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symphoniesoutofsilence · 2 years

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*kicks door in* I KNOW IT’S NEAR MIDNIGHT BUT I HAVE AN AU.

It makes very little sense and I probably won’t ever have the motivation to create content for it, but nonetheless: Star Wars Original Trilogy x 70s era Scooby Doo! It’s a similar setup to Scooby Doo--young people chasing down crooks, meeting all sorts of strange creatures and getting involved in all manner of wacky hijinks along the way--but there’s some space-y elements involved (I’ll elaborate a bit on that later)! I’ll introduce the characters here, and if there’s some interest, I might write some more!

So, without further ado:

Lando as Fred! He’s the confident, friendly leader that usually gets the gang involved in these messes, but he’s also very good at getting them out! Much like Fred with his traps, Lando is an expert at creating elaborate little schemes to stop the culprit once and for all (which are usually constructed with Han and Leia’s help; Lando may be smart, but he’s not an ace mechanic).

Luke as Daphne! Surprisingly, these two clicked immediately for me; both are a tad bit ditzy, but disarmingly perceptive; the team really wouldn’t be the same without them! (This is where Luke’s Force-sensitivity comes in. He isn’t by any means a Jedi in this AU, or even quite aware of his gift, but come on, he’s accidently discovered waaaaay too many trapdoors/secret entrances for it to be coincidence). Also, both are undoubtedly “the pretty friend”. Trendy scarves and Chanel boots aside, Daphne’s been flirted with by at least a dozen one-off male characters, and you cannot convince me that Luke would be any different; he’s got a different hunk on his tail every other day and he’s absolutely enjoying it!

(Also, yes, Luke is wearing the purple blouse and matching miniskirt in my mind, no, I won’t be elaborating or taking constructive criticism, thank you ;)).

Leia as Velma! The vital braincell of the group, Leia is definitely the most grounded. Her first impulse is to figure out as much as she can about the current threat, though she’s certainly not above swinging a blunt object if things go awry! Because she’s the most thoughtful--or as Han likes to complain, a buzzkill--the others tend not to hear her out right away, more focused on their overdramatic, overcomplicated solutions than a conveniently missing piece of evidence or strangely timed encounter that she notices along the way. (Again, Leia’s Force-sensitivity shows itself in a similar fashion to Luke’s, but even more subtly; where he tends to sense physical disturbances, Leia just feels when someone or something isn’t quite right. Again, it’s not so much a power like in the original films as it is an odd quirk, but it’s definitely there!) Seriously, things would wrap up so much faster if they just let her handle things for once!

(Unfortunately for all of us, those instances are few and far between. Her boys are very lucky that she loves them as much as she does; they’re so much trouble).

Han as Shaggy! Alright, I know this one is a little strange but here me out: same aesthetic, but entirely different vibe. I always interpreted Shaggy as someone who seems very useless and cowardly but when he gets himself together enough to play along, he’s surprisingly adept and a real asset to the team, maybe even brave! Get it? Okay, now imagine Han as the exact opposite of that. He’s reckless and hotheaded on the surface and is usually running after the monster without a plan, a weapon, or any information before the rest of the gang can so much as blink (think canon Han, but a little more awkward and less outwardly cocky). Granted, he actually manages fine when he stops to think--he can be surprisingly cunning at times and brings Lando’s schemes to the next level!--but usually, he’s a mess and a half that the others are constantly rescuing.

(Note: the idea that actually spawned this AU was a quiet scene of Lando, Luke, and Leia researching this week’s monster while Han goes looking for more clues. Leia grumbles in response to Lando’s confidence in his friend, “I just hope he really can handle this on his own”. Smash cut to Han screaming at the top of his lungs, running from about half a dozen more monsters than we were aware of 5 minutes ago (???), and just all around Not Handling It Very Well).

And good ol’ Chewbacca as Scooby Doo! As the token furry mascot, poor Chewie is constantly saving somebody from something. He’s very clever and intuitive, and his miniscule observations, much like Scooby’s, are usually what save the day (when he can get his lovable but idiotic human friends to listen, that is!). Just a good bro, with a big brain and a bigger heart, Chewie is the glue that holds the team together :)

(And yes, he absolutely picks up Han bridal style and carries him out of danger while said idiot throws a tantrum--”It was fine, Chewie, I could have handled it--I was not screaming like a little girl!!”--at least once every episode :P).

So, that’s about it for now! Obviously, this AU isn’t super fleshed out, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them! I’d love to hear your thoughts :)

#star wars #Star Wars Original Trilogy #star wars crack #star wars headcanons #star wars au #lando calrissian #luke skywalker #leia organa #han solo #chewbacca #scooby doo #I had way too much fun with this and I refuse to apologize #watch this thing that I spent two hours typing get no notes lol

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another-fantasy-world · 3 years

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Theirs, In Every Way Possible

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Pairing: Jemily x Fem! Reader, JJ x Reader x Emily

Summary: JJ and Emily thought that their life couldn’t get any better, until they met you. However, what happens when you aren’t completely truthful to them and the team who was already a family to you?

Warnings: Canon Violence, Reader came from a serial killer family, Reader has so many traumas, Homophobia, Reader has trust issues and is very indecisive. Y/N might frustrate you. Major Character Injuries.

Word Count: 3816 words

GIF isn’t mine

This case is completely made up from the top of my head, so if there are any similarities in the episodes in CM, they were probably just carved in my brain. Also, this might be a little ooc because I can’t just seem to tap into their personalities just yet

I’m sorry, I tried making this as angsty as I possibly could, I’m still working on my angst.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

You were fairly new to the BAU, only working there for about 6 months, and yet you fit in really easily. It definitely helped that you were the sunshine- Penelope Garcia’s bestfriend and that Erin Strauss couldn’t bring herself to dislike you. But what matters the most to them is that fact that you were a genius. No, not like Dr. Reid genius. You understood the serial killers in a personal level, and you would often coax the weapon out of their hand and get them to submit and surrender. Of course, when they confronted you about it, you easily lied and they somehow accepted that. So much for being profilers.

You never really did know when you first started seeing the couple in a new light. Yes you liked them both. It never really mattered since you just knew that it would just fade away. It was already embedded in your brain that everyone eventually leaves and that being too close to anyone would only get them killed. You learned that the hard way. But that didn’t stop you from admiring them from the shadows. It didn’t stop you from smiling whenever they talk, it didn’t stop you from memorizing their features like they were about to vanish into thin air, it didn’t stop you from admiring how JJ controlled the media, or how Emily used that voice when she’s speaking to the unsub and it didn’t stop you from admiring how well they fit each other, how their hands fit like puzzle pieces, and how your heart clenches in awe when you see them cuddled up with each other. You didn’t know what you would do with yourself, you desperately needed to get away from them, but you also wanted and needed to be around them. God, you knew you sounded like a hormonal teenager.

“This is Daryln Garcia, Ahron Balydyn, Abbey Banagher and Jehoushua Castiel. Their names are on top of the list of the recent chain of murders all over each state.” Garcia winced at the pictures that she had to present to the whole team, she never did seem to get used to it

“Some of these are from waaaaay long before, why only now?” Emily asks from her seat , which was coincidentally next to yours

“The M.O’s are all over the place, which is why they didn’t connect the murders until now. The only thing connecting them are black sticky notes that are posted on the wall and on their body.” Rossi reads out.

“Where’s the latest one?” You ask, sipping your coffee

“...Los Angeles, California.”

“Wheels up in Five.” Hotch concludes, as everyone gets up to gather themselves.

After talking and discussing the case a bit more, You all decide to calm down for a few hours, and each and everyone of you set off to do your own things.

“Uh-huh, you’re staring at them again huh.” Garcia teased you through the screen.

Spencer was memorizing and rereading the case files,

Hotch was talking with Rossi, probably discussing the case,

Morgan has his headphones clogging his ears,

JJ and Emily were cuddling with each other as JJ munched on her cheetos.

You were currently seated away from the team, just out of earshot because you knew that Garcia would begin spouting non-sense.

“Shut up...” You blushed bright red. “...I told you this once, while I was drunk and now you bring it up in every conversation that we have. It’s just a silly little crush, sunshine. It’ll pass.” You told her, playfully glaring at the screen, to which she laughed

“Sure, Gummy Bear. Keep telling yourself that.” She grinned.

When you were about to land, you hung up on your bestfriend before steeling yourself, You didn’t need to acknowledge the gut feeling in the pit of your stomach, and you most certainly ignored the growing headache that you have.

JJ and Emily certainly noticed you right from the start. The woman who had no experience in the field whatsoever is suddenly the finest one they ever seen. (or maybe that’s just because they were so attracted to you that they happen to pay too much attention) That wasn’t the only thing they noticed though: They also noticed the tiny change in tone when you talk to either or both of them at the same time, or the way that your head would be the first to turn when they walk in the bullpen, or the way that your eyes would quickly scan them from head to toe before you bury your face into the paperwork that Hotch gave you, just a slight hint of embarrassment in your eyes peeking out from the cover or maybe it was the way that you would breathe a little heavier and talk a little faster when you discussed the case with them. You weren’t painfully obvious, but they were profilers for God’s sake, they notice everything, especially if it’s about you. There was just something so painfully attractive about you that interests them so much. The way your hair flowed as it dances with the wind, The way you licked your lips since they were dry (They tried to get you to use a lip gloss or a lip balm but you fought them, real hard.), The way your body tackled unsubs who got into your nerves (They always had to change clothes after that...), The way your eyes shined when you successfully return and reunite families, The way your mind worked: How you analyze quick, How you look at things in all angles, How you tried to put yourself in the very scene, How you work so well with Spencer and How you always seem to know what to say, every damn time. Maybe it was the way you broke social construct just by wearing a suit everytime you go to work, or it’s probably the smirks you give them when you’re right about something and they were in the wrong. (It makes them want to pounce on you, but they restrain themselves, taking their frustrations out on each other in the privacy of their own home.) But what they hate the most, it how dense you are. At this point, JJ could send you a love letter and you would think that it’s a recent case evidence.

"...This is Dr. Reid, SSA Prentiss, Y/LN, Morgan, Jareau, and Rossi."

“Right this way, we have arrested a prime suspect this morning.”

“How?” You ask, lifting two duffle bags and setting them down to your designated table

“She was found lurking around the crime scene and a bloody shirt matching one of the latest victims in his backpack.”

“Can we have her bag?” Emily asks, approaching the officer

“Yeah sure. Right this way Agent.” He leads her to somewhere while you trail Hotch to the interrogation room, only to freeze in your tracks.

“What the hell” you whispered under your breath, feeling the same suffocating aura when you felt like your past is catching up to you.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” You hear Derek ask you.

“I can’t do this. I need to call Garcia. Excuse me.” You replied with a look in your eyes. Derek recognized that same look with Emily when she ran away, pursuing Doyle to protect the team, and he’ll be damned if he let’s history repeat itself.

“Nuh-uh sweetcheeks. I know that look. Tell me.” Derek grips your forearm gently.

“Derek. I promise I won’t run away. And if I’m not back within an hour, track my phone and my ring.” you assured him, pulling your phone out and hurrying outside.

“Garcia. Please tell me that my identity is still concealed.” You begged Penelope while you were stress smoking at the back of the precinct.

“It is! I promise! There’s no way they would find you! through technology at least.” she ranted. You see, Penelope Garcia doesn’t do well with secrets, but you really needed her, and she understood that. Which is why your secret is the best kept secret she has, she hid your secret for a year now.

“Then tell me why my aunt, who might I add is an absolute psychopath, is in our major suspect list right now?” you panicked, knowing that your “family” has somehow tracked you

“It might be a coincidence, Gummy Bear. But I will look into it! I promise.”

“Garcia. One more favor. Back up all my files, all of it. From my work laptop, my FBI files, my personal devices, all of it. Then delete them all. I’m going to use a disposable starting now. Pull up the GPS service for my ring, keep an eye on me at all times. I’ll be damned if I see more of my family.” You spat out, stomping out the light of your cigarette, before popping a mint.

“Consider it done. Don’t you think it’s time to tell them?” she carefully asks, knowing how sensitive you are.

“Thank you Garcia, And I will. Once the time is right.” You grumbled, knowing that it’ll be sooner than later.

“Y/N. Tell them before it’s too late. Please, for your sake and for ours too.”

“I will short stuff. I will.”

For days you successfully evaded interrogating your aunt, subtly helping them as much as you can without raising suspicion. You knew that this secrecy is going to be revealed soon

“Y/N. We picked up coffee for you.” You suddenly hear JJ behind you, Emily’s hand gently placing the coffee in front of you, her eyes filled with concern

“You didn’t go to your hotel room did you?” Emily accused

“...No” You dropped your head onto the files in front of you

“You need your sleep Y/N. You’re no use when your brain can’t even function.” JJ retorted, taking a seat beside you, with Emily by her side.

“...Fine. A nap on that sofa. That’s it.” You bargained, determination shines in your eyes

“Okay. Go.”

And then, the moment your head hits the arm rest, you blacked out. Only waking up to Derek’s frantic shaking of your body

“Y/N! Get up!” It was rare for Derek to be this panicked and scared, and that gave you anxiety

“What? What is it?!” You stood up, feeling yourself get dizzy my how fast you got up.

“JJ and Emily are gone.”

What?

“Wait- What do you mean- How long was I asleep?” You blinked

“Precisely 4 hours, 36 minutes and 56 seconds.” Reid blurts out from infront the whiteboard.

“What happened for fuck’s sake?” You sat back down, rubbling your head

“Hotch was about to send you in on a lead, but they both volunteered instead.” Rossi explained

“And no one sent backup?” You were angry, barely keeping it in, you were slowly regretting keeping your secret now

“No one knew until now, when JJ and Emily didn’t come back after an hour, Derek went after them, only to find this.” Rossi lifts up the black sticky note.

“Family for Family, Blood for Blood”

“Is it possible that Rayna Torres, is their relative?”

“ Call and Tell Penelope I said Yes.” You point to Derek, knowing that Garcia will know what to do. You’ll let your bestfriend explain, she’ll explain it better since your mind is fogged

You couldn’t take it anymore. Your face hardened, clenching your jaw. You rarely showed anger, or annoyance for that matter, so they didn’t know what to do when you stormed off in pursuit of Hotch.

You found Hotch in the interrogation room, silently observing your Aunt

“Let me talk to her.” You say, earning a nod from him

You stormed in, slamming the door behind you.

“Listen here, you little psychopath. Where are they.” His eyes widened slightly, Hotch didn’t expect you to be so hostile

“There you are. I was beginning to think that we got the wrong team.” She grinned, intertwining her fingers, her wrists still bound to the table by a handcuff.

“I am not in the mood for your games.” You deadpanned, gripping the table to conceal your anger

“Hmmn. You always did have your father’s temper.”

“WHERE. ARE. THEY.” You slammed your palms on the metal table, making a slight dent on it. Ignoring the pain, you glared at her hard

“You know where they are child. I know that you know where they are.” The devilish grin once again appeared on her face.

“If I step foot inside that warehouse, and they are not there, I can’t guarantee your head will still be attached to your shoulders when they prepare you for your casket. Auntie.” At that statement, you walked away with a surprised Hotch on your trail.

He treated you like his very own ever since you knocked on his door, crying your eyes out, ranting about your family. Of course he noticed the small slip-ups you accidentally let out especially when you’re drunk. But it was never enough to completely put the picture together. He knows that you treat him as a father figure. Which is why he can’t let you go in there alone.

“No. Absolutely not. You might die Y/N!” You raised your brow at him, the bulletproof vest never felt as heavy as it is now

“You’ve known me for 6 months, you’ve known them for years. Why are you picking me over them? You know that I’m what they want. You or any other person steps in though that door, they’re all going to be dead before they see JJ and Emily. Not to mention they might kill JJ and Emily too. Please Hotch. This is my battle. If I die, I die. I don’t want to live knowing I could’ve done something.” Those were your last words before you slowly walked to the warehouse door after getting wired.

“This really isn’t the best first impressions you could make on your future daughters-in-law. Father.” You spoke as you saw him pointing a revolver at her, at your Emily.

You almost collapse at their state. JJ’s beautiful blonde hair caked with dirt and blood, she was staring at you, shaking her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lip is swollen and you could see multiple bruises forming.

However, Emily’s state was much worse. Her eyebrow was bleeding, her knuckles are bruised, she has small cuts everywhere and you could see that she was struggling to stand up despite being tied by her hands to the ceiling

“This one has a sharp tongue daughter. i don’t appreciate it.” He snarled, now pointing his gun at you

“Last one who said that exact words to had his dick cut in half. Where’s my jerkwad of a brother anyways? How’s his dick? Still has my bite marks? Scars maybe?” You smirked, hearing your “mother” load her gun

“Disrespectful Bitch. Don’t talk to your brother like that, he’s better than you ever will be” She snarled, firing at your feet, slashing through your pants, making you bleed slightly, making JJ scream through her gag.

“Your aim’s getting rusty.” You pulled out both your guns, pointing them at you biological “parents”

“And you’re wearing a bulletproof vest. Take it off and kick your guns to us. You know what’ll happen if you don’t” you gritted your teeth, taking off the vest despite the protests of Hotch and the rest of the team

“Happy?” “Very.”

“Now let them go.” You frowned

“No. You see, since you do love them right?” Your father smirked, making you frown

“Yes. I do. I’m in the same team as them for fuck’s sake!”

“No. No. That’s not just it. You love them in a different way as well. Say it.”

“...” Your mother rolled her eyes at your silence and fired two bullets to Emily and JJ, scraping Emily’s cheek and JJ’s shoulder.

You flinched, you knew not to show emotion, but it’s painful to see the women you love get hurt.

“Okay! Fine! You want me to say that I love them? I will.” You gritted out

“Go on then, you know how I love my drama shows.” You glared at them, taking a deep breath in, watching them walk out of the room, a bright spotlight aligns itself on the three of you, It really is a sick TV show that your parents would love to watch.

“What they say is true. I don’t know if you noticed it yet. But I do love you, both of you. I really hoped that I could tell you over dinner, or a cup of coffee, but I guess life has other plans. Loving the both of you seems so weird, and unconventional, but who wants to be normal and boring am I right?” You chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, which they didn’t appreciate.

You moved your hand to their gags slowly, listening for complains from your parents, hearing none, your grabbed their gags and pull them down.

“Y/N-” They both started

“Shhh. Let me speak, you know I don’t have much time.” You smiled, implying that you wouldn’t get out of this alive.

“I notice everything. I do. I’m not as dense as you think I am. I just... I didn’t like the thought of you both getting attached to me. I love you both so much that I knew that if they catch up to me, I could die, or you could get hurt. And now this happened.” JJ shook her head as if to say it isn’t your fault.

“I love you both so much, I love the way you look at each other, often wished I could look at you both like that. I love the way you both force me to sleep then give me coffee in the morning. I love the way your brow furrows when you see a detail in the reports that displeases you, and then you’ll playfully glare at JJ and I when you notice that we’re laughing at you. There’s a lot more that I want to say to you, but I don’t have enough time.” you say, moving closer to them, tears staining their bruised cheek.

“I’ll see you in our usual spot in the coffee shop across the street?” You whisper to JJ, kissing her cheek

“I’ll be copying your move now.” You chuckle lightly, kissing her cheek

A slow clap rang throughout the room.

“Now that is a perfect drama and revenge.” You whipped your head around, only seeing your father. Pulling out your knife from your thigh, you run towards him recklessly, the screams of JJ and Emily’s pleads piercing your ears.

And then three gunshots rang throughout the warehouse, Derek kicked the door down, chasing after your laughing family. Your ears were ringing, you didn’t even notice that you collapsed from the impact. You couldn’t believe it actually worked. You could feel the sticky, red colored cornstarch mixture on your abdomen. However the growing pain on your shoulders prevented you from celebrating.

“Fuck.” You whimpered out, the impact of the bullets on your abdomen radiating throughout your body, yet you can also feel the bullet that’s still in your shoulder.

“Y/N. Stay with us come on” Emily whispered, despite her being in a worse condition that you, She still has your hand in a death grip.

“I’ll be fine Em.” You reassure her through jagged breaths, JJ’s crying face invading your view made you smile too.

The moment that Emily and JJ were free from their binds, they immediately limped towards you as fast as they can, both of them on each of your side, silently wishing that they had more time

“They only managed to shoot me on my shoulder okay? I’ll be fine.” You could see the confusion in their faces, which faded when the paramedics unbuttoned your stained white shirts, only to find another bulletproof vest and an empty plastic bag, previously filled with what they can assume was fake blood.

Emily’s eyes widen, what you did was dangerous, and extremely risky. You gambled on a unpredictable mess and she wondered how you got Hotch to approve of what you did, only to find out later that Hotch didn’t know either.

You could only smile at them, feeling the drugs the paramedics injected take effect, slowly drowsing off. You were happy they were somewhat safe. You were also happy that you managed to stab your father in his arm. Even if your brother did shoot your shoulder from behind, you were still happy with how things turned out.

Almost regretting what you did when you woke up to a staring Emily, JJ quietly handing you water, before they both scolded you like there’s no tomorrow.

However, after what seemed like ages of reprimanding from the older women, they both pecked your lips before asking you out on a date.

I guess it all worked out in the end.

#criminal minds #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss #jennifer jareau imagine #jennifer jareau x reader #emily prentiss x reader #jemily x reader #emily prentiss imagine

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doctormage · 3 years

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What direction do you think George will take Dany in the last 2 books? The same as the show or in another direction entirely? I'm actually wondering if he might have Tyrion trick Dany into burning Kings Landing and then have her exiled to Essos as a result. It's not ideal but at least he doesn't have her go all 'Mad Queen', as I think maybe that's his plan for Cersei, I dunno.

i will be real with you the end of the sh*w coincided w a lot of shitty changes in my life & it genuinely sent me into a downward spiral im still attempting to recover from dljjksljdl so i have tried my best to not think abt what grrm will or wont do LMAO

hOWEVER that is a v interesting idea!!! obv much better than whatever bullshit d&d gave us but still gives us a similar end result: dany isnt on the throne, she has publicly fallen from grace, everyone sees her as a tyrant & villain despite the fact that her goal was to help people, etc. and obv we have seen ~~dark tyrion~~ in the works for a while so that wouldnt be too out of left field for him

im also wondering how aegon – who i personallé think is fake aka the mummer's dragon and all that – plays into all this. i've seen much talk abt the destruction of king's landing being a showdown bw dany & faegon rather than anything to do w dany vs cersei, and imo that makes waaaaay more sense (i like @/mylestoyne's post abt a lot!!)

also agree that mad queen is def for cersei !! and i havent thought too much abt it before now, but its neat to consider the similarities bw cersei & show!dany's """descents into madness""" being due to how much each has lost, esp since they spent years (and lost a lot of other things that are important to them along the way) trying to get where they are. ~big thinky~

sorry this ended up being so long LOL but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#also i dont mean 'how dare u send me this ask ive been trying to forget' etc etc etc #i for real just included that part to say i have purposely stopped trying to 'figure out' anyones ending so i havent given it much thot lol #anyway if dany ''''has'''' to fuck up and be ''bad'' i like ur idea better than anything else i've seen abt it !!#asoiaf #anonymous

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pebblysand · 3 years

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[writing rant - on the monetisation of fanfiction]

a couple of months ago, when i updated my long fic, one of the people on the comments wrote to me the nicest possible review (one of the ones that you keep in your feel-good 'saved' emails - you know the ones), which, amongst other things also said: 'If I could pay you for this...believe me, I would.'

in the moment, i kind of smiled and laughed, and thanked the person for their kind words before moving on with my life. yet, since then, i have to admit that this sentence has kind of been living rent-free in my head. i think it is also because since diving back into fandom a few months ago, i've noticed something that kind of shocked me at first: more and more fanfiction writers seem to be monetising (or attempting to monetise) their craft.

now, back when i started writing fanfic, we wrote fanfic on ffnet and livejournal. it was accepted that thou shalt never (ever) charge money for your writing or else the author and their mean, angry lawyers will come after you for damages and you will die a slow and painful death. we wrote disclaimers at the start of all of our posts and thanked the gods every day when we did not get sued.

i have seen this change gradually over the years. first, in the mid 2010s, the disclaimers went. then, i noticed that people were getting 'tipped' for fanart, sometimes even charging commission. from what i understand (though, don't quote me on this, i'm not an ip lawyer and this post is not intended as legal advice), this is because the way the concept of fair use is framed under us law makes it easier to monetise fanart than it does fanfiction. maybe this is why visual artists came first on this trend. later still (and more recently) i've noticed fanfic writers, doing the same thing.

to be fully honest, the first thought i had when i saw this trend, considering the fear of god (and his lawyers) that was instilled in me in the past, was: how on earth is this even possible? (i'll come back to that in a bit). the second, though, was: fuck, i wish i had the guts to do that, lol.

because, yeah, i will admit, the idea of getting paid for writing what i love to write does appeal, to a certain extent. i won't lie. dear fanfiction writers who've tried to do that recently: i one hundred per cent get it.

looking back at the last fifteen years, i would say that for me, writing fanfiction has been (in terms of time commitment and energy consumed) the equivalent of having an on-and-off part time job. a job that i have held for one or two years at a time, then quit for a while, before coming back to it when i needed (wanted) it again. i obviously can't realistically give you a number re:the actual total of hours i have spent at this since i started out, but i can give you an idea. recently, i started clocking my hours out of interest and calculated that a chapter of my current long fic takes roughly between one hundred to two hundred hours to produce (and they're around 10,000 words). at that rate, i'm probably working 20 hours a week-ish? sometimes more, sometimes less? something as small as a three-sentence fic (like this for instance), takes roughly two/three hours. i'll be honest, i have cancelled plans to write fic. when i'm working on a long project, i do tend to organise my life to give myself the time to write, so i opt for socialising after work during the week rather than on weekends, as i've found this is when i write best. i won't lie: it is - for me (i know some people write quicker, bless them) - a huge time suck.

so, yeah, i understand, in the capitalist society we live in, wanting to make that time count. our world has unfortunately, repeatedly taught us that time is money and getting more does seem like a nice bonus (as long as you have an audience for your art that's willing to pay, obviously). after all, year after year, i've seen a lot of my friends try and monetise their passions as side hustles, with varying success. at first, glance, i look at the time i spend on writing fanfiction and think: man, i wish i could get a bit back from that too. i couldn't even draw a stick figure to save my life but i assume that the time commitment and energy put into that kind of work is roughly similar for visual fanartists as well. i thus very much understand the sentiment, both with fanart and fanfiction.

additionally, though i appreciate this is a bit tangential, the fact that fanfiction is free, i would argue, hinders its potential to be as representative as it could be. it's a bit sad because on the one hand, the fact that it is free makes it completely accessible to the masses but on the other, it makes fanfiction quite exclusive to rich, privileged people who can afford to spend the time and energy putting content out for free. if i spend this much time writing fanfiction, just because i like it and it makes me happy, it's because my full time job pays me enough to cover my bills. if it didn't, i probably would have to forgo writing and get a proper side gig. if you look at my periods of inactivity on ao3, those also kind of coincide with the times in my life when i had to have more things going on to put food on the table.

so, now, assuming that monetisation is a thing that, as a fic writer, one might want to look at, the next question is: how do you go about monetising it? obviously, the law hasn't changed since the days where we were all terrified of getting sued (although enforcement has been quite lax over the years) so it's more about finding workarounds around the law as it is, rather than actively seeking payment for fanart.

from what i've seen: two main solutions seem to exist.

first, there's the tipping/buy-me-coffee technique. as i understand it, this involves either setting up a page on one of the dedicated websites or just putting up your paypal account link on your tumblr posts. with these links, people can then send you however much money they want (however much money they can afford/think you deserve?) on a one-off basis. they're not actually paying for fanfic because there is no actual exchange of services, it's basically like them giving money to charity, except that charity is a fanfic writer/ fan artist whose work they enjoy.

there are two main issues i see with this: one, legally, i'm not sure how much ground this actually holds. assuming you're quite prolific/successful, if every time you're producing new content, you receive dozens of tips, although you're not actively charging for your fanart, making the argument that your content isn't what these people are actively paying for seems hard. imo, the fact that this method sort of holds is that realistically, you're going to make very little out of this. even if you're really good, you might make what? a couple hundred dollars. now, sure, that's a lot of money for a lot of people but in the grand scheme of things, no one sues anyone for such a low amount. as long as you're not making 'proper' money from it, it is highly unlikely that anyone would come after you.

this being said, the second issue, from my perspective, is that this is not in any way, shape or form, a reliable income. it also does not represent, at all, the cost of the time and investment actually put into said fanfiction (or fanart, i assume). for example: if you're going to tip someone who's worked on something for, say, fifty hours, ten dollars, that's very good of you, but that isn't going to be 'worth' their time. it is only worth their time if tipping is done at as scale, which imo is quite unlikely considering you're putting your content out for free anyway. there are kind souls who will tip you, but not that many, meaning that ultimately, you're not working for free anymore, but you're still working at a huge loss.

additionally, because this income is not even reliable on a monthly/weekly basis, it isn't something that anyone can actually rely on, even if only to fund their coffee habit. it's nice to have, don't get me wrong, but from my perspective, is the legal risk outlined above worth the trouble for the $20/30 tips i'd get every once in a while - not really. such low amounts also don't help diminish the class issue that i talked about earlier. again, if you're going to spend fifty hours on something, you might as well work a minimum wage job - even that will pay you more and will be dependable.

second, there's patreon (and patreon-like sites). here, the income is monthly, people pledge on a subscription basis, which does solve the last point above. it might not be much, but at least it's regular.

the main issue i see with patreon is that it is contingent on the author providing more services on top of what they already provide. in most cases, the author will keep putting their usual content out for free + provide their patreons (depending on tiers) with more content, specifically for them. this, to me, makes this scheme even less appealing than the previous one because a) if i can't provide fanfic to potential patreons (again, you can't sell fanfic), i'm not sure what on earth i could give them (original content? that's not really the same market) and b) that's even more work on my plate. honestly, considering the amount of time i already spend writing fanfic, i have neither the energy nor the willpower to provide extra content for an amount that, regardless, will probably pay me less than a part-time job would. again, you'd have to scale this (i.e. have enough patreons) to make it all worth your while, and even in very big fandoms, even for someone waaaaay more successful than me, i doubt it would be likely.

lastly, as a side note, both of these "methods" are solely accepted if they occur on tumblr/writer's own website, rather than on the writer's ao3 page/fic. there was a post going around explaining why that is (nutshell: it endangers ao3's status as a non-profit archive) but as with all things, i seem to have lost it. [if you do have the link to that post/know what i'm talking about, hit me up and i'll rectify this]. this, regardless, supposes driving traffic from wherever you post your fics towards tumblr/your own website which, again, decreases your chances of scaling this.

so, in the end, where does that leave us?

i think, at this point, we've kind of reached a crossroad. ultimately, i see two ways to look at this:

option one: if you believe that fanfiction writers should be paid for their art, you also probably agree that the methods outlined above, while they do offer some sort of solution, are less than ideal. the ideal solution (for this option) would obviously be to allow fanfiction authors to be properly paid for the publication of their work through 'normal' publishing/self-publishing deals, without the need for a licence from the author (bar - perhaps - the payment of royalties). that would create a proper 'market' for fanfiction, treating it as any other form of writing/art form. it would mean a complete overhaul of the laws currently in place, but why not? ultimately, in a democracy, laws are meant to be changeable.

this being said, though, while my personal knee jerk reaction would be to shout 'hurray!' at this solution, i do not actually think i want this. or, maybe, only part of me does. the part of me who has been writing fanfiction for free for fifteen years is like 'hey, yay, maybe i could get paid!'. but then, there is another part of me that would like, maybe, one day, to write more original fiction (i already do a bit, but not much). that part of me is feels frankly a bit icky about giving up her ip rights.

would i be comfortable with people writing fanfiction of my original work? hell yes. that would be the dream. imagine having your own ao3 fandom, omg. however, would i be comfortable with people profiting from writing fanfiction of my work? honestly, i'm not sure. to me, the answer to that is: it depends (how much time investment was put in? how original the concept is? etc.) which, in fact, kind of brings us back to the current concept of licensing. and yes, maybe the current frame imposed by copyright law has also shaped the way i view the concept of property, and maybe i should be more of a communist, free-for-all kind of person, but unfortunately, i'm not that revolutionary.

also, and slightly tangentially, i find it interesting how profiting from fanficition/fanart is seen as more acceptable i certain fandoms rather than in others. taking the hp fandom for instance, even prior to jkr expressing her views on transgender rights, i often read things like: 'ah, she's so rich anyway, she doesn't need the money.' now, that argument has not only gained traction but is also reinforced by: 'ah, she's the devil and i don't want to fund her. it'd rather give my money to fanfic authors/buy things on etsy.'

while i completely understand the sentiment and do not, in any way, shape or form, support jkr's views, i do find that argument quite problematic. if you set the precedent that because someone is too rich, or because they've expressed views you disagree with, you don't believe that they should be entitled to their own intellectual property rights, i do wonder: where does this stop? this being justified for jkr could lead to all sorts of small artists seeing other people stealing/profiting from their original work without authorisation. 'i don't pay you 'cause i disagree with you,' would then act as a justification, with i find highly unfair. the fact of the matter is: jkr created hp. knowing that, the choice of buying hp products, regardless of her opinions is completely and entirely yours, but buying the same stuff unlicensed, from people who are infringing on her copyrights seems, to me, very problematic as this could potentially be scaled to all artists. either we overhaul the entire copyright system or we don't, but making special cases is dangerous, in my humble opinion.

option two: we choose to preserve copyright law as it is, for the reasons outlined above. this means that most people will not get paid for the content they put out and that the few that do will operate on a very tight, legal rope, and work for tips that are a 'nice bonus' but not a proper pay. this sort of perpetuates the idea that fanfiction is 'less than' other art forms, because in our capitalist society, things that don't generate money (things often made by women, may i add) are not seen as being as valuable as things that do.

for me, personally, while getting paid to write fanfiction sounds lovely (and makes my bank account purr) in theory, i think i side to preserve the current system. as an artist, i think that intellectual property protects us and our concepts from being ripped off by others, including by big companies who might find it handy to steal a design, a quote, anything, without proper remuneration. this is even more important for smaller artists who wouldn't necessarily have the means to defend their craft otherwise.

this being said, i do appreciate that it depends on why you're writing fanfiction. i think that topic probably deserves a whole different post in its own right but ultimately, most people write fanfic because it's fun. we know it's for fun, and not for profit. and if that's the case, then we're okay to receive compliments, reblogs and sometimes, for some people a little bit of an awkward tip for our work. for me, fanfic has been a space to make friends, to get feedback, to learn and to experiment without the pressure of money being involved. that's why i don't particularly mind doing it for free, and wouldn't even bother setting up a patreon or tip-me jar. i love being able to do it just for the enjoyment of myself and my five followers (lol), without worrying about scaling it, or making it profitable. not every part of our lives, not every passion has to be profitable. as we say in ireland, you do it 'for the craic' and nothing else.

this, though, as i already said, also depends on your means and level of privilege. to me, writing for free is fantastic and a bloody relief - it means being able to do exactly what i want. original fiction writing is full of rules, and editors, and publishers. in fanfic, i can write whatever i feel like, and i'm willing to forgo a salary in exchange of that freedom. again, i have a full time job that covers my bills. this does mean, though, that i don't have as much time to dedicate to writing as i would like to.

and also, the thing is: i'm a small author. i happily write in my own little niche. bar that one comment, it is highly unlikely that anyone would actually want to pay me (or even tip me) for my content. but when you look at very successful people, like the author of all the young dudes, i could see how they'd want to get paid for their art, and why they'd feel differently.

bottom line for me is: the flaws of the current systems of remuneration combined with my strong belief in copyright law as a means to protect small, original creators, means that i don't really think it would be right for me to get paid for fanfic, even if i was the kind of person who had the market for it. whilst it would be nice, this very long rant has, hopefully, explained why.

#fanfiction #writing #archive of our own #monetisation of fanfiction #fanfiction theory #this post is waaaay too long and the author regrets everything #pebblysand rants

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furederiko · 7 years

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"A universe without Naga... I can't even imagine it" Can Balance save his BFF, and bring him back into the light? Kyuranger's 31st episode delivers the answer, and it's a tearful one...

- Expecting a utopian present after defeating the real Don Armage proves to be a wishful thinking. According to Hammy, everything remains the same and Jark Matter's reign is still at large. In a way, it also feels that our heroes is losing more winning this war. The team is no longer the 12 members unit as it was with Commander Xiao and Champ being left behind 333 years ago in the past. And they don't only lose one, but seemingly two Orions: the warrior who gave up his life to give Lucky the miracle power-up, and ORION the spaceship that is heavily damaged due to the time travel trip. - Things aren't faring better for the 'Save Naga' team either. Ever since Lucky went to the past, Balance has gone MIA, and both the Blues were captured by Dark-Naga and Akyanba. Dark-Naga is now using Garu and Kotarou as baits to lure out Balance, because he wants to "get rid of him, personally". Ouch! On the opposite side, Echidna is still determined to eliminate Naga. Since this new formation of Kyuranger also refuses to aide her, she decides to do it alone. Which is obviously NOT a wise choice. - The battle between Ophiucus Metal and Echidna is shortlived, but it does get pretty dark. The former now has the ability to take control her body with his freezing ray! Great goodness, he's only mere seconds away from making Echidna kills herself!!! Thankfully the Kyurangers (sans Raptor and Stinger) arrive just in time to prevent that. Pursuing his goal, Ophiucus Metal specifically targets Libra Gold, and unleashes the Black Hole Kyu Globe to eliminate him. Leo Red jumps in to protect Libra Gold... and, the two of them are obliterated. Wait... WHAT? - Well, if you somehow sense the over-the-top "Mamma Miaaaaa!!!" reactions of the other Kyurangers feel... bizarre, then you're totally not alone. And no, it also doesn't mean that the director simply forgot to tell these actors to act. This scene was nothing more than a deliberate ruse! A brilliant one at that. Beside, Kyuranger has pulled off many emotional scenes that were waaaaay better executed than this, so clearly something is amiss. - But seriously, what happens to Leo Red and Libra Gold, then? This is where things get faux-sciency. Turns out, Balance hasn't been sulking or sobbing in a bar, making himself wasted due to the loss of his BFF (unlike... a certain someone I'm familiar with). All these time, he has been actively working for a solution: analyzing the people who were also 'emotionally' affected by Akyanba, and tweaking the Microscopium Kyu Globe as the tool required for his big rescue plan. Last we saw this Skill Kyu Globe in action, Raptor used it to detect the 'microscopical Mothma' affecting ORION's control. With Balance's special add on, the Kyu Globe not only magnifies object, but actually gives its user the ability to SHRINK down into microscopical size! Ladies and gentlemen, Kyuranger had just officially gone "ANT-MAN" on us. Marvel-ous surprise. LOL. Fun fact: the same episode that debuted Microscopium, also had Naga as 'victim' to a supposed-crime incident. In actuality, we all knew he only passed out while practicing expressions in front of the mirror! At the time, it was set as a silly humor. But was that really a coincidence, knowing this episode revisits the same Kyu Globe, while also trying to rescue Naga as a victim? Hmmm... I don't think so. - You see, there's a faux-scientific reason to why Akyanba's victim got emotionally warped. Turns out, she planted microscopic Indavers into their brains, and they messed around with their nerves (remember, emotions are triggered by particular neurons. That's actual science...). Don't get the wrong idea though, Naga DID have his emotions unlocked by the Vice-Shogun. He wasn't mind-controlled, and still accepted Akyanba's offer on his own free will. But at the same time, Akyanba also infected him with the same 'virus' that caused every victims to go berserk, hence the aggressive result. It all made sense! I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, when the evidence (the civillians? duh...) has always been there in plain sight. That's brilliant writing, I say. - As Lucky and Balance cleans up the Indavers that are twisting Naga's neurons, the other Kyurangers are also able to track their location to free Garu and Kotarou. Now, the 'BRAIN' setting is where things get a bit... surreal and/or metaphorical. When Balance is approaching 'Good Naga' to free him, Malistrate Microtsuyo-Indaver stops him and seemingly summons 'Dark-Naga' to the place. This is NOT actually happening in reality, because the real flesh and blood Dark-Naga is still on the ground, guarding his two captives. Simply put, Balance is fighting the 'virus', or negative conscience that takes the form of 'Dark-Naga', so he can free the body's positive conscience (something like... immunity system, perhaps?) that's taking the form of 'Good Naga'. Get it? - Then again, understanding this tricky metaphor shouldn't really be much an issue. I'm sure any audience would pretty much be carried away by their own emotions, that they don't have time to nitpick or pointlessly analyze (like what I've been doing LOL). Seriously, if you don't feel an inch of pain and sadness or concern as you see Balance taking all the hits, even throwing away his own life to protect 'Good Naga'... then you probably don't have a heart. This scene is heartfelt and moving, and amplified to the optimum when the other Kyurangers (with Hammy as the lead) begin calling out Naga's name to 'come back'. No kidding. Those flowing tears from his eyes? Dang it, the feels. And that flashback of him wanting emotions so he can cry or be angry? Aaaaaw... THE FEELS!!! T_T - Of course the rescue plan would be a success. 'Good Naga' champions over 'Dark-Naga' to protect Balance, winning back the control over his emotions. It's basically a "Persona 4" situation of fighting their own demons/shadows. Naga himself chose to have emotions, so it's him who needs to choose and filter how it would take shape of. But there's one more surprise to the outcome. Naga gets to keep his power-up in tact!!! After the BN Thieves team up to take down Microtsuyo-Indaver (who grows giant... into regular size. Comedy gold. LOL), Ophiucus Silver transforms into benevolent Ophiucus Metal! He then uses the Black Hole Kyu Globe, combining Leo Red Orion's "All Star! In-Finish Blast" with his "Metal Ophiucus Crash" to defeat Akyanba. Other Kyurangers then use their own finishers. Everyone (just 6 members) form Kyutamajin to deal with giant Ophiucus Metal, a manifestation of Dark-Naga's rage that has built up inside Microtsuyo-Indaver's body. The Vice-Shogun walks out alive, but the battle is still won. NOTE: Leo Red Orion's space manipulation to create portals in battle is wicked-awesome to see in action. The scarf/mantle part is really effective to add flare in battles. Even in stage performance, as evidenced by the G-Rosso's theatre footage that was aired during commercial breaks. However, the dearly-missed reunion of Libra Gold and Ophiucus Silver naturally sucks up all the attention and glory. It's just really good to see the BN Thieves together again, am I right? That includes taking the spotlight in that ending sequence. As for Ophiucus Metal, worth noted that it's pretty rare for recent Sentai series to assign power-up to a non-Red member. The last one whom I recall received similar treatment was Super StarNinger who achieved a new poncho thanks to the Gekiatsutou. - The closing scene takes us back to another heartfelt moment. Despite his carefree facade, Balance can no longer hold back his feelings, and cries his heart out for Naga. Such a moving scene. Aaaaw... the feels. Dang it, Kyuranger! Dang it. Echidna witnesses this teary celebration, and attests that everyone is strong because of their emotions. I WAS kind of expecting her to have a more important role, perhaps a twist of her being someone's close to Naga or something. Alas, that turns out not to be the case. I'm definitely not disappointed or anything, but it's still a potential that could've been explored. Then again, before heading home, she decides to let Naga's supposed 'treasons' slide. Since Naga is off the hook, does this mean Echidna has a change of heart? After all, he does prove that having emotion isn't that much of a threat for people from the Ophiucus System... as long as one can contain it to focus only on the positive sides. I wonder if this turn of event will encourage change to their home planet? - Celebration time! Unfortunately, this celebratory mode is not fully shared by everyone in the room. One particular Kyuranger, is firmly setting her sight on another pressing matter: the ORION's condition. That's the story for another day...

Overall: This tearjerker episode had a tough task, coming out after a powerful entry that was last week's episode. Comparison between both episodes, particularly for nitpickers like yours truly, would be inevitable. In general however, I personally call this a success. It had a fine balance of tone shift that wondrously transitioned from emotional moments, to humor and action in between without ever breaking the flow. The 'Evil Ranger' arc was wrapped nicely, and it was crucially tied to the next plot right away. More importantly, the minor/personal arcs of both Balance and Naga that began since their debut, were given a sweet and wonderful closure. The BN Thieves are bounty and treasure hunters, so it's heartwarming to know that the ultimate treasure they have been looking for, has always been close by all along. Balance discovered, realized, and acknowledged that the greatest treasure he could ever wanted, was none other than the BFF he cared and trusted the most. While Naga's desire to acquire true emotions was obtained, fulfilled through darkness, but only made full circle with the selfless love and help of his BFF. The pair complemented and strengthened each other, proving why they were always meant to work as a duo, and not solo. Not unlike Chewbacca, and Han Solo, right? Next week: Story of Raptor & dear uncle ORION PS: TV-Nihon has released their fansub for the first episode of "High School Wars". Word of advice though, you might want to postpone any desire to see it. Do NOT watch it until late October, unless you're okay having the next four episodes (episode 32 to 35) to be potentially spoiled. The mini web-series works as a coupling to V-Cinema "Episode of Stinger", which according to report, takes place around episode 35. So it's probably best to avoid "High School Wars" accordingly as well, at least until episode 35 airs.

Episode 31 Score: 8,2 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: September 27th, 2017 - Version 2.15. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#tokusatsu #SuperSentai #kyuranger #uchu sentai kyuranger #uchuu sentai kyuranger #review #melancholymoments #friendship

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ecritetmort · 4 years

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plot element #13: people aren’t dying

as far as I remember, there are only 2 books (AMONG MY SAMPLE) that have “death has stopped / no one is dying” as part of their inciting incident:

Death With Interruptions / As Intermitências da Morte by José Saramago,

and Cobweb Bride by Vera Nezarian.

the affected human populations in both frame this as negative, particularly for the elderly. however, the d/Deaths motives differ greatly. In the former, “death” wants to make the end of life more kind, and the period of no deaths is just a transition to her sending out a week’s notice letters to the to-be-dead. In the latter, Death wants to get married; withholding his work is not a gift, but a threat.

I don’t think this gender difference is necessarily indicative of anything--“death” being a woman is the obvious gender of choice for la morte; and the description of Cobweb Bride describes the narrative as borrowing bits from “Persephone myth,” and Hades is obviously male--but it is interesting.

(I mean, it’s slightly disappointing. I would be way more down to read Cobweb Bride if either 1) Death was a woman and the MC remains a girl, making it a f/f romance; 2) complete gender flip, turning the concerned grandchild MC into a boy seeking a feminine Death’s hand; or 3) Death remained a man, but he’s as open to receiving a husband as a he is to having a bride, because why should an immortal god of death discriminate on gender? Death is obviously pan.)

(I also hate that “death” ends up in a heterosexual pairing at the end of Death With Interruptions, but that’s a whole other thing.)

so... what does it all mean?

Both novels are set in ambiguously Western European countries, though one is historical fiction (Cobweb Bride is set in an “alternate Renaissance world”) and the other contemporary (Death With Interruptions is nondescript, but we know Catholics are present). it is fair to assume both authors are well-versed in western gender roles.

so, let’s do some gender analysis.

for clarity: my knowledge is limited. I’ve read Death With Interruptions (in English), but all I know about Cobweb Bride is from Goodreads. I could be waaaaay off-base about the latter (and about the former, too).

both d/Deaths seem to be fairly remote: “death” stays in her studio (of sorts), filing paperwork all day; Death resides deep in the forest. humans have no fuckin’ clue what’s up with mortality, and both worlds reflect this.

Cobweb Bride says Death arrives “in the form of a grim Spaniard,” implying that he is borrowing a physical form rather than having a native one. similarly, “death” has no natural flesh self of her own, existing instead as the cloaked skeleton we all know--when she goes to mingle with humans, she selects a human form to wear. not only is d/Death hard to reach, it is Other, only human on the surface. I’ll talk about various forms The Grim Reaper takes on separately, but it is notable that these books share this interpretation. a lot of books take a different route, especially when romance is involved.

On that note: both of these books involve romancing/being romanced by death, but unlike most of their brethren, it’s not really for actual reasons of attraction (or at least, there are other motives at play). “death” wants to figure out why this one dude isn’t receiving her mail. the MC of Cobweb Bride wants her grandmother to finally pass in peace. could be worse!

but anyway, let’s get back to the titular plot point.

although both d/Deaths are disliked for their halt of work, it’s of interest that they have differing motives. Both are abusing their positions (for lack of better phrase), but why they are doing so are very different, and in a way which is reflective of their differing genders.

let’s start.

“death” in Death With Interruptions is acting, fundamentally, out of kindness; as part of a larger hierarchy of deaths, “death” steps out of line in order to withhold her work. For that reason, her ultimate solution is to start sending out one-week notices to the dying--giving them, in her eye sockets, a chance to prepare for their ends. (This puts the book in lineage with stories that seek to “end death,” but that’s a whole other subject.)

meanwhile, Death in Cobweb Bride is acting out of selfishness; he’s flexing his power over the world to motivate the people under him to do as he wants (find a suitable bride). He’ll cease (or rather, restart) eventually, presumably, but likely not before receiving his request--kings, emperors, and village brides are all more-than-willing to bend.

“death” wields no strong authority over the humans of her domain, her letters to a local newspaper dismissed. Death is characterized by how he does so.

hmm, I wonder which gender is associated with authority...

more than just their motivations, however, it’s significant the roles they play within the narrative. “death” is the (closest we get to a) protagonist; Death is antagonistic, if not the antagonist. (One could argue this also ties to the genders of the books’ respective genders, as a male author gives us a tale of a powerful entity trying her best and a female author tells us of a powerful entity imposing his will on others. but I digress...)

This is perfectly understandable if you simply compare the two d/Deaths’ motivations, of course. “death” is scorned by the public despite trying to help others, a position which inherently garners sympathy, while Death subjugates and terrorizes others, a position which is generally unsympathetic.

except, really, the d/Deaths are performing similar actions. they’re causing the same breeds of trouble. I hesitate to say that they’re being treated in a biased manner by the two narratives--our beleaguered “death” is our hero, while the lording Death is our antagonist--but it’s certainly suspect all the same. That the sympathetic “death” is feminine and the villainous Death is masculine feels no grand coincidence. we’re fast to excuse the wrongdoings of women in power as having good interests (and faster to shame them); though we look down on men who abuse their station, we’re slow to actually dismantle their power.

but either way, they’re heterosexual. because of course they are.

#from the writer's den #academic death stuff #academic stuff #didn't go into this post expecting to have so many thoughts but here we are

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