i see you're rate limited lmao but i needed to put in my 2 cents re: tj klune too bc i both love and hate his books so much. he published the first book in the extraordinaries series with the copaganda pre-2020, and then of course 2020 happened, and in his second book in the series he realized he needed to course correct (made a whole statement and everything). this lead to many multi-paragraph, well intentioned but not well DONE conversations throughout the book where his black lesbian friend tells him how she's always been scared of him and his dad. while i do respect him for course correcting on the copaganda element, a lot of those conversations really read like a copy-paste of the wikipedia page on "copaganda" and the entire action stands still while they happen.
all his books are very misogynistic though lmao. his female characters are idealized, perfect lesbians or mothers (who very importantly will never feel or show sexual attraction towards the love interest character) who are constantly talking about how dumb men are in a sort of fond, long-suffering way - or they DO show sexual/physical attraction towards the love interest, in which case theyre ugly, stupid whores that the main character HATESSSSSS and is constantly talking about how much he hates. its so annoying
It was so fucking funny that I got rate limited. Tumblr said ENOUGH!!! No more!!!! well fuck u tumblr. I am BACK.
Anyway this is extremely interesting context about TJ Klume and I appreciate it very much! I can perfectly imagine that kind of narrative preaching. As always I think about that one NK Jemisin twitter thread where she talks about having to hit the reader on the head with Social Issues sometimes because most normie readers really, really do not get it until it's spelled out. And I understand that and I respect it. But it is not a reader experience I seek.
Shame about the female characters, though. Maybe he could read the wikipedia page on feminism next
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MISA + Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
Hahaha. I had to think about this a lot! It's a bit of a tough question to me, because I feel like Misa needs a bestie who both appreciates her good qualities and would genuinely like spending time with her, yet also wouldn't be a total pushover whenever she's being scary or ridiculous or overly impulsive as well?
Here are some of the possibilities I entertained and then rejected:
Rem: extremely caring about and supportive of Misa, but to the point of being way too indulgent of her and way too much of a pushover who always lets her get her way. Plus Misa kinda treats her like garbage much of the time, imo...
Matsuda: I love how enthusiastic he is about Misa and her career. BUT it bugged me when he was cheering on Light's cheating on her in the successor arc! A true bestie would never double-cross you like that...
Beyond: it is always funny to imagine them together because they could be shinigami eye bros, and are sort of similar kinds of unhinged toward the people whose attention they most want all to themselves. BUT I simply feel in my heart of hearts that Misa actually would find B really creepy and gross, and that B might find it really hard to sympathize with Misa willingly halving her lifespan twice to get the shinigami eyes that have been torturing him against his will his whole life.
Light: Here's the thing, I feel like they're kind of weirdly good together as pals in canon half the time? And I don't think their relationship was actually as dark as it sometimes gets portrayed in the fandom either. I think they're basically polar opposite people, and certainly not romantic relationship goals, but they also manage to work together oddly well as a team and as roommates nonetheless for years on end. The biggest nope for me about them is that Misa would likely constantly be trying to escape the friend zone and turn it into something more, and Light probably wouldn't actually be enjoying spending time with her that much.
Mogi: I found them cute together in canon whenever Mogi would be assigned to act as her manager and cook for her at her house and keep her busy at the hotel and whatever else! Only problem is I think she would probably be driving him a bit crazy with stress with all her shenanigans and demands, and he would probably wear himself out trying to please her and protect her and let her walk all over him a bit too much.
Sayu: I feel like she really genuinely liked Misa and looked up to her a bit, and like they'd maybe have quite a bit of fun hanging out with each other as well. Misa might be a bit of a bad influence on Sayu at times or just ditch her for a guy completely whenever she had a boyfriend, though....
In the end, I decided upon:
Ryuk: they were cute together in some of their canon interactions, haha. I feel like Ryuk might be laid back enough to have fun with Misa and not get too fazed by her more boisterous and scary behaviours, or better yet even just find them entertaining. Yet he would also not be afraid to say no to her or roast her back when she gets mean, and I don't think he would let her walk all over him, either...
#4 for casca?? maybe also #12 but only if u wanna!
Yes yes! ā„ļø
CASCA + if you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
I really wouldn't mind seeing Casca star in her own animated tv series, actually! Not sure exactly how it would work, because although I'd love to see more about her life as a kid and with the Band of the Hawk before Guts ever joined it from her specific POV, I also know it can be difficult to make prequel type stuff very interesting when you already know where everything afterward is gonna go, too? Hmmm idk maybe you'd even have to create an alternate diverging timeline to the Berserk manga canon or something and show a different life she could've lead if things didn't go exactly as they did? It's something I'd probably have to mull over more after rereading the whole thing to really pin down what I think the best storyline for a Casca-centric exploration of the world actually would be. Even maybe a rewrite of the whole bunch of time that she regresses mentally from the trauma, where she actually gets to be a character participating in the story in the same way she previously was, would make for an interesting alternative version of events...
CASCA + what's a headcanon you have for this character?
I def got the vibe that Casca and Guts genuinely care about each other and have some attraction toward each other whenever they started getting closer as friends, but I also don't really think they were romantically in love when they slept together so much as that they were experimenting with each other a bit as an act of trust and sexual curiosity and so on. Like many an average person in their college years might do, haha. To me they were mostly more comfortable with each other than with anybody else, and were trying out something new with somebody they finally felt they actually could trust (especially after the bad experiences both of them had previously had). I feel like Guts would not be an "end game" relationship for her if her character arc was actually being written in a satisfying way, and I really hope that she actually DOES get to have a character arc of her own of some kind (though I'm kind of doubtful about that, because I feel like unfortunately Miura maybe didn't plan one for her outside of how she's being used between the two guys for their character development instead).
i dont have tlt as a tag muted even though i intend to read it (some day) but i dont feel like im being spoiled bc out of context absolutely nothing i read about it makes sense
That's a very common experience! It's why I just send spoilery posts to get my friend to read the books. It doesn't make sense now, it won't make sense while you're reading! It WILL make sense on a reread, though. Eventually
I love how you really put a lot of thought into how you regard and read fanfic as well as how you respond to questions about how you feel aout it. Can I ask what are some parts/ideas in fics that really made you go wow, this is well planned or like I never would have thought about this or I forgot that this plot point and device were even a thing! I hope this makes sense
I love you, kind stranger. Thank you for reading my delirious posts and giving me the chance to scream about fics, which is always a pleasure.Ā
Note: If your fic is in this post and you donāt want it to be, let me know and Iāll take it down.Ā
Zeitnot by thereshaegoes
I love the idea of time travel, so when I read this ficās summary I bookmarked it instantly. At first, I thought it was going to be eight chapters of Laurent waking up the day of the battle of Marlas, but the author really surprised me.
I loved that someone died at the end of each chapter (at first, at least) but what really made me go āohā is when Lauret realizes the Damen from āthis new realityā is, in fact, his Damen!Ā
Damen not being with Jokaste was weird to me, but I shrugged it off as a personal choice the author had made. Then, when Damen was talking about abolishing slavery, I was still in denial. āOh, well, some people donāt like to write Damen as a slave owner, which is coolā. And then, when the big reveal finally came, I was justā¦ amazed. I literally put my phone down and went, āokay, this person really knows what theyāre doing when it comes to writingā.Ā
I love the little plot twists. In my head, a plot twist most basic example is āoh, X is a traitorā butā¦ this? This is so much better.
Between the Shadow and the Soul by Anonymous
This work wasā¦ insanely refreshing, innovative, transgressive, and outrageously good. It does feature a lot of sex scenes, but at the same time, it felt like sex was the least important part of the story. I donāt know how to explain myself when it comes to this fic (and God knows Iāve tried) butā¦ The sex scenes arenāt there just for the smut of it all, if that makes any sense.Ā
Auguste as a narrator is so unusual, and yet it made the fic so painful and enjoyable! I loved the way it left you wondering just how accurate his POV was. I loved the sex scenes with actual characterization. This author never, not even for one second, stopped focusing on the dynamic between Laurent, Auguste, and Damen. It could be argued that the Laurent/Auguste bit weighted more than the overall OT3 bit, but stillā¦ I had literally forgotten what sex scenes were for until I read this fic.
Sex scenes, especially in this particular work, are not parentheses in the story. Theyāre not there for the reader to take a break from the āactual plotā or ānarrationā. They are what holds the story together, and theyāre opportunities for the reader to learn more about the characters
.
Cherry Wine by SteeleStingray
Yes, Iām back on my bullshit. Yes, Iām talking about CW again. But Iāll make it short because there is no way you donāt know how I feel about this work. If you donāt, check out this comment (which, by the way, is not even a fraction of what I wanted to say to the author when I read the fic).Ā
What I found innovative and made me go āis this allowed?ā about CW is not the idea of an OT3, but rather this particular take on a relationship that consists of three people. Iāve read a few published books that feature similar couples (all of them suck, and when I say they suck I mean it) so I was very hesitant to read this because of that reason.Ā
Another thing I liked about this work is that it reminded me that themes in fiction arenāt limited to one specific work. This author really likes nicknames. At the time, when I had only read CW, I thought it was just a one-time thing. Turns out, itās not. An emerald-coloured nightmare also features nicknames. I like this idea that you can tell who wrote something based on little details and narrative choices. Itās like the author is winking at you, going āha, did you get it?ā
Ink on Paper by deripmaver
I donāt usually like fics with non-linear narrative because Iām a lazy bitch who canāt keep up. Iād never really seen the point in using flashbacks, scenes from the past, or anything like that because my writing style (oh, fuck off, my writing style, who the fuck do I think I am) is more about references. And then I read this fic. And I was like, āokay, Iāve seen the light of not writing everything linearly like an idiotā.Ā
The Mannequin Gallery by marrieddorks
Yes, I realize Iām talking about all my favorite fics. I feel no shame.
This fic is a Modern AU. Everyone who has ever written a Modern AU knows that one of the trickiest parts is finding characters professions that make sense with who they are/what they like/what theyāre good at. This story features Damen as an influencer. Thatās it, thatās my whole tweet.Ā
It reminded me that even when youāre writing a Modern AU (or any sort of AU, really) itās important to know what the essence of the characters youāre writing is. The way even Jordās job makes senseā¦ And how it feels like the author didnāt just steal the charactersā names and use them to create a random story (which is valid, too)... andā¦ Okay, this has nothing to do with a plot twist or a narrative device but have you read this Nicaise? Have you? You havenāt read Nicaise until youāve read this fic.
(and that's why) you're so beautiful now by iwasgonegonegone
This fic is 612 words. It has no plot. One of the tags reads, ālisten they're in love and they're cute and that's all i have to sayā and Iā¦ yes. This fic inspired me to write plot-less stories again. Not only that, it made me enjoy writing them.Ā
Lately, Iāve been talking to a friend of mine about a new pairing we both like a lot. We go back and forth for hours sometimes just talking about what theyād do, details about the worldbuilding, a billion āwhat-ifsā... and I love it. If one of us sat down to write a story based on all our conversations, it would be a character study fic. It would have, maybe, some plot to it, butā¦ Plot would feel like an excuse to talk about their relationship. And I love that. I fucking hate plot, I hate it, and thisā¦ Yes. This fic is like a little slice of life. The author has mentioned before that they enjoy writing poetry (more than longer pieces of fiction) and this story reads like a poem. You know when you read a poem and you get this weird tingly feeling? Read this and feel that, youāre welcome.
The Life We Live by homewithyou
Iāve said before that I donāt go looking for mpreg. Sometimes, mpreg has come looking for me, and Iāve closed my door on its face. I read this fic mainly because I never pay attention to the tags on AO3 (healthy, I know) and I was too busy making myself toast to read the summary.Ā
I was five paragraphs in and this bit hit me like a fucking electric hammer to the head: ā...which had been going haywire more often than not since the pregnancy began five months ago.ā I was like, āwait, did Iāam I readingāwhy am Iāā and then I just shut my mouth and continued reading. Iām glad I did. Iām glad I didnāt let my narrowmindedness stop me from giving this fic a try. Iām glad people out there are writing stories that they enjoy, about topics a few others would deem controversial.Ā
This also applies to the Lamen/Auguste fic I mentioned above. Whatās the point of writing if youāre not going to take risks and be honest about what you like to write about? It takes honesty and commitment to write anything that strays from the norm. And so Iām glad this person posted this story, because it changed me in a small way (āwhat if I shut the fuck up and read more mpreg instead of instantly clicking out?ā).
This is another perfect example of how plot is poison and you donāt need it in your life (unless you enjoy poison. In that case consume the plot, write the plot, sniff the plot. And die). A morning in bed, just nuzzling and talkingā¦ living lifeā¦ Again, this made me realize that you can say a lot about two characters just from a morning in bed. It made me want to write 25 pages of dialogue in bed (this and Manuel Puigās book titled Kiss of the spider woman, which I recommend fervently).Ā
Plot? In this house? We donāt know her. Youāre a strong, independent writer. You donāt need no plot.
For a more general response, Iād say that Steeleās worldbuilding is impeccable and made me look at the setting of stories differently.Ā
Foreshadowing is always amazing, but I havenāt read a lot of fics where itās a prominent element (which is not to say authors arenāt good at it, I just donāt read enough fics to give you a good example of this).Ā
I really like oxymorons and when writers use funny adverbs. GallaPlacidiaās adverbs are to die for, so definitely check out her stories if youāre interested in that.Ā
I also love the wayĀ xlydiadeetz writes archs. She does this thing where she divides the story into differentā¦ timelines? archs? Iā¦ donāt even know. Amazing.
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