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geshertzarmeod · 3 years

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In Other Lands Character Arcs

(Spoilers Abound)

I’m thinking about how the character arcs of all three main characters from In Other Lands center largely on moving away from what their families expected of them, even as each of them doesn’t necessarily think moving away from that is possible. And how it’s their relationships with each other that help them move in the directions they actually want to move in, and believe in their abilities to forge their own paths and lead fulfilling lives. Even if it’s not what their parents or home communities think a fulfilling life entails. This culminates in their refusal (along with Golden) at the end of the book, to let anyone else influence them when it comes to deciding where to be stationed. They’re ready to choose their own paths, together.

There’s something deeply appealing to me about this as a queer person, even as queerness (as defined by orientation or gender) is not actually a central factor in the shifting of each character’s relationship with their families. Actually, the character who comes closest to that is Serene, who is presumedly straight, but whose pushback against the rigid gendered expectations of her society so challenge her community that she and Golden are essentially banished at least for a time. This is only tangentially queer, I’d say, because she does this not for herself, as she seems to proudly fit & identify with elven womanhood, but recognizes the false limiting of manhood within her society and fights fiercely for Luke, Elliot, and eventually Golden, who I’d say is GNC for sure. For Luke, it’s not his being gay but his being monogamous and waiting longer than they expected (though he’s like, still 17!!! that’s still young!!!) to become sexually or romantically active that is off-putting to his family. For Elliot, his father is shocked not to see him with a man, but to see him happy (cue my tears).

I was just thinking this after reading Girl, Serpent, Thorn especially, but I really love when queer books parallel queer narratives of shame and struggle and difference and growing pains, with queer characters, but about issues unrelated to their being queer (especially when they’re about magical/fantasy elements). Then we get to relate to queer characters and see them process a lot of the feelings we have experienced, but also get to see them be loved and value and supported unconditionally in their queerness. Anyway, for an individual analysis:

Luke Sunborn

First, because I know a lot of people might not have read it, I’m going to quote Luke’s perspective from Wings In The Morning:

There were reasons Luke hadn’t kissed anybody. The Sunborns, as a family, loved life and loved love, and treated it as a game. It was fine for them: it worked for them.

Luke had always known that a riot of brightness and different loves and leaving someone laughing was beyond him. He wanted kindness and steadiness: he did not want someone who would leave. He wanted love that would last. (location 2527 in my kindle book, I can’t tell what page)

Luke, the Sunborn champion, expected to excel in battle, and love (read: have sex) freely and easily and non-monogamously, becoming an avid reader because of Elliot - something his father is shocked by and a little ashamed of. Learning Elvish because of both of them. Breaking border camp rules, threatening superior officers, to protect Elliot, and to support Serene, even as he continually complains about it and, on paper, would always argue that those choices are Not Okay and Very Bad. Luke, whose bashful shyness around his crushes, whose concern over his first kiss, whose choice of Elliot as a partner, is incomprehensible to his family, snapping, “I don’t want anyone else,” at the elves. He’s chosen Elliot, even as Elliot still doesn’t at all believe it at that point, and he’s happy with that decision. Elliot’s his choice, and only Elliot. Notorious Sunborn sexual voracity be damned.

Luke’s journey is also largely about him working through his external, and later internalized, biases against magical creatures. It’s pretty clearly an analog to xenophobia, and Luke expresses more disgust, disdain, or fear, the more different a culture is from the one he grew up in. This obviously becomes internalized against himself, when he realizes he is half-harpy. He literally represses his wings from coming out, he sees harpies as monsters and includes himself within this. It’s awful, and it’s sad, and it’s a mixture of Elliot’s meticulous research and adamant arguments that harpies are people, and that Luke isn’t a monster at all (and neither are harpies and other non-human creatures), and Serene’s calm acceptance of him, that helps him move through this.

This xenophobia, although clearly ingrained since childhood, don’t seem to be coming primarily from his family (certainly not from his mother) but from the culture of the borderguard in general. To me, it is implied that his father might at least casually buy into a lot of this, although he would never extend it to his son. It also is an interesting dynamic as related to the other two’s relationships with family, because Luke coming to love and accept himself, and to open his mind about non-human creatures, is actually him coming closer to his mother, rather than moving away. In my view, a part of why he bought in so clearly to this prejudice coming from the general bordercamp culture is because he was pushing away from his parents in the first place - he saw his parents being so wild and free in a way he knew he could never be that he pushed himself into the opposite side, into “reason” and restraint and conservatism. What he needed to learn was how to hold his more “traditional” wants and needs (although like, he’s kind of wrong about that. Elliott Schafer is not the traditional kind quiet love he’s imagining, and he didn’t want that anyway) while still celebrating all of the different approaches and cultures and loves out there, and that’s what he’s learning alongside Elliot and Serene. And he does this partially because Elliot’s love for him as a half-harpy is, according to his previous beliefs, just as wild and out there as his mother’s affair with his biological father, or all of Elliot’s flirting with various magical creatures. And as he accepts Elliot’s love, he accepts that too.

Serene-Heart-In-The-Chaos-of-Battle

From the first moment we meet Serene we know she ran away from home to join the border camp. She’s chosen to join the humans, to fight alongside men, to learn about the borderlands from a human perspective and use that to create an alliance and to create peace. She enters a world where she is looked down on, where she is sexualized and punished for trying to swim shirtless, and has to fight hard to take the classes she wants and have the opportunity to prove herself as she wishes. Instead of deciding her parents and community were right and going back to the elves, she digs her heels in and with Elliot and Luke’s help, fights back, fights to excel at the border camp and make things different and better, and prove her detractors wrong.

Not only that, but she learns to respect men in a way she was not raised to do, learns to treat men as equals and partners, always defending both Elliot and Luke when her community disrespects them. This prepares her for her relationship with Golden (although Elliot still helps her along a lot, especially with their written correspondence) and ends in her and Golden essentially eloping after Golden ran away to fight alongside her. It’s also important that she accepts Golden fighting alongside her. That was not at all a given, especially as even towards the middle of the book, she seems to be thinking of human men as capable of fighting and strength and other “womanly” qualities, but not necessarily believing the same of elven men. She’s chosen a nontraditional path and a GNC partner in Golden, and for the time being, her closest family is not her blood but her beautiful boyfriend, her swordsister, and her loved and loving best friend Elliot.

Elliot Schafer

Last but the opposite of least is Elliot. What Elliot learned from his family is that he will come to nothing, that he will be forgotten, and that he will not be loved. I am so angry on this child’s behalf, for the ways he was neglected not only by his parents but by everyone before Serene. The ways his father had no interest in him because all he wanted was Elliot’s mother back (and I love Elliot’s observation that even if his mother did come back, his father wouldn’t know what to do, and would not be happy). The way his teacher literally accepted a small bribe to just...... leave him at the entrance to the borderlands, and none of the students cared. The way his mother not only left when he was a child but knew who he was the second she saw or even heard about him at the bordercamp, and never bothered to tell him, or show any interest in him whatsoever.Elliot has been taught, over and over again, that he is unwanted and uncared for. That he has to go it alone, and fill his own needs.

Elliot learns to respect Commander Woodsinger and to know that while she doesn’t necessarily love him, she knows him, and appreciates who and what he is, and sees value and strength in it. She, unlike his previous teachers and school professionals, understands him, and likes him, and values him. She’s not warm, but she’s a positive presence in his life, and part of him learning to believe he has value just as he is, and not just because he spitefully decided it to go against what everyone else has told him, but because it’s actually true.

He didn’t want his parents and his peers and the adults who have let him down to be right about this, so he does dream of being loved back. But he shows himself fully prepared to be the one who loves more in relationships, especially with Serene. He’s ready, at first, to take all she’ll give him, and revel in each part of it, even if it doesn’t match up to his love for her. It’s not until the moment he turns down Serene’s final advance (when she’s clearly settling for him) that he realizes how much he wants to be chosen first. And he believes that’s possible, and worth waiting for (and that in the meantime, he will help Serene up and help her find what she truly wants too).

Elliot knows Serene loves him. She shows him he deserves love, and in his devotion to her, Elliot begins to excel and challenge himself and learn to see his brand of obnoxiousness as something that might not be everyone’s taste but isn’t inherently bad. He trusts Serene to love him, at least as a friend, but he doesn’t trust that Luke will, because Luke reminds him of all of the kids who hurt him in the past.

And that’s why the slowest arc of this whole book is probably Elliot realizing that Luke.... actually likes him. Actually wants to be around him, and enjoys his presence, and even like-likes him - loves him even. It just can’t compute for him. And so we get basically an unreliable narration for most of the book regarding Luke. Elliot’s “aha” moment about Luke rewrites years of his life, shifting his understanding of so much of their lives together. And it solidifies Elliot’s discovery that he can be loved exactly as he is, obnoxious and annoying and all. He’s found people who love him for it, and they’ve chosen him, and they’re going to stick around.

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thegeminisage · 3 years

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you are right to say everything you said about Cullen of DA. I haven't played in a few years but I think Cullen has potential! Very curious abt your Fix Him arc 👀👀👀

anyway, just wanted to express support and agreement beyond a like <3

lol thank you <3 sorry i know this is going to get away from me but basically i would do it like zuko in atla, which is truly the ultimate earned redemption arc 1. the narrative would have to acknowledge the very real harm cullen caused during da2 and it would have to show him experiencing true remorse, which it only kind of did and 2. there would need to be genuine reparations, which there were NONE of 3. his ongoing suspicion of mages, this whole "we cant recruit them and just let them do WHATEVER" business would need to be addressed too at some point.

i think they almost did that by accident - when you're romancing him as a mage (and this is a particularly fraught interaction if you're a circle mage) there's a couple of places where you can basically go "wait but you but you want to be with ME? i thought you'd only ever see me as a mage" or "not afraid of being alone with a mage then?" and cullen is like "have i given you reason to doubt? well fuck me of course i have." it's a nice little moment of self-awareness and i wish he had had more of it and i also wish that it had been tied to his general distrust in your decisions if you chose to recruit/side with the mages earlier on. like yes if you keep being openly suspicious of mages your romantic interest who is also a mage is going to be extremely uncomfortable*! i think any player character who is a mage, especially a circle mage, has good reason to be afraid of any former templar, but most especially of a templar whose hatred of mages was at one point personal...

...which leads me to point 4. post da1, when cullen is kept in captivity and tortured** and watched all his friends die in absolutely horrific ways one a time, it actually is a normal and expected trauma response to hate and fear magic wielders. fenris in da2 says absolutely HORRIBLE things about mages, and in da2 when you talk to cullen fenris generally even agrees with every word out of his mouth - but we tend not to get up in arms about it because mages enslaved him, and his viewpoint is more than understandable. the only real difference is that fenris was never in a position to enforce the systemic discrimination against mages, and cullen was. so while in da2 it's interesting to watch fenris unlearn that trauma response, particularly if he falls in love with a mage, he doesn't necessarily need to redeem himself, which cullen would. because some of what cullen said and did as a response to that trauma was understandable or even acceptable, but much of it was not.

(* he could even have a belated reaction where he realizes his crush in da1 was extremely inappropriate because he was this woman's jailer and potential executioner. it's a deeply fucked up situation because under one hand the fact that he had this crush meant that on some level he failed to dehumanize mages as much as his job required but he WAS dehumanizing them enough that he literally could not understand how horrific their situation was, that mages in the circle were literally incapable of turning down any templar for any reason, and that while they were in that position they could have never had anything remotely resembling a real romance.

** since cullen was not being given lyrium during that time, it's even normal for the withdrawal itself, which can be agonizing to the point of debilitation and even lethal, to be a trigger for his ptsd! like the withdrawal was PART of the torture! which is important when you also bring in the fact that he's in da3 he is willingly suffering through it again in order to break out of that addiction. in a way what he's doing is both noble AND selfish. it also makes him act like more of an asshole because it's triggering that trauma response, which is also at the root of his harmful behavior in da2. it's a fucking mess! he's a mess of a person!)

which is a long way of saying that in da3, i would have liked to see cullen understand that hating mages is a trauma response and not Objective Fact, instead of this "oh maybe i was too extreme...i was right tho" nonsense. no circle mage in the WORLD would touch that, because circle mages WOULD ALSO have a trauma response to templars in general, but again, especially a templar who took it as seriously and as personally as cullen did.

and even though the game only gave us maybe 4 lines of this potential conflict, i think would be very compelling for two people who have very, very good reasons to hate and fear each other to fall in love. this “opposites” thing is a very common romance trope in fantasy - vampire and a slayer, werewolf and a hunter, angel and an atheist, etc. you have a lot of this in da2 with fenris, but it's only fenris that has a reason to hate and fear hawke instead of the other way around being added as well. and it's essential that hawke gains fenris's trust and respect, but hawke also doesn't require a redemption arc.

so like: that sort of tropeset, but also with a redemption arc, which is another good trope if. IF. IF!!! it's done well. when it's not. well. looking at you kylo ren. and anyway that's how i would fix it. BUT there's absolutely no way they'd devote that kind of time and writing to ONE romance out of half a dozen when the game already cut corners because of crunch time. (did you know cullen was originally supposed to be romanceable by ANY race/gender of player character? wild.)

#liz answers asks #agentmika #liz plays dragon age #long post #this is more than i have thought about dragon age in like 5 years #sorry everyone i'm done now #this does make me a rape apologist according to some people on the internet by the way. VERY classy

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cowboypossume · 4 years

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so i reread keeper of the lost cities and here’s my fresh input:

a note before we begin: you know how people fake throw up at things on tik tok? this book is the reason i now unironically do that.

dex and fitz really have the enemies to lovers troupe going for them and i’m ok with it. i really am.

so do sophie and biana at the beginning but it fizzes out so a better description is enimies to friends to lovers

marhella and stina give me such power top energy i cannot express how much i think that contributes to people not liking them

speaking of stina i wish sophie didn’t just immediately hop onto the bandwagon of “oh she’s evil” without investing further, especially with how much she is written as a ‘good’ person (which i can and will defend to the day i die that good people don’t exist but that’s for a different day).

there’s way too much heteronormativity and Patriarchical Ideas mushed into the book. like three hole pages of a 488 page book of teenagers being like “oooooo girls like guys and guys like girls” only for della to join in. not to mention the amount of times keefe is the reason for those ideas because he’s teasing like “oh fitz has a girlfriend”

keefe and fitz didn’t have as many bonding moments™️ in this book as i remember, but they stil know each other really well, have comfortability around each other, and would make a 10/10 best friends to lovers troupe.

oh my god s o many crushes i swear. like two teenagers of the opposite gender really can’t not like each other apperantly

i miss read a line and really thought there was cannon sexism for me to do a whole ass rant about in the notes part of my analyzation but n o p e

but we do have classism, sexist stereotypes, and the fact that there’s been SO many characters who’ve spoken and ✨🌺far too many of them are white🌺✨

oh also: no ones disabled. which annoys me because their society is described as ‘euptopic’ almost implying that it’s something that makes people problematic, which,,,, no

ok a side note on the society, i understand that the story’s message (kinda) is that things that seem perfect are probably deeply flawed, but something tergan said stuck with me. on a page i can’t remember at the moment he says something like “[the black swan exists] in a society that doesn’t have rebels”, which it suck with me bc that’s boarderline dystopic if it’s not there already. it’s one thing for laws not to be broken, but when you think your society is so perfect despite it having obvious flaws and you think that no one rebels, then i really hate to break it to you, you have a massive rebellion about to occur; it’s just scented as foul under your resplendent nose.

please stop flirting. i get its part of teenagers being teens but i swear if i read “s/he realeased a breath” or “their heart fluttered” or literally ANYTHING like that god no.

yall. i missed dex. he actually has more role in this book than ‘you can gadget and we need one’ and oh boy i really missed him. he’s a BEAN and deserves better.

hole’s said everyone deserves better and i absolutely agree so we’re adding that note here.

if you do what i did and read this book out loud to one of your best friends who has no clue anything about this weird fandom and give fitz a really deep voice for no reason it’s comdy GOLD.

i really think i’m reading too much into this point but iggy seems,,,, symbolic to me?

like ok with humans, sophie didn’t ‘fit in’, right? like she grew up hearing things like “why can’t you be normal like your sister” (which i can do a whole other rant about how that will affect her for the rest of her life just a s k)

not to mention looking really different from her family and graduating high school at age twelve

but you know who never judged her?

m a r t y

so anyway sophie meets this teal-eyed, movie star smiled wonder boy who takes away her entire knowledge of everything she’s known while taking away her family too

and it turns out even in a place of weirdos she still manages to be the exception to everything

and she doesn’t have the comfort to hear what people are really thinking about her anymore (which as i said before say the word and i’ll deadass write a whole speech about how everything she heard will completely fuck up every relationship she has) which unfortunately means that she grew used to confirming people didn’t like her but now she doesn’t have that

she has to adapt to this new space and feel like she’s always felt, like an outcast in a place that was accepting, but yet again, she the exception to everything

but about halfway through the book she starts to become more comfortable around grady and edaline and that’s when iggy comes in

she finds him while cleaning garbage, and grady compliments her. they have a bonding moment and it’s because of this t h i n g. and then sophie actually feels proud not only does she take up a room, but she did something

and her new parents are proud of her

so she finally feels like she BELONGS because she helped out at the place where she lives/they work

to me it seems iggy is kinda a manifesto of the world building and character development that happens in this book

i think the plot/character arc is fixated a little too much on how different sophie is. like, i get it, she’s exception to everything, but the plot really didn’t need her to be that quirky. yes, she’s different, but there’s a lot more to the plot and her character than how different she is.

also, i had to reread pages a lot bc i needed an exact paragraph number and,,,, it’s really paced like a fanfic

some questions i have about the society is:

it’s established that they use books, physical papers, etc., and the only thing i remember about trees is the speech alden gave her about how she doesn’t know the name of their most popular tree, and the fact that people become trees when they die. even then i don’t think the second one is in this book. never o n c e do i remember something about planting trees that aren’t dead elf’s, so do they feel the affects of deforestation and that jazz?? like if they use trees, will they run out of them? can they??? and do they use the coffins of elf’s for paper??

this is more of a rant than a question, but here it goes anyway. in foxfire, students have a testing system very similar to the one in america: a huge test at the end of the year determines the future of a student. that in of itself doesn’t sound too drastic, right? well,,,,, not necessarily. several studies have shown that tests in general, but especially these types, don’t work. despite how good or bad of a teacher i think my past and current teachers have been, every single one of them hates this system that we have in place. they know it’s an unfair assessment that does it’s damnist to make you fail, and they’re trying so hard to denounce it. however, that doesn’t happen at all in the lost cities. in fact, most of the teachers pride themselves on failing students. so if elf’s are in such an advanced society, why do tests still exist? especially in an environment where the consequences are far greater than just staying back a grade.

so sophie’s figuring out that major problems exist in the world the elf’s created, right? i wonder if more society structured problems exist more than ‘oh bad people do things and the law justifies which is what’. like, as i’ve previously stated, there’s sexist stereotypes presented (like girls like dresses and guys don’t), but does sexism still exist? does racism exist? it’s established that poverty isn’t a thing because of the fund elf’s have at birth and their limited usage of money (which if you understand please explain bc i don’t really get how they buy stuff but still don’t use money) but if someone gets shipped off to exile, do they lose their money? is it possible for elf’s to starve to death because they can’t afford food? do they pay for food?? if they did starve who would they call? because someone on this website, who’s post i tried to find but i couldn’t so if y’all know what i’m talking about please link it, brought up a good point that elwin is a school physician, he shouldn’t be dealing with the near-death experiences sophie has, so who would they turn to? especially if they don’t have access to foxfire because they got exciled??

is therapy a thing in this world? sophie and dex could really benefit from it, yet mental health has only been brought up when someone went insane, which REALLY shows how little they think about it.

that perfectly transitions into my next point: sophie and dex’s trauma. i really don’t get the vibe that there was much thought going into their kidnapping, other than sophie needed something to trigger her inflecting ability and establish the black swan are on the good side, which really sucks because wow trauma doesn’t happen lightly. and the fact that it happened seems rushed to me, but i’ll come back to that. but anyway, their trauma doesn’t get developed that deeply in this book because it wasn’t given the space to. they were beaten, tortured, starved, gagged, and who even knows what else for t e n d a y s, only for them to find them again, repeat the process, but someone saves them and dumps them into an illegal city and they both nearly die from dehydration, coldness, and lack of concentration, and you’re telling me after three days of conscious of bed rest sophie wants to get her failing out of school over with? ma’am, it takes more time than that to adjust to THAT alone, not to mention the realization that “hey your entire life is fake because people genetically altered you to be their weapon in a war so much bigger than yourself” that was recently dumped on her. like,,,, you really expect me to think that three days is what made her feel prepared and CONFIDENT? no sir. i don’t buy it.

coming back to it being rushed: the book starts out slow and then really hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. so much more stuff happens in the second half of the book than the first and it never gets fully developed it feels like. in the first half sophie moves away but gets a new family and struggles a bit but adapts, fires maybe but hey don’t worry about it, dex hates fitz, fitz is ✨d r e a m y ✨ but our main girl doesn’t like him like that, right?, stina’s a bitch, and sophie is a quirky girl and telepath but can’t tell anyone. pretty basic stuff, not too plot intensive. the second half though: sophie almost fails her midterms but doesn’t, grady and elaine want to unadopt her (which that’s never really explained as to why they do that but ok) fires exist in san degio but they’re fine but they’re actually a rebel elf so..., sophie accidentally breaks a law but it was an accident so it’s fine, update on the fires: sophie burns herself trying to get the evidence that it’s a rebel elf and it works, she’s the moon lark and basically a weapon bc no one knows her well enough to evaluate her safety, sophie and dex get kidnapped but fitz can now transmit to her and she has two new abilities so it’s all good, trauma doesn’t exist except for nightmare you can fix with sedatives, sophie doesn’t fail out of school, and yayyy her family doesn’t want her remove their adoption. there’s probably a lot more that i missed, it’s just that’s a LOT of stuff crammed into a little bit further than the second half of the book that really could have been devolped or explore further instead of forcing into less than 244 pages, ya know?

fitz’s eyes are mentioned seven times, the first time being on page TWO of the novel

his smile is mentioned three times

alden says “no reason to worry” five times, he writes it once, and sophie points out he says it a lot so he chances it slightly to something like ‘don’t stress about it’ so i didn’t count those though i should have

speaking of alden, in this book he’s absolutely creepy, but something that stands out to me is how much he calls sophie girl. i didn’t count it, but he said “that’s a good girl” to sophie too many times for it to be normal especially when you consider how he doesn’t do it to anyone else.

i kinda forgot i was annotating for sophie’s anxious habit of pulling out her eyelashes so i got she did it twice, but i highly doubt that number

but i will keep adding to this when i actually do the words with my annotations.

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aresrl · 3 years

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I hihi I am!!! A little nervous w/ doing this bc I've never done this b4 so please bear🐻 w// me💦 May I request a match up? A vision, a romantic partner and maybe a friend and/or enemy? If that's too much feel free to just assign me a vision + partner, ehe/// Preferably male for a romantic match-up, but either gender is fine with a friend and enemy match-up^^ I tried to be as detailed as possible but I think I ended up just ranting, so im v v sorry if it's long! I sort of fluctuate when it comes to being an introvert/extroverted. W// strangers and irl, I'm very introverted and shy!! Rarely speak and if I do it's just the usual "Hi how are you? That's good. I'm good too, thank you for asking:)" yeayea I'm not too. Keen on social interaction irl. But I always do my best to be very nice!! I never wanna come off as mean bc wow what a bad first impression that would be. But with friends / ppl ik online?? Whew I am very very friendly n chatty ^^ Either very high energy or very chill, there's rarely any inbetween. Sometimes I like to jokingly tease my friends but I'd never go too far / make them uncomfortable!! And if I do I always apologize right away!! I like to say that I'm affectionate?? My strongest love language is def physical affection, if not quality time. Idk man there's just something about vibing with someone or hugging them that just aaaaa/// Although I usually display affection w// words of affection bc. Literally most of my friends are online friends so I can't actually hug them, sad times. Idk if this is needed/important info but I just remembered: I'm 5'6 around??? Need glasses bc. Whew i am blind (near sighted), I'm poc (specifically black) anndd, hm. Actually I think thats it for this section, aha. As you can see I'm, not really all that organized. Also I don't have the best attention span - while writing this I'm circling between 4 different apps - and I'm a bit of a mess. And also a little stupid. Just a smidge dumb. But I have my moments - I solved like. 2 puzzles in Inazuma by myself so I think that counts for something. I also find that I tend to talk a whole lot when I have an idea or smthn to say abt a thing I'm super interested in!! That's info-dumping. I info dump. Yes. I also really like to listen to other people talk abt things they like!!!! Its so nice :) I'm protective over people I care about!! I've never done it but 100% would bark at someone who messed with someone close to be. Arf arf yaknow. I tend to he impulsive. I'll do something, and be all "YEAH>:D" and then regret it later. And then I'll do it all over again in a fun little cycle :) I consider myself an optimist, but quickly turn into a pessimist whenever it concerns myself. Fun funfun. Should probably mention that I am. A very insecure person w/ dangerously low self esteem, which is super fun esp when you mix that with the fact that I'm rarely ever motivated to improve. Yayayay Also sort of a pushover?? Like most often than not I'll be convinced to do something, even if I'm not too keen on doing it. Also afraid of confrontation when it comes to my friends and strangers (that is, if it's concerning me!! I'll order smthn for my friend but if I need to order for myself?? uhh stutter time aha). I'm also a mega simp ahah! Srsly though if I fall for someone/get infatuated with someone I. Will be so obvious abt it even though I try very hard not to be. Would gush over that person probably. I don't really like mean people tbh. Like yes I'll be nice and civil with them but!!! I cannot stand!!! Rude people!!! Esp when they're mean for no reason like sir??? maam??? homie??? chill pls ty<3 People who aren't necessarily mean, but moreso have bastard energy and are just really "hehe>:D" but playfully are p poggers tho!!! I think I get along with kids!! I have a little sister,, around like. Nine? And we get along really well!! I also try and match a kid's energy whenever I'm tasked with looking after them. I take pride in the fact that kids like me >:].... even if they sometimes scare me-- Ok, interest time!!

I like art!! Quite a bit!! Less of a realistic artist and more of a cartoonist!! Idk there's just something fun abt drawing cartoons, hehe. I also like self ships - I have quite a bit of them, actually ! Idk its comforting drawings your fictional crushes loving you idkidk. I like writing too! Both original stories, and one-shots or personal fics that are associated with already created media!! Writing character backstories and personalities and stuff is also fun too! I've even made my own fictional world with a full fledged backstory n everything! It's very fun to think about. I'm a day dreamer!!! Yea remember when I said I write stories? I day dream abt potential stories even more. Mmm daydream world so nice so warm so fun I read aswell!! Mostly fantasy books, or stories where animals are the protagonists. Think Warrior Cats. But my favorite book series has got to be Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Fantasy owl books, anyway! X Readers are also things I enjoy reading :) Again, s I m p Also gaming!!! Is something fun I do sometimes!!! Although it's usually Genshin Impact, or Wii Sports/Resort w// my little sister. Oh, also pokemon! I rlly like Primarina, Vaporeon, Sylveon and Vulpix/Ninetails! I absolutely adore sweet foods, and baking is smthn I'm def interested in! Don't like foods w// weird textures though, like beans or mashed potatoes. Also I. Love spice so much. Mmm love it when my mouth burns so bad. Don't have a favorite animal but I've had three cats in my lifetime (btw not important but my current cat is named Sylvester and. He's my baby boy) so I am. A very big cat fan. Probably not needed but I really like sword and claymore characters. Literally all of the characters I main are either sword or claymore users. Although I did get Diona, so I miiight start forcing myself to learn how to aimmm. I see that I tend to like people/characters that are a little more extroverted than me. Upbeat, happy type beat!!! Nice sunshine babies, :) I think thats it! I hope this was good enough? Again, first time doing this (at 2am nonetheless) so forgive me if I got too rambly or did anything wrong ^^ Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! And I hope your day is good / you had a good day, depending on when you read this, ehe!

Hey! Sorry if the wait has been long! I also love Warrior Cats (I promise myself, one day I'll finish it.)

You received... A Pyro vision! Optimistic, enthusiastic, impulsive, reckless, and a lot of energy are the general characteristics held by the Pyro vision. • I hesitated between the Pyro and Hydro vision, but your energy distinguishes you from the Hydro vision. • You said you were impulsive, always doing something you might regret later but still doing it. • You react quickly: as you said, if somebody hurt someone you love, you won't think twice before barking. Your partner would be... Xingqiu! “This feeling was unexpected.” • At first, you were just friends, and Xingqiu really loved to tease you. Actually, you both teased each other. But eventually, a feeling of love towards you grew into Xingqiu. And that was reciprocated. • Your relationship is filled with teases, jokes, and good/funny moments where you mostly share what you commonly appreciate. • He also knows when to get serious: for example, he does everything to support you during your moments of struggle concerning your self-esteem. Your friend would be... Childe! “Luckily, I'm here!” • You two also share funny moments, especially during situations where your “stupidity” is overtaken by his insight. • Sometimes, he finds you cute. • He likes the fact that you get along well with kids. It leads you to great moments with him and his siblings. • You're quite the opposite in terms of self-esteem. I think it's a good thing because it makes you complementary. Your enemy would be... Albedo! A misunderstanding. • You wouldn't hate each other, but I think Albedo wouldn't like the way you use your energy, and when you're more in a chill mood (meaning you're more available for him to talk), he could get pissed at how much times he'd have to repeat himself for you to understand something. • He's very patient, but he understood quickly that his interests would maybe not be within your reach. • You would just be too different. Worth to mention • You and Venti are like drama queens in Mondstadt. You are good friends. But you both know that you can't be more, as it would eventually both drag you down (because of similar problems). • Klee is also your best friend: both of you share decisions that you definitely will regret later. Or maybe not. • Hu tao and you are kinds of silently competing over who's the best tease, and she beats you. My goal is definitely not achieved. I hope I can catch up tomorrow. And don't worry, it was surprisingly good for a first description!

#genshin request #genshin matchups #genshin #genshin impact

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ingravinoveritas · 3 years

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I'm the previous anon. So I've read your blog a bit and this is what I think: There are shippers who ship real people just for fun. Yes, they write RPFs, but still, they're not very serious about it. Then there's another type of shippers. They're more serious about it, they can't stop talking about it, write RPFs and they want and hope those people are/will be together, even if they have partners and kids. You seem to be one of them (come on, admit it). Your posts are mainly about their ship, even if it's just a new small thing. You're saying you're respectful. My opinion is: you're trying to be, but you're not completely successful. Am I right?

About their sexualities: Ah, that gossip site. I know about that one. I have a hard time believing any of those things are true. I hope you understand me, it's just a gossip site. He kissed John Barrowman, that doesn't prove anything. There are a lot of celebrities who kiss the same gender, just for cheers and attention. Nothing serious.

About MS: Yes, I know his first crush was on John Taylor, but I completely forgot about it. Same about the Tom Jones thing. But wow, I didn't know about the last one. That's interesting.

Last two things: 1) M's mouth staring- he does it all the time. 2) I'm still not sure why he called DT his lover, but he's often reckless, says things impulsively, even if it's just fun, he doesn't mean it and then he's like "why tf did I just say that?" So, yes.

Okay, Anon. Let me clear a few things up, because I feel I may not have addressed them adequately (or at all) in my previous response to you.

I’m glad you took the time to read through my blog, but I’m sure you didn’t dive far back into the archive to see the trajectory of how I came to post about shipping Michael and David. Before mid-2019, there was nothing. I had just discovered Good Omens then, and I fell headfirst into being a fan of the show and of Michael (I did become a fan of David’s as well, of course, but initially I was drawn more to Michael).

I had no intention of becoming a Michael/David shipping blog, but as time went on, people began to Anon me and send messages asking questions about Michael and David. When people ask me questions, I like to take the time to answer as thoroughly as I possibly can, and people seem to like that I give my answers a great deal of thought. So it becomes this cycle that I continue to receive questions, and consequently the Michael/David shipping become the focus of my posts. (At the moment, I have four anons in my inbox asking Michael/David shipping-related questions. I literally have no control over the fact that people ask me these things, but I am damn sure going to do my best to answer.)

The second thing I’d like to clarify is something I have stated on this blog before, which is that a large portion of the pleasure I get from shipping Michael and David is because they seem to enjoy it so much. But if either of them came out tomorrow and said that they were uncomfortable with fans shipping them, I would gladly respect that and close up shop. I might think it’s wildly out of character, considering all Michael and David do is the exact opposite by encouraging the bejesus out of it, especially when they have had a hundred chances to shut the whole thing down, and could’ve easily said that they’re just friends and don’t want fans to ship them, but they never have. That speaks volumes, in my opinion, and what matters isn’t whether you are okay with or I am okay with it...only whether Michael and David are.

But that is as far as I am going to go in answering this. Because I did take the time to write you a thoughtful response earlier, Anon, and then you came back with this (particularly that first paragraph), casting aspersions on my character and making this whole thing personal when it had absolutely no reason to be. And the truth be told, when I have seen comments like yours in the past, it’s almost always an indication that the person making them is more uncomfortable with RPF than the celebrities they are purporting to defend. The same goes for Michael and David’s sexual orientations, because you also seem more uncomfortable with the idea of them being not straight than either one of them do. Straight is not necessarily the default, Anon, and if you’re going to come and tell me I need to “prove” that Michael and David aren’t straight, perhaps I should ask you to prove that they are, even though that is something neither of us can do because only Michael and David know the truth.

So I think we are at an impasse, because I have a dozen more recent examples of Michael and David’s flirty interactions that I could link you to, but it seems clear that you’ve already made up your mind, and nothing I say is going to matter. I will leave you with one final thought, however, which is this: Maybe, just maybe, let people like things? And if you don’t like those things, don’t read them? I know it’s a radical concept, but you can absolutely block me if you’d prefer not to read my posts, or the responses from my wonderful group of regular commenters/rebloggers that I have on here. I will even lovingly wrap your knickknacks in bubble paper and make sure your gas tank is full, because you’ve officially used up the last of my kindness and good nature.

As the song goes: “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here...”

#anonymous #reply post #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #david is lowkey bi and michael is highkey bi #the fact that i even gotta respond to this #i was going to try to write that Michael/David Christmas jumper fic tonight #but this killed any desire i had to write #i should just start a radio call-in show #like the Dr. Drew of Michael/David shipping #'hello thank you for calling Loveline. This is ingravinoveritas speaking.'#knowing my luck Michael would find out about it and call in with a fake accent #damn it michael #oh well #ineffable lovers #good omens rpf #discourse

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lo-lynx · 4 years

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Femininity in the Harry Potter books

I started writing this essay over a month ago, before (as it felt like) all hell broke loose regarding JK Rowling’s transphobic tweet. As a genderqueer person myself, her comments hurt. I have loved the Harry Potter novels since I was a teenager and have often found solace in both the magic of the story and the magic of the community around these books. So, in immediate aftermath of Rowling’s comments, I struggled with how to engage with this community and these books. At first, I really did not feel like continuing to write this analysis. Now, however, I felt like I at least owe it to my love of this series and fandom to finish it. So here we go:

Last year I wrote a post about how several of the villains in Harry Potter seem to be coded as queer. In that text I also wrote that I sometime would analyse the way femininity is portrayed in the Harry Potter books. Well, studying, work, and writing other stuff got in the way, but now I’m finally getting around to it! This post is definitely inspired by some of the conversations from the excellent podcast The Quibbler, where they lament some of descriptions of feminine characters in the books. So, shout out to them, do go check them out! In this analysis I’m going to lay out several different aspects of what I see as problematic portrayals of femininity in the Harry Potter books: the silly girls, the villainous feminine men, and the (queer coded) feminine evil women.

Now, I first want to focus on what I describe as “the silly girls”. When reading descriptions of girls in the Harry Potter novels, I can’t help seeing how many of them are portrayed in a way that Julia Serano might call “traditionally sexist” (2007, 326). Serano describes traditional sexism thusly:

Traditional sexism functions to make femaleness and femininity appear subordinate to maleness and masculinity. (…) For example, female and feminine attributes are regularly assigned negative connotations and meanings in our society. An example of this is the way that being in touch with and expressing one’s emotions is regularly derided in our society. (…) in the public mind, being “emotional” has become synonymous with being “irrational”. Another example is that certain pursuits and interests that are considered feminine, such as gossiping or decorating, are often characterised as “frivolous”, while masculine preoccupations- even those that serve solely recreational functions, such as sports- generally escape such trivialization. (Serano 2007, 326-327)

That is to say, that which is deemed feminine is seen as silly and irrational. Unfortunately this fits quite well with how a lot of the girls are portrayed in the novels, such as in the fourth novel before the Yule Ball: “Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear on Christmas night …” (Rowling 2000, 338) This motif of giggling girls returns many times, with Harry even thinking about Parvati that: “[He] was relieved to see that she wasn’t giggling.” (ibid 358) Speaking of Parvati, her and Lavender are continually portrayed as silly girls throughout the series, such as in this moment in Order of the Phoenix:

‘I’ll bet you wish you hadn’t given up on Divination now, don’t you Hermione?’ asked Parvati, smirking.

It was breakfast time, two days after the sacking of Professor Trelawney, and Parvati was curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon. They were to have their first lesson with Firenze that morning.

‘Not really,’ said Hermione indifferently, who was reading the Daily Prophet. ‘I’ve never really liked horses.’

She turned a page of the newspaper and scanned its columns.

‘He’s not a horse, he’s a centaur!’ said Lavender, sounding shocked.

‘A gorgeous centaur…’ sighed Parvati. (Rowling 2004, 528)

Here Parvati and Lavender’s apparent crushes on Firenze is portrayed as silly, and their focus on their appearance is probably meant to be seen as frivolous. It is also starkly contrasted with Hermione’s apparent rationality, especially as she is sitting reading a newspaper in the scene.

Now, how about the men in the story, are they not portrayed negatively as well? Well, yes, of course. But when looking at some of the male “villains” of the story, many of them are described as quite feminine as well. In my previous text I noted how this was the case for Lockhart for example, who is described like this when the reader first meets him:

Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue which exactly matched his eyes, his pointed wizard’s hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. (Rowling 2010, 49)

Lockhart is here (and throughout Chambers of Secrets) described as both vain, and quite feminine with his stylish outfits. These traits are part of what marks him out as an unlikable character. I noted above how Julia Serano writes about traditional sexism that traits and interests that are deemed feminine (such as caring about clothes) are devalued. Serano also writes about oppositional sexism, which she describes as the idea feminine attributes are seen as natural in women, and unnatural in men (2007, 326). Similarly, Lockhart’s “feminine” seems to be perceived as abnormal/bad in the story.

Another male villain that is described as feminine is Quirrell. When Harry sees him at the welcoming feast in the first book, he is described like this: “Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.” (Rowling 1997, 134). Both the nervousness and the turban later turn out to be part of Quirrell’s disguise as one of Voldemort’s agents. The nervousness making him seem less capable of evil deeds, and the turban hiding the fact that Voldemort is living as a parasite on his head. Both of these disguises are interesting in relation to femininity though. Stephen Whitehead writes that as a man one is expected to embody strength, toughness and control over physical space (2002, 189). He contrasts this with how women are expected to embody caution, restraint etc. With Quirrell’s nervousness (and re-occurring stutter) it is quite clear that he comes off as more feminine than masculine. Another thing is this turban that he wears. Based on his physical description Quirrell seems to be a white Englishman (he is described as “pale” when he is first introduced) (Rowling 1997, 80). Later he claims that this turban was a gift from an African prince for helping him get rid of a zombie (ibid, 147). So, it seems established that this turban is seen as strange on him, and that is connected to Africa. The way this is described makes me think of orientalism. Now, what is orientalism? It is a term that is meant to describe the way Europeans have viewed “the Orient” historically and to this day. This often entails seeing people from this region as savage, sexually depraved, but also viewing the men as emasculated and week (Carroll 2018, 121). (I’m referencing this specific book because I happened to have it on hand, but a lot of different people have written on texts on this theme). In story, Quirrell claims that he (the white Englishman) got this turban as a gift from helping an African prince (it should be noted that “Africa” is very vague, I’m here choosing to see it as part of “the Orient”, but it’s not necessarily that). The other characters doubt this story, but it does tie in with the perception of “oriental” men as week (and in need of help). But Quirrell wearing a turban also ties him to this image, and perhaps makes him seem even more effeminate.

Finally, I want to touch on a theme that I wrote also about in the text about queer coded villains in the Harry Potter books, that of the female villains. Here I’ll focus on Dolores Umbridge and Rita Skeeter, and how their femininity is part of what is meant to make the reader think of them as bad. When we first meet Skeeter, she is described like this:

Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jewelled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two inch-nails, painted crimson. (Rowling 2000, 266)

So, the description makes her sound feminine, but there’s also something off with her rigid curls, heavy-jawed face, and long red nails. This reminds me of how feminist theorist Ulrika Dahl describes that being femme can be queer (2016). By doing femininity wrong, for instance in a way that is seen as trashy, one can come off queer. Another way of seeing this is to analyse the way that Umbridge is described:

She looked, Harry thought, as someone’s maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan that she wore over her robes. (Rowling 2004, 183)

I want to note two things here. Firstly, that she is described as a maiden aunt, that is a woman who is of an age where she should be married with children but are not. Clearly, she’s breaking the expected life pattern of a woman here. Secondly, the way her clothes are described makes her seem girlish, which is the same way her voice is described as on several occasions. Her appearance is not what is expected of a woman of her age. This puts me in mind of what Elizabeth Freeman describes as temporal drag (2000). Freeman writes that when we as children learn how to perform our gender properly, mainly by imitating our parents, we must also learn how to adapt this to our own time. So, while a woman is expected to learn from her mother how to be a woman, she cannot simply copy the mother’s look. Freeman points out that if she herself were to copy the way her own mother looked during Freeman’s childhood (ca 1970) she would not look normative at all. But we can play with this temporal crossing for queer effect if we wish. I do not think this is was Umbridge consciously does, but her femininity does have a somewhat queer effect because of the way it does not fit her age.

So, in conclusion, we can see that throughout the Harry Potter novels, several feminine characters are described in a negative way. Both “good” characters such as the silly girls, and more “evil” ones such as Lockhart, Quirrell, Skeeter, and Umbridge. These latter ones also have a somewhat queer coding. With Quirrell there is also a sort of racialised femininity, with the description of his turban. It is unfortunate that these characters are described this way, however, it rings true to negative stereotypes from our own world.

I’m not sure how to finish this analysis to be quite honest. It makes me sad to find all of these elements in the books that I have loved. But, to be quite honest, it’s possible problematic things in most works of fiction when you start looking. Nonetheless, this last month or so has been tough on my love of the Harry Potter novels and community. Going forward I want to try to focus on the more positive aspects of them, such as the magic this community makes together (while remembering the more negative things of course). I’m not sure how. But I felt like I had to get this text out there first. So here it is.

References

Carroll, Shiloh. 2018. Medievalism in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer.

Dahl, U. 2016. “Queering Femininity”. lambda nordica. 2016/1-2, pp. 7-20.

Freeman, Elizabeth. 2000. ’Packing History, Count(er)ing Generations’ New Literary History, 31(4): 727-744.

Rowling, J.K. 1997. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone. London: Bloomsbury.

Rowling, J. K. 1998. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury.

Rowling, J.K. 2000. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury.

Rowling, J.K. 2004. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury

Serano, Julia. 2007. Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. Seal Press, San Francisco

Whitehead, Stephen M. 2002. Men and Masculinities, Cambridge and Malden: Polity.

#hp #Harry Potter #feminism #cw: sexism

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atrainernamedradish · 4 years

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Top 5 Least Favorite Rivals

5) Kalos Rivals [Pokemon X & Y]

Don’t get me wrong: I like the idea of having a group of friends setting out on their Pokemon journey together. That’s a wonderful idea! My issue is, however, the way it was executed… I have just moved to a new region and have four other kids already clambering at my doorstep to get to know me and befriend me. As someone is very introverted and socially awkward… that would not sit well with me.

Not to mention there is clearly one that is romantically interested in me trying to be better at me at battling as well as with pretty much everything on my journey. Which, sorry neighbor, but not no, but hell no! I’ve got better things then hang out with someone who’s already sizing me up thinking that they’re better than me, and trying to make me feel bad for always kicking their ass! Fuck off Serena/Calem!

Then you have the other one who also has a crush on you, especially if you’re the male character: Shauna! The fireworks scene in the storyline wants to come off sweet and enduring when in reality it comes off creepy! Like… sweetie, we’ve only known each other for not that long, I am not interested in you. If they would have toned this back a little, I would have liked Shauna more, oh well.

Trevor annoyed me so much! I don’t care about the Pokedex, and stop crying every time I’ve seen more Pokemon then you in it! If you cared so much about the damn ‘dex then why haven’t you worked as hard on it as the game claims you have, for fuck sake! Every time you are on the screen I want you gone! Oy!

Tierno was the rival I actually liked the most. He actually had a personality that wasn’t creepy or annoying. My only gripe with him is that he talked about having a fucking dancing team, and had no members to speak of that looked to fit the part! I think in the anime he had a Ludicolo, which is something he should have had on his team, but as always in each new game they are trying to push the new Pokemon so hard that they fuck up a character’s team doing so…

4) May/Brendan [Ruby & Sapphire; Emerald; Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire] & Dawn/Lucas [Diamond & Pearl; Platinum]

You know what’s really annoying? Having a rival of the opposite gender who is pretentious and egotistical because they have a teeny bit experience over you, but is weaker than they realize pretty much being filler wasting your time in the game’s storyline.

These are the assholes that started that trope of the “nice” weak rival that has implied romantic interest in you. What a waste of character space in my opinion… As much shit as I gave the Kalos rivals, at least they had some personality compared to these boring carbon copies of each other these four are...

3) Hop [Pokemon Sword & Shield]

Put away your pitchforks, and hear me out before you mob me! I don’t necessarily hate the character itself. I hate how he conflicts with the usual formula for Pokemon games.

He talks a lot about how he’ll follow in his brother’s footsteps and become the next champion. He thinks of you starting out as someone he has an edge over always acting surprised when you know even the basics of Pokemon and battling. He tries so hard not to let you know that always whooping his ass bothers him, but it does every single time.

The game tries to introduce this champion successor that has done as this research who already has a Pokemon when you first battle them. But even then the usual formula contradicts them. They choose the weaker starter allowing you to beat them so easily! And then have the audacity to be surprised by the results!

Then when Bede beats them, which how the fuck do you lost to a single type specialist who hasn’t been training that long Hop?! You can’t feel sorry for him because he was doomed to fial from the start! Game Freak already had him precoded to get his ass beat by you over and over again, despite the story claiming otherwise! There was no damned reason why Hop was in the finals with you! To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if his matches were rigged because he was related to the champion!

Hop had no business being cocky throwing around his brother’s title then feeling sorry for himself when he lost. I just can’t invest in this character. He is a knockoff Hau if Hau actually gave a shit, which they failed at doing in USUM. Even Hau was more of a challenge and someone I was more emotionally invested in…

Game Freak, if you’re going to try and spin this try hard rival that’s in the shadows of their better sibling then make it believable. Your own formula fucked up a perfectly good character arc and it shows. By this point in my second playthrough I was rooting Bede on to kick Hop’s ass again. That’s how little I care about him.

2) Cheren [Black & White; Black 2 & White 2]

I am about to get soooo much hate for this! Oh well…

You know what drives me crazy? Having to be stopped every 5 fucking seconds by my annoying childhood friend who doubles as my rival because we just beat the local gym leader, and he has to see who is the better trainer telling me how strong he is and how strong he wants to see how I’ve become since the last battle, and how he wants to be the champion of the region, and then when I beat him he will be surprised I won and how he needs to get stronger to beat me, and rinse and repeat. Every. Single. TIME! Like… Cheren… FUCK OFF! Let me having so fucking breathing room!

1) Hugh [Black 2 & White 2]

You know what’s worse than what Cheren was doing above? Take Cheren, make him angrier and jaded, give him an attitude problem and make him whiny, have him obsessed with Team Plasma, and you have Hugh.

I’ve got better things to do then be friends with a guy who thinks he can talk to me however he pleases who tries to boss me around and act like he’s better than me. Like, Hugh, honey, grow the fuck up and see a therapist. I hate when games give me friends/rivals like these because I don’t like them. I would never associate with people like this in real life. As much as I would want to whoop the shit out of someone like this, it takes less stress and time to just not be around them and save me the headache. He was the worst experience for me in Black 2 & White 2, and those are some of my favorite games in the series, to give you an idea. I hate this guy.

#rival serena #rival hop #rival shauna #rival trevor #rival calem #rival tierno #rival may #rival brendan #rival cheren #rival hugh #rival dawn #rival lucas

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youknowmymethods · 5 years

Text

Content Creator Interview #12

Tissues at the ready, because, sniff sniff, this is the last post in the current series. And we’re ending with me, @ohaine, putting questions to one of my favourite people in the whole world, @likingthistoomuch, who answers questions about her secret squish, how culture and language influence her writing, and why her eyeball occasionally rolls under the bed.

If you’ve been in the Sherlolly corner of the fandom for any length of time at all you’ll already know that likingthistoomuch is funny, sweet and not afraid to say what she thinks. What you may not know is that she’s one of the kindest, wisest people that you’ll ever meet. She’s a beautiful person, a wonderful friend, a bit crazy, a bit sarcastic, and now, by public vote (well, I voted for it), an honorary Irish cailín dána. As if all of those things weren’t enough she’s a damn fine writer too. Want me to prove it?

Molly looked surprised but followed his lead. They moved to the silent tune being played in his head, upping their tempo as the notes seemed to flow fast and with certainty until they reached a crescendo and slowly seemed to fall as leaves in autumn, leaving a wonderful silence in their wake.

“There’s no silence when I’m around you. It’s music. And its beautiful.”

The simplest symphony, one of her sixty two stories, is one of my all time favourites, and I was so happy to get the chance over Christmas 2018 to pick her brain about where these beautiful words come from.

OhAine: I’m always impressed by the gentle way you treat your words, and I’ve often wondered is that because English is a second language for you?

Likingthistoomuch: I am always surprised when reviewers say that because I honestly just blurt it all out. There is no deliberate attempt to make the words the way they are. And English, though it may seem like my second language, is in a way my first because my entire education has been in English. (I just may be more fluent in it than the local languages but that’s a discussion between my mum and me that you really don’t want to know.) The only real barriers are when it comes to the British way of putting words. Because we are so exposed to American TV, that’s the language that forms immediately in my mind. But it’s getting better, because nowadays it’s all British TV for me! (GoT is worldwide and based in Westeros so it’s not American ok!)

OhAine: Brit-picking you mean? Nothing will throw me out of a Sherlock story faster than reading something that just shouldn’t be there, so how do you get around it?

Likingthistoomuch: I (le gasp!!) ask people like you and Emma Lynch but mostly I just bulldoze ahead. (My muse lasts less than the winter here so I need to move it quickly.)

OhAine: And is it that love of film/TV/stories that inspired you to write in the first place, or are you a life-long writer? What was the very first moment that you thought to yourself; I can do that?

Likingthistoomuch: I would call myself the Accidental Writer (I can almost hear the play-writes scribbling that title down...royalties people!!!). I wanted to read a story with a certain story line, and the then regular prompt takers were all busy. @writingwife-83 was the one who suggested that I try writing the fic on my own, she said, “Why don’t you just give it a go!” And I did. The result, Moving with time, didn’t seem to be too bad considering. Of course I get the cringe moment when I read it now, but that’s what started the ball rolling!

OhAine: This seems like a really apt moment to slip in a reader question submitted by @writingwife-83. She asked; How does writing inspiration tend to strike for you? Does it hit you out of the blue or does it come from something more external?

Likingthistoomuch: It’s literally a hit from out of the blue! It can be a movie or a song or recollection of a scene, literally anything. That is exactly why my post-TFP took so long to finish, the story (Our love has a way about it) was just not getting through!! So I look at admiration when writers take on a prompt and expand it into stories. My mind’s inbox is full of Asks, waiting for the brain to acknowledge and work on it :).

OhAine: When I looked at your sixty two stories as a body, it occurred to me that there are two types of stories that you excel at; Victorian!lock, and short scenes—

Likingthistoomuch: Ooh thank you.

OhAine: No, genuinely, no smoke blowing here LOL. I think you have a real affinity for Victorian Sherlock. So, how do you get into the mind set and what about that era particularly inspires you?

Likingthistoomuch: The mind-set isn’t much of an imaginative journey. We Indians have a saying, "The English left India but left their bastard behind." This refers to the narrow minded, sexist mind-set that was highly followed during Victorian times, remnants of which we are still fighting to get rid of here. Not blaming it all on the English, we have been pretty inventive with our own original regressive thought process too. So for the social mind-set and fic setting, all I need is to look out the window.

I love putting Molly and Sherlock in that era because on some front, both of them epitomise "not all heroes wear capes". She is trying to reach for opportunities that are denied to her just because of her gender and he is seen as the almost vulgar, rude and insensitive soul who is ready to judge people on their merits alone...(oh how dare he!!) It’s a personal favourite to put them in an era where they do struggle and fight but eventually it always work towards what they want, and of course, they get it via some unrelenting angst but hey what’s the fun if it’s all bubble gum. (It’s almost my inner romantic peeping out but don’t you dare tell anyone about it, I have a reputation to keep!)

OhAine: I can kind of relate to that – and this is something I put to @hobbitsdoitbetter too, because she writes Victorian era Sherlolly so brilliantly as well – I often think of Molly in the Victorian works as being like Irish women of the last generation who took their small victories where they found them.

Likingthistoomuch: True, unfortunately every geography and people has a similar story to tell. Things are changing but this change has yet to reach the grassroots levels.

OhAine: We can’t talk about your Victorian!lock without mentioning With eyes shut tight, where you did a very interesting thing when you switched to John’s voice in a very ACD way. What inspired that? How did you find John’s voice?

Likingthistoomuch: I actually found John's character (and Martin's fabulous portrayal) in TAB to be very interesting. Here is a man who can see what’s correct, will support it but is also so short sighted that he doesn’t realise that in supporting the women's struggle elsewhere he is ignoring the struggle going on in his own home. So there was the empathy for Molly not getting her due treatment as Sherlock's wife balanced by the outrage at her wanting to follow her own heart. Martin's performance in TAB is my favourite of the special and it was fun to try and bring in his voice, the sarcasm battling the disbelief. I had great fun doing it :)

OhAine: I have this theory that you have a secret squish on John, am I right?

Likingthistoomuch: You mean crush? I absolutely adore the boots off Martin Freeman, his performance is exquisite. I know we all look in awe at Ben's work, but for me, performance wise Martin takes the cake.

As for John...you know Sherlock puts on a veil of indifference to hide that he feels so much. I think for John it’s the opposite. He thinks he feels a lot and understands it all, but he too is hiding the inner struggling man. That’s why the TLD exchange between these two, (S: Underneath all we may just be human. J:You too? S: No, you too) is so profound. Just as Sherlock found in John a partner, John did too. It’s just that Sherlock accepts that he needs John, John is too blind to understand that he needs Sherlock too. That is one man who has his emotions so cross wired and tangled, it’s a very interesting character. And the thing is I feel Sherlock understands that and hangs on to John, not looking at it as a weakness. John, if he ever introspects, will find his dependency on Sherlock as a weakness. It’s basically asking Sherlock to do something, which he himself would not apply.

And Martin adds a different layer each time he plays him.

OhAine: One of my favourites of yours is a short story (<1,000 words), New paths. There’s a very calm, meditative feeling to the story: could you tell me a bit about your inspiration?

Likingthistoomuch: So, couple of years back we made a trip to England, and had visited Filey, near Scarborough in Yorkshire. After a long drive from London, we arrived and realised that there was a view of this cliff face from our cottage. And while my city bred, urban self gawked at the lovely site, the cloud thing happened and the hills actually turned pink. In that moment, it went all quiet and I literally felt the tiredness from my long journey seep away. And it’s only nature that can do that magic.

While writing New Paths, I wanted to see things from Molly's perspective. Do I feel she broke down and cried buckets and ate two tubs of ice cream? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think she just felt tired and also at the same time, like a huge weight was off her back. And sometimes, what you need for your soul to just feel even a little better is a few moments away from humanity. Not necessarily to forget things, but more like to recharge your batteries and get the energy to deal with things in a better way. So I made her experience what I did that evening. I made her experience the sea, the beautiful colours that nature shows and just heal her tired heart a little. God knows she needed it.

OhAine: Misty silhouettes is a unique story, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite like it before. Can you tell me about how it came to you and what are the challenges of writing Sherlock and Molly through so many lives?

Likingthistoomuch: Misty came about because of Mirrors, a short one I wrote on my phone, half asleep and trying to get rid of an ear (brain?) worm. Kiki had loved it and encouraged me to expand on it, which I attempted to do. I think I had just recently watched a historic Indian movie and was highly impressed with the battle scene, hence the opening sequence. I thought; why not work through time as well as geography, bringing these two closer and closer, like they showed in the short Sherlock episode before S3, where Anderson comments Sherlock is coming home? So they start in ancient India, and then slowly weave geographically as well as chronologically towards their current destination, London.

The challenges were to keep the story along the same theme as Mirrors, so trying to find characters, stories and their ending as well as the transition into the next life was some work. In short, I feel I have exhausted my small quota of creative imagination where the story stands right now, on the cusp of the last chapter where Sherlock is now in current time. It is definitely NOT abandoned; I have at least formulated ten stories and discarded them all because after such a long journey, Molly and Sherlock deserve a good reunion. And I trust myself to write it one day. Because that right end WILL come, I am sure of it.

OhAine: Have you found that end yet?

Likingthistoomuch: I may have! I have just started on that path, praying I stay on it.

OhAine: What does your proofreading and editing process look like?

Likingthistoomuch: Going through the document three times, checking for typos. Posting the fic, finding those three escaped typos and correcting them. Finding typos the more times I read a story. Yes, that’s the process. Elegant, no?

OhAine: Super elegant, LOL!!! You would rather do it yourself than press a beta into service? Or do you find working with someone else restrictive?

Likingthistoomuch: I think it may just be because I am such an impatient writer. I have loads and loads of ideas but putting them on paper takes a lot out of me. So once it’s there, I can’t wait to get it published and for you guys to see (and maybe get a few reviews too.)

I am learning. I do at times ask for help to oversee the plot and the work and it’s worth waiting.

OhAine: But you work without a beta most of the time… Is that a deliberate choice, or something that’s just evolved?

Likingthistoomuch: Actually, that’s just how it evolved. My first impression of a beta was someone who would do a read through and call out my typos and grammatical mistakes. Then it dawned that I could ask about the story line and if / how/ will it work. The advantage of working with someone is that you might get a better way of putting your story forward, get help when you are stuck. Or they’ll help you understand character’s motives and inspirations even more, which was a fantastic new experience for me. On the downside you could end up telling someone else's story.

OhAine: I think that’s a great point; you can end up telling someone else’s story, and it sort of has me reflecting that I’ve done that when I was very new to writing. Has it ever happened – even in relation to reader input – to you?

Likingthistoomuch: Actually no. But that’s also because almost 95% of my fics are one-shots. As for inspiring something new, only Kiki's advice at expanding Mirrors was an exception. The rest...? I am a free bird!!

OhAine: I’ve seen it argued lately that sites like tumblr stifle creativity and can lead your writing in directions you wouldn’t have otherwise taken it. What’s your take on that?

Likingthistoomuch: Oh good question! The social policing at times can inhibit your writing and introduce undue caution at best or a total change of direction of the story at worse. It’s something that every writer has to take a call on, and finally write a story that he or she wants to tell. Because, at least for me, I know when I have written something good, and maybe not many would like it. But it’s the story I want to tell, and if I am not able to do that, no matter how many accolades I get, there would always be a feeling of dissatisfaction bubbling beneath the surface. I may just not share my work next time, and that would even further piss me off :D So not a good cycle to get into. I would encourage writers to take pride in their creation and own it like a boss. Your words indeed are your baby!

OhAine: Does that mean that social media has been a stimulator more than a damper of creativity for you?

Likingthistoomuch: So far I have had a relationship with social media where I have been able to distance myself if there indeed is shit happening. Which, if you have been on tumblr long enough, you know is pretty frequent. I keep to my lane, and I expect you to do the same. So far it has been a stimulator, and the few moments where it could’ve been a dampener, I was able to remind myself that’s it’s all virtual and imaginary and I have a real life outside, and hence was able to ignore the shit.

I have a very simple mantra, you no like, you unfollow or block or ignore. I will survive, indeed thrive, in your absence....if I notice your absence in the first place.

OhAine: The thing that puts me off social media is the combative purity culture that seems to be so prevalent now.

Likingthistoomuch: *roll my eyes so hard am still looking for my right eyeball that rolled under the bed, the bugger* All I can say is, real life is tough as nails, Social Media should be a platform to release some steam, not to order or bully people around. Again, instead of telling people what to do, what to post it would be better if the Social Police (aka Staff) got their act together and BLOODY ADDRESSED THE PORN BOTS. (I got 5 new followers yesterday and no prizes for guess what they are.)

Also, as a blogger, it’s not MY responsibility to ensure that YOUR children and young people see clean content. There are tags and blocks meant for filtering NSFW stuff. I came to your free site because I thought I could post/follow the stuff I want. And people will always find a way to find 'blocked' content. It’s called Google.

OhAine: And a few quick fire questions to wrap it up. Starting with: how do you find your titles?

Likingthistoomuch: Like literally throwing a net out there and hoping the words caught make sense. Sometimes it’s just *snap* and you have your title, sometimes it takes time. I always hope the story inspires the heading but that rarely happens. Except for my post TFP, Our love has a way about it. That was purely the after effect of finishing chapter 1 that I had been trying for months.

OhAine: How do you gauge the success of a story? What’s the metric you live by?

Likingthistoomuch: Reviews! Comments! God, I love them. But honestly, sometimes it’s more about being happy myself and putting an honest effort on the paper. I feel the best when I know the job I have done is a good, genuine one, like for Our love has a way about it. It’s a lovely feeling and very few things can replace that knowledge of a job well done.

OhAine: Do you find writing is an outlet for real life pressure?

Likingthistoomuch: Not really. How can I say this, it adds a bit of colour? Like people who art! Writing makes me feel good, that I can do things that may not have a tangible benefit for anyone but it is a big achievement for me. And since not many know that I write, it’s a very personal feeling, a fight to the finish with myself.

I had a great time addressing all these questions, Áine. I am surprised that the answers aren’t one worded, as I half expected them to be. Caught me in a chatty moment I should say :) This has been a wonderful exercise, and dare I say, a wonderful initiative. Kudos to you for coming up with this.

OhAine: Aww, thanks Gee, you’re such a sweetie :) It’s been great fun, but I’ll be glad to get Friday afternoons back to normal!!

So guys, that’s it for now. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who read, followed, re-blogged, liked, left comments, and supported this project, none of which would have been possible without the oh-so many lovely writers and interviewers who gave up their their time to participate, and who so kindly shared their fandom and writing experiences. Thank you all so, so much ♥

#content creator interviews #Sherlock #sherlolly #likingthistoomuch #ohaine

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homenum-revelio-hq · 4 years

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Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Jess!

You have been accepted for the role of LILY EVANS! We really enjoyed reading your application. We especially loved the moments in your app where you showed that Lily is not perfect. You really gave us a clear view on both her strengths and her flaws. Her failed career as a healer was just an example of that! We are so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Jess

AGE: 23

TIMEZONE: GMT+10

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I tend to be fairly active, my goal is usually not to let 3 days pass without doing my replies and I generally meet this (unless I have left a uni assignment to the last minute!)

ANYTHING ELSE: N/A for triggers

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Lily Geraldine Evans

AGE: 21

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cisfemale, she/her. Pansexual/Conceives of herself as heterosexual

BLOOD STATUS: Muggle-born

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: No thanks!

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Lily Evans was made Head Girl in her final year at Hogwarts for more reasons than simply being a figurehead for Albus Dumbledore’s pro Muggle-born ideologies – although certainly, that helped. Known by many of her teachers and peers for being quick-witted and intelligent, the fact that she came to magic later than most of her peers did not hold her back for long. Lily’s intelligence soon helped her excel at magic, seemingly gifted at charming and conjuring all manner of magical items. She has a particular strength for defensive magic and healing, while her fondness for Potions rests in her stubborn and comforting belief that it is the most similar to the Muggle ways she employed in her youth, that the simple Muggle methods of hands and brain are just as powerful. Offensive magic is more of a struggle for Lily, she is by no means a natural fighter, although it is something she determinedly works on.

Also known for her kindness, Lily has an open heart and is truly an extrovert. She delights in the company of people and is always teasing someone or other, a fond smile and a ringing laugh never far from her countenance. In fact, lightly teasing others is her foremost means of showing affection, though this is something that never (or at least, rarely) strays into cruelty.

Kindness, however, is by no means softness. It is true that Lily believes in forgiveness, but she also has high standards and expects them to be met. Her love is not unconditional, and nor is her forgiveness. Her principles and ideals are close to her heart and for others to stray for them or betray them is to be met with Lily’s anger. She is forgiving, but not endlessly so, and does not forgive unless the merit is there, unless she decides the person deserves it. She is also used to being in the position of judgement, not to being the judged, which tends to bring out her self-righteous side, being so clear on what she believes to be right and wrong. When Lily is in the wrong, she struggles to admit it, having a strong sense of pride. She can become prickly and defensive, not so much playing the role of peacemaker as she is inclined to retreat, wounded. It’s a part of herself she’d often only seen in conflict with Petunia - maybe even a part of herself that mirrored Petunia. Resentment. And a sense of selfish pride, wounded self-righteousness so deep, it was easier to push the loved one away than apologise, than try to repair damage done. It’s not a quality Lily likes about herself, but it’s also one intrinsic, perhaps learnt by both at their parents’ knee.

Rightfully a Gryffindor, Lily is fierce and true. Her ideals always lead her to action, she is not one to sit back, even if she is not necessarily suited for a fight by nature. That does not stop her. Bravery runs quick and deep within her, and in fact, the more opposition she receives, the more she is inclined to push back. Her bravery then, extends to a defiant streak – even to provocation. Lily tends to take pleasure in talking back to those she scorns, in daring them to insult her, in attempting to prove herself above their scorn. There is indeed something desperate inside of her, a thirst to prove herself better than all that has been said about her kind.

Behind this solid sense of pride, however, lies a more sensitive side. Disapproval, disappointment - Lily hates letting people down, associating conflict with rejection. For that she can probably thank Petunia. When she found magic, she lost a best friend, her sister. When she found magic did not want her, she lost a best friend yet again, Severus. It is one thing to deal with the rejection of a whole world (or at least, so the Death Eaters and their allies often seem, a crushing weight) – that, Lily can shrug off, shoulders high, defiant until the end. But the two people she thought cared for her most, loved her most … that can only hurt, even still, years later. Lily remains insecure that she is not truly loved, that ultimately, she will lose people, no matter how much they seem to care for her now.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

Lily grew up in the industrial town of Cokeworth, in the Midlands of England. The daughter of Adrian and Geraldine Evans, she has an older sister, Petunia Evans (now Dursley). For many years, her family was a close one, her parents strived hard to make it that way. The Evans parents used flower names for both of their two daughters. This was not particularly due to a family tradition or any reason other than that Geraldine Evans liked the idea of connecting her two children to each other. She was always glad they were born so close in age because she never had any siblings and wished for a sister for a best friend. The girls’ closeness growing up delighted her, at least until it ended with a letter in green ink, carried by a bird.

Four lends itself neatly to division, and it was true enough for the Evans family, Lily her father’s daughter and Petunia all their mother’s. This is true in appearance as much as personality: Lily’s looks are from the Evans side of the family, she shares her red hair with her father and both are more heavily built, while Petunia looks more like their mother - pale hair and bony features.

But at first, there was no problem, not for any of them. Lily was the fearless one, climbing trees and playing in the mud – but Petunia did it all with her, too. That was the thing – the part Lily cannot forget. Petunia always followed her, despite not caring for dirt and mud mess, and Lily worshipped her for it.

Meanwhile, Geraldine was cloying, clingy, she tried to hold on hard to her girls, even Lily, who would disappear to a world she could not know. Adrian was quieter, stiller – Lily could always come to him. It’s easier now, when she has so much to hide from her family, barely seeing them, desperate to keep them from danger or any association with her. She avoids going home, missing her family, but struggling under the weight of the lies, as she tries to keep any knowledge of the war from them. Adrian asks much less of Lily. The downside to that, of course, is that he lets her slip away. Though generally seen as having taken after her father, Lily has something of her mother’s nature, too, something shared with Petunia. She can never let things go, her heart is one that holds on. To the good and the bad.

OCCUPATION:

Lily always wanted to become a Potioneer, brewing potions was her favourite subject and the part of magic she liked most, even if she was never as talented as Severus. She liked the fact that potions took brains more than it took magic, that it used hands, not a wand. But, with a war going on around her, it seemed decidedly less than useful. She became a Healer Trainee instead, thinking she would be in the best position to help others and to learn important spells she might use to save those in the Order at a time of crisis. The problem was that Lily was never truly dedicated to this role. Yes, many victims of the Death Eaters came into the hospital, but it was rarely the case that Trainee Healers were entrusted with cases of Dark magic. Lily was mostly fixing the accidental magic mishaps underage wixen got themselves into - dull and draining work. Even more than that, her higher loyalty was always to the Order, the war remaining her priority. Lily had less and less time to study the healing magic she needed for her job, focusing far more of her energy on missions for the Order, to the extent she even missed shifts at times. It only got worse as she began working with the Task Force - finding something she was truly passionate about meant she kept even less time for her Healing studies. She wasn’t exactly fired, but it became clear that she was not performing to the required level and had to leave the program. Even though she was hardly happy at the hospital, this fact burns. Lily Evans, who was supposed to have such a bright future. The failure is a blemish on her record, yet another thing that has gone wrong in her life since leaving Hogwarts, yet another way she seems to be incapable of living up to the image everyone has of her.

As it is, she works solely for the Order now and lives off James’ money. This fact too is something that weighs Lily down, that she can never stop thinking about. She never wanted to be dependent on him, on anyone. Sure, she didn’t make much as a Trainee Healer, couldn’t contribute her fair share to their home, but at least she had something of her own. It’s something at the back of her mind whenever she is with James.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

Lily has a desire to impress, she always had. Somehow surrounding herself with rebels, all of them heedless and reckless in her eyes, though very much loved for it - she herself respected authority. That is, if the authority deserved to be respected. Sometimes it crosses her mind, the fact that she, of all people, is technically a vigilante, and she can only laugh. A bitter, somewhat frightened laugh, but with hints of amusement all the same. There are still people she can look to for the approval she craves in the Order – she respects Moody, Shacklebolt, Dumbledore. And she believes in them, in the path they’re setting out for all of them, but … it gets harder and harder every day.

Perhaps that’s why the Task Force means so much to her. It’s palpable success, it’s a way to actually help people, to see the results before them. Especially the Muggle-borns – the people who, like herself, are caught up in something that threatens to overwhelm them, who deserve to have someone stand up for them and affirm their (her) right to be in this world. Fighting (and often losing) endless battles with the Death Eaters, missions that seem to go nowhere, do nothing, even if there is supposedly some greater scheme – Lily feels herself breaking the longer it goes on, the less light there seems to be at the end of this long drawn out struggle. She knew it wasn’t going to be over in a year – but knowing that, and living it, are two very different things.

This wasn’t supposed to be her life. Failed job. Failed war. And now more than ever, failed relationships. This was never supposed to be Lily, who everyone thinks of as a bright spark, as hope and kindness personified. It’s hard to let go of, that image, the perfect Lily Evans, something she clung to when she was reminded of her sister’s hate, of half the wizarding world’s hate. But she isn’t a bright spark, or at least, she doesn’t feel that way. Not anymore.

SURVIVAL:

To be honest, Lily often feels her survival is a matter of her inconsequentiality. At Hogwarts, things seemed different. She was a bold symbol, the Muggle-born Head Girl, bright and clever and beloved. Practically a spit in the face to anyone who thought Muggle-borns were inferior – and there were plenty of students who showed her their displeasure. Lily faced them all proudly, though James’ support was something she depended upon, taking strength from the knowledge that he had her back, no matter who else despised her. She felt like she was making a difference. Now, even as an Order member – what’s she really doing for the war? That importance she used to have, it’s faded away now. She’s not especially successful, she’s not especially threatening or powerful … that doesn’t mean Lily isn’t careful, of course. Her home with James is well-protected and Lily takes Alastor Moody’s warnings very seriously. Constant vigilance indeed. But at the end of the day, there are times Lily thinks … she simply doesn’t matter. Not outside of being James Potter’s mudblood girlfriend, at any rate.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Lily loves James, but she knows things are strained between them. Lily’s relationships are deeply characterised by respect – she is someone who cannot be happy with someone, even if she loves them, unless she can respect them. That hasn’t changed with James, she still admires him almost more than anyone else, for his strength and dedication, his idealistic nature. Most days, Lily thinks it’s her who is the problem. Nothing she does lately seems to be working out and this is no different. She knows he’s starting to catch on to her unhappiness and she wants to reach out, to tell him she hasn’t stopped caring for him, but something stops her. Maybe it’s just that sense of hopelessness, of burning out, the fear that she isn’t the person she once was anymore. How could he understand that – he’s never been anything but himself, never had to be afraid to be himself, never failed, and right now, he’s in the thick of it, the inner circle – of course he is. Everything has always come easy to James, born to success and brilliant in his own right. It seems as if their paths after school are inverse, he with all the accomplishments (so high up in the Order, so trusted) and she with none. Even if he did fail, he wouldn’t be like her. The Muggle-born out of place, the Muggle-born who has failed to make her place in the Wizarding world (all those snide voices at the back of her mind – of course she was going to fail. Don’t they always? They don’t belong). She can’t talk to him about any of this. It’s easier to dedicate herself to the Task Force instead – but James doesn’t seem to understand that either.

Friendships have become more difficult than ever. It’s still easy to put her life into anyone in the Order’s hands. She trusts them with that. But Lily feels more isolated than ever. Hardly anyone seems to remember what they’re fighting for – to save people. To save lives. It’s all become about who is right and who is wrong (Lily forgetting that she too thinks of herself as right and the others as wrong). The people she would trust with her life feel less like friends the further they go into this war together. And yet Lily cannot stop reaching out, even to the friends who seem to greet her with distaste these days, disliking her priorities. Lily will always believe that friendship is important, that tenderness is important. It can’t be true that they are only soldiers these days, and nothing else.

With Severus coming to the Order, Lily will remain deeply conflicted. For so many years, a sign like this, that he was definitively, absolutely choosing her, siding with her, would have meant everything. But as so often with getting the thing you want most, by the time you get it, you can barely recognise it. Lily may well be more suspicious than anyone else, if only because she has been through this before. The desperation to trust him meeting with her deep suspicion that this is just another lie, that she never really knew him at all.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Lily/James, Lily/Chemistry (I very much love writing Lily/James but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to exploring other things or exploring Lily/James in an untypical form. Chemistry is important, and one thing I find very interesting in this rp is the conflict and break down of relationships. On the other side, platonic relationships are very important to me, especially since we know so little of the friendships Lily had, I find them fascinating to develop and deconstruct.)

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

I would say Lily’s strongest bias is essentially tunnel vision. She has always tended to believe she knows right and wrong – and that her understanding of right and wrong is what is right and wrong. When it comes to things like the war, she utterly condemns those who choose to fight for the other side – and even, to an extent, those who remain neutral. While she tries to be accepting of it, that not everyone can fight, that people are torn by conflicting loyalties, that it may not be life or death for everyone, she can’t truly understand or respect how anyone could make that choice. Furthermore, she believes what she prioritises is most important. The more she turns to the Task Force, the less she will be able to understand how the others in the Order can so easily dismiss it.

Another bias is against dark magic, which she believes is wrong without exception and looks down on those who use it. This also extends to dark creatures – notably excluding werewolves, due to her long friendship with Remus Lupin (she also tends to be quite biased in favour of those she loves), but creatures such as Dementors, hags, vampires, giants, she tends to regard with fear and disgust. Her boggart would be a Lethifold - another Dark creature, highly aggressive and tending to attack people at night, as they sleep. It symbolises her fear of being defenceless and unable to act to protect those she loves, as well as her deep fear of Dark magic.

For privileges, obviously she lacks privilege in the wizarding world as a Muggle-born and is notably a target of the current war. I would say that lack of privilege is certainly something that spurs her on to protect others. She certainly resents the way she is treated by others and devalued simply for her birth. It’s something that colours her relationship with James – it’s not his fault, but she knows others look down on them being together. They might both well be better off if they weren’t together, in fact, being together makes them a target. As a witch of two worlds, Lily would also be aware of the fact that her privilege is very different in the Muggle world, being white. It’s interesting that in her relationship with James, the privilege would be reversed in the Muggle world. And in fact, Vernon and Petunia’s treatment of James suggests this very personally for Lily, and is something that angers her, yet at the same time, she does want to regain a good relationship with her sister.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

There are a lot of aspects I find appealing – I like the way this rp uses multiple player threads so paras involve more than just two characters. It’s something I haven’t seen elsewhere and I find compelling for exploring the whole tapestry of the Order and how the organisation interacts with each other. The focus on the Order also appeals to me – I’m typically far more interested in ‘the good guys’ and especially in exploring the flaws and weaknesses of ‘the good guys’. Lily for one is presented as fairly saintlike in canon and it’s so interesting to deconstruct that image and find out about the real person she was, flaws, warts and all.

PLOT DROP IDEAS (OPTIONAL): N/A for the moment

ANYTHING ELSE? Nothing, thanks for considering me!

#homenumaccepted #harry potter rp #harry potter roleplay #marauders era rp #marauders rp

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anchoredtether · 6 years

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Why I think Plance and Kallura as endgames results in the best character development arcs

[THESE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS, IF YOU DON’T LIKE ONE/BOTH OF THESE SHIPS, YA DON’T HAVE TO READ THIS]

These two ships happen to be my main ships for the fandom (and I’m quickly becoming a Hunelle diehard) and I think the reason why is because of the meaning behind these two ships and how they relate to each other.

There are some gorgeous tropes and symbolism (and overall fantastic messages) in these two relationships, even more so if both ships happen because of their impact upon each other.

Delve into my literary rambling below the cut.

First let’s start with Lance’s obvious crush on Allura.

Lance is immediately in love with Allura, or at least the idea of her. In season 6 we learned that he eventually passed the infatuation stage (at some point) and developed genuine feelings for her. You can see this in the series as he progresses from obnoxious flirting to giving her motivational speeches and being an emotional support.

This scene was huge. Lance’s feelings for Allura were actually addressed in season 6, and yet he treated her as a supportive friend instead of trying to take advantage or capitalize on her broken heart. Season one Lance might have done that, but not the Lance we have now.

If Lance moves on from his crush on Allura, we already know he’ll stay a supportive friend. This is huge. Most shows would approach this situation as Lance matures but he still ends up with the girl of his dreams, or even worse, Lance matures and forgets about Allura entirely (or even WORSE is Lance maturing and Allura coming to him after her breakup with Lotor because “Lance has been there for her all along” *gags* For a good discussion on why Allurance is a disservice to both Lance and Allura, read this post). I’ve seen it happen so many times, and you know what would be incredibly refreshing?

A man and a woman progressing from unrequited love to a strong, platonic, supportive relationship.

Things get even better when you add Keith ending up with Allura.

Lance and Keith may not have a “rivalry” like Lance likes to claim, but it’s clear from episode one of season one that Lance does not like Keith. I don’t think it’s outright hatred, but for whatever reason Keith just gets under Lance’s skin, and he feels the need to always prove himself better than him. (some Garrison flashbacks may better explain why this is, but for now it’s all speculation)

Keith and Lance have both amazingly progressed into the roles they were meant to fulfill. Keith never wanted to be a leader, he was always comfortable being a loner. Lance is a showoff and wanted to get the glory and lead the team. In the end, Keith has become a strong leader and Lance has become a leader in his own right by being Keith’s right-hand man.

That character/relational development in and of itself is incredible.

But it gets even better if Keith ends up with Allura. Why? Because not only would Lance become a great friend/partner to Keith, who used to be his rival, but if Allura ends up with Keith Lance could potentially end up supporting his “rival” who is now dating his “dream girl.” Most shows take such a scenario where Lance would become incredibly jealous and vindictive, and ruin both his relationship with Keith and Allura.

How often do we see someone turn a rival and an infatuation into a brother and a platonic friend? I think that’s an amazing message.

Another fantastic development is Keith and Allura’s relationship.

Honesty time: I really did not like Allura at first. She had to grow on me before I came to like her. When she started hating Keith for NO REASON besides the fact he was Galra, I wanted someone to slap some sense into her. Luckily, Keith did.

Keith and Allura had a definitely rocky start to their relationship, even before Allura started being racist. I feel like Allura had little faith in him since Keith was reckless and a bit of an emotionally loose canon in the beginning (which you can hardly blame her, but still) and never really seemed to understand where he was coming from.

Over time their relationship has progressed, Allura saw the fault in her line of reasoning, and Keith in turn became more patient with her. Keith and Allura’s progression shows that it’s the actions and heart of a person that defines them, not their race (and symbolically can apply this to gender, sexual orientation, appearance, etc.).

Allura falling for Keith breaks the barriers that you can fall in love with someone who shares characteristics of those who have hurt you - that not everyone of a similar characteristic can be “lumped together,” as Keith worded it.

Not only is this an amazing message against racism, but literally every other kind of triggered perception towards people of a certain race, gender, nationality, religion, wealth, or what have you.

Alright, girl power time.

First off, Allura and Pidge are two vastly different yet fantastic role models for all girls. We have Allura, your typical “girly” girl who is gorgeous and likes sparkly things, and Pidge, your typical “tomboy” who doesn’t fall into typical feministic stereotypes and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Two stark contrasts, practically polar opposites for both appearance, quirks, interests, and personality.

But both our girls are strong role models in their own right.

Allura is a leader but she still has her insecurities, she isn’t afraid to sacrifice for the team and she loves everyone dearly, she admits when she’s wrong and works hard to set things right. Pidge is ambitious, pragmatic, brilliant, and although she can have a sharp tongue at times she is basically a force to be reckoned with (which I love considering she’s a very smol human).

At first Pidge is rather savage towards Allura. There were moments where I was thinking “well, you’re not wrong but was that really necessary?” Basically Pidge has no filter. YET, despite the tension between these two at first, Allura never becomes cold towards Pidge (like she did Keith lol). These girls are supportive and loving towards each other and that by itself is a great message because most people would say that two girls with these kinds of personalities would never get along.

And while yes, if Plance and Kallura both become a thing it would show that the two only (lead) female characters end up in relationships (instead of going the “strong independent woman who don’t need no man” route), it would show that whether you’re a girly girl or a tomboy, you can find love. Most shows would only emphasize one of these girls finding true love, while the other is left forever alone. Besides, I think everyone can agree that both Allura and Pidge are VERY MUCH the “strong independent female” trope.

They don’t necessarily need a man, none of us are questioning that. But wouldn’t it be nice to have already established strong and independent women have a man to love and who loves them back? Now THAT, would be refreshing.

Now here’s my favorite part.

Lance and Pidge ending up together covers so many beautiful tropes. With Lance’s Loverboy character you’d expect him to end up with a gorgeous woman, maybe even a girl who is a bit of an airhead. At first we all think he’ll end up with Allura one day, and now there’s speculation he’ll end up with Romelle. Because falling in love with a princess or a beautiful blonde is such a common thing for characters similar to Lance. It’s also a bit expected that Pidge will just end up with Hunk, someone else who is a total nerd. Preps and Jocks marry each other while nerds marry each other, that is just what is stereotypical and to be expected.

But what if the jock and nerd fell in love?

I think this would cover so many strong messages for both boys and girls. Lance has this terrible perception of what makes a girl desirable (at first) but we see him progress (especially in the comics) into digging a girl who is courageous and smart - two amazing qualities to focus on in a partner instead of just looks!! And considering Pidge isn’t exactly “curvy,” it could showcase how Pidge truly IS beautiful in her own way that doesn’t conform to the standard sexualization of women in society. Showing Lance, who had those kinds of societal standards, falling for someone like Pidge, who does not meet those distorted standards, would be completely out of the norm. And I love it.

I also really like the idea of the genius falling for an idiot? I know this is portrayed in the media a lot, but it’s such a good trope. Pidge could easily never pay Lance any attention and write him off as “too stupid for her,” but instead we see her trying to be patient with his limited understanding and explain things in a way he can understand. Lance in turn has progressively shown more interest in science-related things and tries to focus on the things Pidge does/says instead of just saying “I don’t get it” and ignoring her.

Lance also praises Pidge’s brains?? And not in a flirtatious way either, it’s genuine and full of respect. He knows Pidge is the smartest one on the team and he acknowledges her for it. Coming from the “idiot” of the team, that is incredible. You would expect Lance to get frustrated with Pidge being so smart or try to play her down (like the bully calling her out as a nerd) but he doesn’t. Lance does not fall into the toxic trope of men wanting to be smarter than women and becoming frustrated when they’re proven wrong. Instead Lance knows Pidge is smarter than her and is humbly proud of it.

The writers have also said that Lance will end up not with the person he wants, but the person he needs. And I think this covers the trope of marry your best friend. Yes, Lance and Allura are close friends now, but who was he best friends with since episode one? Pidge. Who was someone that was always under his radar but has always been there? Pidge. Who is someone he gets along with so naturally he doesn’t even have to try? Pidge.

Dude, the guy didn’t even know she was a girl till she revealed it.

I also think it’s amazing that Lance has never shown any romantic interest in Pidge (yet). And I think that’s a great message because the best relationships are built on friendship. We know that Lance’s relationship with Pidge isn’t based off of any kind of romantic desire or lust, but instead the simple genuine concern and love one has for a friend. I personally think Lance does have romantic feelings for Pidge, he just hasn’t realized it yet (because Pidge is her best friend, not a crush to flirt after - and that’s currently what he thinks love is).

Likewise, if Pidge falls for Lance it tells the message that people can change. Lance was kind of a terrible, shallow person in the beginning, I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it. Because of this, it would be easy to have Pidge never fall for a guy like him. But Lance has changed (arguably he’s had the most drastic change of all the characters) and you’ve seen it in how Pidge treats him with greater respect now. Especially in the comics, she takes his points into consideration and doesn’t make fun of him (too much).

His character development is what makes Pidge attracted to him, and change for the better is always attractive. (although part of me thinks she was physically attracted to him at first since she always got annoyed with him flirting and whatnot lol)

Ok I’m rambling too much so I’m going to stop here.

Basically Lance and Pidge getting together, Keith and Allura getting together with Lance being supportive of Keith and Allura, and Pidge and Allura forming a stronger friendship - I’m here for that amazing combination and the messages it gives. It breaks stereotypes and tells a fantastic story and gives all the characters the development and growth they deserve.

#voltron #vld #kallura #plance #voltron meta #my meta #mostly rambling though lol #keith #allura #lance #pidge #voltron theory #voltron ships #character development #look at all those notes

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siocynder · 6 years

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Strong Females/Sensitive Males

All right, everyone. Time for another Sio Sit-down.

Again, my word is not the law, you can have an opinion, you can disagree, it may or may not work for you, blah blah bleeeh. On to the post!

I’m going to use the word “strong” a lot. And “masculine”…and “feminine”...You know what, just go with it.

Update Your Strong Females

Here’s the thing, these days strong female characters are a really big thing. Girls, women, even men, want to see strong female characters on screen and/or on the page. Want to know why? Not just because it’s empowering, but because it’s not shown correctly at times and we want the recognition.

Shoving a sword into their hand and making them bloodthirsty does not a strong female make.

You’ll need to work a little harder than that. Or, well, work less. I think the issue is that people think too hard and then the character comes out choppy and unlikable. Sometimes it’s the male writers that just can’t seem to grasp what a female is like because they just don’t know. And that’s okay. However, that just means you need to talk to more women and really figure out how things work, what they like and what they want to see. Women writers should do this as well because I feel like the fantasies of being a kick-butt woman get in the way of realizing they’re still human just like anyone else.

Strong females aren’t always the ones who hold a sword and kill people. *Gasp* I know, right? Shocker! Sometimes—and get this—they’re the ones that have no idea how to fight at all. Am I blowing your mind yet?

Look, there are a few things you should know about how to write a strong female.

All females are different. Some know how to fight, some don’t. Some know how to communicate, some don’t. But whether they do or not they’re still human, which means they have feelings and desires.

There are really no rules for this one. Just think of all the women in your life. Are they smart? Are they athletic? Are they loyal and supportive? Are they manipulative? Are they outspoken or quiet? These are all strong traits. So, why do people keep taking things that are typically viewed as masculine traits and putting them on a female body and cutting out all their emotions? It’s a cop-out for one. People think “strong” and match it with “man”. This isn’t necessarily wrong. There are women out there who carry masculine traits, but you can’t expect a reader to be okay with that all the time.

Let’s think about Harry Potter, a series with incredibly strong women in it. Hermione, for one, isn’t ready to jump into a battle and she’s not about to kill anyone and she isn’t an inherently angry person. Her strength comes from her intelligence and her confidence in herself despite what people think and say about her. She’s strong in her way to always be loyal and there for her friends. Do you know how much strength it takes to let someone vent to you and to be happy with the way you are even though everyone thinks so little of you?

What about Mrs. Weasley? She’s viewed as a housewife. She takes care of the kids, she cooks and cleans. Even still, she’s assertive and always there. She takes Harry in, knowing all the trouble to come. She will kill to protect her kids. Loving, loyal, protective.

Okay, but what about women who do fight? We could look at Annabeth from Percy Jackson. That girl could kick Percy’s butt, and, in fact, she does a few times. She knows how to fight, and she fights for her life every day. She also has the intelligence from being Athena’s daughter. Her confidence in herself and her abilities is what makes her Annabeth. Still, she’s got emotions. She’s dealing with the sadness of losing a friend, of not feeling like she’s part of her own family. She gets happy and angry and falls in love just like anyone else would. The ability to fight, to hold a sword, and to be confident (all things that could be viewed as masculine) don’t undermine the fact that she’s a female.

If you have a female that’s an assassin, she’s not just going to kill people without rhyme or reason. This girl is going to be like a male assassin: knows how to fight, intelligent, deals with everyday issues. The thing is, giving a female a role that’s typically viewed as “masculine” does not mean she’s suddenly without a heart or suddenly “strong”. Are you going to write a male character who walks around killing people and has the personality and emotions of a brick? I mean, you can, but there better be a good reason for it. Give that to a female and it looks like you couldn’t come up with anything useful and simply gave up half-way through character development.

If you want to write a strong female character, you need to view them as a woman first. Make them have feelings, make them have friends—for goodness sake, give them female friends that actually stick with them and not fight all the dang time (Yes, I will be talking about this at some point)—and let them be women. Just because they have breasts and feelings does not make them soft.

Please, please, remember that.

Don’t Be Scared Of Sensitive Males

This is the other side of the scale. We’re tipping it now. Whoop!

Now, one thing that becomes an issue is that female writers tend to overcompensate on male characters to make them overly masculine. You may need to reread that sentence because, yep, I just said that. I’m a female writer, so I get it. I mean, I did sort of diss male writers in the female section of this post. And they do it because…reasons? Fantasies of big strong men? So that they don’t seem like they’ve been written by a female? Could be anything really. Regardless, opposite sexes can have difficulty seeing the other side because they aren’t the other side.

That being said, male writers—and I’m not completely sure, so I may be grasping at straws—may be more scared to put a “feminine” trait to their males. Maybe it’s because they think it’s not right, maybe they think they’re making them too soft if they do (whatever that means), but I find there are some male writers that overcompensate as well. And they’re male themselves!

The last thing you want to do is make your male character seem like a female unintentionally. It all depends on if you want them to be more feminine or not in the end.

You don’t need to push your male characters to be ridiculously “masculine”. They don’t need to like hunting or sex, or push themselves onto their female counterparts (again, I’ll be getting to this in another post). Not all men are like that. Some of them like music or dance. Some of them are asexual. Some of them were raised by their mothers and have a more gentleman-like behavior (not saying all men raised by mothers are gentlemen, it’s just an example).

Just like I said with the strong female characters, it’s okay for your men to have feelings. Sure, they think differently, but they still have emotions: sadness, loneliness, happiness, anger. Surprise, men are human too!

As a female, it can be hard to figure out how to write a male. Talk to more men then, get to know them, discover how different they are. I have a male friend who loves cuisine and cooking. It’s his passion. He has a home, a girlfriend, and a dog, and likes to cook. Why is it that giving a male the ability to cook instantly makes them feminine or too sensitive? Men can have passions other than wanting to get into a girl’s pants and wanting to kill/beat up people.

My own father was raised by his mother. He does the cooking in the family, and he loves children: things that are mostly considered “feminine”. Even still, he knows how to fight and he’s intelligent, and he’s loyal and caring. It’s okay to have all those things in a character. Portraying these things—a man crying, a man expressing his feelings, a man liking a hobby that is different from “masculine” activities—is okay!

In fact, please do! I’m tired of reading broody men who do nothing but hide their feelings and push people around with their always-annoyed attitude. Please don’t make them generic copies of a brick wall.

Just don’t forget that they’re men. Just like you can’t forget that a strong female is still a woman.

Men are going to think and talk differently. They’re going to notice things differently from girls. For example, they might not notice that the flowers on the table are particularly beautiful, but they’ll still notice them. If they’re straight, they’ll notice the girl and her body, but maybe not so much that her guy friend has amazing biceps.

I, personally, write male characters more than females. And that’s just because I grew up around males. Males were easier for me to get along with and learn about. I have more guy friends than I do female friends, so my male characters are much easier to write. You just need to get out there and talk to guys and experience that connection more. People-watching isn’t illegal—unless you start to follow them or watch through their windows. Don’t do that.

Harry Potter, since we were talking about him, can be a sensitive male. He feels for the lack of family, for the burden of his future. He vents and cries and has crushes and loves. But he knows how to fight. And he’s stubborn and determined. These things balance each other out. He’s still a man in the end.

There are even male characters out there that don’t like to fight and yet still managed to be a man. Not all of them need to have inherently masculine traits. That’s not what I’m saying. However, if you’re struggling in the beginning to write a sensitive male character then a balance, in the beginning, is a good idea.

Think Radu from the And I Darken Series. I love him. He’s not strong in the ways that Lada is (who is supposed to be a gender bent version of Vlad the Impaler, how cool is that? Want to read a strong female character done right? Read And I Darken.). Radu doesn’t like to fight and he’s more likely to use his brain than his fists. Does that make him weak because he doesn’t have “strong masculine” traits? Not at all!

Even gay characters have strong personality traits. It’s okay to write a character that’s very feminine, but there better be a dang good reason for it. Not because it’s a stereotype or because you just don’t know how to write a male character. Gay men can still be assertive and know how to kick butt and be masculine. Just like lesbians can be sensitive and girly.

And just like there should be a good reason to have an overly-feminine male, there should be a reason to have an overly-masculine male. Don’t just make these characters because you don’t know how to write them and have simply thought, “Meh, it’s okay. I don’t need to plan them anymore.” Those traits and personalities need to be part of the character, not simply you giving up and not trying.

Beginner writers often make the mistake where they plan their first book and they want to have a strong male and strong female. This usually results in an overly-masculine man and an overly-feminine female. Ditch the sexes for a second. What you want is strong PEOPLE. Balance is incredibly important.

Let’s look at some popular shows, like Supernatural. There’s a fanbase that loves the bromance in this show because the characters have heart-to-hearts, they’re emotional, they’re loyal. However, they’re still seen as men. What about Star Trek or Stargate? A group of guys that bond and have a connection yet are very strong male leads regardless. Of course, sometimes the writers try to soften the blow and make them have those connections in the infirmary when their supposed guard is down. Even still, it’s still predominant.

Orphan Black, Sarah Manning, is an incredibly strong female. She has a daughter and she’s a little lost in the world, but she’s totally ready to take charge when she needs to and she’s willing to put herself into danger for her friends and family. And her brother, Felix? He’s gay. Does that stop him from being a sensitive yet strong male character? No. He has his balance between loving his family, wanting to love, and ready to kick-butt if someone tries to harm anyone he loves.

And I’m not saying these overly-sensitive men or overly-strong females don’t exist. They sure as heck do. However, what I am saying is that if you’re going to do it you need to remember that they’re human. They better be believable and likeable.

Leave a comment or a question if you’d like. There are things I know I’ve missed, but I don’t want to overload the posts, so I’ll just go with this for now.

Sio.

#writing tips #sio sit-down #strong females #sensitive males #hopefully this helps

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hopingfordawn · 7 years

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/1-99 of the ‘Get to know me’ meme ;3

You are such an overachiever, Em. *sighs* Well, here it is:

1) Sexuality? Pansexual2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? I would have to go for Wentworth Miller. Why? Well, there is alot about him that I admire, his strength to be open and speak so freely about his troubles with Depression, Suicide and Eating Disorders. The troubles with being homosexual and in the spotlight. He is a very intelligent men with a very troubled past that I identify myself very much with. I would love to be able to sit opposite him and talk to him about his experience with his struggles, about my experiences with it and what he, as a much more mature person, would give me with on my further journey. He has made it so far, overcome so many obstacles and I wish that I am able to do the same.3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.From: Derecho Penal 2, Parte Especial “un estado de completo bienestar físico, mental y social, y no meramente la ausencia de enfermedad o invalidez.” - Tema 03: Lesiones Leves y Graves

4) What do you think about most?Honestly? About 90% of the time I imagine myself being someone else and having adventures. Basically, I am living fanfictions in my head, constantly.5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?“Dad sent it.” - My sister6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?With. Definitely with.7) What’s your strangest talent?8) Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)Girls AND Boys are works of art. Why would I need 2 sentences for that?9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?No. Who would ever do that?10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?When I was about 7 and then my sister told me, repeatedly, that I was embarrassing.11) Do you have any strange phobias?It’s less strange per se, as in a weird form of it. I hate small bugs/ spiders etc. But ONLY the very small ones. I am totally fine with the large ones. Give me a really large and hairy spider and chances are I will try to pet it. But the small ones? You never know where they are! They disappear so fucking quickly! What if they crawl in your ears, what if they are hiding in your hair, what if they crawl up your butt… I don’t know it just scares the fuck out of me.And phone calls *coughs*12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?Haven’t we all? As a child almost everything went up there. Especially small ball shaped objects that I later couldn’t retrieve without help… those memories.13) What’s your religion?None. I have nothing against beliefs. But I am against what it leads to and it is so sad that it comes to that. I believe, that everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do, as long as they don’t hurt anyone. Everyone has their freedom, but their freedom ends, where they start to take away the freedom of others. All the wars, the witch trials, the homophobia, the way woman are still seen as less than men. The nonacceptance of other religions. I don’t need religion to know, that I shouldn’t hurt anyone, kill anyone, steal. I don’t need religion to be a good human being. And when someone tells me, believing in God makes them happy, then I am happy for them, because what is right for me is not necessarily right for other people, too. 14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?Buying something and making my way back home. Or being on my way to a tech-store looking at their franchise. Probably on my way to or back from college. 15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?I would love to be in front of the camera, but I am so uncomfortable with myself that I can not be in front of a camera without hating everything I see afterwards. So at the moment. Probably behind the camera while I silently wished I was in front of it.16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?I don’t have a thing like a favorite band. I like songs, not bands, normally. I have a wide variety of music genre on my playlist. But who do I really, really like? Probably Sia, I adore her and her music. The fact that her songs are about such dark themes most of the times and she works them into pop music without them sounding too happy, that’s art.I have a huge respect for her, with all of her personal problems to have still had such success gives me hope in my future.17) What was the last lie you told?“I’m fine. Everything is alright here.” - To my mom.18) Do you believe in karma?No. If it did exist, the really bad people wouldn’t be so successful. Why do so many, extremely good people suffer so much? I wish it did, really, I do.19) What does your URL mean?Well, for one it is a play on the Title from the Game “Until Dawn”, but on the other hand it means: Waiting for a light to break the darkness. Hoping for the morning to come. Because even though I am still struggling, I am also still hoping for it to pass.20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?My greatest weakness: My mind. My greatest strength: I care a lot about others. (Is that a strength?)21) Who is your celebrity crush?Rami Malek. Does it count as a crush even though I would never want to be in a relationship with him? I mean, I love him, but I don’t see myself dating him. Not as a woman. This is awkward. 22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?No. Not after the age of maybe 8.23) How do you vent your anger?Crying. When I was at one of the hospitals they had this sound proof room I would go to, just to scream. But sadly, mostly eating until it hurts and I puke.24) Do you have a collection of anything?Sadly, no. :C25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?Fuck the phone. I hide from it when it rings. Video chatting all the way.26) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?That’s a tough question. I am not extremely unhappy with my character as a person, because technically I know I am not a bad person. But I am unhappy with so many things about me that I can not with a straight face say that I am happy with who I am today.27) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?I love the sound of the wind, especially when it is blowing strongly through the leaves of the trees. And I hate the sound a fork makes when it scratches against a plate. 28) What’s your biggest “what if”?What if I had had all the knowledge that I have now, when was a child? I could have kept my mother from staying in a doomed relationship for the sake of her children. I wouldn’t have spent so many years, trying to die without even knowing why I felt that way, I could have worked on my problems properly so much sooner. I would have come out as trans to my parents before puberty hit me and avoided the changes in my body. But the most important thing: I would have known, that my mother, well my grandmother who raised me and who I called mother my whole life, would suffer a stroke and we would have been able to help her. Actually help her instead of her having to live the last years of her life in agony. 29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?Yes and Yes. To the ghost, yes even though I know that it is probably farfetched. But everything in this world is about energy, our life is energy. What we perceive as “soul” is energy. After we die, our energy doesn’t just disappear, physics has thought us that energy only ever changes forms. So if it doesn’t disappear, what happens to it? Would it be possible that some remnants stay and we perceive them as “ghosts”? To aliens: To be honest? You would be crazy not to believe in aliens. The universe is endless and always expending. We have an unlimited amount of universes and planets out there. An unlimited amount of possibilities for life in Space outside of our Planet. To believe that we are the only ones in an unending amount of possibility is mathematically impossible. So aliens? Yeah, definitely.30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.Right arm: Pullover draped over a chair.Left arm: Matryoshka31) Smell the air. What do you smell?Nothing. I am allergic and my nose is constantly blocked. I hate my life.32) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?AWO Psychiatric Center Intensive Care, Worst Hospital stay ever33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?I have to go with East Coast, only because the west coast is too close to the edge of the world map for me to be comfortable with.34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?Honestly? I listen to songs, I don’t ever look at their faces. Erm. I have no idea how the singers I listen to look like? But I think Halsey looks fantastic although she is technically the same gender as me… oh well.35) To you, what is the meaning of life?Be happy. Enjoy it. At the end of it, be able to look back and say “Yeah, that was a fucking great time”. 36) Define Art.Can’t be defined. Art is relative.37) Do you believe in luck?Ooooohhhh yes. Luck exists alright. And it loves to just forget about me.38) What’s the weather like right now?Burning hot outside. Freezing cold inside. 39) What time is it?13.30 Midday.40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?No, I don’t have a license. I can drive, but I am not allowed to.41) What was the last book you read?Mental Ills and Bodily Cures - Psychiatric Treatment in the first half of the Twentieth Century by Joel Braslow -> I recommend it, incredible read. Very informative!42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?Oh please no. I get headaches from it.43) Do you have any nicknames?*sighs* I was called Sissi-pissy in school. Because it rhymes so well. Assholes.Fatty. The usual.44) What was the last movie you saw?Spider-man: HomecomingIncredible Movie. I really loved it. Best Spider-man yet, in my opinion!45) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?Accident or self inflicted? Erm. Accident would be, when I was about 9, I think, I was in a car accident with my father and sister. And we used to make the backseats of the car into a flat surface, to make it into some kind of bed for the ride over to Spain (it used to take us almost 2 days then). My father would strap sheets on it etc, make cocoons so we could hide inside them and safe if something were to happen, but I had just fought with my sister over who would get to sit shotgun, and she won, and I was mad, so I didn’t get inside the sheets ride away and that’s when we were hit by a car. And I remember it felt like flying, and I hit something hard with my right forearm. Next thing I know is, I was bleeding so badly, but it didn’t hurt and my father was frantic. Of course an ambulance was called but it didn’t hurt, you know? It really wasn’t that bad. But my father kept telling me to cry, to make it looks worse than it was. To just, make fuss. So I did. And when the ambulance came, I was crying and I boarded it and the first I said to the paramedic was, I will never forget it: “This is so cool! I have never been on an ambulance!” I remember he started laughing. He wrapped me up, later on the driver had to pay me a thousand euros for my pain and my vacation was ruined because I wasn’t allowed to go into the sea. Self inflicted would be, erm, well. I downed a whole bottle of promethazine, slit both my wrists open and and almost bled out on the hospital bathroom floor. Woke up three days later in another Hospital intensive Care Ward . Bit’s and pieces of those three days are still lodged in my head and, it was awful. I was so out of it, I only know I was strapped to the bed because I remember waking up one time and seeing the cuffs on the bedside table and being scared, telling the nurse that I swear I didn’t steal them, I didn’t. Stupid shit. My liver still hasn’t really recovered.46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?As a child a caught a ton! i used to run around with a box and every time I caught one I put them inside with the others, but about an hour later when I had to go home, I would let all free again.47) Do you have any obsessions right now?Rami Malek: Do I have to say more?48) What’s your sexual orientation?See question 1.49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?Yes. A huge amount of times. Fucked me up.50) Do you believe in magic?Not sure. I wish it did exist though.51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?Depends on what kind of wrong they did me.52) What is your astrological sign?Gemini53) Do you save money or spend it?Both, I guess. I spend a part and save another.54) What’s the last thing you purchased?Food. *laughs*55) Love or lust?Love56) In a relationship?Nope.57) How many relationships have you had?One, if you could call it that.58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?No.59) Where were you yesterday?At home. No witnesses.60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?A small packet of mini nail files.61) Are you wearing socks right now?No and I am cold. :C62) What’s your favorite animal?I love them all equally. (But I think that owls are very neat, and polar foxes, too!)63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?Be yourself. There is no point in having someone like you for something you are not. If they don’t like for who you are, then it’s no real loss for you.64) Where is your best friend?On the other side of the world, in Germany, while I am currently in Peru. :C65) Spit or swallow?(;Swallow ;D(I don’t know, but this is my instinctual answer)66) What is your heritage?German, English, Peruvian, Chinese, Chile, Spanish, Russian and I don’t know what else. 67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?Reading Coldwave Fanfiction.68) What do you think is Satan’s last name?Feelgood.That was the first that came to mind. He must feel good about himself, punishing all the bad guys. Why does he have such a bad reputation? Isn’t he more of the supernatural version of a Judge? Never made the rules, he just deals the punishment.69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?Of course. Who hasn’t? ;)70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?Honestly? Yes. I think so. And that’s the weird part, for all I don’t I don’t like myself. If I was my friend, I would love me, I would coddle me. So why can’t I do that with myself?71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?Jump in, get the dog out. Search for a new job. Because I wouldn’t want to work for such a fucktard anyway. And I would make a public statement and he would be so fucked.72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?I don’t know if I would tell anyone, because they would immediately change the way they act around me and start to use up my time. I think I would start making amends and visiting all of the important people in my life on my own time and in my own way. I would Definitely go to amusement parks. Go to the movies. Just in general have a good time with my friends and family. But normal. Without the gloom hanging over their heads. And of course I would be afraid. When the time runs up I guess I would tell them, because you always need someone to talk to and I wouldn’t want to die alone. And I know that is a huge burden, but I think I would be allowed to be egoistical in this moment. I would be so fucking afraid but I guess, that is only human.73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.You cannot love without trust. So I go with trust.74) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?“Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me…” All Star by Smash Mouth75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?085476) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?When you can say that your partner is not only your lover but also your best friend.77) How can I win your heart?Be my friend. Be yourself. And if we are compatible, then we might work out. :)78) Can insanity bring on more creativity?Yes. Because Insanity gives you another kind of reality that you can then depict with art and for everyone else, it is different and therefore more creative than what they normally see.79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?When I moved away from my mother to my father. In that time it was the best decision I could have made. Even though now, that I am older, I realize that my father is not the man I thought he was. My mother was not good for me then, she has changed a lot since.80) What size shoes do you wear?German: 39Us: 7,5UK: 5,581) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?Haven’t thought about it. Finally chilling? No Idea.82) What is your favorite word?Authentic 83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.Beat84) What is a saying you say a lot?“No hay mal que por bien no venga.”There is no bad that doesn’t come to bring to bring good with it. Basically. Anything bad also has something positive in it’s heart.85) What’s the last song you listened to?Centuries by Fallout Boy86) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?Blue, Green, Purple and Blood red87) What is your current desktop picture?Sadly I can’t put it here but it is a picture of a fantasy forest.88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?Tough question, because the obvious answer would be Trump, but even though he is a HUGE asshole. He is not the real problem right now. You what I mean? The ones who pull the strings are not the ones who show their faces.So if Trump goes, another asshole follows. Nothing much would change. But, because I don’t know right now who really would make a difference, I’ll still go with Trump.89) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?I don’t know. I am very honest. The bigger question is: Who would I be afraid to tell the truth to? My family. My parents.90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?Ask hopefully: Ahkmenrah?As long as all of them look as hot as Rami I am set.91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?Body morphing. I could be a guy (finally). a real guy. I would never grow older, because I chose my cells to stay the same. I may not have healing abilities in the old school way, but if I ever have a wound, I morph my body to close it, so in some way, I still have healing abilities. I want to fly, I turn into a bird, or just grow wings. I want to be another person. I change appearance. So yea, body morphing.92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?When my grandmother/ mother was around and I lay on her chest and we slept we slept, and I heard her heartbeat beneath me. I felt like he world was alright. Everything was going to be fine. I was at peace. I felt safe.93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?My first suicide attempt and the after. The looks on my parents faces. The mortification I felt. It was horrifying.94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?Why music celebrity? And why does it have to be about sex? I would rather be best friends! Erm, Singer from Imagine Dragons? Was the first to come to mind. That’s it. No deeper meaning about that.95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?But lodging is paid for, too, right? Los Angeles. Hollywood.96) Do you have any relatives in jail?Not that I know of. But my cousin was convicted of theft a few times as a teenager. 97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?Proud to be able to say: No.98) Ever been on a plane?Even prouder: No.99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?Every single one of you is wonderful. And every single one of you is entitled to their own decisions, beliefs and feelings. Stop hurting each other over disagreements. Just live in peace and accept your differences.

#About Myself #ghostinhumanshape

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randomuser678 · 7 years

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oowada!!

Sorry for taking so long, I was doing some stuff.Anyways, Mondo for that ask thing1: Sexuality headcanonOh well, I’m not really sure, I usually don’t put too much thought into sexuality HCs, I just kind of Hc everyone as gay until they show interest in other gender, then I HC them as bi, and with Oowada it isn’t that different, he mentioned being a train wreck when it comes to talking with girls, which can mean that he isn’t gay but compulsory heterosexuality is a thing so there’s that.I personally like to see him as pan, and I’m pretty sure he isn’t straight 2:otp Ishimondo, obviously. I try to be pretty open abt shipping, but Ishimondo is kind of my all time favorite, also I’ve seen some Gundham x Mondo fanart and I don’t know why but I like that one too, they are like two different versions of the same archetype (y'know, like, the tough edgy guy with a cute soft side to him) so I like that.Naegi x Oowada is also pretty cute, their thing on school mode is nice.3:brotpLike, an ultimate friendship? I think him and Ishimaru, cuz a romantic relationship needs to have a base in a platonic relationship to be healthy, and they are great friends in canon too so that’s a given.Another friendship that seems to be brought up on many of the dr merchandise and stuff is Oowada x Kuwata, for whatever reason (maybe cuz they are both punks, idk, and there’s also that picture so yeah) and Oowada x Fujisaki is also a pretty nice pair.And also there’s that dude from drae, Takemichi Yukimaru, according to the wiki, he’s from Oowada’s gang and he’s kind of Oowada’s right hand man, calmer than Mondo and totally has a crush on him. So yeah him too, even tho I don’t really know anything abt this tiny dude.4:notpWell, I don’t wanna get into some disk horse, but like I don’t like almost all of the pairings with him and a girl. I mean, I don’t think he really had a good relationship with any of the girls in the first game, and he said he gets too nervous to talk with girls, so that can only mean he should just date a dude instead. And also I super ship Ishimondo so I’m not even gonna pretend I’m not biased here.5:First headcanon that pops in my headHe’s furry, his underwear proves it.And also I like to see him with some tiger motifs and Ishi with dragon motifs cuz why not6:favorite line from this characterI couldn’t remember shit, so I went to the wiki and I’m sad now, but I love the comic lines he has when he’s aggressively denying things that nobody acused him of (“I can’t hit girls! It’s not like I’m scared of her or anything! Ya bastard!”). And there’s also the fact that one of his lines that he says when you ask him to hang out that’s like “Idk man, I dont swing that way”, which is something someone who swings that way would say, so love that line.7:one way on which I relate to this characterWell, he’s scared of everything all the time, so that’s relatable, but he reacts with violence and with impulsive decisions, which is the opposite of what I do (I just ignore my fears until they go away), but the most relatable thing abt him is that he does’t know what to do with his life, and he even went to Hope’s peak just so he could like run away from that insecurity, thinking that he would find some answers there, and I can understand those feelings so much (or at least I think I do). In the end his fears and insecurities take him to, y'know, death, and that’s such a beautiful tragic story, or I’m just giving it my interpretation.Also he’s in love with Ishimaru, so that’s even more relatable. 8:thing that gives me second hand embarrassed abt thos character Like, a thing that I don’t like? I’m not really sure. Well, I wanted more to be shown of him, like, I wanted more on his family, his relationship with his gang, and these sort of stuff. On the main storyline you couldn’t really see much of his more soft side, so I think I wanted more of that. And I like to pretend like tough guy with a cute side is the most original idea ever, but I think there isn’t much on him besides that, so I think I really want to see more sides of him, that aren’t just these two sidesAlso, we know what he thinks abt girls multiple times, too many times, so I want more of him with the dudes (not necessarily on the gay way but that would be great too)And finally the Ishimondo thing.Their relationship always was taken as more of a comic thing for the most part (like y'know how they bonded out of nowhere, and their interactions were just them being comically close to eachother and being more of a caricature of a relationship) , and as a result most ppl didn’t get too invested in their potential romance because the game only took it seriously on the trial when Oowada was going to die and Ishimaru was ok with having to sacrifice himself and breaking the rules just so his bf could live. So even tho their bonding was genuine, it wasn’t treated like a big, dramatic, unnecessary romance like most of the straight relationships, and that bothers me, even tho they really gave importance to their later on, like how hopeless Ishi was after Oowada’s death and then he went super sayan like Hinata did.I think that I’m trying to say that I wish his relationship with Ishi wasn’t developed enough, even tho I still loved it. I also wish they had went with a more openly romantic story for them, which would give them more development and grownth as characters.So yeah, I don’t like how underdeveloped their relationship was and how much lost potential there was in it (they could have shown more of them on the anime adaptation or something).9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? I mean, he killed a kid half of his size and tried to get away with it (kind of) so like, IDK???This separation in only two groups of characters based on their actions is stupid.But problematic fave I guess, because he killed a person, punched stuff, and because he’s a 3 dimensional character whose actions have understandable reasons and a characterisation that allows people to see him both as agood person and as a bad person, leaving him on a pretty grey area just like most of the characters on this franchise about high schoolers murdering eachother beacause an evil bear said so.Thank you really much for sending that ask!! Feel free to reblog and stuff, and I hope I get more asks soon!! And also how the fuck do I tag stuff on mobile anymore.

#fandom tag #my shit #dr1

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caretaker158 · 7 years

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Tangled: The Series - Speculations - Cassandra’s Character - Overview of Episodes 1-6

I’ve been watching episodes 1 through 6 of the new Tangled TV series and its pilot movie “Tangled Before Ever After”, and I feel like it shows enough promise to pique my curiosity, despite the change in animation. However, when I’m browsing through other people’s comment’s about the series, the negative criticism is centered around one point, Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting Cassandra. A lot of people have complained about her attitude and how she can often be found getting in between Rapunzel and Eugene because she doesn’t exactly approve of her reformed rogue of a boyfriend, and while I don’t disagree with those thoughts I like to take opposing perspectives into consideration before I make judgements about them. So, with so much negative comments concerning Cassandra’s, I thought I’d explore the traits I have observed so far in the series, and try to bring those qualities that have been so negatively viewed into perspective.

Many complaints have addressed how Cassandra is always trying to come in between Rapunzel and Eugene, even though the two will end up getting married in “Tangled Ever After”, keep in mind that this series takes place before they get married, so even though the princess and the reformed thief are so obviously in love Eugene is nowhere near a prince at this point. Besides, as you are probably already aware Cassandra was raised by Corona’s Captain of the Royal Guard, the same Guard that went to painstaking lengths to capture Flynn Rider also known as Eugene Fitzherbert. Don’t you think that one of the reasons that she’s particularly hostile towards Eugene might originate from some sort of family mentality of being wary of criminals even if they do end up being pardoned. It is true that Eugene is a different person now, but don’t forget that while Rapunzel is a starry eyed dreamer Cassandra is a no-nonsense realist, so it makes sense that she has her doubts about him, her father definitely wasn’t too happy when Eugene decided to join the Guard in the episode “Eugene P.I.”. And it’s not just his past that bothers her, in the first episode, “What the Hair?“ she told Rapunzel not to tell Eugene about what really happened to her hair because she said that he had a big mouth and we see multiple examples which confirms her claim. But it’s not like she’s completely against him, since Cassandra has managed to give him some constructive criticism from time to time. In the pilot, Eugene was confronting Cassandra about why the princess was being so secretive towards him all of a sudden and while she didn’t answer him their argument led her to tell him that he has a firm grasp on what he want, but necessarily what Rapunzel wants. And harsh as it was to say, she wasn’t exactly wrong: before the end of the pilot he spent a lot of time in the movie talking about what he wanted for his future with Rapunzel, and he did seem to go overboard with that proposal. Or in “Eugene P.I”, Cassandra mocked Eugene for even considering joining the Royal Guard, but she did subtly offer some helpful advice in the end, and when Eugene had his suspicions about a potential culprit Cassandra believed him when no one else did. So, Cassandra doesn’t seem to be saying these harsh things just because she doesn’t like something, she just says what she means and lets them figure out the rest. Whether or not she’s going overboard, I’ll let you decide, but you can’t say she doesn’t have a valid reason.

Because of her edgy personality, there have also been complaints about Cassandra being an unnecessary character for the series, but, as I mentioned before, she is pretty much Rapunzel’s polar opposite, and she’s that way for a reason. Rapunzel while brave is also extremely naïve and growing up in a tower her whole life makes her too innocent for her own good, which is why Cassandra needs to be one of her guides in this brave new world. The princess may have Eugene and her parents but it’s easier to relate to people who are not only the same age but also the same gender, and what European influenced princess doesn’t have a lady-in-waiting. In the episode “The Return of Lance Strongbow”, Cassandra tried to warn Rapunzel about Eugene’s old partner in crime and she wasn’t wrong about him. Lance ended up convincing Eugene to fall back to his old ways and Rapunzel, while still optimistic, learned the hard way that she was right. Not to say that her know-it-all attitude can get a bit annoying, but she’s only ever used it when she’s certain about something and Rapunzel is the kind of person who needs that kind of attitude from time to time just to bring her down to earth. She’s even agreed with Eugene about it a couple of times. For example, in “Rapunzel’s Enemy”, when Rapunzel learns that someone doesn’t like her both Eugene and Cassandra tried to tell her leave the matter alone and in “Tangled Before Ever After” they both silently agreed that Rapunzel made a terrible excuse when her mother wanted to go into her room.

Recent concern about Cassandra being too an arrogant protagonist was raised in the episode “Challenge of the Brave”, where both she and Rapunzel compete against each other but for different reasons. Cassandra entered to show everyone that she is more than just Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting and Rapunzel entered because she thought it would fun to compete together. Since Rapunzel turns out to be ahead of every event, Cassandra is pretty mad for being shown by her, which is also the main reason why her behavior has gotten so much negative feedback: not only did was she not honest to Rapunzel about her feelings but she also tried to sabotage her chances of winning in the last event and lost her temper when the princess collected all the cheers. Admittedly, she could have just told Rapunzel about how important this competition was to her personally from the start given the princess’s naïve nature, but considering how embarrassed she was when Rapunzel started to show displays of the warm-hearted tender emotions she’s so famous for, I don’t think she’s the kind of person whose interested in emotional expression. Cassandra is Rapunzel’s natural opposite after all and she was raised by a strict man. Not only that I think another reason she didn’t say anything to the princess was because she might not have wanted to be a lady-in-waiting to begin with. At the beginning of “Challenge of the Brave”, there are two instances where Cassandra appears to be interested in the Royal Guard. The first was when she was sewing a dress, she was watching the Guard perform drills from her window as she was unhappily stitching, then a thief stole someone’s money, Cassandra attempted to apprehend him but a guard caught him before she could and almost looked like he was snubbing her. All this behavior suggests to me that Cassandra wanted to be a member of the Royal Guard, at some point at least. The series hasn’t mentioned how Cassandra came to be Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting, but I believe she ended up doing it because of her father. She looks up to her father and maybe wants to the next Captain of the Royal Guard like him, and yet in every episode I’ve seen so far there has yet to be any female members of the Guard. In “Cassandra v. Eugene”, she told Eugene that she was taught “to focus on the here and now” and doesn’t have time for dreams, but everyone wants something, perhaps the reason she’s so snippety is because she wants to be part of the Guard more than she wants to admit and is blocked by two things: her gender role and her father’s disciplined teachings. Besides, granted that Cassandra didn’t offer a verbal apology in “The Challenge of the Brave”, but she was a good sport about her loss and she did prevent Rapunzel from getting crushed by Wreck, which shows that she’s at least willing to admit defeat in her own way. It’s not to say that you should feel sympathy for her situation, since her behavior does prompt a considerable amount of reprimanding, it’s just that one should stop to consider if there is more to Cassandra than originally anticipated.

Although Cassandra can be rough around the edges she does appear to have a vulnerable side as well. In "Cassandra v. Eugene”, we learn that like Eugene Cassandra is actually an orphan, who was taken in by the Captain. She’s willing to admit that much to him but closes herself up afterwards, she shows a clear signs that she’s uncomfortable about her past and that there might be more to her story than she’s willing to admit. There have been a lot of complaints addressed to Cassandra because they say that she keeps giving other people a hard time about something when she doesn’t fully understand the situation. Well then to all of those who believe that I have a question for you: Aside from being an orphan how much do you really know about Cassandra? After 6 episodes, that is only relevant detail that has been revealed about her. There is no mention of any insecurities, fears or even desires because, according to her, she was brought up to focus solely on the task at hand. Do you really that you can make a fair assessment of her personality with only six episodes’ worth of information? I’m not saying that she’s my favorite character and the series, and I don’t disagree that she should consider watching herself more, however, I won’t say that her behavior makes absolutely no sense. Not only did she not witness the events between Rapunzel and Eugene at the tower, she’s also a very strict realist. Even if she did believe the story about Eugene saving the day - or tried to anyway - she might have thought that it was dumb luck that a wanted criminal would just happened to stumble upon the lost princess.

As always, everyone entitled to their own opinion, but before you decide to make that opinion public, try to stop and think for a minute. There might be a completely different to the story that hasn’t been considered yet, even if you admit that you like or don’t like Cassandra you might not be giving her a fair chance. Her behavior might underline things about her upbringing, her past and how her role in the show is actually more essential than anticipated. Besides, the season only just started, there might be so much more to uncover, and some of it may force you to re-evaluate your earlier position.

I hope this post was useful, if you have any thoughts or have anything else you think I should check out please let me know.

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#tangled the series #tangled before ever after #tangled #Cassandra #Thoughts and theories #Overview #Speculations #Cartoon #TV Show

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