[ SECRET POST #3526 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3526 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.
[Feed The Birds, from Mary Poppins]


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03.
(Once Upon A Time)


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04.
[ Dota 2 esport ]


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05.
[Great British Bake Off, series 3]


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06. http://i.imgur.com/82bEEum.png
[The Private Report on My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness; linked for nudity/implied porn, illustrated]


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07.
[We Happy Few]


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08.
[Stranger Things]














Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 32 secrets from Secret Submission Post #504.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

Official advertise your fandom-related event thread.

RULES FOR THIS:
1. NO images bigger than 600x600 in either direction (banners, et cetera).
2. ONE POST PER USER under this thread.
3. What IS allowed: roleplay advertisements, fandom comms, fandom events, things like that.
4. What is NOT allowed: anything for profit, any kind of fic/art commissions, seeking 1-on-1 RP, that kind of thing.

[fscom]

Official clickables thread.

RULES FOR THIS:
1. NO huge images or columns of images that require scrolling, please.
2. ONE POST PER USER under in this thread.
3. If you're going to post, try to at least help the others.

[fscom]

General comments:

(If the thread contains spoilery/triggery content please post as 2nd comment so it collapses!)

Writing

[iwasanartist]

I have a particular topic in mind, but didn't want to limit the conversation.

Writing good love scenes/lead-ups

[iwasanartist]

I'm working on a new friends-to-lovers fic right now, and damn if getting to that first kiss isn't hard. I've got everything after it all worked out but making that one leap is killer. And kind of crucial, because I very much want this to be something that happens naturally and not "Well, we've thought about it and talked about it and are now going to try a relationship! Here's our first date and kiss!!"

But it's also making me notice a trend I'm seeing in a lot of writing: Super clunky consent. Like, I just read something the other day where two characters were rolling around naked and one grabs the other's ass BUT DIDN'T STICK A FINGER IN, BECAUSE CONSENT!!! And, sure it was worded marginally better than that, but it was so jarring and really felt more like it was the writer saying "See guys! I know what consent is!" than anything else. And I'm getting that feeling a lot, lately.

And sure, I get it. Consent is sexy, in that it's sexy when two people who want to have sex with each other are having hot, sexy sex. But...it's not really all that sexy to read about, to me. At least not in the way it seems to be happening.

So, what are your thoughts on consent (IN FICTION)? Do you want to read about everyone making sure they get an OK for everything and laying down ground rules and whatnot beforehand, or do you want to assume -- unless given reason to think otherwise -- that these are two people who are agreeing/have agreed to what's going on? Put another way, is there room in fiction for actions to speak just as loudly as words?

Dubcon?-- Probably trigger warnings here for rape

[philstar22]

I was actually about to start a writing thread because I have a question. You beat me to it.

When exactly do you label something dubcon? I'm currently working on a fic. It is very clearly rape, so I'm labeling it non-con. But the whole thrust of the fic is this scenee where the perpetrator, who has previously been violent with the victim, works to break the victim by making him think that he wanted it just because the perpetrator makes it enjoyable and the victim's body reacts (the characters are Sauron and Maedhros if that matters).

So since that's the theme of the fic, I'm not sure if that counts as dubcon since I don't really understand what dubcon is, and I'm not sure if I should use the label or not.

Tell me something good, FS!

[(Anonymous)]

What's happened to you recently that's good? Or just something you like that makes you happy? Tell me!

Re: Tell me something good, FS!

[iwasanartist]

I just ate a taco that was pretty good.

Re: Tell me something good, FS!

[philstar22]

I'm happy my writing muse seems to be back. I wrote two porny fics last week, and I had inspiration for a dark fic very early this morning and have been working on it for most of the day.

Re: Tell me something good, FS!

[(Anonymous)]

I received more than one gift in an exchange and they were all wonderful. I even got my off-the-wall crack prompt filled!

Re: Tell me something good, FS!

[sarillia]

I don't have any labs this semester!

I spent the last year in chemistry labs with no seats except these stools that were almost worse for my knees than standing the whole time and it was exhausting and for the next 24 hours or so I'd get these muscle cramps in my legs and feet and I hated even thinking about lab. But I don't have to deal with that this time.

Re: Tell me something good, FS!

[diet_poison]

I'm moving! *dances* and the long process of getting there is going smoothly so far!

Imzy

[(Anonymous)]

I have invite codes if anyone wants one.

Hair thread

[(Anonymous)]

Post your hair adventures/hair dreams here.

sadness thread

[(Anonymous)]

What's hurting you, friends?

(I'm that immediately-post-breakup anon so you know what my deal is. I know time will make it better but it just feels like I'll never get there.)

Fandom Happenings

[(Anonymous)]

What's shaking?

setting up ma new computer

[(Anonymous)]

I just got a new laptop and usually my sister gets computers all set up and ready for use, but she's not here for that now. I think I remember all the things she had me do on my desktop, but that was 5 years ago, so I thought I'd put it out there and see if it seems like there's anything I'm forgetting or anything that seems unnecessary. SO:

Check for Windows Updates
Download and run:
--CCleaner
--HitmanPro
--Malwarebytes
Get a virus protection program

Speaking of Virus protection! What do you like? Right now I have Avast and it's time to renew if I want to. But lately its annoying me with its "I FOUND BING!! I SHOULD KILL BING!! LET'S MAKE YAHOO YOUR DEFAULT!!!" And I don't use bing or yahoo but the OTT way Avast keeps losing its shit over it an always being all "You know, your ISP could know you're at this porn site. UPGRADE TO HIDE IT!!" is really turning me off. Why so pushy, Avast?

Any suggestions or tips?

[loracarol]

I start my first day of teaching tomorrow. I'm not a teacher-teacher, just an undergrad with a part time job, but it's A Thing That Is Happening.

Luckily it's a small private school, so not a lot of people in the classroom, so that's nice.

I'm definitely not panicking. Nope. Not even a little bit.

I have a powerpoint and a speech planned and I'm going to be fine I think?

What tv shows did you start and never finish?

[(Anonymous)]

Why?

Inspired by secret #5: Fuck off, British people.

[(Anonymous)]

Fuck off, British people.

I had a British person once tell me "Oh, Americans are so weird! I can't believe that they eat pancakes for every breakfast!" Fucking WHAT, you redcoat son of a bitch? Who the fuck eats pancakes for every breakfast in the United States? How would you feel if I came up to you and said "Oh my god, I can't believe that British people eat fish and chips for every dinner! How do you guys not have mercury poisoning???"

I am tired of hearing about the candies and shit that Americans supposedly don't have. Like "Oh my goodness, you don't have fiddly-boink-doodlykins?" I normally don't give a shit, but when it's clear that your "fiddly-boink-doodlykins" are actually fucking M&Ms or something with a different brand name, that's when I get pissed. Oh, how sad for me, I'll never get to eat an M&M in different packaging! If I hear one more Brit tell me all about their fucking candy and "crisps" and what-the-fuck ever, I'm going to throw tea into the harbor again. I don't care. I'll do it alone. I'm sending a message. Me, tea, harbor, throw.

Finally, no, we don't eat all American cheese all day. I've heard people legitimately say "Do Americans not know what cheese is? American cheese isn't good!" It's called "turning your face around and looking at the deli or cheese aisle of the store." As it turns out, there's cheese there! If I ever go to Britain, I'm going to walk into Tesco or whatever it's called, point at frozen food aisle, and say "Do British people not know what non-frozen food is? Frozen food isn't good! Why don't you try eating food that hasn't been frozen?"

Pie is awesome. I'll slap the Queen.

imgur

[(Anonymous)]

Do you have to be a member to post images, now? I haven't posted s secret in a while, but I don't really want a new account if I can help it...

[fscom]

Games thread!

Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

[diet_poison]

Here be discussion! Time to talk about His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik!

Feel free to comment at your leisure with questions for others and thoughts of your own! I will put some of my own thoughts in a comment shortly.

Some of my thoughts...

[diet_poison]

I will start by admitting that when the August poll came up, this was one of the least interesting choices to me. That's not to say it looked SUPER boring, because honestly the August poll had a really really cool lineup and a lot of great-looking books. But I guess as much as I love dragons, I didn't really want to read another typical-sounding dragon story in a typical setting (historical England in the last 200 years).

Boy, was I wrong. I thought the book sounded okay. It was awesome. I think it's one of my favorite BC books we've read so far.

This could be because for me it had a few tropes I really enjoy - humans bonding with specific mythical creatures, for example. The dragon-human bond that was set up in the book was clearly meant to be stronger even than the bond between spouses, which is saying something, though that's lessened a little considering how many marriages of the time were probably shallow and at least somewhat political, if you were born into Laurence's social class. I also love the "random badass women who the MC mistakes for dudes" trope. Dunno why. Blame Mulan maybe?

Anyway, here's a breakdown of what stood out the most to me:

+Laurence. I'll start by saying that at the beginning of the book, Laurence did not impress me. I liked that he was a person of strong character, and that that was portrayed as a positive thing and it set him apart from other characters throughout the book, but otherwise, at the beginning I found him a bit insufferable, clearly very caught up in the expectations and privilege of his social class, and very much the Napoleonic-era-England's version of a Good Old Boy. But what I loved was how, and how much, he changed throughout the book. I think the fact that he shared a deep bond with what could be argued as basically a magical creature makes it more plausible that he changed so much in even a few months. By the end of it some of his major compunctions - having a romance that wasn't about marriage/taking a lover, for example, and accepting people who weren't "gentlemen" (both in terms of gender and class) among his comrades without even really questioning it anymore. It is a testament to the force of his character that he was able to make a positive influence as a newbie in the Corps in such a short time (that, and that everyone was so impressed by Temeraire).

And, of course, Temeraire himself - I love a lot of little things about his character, like how he launched himself from the ship to save the drowning soldier because he wanted to help (not because he wanted to fly away), how he willingly admits he would save Laurence's life even if it meant defying orders, how intelligent he clearly is even for a dragon, and how compassionate he is which may be partly rubbed off from Laurence, and how he at first got very jealous of Laurence. And how he was willing to accept another rider to give Laurence his freedom, towards the beginning. I mean, imagine a very idealized dog in temperament, make it as intelligent as a man, and give it the body of a dragon - there you have Temeraire.

I loved the bit about women being in the Corps, and how it was a secret kept from basically the entire country for fear of retribution. And the bit about dragons having rank in the Corps (I mean, at least Celeritas, but there must be others). Laurence was so afraid of how the Corps was ~different that he imagined them being cruelly hard and demanding, but instead they kept their ways such a secret because they were more progressive than other military/political and social institutions in England, and they were afraid they would meet a lot of rebuke. I know Laurence himself would never have approved as an outside. But I find myself hoping in future books (which I am definitely going to read!) that that stuff comes out in the open a little more - especially wrt female captains! I wonder if any of them have ever been promoted to Admiral or anything like that. Hmm.

I really enjoyed the way it was written too - nothing really special or fancy in terms of prose, but it flowed well, wasn't choppy, and definitely helped me envision the sights and sounds of the dragon coverts, the beasts themselves and all their gear, and the thrill of flying over the land or the ocean. Honestly if I were living in that time period I think I'd love that job myself.

What are your thoughts? Anything more particular you'd like to talk about? Thoughts on the characters or plot? (The plot was cool but nothing particularly special. The only real "twists" - the Frenchman's betrayal [I didn't trust him from the start, for some reason] and Temeraire's sudden but totally expected magical turning point in the climactic battle scene - were predictable to me, though I still enjoyed reading them.)

I hope future books show us more about Laurence's relationship with his family, as well. His dad seems like kind of a dick but I want to see him bow his head and admit that Laurence has done well by his family and his country. I kinda also want to see him make up with Edith, not actually get together with her but at least be friendly - maybe able to be friends of a sort after moving on in a romantic feelings sense. And I want to see Laurence, Berkley, and Harcourt go on adventures together with their dragons and be a big happy family and not have Harcourt be in a relationship with either of the others. (Note on that as well - Harcourt and Jane are the two female captains we see and they are so different. I appreciate the diversity of characters even among a limited audience!)

Re: Book club - AUGUST DISCUSSION!

[(Anonymous)]

I've come to complain!

To be fair, I have only read the first three chapters and then I simply couldn't take it anymore. However, I still have something to say about those. So here goes.

Are human beings really so desperate for subservient species that the usual livestock and pets are not enough anymore?

Apparently yes, because we need more. We need mythical, intelligent, incredibly powerful and speaking(!) creatures, who we then treat as weaponized cattle, with no qualms whatsoever. What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck? Unless, of course, they refuse to be harnessed, in which case they will be treated as non-weaponized cattle.

So, dragons are able to speak multiple human languages and understand the world around them to an astonishing degree straight out of the egg, with some non-sensical exceptions, yes, but compared to a newborn human baby, that's huge. Why would creatures who are physically much more powerful than humans, and - I think it's safe to assume that a dragon's mental abilities will grow with age as well - and at least equal on an intellectual level voluntarily(!) enter into human service? And I'm being nice calling it 'service'. It's ownership. It's slavery. And I'm calling it slavery, because an 'animal' which is that intelligent and can communicate with humans on this level, is not a fucking cow.

How does that make sense? And is Novik seriously expecting me to think that's cool? You've got be kidding me.

I hope the author is just a hack, because I don't even want to think about the implications, if she is actually trying to use the human-dragon thing as an allegory. Boo, you bore!

And oh, the predictability of it all. Right from the start, it's clear what's going to happen and who the hero is. No doubt. When the captain didn't 'win' the draw, I was actually pleasantly surprised and had some hope. It wouldn't have been innovative or inspired, but it would have been at least a little bit more interesting, especially with the protagonist in a more passive/observer/mentor role. But nope. Even though he didn't win the draw. He is just so special, with his special hair and special specialness, that the dragon chooses him anyway, because of their special connection. Uuuhhh, is this going to go in the Pounded In The Butt By My Own Dragon direction?

Does Novik think she's being subtle here? You're not being subtle, sis. This book wouldn't know subtle, if subtle got seasick on it. I would have more respect for her choices as an author, if she had just been honest with herself and her readers without the whole Let Chance/Fate Decide spiel and then going back on it. Seriously, you are not fooling anyone.

I could have ignored my ethical misgivings and the painful boredom I felt during my reading experience a bit more, if I had seen any redeeming quality in the story itself. But there is nothing. The characters, including the hero, are flatter than crêpes. The hinted conflicts and struggles are empty. There is nothing substantial or genuine about them.

We are told that it's such a social, financial, psychological etc. hardship to be a dragon rider, but none of that is actually shown in the actions/thoughts/behaviour of the protagonist or the plot. He may say he has regrets, but what are those? There are no details. Does he resent the loss of his social position, losing contact with family and friends, losing the rank of captain he probably worked years to achieve, the dream of a specific future? And how does that manifest for this particular character? I get nothing.

I'm supposed to believe he is strongly affected by the change in his life, but I see no evidence of it in the text. It's all just a pro forma, poor, vague substitute for conflict and tension. Is that empty nonsense, combined with the inelegant info-dropping and the tedious, lifeless prose supposed to hold my attention?

Does she think her readers are magpies? Look at the shiny, stupid* little birdy. Look at the shiny speaking(!) dragon and ignore my poor plotting skills and my cardboard excuses for characters.

While reading I wanted to tell that dragon only one thing: Why are you listening to this mofo? Have some self-respect.

The only thing that could have saved this clusterfuck of a novel - and I'm being nice again, calling it a 'novel' - would have been, if the human heroes turned out to be the true villains of the piece. And there would have been a great, big, hopefully violent uprising of the dragons overthrowing the yoke of human oppression and ending the senseless suffering of all dragonkind. And maybe Laurence The Flop learns something and joins the revolution. Or, you know, some actual conflict.

If this or something similar actually happens, please spoil me, and I will humbly take back everything I said. Okay no, not everything, but I will make concessions! However, since what I've read so far has inspired me with no faith in this author whatsoever, I won't bother to find out.

And above all, it's not even a little bit entertaining! It took me 4 weeks to read those 3 chapters. 4 sodding weeks!

Dishonour on your cow, Novik! Go home, Novik! If I had a physical copy of your book, I would throw it in a dumpster!

Now I feel better. :D

And kudos to the person who originally suggested it, because I've found heaps of things to discuss in only three useless and boring chapters. And I haven't read a book that made me so angry since the beginning of the year. So yay, it certainly didn't leave me indifferent.

I hope everyone else had a better time with this book than I did.

Complaint completed.

_{*real life magpies are neither stupid nor thieving, I'm only using those stereotypes in a humorous context}


tl,dr: I despise this book for a variety of reasons.