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#the entirety of the writing plot alongside the romance!!
theicemer · 3 years
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kiriluvbot · 3 years
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NO ONE ASKED BUT IM HERE TO SUPPLY ANYWAY!
sero hanta headcanons for the soul
- asexual, pan-romantic!
- uses they/he pronouns (didn’t know they could have different pronouns until he met tokoyami, and they spent their entire first year having a crisis over it)
- i know it’s old and overused but this kid is a hufflepuff, through and through
- CHILD OF APHRODITE. i take no criticism.
- a heartthrob among his entire grade, not just class A, but B as well, and the general course, and the business course,, AND the support course. everyone loves sero hanta.
- a natural charmer but is literally not aware that they make everyone within a 400 meter radius of them swoon
- until kaminari tells him in their second year. homie. youre fucking hot. and mina says, use it to your advantage. SO HE DOES.
- third year sero hanta is a force to be reckoned with, let me tell you. using their charm along with their natural ability to just. Befriend anyone (including a brick WALL tbh) to get his way. they get their way, they Know Everything. everyone knows his name by the time he graduates.
- The Older Sibling friend. not quite the mom friend or even the dad friend, but the older sibling. he’s a constant source of comfort and dependability among his class, but theyre also an agent of chaos that likes to cause problems On Purpose just to see what’ll happen. they never get caught being the instigator tho. no one can ever catch him.
- likes to watch aforementioned chaos from the sidelines. a mediator and an excellent negotiator. keeps his friends (cough, bakugo) from murdering each other or other people (cough, monoma)
- i like to think he’s the eldest child with two or three younger sisters and maybe a baby brother. their parents divorced right before sero started high school, and he and his siblings live with their mom. she’s a real lovely lady.
- since he’s the eldest, he kinda knows how to take care of people. sick people, sad people, hungry people. they can read and understand people really well if they really matter to him.
- most of the time there’s just wii music in their head tho
- they weren’t super great at prioritizing themselves/taking care of themselves when he first moved in to the dorms, but with time and help from his friends, they keep getting better at it
- sero gets his looks from his dad and his attitude from his mother. again, i imagine she’s a real lovely lady.
- their love language is physical touch! with so many younger siblings and his natural Eldest Sibling Vibe, it’s only natural for him to be super cuddly and affectionate!
- while it may not be their love language, sero also probably really likes spending quality time with his friends. they like going out, they like being loud and having a blast, but the kid also wouldn’t mind sitting in his room with his friends in silence while everyone did their own individual thing.
- the kind of person that sleeps with one pillow only and one blanket only
- probably runs warm, kicks off the blanket in the summer time. either sleeps on his back stretched out like a starfish or curled into themselves like a baby. no in between.
- has a pair of underwear they call their “lucky underwear” and it’s just a pair with spider-man’s face as the pattern.
- the kid does not have regular chairs in his dorm. it’s bean bags or the floor, man.
- they also have a hammock . i’ve seen this repeating trope in every single fic i’ve ever read
- keeps a stash of snacks in his room! but it’s a trade system. kaminari gets m&ms for cheek kisses, kirishima gets beef jerky for his most rib crushing hug, and todoroki gets gummy worms if he shares his manga.
- has led lights that are connected to his speaker and changes color every time a song changes
- has only three playlists. only three.
- they’re titled, respectively: “u yearning bastard,,” “monch monch”, “for pissing bkg off”
- he still listens to the jonas brothers, lots of big time rush, but also fleetwood mac and abba. frank ocean, lorde,,,, but also. they know every word to both mama mia soundtracks.
- absolutely adores horror + romance movies and not much else
- he tries getting into star wars for kirishima’s sake but he literally cannot keep up with the plot for shit.
- can quote the entirety of the notebook with mina (it infuriates bakugo to no end when those two ask to watch it for the fifth time in a week)
- has never tried an energy drink in their life, absolutely refuses to because caffeine makes him Shake and he hates the feeling
- drinks a lot of tea tho! with momo and todoroki!
- favorite snack is oranges. this kid always has oranges.
- aside from satou and bakugo, sero is probably one of the best cooks in their class
- resident pretty boy. did i mention everyone loves them? seriously. he even has the ever so stoic shouto todoroki pining after him.
- had a huge growth spurt the summer after second year began. it pissed off all their friends because he finally passed 6’ while the others were still stuck at 5’9 or below.
- by graduation, sero reached 6’3, and bakugo was still mad, because bakugo never passed 5’10.
- really grew into himself by the end of high school, finally learning how they wanted to express themselves with his clothing style, hair and *clenches fist* piercings
- started painting his nails the summer before their third year and hasnt stopped
- glorious, curly mullet. bejeweled hair pins. jean jackets and platform docs. piercings all the way up his ears. a nose ring and a smiley. (if you don’t know what a smiley is, i beg you to search it up. it’s the cutest fucking thing i’ve ever seen in my life and i want one so bad)
- ochaco is the one who cuts sero’s hair in third year.
- he got most of his piercings alongside bakugo or kaminari, but when they went to get the nose ring, they’d gone with iida and midoriya. and when he got the smiley, he went with todoroki, who squeezed his hand when the needle went through, even if todoroki wasn’t the one getting pierced.
- one time he and denki shaved their legs and arms and Everything to see if it would make them “more aerodynamic” ( “haha dont u mean /sero/dynamic?” “shut up”)
- strangely flexible. everywhere. it makes shouji shiver and jirou gag. it makes todoroki stare with wide, disbelieving eyes.
- really bad handwriting. like. what the fuck.
- that doesn’t stop them from writing cards for each of his friends for their birthdays, for christmas. it doesn’t stop them from writing letters to todoroki (even if he ended up shredding them and throwing them away after they were finished so no one would ever find them. he wanted to ask bakugo to incinerate them, just to be safe, but they didn’t want bakugo, or anyone else, that he had written love letters to shouto todoroki.)
(....not until after they confessed and finally started dating in their third year.)
- finger guns. unironically.
- is a surprisingly good dancer and a passable singer!!!!!!!!
- sings in the shower. also dances in the shower, but one time they fell and hit the wall connecting his and todoroki’s room, and todoroki thought he might’ve died. came to his door and didn’t bother knocking to check and see if they were alright. sero didn’t dance in the shower for a long time after that.
- his favorite color is yellow, but they also really, really like red.
- doesn’t have a fucking phone case on their phone.
- earbuds falling apart but he just keeps putting more tape over them because they really don’t wanna buy new ones (kirishima bought him a pair for christmas because he didn’t want sero to get electrocuted from broken earbuds. sero ensured him he would likely not get electrocuted just from some earbuds, but took the gift anyway)
- smell checks their clothes like a HEATHEN
- is in love with shouto todoroki.
that’s all :) sero hanta is my number one best boy and i love them dearly.
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i-am-dulaman · 4 years
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So I never mentioned this before but a couple years ago i tried to write a book and i gave up around the 50,000 word mark. Recently idk why but ive been thinking about it again a lot and i kinda want to pick up again from where i left so im sorta after encouragement lol please tell me what you think:
obviously every character is poc/queer. Most people are bisexual and those who are attracted to single genders are called “one eyes” (left eye means attracted to men, right to women, regardless of your own gender) and there are gender diverse characters too.
Its essentially a love story but not a romance if that makes sense, it’s about how different people are affected by love. The four main protagonists and main antagonist all use love different ways:
There’s the widowed mother who has been abandoned and betrayed by love
The love struck young woman who is always seeking love but never finding it
The happily married couple who use their love for each other to shield themselves against the rest of the world
The main antagonist who uses love to manipulate others
Anyway it’s a high fantasy (i know, 25yo guy writing high fantasy... very original) but sue me I love world building, i’m a big geography nerd :)
So it’s set in a fantasy version of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which was very multicultural and founded on humanist ideals. Also because i love world building so much you can bet ill be pulling a lotr, creating lots of lore thats 99% irrelevant to the plot.
Gods are real, but they’re not all high and mighty, they come and go from earth as they please and for the most part they dont really care about humans, except for the occasional god falling in love with a human, or being angered by a human, etc. Most are quite naive when it comes to humans and they don’t understand all social queues.
Magic is also real and common, anyone can do it, it’s a learned skill like reading or writing, however in the empire this fact is hidden from the public and magic is only used by the priests who use it as proof that they speak for the gods.
The world is big. Very very big. Human civilization is split into small clusters around the world all separated by huge swaths of (mostly) empty wilderness or oceans. The empire controls the entirety of its cluster, and contact between clusters is rare.
The story is about a very wealthy man who grew up in the royal court alongside the two princes, though he is not noble himself, who uses his brotherly love with them to manipulate and create a fake civil war. He also tricked a goddess into falling in love with him and uses her power to stop anyone who is suspicious of him.
The married couple who are from another cluster have been wandering the world as nomads when come across a tiny town in the outskirts of the empire, the first civilization they've seen in months, where they meet the young woman and the widowed mother. From there shit happens and all four of them get inadvertently pulled into the political drama.
In terms of themes it’s definitely going to align closer to Lord of the Rings rather than Game of Thrones. It’s not going to be a dark gritty drama where the good guys are killed and women are assaulted, it’s going to be about love and hope and friendship. Def found family trope material.
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anikoku · 5 years
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Mini-essay: How the narrative of KH3 was damaged by the compulsory heterosexuality and gender norms of Japanese society
Major spoilers of Kingdom Hearts 3 are below. Please don’t look unless you’ve finished the game!
One more disclaimer: this is coming from a Japanese perspective, and it’s not meant as a xenophobic attack on the culture I was raised in.
   Light-and-darkness logic, time travel, and bosses who are giant ships, I’ll ignore. That’s just part of the Kingdom Hearts package, and despite the headache they might give me, I’ve come to accept these wild ideas and take pride in my ability to handle them. But when we stray from the fantasy, it becomes difficult confronting the cultural context that the Kingdom Hearts series is birthed from, and how these ideas have affected key plot points and the characterization of our beloved heroes.   Despite its stunning popularity overseas, the Kingdom Hearts series is still conceived in Japan (by middle-aged Japanese men, no less) for Japanese audiences. I’ve always felt that Square Enix as a company remains disconnected from the input of its non-Japanese audience. Whatever catering is done towards overseas players is limited to game mechanics, not plot. I expect there’s something of a よそはよそ、うちはうち (“That’s fine for them but not for us”) mentality when it comes to structuring the story in a way that may appeal to overseas (specifically Western) fans. The writers do not know how to do this, and they do not wish to. I don’t believe that any culture should have to adjust its creative output to make it more palatable to the outside world, but considering the sheer size of the Kingdom Hearts fanbase, such a blatant refusal to consider modern storytelling trends in the gaming world will—and has—damaged its enduring legacy. Let’s not forget the fact that Japanese society itself is not suspended in time; its younger generation has different ideas about gender, sexuality, and romance.   I’d like to discuss three examples in KH3 where the writers leaned heavily on traditional gender norms and heterosexual romance to the detriment of the plot and the integrity of previous characterization. First, there’s the matter of Subject X, the amnesiac girl who became the reason why Ansem the Wise shut down his experiments. We learn late in the game that she was Lea and Isa’s missing friend, and the reason why they chose to infiltrate the castle and join Organization XIII. Before this piece of knowledge was revealed, Lea and Isa remained the only (human) pair whose friendship existed outside of the boy-girl-boy dynamic that Nomura is so fond of. Like Axel and Roxas prior to Xion’s introduction in 358/2 Days, Subject X was retconned into their friendship, altering their dynamics and diluting the significance of the homosocial relationship. Putting aside shipping perspectives, it is important to be able to portray two men (nevermind the prospect of two women, that’s too much to hope for in this franchise) sharing a strong emotional bond. Falling back on the trio concept not only feels like lazy and tired writing, but seems to speak to a fear that without a female presence, the love and connection between two male characters is simply too homoerotic.   In an interview, Nomura remarked he was surprised by Aqua’s popularity since she did not resemble previous Kingdom Heartes heroines. He and other writers (Masaru Oka and perhaps others) have a clear idea of what femininity means and what role female characters should play, and that was never clearer than the portrayal of Kairi and Aqua in the final half of the game. After being chosen as a Guardian of Light and spending the entirety of the story training with Merlin, after promising Sora that she would be the one to protect him, Kairi’s helplessness in the final battle was appalling to witness. She is depicted as weaponless when Terra-Xehanort charges at her. Sora and the others throw themselves in front of her to protect her, and this leads directly to Donald’s self-sacrifice. Later, she is easily kidnapped by Xemnas and killed by Master Xehanort to fuel Sora’s anger. This act of textbook ‘fridging’ absolutely disregards Kairi’s agency and her wish to fight alongside her friends. She represents the worst depiction of the traditional female role in storytelling: she is an object of desire to be rescued, damaged, and won over. In other words, it’s bullshit. Likewise, although she is one of the three Keyblade Masters present in the story, Aqua is constrained to a passive role. She is first rescued by Sora, then by Ventus, then assisted by Sora once more against two opponents (Terra-Xehanort and Vanitas) she had previously beaten. When confronted by the Demon Tide in the Keyblade Graveyard, Aqua whispers “no” and lets her Keyblade slip out of her hands, defeated. This is not the same Aqua who survived over a decade in the realm of darkness, defined by her bravery and strength of will. In an era with an increasing number of female-led titles and queer, non-traditional characterization, the female characters of Kingdom Hearts are still relegated to the role of nurturer and caretaker. In a game released in 2019, that hurts.   Finally, I’d like to argue that the narrative focus on Sora and Kairi’s romance came at the expense of the friendship between Sora, Riku, and Kairi, something I believed so thematically important to the franchise. The other trios (Axel, Roxas, Xion and Terra, Aqua, Ventus) are depicted as being equally close and connected, yet KH3 does nothing to showcase Riku and Kairi’s bond. Riku is about as affected as Mickey when Kairi is threatened. The two of them never have a private conversation, not even the day before their final confrontation with Master Xehanort. Riku doesn’t volunteer to help Sora search for Kairi at the end of the game, despite him being aware of what damage it could cause Sora. And that is the other piece of the puzzle: Sora and Riku’s relationship has also been severely downplayed. During the events of KH3D, Riku becomes a Dream Eater out of his strong desire to protect Sora. His character arc has always been about “protecting the people who matter most”. Why, then, is he willing to let Sora abuse the Power of Wakening on his own? Why doesn’t he get to have a conversation with Sora before the final battle? Why is he shown racing against Terra and Roxas in the epilogue, while Kairi sits by herself and mourns? The lack of bond isn’t just present on Riku’s side. When Kairi and the others are swallowed by the Demon Tide, Sora falls to his knees and laments that he has no power now that he’s alone. His grief would have been more convincing, had Riku not been right there by his side. With such a strong bond remaining, there’s no reason Sora should have given up there; it was a deliberate narrative decision to highlight Sora and Kairi’s relationship while downplaying Sora and Riku’s. It seems that Riku was forced to take a step back to make room for the game’s heterosexual romance, and I believe the integrity of Sora, Riku, and Kairi as characters suffered because of this.   Many of the reunions in the final portion of the game were an emotional catharsis for me, and I did enjoy aspects of the story. That being said, the storytelling in KH3 makes me fear that Square Enix is either unwilling or unable to adapt to the gaming frontier now led by the West. For now, I’ll submit to the fact that the most satisfying conclusion to the series I’ve followed so long lies in the hands of the fans who are willing to do it justice.
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radiantresplendence · 5 years
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Chamrand’ded (2018-) Season 1
So, I’ve been familiar with the Charmed series, probably since the early 2000s. I’ve even read some of the comics which are set after the series finale of the TV show. It was a show that my mother enjoyed and I, and my younger sister wound up picking the fandom up, at least to a degree. I’ve probably watched the entirety of the original series’ eight season run at least six times, likely more. In terms of fandoms that I’m a part of, it’s among the earliest in my repertoire, alongside the likes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Consequently, I was mildly skeptical of the reboot, but told myself that I’d watch it in its entirety out of respect for the original, no matter the quality. For the most part, I think the reboot is a mixed bag. There’s some things that it does that I like, and other choices that it makes that I really do not. The show tends to give off a feeling like the writing staff was constantly at war with itself for the duration of the season. 
I’ll start off explaining the premise, and then I’ll dip into spoilers. 
The show is set in 2010s US, specifically a college town in Michigan called Hilltowne. The show tends to utilize the local college as a hub for a lot of the episodes. This works decently well for the most part, but has a habit of tending to shrink the world instead of expanding it. Essentially the majority of stuff of import happens to revolve around this college. 
This is a modern fantasy setting, with the main cast of three being revealed as the chosen “Charmed Ones” after their mother is killed under mysterious circumstances. They’re each granted magical powers and begin to study witchcraft, under the guidance of a guardian angel called a “whitelighter”.
The main characters are as follows:
Macy Vaughn- The oldest sister, an estranged half-sibling who is separated from the family and was raised by her father without knowledge of her mother. Upon learning of the death of the women she suspected to be her mother, she makes contact with her siblings. She’s a bit awkward, nerdy and headstrong. A lot of the time she stays more independent than her siblings. Her power is telekinesis. Of the cast, I think she’s one of the stronger performers and generally tends to have fairly strong plots. 
Mel Vera- The middle sister, who despite living most of her life as the elder sibling, fits neatly into the role of the defiant middle child. An outspoken lesbian feminist with a tendency to make rash decisions. She’s the staunchest defender of personal lives away from magic in the group and tends to dislike authority. A lot of her personal plotlines tend to revolve around her romance interests with mixed effectiveness; despite this, I think her plots tend to have the most intrigue as a whole. She has the power to control time. I find her to be very derivative of Piper from the original series, without the same kind of character development that Piper had to reach the comparable mindset. She has a very genuine, close platonic relationship with the sister’s whitelighter, Harry, that develops quite organically over the course of the season, despite originally being openly hostile to him. I like this relationship a lot, despite Mel being my least favorite member of the main cast. 
Maggie Vera- The youngest sister, an empath who tends to be the glue that holds the group together. She’s more bubbly and outgoing than her siblings and is a freshman in college, unsure about what she wants in life. She’s reminiscent of Phoebe from the original series, but isn’t nearly as derivative as Mel is in regards to Piper. She’s portrayed as generally capable and quite stable, yet naive. Her plots tend to revolve around a sorority at the college, and honestly they get old quite quickly as it’s quite apparent from the onset that she won’t officially join the Greek system. Her better plots tend to involve her “bad boy” significant other, Parker. 
Harry Greenwood- The sister’s guardian angel, assigned by the powers that be to guide the sisters. A resurrected British man from the mid 1900s. He develops a genuine relationship with each of the sisters as a friend and confidant. He often plays the role of the comic relief and the all-knowing cast member. He winds up living in the sister’s house for the majority of the season. He’s honestly the most complicated member of the cast, despite being rather upstanding. He follows the rules, but personally isn’t infallible. He has baggage and relationships with characters in the world. Despite being sometimes played for comedy, he’s never portrayed as incompetent. I did a longer breakdown of the character in the middle of the season. His powers include, age resistance, teleportation, healing, memory manipulation, limited clairvoyance, limited illusions, limited telekinesis and self healing. My second favorite member of the cast. 
Minor characters include: 
Parker- Maggie’s half-demon “bad boy” boyfriend. Believed to be the host of the Source of All Evil. Actually does almost nothing wrong all season but is often discriminated against by much of the cast, both good and evil. Reminiscent of Cole from the original series. 
Niko- One of Mel’s romance interests. A police officer who’s presence tends to cause a lot of issues tangential to magic. Reminiscent of Andy from the original series. 
Jada- Another of Mel’s romance interests. The forbidden child of a witch and whitelighter pairing who’s affiliated with an organization called the Sarcana. A character who I quite like. 
Galvin- Macy’s romance interest. A geneticist who works with her, has a family background associated with the occult. 
Charity- An Elder with a history that includes Harry. Somewhat untrustworthy, but competent. 
Alastair- A powerful demon who wants to bring about the apocalypse. Often portrayed as the main villain of the first season. 
Spoilers from here on out. 
Generally speaking the first season revolves around the sisters coming into their powers and forming a bond, particularly revolving around Macy’s relationship with her sisters. The main plot points revolve around the Sarcana coven and the assassination of Marisol Vera, the sister’s mother, Parker and the Source, and Harry and Charity’s involvement in the loss of Charity’s sister, Fiona, a powerful witch known as the Keeper of the Sacred Flame. 
Generally speaking, the plot is at it’s most powerful, when pushing the third narrative, as it is the most distinctive and intriguing of the three main plots. It gets wrapped up in the second plot when Alastair needs the Sacred Flame as a pawn in order to evoke the Source of All Evil. The first plot is largely resolved in the first half of the season upon it being revealed that Charity was responsible for Marisol’s death. It begins to bleed into the third plot when the Sarcana saves Fiona from her banishment. 
It is revealed that Maggie and Macy are full sisters, not half, and that Mel is the one with a different father. It is also revealed that Macy is the product of necromancy and has the potential to develop a demonic power called the evil sight at the cost of her humanity. 
Parker’s full-demon brother, Hunter acts as a recurring villain over the course of the series. The brother’s father is Alastair, who also owns the lab that Macy works for. 
The strengths:
The season really shines in its ability to keep things interconnected. Parker’s parents are affiliated with Macy’s work, Niko is investigating the Sarcana, the Sarcana save Fiona, Fiona is needed to summon the Source, etc. 
Additionally the character interactions tend to be fairly strong. I really believe the interactions between the members of the main cast, particularly Harry and Macy’s. 
The reality warping that changes the timeline in order to save Niko might not have been the easiest, or obvious solution, but it was the most interesting. 
There’s an episode with Harry and Mel where they go to the UK that really cements their relationship. It’s incredibly sweet and really shows how much Harry means to the Veras and the degree to which they trust him. It ends strikingly bittersweet and is likely one of the most well-written episodes of the season. 
The reveal that the Sacred Flame and the Source are ultimately the same force that seeks an ideal host is very well done. 
The last two episodes of the season are extremely strong and subvert expectations, particularly the penultimate episode. Macy takes on the Source, kills Alastair, prevents the apocalypse and essentially becomes a god with the power to massively manipulate reality at will. Maggie and Mel have to rely on the bond they formed with Macy over the course of the entire season to get their sister out of the corrupting influence of absolute power. 
The weaknesses:
The show has a bad habit of flip-flopping on character relationships. Harry and Charity are on and off, Mel and Niko and Jada have a back and forth relationship all season. Maggie’s pilot boyfriend is on and off. Maggie and Parker are on and off. Macy and Galvin are also on and off. I just kind of wish that the series would portray a stable relationship. 
The powers of whitelighters are somewhat inconsistent. They manage to be stronger than their original series counterparts, but also weaker. Essentially it creates a situation where I wonder why the Elders don’t create an army of immortal whitelighters to support do-gooders. They make more righteous dead people every day after all. 
The show has a bad habit of taking back decisions on an episode to episode basis. It’s bad enough where there are episodes where it feels like you miss an episode in-between despite watching episodes back to back. It really feels like writers conflicting over what they want on an episode-to-episode basis. 
The sorority plot is stupid. I like Maggie well enough, but Lucy should have shown up consistently in the first half of the season and like twice afterward. 
I feel like a lot of the “demon of the week” episodes were wasted airtime because of the pace that the series has been taking. The original series could do that in the first season because the build up to the source took almost two seasons and happened in the middle of the series. The reboot pushed the Source as the big narrative that the first season is trying to overcome. It needed every second of the airtime it had to properly build that up, and I feel like it squandered a lot of it. The finale could have been pretty incredible if they focused more on the lead up to that the entire season. 
The Conclusion: 
Charmed 2018 isn’t necessarily for fans of the original; it’s for people who watch the CW. There are some cute nods to the original series that you can tell were snuck in by clever writers. 
Honestly, I find a lot of problems with it. The show is certainly a little more rough around the edges than the original series. Despite this, I enjoyed almost every episode. It nods to the original, but tries not to copy it and explore its own ideas that branch off from the concept. 
I honestly think that if make an effort to take more risks in the second season and branch away from college setting, they can recapture some of the magic of the original. 
It’s a seven out of ten from me, but it has potential, especially if they’re willing to commit in the same way that they did in the last few episodes. I’d be all too happy to see more. 
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comicteaparty · 5 years
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July 13th-July 19th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive
The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from July 13th, 2019 to July 19th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:
What has been the biggest struggle writing wise for your comic’s story?  What have you been doing to overcome it?
Draco Plato (KhyatiX)
I have a hard time writing antagonists and fight scenes~
but like a shooting star, if I catch the right moment I'll get through it
spacerocketbunny
Hi I make Ghost Junk Sickness http://ghostjunksickness.com/ ! what I struggle with is sorting scenes out, making sure things are properly paced and that character motives are in check and make sense to each of them. A delivery can really fall flat if the pacing and motives just don't check out. To combat that I go back and forth with my co-author with drafts until we figure it out. if there's too many additions and notes on the thumbnails then it's time to redraft it!
Attila Polyák
I have two main problems, but one is definitely a bigger issue than the other: My probably biggest struggles is the fact that my comic, Tales of Midgard https://talesofmidgard.com/, wasn't planned to be short. During the initial planning phase of the story a very different pace was planned compared to the pace that now actually happens, as a matter of fact the current updates come at about 1/7th the speed of the "plan version". This coupled with the fact that it's a long story to begin with basically means that it's very likely the story will never reach it's ultimate conclusion... This situation is worsened by the fact that the most recent written page is roughly 700 pages ahead of the most recent drawn page, so redoing the story to cut stuff down, and speeding up the rest would mean throwing about 3 years of work out the window. I don't really have an actual solution for this problem unfortunately, so all suggestions are welcome. However the way I wrote my story has a small out: There are 4 major arcs to it, and the ending of each of these arcs is a potential endpoint to the story, so technically cutting the last 3 parts would somewhat help, except that's not the entirety of the story I'd wish to tell...
AntiBunny
As a writer, I've always had issues getting through the middle of something. I know where an arc should begin and where it should end. Getting from point A to point B is somewhat tricky. Basically the act 2 of any 3 act structure is the hardest part to write for me.
kayotics
I think my biggest struggle with writing Ingress Adventuring Company https://www.ingress-comic.com/ is that I don't have a clear 'middle' and a pretty vague 'end' for where i want the comic to go. I planned writing the story episodically, which helped in the beginning since I knew I wanted to start a comic, but is tripping me up now that I've got a plot started, since I'm not exactly sure where certain story beats will go. But, the fun thing about that is it keeps me engaged with the comic as I go, which I could see becoming a drag if I had it all planned out in the beginning.
Desnik
My biggest struggle with http://ask-a-warlock.tumblr.com/ has been figuring out how to transition between scenes in a way that makes sense. I wrote the first version in 2 drafts, and I'm working ona second, more improved version...on draft 4 now
Mharz
For The Angel with Black Wings http://blackwings.mharz.com/ and CHAMPS http://champs.mharz.com/ pretty much every aspect of writing is a struggle. jk. In all seriousness tho, my struggle is usually writing the plot in detail. I have like rough patches of what will happen to the story in my head but putting them together where the flow will be smooth and makes sense is the tough part. I'd be the first one to admit that I'm not the best writer out there. I'm not those type of people who can spout 50,000 words of story in a short amount of time. Most of the time, my mind is just blank of plot-related things so I'm usually really slow in the writing part which takes literally months. Somehow, I manage to make things work and create a story that some people read, enjoy, relate and theorize. When something sparked in my mind, I can get in the zone and write a chapter tho that does not happen often as I wish. CHAMPS actually has an additional challenge of how I should balance the fights and their lives outside the octagon. I want to explore the lesbian romance but give enough action for the people to enjoy. ALSO choreographing the fight scene. My comic isn't like those dragonball-esque style where they do they do lightning fast strikes or just shoot kame-hame waves to each other. They are doing technical fighting so I have to endlessly research the moves and think "hmmm... does this counter feasible to that move? What will the do next once they do that?" Updating one page bides me time to work on that but it is a challenge.
ShaRose49
Probably in learning how much more effective it is to show rather than to tell. I keep trying to get better at that, like with showing a character’s face instead of also telling them exactly how they feel every time, or featuring an image alongside a brief explanation of something, so the image (or images) partially explains for itself. http://sunstrikeandbluemist.thecomicseries.com/
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nightqueendany · 6 years
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The GOT S7 Commentaries...
So one of the incomprehensible ANTI arguments as to why it’s believed Jon/Sansa are endgame or that Jon actually isn’t in love with Daenerys (and therefore is playing her, is undercover/political Jon theories and is actually in love with his sister instead) has to do with the Season 7 Episode 7 commentary, specifically, Kit’s comments about one Jonerys scene in particular.
That scene every ANTI has a hard-on about is when Jon/Dany are in the corner of the dragonpit alone, passing the dragon skull back and forth and are talking about Dany being infertile (or so she thinks).
In the commentary, Kit says “this is when they decide they really like each other” and David Benioff sort of disagrees, mentioning earlier scenes of them in the caves, etc.
Antis like to say that since Kit can’t even supposedly pinpoint when Jon and Daenerys started to fall for each other, that this must be proof that Jon actually is playing Dany and Kit has known it all along and isn’t that invested in the romance he’s portraying on screen.
Now, a few points to remember before I serve up some hot tea:
This commentary is well after the wrapping of filming. Many many months after wrapping.
The actors have not seen any of the completed episodes for this season.
The actors frequently skip the bits of the scripts that do not have them in it. Hence the joke “Bullshit, bullshit, my line, bullshit.”
The entire season is shot incredibly out of order. Some scenes from Episode 7 were the first shot of the entire season.
The actors and even D&D absolutely do not take these commentaries seriously AT ALL. “90 minutes of goooooold....”
THEREFORE
With the long break between when they wrapped filming, with filming being out of order, and with actors skipping large chunks of script, when Kit and co did the commentary, much of the details of the script were forgotten. In fact, in the 7x07 episode, Kit frequently says he doesn’t know what’s going on in a scene because he’s forgotten even filming it in the first place.
But I’ll let the commentary speak for itself:
0:30 - “Have any of you three ever listened to any these commentaries?” - Dave Benioff.  “I jog to them.” - Dan Weiss. “I sometimes go on YouTube and forwardwind bits until I’m talking and just listen.” - Kit Harington. “Is that what you on set while we’re shooting?” - Dan Weiss “Most days.” - Kit Harington. “Bullshit, bullshit, my line, bullshit bullshit bullshit.” - Dan Weiss. “Bullshit, bullshit, my line.” - Kit Harington.
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2:25 - “I’ve forgotten what’s going on here.” - Kit in reference to the scene the Unsullied are lined up outside King’s Landing and the Lannister soldiers are preparing in case of attack.
4:40 - “The thing about Thrones is you turn up and you have a horse riding assessment at the start and the last people to know anything about what happens in the series are the actors so Camilla, the stunt guys, everybody knows the storyline, what happens to your character. And it’s your job during the horse riding assessment to try and get that information.” - Kit when they’re talking about their horse riding assessments at the beginning of filming every season.
5:57 - “Ohh I know what’s going on. I’ve just realized...it’s taken me that long to figure it out.” - Kit, in reference to the scene Sandor Clegane taps on the box holding the wight on the ship headed for King’s Landing and the Dragon Pit meeting.
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14:25 - “Oh we did have rain, didn’t we?” Kit in reference to Dan and Dave talking about the VFX guys having to take out raindrops from scenes because he literally couldn’t remember filming what was, according to Lena, “Torrential rain.”
19:09  - “I’m quoting your character from later in this episode.” - Dave Benioff talking about Lena conspiring with the costume designer. Lena clearly didn’t get the reference when Dave made it because she had forgotten her own line from the script of the episode they’re watching.
23:56 - “Here’s where you’ve just, just fucked the whole thing up” - Dan Weiss, “It was quite interesting having everyone of the main characters, or the principle characters, in the same place at the same time.” “Looking at you with disdain.”
24:53  - “Alright Jon Snow, don’t fuck this up.” - Dave Benioff, “Don’t fuck it up Jon, what could he possibly do to fuck it up?” - Kit Harington. “Just say fine’.” “Just say ‘yes’. Simple.” - Looks at Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). “Noooo,” “I am true to my word.” “God he pisses me off.” “Kit Harington would have just lied through his teeth here.” - Dan Weiss. “Honestly I would, yeah.” - in reference to Cersei asking Jon to stay out of the fight between her and Daenerys after the dead are defeated and Jon admits he already bent the knee to Dany.
-Okay, not really relevant, just my personal favorites on Jon publicly bending the knee, but I digress...
29:35 - “What’s going on now?” - Kit when Tyrion goes to meet with Cersei and is standing outside talking to Jaime.
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30:32 - “Did you film this right at the start? The start of the season, is this one of the first ones you filmed?” - Kit. “Yeah I think it was in the first couple of weeks.” - Lena. When Tyrion and Cersei are meeting privately. Filming out of order...
31:02  - “I’ve forgotten what happens in the rest of this episode.” - Kit during the Tyrion Cersei scene. COME ON HE LITERALLY ADMITS HE CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SEASON FINALE OF THE SHOW HE’S STARRED IN FOR SEVEN YEARS. They don’t study this stuff like we do guys!!! They love it but they’re not as big of nerds as us!!!
31:57  - “This does look like a good scene.” - Kit again on the Tyrion Cersei scene. 😳🙄
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37:10 - “Kit, what did you think about this scene? Why don’t you tell us something useful. For the one guy left listening.” - Dave Benioff. “I liked it. I liked this scene.” “I can’t remember, what was this scene about?” “Yeah, she says that I’m not... she can’t have children.” “We’ll see about that.” “Haven’t met the little Jon.” “No this is where they really decide where they like each other, isn’t it?”  “If that’s what works for you? I feel like it happened a little sooner. You know when they’re in the cave together, there’s some friction, some heat. “ <= What the ANTIS heard “I don’t recall when Jon and Dany start to fall for each other because it’s unimportant to the story.”  => What they conveniently forget Kit adds at the end => “It happens in stages. But this is where the magic touch happens. This is where the electricity happens, just there.”
39:12 - “Actor studio question for you, so when you’re playing this scene, are you thinking in the back of your head, I know I’m telling a lie or are you just playing it as if this is really what’s gonna happen?” - Dave Benioff  “What sounds more intelligent?” - Lena, talking about when Cersei comes out to the Dragonpit after her conversation with Tyrion and tells Team Targaryen she will send her armies north to fight alongside them against the dead. Lena, a professional actress, can’t even remember how she approached and played a scene that is pretty pivotal for the entirety of next season. I mean....
41:38 - “If someone’s watching this for the first time.” - Kit. “I know I’m joking, it was a joke, Kit, fuck.” - Dave Benioff. “They’ve probably already read it online anyway.” - Dan Weiss. - Talking about Littlefinger’s death when Sansa receives the raven from Jon about bending the knee to Daenerys. Again, not really relevant. This is just personally one of my fave bits from the commentary. But D&D knew what was up with the leaks hah.
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44:46 - “This is one of the first scenes I shot in the whole…” - Kit Harington about the Jon/Theon throne room scene on Dragonstone when Theon says he needs to go after Yara. More out of order shooting making it difficult for actors to recall certain storylines, plots, lines, scenes, episodes, etc.
46:18 -  “I’ve forgotten you’ve got that Alfie scene in this bit.” - Kit on Theon later on the beach with the other Ironborn.
48:05 - “Does Jon know who Yara is? I guess he probably does, he knows things.” - Dan Weiss. When Theon says he needs to go save Yara. This is the writer, producer, and showrunner and he’s legitimately asking this question. Side Note, of course Jon would know who Yara is, he grew up with Theon. Surely the topic of his sister would have come up at some point.
48:37 - “I have no recollection of who writes what anymore.” - Dan Weiss. Talking about the Jon Snow/Theon scene.
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1:05:44 - “This was, I think, Isaac’s first scene, that he shot in the season. So he was still, he did a very good job of finding this new version of his character right out of the gate.” - Dan Weiss on the scene where Sam arrives in Winterfell and meets with Bran where they speak about Jon’s heritage.
1:08:04 - “Are you kidding?” - Lena, who doesn’t read the scripts, about Rhaegar and Lyanna being married. “No, Heir to the throne. Heir to the … well, technically.” - *Lena gasping* -  “There’s mum and dad. I’m getting emotional actually.” - Kit “Lena do you not read the scripts?” “No cause I fucking watch it.”
1:09:42 - “Oh shit off.” Lena when Lyanna says Jon’s real name. At Bran’s line: “He’s the heir to the Iron Throne.” - Lena inhales sharply.
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1:10:52 - “Did you not know that was coming? Did you?” - Kit to Lena about Jon being the heir to the throne.  - Side Note: when Kit said this, I actually thought Lena might have been crying until she speaks again in the Sansa/Arya scene and her voice is unaffected so I guessed she wasn’t but anyway...just goes to show how much the actors know about the scripts and scenes and show in general.
1:13:24 - “Oh, you haven’t seen this have you? You don’t know what’s happening?” - Kit to Lena about The Wall coming down.
Clearly, our fave folks do not pay nearly as much attention to this stuff once they’re done filming it as we do.
BTW I thought all the ANTIS didn’t believe a single thing the actors, producers, composer, costume designer, etc. said about the show in commentaries or BTS bits because none of what they said aligned with the Jon/Sansa pairing...?
SOUNDS LIKE PICKING AND CHOOSING WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCEPT AND BELIEVE TO ME.
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wildwandererdreamer · 2 years
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BOOK REVIEW
Ryan’s Bed by Tijan
Stars: 5/5
Darkness: 5/5
Angst: 2/5
Romance: 5/5
I haven’t read a book in its entirety for at least a few years. I just hadn’t found a book that was good enough to pull me in. With Ryan’s Bed, however, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in 2 days.
I think it takes a special author to tackle subjects like suicide and grief, and Tijan was so raw and vulnerable in her writing that it made me feel like I was experiencing that same grief alongside the main character Mackenzie.
The author did an amazing job at slowly peeling back Mackenzie’s layers one by one. From the beginning to the end of the book, she’s a totally different person. I don’t remember so much growth and character development in a character in other books I've read. However, I think that was necessary for Mac considering how much she was going through with the death of her sister.
I didn’t know why, or how, but it had happened. I was coming together even as I was falling apart. Go figure that one out.
Speaking of her sister, even though she’s not in the book physically, she’s in Mac’s head, and it was thought-provoking to learn more about Willow and the type of person she was and how she related to her sister. Of course, being twins, they shared this unshakable bond, and Tijan didn’t push that part aside when tackling the loss that Mac felt when her sister died.
Willow, though gone, was an interesting character to learn about through Mackenzie. Teens experience a lot of pressure to be a certain way and look a certain way, and Willow felt this immensely leading up to her death. It’s truly heartbreaking to think about other teens going through the same thing, and I know they feel so much pressure these days.
I like books that have darkness because, having struggled with depression myself, it’s easier for me to relate. This book isn’t all roses, and I liked that. It made me feel not as alone knowing that someone else (even if it’s a book character) has felt how I’ve felt. What Mac experienced and felt gutted me at times – her pain was so visceral and real.
Now about the love story. Mackenzie and Ryan’s love story wasn’t your typical roller coaster/angst type of love story. Their love story was very pure, and Ryan understood Mac in ways she didn’t even understand herself. Ryan, like Mac, took a while to peel away those layers of grief, and Tijan didn’t dive into his story until later in the book, which I liked. I got bits and pieces of his story along the way as we learned more about Mac. It didn’t take away from Mac’s experiences that way.
I also liked that Ryan and Mackenzie’s love story wasn’t the main plot of the book. Instead, I would consider the main plot to be about Mac’s healing and what she needed to go through to get there. And when I say recovery, I don’t think you ever completely heal from a loss she experienced. But I do believe that throughout the book, she became more and more self-aware.
I thought the part about Ryan’s bed was sweet and added a layer of comfort and warmth to a heartbreaking story. Like Ryan’s bed was a way for Mac to escape her pain and feel at peace, and it was the same way for me as a reader.
"When I woke, he was on his back beside me, one of his hands on my side. He had fallen asleep like that, like he was protecting me."
I, too, felt release when I was in Ryan’s bed  from all the horrible and anguishing thoughts Mac shared with me.
“There are layers of pain inside me. Pain that I can’t put into words, and underneath it all is hell. It’s raw and bloody. Agony. Suffering. Torture.”
The ending gave me chills, and I will be thinking about it for some time yet.
One other thing I wanted to mention is I liked how Tijan weaved into the book  that Mac decided to have the same crown braid in her hair during a dance that she went to that she had in her hair when she found her sister. It was a nice touch to honor her sister that way. That’s also the braid and dress she wore on the cover of the book. While I was reading I couldn’t figure out why Tijan chose that as her cover because it wasn’t how I envisioned Mac at all. Then, it all made sense later. 
In the end, the author Tijan reveals more of how she wasn’t sure if she should finish the book due to the subject matter. I’m so glad she didn’t stop writing and decided to delve into a heavy subject matter that not enough authors are writing about today. 
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fyrapartnersearch · 6 years
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Sorry not sorry!
Hello there! Thanks for stopping at my post - while I apologise for the undeniable length it will no doubt amount to, I hope some of you will reach the end and drop me a message. 
Who am I? Going by Trubidore online, I’m an 18+ female roleplayer from Britain, who’s time is taken up greatly by a mixture of studies, work and gaming. However, in the breaks I get, I’m looking to find some engaging roleplays to keep my mind moving, which is why I’m here today!
Timezone? As noted above, I’m British, and therefore live within the GMT + 0 timezone. This, however, does not mean I’m not interested in others of a different timezone! Send me a message and we’ll make it work.
Availability? I am both a student and a part-time worker, and thus a lot of my time is taken up with those two main objectives in my life, but this doesn’t mean I’m always unavailable. I will always strive to reply at least once a day, and can sometimes write more if my schedule is particularly forgiving. I will of course promise to let partners know if there’s going to be a delay on the reply, as life can sometimes get in the way of joyous activities, and expect the same courtesy from partners.
RP Style? My preferences writing style is in the third person, and while I do not necessarily require my partner to match this, it’s what I’m most comfortable with and is something I will not stray from. In terms of replies (as you may or may not have guessed from this here ad), they tend to be on the longer side of the spectrum, my average being about 1000 words. Now, this will seem a lot - and it is, really. However you should understand that I do not expect my partners to match this; if you can, you’ll never get rid of me, but I wholly understand that many find such lengths difficult and therefore I ask for only 2 things - 1. You write at least 2 paragraphs and help advance the scenes and (where possible) storyline and 2. You read the entirety of my replies, regardless of how long, and digest the information so you can reply accordingly. I apologise if it sounds snobbish, that second request, but you cannot begin to fathom the annoyance that comes from receiving a reply that doesn’t follow on from my own, or asks questions that I had already answered (a clear sign that my partner had merely glanced through my work at best).
What am I looking for? Finally onto the interesting information! Primarily I’m searching for long-term partners (though am in no way opposed to short-terms as well), for both fandom and original settings (see below for more information). As an 18+ RP’er, I’m both incredibly open and comfortable with smut, and have very few limits and can happily write in detail, or fade-to-black, depending on what my partner is most comfortable with. This is the main aspect of my RP - I tend to conform to my partners needs and wishes, building worlds around their primary ideas, and forming characters and relationships within powerful storylines that drive our imagination to its limits. If that sounds like your sort of passer of time, then we should definitely talk.
What do I play? Though I am female, I love playing both/all genders, and any sexual pairings, and will generally make a character to fit the plot, rather than the other way around. I’ll happily play either the “dominant” or “submissive” partner in a relationship, and do not shy away from darker subjects. While I lean towards original characters, I am capable of playing canons, and can sometimes be persuaded, depending on the fandom and character. This being said, I will always play canons as side characters in fandom settings, giving them their own flares, and love handling the task of playing multiple characters.
Fandoms~ (Those highlighted in bold are one’s I’m particularly interested in). Harry Potter ~ As always, I am always open to a HP centric RP, whether it be taken directly from the books, from the history (i.e. Marauders or earlier), or even kept on the outskirts of the series, discovering the rest hidden from the mundanes. Honestly, this is my absolute favourite series, and I am incredibly comfortable playing any character, even those considered obscure, but would absolutely adore putting an OC into its depths and developing them in the fantastic world. MCU ~ A superhero fan by birth, it doesn’t matter the plot - whether we’re slamming OC’s into the main plots of some of the greatest movies or comics, or creating devious outsiders watching that world from afar, I love anything Marvel. While I am happy playing canons as side characters, I tend not to play them as mains - unless you can convince me otherwise. DC ~ Much like the Marvel universe, I love the DC one too, though leaning more towards the comics than the films (the latter of which I am still up to date with, and thus wouldn’t be opposed to playing one out with twists). In the DC universe, given the option, I’d definitely lean towards the villainous activity than the heroic.
Dragon Age ~ I’ve played all the games, but have not read the books. I’d happily play in any of the 3 games, or even form a world before the series, and link them all together? This is my favourite game series alongside Far Cry, so pitch any ideas - my ears are keen to listen. Supernatural ~ Not up to date with the TV series, but did enjoy watching the earlier seasons. The Walking Dead ~ Both the telltale game, and the TV series. Loved the game and enjoyed the earlier seasons of the TV series.
I’m sure there are so many more I’m missing but honestly I need to move on - just ask if you’re craving something in particular, I’ll let you know!
  Original Plots~ (Those highlighted in bold are one’s I’m particularly interested in).
High Fantasy ~ D&D style setting anyone? Urban Fantasy Medieval Fantasy Supernatural Sci-Fi Mythology Horror Action Romance Dystopia/Apocalyptic
Nearly anything else you can suggest!
Contact? Here’s the important part - if you’ve gotten this far, congratulations! You and I, we’re meant to be. There’s just one more thing I need you to do (sorry not sorry). 
When you contact me, which will be first through email (though I will happily move to an app like discord after first greetings), please introduce yourself. Let me know where you found me, and what timezone you’re in - what your RP style is and, most importantly, what you are looking for. When you contact me, I expect you have some inkling of what you’d like to do - do you want to RP in a Fandom or Original setting? Original characters or canons? Do you want romance and/or smut? Any particular theme? You catch my drift. The more information you give me in the initial thread, the sooner we can start a fantastic world together. I adore creating plots, but you need to give me something to work with, and from there we can happily devise with one another.
As a final note, I apologise profoundly for the length of this post - I honestly didn’t plan for it to be this long, my fingers just kept moving! For those of you who stuck around till the last word, I greatly look forward to hearing from you soon.
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mediaeval-muse · 6 years
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Book Review... Tomi Adeyemi, “Children of Blood and Bone”
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Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary: Zelie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zelie without a mother and her people without hope. Now, Zelie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zelie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orisha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zelie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.
Reviewer Comments: I originally heard of this book through tumblr, with several people posting links to early reviews that called it the “African Game of Thrones.” I wholeheartedly do not agree with that comparison or using GoT as a measuring stick for all fantasy nowadays, but I do think this is a good read for anyone looking to diversify their fantasy. The issues I had with this book were more about technique than plot - and even then, my preferences might not be yours, so just keep in mind that my reviews are skewed towards my personal tastes.
Things I Liked
Allegory: This book can be read, in part, as an allegory. Not only is it a commentary on oppression (hard to miss when one group of people is treated badly by another), but it deals with that oppression in honest and complex ways. I really liked that the maji were given very real, very understandable fears, yet some characters were horrified by the use of violence even when it seems justified. I liked how even though oppression was critiqued, the oppressors were given complex histories so as not to seem one-dimensional. It made the conflict as a whole seem less good-vs-evil, which piqued my interest immediately.
Characters: I like the range of characters that Adeyemi creates, and I especially like the characteristics she gives them. All seem to have admirable, endearing qualities alongside their shortfalls. Zelie is powerful and determined, yet impulsive and takes a lot of risks. Tzain is protective and caring, yet also can be controlling. All characters are like that, which makes them more rich than the stereotypical fantasy badass who can do no wrong.
Magic/Mythology: The magic system in this fantasy world derives from gods and goddesses, and I loved that the origin stories of these powers were rooted not only in a powerful and loving mother deity, but also in non-violent stories of her children (as in, no one kills or assaults the mother deity to get powers). Magic thus felt like a way to connect with one another as opposed to being just a tool or weapon.
Complex Results: While readers of the book may root for magic to return for the entirety of the novel, I really loved how the characters debated the merits of bringing magic back into the world after seeing how it is used for violence. Of course, this is not to say they submit to oppression; rather, they think about the consequences of actions and how impossible it is to ensure that everyone act a certain way when given extraordinary abilities. I think this was a great writing choice because it commented on power as well as justice and vengeance.
Things I Didn’t Like
Pace: This book is marketed positively as “fast-paced,” but I actually think the pace hurt some aspects of the novel. Events moved so swiftly that there was very little time to put weight on heavy decisions or character interactions. Characters seemed to flip flop between ideas too rapidly, which made a lot of decisions feel shallow or nonsensical. Romances developed way too fast to have an emotional impact on the reader. I almost think this book could have been cut in half and each half filled out again to give big events their proper due.
Chapter Divisions: This is nitpicky, but it bothered me. The chapters seem to be divided awkwardly, with breaks coming at strange moments in the narrative. For me, it was a little distracting.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in:
fantasy, high fantasy, fantasy featuring people of color, African-inspired fantasy (specifically, Nigerian culture)
magic, magic systems where each person has a single ability, magic based on gods and goddesses
quests to return magic to the world
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groundramon · 6 years
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Do you have a list of like top 5 tv shows? (Cartoons and anime included)
!!! Yes I do, actually!
I’ve actually thought about doing a YouTube video about this in the past, and while I do want to do list-like videos (and I already have at least one in mind) in the future, I put off doing this one because it actually…depends greatly on where certain shows I currently like are headed because some currently-airing shows would be on this list if they hit their full potential, but who knows if they’ll hit their full potential. Also I always split anime and cartoons into two categories because I always had a hard time picking otherwise xD But I do have some semblance of a list, and I adore talking about this kind of stuff, sooo:
5. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
This spot is kind of a three-way tie between Voltron, Bojack Horseman, and FMAB, all for extremely different reasons. So consider Voltron and Bojack my honorable mentions. But while I believe Bojack’s best is honestly some of the (if not the) best out there, and if Voltron promises through on what they’ve promised it will easily skyrocket up this list, Bojack’s worst is everything I hate about Hollywood and Voltron just has too many holes at the moment.  FMAB has the best of both worlds because it has great animation like Voltron, doesn’t have any of Bojack’s bad kind of moments, and doesn’t have many holes in it.  (Another honorable mention goes to BNHA, but like Voltron, I just don’t think it has had enough time to develop all the way. Unlike Voltron, it doesn’t really have any holes, but I do have a problem with how strictly it adheres to cheesy super heroes of the past.)
BUT onto FMAB itself. God cmon, its FMAB, do I really need to elaborate why its so great? The characters are compelling, their motivations are powerful and interesting. I could write an essay examining Ed’s character alone, because he has so many interesting motivations and morals that seemingly conflict with his angry disposition, and I don’t even like Ed that much. The story is exciting - there’s basically no filler, and it almost moves too fast at points. I do have problems with the show - as I said, it goes too fast. The only two deaths in the season happen in the first 12-15 episodes of the series, and although I think that’s because the original FMA animated those scenes already, it still fucks with the pacing of this show. Additionally, despite Lust, Gluttony, and Envy all being revealed before, the show introduces a completely new villain - Greed - to introduce the homunculi. And then they kill Lust - the presumed leader of the first three introduced homunculi?? Idk man, the show barrels in a completely different direction way too quickly. But other than that, its a great show. The only reason it isn’t higher is because I’m a biased shit towards other good shows.
4. Teen Titans
Speaking of being a biased shit, idk if it shows or not, but I have a HUGE soft spot for corny kids shows that try to give kids bad laughs and dark/relatable storylines, or rather, have a heart while doing so. Its not so much that I like a balance of comedy and darkness in my shows - although that’s a good thing, I eat pure angst up and I’m all-for pure comedy shows that have the aforementioned heart (ie we bare bears, another good show not on this list) - its just specifically corny pun-ridden teen/tweeny-feeling shows/games that actually have a decent story underneath that get me. (Also my sense of humor aligns much more with shitty teen lingo and puns than modern cartoon humor that’s considered “good”. Like I find Teen Titans 10x funnier than I’ve ever found Steven Universe. I’m a 90s kid at heart even tho I wasn’t alive in the 90s)
But the biggest impact of this show for me was the heart and the plot. The silly moments made me laugh, sometimes iromically and sometimes unironically and sometimes I wasn’t sure how, but it was the story that really gripped me. The first season’s overarching plot for Robin is honestly one of the most compelling things I’ve seen in kids cartoons…period. Its dark, its unique, its a subversion of such a simble and broad trope. Sure it had a nice cheesy ending but Robin actually saves the day through INTELLIGENCE, something he always had. No other Teen Titans ending did that, but I digress.
And god, do not even get me started on Terra’s arc. Just because Robin’s was the most well-structured arc doesn’t mean his was the most emotional. I was fucking distraught after Terra’s season. Those memes weren’t a joke, I legitimately cried right in front of my mom. IT WAS SO OBVIOUS, BUT IN MY BLIND LOVE, I MISSED ALL THE SIGNS… and god, even when she comes back, even when she’s given a happy ending, she manages to make me cry AGAIN. I never, ever thought I could cry over a character like Beast Boy, but she made me do it. I didn’t even cry when Sokka’s girlfriend died, but this really, really got to me. Once for personal attachment, and the second time because…the finale is so good. Literally its Bojack levels of deep, emotional, and realistic, and this was the ending of a fucking kids show. What the fuck. To this day I still get emotional whenever something reminds me of her arc. Which brings me to my next series…
3. Cybersix
Hi so did I mention Cybersix is really good? Because Cybersix is really good.  I’m not even done with it but yeah, I love this show.  It’s got an amazing art style, great animation, an intriguing story…I have a feeling I’m gonna be really disappointed when it ends because I’ll want to know what happens next so badly.  I like the characters, I like the aesthetic, I like the old-timey music that dates this cartoon so wonderfully, I even like the romance between Lucas and Cybersix/Adrian!  How’d you make me do that.  Oh yeah, because it’s not hard to get me to care about a mutually rewarding relationship that’s gradually built up through a friendship, then an aesthetic attraction, then presumably a relationship but idk yet, where both parties care about one another and their boundaries and have gotten along well since the start.  I forgot.  (I could nitpick that Lucas doesnt have the same buildup for the relationship as Cybersix [its complicated, basically he’s friends with Cybersix’s alternate persona Adrian but he’s in a relationship with Cybersix, and he doesnt know theyre the same person] but I’m not gonna.)  It’s just…a good show man.  @ hollywood, reboot THIS you cowards.  Stop rebooting shit nobody wanted a new version of and reboot shows that were ended to quickly.  Actually dont reboot Cybersix because the only animation studios that would be able to do it any justice are Studio Mir and anime studios, and whoever owns the current copyright to Cybersix would probably be okay using flash for it
2. Digimon Adventure (with a honorable mention to Digimon Tamers)
You can rip my love for the entire Digimon franchise from my cold, dead hands.  I’m sincerely surprised any show passed up my love for this show.  If/when the currently airing series in Japan gets brought over here, I’ll watch it, even though Digimon has kind of abandoned what made it so great in the first place.  But hell, even Fusion was enjoyable - the second arc, from what I remember, was pretty dark and interesting (im still mad they got rid of the two best characters tho) - and the only reason I disliked Data Squad so much is because of Marcus (that and it doesnt have anything else that’s absolutely stunning, in fact from a technical standpoint Marcus is the best thing about the show).
But there’s a reason I put Digimon Adventure here and not the entirety of the Digimon franchise.  Digimon Adventure is what started it all.  No Digimon season has as much heart in it as the original.  Sure the animation improves each season, sure Tamers is probably better story-wise on a technical level, but I dont think any season matches the raw charm of the original.  It was so charming, in fact, that what was supposed to be a 13-episode miniseries evolved into a massive franchise that’s still beloved to this day.  Hell, there’s still content being released for the 8 Digidestined of this season!  It’s right alongside Pokemon, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold, and all these other beloved 90s/early 2000s cartoons that are being revived in recent years, and I think that says a lot.
I wasn’t even alive when Digimon Adventure was airing, but I loved the Digimon games I had played so much that I went out of my way to watch it.  And I…loved it.  Sad as it may be, it was the greatest TV show I had seen at the time.  Growing up in the late 2000s watching only Nickelodeon and CN was not a good period to grow up in, and I never saw Avatar as a kid.  By the time the 2010s had rolled around, I had mostly given up on cartoons, and besides, they were all fugly.  I still tried to watch some, but just…the humor didn’t grip me, they seemed dumb, and they weren’t pleasant to look at.  (Okay the main shows I’m vaguing about are Adventure Time and Regular Show, as well as whatever Nickelodeon was doing but I begrudgingly put up with Nickelodeon for the most part because I preferred Nick and I never knew what else to watch)  Then Digimon came around, and hol-y-shit.  The characters were like nothing I had ever seen before, the storylines engaging and interesting.  Sure it was cheesy, but there was 95% less fart jokes than the average cartoon, a good story, and actually relatable characters that actually go through hardships and actually change for the better!
Digimon Adventure has been and always will be proof to me that no matter what you are, no matter what your show is, you can make a good show out of it.  If you get people who care, who can make relatable characters, who can come up with an interesting story, you can make a good show.  Digimon Adventure is basically a big long toy commercial, and yet its better than lots of shows that dont even have merchandise - and its also better than a lot of shows that have merchandise now, but weren’t created to sell toys in the first place.  I just.  Love it a lot.
Also, the reason I specifically chose Digimon Adventure, outside of having a personal attachment to it since it was always my favorite, is because Tamers hecking scared me as a kid and I’ve never gotten over how creepy the last arc is.  Like it’s good, but it still scared me.
Honorable mentions: Bojack Horseman, Voltron: Legendary Defender, We Bare Bears, Gravity Falls (thats a big one, it would definitely be on this list if I had 10 spots, and will gladly take the 6th spot if Voltron doesnt follow through or Bojack goes south), Over the Garden Wall,  the aforementioned Digimon Tamers ,and Infinity Train might be #2 or at least #3 if it wasnt just a single episode l m a o
1. A tie between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
HI SO YEAH if you didnt expect this then you dont know me //BRICKED
Before I explain both, I want to be very clear that I’m not counting them as a single entity.  No, I just cant pick between them.  They’re two extremely different shows, and I actually agree with people who say ATLA is overall a more-rounded show.  Problem is, I watched both during a period of my life where politics and darkness make an extremely interesting show for me (aka the current period of my life) and thus its a very biased and “nostalgic” pick, just like Digimon Adventure.  Had I watched these shows when they were airing, I dont know if LOK would even be on this list.  Heck Digimon adventure probably wouldnt be on this list since ATLA would’ve held the crown for my favorite show for all those years.
They both have amazing animation and solid writing, but that’s about all they have in common in my eyes - even though they share the same world.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a kids show.  Through and through, its a kids show.  That’s not an insult in the slightest though; no, the fact that they can make something so sophisticated and enjoyable that still clearly appeals to children is really a testament to their skills.  Many kids shows that try to take on heavier/darker stories feel like completely different shows when they try to do that - shows that arent intended for kids.  Voltron and SU are the most notable examples of that, but even LOK has a little bit of that (but in LOK’s case, its the entire show, so I kinda give them a pass lol)  Other shows do it okay (Gravity Falls) but really the only show I’ve ever seen match Avatar’s perfect balance of comedy and seriousness is Bojack, which isn’t a kids show so it has an advantage over Avatar.
Avatar’s world is fanciful and larger than life.  I’m so sad that I watched Avatar and LOK after my fanfiction days; I would’ve loved to spend nights thinking about a potential Avatar story, complete with my own Avatar and original cast.  I could put it before Avatar, after LOK, who knows? but it would’ve been so much fun.  Hell I HAVE thought about Avatar stories, but I obviously dont have much thought up on any of my potential ideas.
The pacing of Avatar is golden.  How a show wish such good pacing got through Nickelodeon, I dont know, but whatever deal allowed Avatar to go on for three seasons and then end was a once-in-a-life-time deal (as evident by what happened to Korra).  Somehow this show came out almost completely perfect, with few or no flaws.
This is the pinnacle of children’s entertainment, in my opinion.  This is proof that there’s no excuse for the garbage that makes up 90% of children’s entertainment.  The standard doesn’t have to be this, since this is the best, but this show is proof that we need to raise the standard.  I wish executives actually gave a shit about quality; if they did, maybe we could get mostly good shows instead of mostly bad shows.
If most shows were half as good as Avatar, the average show would be gorgeously-animated, smartly-written, and really good, even if it had a flaw here and there.  If most shows were half as good as Avatar, Steven Universe would be the average instead of a godsend.
If I someday, somehow make a show that’s 2/3rds as good as Avatar, I’ll officially be a good writer.  I’d love to make tons of shows just as good as Avatar, but hey, I cant get TOO cocky now lol
Now for The Legend of Korra.  Korra has slightly better animation (god i love studio mir) and different but still intriguing worldbuilding.  I know a lot of people found the political bs to be annoying, but I actually found it quite intriguing.  Avatar did a little bit of exploring moral gray areas and playing with politics, but Korra just goes all-out.  I wish the first season’s morality could’ve been a little grayer, but even then, the politics were still interesting.  And god, that one scene in the first season finale, the murder-suicide…that’s still a really powerful scene.  The entire finale would’ve been super powerful were it not for everything resetting by the end of it, but hey, they basically did the same thing in season 3!
Holy shit though, season 3.  An on-screen strangling.  Someone exploding themselves to death.  And then the finale’s fight.  The finale’s fight. The finale of season 3 is one of the most intense things I’ve seen…ever.  The atmosphere in that fight is just…so good - combined with the animation and choreography, its just amazing.  You can almost feel every hit, you actually feel concern for Korra, you’re legitimately concerned for her life.  And you know what?  You should’ve been!  Because she almost dies, and she has to suffer the consequences of that.  The fourth season has a time gap in-between, but even then, she spends episodes trying to fully recover.
In my opinion, the only thing making Korra a kids show is Milo.  I’m certain they put him in there because otherwise, it wouldn’t have been allowed to be called a kids show.  It’s dark, its intelligent, its beautiful, and it’s going to go right over most kid’s heads.  As a kids show it does kind of fail; it just doesn’t really appeal enough to them.  Once you’re old enough to understand, say, Naruto or Dragon Ball you should be okay, but ATLA appeals to all ages while Korra really needs a certain maturity in its audience to be understood and to not scare its audience.
They’re just both. so good
(thanks for the ask!!!)
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