#like really all I imagine as I read is not me but the writer

[kookidough]

sierra is sooooo complicated to me like. i could go on about her for so long & also i wish the writers did certain things with her character (which i will get into later in this rant) so ya here we go

firstly her childhood is . very clearly messed up?? it’s established that her mother is Ultra Obsessed with chris and i think sierra mentions being a 3rd generation chris mclean scholar at one point which implies that obsession just runs in the family atp😭 before even going on the show she’s grown up in an environment where this level of obsession is Normal so she doesn’t see anything wrong with turning out the same way

since her mother is like . obsessed with chris & stuff that’s probably what would bring sierra to watching total drama in the first place and i personally feel like she’d fixate on it because it was a group of teenagers her age, people she would like to be friends with if that makes sense? i can imagine she’d be a pretty odd child without many friends so that’d maybe be a reason for her to latch onto total drama, maybe why she latched onto cody too because like. she thinks he’s cute and they have things in common (like theyre both pretty geeky) so she gets pretty parasocial about it because, as mentioned before, her mum being obsessed with chris is just Normal to sierra so she thinks it’s normal for her to be obsessed with cody (spoiler alert girl: it’s really not)

while she’s on the show i feel like she doesn’t change / gets worse because chris sees her exhibiting Mental Illness and just… actively encourages her behaviour? and the other contestants do nothing to stop it, like how most of the time (e.g. paris) team amazon get mad at cody for sierra’s behaviour instead of helping him out for some reason??? no one tells sierra her behaviour is wrong so she just. Continues to get worse until shes out of the competition😭

this is where im gna interrupt with a canon divergence because like . personally i think in the episode where votes were revealed and cody was revealed to have voted sierra Every Single Time, sierra shouldve gotten over him!!!! it was the harsh truth she needed to hear, the dose of reality that cody is NOT interested in her and she needs to move on. she couldve had good character development, building her relationships with other characters and showing off her skills. maybe she’d still be eliminated in drumheller because she made cody that birthday cake as an apology and then kaboom or whatever idk just some way to keep her elimination the same

going down this train could’ve made her character in all stars Actually Interesting ! we couldve seen a side of sierra that kept some of her old eccentric vibes but had her head in the game this time instead of being focused on a boy, especially since cody isnt even in that season

and of course lastly i just wanna say i’m not excusing her weird actions or her creepiness at all, she has some Extreme Flaws and all the stuff she did was absolutely not okay, i just like rotting and seeing maybe why she acted the way she did and i wanted to drop my own two cents on interesting avenues her character couldve went down :3 i know everyone in td is some form of stereotype and sierra was an obsessive uberfan but she couldve still been that after getting over cody, in fact im disappointed that she knew SO much about the cast yet didnt use any of their weaknesses to her own advantage, she couldve dominated the competition😭

so uhhh yeah thats my thoughts on sierra, i probably over-read her to filth but shes very complex to me and i wish certain aspects of her character were done differently, she had a lot of potential especially in all stars but um Everyone had their potential destroyed in all stars so i’ll overlook that

#huge ramble incoming #total drama #total drama sierra #td sierra #sierra total drama #total drama world tour #tdwt #total drama all stars #tdas #on god girl we gonna get u some therapy

[verana115]

I really don’t get people who use AI to write things for them and then drop them in their work cause like, call me old school if you must, but I like knowing that every word I put down on a page is my own and represents a clear intention on my part - and if anyone wants to question/challenge that, I can come back with a reasonable articulation of why I did it that way

I get that busy work doesn’t always get this standard (even from me), but I can’t imagine just handing over all that agency and autonomy of self-expression over to some mindless bot that may or may not spew out garbage that could tank the readers trust in you - even if you remember to edit out the “this is an AI language model” that I see in so many papers and articles nowadays

Where’s the pride in your work? Where’s the feeling of accomplishment or improvement? Where’s the rich process of refining what you write down into a final product that you feel confident enough to attach your name to? Where’s the glancing at your final work and saying “I know this isn’t perfect, but I put effort into this and I’m not embarrassed to have anyone else read it”? Where???

And this is all ignoring the fact that ai is trained on masses of work that artists and writers neither consented to nor were compensated for their inclusion in the process, and that by using these models, you’re helping the tech bros who stole these artists’ and writers’ work to get rich

#I’m not the first person to get mad at this #but boy does it annoy me #like take pride in yourself and your name #fuck am I to trans to understand why most people don’t have pride in their name? #like #I had to fight tooth and nail to get my name socially and legally #and I lost a lot of people to do that #and I’m so happy I did #and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna waste that effort #by attaching my name to a bunch of stolen #and recycled garbage #Vera posts #ai writing

[adventures-in-mangaland]

I'm going with 10 All Time Classics from the Captain America (MCU) fandom. I mean, they're all classics to me, at least. In no particular order:

1. This, You Protect by owlet

First installment in the Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail series, which are all amazing. It's a “Bucky escaping Hydra and rebuilding his sense of self” fic, which he does while spying on Steve. With eventual Avengers Family and a lovely cast of OCs bonding with Bucky in the meantime. It has a very distinctive perspective and writing style; Bucky's in constant internal (and sometimes accidentally external) dialogue with himself, making it hilarious and tragic all at the same time. I love it. I've recently been getting into The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and this Bucky has a similar sassy-but-vulnerable vibe? Read this if you like that, anyway.

2. The One Who Knows by Dira Sudis (dsudis)

This is a Political Animals AU, in that no-powers Steve is inserted into the Political Animals world and Bucky is TJ. Discusses being outed and depression but is ultimately hopeful. The author is one of my all time faves and has written lots of great stories for this and many other fandoms.

3. Blue Scales by chaya

Steve is a merman AU. He's still Captain America, though. It's crack with heart, I love it.

Best line: "May your scales and your love story be our weird secret forever.”

4. Our Lingering Frost by eyres

AU where Bucky is rescued from Hydra in the 50s (?) and so is around for Steve to be found.

5. Assets Out of Containment by follow_the_sun

It's a classic to *me*, OK? Bucky goes undercover at Jurassic World just as that movie's plot kicks off. They're Hydra dinosaurs! It's just great. Also has a podfic and crossovers with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

6. Not Easily Conquered (series) by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears

Some of the greatest fanfiction I've ever read, the whole series is epic. Anyway, it's a "Steve doesn't go into the ice" AU with added queer angst when (never sent) love letters from Bucky resurface. I particularly like the second installment in the series The Thirteen Letters, which are just Bucky's letters and are insanely well-written.

7. to memory now I can't recall by Etharei

Time travel AU! Featuring post-CATWS Bucky accidentally switching places with CATFA era Bucky.

8. If Wishing Made It So by Leveragehunters (Monkeygreen)

Genie!Bucky AU! This author is great at writing AUs with fantasy/genre elements, it was hard to choose. They've also written an excellent werewolf!Steve AU and a horse!Steve AU that I really love.

9. Into That Good Night by Nonymos

An Interstellar AU! Very angsty and tragic but with an eventual happy ending.

10. Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square by Speranza

Speranza must be one of the best writers in the fandom, so it was hard to pick just one of their fics. Other strong contenders were All the Angels and the Saints and The Fifties, so check those out too! But this one has a special place in my heart. Steve, Tony and Natasha accidentally time travel to WW2 London, leading to an accidental run-in with CATFA-era Bucky. The author does tragic and romantic time travel tropes so well, but with a happy ending.

I now realise that most of these are AUs, so here’s a bonus rec for a non-AU in-universe story that’s severely underrated and deserves more love:

+1

Heart, Have No Pity on this House of Bone by Sena

This story follows Bucky in-action in the Pacific Theatre. It’s very well written and, from what I can tell, well researched. Steve only appears in Bucky’s imagination and the story focuses on the horrors of war rather than romance, but it’s gripping! And it explores unrequited love, being closeted and period-typical homophobia, which I also enjoyed. I’m still holding out hope for a sequel.

#wow throwback #found this in my drafts #originally intended for international fanworks day #yikes #anyway #fic recs #fic rec friday #international fanworks day #captain america #fanfiction #mcu #stucky #nostalgia #kind of an old fandom for me now #but still #classic fics #fandom classics #stucky fic recs #stucky fic

[rrat-king]

7, 9, 12 for fig and gorgug ?

7. Is there a piece of clothing you think [character] is particularly fond of/that you imagine them wearing a lot or like to draw them in?

fig is such a skirts girly to me. usually plaid or like kilts. basically long, short, or layered, she is all about skirts and she Will Not wear pants imo

i love the idea of gorgug being a bandana/head band guy Especially with taking up artificing. i love the hc that he grows his hair out really long so its good to keep and his hair and sweat out of his face as well as being a good grease rag for the stuff he's working on. like. he's a bandana boy for sure.

9. Write a recommendation of someone else's fic you enjoyed!

i have. maybe a million rec's cuz there are so many phenomenal writers in the fandom but one that i adore and also just updated is @storytellervan's it's coming around, yeah, it's coming around which is a phenomenal kipperkristen fic that has one of my favorite portrayals of kristen that i have ever read.

12. What's the funniest or craziest AU idea you've ever come up with?

already answered this one !!!

ask game here!!!

#thank you for the ask <333 #d20 #fhjy #fantasy high #dimension 20 #kristen applebees #fic rec #bird answers #fig faeth #gorgug thistlespring

[lulu2992]

So Greg Bryk regularly goes live on Instagram to chat with his followers and answer a few questions, and almost every time, someone asks if he’d like to play Joseph Seed again if he had the chance, to which he used to always reply that, yes, he absolutely would. However, in early 2022, he didn’t seem so sure anymore and said it would depend on the script (the question was specifically about a potential Far Cry 5 movie) and the writer(s). Then, a few months later, he implied he didn’t feel like playing the Father ever again because he thought the character’s story was “finished” and that Ubisoft should focus on creating new things instead…

Well, on October 14, 2023, he once again went live on Instagram and, when people mentioned Far Cry 5 in the chat, he revealed that he had reached out to Dan Hay and Drew Holmes, two of the game’s three main writers he’s become friends with, and that they had visited him “on set” (I’m not sure what he was shooting) the day before. In the past, he had already explained several times that he had loved working with them and thought the story they wrote (along with “JS”, Jean-Sébastien Décant, the game’s third main writer) was fantastic. This time, he added that Far Cry 5 was really “special” to him because the writers “cared a lot” about creating something great with amazing characters, and that he thought the whole Seed family was really well-written.

A few minutes later, when he was asked which character he would like to play again if he could, he said it was hard for him to choose because he loves them all, but he eventually picked Jeremy Danvers (Bitten) and Cobbs Pond (Frontier).

Then, surprisingly, he also mentioned Joseph.

I don’t know why he changed his mind again or if the fact he contacted Dan Hay (who doesn’t work for Ubisoft anymore) and Drew Holmes (who recently became the new IP Director for Far Cry) means anything, and I’m not sure I want more Far Cry 5 content to be released anyway (for continuity reasons), but I guess the Seed family’s return, as equally exciting and truly terrifying as this eventuality sounds to me, isn’t completely out of the question anymore in Greg Bryk’s mind!

#someone also asked if the book of joseph was canon but as expected he had no idea #actors rarely know that stuff and I’m not even sure he got to read it... #but yeah the boys’ awful childhood is definitely canon the writers have talked about it several times #far cry 5 #joseph seed #greg bryk #okay but... listen #I wondered if I was just imagining things when he first mentioned collapse during a live stream and I thought he looked a bit upset #the dlc wasn’t out yet but I was pessimistic so I concluded my fear probably was the reason he seemed unenthusiastic/disappointed to me #then when he said he didn’t feel like playing joseph anymore I once again wondered if it was because of collapse (which was now out) #but I told myself I was most likely influenced by my own negative opinion and he simply wanted to focus on new projects #but... now he’s happily talking about the original writers and how much they 'cared' about making something good #and he seems really enthusiatic again about possibly reprising the role in the future #so is he implying that he thought the other writers (the dlc’s)... didn’t 'care'? #does he also think there were problems with the seeds’ characterization in collapse?? #is it possible that I wasn’t just projecting after all??? #???? #...okay maybe I’m still projecting #but the timing is a bit suspicious isn’t it?

[sinterblackwell]

reading vol.4 of 2ha is so surreal because this has to be the most yearning i’ve ever read from mo ran and it literally aches, but all i had been thinking for a certain couple of chapters is “wait isn’t this our token of love burns red from ao3? 🧐”

#❣️ #revelation of the year folks #it all clicked the moment that farmer girl popped up with the same name as the girl in this fic i read months ago #i can imagine the ao3 writer reading this arc before the official translation and being like ‘stop 🤚🏽 let me get my pen’ #and then they made history by writing one of the greatest ranwan fics of all time #sometimes all you need at the end of the day is a story about two characters falling in love in a small village and tying the literal knot #all through a precious red charm that glows when feeling warm #which as mo ran said in the fic—this means it’s always glowing when he’s around his wanning :’) #anyways yeah i’m getting really emotional about this because i sincerely adore that fic #and so to see where the writer drew inspiration from in the actual canon…it makes ranwan’s yearning hit even harder #2ha #booklr

[hannibalismos-jaaneman]

i read a hannigram fic last night where op decided it was an okay thing to mention vatsyayana and my brain chemistry is fucked now.

#raj shitposting #afghdaklkjfdakjfgaskjgf #so for context i read the kamasutra as a joke earlier last month and istg i was not expecting what i read. #bro- listen i thought it'd be about heterosexual sex only but it's really not specified IN SO MANY PLACES IT MAKES ME WANNA YELL. #there's this entire section in the text about scents. now idk how many of y'all know seema anand but you should def check out her tedtalk. #because she kinda boils it down to the very basics with the best examples for all of those who do not want their brain chemistry altered. #and that was what got me into her stuff and i read the arts of seduction a couple years back but i wasn't unhinged back then- #-so i forgot all about it until like a month or so back when i came across a video of hers on yt and damn those floodgates BROKE man. #which lead to me finally putting my foot down and reading that shit and JESUS FUCKING CHRIST- #so back to where we were. there's this entire section about scents alright? and we all know where this is going so bear with me please. #so this section talks about how different scents stimulate excitement and how different parts of the body should be scented. #like seema anand does NOT warn you about how fucking DETAILED this shit is in the original text. AT ALL. #it's got i think somewhere around 600 different scents and the optimum intensity of the scents for like IDK TURNING INTO A MONSTER. #so like when i read the fic my brain thought HEY THESE ARE TWO UNHEALTHY OBSESSIONS OF THIS FUCKING SICKO THAT SHOULD ALIGN RIGHT? BOOM. #and i imagined post fall will experimenting with scents for fun and shit because why not who's to stop him at this point in his life? #and then my brain flashed me a very vivid image of hannibal BURYING his face into will's waist to smell the perfume he put there- #and then my brain short circuited because that is too powerful an image for a mortal brain to comprehend. #i don't think anyone will understand what the fuck it is that i'm on about but y'all should watch that ted talk. #and get ahold of the nearest fic writer you know and force them to write a fic on this BECAUSE THIS IS THE PROMPT THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR. #this is actual psychosexual bullshit and istg i've had SO MANY vivid dreams ABOUT SCENTS ALONE it's making me lose my fucking mind. #GAAAAAAAAAAAAH #hannigram #hannibal

[iwantyoursexmp3]

purple prose might be another term that needs to be put on the high shelf of writing advice cause why does nobody seem to agree on what it actually means 😭😭😭

#atp does the ‘correct’ definition even matter? within community it’s already wildly used ooc and unhelpfully #like is it all ‘elaborate’ prose or is it when prose is overdone? who decides when prose is overdone? #I don’t really use the term at all for myself personally bc I think like pantsing it doesn’t say anything #and is too broad you know #I also don’t think it’s wise to have a term that’s essentially going to be used to mean Style Is Bad And Invalid #teenage me felt fucking awful when I realised people would consider my prose purple!!! #and even if my prose was in hindsight hard to understand - purple prose as an idea didn’t give me the tools #to unpack that for myself and understand better how to approach the balance of style and clarity #(I’m even gonna go and say clarity is not an objective thing either and in some cases #writers will have the intention to challenge clarity #also I think clarity as an idea is interesting when you think about prose vs poetry #imagine a ​guy who reads a poem and says well that’s purple prose ) #overall I just hate the idea of categorising and adding value to prose styles #prose is such a fluid thing #I like the spectrum of maximalist to minimalist but I’d say even then I go across it in a single project sometimes #also prose style and what is popular and what ‘works’ is something that #is very often connected to culture and language #what if we told writeblr how many ideas of good writing are just rooted in anglo/western centrism LOL

[sixohsixoheightfourtwo]

re: what fandom 'a little life' came from, my immediate knee-jerk thought was "backstreet boys." i have absolutely no basis for this other than Terminally Online Brain Worms esp bc..........there are 5 of those boyband fellas and as far as i remember only 4 main characters in that book lmfao. what can i say. the boyband angle feel right

yeah i'll incorporate that into my belief system

#fandom life #total speculation!!!!!! but i love it! #a little life #Ok but fr i think the time period of peak bsb rpf fits HY's age group #Also the (initial) thing of we are a group of successful handsome men all just kind of hanging out .. is very boyband au rpf .. #the nebulousness of the setting (in time period etc) is very fanfictiony to me the thing of everyone being successful in different fields #very fanfictiony #And one of them has a horribly traumatic backstory... classic fanfic trope! tho taken to extremes here. who here remembers #the 'rape recovery' fanfic trope. HY said what if that.. but no recovery . which sure is a valid artistic choice a valid question. #what if someone DIDNT get better. but full disclosure i could NOT finish this book i really felt i had to stop for my own safety . #as if people don't not get better all the time u know??? and as that one reviewer said . WHO in the world of this book #WOULDNT become a crystal meth addict. etc. there's no legit way out and that's a total authorial construction. #anyway i do actually think she's a skilled writer but i did not feel the compulsion to finish this book that so many ppl have felt #built different i guess. just walk out! #if you're a normie who never read any absurdly ott h/c fanfiction i guess it hit different tho! #mangoamango #asks #i welcome furhter speculation.... i always thought it was possible it was some band i'd never heard of or some 90s manga i never read #I did manage to read her first book 'the people in the trees' and yes i would describe it as 'good' #but it's like . imagine an ursula le guin book but evil

[narratorstragedy]

the worst but also the best part about learning languages is when you reach the point where you are constantly aware that the people you talk to and the media you consume are all making cultural references that you simply do not get so all of a sudden you’re like goddamn it i need to read every piece of classic italian literature ever now

#one of the profs was telling me how her translation class decided that leopardi was 'emo' and i was like wow this would be so funny if i #knew literally anything about giacomo leopardi besides the fact that he supposedly ate a kilo and a half of confetti before dying #(thank you that one tumblr post) #but also the part of my brain that's like 'you need to consume those works In Italian' makes this difficult because i simply cannot do that #yet #arugujhakshjdhajahjfasjhfewkrjht #she speaks.l #this happened w spanish too but like. As i was taking a spanish literature class? so i already started to read stuff that's regularly #references & then just kind of continued to read stuff naturally #except sometimes i read literature from a specific country and i'm like sooooo i need to read all of your canonical writers now #reading mariana enriquez like oh so i need to read piglia reading piglia like oh so i need to read borges and arlt reading arlt like oh so #i need to read macedonio fernández #etc etc etc etc #well really reading borges --> fernández. whatever #aaaaaaaa. girls when the wealth of knowledge and literature within the world is overwhelming and wonderful but they will never get to know #it all :( #also this is like. the fact that there's so much just within spanish language literature. can u imagine the depth of also arabic literature #etc etc #i mean like i am sure you can. that was weird phrasing. #BECAUSE ALSO THEN IT'S LIKE. there is so much that is wonderful outside of the 'canon' of well known writers BUT I CAN'T READ IT ALL SO....

[asahicore]

please make another part of cherry pits 😬 like maybe they get married and yk yk the honeymoon

sorry anon but i’ve already said i wouldn’t write a part 2 for cherry pits :/ this goes for all of my works, if i post them as one-shots it’s bc i intend them that way! also y/n in cherry pits is in college 😭 i don’t think girlies looking to get married

#if u want to imagine them getting married and all that that’s completely fine but i’m not really interested in writing that sorry lol #also as a general rule and this isn’t just for you it’s for every fanfic reader seeing this #i’ve never seen a writer like it when people ask for a part two #i’m not sure why but for me it kinda puts pressure on us to write something we don’t particularly want to? #and it feels like you’re not satisfied with what we wrote #so yeah #this isn’t to make you feel bad anon lol it’s just so everyone knows for future reference #i do appreciate that u liked chrrry pits and would like to read more #so thank u for that! #answered #anon #work: cherry pits

[hauntedpearl]

i got off booktwt for a good reason but my god the Babel-related drama has been hilarious and i am sad that i missed being involved in it real time

#LIKE. WHITE FRAGILITY AT ITS BEST I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD I WAS CRYING #this woman really said 'this book did what it was supposed to do (make white people sit in their discomfort wrt racism) and that was awful. #FOR ME personally. 1/5' sjgdhdjd like. LADY. #i mean a few of my friends didn't like babel but like it had more to do with the way it executed the premise..like some ssid it was not #engaging enough for the genre and all that. which is fair criticism imo. like i LOVE rf kuang but i also know she's not the perfect writer #or anything. but like damn. the way that woman went on a rant was sooo funny 😭😭😭😭 #she got trolled to hell and back which. like. okay. but also. SHE CHOSE TO PUBLISH THAT POST AGFSJDJD #and then she was like 'this book is racist to white people' so like. the performance of it all kind of broke down hsfshsjdkdld IT WAS. #anyway. was looking st my amazon wishlist and saw babel in there and was reminded of this </3 #rip i probably will never read it it's long as hell and i still haven't finished the poppy war trilogy #BUT IT'S ON THE WISHLIST JUST IN CASE #anyway 😭😭😭✨✨✨ #also side note: i literally don't think anything kuang wrote in babel would've been anything less than an acccurate representation of the #system. because like. she set it in oxford. and she. SHE LITERALLY WENT TO OXFORD AS A WOMAN IF COLOUR LIKE. #it's not exactly the same but my friend went to Cambridge and she faced a lot of bullshit too and like. one. can imagine. considering!!!! #anyway. maybe if we as oppressor classes didn't shy away from what we are doing to the world just because it clashes with our ideas of #self as 'Good People' then maybe we can actually make progress. like ignoring the porblem is not how you solve it etc. #OUGH. SORRY I MISS BOOKTWT SOMETIMES

[yunmew]

Jeff in that human shirt though 😭

#Well so much for finding good gifs to reblog... Jeff will definitely make an appearance here at some point though #Seriouslysomeofthestuff in those last 3 episodes though*literally covered my eyes*like I can't support this show publically anymore🫢😑😵😂 #These kids really got some good acting experience with this show though 👀 #People online literally have the nerve to praise this show for not having toxic relationships like????????? 😵😵😵 #(shouldn't call them kids were the same age 😂) #Also-I know this show went through a lot and was basically completely rewritten in no time but like imagine how incredible it #Would have been if it had had better-more thorough-writing 👀👀 #Also that slot machine video at a uni pride celebration with all those flags?? 😭 I might have to post it 😭😭 #Honestly though the craziest thing I've heard about how this show got made is the fact that the original novel is basically a fan fiction #About one of the main actors and he somehow how caught wind that it was going to be made into a TV show and he thought 'hmm! That sounds #Interesting! Let me go audition' 🤣🤣🤣 #↑ k so he actually knew the writer which got him interested in the books so he read the books and somehow that made him want to actually be #In the live action version 🤣 and then used A BUNCH of his own money to make sure the show would get made 😂😂

[future-crab]

.

#i should go back to sleep but i’m still thinking about the tumblr news #i know it’s stupid to be this worried about losing a social media site that DOES have deeply entrenched problems #but like… all other social media sites are so awful and right now i kind of just… don’t really have irl friends #and so if this website goes down i might genuinely have no social outlet #and it’s depressing to think about #and like as a writer it’s weird to think aboit #whenever i imagined people reacting to my work (in the impossible fantasy world where i finish what i’m writing and then people read it) #i always sort of imagined people talking about it on tumblr #and like what is the alternative? where do fandom things happen these days? #twitter is even more toxic than it used to be and discord is worryingly insular #is hypothetical future me just never going to be able to see reactions to the thing they’ve been working on for years? #idk it’s all just a bummer

[theniftycat]

What other Neil Gaiman work might you like?

The biggest thing to know about Neil Gaiman is that each work of his is a mixture of horror, fantasy, and subtle comedy.

That being said, each of his projects is pretty distinct from one another and there might be some that are more up to your tastes than others.

I haven't read some of his newer stuff (because I largely stopped reading as much since the early 2010s), but I'll do my best to remember what matters in other works.

Horror

The Sandman is a great work for horror fans. It's also great for mythology fans and other nerds, but horror is a major push and pull factors.

The comic is probably the greatest body of work Gaiman produced and it's recommended if you're a goth at heart and are comfortable with themes of death and humans being gods' toys.

The Sandman (TV) is a great adaptation, but it's very short so far and doesn't cover the best stories.

Coraline is a horror story for children. It doesn't have anything that's not suitable for kids, but it can be viscerally scary to some people. Both the book and the film are great.

Mirrormask is my personal favourite, it's a low budget film with mindblowing surreal imagery and one of the best soundtracks ever.

It's about a teenage girl who has troubles with her parents (who run a circus, btw) and who gets swiped up by her imagination into a bizarre world that is being eaten by her depression. Not a scary film, per se, but it's disturbing. However, it's a very warm film and it always makes me feel better.

Fantasy

Neverwhere is set in a dimension of twisted London Underground where everything that's straightforward in our world becomes weird and too real.

It really tickled my imagination, I highly recommend the book.

Stardust is set in a more high fantasy setting.

It features kings, witches, ghosts, and a star that fell to the Earth. It has a young protagonist who's not exactly the best or the brightest person, so if you hate such things, stick to the adaptation. In my opinion, the book is just lovely.

American Gods is a darker fantasy that asks the questions: "What if every god people ever believed in became real through the power of their worship? And then what if that worship started fading?"

It's set in the USA and because that country is such a melting pot, there are many gods. And not all of them are happy. This is the book that gave Neil Gaiman his reputation of a writer who loves weird sex scenes.

Humour

Stardust the film is often compared to Princess Bride. It's lighthearted, funny, full of imaginative adventures.

Just a very nice film with an all-star cast.

Anansi Boys is a spin off of American Gods, but it's a lot more lighthearted.

Anansi is a trickster god, so you know things will get funky.

I haven't read The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane yet, but I hear they're very good as well.

Also, short story collections or Norse Mythology might be a good place to start if you want to get a feel of Neil Gaiman as an author first.

#neil gaiman #book recommendations #neverwhere #stardust #mirrormask #anansi boys #coraline #the sandman #american gods

[writers-potion]

Storyediting Questions to Ask

As You Read the First Draft:

Are there place that surprised you as you read your first draft? - Why do you suppose that is? - Is there material there you'd like to expand?

What are the character really doing in this story? - Might they have issues you haven't explored fully yet?

Look to the places that drag. - These might be scenes where you have avoided dealing with something deeper. - What are the characters really thinking in these places? - What are their passions, frustrations, and desires?

Imagine alternative plotlines. - How might your plot be different if ti headed off on another tangent from various points in the story? - You don't have to follow them, but they might suggest other streams that can flow into the main plot.

Think About Structure:

Does you story play out naturally in three acts?

Is there an immediate disturbance to the Lead's world?

Does the first doorway of no return occur before the one-fifth mark?

Are the stakes being raised sufficiently?

Does the second doorway of no return put the Lead on the path to the climax?

Does the rhythm of the sotyr match your intent? If this is an action novel, does the plot move relentlessly forward? If this is a character-driven novel, do the scenes delve deeply enough?

Are there strongly motivated characters?

Have coincidence been established?

Is something happeing immediately at the beginning? Did you establish a person in a setting with a problem, onfronted with change or threat?

Is the timeline logical?

Is the story too predictable in terms of sequence? Should it be rearranged?

About Your Lead Character:

Is the character memorable? Compelling? Enough to carry a reader all the way through the plot?

A lead character has to jump off the page. Does yours?

Does this character avoid cliches? Is he capable of surprising us?

What's unique about the character?

Is the character's objective strong enough?

How does the character grow over the course of the story?

How does the character demonstrate inner strength?

About Your Opposition:

Is your oppositing character interesting?

Is he fully realized, not just a cardboard cutout?

Is he justified (at least in his own mind) in his actions?

Is he believable?

Is he strong as or stronger than the Lead?

About Your Story's Adhesive Nature:

Is the conflcit between the Lead and opposition crucial for both?

Why can't they just walk away? What holds them together?

About Your Scene:

Are the big scenes big enough? Surprising enough? Can you make them more original, unanticipated, and draw them out for all they are worth?

Is there enough conflict in the scenes?

What is the least memorable scene? Cut it!

What else can be cut in order to move the story relentlessly forward?

Does the climactic scene come too fast (through a writer fatigue)? Can you make it more, write it for all it's worth?

Does we need a new minor subplot to build up a saggin midsection?

About Your Minor Characters:

What is their purpose in the plot?

Are they unique and colorful?

Polishing Questions:

Are you hooking the reader from the beginning?

Are suspenseful scenes drawn out for the ultimate tension?

Can any information be delayed? This creates tension in the reader, always a good thing.

Are there enough surprises?

Are character-reaction scenes deep and interesting?

Read chapter ending for read-on prompts

Are there places you can replace describing how a character feels with actions?

Do I use visual, sensory-laden words?

For a Dialogue Read-Through:

Dialogue is almost always strengthened by cutting words within the lines.

In dialogue, be fair to both sides. Don't give one character all the good lines.

Greate dialogue surprises the reader and creates tension. View it like a game, where the players are trying to outfox each other.

Can you get more conflict into dialogue, even emong allies?

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