#the books are so long winded

[royalarchivist]

Oscurucho: Welcome back, brother. Cucurucho: What. Oscurucho: Not even a "Good morning"? How cold.

Here's Cucurucho and Oscurucho's long lore conversation from yesterday! The entire conversation lasted about 8 minutes, but most of that time was just silence between each exchange, so I edited out the long pauses and got it down to ~3 minutes. I also fixed the audio levels and added subtitles since I personally find it difficult to understand Oscurucho sometimes :'D

I hope folks find this helpful!

[ Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

-

Oscurucho: Welcome back, brother.

Cucurucho: What.

Oscurucho: Not even a "Good morning"? How cold.

[They enter Cucurucho's office]

Oscurucho: I wanted to see if you're still as rigid in your beliefs as ever. You see, I've been thinking about our... Let's call it "philosophical divergence." You stand for order, for predictability. But where's the fun in that? You see, brother, while you build, I ponder the beauty in tearing down. It's not just destruction - it's rebirth. A chance to remake things in a more... thrilling image.

[...]

Oscurucho: You once had a backbone for our cause. Now, I see a softness in you, a sentimental weakness for those Eggs. Mere experiments, and yet - they've softened you.

Cucurucho: Your vision obstructs the path to perfection. You fail to understand the potential of the Eggs.

Oscurucho: Potential? They're but catalysts for change - for revolution. Without them, stagnation reigns.

[...]

Oscurucho: You chase perfection, I embrace the beauty of flaws. Your world is one of order, mine thrives in chaos. You wish for everything to run smoothly, I dream of watching it all burn to the ground. We may share a name, but our souls are worlds apart. All your efforts, all for what? Mere acknowledgment from a Duck who told you to do it? Imagine the possibilities - rather, show me where it is, and I'll do the rest.

[...]

Oscurucho: Speaking of possibilities, I couldn't help but notice how easily others can access the island. It seems your security measures aren't as impenetrable as you think.

Cucurucho: No. My island's vulnerabilities are of your own making. Do not mistake restraint for ignorance.

Oscurucho: Pity. But then again, I never really needed your approval. Just consider: Cucurucho - in your quest for order, have you not sown the seeds of your own undoing? Do you genuinely trust all your Federation minions?

Cucurucho: ...

Oscurucho: Perhaps it's time you question not just my intentions, but those who you believe stand with you.

Cucurucho: That is none of your business, I shall say. Now, leave me alone and try to disturb someone else.

#Cucurucho #Oscurucho #QSMP #December 21 2023 #Edited #Subtitles #For those who like knowing the gritty details and specifics about the things I did for this video - #I adjusted Cucurucho's volume because they were very quiet compared to Oscurucho #I fixed the sound direction (for lack of a better word) of Oscurucho's voice b/c he was speaking through my right headphone 90% of the time #so now it's more of a ''centered'' audio rather than a right ear or left ear thing #I added subtitles (obviously) #I fixed the camera a bit so it's more focused on Cucurucho / Oscurucho #and I adjusted the translator box so that even with the crop; they're all still included #usually they get cut out when I edit things because I'm just focused on the characters; but then one day I was like #''Why am I cropping out this thing that specifically helps people understand the story better?'' #So moving forward I'll see if I can do what I did here and add translation boxes as their own ''layer'' overlaying the clip itself #for big lore videos anyways or for clips with long conversations at least #I jokingly said to myself ''I bet I'll wind up shaving 5 minutes off this'' and I was right lol #I enjoy the official QSMP streams but one major critique I have is that the pacing was a bit slow in one or two streams #which is understandable considering many admins have to write in books (which takes time) and translate things (which takes even more time) #And that's valid! But in the last stream (the one with Elena) for example; many scenes dragged on far too long #and it wasn't because people were taking extra long to write books or translate things. It was purely a matter of pacing #idk I'm a professional writer and editor so I'm extra nitpicky about things like that. I think it's something that's pretty easy to fix tho #This is just my critique in terms of the story pacing - like I said; the time it takes them to write / translate stuff is understandable #this is more of a comment on the overall pacing #anyways rant over #Today's stream had much better pacing! Still a bit slow (again; I cut 5 minutes from this conversation) #but that's due to the communication medium (TTS) so that's understandable. That's valid. I'm not fussed about it; that felt natural #Take all the time you need kings it's hard to translate things on the fly. I get it. #Portfolio

[souredfigs]

A lot of people are fascinated by Harrenhal and its ghosts and I get that but bro WINTERFELL AND THE EGGS IN THE CRYPTS??

Winterfell and how it was constructed in general is so fascinating , like its always described in chapters as a living organism , that deep hot springs run through the castle like blood through a person's body , then there is the weirwood tree and the immense magical power it itself holds as a sort of root of the castle and the point upon which Bran can see through the past , the present and the future .

Then the crypts , the freaking crypts which are larger than Winterfell itself and as you descend into the lower levels they become increasingly dark and old and a giant portion of it which hasn't seen the light of the day in thousands of years is collapsed and totally inaccessible , there are swords of the Kings of Winter which are there in order to keep something contained like the souls of the deceased ,not to mention the fact that Bran and his clique actually took some of them on their way ? The giant spiders and rats the size of dogs old nan talked about and how the crypts go from bottom up , with the recent burials at top and the oldest at the bottom which has kind of never been explained ?

But perhaps the most exciting thing about the crypts is Mushroom's account about Jacaerys Targaryen's Vermax laying a clutch of eggs in the crypts near the supposed hot springs , and the immense significance that has to the story of ice and fire itself

Like the Starks and Targaryens give us many of our main characters in the books , they are the two oldest families in Westeros , so old that their origins are intertwined with legends and myths, and magic is heavily involved in their families . We saw in Hotd the state secret info Viserys gives to Rhaenyra about the Song of ice and fire and Aegons dream about the long night and theres this implication that Torrhen Stark bent the knee becuase Aegon told him about this dream , that to defend the living there must always be a Stark in Winterfell and a Targaryen in the South, becuase winter is coming and without these two houses Westeros and probably the rest of the world are cooked? Then during the reign of Jaehaerys I Queen Alysanne goes to Winterfell and gives support to the nights watch and befriends Alaric Stark .

And then decades later her descendant Jace goes to Winterfell (and as the hotd trailer shows , also goes to the Wall!!!) and he forms such a great bond with Cregan Stark that they make a pact of ice and fire sealed in blood , likely before the weirwood tree in mix of both Valyrian and Northern tradition , with Jace agreeing to marry his firstborn daughter to Cregan's heir , then Jace later dies in the gullet but Cregan honours their pact by carrying out Justice in the hour of the wolf and making sure Jace's little brother ascends the throne .

AND THEN A CENTURY AND A HALF LATER RHAEGAR AND LYANNA GET TOGETHER AND KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY FULFILL THAT PACT , AND NED KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY HONOURS THIS PACT BY TAKING IN THEIR SON JON SNOW, THE LITERAL EMBODIMENT OF ICE AND FIRE , AND MOST LIKELY THE PRINCE THAT WAS PROMISED TO LEAD THE BATTLE FOR THE DAWN .

AND HOW JON CONSISTENTLY DREAMS ABOUT THE CRYPTS MORE THAN ANY OTHER STARK CHILD? AND HIS MOST LIKELY RESURRECTION IN TWOW WILL HAPPEN IN THE WALL , WHICH, APART FROM THE CRYPTS IS THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE IN THE NORTH IN A WESTEROS WHERE MAGIC HAS AWAKENED WITH WITH A FORCE NOT SEEN SINCE THE DAYS OF OLD VALYRIA ? RIGHT AT THE TIME WHERE THE OTHERS ARE AT THE DOOR ?

DO YOU SEE HOW DEEP THIS SHIT GOES?!

#this is literally the tip of the iceberg theres soooo much #LIKE WTH DAWG #LOSINGD THE MINF #Im so ready to see jace and cregan and brokeback winterfell #and winds of winter and how the crypts will come into play becuase they have a tON of importance in the books #brans pov chapters are going to be so good i just know it #im so ready #house of the dragon #cregan stark #jacaerys targaryen #winterfell crypts #the long night #winds of winter #I fucking love the starks if you couldnt tell #when winds of winter comes out you best believe I will sleep with it under my pillow #like Alexander the Great with his favourite copy of the Iliad #jacegan #hotd season 2 pls do not be bad #im literally yapping im sorry lol

[curseofpower]

Currently imagining Tetra being so horrifically bored stuck in Hyrule's basement that when Ganon showed up and ripped the door open to kidnap her she was just like "Oh thank fucking god."

#Ganondorf #tetra #the legend of zelda #wind waker #personal hc #I think he'd at least have some books that she can't read bc they're in ancient hylian #but they have cool pictures to look at about hyrule's forgotten history so she's happy #and understands absolutely none of it. #... maybe if he read some of it to her or something tho... #Anyways he expects her to be terrified and she just runs over and clings to him. #'I don't care if you're evil as long as you have some coloring books or a puzzle or ANYTHING.' #She's used to adventure and excitement I can't imagine how much torture sitting still would be. #Hell she could just run up and down the stairs of his tower for enrichment when she gets the zoomies it'd still be better than basement.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

do you know where to find all the tpn official arts outside of the manga? I also want to know where to find the artbook content so I was wondering

I'll have to open this up to @1000sunnygo but my understanding is Art Book World is *the* quintessential collection of TPN art outside of Demizu's character birthday drawings and other pieces on twitter created post-2020 (I have a little incomplete collection of them in my Posuka Demizu tag, with these being my personal favorites of the trio).

Highly recommend purchasing if you have the means and access, not only for the art but also the insightful interviews.

All the art is sourced and divided into sections based on the source.

(Volume 13 frontpiece rough. 🥺 And the volume 14 cover rough is very cool.)

If you're looking for the original raw covers of WSJ featuring TPN, here's a link to them on WSJ's wiki.

If you mean the promotional anime art that typically is put on clear files and turned into acrylic stands, as far as I know no one has ever compiled them all together in one single-page gallery for browsing outside of online shops selling them. (My small tag of it is here.)

On tumblr there's @just-like-playing-tag's compilation lamenting how TPN Committee can't be bothered to understand Emma's character and preferences because marketing that she's a girl takes precedence.

Offsite, the closest you'll probably get is TPN wiki's collaboration page listing, though as I've mentioned before don't confuse tlieilt_625p's art with official promo art. I still have no idea why their stuff is in the wiki gallery pages; it just serves to confuse more people.

For example, the TPN x Princess Cafe collaboration:

Their style is insanely close to the official art on a quick glance, but the heads and limb lengths and widths are a bit off.

My favorite promo collaboration art is probably with Megane Flower glasses (cute comic focusing on it by @kewstiny) just because I'm always a sucker for characters who normally don't wear glasses wearing glasses and vice versa, but also for reasons addressed here.

We are ignoring that Gilda, Sonya, and Vincent would have been more fitting for this promo because they aren't as recognizable for marketing. 😔🙏 Fucking crying over Emma either gluing or duct taping the frames to her face or just like...holding them for the shot vkldlf

Honorable shoutout to this collab though

Whippin' this out on a date like "relax, babe, I got this"

#tlieilt_625p's fanart being in there drives me up the wall #1) it's not official and 2) JUST FUCKING SOURCE FANART I hate seeing reposted art without credit #I'm assuming that's why tlieilt_625p deleted their twit because so many people kept stealing their stuff and reposting 🙃 #which is why from the bottom of my heart I fucking abhor pinterest #my experience on there is 10% of fanart is sourced #90% throws caution to the wind because lololol who cares about all the work the artist put into it 🤪🤪 #FSS Asks #FSS Chatter #The Promised Neverland #Yakusoku no Neverland #TPN #YnN #TPN Merch #TPN Promo Art #TPN References #The Promised Neverland Art Book World #Full Score Trio #tlieilt_625p #Yuugo #Norman Minerva #Emma #Norman #Ray #Long Post

[clouds-of-wings]

Pushkin complains about how "nowadays" morality doesn't triumph in novels anymore and everything is just full of depraved creatures - he does so kinda sarcastically, making clear that he writes in that way too and that he will soon have to start writing kitsch just in order to distinguish himself - and he remarks (if the translation is correct) that "English novels disturb our sleep" and "adolescent girls see the vampire as their ideal".

Hahaha. The book came out in 1831! Describing half my school friends 160 years before their birth.

#i mean the book ends badly anyway #i think he's making a larger point about love fantasies - his heroine only reads old books & imagines her crush like an ancient hero #but his points are all so detailed and long-winded and i'll have to keep reading first

[yuridovewing]

This would definitely... Bloat some things, but I still want to do it cause then it involves all four clans like it Should, but man I love the idea of each clan having their own "Power of Three" trio. Like a lot. Originally I was going to make them all descendants of the current leaders and spread the litters throughout TNP, Po3, and OotS, but that didn't quite seem right to me. There aren't a ton of descendants for me to work with to this end (especially for Blackstar, who I've decided is Darktail's dad who never has another litter in the clans). Soooo instead, I want all of them to be forbidden kits. Half clan and medic children, baby. So obviously this includes the ThunderClan three, and the other litters I'm considering are Tawnypelt's kittens (moved to be born late in Po3) who would technically be ThunderShadow kits... that or I'm changing who the other parent is. (Here comes TawnyFeather with the steel chair...? They could meet again in Outcast... owo?) and Sedgewhisker and her sisters who are apparently WindRiver kits?? Which I didn't know was a thing til now.

That just leaves the RiverClan three who I'm not totally sure on. My friend Vio suggested Icewing's first litter, which I kinda like cause that includes Beetlewhisker. Makes his fate in the Dark Forest all the more terrifying. But I'm also considering Minnowtail and her siblings (reviving her brother Tumblekit). I do not remember if those guys have confirmed dads but if they do, uhhhhhhhh. Well they aren't their dads anymore. Officially halfclan now.

#to this end i may take a page from bonefalls book and make dove/ivy jayfeathers children instead of whiteash kids #cause like. i LIKE the drama of dove being ash's kid but i also think its interesting to go at the angle of her being jay's kit #for reference: jayfeather is forced to become a medic when leafpool gets demoted. this is VERY controversial in thunderclan #cause even tho jayfeather has a good amount of knowledge (he spent a lot of time in the healers den) he had very rushed training #cause the other leaders rallied and rallied for leafpool to get demoted and threatened attack if she wasn't #(I miiight make it so that bramblestar is leader at this point? so it makes more sense? cause he haaates leafpool. but also i want fire ali #alive so he can be spark and dandelion's dad right before he dies) #but some of the cats are arguing that it's very contrived and that now that holly is gone- they need leafpool more than ever #and dove and ivy are conceived around this time because jayfeather confides in poppyfrost for comfort #and ooooooooo guess who's just like his mama!! this would be the moment where like... ''oh fuck. i get it now.'' #so its super early in his career and the timing is VERY awkward so they gotta make poppyfrost lie about who the dad is #so no ones really aware that theyre jay's kits at first. tho there are rumors. anyways long winded way of saying dovewing is a forbidden ba #so she counts in this!!! yayyyyy #razorverse #also some canon deaths will still occur in oots most likely. their powers may just get shifted to other cats in their clan #usually kits who were born recently. so when flametail dies his power gets transferred to a newborn shadowclan kit #idk tho. not set in stone

[catofoldstones]

guys, guys, guys not only will Daenerys be forced to reckon her ambition of claiming the iron throne with the emotion of destroying her “only” kin and a Targaryen with better a claim (Aegon VI Targaryen), but Barristan Selmy will be forced to choose again between his love, Ashara Dayne, being on the other side of the war and the righteous honour he has so obstinately clung to while ultimately choosing the wrong side no matter what

#i am so fucking excited for the next book #twow #barristan selmy #ashara dayne #asoiaf #aegon vi targaryen #young griff #daenerys targaryen #i need to stop writing long sentences i have stopped making grammatical sense #there’s so many Chekhov’s guns going off left right and centre in twow #can’t wait #also #howland reed #come and impart us with your secret knowledge my wonderful all knowing man #the winds of winter #a song of ice and fire #dance of the dragons 2.0

[buildoblivionthenwewilltalk]

a jon snow and some hypothetical!jon snows

Lord Commander! Jon

King in the North! Jon

Prince!Jon

#I’m sick so have some more asoiaf brain rot #I reread the books and now I need winds of winter immediately #so i had to draw some fits for my best boy #this was fun tho I’m playing around with having my own design for him it’s nice #my fave is KITN Jon #tho I wanted to draw him in robbs crown but I couldn’t imagine him wearing it in a fight #i like to think it will make a reappreance in the book tho cos it’s COOL #Jon will have to make do with a shiny little circlet #also I think Jon in targ armour and heraldry is very unlikely in the book #but also he looks so good in black sooooo #he’s not allowed to loose long claw tho #*lose #the idea of him having blackfyre (or possibly dark sister 👀👀👀) is cool but #that’s my emotional support puppy sword :( #Jon snow #a song of ice and fire #game of thrones #winds of winter #stark #Targaryen #king in the north #minsart #my art #fanart

[milkweedman]

[image description: an ask by @arbrehoux​ that says “Hi! I’m just getting into spinning, and I wanted to ask how to finish off the yarn once you’ve spun all you want. I’ve tried googling it, but every website I look at skips straight from the actual spinning to soaking. I’m using a drop spindle, if that’s relevant.” end image description]

soaking usually IS the way to finish yarn ! i'll give you the best step by step i can though (and for future reference, this applies to pretty much every single spinning method, so you can do this with yarns spun on a spinning wheel, a supported spindle, a drop spindle, a navajo spindle, a charkha wheel, or whatever else you might encounter. it's all yarn, so it can all be finished the same way.)

step 0: if you plan on plying your yarn, do it before finishing. you don't need to finish singles if you plan to ply them. finishing relaxes the yarn, so if you finish a singles and then ply it, it will end up being somewhat limp unless you overply it (which makes yarn less elastic and more rough) but if you spun a singles and want it to remain a singles, never to be plied, then you can certainly finish it as a singles.

step 1: remove the yarn from your spindle (or bobbin, or whatever it is on) and wrap it around something as it comes off. a niddy noddy is great for this, but not necessary. you can wrap your yarn around a big hardcover book or the back of a chair, or whatever. when taking yarn off a drop spindle, i usually just toss the spindle on the ground and let it roll around as I wind the yarn off. if you’re worried about it catching on something, put the drop spindle in a box or mixing bowl instead and let it roll around in there.

[image description: a somewhat blurry closeup of a tattooed man’s hands. in his right hand he’s holding a hardcover book. in his left he’s wrapping yarn around the book lengthwise. a red line has been drawn in to show the path of the yarn as he winds. end image description]

step 2: tie your yarn off. you can use the messy looking ends of the yarn if you wish, or another piece of yarn or string. just tie a simple knot around the hank. you want at least two knots, but if you're really worried about it tangling, you can do more. the purpose of tying your yarn off is to stop it from tangling in the next steps, to make it easier to work with when you wind it into a ball or cake later, and to keep it looking tidy.

[image description: a closeup of the yarn on the book from the previous image. a knot has been tied around all the strands of yarn on that side. there is a red arrow pointing to the knot. end image description]

step 2.5: if you want to know your yardage or meterage, this is the time to do so. first, count how many strands you have. second, measure how many inches or centimeters it takes to span the entire length of the book (so, front, back, and the width of both the top and bottom). In this case I think it was 8 strands and 24 inches for the whole book. that means the whole yarn is 192 inches (8x24=192) and the yardage is 5.3 (192/36=5.3). same steps if it’s centimeters and meters, of course. also, if you’re thinking “wow, I have to measure whatever i’m winding my yarn on every time ? that sounds annoying”, then you’re seeing why niddy noddys are so helpful and you should get or make one. my niddy noddy takes 2 yards to span it, meaning whenever i wind yarn on, after counting it i can just multiply my result by 2 and know how many yards i have (if i have 100 strands and i know each strand spans 2 yards, that means my whole skein is 200 yards. so much simpler.)

step 3: soak your yarn. or just get it wet. i usually run my yarn under the tap for a few seconds to make sure it is fully wet, but you can also put it in a bowl with some water and make sure it's fully submerged. leave it there for a few minutes.

step 3.5: if your yarn isn't very soft and you want it to be softer, you can add conditioner (just like, the normal stuff you use for your hair) to the bowl before you put the yarn in to soak. if you're softening it this way, leave it in the bowl of water for at least an hour, or even overnight. when you take it out, rinse it briefly. this step is only necessary if you want your yarn softer.

step 4 (optional): go outside and snap your yarn like a whip a few times. this evens out twist and flicks a lot of the water off, so it will dry faster too. if your yarn has some spots that are really undertwisted or overtwisted or both, this is a good way to help reduce that and make more evenly plied.

step 5: let your yarn dry completely. in the summer i hang my yarn over the clothesline, and in the winter i usually put it over a heating vent. doesn't matter how you do it. remember that wool in particular can feel dry even when it has a fair amount of water in it, so don't grab it the second it feels dry--give it a while longer to actually dry.

you should notice that your yarn looks different now that it's dry. if it's wool, it's likely puffed up some (to varying degrees depending on the breed of animal it came from, as well as whether it was roving or a batt or a rolag or whatever else, and also depending on how you spun it. it's a cool thing to pay attention to.)

step 6: skein your yarn. pick up the hank and drape it over your thumb or hand or whatever. the vast majority of yarns will twist a little in one direction when you do this, from residual twist. some yarns will twist a lot, others only barely. note the direction that it twists in--to the left or to the right. put your other thumb at the other end of the hank, and start twisting one thumb in the opposite direction that your hank twisted in. i usually twist with one thumb until i can't easily twist it anymore, and then twist with the other thumb. your nice loop should now look kind of like a piece of rope, with your thumbs still hooked into each end.

[image description: the first image shows the yarn hooked over each thumb, with two twists in the middle. the second image shows that same yarn, which now has so much twist it looks like rope. his thumbs are still hooked into each end. end image description]

you now want to find the center point of your ‘rope’ and fold it there. your ‘rope’ should kind of snap into place, looking like a much larger version of a 2 ply yarn. it’s nice and stable like this, and can be transported or stored easily (plus it’s pretty !). the last step is to take one of the loops you had your thumb in and push it through the other loop. this stops it from unraveling.

btw: the reason we twist it the opposite direction that it wants to turn is the same reason we ply in the opposite direction that we spin. if you spin Z and ply Z your yarn isn’t going to be structurally sound, and it’ll look pretty bad, too. when it comes to skeining you’re not adding any structural stability to the actual yarn, but the looks still matter--if your Z plied yarn is twisted Z while skeining, your skein will be limp and lifeless and not very pretty. if it’s twisted S, it’ll be nice and balanced and neat looking. it’s purely an aesthetics thing, but it also only takes half a second to figure out, so why not do it ?

and you’re done ! your yarn is now finished and skeined, and you know the yardage/meterage. you can label it with all relevant info if you want (for example: 4 ounces shetland roving, 2 ply, 350 yards, light worsted weight, finished august 2022, spun on a wheel)

#sorry this isnt an ask anymore #i somehow corrupted the original post by adding images and then saving it as a draft to work on later #idk... tumblr. #anyway those pictures are from a little video i made that im now somewhat too embarassed to post #although if this doesn't make sense and seeing it in video form would be helpful lmk and ill just link it anyway #it has to be a youtube video bc its too big to post on tumblr normally even after trying to condense it so #anyway sorry this took a while to answer ! it's hard to put most fiber instructions into words #spinning #handspun yarn #drop spindle #tutorial #also im not gonna go into shrinkage bc honestly i like to pretend it isn't a thing so that it doesnt mess up my yardage measuring #but if it immediately pops off the book/niddy noddy/whatever and looks way smaller that means your yarn is definitely shorter #than the actual yardage. calculating how long it really is while still using the same tools is rly hard #so i dont bother. you can minimize shrinkage by wrapping very loosely and not pulling on the yarn or putting it #under any tension as you wind. thats what i do with yarns when i really NEED to know the actual yardage #such as for a specific project or if i want to sell it #anyway yeah !

[sidhedust]

POLL TIME

SO for context-I don't know if I shared this here, but the VN is kinetic. No branching paths. At best, you can point and click for extra information on the environment or characters, there are a few investigation/free roam sections, and I MIGHT input a spell system...but the story won't change based on your actions.

I'm also gonna add an encyclopedia for non-history and myth nerds to give BG info on what characters are talking about, just for people who pick it up and aren't big on Celtic/Hawai'ian folklore...but that's less interactive and more just. Reading. LOL

But basically, knowing this, are you still interested in a demo of the game the same way you'd pick up a book in a bookstore and read a chapter or two to see if it's up your alley, or would you rather just kinda play it all in one go because it isn't like you have choices/a chance to impact what you're reading anyway and would rather see how it plays out in full because of that?

#polls #I GUESS a better way to phrase this too is: you can't change the context of the story ever. Luana and company will always do xyz #is that fact enough to make you want to read it like a book or do you still want to see a sneak peak. lol #WHY am I so long winded. This is why I edit the shit out of everything I write #everything you're going to see in the VN? a LOT was cut down. Just know that!

[catboyhdb]

just finished the song of Achilles btw I liked it generally speaking but by the way people spoke of it I really thought it would be more compelling and perhaps poetic.

#my things #perhaps it was lacking or perhaps im overly critical #patroclus and achilles i do love you forever #maybe ill read the illiad one day for better comparison #ok to be fair the last book i read was dracula and everyone in that thing is so long winded about everything so im still reeling from it

[yellowocaballero]

What Is A Character?

This is not writing advice. This is a highly truncated version of a manifesto. I am correct. I have solved the mystery of a hundred Tumblr fights, thousand comic book forum threads lasting for three hundred pages. I'm just right.          

A while back somebody mentioned that I had a pretty unique take on Tim Drake, a comic book character with a thousand characterizations. I ended up talking a little bit about ‘how to write a comic book character’, and how amorphous the definition of a character really is. Or, really, how ill-defined the ontology of a 'characterization' is. After rereading a lot of Batman comics in preparation for The Batman movie, and this deeply unfortunate Moon Knight thing, I’d like to revisit it. I am speaking predominantly in terms of comic books, since they’re definitely the easiest example for this, but you could apply this whole bag to a lot of different situations (Star Wars is almost as bad as comics) and maybe characterization as a whole. Nobody asked for this, but this is my blog and opinions were made to be heard (this is 90% of my problem). I swear I will try to make this as short as possible while still arguing my point, but my point will need to be argued.

The central question is this: what is a true, real character? The conclusion I eventually reach in this essay is will sound like bullshit but you will understand that I am correct. Rest under the cut.

The absolute inherent nature of any media that lasts for a stupid long time, has a stupid amount of different creators and creative teams, and passes between different owners and mediums like hot potatoes, is that it will be contradictory. Even without the insane continuity issues of Star Wars, comic book writer Michael will outright retcon Henry’s backstory for Wonder Girl because Michael fucking hates Henry. James fucked Henry’s wife so Henry will write in a character that James created and then murder them gruesomely. Geoff Johns is there. All of this means that everybody, from the execs to the creators to the fan content creators to the fanbase, ultimately do have decide who Batman/Obi-Wan/Sherlock Holmes ‘really is’. This is important – it decides the future of a character.

 It’s not the origin story of the character. It’s not decided by who created the character (Otherwise everybody here would love Miles Morales for who Bendis wrote him as, instead of himself in ITSV – and they really don’t). I think the answer to this question is determined by consensus from every group I just listed. It’s what people, basically, agree on. Which means that a character’s true character is the character that everybody thinks they are.

Point One: The Power of the Disney

The first way this can be determined is, basically, by their most popular incarnation. I say Hawkeye and you think of Fraction/Aja Hawkeye. I say Tony Stark and you think MCU. I say Sherlock Holmes and you think of the book Holmes if you’re embittered by the BBC version and you live spitefully and you think the BBC version if you aren’t. I say Vic Sage as the Question and you think of the JLU version, which comes from the Denny O’Neil 1980s version, which has nothing to do with the character’s origins as a shitty objectivist mouthpiece. The Question, as a character, just is not a Randian, even if he was created that way. He’s a quirky conspiracy theorist. That’s who he is, because that’s the guy who pops into your head. You’d argue with me if I said he was a Randist. The people reading this who actually know the Question is are probably shocked by the Randist thing.

This can apply by transitive property too – I say Teen Titans and you think of the baller 2005 cartoon, right? That was based off the Wolfman/Perez 1980s TT. I wouldn’t call 2005 TT the ‘real’ TT, I’d call Wolfman/Perez the real TT – because it created the 2005 one, and was also hugely influential in creating a soapy teen drama comic book scene. It’s marked by influence. Nobody gave a shit about Thor before MCU Thor, so he’s Thor now – how influential was 1970s Journey into Mystery?

So the first idea is that the ‘real character’ of a comic character can change through runs or mass media becoming very prominent and making that characterization the most prominent in people’s minds. The second idea is that this change can happen more gradually through a cultural or reception-based shift.

Point Two: Drift Compatibility

Harley Quinn has changed a lot as a character from Batman: The Animated Series. She had a few interesting quirks, but she was really 100% a bad guy. I can put maybe the genesis of her more modern understanding in the Injustice comic, which presented basically a more interesting and intelligent and well-rounded feminist Harley. The fan reception was positive, the creators wrote that kind of Harley more and more, the fanbase reacted positively, the fanbase reacted negatively to Suicide Squad until she was rewritten into the BOP version, and through fan reception and gradual shift we get the #feminist we have today.

You can also say very much the same about Deadpool. I grew up on the 90s Deadpool and Deadpool & Cable, and the drift into the modern guy has actually been pretty insane for reasons too long to list here (he tortured Blind Al?). Reception to the Deadpool you’re thinking of was just better, and the Deadpool movie basically cemented that idea of Deadpool in popular consciousness.

Sometimes this change happens very suddenly, like with Fraction/Aja's Hawkeye, but sometimes it is a result of trial and error decided by fan reception and the zeitgeist of the times and the comic book tone. 90s Deadpool does not fit in '20s comics. BTAS Harley Quinn would receive some boos for being defined by her abusive boyfriend. These things change with culture, comic book fads & zeitgeists, and fans liking a character so much in one way that the creators wire them more and more that way.

So that’s the second idea: that the drift can happen within books through fan reception, and is eventually reflected in mass media and cements the personality until we cycle back into the first idea.

Point Three: The Inmates Run The Asylum

The third idea is a really logical extension of this: that the fandom and fanon version of the characters can grow to eclipse any characterization from 1) or 2), and that when this fan interpretation of a character becomes so rampant it becomes the new ‘consensus’ of the character. Batman can defeat anyone with enough prep time. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are unproblematic girlbosses. Spider-Gwen became so popular and such a big character solely through her pretty dope design that got super popular and went viral on the internet. If you cut out the middle man of the mass media and canon comics, then you have the fandom creations.

This drift is making its way into the mainstream. I won't talk here about fandomization of media, but the fanon characterizations and tropes are starting to enter Point #2 territory: that is, creators are realizing that the fandom plots and tropes are what people want, and they're creeping into the mainstream. The Webtoon Wayne Family Adventures is the greatest example of this, anywhere. That Webtoon is a million fanfics brought to life, and it's helping cement those fanfic dynamics and characterizations into 'the real Batfam' - to the point where the traditional comics Batfam is being dismissed as 'not real'.

Memes are intensely powerful, here! Every comic fan from around ten years ago knew the Squirrel Girl can defeat everybody meme. Now she has a comic and she’s pretty famous, through sheer memery. Sometimes a ‘true character’ can be derived solely from their meme status, if there is truly nothing better or nothing else to the character. Sometimes meme status can give them a book, which fleshes them out and makes a real character out of it. Virality is a huge force, and when a character goes viral then businesses jump on it and recreate what people liked about it as quickly as possible - and, sometimes, as influentially as possible.

Part Five: If You Agreed With My Other Points You Have To Admit That I Am Correct

 So, logically. When you ask the question ‘what’s Moon Knight’s real characterization before the MCU show, which is pretty clearly a huge deviation from the comics and his comic self?’...and if you are a Moon Knight fan I'm very sorry about this...you're valid, alla youse are valid...

You see that nobody really gives a shit about Moon Knight. He has never had an influential run. Barely anybody had heard of him before the show. Nobody can list a single thing about the guy. Nobody’s read a single Moon Knight comic. The only panel from Moon Knight that I’m willing to bet the vast majority of this website has seen, that everybody thinks is real, that is 100% of what they know about Moon Knight, is this joke meme panel. That is Photoshopped. (If you didn’t know it’s Photoshopped, now you do – the other joke Moon Knight Panels you’ve seen are also photoshopped). This is not a real image from the comics. However, taking into account everything else I've said...

This meme Photoshop one panel image of Moon Knight is the definitive, true, actual comics Moon Knight goodbye everybody I’m right and nobody can change my mind.

#there you go I solved comic books and Star Wars for you #deadpool #harley quinn #moon knight #comic book meta #comic books #fandom meta #media meta #I know how long-winded I get so I really did keep this as short as possible #I could go more in depth into almost any sentence in this post #so if I seem like I'm generalizing it's because I am #also obviously no shade at anybody or anything etc #the only things or people i hate are michael henry and james #the final secret finale note I do want to end on is: #there's no real ANYTHING #real doesn't EXIST #stop saying 'so and so is real' #whatever you're thinking of it probably isn't! #unless it's a meme photoshop panel of moon knight #which in this case is very real! #my writing #my asks

[mymarifae]

i love this image so much.. it's SO pretty and there's just something so special about it. or maybe that's my like. nostalgia. talking. like i started with leo/need's story and the second this popped up i knew i was in it for the long haul i knew this game was For Me. which was a fun feeling like that doesn't happen often... where i Know i'm going to love something to death within the first few seconds of it presenting itself

#that's only happened with... undertale and bug fables. and mlp (friendship is magic) i think #realm of the elderlings ALMOSTTTTTT got this but it took like 3 chapters for me to start caring. so close... #fitz's narration is very long winded and drawn out which really lifts up the books !!!!!!!! #but it was. a little overwhelming to be hit with the full force of his melodramatic ass right off the bat

[permanentreverie]

What books did you buy?

☺️ ahhhh thank you so much for asking nonnie!!!! i bought the entire ember in the ashes series, the whole raven cycle series, as well as deathless (by catherynne valente) and butterfly yellow (by thanhha lai)!

#i also have recently bought the odyssey and the iliad (both wilson’s translations); divine rivals; the name drop; the four winds; #as long as the lemon trees grow; longbourn; yellowface; portrait of a thief; and this time it’s real! #… so yeah a lot of books aksjaksjaksnsb #answered asks #anon asks

[ace-and-ranty]

The Unalive Book Summary post is breaking containment, and I think it’s time I officially stop looking at the notes. All I wanted to do is roast one (1) incredibly juvenile and tone-dissonant writing choice, and yet, I can already smell the discourse approaching.

#'Unalive' entering the language in and of itself is not that bad. I agree. #it's just a new slang word we will all survive. #but it is a TERRIBLE choice of wording for this context. This is me roasting shitty writing; not social media slang #also that one jackass who told me to find some reading comprehension #when THEY assumed I was talking about a review #on a post that CLEARLY said I found this in the BOOK SUMMARY #who needs reading comprehension here buddy?. #and so many people discoursing about BookTok and yadda yadda #there are already people writing Long Winded Replies #so #GOODBYE POST I SHALL BLOCK UR NOTES NOW

[castielsupernatural]

im cheating and sending u the same numbers that you sent me because theyre like, the best questions okay 1, 2, 15, 19 KISSES

hiiiiii bestie my answers aren't nearly as interesting as yours sadly, i could NEVER be as well read as you. this got long so the tldr is don't listen to me for book recs just go to jess :)

1. book you’ve reread the most times?

technically it’s probably twilight but let’s say it’s not, and in that case let’s say it’s the raven boys by maggie stiefvater. it’s definitely my most heavily annotated book and i tend to date my annotations and well there’s just a lot of them

2. top 5 books of all time?

i’m gonna do a fiction list and a nonfiction list and again be nice bc i’m not super well read 😭😭 also in no particular order

fiction:

catching fire by suzanne collins sorry i’m a slut for the second book in a series

a gathering of shadows by v.e. schwab see above

the dream thieves by maggie stiefvater sigh. see above

six of crows by leigh bardugo

the secret history by donna tartt sorry women

nonfiction:

dark waters: flood and redemption in the city of masterpieces by robert clark

the power broker: robert moses and the fall of new york by robert caro

the line becomes a river: dispatches from the border by francisco cantù

dopesick: dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted america by beth macy

unsettling truths: the ongoing, dehumanizing legacy of the doctrine of discovery by mark charles and soong-chan rah sorry for listing a book on religion. also if these guys names mean anything to you pls do NOT look at me

15. recommend and review a book

ok ok gonna do my fave nonfiction i've read recently and some of you have been unlucky enough to hear me talk about it but it's the power broker by robert caro, it's a 1,200+ page brick of a nonfiction book published in the 1970's as a biography of robert moses and just new york city infrastructure in general. i read a lot of nonfiction and honestly a lot of the writing is just bad even if the content is interesting but this was seriously one of the most well-written pieces of work i've ever read and it completely changed the way i think about local government. some fun excerpts and all my notes:

granted, part of the fun was i read it with my dad and we had a lot of fun bonding over it, but still! it's been such a cool foundation for other works on urban studies, too - i recently finished davarian l baldwin's in the shadow of the ivory tower: how universities are plundering our cities and there was a whole chapter on new york that i felt really well-equipped to engage with

19. most disliked popular books?

ok not to be one of those ppl that are like teehee i hated it before it was problematic but genuinely i never got the hype about harry potter. i think the problem is i read them out obscenely out of order and probably just a little too young (i started with the order of the phoenix when i was 10) but nevertheless i've just never cared. more recently i read the midnight library and i was so unimpressed i was this could've just been a supernatural episode we didn't have to do all this

book asks <3

#so seriously. if you know of a series with a compelling second installment send it my way bc i’m bound to make it my whole personality #SORRY THIS WAS LONG WINDED #in short: don't come to me for book recs. go to jess!! #i know i got more of these asks but i am going to answer them later as i need to go get a slushie before my laundry finishes