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weirdly-specific-but-ok · 4 months

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pt XVII good omens explained but im in tears at 3:30 am and on sleep meds

Oh it's been a while since we did one of these innit what was the last tine? Jan? Well the Mascot is back with a part XVII because this fandom valentine's day posts wrecked me emotionally and i took the usual sleep meds (we all know how that goes) so I'm here to make bad decisions y;all. Ignore all types or mistakes im not responsible for anything eber it's all the metatron's fault.

there are two entities crowley and aziraphela and they love each othner so much it h8urts ow

heaven has embraced minimalist interior decor and minimalist empathy it was a 2 for 1 offer at bunnings (australian maggots you proud good)

hell has embraced cluttercore with regards to interior decor and projected trauma bunnings was real generous

crowley was once an angel but the angel we knew it not him and that hurts but moving on is must because otherwise disrespect but she made stars and it was pretty just like her

im so tired. aziraphale is still an angel he';s very good at forgiveness whoch is nice but sometimes people dont want to be forgiuven they want to be dead isntead

that was not the setence i intended to write but it's accurate after the final fifteen ahahahahahhahahahahahaha do ihave trauma yes i went to bunnings because i liked hell's projections

the antichrist is very cute and he's good at the law of strraction he tells satan you fuck right off satan you're nOT MY REAL DAD which is so cool you go adam you GO and so then his read dad becomes his read dad there may have ben necromancy involved

anathema and newt are existing and she hit crow,yes bentley but that's fine because it burned to the ground anyway you know whatsw not fine crowley kneeling on the aslphalet and me that's what

nina and maggie veyr cute not yet but eventually because yes fuck lindey linday forgeot her nmae

aziraphale is very cute trauma bitchy bean

crowley is very kind trauma irritation disaster

eyes shutting it's all good but madam tracy has a BED AHAHAH you know what you do on bed it's SEXY THINGS hehhee like like stuff toys

so basically hemon hell are both like crowley azi you fools and then theyre like AAAAAAAAH GABRIEL but it's fine and the second coming is happening but azi is like nina maggie love so muriel is sent down

amd then crowley ad azi are like POOF FALL IN LOVE but nina is like HOHO WHAT THE FUCK nad the demons go WHEEEE and then crowley goes to heaven and then aziraphale goes to heabem and it's a;;; sad

gabriel is naked anc he was nasty first then felll in love with beelzebun then went naked and then back in love so now theyre both in alpha centaryie

that's a triple star system btw alpha a b and proxuma centauri which is the cloest star to earth aside from obviopuw crowley doesnt want to leav e earth far behind mkigkrkgw

boom azi gone all croiing im listening to dont bother from the sounstrack on loop since i started writing this

metatron oat milk evil azi scared crowley mr darcy we're crying yeah

yay all done now asleep jno bepop ya yes blruryry my meds packet looks lime a furry opposoum

anyway

so fucking tired i cannot see what im typing

@howmanyholesinswisscheese help

posting without rsding it through awahoooooooooooooooo

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youryurigoddess · 9 months

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Case study and analysis of the 1992 Good Omens movie screenplay (“the shitscript”) in light of the ongoing WGA strike

As one could suspect, the topic of the 1992 Good Omens movie screenplay and its infamy has recently emerged from the depths of the fandom. In light of the ongoing WGA strike it’d be good to properly address this issue, starting with Neil Gaiman’s own recollection written in 2004:

It’s basically the same old story — of brilliant creative workers struggling under the pressure of detached studio executives and being legally forced to mutilate their work again and again for no artistic or economic reason — we’ve heard before in many different contexts.

If you’re reading this and somehow still wondering why writers are fighting for their rights at the moment, their job security hasn’t changed much since then. Please follow the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and other unions’ official channels for detailed information and ways to help the cause.

Anyway, it took over a decade and an enormous effort to print the screenplay in a limited edition of 552 copies. It can’t be distributed otherwise due to IP law, but some fans shared its fragments online and heavily criticized them, dubbing the 1992 source material #shitscript

There’s been obviously a lot of controversies over the changes in the plot and the relationship between the main characters. And rightfully so — the number of iterations has created something very different from the beloved book and the award-winning show we can all enjoy today.

It’s… objectively not good. Wouldn’t be considered a hit back then and certainly not by today’s standards. I don’t think I would watch it in any other way than through channel surfing. However, it’s not a monstrosity some people believe it to be and not a case of low effort.

Let’s start with the world building: the setting wasn’t changed to the US. It’s still very much based in the UK, mostly London and Tadfield, although the latter lies now by the sea and seems much more ominous. Interestingly, the British Museum becomes a prominent location as well.

The main character and the designated hero is not surprisingly Crowley, this time in his 90s anti-hero glory. If you haven’t watched many movies of this era, esp. dark fantasy, this trope involves middle-age disenchantment, cynicism, as well as hefty doses of sarcasm and brooding.

90s anti-heroes are a dark, grim, and unnecessarily violent embodiment of power fantasy, matching the destructive ideology of that time. Combined with uber-masculinity and performative strength over weaker characters, nowadays they naturally evoke more cringe or worry than awe.

1992 iteration of Crowley is basically in his Furfur era. Deeply unhappy and stuck in a dead end job, all he talks about is how he hates Earth and his assignment here, considering a transfer to Alpha Centauri as his one and only possibility of career advancement. Or life, really.

The talking part is important here, because he clearly compensates by insulting everything and everyone. He hates on the whole planet at length only to confess that he’d rather stay here with Aziraphale due to “no good restaurants”, “no decent bottle of wine” in Alpha Centauri.

Yes, he’s verbally abusive in his automatic response to stress. But doesn’t hate Aziraphale. In one particular scene he calls Azi stupid twice only to assure him that they are friends and to offer to solve the problem when he sees that his words were taken seriously and hurt him.

Crowley refers to him as “my angel” and “my dear Aziraphale”, agrees to Aziraphale’s suggestion of sharing a room, praises the angel as a “miracle worker around the home”, drinks the tea he makes for him, and generally proves to be much softer towards him than he wants to admit.

Aziraphale, on the contrary, wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s the one engineering ways to spend more time together, following Crowley around, checking up on him (including miracling himself into his apartment and office when no one answers the door), offering help right away.

He’s successfully calming Crowley down through his anxiety attacks, overcomes his dislike of heights (!) for Crowley, directly challenges him and even breaks rules only to make Crowley stay with him. Crowley seems to be his main motivation in this movie, not the saving the world.

1992 Aziraphale also has the most badass scene in the whole Good Omens multiverse to date, taking a 180 degree turn from the typical guardian angel we all know and love to the real angel of wrath protecting Crowley from harm in his true form.

But there’s no Their Side in this universe. The only semblance of that concept appears in the context of Anathema not representing either of their respective bosses, but humanity. “That’s the trouble with the humans. They’re on their own side.”

This Crowley appears not as much on Hell’s side as under Satan’s heel. He’s scared of him and subservient, and needs Aziraphale to prevent his escape as a pretext to do what is right. He lets the angel stop him by pretending that he doesn’t even see him cheating during their duel.

By finally standing up to his toxic boss (Satan is like Gabriel during the body-swapped trial, suave and cruel) and leaving Hell’s side to do good, Crowley takes an emancipated and employee-focused stance instead of fighting for his relationship with Aziraphale like shown in S1.

Which is a shame, but matches the overall tone of the screenplay and the times it was written in. The concept of free will, while simplified in a true Hollywood-style to issues like mind control and fear, is still crucial to this interpretation of the Good Omens original plot.

Especially the character of Anathema is seen fighting both of these things. There’s no Agnes Nutter with her prophecies here, only a 21-year-old witch and her will to thwart the ultimate evil versus her fear of doing it at a cost of one boy’s life, versus Satan’s brainwashing.

Madame Tracy appears slightly redesigned as a new character as well, but isn’t 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 for the most part. She’s been enjoying her youth way too much to see how fast it was fleeting, and this sudden realization left her in shock from which she denies to come back.

Unfortunately she’s also the one who took in baby Adam and now stays under his care. The level of his parentification is unnerving, much like his bullying and loneliness. He struggles to be loved and ask for love, which becomes his main quest beyond, y’know, the apocalypse thing.

Don’t worry, despite everything all ends well just like in the book. The family of two gets a chance to start again on much healthier terms and Anathema to live for herself for the first time in years. Our heroes get back in their car, Crowley tempting Aziraphale with an apple.

All in all, this whole post is a very long reminder for Amazon Prime to #PayYourWriters, #PayYourActors, and #RenewGoodOmens! The strike is still ongoing and crucial for any new content for this and many other fandoms #GiveMeS3orGiveMeDeath

#Yuri is doing her thing #good omens #good omens meta #good omens movie #a screenplay #1992 good omens

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claudiafekete · 3 years

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This is another ordinary story of “how xxx fandoms changed my life” -

- or maybe not. you decide. I want to write it down. trigger warning for politics, discussion of sexual violence, mild gender dysphoria It’s also horribly long. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

When I first came to tumblr, I had just graduated from APH. Short for Axis Power Hetalia. I learned about it in the form of manga. For years it was my everything - I learned what fanfic or fanart meant and I learned the basic online etiquette. As I grew in years, it accompanied me.

Until it didn’t.

Shortly after I fell into solangelo.

It’s a fun story, how I picked up PJO years after years of absence. My brother was whining about something written in Magnus Chase. “What do you think the Norse Gods were going to do to Percy that Annabeth was crying?” He demanded. I expressed my confusion. He kept on with his different theories and I made the decision to look it up online later.

My online search of Percy Jackson’s fate soon revealed something unknown to me before: solangelo. The first canon gay ship I ever knew. Therefore, at the ripe old age of 19, I threw myself into this endless hole called “tumblr” for the first time.

It was the most LGBTQ+ friendly place I had ever been. I joke you not. It was also the place where I was taught not only how a healthy relationship should look like, but also how sex should or could be like. You don’t learn anything healthy about sex in Chinese or Mandarin using fandom, at least during the years I was in them. There were rigid 攻/受(roughly translated as top/bottom) stereotypes that everyone rushed to squeezed their characters into them. A lot of time though both person might ship A with B, they wouldn’t interact because one thought A should top and another thought B should top. Their different topping designation resulted in depictions of the characters’ personalities so dramatically differed that you couldn’t recognize them as the same characters. Other than the refreshing relationship dynamics, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard offered me a chance to take a look at my gender identity. I had known that theoretically non-binary people existed outside of binary gender, but I hadn’t known how one might live as one or describe themselves as one. I’m not trying to claim that Alex Fierro’s story is the only story of non-binary people. I’m trying to say that it was the starting point for me to make exploration and find the label “agender” for myself.

I stayed in APH for 6 years. I had expected to stay in solangelo for longer.

Entered June 2019 with its whispers and anxious demonstrations. Entered folks pouring into streets in Hong Kong. Entered tear gas and facemasks and sticks and a bullet scarcely missing the heart and journalists beaten by police. Entered young students not of age disappearing mysteriously. Entered people dressed in white attacking citizens and not arrested by police. Entered dead bodies that were probably “被自殺 (being suicided)”.

Entered a city falling into the hands of tyrants next to your door, and you didn’t know how to help. You didn’t know what to do with yourself with your clean and spare hands. You were so far away from the frontline, you were angry and helpless and hopeless for that.

It was the first time I witnessed, first-hand, how the Chinese government directed the discussion online, so that it seemed as if there were random mobs who were disturbing the peace of Hong Kong and possibly taking money or being trained by US. “Bullshit. Would there still be so many kids hurt on street if we have received any kinds of training for this?“ Of course, the majority of Chinese people inland wouldn’t hear that. Hong Kong is a former colony. Any calls of outrage toward the present government must be made by disillusioned young people who were unaware of colonization and imperialism.

That was why I took refugee in Good Omens. I needed to run some where to stop myself from scratching myself to blood. I needed to some works for these clean and spare hands to do so that they wouldn’t pick up something destructive, such as a knife.

If the PJOverse fandom had felt the best place on earth, well, the Good Omens fandom lifted me into paradise.

I’ve never seen so much kindness being showed under one tag. The creators and actors were all kind and interacted with the fans in their own ways. We were encouraged to do everything, anything, to build art with it however we liked. We as fans were recognized. We were seen. We were ... cared for. It was overwhelming, in a good way. For that, I would be forever thankful to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and Michael Sheen and so many others in the production. I would be forever thankful to artists who liberated body types and freed the ties between gender expression and genitals. I would be forever thankful for the fantastic creators out there.

Would it seem as if I’ve only cherished the mutuals I met in Good Omens fandom? It wasn’t my intention. There are friends I keep in touch long after I fell out of love with APH. There are mutuals I got to know through solangelo and I feel, I hope that we are friends. Everyone who has chat with me I do my best to remember. (Though I do left conversation in weird places, become so ashamed of my incompetency that I do not continue them.)

What I’m trying to say is, as good as the solangelo fandom was, I still ran into biphobic posts here and there. It was only once or twice – but it was a constant reminder that being bisexual didn’t seem “valid” to some of the other LGBTQ+ members out there. Who cares what cis-gendered, heteronormative people said? Bullets that shot from friendly fire hurt the worst.

Besides, with a large and vibrant fandom like Good Omens, it’s easier to feel less alone and more… seen.

Damn right. Even after writing more that 5000 words in English it is still so easy to fall back into the comfortable nest of mother tongue. I can read simplified Chinese characters as well as the traditional Chinese characters I grow up using. There probably will never be getting the accent right but soundlessly devouring words in front of a screen? I excel at that.

That was what’s happening when the days rolled into January, 2020. I flew to US as an exchange student and exchanged long letters with a young Chinese woman I met in Good Omens fandom. I’ve never felt so alone in life. English as in creative writing has never come more naturally for me. The words burst in my head and arranged themselves freely on screen or on papers. I’ve never felt more hopeful about my writing ability.

The days rolled into March, 2020.

The first time my mom told me to come home over home, I laughed. The second time, I frowned. Before she pleaded me for the third time, I had grabbed a ticket.

I hadn’t imagined the disease plaguing China and its neighboring countries would affect the whole world.

You lived the rest of the story. I fled back to Taiwan.

That was where Doctor Who came in. Or David Tennant. Such a strange time. For fourteen days I was the only living human in the house. I watched Casanova – or was it later? Hamlet definitely came before that. Then I could live with my family again. I handed in my homework and wrote in a different language than the people around me were speaking. My parents were working. My little brother was in school. When there was no one to talk to me I either read or watch Doctor Who to pass the time. I fell for Thirteen. I fell for twissy. Falling fast and hard and completely won over by their glamour.

I started internship. There were some small breaks where I could catch an episode or half, but never as much time as before. I dipped into fandom wiki and found that no matter how much research I did, there would always be details I overlooked simply because I could not afford hours watching all the episodes. No matter how hard I squeezed my schedule for time, no matter how much I devoted myself to the series, it would never be enough.

So I gave up, and let it go. For the first time in quite a while, I willingly gave up something for the simple reason of “I want to live a more comfortable life”.

Came summer. Damp air combined with biting heat and piles after piles of biochemical terms made life agonizing. An ordinary kind of pre-pandemic “agonizing” which felt like a luxury in a world that was ending.

Hong Kong fell.

It was bound to happen. Once I heard protestors fought their way into the legislature I knew, for almost an year I knew, nothing good would come out of this. CCP would never allow its subjects acting out of hand. With such open despise to the authority, CCP would take nothing but a full conquest at the end of it.

See where we are now. As long as you’re “interfering” the political climate “inside” China, it doesn't matter which nationality you hold or where you were or how long it has been since you made the statement. “According to the law”, China can come for you. No, better, it can tell your country to hand you over. What a clever empire. What a graceful empire.

What a horrifying empire.

With the news I spiraled down fast. I kept away from the young Chinese woman I was exchanging letters with, I kept away from any kinds of Chinese social media, and the worst of all, I kept away from Good Omens, for it was sweet and kind and hopeful, for it reminded me of a time where fighting seemed to make a difference. I was empty and exhausted and a husk. Something must come out to fill the void. Someone needed to paint me in colors so that the world wouldn’t notice I was fading away.

I was surprised at who took the brush.

After ten years, the first man I ever have a crush on strolled back into my life.

He was over thirty, but I always pictured him in his early twenties. Dark hair, eyes of grey or silvery blue. Loud laughter that sounded like a bark. Swift and elegant. Intelligent. Prideful. Stubborn. I embraced him as I’ve done ten years ago as a little child.

When I looked past him, I saw someone else.

Worn, weathered, with wry humor. Attentive and considerate. Tortured by the world yet never stop giving out kindness. Countless scars. Grey hair unfitting to his age. I didn’t pay him much attention ten years ago. This time, I looked.

Let me introduce you Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, my very first crush and the man who is too much like my last crush.

2020, a month before Fall semester started, I trekked cautiously, timidly back into Harry Potter fandom.

The fandom of August 2020 was very different from fandom of 2010. The lack of author, for one – it became mandatory to denounce the author’s transphobic statement and other bigotry setting. I’m glad that everyone is doing their best to make it a friendly place for minority groups. Though I’m afraid, by making it a white or black situation with short statements and no discussion, it wouldn’t really help people understand why she is wrong in this. However irrefutable the author’s guilt seems to us, it is not something obvious to those who are unfamiliar with the subjects.

But it does feel good to see blogs and fics with the introduction such as “If you support the author’s transphobic bullshit this place does not welcome you”. It feels reliving.

The second was, I found the type of work I’m actively pursuing changed.

Back when I was young – when I was so little I didn’t even know what the word “fandom” meant – I read Character x OFC and some M x M. During the APH period I read an alarming amount of M x M and countless historical AU. When digging through solangelo, beside the canon divergence stories, simple AU like coffee shop grabbed my attention. Coming out stories were my comforts. The best of Good Omens fics were either in canon verse discussing desires, bravery, humanity and mortality, or setting in an AU with the promise of sweet, fluffy endings. Doctor Who almost always focused on Time and Space. Love was twisted and so often tainted by anger. Monster and god were very alike.

I came a full circle back to the Marauder era, and found myself not looking for heroes, but for young fighters struggling desperately in a seemingly hopeless war. I looked for people who were frightened but never, never ever going down without a fight.

I used to find characters and events unfolding in foreign places, now I want characters who are close to what I am or what I want to be.

---

So, that’s it, my grand journey through multiple fandoms and basically a journey of self-discovery. It’s messy, sometimes painful, but always with so much joy blooming along the way.

Something doesn’t change. I’m still obsessed with words. I’m still a sucker for happy ending. I’m still wishing someone will come and love me the way I need to be loved.

Something does. I stop imagining that some magical power will come into my life and solve everything. I stop looking for others to save me from myself. I start believing that though wounds hurt, some of them do teach us to be a better person.

Long ago, I saw my friends and I as rabbits, without proper weapons to defend ourselves. That wouldn’t do. I thought. For my friends I’ll grow into a snake with fangs to protect them. Maybe I have grown into a snake. Maybe I haven’t. But I do hope I won’t stop fighting for those I love, with those I love.

I hope I won’t give up.

#APH #axis power hetalia #pjo #percy jackson #solangelo #tw: politics #tw: sex mention #magnus chase #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #alex fierro #hong kong extradition bill #hong kong demonstration #good omens #doctor who #tw: personal review of pandemic #harry potter #sirius black #remus lupin #hong kong national security law

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cat-in-a-basement · 7 years

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An Analysis on Mapleshade - Why (I Think) She is a Poorly Written Character

Before I start: This is not meant to ridicule or make fun of people who like Mapleshade's character. This is an analysis of why I think she is a poorly written villain and character. I do hope to get some people to see my point of view about this, but I also recognize I cannot force someone to see my point of view. You're not wrong for liking her. Just I'm not wrong about disliking her - she actually used to be one my favorite villains when she first was announced. Until her character was botched for me, that is. I know that sometimes we can mistake rants as personal attacks towards us, and so I want to make it very clear I am not judging or shaming you if you like her character. Hey, it may make you like Mapleshade even more. Who knows how the results for each individual will turn out.

Do we, as the fans, give Mapleshade too much credit for being intelligent, well-written and a strong female character? I was looking back (in my head - haven't read the books in years) to her plans and how she executed them, and all I can think is 'wow...that was ill-thought out and rash.'

However, a lot of the fandom seems to regard Mapleshade as this 'evil goddess' who is dastardly and evil with this tragic backstory for why. Her plans are viewed as intelligent and brilliant, and the fans clamor for another villain like Mapleshade.

I am going to point out what I remember from the books that makes me think she isn't that great. If anyone would care to give the exact quotes, feel free to. It is possible I might miss something.

First off, she plans this great revenge, but seems to have forgotten the reason why she did it in the first place. Her KITS. But, by plotting this revenge in the first place, she dashes her chances of ever seeing them again.

StarClan is not going to give Mapleshade her kits after she demonstrated she is a murderer and killer, and so Mapleshade has basically lost all rights to ever see them again. So that begs the rhetorical question, where on EARTH does that sound like a smart plan?!

In the hunt for vengeance, she forgets what she even fought for to begin with! I am aware that was the intention of her backstory, but it makes this great villain I saw from Crookedstar's Promise turn into a laughingstock because she isn't this dastardly or cool villain anymore (to me - opinion my vary). It doesn't help that Mapleshade's Vengeance was poorly written and the only way the Erins could possibly seem to make Mapleshade sympathetic is if they made every other character jerks. So you're stuck with a character who has been greatly flanderized from her original portrayal, and you can't sympathize with any of the other characters, leading to 'audience-induced apathy'. The whole situation was so painfully like something that would come out of a revenge fanfiction and written so over-the-top that I just stopped caring.

She goes on an emotional rampage without ever thinking things through and only focusing on vengeance - vengeance - vengeance. [Honestly, this is part of why I'm against revenge. It makes people turn into morons. Sometimes they forget the reason they are seeking revenge.]

Another thing I would like to point out is her reasoning and logic process of killing Ravenflight and Frecklewish.

She kills Ravenwing because she assumes he must be a murderer because the cat is Lawful Good and chooses to follow the code. Thing is, Mapleshade did break the code, and Ravenwing is not necessarily in the wrong. The problem is, we're supposed to sympathize with Mapleshade when she did do something wrong, and vilify Ravenwing because he was doing his job. It's overall just bad character writing.

Don't get me wrong - Ravenwing was a jerk. But, that's what I'm expected to think about him. I'm not supposed to like or pity his death. Mapleshade, however, comes off as even more foolish because she decides that he has to pay for breaking the warrior code, and somehow that killing him means her kits will be avenged. We're, again, supposed to sympathize with Mapleshade, but her motives are just so shallow. No, I don't mean that her kits dying was 'shallow.' I mean that her motif of revenge was that she blamed Ravenwing when he was doing his job, and that killing him was supposed to be revenge. Again, I've read this same plot in fanfictions.

She kills Frecklewish because she (Frecklewish) 'let' Mapleshade's kits die. Mapleshade assumes that Frecklewish did this intentionally without rationalizing that ThunderClan cats are not trained to swim, RiverClan cats CAN swim, and that there was no way Frecklewish could survive that storm. Frecklewish even states she thought the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. So Mapleshade decides justice is blind, and lures the leader's daughter to Snakerocks where she'll be killed.

Um, Mapleshade? Doesn't it seem kind of stupid to, I don't know, target the LEADER'S daughter? Said leader can easily form a patrol just to hunt you down as retribution, as said leader has that power. Did you ever think of that? Will I ever stop talking to the characters as if they exist? (Probably not) Did you not forget that your Clan has patrols, and it is stated that a patrol of cats HEARD your murder attempt?

All of it was a botched attempt at murder with little thought put into it but the sake of revenge. That is not something a smart cat does. That is something a fool does in a rash decision.

Oh, and there is this to mention as well. Because her brother, Birchface, is the cat Appledusk killed, the fandom likes to think she let them drown on purpose, and ignores the fact she isn't trained to swim and there were RiverClan cats by as well. One: Frecklewish has every right to be upset at Birchface's death, and angry at Appledusk. Two: this does not mean she just 'had' to have let Mapleshade's kits die on purpose. Frecklewish was utterly horrified at what happened, and tried to explain that she thought that the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. We're expected to take Mapleshade's side, when it is irrational for her to think that a ThunderClan cat can swim during a storm. Really, she would have made more sense if she targeted the RiverClan cats. Even then, they may not have been able to reach the kits while a storm was raging either.

Then, we get to Appledusk. He's the source of her problems, so what does she do? She obviously gets to the end to kill him, finally getting actual revenge on someone who genuinely wronged her.

Nah, I'm kidding.

She loses it and attacks Reedshine, aiming to kill HER. Appledusk only dies because he got in the way of Reedshine. What did Mapleshade even THINK? Miraculously if Reedshine was dead, Appledusk would love her again? If she killed Reedshine, Oakheart would experience what she felt? Mapleshade AGAIN attacks without a plan, and gets killed by an apprentice of all things, for her rashness and stupidity. It's just like an angry wife whose been cheated on targeting the other woman in the relationship instead of the guy who wronged her, and cheated on and betrayed her (Mapleshade) anyways. I would even be as so bold as to say that is the exact opposite of a feminist character. She's shaming the female instead of the male who wronged her.

That's not all, however. It's just the majority of her stupid moments were in Mapleshade's Vengeance, which was written very poorly.

In the less poorly written Crookedstar's Promise, she doesn't have as many bad character moments. In all honesty, CP is probably her apex, as she is a viable threat here.

Then we move onto Omen of the Stars.

Mapleshade is first introduced attacking an apprentice - Ivypaw/pool - and trying to drown her for bumping into her (Mapleshade).

First of all, that's a potential trainee you are trying to kill. The Dark Forest is not exactly a popular vacation spot, and your support is going to be small to begin with. You can't just off one and expect another to show up in its place immediately. It's akin to an overlord killing one of their minions for bothering them. I get it's supposed to be an introductory scene to this supposed great villain who attacks Ivypaw for bumping into her, showing her credentials as a villain, but it comes off to me as a petty cat who just does what she wants and acts like a petulant child...er, kit.

Secondly, you can't make enemies within your own ranks like that without consequences. If you abuse your underlings, eventually they will have experienced so much of it that they can turn against you. Mapleshade decides nah - forget that - let's abuse the underling. Why? Clearly it is to establish to the readers she is EVIL!

Throughout the series, Mapleshade has apparently geared up to get this great revenge - actually scratch that. Revenge means you were wronged. ENVY means you want what that character has. Schaudenfreude means you'll kill to get it. And this great revenge is against...Sandstorm. Sandstorm, who has no interaction with Mapleshade whatsoever and probably doesn't even know she exists. All because she was petty and wanted Sandstorm's life. We're supposed to feel sorry for Mapleshade, but honestly all I feel is an annoyance that Mapleshade is so childish (kit...ish?) she can't stand the thought someone has has the things she wants.

Now, I know I may get replies telling me things like: 'Mapleshade can't be blamed because she wasn't in her right mind. She clearly was not mentally well and so can't be blamed for what she did.' ‘For StarClan's sake, she was in grief!' ‘She lost her kits, don't you have any sympathy?! ‘She went through so much and is so strong for it!' 'She scared even Tigerstar, how is that not a good villain?'

So, yes, these hypothetical responses have been heavily exaggerated. I find it's best to argue the most exaggerated potential responses as you cover more ground that way and can counter the most hypothetically possible responses. Here are my responses to all these.

'Mapleshade can't be blamed because she wasn't in her right mind. She clearly was not mentally well and so can't be blamed for what she did.'

This one I see the most. Because Mapleshade was hallucinating her dead kits telling her to get revenge for them, this means she can't be held responsible because she wasn't in her right mind. If you say otherwise, you must be ableist and biased against characters with mental disorders. (This was added to give an extreme example of that ‘exaggerated response’ I was referring to.)

If you have a mental disorder, and you kill people because you wanted revenge against them, the court of law is not going to say 'Oh it's okay because they have a mental disorder. They're going to put the killer in a prison, where they (should) receive mental help. This is to protect everyone else.

Heck, I'll use myself as an example. Let's say I go into Walmart, and I stab somebody with a knife. It doesn't matter if I'm autistic. It doesn't automatically make me immune to the law. I hurt somebody, and I will go to prison for it. It doesn't matter if I have a disorder. I intentionally caused harm to another living being.

Mapleshade intentionally caused harm to three other cats (and more but let’s just focus on Appledusk, Frecklewish and Ravenwing for now). It does not matter if she has something wrong with her or not, she is still a murderer.

'For StarClan's sake, she was in grief! Grief makes us do some crazy things at times.'

Yep, can confirm. It still doesn't give an excuse to kill because of it.

'She lost her kits, don't you have any sympathy?!'

I was very upset about what happened to her kits. But, you know...it was Mapleshade who sent them to the river in the first place. I'm not saying she's all to blame, but that her rash actions lead them to the river, where they drowned. She is partly to blame. And yet, she refuses to take responsibility for it. She instead blames Frecklewish, who can't swim to begin with and thought the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. It is awful Mapleshade lost them. She has every right to grieve and mourn. She has every right to be angry. She has every right to scream bloody murder. But actual murder? Murder is not justified. Murder cannot be sympathized with. I understand she is in pain. But becoming a serial killer won't change anything. In the end, she loses everything because she decided to throw away everything for the sake of revenge. She can never see her kits again, and it is of her own doing. I cannot sympathize with a character who chose to throw everything away.

'She went through so much and is so strong for it!'

I don't think so myself. Mapleshade struck me as a weak character, refusing to see her own faults and pinning everything on other cats so that she could remain sympathetic. At least, that's what I think Mapleshade's Vengeance was trying to do.

'She scared even Tigerstar, how is that not a good villain?'

Yep, she's pretty darn scary. But that doesn't necessarily constitute a 'good villain'. She just has so many other weak character spots that her scariness gets old and worn out. She becomes just another generic villain.

So to conclude my not-so-professional argument, Mapleshade is a poorly thought out villain who acts like a child and tries to put the blame on every other cat but herself. She is constantly doing things that are foolish or revenge driven, and hardly ever thinks about where she wants to go with her plans. Her reasons are petty at best, and she doesn't think about what the consequences might be, and how to point them in her favor.

I also think about how she's commonly thought to be a strong character. That made me think how dependent she was towards Appledusk, and how she targeted the female in the cheating relationship, who did no wrong to her, instead of Appledusk, who did wrong her. I think about how she hated Sandstorm because she had a good life. And, I thought to myself, this isn't a strong female character. This is a female character who gets petty over small things and is spiteful at other cats, then tries to pin the blame on them for having what she wanted.

#warrior cats #mapleshade #analysis #BC analyzes things #ranting #I'm on the chopping block now...

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quantumseahorse · 7 years

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Fanfics I reread

A Race to Protect- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3286655/1/A-Race-to-Protect An American Dragon Jake Long fanfic. In which Jake gets stuck in Dragon form while injured and pretty much ends up in a vet’s office. It makes me happy to read.

Yuiitsu-Shin- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11074340/1/Yuiitsu-shin A 12 Kingdoms and Fate/Stay crossover. It’s so rare to find 12 Kingdoms fanfics that I actually enjoy. Sadly this hasn’t updated in a long while.

The Death of Ascheriit- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11002761/1/The-Death-of-Ascheriit An Ubel Blatt fanfic set during the years between the Betrayal and the beginning of the manga. It’s great, lots of good characters keeping our poor fey-hybrid company and helping him work through the hard times.

I See the Moon- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8212843/1/I-See-The-Moon Avengers and Harry Potter cross. In an alternative world, removing the Horcrux broke Harry’s mind. So an insane Harry meets an emotionally fragile Bruce and end up traveling together.

Sparked by Magic- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6009055/1/Sparked-by-Magic A Harry Potter and Transformers cross. In which Harry’s accidental magic pretty much becomes something similar to the All Spark.

He Loved by God- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8862685/1/He-Loved-By-God Blue Exorcist and D.Gray-Man. It’s not the most well written but I love the story they were trying to go for. I hope they update eventually.

The Dragon King’s Temple- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7679074/1/The-Dragon-King-s-Temple The most well done Avatar the Last Airbender and Stargate SG-1 fic I’ve ever read. It finds a way to work the two VERY different series together in a way that makes sense within the laws and mythology of their respective series.

Big Human on Campus- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5382984/1/Big-Human-on-Campus Ranma 1/2 and Rosario Vampire. Pretty much a coherently written crack fic. It is amazing and funny and I just have a fun time with it.

The Man in the Long Black Coat- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7282544/1/The-Man-In-The-Long-Black-Coat Good Omens and Supernatural. I distinctly remember one of my friends describing a fanfic she was reading and I blurted out this title of this and she was like ‘YES! That’s the one I was talking about!’ because the Good Omens fandom is small enough that we’ve both read pretty much all the pics there are by this point…

Make it or Break it- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7517289/1/Make-It-or-Break-It Naruto and Harry Potter. Harry gets blasted into Naruto world during the final fight with Voldie. He decides to become a Healer and have a calm, quiet life….well at least he was trying to.

The Poltergeist Report Card- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7994009/1/The-Poltergiest-Report-Card Yu Yu Hakusho and Rosario Vampire. It’s essentially a crack-fic. Also, I’m not sure if the author actually knows what Harry Potter is…considering they seem to think Hermione was a red-head?

Demonic Housing- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3566193/1/Demonic-Housing Harry Potter and Yu Yu Hakusho. In which Hiei is adorable and Dumbledore is like a weird friend/uncle?

A Ralts in the Moonlight- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3925316/1/A-Ralts-in-Moonlight Ranma 1/2 and Pokemon. Ranma turns into a Ralts. I couldn’t click FAVORITE fast enough. Enough said.

A Square Peg in a Round Hole- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3571049/1/A-Square-Peg-in-a-Round-Hole Stargate SG-1 and Highlander. Someone finally decided to address the fact that Jack has a dragged clone of himself running around.

Kyuushutsu- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2195575/1/Kyuushutsu Rurouni Kenshin fic. Set during the war. In which Kenshin runs around killing people and searching for his boss.

Caught in a Ladder- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3525207/1/Caught-In-A-Ladder Hikaru no Go. Pretty twisted. Kidnapping, abuse, torture and all that good stuff.

When Summoning, Please watch the Wording- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3547876/1/When-Summoning-Please-Watch-The-Wording Good Omens and Supernatural. Short but really well done. I just want more Good Omens fanfics.

Make a Wish- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2318355/1/Make-A-Wish Harry Potter crack-fic of epic proportions.

Find the Moon- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1789944/1/Find-the-Moon Full metal Alchemist and Gundam Wing. I’m always amazed when people can make the weirdest crossovers WORK in a believable way.

The Serpent of Lord Voldemort- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/150716/1/The-Serpent-of-Lord-Voldemort In which Harry’s animagus form is a snake, he gets accidentally adopted by Voldemort and just tries to escape before anyone realizes who he is.

Doeskin- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11030096/1/Doeskin Harry Potter and Naruto. Harry dies and is reborn as a Doe. Crack-fic. I never realized I needed this fic in my life until I discovered it.

Ghost in the Machine- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10898688/1/Ghost-in-the-Machine Final Fantasy VII. A Cloud goes back in time-fic but something went wrong.

The SHIELD Agent Rhapsosdos series written by Wayang Silver- https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3890589/Wayang-Silver Final Fantasy VII and Marvel Movie-verse. Just a cool and well written concept with reincarnation and stuff.

The Little Guy- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7284929/1/The-Little-Guy Final Fantasy VII. Cloud goes back in time and becomes a janitor. Somehow still ends up screwing Sephiroph.

The Human Mask- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7731108/1/The-Human-Mask Natsume Yuujin-Cho. You should read Worthy of a Name first, since this is the sequel to that. Basically Natsume becomes a God of Spirits.

#fanfiction

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