he's a lot healthier about it than other flips cough pixlriffs coughcough and he actually does take time to regress when he needs it, and isn't afraid to be small

on the surface it seems like he hates regressing because one of the most reliable ways to get him down is by teasing and babying him and he puts on a front about hating it but in reality he doesn't mind and even welcomes it

he like. puts his mouth on things? he sucks on things more than he chews on them, likes having things pressed against his lips (this sounds kinda weird but it's a thing i promise sjdklfsjf)

he's pretty clingy, he likes having stuff to hold onto (he'll keep one point of contact between him and his current cg, whether that be latching onto their hand or a piece of clothing or hiding behind them, etc etc)

LOVES huge plushies that are bigger than him, usually can be found lugging around a plushy (unfortunately not the ones that are bigger than him- he saves those for a bedtime nest)

mans will regress if you start crying and he can't help you calm down

something about his friends crying makes him want to cry and he will do his absolute best to make it better and if he can't make it better he'll cry and regress himself

just like tango he's really open about his regression, always giving a heads up when he's fuzzy and while he does try to hide his age checks he usually relents pretty quick and he's never much cared about accidents and bedwetting cause eh. it just happens sometimes, he'll be alright

and now for the stories:

a continuation of this drabble here maybe, idk how to continue it but i'd like to maybe perhaps

something something ranchers reunion, tango regresses out of the excitement of being on a new server and Jimmy immediately goes cg mode. they hang out with everybody, doin the good crossover stuff, and at one point when they’re alone Jimmy gets all sad like “I’m sorry I was the reason we lost” and Tango baps his entire hand on Jimmy’s face (very gently) like. no being sad. we are together again. no being sad. and jimmy just smiles like "alright, no being sad" and they just. *jazz hands* fluff/no angst team rancher my beloved

and the last one: a tango bedwetting fic. for the very first time Tango's found part of his regression that he doesn't like. he's embarrassed about it and not having a good time and i've started this idea in this drabble here but it's just. angst and hurt/comfort and cg!impulse and good vibes and i wanna write it but idk how

and I think that's it! thank u so much for asking :D feel free to ask me about any of this and i'll try to give more thoughts sjdfklsjf

#the lengths i had to go to find the pixl headcanons post #i should really just make a new one #here's to hoping everything is linked correctly #thank u again for asking!!! idk when i'll actually write any of this!!! #pigeon rambles #asks #juicezone

[inawickedlittletown]

Today, like every Friday, the thing that made the day berable at work was knowing I would come home and eventually listen to the new episode. And what an episode! I can’t believe we’re already on S2ep5 (chapter fifteen)!

Spoilers below:

Interesting beginning...specially with the question on how they plan to put things back into balance the “too small to let us in” -- what are you really after...

Jeremy and Thomas finally having a bit of the convo we’ve been waiting for!

The fact that it happens while grocery shopping

That they are both worried about each other

The very specific way that they each are dealing with everything

I love that Thomas is still getting used to present day - the whole thing about earthquakes. 

Thomas just casually mentioning he met Shelly...

Jeremy wanting time and wanting to focus on the immediate fire instead of everything being fully valid while Thomas thinking that resolving it all will lead to him being okay because “it’s bigger than just me” 

The difference between Jeremy saying “you’re my responsibility” and Thomas saying “it’s not your job to worry about me” 

Thomas: “It’s a lot” 

Jeremy: “It’s a fucking lot” -- drinking game for every time Jeremy curses. 

“You’re not alone in this” - I really love that perspective from Thomas...not just because he’s right, but because it’s clear that before the start of S1 Jeremy really had no one but maybe Vipin. 

I am here for all the Vipin and Olivia we’ve been getting this season. 

The ley lines vs the planets argument 😂

Paranormal Seekers: Cindy, Kevin, and Spencer give me good vibes. Very different from the Legend Tripper that Jeremy met. 

Did find it interesting they had no idea about the Legend Tripper that went to see the cows. Makes me even more suspicious about her...

“What constitutes a real believer?” - an excellent question. 

The owl attack coming back into play! 

Love that Bigfoot theory! 

“There are assholes everywhere” - nothing has ever been more true

Vipin listing all the types of mythical black dogs. 

“I’m a friend, Jeremy, come on” - ahhh weird creepy trying to be friendly voice...

Hmmm so he goes on a walk on his own and runs into The Legend Tripper? Suspicious. 

Interesting that Jeremy explains being there by talking about Celeste but not bringing up her name even though everyone in town should know about her death...

The EMF detector...

Did she not introduce herself by name again? 

The shared trauma of both getting lost in the forest as kids? Why does that make me even more suspicious of her...like the whole bit about her admitting she actually lived there as a child and moved away. It’s all just too many parallels between them. 

It’s this weird thing about Jeremy connecting with someone so quickly and him kinda opening up to her...

Also I do have to wonder about Jeremy being the only person that’s spoken to her...and the way that when he invites her along she declines even though big foot sighting should be her thing. 

Thomas being worried about Jeremy going on his own. Aww. 

This argument and Anne being in the middle -- they’re such a family. 

Again with them worried about each other more than themselves. But also the way that Thomas doesn’t expect Jeremy to handle things as well...and like he isn’t wrong all things considered. 

Also in all the why did you go alone...why does Jeremy not mention that he wasn’t actually alone even though he entered the forest alone...which just brings me back to him not mentioning The Legend Tripper to them the first time...

Actual Bigfoot! 

Peyton Blake...I have so many questions...

#bridgewater #bridgewater podcast #spoilers #bridgewater spoilers

[threewaysdivided]

As someone who just recently rewatched some of young justice through clips on YouTube for nostalgia, perused a little around the tags and found the absolute goldmine of writing analysis in your blog I just wanted to say thank you! Your knowledge and your care for these characters really shines through and reflect some truths that I feel are more appropriate than ever: no one individual should be pedestaled for the success of a narrative, especially when he seems to misunderstand his own themes. It's very refreshing to see criticism so pointed and razor sharp, especially for a series I wish was better than it is. Your essays certainly gave me a lot to think about in my own writing!

Thank you! 💜 That’s really lovely of you to say.

It always makes me happy when someone stops by to tell me that they enjoyed/ got something out of my analytical posts.  Part of why I write things like the YJ Narrative Breakdown Essays is to get the thoughts out of my head, but a lot of it is that I want to share them with other fans who might feel similarly and want to talk. (I’m especially proud of the YJ: Invasion Case Study - it doesn’t get a lot of love because it’s so long but I’m super happy with how it came out as a capstone to the set.)  It’s really gratifying to hear that someone found them useful or that it helped articulate a feeling they were having or gave them some new concept/ framework to use when thinking about other stories.

If you want more Young Justice stuff, I’ve done some Season 1 metas on The Light, A Different Take on Martian Racism and Dick and Wally’s Friendship.  I also made a short list of other stories that I think capture similar vibes to Season 1 in aspects of their theming/ genre/ character-writing/ structure/ tone etc. which might help any lingering cravings.

I also have a general writing tag if you’re looking for writing discussions, as well as this resource primer for analytical readings.

pssst!  If you want to see me try to put some of these ideas into practice, I’m also writing a fic.  It’s a YJ crossover (canon-divergent post S1) and Arc II which started this year at Chapter 18 is intended to emulate some of the things I really liked about S1, including an overarching mystery and missions.

When it comes to pedestalling individuals, I completely agree.  I think Auteur Theory and Great Man Theory are mostly fallacious - not only in art but in general.  A lot of successes are collaborative (“self-made entrepreneurs” who were actually financially supported by family or succeeded through connections etc.) and, while the lone-visionary idea makes for a simple and compelling story,it can also cause IRL problems in how it disproportionately elevates certain voices, devalues less visible work and creates unrealistic expectations.  It’s good to have a healthy scepticism about those narratives, especially when they centre on people who already had privilege greasing their wheels.

I also think we often underestimate just how many people are involved in commercial art production.  Even Books (one of the closest mediums to sole-creator) often involve input from editors and possibly a publication house - as well as potential ghost-writers, co-writers etc.  Television teams can have dozens of staff across multiple production areas, and for big-budget films and AAA Games that number can balloon into the hundreds.

The role of developer/producer can be a real mixed bag in that space.  Some are close to the visionary/ auteur type - very involved with their teams and in steering the creative process - but others can be coattail-riders or even active liabilities that their teams have to work around.  (The Danny Phantom fandom has some real showrunner war-stories).  

Still, it’s easy to see how we could go from talking about a team lead/ spokesperson as convenient shorthand for the idea of The Author™, to accidentally treating that person like they are the only significant member and attributing all the credit to them personally.

Whether by accident or design, Greg Weisman definitely presents as the visionary type on the surface (something that the fandom and the wiki creators have unintentionally and well-meaningly contributed to).  His ask blog’s visual style certainly makes him look like The Gargoyles Guy™, and the Young Justice wiki editors put a lot of emphasis on him, often directly inserting information from there and his social media straight into main page content as “unconfirmed canon”.  That ask blog also creates a very parasocial environment; I’ve seen fans write posts like they’re talking to/ about him as a friend, and directly attribute specific lines or episodes directly to him.  To look at the wiki, his blog or hear the fandom talk he is the mind behind.

However, once you look closer, he has much fewer direct creative credits than you would expect for that reputation.

And, as it turns out, Young Justice is one of 3 separate series to see substantial drops in story quality after Weisman assumed control as primary writer, with common complaints including weak/inconsistent character-writing (even for characters he supposedly helped create), poor story structure and a seemingly shallow understanding of those stories as a whole.

Now, if it was just a case of Weisman just being a passionate doofus - someone sincerely having fun exploring ideas that interest him but who shouldn’t be left creatively unsupervised because he can’t hack it narratively - that would be frustrating but ultimately fine.  It happens.  Unfortunately though, there has been… quite a bit else that has pushed me more towards parasocial enemies territory.

As I’ve mentioned before, all three series contain instances of Weisman disempowering strong female characters; rewriting their narratives to centre on men and/or a sudden desire to conform to traditional gender roles.  Plus other sexism that resonates uncomfortably closely with pick-up-artist/ incel rhetoric.  His work on both Magic: the Gathering and YJ: Outsiders was also criticised for casually racist and overtly queerphobic writing - especially in his treatment of feminine bisexuals.  A lot of the most egregious instances can be found in the book - the medium where Weisman had the most direct creative input.  Weisman also doesn’t seem to understand the difference between organic character-conflict, manufactured “negative drama” and abuse - something that combines really badly with his seeming unawareness of the invasive implications of telepathy; which results in several telepaths being written as borderline predators/rapists, only for Weisman's narratives to either make no comment or take their side.

I also find his conduct very disingenuous.  I have no problem with ask blogs but the fact that over 80% of Young Justice’s critical narrative content can only be found there, and the implied attitude that fans who are surprised by the sudden appearance of information that was never previously set up in-story are at fault for not seeking it out strikes me as creatively dishonest.  I’m also not best pleased with his responses to the criticism over his insensitive writing (discussed above).  One instance that’s really emblematic to me is Weisman getting kudos for posting a snarky twitter-clapback to a bigot asking him to remove the diversity from Young Justice, despite himself having actively attempted to erase the sexuality of one of Magic: the Gathering’s fan-favourite queer characters (a scandal that made it onto his Wikipedia page).  Respect is something that really needs to be Shown not Told, and Weisman’s work frequently shows the complete opposite.

And look, I don’t know this guy; I can’t claim to understand what Weisman’s deal is or what’s going on in his head.  Maybe he’s always been like this and it just passed under the radar until recently because previous co-creators were skilled enough to pull him up with them.  Maybe he used to be better but let the success of other series he’s been involved in, and the showers of personal praise from his ask blog, go to his head.  Or it could be something else entirely.  I think the only answer we’re going to get is that we’re not going to get an answer.

Which is super disappointing and frustrating.  Like I said in this post, we come to stories in good faith; we want to put our trust in the promises made by the narrative, we want to be able to take the creators at face value, and we want to see the love and respect we have for their story and characters reflected in the effort they put into telling it.  Fandom in part reflects the passion creators have for their work, and when those creators start treating that work carelessly, cynically, or taking their audience for granted, the fandom can start to wane.  (Danny Phantom being one of the only communities I’ve seen thrive after completely severing ties with their producer.)

Circling back to the pedestal/auteur thing, I think that mindset makes it much easier to take this kind of thing personally when it happens.  It starts feeling like a single person chose to make all those promises and show that potential to you, only to intentionally betray them; rather than the Swiss-cheese model of compounding changes, failures, mistakes and/or poor choices from multiple people that more likely happened.

In these situations it helps to remember that we are the ultimate arbiter of our personal relationship to a story.  We don’t even have to be part of fandom; our fan experience can be just between us and the part of the work we found compelling, or us and a small group of buddies who feel similarly.  There’s no rule requiring us to perform fannishness or conform to the mainstream fandom consensus.  A good book/ game/ movie/ season/ comic can stand on its own, even with a few unresolved threads - we don’t have to personally accept subpar sequels, poor-quality prequels, rubbish retcons, superfluous side-content or extraneous add-ons just because they happen to exist.

a good plot was one which made good scenes. The ideal mystery was one you would read if the end was missing. -Raymond Chandler

There are fine things that are more brilliant when they are unfinished than when finished too much. - François de La Rochefoucauld

And, for stories that are created by multi-person teams, it can really help to change how we talk about them; to step away from that auteur mindset and start giving credit where it’s actually due.

So, in service to that, here is a breakdown of main episode credits for Young Justice Season 1:

Putting this together actually made me realise that I’d had too narrow of a focus; I’d previously speculated about changes to the writing staff but I completely overlooked the impact of episode directors. Which is nuts because directors can potentially have major influence over the structure and presentation of the finished narrative.

A few things strike me.  First is that Weisman doesn’t have a lot of direct writing credits; he has the most (albeit only by 1 episode) but it barely amounts to 25% of the season, and you can see that the specific episodes he scripted aren’t ones that put a lot of character focus on the main cast or paying off the emotional narrative.  (Which isn’t to claim that he wasn’t doing other developmental/ production work behind the scenes, but it does make sense; characterisation and narrative resolution are not things Weisman is good at).

The two names that really started to stand out were Jay Oliva and Michael Chang; each individually credited as director on over a third of episodes, and covering more than 75% of the whole season between them.  That’s not to say that they alone were the secret sauce that made S1 so good (that would just be applying Auteur Theory to a new target and, while their IMDB resumes are impressive, it’s likely that other, less-visible team members were also involved) but having that level of direct input across so much of the season would have given them opportunities to maintain consistency and provide structure/ guidance.

And notably, neither Oliva nor Chang have any major credits post Season 1.   For whatever reason, the directors who handled over 75% of the episodes never returned for future entries.  (Compare most of the Season 1 writers, who do make repeat appearances - although no writer other than Weisman or Vietti gets more than a single episode per season of the revival.)  Which is a pretty substantial gap to leave behind.  From that perspective it’s not surprising that the show saw big changes going forward; to some extent it really wasn’t the same creative team driving things.

At this point we might be tempted to speculate that, if Oliva, Chang and the rest had stayed on (or come back for the revival), then Young Justice would have stayed good or at least been better than how it turned out.  But the truth is, we can’t know.  It’s possible that Season 1 was too much a product of that specific team, time, production environment and media landscape to ever last.  Maybe it was always a doomed venture; the lack of proper planning, Weisman’s creative weaknesses and aversion to endings, Vietti’s relative inexperience with original storytelling, Cartoon Network’s infamously awful treatment of “less marketable” PG-rated series, and executive mandates from DC Comics as they pivoted to push the New 52 and got increasingly spooked by the astronomic rise of the early MCU inevitably destined to force changes which undercut the narrative.  The only answer we’re going to get is that we’re not going to get an answer.

But, you know what?

Despite everything, as frustrating and disheartening as things may have turned out… Young Justice Season One is STILL really good.   It has a distinct creative verve with its combination of espionage-meets-superheroics, grounded-but-still-positive tone, character-focus and interwoven plot threads that pay off as a remarkably self-contained fair mystery.  There is a reason why Season 1 is so enduring; why people still make art, and write fic and reference those characters even now.

So, to that original team; to Michael Chang, Jay Oliva and all the other creative staff - be they writers, directors, story-boarders, animators, colourists, composers, sound designers - who are so rarely mentioned when we gush about how clever and good Season 1 was: thank you for what you gave us.

Because that first season, when Young Justice was just trying to be itself?

It really was lighting in a bottle.

Hats off to them for that.

#Young Justice #Greg Weisman #Greg Weisman Critical #Michael Chang #Jay Oliva #Anonymous #3WD Answers #Scattered Thoughts #YJ Essays Collection #I’m really really flattered to hear that you like my approach to criticism #the rule I try to go by is that (even when I’m being uncharitable or unkind) I should still try to be fair #(believe me there is a LOT in that book that could easily be used to make Weisman look very terrible) #(including some Humbert-Humbert-adjacent nonsense) #(but doing that would be intentionally misrepresenting him and I don’t believe in that) #Weisman’s writing strikes me as that of a deeply incurious person who aestheticizes intelligence and progressivism #someone who wants to see themselves as those things (because it makes him feel good) but who doesn’t do the work to embody those values #which is how you get things like token 'girlboss’ moments for female characters who are still written in fundamentally chauvinistic ways; o #empty dialogue about ‘pronouns’ or ‘identity’ from characters who are still written in fundamentally prejudiced ways; or #lines that sound superficially profound/philosophical but turn out to be contradictory/meaningless/nonsensical when examined. #it’s definitely the mistake of thinking ‘I used the language of [thing] therefore I am [thing]’ #Not 'I am [thing] because I try to act in ways that show respect to [thing]' #It's telling that Weisman wants to release tweets positioning himself as better than the bigots #and yet he has a million excuses for why THE SAME bigotry in HIS OWN writing is 'not his fault'/ 'not a big deal'/ 'a misunderstanding' #he looks down on others for not meeting a standard while effortlessly carving out exceptions for his own substandard behaviour #it's all very hypocritical (and in ways that are consistent with other patterns of right-wing conservatism throughout his work) #In short: a deeply tiresome and condescending fellow #I think a much healthier approach would be to talk about the people who made YJS1 good than dwell on the guy who bollocksed it all up #So I propose that we henceforth refer to Weisman as ‘That guy from War of the Spark: Forsaken’ NOT ‘the YJ/Gargoyles Guy’ #and talk about the season 1 production TEAM instead #Weisman's writing credits could be covered if every other writer picked up just 1 episode. Meanwhile Oliva/Chang would need 20 substitutes

[abubblingcandle]

3, 11, 22, 30!

3. What is something you learnt about yourself as a writer

Ooo this is a tough one. I think really I've learnt how to plan. Most of the fanfic I've written before has either been based on one short concept or started and I've just kept going where the vibes take me. But now I've started plotting chapters and coming up with end points and yes it may change but its improved my writing

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

Get You Down - This was my biggest canon divergence at that time, it was my first time writing S1 Jamie which I didn't think I would be able to do (and I now love doing!), it was my first time delving into Rebecca's story. It was so satisfying to ride it to the end.

22. Share an excerpt from your favourite scene

This is really hard, so decided to just go on instinct. And my mind always goes to the plum scene in ATRDM. I truly don't know what it is about that scene but it just fills my heart

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Roy growled.  "What?" Jamie stood a top a knee height stone wall, large branch in hand.  "I thought we were going to a shop," he shook his head as Jamie pulled him up onto the wall.  "Why would we go to a shop when there's a plum tree?" Jamie shook his head, his head pushing back and mouth twisted into a confused pout. "You hold the bag and I'll knock down the good ones," Jamie brandished the big stick like it was a greatsword.  "This is insane," Roy muttered but there were already plums falling.

30. What's something you want to write in 2024?

This is less what I want to write but I want to get stuff finished! The second half of this year I've used writing to escape grief and loss and stress and it has worked and I've loved every minute of it but that has caused me to just drift where the wind takes me. Next year, let's get this shit done!

#candle writes #ted lasso fanfic #atrdm tag #get you down tag #ask box is always open

[cyoza]

nearly done with chapter 4 and should have it uploaded very very soon but here’s a little extract until then bc I’m so excited I’ve updated so soon after my last chapter forgive me for all the others (as few as they are): 

- 

He knew the opulence that the open plan apartment depicted. The dark, glossy granite countertops of the kitchen, the immaculately distressed rich mahogany leather sofa and the plush, shaggy, handwoven rug were only a few of the luxurious items that Bruce insists on maintaining throughout every safe house. The sea of glass that replaced the far wall gave a breathtaking view of the New York city skyline which also didn’t help. 

Dick cleared his throat before gesturing to the living room. 

‘You guys will be safe here for now.’ He told the two teens before turning to face Kory. ‘But, Princess, I have to get you back to headquarters.’ 

She opened her mouth to protest but Dick cut her off before she could. 

'I promise you they will be safe here.' He assured her. 'With all due respect, Princess, don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble for today?’ 

That seemed to strike a chord in her and she closed her mouth and gave him a stiff nod. Kory turned to crouch in front of the teens, putting a comforting arm on each of their shoulders. 

‘I promise you I will be back here bright and early tomorrow morning.’ She promised. ‘For now, you can trust Agent Grayson-’ 

Dick felt the need to interject then. 

‘Dick, my name is Dick.’ 

Kory threw him an irritated look but continued talking. 

‘For now, you can trust Dick to keep you safe, okay?’ 

The two teens gave her a small smile and nodded at her reassurances. Kory gave their shoulders a small squeeze before standing and turning to make her way back to the elevator, barely sparing him a glance.                    

Dick suddenly felt out of his realm as the two teens looked up at him expectedly. He knew they were waiting for him to say something but what? So he said the only thing he could think of. 

‘Uh, I’ll be back in a few hours.’ What else should he mention? ‘There should be food in the pantry and an Xbox if you guys get bored.’ Kids like Xbox right?

#dickkory #dickkory fanfic #dick grayson #kory anders #rachel roth #garfield logan #koriand'r #i really really wanted big s1 vibes with this chapter #i hope ill get it right

[girlucifer]

everyone’s talking about the demon bros being evil incarnate as if they weren't prepared to die by eating solomon's oden because they were too afraid of hurting his feelings. like cmon

#like i get that they are demons. but honestly. diavolo is like... literally trying to bridge the three realms together #and the demon bros are relatively tame except some moments. like. beel is a big ole sweetheart. satan loves cats + books #asmo designs dresses. leviathan calls himself a fucking o t a k u #like... they are just some guys #i want to imagine them as like. just vibing and the term demon is more so a race not astereotype they are evil #plus like... i love villains like you gotta be sexy about it though #like dio. no actually bad example that bitch is lame as fuck #like naraku. ok wait no hes a virgin. wait okokok. #idk i mean cmon. i just cannot imagine them being like. evil. #whatever. idk what im tryna say #just that i am sensitive and if the demon bros are mean to me one time ill delete the game #lucifer + the private conversation chapter early in s1 made me really fucking hate him LMAO #but we r all good now :] #anwyway this is a joke post idc how u perceive them I just perceive them that they r all just sum guys #i fucking hate that i still hear fireworks ❤ go the fuck to bed ✨✨💖 #🦈

[fific7]

Ticket to Ride - Part 4

Billy Russo x Reader

A/N: Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. This takes place in my S1 Punisher AU with Arrogant!Billy in attendance, in which he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including oral and unprotected, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My Photo Edit)

𝔹𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕒𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕓𝕪𝕖

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕔𝕖, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕖

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy woke up really early due to light streaming into his room. The sun was coming up. He couldn’t bring himself to close the curtains the previous night - after all, the view was the big thing in this hotel, wasn’t it? He rearranged his pillows so that he could still lie in bed but also tipped his head up enough so he could see the view.

It was too early to go along to her room yet, so he’d laze a little, shower and then he’d go. He hoped that her anger had cooled overnight, as the two of them really had to have a conversation. Not that he was looking forward to that conversation, but he realised that if he wanted to have even an outside chance of getting her back, he had to man up and tell her the truth. He had the distinct feeling that If he only told her part of it - a sanitised version of what had happened - she’d see right through him and that would be that.

He laughed out loud.... god he hadn’t even slept with the woman, but if he’d known the shitstorm that was going to be stirred up by all of this, maybe he should’ve just damn well done it!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Meanwhile, you sat at the departure gate waiting for the boarding call. You’d always wanted to visit your next destination so while you were sad to leave Barcelona, you felt excited to be on your way.

With a little smile, you thought that the only real regret you had was you wouldn’t be there to see the expression on Billy’s face when he realised you’d skipped town again.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

As soon as he’d had that thought a little voice inside his head had said, if you had then you’d never ever get her back and you know it. Yeah, he did know it. So it was just as well I didn’t, he acknowledged to himself. Some no-strings sex with Madani wasn’t worth wrecking what he’d had with her.

Now he just had to hope that he wasn’t already too late to salvage that.

Billy stepped out onto the 20th floor landing then began walking up the red corridor to her room. He spotted a cleaning cart in the corridor - wait, that wasn’t outside her room, was it? No, it couldn’t be. But he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach the nearer he got.

He came to a halt next to the cart, and looked at the room number on the door for confirmation but he knew it before he even saw it.

She’d run out on him again.

Billy cursed loudly then swung round on his heel and headed back to the lifts. He took his phone out as he walked, hitting a starred number. It rang for a while then a grouchy voice said, “Yeah, what?”

“Micro? Got another job for you.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

After clearing Customs and Passport Control you walked briskly out of the terminal building, following a sign indicating where you needed to go. You were getting more and more impatient to get to the city by the minute, but you knew you had to make sure you picked the correct coloured route, as they went to different destinations.

Standing on the jetty at Marco Polo Airport, you waited patiently along with other passengers for the Alilaguna airport boat to moor alongside it and which would then take you to Venice.

La Serenissima. The city which floats on a lagoon.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Frank listened to what Micro had to say, then exploded. “Oh for fuck’s sake!!! This is gettin’ out of control. Yeah okay, do his search then let me know - not him - what you find out.”

He ended the call and threw his phone onto the bedside table. He’d have to speak to Bill, this was too much.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy was in a temper. He threw his clothes and toiletries into his duffel bag and zipped it up viciously. Nothing from Micro yet and he had to check out of his room now. He’d just have to sit in the bar/lounge downstairs and have a drink or two until he did hear back.

An hour and two whiskies later (yes, he’d thought as the barman’s eyebrows raised up at his request, it is damn early for a whisky but you have no idea what I’m going through), Billy was getting more and more impatient. Then his phone buzzed, but hope sank like a stone when he saw it was Frank.

“I guess he called you, then?” Billy said as soon as he answered the call. “Yep,” said Frank, “...he did. And this is the last one, Bill, you hear me?” “It’s not my fault she keeps flyin’ off t’different places!” whined Billy. “It’s your damn fault she took off in the first place, dumbass!” growled Frank and Billy said nothing as he couldn’t argue with that.

“Where’s she gone, Frankie?” he asked after a short silence. “Venice.” “Ah shit!!! Back to the States? Didn’t see that coming.” “Not Venice Beach, Bill... Venice, Italy.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You settled yourself onto the wooden bench inside the vaporetto which would take you on the short hop across the wide Giudecca Canal from Palanca to Zattere. Vaporetti were the Venetian equivalent of public transport but a hugely more pleasurable experience. What would you rather hop on - a bus or a ferry? Yeah, definitely a ferry! You’d decided to stay on Giudecca instead of the main islands as it had a calmer, more relaxed vibe and tourists were much less in evidence.

Karen had texted you as you were getting unpacked in your small but cute room. Your hotel was surrounded by residential gardens and a narrow canal on one side; when you went out onto the large balcony, all you could hear was birdsong and the church bells of Venice. It was heavenly.

But Karen’s text had brought you down somewhat; Billy was on your track again. He’d been told by Frank that they weren’t going to help him out any longer, but you weren’t convinced that would put him off. Billy was the most stubborn sonuvabitch you’d ever met. Looking out the vaporetto windows, you saw a majestic tall ship making its way imperiously up the canal followed by a small tug like a lady in waiting, and wondered where it was sailing off to.

Sighing, you gathered up your bag as the vaporetto docked at Zattere and prepared to disembark. Maybe it was time to just sit down and have ‘that talk’ with him.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy, meanwhile, was waiting impatiently for his flight to start boarding in Barcelona airport. He just had to pin her down this time. No more escaping him and the talk they had to have.

He marvelled at the fact that in Europe, you were never really that far from your next destination. Here he was in Spain and in less than two hours’ time, he’d be in Italy. He’d bought a travel guide to Venice in one of the airport stores and settled down to read it.

Frank had given him the name and location of her hotel, somewhere called Giudecca. He didn’t have the first fucking clue as to where that was, so he’d better find out and quickly. Okay…. here was a map. Venice seemed to be divided into six sestiere or areas… hmmm no mention of Giudecca. Oh right, here it was, a large island out on its own across the Giudecca Canal from Venice.

He pinpointed the hotel on the map and felt a lot more relaxed.

I know where you are now, kitten.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Escaping from the crowd of tourists in Piazza San Marco into the relative peace of Caffé Florian, you sat down and ordered a horribly expensive cappuccino and pastry from the impassive waiter. But it was worth it just to soak up the historical atmosphere. You looked round the opulently decorated and gilded interior and opened up your guide book; it had opened in 1720 and scores of famous faces had passed through its doors or listened to its musicians outside. Wow - Casanova, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Andy Warhol. The list went on and on.

Coffee finished, you wandered out of Florian’s and back along the Piazetta next to the Doge’s Palace. There was an arched bridge - the Ponte della Paglia - on the waterfront from which you could see the world-famous Bridge of Sighs, and you joined the huddle of tourists at the top of the bridge to eventually make it to the front and take a picture of it. Your guide book told you the bridge was so called because after their trials, condemned prisoners would be taken from the Doge’s Palace over the small canal at its side to the prison, and their last sight of Venice would be from the bridge. Hence the ‘sighs’.

Next, you walked along to the Arsenale, the huge historical shipyard where Venice had built her vast number of ships which had enabled her to have a huge trading empire. It had been said that they’d been able to construct a fully equipped warship in one day. But that was long in the past, you thought as you looked at an array of stone lion statues outside its main entrance and a bust of Dante set onto the wall.

Turning away, you headed to the vaporetto stop of the same name and waited for the Line 1 vaporetto to arrive and take you on a sail up the Grand Canal.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Yet again, Billy was in a bad mood. After a couple of false starts, he’d eventually managed to make his way onto the correct Alilaguna boat at Marco Polo and had alighted at Zitelle on Giudecca.

But now here he was - walking backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards - along the waterfront, trying to find out where this damn fucking hotel was. He just couldn’t find it! Where the hell was it?

Billy spotted a guy around his own age walking towards him and stepped in front of him, asking politely in English if he could help him find this hotel. A stream of Italian burst forth and the guy must’ve realised that Billy didn’t understand one word, as he then took his arm and pulled him along the waterfront a little. He stopped and gestured towards one of the narrowest damn alleyways Billy had ever seen, quite near the vaporetto stop.

He thanked the guy effusively and set off up the alleyway. There were peoples’ houses on each side of it and he tried not to be too nosy as he walked past them. But echoing within the walls of the alley he could hear voices, children’s laughter, a football match on a TV, a dog barking… talk about living on top of each other. He wasn’t sure he could live like that but then it just depended on what you were used to, he supposed.

Arriving in a small open area leading to a canal and a bridge over it - Corte Ferrando, he saw on a sign - he found the Giudecca Hotel right on the corner next to the canal. At last!!!

Walking in to the small but light and airy reception area, he dumped his bag next to reception and asked the guy behind the desk if he could book a room. “Certainly, signore, how many nights would that be for?” Billy shrugged, saying, “I’ll make it for two nights for now, but maybe I’ll need to extend that, I’m not sure.” “That is no problem. Can I have your passport please, signore?”

Billy handed it over, thinking as he did, going by her recent history it might be only the one night!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You stepped off the vaporetto at Rialto. Well, you just had to walk over the famous bridge and be a total tourist didn’t you, stopping to take a picture looking back down the Grand Canal. You’d gazed at all the big palazzi lining the waterway as the vaporetto zig-zagged its way between all the stops on the canal. They were certainly impressive, but they also had a faded, melancholic air about them.

Some of them had been converted into museums, some rented out on long or short-term leases by their owners, or they were now owned by foreigners who only stayed in them for a handful of weeks each year. When the festivals were taking place… Carnevale, the Biennale, the Film Festival. The rest of the year they lay empty and lonely, no doubt steeped in dreams of the lavish masked balls and elegant dinner parties from centuries past, while the noble Venetian families who used to own them lived in modern condos in Mestre on the mainland, no longer in their beloved Venezia. How sad, you thought.

Heading back to the vaporetto stop, you decided you’d go to Accademia, have a look round the art gallery, visit the huge and famous church Santa Maria della Salute and then wander round the artisan shops in Dorsoduro, perhaps have a glass of vino in one of the cute little wine bars.

You were determined to make this afternoon and evening last for as long as you could. Billy would no doubt be waiting for you when you got back to Giudecca.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The man himself hadn’t even bothered unpacking this time, just in case. He’d had a quick shower and then had taken a short stroll around the local area. He noticed very few tourists and decided this was why she’d chosen it. He knew she’d prefer to sample the local life more than the tourist traps.

Not wanting to spend too much time away from the hotel, he made his way back and sat outside on the lone park bench in the courtyard area. He started running over in his mind what he was going to say to her, to be honest he still wasn’t sure how to frame it so that she wouldn’t go ballistic.

His stomach knotted. Who was he kidding? Of course she was going to go ballistic! He was about to admit he’d made out on more than one occasion with another woman. And irrespective of the fact that it had been strictly business from his point of view, his girl was not going to be the least bit impressed with him.

Fuck, I’ve really screwed this up, he allowed himself to think for the first time. He’d made his brain block out this uncomfortable thought what with all the chasing after her in the previous few days. He’d been telling himself over and over that everything would all be alright.

But now he thought… would it? Would it really?

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Returning on the vaporetto to Palanca, you felt yourself starting to tense up. You knew Billy would either have arrived by now or would very shortly.

Whatever he had to say to to you, you knew you weren’t going to like it. The evidence was too strong that he’d been cheating on you and you weren’t going to let him off the hook for that. The problem was, you loved the stupid douchebag. But how could you trust him now, after he’d been seeing another woman? In some ways, it was worse that it was just the one. And you were sure it was just one, if the perfume evidence was anything to go by. It would almost have been better if he’d gone back to his old tom-catting ways, quantity over quality to coin Frank’s phrase. Your stomach twisted as you remembered him saying to you that at last Billy had reversed that equation when he got with you. But if he was seeing just the one? That was bad.

You began walking up the alleyway and as you reached the open area, you saw a figure sitting on the park bench, the back of a dark head. Billy.

Squaring your shoulders and feeling as if you were about to go into battle, you walked steadily towards him.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Venice

(My Photos/video 3 & 7 / June 2012 & 2016)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @theshadowkingsqueen @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry @odetostep @supernaturalcat7 @obscurilicious @strawb3rrydr3ss @bruxa0007 @aleksanderwh0r3 @bat-luna-cat

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

#billy russo #ben barnes #billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfiction #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic

[littleladymab]

For the meta ask game - 3 and 20!

wah-heyyyyyY!!!!

3) What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Okay I still can't be arsed to do it because I am getting ready to play DND and I know myself, it will turn into a whole thing but there are two that I'm currently rotating in my head. One I will tell you about, because the "star wars but fantasy au" has been shoving itself into the forefront of my mind thanks to big bang group chat. Specifically!

A More Civilized Age pod brought up an AU idea that I'm absolutely obsessed with and it's "what if, after the whole 'Boba Fett tries to kill Mace Windu' arc of TCW, Bail Organa goes "what this kid needs is a positive parental influence in his life' because lord knows Aurra Sing AIN'T IT and so just in addition to an ENTIRE au in which Boba Fett grows up in the Organa household and then gets to become a protective older brother to Leia, I really wanted a conversation between him and Ahsoka. Because she was part of the team that brought him in, and while I can't remember the bulk of the conversation that I wanted, Here's Ahsoka, just 4 years older than Boba, but look at how differently their lives were shaped and altered by the existence of the Clone Wars and also the idea of being child soldiers/weapons.

Anyway, my dream is to one day write a fantasy au which will have Boba as Leia's protective older brother who will absolutely give Han shit but will absolutely side-eye Luke so hard when he finally comes into the picture but I don't have anything but the Desire and Vibes right now. Maybe for next SW Big Bang

(don't hold me to it)

20) Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

It was funny because when I was reading over these prompts originally I was like "oh no if someone asks me 20 then I'll just have to confess that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing what are THEMES" but that's kind of a lie, I just never really recognize them myself. Especially because I have....... so many different things i'm doing at any given point.

So Here's just like, a general sort of list of things I do and like about my writing! I'm not a particularly clever author, imo, I plan everything well in advance so I don't feel like there are any surprises? but also that's because i get too into what I'm doing that I can't see the forest for the trees or w/e anywho

I think one of my fav things about writing for SW is that there's so much content everywhere, that I can pull a reference from a source and add it into a fic as a throwaway reference. For Phoenix Suite, I did reference the fact that Kallus likes to wake up early because it is the quietest part of the day -- a fun little tidbit that I pulled from the jr novel adaption of the S1 finale. For far from the home I've made, I referenced the fact that in one of the Rebels comics, Kallus mentions that he arrived on Courscant for training, implying that he came from off-world (who actually knows, but I took it and ran with it). I also wanted to include the fact that Ezra was friends with someone who moved to Alderaan, but I wasn't able to fit the conversation of what happened to Alderaan into the chapter because it was already uhhh way too long.

I absolutely looooove to make the inhuman experience human emotions, while also expressing their inhumanity. I use 'inhuman' extremely loosely here, mostly for just 'anything beyond the mundane'. Far from the home I've made has Ezra being sad and scared while at the same time coming from an experience in which he sacrificed himself to save an entire planet. My place to land has Signet giving away pieces of herself in order to ensure that Echo doesn't lose their eye, though it results in both of them being half-blind for a bit. every open eye has Sasha fully ready to surrender herself to the Stranger in order to save Jon. I had an answer for Mwyr, but I forgot what it was, but that's OC content and we don't have time to unpack all of that lolol

I LOVE PEOPLE BEING A MESS. BEING AWFUL TO REMEMBER TO DO THINGS, GETTING INTO RELATIONSHIPS THEY SHOULDN'T. This adheres more to OC stuff, here's to all these normal people being normal messes, amirite???

One of my favorite uhhhh not really tropes but like, identifiable "mab" things in my writing, is I love the physicality of an intimate moment. Like, non-sexual acts of intimacy, and just residing in the physicality of it. A friend left me a comment about how they noticed it in my writing before and love it, and I've been riding that high for like, two and a half years LMAO

I also just love writing friends being friends and being in love with each other like there is nothing better to me than found family and also just a pair of friends being non-romantically in love with each other where you can look at them and go BESTIES!!!!

that's all I got time for, time for dnd, but HEY!!! Feel free to ask me more meta writing questions if you'd like, everyone :')

#writing #lil miss writings

[towerofgodscreamblogwink]

reading 64-66 but we all die, i mean we already died in chapters before so we’re just continuing dying, but there’s finally a hug so can we just enjoy a soft moment for a sec - also I’m having big realizations

>bam using white’s technique

WHITE: THAT’S MY BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

his head is prolly like: omg someone actually listened to me /  i’m feeling so powerful i’m sobbing my powers finally has been appreciated / what is this proud feeling in my chest / is this what it feels to be a teacher  / sure i can understand now jinsung / oml how do i adopt / wait what the hell did i just think

“Don’t you agree, commander cat?”

EUHFUSEHFSAFASGJDFGHRUGHFDSJFHDSFJSHDFSDFSDF

KING JAHAD

Well now i’m just interpreting it in several different ways

“It’s Cha Cha Real Smooth!!”

hehe

also obligatory khun hehe

bam sorta hot 

YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT REPUTATION

istg if it’s some sort of plot armor for kallavan --

bro this really gives you the vibe of a warfare ending, this is awesome

hhhhhh

can you hear me sobbing already??

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

bam’s fucking gripping him, i am fucking sad.

my emotions has died on this panel.

also i cried here a bit ngl

also i’ve just realized -

khun’s backgroud goes dark

and right after, bam with panel starts shining

oh this symbolism is worrying me

also it suprises me how bam isn’t bothered at all how khun doesn’t care about these souls

I’m not saying it’s a plot hole, rather, something very intriguing about bam - even in s2, when khun wanted to kill rachel - Bam didn’t blame khun for it at all, or held any ill will against him

it’s just amazing they consider each other so close despite having such opposite morals and natures

(also I just saw twitter recently and someone shown that if you invert khun’s colours he literally has brown hair and golden eyes, while if inverting bam’s colours he has LIGHT blue hair and blue eyes. I. This made me think again about ALL the instances this manhwa made a POINT about their differences, and as much as I was aware of it, I WASN’T REALIZING IT’S *THAT* MUCH OF A important narration point -- because after so many moments where khun went that he’s not like bam for example in s1 when he was admiring him for protecting someone, saying *he* wouldn’t be able to do it - then comparing himself to bam when Bam had asked Rachel to go along with her whereas Khun couldn’t do the same with Maria - the moment in s2 where Rachel straight up says Bam’s nothing like Khun. This moment we just had. Siu’s art where Khun and Bam are standing next to each other - Khun on one side of a paper, Bam on other, but both having their backs turned to each other - one keeping his head high, while the other looking down

Holy shit

my point is now we even have their goddamn colours cannonically inverting each other and at this point I refuse to believe this wasn’t done on purpose and -

and as much as they’re the opposites, they’re still each others tho)

also we’re not inviting white to a party.

*enjoying the soft moments after the big sad*

p o e t i c  c i n e m a 

#tower of god #khun aguero agnes #hwaryun #bam #white #nesreads

[asterekmess]

S3A - E8

I’m realizing just how damn far behind I am on working on season 3, but I don’t wanna skip any episodes of the rewatch, so let’s get to it! Double time, double time!

Content warnings for discussion of cannibalism.

Forewarning, this one is a doozy, so be prepared to Read More:

Lesgo!:

First thing’s first, Derek has experience with those awful sound thingies? Can you imagine how freaked he must’ve been seeing Chris bring those out when they were tracking Boyd and Erica?

Also, Chris Argent has been hunting Derek one way or another since he was a child. Even BEFORE Kate. Why the hell do we have a Derek & Chris broness in the later seasons? This kind of shit doesn’t just go away. I can’t believe I forgot about it.

I love how awkward sweet bby Derek is trying to run through the trees and tripping on branches everywhere. It’s honestly so much more realistic for a teenager than just the crazy cgi stuff. Also, since we know Derek is comfortable in the woods, it really gives you a hint as to how truly messed up he is from fear right now. He’s off balance in a dozen ways.

DEREK HAS BEEN WATCHING PEOPLE DIE IN FRONT OF HIM SINCE HE WAS 15. I’m gonna CRY. If I wanna hurt myself even More, you could argue that the Random Beta (RB) got shot bc he stopped to talk to Derek. So...guilty minds would assume Derek has been watching people die because of him since 15. I hate everything.

PETER comin’ in clutch. Also, hilarious that they use that arrow catching move so much.

I almost like how they tried to make Gerard look younger by just having him wear a douchey leather jacket instead of the serious grandpa one he wears in S2. He swaggers over to the body of RB, and it’s hilarious.

Okay, what is this bullshit about “Bring them back alive, we go by the code?” If you were going by the code then you wouldn’t be fucking hunting them AT ALL. They’re innocent! Why the fuck are you ‘bringing them back’ in the first place? Chris, you piece of shit. This is supposed to demonstrate that you’ve always been a stickler for the code, but all it does is emphasize how little that code actually means. “We hunt those who hunt us.” Fuck off, you hunt anything you deem ‘dangerous’ and find excuses to kill them so you can feel righteous.

Gonna casually note that RB was shot in the Throat with an arrow, but bc of makeup necessities they moved the arrow down to his chest when he’s shown on the ground. It’s funny. :)

It’s seriously so hard to hate Peter, do the writers realize that? Like, yes, he did horrible shit and I’m not denying that, but when you show him running into the hunter-filled woods to save his nephew’s life at 24 years old, then hiding with him in a cellar for two fucking days when he could probably have escaped on his own, it’s hard to see him as a heartless bastard.

I’m almost afraid to find out why Cora knows the details. Can you imagine? She would’ve been, what, 9-10? Her big brother and uncle both go missing for two days after a hunt and she had to stay at home waiting for someone to say they’d found their bodies. God, the lives of the Hales are so fucked up.

The rain is really making the mood here.

I gotta say, I’m confused about this initial Cora-Stiles interaction. He goes on about everyone who’s died or nearly died, but then Cora assumes he wants Derek to do something about the deaths, and Stiles agrees? Except that Derek currently fits the COD that all the other sacrifices have hit. Missing for about two days. Everything Stiles has said implies that he’s worried Derek is also dead. I don’t get why they go with ‘I’m worried about the missing man that I’ve been helping for the last four months because I blame him for the Alphas even coming to town”?

One thing they got on point here is just how disgusting they made Gerard. The slime and the spitting and ugh *shudders* it’s just so gross.

I’m also...I think intrigued is the right word--that they shoved this whole story into the episode without ever addressing the fact that Derek IS missing and they should go looking for him or something. It starts with Stiles asking where the hell he is, but then everything else is about this past moment. Talk about going off on a tangent. I mean, I don’t blame them, but if I shoved this much character background into one chapter people would call me out for the infodump that it is.

Which is all this episode is. Info-dumped exposition. Here’s how werewolves were made. Here’s why Derek’s cranky. Here’s why Duke’s an asshole. Here’s why the Hales are ‘special’

Again, I don’t blame them. It’s just...a lot.

Just a tiny thing: Why do they both roll up their sleeves when Scott only has to touch Gerard’s hand?

It is also very hard to believe that either Allison or Scott are remotely good people when they’re both lying to everyone about Gerard’s existence.

*finger guns, bc now i have to use the tag* I think this is the longest I’ve ever gotten before using it.

Another thing: Why does Gerard make the gross noises like he’s in pain, when we know it doesn’t hurt to get the pain taken away from him? It certainly didn’t hurt that lady in the ER.

I know this is a weird thing to notice, but I find it interesting that Paige is wearing actual makeup. Not just the ‘natural’ look, but eyeshadow that’s visibly dark. *shrug*

Is she Actually playing the cello? The notes Don’t look like they match up with her bowing and fingerings.

HA that music cut in is fucking Hilarious. Derek turns around like he’s in a teen rom-com, with that casual “I never stop smiling all the way bc I’m the coolest guy around” grin and the music just WHAM. That’s right, Derek Hale used to be a JOCK. He didn’t used to be ‘a lot like Scott.’ He was a lot like JACKSON.

So, this group of cronies Derek has. What is that about? He’s gotta have that posse just like Jackson did in S1? Unnamed people to cackle at his jokes.

Paige’s face, right there? That is the SHIT for me. That’s not hidden attraction, that’s genuinely “What the fuck is my life, why are you so lame?” and I am LIVING for it.

Derek peacocking is also hilarious. Peacocking so hard he (THE WEREWOLF) didn’t notice that she’d left the hall, is even more so.

I hate to tell you this Paige, but THAT is where I could tell you liked him. Giving in to his bullshit offer was the first step, that look on your face when he said, “Hold on” was Blatant “Holy shit, my crush wants to talk to me” but then all you idiots did was make eye contact. Paige, if you’re trying to get the ball, try looking away from those pretty eyes, okay?

Derek, you always go too far. You can see Paige lose interest when she realizes that he’s not actually into Her, he’s into showing off.

OOOF, i guess they weren’t such good friends after all, cus’ they left when Paige did.

I also feel the need to point out Derek is WEARING A CHECKERED SHIRT. *inarticulate screaming* Everyone who makes jokes about him thinking plaid is disgusting owes me five bucks bc he CLEARLY didn’t think checkers/plaid were that bad when he was in high school.

I’ll admit...the instant sorry is like...really good. If they’d had him come in and be More of a dick and then end up together, I’d be a lot more bugged. But his First real introduction to her is an apology.

THEN he goes back to being a dick. But at least this time it’s not about him, he wants to know about Her.

And I LOVE the turnaround! THIS is flirting. THIS is cute teasing. She plays his game Back at him, shows her own skill and forces him to get on her level. Then he weasels out of it, but in a Cute Way.

If there’s one thing that I’m routinely impressed by in TW it’s the scoring. They’re Really good with music to fit the moods and the vibes of the whole episode. For instance, all the transition music in this episode is Cello, bc it’s about Paige.

I hate agreeing with Gerard on Anything, but he makes a good point about the Dark Druid taking and killing someone else right alongside Deaton. Why would she take 4 people when she only needed three? She wouldn’t know that Deaton got a message out or that Scott would save Deaton. Plus the addition of the mountain ash circle is kind of weird, don’t you think?

Yah, I have no clue why your body is producing anything Either. You literally make no sense and you shouldn’t be alive. Period. Bringing you back was a lazy way to have someone who could be a sub-sub plot and hand out exposition and red herrings that are totally useless.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT GERARD? You weren’t There when Deucalion found out he could still see with his Alpha Eyes (Which makes no sense btw, he doesn’t have TWO sets of eyes???) and if you’d interacted with Deuc since then he’d have ripped you to shreds.

SERIOUSLY people, why the FUCK are we getting this information from Gerard when it makes WAY more sense for Deaton to tell them this? He was THERE for the whole thing!

I get that the point of the episode is supposed to be “Unreliable Narrators” (The whole show has an unreliable narrator.) but you had that covered with Peter’s story. You could’ve Instilled TRUST in Deaton by making a contrast and having Deaton TELL THEM THE TRUTH. Show the difference between reliable and unreliable. Gerard doesn’t need to be here!

Stiles, asking the real questions.

AND GETTING THE MOST BULLSHIT ANSWER IN THE UNIVERSE.

Could these writers GET any lazier? Put some fucking effort in and give us some information about Werewolves IN YOUR WEREWOLF TV SHOW.

What the fuck were Paige and Derek into that they knew where an abandoned distillery was when it wasn’t even in TOWN? And you’re telling me they left town every time they wanted to make out? Even worse, are you implying they had SEX in that distillery? And then trying to tell me that none of the fucking Alphas and their packs noticed the smell of Derek and his girlfriend all over the building?

...what...do people seriously not remember being teenagers? What the fuck Peter? In what fucking universe  is “one minute it’s ‘i hate you, don’t talk to me’ the next it’s frantic groping in any dark corner’ remotely accurate to real life?

Teenagers in the majority don’t DO that. I really fucking hate that all teenagers are made out to be like this. Like they’re “run by their hormones” and “everything is sex to you” STOP. Seriously, STOP. Saying shit like that completely negates the fact that Teenagers are Real fucking People. They’re not just buckets of hormones and sweat that need to be shaped into an adult. They’re fucking PEOPLE and reducing them to sex-crazed idiots is lazy and stupid.

Are you ALSO telling me that the hunters dragged RB’s DEad Body to an abandoned building, then strung the corpse up and cut it in half? AND that someone happened to go the abandoned building and found the body and called the cops, or that they MOVEd the two halves somewhere they would be found, Or that They were the ones to call and report the body?

Has teen wolf got even a Single brain cell?

ALSO, what the fuck is this timeline? Derek and Peter went missing for two days after RB was killed, but the packs don’t get together to discuss RB’s death until After Derek has run out of the building with Paige because he could smell blood from RB being hemisected. So, they waited at Least two days before talking to each other about RB’s death? And Derek apparently recovered Instantaneously from his two day nightmare and went right back to macking on his girlfriend and laughing freely the Day he was found? Or did they wait even longer? I’m so fucking confused!

Okay, you tell me that this place is their favorite makeout/groping spot, but they seriously just walk in the door and start kissing in the middle of the room? You guys didn’t bring some blankets and pillows here? You’re gonna stand there the whole time?

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU MAKING PETER A PERVERT? He was fucking watching his nephew make out with his girlfriend through the wall??? WHat is WRONG with you?

ALSO, Cora was alive and active in Derek’s life at that point. She wasn’t That young. She could easily point out that Peter being Derek’s best friend is total bullshit if it weren’t actually true. Which means Peter is telling the TRUTH here. Hell, she doesn’t call out his heartbeat for lies the entire time, and while they imply at the end of the episode that Really Good Liars can just force their heart to be steady while lying so they don’t get caught, that isn’t a thing for the entire rest of the show. Derek trusts KATE when she says she’s not lying. So the evidence actually points toward Peter telling the TRUTH in this entire episode.

THAT is accurate to teenagers. Using the word “like” and “liking” so many times in a conversation that it doesn’t even sound like a word anymore.

Paige...dude, I’m so torn. Like I’m glad you’re being honest with Derek about your worries, but also it’s a complete dick move to just Assume that he’s gonna bail? To say to his face that you Know he’s leaving you and you’re just waiting for it? Fucking rude.

Ennis...bro...how exactly did your Beta “Accidentally” kill a hunter? How would that happen?

AGAIN WITH THE TIMELINE. If the packs only CAME to beacon hills because of Ennis issue with the hunters, why was RB running through beacon hills when he was killed?

Also, side note: Where are all of these werewolves staying? Are they territorial so they like, all claimed different hotels to take over? Or do they not mind, and THAT’S why the Hale house is so big for such a small family? Because they had a ton of guest rooms for packs that visited to get that sweet, sweet Hale Wisdom?

I firmly believe that werewolves are clothing-optional people. Talia straight shifts into a naked human form in front of over a dozen other wolves.

Also, where the hell is the Hale pack here? Some random chick comes up and gives Talia a robe, but that person is standing with Deuc’s pack. So....what?

I’m so curious about the formation the wolves make when they hear Talia coming. Everybody backs away, except Deucalion. And they do this weird focus on his face as he watches her come in. And her eye contact is JUST with him.

OH GROSS. DID DEUC HAVE A THING FOR DEREK’S MOM????

I will admit that watching things with subtitles sometimes ruins the surprise. There’s that little pause before “I’m just a deputy” like it was supposed to be shocking to the audience, but the subtitle on Amazon Prime just Pops up right away and it kind of ruins the effect.

Here we go! The one piece of concrete information on “Packs” and “pack members” that we’re given in the whole fucking show. Word for Word. “Losing a member of your pack isn’t like losing family, it’s like you lose a limb.”

That is....severe. Now imagine that your entire family IS your pack. And losing almost every one of them. Is it any wonder that Cora, Peter, and Derek are so messed up? That they’re so dark and wounded looking?

I s2g sometimes Peter literally just sounds like he’s a self-insert for the writers. He explains shit that the writer’s are showing Really Badly as if to wave away the fact that the Ennis flashback is pretty much Completely unnecessary. “You just don’t understand my artistic genius, it’s never just a single moment, it’s a confluence of events. I have to show you all these random flashbacks because you need to understand why Derek is soaked in MANPAIN all the time. Which is totally relevant to the current plot bc....bc....bc ART (and also Tyler Hoechlin was busy so we could only get one shot of him for the entire episode)”

That is just the cutest shit oh my god. Derek listens to Paige’s music while he’s in class and doing homework. THAT is love, you realize? He doesn’t just deal with her dedication to her music, he loves it.

THat little wince when he says “Are you sure about that?” Paige knows he’s gonna screw with her.

THAT IS A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP. He gives her space! She likes studying during lunch so he Leaves her Alone. I LIKE IT.

What do you mean “Laura told you about the packs being here.” Derek KNOWS they’re here because he watched RB DIE IN THE WOODS. Seriously, I”M SO CONFUSED.

FUN FACT (that I might’ve already shared) Oak wood was liked by the Celts because it was really sturdy and hardy and bore food, but it wasn’t their favorite type of wood! Rowan was the favorite, and Irish pagan practitioners used to sleep in rowan trees so they could have prophetic dreams. After that, it was Hazelwood. :P

I...do not enjoy when they bring up the Celtic Druids. *Scuttles to get my textbook bc this is my nerd shit*

“We’re in a Nemeton” This is the correct wording, actually! A “Nemeton” isn’t a thing, it’s a “sacred meeting place” as Chris calls it. Go chris! Nemeton refers to the entire grove/area around the main tree.

I can’t speak to whether they chose a ‘Large, older tree in a grove” but it does make sense bc if we’re talking about Oaks they were a symbol of food and safety (acorns were a staple to Celtic diets) so choosing an older tree would not only look more impressive, but it would probably bear more acorns for the clan.

“It would represent the center of the world” *Puts on vine voice* THat is NOt Correct! The tree at the center of the Nemeton was called a “crann bethadh” or “Tree of Life” and it was essentially a Totem that marked the center of the tribe’s territory. It was not ‘the center of the world’ it was the center of THEIR world. Their land.

“There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages” Not sure if ‘villages’ is the correct term for the era, but the rest of it sounds like a close mistranslation. See, in Ireland there were raids people would do against other clans where the SOLE PURPOSE was to destroy their crann bethadh, because it was demoralizing. It’s like graffiti-ing the front of a church. But technically, it WAS severely frowned upon to harm the tree in any way.

This is mostly because in most Celtic areas, Oak trees were considered symbols of the “Father of the Sky” or the “God of Thunder.” Of course you don’t wanna piss off Thunder man.

Also, you notice how I’m saying CELTS and not DRUIDS. It’s because DRUID isn’t a cultural label, it’s a SOCIAL CLASS. It’s like saying “The Educated”

Okay, back to the--OH WAIT. Before anyone gets any ideas, the blood on the crann bethadh isn’t human. Estonian Celts smeared animal blood on the tree roots as an assurance for rain and good harvests. This is the same concept as TONS of other religions, including Christianity. (Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God, but God stopped him and had him sacrifice a Ram instead. So, Yes. Christians used to perform animal sacrifices.)

NOW back to the show.

THe fact that gerard doesn’t know this stuff implies that Chris is the nerd of the family.

I LIKE THIS. I hate that I like it bc it’s Gerard, but I LIKE IT. Gerard gets up from his wheelchair. He doesn’t need it All the Time.

I’ve never seen another show that bothered to have a wheelchair user who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, which is stupid because it’s Very Common for people using wheelchairs to not need them all the time.

though it does beg the question of why he’s sitting in a wheelchair when he’s in his own bedroom? Was he going somewhere? Or did he know he wouldn’t have enough chairs and didn’t want Allison or Scott to sit in his chair?

The story of Lycaon, who was considered a savage ruler of Arcadia and Zeus went to his house disguised as a human (this is v common in myth) to find out if he was batshit. Lycaon and his FIFTY SONS (he also had one daughter) wanted to know if the stranger was a human or a mortal, so they fed him human flesh in stew. Zeus flipped shit and blasted the room with thunderbolts, murdering all but one of Lycaon’s sons, and then turned Lycaon into a wolf.

So...this whole ‘myth of lycaon’ is totally fucked up when it didn’t need to be? Like, they didn’t NEED to change it to make it a messed up origin story of wolves. It already was.

There’s three major versions to choose from

Lycaon was a pius man who founded the city of Lycosura on Mount Lycaeus and used a child as a sacrifice to Zeus, thinking it would please him. Zeus flips shit and turns Lycaon into a wolf. FROM THEN ON; at every sacrifice made to zeus a man was transformed into a wolf and if he managed to restrain himself from eating human flesh for 8-9 years, he would be turned human again.

The same story as the first, except Lycaon Knew Zeus was in disguise and the child he fed him was Zeus’ own son, and it was revenge for seducing his only daughter Callisto.

If you want to make it match what you’ve already said about wolves in the show, they could’ve used the last one and it would’ve demonstrated how Ingrained the concept of vendetta/revenge is for wolves.

If you wanted to focus on the Turning Human part and working with Celtic Druids to learn to become werewolves, you could’ve used the second one.

there was no reason to add in the bullshit about Prometheus except as an excuse to make Deucalion look like he picked his name to be an asshole, which he fucking didn’t.

 I’m so sorry about all the classical shit (i’m really not) but I studied it in college and I can’t just let this bullshit stand.

I’ll give them a pass on the ‘the lesser known part’ bc it’s technically plausible for the wolves to have run north to the Celts and beg for help, And the Druids (those who’s education was specifically in magic, not all of them) were known for shapeshifting (though not usually into animals. They did that to Other people, not themselves)

I cannot believe this is so long, i’m so sorry.

But WHY tho, Cora? How is an Emissary supposed to keep you connected to humanity if No ONe KNows Who They Are?? How are they supposed to do their job??

Yeah, well now Deaton is a sour bitch who has a chip on his shoulder against the Hale pack so like...fuck his advice.

I will say though! Pre-fire Deaton doesn’t give me the heebies like post-fire Deaton. He’s much more clear about the advice he’s giving, and it’s actually helpful! He still has a dumb little anecdote/parable about the scorpion and the frog (which...in most circumstances I hate. It doesn’t even match what happens) but he gives Real Advice instead of vague asshole nonsense.

“I’m an Alpha, I never walk alone.” I have an inordinate affection for this line.

Paige is clearly some kinda bad bitch if she thought nothing of going to hang out in the school in the middle of the night with Derek.

Okay, but like...why would he attack Ennis like that if he was the one who asked him to bite Paige? And why is the moment played up “A fifteen-year-old boy against a giant” Derek was literally swatted to the side while Ennis walked out of the building. this wasn’t some big showdown.

If she’d already been bitten, why was Ennis still grabbing at her??

....seriously? Peter is literally right there? And no one noticed?

Again with the “Scott is a genius now” LIsten, bro, why the fuck would Scott know a sanskrit fable? If he Did know a story like that, it would be bc Deaton taught him. In which case he would know the FROG and the scorpion. Come on, guys.

OH MY GOD GERARD DOES IT TOO. GERARD, PETER, AND DEUC all have a CHRONIC case of verbal diarrhea when they’re trying to be intimidating.

I do NOT understand this warehouse scene. It’s a GAS gerard, if you stabbed yourself with some sort of...antidote or whatever it wouldn’t save you from the GAS you’re inhaling. At the very least you would be shouting like everyone else because it HURTS going in.

why did it take so long for Talia to come? It’s implied that Peter left to get her, so why did it take so long? Even PAST peter looks fucked up at seeing that Paige is dying, it’s not like he would wait.

I’ll be real, i get weepy so i’m skipping the actual death. Just know that it hurts me. Severely.

Y’all know how much I hate this ‘innocent life’ bullshit for blue eyes. It’s very True Alpha-y in that it’s impossible to pin down the specifics. What constitutes an ‘innocent life’? What constitutes taking it? With wolf claws? With a gun? What counts and what doesn’t count? Ugh.

Eyyy, so I’m exhausted and this is so long that my computer is fritzing. There are five minutes left and nothing happens in them at all. Just Scott pointing out the heartbeat thing and threatening to kill Gerard (so he’s still fine with murder at this point in time. Good to know). Stiles telling Cora that he doesn’t think Peter was telling the truth (which she would Know if he wasn’t) and that he’s gonna ask Derek about it (which we never got to see). And Deucalion murdering his own Beta (who, tbf, tried to kill him first. Which, again, what the fuck is up with Deaton’s office that wolves are able to rip each other apart in it, but it’s still ‘hard for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble.’ I’m just so confused

Final Thoughts: This episode actually had some interesting stuff in it, which is kind of sad considering there was no PLOT, just Exposition. I look forward to tweezing the bits out that I want and dumping the rest in the garbage where it belongs. Oh, and like I said, the music was on Point.

#personal #anti-Scott McCall #TeenWolf-Rewatch #long post

[that0negayslytherin]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

i was tagged by the lovely @aziraphalescrowley, thank you so much ;-; <33

[rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!]

I’ll be focusing mostly on my Venji fics, but also talking a little bit about my original work at the end! For those of you who don’t know I’m currently in my first year of an MFA program for creative writing, so this has been a HUGE year in writing for me!! :D (Also I did more than 5 sorry hehe <3)

Good Things Fall Apart

If you have followed me for any amount of time you’ve probably seen me yell about this fic at some point!! This is my biggest LV WIP and one of the largest writing projects I’ve undergone in my life. It started as my take on S2 as many multi-chap fics did immediately following S1, but I feel like it’s really grown into something more distinct from that. It’s heavy on themes of reconciling sexuality with faith as well as self-forgiveness and learning to let the people in your life help you. There’s Lorde, there’s summer vibes, there’s Mothman, there are perhaps too many subplots. Only 2 chapters remain to be written and posted, so check it out if you’re looking for a big ol WIP to keep you occupied!

Fresh Hell

This was written as part of a Halloween-themed fic fest and is one of my favorite things I’ve written this year, fic and otherwise. It’s a Love Victor slasher AU that’s loosely based on the vibes and dark humor of the show Scream Queens, and while it was supposed to be multiple parts but fairly short, it ended up reaching pretty solid novella length. If you like college-aged Venji, thrills and gore, and a relationship tested by a psychotic serial killer, this one’s for you.

if we make it through december

Another fic fest entry, this time for Christmas/the Winter holidays. In this one, Benji and Victor are both in their mid-twenties; Benji own a struggling bakery and Victor is trying to climb the ranks at the accounting firm where he works, and a chance encounter leads to a couple of not-so-chance encounters and so much holiday fluff. It’s your pretty typical Hallmark-esque bakery AU so if that’s your jam I highly recommend this one!!

A Brief History of Benji Campbell and Birthdays

While this is technically a spin-off from GTFA, it can be read completely on its own as well! This is a oneshot I wrote for Benji’s birthday that chronicles a few of his notable birthdays through the years. Something we’ve felt as a fandom is that Benji was lacking in backstory in canon, so this was my attempt at writing some for him! A bit sad throughout but a fairly quick read with a happy and Venji-heavy ending <3

Starved, Sanguine, Smitten

Another fic I wrote for Halloween, this is a vampire!Benji AU. Honestly, I feel like I could leave it at that because what more could you want?? OK but actually this one is Vic/Benji dual-POV and has a dark but comedic tone (think Teen Wolf vibes); I’m also planning on eventually writing a follow-up!

Burned/TPQ

Burned is the name of my first ever completed novel, which has technically been in the works for about 10 years now! It’s the first in a planned series called The Psych Quartet and it’s basically about a gay amnesiac superhuman who’s trying to solve the mystery of his mother’s death. It features a school that’s hiding secrets, a gay love triangle, and the other main characters include a disaster bisexual plant dad, a lesbian TA who loves gossip and astrology, a hardass loner chick who carries around a sword, and a misguided orphan sadboi. You can read more about it here, and also follow me on my writeblr (@wordsbynathan​​) if you’re interested in more of my original writing!!

Short Fiction!

Speaking of original writing, I also got much more into short fiction this year, which is very new for me! I wrote a couple of really fun stories, my two favorites being Honeysuckle and Smoke and Black Squirrel, which again you can read about on my writeblr. I’ve sort of fallen in love with the form and will definitely be writing more short stories in the future as well <3

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OK that was a lot but I love talking about writing so much ;-; I am going to tag @comradesalazar​ @benjislatteart​ @lovelyvictor​ @ducklingcabal​ and @callmevenji​ with absolutely no pressure <3

#my writing #what else do i tag this uhhh #oh well #long post #love victor #(since its mostly lv fic hehe)

[jimmymcgools]

Idk if you’re still doing the fic meme but would love to hear your commentary on the afternoon scene at white sands!

i definitely am! ♥️♥️♥️ and so excited to get to talk about white sands. this turned into an extra long one, too, so brace yourself.  

fic commentary meme and my answers 🙌

this whole afternoon i’ve been trying to remember how i picked white sands. it must’ve been looking through photos of new mexico on tumblr? i can’t think of any fun origin story for it at least, and i definitely had no idea that it’d end up being such a turning point in the story. white sands! it stands in for so much now.  

He realizes that the haze he saw from afar was actually the white sand of the dunes, picked up by the wind and left hanging in the air like a fine fog. this specific detail is something i noticed on google streetview more than any photos 

so hazy!

The artwork in the visitor’s center had depicted mammoths and giant sloths in the grasslands around the lake, lush and vibrant. there’s a bunch of those streetview bubble things actually inside the white sands visitor’s center, so i snooped around in there. zooming in and reading all the info boards like a tragic version of a real tourist. 

It’s finer than any sand he’s ever felt—more like flour than anything, and it’s completely cool to the touch despite the afternoon sun.  i really wanted to capture the tactile feeling of being in this place, and luckily a bunch of tripadvisor reviews had described the feeling of the sand well enough that i could give it my best shot! 

“So I guess there used to be a big lake here,” Kim says, staring out over the edge of the dune. alternate take: kim and jimmy visit camp green lake and dig holes every day and eat raw onions. 

He wiggles his bare toes in the sand. “Fists with your toes,” he says. Kim chuckles. “Better than a shower and a cup of coffee.” kim and jimmy the movie nerds! jimmy probably should’ve done this as soon as he landed in abq, huh? at least he’s doing it now. the secret to surviving.  

“I wonder if Chuck’s ever been out here,” he says gonna go ahead and make that a definite “no”, jimbo. 

The first time I was just dumb and eighteen,” Jimmy says. “I was off and on with her all through high school ahh the infamous marriages. i wanted to preserve the vibes of like, stupid romantic-at-heart jimmy, especially because by now i had settled pretty firmly into an acb jimmy who looks at kim wistfully like 😍24/7, so i needed continuity with that. i think i actually included them in the cicero chapter, but “mr and mrs kimberly wexler” “do you make 25 foot signs? no!?” legal pad boy 100% seems like someone who was filling notebooks with a girl’s name in high school. 

i like the idea that he did some dumb, grand, drunken, romantic gesture while they’re all cutting loose in vegas. something that doesn’t look nearly as cool as he thinks it does.  

i have a little timeline for jimmy’s life, and so i knew that i could sync this marriage up with roughly the era his father loses the store and then dies. i liked the idea that this and other circumstantial changes happened and the teenaged relationship just couldn’t weather it. 

“College of DuPage,” Jimmy says, and he holds up his fist. “Go Chaps!” jimmy’s college years!! this is so interesting to me! did someone in his family really encourage this? was this an earlier attempt to get on the straight and narrow? all food for thought. either way, he didn’t go far from home, unlike chuck. 

Me and Lisa…we were pretty good. For a long time. She did theater jimmy should’ve just been a theater kid. get in a spotlight, get those eyeballs on him.  

“And the worst part is, I introduced them! Because he was dating Mom,” Jimmy spits i think i saw someone else use this somewhere, and i wish i could remember who, but as a way to tie in the step-dad thing from brba it appealed to me. i think ruth has that same playful/theatrical side to her as jimmy, so i liked that connection here, too. also it’s just so horrible and dividing

She folds her lips inwards and studies him, then tilts her head and gives a little smile. “I can’t believe you’re telling me this in your stupid sombrero hat.”  i hadn’t planned this at all when i had jimmy buy the dumb hat in the last chapter, but it ended up working well -- kim deflecting from the serious moment with some lively hat talk, jimmy loves hat talk, the perfect distraction

The white sands seem almost to reflect it, becoming nacreous with pink and yellow and orange, taking on the color of the world above.  as a little metaphor for jimmy, here. he’s just reflecting everyone around him. 

The brim of the hat casts a diagonal stripe of blue shadow over her face. ahaha oh god i had forgotten i’d included this sledgehammer-subtle parking garage scene reference

“I’m not ashamed of being from there,” Kim says crisply. She shakes her head as if to shake that thought of her mind. “Not at all. But I wanted a blank slate. i always go into writing a scene like this planning for her to reveal more than she does, but it never feels believable. but i wanted to make that distinction between her hiding red cloud and her being ashamed of where she was born. i don’t think it makes sense for kim to be the latter. 

“I guess they just wanted somebody to listen to them. But it bugged me. Like they expected me to fix the weather for for them, too, in between bagging their groceries.” this seems like a very kim trait to me. that rather than just listening and nodding along to these farmer’s chatty complaints, she feels like it’s on her to fix everything, when of course it isn’t, and i doubt any of these customers would expect it to be.   “There was a time when I thought I could get married,” she says. “It even seemed almost inevitable. Like getting wound up so tight and then released on a path. i think it was a friend who made this connection, but imo kim does this in bcs too. especially when you think about her career path at HHM and how it’s going in s1/s2, or her time with mesa verde. to her credit, she breaks off the rails eventually in those situations, but she does seem to ride these tracks long past the point when it’s clear she’s not on a good route. i guess you could say that about her relationship with jimmy, too? depending on how fatalistic (and maybe reductive?) you want to be. 

The sky around it glows amber. West, he thinks. “But you weren’t stuck in Red Cloud,” he says.   and kennedy’s head faces west, faces the future.  

he pauses for a moment, eyes drawn to the long shadows cast backward by the two of them, rippling over the white dunes. They stretch away so far they seem to vanish before they end.  something about this image seems perfect for the two of them. maybe that’s just the dumb jimmy romantic in me talking. kim and jimmy’s shadows dipping over the curve of the dunes, out of sight, before they end. 

hell, this got LONG! i’ll end with this quote i took a screenshot of in the visitor’s center. better call saul, anybody?

#asks #commentary ask meme #kingofthelampoon #better call saul #a controlled burn