#… I really hate the damsel in distress trope actually

[smilesrobotlover]

Rant to me about phantom hourglass characters (if you feel like it I am here ready to hear)

I feel like Oshus is an under appreciated character

I have nothing to say about him I just think he’s neat <3

#I love his whale form #just an old guy #I really love the manga where Bellum tries to kill him when his power is restored #a nice twist #and doesn’t damsel in distressify Tetra #I HATE that about ph tetra deserved better #… I really hate the damsel in distress trope actually #asks

[samuraisharkie]

tf when ur dad but then you indulge in an old childhood show and feel better

#i always forget how much I like teenage mutant ninja turtles until I get started again #I saw clips of the new movie from animators that worked on it on twitter and YouTube and it made me curious and god. #I remember I judged that show based on the designs and the way they drew master splinter but it’s actually pretty good?? #I actually really liked some of the changes they made #putting splinter’s character arc of learning to be at peace with his past in the show was surprisingly fulfilling #he’s not like the past iterations of splinter at all but there’s something compelling about what they chose to do with him #you just. have to get through the first few episodes where he’s at his lowest #also I kind of like what they did with Leo in the newest show #and moving Raphael away from the trope of ‘big angry brute’ but designing him like that was a surprising trope inversion #i just like the way they did the turtles’ personalities in this one. they’re goofy brothers that kick ass! #also the show instantly shot forward in respect from me #bc one of the show writers basically canonized that at the very least Donny and Mikey are on the spectrum #and unlike most shows w an autistic smart character they actually write Donny pretty well in that context #also instantly like it a ton bc April is a cool member of the gang again and not a damsel in distress or uncomfortable love plot device #also she’s a black girl now and it’s fucking awesome #I hate the amount of racists that pop up everytime she’s even referred to online though :/ #this April seems like the best one I’ve ever seen tbh she meshes with the rest of the main cast extremely well

[lilacsandlillies]

I was going through the anti Jason Todd tag because I hate myself and want to understand where people who dislike him are coming from and one thing I kept seeing was annoyance at Jason fans who claim that Jason is female coded and realized that the term “female coded” might not be the best term to describe what we mean.

A female coded character in literature and media typically means a character that has no specified gender or otherwise does not have a gender but is obviously meant to be a stand in for a woman or female. Kind of like how Starfire has no specified race (due to being an alien) but is still obviously black coded based on the way she’s drawn and treated by the narrative.

This is slightly different than what we mean when saying that Jason is female coded. It’s not that Jason is literally supposed to be a stand in for a female character, it’s that the way a lot of characters treat him and a lot of the tropes used on him are things that usually saved for female characters, not big buff men like Jason.

To start with, being Robin is narratively (or at least was) very similar to being a woman in a story. Robin is a role made to complement Batman (who we all know is basically the ultimate male power fantasy). Robin’s role is to be an accessory to Batman. Robin can be smart, but not smarter than Batman. Robin can be strong, but not stronger than Batman. Hell, Robin is often kidnapped and used as a literal damsel in distress, a role often regulated for women as a whole.

What sets Jason apart from the other robins (except for Steph) in this regard is that they were allowed to be characters outside of Batman. Dick might not have been the “man” of the story when he’s with Bruce, but when he’s with the teen titans suddenly he’s the smart one who has all the answers. Jason’s Robin was never really allowed this.

Then we get to the most, controversial, part of Jason’s female coding. The fact the he was effectively fridged. Fridging is usually only referred to as frigding if it’s a female character, but Jason’s death checks pretty much all the other boxes needed. An incredibly brutal death that was more about Bruce’s feelings on it than Jason himself.

This is especially apparent when compared to the other Bat characters. For all the female coding, the only other Robin to actually be fridged was Steph (and we all know about the misogyny surrounding her death). Barbara was also kind of fridged during the killing Joke. The only female character to escape this is Cass (to my knowledge). When you look at it through this lens, the fact that the only other characters to be permanently damaged like this for Bruce’s story are female, it’s not hard to see where the idea that Jason is female coded comes from.

You can even find this in Jason’s origin story. Poor little orphan is saved by benevolent billionaire is a role usually saved for little girls, like in Annie.

Despite what you might think, this even continues after Jason’s revival. Jason is still used less as a character and more as a motivation for Bruce. He’s regularly called emotional and hysterical (terms usually used to refer to women).

Jason is first and foremost a victim. A role performed by women in most media. Men are expected to be stoic and “rise above” the things done to them as to not be victims, as continuously shown by the way characters like Nightwing are not allowed to be effected by the horrific things they go through. The fact that Jason is shown the be angry, and sad, and emotional, constantly, and the fact that he’s punished and vilified for it puts him in a place much more similar to a female character.

There’s a reason that so many Jason fans (that like him for a reason past “antihero with guns”) are female. For most characters, when you swap their genders there would be a pretty clear and big difference in the way their story takes place. If you swap Jason’s gender, the story takes place identically.

A lot of this is best shown in men’s reactions to Arkham Knight’s version of Jason. In that game, Jason is similarly angry and emotional, albeit for slightly different reasons. He is also still unmistakably a victim. You’d think the men playing would like him. After all he’s a big cool angsty guy with a lot of guns and muscles. Instead, a lot of men’s thought that he was whiny. That his feelings were annoying.

There’s also something to be said about how his autonomy is regularly undermined by Bruce (specifically in Gotham war) and how his decisions and feeling are constantly treated as if they’re worth less than Bruce’s, but that’s a discussion for another day.

#jason todd #dc #red hood #for the record this is probably all unintentional on the writers part #and people who feel differently about Jason’s character and the role he represents are (mostly) completely valid #a lot of what I said honestly probably plays in a lot into the obvious classism surrounding his character

[pagannatural]

2.07 The Usual Suspects

-Sam being interrogated about Dean is so so good because we get to see Sam being told that his brother is a scumbag criminal and the way he reacts by rolling his eyes like he’s heard this before. It’s almost like seeing a teenage version of Sam. The detective keeps telling him to throw Dean under the bus and the whole time he’s just giving attitude and plotting how to help Dean and work the case. He keeps looking out the window. Some of his reactions are raw and some are fake and some are both and his mind is running through his options assessing what to do and how to get out of this.

When confronted with the cliff notes on his and Dean’s life, Sam runs the gamut of emotion from sad and grief-stricken about Jessica to defending Dean and acting all scandalized to being a smartass, to whatever the hell this is when she says “it’s not your fault he’s your brother, we can’t pick our family”

The double meaning here. The not meeting her eyes, the tension on his face, the disdain. It’s giving Bitch don’t I fucking know it, yet I would choose him a thousand times and every time I would be a little bit miserable. “It’s not your fault he’s your brother, we can’t pick our [soul mates]” is probably what God tells him in his most comforting dreams.

-So the detective’s theory is what? That after a shared sordid serial killer childhood Sam escaped the life and then Dean murdered Sam’s girlfriend in a house fire to lure him back in and make him his crime wife?

Because I mean yeah I would read that AU. That fits their vibe pretty nicely.

-She says “Dean’s a bad guy….his life is over, yours doesn’t have to be” and Sam looks at her like that’s the dumbest thing he has ever heard.

She doesn’t know that they become sickly and depressed when they’re apart like a pair of bonded sewer kittens.

When she tells him he can get on with his life and Dean’s as good as gone you can almost see him tuning her out and calculating how to lie about this.

-Sam starts on his cover story, using his trademark Sweet-Innocent face. He relies on his charms and on appearing helpless to manipulate people into doing what he wants. He would’ve learned to do this when he was a child as a survival skill, and I can just imagine how well this complemented Dean’s tough but earnest seduction thing. Acting sweet and helpless when you’re actually savvy and resourceful is a trope commonly used in female characters. These traits (innocence, sweetness, feigned helplessness) are associated with women gaining/utilizing agency in the ways available to them.

Because narratively, Sam is the girl. It’s stuff like this, plus the way he’s depicted as Dean’s tempting damsel in distress in other episodes. It increases the sexual tension between Sam and Dean when they rely on these archetypes because we know what it means when two leads are masculine and feminine, when they need each other and the plot hinges on their conflict. It means they’re the love interests.

-Dean makes a joke about Sam being Scully, and Sam’s like I’m not Scully you’re Scully, and Dean says “No I’m Mulder. You’re a red headed woman.” Really spelling it out.

Dean is smirking and making prolonged eye contact and just— he’s flirting. There’s a Bruce Springsteen song titled “Red Headed Woman” about how “it takes a red headed woman to get a dirty job done.” I have no idea if this is what Dean’s referencing or if it’s just a Scully reference but it’s a very specific thing to say and Sam is brunette. The song is very suggestive.

-Dean HATES waiting around while Sam works. Within seconds he becomes insufferable and has to leave to go do something, flirting with Sam again on his way out.

-“Sam’s story matches Dean’s to the last detail” they didn’t even SEE each other before talking to police! They’re just so connected that they tell the same exact story. Then they both work on the case in their separate interrogation rooms using different methods and arrive at the same conclusion at the same time. They also make the same joke about their public defender.

-I keep seeing this post about who knew Dean better, Sam or Castiel, and I just want to point out that these two are so in sync they can essentially read each others minds.

-We have an outsider perspective on their lives and relationship a few times this episode, and the detectives comment more than once on how weirdly connected the brothers are. Like, Dean communicates to Sam via movie reference to escape and Sam is already all over that, he’s been assessing how to climb out the window since his first scene.

-Dean tells the detective to go to Sam so that Sam can save her life, giving her their info on “how we find each other when we’re separated.” That’s very practical. It’s also true that when they aren’t together they are obsessed with finding each other and making sure they know exactly where the other is at all times. They must have felt so untethered when Sam was at Stanford. I’m imagining Sam going on a little trip over spring break and feeling like he’s forgetting something really important and starting to panic only to realize it’s just that Dean won’t know where he is.

#samdean #supernatural #spn meta #sam and dean #wincest #spn 2x07

[weclassybouquetfun]

I have a passing knowledge of Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle from the character's appearance on SMALLVILLE, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD and these panels.

Milagro, you are so real for this.

And this is where my true knowledge about Blue Beetle comes from - Ted Kord's Blue Beetle and his friendship with Booster Gold.

Blue & Gold Forever.

So with only knowing the bare minimum about Jaime I was able to watch BLUE BEETLE with no expectations. It's an incredibly vibrant, fun and heartfelt film. I'm concerned at its low box-office showing, but films with bigger leads and bigger budgets have also failed at the box office, or at the very least, didn't recoup it's budget and marketing. There has never been anything that was a guaranteed box office success. I would rather it tried to get eyes in theaters than get lost on HBO Max where it was originally slated for release. Here's hoping National Cinema Day on Aug 27th (where theaters are selling tickets for $4 for all formats) will bring more people to the tent.

Too true.

My thoughts on BLUE BEETLE

Nothing but SPOILERS.

THE GOOD

Xolo Maridueña (COBRA KAI) is a great Jaime. If you have seen Maridueña across these five seasons of COBRA KAI, it's not surprising. He has shown consistently that he can play humour, dutifulness, vulnerable and excel at action.

Big up to COBRA KAI's annual blow-out fight sequence.

Oddly enough, at the end of the film I didn't think we got to know Jaime beyond a cursory level, but I'm sure if they did a deep dive on him I would complain about that too as my issue with origin story films is that so much real estate is given to building up the history of the character, that the plot and action seems relegated to the final act. But I guess BLUE BEETLE gave us all we need to know about Jaime.

Good egg, duty bound, gets hard from hugs (and kudos to this film for actually having a character who gets horny. Comic book films are nearly always a sexless thing, but my guy Jaime pulling his shirt down to cover his crotch after Jenny's (Bruna Marquezine) tale of woe was refreshing.)

-Really liked Jenny Kord. She wasn't the typical damsel in distress. She's formidable in her own right. She and Jaime doesn't feel rushed or shoehorned in. I especially loved the fact that they didn't just make her the love interest,

Though she and Xolo are great together,

but also gave her - in the Reyes - a new family. If she and Jaime were to go pear-shaped we can just know that Jenny still has a place within the Reyes clan.

-We have not one, but two new members to the Legion of Great DCEU Family Members. Joining the mom and dad of SHAZAM, AQUAMAN's dad, THE FLASH's mom is BLUE BEETLE's Alberto Reyes (Damián Alcázar) and Nana Reyes (the Oscar nominated Adriana Barraza).

Still waters run deep and Nana proved that. She's not just up in her room sewing and watching reruns of "María la del Barrio". She is sitting back waiting to showcase her experiene while fighting in the revolution.

And Alberto Reyes! He was this film's King T'Chaka. Always with a wise word, strong, caring. I hate that he had to die and I think it's a worn out trope that a hero has to suffer loss in order to come into their greatness, but it worked. Long Live Alberto Reyes!

Just enough George Lopez to not be annoying. He's funny, but only in small doses IMO so he was just good enough and used well enough that it wasn't eye-rolling. I really loved that he wasn't just there for the obvious comic relief, instead Uncle Rudy is a brain.

The opening along had me hyped. It set the tone and it lent to idea of the scarab being from space, but the inclusion of a classic Blue Beetle comic sketch just ::chef's kiss:

-Director Ángel Manuel Soto listed which stories he pulled from for this film,

but I see a lot of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD episode "Fall of the Blue Beetle" in the bits where they go to Ted Kord's home/lab.

-The way they took OMAC/Kevin Kho backstory and merged it with Carapex's. In the comics OMAC was a Cambodian child of war, in this film Ignacio/Carapex was left an orphan and trained by the School of the Americas (rebranded Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) whose training manuals advocated tortuing and blackmailing civilians. Using Kord Industries as not just a amorphous shady big tech corp, BLUE BEETLE's writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and Soto tied Kord Industries to the realties of what big corporations are doing globally.

This ties into another thing I loved about the film - it had a strong cultural identity. From Nana using Vivaporú (Vicks Vapor Rub) as smelling salts to rouse Jamie, to El Chapulín Colorado(!!!).

The idea of gentrification that affects people across colour lines and specifically targets people of lower income.

The full integration of Jaime and Khaji-Da being exemplified by Khaji-Da (voiced by singer/actor Becky G) speaking Spanish.

THE BAD

-Is there someone with less screen prescence than Susan Sarandon? I don't know how she was ever a thing. I guess they needed a "name" but there several other actors like Anjelica Huston or Sigourney Weaver who would have done something more with that role. Carla Gugino. Anyone else!

-The establishing CGI of Kord Entrerprises was basura. There was a tangible change in F/X as if mid way through post-production they found out WB-Discovery was moving it to theatrical release and they effects crew got a cash infusion.

-While I came around on the character towards the end, I wasn't a fan of Milagro. Glad they aged her up but she fell into the trope of annoying movie sibling and it grated.

THE REST

-Harvey Guillen's character died in the film (good!) and he appears to be dead again on HARLEY QUINN (not good. There is no way Nightwing's death sticks).

-Soto and James Gunn says that Jaime has a future in the DCU. While an interview snippet is making the rounds where Soto says he would like Jason Sudeikis (TED LASSO) to play Ted Kord, I don't really believe that is true as the source is from an online site I'm not familiar with and people lie for clicks.

Yes, Buster. All. The. Time.

-While comics! Jaime lives in El Paso, Texas, film! Jaime lives in Palmera City - on El Paso St. - which was created for the film (and appeared in the comics months ahead in a tie-in). Soto found inspiration in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. But I wonder what Palmera City's real-world city will be when James Gunn finishes the DC Map that he say is being redone. Maybe because over the years Metropolis has been Chicago/Delaware/New York.

Metropolis is not in Delaware, GTFOH.

#Youtube #blue beetle #blue beetle movie #blue beetle 2023 #jaime reyes #xolo maridueña #angel manuel soto #dc comics #comic book movies #movies #film #dcu #wb/dc #harvey guillen #bruna marquezine #spoilers

[wulvercazz]

grimmichigrimmichigrimmichi >:3333 (pairing meme)

heheh okay- so shiP IT ofc 😂 .. but here's the answers;

What made you ship it?

so... I have a very specific list of qualities I look for when it comes to my favorite male characters. And Grimmjow fit them all 😂💕

When I first watched Bleach the only thing I shipped was IchiRuki, bc naturally that was the only way to go for me tbh, but then Grimm appeared and I was obsessed. When it comes to otps for me, first I find a fave character, then I consider the possible pairings. Not any other way. And with Grimmjow... well the only option for me was Ichigo tbh.

Not to discredit any other Grimmjow ships, I've done a few of them myself, but with how passionately these two throw themselves at each other I truly couldn't look any other way. Lol

So tldr; Grimmjow's got slut potential and I dig that, and they're too into each other for me not to see "gay" plastered all over them 💫

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Hmmm 🤔maybe how inherently feral it is, canon-wise. Also how harmonious their overall designs are together, there's nothing nicer than a pair that looks good together, at least as an artist. Also how easy they are (for me at least) to write/draw; I have a hard time focusing on one thing for long enough to get good at things (hence the many AUs lol!) so for me to have a ship I draw constantly for more than four years now... is truly astounding lmao. They helped me grow soooo much so they hold a dear dear place in my heart just bc of that alone.

And because of that last one: how easy it is to apply AUs to themmmm ;w;<33333 I can legit think of anything and make an AU out of it and not struggle too much to find the perfect place for them in it.

And also,, sort of fave sort of least fave- that it's not an overly popular ship in general (ik it's popular in the Bleach fandom itself, but rather; not popular like a ship from BNHA or JJK). Why; bc I get to have my quiet space where I draw all the ideas I want and yet have had verY few people throw insults at me for some of my darker stuff 😂 Bigger fandoms I've interacted with (as a viewer mostly) have had issues popping up left and right, people getting upset over dumb shit and letting that grow to huge proportions, "antis" everywhere... yeahhhh no thanks 😖

but also-- it gets verY quiet at times specially for someone who's so picky. Like, if I could find a fandom space like the exclusive bottom Bakugo enthusiasts I followed on twt (and even bought a whole zine about) but for GriMMJOW??? WOOF😭💕 so yeah,,, love-hate situation on this last bit lmaooo

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

A few 😂😭 everyone who's followed my art for a certain amount of time can probs tell how the 'tism really affects how I enjoy ships lmaoooo I have to enjoy them a very specific certain way so... that means I don't partake at all on a good few of the popular tropes for the ship. Some I can think of rn; damsel-in-distress!Ichigo, overly hurtful!Grimm (although this one is more old fandom I think 🤔? I remember, in a lot of fics back then, Grimmjow was portrayed a lot as this violent rapist adgdfddfdff not for me lmaoo), ofc top!Grimm, Grimmjow acting all macho relationship wise, and too much angst (I think this ship (and Ichigo in general lets be honest) can call for a lot of angst in fic so I totally get it- but ...meh, if it's not romaticized/sexualized angst, idc for it adgdfgf I don't like it when they actually suffer 😭)

OOH OH! ALSO --- making them OOC in AUs CAN be great actually (to me at least). I know a lot of people (not just here, but in any ship/fandom/etc) don't love OOC characterizations of their fave characters/ships (hence why it's a tag we use tbh) but I personally love that at times??? I won't do it all the time and all over the place... but AUs where there's space to make Grimm less violent? or Ichigo less friendly/loving??? While still within their canon character potentials--- hecC yes. >:)ccc

Also ofc; that I wish it was still common to tag ships as top-bottom like it is with HoEn/EnHo (bnha), VK/KV /trigun, KRBK/BKKR (bnha) etc or at least tag it some other way along the ship.... it would be sO much easier to filter out stuff i don't want to see instead of having to mute/block a whole person I would still love to see stuff from.

BuT I am aware most have no preference whatsoever lmaO so... yeah nothing I can do there except not follow people pfFFF 😂😭 (and wait until I find peeps with similar tastes aasdfs)

#ask meme #Ichigrimm #grimmichi #一グリ #bleach #ship ask #ikik I'm a bit crazy it's okayyy i'm aware #pffff #I also have baD anxiety so I enjoy things like a trembling chihuahua afraid-yet-excited about it's own toys pfFF #if the flavor changes I stop eating is what I'm sayinnnggg adsfsdasfsf #*sniff tests everything* #answered

[rodismancave]

.

Not to sound insaaane but the fact this progress is lost to the fandom and tben issues later is insane to me. In my head he’s really good at tolerating pain but this is crazy. How long do you think it took for him to actually visit ratchet about his Many Wounds. The strain must’ve been fucking awful. The fact he can’t look at his own room anymore without feeling guilty and horrible? That he was willing to change it all to look more professional because he realizes he just keeps fucking up, and that Magnus is right and he needs to change. The amount of effort he keeps putting on being better and doing better, inviting Orion into the Lost Light and knowing all about the little quirks his crew has enough that he can brag about them to OP. Every time Rodimus talks about the lost light, he says our starship, our home. And yet he’s still seen as this selfish good for nothing that only ever wants glory and to be seen. When I’d argue that a lot of what he does is so others are seen instead of him. He knows peoples strengths and he plays on it, he can read people really well. Idk man I just care about him a lot and it deeply upsets me how his relationships are never explored in a 1. Normal way, 2. Platonic way, or 3. Professional way. Not everything has to be romantic, but everything is sexual, when it comes to him. It’s insane how he has fallen under this twink-damsel in distress trope character, when he’s actually really really smart and clever, and has a very strong presence. His friendship with drift is rarely ever seen beyond romantic, his rivalry with Getaway is rarely ever explored as the petty one sided hate boner Getaway has for him. Idk man a girl once told me that friendship is magic. And sometimes u don’t have to fuck your way thru depression Lmfao

#I’d argue that you would be incapable of doing that even. #ooc / misty forest #sorry for the rant. I’m. hhhhh

[papermonkeyism]

Me age 13: "omg, this is the best book ever I love it so much!"

Me age 20: "ugh, this is the worst book I've ever read, I hate it."

Me age 36: "this is a DnD campaign."

So I made it through the second book of the Icewind Dale trilogy, Streams of Silver, in my nostalgia trip.

And yeah. It's a game of DnD.

Specifically, it's a bunch of Tolkien fan boys having fun playing a fantasy fighting game and being awesome, and, yeah, it does its job.

It's still lacking in things I like in stories, but I can see where this is coming from. I prefer characters with more emotional depth and them having more natural feeling interactions, and deeper world building. But this is a game for people who like feeling awesome in a traditionally heroic way, and experience similar stuff as with their favourite books.

The characters are more archetype-ish/stereotypey, because they're written as player characters instead of complex people. There are A LOT of bad guys and evil creatures that the heroes have to fight, because DnD is a game built around a fighting mechanism, and campaigns are built with Random Encounters so the players can engage with the mechanics of the game they're playing. So this area has orcs in it, that will fight you. This bit here has human barbarian tribes that will fight you (and have some Unfortunate Implications about "noble savages" and their belief system being built aroud this monster creature from another plane of existence and other fun eighties tropes, but it's not like they get mentioned again after the encounter.) You failed a persuation roll to let this one town's guards let you pass because your elf hails from an evil elf race even if he himself is a good individual, and him having black skin marks him as dangerous to people (no wonder many modern depictions of drow have them more purple or gray than flat out black), so you are forced to take a detour through this swamp area that's full of trolls that will all attack you. And there's a giant snake that will attack you. And so forth.

And the Tolkien really shows! You could probably make a drinking game out of spotting all the Tolkien references, just the amount of times the word "mithril" gets thrown around could be one on its own.

So one of the main characters is a dwarf king of a lost underground dwarf kingdom, the Mithril Halls, who's ancient home got taken over by a shadow dragon which drove them to exile, and the Main Quest is to go find it and take it back (Hobbit). (None of his other clan mates from the Icewind Dale seem to remember or care enough to join their king in his search, but that's not the point, because you only got four players and they all picked different races. It's a game, your supposed to build it for them to play, that's the whole point.) Once they get to the place, there's a kinda "Mines of Moria" feeling scene of them wondering how to open the door, though the solution to it is more DnD feeling than that of Lord of the Rings. Though, speaking of Moria, remember how awesome the Gandalf vs Balrog scene was? Good news! We liked it too, so much so that we did the whole "beloved hero falls to a 'certain death' in the depths of the mine while fighting a bad guy/evil being" thing TWICE! Oh, and did your players like Galadriel? You have a nice GM who gives you a magical queen NPC (who's name even rhymes with her), who comes to the heroes' aid by giving advice and helpful items, except even better, because what if she also had a crush on your favourite character?

Sprinkle in a group of evil rivals, with a nemesis for the favourite character ("narrative foil" kinda feels like an understatement, though, as Entreri gets introduced as a dark mirror for Drizzt with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer), couple evil wizards, a fun and quirky family of good wizards for a fun interlude for your players, and few other fun and magical encounters, some cool loot, and a classic damsel in distress (though I do give credit for Catti-Brie actually having a role in this book. I hated the way she got kidnapped and damselled when I read the book last time, but on a re-read now, I do see her being clever and using her situation to sabotage her kidnappers, even if teenage me was very disappionted in how she didn't pick up a sword and do the awesome battle stuff herself).

(Okay, so this is just me theorizing, and I don't really have any factual basis for this, but I kinda get the feeling like Wulfgar was originally planned as the "young hero protagonist" of these books, but Drizzt ended up a lot more interesting of a character, and the stories just gravitated to focus on him instead as the author's fave. Not that a similar thing would have ever happened to me or anything, haha...)

Like. This book still isn't my thing, really. I very much prefer deeper and more rounded character writing and more thought out worldbuilding, but I must admit, realizing that this book was basically a game of Dungeons and Dragons kinda made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. Even if I spent the entire time reading thinking about the players of the characters instead of the characters themselves as people, but still.

You made the story out of reshuffled Tolkien tropes but edgier, put in some whimsy nonsense that makes no logical sense, and had tons and tons of really flat enemies that kept spawning and aggroing your party like video game mooks. Aww, sounds like a fun campaign, your players must have had great time!

... I should probably re-read Lord of the Rings one of these days.

#shut up paper #I think I need a tag for these

[bbygirl-aemond]

Hello, I’m a trans man, so I can offer my perspective on some of this bullshittery that’s happening. The hyperfeminization/infantilization is something I see a lot with m/m ships, and 99% of the time it’s to the person in the submissive role and it’s especially prevalent when that submissive partner is smaller/less built than their counterpart. I personally absolutely HATE when people do this especially because I get treated that way. I get treated like a soft uwu boy and like I’m a lot younger than I am A LOT. It’s frustrating as all hell considering I am a grown ass man who thinks the word wiener is the height of comedy. I am firmly in your corner for disliking fics that have those kinds of tropes in them, they piss me off SO MUCH. Also, I really don’t see what the big issue was for you saying that you saw a lot of it and didn’t like it/like the ship. It’s not like you’re telling people they can’t like it, you’re just offering an observation of what you’ve seen and personal reasons you don’t like it, end of story. I for one appreciate your writing and the way you’ve avoided some of those tropes a lot of fics fall into. I hope everyone burns out their 5 seconds of pissyness and you have a good night/afternoon/morning

response below the cut!

haha thank you for helping to reassure me about this. i genuinely think a ton of people are misinterpreting what i'm trying to say, and based on that interpretation i do really understand why they're upset. they think i'm saying it is inherently wrong and bad to write lucerys to be intersex, an omega, a bottom, etc. and i would be angry at anyone who tried to make that claim, bc it is a transphobic claim to make. but that's not what i'm saying! i mean, my own bf is trans for god's sake, and you don't see me hounding him about being problematic because he has a vagina.

these things by themselves aren't problematic at all, and i've never said that they are. the phenomenon i'm actually addressing is when this is taken to the extreme. when luke isn't JUST an omega or a bottom, but is ALSO made into this soft uwu virgin damsel in distress spineless caricature of of character, one that takes underage elliot grihault's youthful appearance and fetishizes it. as if being a bottom/omega means he has to be all of these other things.

i love reading about male characters who are feminine. i mean, plenty of these tropes are present in stormbreak. but having feminine traits shouldn't mean that your agency, your strength, and your intelligence is sacrificed. like, these things can and should coexist. like you said, trans men should be free to embrace being trans or being feminine without worrying that they'll be dehumanized, fetishized, or infantilized.

and finally, i'm not even saying people have to stop consuming the content, even the parts i think are highly problematic! i'm not saying they need to publicly declare anything! (though i do firmly believe in authors having disclaimers, as i have my own disclaimers on all my fics for the problematic content within, including stormbreak.) i just would like them do some personal reflection to make sure they understand what they're consuming and then continue about their business as usual. it's a bit weird to me that so many people were like "guess i'll die" rather than be like "oh yeah lol it's a bit based on patriarchy, i'll keep that in mind to make sure i don't internalize it as i keep consuming it."

[cameliawrites]

20, 21, 22

(answering this ask post)

Hello anon!!

20: All-time favorite fanfic author?

I mean, @alltheworldsinmyhead and @oneofthewednesdays have become actual, IRL friends of mine and I love and adore them, so there really is no other answer. Also, I commandeered their friendship in large part BECAUSE I love their fics so damn much. <3

21: Favorite fic trope?

SO MANY. I love, like, embarrassingly and absurdly saccharine fluff, which I think shows through in many fics that I write (I really try to tone it down, but it's HARD for me, because I'm a romantic at heart).

I just checked the top "additional tags" listed in my ao3 bookmarks, and it looks like "fluff" and "hurt/comfort" are at the very top, and that absolutely checks out.

Particular guilty-pleasure favorite tropes I enjoy include misunderstanding/miscommunication (but it has to be resolved, of course!!), kid fic (which some people HATE but when it's done well it can be so endearing), and, like, one character rescuing another character (everybody's gotta be a damsel in distress at one point or another - and bonus points for the rescuer's feral protectiveness coming out).

Okay, that's enough of that. I'm exposing myself too much.

22: Least favorite fic trope?

Mmmmm I mean I don't know if it counts, but I can't really stomach any sort of gore, so I can't do really intense whump fics.

I'm also not typically a fan of modern AUs, like I don't gravitate toward them, BUT there are a few that are just too good not to love, like the Samples-verse by A_nonnie_mouse & feelinglikecleo, or honey, honey by halfahint. I adore those fics.

#thanks anon! #ask games #camelia answers #fic recs

[variousqueerthings]

the abarat tag exists! it has posts on it! (woo!)

anyway shuffles in here with the rarepair (I assume) of christopher carrion/finnegan hob

no they haven't actually interacted, but listen:

canonically hopeless romantics in ways that have hurt them so so much, and made them afraid of loving again, but also they can't help themselves...

were both duped and manipulated by the same woman in the exact same way (boa really played them like cheap kazoos huh)

the themes of night-and-day as something that need to be reconciled carried within both of them

specifically the whole fairytale element of "marriage to heal the kingdom" type story, first subverted with boa dying and then again by her resurrecting and being evil....... then possibly deconstructed by being very gay? (well, that and maybe the fact that it isn't a marriage that was really needed to heal the abarat, so much as candy's different perspective, so they can just do it without all that pressure on them)

finnegan is a fixer and carrion is a fucking mess

also finnegan needing to fix things/be Heroic is something to unpack as well, considering these books are continuously flipping character Types on their heads and I think carrion might like being supportive as a way of building some form of selfhood/finnegan learning to be cared for...

smthinsmthin on that above note carrion could conceivably save finnegan's life right now, considering finnegan is basically boa's hostage and carrion is trying to learn how to do right/interesting reversed damsel in distress tropes?

pretty boys -- I understand that mr clive barker's illustrations and descriptions of carrion have not been giving us pretty boy, but he's got that pathetic goth boy swag to finnegan's jock-hero type pretty

both flamboyant and performative

they hate each other on principle, simply because their stories have had boa in the middle up until a certain point, but she's been deliberately stoking up that enmity/manipulating that story, so now the scales have fallen from their eyes, what better way to counter that than by realising that they... quite like each other when they actually meet, perhaps even-

barker has yet to give us as much queerness in this text as in his other ones, and it's been enough years that I think he could get away with it more in a YA than back in 2003

also as an extra, both of them retiring out of the idea of kingdom/prince type shit, because neither of them have seen that sort of setup have good results (although of course, abarat wasn't really feudal by the time candy came along, so much as just... the idea of an aristocracy as something still to be respected? anyway, tear that down, especially now that most of the aristocracy is just straight up dead), and just retiring to one of the islands

wonders which time would suit them.... feel like a dawn-or-dusk would be their preference...

#they work i tellya!!! #abarat #christopher carrion #finnegan hob #clive barker #i literally never post about my books on here because i feel so #protective of my feelings of them #but this time i could not help it #also #carrion and hob just sounds good

[briarborealisocs]

least favorite tropes? and why?

ooh hmmm it's a lot more difficult for me to pin down my LEAST favorite tropes because so many times i will see something that i should hate but that is well written and go :)

that being said here is my attempt at a list, in no particular order

miscommunication based on dumb misunderstandings played for drama that lasts ages. i think this one is self explanatory. i actually do like miscommunication sometimes but when it's stretched out for ages when all that needs to happen is the characters have one (1) conversation it feels cheap and annoying. i will even accept a dumb misunderstanding for drama if it gets resolved in a chapter/episode or two

love triangles and adjacently, will they/won't they. love triangles are.... fine.... ive definitely found myself enjoying them before, kind of. but it's the whole "oh i don't know mimimimi ive never made a decision or committed in my life ever" that really gets to me. girl. please. please. for the Love. of God. please. one decision. please don't stretch it out for ages for no reason

on that note characters who are overly self-pitying and have no confidence/self esteem really annoy me. look i get it. but please. please. stop. just an ounce of confidence, an ounce of getting your head out of your ass

insta-love. it can work sometimes, love at first sight can be cute it it's not the main focus and you still get to see development of the couple over time (like in my adventures with superman) but when you rush from not even knowing each other to confessing your undying love it's like mmmmmmmmm i don't know about that

i don't like damsel in distress stories but i also don't like it when the guy gets there and the girl is already on her way out and she's like "what, you thought i couldn't do it because i was a Girl?" but i also don't like it when a girl who SHOULD be competent isn't. how about we treat our characters like people who have strengths and weaknesses and let them play to their strengths and weaknesses instead of contriving ways for them to fall in love through arbitrary peril-rescue scenarios

im sure there are more but i got bored of typing them out just now lol

#asked and answered #caveat that pretty much all of these can be enjoyable when done well #“oh writing is good when it's good writing” obviously #briar rambles

[the-indie-owl]

It's kinda hard to believe from Critics that People will say that "The Magic Riddle walked just so Shrek could run" when folks keep forgetting some prehistorical facts when it comes to Modernazing a Fairy Tale or even Do a Mega Crossover with all of the Old Literature being put in One Big Fat World. Even with Some Other Fairy Tale Media before Shrek.

If you're confused to know, I've just seen people comparing an Australian Animated Film called "The Magic Riddle" (which is a suppose adaptation of the Cinderella fairytale) with DreamWorks' Adaptation of Shrek (which reminds Me of the comparison between "The Water Babies" and "Alice in Wonderland"). One being the Latter still being Watched Today while The Former has not. But unlike those 2 Victorian Literature works, there happened to be other Fairy Tale Crossovers or Ones that have Modernized the Literature Works that we've recognized as of Today long before Shrek came into the Universe.

I have nothing against people who dislike or hate "The Magic Riddle" (being that it's made behind the same company with their own Adaptations of "Blinky Bill", "Dot and The Kangaroo" and my most favorite being, "Tabaluga"), but this is just something that I had to get off my chest if people who have seen TMR need to know this importantly.

Shrek was never really established as an Original Creation from DreamWorks with the idea of having All Fairy Tale characters set in the same world with a Modernized in the Medieval Century diet with a Parody genre, Shrek was actually a Children's Book by William Steig. The plotline of the Original Shrek was completely different then the One that we all now, even from Today's standards of Pop Culture.

Shrek actually came out 1 year before The Magic Riddle, meaning that The Original Shrek story had No Absolute Fairy Tale Characters, thus, it only had its own Original Characters in its Original Story where's the Foreign Movie had its own Fairy Tale Crossover (even before when 10 Years that DreamWorks picked it up as a Successful franchise), meaning the Actual Shrek story was meant to be a huge Mockbuster Parody of the Cliche Fairy Take genre of rescuing a Damsel in Distress and having a Hero's Journey.

Neither of the Two Storylines between a Book and a Famous Fairytale Adaptation were even that close of being similar but Shrek is a Comdey Story that's meant to be a Parody of all Fairy Tales whereas The Magic Riddle is meant to have its own Modern Adaptation of the Cinderella story mixed with Other Famous Stories.

Sure, you could at least say that the Foreign Film itself probably gave it the inspiration towards DreamWorks' adaptation but I still wouldn't want to buy it in a Very Huge Bad Light as someone who Watches Foreign Films and even Looking for Lost/Obscure Media around its Treasures.

But what really bugs Me about that kind of Topic is that Everyone tends to Forget that there Other Fairy Tale parody media, even long before when Shrek or even The Magic Riddle came in.

The Examples that I am deeply talking about are the ones that either have a Crossover or Modernize in a Medieval Setting within a Fairy Tale (meaning that The Magic Riddle is not the first thing to pass it on through Shrek).

Let Me Just Say This Out Loud Through My Chest...

Into The Woods and Donkeyskin (1970) were the Very First Fairy Tale adaptations to Parodize a Fairy Tale way long before Shrek was made.

Let Me have a Better Explanian of these Two Parodies and how they've done it before these Said Media's existance.

Into The Woods was probably a First Fairy Tale crossover on Stage, that being with its own Original Main Lead Characters before Shrek about a Couple walking through the Woods, only to find unexpected plotlines of Fairy Tale characters in their own Stories and then Random Things just suddenly happen in a Fairy Tale trouble (which is just something in One Common that would be part of that Trope with how both the Shrek films and The Magic Riddle did), so it's positive to say that the Musical would've been the Huge Influence behind the Ogre Story besides than the Cinderella crossover, even when Disney would then go on to Adapt their version of the Musical as Into The Woods always held up its own Broadway throughout the Years which can prove that the Musical is too recognizable than the Australian one that would've been the real huge inspiration for Shrek and The Magic Riddle is what I can clearly consider.

The 70s French Adaptation of "Donkeyskin" (within the exact same Cinderella trope made by the Same French Author behind the Original Story) isn't necessarily a Fairy Tale crossover but rather, it parodies the Original Story with some Modern techniques. It plays off as a Comdey version of the Other Fairy Tale as it even has unexpected ending that it's actually a Story within its own Modern Era set within its own Medieval Time Period (too many decades before Shrek would do that).

That being said, those are indeed prime examples of how that there Other Possiblites to interpret a Fairy Tale crossover that you can do besides then The Big One (Happily N'Ever After, Ever After High, and Enchanted are prime examples).

I don't mind some negative Magic Riddle reviews but honestly, I'm just not really the kind of person who would compare Two Properites of Unfamiliarity and Familirity in a "Bad" Light. As an Obscure Fangirl, it just kinda really hurts Me seeing I find something interesting that No One cares about and then sprays it as a Bad Light with comparing the Famous One in a Good Light, just because the Latter is more popular than the Former.

Granted, I do agree that "The Magic Riddle" could've been more if it wasn't such a mess but the Concept Trailer just sounds so something of what we could've had gotten instead.

#indie text #the magic riddle #shrek #dreamworks #fairy tales

[radical-sky]

a8, b6, c1, and d10 for that fanfic/fandom ask game <3

thank youuu for playing logan!!

A8: Is there a show or a book that you gave up on that you went back to later? Why did you come back to it?

I have given up on a lot of shows :(( so many shows go downhill in the later seasons and I just don’t have the will power to finish them. As far as books go, I can normally push through them. Earlier this year I listened to Hawke by Ted Bell and that was the worst drag to get through. I hated the narrator, the hero was just too perfect, the damsel in distress idiot girlfriend was infuriating, and the plot was very predictable. I finished it, but I wasn’t a happy listener. Something that I’ve given up on and come back to though? I honestly don’t know. I either finish it or abandon it completely.

B6: What is your favourite story trope? Why?

Without looking through AO3 bookmarks, probably ‘not actually unrequited love’. Idk if that counts as a trope, but I love the angst and despair or thinking they’re alone in love.

C1: What trope are you tired of reading? Why?

I hatehatehate highschool and college AU’s, but I never read them. Uhhh, a trope I read sometimes that get sick of seeing?? Time travel fix-it’s maybe? Idk if it’s not something that I enjoy I really won’t spend my time reading it.

D10: What is one story idea you really want to read but no one has written yet?

WOOO OKAY THIS COULD GET LONG I HAVE SOOOO MANY (but I will keep it short can’t give away all my ideas). Truly the entire summer I’ve been possessed by a TGM fic idea that will not release its hold on me. Mentally I have it mostly planned out and I have it partially written, but it will be Long. Very Long. I haven’t posted any snippets or anything yet because I will finish it and post it fully completed. I also have the Ethan timeloop in Venice fic bouncing around in my brain as well!! So many fics and so little time ☹️

questions here

#ask games #answered asks #rad chats #mutual #user mavnix

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I feel like I'm always coming to you for period drama/classic lit recs 😂😂😂😂 i really hope u don't mind if u ever do feel free to just ignore me lol but since I'm reading North and South now (I'm having so much fun with it btw) was wondering what film/series adaption u like best

Of course I don't mind at all! And I love reading your comments on different books.

This is a complicated question... as far as I know there are only four adaptations of North and South: two tv series of four one hour episodes each, one from 75' and one from 04', and then two radio dramas, 3 one hour episodes each, one from 97' and another from 2022. None of them are good adaptations of North and South as adaptations of North and South.

What I mean by this: some are better than others as standalone things, but in one way or another they either don't understand some of the themes, plot lines, and character dynamics and why they are the way they are, or they are just taking the book story as a backdrop to insert common tropes they like, or whatever they think the story should be actually about.

It's difficult to put examples, as you are so early on in the reading, but one could be that 2022 decides Mr Hale is actually a wise character that philosophically shapes and embodies the lessons of the book, so all his shortcomings as husband and father are either lessened or omitted, and he's given far more wisdom and foresight than what he had in the book.

There are stories I can trust an adaptation to introduce the book to the readers decently enough, even when they do take liberties with plot and characters (such would be the case of Cranford 2007, for example, or P&P 95 or Wives and Daughters 1999), and neither of the adaptations fit that bill, which is a pity.

So, that's for the preamble XD

I find both radio adaptations enragingly bad. My expectations were low, and I was disappointed to not find even one scene I could say "now, that's a satisfying rendition of this". You don't even get a dialogue accurate ending for either, and they are both riddled with baffling decisions. I do not recommend these at all.

Then there's the 1975 miniseries. It is very much a 1970s BBC series. It's low budget, Margaret is more of a delicate damsel in distress, and Patrick Stewart overacts as John Thornton. It's somewhat better than the radio dramas, because of the added length and some less wildness in changes. It's also rather dull.

So what's left is 2004. 2004 is a very beloved period drama. Apparently there is a dedicated facebook group for it, although no Elizabeth Gaskell page at all. And that's sort of the crux of it. If the book is velvet, sort of very rich and textured but rather heavy and difficult to work with, the series is silk, lighter, shinier... lovely in its own way, high quality, but it's not the same thing.

For example, Margaret becomes a bit of a blank slate, and John becomes the big Darcy-Beast-Hades mashup. The drama is turned up to eleven: their first meeting is Margaret bursting into the mill and witnessing Thornton beating a worker up in a fit of rage (they justify it later, but it is... well, what it is).

So it is a common thing for people to watch the series, then try the book and find it dull and boring and that's the end of it. And I have a love-hate relationship with the series because of it. It's not that much of a good adaptation of N&S (granted, its heights are higher than the highs of the other adaptations, some of it is perfect), but it is a delightful period drama.

So that's more or less where I am at.

#North and south #elizabeth gaskell #buddyholliscurls #ask #I will add links for the first three for anyone interested in the notes

[shoheiakagi]

ooooo I'll jump on the nana crossover idea! What are your thoughts about it?

Okay first, taste!!!!

And to be honest, I find Nana soooooooooo much better written than a lot of the popular animangas like naruto. I love how the female characters are fleshed out and have actual flaws, the relationship dynamics, the reality of how toxic some relationships can be, and the dialogue?? *chef’s kiss* Like seriously, the plot may not be adventurous or mysterious, but the characters are so interesting? And don’t get me started on the heartbreak!! Nana x Hachi is my overall favorite ship, but I do like Nana x Ren and I’m still not digesting that Nobu x Hachi breakup 😭😭😭😭

And again, I really love how flawed the female characters are! My problem with female characters in most animes, including the new anime out rn, is that a lot of female characters are very one dimensional. Like before it used to be the damsel in distress/love interest trope, and now its characters whose only trait is being a ‘badass’ yet they’re still getting their asses kicked in major fights and get saved by the male hero. So an anime like Nana, where the female characters are filled with depth AND are the main characters, is so refreshing, especially for someone who doesn’t really read shoujo that much either.

Like for example, a character like Nana is pretty popular in other medias cause theyre usually that tough, cold female character, with a secret heart of gold. The mysterious types who always have their guards up until the end and their character flaw tends to be “traumatized or grew up in a terrible environment so now she’s all introverted and snarky to most people” (like raven from teen titans and artemis from young justice. love them, but kinda tired of how most ppl think all well written female characters must be written like them). But what makes Nana unique for me is that she’s selfish, insecure, and controlling.

Same with hachi. Another character trope popular in manga. The sweet, naive girly girl who tends to be the one dimensional primary love interest/damsel in distress for the main hero (orihime from bleach and hinata from naruto). While Hachi is very naive and is prone to falling in love very quick (more like the idea of falling in love), I love how she isn’t written to be 100% all sweet and sugar and nice girl who’s saving herself for marriage with her one true love (that one guy she likes in high school). She’s shallow, self-centered, and emotionally dependent on her love interests, junko, and nana.

Bonus points to womanhood being a main theme here, especially with two female characters who are the opposites of each other in their personality, fashion, background, etc.

I love to think about one of the homra guys, maybe someone like chitose, gets everyone hooked on nana lol. Like he probably overheard a lot of his f*ck buddies and random girls on the streets keep talking about some nana show, so he looks it up and at first loses interest when he realizes its shoujo, but then gets a little curious and wants to know what the hype is (and he lowkey finds the girls hot). So he brings it up to the other guys when they’re all chilling in the bar one day and obviously a lot of them are like, “fuck no, we’re not watching that girly shit” but then totsuka gets interested and he manages to get everyone to sit around the tv and watch the show lol (except for anna since totsuka did some research and found out that there are implied sexual scenes and mature topics). At first, the guys are annoyed at being forced to watch the show (a good chunk of them glaring at Chitose for bringing the topic up), but then suddenly they’re all incredibly invested by like ep 3. A lot of the boys probably talk about which Nana is better or more of their type at first, but then they all probably start shipping the two Nanas and god damn just f*cking kiss her already!!! Not gonna lie tho, I do think some of them are gonna hate on Hachi for leaving Nobu :/ They’re definitely going to sympathize with Nobu, but I just know some of them (Chitose) are probably gonna be like ‘thats what happens when you’re a simp’ 🙄 Overall, I do think most of them will be extremely sad/depressed once they reach the end of the show, not realizing how much this show and its characters impacted them lol

#ask #raventhekittycat #i found my nana kin #this came out veryyyy long lol so sorry for any typos