#but because she mentions herself lacking empathy for others at several points in the book | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

i-love-side-characters · 3 years

Text

Do You See It Differently?

Pairing: Various Relationships

Characters: Various Keeper of the Lost Cities Characters, One-Time OCs

Genre: Angst

Summary:

“Once you’ve seen there is another perspective, you can never not see that there’s another point of view.”

― Ellen Langer

TW: Death, Character Death, Injuries, Blood, Disease Mention

Word Count: 1.8k words (1,817)

Additional Notes:

You should be proud of me, this is all canon!

Or at least based on canon events

Okay you shouldn't have expected so much of me

This is terrible i am so sorry

no beta we die like nixx's happiness when me and pyro are coming up with angst

Tag List: Let me know if you want to be added/removed!

@bronte-deserves-better @councillor-bronte-is-best-boy @cadence-talle @an-absolute-travesty @bookwyrminspiration @keefeinnit @mallowmeltz @ultralazycreatorfan @everyonehasthoughts @mistythegenderqueermess @imaramennoodle @rainbowtay-11 @we-need-more-empathy @catboyruy @we-wont-dissapear @we-have-no-bananas-today @loverofallthingssmart @a-lonely-tatertot @thesandsofdawn @enbies-and-felonies @fire-sapphics @jadenightthewriter @alabestrine @sunlight-in-a-bottle @damischs @pyrokinetic-loser @pyrarayn @towishuponashootingstar

Read below the cut!

you've read the stories.

the ones with the obstacles beyond compare.

the true loves and dramatic battles.

the heroes, valiantly fighting against evil.

they're inspiring tales, to be sure.

but have you read the other stories?

the ones about the villains?

about the families?

about the kings?

about the children caught in war?

those, my dear, are the stories that truly matter.

they are the stories that go untold.

they live and die with them.

and that, is the true tragedy in this tale.

•·················•·················••·················•·················••·················•·················•

"careful!"

her lips twisted into a smirk, dark eyes tracking her daughter sprinting through the city.

"brilla! come back here!"

the little girl laughed, turning smoothly and running back into the arms of her mother. "mommy, did you see how fast i was?"

"yes darling, you were so fast!"

she squealed, wriggling out of her arms, running back into the crowded market.

"ms. sakh?"

she spun around, squinting at the amour-clad guard. the queen seal glowed brightly, it's shimmer enhanced by the golden city. "yes?"

"if you could come with me." his voice stayed even, solid. a queensguard through and through.

she didn't move, twisting to see her daughter playing in the peace fountain. two guards shadowed her, not interrupting, but keeping a trained eye on the little girl. "what's wrong? what happen?"

the queensguard shook his head. "the queen needs to see you, ma'am." he reached out, gently steering her towards the glittering palace.

she glared at him, wrenching her arm away. "tell me what's going on."

his face darkened, eyes filled with sadness. "i'm so sorry to tell you this, ma'am. but at 4:30 today, your wife, brielle sakh, was killed on duty at an elven residence in the lost cities."

the woman's eyes widened, her basket falling to the floor in a dull thud. tears spilled over her cheeks as she stepped back, shaking her head. "no. not brielle―"

"i'm so sorry." he said, reached out again, gently guiding her toward the palace. "let's go."

it seemed darker somehow. the palace. the city. it no longer shimmered bright and gold. the shadows shifted and grew, twisting darker and darker, until they lunged forward and swallowed her whole.

he stepped out onto the stone balcony, glaring out over the city.

he could feel every pulse in his body, the tattoos scrawled across his head. they shouldn't carry weight. the elder kings decided that they didn't want the weight of a crown on their heads. that's why the tattoos became what they were.

apparently their plan didn't work.

he could feel the weight of every black swirl, every black scar.

and he could see them too.

he had already visited the hospital. he watched the shamans cover another body. children's limbs mangled, mothers and fathers crying. soldiers standing stiff, black eyes watching every body leave the room and desperately trying to convince themselves that they didn't know who was underneath the white sheet.

and now he was watching hundreds, thousands of black bodies digging at the rubble, each one helping the other rebuild.

"dimitar."

the queen walked over to him, placing a rough hand on his shoulder. "you need to sleep."

"no, i don't." he twisted away from her, feet pounding down the stone steps. the cool wind thrashed his cloak back. mud squelched under his feet, sharp bits of debris cutting into his gray skin.

they bowed as he walked by, some clapping their arms to their chest, but all looking with black, unfathomable eyes. he cut through the crowd, stopping in front of their leader. "romhil― ro."

"father."

he nodded, drawing himself tall. "get back to work."

he bent over, ignoring the ache in his back as he moved the debris. he was with his people now, not with the others. and it was a sight to see. a king, shoulder to shoulder with a peasant.

and only one thought caught the king's mind.

this can't go on.

the pages felt heavy. rough.

it was his favourite book. he had memorized it's every detail. the roughness of the cover, worn after years of use. the last few pages, lighter than the others due to a lack of paper. the gold lettering, smudged where his the oils on his skin had touched. and it was the book itself too. the way the words flowed, like music, ensnaring you and pulling you in further.

he smiled and stroked the cover, noting the ink stains from over a thousand years ago. his sister had done that. he'd yelled at her for weeks.

he stood up, nearly tripping over the stack of scrolls tossed on the carpet, wincing as the document's edge tore clean off. he'd have to get it repaired.

dust flew in the air, the delicate rolls dusted in gray. they had been sitting there for ages. maybe it was time to read one again.

he reached down, shaking off the dust and settling back in the armchair, twisting himself until the lumpy chair was perfectly supporting his body.

and then he was thrown into the story again, grabbing him and pulling him in closer, until there was no world, just him and his words.

the sun rose and fell, and rose again, and fell, and time didn't matter anymore because he was safe.

and then he wasn't.

a sharp knock sounded at his door, making him flinch and drop the newest tome. it slammed onto the ground, knocking over empty cups and crushing papers.

"uh― i'm― i'm coming! just uh― give me a minute!" he yelled, hands shaking as he stacked the books as best he could. "coming! i'm―" he gulped, hurrying to the door. "i'm here, i'm― bronte?"

"fallon." the councillor said, trying to smile. "may i come in?"

"no. i mean― it's quite a mess― you probably shouldn't. councillor."

bronte nodded, his jeweled crown glowing dimly in the evening sun.

"what do you want, bronte?" he sighed, desperately trying to comb his hair back.

he sighed, running a hand down his face. "did you know about luzia, fallon?"

"what about luzia?"

"that she's been committing treasonous acts that violate several treaties and―" he hesitated, and then, much more softly. "and could put her in exile?"

his soft, dark eyes met piercing blue ones. even though the councillor was younger, he still cowed the other. he stumbled back, slamming the door closed, turning back inside. his dark eyes scanned over the room, the piles of papers, the overturned mugs, the drawn curtains, the mess, the chaos.

how the mighty have fallen.

it was a sharp sound, echoing off the walls. she smirked, throwing another stone towards the ground. and then a deeper echo, the echo of footsteps over the hard stone.

she tilted her head, her dark hair falling over her pale face.

two footsteps. one ridged and firm, the steps of a guard trained from birth to kill. the other was uneven, accompanied by the soft clink of chains.

she shook her head, shoving the sound out her mind.

but it came back.

the footsteps pounded into her brain, her mind analyzing each shift in the pattern, a click of a chain at a different time, a step falling a second too late. a breath too heavy. a rustle of armour.

a low hiss escaped her throat, pale skin breaking as she clawed at her arms. she closed her eyes, but it was still bright, too bright, loud, too loud.

and then the smell. the sweaty, musty odor, mixed with the sharp smell of blood. but something else―something different―

she tilted her head back, lips curving into a lazy smirk. the fragrance wafted inside, the salty smell of the sea, the scent of the wind. outside.

the guard appears first. black eyes, a controlled stare. near seven feet tall. deadly weapons at his side. scars ripple down his face, down his neck, two inches wide and dark against his scaly skin.

he barely paid her any attention, turning around to motion to the others. back was the click of the chains. two more guard appeared in the door, with someone else between them.

someone new.

she watched them carefully chain him to the lumenite wall. they didn't know what they had just done. what they had just started. they just stalked away, leaving just the two of them.

their eyes met. his lips curved into a smirk, nodding at her from his own little cell. it was hard to keep herself from smiling. she had grown old here. lived and died here. seen nobody come in and nobody go out.

it seemed that would change.

she gasped for air, bolting up in bed. this wasn't new. another nightmare, more fires, more sugary smells. another night without them here.

small tears trickled down her cheeks, landing on the silky sheets.

it had been a weeks.

she threw off the covers, crawling out of the bed, letting her feet sink into the soft carpet. light streamed into the dark bedroom, moving gracefully with the watery sky. the roads of the city were empty now. everyone was asleep.

"except you." she muttered, glaring at the city.

she couldn't say she hated it here. it was gorgeous, not to mention luxurious, and the people here couldn't be nicer. but it wasn't right.

she hummed under her breath, sliding down to the floor, smiling as a large ball of fur slunk over to sit on her lap.

"hey there marty." she whispered, stroking his fur. "i bet you miss home, don't ya? they don't have temptation treats over here."

he blinked his large, dark eyes at her, meowing softly.

"yeah, it's weird for me too. but we're safe." she said, sending a commanding glare the cat's way. "sophie's got us covered, alright?"

another soft meow pierced the silence.

"mhm. i completely agree. she is definitely in love with that teal-eye guy."

the lights flicked off outside, the sounds of shuffling feet echoing through the room.

she nodded, giving the animal a small kiss. "yeah, it's very interesting. and don't be scared. mom and dad are fine, i promise."

now the lights in the streets were turning off, bathing the city in a blanket of darkness. "they'll be fine."

she climbed back into the bed, pulling the sheets tightly around her. shadows danced over the gray-purple walls, fading into the darkness of the night.

she hadn't made a wish like this since she was 6. her grandma, and something called cancer. all she had known back then was that it killed people. that was 7 years ago. and now she was wishing again.

hopefully this time it would work.

so now, what do you think, my dear?

do you still think the king is a monster?

that the recluse does not care?

that the child is safe?

do you see the others in this tale?

do you see it differently?

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #mine #my writing #tw swearing #do you see it differently?#here take this pile of shit #and please avoid the ending its terrible #actually please just avoid this fic in general #but you gotta give me credit im living up to my url #side characters >>>>#*chokes* the q u e s t i o n m a r k s #i really said /punctuation/

37 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 3 years

Text

Amphibia Reviews: The First Temple or Bessie and Joe: The New OTP

Hello all you happy people! Amphibia season 2 moves right a long and it’s time for some video game shenanigans as we enter The First Temple! Family drama, snail on bird action, and outhouses await you under the cut with a recap/review with full spoilers.

So we open with the Plantars having chocopillbug pancakes. Ironically my mom offered me chocolate chip pancakes after this and thank god for that. This is a rare treat to the point Anne didn’t even know they had choclate, and is suprisingly not strangling Hop Pop over this. Unsuprisingly he broke out the good stuff to try and make up for hiding the box and things are still VERY awkward between the two, with Hop Pop walking on Egghshells around Anne and Anne doing the same when he brings it up with both desperatley trying to avoid the subject and Sprig not helping by bringing it up a bunch.

I like this a lot and didn’t really think about the series continuting any tension over his decision.. but should have. Partly because this is a modern animated show and most of this wonderful new wave of shows have a LOT of emotional nuance. ANd partly because this show dosen’t forget things even most nuanced shows forget: the fact the characters cause chaos and learn life lesons is outright RECOGNZIED by the show as a pattern and brought up quite often, as are the patterns that lead to it, like mostly being sprig and anne, anne’s impulsivness that sort of thing. It’s the kind of thing you just gloss over in most shows but this one lampshades to hell and back for funsies so when something THIS important happens, you’d better belivie it’s not just going to disappear.

The tensions thankfully broken by a new arrival, as a massive sparrow shows up in the yard. “It’s a giant bird with.. books on it’s back.. what. “ Great delivery from bill there. Naturally it’s Marcy!

I missed this little goober. Such a joy to be around, and she of course marvels over the Plantar’s house before getting back on track: She’s found the first temple.. even though she sent a letter saying that and it’s not commented on that she did. It set off the whole previous episode Marcy... you okay Mar-Mar?

That aside though it’s time for the first temple and Marcy asks for the Box, with Sprig trying to make a joke about how good thing she didn’t ask for it a week ago.

Polly rightly punches him in the ribs... do frogs have ribs? Hold on.. okay here we go

Huh.. so they do not You learn something new every day. Well lack of ribs or no our heroes are ready.. while Marcy’s sparrow Joe is also ready TO GET IT ON. Yes really, he does a mating dance for Bessie, complete with an intersumental version of “Sylvia” from last season. God damn that bird’s got game. The only time i’ve seen more game is THIS.

Marcy tells him to knock it off. Look marcy your a pet owner now and as a pet owner, it’s your responsiblity.. to let your giant bird do horrifying things with a slightly smaller but still giant snail. it’s what nature intended. Nature was doing a lot of cocaine that day but we still honor her wishes.

But anyways Marcy’s figure out something intresting about the box.. by winding it just right the gems pop out, which allows her to take one, we later find out it’s the green one, to use in the temple. So off we go with Marcy and the rest of the kids up top and Hop Pop.. screaming in Joe Sparrows claws. He’s fine.

So while they get ready, Anne worries about the amount of puzzles and hazzards Marcy’s hyping for this but Marcy shurgs it off and gives her own big boast about how may RTS she’s beaten.. suspciously like Yuaan as one post on here pointed out. Not a huge suprise though, to Marcy she’d just be the grand hero out of one of her rpg’s and not think of how many people she probably killed or who she’s working for.. though you’d THNK given all the RPG’s both tapetop and on her switch she’s played, that Marcy would see that “the benevolent king turns out to be the big bad” trope coming.

But Anne’s worry is not on the big bad of the show but on Marcy who has a tendency to get so in the zone she ignores the world around her, which goes from focusing on her game while helping anne get softserve leading to a mess, not letting Anne down in a play and.. Anne catching Marcy on tv as all the snakes escape from the zoo.

Regardless our heroes arrive and while the awkwardness between anne and hop pop continues, they find a majestic temple.. and what appears to be an outhouse. Hey we all gotta poop sometimes, even people making a majestic temple. If you don’t it comes out like this.

So they head in and we get our first puzzle, a mysterious cube that lifts you into the air and allows you to tilt the thing around.

Those of you wondering why I have such a strong reaction have ever never played breath of the wild or played it with a pro controller, i.e. NOT having to tilt the very thing your screen is on because Nintendo has failed to grasp that MAYBE people don’t like that, that it takes you out of the experince and that it’s really hard to focus on your screen while having to move the fucking system about. And the plantar’s getting horribly jostled around as she moves it is EXACTLY how it feels to play a puzzle requring that shit.

Next is a color based tile dungeon leftover from Link’s Awakening DX. As marcy figures out the reds do fire and the blues do crushing... but she reads the language (And as she put earlier “Guess who learned an entire dead language?” God she’s precious. ) and finds a green with envy pun (Which Hop Pop takes offense to.. several of his friends are green.). Which is curious as given several citzens of amphibia are green.. why would they make a green pun? So she gets on one tile and Hop Pop plans to take the risk of getting on the other green tile, but Anne does it instead.. and things get heated between the two as Anne reveals she no longe feels like family since he did what he did for polly and sprig and hop pop takes offense as she IS. Even if he screwed up with her. But Anne’s near death experince activates the tile.

The final challnge switches us from Zelda.. to Harry Freaking Potter.

Now I used to love Harry Potter, with all of my heart. Then JK Rowling turned out to be a transphobic piece of shit who thinks she’s an ally, but is really a bigot who wants to “accept” trans people without giving them any rights. So yeah while I still love the starkid musicals, ore more accuratley the music from them, and own a copy of lego harry potter I got as a gift recently as both parties had no idea she was a monster when this stuff was made. Still a sore subject though, but if I didn’t bring up the similiarties I wouldn’t be doing my job as a critic and this was likely thought up long before JK outed herself as well...

No no the great mighty poo respects all peoples.. and wants to take their heads and ram it up his butt. He’s an equal opportunity butt rammer.

Anyways this is the frog equivlent of chess flipfrog, and just like with Wizard chess, our heroes end up as the pieces minus marcy.. and in a nice twist on that scene, Anne ends up on the other side. Marcy is a grandmaster at it though so after an hour or so of play she almost wins.. only for the king equilvent to refuse to be taken and the automatic board she’s up against to send Anne against hop pop, and with our heroes magically restrained and given stone weapons, this can’t end well. Eventually though Anne’s forced to hit HOp Pop multiple times and while he says “well isn’t this what you wanted”, she says no.. she didn’t want to phsyically hurt him it’s just complicated. So we get one heck of an emotioinal scene as Hop Pop just wants to help and wants this to stop and dosen’t knoow how to fix this which as someone who desperatlyt ries to fix most emotional situations right away this hit very hard.. and her response of needing time hit harder. The two while not reconciled, ar ecloser to it and Marcy realizes what she’s done getting so obessed with winning and forfits for thier benifit. Our heroes leave, seemingly having lost.. only to find glowing arrows to the crap hole, which turns out to be the pedistal. The temple wasn’t just an intellegence test but empathy.. and the temples are clearly built to specifically test each of the chosen three, our heroines, specifically. Marcy’s tested her intellegence.. but also her willingness to let go of cold clyincal thought to do the right thing. That earns her her gem recharged and a flash in her eyes and her gem starts pointing to the next. She needs time to triangulate and hop pop and anne are back on workable footing... though our heroes offer to take a break instead of going to the next temple.

Back in Newtopia, Yuaan reports on the toads gathering.. but dosen’t get to mentioning sasha before Marcy’s letter interrupts and Andridas oddly and aburbly dimisses her.. and goes to talk to a watcher with a thousand eyes, his “master” who has plans to undo the prophcey and get their revenge.

Final Thoughts: This was a damn fine episode that gave Marcy some much needed character development, and gave the reveals of last episode some more emotiional fallout. It also had some really great jokes as always. Top notch stuf.

Next Time: Marcy tries to win everyone over through science and we FINALLY get an episode with the Frog Robot apparently. Horay

Next on this Blog: We go into final space yo! It’s unexpected births, ho yay, and horrifying zombie gary’s galore!

Until then if you liked this review, follow me for more, join my patreon, comission a review if you please and i’ll see you at the next rainbow. Play us out jeff... and I haven’t done THAT bit in a while but eh. This song was too perfect.

youtube

#amphibia #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #the first temple #hopidah plantar #sprig plantar #polly planntar #king andrias #the watcher with a thousand eyes

14 notes · View notes

yurimother · 5 years

Text

LGBTQ Manga Review - Seriously Seeking Sister

Most novels have a blurb online or on the back cover setting up the plot and hinting to the reader what experience they may be in for. There are rare occasions, especially when it comes to light novels, where such description is irrelevant because the title tells us everything we need to know. Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister; Plenty of Service Will Be Provided by Hiironoame is one such light novel. There is a vampire, she is ultimately powerful, she wants a little sister, and there will be service. At first, little of this description sounded appealing, but, Seriously Seeking Sister is a surprisingly enjoyable and engaging read.

Seriously Seeking Sister begins when Ristia, the most powerful of the True Blood vampire tribe, stops time for herself out of spite for her father not giving her have a younger sister. She awakens a millennium later to discover that the land is now ruled by humans and powerful magical creatures are all but extinct, including her family, making her the ultimate sorceress. Still determined to be a big sister, Ristia determinedly sets out to find a young girl to make her “little sister.”

This setup could easily lend itself to a veritable mountain of lewd service and perverted encounters, but the story is rather tame and enjoyable. Most of the time, Ristia is just going around being nice to children and helping them out with her incredibly overpowered magical abilities, and this can be extremely fun to read about and pretty rewarding. By the end of the novel, Ristia heals the sick, saves lives, helps the poor, becomes the director of an orphanage, and establishes a maid cafe, all great deeds of selflessness! Risita accomplishes these amazing feats while maintaining the line that she is “just a normal girl,” something which no person believes as she creates magical miracles and is hailed as an angel.

Ristia’s adventures are generally satisfying and fun. Any gripes I have with the story, such as the large amount of narrative exposition, especially early on, can be offset by the enjoyable dialogue, hilarious inner narration, and well-established world and magic systems. However, there is one serious point deserving of larger dissection.

While most of Seriously Seeking Sister is gentle magical fun there are moments where more sinister and serious issues come into play. Chief among these are some of the men in positions of authority, such as the director of the local orphanage, who mistreats the children and forces one of the older girls, Maria, to perform sexual acts on him and other men. On one hand, seeing these vile creatures get their punishment at the hands of Ristia and her vengeance is immensely satisfying, but I cannot confidently state that Hiironame handled such delicate subject matter perfectly.

There is a lot that I think is done right, such as Ristia being accommodating to Maria’s trauma and healing process and the glorious exclusion of any rape scenes. However, I cannot shake my apprehensions. There is a bit too much of describing Maria’s body, and two somewhat lewd scenes where she allows Ristia to drink her blood. I cannot definitively say that the subject matter is expertly handled, I am just an ordinary teacher after all, and not capable of making such broad claims. For now, I shall digress with the conclusion that it is not done poorly or carelessly.

As the protagonist, Risita is easily the most present and established character. She is also consistent throughout the story, in both her personality quirks such as claiming to be an ordinary girl and being slightly naive about the mythical proportions of her powers and her primary goal of finding a younger sister. This drive of hers leads to many hilarious situations as Ristia tries to endear herself to younger girls to be seen as a big sister. Usually, her endeavors succeed but fall comically adjacent to her true goal. There are however a few flaws to her character.

Ristia being a vampire has surprisingly little impact on the story, and serves only as an explanation for her incredible magical powers. Her vampiric race could be used to explore what it means for Ristia to be a vampire masquerading among mortals. But, the only place her identity matters is in the sporadic hunger for her friends’ blood that causes a tiny amount of inner conflict. There are numerous other missed opportunities for inner reflection or greater personal conflict, such as her pondering what became of her family or realizing that she lost them because of her selfish actions. These instances could have provided some much-needed depth to the character.

The other characters are similarly shallow. The orphans Risita raises, the smattering of local townspeople she meets, and the noble Charlotte are enjoyable but lack any interesting qualities beyond their cuteness and devotion to Ristia to make them interesting. They have no real complex traits or conflicts in which one can get invested. Nanami, who is saved by Ristia from a dragon early in the story, is somewhat more complex. She at least gets a few scenes of growth as she becomes attached to Ristia and helps the vampire princess navigate the modern world. Unfortunately, her appearances throughout the novel dwindle after the first act, leaving her underutilized.

The only side character I became invested in is Maria, as she has an emotional and personal arc and all of several personality traits. She is severely protective of her fellow orphans but her experiences have left his distrustful and wounded. Thanks to Risita’s actions and kindness, she begins to open up and her relationship with the self-proclaimed normal girl develops naturally and convincingly. Their interactions quickly became some of my favorite parts of the novel, not for their comedy but the empathy and, ironically, humanity displayed by the girls.

While Seriously Seeking Sister is a yuri work, centering on the relationships Ristia develops with various girls, it is hard to classify it as LGBT. Keep in mind, a work being yuri does not always denote queerness. It is often up to the interpretation of the consumer to decide what is “yuri” and what is “queer.” Ristia engages in few romantic or sexual interactions with any of the characters encountered, save the previously mentioned instances in which she drinks Maria’s blood. Her primary goal is to acquire a sister, which calls to the sisterly relationships of S yuri, although I would not classify Seriously Seeking Sister as such. It is, however, more about the familial bonds formed between the characters as they become a pseudo-family unit. There is nothing wrong with these, and it can be very sweet and heartwarming, but you will not get much lesbian representation here.

As previously stated, the novel is not a very sexual work, and it is generally light on explicit content. The last line of the title, “Plenty of Service Will be Provided” could be considered a misnomer, as there is little crude content beyond the occasional reference to some characters having large breasts or the few times the color of Ristia’s underwear is mentioned. Of course, there are different forms of service, as there are a plethora of instances in which young people act cute and wholesome fun together, which rarely fails to put a smile on my face at least.

The only exceptions to this rule are the scenes in which Ristia drinks Maria’s blood and one chapter spent in the bath. These passages read similarly to the soft-core explicit scenes found in many young adult novels. However, the book remains pretty tame and may at most cause a few of the more sensitive readers to blush. Funnily enough, the second and more sultry occurrence of this interaction does not even occur in the main story, but in one of the short supplementary tales included at the end of the book.

Seriously Seeking Sister is by no means a literary masterpiece. There are flaws in its dulls, yet admittedly cute, characters and it can struggle to keep the reader invested. However, its structure is good and the situations enjoyable. The book is a light and fun fantasy story that will likely put a smile on your face and leave you satisfied, even if it leaves little lasting impression. If such a story sounds pleasing, I encourage you to get Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister; Plenty of Service Will Be Provided.

You can purchase Seriously Seeking Sister digitally now: https://amzn.to/2z41K3r

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 4 LGBTQ – 1 Lewd – 3 Final – 6

Review copy provided by J-Novel Club

#yuri #seriously seeking sister #reviews #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#vampire #vampires #j-novel club #queer #gay #lesbian #feminism #wlw #manga #anime #light novel

201 notes · View notes

meditativeyoga · 4 years

Text

Book Review: Yoga and Science in Pain Care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximates that 20 percent of American grownups are living with persistent discomfort, defined as experiencing pain most or everyday for a minimum of 6 months. While the requirement of care has been managing the pain, often with prescription pain reducers, both medical professionals and also clients alike are starting to look towards alternate lasting options to pain administration, including yoga and meditation.

Yoga And also Science hurting Treatment: Dealing With The Individual In Pain, edited by Neil Pearson, Shelly Prosko as well as Marlysa Sullivan, is a collection of the most up to date research study into pain care. This thorough text covers the most current research hurting care, in addition to a multi-disciplinary strategy to looking after not simply the discomfort, but also for the whole person also.

The writers are willful in their use of the term pain care, as opposed to pain monitoring.

" Pain treatment plans to suggest that assisting people in pain is not only a clinical concern however likewise a health and wellness and also wellbeing issue. Reliable discomfort care has to do with aiding and taking care of the person when pain lingers, and also there are scenarios in which the pain can be changed rather than managed." (Pg. 19)

The book starts with Joletta Belton sharing, in her very own words, her story of persistent pain as well as exactly how it transformed her life. In one moment, Belton was a solid, sports firefighter. Throughout a routine phone call, she tipped down from her fire engine and felt a strange stab in her hip. Years of crippling discomfort, shedding her profession, surgeries, and also a myriad of doctors at some point led her to seek a better way to care for herself.

Yoga: A Multidimensional Method to Pain

As Steffany Moonaz, author of the chapter on "Present Research Study In Yoga and also Pain," states, "People may involve yoga exercise to transform their discomfort, however remain to transform their lives, which might eventually alter their pain."

Yoga As Well As Science suffering Care: Dealing With The Individual In Pain isn't a prescription on just how to minimize pain. Rather, it combines scientific study with yoga exercise practices to provide therapy alternatives. Anecdotal proof shows that when clients feel equipped, they are much better able to live with and also feature with their persistent discomfort.

Dr. Lori Rubenstein Fazzio stresses body understanding when collaborating with her customers. Fazzio, the writer of the chapter "Body Recognition, Bhavana and Pratyahara," states that those living with chronic discomfort establish a modified body schema. Often individuals will certainly describe the excruciating body component in negative terms, hence enhancing the agonizing mind-body connection.

Fazzio utilizes what she calls a "Online MRI" to aid people eliminate their negative emotions around their pain. By picturing the body component hurting, the customer defines what she sees or really feels. Next, without in fact moving the body part, the customer imagines pain-free activity. This visualization practice-simplified here-is duplicated under the support of a knowledgeable specialist till a more favorable body schema is achieved. Typically, this results in an enhanced range of motion or also reported decreased discomfort.

Other chapters in the book focus on nutrition, pranayama, dependency, and concern for those in pain.

The Duty of Empathy suffering Care

Shelly Prosko, the writer of the phase "Concern hurting Care," claims that concern in wellness care improves the top quality of care, boosts client results, and also improves the administration of people with persistent illness, as well as several other desirable results.

Prosko talks to the relevance of concern in both the doctor to the client, along with the patient to herself. She suggests a pranayama technique called the * "Resurrection Breath" that she frequently instructs her clients to help them shift their attention from concentrating on the past, or bothering with the future, to today minute.

How To Practice Resurrection Breath

Sitting comfortably with your head dealing with onward, breathe in through your nose.

Turning your head to evaluate your left shoulder, dual exhale out of your mouth, making a "haa haa" sound.

As you inhale, bring your head back to the center.

On your following exhale, transform your head over your right shoulder as well as blow out with pursed lips.

Inhale as well as return your head to the center.

Exhale and also bow your chin to your heart facility, allowing yourself to attach to the here and now moment.

While the yoga study mentioned in guide is comprehensive as well as motivating, research study on the benefits of yoga lugs some inherent constraints.

Dr. Timothy McCall, in the foreword, creates:

" Mostly all research studies of yoga exercise are of short period because of the persistent scarcity of funding for such study. Researches lasting a couple of weeks or months will certainly have a tendency to undervalue the advantages of a method, which integrates in performance gradually in time. Better, because of the requirements of evidence-based medication, yoga exercise researches are often of standard therapy protocols, in which everyone is prescribed the very same precise same poses, taking a breath techniques, and so on. These methods lack the customization that competent yoga specialists insist boosts both the efficiency as well as safety of the practice prescribes."

Yoga And Also Scientific Research in Discomfort Treatment: Dealing With The Person In Pain is an exceptional source for both the existing scientific research studies offered, along with the multidisciplinary methods becoming more offered to those coping with chronic pain.

Dr. McCall says, “Understanding the root causes of suffering and just how it can be decreased has been a central focus of yoga for hundreds of years. The moment is right to apply this knowledge to the countless chronic pain victims whose demand for it is pressing.”

#meditation #Pranayama #Yoga #yoga and meditation

3 notes · View notes

vanimeldes · 4 years

Note

(I'm writing you here because you said no more got content on your main) I think what saved tros and the sequel trilogy as a whole from being an utter disaster and what made it better than got was the acting. with few exceptions such as lena and emilia and alfie and liam and maybe carice, as much screentime as she had, the acting wasn't the best, but somehow got has always been regarded as a masterpiece and this is why people are still more rabid about its ending than about the sequels ending.

From what I saw, TROS is indeed almost universally disliked by many portions of the fandom (reylos, anti reylos, poefinns, OT and Anakin fans etc.). As I made clear several times, I don't like the sequels and I don't consider them canon, but I can't not agree with you. G0T was always given so much credit, despite the many points that it failed at, and yeah, some actors were one of them. From an acting standpoint, the Disney SW is far superior. There isn't a single actor who didn't convey a wide array of feelings and didn't put depth into their characters and, most importantly, they worked hard to understand their characters, despite writing's shortcomings and the contradictions.

Whereas in G0T....Lena, Peter and Nik have always nailed every line, IMO, despite the sloppy writing. Even in the last season, when things made so little sense, they always shone in every scene they were in. Emilia had her moments in the early seasons, but she improved a lot and the last season was her best, despite what happened to her character, this is out of question. I always liked Kit, but I think this season's writing hurt him the most, in regards to giving him the opportunity to show emotions (in contrast to Emilia, whom this season's writing hurt her in terms of character arc, but allowed her to show all those emotions). And I don't blame Kit at all, alas, but what strong emotions can one pull from lines such as "UR MAH KWEEN" and "AH DUN WUNT IT" repeated over and over again? Isaac.. stopped showing emotions the moment Bran stopped being a real character and became the 3-EYED R4V3N machine. Maisie's lack of understanding of her own characters SHOWS in the latest seasons, when she apparently agrees with the consensus that Arya is a sociopathic hitman (which book!Arya isn't) or S/ansa's bodyguard and/or butler (yikes). And S/ophie....sorry, but no. Not only that her lack of understanding of her character REALLY SHOWS (just read all her obnoxious interviews where not only she refers to S/ansa as "me" but introduces her as this mastermind politician who is also a SJW woke warrior kween who must wear armour — as if this is book!S/ansa's point — and deserves to rule because she suffered the most — as if someome's worth is measured by the amount of pain they suffered, not to mention that S/ansa definitely isn't the one who suffered the most — and she will rule over a [her actual words] "democratic sort of kingdom" — everytime I read this BS, I lose 100 neurones), but her facial expressions were reduced to the one that she had for 3 seasons already and was meant to represent the Ice Queen bitch™️ (as in what Sophie herself and D&D think a strong woman should be), but in truth was something utterly deadpan. And other good actors such as Liam, Carice, Conleth, Gemma or Tobias Menzes (hope I spelled correctly) weren't even given enough screentime to increase the quality of the show.

I wasn't so involved in the ST cast, but from their interviews that I read, none of them tried to excuse or justify their character's actions when it wasn't necessary, nor they tried to tell the fans why they should like their character, and definitely nor did they say dumb shit like "democratic sort of kingdom" in a context where the form of government definitely wasn't even remotely close to democracy (because last time I checked, the form of government in Westeros was a feudal monarchy with its king having absolute power, so...the total opposite of democracy).

See, I never shied myself away from calling Rey a Mary Sue because yes, she is, IMO, and some people should learn to understand that not every criticism against female characters makes a person sexist. But while S/ansa was D&D's special snowflake and Sophie only made her even more obnoxious, Daisy's acting really saved the character in many ways and I do understand why so many people empathise with her. Daisy showed enough emotions to captivate the fans and make the root for their character despite the direction the storyline took, whereas only S/ansa fanatics are able to still feel whatever empathy and love for (at least) her show version.

I also understand why more people feel empathy towards Kylo Ren than for Jon Snow, because really, especially in the last season, Jon really was just a tired sad boi™️ whith only two lines and who end up sheding one manpain tear after cowardly stabbing his lover while kissing her (because let's be honest, D&D didn't know what to do with him at that point), while Adam's ability to convey such a wide array of emotions with his eyes and expressions and in his lines cannot be denied, whether you like Kylo Ren or not, and Kylo Ren ended up giving his life for the girl he undeniably fell in love with.

So yes, from an acting standpoint (and I would add visuals, characters and yes, writing, because nothing can outdo the G0T level of shitty writing, sorry), TR0S and ST is way better. One thing I can't excuse in none of them, however, was the treatment of the PoC. We know what happened to Missandei and that Greyworm was sidelined and while none of the ST PoC characters weren't killed off, Finn was pretty much sidelined in TLJ, Rose was introduced in TLJ and had just one minute of screentime in TR0S, and Poe, played by the Guatemalan Oscar Isaac, was revealed to be a former space narcos in TR0S, whereas in TLJ, his purpose was mostly arguing with Holdo (I really didn't like that movie and I didn't understand much of it, so this is all I can remember about him).

It has gotten really long but I couldn't help it because I liked your question way too much, but I don't want to invite people to engage with me (or attack me) in the ST/Reylo vs anti Reylo rhetoric/S/ansa rhetoric because again, I don't really care about the ST and I am done with G0T and Sandra. Hope I answered your question!

#ask #anonymous #anti got #anti tros #anti disney triliogy #anti disney canon #anti disney star wars #anti sequel trilogy

5 notes · View notes

iprocrastinatefartoomuch · 4 years

Text

A lot of thoughts on AWAE 3x08 (spoilers ahead)...

Ka'kwet’s back! Yay! So is that shitty nun, ugghhh. She and the minister who burnt the schoolhouse are going straight to hell.

While I applaud the ingenuity of her idea, I hope she doesn’t drown.

Holy shit, she’s going to escape by holding on to the underside of the wagon. This moment remains relevant because there’re refugees and migrants that travel using that method.

I love how Anne is so enthusiastic about the paper, she’s going to be heartbroken over the burnt schoolhouse and the confiscated printing press.

“We did do something and this was the result.”-Come on Tillie, don’t blame Anne for the school’s board of directors’ feebleness.

Glad to see Josie’s back at school.

Oh no, Anne is going after Mrs. Lynde. As much as I have flip-flopped on liking her, she did try to be the moderate voice on the panel.

I love how Mrs. Lynde has come around to Anne and her cause because she realized, in spite of Anne’s methods and her “behavior”, she was fighting for her to have a voice as well. Solidarity is beautiful

Bash’s mom is here! They have an uneasy dynamic about them.

Anne and Gilbert are so comfortable with one another and sitting awfully close to one another.

And we’re brought back to reality with the mention of Winifred.

“Not with you, Anne, with Winifred!” Ooff, that’s got to hurt.

Dining with parents, they’re going awfully fast.

Diana: How not to break up with someone 101.

Describing their relationship as apples and oranges isn’t an accessible way to break up with one another.

Don’t lie Diana, you did think that Jerry wasn’t good enough for you.

The fact she threw his gifts to her on the floor was unnecessarily cruel.

Why couldn’t she just say that the relationship was going a bit too fast and she wasn’t ready to give up her newly found autonomy? It’s not like it’s not true. Those in rural settings tended to marry earlier than those in the city and despite Diana living in the country, she might as well live in the city.

Also, keeping the relationship from Anne was never going to last anyway.

My mom and Diana’s parents have the same look when my relatives come to visit.

Thank god Aunt Jo is here to talk some sense into her.

Oh god, this dynamic between Bash and his mom is getting increasingly awkward.

Bash’s insult was a bit below the belt but he had a point. Gilbert sees Bash his equal in every way. Plus, logistically, they’re going on two different avenues in life.

Mathew is just the best, enough said.

Diana’s taking the exam, yay!

The scene outside the testing place is giving me severe flashbacks to when I took my SAT.

I laughed when Mrs. Lynde apologized for saying damn. Lord knows I would be using much stronger words.

“Why would I stay, with people frozen in time?” I hope the writers aren’t hinting at Miss Stacy and Bash getting together. I like them as friends.

Diana thoroughly surprised me by volunteering to take the first shot of moonshine. Hard alcohol and an empty stomach (I’m sure most of them were too nervous to eat anything for breakfast) is a bad combo.

Now would be a good time for Diana and Anne to make up.

I can’t hate Winifred but all I keep thinking is that they’re not the one for one another.

Damn, they have an apartment in Paris, financing, connections and he gave him his blessing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more appealing offer.

Ruby and Moody are cute.

I love this scene so much. It may be a tad too unrealistic but there’s something so effortless, young and beautiful about it.

The cinematographer deserves a raise. Seriously, Anne looked so beautiful against the fire.

Gilbert’s oversized baker cap make shim appear younger than he is.

Was it a rejection? No, right?? She just vomited out a series of words and restated his options. In addition, HE NEVER OUTRIGHT STATES THAT HE LOVES HER. Besides, you’re too young to get married.

Asking someone to confess their deepest feelings to you whilst they’re tipsy is such a bad idea. It’s as if he didn’t realize the magnitude of asking someone to marry you.

The obvious difference in appearance between Winifred and Anne annoys me immensely. I know they’re only about two years apart but the fact that Anne is still dressed as if she was 14 irks me. I’m not blaming Anne for keeping the same clothes especially since she lives in a rural setting, where fashions are a tad behind, but the lack of change in her appearance, I’m sure factors in her inability to see herself as marriage or courting material. Moreover, it only reinforces the idea that both Anne and Gilbert are only ready for courtship.

The maritime book is back.

Whilst I’m glad that Elijah didn’t steal the ring, I’m still mad about the upcoming proposal.

I’m saying this once again: Thank god for Aunt Jo.

“I feel like I was a child yesterday and I feel like I’m being asked to explain my life on a ticking clock.”-Exactly my sentiments.

Aunt Jo is right, she just needs some time and some clear headspace to sort out her feelings.

“I have clarity.” NO, YOU DON’T. Boy, I swear to god, he’s so thick-skulled.

YOU CANNOT PROPOSE TO WINIFRED BECAUSE ANNE (sort-of) REJECTED YOU! THIS IS NOT THE BACHELOR, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT THE BACHELOR!

If you’re only proposing to someone because they’re the second choice, that’s not a good enough reason.

If he does propose, I hope Winifred rejects him because she feels that she’s too young/he’s too inexperienced/it’s too soon. I’m assuming, she’s not yet done with college.

I love this scheming Rachel.

“No, no, there’s no need to be hysterical.”-You’ve got to love her.

“Spreading news around town, is my forte”

Not going to lie, I was hoping for something more than a gender balance. I don’t think that was a fair trade-off. At the very least, a gender balance and the restoration of the school and the printing press should have been agreed upon.

Hopefully, the two other female members are Anne/Marilla and Miss Stacy.

KA’KWET IS HOME!! Hopefully for sure.

The reunification scene had me in tears.

“You don’t even like being you”.” -Ain’t that the truth.

Yay Diana and Anne made up!

Hopefully, Anne can convince Diana to clarify her breakup with Jerry. It’s the least she could do.

“I’m in love with Gilbert Blythe!”-YOU CAN’T END WITH THAT!

Final Thoughts:

I hope Winifred and Gilbert break off things before he proposes. A proposal would actually complicate things. Was I the only one surprised that her parents were so willing to let Gilbert propose after knowing her for such a short amount of time?

If does propose and they somehow break up, he better not propose to Anne with that same ring. The light blue stone of that ring, won’t do. I feel like Anne would be someone who likes pearls or emeralds.

What happened to Diana’s empathy during the breakup? Couldn’t she say she doesn’t know what to do and doesn’t want to hurt one another any further?

I really wanted to see Anne comfort Jerry about his first breakup.

Bash and Miss Stacy needs to not be a couple.

I’m so confused about Gilbert’s marriage storyline. On one hand, he’s 18 and of acceptable marriage age. On the other hand, his options are literally: propose to Winifred or confess his feelings to Anne so that he can court her. They’re not of equal weight.

Why does Gilbert see Sorbonne as his only option? He can’t speak French well or at all and most certainly, not at university level. What happened to the University of Toronto, McGill, Dalhousie or Queen's School of Medicine? Fredrick Banting and Charles Best of the Uni. of Toronto were the first to synthesize insulin in 1921.

While I’m glad this episode brought back Ka'kwet, how is her story going to tie back to Anne’s? I don’t want a white savior plot but it seems odd to introduce a storyline that has little to do with the main plot.

Bash and his mom need to have a conversation on race and class ASAP or else it’s going to harm Delphine greatly.

I find it unrealistic that Diana could pass the entrance exam without any studying. They should have started this storyline an episode or two earlier. It would have worked well alongside Diana’s attempt at exploring autonomy storyline. Dating someone of a different socioeconomic class isn’t exactly all that freedom should be.

Finally, I want to petition the writers to put Anne is something besides braids and too-short dresses that come with aprons. The 1985 adaption, they put Anne in a full-on young lady of the 1880’s ensemble by the time she is taking her entrance exam.

#awae #annewithane #awae3x8 #anne of green gables #anne shirley #awaespoilers

9 notes · View notes

starting-today-you-are-a-writer · 5 years

Text

WICKED SAINTS

1.5 stars out of 5 stars

Summary: Kalyazin and Tranavia have been at war for untold decades, owning to a religious/magical feud where one side claims the other heretics and the other side invaded them for…power? A young woman, Nadya, blessed with powers by the gods flees when her monastery is destroyed by the warrior prince of a nation she is at war with. Running, she bumps into a mysterious blood mage, Malachiasz, and together the two of them plot to end the war between their countries.

Overall:

When I first opened the book, it seemed promising. Different viewpoints, an interesting magic system, the main character fleeing everything she had ever known to begin an adventure in the wider world.

Except the book promised a fearsome cleric, an in depth look at monsters and a prince. And it only delivered on one of those things. Perhaps I was expecting the monsters or villains to be in the vain of Vicious (by VE Schwab) or even ala Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (by Juile C Dao) where characters with understandable motivations but dark ambitions and flaws ultimately struggle with their monstrosity and lose.

Alas, this book did not even deal with any struggling of monstrosity, or even deal with the concept of monsters outside of “looks like a literal monster” and “betrays people.” But didn’t even examine whether or not “looking like a monster” was necessary or sufficient to be one.

Not to mention, the cleric wasn’t fearsome, her actions felt contrived and very few characters in the entire novel actually had any clear motivations. The book felt very much like things happened because they were supposed to, instead of because that’s what the characters wanted or would have done. Not to mention the main romance was nonsensical. Sure, there’s enemies-to-lovers. This was not it. It was more like enemy lovers, except not one reason was ever give as to why this guy was appealing, and nothing about him was ever shown, only sometimes told, if that. Nadya felt drawn to her love interest Malachaisz, but not for any reason. Overall the book started strong but fell flat, and felt contrived and unable to hold my suspension of disbelief for even minor events.

Dislikes

Nadya and the Love Interest (Malachiasz)

I could write an essay on the problems here but the basic problem is that Nadya has no motivations, reasoning or rationalization for anything let alone for her attraction to her love interest Malachaisz. She meets him, decides she wants to kill him for being an evil blood mage, but then decides she doesn’t. She had already killed several Tranavian soldiers by this point, many weren’t evil blood mages and none of which brutally betrays her.

Does she perhaps look at Malachiasz like many a lovelorn hero and think “what measure is a man or a demon? Can I really strike down someone who has not wronged me? Can I lift my blade and execute someone who may be innocent? And how to I think of innocence? He has fled from Tranavia, from a life of evil, is that enough? Is it enough to forsake his country for its evils if he does not embrace the gods? Would he change if only he knew the gods? Do Tranavians even have the chance to know them? With mercy could he change?” Nope! Not only are none of these things thought of, now only are no rationalizations provided for her feelings, but she does not even consider any of those points when she thinks of him or evil. She doesn’t consider his past and how he might have been tortured or not like the ability to use his powers. She doesn’t consider that all heretics are not evil. She doesn’t consider that people can be redeemed. No. Not once does she spend even one second trying to figure out a reason why she doesn’t want to kill him even though she has killed before. She ignores all those things, insists that he is evil and a blood mage and …. doesn’t want to kill him. For some reason.

Does she even think “wow, with his pretty eyes, and his kindness towards me and his banging body, maybe, I mean, the monastery was very chaste but….” Does she think this and let her romantic heart speak for her? No. And she doesn’t think this because 1) nothing in his description seems attractive or like she is supposed to find it attractive 2) he is not kind to her. He is not nice to her. He is just mean to her (thought not cruel) 3) the times that seem like they might have sexual tension are always tied up inextricably in violence. But there is no OTHER aspect to him that might seem attractive to her EXCEPT the threat of violence. What I mean by this is she occasionally reflects that he looks sad, or is sad, but there’s no real textual evidence. In the same what that just saying a character is sad when they are laughing, and running about, glib, and seem happy, does not make them sad. So all other aspects of his character ring false EXCEPT that he is violent or has the potential to be. So her only reason to be attracted to him is…that he is violent? Gross.

Now, likely he was supposed to have other, likeable qualities. But he does not. This is a problem with the characters themselves. Their character traits are often told instead of shown. His actions are almost always glib and argumentative and he really doesn’t take any other actions that that. He does not even rescue a lost dog from the rain as a token gesture of god will. And Nadya despite claiming that he might be lost, does really extrapolate or explain or provide any evidence or think about that. For instance, she could try to Sherlock Holmes his situation and realize he must be sad. But she does not do this. She seems to regurgitate these things like she has another magical power of empathy and can actually read people’s emotions in their heart instead of on sad expressions or through actions, but she does not ever give evidence for her thoughts, opinions or rationalizations for anything.

In short, their relationship reads like the worst kind of Insta Lova/compulsory heteronormativity, even thought I know this was not the intention of the author. However, Nadya seemed to fall for him just because he is THERE and every time she says anything about him, it seems completely unbelievable, because there’s no textual evidence for it, and ever time she says that she likes him or doesn’t want to kill him it’s just WHHHHHHHHHHHY? Is it “Half of her wanted to kill him, but he was still a person… [insert moral quandary here]” NOPE, we don’t get that. It’s just “half of her wanted to kill him, but half of her didn’t. What were they having for dinner again?” but WHY didn’t she want to kill him? Personal goals and motivations are not things that you withhold form the reader to be clever, they are basic components of characterization.

This lack of interior reasoning goes beyond just her relationship to this character. Even her plans and actions seem to change without reason. She had a plan. She meets Malachiasz and immediately agrees with his plan to kill the king of her rival country. But why? Does she think it will work? Does she spend one second considering the merit of the plan? Does she try to think of another plan? Does she ask him to elaborate on this? NO. She does whatever Malachiasz says. She sacrifices principles of herself, she does X and Y and Z and there never really feels like a reason for 90% of it. She’s surprised when she gets betrayed, but since she had not reason to trust anyone (she did not posit a reason in her internal monologue for trusting them, let alone have this be supported by the actual actions the characters take!), it falls flat. Her reactions and failure fall flat, because it’s never clear why she has to be doing what she’s doing, what’s at stake if she’s not doing that, why she couldn’t do something better, or why she thinks it’ll work.

It really was a slog to get through her sections sometimes because there very few scenes where I cared about the stakes because the series of events themselves felt arbitrary.

Minor Characters and Otherness

The minor characters and plain, forgettable, have no real character or personality traits and clearly serve as props to make whatever point, or facilitate whatever outcome, is supposed to happen at any scene. This becomes very transparent. The characters from the desert country Akola are constantly referred to as Akolans instead of their names even when their race has no point in the scene, and they only exist to like the main Love Interest Malachaisz, but no reason is give as to why they like him, what they want, or their goals or agency. So not only are they flat props to make the Love Interest related and sympathetic, they are also heavily Othered. Not to mention another minor character, Ana, is presented as a Strawman who’s only purpose is to dislike the Love Interest for No Reason so that he seems more relatable and agreeable in comparison. Again, do these characters have motivations? Thoughts? Goals? Personality? No.

Worldbuilding

In the beginning I felt the world building was fairly good. Each country has distinct language and naming conventions. The differences between the countries respective magic systems seemed intriguing. But as the story went on, not much is learned about Kalyazin other than what was learned in the first few chapters, and only a scattered detail or two is learned about Tranavia. What do they eat in Tranavain? How do they dress? Fine silk? Heavy furs with flower patterns? What are their values outside of blood magic?

The author continuous repeats that Kalyazin is based on fantasy Russia and Tranavia on fantasy Poland but in the novel there feels like no real effort to elaborate and expects the reader to fill in world building with real world Russian or Polish culture. Perhaps that wasn’t her intention, but it comes across that way when no real details about the culture are give outside the very one note religious differences.

Religion

Speaking of the religious differences, this was something else I thought was interesting at first but quickly disappointed me. The religion conflicts starts off with Kalyazins claiming that magic should come from the gods and that using blood to fuel magic (like the Tranavians do) is heresy and terrible. However, the main character Nadya, never explores this beyond using it as a talking point. Why would it be considered terrible? Because accessing magic is holy and to do so without it being holy is bad? There is something said about how Tranavia is also bad for rejecting the gods, but what really bothered me was that the main character never really thinks deeply about these things. She never examines what she thinks is bad, or what her thoughts are on the war and the gods. She only repeats what she had been told and makes it clear she is doing so, providing no real analysis on her own. For all that she is claimed to be empathetic she does not actually empathize and consider the other position.

It’s fine for characters not to know something, but if you’re a cleric, you would think you’d spend some time contemplating the morality of what you are doing. Moreover, as the novel progresses Nadya comes into more and more contact with blood magic, but her analysis of the situation never changes, she never stops to think “is it possible for someone to use blood magic if they aren’t evil?” or “is it truly doing evil if you aren’t aware that it’s evil?” Instead, it seems her views seem to shift but there’s no corresponding rationalization or thought as to why. Rather than Character Development it feels more like her Character just slips into something else. This is a recurrent problem with Nadya, but it was something that bothered me on a larger scale. Lip service is paid to characters having different viewpoints on this issue but nothing is ever developed from it.

Notes on Confusion

A lot of people had complained (I think) that they found the ending confusing, to which the author said that something things were supposed to be confusing. In general I agree that books don’t have to answer every question raised. The magic system didn’t have to be completely explained.

However the end was confusing in that the prose was literally unclear. The blocking and actions taken by the characters were unclear. It wasn’t “Wait! But I never learned why this happened! How does the magic work! Why would he betray them!” unclear. It was “Wait, is he still in the scene? When it says he “flies up” is he leaving this location or hanging around near the ceiling? What does this sentence mean?” confusing. It was difficult to follow the sequence of events without multiple rereading of lines, and even then it was unclear as to why the characters were taking certain actions. Not in a “why does the character not betray X” sort of way but more in the “wait, what is he trying to do? Is he trying to kill X? What does he think killing X will accomplish? Why did he even come back here? Does this benefit him? What does he think will happen?” the problem is that, when you don’t understand the characters goals/thoughts, it’s hard to know if they are succeeding or failing at them, so the conflict wanes immediately.

Likes

Serefin

Unlike possibly every other character, Serefin had clear motivations, goals, and things at stake. His life was at stake if he didn’t figure out what going on. His goal was to figure out what his father was doing, and to thwart it and live. Boom. A dynamic character. Throw in interpersonal conflict with him being traumatized from a war but now being forced to act in court and you have someone who actually has stakes in most scenes he’s in, who’s actions are logically derived from what he wants, and who makes progress towards his goal. A good character, a likeable character. One who can be funny, but with flaws.

Magic System

The idea of two different magic system did seem interesting to me. I’ve always liked the idea that there were different ways to use magic and of course there was room to have rife interplay of how magic actually worked, how people accessed it, what that meant, etc etc

#wicked saints #emily a duncan #This is my first book review that I am posting here. Yikes!#book review #ya fantasy

6 notes · View notes

bookshopkat · 3 years

Text

Fiction Writing: Show and Tell

Image by M. H. Photography

We’ve all heard the age-old advice: “show, don’t tell.” It is, admittedly, a useful lesson for young writers, but is it really the golden rule of fiction that multitudes of teachers claim it to be? Many argue the point, stating that, like most things, storytelling is too complex to be easily boiled down to such simple guidelines.

There are, of course, many situations in which the adage rings true. In an article on Helping Writers Become Authors, novelist K.M. Weiland asserts that “Showing gives the readers the details of a scene, including what the character(s) are seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, thinking, and feeling emotionally.” This sounds obvious, I know, but it’s an important concept. As writers, our aim should be not simply to inform readers of the existence of a rose, but to help them see the rose, smell it’s perfume, feel the velvety petals and the prick of sharp thorns. But only if—and this is the crucial point—the rose is elemental to either the narrative or to character development.

The simple fact is that, while “showing” is vital to helping readers share characters’ experiences and thus building empathy for those characters, too much creates unnecessary bloat and drags a story down. It can negatively affect the pacing, slowing the action, or, worse still, even confuse readers as they try to figure how all that extraneous information relates to the plot. At the very least, the end result is likely to be a rather dull narrative.

In 5 Creative Flaws That Will Expose Your Lack of Storytelling Experience, StoryFix provides a three examples of how this can happen. The first is small talk in your dialogue. I cannot stress this enough. There is really no need to give readers the full conversation when only part of it is relevant to the plot. In fact, William Goldman, a highly-accomplished novelist and screenplay writer, urges authors to “begin our scenes at the last possible moment,” which keeps the narrative moving and the audience engaged. As such, StoryFix advises replacing pleasantries and chit-chat with a single sentence or phrase.

After a few comments about the weather, Marcus broached the topic most on his mind. “At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I have to ask: why me? We both know there are at least a dozen more senior professors in this department, so why ask me to lead this dig?”

It’s easy to see how this would be so much more interesting to read than multiple lines of dialogue about “how are you?” and “do you think we’ll get any rain?” Thus this is one case where, within certain parameters, telling rather than showing can be appropriate.

Another, once again according to StoryFix, is when dealing with sequential time fillers. Young writers are often tempted, in the interest of what they perceive as realism, to ply their readers with unnecessary details about a protagonist’s daily life. Let’s be honest, that quickly becomes dull. In fact, the best basic rule is that if events don’t provide exposition or vital plot points, we should probably either gloss over them and move on or skip them altogether.

Even in Slice of Life literary fiction, it’s important to choose minutiae with discernment, focusing on particulars that hold significance or poignancy for the main character, or which bring up a thematic thought or memory. In other forms of fiction, we should be, if anything, even more selective. For example, let’s suppose someone wanted to illustrate a heroine’s quiet, insular life by describing what she does upon arriving home after a long week at work. While some information might aid in character building, we still don’t need to hear every detail of her evening routine. If a writer provides overabundant information about how much this woman—let’s call her Amelia—relishes finally kicking off her high-heels, enjoys her hot shower and the way it relaxes her muscles, and debates over what to make for dinner before finally reaching the relevant part of the scene, readers will quickly become bored. Those details are not important for the story to continue, and thus become cumbersome literary “baggage,” if you will, bogging down the narrative.

StoryFix recommends again telling rather than showing, and then moving forward. This can be done either in brief descriptions, or, better yet, as a part of dialogue later in the narrative. I’ve included examples of both below. Telling via description might look something like this:

Showered, dressed in comfortable lounge wear, and armed with a glass of Pinot Nior, Amelia brought up her voicemail app before settling on the sofa. The missed call was from Derrick.

“Ami, listen to me,” his words were strangely ragged and hurried. “I’m on my way over. I found something on Xander in the archive, and it’s worse than we thought. For God’s sake don’t drink the wine he gave you!”

In this case, telling rather than showing Amber’s normal evening activities serves to keep the narrative moving forward while still setting an atmosphere of safe relaxation that can then be shattered. Leaping straight into the phone message might not allow readers to experience the protagonist’s jarring panic so completely, but taking too much time describing her evening might make the revelation too slow in coming and thus less impactful. Of course, as mentioned before, this is not the only way to handle the information. Below is an example of telling through dialogue instead.

Amelia quirked a half-grin. “The next thing I know you’ll start asking where I was Friday night.”

Detective Perez didn’t laugh. “And where were you?”

“Seriously?”

He only watched her, face expressionless, and she sighed.

“At home. Like usual.”

“At home.” Perez paused for a moment as if waiting for more. “Can you account for your time?”

This was getting ridiculous.

“Well, let’s see,” Amelia stared at him blatantly. “I came home around 5:35, took off my high heels because those things suck, got in the shower—that was at about 5:40, by the way—put on yoga pants and a t-shirt, fed the cat, started pasta and vegetables in the instant pot—6:27, in case your wondering—and poured a glass of Pinot Noir. Blackstone Vineyards. Rich and slightly woody with a fruity finish. Then I sat on the sofa and checked my voicemail at 6:34. Is that detailed enough for you or should I draw some illustrations?”

In this way, we learn several things about the protagonist—she lives alone, she is on friendly enough terms with a police detective that being questioned takes her aback, she is snarky, and she might have just become a suspect—all while simultaneously keeping the plot in motion. It’s not difficult to see why this is preferable to weighing down the narrative with unneeded descriptions.

I should mention, however, that there are a couple of types of fiction in which this is not always strictly the case. (Those who already see where this is heading will no doubt recognize the reason I chose a mystery scenario as that last example.) According to an article by Zara Altair on The Thrill Begins, successful authors thrillers and detective fiction often hide clues in plain sight. One of the ways they do this is by slipping a clue in amid otherwise inconsequential occurrences or conversations. Many, in fact, take it one step further, emphasizing unimportant details to draw attention away from the important one. Altair refers to this as “secret emphasis,” and it’s one of several great ways to allow readers to share the mentally engaging and sometimes confusing experience of solving a mystery. So, while our protagonist in our non-existent story, Amber, should not be described going through the motions of her normal evening in great detail, that would change if there were, say, some hidden clue that someone had been in her apartment. The same is true if she finds herself at an event where one or more suspects are present. You get the idea. Again, there still ought to be limits, but in those cases it is alright to include some extraneous detail.

The final example StoryFix provides which relates to showing rather than telling is an odd one: the description of food. That may sound a little absurd, but you’d be surprised how many young writers describe meals in superfluous detail. I’ve even seen it in published works sometimes, and trust me, unless there is a really good reason for it—such as a protagonist (and readers) experiencing unfamiliar foods for the first time or a narrative centered upon culinary pursuits—it really is dull. An audience might find themselves thinking things like: “yes, alright, I know what beef stew is. Can we move on, please?”

While StoryFix asserts that details about food should never be included, however, I do have to respectfully disagree. There are some situations where some descriptions of fare are fitting or even vital for the narrative or for character development. As mentioned before, in fiction with culinary-related themes, such as Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, cooking and the protagonists relationship with food can play an important role. Similarly, basic descriptions of meals can serve as a way to illustrate characters, such as in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels. In these books, the eccentric armchair detective is known for being a gourmet, and his assistant Archie Goodwin often briefly describes his boss’s succulent meals and arguments with the cook, Fritz, about the finer points of culinary arts as a tongue-in-cheek way of further illuminating Wolfe’s character. However, even in these cases, the authors don’t go overboard with descriptions, and that is a very important point. While it’s not always wrong to include descriptions of cuisine, these should be told rather than shown. We don’t need an entire scene detailing every smell, flavor, and presentation.

As you can see, the only truly hard-and-fast rule when it comes to “show and tell” in writing is that there are no hard-and-fast rules. However, this will, perhaps, help you to better recognize situations in which it is preferable to provide brief descriptions rather than detailed scenes. While “show, don’t tell” may be generally good advice, being aware of these exceptions to the rule may result in more engaging and enjoyable tales. Although it’s far from the only element of a well-written narrative, telling rather than showing certain details, and choosing those details with discernment, can help writers create stories that are better paced and less weighed down. Knowing when to show and when to tell is an important building block for penning a truly interesting fiction.

#writing #fiction writing #writer #writers #write #writing tips #tips #advice #show #tell #show don't tell #show and tell #author #authors #novels #short stories #fiction #plot #pacing

0 notes

morniingrose · 7 years

Text

Tagged?

Someone actually acknowledged my existence? It’s not something that happens often, >.< . Even if it could be because you lacked enough other people to tag (which is certainly going to be the case for me, because I don’t really know people on Tumblr... so i’m just gonna pick some random followers) or what, but thanks for thinking of me @xo-wildest-dreams-xo , lol. By the way, I think you have two great characters as your favorites, <3 Anyway... here’s what this post is actually about:

Rules: Tell your followers 11 random facts about yourself and tag 11 people. Tag backs are allowed but if you do get tagged again you must not repeat any of the facts you mentioned in the previous round. The facts can be absolutely anything, whatever comes to mind first. This is gonna be tough, x.x . I’m honestly pretty boring. 1. I guess i’ll start by talking about how I usually pick my own favorite characters, and tell why I enjoy my top favorites so much. This first one is gonna seem like an essay, but I promise that the other things won’t be this long, >.< The biggest way for a character to make their way into my heart is if I find them very relate-able on a personal level... The way that I usually get myself to genuinely enjoy a series is usually very dependent on having a character I can relate myself with; in a way, it sort of links me directly into their series and gives it a more personal, irreplaceable feeling. Sometimes, though, when I pick a favorite it could simply be because I find them interesting. I can and do enjoy characters that I can simply just find amusing/entertaining, or just like-able, but unless there is something really unique about them, i’m going to select another character I like that has more substance as my favorite for the series.

Now, for my top favorite character... It’s Setsuna Higashi from Fresh Precure, of course. I love her so much... I relate to her a lot and consider myself to be like her, from her past and her present. I used to be just like her at the start of the series; I hated seeing people happy, wanted to see them be miserable, was very uncaring, etc.. I would even go as far as saying that my circumstances while growing up were similar (in a more real life sort of way), but that’s not something I will go into right here.

Anyway, as time went on both of us started to change, though our reasons for doing so were different. My change was fueled by depression and a growing sense of loneliness making me start to see things differently, and her change was brought on by Love’s influence on her. I really appreciate how her character arc is done; you got several episodes to establish who she was, but you also got several episodes that show a gradual change in her. Her eventual struggle with her identity was very realistically done... I struggled with being transgender while I grew up, and tried for so long to try to ignore it; in fact, that struggle and how I was raised made me become who I was... She isn’t trans, but after a certain part (basically starting with episode 19), you get the sense that she knows that she’s different than what she was at the start of the series, but is starting to desperately cling on to who she “should” be, rather than being honest with herself and admitting to herself that she’s changed. That’s more or less how I was while I was in denial of being trans... After all is said and done, though, she becomes a much kinder, much more sweet, very caring etc. person, though you can still tell that she’s not literally a different person (still a bit of a loner, tries to be more independent than she should be, is socially awkward, etc.). Going by what people say about me, I guess i’m more like that now... But, Setsuna is also better than I am. She becomes genuinely happy, and makes friends; i’ve never managed either of those things. In a way, I guess you can say that she’s my personal hero, because she’s stronger than I am.

My second favorite character is Moeka Kiryu, from Steins;Gate. She’s a widely disliked character from what I can tell (for very incorrect reasons, at that), but I love her anyway... most people try to dismiss her as being “evil”, but the truth is that she’s not even remotely evil. I don’t think she has a single bit of malice in her at all... you don’t really get to learn a lot about her in the anime or the first visual novel, but even then, if you study her actions very closely you can find plenty of evidence pointing to the fact she isn’t the uncaring monster that people try to make her out to be. In extra Steins;Gate material, such as the Linear Bounded Phenogram visual novel (which has a story directly from her point of view) or the Darling visual novel (heck, even the Twin Automata ending for Steins;Gate 0),she’s shown to actually be a kind, compassionate person... but here’s the catch. She hates herself so much that she’s voluntarily tried to throw away who she actually is (who she sees as unlovable, unneeded and unwanted person) in favor of being someone who she isn’t; “M4″. “M4″ is someone (in her eyes) who is all of the things she is not: wanted, loved, and needed. Moeka has literally nothing, and her delusion is literally her only reason for being alive... If she doesn’t fulfill the role of “M4″, she would be abandoned and would be forced to back to being simply Moeka... the person who wants to die. So, no matter what Moeka herself actually wants or feels, she’ll do anything to not be tossed away; even if it means something she would never otherwise think of doing. It’s easy to see why she ended up being so broken: her parents didn’t want her and mistreated her (as revealed in the Darling VN), she was bullied a lot while in school, her severe social anxiety prevented her from making friends... She was never shown any proper love or care, so it’s only natural that she would go to extreme lengths to get even a semblance of it. I think a lot of the hate that she gets is based by from people who either never gave her character any actual thought, can’t understand what she feels or why she feels it, or they simply just don’t have enough empathy. I don’t endorse everything that she does, but I think the intent behind something makes a big difference. Anyway... I guess what i’m trying to say with all of this is that I honestly feel pretty sorry for her; both what she’s lived through and how the Steins;Gate fandom actually treats her (which makes me love her all the more to make up for it). My childhood was unpleasant itself, and I was bullied in school... never made any friends. My social anxiety is as terrible as hers, if not worse. Not to to mention the struggles with depression... Her and Setsuna are really the closest matches to me as a person. 2. My favorite types of music are metal and vocaloid... Metal is something that also gets a bad rep for undeserved reasons; there are many (and I do mean many) different styles of metal... I listen to different genres of it it, but my favorite type is progressive metal. Favorite bands include Dream Theater, Baroness, Kamelot and Soilwork. My favorite vocaloids are SFA2-Miki, Hatsune Miku, and CUL. 3. I really love sweets, <3 . If I wouldn’t get fat by doing so, I could live almost entirely on dessert, lol. 4. I’m a shut-in; I rarely leave my house more than once a month... sometimes I can go months without leaving.

5. I’m really lonely most of the time, :/ . I would appreciate it if more of you tried to talk to me more... 6. My first sewing project was making a tiny little ghost with the help of my sister. I also did a lot towards making a Moeka doll, but so far it has yet to be completed because we can’t figure out a good way to do her eyes. 7. My favorite TV show (that isn’t an anime) is Game of Thrones. My favorite cartoon (that, again, isn’t anime) is probably Steven Universe... though only for the plot episodes. I’m not a fan of a lot of the filler episodes.

8. I don’t read so much anymore, but I used to love reading while growing up... and that was because of my grandma. When I was little, she bought the first three or four Harry Potter books but couldn’t get either me or my sister interested in them. So, her and my mom took us to go watch the first movie when it came out... my sister and I both loved it, and when we went home we ended up fighting over the books, >.< 9. I can’t really tie my shoes (seriously). It’s a good thing that I usually wear boots, sandals, etc., so I don’t really need to tie... 10. On that note, my clothing style would probably be defined as “cute”. A lot of my things have hearts on them, because I really like hearts, <3 11. I love collecting plushies/dolls of my favorite characters, and I frequently turn to them as a source of comfort... Time to tag some people: @beautiful-lusamine @jenhedgehog @flaresies @henry-parrish @yukyak @peterthepenguincure @ arcticninja21 @albicantknight @curecresselia @harunojeanne @andy-the-umbreon

1 note · View note