#…it's not even like any other character was much better at it

[hot-lesbian-knight]

Man where to start.

The locked tomb series by Tamsyn Muir occupies a very special place in my heart and it certainly changed me, I'm much more comfortable being my beautiful butch self now than to Gideon Nav and Pyrrha Dve, and they generally rewired my brain a bunch both in a 'I am not the same' way and a it has made me better at reading and analysis way.

Changed my life but I don't know if I would consider it a classic, maybe once it's finished.

The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce was hugely influential to me and I would not be as obsessed with knights nearly as much as I am without having grown up reading about the lady knight, Sir Alanna of Trebond.

Significantly changed my life and is unquestionably a classic.

Technically it was written by a man and a woman together but This is How You Lose the Time War fully rewired my nervous system, tore my heart out, crushed it into a fine pink mist and then inhaled it. Some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read telling a heartachingly bittersweet love story. I recommend it to literally everyone I meet.

Changed my life and it should absolutely be a classic.

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers has a phenomenal vibe and Sidra's experience with her body is such a viscerally familiar one as a trans person that I struggled to put into words. It's also just a vibrant world and a really positive and sweet story without veering so far into Saccharine territory.

Didn't necessarily change me but should definitely be a classic.

And finally, the complete works of Lois McMaster Bujold.

God how do I even start to talk about Bujold. She's so incredibly talented and her worlds and characters manage to step off the page to feel so real and alive in a way I have rarely experienced, most stories I am always vaguely aware that the characters are fictional tools of the author to move the story forward but Bujold is able to make me forget about that and just believe that they are living and breathing people living in complex and chaotic worlds much like real life. Her grip of pacing always sucks me in and pulls me along at just the right speed. She has become easily one of my favorite authors over the last few years.

Her book Paladin of Souls, which is an incredible name, takes place in her fantasy setting The World of the Five Gods which has a really fascinating world I just wanna dig into and explore, and the book itself is an amazing story about aging, life, and how you can and must take control of your own life or others will do it for you. It's genuinely such an excellent book and I highly recommend both it and Curse of Challion which takes place three years before Paladin of Souls.

That said the piece of Bujold's work that has had the greatest impact on me as a person is absolutely The Vorkosigan Saga. Its a Speculative Sci-fi setting where most of the books follow Miles Vorkosigan, a a member of the nobility on Barrayar. Miles is this manic little git who would be absolutely insufferable as a protagonist in the hands of any other writer yet managed to be incredibly charming and likable thanks to Bujolds mastery of the craft. Miles is physically disabled, having suffered birth defects that left him incredibly short, with brittle bones. However he's incredibly smart and insightful and is very very good at maintaining forward momentum where he just kinda keeps running as the narrative of each adventure builds up like a snowball rolling down hill with miles sprinting as fast as he can to keep up and avoid being crushed. He's such a fun and interesting character to watch grow up across the books(we see him go from a 17 year old wannabe military man desperate to make his father proud with a chip on his shoulder so big it could sink the titanic to a well rounded matured father himself over the series).

While the whole Vorkosigan Saga is excellent and has some amazing Spec-Fic concepts build explores(I could write a 100k word essay on the Uterine Replicators and the way they serve as a metaphor for bodily autonomy) the moment that has impacted me most from her work is one of the later books, Memory.

When I say that Memory completely changed my outlook on and approach to life I mean it. There's a passage from it that is forever burned into my mind because of how succinctly it distills a fundamental truth, delivered to Miles the protagonist when he is feeling utterly lost and adrift due to his life collapsing spectacularly:

“You go on. You just go on. There’s nothing more to it, and there’s no trick to make it easier. You just go on.”

“What do you find on the other side? When you go on?”

She shrugged. “Your life again. What else?”

“Is that a promise?”

She picked up a pebble, fingered it, and tossed it into the water. The moon-lines bloomed and danced. “It’s an inevitability. No trick. No choice. You just go on.”

The idea of "You just go on" has changed my outlook on life, much like Waymond in Everything Everywhere All At Once choosing joy and kindness, and I am a far better person for that change.

Also Cryoburn, what is likely the second to last book in the Vorkosigan Saga since bujold has said she doesn't feel like returning to the world, made me fully dissociate for a day and then finally call my dad to tell him I loved him through sobs. It's an average Miles Vorkosigan adventure through 99% of the book, but with the weight of the whole series behind it the ending very neatly hollows you out and leaves you an empty husk with just the last three words and a 500 word epilogue.

Anyway. All that to say, you should read some of Bujolds work. Changed me Profoundly and I believe it is a travesty and tragedy that she is not held in the same regard as authors like Pratchett and Le Guin

What's a book written by a woman that changed your life or that you consider a classic? Any genre, any language.

[fear-is-truth]

Hi! I really enjoy reading you writing, thank you for taking the time to write so much🩵 I was wondering if you could write namgyu fiancé/wife headcannons(I got inspired to ask after reading your Patrick Bateman hc’s lol.) Anyways sorry if this was worded weird in any way it’s my first time sending a request😭 love you writing🩵!

I NEED A GANGSTA TO LOVE ME BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS DO . . . husband! + fiancé! NAMGYU

warnings — toxic behaviour but we still love him jackie’s note — thx for the req ! i did my best trying to keep him in character

makes sure to charm your parents, but it’s not over-the-top. he’s not the type to be overly polite or sickeningly sweet—that would seem fake. instead, he plays it smart. respectful, well-mannered, but with that natural confidence that makes people believe in him. calls your father abeonim (아버님) and your mother eomeonim (어머님), bowing properly when he greets them.

tl;dr — maybe because his actor (roh jae-won) wears glasses irl, i imagine nam-gyu wearing glasses to look “well-read” and “sophisticated”. also he’ll cover up his tattoos with long sleeves.

if your parents are traditional, he knows exactly how to navigate that. he’s sharp—he understands the nuances of korean etiquette and leans into them when necessary. he makes sure to pour drinks properly, holds his glass with both hands when your father pours for him, eats with careful manners. if your parents are strict, he presents himself as someone stable, capable, a good match. if they’re more laid-back, he relaxes slightly, adjusting his tone to match the atmosphere.

subtly reminds you that he’s on his best behavior for you. if you tease him about how polite he’s being, he just smiles, leaning in to murmur, what, you think i’d go through all this trouble if i didn’t love you? a little smirk, a slight squeeze of your thigh under the table. a reminder that you are the reason he’s being a good boy—because normally, he wouldn’t even bother.

if your mother fusses over him, he plays along. when she offers him more food, he doesn’t refuse, thanking her with a polite smile. if she comments on how skinny he is, how he should eat more, he chuckles, glancing at you. your daughter already takes good care of me, eomeonim.

if your father is hard to impress, he takes it as a challenge. he’s patient, methodical—never too eager. he doesn’t try to prove himself all at once. instead, he subtly weaves his way into your father’s good graces. agreeing at the right moments, asking the right questions, offering carefully-worded insights that make him seem thoughtful, intelligent. and if he finally earns even a hint of approval? he glances at you, his smirk barely concealed. told you i’d win him over.

carefully watches how your parents treat you. if they’re critical, make offhand comments about you, if they push certain expectations—he picks up on it fast. and later, he uses it. you always do what they want, don’t you? a soft, almost mocking chuckle, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your wrist. no wonder you’re always so easy to push around.

he’s prepared for any potential criticism. if your parents are skeptical of him, nam-gyu doesn’t get defensive. instead, he meets them with calm responses—turning doubts into opportunities to prove himself. i understand why you’d be concerned, abeonim. i’d feel the same if i were in your position. but i love your daughter. i wouldn’t be here otherwise.

if your family likes him too much, he gets really smug about it.

if your parents don’t approve of him, he doesn’t panic—he improvises/adapts/overcomes. he knows that pushing too hard will backfire, so he plays the long game. lets them see the good parts of him, lets them warm up to him over time. and in the meantime? he makes sure you’re still firmly in his grasp. it doesn’t matter what they think, he tells you. as long as you want me, that’s all that matters.

he’s the kind of fiancé who treats the engagement ring like a collar. it’s not just a symbol—it’s proof that you’re his. he likes seeing it on your finger, will get noticeably irritated if you take it off, even for something as innocent as washing dishes.

nam-gyu loves calling you his fiancée / wife. he says it all the time, almost tauntingly, because he knows it flusters you. where’s my wife? when he walks into a room. c’mere, dear fiancée when he wants something. it’s possessive in a way that makes it clear—you’re his. and when he really wants to make a point? my wife wouldn’t do that to me, right? an almost-smirk, a tilt of his head, watching you.

marrying him doesn’t make him any easier to deal with. if anything, it makes him worse, because now you’re his in a legal sense. you signed the papers, you made the vows—he sees it as something unbreakable and permanent. and the idea of you leaving? no. that’s not happening

has a hard time differentiating between love and control. nam-gyu doesn’t always realise when he’s being unreasonable, because to him, at least, getting engaged isn’t about keeping you under his thumb—it’s about making sure you don’t leave. you agreed to this. you’re his now. and that means something.

gets unreasonably affectionate when he knows you’re mad at him. you try to ignore him, but he keeps pressing into your space—an arm looping around your waist, his face buried in your neck, lips brushing your skin as he mumbles, you’re really gonna stay mad at your husband? it’s unfair how easily he wears you down.

thrives on the ‘newlywed’ effect. the first few months after your wedding, he plays into it hard. always using it as an excuse. i have to get home—i’m a married man now. or can you blame me? i just got married, of course i want to spend all my time with my wife. but even after the honeymoon phase passes, he still pulls that card when it suits him. especially when you try to push back against something he wants. so much for that ‘for better or worse’ vow, huh?

manipulates arguments into ‘tests of loyalty.’ you bring up a real issue? suddenly, it’s why are you turning against me? you’re upset with something he did? so much for ‘in sickness and in health.’ he doesn’t really believe in marriage vows, but he sure as hell knows how to use them.

finds ways to make sure you need him. maybe it’s handling the finances, maybe it’s subtly discouraging you from relying on anyone else. but little by little, he makes sure you don’t feel comfortable making decisions without him. why are you asking them? your husband’s right here. always with that slight edge to his voice, like it bothers him that you’d go to someone else first.

he likes things done his way but knows when to pick his battles. he lets you win the small ones—the paint colour of the walls, what takeout place you order from—but when it comes to bigger things, things that matter, he has a way of steering things back in his favour.

gets into the habit of taking things that belong to you. nothing major, just little things. a hair tie, a chapstick etc.

gets unreasonably possessive in public. his arm around your shoulders, his hand on your thigh, fingers laced with yours even when it’s inconvenient. he doesn’t like when people look at you too long, and if he catches someone staring, he won’t hesitate to make it known that you’re taken. a glare, a hand tightening around your waist. and later, when you’re alone? do you like it? when people look at you like that? a smirk, a tilt of his head, his fingers trailing up your spine. do you like making me jealous?

doesn’t really want kids, but if you do, he’ll act like he’s doing you a favour. if it’ll make you happy, fine. but he never fully steps into the role of a father. he sees them as extensions of you, not his. he’ll help when he feels like it, but the responsibility? that’s on your. and if they ever come before him? he makes sure you know it.

nam-gyu never lets you forget that you chose him. you said yes, remember? whenever you question things, whenever you feel trapped, he always reminds you—you agreed to this. you wanted this. and sometimes, when he’s kissing down your neck, when he’s got you needy and pliant under him, his voice drops to a soft murmur—no one else will love you like i do, baby. and the terrifying part is, you know he’s right.

[searchingforserendipity25]

it's a good thing conclave didn't waste any time on making the stories about catholic orders and their in-fighting. and probably i shouldn't either because i am not informed enough about it to go on at length. pls take all of this w a grain of salt.

but i know in my heart of hearts that aldo bellini is a progressive liberal jesuit, the holy father's specialest most progressive liberal italian-american jesuit.

look at him. look at his glasses. those are the glasses of a man who did his dissertation on reinterpreting loyola through a contemporary reformist lens. academic wunderkid. has sooo much beef w the editors of american jesuit weekly. possibly the events of conclave are occurring in a better more beautiful world where aldo bellini is the editor of american jesuit weekly.

the late holy father for sure was a progressive jesuit also. vr pope francis coded. and low-key set him up as a successor. for a while, that seemed nearly a sure thing in some circles.

but there is the fact. well. the fact that everyone is tired, done and tired of jesuits, progressive or otherwise.

this among other factors meant he couldn't consider him the best option, besides whatever character judgement and uncanny machievallien prediction he came up with.

adeyemi has that benedictine swag which makes his potential election particularly seem like a breath of fresh air + reliable + lots of influence. tremblay is giving dominican drip and dominican corruption. and dominican flop. his nespresso machine? it's giving dominican also.

tedesco has to be an italian-founded order member. most hypocrital salesian of all times maybe?? this is unrelated to the fact that i was nearly enrolled in a salesian primary school and the weirdly panopticon-ish playground didn't pass the vibe check. and also because: consider tedesco rising in the ranks of an order created to help migrant workers...someone kick him in the head for me pls.

who even knows about benítez. i want to say franciscan but that might be just too on the nose. cistercian?? honestly it would work well if he is also without affiliation.

this lens does make lawrence's homily being interpreted as a campaign speech more understandable (and particularly funny).

because, as far as anyone can tell, he's fully running as an independent candidate. zero platform besides - if i fuck up i'll apologize and do better and be held accountable, which is more than any of you probably would.

and because he stands alone, he can be held accountable. he can belong to all, and not one faction only. as far as anyone can tell, he's burning bridges with bellini and rocking the statues quo.

he is speaking to/from a place of frustration with institutional inertia and factionalism, he is using his position as dean to bravely promote a platform for internal change in the curia, he is offering doubt as an alternative to certainty, he is pulling an absolute wildcard move.

pity he didn't mean it.

pity the the only order lawrence is interested in joining is the most hardcore discalced carmelite experience possible.

you know how some people look into luxurious real estate listings like it's porn? that's lawrence w tiny monasteries. the sort of minuscule organization with not enough people for management to be necessary. too small for politics. as close to erasure as you can get in this world: no need to be useful.

serving god by existing only to meditate on him. a narrow slant of a life, at that. barely taking up space, barely casting a shadow.

his favorite is a decrepit wreck of a place in the middle of southern spain, nowhere. no wifi no speaking aloud no possessions. no shoes no food. no nothing, only prayer. and a big big sky overhead.

maybe that will fix his issues with reaching god. if that doesn't work he'll probably just wander into the tabernas desert and become an hermit. works for some people, supposedly; plenty of order founders seem to believe so, anyway.

[burr-ell]

re: bh never having faced consequences, what are some moments/things they've done you think there should've been consequences for? i'm asking because i've realized these past couple episodes that i also fear they won't face any consequences for this, but i haven't been able to pinpoint why i feel that way yet

I don't think the answer is that they've done things that demand consequences so much as it is that a lot of elements of this campaign just don't coalesce or feel like they matter. Things feel important and relevant and cool in the moment and then don't get any kind of followup, nor do they have a meaningful impact on the characters. So much of this story falls to the wayside with no followup, if it doesn't have the wind taken out of it altogether.

A lot of plot points wind up mattering more to the fandom than they do to the characters—even good arcs, like the events of the party split arc, don't seem to have left much of an impact. There are fans who still bring up Hearthdell as a point against the gods or Vasselheim, but Bell's Hells have barely mentioned it if at all since episode 65. Laudna derides it as a "pissant town" with "pissant squabbles" and is far less interested in the village and its people than she is in her own trauma and feelings about the Titans. Ashton only brings up what happened there because they're still sore about being judged by an angel. There's still a chance that they call out Vasselheim's leadership for the whole mess, but at no point during Ashton's rant to the Exandrian Accord did they ever reference the blatant encroachment and attempt at a land grab. Molaesmyr fares little better; Chetney is the only character who ever brings it up, and when he does it's in the context of rattling Ludinus personally—a point that only he ever presses, even though Imogen and Fearne were also there. The fandom has been debating off and on about how much the nature of Predathos itself can be linked to Molaesmyr's destruction, but nothing has canonically explained it one way or the other, in part because the rest of the Hells just aren't interested.

It's also that lack of interest that leads to major NPC villains that are almost completely irrelevant to the story. It does not ultimately matter that one of Ludinus's generals is Otohan Thull or that the Malleus Key was defended by Ozo Cruth. The audience doesn't really know who they are, and they don't know because the party had no reason to care and didn't try to get one. Matt has indicated that there's a story to Otohan that will likely be revealed in a campaign wrap-up, and the same is probably true for Ozo, but in the actual story, all they are to the audience is a couple of overtuned stat blocks with swords, and the characters they killed might as well have been gutted by a pit fiend for all it mattered. About the only death that has any narrative resonance is FCG's, and it feels less like they sacrificed themself to kill Otohan and more like the story had to lose an interesting and engaging character to get rid of Otohan.

Even returning antagonists don't escape; both Ludinus Da'leth and Delilah Briarwood, important villains from their original campaigns, have been done a great deal of disservice in this one. Ludinus peaked in episode 51; his gambit with Vax and Keyleth was great, but the longer he got to keep monologuing, in a campaign already full of talking in circles about the same issue, the more insufferable he became. Even his death, karmic as it was, is cheapened by the almost-immediate implication that he's got a way to come back, which might make sense mechanically but is utterly exhausting narratively. Delilah, on the other hand, could have been replaced by an original character and nothing of value would have been lost; there's potential in an undead warlock whose patron is their own murderer, but any of the emotional juice of that story is outweighed both by how tiresome the pacing is and how overreliant it is on maudlin imagery and nostalgia for the original Briarwood arc. We don't learn about why Delilah is here or what her specific goals are until episode 77, 40 episodes after the party confronted her directly and gave her an opportunity to explain herself that she did not take. The corruption arc, again, had potential, but fizzled out as soon as a level 20 wizard dropped the soul anchor solution into their laps, with little actual impact on Laudna herself.

The actual player characters have, for the most part, barely substantively changed. Chetney has solved the mechanical problem of not being able to control his werewolf transformations and he does push big red buttons when no one else will, but he isn't really moving anywhere as a character. Laudna continues to do everything in her power to bounce back to the old kooky fun-scary bit from episode 1 every time anything interesting happens to her. FCG did actually have a great arc with an incredibly heartfelt and moving conclusion, but is no longer a meaningful part of the narrative and the party's grief over their death was not given the space to breathe that it warranted. Fearne has matured a bit over the course of the campaign but is still largely just as aimless and go-with-the-flow as she was in the beginning. Imogen, at the very least, started to take something close to an actual stance on the gods and what to do about Predathos, but every time she has to make a choice, she continues to ask someone else what she should do and then hem and haw when she's told it's her decision. Orym has finally let himself lean on someone else, but has otherwise remained static. Ashton had a very promising arc after failing to absorb the shard, but has since regressed into doing the exact thing they called themself out for doing: looking for someone to blame and wanting to feel like they were robbed. Moments like Shardgate and Swordgate, which in any other campaign would have been major watersheds, have become functionally irrelevant for all the impact they've had on the actual characters.

The elephant in the room here, of course, is Imogen and Laudna's relationship, which has been a millstone around the campaign's neck from the beginning. Shippers have accused critics of being motivated by bigotry, but the arguments deconstructing it are ultimately rooted in this very same issue: nothing that happens to them truly seems to matter. This is intertwined with the issues with Delilah, because every time Imogen and Laudna actually run into any sort of conflict or difficulty, it has something to do with that plot thread: Delilah broke the gnarlrock; Delilah was reawakened when Laudna killed Bor'dor and Laudna was extremely upset and traumatized about it; and Delilah was the one Laudna was listening to when she tried to steal and absorb Otohan's sword. All of those conflicts fizzled out as soon as the immediate surface issue was resolved: Imogen dropped the gnarlrock issue entirely; Imogen kissed Laudna and insisted that she couldn't be a bad person for killing Bor'dor, and Laudna completely dropped the subject; and Imogen, as soon as Delilah was sealed in the soul anchor, immediately took Laudna back after less than a day of mild distance and they went off to have makeup sex. It feels less like their love is so strong it can overcome any conflict and more like they retreat to the same way their relationship was before as soon as they possibly can. Even starting a romance doesn't seem to materially change anything.

There's no interest in unpacking anything that could cause a problem, either. Laudna canonically has no issue with Imogen floating the idea of siding with the Vanguard, even though it was a Vanguard general who killed Laudna in the street to get to Imogen; in fact, she refuses to take a hard stance for or against Imogen joining Predathos because she doesn't want to "hold Imogen back from her destiny". Prior to Laudna attempting to take the sword, Imogen told her explicitly "if you need [Delilah], then that's my answer"—and then instead of addressing that, Imogen blames herself for Laudna giving into Delilah by wondering if she should have given into her own toxic influence so at least Laudna wouldn't be alone. At no point have they ever had a difficult conversation about any of their underlying issues, like the actual material harm Laudna has done to herself or others or the fact that both Imogen and Laudna have repeatedly tossed aside their actual needs in favor of maintaining their status quo of unending support and presence in each other's lives. They both just attribute responsibility to someone or something else and continue to swear that they'll always be there for one another—just like every other conversation they've ever had. There's no challenge and no movement, not from them or from anyone else; nothing has ever upset the idea that this story could be anything less than idyllic, no matter the increasing evidence to the contrary.

A common refrain for a very long time, and perhaps one still around in some circles, was a desire for Character A and Character B to "finally talk", and not without reason. In previous campaigns, A and B probably would have talked. This, however, is a campaign centering on profoundly incurious characters with a narrative that is disinterested in those characters becoming genuinely invested in its setting or each other beyond a bare surface level. Of course they won't face any consequences for releasing Predathos when they didn't need to, nor will they face consequences for not communicating their incredibly risky and contentious plan ahead of time. Why would they? It won't matter. Nothing in this story matters, and that's the entire problem.

[anthurak]

Having been rewatching some of Ice Queendom lately, I’d like to talk about something I really wanted to discuss after the series wrapped, but haven’t gotten around to until now.

Namely, the shows use of Jaune, and specifically how it’s one of my biggest issues with the anime.

Now talking about this is somewhat complicated because I don’t have any issues with how Ice Queendom presents and writes Jaune directly. In fact I was actually pretty IMPRESSED watching the show at the frankly keen understanding the writers seemed to have of Jaune’s character and what he’s meant to represent.

Namely, that Jaune is a massive subversion of so many classic male fantasy-hero protagonists. He’s NOT some cool, badass fighter and whenever he tries to be one, he gets his ass handed to him. Instead, he’s able to show his real strength by supporting and helping others.

And there’s a bunch of great subtle details like how Jaune’s dream weapon being this flashy, oversized sword that he just cannot fucking use not matter how hard he tries is just the PERFECT metaphor for his character in the early volumes. A weapon that represents all the ‘big strong hero guy’ expectations Jaune believed he had to live up to at the beginning of the show but is actually IMPOSSIBLE for him to use because that’s NOT what he’s really meant for. And the one time he IS able to wield that sword is though the assistance and support of his friends, namely (dream)Pyrrha, which in turn provides a great hint towards his still-dormant semblance.

Instead, the real issue I have is that every time I look back on Ice Queendom and see Jaune, I can’t help but ask myself ‘Why is Jaune even here?’ Specifically, WHY does the story need Jaune to be Team RWBY’s ‘guest party member’ to go into Weiss’s dream to rescue her from the Nightmare?

Now sure, they bring up the idea that Jaune having just been possessed by a Nightmare basically ‘inoculated’ him to the Grimm and could allow him to be undetected by the Nightmare possessing Weiss. But let’s be real; that’s a justification, NOT a true narrative REASON for Jaune to be going into Weiss’s Nightmare.

Because what actual connection does Jaune even HAVE to Weiss that would give him a thematic reason to be going into her Nightmare? He’s not on her team and they only even met a few weeks ago. Especially given that IQ even removes almost all references to Jaune having any kind of big crush on Weiss. During Ruby’s first visit to the nightmare, we see what Weiss thinks of him:

Lumped in with Nora, Ren, Cardin and literally everyone else she doesn’t have time or patience for.

So what’s the actual narrative potential of Jaune joining Ruby, Blake and Yang to save Weiss? How can he tie into the story of Weiss’s character and Ruby’s, Blake’s and Yang’s attempts to free her?

Simply put, he can’t. And so he DOESN’T. Instead it feels like the only reason Jaune is here is simply because he’s the most prominent supporting character in the franchise.

And the REASON this sticks out to me so much is that I can’t help but think that a different character would have made a far, far BETTER option to join Ruby, Blake and Yang to save Weiss:

PYRRHA.

I mean, the reasons for Pyrrha going into the Nightmare to help Weiss kinda write themselves, right? From minute one it’s clear the Weiss idolizes Pyrrha, and it’s really all but outright stated she has a huge crush on Pyrrha. It’s only natural that Ruby, Blake and Yang would go to her for help getting past Weiss’s emotional defenses in the dream.

Like I think it’s easy to imagine how Ruby might happen upon this idea: In her first entry into Weiss’s Nightmare, Ruby could note that Jaune, Ren and Nora are all in ‘Silly Jail’, but Pyrrha notably ISN’T. And later while scouting or perhaps while fleeing from Weiss, perhaps Ruby catches a glimpse, far off, of Pyrrha within the walls of Weiss’s castle, perhaps looking out a window.

And when Ruby mentions this to the others, Shion could comment that this means that Pyrrha is special to Weiss, and thus keeps her memory ‘close’ to her. At this point we’d probably get Yang chiming in with a quip about how Weiss ‘Hasn’t exactly been subtle about that.’

Then of course, one of Ruby, Blake or Yang hit on the idea that if they brought Pyrrha into the nightmare, she might be able to get past Weiss’s defenses much more easily. Something which Shion confirms to be very likely. From there, RBY seek out Pyrrha for her help much like what happened with Jaune. But with the difference being that Pyrrha being some kind of ‘secret weapon’ feels FAR more natural based on what we already saw in the show up to that point.

And from that point on, I feel like it’s kind of obvious just how well Pyrrha would fit into the narrative and both Weiss’s and Ruby’s character arcs. Like I joked about a ‘White Rose/Schneekos Love Triangle’ while the show was airing, but that’s kind of exactly what we see potentially set up in the first three episodes of IQ:

Weiss is clearly massively enamored with and idolizes Pyrrha, while Ruby really wants Weiss to like her and be friends with her.

And placing Pyrrha into the nightmare as a major figure alongside Ruby, Blake and Yang for Weiss gives the perfect opportunities to play Pyrrha and Ruby off of Weiss. Exploring what Weiss being so enamored with Pyrrha actually means to her, what that could mean for her feelings about Ruby, and how Ruby and Pyrrha could get her to confront those feelings.

Imagine the story making a point about Weiss having essentially put Pyrrha up on the constructed, idealized pedestal instead of knowing the actual Pyrrha, and then contrasting this by showing that Ruby actually embodies so many of the traits Weiss idolizes Pyrrha for.

Which in turn has Pyrrha being the one to help Weiss realize that.

Not to mention on the flipside, this change would give us a lot of Pyrrha and Ruby interaction. Which I think we can all agree would be VERY fun and interesting.

I mean just picture Ruby really wanting Pyrrha’s help to save Weiss, while also clearly repressing a fair bit of insecurity and maybe even a bit of jealousy over how enamored Weiss is with Pyrrha, which in turn leads to a meaningful and cute conversation where Pyrrha gives Ruby a much-needed pep-talk while also diving into Pyrrha’s own well-hidden insecurities and generally revealing just how similar these two really are.

Which in turn perfectly plays into Ruby’s journey to save Weiss across Ice Queendom.

Finally, there is a more subtle, but perhaps most meaningful reason why I think Pyrrha would have made a much better option over Jaune:

For as well as Ice Queendom writes him, we really don’t learn anything new about Jaune that we didn’t already know. The fact is, we know Jaune pretty well after the (at the time of IQ’s release) eight volumes he’s had in the show.

So what if instead of a character we’ve already spent all this time with, what if Ice Queendom focused on a character we only had three volumes to get to know?

A character who, unlike Jaune, Nora, Ren or basically any of the other supporting characters at this time in the story, is no longer around to get focus or development.

Simply put, Pyrrha being the member of Team JNPR to get the most focus in Ice Queendom would have been a chance to explore and develop a character who we simply DON’T have opportunity to do so in the series proper.

[dreamerimpossible]

How protective would he be?

Warnings: +18 content, possessiveness, manipulation, obsession, yandere tendencies in some, unhealthy relationships, dark content, canon-typical violence.

Characters: Michael Myers, Chucky, Billy Loomis, Stu Macher, Patrick Bateman, Hannibal Lecter, Vincent Sinclair, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Art The Clown, Jason Dean, Alex DeLarge, Kurt Kunkle, Brahms.

Michael Myers

7/10

He's not really that protective. Too wrapped up in his own business. However, if someone thinks hurting you is a good idea, they're very wrong. He doesn't like his toys to have other people's marks on them, so he'll defend you. He won't let anyone hurt you physically. However, he'll be a zero with emotional damage; if someone bothers you like that, you'll have to specifically ask him to do something against that person. He will do it if you ask him to, but he'll prioritize his own victims.

Chucky (Human Version)

5/10

Much more protective than his doll version. At this stage, Charles was much more impulsive, so if someone hurts you in the slightest, that person will get into quite a bit of trouble. If you complain about someone and they're not really a threat to you, he'll just belittle your concerns, but at least he'll accompany you to pay that person a visit, but his goal is entirely selfish. He doesn't do it for you; he does it because he wants to see you in action.

Billy Loomis

9/10

Extremely protective. He's all over you; he doesn't want anyone to ever hurt you. He'll do whatever it takes to make sure no one ever bothers you again. He keeps people away from you who could be a potential threat and keeps you away from people he doesn't like. He doesn't get all the points, as there will be a couple of times he won't defend you because he's mad at you and wants to show you that you're absolutely helpless without him. He'll let you suffer for a moment and come to your rescue. Your eyes of gratitude are priceless…

Stu Macher

7/10

Listen, he could do better. But he'll be pretty careless. He'll protect you if you're in danger, but if it's less serious situations, he'll overlook it, especially if it's at a party. However, if there's something that's stuck in his mind, he'll get rid of it as soon as possible and won't say anything to you. If you dare to ask him questions, he'll make you feel like you're a fool and change the subject. You learn not to ask him anything. If you specifically ask him to get rid of someone for you, he'll do it; you don't even have to explain why. But he'll expect more from you in return.

Patrick Bateman

10/10

Listen, he is, but for selfish purposes. First, you have to be valuable to him. Make him understand that you genuinely like him and can be the person he wants (you don't even have to be; you just have to follow his demands). Then, he'll protect you and show you that he's that man who can take care of you all the time, to the point that you can leave everything in his hands. If you let your guard down and give him his role as protector and provider, he'll be protective and take care of you. However, depending on him so much can't be all good.

Hannibal Lecter

6/10

He's protective about the typical topics. If someone wants to hurt you, he's there. If someone wants to hurt you in any way and in any field, he's there. However, he's not when he feels he can take advantage of your reaction. If someone does something bad to you and he feels that it will bring out your bad and dark side, he'll let it happen. He wants to see both sides of you, both the good and the bad. If you're not a person who shows both sides, he'll bring out the one that suits him. He'll play with your mind, make you dependent on him.

Vincent Sinclair

7/10

Pretty good, actually. New outsiders will arrive, and he'll get rid of anyone who plans to play with you in any way. He's quite protective of you and doesn't want to see you with any scratches. However, he'll do little to nothing if it's his brother. It's not that Bo wants to do something to you constantly, but if he's disobeyed, he likes to punish so that people continue to go down the right path. I don't think Vincent would defend you from something like that; the most he'll do is try to comfort you afterwards.

Jason Voorhees

10/10

They don't play with him, and they don't play with you. It's that simple. Everything is a threat to you, so he tries hard to keep you away from everyone. Literally everyone. His level of protection goes beyond obsession and possessiveness. It's absolutely not healthy what he does, but at least you can enjoy total peace of mind. No one bothers you, because there are no people who can do that. And if there are, they don't last long. Of course, you shouldn't talk about anyone and much less go to places that don't have his approval.

Leatherface

7/10

It's the same dynamic as with Vincent. He'll protect you if it's someone outside. He'll go crazy if they hurt you. If someone insults you, he'll get revenge. He won't let anyone get away with you in any way. But if it's his family, it'll be too hard for him, and even if he wanted to intervene, he won't. Your duty is to get along with his family and not bother them. If they start attacking you, he will not be able to defend you, as they will always be more important than anyone else. He will feel quite frustrated if they do not accept you.

Art the Clown

4/10

He's not protective at all. But he will kill them all. Yes, all of them. So probably among those victims there are people who hurt you, who you don't like, and who made you feel bad. But make no mistake, he's not doing it for you. He's doing it for himself and for his satisfaction. If you're in danger, he will kill the person who is hurting you, but I insist that it's not out of a protective instinct. He does it because he likes to see the suffering of others. If Vicky from the third movie insults you, he will laugh with her. But if he's not in the mood, he will look at her with annoyance. It all depends on his mood. Now, she can't hurt you. No. That's only allowed for him.

Jason Dean

10/10

Yes. It doesn't matter if they're together or not. He won't put you in danger, and all those who hurt you will suffer the consequences. The slightest taunt from a person could be fatal. Seriously, this guy is a real danger. You could tell him you're tired of someone, and you'll both be making a plan to get back at that person, and he'll go all the way with it. He'll expect you to be happy and content afterwards, to share his mood basically. If you're not, he won't do anything, but he'll be disappointed. And he'll show it.

Alex DeLarge

10/10

He is. But let me explain. He'll do this to make you dependent on him and see him as your only salvation. He'll be extremely manipulative, but it will still get you into his trap. You could literally be untouchable. He won't let other men hurt you or let his filthy hands touch what's his. He'll get revenge on anyone who thinks entering your home is a good idea. If a person bothers you in any way, no matter how small, he'll let them know what it means to mess with you. But make no mistake, Alex is controlling, and he'll expect you to obey him. In everything.

Kurt Kunkle

8/10

Pretty good actually. He got tired of no one seeing him, so he started freaking out. If someone disrespects you, he'll think they're disrespecting him, and he'll attack. If a person thinks touching you is okay, then Kurt will think it's a dig specifically at him. He'll think he's being told he's weak, insignificant, and invisible, and he'll start losing control. After that thing, he'll berate you a bit and blame you for stupid things. Praising him might work.

Brahms

10/10

Protective, obsessive, possessive. He literally has it all. He doesn't let you leave his house. He doesn't want anyone to take you away from him or hurt you. He's very strong, so if someone comes in, they'll never get out. You feel protected with him because really no one but him can hurt you. However, at the same time, it might get tiring how much insane protection he puts on you. He will see threats everywhere, until there comes a time when you don't talk to anyone close to you. You only have him.

[uncleasriel]

I would argue that those modern editions still struggle to deliver on 'narrative' in the same way that, say, a robust 'narrativist' (Ugh, old Forge speak) game of Fate RPG would - or better yet, a game like Kagematsu would.

Looking at 5e D&D - it does make the characters more survivable, so you can create your won little OC and have them act out their own little stories. (A smart-ass comment story I once told a was "I min-maxed my character so they could survive combats long enough to talk about their feelings".) But that very survivability dilutes what earli9er editions were goodat, and doesn't add much in concert with it.

But when you look at any other mechanics, they're kind of haphazard - a Background might grant Skill bonuses, or starting equipment, or some Bonds, or even a Special Feature to push (When the Folk Hero uses Rustic Hospitality, the player can get a Safe Place to rest among the Common Folk). But while those are nicely grafted on, how often are they employed? How often do all of these function mechanically? Realistically, how often do folks use Backgrounds for anything other than Skill Proficiencies? Wouldn't it be more narratively compelling if the Bonds had some mechanical benefit (Gain a Hero Point/XP/etc if they cause problem for the character or the GM uses them to Compel the player or Intrude on their plans?)? Wouldn't D&D reward that kind of play more if the Dungeon Master's Guide had a guide on how to effectively set those up? Would is still 'feel' like D&D if it did?

I question whether it was Older D&D Editions proper, or some soft of variation on the Six Cultures of Play that cropped up over time. I think OSR in particular has embrace the 'naturalism' of the environment over concerns like game balance, and reinterpreted into new approaches using older versions of the rulesets (or remixes thereof).

I would personally say that ThyDungeonGal is mostly complaining about how the loudest voices in ttrpg culture of the past 10 years have been through D&D, that most people assume D&D (and its ilk) are the be-all, end-all of TTRPGs and struggle to conceive of ways of playing that aren't implicitly colored by the quietly assume "D&D-isms" like Combat Balance, having to do Lore/Perception/Skill checks to accomplish a thing (instead of just getting the information from the GM), prioritizing mechanical invocation over creative description of actions ("I want to make a perception check for footprints" vs "I check scan the room to look for hidden signs of the suspect's passage"), or the like.

D&D, especially under the age of Streaming Actual Plays, have tried to sell itself as "The Play Pretend With Your Friends Story Vehicle", when the mechanical support for them really isn't as robust as it ought to be. I would argue from as far back as the 2000s (when I got into D&D) folks tried to play it that same way because "it was the game for that" - a core assumption shaped by the availability of what titles you could find at the local game story, most of whose options were either d20 3.5 sourcebooks or White Wolf supplements. Where I am living now, most folks tried to do the same with with Palladium books - forcing them into the shape of "play pretend games" and using some kludges of half-assed homebrew the best brains in the highschool AV club could cobble together.

The point I'm slowly circling is that there are so many more diverse diverse RPG titles and game systems that can emulate specific genres or modes of play, and folks just aren't discovering them because D&D'smarket dominance sucks up all oxygen in the room. There are titles that can do so many more wild and crazy things, from violent crime thrillers like Hollowpoint to playable love stories like The Romance Trilogy to presteige TV simulators like Dramasystem or Prime Time Adventures. There are settings and systems that cover things like Victorian Monster Hunters, Humanistic Occult Horror, Victorian Pulp Adventurers, 1930s Pulp Heroes of various sorts, space opera ... and still so many people entering the TTRPG Space can only ever concieve of things through the lens of D&D. Even half the titles I listed still have many "trad" gaming assumptions, and don't really push what the genre can do.

At the risk of coming off like a grumpy old Marxist...D&D is a cultural hegemony that quietly places limits on what "playing pretend with made-up rules" can be, and most folks don't really question it, or know how to question it.

Well, that's my long, rambling, unformed answer. I hope that was coherent and not too asinine!

One of the funnier manifestations of gleeblor is Pathfinder players: I'll make a post about how D&D will color people's expectations of what RPGs can be like and create a very narrow set of expectations about the medium, and inevitably some Pathfinder player will be like "haha yeah those D&D players should really broaden their horizons, Pathfinder fixes all of their issues," and my friend. I'm sorry to say this but you are not immune to gleeblor and in many regards where it comes to expectations of playstyle created by the game, your favorite game is in fact just another company copying D&D's homework and slightly altering the wording.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! Hope your day is going alright. I was wondering if you have any advice for when all characters feel the same? Despite having different core traits and mannerisms, when I write them it always somehow ends up feeling like they're copy pastes of one another to me. I noticed that I've been having a hard time with giving my characters agency too which led me to wondering if that isn't causing the former issues.

Thank you for taking the time to run this blog and help so many people, cheers!

Writing Notes: Character Identity & Agency

Identity chart. Example:

What parts of themselves are influencing their decisions in your story? Familiarize that part of their identities.

Try to maintain the truth of the group and to simultaneously think of your character as an individual.

Thinking about why your characters behave the way they do and why they make certain decisions is important to writing a good story.

The plot moves along because of the decisions your characters make.

Be honest with yourself and what you know and don't know, do some research and ask for help, you'll create more authentic characters that way.

Your Character's Agency. Some writers prefer to map out their story but allow their characters to help lead the story.

This technique is more often used by "pantsers".

A pantser is a term most commonly applied to fiction writers, especially novelists, who write their stories "by the seat of their pants."

The opposite would be a plotter, or someone who uses outlines to help plot out their novels.

Many writers fall into one camp or the other, though it's not uncommon for writers to try both methods from book to book.

Author Victoria Schade describes giving her characters agency:

...I kept stressing out about a specific plot point I couldn’t untangle, and over time my characters slowly revealed the answer to me. It wasn’t an “a ha” moment, it was a gradual realization, and when it all came together I couldn’t help but think, “It was there the whole time!” But that’s the beauty of letting characters have agency and giving them an active role in the writing process—they surprise you!

It pays off to let characters have agency, she has found, particularly in the drafting process.

WRITING TIPS. When creating a character, try to understand them so that their actions and words are consistent with their personality and history.

Who we are is at least partly hardwired, inherited from parents and grandparents.

A lot of those characteristics like how extraverted or introverted someone is, how open or private they are, how conscientious or empathetic or neurotic they are is there in a child’s brain.

Knowing those basic characteristics could help you understand where a person has come from.

But those traits are plastic; they are moulded by experience and especially childhood.

Writing a backstory for a character helps the writer make certain that even confident social behavior (from an introverted character) is different from the social behavior of an extravert.

No personality trait is better than another, extraverts don’t have easier lives than introverts, conscientious people don’t do better than slapdash people.

Everyone struggles with their own nature in the wrong settings.

Of course, writers delight in putting them in the wrong settings.

Understanding motivation is crucial to developing a character, most writers do this automatically.

They may have a plot-driven goal (solve the crime, deliver the ring, marry the hero), but they also have

personal motivations (revenge against a killer, loyalty to comrades, love or loneliness).

Example: You don’t want a shy, lonely character to suddenly propose a karaoke night, because the reader won’t find it believable. Maybe she has to be talked into it, dragged even!

When creating main characteristics, it’s worth jotting down a personality sketch and basic history.

Smaller characters are just as important.

It's okay if you don’t delve into their history much, but you don’t want them to be stereotypical characters, just ciphers for the plot.

These smaller characters are great opportunities to reveal something about the main character, as they are seen through their point of view.

Example: A confident person meeting a surly waiter might challenge them, or ignore it. An anxious person might blame themselves.

We are interested in people and how different they are from us.

Stories of extraordinary life experiences draw us in.

We want to learn about personality traits that we don’t understand, like psychopathy or obsession, which explains the popularity of true crime books and fiction about murder.

Human beings are varied and interesting, we like to understand what they do.

A death, a divorce, a lost job, a miscarriage, all lead to a fresh start—it’s a brilliant trope, because we all experience them in our own lives.

Characters are revealed to us as they struggle and adapt, make new choices, build new relationships.

People don’t move on cleanly; they trail the past around with them for years.

Allowing a character to experience doubts and fears going forward makes them more relatable, more realistic.

Our senses produce a lot of memories.

The most evocative are smells.

We can activate memories from our childhood, even babyhood from a scent.

Example: Smoke from pipe tobacco can evoke someone's grandfather, who they hardly knew because he died when they were just a toddler. But the smell could bring back the sound of his voice and his bristly beard, huge leathery hands.

The "Read a lot" Writing Tip:

Read psychology articles and real-life stories, just to enrich your fiction.

As writers, we collect stories.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Thanks so much for your kind words! Try some of these tips and see which ones work for you as a writer, or perhaps for that specific story you are currently writing. Some writers don't find it necessary to give their characters agency, but it can work at times. When characters start to feel "the same", one technique is using charts like this, or templates, just to help with keeping track of your characters' traits and further differentiating them from one another. Hope this helps & have a lovely day/night as well.

More References for Character Development

Some Writing Worksheets & Templates

[ghostmoon1]

Task Force Headcanons

A lil writing of the boys and their anxieties and habits, slightly angsty!

Who's included? [ bc I decided to do more than just the boys ]

Simon 'Ghost' Riley, John 'Soap' MacTavish, John Price, Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick, Konig, Kate Laswell, Nikolai

CW: Angst, mentions of death, anxiety, major character death at the end.

Simon has gotten into the habit of sitting away from the rest of his team while they are doing something, whether working out or having a bit of downtime while not on deployment.

He'll just watch, he won't interact. He'll watch with a smile as Johnny lifts his weights, breathing heavily as he throws the barbell back down with a satisfied grin. He just needs to remind himself that they're all still there with him, they're all okay. He hasn't lost any of them, they are alive and happy.

If any of them notice him, he'll simply walk away. He doesn't want to distract them, he just needs to remind himself that they are there. If anyone gets wounded while on deployment he's always mentally beating himself up over it, telling himself he should've done better, he should have protected his team. It's his job to help, to protect those who can't protect themselves.

While, yes his team can protect themselves, he just can't help but feel horrible if he sees them hurt. If they get hurt bad enough, to go to the med bay or even the hospital, he'll sit by their side until they are well enough. Telling them stories to pass the time and ensuring they eat and drink. He just wants them to be okay, they're all he has.

Johnny is constantly trying to do his best, even if that means he's overworking himself. He needs to be good enough for his team, to never let them down. He's seen enough people die in front of him and he doesn't want to be that burden on his teammates.

He works out too hard, spending most of his time running laps and lifting weights. He needs to prove himself time and time again. He worked hard enough to get into the task force, he wants to make sure he deserves that place.

There have been more than enough times when Simon finds him pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion, having to stop him and remind him he needs to rest sometimes. He can't always be pushing himself, or he'll push himself to the point of no return. If he's not pushing himself, he's always doing something to distract himself.

Working on his skills in some way, or one of his favourite things, drawing. He needs to be doing something to distract himself from the horrors of his job, otherwise, those thoughts are always plaguing his thoughts and he can't deal with that. A job like this can send even the best insane.

Price is constantly doubting himself. He's the team's captain, he needs to be the best captain for the best team. But it gets hard, it's exhausting. Late nights spent doing paperwork, missing out on much-needed sleep, and one too many close calls during deployment.

His heart races whenever someone in his team gets hurt, and he wants nothing more than to rush up to them and help them. But he can't, he's the captain. He has to stay strong. Sometimes he just doesn't want to.

Sometimes the thought of retirement comes to mind, maybe a nice cottage out in the wilderness, lush gardens and picket fences. Maybe a dog, or a cat to keep him company. He knows he can't, he needs to keep fighting. Their hands remain dirty so the world can remain clean, as he always says.

Every day is a battle for him to stay, telling himself ‘one more day’ every day. In the back of his mind, he knows he won't retire. His way out of this job will be a bullet through the head if he's lucky. He's come to accept that. You can't fight death with a fear of death.

Kyle often doubts if he's worthy of his place on the team. He worked hard, he's one of the best. Price wouldn't choose him to fight by his side if he wasn't good enough. But did he fight so hard to become a part of the team like the others?

That's why he finds himself trying so hard, coming out on top of the pack and still not feeling like it's enough. Is he really worthy? He feels like he's not. Long nights staying up, revising the things he already knows, mentally beating himself up over everything he does. He misses his shot, which could have been an innocent death. He stumbles, that could have been a bullet to the head.

It's Price who notices how much he beats himself up over it all. Although he never admits anything. It often becomes late nights with a cold drink, to burn his throat and not his heart. He silently pays respect to each innocent person he sees fall, wishing he could have been good enough to save them.

Konig is always wishing he could do something else. He wished he would have become that sniper. He tried so hard, that he thought he would be able to get there. He could've if it wasn't for his size. He pushes through to become the best of what he does since he couldn't become the best sniper. But really, he hates how he is. He hates that he's so fucking big, that his dreams were ruined because of himself.

He has no one to blame. He often finds himself going out to the run range alone, grabbing a sniper and practising, even though he knows these skills will never be put to use. He just takes in the sound of the trigger and how perfectly it hits the target in the centre and the splinter of the wood. He lets himself live a few moments of the job he could never have.

He enjoys what he does, but sometimes it feels too gruesome. Something that could be done with a single bullet, and everything goes dark, compared to fighting with everything you have for your own life just feels so dark sometimes. Late nights are always filled with the things he's done, and who he's become.

Kate overthinks so much nothing can drown out her thoughts. She cares for the Task force like they are family to her and it's her job to make sure they get the intel they need to get the job done and survive. But there's always that itch at the back of her mind, what if she got something wrong? One wrong move and their deaths will be on her shoulders.

She trusts them more than anything to be able to withstand whatever is thrown at them, but there's always that fear that lingers. Whenever she hears the comms go quiet for even a moment, she has a small panic attack, waiting for them to update her or their banter to start up again. As much as she tries to act annoyed over their jokes, she loves them. She knows they’re okay when they’re cracking jokes over the comms.

Even when things go bad and it's not her fault, she blames herself. She ran it over and over through her mind, how could she have helped them more, what could she have told them to stop this from happening? If something happens she blames it on herself and no one can stop her from blaming herself. Sarah often worries about her, and what she will end up doing to herself because of all the stress she puts herself under.

Nikolai always worries and wants to do more. Sometimes he wonders if he should have thrown in a few more guns, or maybe an RPG in the weapon stash he gave John. What if they run out of ammunition mid-fire-fight? It’s always in the back of his mind, that when he pulls up with his heli for evac, he’ll see John’s bloody body being hauled into the back.

It scares him, what if he can’t provide the help they need for a mission? He is always worrying, what if he is just the tiniest bit late when providing evac? He wouldn’t ever be able to forgive himself if he was to see one of them drop while running to him, who was supposed to be their helper, their saviour.

He always finds himself checking on John whenever he is wounded, making sure he’s eating and drinking, bandaging his wounds and cleaning them. He knows how they all are, the only one he’d trust the most to keep their wounds clean would be Kyle. He always wants to do more to help, to protect them all.

The thought of not being able to help them always plagues his mind, so whenever he gets the chance to see the team again he spends as much time as he can catching up with them, discreetly looking over them for any injuries he wasn't aware about. He always hugs John for a little longer after each deployment, telling himself he’s still here with him.

After Soap's Death...

After Soap passed, nothing was the same. 

When he saw Makarov raise his gun, he knew it was over. It's crazy how slow time goes when you're an inch away from death. His heart broke in those moments, and regret hit him like a landslide. He wanted to do better and live up to his expectations. He felt like he didn’t. He wanted to turn around and tell the team how much they meant to him. He just wished he was all he could be in this life. Maybe another time. Maybe another time he could’ve told Simon how he felt. But death comes quickly. Nothing happened, no pain. Everything just went black.

It hits Simon the hardest, witnessing your best friend's death does shit to you that no one can go back from. With Johnny, he spoke over comms with the team and had a bit of banter. Now, his voice isn’t heard besides one-worded commands and grunts of acknowledgment. He turns into a husk of a man again, something that they all had feared. He still follows Johnny’s routine, finding himself sitting next to his chair in the mess hall, staring off at where he did his usual workouts. He grabbed his journal before his room was cleaned out. He treats it like his most prized possession.

Price blames it on himself all the time. His heart dropped in the moments he heard the gunshot and the splatter of blood against the cold floor. He couldn't protect his own team, he didn't even get time to grieve his fallen teammate, he had to keep being the captain, staying strong for them. If he let himself fall apart, the rest of the team would be with him. He spends his nights staying up late, for a different reason now. Sitting at his desk with a photo of Johnny, having his cigar and placing a glass of bourbon next to his photo. Sharing many drinks that he never got to, he just hopes to be able to share a drink with his friend again. Sometimes retirement feels closer than it should be.

Gaz feels alone. The base feels oddly quiet without the loud scot telling jokes and pulling pranks. It's not the same. He misses his accent flowing through the hall, he misses how annoying he was. He regrets not being able to do more to help save him, but those seconds went by so fast yet so slow. He finds himself zoning off a lot, thinking about him and praying he won't forget his voice. He'd never forgive himself if he did.

[factual-fantasy]

30 Asks! Thank you! :)) 🐮

I was able to replace my tablet chord and download a brand new/fresh FireAlpaca file and so far things seem to be all better. But if my problems come back then I will be drawing in traditional yes <XDD

Also thank you so much!! :DDD

Bella my NPC cat? :0 She would accept the pats :))

@artistiemi

Awwwwwww 🥹🥹 This drawing is so cute and soft 😭😭💞💞💞 Thank you! :)))

@chickenmilk120 (Referencing this post)

Yeah 😔😔 hoping they change it someday soon 🙏🙏🙏

(Link in question)

Oh yeah! Its right here :)

@sc3n3mo-t3to

XDDD Thank you!! :))))

@candyglumboy (Sent after this post)

Not a crush, he's in love! :0 And so is Pomni but neither of them really realize that/understand it and thus aren't really doing anything about it <XD

@rockandtoon

SOBBBSSS THANOYIYUUU SO MCUCHYHH 😭😭💞💞💞

@fandomcenteral

Aw! Cute kitty!! :DD

And thank you, currently I feel not the best ��� but hopefully this next doctors appointment will give me some answers <:))

@kwaziis-eyepatch-real

Thank you! :) But also sorry, no.. I wouldn't be comfortable with my art being used as pfps <:(

Ehhh,, I wouldn't <:( That probably wouldn't sit well with me..

Thank you very much for checking first though! Not everyone does <:)))

WAHAGG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :DD Sucks that you found me offsite but glad you're here none the less! :)

And don't worry, you'll find stuff for Kinger XDDD

@captain-skyler1987

Hello! And are those guys from Dandy's world.? XD

I don't like what you're implying by turning Jangles into a werewolf and then putting chocolate on the table <XDDD

@natewithcake (Post in question)

AAAAA THANK YOU!! :DDDD

MEEHEHEEEEHEHEEEEEEEEE🎶

@bellanova137

Maybe they'll come out and make it official someday! :0 But for now having them be in love and trying to hide it from each other is fun to draw and mess with XDD

I feel like having a wolf centaur body would mostly just be incontinent and very uncomfortable.😅

Typically, wolves display crepuscular behavior, meaning they prefer times of low light and are most active around twilight, dawn, and dusk. Imagine how that would clash with your human body which is supposed to sleep at night and stay awake all day..

You'd have to change your diet to give both your human AND wolf half the nutrients they need. It would be MUCH harder to clean yourself and wipe your own bum. You'd have to pay loads for pet shampoo and grooming products PLUS the human ones you already use.. You'd spend hours trying to groom your fur and not damage your wolf skin when you try to clean your human skin with other products and vice versa. All clothes have to be custom made, you cant sit or walk comfortably in any public spaces.. You'd have to go to human doctors AND special vets to care for both of your halves...

The list just goes on <XDD being a wolf centaur would just suck in my opinion.

Ah sorry- nono you weren't being rude. I just forgot to comment back that I don't actually know what laptop I have 😅

@ink-machine-kidd

She probably snuck past whoever was in charge of her and put on the headset even though she was told not to😔

(Recent post) (Queenie and Kinger comic)

Oh nono, I just hadn't made everyone's ref sheets yet at that time. But different outfits is something Caine would try to manage! :0

Man you really had pirates on the mind huh XDD

Ohh, I see. I might not do that.. but I get the idea now <:D Thank you!

Vibes received 🤩 Thank you! :)))

Thank you!! :DD

Big wolf! :D

@samcat71470558

Thank you for the kind words <:))) So far it seems like the new tablet chord and downloading a fresh FireAlpaca has fixed all my problems. Hopefully it stays that way! 🙏

XD I think I just have a pattern with medias I'm into. If the story is mostly wholesome it feels bland. So I add a bunch of angst to it. (Octonauts is a good example)

Or alternatively, if the story is super angsty or has types of angst that I don't take well, (like character deaths) then I usually make a fix-it AU that brings everyone back to life and changes/removes a lot of the angst. (TADC and my Undertale AU: RefinedTale being good examples)

Also in my AU, Kaufmo hasn't abstracted. So she bonded with the other humans in other ways overtime. 👍

@wolfie-777

At first I assumed these were obviously fake. But a quick Google search shows that they seem to be real! :0 Although the peeled banana is clearly photoshopped <XDD

Ngl, a vanilla-like custard taste is exactly what I hoped/expected those bananas to taste like XDD

@theintroverse

La Chancla translated to "the flip flop".? <:0 I'm sorry but I don't understand..

Also is he based on a Pinata? :0 I hadn't realized- perhaps I will have to consider giving him some candy powers <XDD

[beekeeperspicnic]

Are there any oddball Sherlock Holmes interpretations you have a fondness for? I'm the kind of person that likes the audacity (even if it fails miserably sometimes) and devotion to the canon of such an old work isn't so important to me, so I have a lot of personal examples.

OH BOY DO I

I've always thought if I had to do some kind of podcast or YouTube series, it would be me looking at weird or niche Sherlock Holmes adjacent media because it appeals to me so much.

I think I feel similarly to you, one of the things I love about Sherlock Holmes is how people can pick up the characters and settings and do audacious and wild things with them. I only tend to get grouchy at highly corporate big budget adaptations that try to squeeze the stories into tired formulas (ie Irene Adler needs to be a femme fetale, Holmes is an insufferable genius who is unempathetic and rude to everyone)

I've ended up focusing less on live action here, but I could makemore posts about that!

Let's start with Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes, which I think is summarised really well by this image: it's got this lovely, Warner Bros style fluidly animated Holmes and Watson who are doing their thing.... but also Tom and Jerry are around.

Moriarty is bananas in this but I won't spoil it.

One of my absolute favourite animated Holmeses (is that the plural?!) is from this one single episode of Scooby Doo and Guess Who. I mean look at this guy, isn't he just perfect?

Spoilers for the episode, but it transpires he isn't actually the real Sherlock Holmes so much as someone who has consciously decided to become the fictional character, and I really love how the Mystery gang gradually come to accept him. The little character arc he goes on is about him learning to accept help and companionship, d'aww.

Then there's Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape . Holmes is a dog who dresses like Edward Elric. Pink Femme Cat Watson is so weirdly on the money. I can't emphasise how much this fruity pink cat embodies the character of Dr John H Watson better than many other adaptations.

And as a final mention I'm so stoked about @fogtown-sleuth-society

It's this amazing and creative fusion of puppetry and digital modelling, Sherblock and Blockson are just delightful. The whole project is just bursting with joyful creativity.

And you can watch it RIGHT NOW! For FREE!

[yeonmuse]

IN WHICH 𖤓 Jay has a chance encounter with the girl that works at the town square music store. While attempting to recruit her for his band he realizes he’s starting to have a thing for her, Unfortunately for him she doesn’t date musicians.

ᥫ᭡ f!reader x Park Jongseong ── 𝒢enre. Uni au. fluff, non idol enha. feats. ot7 [reqs are open] ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓁ibrary 🎸

authors notes. This is part of admins University series. This series also has connections to Curtain Call, Can you Hear my heart and other upcoming series, so occasionally characters from said series may appear in this series as well.

Join the taglist here

🏷️ | @jwonistic @bubblytaetae @pkjay @heesallure @planetmarlowe @dreeki @butterflywonz @lillotus17 @squiishymeow @river-demon-slayer @sol3chu @st4rryst4r @firstclassjaylee @right-person-wrong-time @riribelle @ivyvioletcarson @academiq @claumbeju

— TRAILER WC 357 words FLUFF|SMAU

“How many times are you going to ask me to join your little band knowing that I’ll continuously tell you no?”

“Until you finally give in and tell me yes.” With a charming smile on his face Jay follows behind yn as she carries a box of old cassettes and vinyls over to the clearance display. Jay had been trying his hardest to convince her to join his band for a week now, each time recieving the same answer from her, a big fat no. Despite her having told him no every time he was determined to get a yes from her though.

“You know I liked you a lot better when you didn’t talk much.” She responds, crouching down at the display to stock up and fill in the empty slots on the cassette shelf.

“You’re seriously not going to even give it a shot? You can’t just act like I didn't see you play or hear you sing.”

“Jay for the last time I’m not joining your band okay? I bid you and them good luck but music is not my thing anymore.”

“You’re going to tell me music isn’t your thing when I watched you sing and play that guitar as if it were your lifeline. No matter how hard you keep trying to deny the fact that you love music you can’t give it up, because it’ll always come back to you. Just give it one shot, come to auditions tonight..and if it feels wrong? Well then I’ll let you leave and we’ll search for someone else”

Yn wanted to once again shoot him down and tell him no. Though her thoughts had been telling her she shouldn’t give in, that she should reject his offer, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Her heart had still been in the music as much as she wanted to deny that she hadn’t let it go. When her fingers met the strings of a guitar or grazed a mic, she had never felt any discomfort.

And that conversation was the exact reason she had ended up there tonight. Six sets of eyes locked onto her as she stood up on stage with her fingers clasped tightly around a microphone, and a guitar sat against her stomach.

[spiraling-stardust]

I absolutely love how open this fandom is with ships and the likes. Trying them out at the soft drink fountain and sometimes you find a really good combo. There’s none of that “noooo this ship is better!!!!11!1!!1!” bullshit, it’s all “mmmmm okay I usually do sifloop but what if I did a bit of isaloop today and a bit of isafrin tomorrow……. oh oh sloopis time hell yeah” and “lol wouldn’t it be funny if I did some wild shit like uhh *sees that one crack ship with the king and that fucking bird* THAT I will be adding that one to the pot today that’s hilarious” and ofc there’s no pressure to even do any of it at all!! Because love and relationships come in many forms and sometimes you just wanna appreciate Mirabelle and Bonnie hanging out!! Or maybe some angst because we sure do love putting characters in the torment nexus. That’s always a crowd pleaser lmao

People will gladly consider all sorts of ships that aren’t their usual go-to. Even if it doesn’t fit their headcanons! This also applies to AUs and headcanons! And I love that to no end! I love you ISAT community I love you so much!! You all are better than any other fandom I’ve been in because you don’t find stupid reasons to start problems and it’s all peace and love on planet ISAT and I love you all yaaaaaaayyyyy!!!! I will forever love and cherish this wonderful community

[dangermousie]

I am such a huge fan of arranged marriage to love storyline...

It's actually a pretty neat storytelling trick to show us this wedding night so soon after showing KangNing and Chai An's wedding night which was joyful and hot and with both parties who really wanted to be there. Neither SH nor DYX feel anything other than duty and they are very unfamiliar with each other (heck, at this point DYX literally has no idea what SH even looks like.) And the thing that is interesting is how it's not a horror show but it's not good either - DYX is not angry or trying to sleep with a woman who barely knows him or anything bad really, but he's also not trying to build any sort of rapport. He's not offering cruelty or kindness, politeness or rudeness. It's a big fat neutral - he doesn't touch her (which I think is a positive) and he lets her have the big bed but he doesn't say a single word to her from beginning to end!!!! The thing is, this sort of emotional vacuum is a really hard thing for SH to fight against because any sort of comment, even if rude or hurtful, can be a start of a conversation and getting to know each other, but there is nothing to grab here. It's some sort of a silent protest on his part and I honestly don't blame him (and with his cussed character, not surprised either) but my heart breaks for SH who already had one marriage where she felt nothing and which she entered into to sacrifice herself for the family.

On the plus side, a man who does his own bed is a keeper.

The thing is - this sort of two strangers forced to share a room setup - is so much better than it could be but it's not really long time tenable for SH. She's married now. In that society, unless he gives her a divorce (and that's a big stigma in and of itself), she has to live with him for the rest of her life - she has to make it work whether she wants to or not.

It's an interesting inverse to KangNing, who has a husband who adores her and a mother in law who is not a fan.

Honestly, in that society, if I had to pick only one between mother in law and husband who to have on my side, I'd pick mother in law, but still...

This storyline IS SO MY JAM, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!!

Bickering, scheming third couple were fun but it's not a narrative set up that really rings my bells. This does. Oh so so so so much.

[crimsonxe]

First go fuck your damn self and shove your "shut the fuck up" right up your piece of shit ass while you're at it.

Um no "old fans" don't hate it, sexist incel dudebros/chuds hate it for not being in their vein and instead daring to be progressive in respecting femmes, subverting sexist tropes, and even doing LGBT+ not teasing it then swerving for a hetero pair instead. I'm an "old fan" since I've been with the show since fucking 2013, fucking 12 goddamn years and I can easily say its only gotten better with time.

Current fans actually just enjoy it after having to wade through the bullshit of shitting on the show that's done to it. The good thing is that so far almost every one I've seen comes out in the end baffled at why it gets shit on so much. Now I think your braindead fucking ass thinks I'm in this camp, when I'm very much not. But I will say that if someone has an actual legit criticism, not a fucking biased ("Adam should've had a bigger story and been redeemed") or disgusting fucking thing ("Ugh they forced a lesbian ship"), then I'll either agree to disagree or hell rare instances I'll even say "yeah that's an actual issue". Hell I haven't made a secret of my own things that would've been a better in my eyes route for the story in having Sienna live and carryon; BUT unlike so many I fully fucking acknowledge that its y'know MY BIASED ASS WANT and that the fucking story works plenty fine without it. Thus it isn't an issue.

The fact that your shitbag ass wants to handwave away that the entire thing does x, but RWBY doesn't = you're a fucking shit-for-brains ignorant little shithead. And yes the cast is fucking white-passing because that's how the base of what its inspired by did, specially given it was started in fucking 2013. It is perfectly fucking fine for a show to do, especially since it never once fucking marketed itself a bastion of PoC characters. But once established the only fucking thing available to them on that front was to put in newer characters because they listened. No they fucking weren't going to suddenly have Yang show up as Asian or Blake as Black or any fucking others in that manner. They were already working with a shoestring fucking budget early on anyway.

Oh my head isn't up my ass, I'm just in my "done with the fucking bullshit and spreaders of it" phase of things. I'd say you probably should work on pulling yours out of your ass but at this point its probably merged into one thing; you probably can't escape being a piece of shit. Now your ass wants to keep fucking going, I'll tear your bitch fucking ass apart as I've got 12 years of "being fucking done with bullshit" pot of rage and tumblr being a "wild west" where I can fully open the floodgates on your ass. Fucking "fence sitter" by your own goddamn statement trying to speak on shit like you have a goddamn clue. You can easily SHUT THE FUCK UP and y'know FUCK THE HELL OFF with your know-nothing bullshit ass. Your dumbass even fucking aligning yourself ignorantly to sexist, queerphobic, incel chud dudebros cause you're that fucking ignorant on what your ass is trying to speak on; also positing them as "old fans" vs. the HTDM of the show that hate the fact that it respects its femmes, has LGBT+, and a progressive lean to it that doesn't cater to fascism or militarism.

World's fucking smallest goddamn violin playing for all the "criticism" people that don't know what actual criticism is. A character dies in s1 then shows suddenly back up in s5, THAT is an issue and criticism; character not being the revolutionary anti-hero you headcanoned him as but instead being an irredeemable complete monster that was hinted at from his first scenes is NOT criticism. I respect actual legit critics, while absolutely spitting on the faux bullshit bitch asses that insult the craft. No, I'm not going to let someone spew utter incorrect bullshit unchallenged, because "opinion".

Say you never watched RWBY without actually saying you never watched RWBY.

Aromancy: "Wasted potential"

And thus you speak the same as Hbomb...meaningless lies with misinformation. Poor soul, who spreads lies happily to hate.

I watched up to about halfway through Season 4. Season 3 ended on a high point that had me excited for more, but basically nothing happened afterwards and I got bored and dropped it. I say the same thing as Hbomberguy because I agree with him; the show is an attempt at anime made by people who enjoy the superficial aspects of anime but fail to look beneath the surface to examine the themes.

Monty's fight scenes were excellent (and even after he died -rest in peace -the fights continued to be excellent; Pyrrha vs. Mercury is probably my favorite of the whole series), but his unwillingness to work hand-in-hand with the writers in charge of providing context let the whole show down.

I haven't seen past season 4 personally, but I've heard many RWBY fans disparaging the series since, especially Season 8, and I have no reason to doubt their testimony.

[arceus-insanity]

My Hero Academia vs Assassination Classroom: Becoming Teachers

Now I recently saw a post going on about how people dislike Deku becoming a teacher in chapter 430. And another user chalked it up to Westerners' disrespect for teachers vs Japan's great revere for them, plus shipping discourse

And while I feel that those definitely don't help, I do feel that that isn't the balk of why a lot of us hate it. It also reads as one of those elitist takes in fandom where they are talking down to those who don't agree with them

Now I'm a Westerner, and I hate Deku becoming a teacher. It's not because I don't respect teachers, and when it happened in Assassination Classroom I was all for Nagisa Shiota becoming a teacher. I would have preferred to see him and/ or Karma become assassins but I was still satisfied with how it ended. So why is that? Especially because we know Hori was a fan of Assassination Classroom, prototype Bakugou was based on Karma for crying out loud.

Achieved vs Happenstance

A big part of it is framing, everyone in 1A, 1B, and basically everyone else explicitly want to be heroes, or at least something adjacent to it. That's why they are in the hero course, and Izuku Midoriya especially has a one-track mind for heroes until the surprise reveal. He was constantly told no, pick something else, for a decade but was still hyper-focused on being a hero leading up to the show. Nor do we see or otherwise learn that he has other developing interests. There's a ton of fanfics and headcanons of him helping his classmates with school work or even just their quirks, but there's nothing in canon. The only character who does anything like that is Momo Yaoyorozu. The vast majority of 1A and once again especially Izuku Midoriya are only interested in being heroes. Izuku is also the only one who didn't become a hero (until years later) despite the need for them totally going down and them being paid per arrest.

Meanwhile, no one in 3E the end class, chose to be an assassin, Kuro Sensei just decided that he was going to teach that class, and the world needed him dead. A lot of students explicitly have other interests and none of them have a personal interest in being an assassin past killing Kuro Sensei. Yes, Nagisa Shiota is shown throughout to be surprisingly good at assassination work, and he is explicitly given an offer to join the world as an assassin. But when he gets the offer he asks himself do I really want to do this. We also learn via the little girl who suggests the career to him in the first place, that he has been tutoring her. We also get to see how he takes the uniqueness and skills from 3E into his teaching job.

So in short the premise of Assassination Classroom is much better suited to have it's characters enter very different fields to begin with.

Better Focus on Academics

Yes, My Hero Academia takes place largely in a school, but they don't put any focus on the school part. Whenever they're doing something in class it's either big combat test or self-directed training. And in the later seasons, more and more time got taken up by the big-name pro-hero fights. The two teachers we see the most of, both have bad teacher tags on Ao3 and I have seen numerous takedowns of their teaching skills accurately citing the series.

Assassination Classroom however has school and studying as a constant theme throughout the series. We see 1E being taught both standard school stuff, and learning various assassination techniques to achieve their goal. Kuro Sensei also makes it very clear that if they are just going to bank their futures on killing him and winning the money, then he sees no point in staying around for them to do it.

Getting it Regardless vs Earning Respect

One ongoing issue I have with MHA is that I largely got into the series because I thought that it was going to criticize societal issues. Instead, it ended up doing a 180. Now this mostly applies to the pro-hero worship, largely because once again there is barely any time dedicated to the actual academic part of the show. But with both the teachers and pro heroes their failures and shit behaviours aren't treated as reasons to lose respect, making any respect for them empty. This also leans into the very real issue of roles that come with unconditional respect, will attract people who will abuse it.

Meanwhile, 3E came into the show without this innate revere for teachers, because their past teachers especially in their school have actively screwed them over at every turn. Karma is even elated at the idea of killing a teacher after his last one betrayed him. Nagisa Shiota was being very blatantly abused at home, and Kuro Sensei is the first teacher to stand up for him. The teachers of 3E have to earn the students' trust and respect. When Bitch Sensei treats them like shit when she first joins, the students return the favour, she has to apologize for her poor behaviour for the class to give her a second chance. So when it ends with the students having a deep connection to their teachers and a renewed appreciation for school it's because that respect was fucking earned. Also, the principal who created this system set up 3E to be abused and sabotaged them every chance he got, got fired for his shit leadership aka actions have consequences. They also didn't feel the need to excuse the bullies shit behaviour either

So in one setting, we have authority figures constantly being shit but being revered anyway. And the other, where the respect has been lost and needs to be earned back, thus the respect they get has a much stronger foundation.

Side notes

Deku sucks at explaining, I've said it both on my main and AU blog, but Deku is horrible at explaining. One of the main aspects of teaching, and he sucks at it because he overcomplicates and goes off on tangents, plus mumbling. If it was just his thought process, it would be a mildly annoying but harmless habit, but he does it when talking to people

Also, Assassination Classroom has a way less bloated cast, allowing us to actually get closer to the characters.