Thx For The Tag Luke!!

thx for the tag Luke!! <3

favorite colour: the blue that appears under ice underwater? That. That specifically. Also purple

last song: Harpy Hare (credits to my gf for recommending it to me!)

last film: ... good question. I don't remember idfjdsjgsjk

currently reading: Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods!

currently watching: the PJO show :D

currently craving: Tater tots, always. Also soft serve ice cream. Potatoes my beloved

coffee or tea: tea 100% Chai <3

thanks for the tag @sowearecleariamhere! (it wouldn't let me reblog :/) (and it wouldn't let me post this???) (what the heck man)

favorite colour: purple!

last song: first time - hozier

last film: the spiderman movie with andrew garfield

currently reading: how to eat a cupcake - meg donahue

currently watching: nothing right now!

currently craving: food food food (i'm so hungry i can't think specifics)

coffee or tea: tea!

no pressure tags: @justsomeinsanehuman @starchasing-cryptid @inkyrainstorms @mercyfae @reynxiii @solsono @stupidstrawberrystars @nyx-1566 and anyone else who wants to join!

Wait. Titans respawn in Tartarus.

Apollo's mom Leto respawned in Tartarus. Apollo is half Titan.

Where was closest to Apollo when he passed out at the edge of chaos? TARTARUS.

All I'm saying is there was a reason he was regenerating so fast down there, gaining powers, and somehow went on even when his body died.

Take A Risk and Don’t Write a Chosen One

This trope stands the test of time for some very good reasons: Audience wish-fulfillment as they live vicariously through the hero, automatic plot-induced agency for your protagonist, and automatic legitimate reasons for your protagonist to join the whirlwind adventure of the day.

I like chosen ones. We all have our favorite famous chosen ones and I’m not here to say the concept of a chosen one is bad at all.

However.

Those “automatic” windfalls that come pre-packaged with the trope can lead to the author taking shortcuts, or not thinking they have to put in more effort to write a compelling character, because they’re the “chosen one,” what more do you need?

Not writing your protagonist as commanded by the powers that be to participate in the plot forces you to get creative with why they’re here, what they want, and how they entrench themselves in the story. And most importantly, if the gods haven’t chosen them to act, they must now choose themselves to act.

—

I have never read Harry Potter and after its author-who-shan’t-be-named flushed her reputation down the toilet, I never will. I’ve seen the movies, they’re ok. I have no nostalgia-driven love for this franchise, and most of that comes from watching Harry be an incredibly boring protagonist.

Book readers correct me, but Harry is the poster child of “only exists so the audience can live vicariously” with generic heroic traits and nonexistent or at least unimportant side quirks and distinguishing hobbies, interests, or personality tics. He’s “brave” and “courageous” and “determined”... as most child protagonists of children’s books should be. He has zero flaws that come back to bite him in the ass. He acts the way he’s supposed to, not the way he should want to, as an independent being.

He’s the least interesting character in this entire cast, and I can’t stand Movie Ron. Ron, Hermione, Neville, or Draco would have made much more compelling protagonists and so much of this relies on the “Harry is important because the plot demands it” crutch.

Why is he the chosen one? Because his birthday happened at the right time of year? What is the story trying to say about the dichotomy between him and Voldemort? What about his personality, his wizard-societal stances on the many faux pas in this series, or the choices he makes, that makes him the chosen one? Why should I care?

You know who’s a great chosen one? Percy Jackson. Why? Because he understands the screwed up world he lives in on page 1. Being a demigod isn’t everything he ever dreamed and despite what Disney + wants you to believe, he’s got a crap bio dad who’s as disappointing in book one as Percy expects him to be.

He’s not even the chosen one by the end of the original series, and what a fantastic twist that was.

An infamously self-chosen protagonist has her own iconic hero quote: "I volunteer as tribute". Katniss is a nobody. She's not the evil president's daughter, she's not the child of a famously martyred revolutionary, she's just a girl who refuses to bow down to the reaping, refuses to let her sister get slaughtered, and volunteers for a death match that historically sees anyone living to survive another year cowering in relief. Yeah, she has some convenient skills in her archery and survival knowledge, but those matter because her district is starving, she learned through necessity.

Every second of her story, Katniss is fighting for her right to exist, and she only becomes a "chosen one" dragged around by the powers that be when she becomes marketable to the grand scheming of the actual revolutionaries, when, before, she didn't care about politics, she just wanted to save her sister. She matters because she chose compassion in a world where survival demands only serving yourself.

—

It’s so, so easy to start planning your book and make your cool fantasy world and figure out how your protagonist fits into it. So easy to say “well they’re the long-lost princess and the only heir to the throne” or “this magic amulet from her great great aunt is the key to saving the world” or “she’s the villain’s secret love child and the only one who can stop him because blood magic” or “this vague prophecy picked this little desert slave boy to bring balance to the Force”.

None of these stories are at fault for writing chosen ones.

But push yourself to let go of that crutch and come up with other reasons for why your hero is the hero. Usually this character has been isekai'd into magical-fantasy-land or magical-hidden-fantasy-urban-underbelly and you can still write that character.

Refusing to make them the chosen one demands one thing first and foremost: How is this outsider going to fight for their place to exist here? What do they bring to the table with their hobbies or interests or unique skillset that happens to be mighty applicable and useful in this new world? What is it about their personality that draws these strangers in? What do they want from this new world, and what are they willing to do to get it?

This choice demands you give your hero agency (though whether you give into those demands is up to you).

More importantly: I think it gives your audience agency, as they still live vicariously through their hero. Sure, lots of kids have lost their parents and live in horrid conditions like a cupboard under the stairs, but none of us will ever be “chosen” by omniscient wizard prophets. Harry would have immediately been a more compelling protagonist to me if he’d stumbled upon magical shenaniganry and fought for his place as some forgotten nobody mudblood.

Harry would have shown us his courage, instead of the story insisting he has it, we promise, just don’t think too hard about it.

Stop giving me characters who accept their destiny because God said so. Give me characters who fight tooth and nail for a destiny they discover on their own and I’ll root for them to succeed even more than someone compelled by force. Not everyone can be a chosen one, but everyone *can* choose themselves and decide to act.

—

With that said, I have an announcement! I have a new book in the works bereft of a prophecy-ordained hero. It’s time I put all my sagely writing wisdom to the test in a shiny published paperback myself. If you’ve learned anything from my blog in your writing journey, please subscribe for updates on the upcoming novel!

jbergkhgksjgksjgdf yeah basically

*shoves over 50k words of Pain at Casey* my bad

writing fanfiction is just fingers clenching over a keyboard as you ferally mutter i just want this little guy to be held, damn it and proceeding to hurt said little guy (gn) for about 10k words before you actually give them their hug

Links to help Palestine and other resources! 🇵🇸

Free commissions if you donate!

[Plain text: Links to help Palestine and other resources! (palestine flag). Free commissions if you donate! End plain text.]

[Image description: digital sketches of Ultraman Rising characters Ami Wakita, Chiho Wakita, Ken Sato, and Hayao Sato. First image is a page with many sketches. Top left: Ami looking away and smiling. Top middle: Chiho is running with her Ultraman mask and is wearing an Ultraman shirt. Ami is sitting behind her and watching fondly. Right: Ami is sitting at a table with a cup of tea. She looks off screen and says: “Ah. Hello, Mr. Sato.” Bottom: Ami, Chiho, and Ken are sitting on the couch. Ami and Chiho are singing the Tigers team’s song and Chiho is leaning onto Ken. Ken is leaning away with his hands over his ears in a playful way. Ken: “AGH! Not the Tigers! Make it stop!!”

Second image: Ken is looking at his dad, Hayao, with an expecting look. Hayao is facing to the left, looking forward. Hayao closes his eyes and has an angry expression. Hayao:” I’m not calling you “good boy”, Kenji, another Kaiju just died!” Ken is facing to the left, his head tilted up. His eyes are closed and a tear runs down his face. End description.]

Some Ami practice cuz she is pretty, too 😭💕💕 I like to think that Ami and Ken (and Chiho) become close friends! It’d be really cute to see Chiho tease Ken with the Tigers 🥹

Also, I saw this image by sweepswoop_ on Twitter and I had to draw it— 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️ LOL

Even if the strike is over, don't suddenly go silent. Every moment you aren't speaking up or doing something is more Palestinians being murdered and having their land and their culture bulldozed and silenced. They deserve liberation and the freedom to live in the land their ancestors have ALWAYS occupied. Keep speaking out, keep being angry, and keep fighting to help someone your age who don't have the privilege to even see this post, to use this site, or to eat the dinner or be sitting on the bed you're currently allowed to as you see this. They and their families are dying.

Neutrality is NOT helpful or productive. Neutrality is siding with the oppressors, regardless of your words. Neutrality is standing back because a matter "doesn't concern you", "isnt your place", or you "dont like politics", which allows innocent civilians to be brutalized and murdered and starved. Talk to friends and family. Stop turning to celebrities to provide you with facts and opinions on the situation. Take accountability and action for yourself amidst this crisis