#they don't know how to craft them because they don’t have the writers either

[fairuzfan]

I don’t ask this expecting you have THE answer or that there is one, but I follow a non Palestinian white man on insta (in addition to many Palestinian folks in diaspora and in Palestine) who mostly shares things from Palestinian ppl/sources.

He has several times criticized / shared criticism of charity dinners, music festivals etc raising funds for Gaza with the perspective of, it’s not appropriate to have a dance party or dinner while people are undergoing genocide, but also that in this moment, art isn’t resistance because there needs to be physical resistance, blockades of weapons, etc.

I’ve seen this echoed from some others especially critiquing white folks trying to claim “joy is resistance” right now, which makes sense to me, but i also wonder if it’s reductive to say art or music is not resistance because I feel like it can have a lot of power especially alongside social movements… was wondering if you had thoughts on this or perhaps knew where I could look to learn more.

Please ignore if this is too much, and thank you

I think things like writing and illustration and music feeds into the spirit of revolution and is necessary in that way. You have to energize the masses somehow, and to ensure that your message spreads as far as possible. A good way is to make art, or to sing a song, or write a story.

That's why Wisam Rafeedi wrote his book and different resistance factions make posters and videos — to spread their ideas and garner support among the masses.

It's not as important as putting yourself in immediate physical danger to incapacitate the colonial entity — but I think for Palestinians and other colonized peoples, they do need to make art to really process their thoughts. Of course there's a difference when a Palestinian in Palestine, a Palestinian in the diaspora, a nonPalestinian ally of color, and a NonPalestinian white ally do this. I won't deny that there's a nuance when it comes to this.

But writers who write about Palestinian Liberation historically have been assassinated because of how they participate in liberation actions and also spread ideas of liberation themselves. I don't know which white guy you're talking about but I feel like this is mostly a conversation that should be led by Palestinians if we're talking about Palestine because they understand the nuance of saying statements like "the only resistance is physical." I understand what he's saying to an extent but that does erase a lot of Palestinian resistance the past few decades by making sweeping statements like "art is not resistance" and kind of simplifies the issue at hand.

Charity dinners and galas and that stuff... I don't know what I think about them, I think that people are going to do it either way so my opinion doesn't really matter. Hey, if you're going to raise thousands of dollars for Palestine, I'm not going to stop you at all. I personally think you should try to avoid posting pictures and stuff like that from the gala itself if you're going to host one just out of courtesy.

I guess overall what I'm trying to say, art resistance becomes physical a lot of the time. I think its really reductive to say "art isn't resistance" and also personally insulting considering I have family members and friends who were journalists, creative writers, and artists and killed/targeted for their work.

Here's this article by Fargo Tbahkhi about the role of writing during a genocide that might be a good read. They also mention how Israeli propaganda (calling Palestinians "human animals"/"Amalek" as an example) is specifically a use of culture and writing to energize people to commit genocide. An especially poignant part that I completely agree with, and am trying to get at:

Palestine requires that we abandon this catharsis. Nobody should get out of our work feeling purged, clean. Nobody should live happily during the war. Our readers can feel that way when liberation is the precondition for our work, and not the dream. When it is the place we stand, and not the place we shake ourselves towards. In this way, what the long middle of revolution requires, what Palestine requires, is an approach to writing whose primary purpose is to gather others up with us, to generate within them an energy which their bodies cannot translate into anything but revolutionary movement. This is what Boal modeled for us in his theatrical experiments, which were dedicated to empowering audiences to act, to participate in a creative struggle to envision and embody alternatives. For Boal, theater was not revolution, but it was a rehearsal for the revolution, meant to gather communities together in that rehearsal. Creative work readies us for material work, by offering a space to try out strategies, think through contradictions, remind us of our own agency.  

#palestine

[dduane]

Re: Magic systems

kosmonaunt asked:

I have the weird hyper-fixation of wanting to know all their is about The Speech and just how everything works!! I love learning about how power systems work, and it helps since I’m trying to develop my own. I’m always stuck on soft or hard magic systems. Since I don’t know all there is to really know about my system. Do you have tips on crafting magic systems? How do you feel about someone being inspired by pieces of your system?

Inspiration is fine! What you want to make sure you do with whatever inspires you, though, is to work hard to make your own take on it different from or better than what you borrowed. Around here we refer to this as "the magpie principle:" if you're going to pick up and play with/make off with a bright and shiny idea, you need to be working to produce something even brighter and shinier as your part of the "exchange". Whether or not you succeed at this (or can succeed), either sometimes or never at all, isn't the point. The point is to always be trying.

As regards building magic systems: there were three different ones in the foreground or background of my first novel alone—all of them with features that at this end of time I can recognize as being inspired by elements of magic systems in other writers' work. But by the time I'd more fully developed them, each had become something unique. The system I'm probably better known for—the system based on the wizardly Speech and its use—sprang more or less automatically from the increasingly complex answers to the question, "What if there was a manual that could tell you the truth about/the secrets of what makes the world go?". (Because once you answer one question, another pops up. "Where did that manual come from? What're you supposed to do with it? What's wizardry for?" Etc., etc.) I've spent the last few decades, on and off, answering that question in ways that (intentionally) mirror the main characters' exploration of the art of wizardry, and what it means to engage in the business of errantry in a world that mostly thinks wizards are a fairy tale.

Before getting into describing my own approach to building a system, I needed to take a little time to look around and make sure I knew what you meant when you mentioned hard and soft magic. My best guess is that you're referring to what a lot of people are calling "Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic" (fairly enough, as Brandon calls them that himself). I had a look, and have come to the conclusion that they're more general guidelines than laws... as in each of his three essays on the subject, Brandon no sooner names his basic laws/principles than he starts punching holes through them to make room for systems that don't follow them rigidly. (And frankly I find this kind of endearing.)

With his first one, in particular, I have no quarrel at all: the concept that in one kind of magic, which for his purposes he defines as the "hard" kind, rules are extremely important. (Which is why I'm kind of horrified that he apparently got dogpiled about this take on a Worldcon panel, because to me it seems so intuitive. Some of the best fantasy storytellers I know, like this one, would agree with him.) Then later he gets on to the equally valid ideas that limitations on magic are really important, and that culturally interconnecting multiple systems is useful; and here too we're in agreement. This is reassuring to me, considering that I built my first four systems—all of which feature approaches resting on similar concepts—while Sanderson was between four and six years old. :)

People using Sanderson's Laws will look at the three systems in the Middle Kingdoms books and classify them as varying sorts of relatively hard magic, with their power rooted in two or maybe three different sources. (The blue Fire is a gift of the Divine, nearly lost since ancient times and much damaged, but now slowly being recovered: sorcery is a language-based art in which no one's terribly sure where its power comes from: and the so-called "royal magics" probably started out as a blood sorcery that over centuries was shifted toward very specific uses by the power of the demigod-descendants who employed it.)

The Young Wizards novels, though, feature an extremely hard magic deeply rooted in science and (more or less under the hood) very, very rules-intensive... while its power relies on correct use of the language used to create the Universe, and the active cooperation of the Powers still busy about that work. And this is the reason why, though people are going to naturally be curious about the Speech itself, no one's going to hear very much from me about its actual words.

This is because the Speech is canonically described as so powerful that its use is something you can feel in your body and mind (and theoretically your spirit): bone-shaking, life-changing, unmistakable. And there's no way that made-up words on the page can realistically be expected to evoke physical sensations like that in the reader... or like the sense of the universe going silent around you, leaning in to listen, as you speak your spell. The careful writer knows that it's unwise to attempt to produce responses in the reader that, when they fail, will only emphasize how that thing is not happening, and stands a good chance of shattering the illusion one’s trying to weave.

So a Speech-word gets dropped here and a phrase there, but no one's ever going to get enough of it out of me to try to build a spell. Readers are better at doing that work for themselves in their own heads, out of hints and whispers. Over ten books and their interstitial material, there are plenty of those scattered through the text: not to mention the most basic principles of wizardry, which are laid out before the end of the first chapter of the first book in the series. So I'll leave you to get on with deducing what you can from canon.

Meanwhile, if I was about to build a new system, I'd look at my main characters—in the setting of their home cultures—and ask myself for answers to these questions:

What do they want more than anything?

Why can't they have it?

What kind of power will help them get it?

When they do eventually get within reach of the power / the desired thing... what will its achievement cost them?

And will they pay the price?

...Because the payment of such prices is where you find out what your heroes are worth. (Or aren't.) The above arc succinctly describes, in broad strokes, both The Door into Fire and So You Want To Be A Wizard, and a good number of the books that follow them. (Because why abandon what works, or try to fix what's not broken?) :)

With answers to the questions above you can start feeling your way toward what you need—always looking closely at the cultures your characters spring from, and how those cultures will shape their response to the magic they seek. (Or that finds them.) Maybe it's no surprise that the preferred arc structure of a writer who was a psychiatric nurse will be deeply involved with questions of motivation: because motivation is at the heart of almost all human behavior. Find the motivation and you find the character's heart—and, often enough, what kind of magic they need to make their desire and intention overflow into triumph.

...There are quite a few "How to design your magic system" pages out there. You might glance at these to see if there's anything useful in them for you:

How To Build An Amazing Magic System For Your Fantasy Novel

How To Create A Magic System In Six Simple Steps

Building Your Magic System: A Full Recipe

How To Create A Rational Magic System

However, my favorite is the "So You Want To Write A Functional Magic System" page at TV Tropes, which is nicely arranged yet also completely nonprescriptive—a pick-'n'-mix jar of prompts, things other writers have done that've worked, and generally useful ideas. (And try not to vanish too far down the many interconnected rabbitholes...) :)

Now get out there, build the world, and make the magic(s).

#magic systems #building magic #magic #writing advice #fantasy

[doumadono]

I just wanna know why so many adult mha smut creators say they age up minors as if it justifies their attraction to them. Would you say it's okay to age up Eri too?

Ah, aging-up fictional characters, my favorite controversial topic! ♥ You know, I was low-key anticipating an anon to drop this kind of question, sooner nor later (what a pity you didn't have balls to come off-anon tho!). I've had my fair share of childish anons before, and trust me, those went straight into the digital dumpster. But hey, this time, I've decided to lay it all out on the table, crystal clear 🙅‍

You know, I've done it all – murder, rape, summoned demons, even glorified Satan and had several children killed in my stories. But guess what? Not a single pair of handcuffs in sight! 😎 And don't get me started on the horror section at any bookstore - it's like a buffet of dreadful deeds.

Let's be real, the purity police can take a hike. There's something oddly fishy about the fact that fanfic, mostly crafted by awesome writers, gets the brunt of the criticism or some ridiculous accusations, especially the smutty bits, while the gruesome stuff gets a free pass 🤷

Look, folks, it's all about context. Fiction is a realm where creativity knows no bounds, right? So, if I want to age-up a character for a mature storyline, I'll go for it 🤷 Look, it's all a part of the creative process. Fiction is like a playground where we can swing from the monkey bars of imagination, right? Aging-up fictional characters is a common practice in creative communities, and it's important to remember that these characters exist solely within the realm of fiction - they are not real, so it doesn't hurt them in any single way. It allows creators to explore different scenarios and relationships without crossing any ethical boundaries :) Also! Aging-up characters isn't some sneaky scheme to write "inappropriate" content about youngsters. It's about taking characters you adore or find fascinating and giving them a new lease on life. It's like those college AU fanfics for characters in their late 30s or kidfic for full-grown adults. It's all about exploring different phases of their lives. So, whether it's smutty or not, the essence remains the same 😎 You see, the whole "aging-up" thing in fanfic/fanart is just common sense. We're not into the whole "let's sexualize kids" scene, so we gracefully turn our characters into adults. It's all about creating content featuring responsible, grown-up folks. And let's get real, if reading about something meant you were all in on it, then every mystery novel reader out there would have to be either an undercover detective nor a murderer 😎 So let's dial down the judgment and just enjoy our creative freedom, shall we?

But you know, trying to equate aging-up with things like grooming/pedophilia is like saying eating a banana is the same as piloting a spaceship because they're both hands-on activities. Let's keep our perspective here, folks, and not get too carried away with the terminology 😂

If you don’t want to read those stories (containing aged-up characters/dark content/smut with aged-up characters) - then don’t read them - problem solved!

Oh, how times have changed, my friend! Back in the day, I used to let all those comments and anonymous hate bring me down. But guess what? I've evolved, and I've got news for the critics: I write what I want to write, and nobody's gonna tell me otherwise. I've got this little thing called free will, and I'm not about to hand it over to anyone who thinks they can dictate what I should or shouldn't put on paper. If that means ruffling a few feathers, so be it. I've shed my tear-soaked days and embraced the fact that I couldn't care less about those sensitive souls who can't handle a bit of fiction. So, to all you "snowflakes" out there, if you're trying to stifle my creativity, good luck, because I'm just going to crank up the heat and write even smuttier storylines with aged-up characters! Thanks for the encouragement, dear Nonnie – you've only fueled my fire! 🔥😎 I might even consider writing some very dark-themed fic with aged-up Eri, why not! 😈

Oh, hey Anon! Quick question for you. Have you ever picked up a Stephen King book? You know, the master of horror and suspense? Well, if you have, you might've noticed that he doesn't shy away from some pretty explicit content, and not just with adults. Sometimes he writes about kids too, and they're sometimes off legal age as well! Surprise, surprise. You can stroll into a bookstore, grab a book off the shelf, and guess what? There's a good chance that some of those books contain content that would make a sailor blush! Yet, the world isn't collapsing because of it. The point is, even in mainstream literature, you'll find situations that might make you raise an eyebrow. So, let's not throw stones at age-up fiction creators when the literary giants sometimes walk on the same edge, right? 😏

In the conclusion, if you've got a problem with aging-up fictional characters, dear Nonnie, you might want to take a chill pill and remember that it's all just a bit of fun in the end ♥ Well, you know what would truly make my day? If you took the liberty to hit that "block" button with glee and gracefully vanished from my interactions. And if, by some chance, you decide to stick around, don't hold your breath for a response. I'll be too busy conjuring up some fiery, smutty tales featuring Bakugo or Shoto or any other character I like to bother with your, shall we say, less-than-enlightening queries. But hey, chin up, pal – here's a little nugget of wisdom from your "older and wiser" friend: go get a life. It's an absolute game-changer 😜 I'm tagging some content creators who write dark fics or use aged-up characters and might face similar anons/anon hate: @mrskokushibo @ectologia @kyojurismo @bakubunny

#aged up characters #asked and answered #anonymous #go get a life #your ask made my day though #I'v been waiting for so long for an anon like you! ♥ #i'm being sarcastic

[itsclydebitches]



I know the season isn't even out yet but just looking I'm already breaking out in hives. It feels like its overcompensating: "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen we got talking animals, magical cats, a land of candy and absolutely no concern for the main plot! Is this distracting enough for you? Do you like all these bright colours and shiny new things? You've heard of a filler episode, right? Well, get ready for a filler season! Welcome to the next season of rwby, everyone!"

For me personally, the frustrating thing is that I like all these ideas on their own, but I don’t think they’re working for RWBY, especially right now. You want to do an Alice in Wonderland inspired arc? It should be bright and colorful and weird! But that all severely undermines the horror of our previous Volume, so maybe don't do that after the Everything of last season. You want your characters to have the time and opportunity to develop, focusing on introspective questions instead of the action-packed main plot? Sure, go for it, but maybe not at the height of the series' conflict, nine years into the story. I want to shove a basic plot diagram at the writers and point out that they’re interrupting a steady climb towards the climax with... this. There’s a reason why they’re filler episodes, singular, separated events that provide a needed break from the action without derailing it completely. A whole season---especially one that’s shorter than is now average and coming late---is a serious problem for RWBY's pacing and, frankly, makes it look like the writers are stalling while they figure out how the heroes can win when the story has done nothing to prepare them for that monumental challenge. Either that, or we're stretching RT's flagship story out as long as possible. Insert the plea not to pirate here.

And I know, I know, the Volume isn’t out yet and trailers can be misleading, but I’m honestly concerned that there’s nothing here about the main conflict. I have no doubt that the characters will come out of this experience having #LearnedSomething (whether we end up agreeing with their development is another matter entirely), but the trailer makes it seem like it will be a generic confidence boost (Ruby reasserts her desire to help people as the hero), rather than a concrete step towards defeating Salem. There’s no mention of the Relics, the Gods, magic they can use as a weapon, no hint that she’ll improve her silver eyes, or that what’s happening in Vacuo will be anything more than a pre-Volume 10 cliffhanger. What questions does the trailer/the events of Volume 8 imply that Volume 9 will tackle?

Will Ruby regain her confidence after this tragedy?

Will they find Jaune?

Will they regain/reforge their lost weapons?

Will they make it home?

What does all this equal? A reset. The trailer presents this as a Volume where the girls work to get back to exactly where they were at the end of Volume 8: back in Remnant, back with their weapons, back together, back fighting Salem, back to their confident selves. If the only goal is to get home, then yeah, this is literally filler. This entire Volume may exist not to forward the story proper, but to provide a lot of fluff content (like the humor) until what little plot there is gets them back to where they were 2+ years ago. Now, the writer in me DOES expect them to come away with something that will forward the plot, simply because I can’t imagine crafting a whole Volume that doesn’t, but the lack of insight into what that might be---do they meet the Gods? Get new powers? Learn a secret about Salem??---is one of the reasons why I think this is a badly constructed trailer.

And as I mentioned in a separate post, I really do find the lack of action to be odd. Someone responded that RWBY is more than its action sequences and yes, of course, but RWBY is, first and foremost, a combat show. I already laid out the ways previous trailers highlighted the girls’ battles that Volume (even if it’s only those in the first few episodes) and if you look at ANY ‘Best Of’ list, you’ll find nothing but the fights. When you think "RWBY" do you really picture the silly humor in between the fights...or do you think Nevermore, Apathy, Qrow vs. Tyrian, RWBY vs. Paladin, Ironwood vs. Watts, the White Fang, the Hound, etc. Beyond the combat being the most memorable of all RWBY's content, RWBY simply doesn’t exist without its fights. I don’t mean that in a “Monty originally created it to choreograph cool battles, but it’s grown so much since then” way, I mean it in a plot-focused “Our story is about a group of girls going to school to learn how to fight, and they fight grimm, and they fight an extremist group, and then they fight an immortal witch, and they fight her goons, and sometimes they fight each other, and the strongest fighters fight with magic, and when they’re not fighting they’re doing adjacent fighting things like training, taking care of weapons, traveling to the next fight, engaging in politics avoid fights but oops, that failed so now they're fighting again” way. Remove the combat from RWBY and all you’ve got is a disconnected collection of domestic moments/jokes more suitable to a drabble collection than a professional story. RWBY might have a non-combat framework that helps hold it together, but that doesn't mean that combat isn't still 99% of the story's focus and the draw for the audience.

All of which is just to emphasize that if our trailer is a) not giving us any conflict beyond “Get back to where we were in Volume 8” and b) not highlighting the combat that RWBY is built on, then it really does feel like filler in a literal sense. I know we made jokes about this a year back, but right now Volume 9 feels like RWBY’s beach episode. No, not because of Jaune landing on an island with a bunch of girls, but because, like the classic beach episode, our trailer presents this as an interlude where the primary plot remains fairly static and the characters engage in activities that contrast their normal routine. Here’s Haruhi and her friends leaving the host club behind to hang in a water park until they go home. Here’s Team RWBY leaving Remnant to explore a Wonderland until they go home. I know we need to wait to see what the tone of the whole Volume actually is, but even the humor of the trailer feels filler-y to me. In that---as you say, anon---it seeks to distract the audience all on its own, rather than occurring naturally among more plot-focused moments. (Like, for example, Weiss bemoaning the fact that she's never going to sleep again while they try to figure out how to help Mantle). Filler episodes often ignore the plot (and its accompanying worries) to make space for the lighthearted character interactions. Now here come the butt jokes, arm tug-of-wars, and purple raccoons.

Clearly the Volume will at least be tackling Ruby’s doubts---something I SO want to go well---but if the tone skews too lighthearted... yeah. Filler. Honestly, if the Volume does fail to sufficiently engage with Volume 8’s tragedies, I fully expect the fandom to start talking about how the girls deserved a fun, wacky Wonderland trip after everything they've been through, the same way we got a strong cry that they needed to rest in the mansion with tea while the rest of the Kingdom was falling to grimm. Potential filler will likely be seen as something earned by the protagonists (as if they were real people with real needs), rather than a writing mistake.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

[alphabetboyluvr]

Ok so I saw that long ass post that anon sent you about the vote thing on Wattpad, and while I don’t agree with some of what they said where they told you what to do (which they shouldn’t have done, they were rude) I do actually agree with them where they said people don’t tend to look at the votes when deciding whether or not to read a story. I actually think the whole vote thing is just something only authors care about, not readers.

As an avid reader on Wattpad, I do give votes just because authors like it- but I don’t actually give a shit about how many votes a story has when I’m looking for my next story to read. I look at the number of views- which I think you’ll find most readers do, even though the view count can be skewed.

Either way, I do think the whole vote thing should be taken off Wattpad as to the majority of readers, they really don’t care about it and it doesn’t give a good representation of how good a story is

I've been thinking about this all a lot ever since the last anon came in. I'll probably avoid answering questions about this topic again, but there does seem to be disconnect between the writer and reader standpoint, so I'll try and explain my thoughts as best I can without waffling for ages lol

my answer is to this ask, but also to the topic in general, and thoughts I've had regarding that last anon.

it's a really difficult topic to discuss because wattpad has an algorithm that is never really explained to writers. i cant say its important because xyz - i can just give you my own experience. ive been on wattpad for 11 years and have seen it through many changes. i used to use the activity tab to find new stories, and i honestly think getting rid of that was detrimental to the user experience tbh.

as it stands, we don't know what the algorithm favours, so we have to do what we can.

and what can we do? we can tag our work, we can acquire reads and votes, and then we can do more laborious things such as entering award books run by other users and engaging with our readers in various ways.

the tag system, and trending stories under those tabs, are really skewed. for instance, I don't think any of my stories have ever made it onto the fanfic tab, nor have I ever ranked highly under tags despite having really engaged readers and metrics which would suggest I would be.

so, unlike what the last anon said, my stories haven't always been 'out there'. word of mouth, and some stroke of luck tiktoks, are what's pushed them more than anything. so in that way, yeah the desire for votes is flawed—but personally I don't think read count is indicative of quality. if we're thinking about it from a marketing standpoint and conversion rates etc, votes a far more indicative of quality and I'd rather be known for quality over quantity.

the last anon also specifically noted the number of reads/follows I have on wattpad, and suggested that I shouldn't care because those numbers are high—which, respectfully I disagree with. if I didn't care in the early days, I wouldn't have pushed myself to make it to where i am. you can't just expect me to switch off that part of my personality. I'm ambitious and I really care about the things I create.

my girliepop oc's tend to have ambitious streaks and personal goals that they work hard for. they take after their mother, in that sense.

i think what confuses me the most is why it irks people, when you boil it down. its a tap on the screen for readers—and having just uploaded an 11k chapter that took hours to write, to edit, to craft, only to then be told its not worth it? i dunno man, it's just mean lol.

you can think these thing by all means, but don't come into my space just to be cruel. sometimes it okay to keep your opinions in your group chats.

the system is flawed, but I don't think you can blame a gal for just trying to work with it in the only way she knows how

#like at the end of the day none of this matters #none of it at all #i just take such offense to labelled as greedy lmao #its really bothered me lol #ask #sorry to this anon tho cause i went on a big ass tangent

[cardierreh15]

Hi I saw your response. I would like to clarify that being shy for some people can be a big insecurity stemming serious mental health problems or even bad experiences such as abuse. Sometimes being shy is rooted in something bigger and serious and statements such as being shy isn't an excuse can be detrimental especially for readers who have found tumblr to be somewhat of a safe space or hoping it would be.

Some people genuinely don't know the proper way to support writers here. Especially if they come from different fandoms that make gifs or write fics where liking posts is okay e.g., the Supernatural fandom.

The purpose of this response isn't to start an argument. Just insight on how some readers I've come across have been attacked for not knowing how to properly support writers especially when they are new and still navigating the space.

I appreciate the hard work writers put into their stories. Sometimes a little clarity from authors that do not have any warning would be appreciated especially for people who are new to the space / fandom and only started reading.

I appreciate your kind response and hope others reading this will be open to what has been said and be kind and not perceive it as a bad thing.

At that point honey, there’s nothing much we can do. I understand what you’re saying— thru and thru. But we aren’t mages. We can’t read minds. We don’t know who is on the other side of the screen.

What do we do when we don’t know something? We research. So if the individual has time to like something, they can click that reblog button, see how others chose to celebrate and give that individual their flowers;— you’d take from that and that’s how you become a better and more involved reader.

Being shy- It’s not much of an excuse not to support your writers. We don’t know you well enough to “embarrass you” or try to put you down for indulging on some shit. Hell, honestly— it’s how you make friends on here! By being open and free with yourself.

Again, we do this for free. It takes a LOT OF OUR TIME. So when gratitude is not shown, and we don’t feel appreciated, we lose drive. We lose confidence in ourselves yet, you’re just like “well lemme like this because that’s all I can do.” When it’s not.

And I mentioned in my previous tags, if we have the slightest idea that you’re a minor too— because that’s a HUGE deal, you will be blocked no questions asked. If you don’t have your age in your bio. You will be blocked, no questions asked. It’s not our job to ask you to put your age in your bio. It’s not our job to tell you to reblog if you interacted by liking our work either.

This is just my advice. There’s not any fandom on tumblr that I know that’s ok with you just liking their work. Reblogging is how our craft reach others. So it doesn’t matter if you’re making gifs, creating fics, edits, moodboards ANYTHING — that people put their time and their hard work into— support them by sharing their work and/or telling them what you like about it. That’s what helps us thrive.

Stop making excuses and just do it like Nike!

#cardi’s rant time #asked and answered #answered #support your artists #support fanfic writers #support gif makers #support editors #support support support

[oldmanffucker]

just want to address something i've been getting in tags of reblogs of my art, and something i've seen in regard to other artists/writers with a great deal of skill who decide to use that skill to make fan art.

I received two separate comments on two separate art pieces of House fanart just yesterday saying my skill is wasted on them, and i have a lot to say about that.

while i dont think either of the comments were intended maliciously, i think we need to reframe our idea of good fanart being a waste of time/energy/skill by the artist/writer.

in real life, i am a professional artist. i am an art instructor. i make "real" art that goes into exhibitions, and yes, i also decide to spent my time/energy/skills on drawing blorbos.

I think that drawing the things you are connected to and drawing silly fandom art for the heck of it is exactly how you Get those skills. I am good at portraits because I frequently draw or paint portraits. And I frequently draw or paint portraits bc I want to be able to capture blorbo bc I feel like it and I can.

Someone said my 'skills at colors and expression' was what was wasted on them and I want to emphasize that I’m able to capture their microexpressions bc that is what I want to be able to capture, so I make an effort, and I keep practicing until I’m able to do that. When I’m drawing portrait of random ppl online as portrait practice I’m just drawing what I see instead of trying to capture an essence of a person or character I'm familiar with. And that’s a different skill!

And I’m good at colors (partially bc I’m an artist who paints a lot but in this specific example it’s:) because doodling a blorbo is low stakes. I try new things and learn new techniques bc it’s just something I’m doing for me, for fun, and I’m not getting graded on it and I don’t need to hang it in a museum.

It’s art for the sake of being made, which is exactly what you need to make to continue getting better at making.

The stupid hyperfixation of drawing all the frames of a gif is ridiculous when it’s all for a house md effort, objectively yeah lmao, but it’s the equivalent of studying any other image for hours and distinguishing how micro movements affect which muscles, and how the movement of different muscles changes the shape of shadows and light, and it helps anchor understanding of anatomy.

And drawing all this stupid stuff is especially fun for me bc I can see my actual real art skills improving with every drawing I make or thing I write which benefits my real world art. Like I know this might sound some type of way, like I’m trying to make it sound like drawing gay old man medical malpractice yaoi is subverting the zeitgeist and some sort of momentous critical imperative but I don’t think it’s that serious. Which is my whole point! It’s not that serious, it doesn’t matter, AND I’m genuinely improving my craft while doing it so what’s the issue is basically my point ig. And I wouldn’t be drawing at all currently if I wasn’t drawing them bc there’s nothing I feel drawing to capture in this medium irl!

(and if you've left this comment in tags or otherwise, this is not an attack! it is a backhanded compliment to receive/give, but I also acknowledge that it's not usually said with malice, and not something you were likely thinking about to this level. that's ok! just listen & learn yk)

Using your skills for things you enjoy is never a waste! You're exercising your art muscles and bulking up! if you make art outside of fanart it WILL benefit from these endeavors. and if you don't make art outside of fanart, then you're still engaging in the wonderful beautiful practice of creating!

#house #text post #my post #fanart #fic

[card-queen]

Writer Q&A Tag

I am truly blessed! Thank you so much for the tag @maskedemerald! It really means the world to me!! I'd love to do more tag game things just to get involved or join a writing group of some kind!

What motivates you to write?

Disappointment, I guess? A lot of things I read/watch/play don't go places I want to see, don't explore ideas I want to hear about, don't show the effects of events on characters I think should be there. It sounds all negative, I know, but it's really not. Nothing gets me fired up quite like getting mad at the things that should have been.

A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work that you love (just please credit them)

Well, I'm not sure on this one. I still consider myself pretty green as a writer, so I don't think I've written anything that stands out just yet. I'll grab this from one of my little writing challenges. I grabbed two random characters and a vague prompt to write a little scene about. It was surprisingly fun as I hadn't actually written for Velena yet.

‘That’s the funny thing about the truth, it doesn’t seem to change.’ ‘You truly expect me to believe that utter drivel about it being luck that you survived?’ ‘I don’t expect anything,’ Hughwen retorted in a predictable manner. Velena almost heard the words before they came out of Hughwen’s mouth. Was he becoming more predictable? Or was she? ‘You have your ungrateful life while your comrades don’t. How many good men died today instead of you?’ ‘I have no idea, I didn’t think to count,’ Hughwen said coolly. Velena felt something in the atmosphere change. Either she was getting to him, or Hughwen had decided he no longer wished to cooperate. ‘But I can tell you this, not that you asked: few of those men were “good men”.’ Velena looked Hughwen up and down. His face bore that smirk she had grown to loathe in the short time she had known her prisoner. His eyes showed a mixture of challenge and defiance. He had decided he was done for the day. She could see it.

Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

I'll say Cas for the sake of the question but quite honestly, I find myself getting wrapped up and enjoying thinking/talking about my characters without even realising it. Each character has something really enjoyable or challenging about them that makes them fun to write. The world, the story, the factions and forces within the world, the other characters and their struggles -- they all take root in the other characters as well, so even if you don't find their personality to be enjoyable, their perspective on matters, characters, past knowledge etc. often makes them stand out as enjoyable to me. Anyway, to answer the question: Cas' endless struggle to build an image of himself isn't really true to him to combat the stigma of a reputation that also isn't true to him. He pours himself into duty, over-exerts to the point of breaking and denies some of his stronger aspects because they might make him look like the criminal people see him as. He's exactly what I want from a main character: vibrant and adventurous, with a good heart and a rogue's mentality and a sucker for outcasts and black sheep.

What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Easy answer: dialogue. It's fun to craft the ways characters say what they mean to say. Complex answer: that moment in the third or so draft, when you're looking at your overview and you see a common thread you didn't notice before and suddenly a whole wave of thematic resonance just clicks into place.

What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I can't truly say yet. I think dialogue but to be honest, not many people actually read my work. Especially not now that I've started from scratch again!

What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Silly asks, memes and just fun-building questions. Characters are simultaneously tools that fulfil a purpose within the story they inhabit, and ALSO they are vessels of personality and joy that bring the life to events and scenarios. You really need to have fun with and love your characters beyond their purpose and silly headcanon questions and fun doodles often do just that!

A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Enneagram, I guess. For me, I like to see similarities around where I'm aiming to feel grounded. The vast infinity of everything is really daunting and I do my best to avoid thinking about things that 'could be anything'. Anything = too much = I'm drowning. I've always tried to connect my work to other things to feel less disjointed but there was always something that didn't feel right or help me all that much. Everyone always went to TVTropes but I really didn't like to. Thank goodness I found something that worked for me!

A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

It's not so much one thing that I like the most, it's the fallout and effects of that thing. From this unspecified event, my world has:

The Runes of Magic as it is known. People are born under the sign of two or three Gods, with one God being their patron and thus, their birth element.

From Magic, there is Soulfire. Soulfire is the birth element dying and needing to be Cleansed. Uncleansed Soulfire can create Rifts and if a body with Uncleansed Soulfire is eaten by a beast or animal, they will transform into a Monster during an Athyric Moon.

Speaking of, Magic and Gods ties into the Godmoon or Athyric Moon. A monthly event that most Continental countries base their calendars on. A full-moon event that causes all Magic to be enhanced or brought to full power.

With Athyric Moons & Magic, there are engineers and tinkerers who use the Runes of Magic to make crystals and jewellery to perform simple tasks, like a Ice chests to keep stored food frozen, Heatstones for warming public baths, Crystal lamps to give off a faint glow at night, etc. These devices are designed to last the month then be recharged by the Athyric Moon.

Returning back to the original point with Gods & the Runes, we have the religions that populate the world. Each having different core beliefs, rules, taboos and ways of life based on the Virtues of the God that governed that land.

and so on, and so on...

Things in worldbuilding don't exist in a vacuum. If something is created, it may make something else in the world impractical or impossible. There may be something else that needs to be created alongside it to make sure that life would be sustainable for those in the world or area. These are areas where you can really have a lot of fun!

What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

My first goal for my day is always to write. If I can't write, then I'll watch, read or play something that might give me ideas or inspiration. If I'm not in the right mind for that, I spend time with my sisters and the dogs, and remember what I'm doing it all for.

Don't sweat the details, honestly. Some days/weeks/months just suck and it's good to recognise when it happens so you can just hit the eject button. Things tend to have a way of working themselves out. I find that if you're blocked when writing, there's something there that's bugging you and you might not even know what it is. The answer will be right around the corner before you know it, just don't go looking for it. Relax your brain, the answers will come find you.

Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

I can only really tag @maskedemerald, @yunidraws, @albicantknight, @snow-the-wanderer, @prismshard, @reneethegreatandpowerful and @merwetketet! Many of whom are inactive, I know, but I don't know anybody else!!

If you see this and want to do it, then pretend I tagged you, please! I need more friends here.

#writing #my writing #creative writing #writeblr #tagged #I want more friends #writers on tumblr #where you at?

[share-the-damn-bed]

I always liked jancy a lot but s4 made me realize just how much I took them for granted. Without them together it felt… not right. Mixed with the fact they tried to push Nancy with Steve it made me again, realize how much more I love Nancy with Jonathan. So even though s4 did them so dirty it pushed them to just something I enjoyed to OTP status. It’s that saying that you don’t know what you got ‘till it’s gone. Unfortunately, a lot may not have seen it that way because they essentially forgot seasons 1-3 to where people completely forgot how well crafted jancy was so I feel like it could go either way in the fandom (either you appreciate it more or you forget).

Thank you for sharing your experience!! I've noticed similar thoughts from other fans (and some newer Jancy fans) and ultimately it's incredibly validating. Before season 4 it seemed like general fans were either in the jancy fandom or completely indifferent to them, even found them boring. Now, I feel like many people who didn't care about Jancy were very put off by the developments in season 4 (especially concerning the love triangle) and are like 'why would you ruin such a perfectly good thing? They were happy, we were happy, what the hell?'.

I completely agree that there are fans opposing Jancy simply because they've forgotten their overarching story or only recall bits and pieces (I'm not saying this is true for every fan who opposes jancy (they have their own reasons), but it is true for many). I hope that since Jonathan and Nancy are partnering up again in season 5, there will time for them to work out their unresolved issues on screen and remind the general audience why they work well together and why the majority of fans wanted them to get together in the first place.

Tangentially related, I think it's also important to note, for fans who think Jonathan and Nancy's relationship is over because of their unresolved conflict, a lot can change in a season. Take for example, Lucas and Max. Now, I don't ship any of the kid/younger teen ships, but I think it's a relationship that has been interesting to watch change through out the course of the show and watch how fan reception to this relationship has changed over time.

Despite their cute start in season 2, Lucas and Max's relationship was not serious in season 3 and was often was played off as a joke (breaking up and getting back together multiple times between seasons 2 and 3, Lucas doing things that upset Max in a funny way). No one in the fandom beyond Lu*max shippers thought they had serious endgame, life-long relationship potential. I recall other fans, possibly even myself, saying of the kid ships, it was most likely to be the one that didn't last (mostly when compared to Mike and Eleven). Season 4 completely changed that and gave them not only wonderful development but some beautiful moments which showed fans how serious and real this relationship and their bond is. Now, fans have changed their tune (except the Lu*max shippers who must be feeling very vindicated rn) and think they are the most likely to end up together along side Joyce and Hopper.

My point, that has nothing to do with your initial comments, Anon, but a point I feel the need to make regardless, Jancy's arc in season 4 feels set up, but nowhere near complete. They have a lot to discuss and work through individually and together (mind you in the middle of an apocalypse). Upon rewatches and closer examinations of certain scenes, I think the show gives us more hope than doubt. I think ultimately, the writers have set up a very real conflict for the two of them that, if resolved well, will allow each character to do what is best for them and allow them some happiness.

Am I naive enough to believe Jancy fans will get the Lu*max treatment in season 5? No. But I am naive enough to hope.

Like, if it's not them, why would they give us this?

#jancy #jonathan x nancy #stranger things #i go a little off topic but I stand by it #thanks anon so glad jancy won you over! #:)

[marciabrady]

The Little Mermaid 2 and 3 (bring it on!)

The Little Mermaid 2 and 3:

my all-time ultimate fave character: we all know it's ariel lbr but...again not to be too predictable, andrina! she's SO much funny in every incarnation i read of her and she's the only character that seems to make it with a semblance of character integrity (even more so than ariel who does NOT fare well with these sequels)

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: king triton maybe? i still think he has abusive tendencies and certain things frustrate me about him to no end but i think he's realistic and there's a weight to him that's intriguing to me

a character I used to like but now don’t: queen athena. i thought she was pretty as a kid and i liked her whole voice/singing to the kids plot thing but i just think she's so uninspired and lazy and her voice isn't even that good, her design is blah, and i don't think ariel's mom is that lady lol sorry

a character I’m indifferent about: hm. benjamin??? i guess it's fine that they kinda gay-coded him and it's some representation but he's marina's sidekick, and marina is the ultimate ick, and idk he's just so bland anyway that it's hard to feel anything for him outside of what he is

a character who deserved better: andrina! she deserved WAY more lines and screentime. i wish they got the original andrina back but tara did her best, i guess

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: carlotta and grimsby. like i get they're both side characters that are a man and a woman but obligatory hetero ships that have no chemistry aren't my thing (this is directed at the fandom, the movie doesn't really put them together)

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: i think aquata and that boy they put her with in the third movie are cute i guess? again i'm actively trying not to say ariel/eric

a cute, low-key ship: um. melody and that blonde boy??? i guess

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: ??? there aren't really any other ships in these movies, they honestly don't offer much

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: melody and that guy she danced with in the beginning of the second movie, but that was the point so

my favourite storyline/moment: hm...uh. um. uhhh OH WAIT i do love ariel singing in that hazy room in the beginning of the second movie. the animation is like rugrats level bad BUT jodi's singing carries it

a storyline that never should have been written: THE THIRD MOVIE. i will go to my grave standing by the fact that i think the banishment of music is the DUMBEST plot i've ever heard of/seen in all of hollywood and the fact that disney is SUCH a difficult company to break into and it's so competitive and it's supposed to hold the highest standards for its craft and THAT plot wasn't ridiculed in its initial pitch in the writer's room and how that plot not only contradicts THE FIRST SCENE we see of ariel missing the concert in her original movie but doesn't even make any sense, given that she gives her voice up to be human so clearly she doesn't care about music THAT much is baffling like the minimum wage character performers in the parks get better training on integrity than the writers from that movie

my first thoughts on the show: i honestly never cared about either movie but i think i disliked the third movie less when i first saw it because tlm2 made melody the main character and that really irritated me as a child because i didn't want to see her and her walrus and penguin, i wanted more ariel who was delegated as a side character bc i guess older women or moms just aren't interesting/worthy of being main characters???

my thoughts now: for as much as i personally dislike the second movie, i'm still glad we have it because i think some of jodi benson's singing is superior to any of her other recordings and i'm genuinely astounded by her talent in some songs. the third movie though is painful and i hate it and it makes me resent disney lol

#ask #anonymous #i hope no one hates me because i know people REALLY love the sequels

[minniepetals]

Tbh considering what you’ve told us about your health, I’m thankful you’ve chosen to try to continue writing at all! I’ve just happy and excited every time I get a notification in my emails. Like getting a letter in the mail from my friend in Australia! Like sure it takes a while but I don’t fucking care; the thought and passion and just. Just the fact that you even bother is more than enough. Has always been and will always be enough.

Rude anon can get 🌲 and write their own shit if they’re so frustrated. 🥰

(“Passer un sapin”, to pass a pine tree, is a French expression to get f!cked. The more you know 💫)

aw, you must've been around for some time now since i haven't really opened up about my health for a while now so i'm happy to hear such kind words. i think writing will always be a part of me no matter what happens. it's the safe space i go to when i want to escape the world, in the same way it is with reading. now before i go on a rant, i just wanna say that i'm very thankful for all my patient and lovely readers who continue to show endless support no matter how long it takes for me to update. i promise i see you and i hear you and i love you with all of my heart 💗

i think what a few of these anons (who are quite impatient and comment displeasures) don't realize is the amount of effort that gets put into writing a series, especially one that involves heavier topics such as trauma and others. cmar requires a lot of patience and attention to details. it's not easy to write. not only do i have to convey emotions that are compelling to the story but i'm writing about trauma, a topic that shouldn't be written carelessly without thought. sure to some the story's simply something for pleasure and passing time but to others, it can be a lot more than just that. it might not mean a lot to some but it means a lot to me and i'm sure it means a lot to others, therefore crafting such a piece cannot be written without care.

it pisses me off when anons (note they're anonymous and hide behind that signature) come into my inbox and other writers' inboxes demanding them for update and asking "why is it taking you so damn long to upload a new chapter? i hate waiting months just for one single update" and it's like ??????? then read it when the series is complete? or don't read it at all? demanding a rushed work rather than waiting patiently for a well crafted chapter isn't going to help anyone. your writers aren't going to see those kinds of asks and go "oh, i should pick up the pace because i'm disappointing people" like no. it's discouraging and hurtful.

when you read an ongoing fic, you have to come into it knowing there won't be a set update schedule, have patience, and take the risk of that series either going on hold, discontinued, or having to wait weeks/months to receive a new chapter.

we fanfic writers write for free. and we have a life outside of writing. the only thing we ask from you is patience. that's it.

shouldn't be so hard, now should it?

#anon #gen 🤍 #luna asks #👻👻 #👻💀

[addictedtostorytelling]

CSI Vegas Season 2 is getting 21 episodes. 🫠

Kind of feel hard done by here as a GSR fan - I feel like the reason so many people watched s1 was for Grissom and Sara.

If S1 had as many episodes the whole hodges storyline could have been done so much better - it was rushed towards the end. Not to diss on S1 too much but from what we got I don’t think the writing is worthy of 21 episodes 🫣

hi, anon!

warning: here be salt about the writing from s1 of the reboot. read at your own risk.

__

i think you hit the nail on the head when you said that the writing from s1 wasn't worthy of twenty-one episodes.

like.

i'd be more upset about grissom and sara being "shortchanged" of time in s1 if i actually thought that having more episodes throughout the season would have resulted in better storytelling surrounding them—but the thing is, i don't think that it would have.

they were, a few cute scenes/interactions aside, pretty much wasted in the ten episodes they appeared in, not due to lack of screen-time but due to weak storytelling.

considering that at a most basic level, during s1, the reboot writers didn't even attempt to develop any of their characters, new or old, to say nothing of the fact that they dropped plot threads and created plot holes left and right, they just seemed to lack mastery over the fundamentals of their craft, to the point where i'm not actually sure that even having twice as many episodes to work with would—or, i guess, now will—help them.

like.

even having all the runway in the world won't allow a plane to take off if there's no gas in it.

the writers of the first seven seasons of the original csi could have done all sorts of wonderful things with grissom and sara over the course of twenty-episodes, using the same basic premise of the hodges case.

but i get the sense that even with all of the time in the world, the reboot writers just don't know how to tell a good story.

their instincts just seem poor.

they focus on the wrong things. omit crucial details. fail to achieve any kind of dynamism.

take grissom's landsickness, for example: that plot point was the closest thing either grissom or sara got to experiencing any kind of "personal development" throughout the season, and it was essentially both introduced and resolved in the course of a single episode—not because the writers lacked the time/space to expand it, had they wanted to, but because they literally had no idea where to run with it. there were plenty of scenes where it might have made sense to raise the issue again, showing it getting worse before it got better, actually affecting the course of the hodges investigation and challenging grissom and sara in new ways, etc., but after episode 01x03 "under the skin," it never came to bear in the narrative in any significant way again. it was a totally wasted beat.

—and even if they'd had eleven more episodes available to them, i'm not sure the writers would have done anything differently, just because they didn't seem to know how to "dig in."

having more episodes might help with some of their pacing issues, but it's not going to (necessarily or absolutely) help them write dynamic characters or develop good instincts in terms of what aspects of their narrative merit focus. that's a skillset unto itself, and it's one that, so far, they've not proven that they possess.

i mean, i guess there's a chance that the writing on s2 will be leaps and bounds better than the writing in s1 just because there's more "room to breathe," but i kinda doubt it.

and i'm not watching s2 to find out.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

unless the writers change their general praxis, it's just gonna be more of the same: flat characters, incohesive plotting, and lots of missed opportunities.

/end salt

thanks for the message! please feel welcome to send another any time.

#answered #anon #csiverse

[z-h-i-e]

Hi,

7, 12, 35 for the weird writer questions

What is your deepest joy about writing?

Sharing it with other people. The connection made with others. Giving others things to think about. 2am discussions about why Thranduil and Finrod are perfect for each other. Or whatever the current obsession happens to be. I don't partake in a lot of 'usual adult behavior'. I don't have kids, so I certainly am not hanging out at PTA meetings, troop events, etc etc. My grandfather was an alcoholic (not a mean one--it was all post-war trauma and he was drinking to forget the horrors), but because of that I don't go hanging out at bars. I don't like places with too many people (unless I'm like, up on a stage presenting - I know, that's weird, it's just how I am) so places like movie theatres, bowling alleys, concerts, sporting events, etc etc are mostly out, they usually lead to migraines -- I have to really work to set myself up to go to anything like that, and covid might have made that worse for me. So my gatherings are pretty restricted to either writing or arts/crafts things or family events. But online -- I can participate online, and in writing things, so it's where I have the majority of my human interactions. Also, this has nothing to do with the question, but I bought a box of tiny donuts for myself the other day and they are far far exceeding expectations. Moving on…

If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

1 - That all of the WIPs that all of my friends wish were already done are magically finished for them to post.

2 - That all of the poetry my mother has written over the years gets the credit that is due to it.

3 - To have lunch with Peter David and ask all of the writing advice questions I can think of. I'm sure by now it's obvious I'm not asking the genie to do any of my writing for me, and I have a pretty good readership, and I've been blessed with more ideas than I have time for, but I have missed any opportunity to meet any of the other authors I have somewhat imitated in the respect of 'I love the way this person writes, I'm going to study what they wrote and incorporate those nuggets of style and voice and ideas with what I develop into my own thing'. (That list includes Fred Mustard Stewart, Madeline L'Engle, Maya Angelou, Michael Crichton, and of course I can't not mention Tolkien since the characters and setting are his)

What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

I'm not sure if it's a rule, but I came from a fandom where we did 'riffing'. Riffing is when you write about not just the characters, but also the authors, all together in one place, and it's typically ridiculous and humorous. I found out here that people kind of freak the fuck out when you riff them without asking first (which, it kind of defeats the purpose, but, oh well--when you previous fandom was like, three dozen cats and a shark, riffing just works a lot better). So for a bit I would do things and ask for volunteers, or just write riffs with just me in them, but that all kind of slid off when Yahoo!Groups went away. I should do more of that again--it's fun and silly and I miss those days.

Thank you for the questions, friend!

#ask me anything #writing asks

[miraculouscontent]

Hello just wondering what your opinion is on Gabriel.

As when I watch the show it seems like they don't know what to do with him: As Hawkmoth he is either a comic relief villain twirling his mustache, a highly competent master planner who has lines he wont cross, a Reluctant villain who is a broken man without his wife or a criminal mastermind who is willing to murder to get his way.

And as Gabriel the writing has him switching between loving his son, being awkward with his son or just seeing his son as a pawn.

Do you think this is because they had no plan for Gabriel or is this just a another example of the writers not talking to each other?

Have a nice day.

I think it’s a mixture of everything. One thing I’ve noticed is that the show seems to want to do “fake surprises,” but they don’t know how red herrings actually work.

Basically, they want us to not know where they’re going, so they’ll throw in whatever is convenient to get the plot moving the way they want (whether that’s akumatizing Chat or not akumatizing Adrien). They feel like they’re playing mind games by having Gabriel flip flop back-and-forth so we don’t know where they’re going with it, when in reality it’s just inconsistent writing.

I feel like media as a whole has had this idea that “nuance” is good, which isn’t wrong but they don’t know how to do it. That’s why we see a lot of villain redemptions even if the villains are irredeemable scumbags who wanted everyone to die one episode ago. They think that emotional whiplash between the villain acting awful versus acting “sympathetic” is compelling.

It’s not.

My opinion on Gabriel is that he’s a lot of things at once, but not in a way that makes him a complex/tragic character, because every decision they make isn’t crafted with his character in mind, it’s crafted with the plot in mind.

To reference what I said before, let’s take the akumatization example and add in “Kuro Neko.”

Why did Shadow Moth hit Chat Noir around when he’s not physically abusive towards Adrien? To drive Chat to an akumatization and make the audience sympathetic towards Chat in order to distract them from Adrien lying by omission (that’s why you see it later on, so it leaves the last impression).

Why did Gabriel act sympathetic towards Adrien in “Glaciator 2″? Because if he’d akumatized Adrien, it’d all be over and Adrien would’ve handed over the cat miraculouses to him.

Why did Gabriel shift suddenly in “Kuro Neko” to where he doesn’t care about Adrien being sad at all? So that the audience could feel more inclined to be sympathetic towards Adrien.

Basically, Gabriel is a tool to be used, not a real character.

#category: salt #salt: gabriel agreste #other: ask and answer #((I hope that answers your question! Hope you have a nice day too~!))

[you-are-so-much-better-than-that]

do you think Noel and Cam could write a gallavich series - kinda feel like based on their quotes and their improv they could write something true to the characters but also interesting, maybe they’d need a third professional tv writer but I’d think they would come up with better than the later seasons. I’d also just pay to read their views on the writing of their characters.

Hi Anon! You know you're my first anon?? I hope this is as exciting for you as it is for me! And what an interesting question you've posed. The short answer here is I don't think so, but I do wish they--and actors in general on most shows--played a larger role in the writing process. This got very, very lengthy, because I love sharing my every thought and opinion. I so apologize. I don't want my rambles to flood people's feeds, so my full thoughts are below the cut.

TLDR: Cam and Noel probably can’t write it, but there should be better systems so that writers and creators should collaborate more with the actors that play the characters they write.

***I’m so sorry. I posted this and then I had an immediate thought and went to edit. This is why no one should as me anything ever.

So, could Noel or Cam have written scripts? I'm not sure. I don't know if either of them could write. There are certainly plenty of actors who are also incredibly talented writers. I immediately think of Danny Strong, who I first knew from his acting work on Buffy and then Gilmore Girls and Mad Men and he's now working on Billions, but he also wrote the screenplays for Mockingjay Part 1&2, and he created, wrote, and produced Empire and Dopesick--all of which have been pretty critically acclaimed. I don't know if Cam or Noel want to do any other work in the industry, but what I know is that both are very good actors who are dedicated to the craft more than they are dedicated to the job, if that makes sense.

Both have spoken of their characters as if they are living, feeling, and real. I think we the audience can sense that in interviews like the one from this post, but also in many others. 

Cam’s spoken about how important it was to him to be authentic in his portrayal of a person with bipolar. He’s said he wants to play the character ‘honestly and empathetically’. He’s spoken about preparing for it by reading autobiographies and watching documentaries written by or about people with bipolar. I think that’s pretty admirable. We also know that Cameron was ready to leave the show in Season 9, and had made that call, only returning with the stipulation that Noel returns as Mickey. He knew that Mickey was Ian’s endgame. 

Noel cares just as deeply for Mickey. He speaks of him as much more than the neighbourhood thug. He’s said that Mickey wants to defend the love they have with ferocity. He’s spoken of the coming out scene with such grace, the freedom he has colliding with the responsibility of loving openly. He plays Mickey with such nuance, displaying Mickey’s inner struggle between who he is and who he feels he has to be in the early seasons, and in later seasons showing the insecurities that come from everything that has happened between them through their relationship. 

Both actors have talked about having a shorthand, feeling comfortable to add improv and play off each other. I don’t remember if it was Cam or Noel who said it, but I remember reading that they didn’t have a plan for the prison reunion. They had a script with dialogue, but the actions and choices were all them. We say cute things like season 11 Ian being husband shaped, but it’s because Cam made a choice to ease the workout routine so he can look more settled as a husband--a physical representation of the comfort he feels as a husband. I think it’s pretty clear both of these actors have a deep connection with the characters they play.

As for the writers--oof. Listen. My thoughts on the writers of Shameless is they have provided plenty of fodder for fanfiction writers, which, you know...isn’t a compliment. I think John Wells had an Idea, and I think Noel Fisher threw a grenade on his idea by being really, really good at his job. 

If you can indulge me for a second, I’m going to make a comparison. Back in the late 90s/early 2000s, Joss Whedon (who’s an asshole) wrote Buffy as an allegory for growing up. The vampires on the show were evil, temptatious, and were there for Buffy to dust. But then James Marsters comes in as Spike, and we the fans go crazy for him. He’s supposed to get killed off, but we LOVED him. And it destroy’s Joss’s vision. The network wouldn’t let Joss kill Spike off. Even though a very large, probably the majority of the fandom, shipped Buffy and Spike, for years after the show ended, Joss insisted Buffy and Angel were soulmates in his mind.

Anyway, I say all this to say that writers and creators have these visions, and, whether it be pride or resentment towards their audience or stubbornness, many of them have a hard time veering from it when their viewership sees the characters a different way or when the actors inject an incredible amount of sympathy in the character they’re playing. I think this is what happened on Shameless. I think John Wells never liked Mickey. He was supposed to be a thug, a punk, uneducated with no drive. But then in comes Noel Fisher playing this kid in a way that makes us feel for him, love him, see him as so much more as a dumb criminal. I don’t believe he liked that Mickey became more loved than he was meant to be. 

I think he wanted Mickey gone, but then wasn’t sure what to do with Ian. For whatever reason, the writers decided Ian must always be in a relationship, so like four episodes into season 6, he has a new boyfriend even though he’s dealing with a whole ass diagnosis. When Mickey came back, again, only thanks to Cam’s intervention and insistence, the writers still made their dislike for Mickey known. They had them bicker for three episodes in prison, then had Mickey lash out and hit Ian during the failed marriage scene. Even after they were married, they spend another three episodes bickering. They had both characters say things about the other that made no sense or really just out right contradicted things they had established in the past--the monogamy conversation, the who is the man in the relationship conversation, them physically fighting in the Alibi, the orgy thing. It’s like if they had to have Mickey, they were still going to kick him around and diminish the complex relationship the characters have built.

I’m not sure if Cam or Noel could write their own characters, only because I don’t know if they have that particular skill of world building. But I wish John Wells and the other writers would include actors in the writing and creating process. I don’t think actors should only be mouth pieces for writers. I think a lot of television would be stronger if there was a greater collaboration between writer and actor, if the writers trusted the actors with the characters as much as actors trust writers with plot and development.

As for paying for the actor’s thoughts, you don’t have to! Cam and Noel have both given a ton of interviews and have made acting choices that I think make it really easy for us to interpret where they agreed with the writers and where they maybe didn’t.

But, you know, these are my thoughts and I’m a toddler within this fandom. I wonder what others think! Anyone got anything to add? Anything you disagree with here, friends? 

Thanks for asking Anon! This was a fun exercise in rhetoric. I’m sorry I took this Too Far.

#I've been answering this ask for the last four hours on and off #I listened to interviews to get it right #I commit ok?? #I'm sorry if this is too much anon! But I hope it answers your question! #I can't believe anyone wants to know what I think about anything

[matchstickdolly]

Lucifer 5B: Cutting off Touch to Spite Your Fans

Spoiler warning: This post assumes you've watched all of Lucifer, season 5, part B.

CW: There's plenty I like about season 5, but this is a negative post. I know not everyone is up for negativity about the things they love. I also generally avoid it and (try to) keep my mouth shut about things I don’t like in most spaces. It’s good etiquette. But this is my space, and I have thoughts specifically about purity culture and the treatment of sexuality and trauma in fiction. You’ve been warned!

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I'm a professional writer (not in TV). I've worked with enough bad clients, editors, and other writers to recognize some hallmark behaviors in how both Fox and Netflix gave Lucifer's writers incredibly difficult, unfair, and frankly weird situations to create through.

Fox did them dirty, interfering and ordering too many eps in S3. Netflix did them dirty, ordering 10 eps for S4 when it clearly needed ~13. Then Netflix ordered 10 "final" eps for S5—then, just kidding(!), 6 more after they'd done their writing for the 10. (What the fuck?) And then Netflix ordered 10 more for a "final-final" S6 after the writers had done their best to tell their whole story in S5. (MORE what the fuck.)

Talk about whiplash for creators, and half of those who consume content don't even care to understand such creative pain.

So, there are problems on multiple fronts. There's much I'll forgive writers, accordingly. I go into most shows expecting plotting/pacing issues. I look, instead, for characters and relationships that will triumph over those issues.

Heart is what the show Lucifer has always had in spades, both in its characters and in the immensely committed, wonderful ways the actors have tried to realize the characters' humor, love, trauma, and—most importantly—struggle to find healing. Yet, when given the opportunity to show health alongside another in a relationship, the writers/directors of 5B chose to remove most sexual humor and physical intimacy from their female lead and bi/pan characters to, I feel, sanitize them and troll fans. What happened?

Well, for one, say hi to showrunner Joe Henderson bragging about how the writers decided to be colossal dicks to the fans who helped secure their jobs:

From CBR's 'Lucifer Showrunner Joe Henderson Dissects Season 5B's Chaos'

Have we not suffered sidelined/repressed female characters, "bury your gays," and, oh, Chloe fucking a serial killer enough? Must we also say hello to neutered relationships once characters find stable love (whether same or opposite sex)? The result of withdrawing more sexual humor and physical intimacy from paired characters is an uncomfortable suggestion that they're reformed by "pure" love—more chaste and aloof, more acceptable in polite society. This is only done to end-game committed relationships.*

The writers seem to think they're edging the viewers, but the reality is they're taking traumatized minority characters who rejoiced in sexual freedom, but lacked and craved an emotional connection, and showing they can't have both, or, if they find both, it will never last. They've taken hypersexual characters and said, here, even they can have the love and commitment they desire, but some physical intimacy, especially sexual intimacy, is what they must trade for it.

There's always one more case, phone call, or coincidence interrupting intimacy. Traumas or deaths deserving emotional and physical comfort go on to receive none or only one aspect. Done sometimes, it's fine. Done always, it's sick. Dan dies, and there's no hugging? Really?†

Don't craft characters who crave a full range of emotional and physical intimacy, only to rob them of related scenes every chance you get. That's not complexity. That's bad writing. To even achieve this in 5B, they must squash banter and sideline their female lead yet again.

What a gift to purity culture, which tells us to be more palatable by bottling and buttoning up. That sex should be taboo, but violence glorified. That there is no heated desire among "Good Women," that sexual minorities of all genders shouldn't experience it much at all.

5A is so good. At the very least, it's on the right path (clearly, since the plot payoff from 5x01 to 5x16 is great). It shows a couple working through difficulties and trauma, toward each other emotionally and physically. It even pokes fun at people who think an established relationship means the death of romantic and sexual appeal (a tired and hugely sexist trope). And then... And then 5B reverses that, pretending established relationships are barely physical during emotional struggle and that the honeymoon phase doesn't exist. It robs characters of joy and comfort through physical intimacy when they need it to move through or push beyond trauma.

It's telling that so many fan wishes for Deckerstar are about healing touch and existing in each other's spaces: amending Chloe's spicy PDA history with Cain, Chloe caring for Lucifer's wings, soft family scenes a la Monopoly night and shared meals, morning-afters, etc. Reasonable fans aren't asking for porn; they're asking for connection and humanity. They're asking for writers not to forget characters (and, yes, including hypersexual characters) on their way from Point A to Point B.

That 5B lacks these things isn't a "tee-hee frustrating" slow burn or a cockblock. It is, in so many scenes, excising from characters a core part of what nearly every human and fictional monster craves. And it's a slap in the face to the "found family" trope. When you remove or tamp down a casual physical intimacy that was previously there, characters and their relationships fall flat, even if only partially. They become blunt weapons creators wield against watchers or readers begging for scraps of warmth.

Minorities shouldn't be killed off with ease, and they shouldn't be stifled with ease, either.‡ And maybe there shouldn't be deep trauma driving a wedge in a romantic relationship if you're not going to explore it through that relationship, too—physical intimacy included.

I'm still reserving some judgment. I loved the family drama and the end. (Although, again, where was the physical intimacy? No intimacy when Chloe or Lucifer return from the dead? Really?) I see where they could do awesome things, and could have done more if not for network BS.

But I no longer trust Lucifer's writers and directors. They thought S5 was the end. And what they gave us of Deckerstar, of the relationship that symbolizes health and healing in their fictional world, is this: cold distance. And they got a kick out of doing it, apparently.

If this is a "love letter" to me as a fan, I'm burning it. I can only hope S6 course corrects. If not, the writers who made these choices shouldn't write sexual minority and/or traumatized characters again. If you don't understand most of us, you should stop fucking using us.

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* If you don't believe me about the differences between casual/short-term relationships and end-game relationships in Lucifer, go back and look at how Lucifer and Maze are with strangers in all the other seasons. Look at Chloe's sex dream, her propositioning of Lucifer in a library, her sex with Pierce in the evidence closet. Look at how much physical intimacy there is between Lucifer and Eve, and then between Eve and Maze (if only as a ploy). Across seasons, there are sex/kink jokes and scenes galore.

Compare this to how these same characters are portrayed when with their end-game loves. Notice the gentle pecks on the lips and the huge general drop in sexual humor between 5A and 5B. How boring. Where's the spice these characters had? Also, give me a damn break. Buttoning up in a relationship is contrary to four and a half seasons of emotional character work that's been communicating security in our relationships is personally freeing.

† I'm not just talking about sexual intimacy in this post, though that is a big part of it because of the characters. 5B lacked crucial found family scenes, too.

Chloe should have been at God's family dinner, but being so would have prevented more ham-fisted angst. Chloe never even has a one-on-one with God, probably because that would demand a straight answer about her miracle status, which I would guess will be used to drive yet another wedge between her and Lucifer next season, but we'll see.

In multiple before- and after-work scenes, there was no reason for Lucifer and Chloe to be apart more, even, than they were in S1 and S2. Monopoly night was in S3, for crying out loud. Most horrifying of all? No one touches Chloe after Dan's death, but Trixie. Meanwhile, Linda, Amenadiel, Ella, Maze, and Lucifer all receive physical comfort. No wonder Chloe's tired of being strong.

‡ If you don't think it's offensive that they stuffed all their wlw content for two hypersexual characters into a few clunky, irrational, and chaste scenes that rushed I love yous, a marriage-like proposal, and the mention of soulmates, I don't know what to tell you other than get off my lawn.

#deckerstar #lucifer on netflix #meta #purity culture #established relationship #sexism in media #conservatism in media #bi/pan issues #biphobia in media #trauma #me irl #writing #bad character writing #writing is work #this is not established relationship #we all knew maze would suck #who could have guessed deckerstar would too #who could have guessed linda would be an asshole #but god was truly great #fans are often wrong but should still be respected (somewhat) #fuck you and the miniature pony you rode in on joe #i won't forget this interview #s6 better fix it #lucifer season 5 #lucifer season 5 part b #lucifer season 5b #lucifer 5b #lucifer 5b spoilers #long reads #long post