Archiving The New Angle (if I Haven’t Already Done It)

his inability to wink properly continues to endear me

Thank you @evilpixiea so much for these! I was thinking of doing something similar and ask you the same thing! I have started with the New52 too because it felt more accessible, and I'm glad you've just confirmed it's a good series and a good place to start. Thanks also for the other title suggestions! I was wondering what your opinion was on the Batman - Superman title in the New52? Finally, thank you for the author's recommendations! That will definitely help finding others!!

Hi! I just finished reading the fourth part of your omegaverse series on ao3. It was soooooo good. Your characterizations are really realistic and I love the way you write. I've never been into the DCU fandom before, but after reading your fic, I've been sucked in! I'm not really sure where to start because there's so much. Could you possibly point me in a direction?

You have a few options.

First… comics.

If you’re looking for Batman a good beginner-friendly place to start would be Scott Snyder’s work on the New 52. It starts with Batman: The Court of Owls and continues with some other really good stories after that. You can buy it in trade paperback from any good comic book store or online. Also in the New 52 and by Scott Snyder is Superman: Unchained which is, likewise, a good comic for people just getting to know the universe and the characters.

In fact, while there is a lot of criticism of the New 52 one thing it did do well was make the universe accessible to new readers. I would also recommend Geoff John’s Aquaman and Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman (if you’re a fan of Greek Myth) from the New 52. Green Lantern was also amazing but might not be a great place for beginners.

A lot of Superbat fans started shipping with the Superman/Batman series by Jeph Loeb which I personally am not hugely into but because so many people in this fandom are I would still recommend it.

Stepping back a bit I also enjoyed the 90s Nightwing Series by Chuck Dixon and back even further the New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman is absolute gold once you get over the way comics were written in the 80s.

There are a lot better comics than that but I am trying to think of stuff which inspired my writing which would be good for someone starting out.

If, though, you would rather not do comics there are other options.

Like the animated series and movies.

This is probably a good way to jump into the bat family as they have some simplified versions of famous bat stories. The best in my opinion is Batman: Under the Red Hood.

There is also a whole chain of movies with Bruce and Damian. I personally am on the fence about them as they are VERY simplified but they’re actually a pretty good place to start if you’re a bit confused as to how Damian fits into everything.

If you’re getting bored of movies and want something longer then the Justice League Animated Series is the place to be. That for me was really where I fell in love with the universe ad with Clark and Bruce. Yes, it’s a kid’s show, but I would highly recommend. It is also a really good place just to get to know other members of the DCU. The series eventually evolves into Justice League Unlimited which has a really diverse cast of characters… but it starts slow with just seven iconic heroes.

Finally you can always just read more fanfic.

Here are some of my favourite DC fanfic writers:

FabulaRasa

Skalidra

Mithen

BuckinghamAlice

ohmcgee

Plus there are heaps of others out there that I either can’t remember, can’t find, or haven’t discovered. If you hunt around I am sure you’ll be able to find some cool rec lists to hit up.

Otherwise, I am really glad you liked my work and thanks so much for leaving such a lovely message. It’s always a treat to come back from work to see another pair of thumb up aimed in my direction. <3

Writing Exercises for Stretching Your Style Muscles

There’s a lot of writing advice on the internet, and a lot of writing prompts, but something I see relatively little of is an idea of how to actually practice. 

The thing about learning a skill is that it requires practice – but practicing will only get you so far if you’re just doing the same thing over and over. you might get better at doing that specific thing, but it can seem really difficult to get over a specific hurdle to accomplish some new thing you’ve never tried. I think a really common frustration is wanting to do a thing, and knowing what your end goal looks like, but not knowing actually how to accomplish it. 

So that’s where practicing specific skills can really help you to feel more comfortable with your abilities. 

Here are some skills exercises I recommend experimenting with to gain proficiency and comfort in writing things. 

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Write the Same Scene from Multiple POVs 

Write a scene in 3rd person POV. Then go back and rewrite it from scratch in 1st person. Repeat for a 3rd person omniscient. Go deeper than just swapping out pronouns. Think: How does this scene change if I’m writing through the eyes of a single character vs over their shoulder? How does this scene change if I’m narrating the events through Character B instead of Character A? 

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Write a Scene in Present Tense

Present tense bumps up the immediacy level of whatever you’re writing. I think it also helps to break you from more passive sentence constructions. Try taking a scene you’ve written and rewrite it in present tense. Combine it with the above – try switching a 3rd person past to 1st person present, or even try writing in 2nd person. 

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Try Mimicking Another Writer’s Style 

Sit down with a piece of writing from an author you enjoy, and pay attention to the writing itself. Ignore the plot and characters and story elements – look at just the nuts and bolts of vocabulary choices and sentence construction. Try to pick it apart. Is there a specific way the author tends to use commas? Certain words, or types of words, that they use more often? Longer sentences or shorter ones? Longer paragraphs or short? How is white space handled? 

Study that and make yourself a little cheat sheet if that’s helpful to you. Then try writing a short piece – just a couple paragraphs, even – in their writing style. 

—-

Describe an Entire Scene Without Using Visual Description 

Imagine you’re writing a blind character, if it helps, or someone who’s been blindfolded. Describe a whole scene built entirely around the way things sound, smell, taste, feel. Try to make it clear what’s happening through description alone. 

—–

Eliminate All Words like “Thought” or “Felt” 

Write in deep-3rd or 1st person without any filter words. Make a character’s opinions and emotions obvious through the way things are being described without explicitly saying what they’re thinking or feeling. If you struggle with this, it might be easier to start in first person – write as a diary entry or even a Tumblr post from that person’s perspective – and then try it in 3rd person after you’ve had a bit of practice. 

——-

Set Yourself a Specific Goal, and Write a Drabble to Achieve it 

When I wrote “Happy Ending,” my entire goal was to write something that was highly descriptive in the most viscerally gross way possible. When I wrote “Mothman,” it was an exercise in writing something sexualized without explicitly being sexual, in the most disturbing way possible. 

This is an exercise in word choice. It’s an excuse to bust out your thesaurus, not to sound fancy, but to nail a specific meaning. It’s also an exercise in choosing what details to focus on and which to exclude. 

One way to approach this exercise is to describe something common and mundane that you’ve experienced, and write it in several different ways. Let’s say, eating a sandwich. How can you make eating a sandwich sound sexy? How can you make it sound disgusting? Which details do you focus on, and which do you omit? What words do you use to evoke the meaning you’re looking for? 

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I hope these writing exercises give you some inspiration on things to try out to flex your creative wings a bit! 

The Artist's Way quote is so interesting! And true! How did you unblock your creativity?

The Artist’s Way always works wonders on me. It puts me back in touch with what I actually feel and what I actually want ❤️ Can’t recommend it enough.

This particular time, these things have shifted the block.

1. Turning the news off. Not just down. Off. Turning it off for good. Covering my eyes, screaming and fleeing the room if anyone turns it back on. Blocking the sites, deleting the apps. This one is non-negotiable for me. I have to centre my life in the quiet and comfortable world that actually exists around me, not the burning global battleground that the media needs us to stay trapped in. (”Things are terrifying! More terrifying by the day! Come read about the latest dangers!… and drive our web traffic figures and advertising profits ever upwards.”)

2. Accepting that procrastination isn’t laziness. It’s fear.

3. Sitting down and asking myself, ready to listen, “What’s frightening you, my small friend? What can I chase away from you? Point at all the scary things and I’ll get them out of here.” Then doing it.

4. Buying myself a set of nice pens shaped like tiny sharks.

5. Getting angry about the things that hurt. All the things, even the tiny throwaway things, even the things from ages ago, even the things my loved ones told me just to forget about. Getting angry at the people who did the hurtful things, then writing a lot of very sweary letters with my shark pens.

6. “My anger deserves my respect,” whenever I remember to say it. Writing it out with my shark pens. “Anger is my friend. Anger points the way.”

7. “I receive your good willingly, universe.” When happiness shows up, get it a sandwich and a comfy seat. 

8. Restocking the pond. Creative minds need raw materials they can turn into creative work: images, sounds, sensations, feelings. Mine’s no different. It takes a while to let myself believe (not just nod like yeah yeah sure, but believe) that pursuing heartfelt interests isn’t selfish. It’s vital to maintaining a healthy flow of passion. I wouldn’t expect someone to bake a cake without using any ingredients.

9. Listening for the sad little inner voice that mumbles, “I want a biscuit.” Getting it a biscuit. (I’m serious about this. We spend live our lives telling ourselves in a hundred different tiny ways each day that we don’t deserve the biscuit, don’t deserve the shark pens, don’t deserve the friends we have, don’t deserve the good things that come our way, don’t deserve to try writing the things we actually really want to write. It builds up and it cripples us. You reverse the spiral by starting with the biscuit.)

10. Piece of paper, pen. (Shark-shaped or otherwise.) “Honestly, I think I…” Twenty times daily. Write fast and don’t think. You’re not writing in blood, it’s ink and you’re allowed to say it, no matter what it is. Good thoughts, bad thoughts. Write them down. Fill in all twenty every single day. You’ll watch yourself writing the same handful over and over, everyday, stronger and stronger, until you let yourself write this one: “Honestly, I think I might do something about that.”

Yoneda-sensei answers tweets about Saezuru pt. 2

Q : If you were to liken Yashiro, Doumeki, or the other characters to animals, what would they be?

A : Yashiro would be a Russian Blue (cat), while Doumeki would be a Golden Retriever.

Q : This might be a bit cliched, but what type of food does Yashiro like? And how well can he hold his liquor?

A : Yashiro is not picky when it comes to food, but he has a weakness for sweets. He drinks sake occasionally. When he’s in a good mood, he will drink ‘til he’s drunk and when he gets wasted, he’ll start taking off his clothes, yell and flirt about, so he causes a lot of trouble.

Q : What does Yashiro normally eat? I don’t see a lot of scenes of them eating, so I thought maybe they don’t have a lot of appetite. I want to see scenes of them normally eating meals and stuff!

A : Even I myself want to draw those kinds of scenes, but alas, I haven’t had the chance to. But nevertheless, Yashiro is not picky so he eats anything, from those made by his underlings to restaurant-made dishes. He occasionally craves junk food, but I think food to him is just something you eat to fill your belly.

Q: Is there a particular reason why Yashiro-san’s hair is parted like that? I think that style really suits him, so please tell us the reason if there is one.

A : There is no special reason, but I think it makes him look like an intelligent yakuza. (LOL)

Q : What did Yashiro-san make or do with the carrots and eggplants that he made Doumeki buy?

A : D-do with them?? (she is thinking dirty here) I imagine he will make the impotent Doumeki fuck him with them with a poker face. (not sure about this!!! why does my nihongo fail me during these crucial times???)

Q : Yashiro-san is pretty smart despite not having gone to college. Would you have had any other occupation for him in an alternate universe?

A : Maybe being a swindler or a lawyer would suit him. (me : aren’t they the same? lol) He’s a really good talker.

Q : I’m really curious about Yashiro’s first name. Also when he was a kid, I think he probably loved his mother, but did they see each other often? Was he a good kid?

A : I have no plans of revealing Yashiro’s first name. I think the message of the song “Beauty is Within Us” by Yohko Kanno closely matches the young Yashiro’s feelings for his mother. I recall listening to it during the time I drew that part. I think at present, that is how Yashiro really feels deep within. I really like that song, so please listen to it if you can.

(it’s an emo song and the lyrics are really sad. But do look it up T_T )

A beautiful character manifesto in a time when manifesto no longer exist..

Doumeki Chikara

Wounds that won't stop bleeding and others that heal. The betrayal of a family.

Doumeki is one of the most complex characters we have in manga and anime. Always, when talking about Ssezuru we focus a lot on Yashiro San, he is not only the protagonist but he managed to make us all fall in love. But let's talk about Doumeki, a man who, due to his physique, already at the age of eight, stopped receiving the affection of his parents, with very beautiful and strong moral values ​​and a discipline and determination that few have. Imagine being a child wanting to be hugged and no one does? that was Doumeki. A sister arrives, who learned to love from her but grew away from her because Aoi's attitude was suspicious and for him uncomfortable. Doumeki is a man who sees everything but with his sister's situation he wanted to be blind. Perhaps because he was young, too young to face it. That your sister fell in love with you? It must be something very difficult to process. We can't blame him, he was just an affectively deprived teenager.

The trauma

The boy who was raped and didn't realize it.

Doumeki who as a young man beginning his adolescence was raped by a school employee, his physique was perhaps that of a man but his mind was not and he develops a paralysis before someone's sexual advance (for example, in the first encounter with Yashiro San, his attitude of becoming completely still when Yashiro attacks him may be a product of his trauma, just like with the teacher, he did not push him away at the time of inappropriate contact).

The betrayal of a father.

Her sister was not sexually assaulted by a stranger or a teacher, it was his biological father who assaulted her. A father who perhaps even physically resembled the two. Perhaps Doumeki did see the signs of abuse but decided to ignore them and reacted impulsively like anyone else, he protected his sister from him. I come, but...

The betrayal of a sister and the forgetfulness of a mother in silence.

Doumeki decided to keep quiet, asked them not to say anything and assumed all the blame to protect her family from public ridicule, in Japan and the world the image is very important but, as a mother and as a sister, you are going to allow your 21-year-old son, a magnificent student , skilled, intelligent and with a bright future ahead, rot in jail for "the public image"? that's what happened... his sister who could have gone to the police, his mother who could have refused her son's decision and protected him... both were silent. Doumeki lost everything he had built and a silent fear grew in him.

The fear of being a rapist...

The phrase "you can see that they are mother and son", "like father like son", Doumeki took it very seriously and turned off all sexual desire thinking that he could become like his father, dead in life, decided to keep everything.

The arrival of his light...

upon leaving prison, I always thought that Doumeki would no longer see women in the same way and that is one of the reasons for looking at Yashiro, he could no longer see women in a sexual way, because in all those faces he would see Aoi, her sister, being raped and thus he falls in love with a complicated, twisted, dysfunctional man but who gives him a home, security and sees in him something that no one else had seen: tenderness, innocence, purity . Yashiro treats Doumeki tenderly, lovingly and with a childish attitude, unable to resist he begins to desire him and feels guilty about it, thinking that every time he touches him, he rapes him. Yashiro intervenes and tells him that no, you are not equal to your father, you are pure. A phrase that would change his life. But... Yashiro immerses himself in a crusade to return Doumeki to a home since he does not want him to enter the dark and rotten world of the yakuza, he tries to protect him without understanding or knowing all Doumeki's suffering. . Doumeki has no one, he does not want to return to his family because deep down he knows that he was abandoned by all family and friends, he does not want to return to the police who, knowing the events of the case, left him to rot in jail instead of starting an investigation, his future He sees him next to only one person, his love, Yashiro San.

Yashiro leaves Doumeki.

There are no sadder chapters than the entire sequence of events from when Yashiro leaves him behind in the apartment until he wakes up in the hospital. Doumeki's sense of loss and emptiness makes him make a decision: he will not move away, he will remain in the same world as the person he loves... distant and patient but in pain, bleeding relentlessly from a wound that he does not heal...

The reunion and a love that does not end.

Again Doumeki meets Yashiro who apparently has forgotten him, has not changed at all and continues with his bad habits but he continues with his advances. However, in the process he is being hurt, hoping that Yashiro expresses his feelings and at the end of all this nightmare that his life has been, they choose him, but not just anyone, but Yashiro, the man who gave him love and life...

He will never forget, neither the good, nor the bad, nor that they will leave him behind. So he closes his thoughts, his heart and we know nothing but his actions that seem cold and desperate. Doumeki is so young, he is only 29 years old and has been through so many terrible events, abuse and abandonment, his heart has been destroyed by all the beings he loved, respected, admired and wanted. There is only one way left for him, a path that does not stop hurting him, a path that is not yet clear, he must be strong to save what he loves most in this world but he also needs security, a place to return to, a confirmation that he is needed and needed.

I have faith that Doumeki will save Yashiro San, but also that Yashiro San will save Doumeki.

Gabi standing off to the side, being slightly awkward while the team celebrate Nico, wanting to join but not sure how… adorable

Wow this is exactly how I feel on so many facts about this movie, and a few more that I never picked up, or voiced I picked up! This is why Zack’s movies are works of art: you can analyze them right down to the slightest turn of hand, for each mean something.

The fandom is full of these amazing analyses - thank you so much!!!

And now, from the rewatch of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition because I love myself):

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Oh lord we live in Gabico world and we’re just here witnessing. I thought he was gonna kiss him.

Mattia crouching there like “well that’s just the second pair of drivers I witness falling in love, I guess”

OH MY GOD?

Yoneda Kou interview

Interview with Yoneda-sensei, published in the Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai site.

Translated by chinpirako@Livejournal

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