It’s not by rejecting different ideas, but by accepting different ideas that the world creates a chemical reaction. This is truly the formula for changing the world.
-”hey dude? can you do me a favor and show me where i asked” -”….spiders. of course it’s spiders.” -”how the hell do you find anything in this place?” -”what the hell is in your pants?” -”you want me to go get what now” -”there’s no way in hell im working with HIM” -”so you’re telling me, that out of all of our options right now, that is the plan you wanna go with?” -”im sorry, what was it you said about vehicular manslaughter?” -”it’s not stealing if he deserves it” -”im sorry do you wanna repeat that” -”im not drinking that” -”for the hundredth time, no” -”now is NOT the time for a selfie!” -”that’s sick. how could anyone do that” “(just did That)….” -”is planetary genocide really the answer here?” -”yeah, about that…” -”im sorry, but that’s pretty fucking cool” -”that was the weirdest, scariest, most awesome experience of my life” -”do i have to?” -”i’ll wear whatever i want, thank you.” -”dude are you okay? you look like you’ve got the plague” -”this is fine, right? it’s probably fine” -”how was I supposed to know that?!” -”I didn’t know that was flammable..” -”you’re kidding, right?” -”we started at the bottom and somehow we’ve managed to sink even lower” -”who the hell are you” -”this is a bad idea. this is absolutely a bad idea” -”guys, maybe we shouldn’t go to this incredibly dangerous place- and you’re already gone.” -”you can’t expect me to forgive you” -”maybe i can’t hide, but i can sure as hell run” -”you can’t just waltz back into my life like nothing happened!” -”get out” -”is that blood?” -”do i even want to know what happened?” -”how the hell did you think that was a good idea?” -”shut up, Satan” -”i got my masters for this…” -”im not supposed to be here” -”you can torture me all you want, i’ll never talk” -”you’ll have to get through me first” -”it’s my job to die for you. stop interfering with my work” -”yes, im his guardian, unfortunately” -”well, you see, what had happened was-” -”what the hell is that noise” -”you’ll never take me alive” -”that’s the dumbest shit ive ever heard. let’s do it.” -”i can’t believe you did that” -”it’s a long story that involves a lot of blood, a couple squirrels, and one hell of a headache” -”its dangerous” “but it’s so cute” -”have i ever told you how much I hate your guts?” -”you ruined me.” -”you’ll pay for that” -”you can take everything, my possessions, my life, but please, dont take her” -”i’ll come back for you, i promise” -”hate is such a strong word, i prefer extreme dislike” -”stop pretending to be a hero” -”I may be a villain, but even i have standards” -”forget the goddamn mission!” -”Im not doing this for you, im doing it for me.” -”stay out of this” -”the devil is an asshole” -”you got a problem with that?” -”if you hurt them, so help me-” -”what is your damage” -”first of all, ow” -”…i forgot what i came here for” -”are you sure it’s safe?” -”thanks, i have anxiety” -”sorry, but im not on the menu tonight” -”you threatened who” -”if i wasnt incredibly happy to see you i’d kick your ass” -”you owe me for that” -”fuck off ghost!” -”what kind of horror movie shit is this?” -”oh, paranormal activity. my favorite” -”we were so goddamn close!” -”permission to speak freely? that’s fucking stupid.” -”how come everytime I turn around, you’re blowing something up?” -”where did you get that” -”don’t look at that!” -”who gave you permission to be here?” -”hypothetically speaking-” -”shut up you fucking nerd” -”okay- who invited the bear?” -”you won’t be laughing soon” -”jeez, talk about a weird hobby” -”dont you find that just a little suspicious?” -”you won’t have to worry anymore” -”i’ll take care of it, once and for all” -”is there anything you wouldn’t do for money?” -”fuck your eyebrows” -”you’ve been playing this game for how long” -”could’ve went a bit smoother, but it still worked” -”hey, we’re alive right?” -”you didn’t bring me along for just my good looks” -”how are you so confident about everything?” -”oh yeah? if like to see you do better” -”that’s not how this works! that’s not how any of this works!” -”why are there so many dogs” “why not” -”first of all, you ignored my dog in a bee costume, so fuck you. second of all-” -”are you flirting with me?” -”why do i find that hard to believe?” -”why must i suffer” -”SORRY I COULDN’T HEAR YOU OVER HOW HARD I KICKED YOUR ASS”
reasons the harry potter universe is fucked up #82932: there is the ghost of a murdered child in the bathroom and everyone treats it like a minor inconvenience
Ex-villains and hero(es) turning the
events of previous battles into bizarre inside jokes.
Ex-villains embracing the power of
friendship and love.
Ex-villains putting up walls and
keeping to themselves until the heroes teach them what it means to
trust someone.
Ex-villains messing up and being
forgiven because redemption is a process, not an endgame.
Ex-villains being shy and uncertain
about their new place as a hero.
Bonus: Ex-villains hiding behind their
hero friends during moments of shyness and uncertainty.
Ex-villains being tempted back to the
dark side only to realize how much their newfound friendships mean to
them.
Ex-villains pretending to return to the
dark side, and using their villain cred to be a mole/saboteur on the
heroes’ behalf.
Ex-villains taking the same skills and
character traits that made them effective villains and using them for
good.
Ex-villains defeating current villains
by being better at those skills and traits
than they are.
Ex-villains being rejected by almost
everyone except the very few willing to give them the benefit of the
doubt.
Ex-villains being ferociously
protective of those few.
Ex-villains convincing old allies and friends to follow them to the light side.
Ex-villains helping their hero friends
through guilt and self-doubt by reminding them that your mistakes don’t
make you and it’s never too late to turn things around.
Ex-villains receiving unconditional
trust and affection from someone small and innocent, and having no
idea what they’re supposed to do with that.
Ex-villains reuniting with heroic loved ones that they don’t have to fight against anymore.
Ex-villains looking around at their new
friends and their new home and having to sit down and ride out a
sudden wave of powerful emotion because they can’t remember the last
time they felt content.
I think this is something many of us fall into–I know I certainly did. My biggest piece of advice:
think whole body
Human beings have an enormous range of body language to convey our emotions, so use it! When you sigh, or do your shoulders slump? Does your head tilt down? Do you maybe rub your hands together? Do you slouch in your chair, roll your eyes, or perhaps twist your foot a little bit?
Same thing for anger: fists clench, teeth grit, nostrils flare, shoulders tighten.
Google body language and “insert emotion here” for more ideas. Or, watch some tv and movies, and pay attention to what the actors are doing, and not what they’re saying.
Also, for the love of all that is good in the world, don’t write tags like …”he sighed” or “she screamed”. If you’ve used body language and action to convey nuance, you won’t need those boring, unimaginative tags.
aka a list of things I want to read, some of which I can’t be bothered to write because I have too many projects already
disclaimer because i know someone is going to complain: this is my personal wishlist that i’m sharing to help inspire some story ideas so if something you want is absent from this list then make your own damn list and remind yourself that i am not a robot servant who caters to your every want
An accurate portrayal of a banshee
Gay and bi male characters who have strong friendships and emotional connections with other men without being attracted to them/in love with them (half of this is dependent on how fans (especially female fans) interpret the relationship)
Medieval fantasy inspired by the Gaels, i.e. the actual Gaels, not the crap you see in the “Celtic” tag on tumblr
Slavic-inspired medieval fantasy
Related to #3, I’d like to see tanistry in medieval fantasy because I’m sick of primogeniture-based conflicts
Something with ancient Carthage
A hunter-gatherer population with ascribed status, i.e. people are born into different social classes (this is uncommon for nomadic, foraging populations)
More detailed world building, e.g. people choosing the more expensive yet less functional/weaker material to build their house because it reflects that they have money, or gardens in a dry/desert environment being a sign of status and wealth
Masculine gay male characters who don’t [insert super-feminine thing here] in one scene so that the writer can introduce some comic relief/prove to the audience that he really is gay
Straight male characters who are feminine
Lgbt+ characters who are apathetic about being lgbt+
Gay/bi male characters who don’t have any love interests/romantic subplots
Welsh-based names in a fantasy that are actually Welsh-based and not just English names or keyboard smashes with excess Ys and DDs and Ws and Fs.
A male witch in a contemporary setting who isn’t dark and mysterious and who doesn’t have to be feminine to believably engage in something typically associated with women
True gray morality. I want to be fighting myself over which side I agree with. Every side should have really good and really bad reasons for doing what they’re going. They should have both positive and negative consequences if they reach their goal. All sides should have characters we love and characters we hate. No character should be wholly or mostly “good” or “evil”. All of their reasons, their goals, their actions, and their consequences should differ and should have both negative and positive effects.
I want the “chosen one” to lose. Badly. I want them to get their ass kicked and I don’t want them to have a comeback.
A fight to the death where the reader desperately wants both characters to live. And none of this “oh, we found a way for both of them to live!” crap. I want someone dead.
I need some antagonists that I actually hate. Like Umbridge. Or Delilah (Dishonored). Or Joffrey.
Overweight male characters WHO AREN’T SUPER TALL.
I want the Hagrids and the McGonagalls and the Mr and Mrs Weasleys of the world to betray the protagonist. Give me that character who is obviously trustworthy and rip my heart out.
I need fantasy worlds to give actual names to places. “The Great Sea” and “The Dark Forest” and “The Central River” and “West Plains” and “Southwestia” are crap names. I know that there are some places in our world that are actually called stuff like this, but when you’re writing fantasy you have every chance in the world to come up with something better.
Why is everyone always late to something at the start of a story? Stop being late. Wake up earlier. If your little brother is holding you back then say “sucks for you” and go on without him.
Your grandfather’s sword is rusty and dull and the pommel fell off. Just let it die. Just get a new sword. A better sword.
I want a protagonist who has already left home. They’re not on an adventure yet or anything. They’re just “in between” places right now. Or maybe they just like to always be on the move. Or maybe they’re a hunter and only have temporary homes.
Dwarves without beards and elves without pointy ears.
I want the protagonist to upgrade as they get better at whatever it is they do. Sure, there’s sentimental value in The First Sword or The First Horse, but there are better things out there. Longer-lasting things. Play some video games and take a damn hint.
Good, detailed world building. I want the world to feel real yet unfamiliar.
Worlds that exist with little context. They just are. They’re just magical, nonsensical places that still seem to make sense by themselves.
Put the magic back in fantasy. I want rare magical plants with glowing sap within the stem that hardens and shatters into a few precious gems. I want these gems to have a 10% chance of granting a small wish before turning into a rainbow diamond and a 90% chance of exploding into a pinch of orange dust that, once you’ve gathered enough, can be used in a healing cream.
Happy sci-fi.
Fat characters who aren’t dumb/evil/killed off immediately/portrayed as pathetic losers.
I want things to change within the story. I don’t want them to be magically resurrected.restored because the author can’t seem to let go.
YA that takes place during a long school break, like summer break or winter break, so that nothing takes place during school.
Flip the trend: male characters use stealth/non-violence to settle conflicts, women use violence.
v for vendetta is a film with a female protagonist that criticises capitalism, condemns pedophilia, encourages the viewers to question their governments, has a central plot about how LGBT people are condemned in right wing societies (more than three LGBT characters are in it) and was directed by a trans woman and her brother.
why has this become a fuckboy classic
because they mistake V for the protagonist and Evey as simply the viewpoint character, wilfully ignore the part of the plot about LGBT discrimination, and concentrate on how cool V is with his mask and his government-rebelling plots.
What I find interesting is that – V is actually, imo, coded as trans, especially in the original graphic novel. Alan Moore claims that clues to identity of V ‘are all there’, which implies it might be a named character. If it was one, the only person matching would be Valerie, the woman whose journals V gives to Evey. Everything would match – Valerie was an actress, which would fit with both costume and tastes of V, and also why said letter was so important – and really, how the hell an occupant of a high-security concentration camp under constant observation had ability to write a letter, and also how a letter written on toiler paper would survive all these years, and burning down of Larkhill camp. (answer – by being written AFTER all these events).
Except, V appears to be male. Everyone is using male pronouns for him, in the movie he speaks in a masculine voice, and in the novel we do see a panel of his silhouette naked in Larkhill, and he definitely has a masculine physique.
But, if Valerie becoming V was metaphor for transition, that’d make sense.
That’s in addition to well, the fact that a lot of trans men begin their self-discovery as butch lesbians? It’d sure fit.
Why do I believe that theory? In addition to whole LGBT themes thing, and the letter thing, there’s one more reason. Well, I think this was skimmed by in the movie, but in the novel, we get a pretty solid clue. See, in the movie, exact nature of experiments performed on Larkhill inmates is kept rather dubious if I recall – we know they gave V abilities slightly above normal humans, but that’s it.
But in the novel, it’s more specific. So, what is the field of experiments that are being performed Larkhill concentration camp that they needed human specimen?
Hormone research.
V got strength to throw off chains of opression and fight back and yadda yadda, became a character who ticks off literally every single checkbox on definition of a superhero, including superpowers…
By literal fucking hormone therapy.
Administered to him, ironically, by the very oppressors.
From what I’ve read of Alan Moore’s stories, he doesn’t leave details up to a chance. Everything has a reason, and everything is interconnected with each other. And this, this doesn’t look like a bit of dark irony Alan Moore would pass up, since he loves that shit.
So, those are my reasons for this particular interpretation.
both the wachowskis are openly trans women now but yes
starry-eyed 