#I am consistently getting distracted from the main plot

[sweet7simple]

rodimus obtains a beautiful rare crystal from a dangerous cave as a present for drift, and gets himself all banged up in the process. ratchet is torn between scolding roddy's recklessness and appreciating his devotion to their mate.

This is a fun one because Rodimus would absolutely do something like this.

It starts with an away mission to a planet which has organic life, but no one responds to the Lost Light's polite comm pings. There are signs of advanced technology, not a single satellite in the sky or sign of a spacecraft or energy readings that confirm any high output of electrical energy on the planet's surface. Whatever is down there probably isn't going to have an issue with them meandering around and having a look-see, right?

So Rodimus is on the away team with Brainstorm, Perceptor, Swerve and Velocity plus some others (Cyclonus, Whirl, and Tailgate are somewhere around here. Rodimus is sure they're safe. He's pretty sure they're safe. They better be safe). Rodimus has a comm line to Megatron, Minimus, and Drift on the bridge and he's feeding them video data so they can see what he's seeing.

Well, Brainstorm gets to this cave they want to explore, but the methane readings are off the charts.

"Let me put it this way," he says as he holds an analyzer in one servo and gestures with the other, "if you so much as snap your digits down there, this whole mountain region will stop existing and us probably with it."

And then he follows it up with, "So everyone be careful and stay with your buddy!" right before he tries to march jovially into the mouth of the cave.

Perceptor snags him back and holds him by one of his wings. "What he means is, this is a dangerous endeavor, moreso because of the probably of causing a chemical reaction that can destabilize this mountain region as well as trap us underground if we are not already destroyed by the heat and shock wave of the air blast. However, Brainstorm and I would like permission to take that risk upon ourselves. Our detectors are picking up readings of a highly conductive metal within this cave, which may be highly resourceful to us."

Rodimus gives Brainstorm a look.

Brainstorm points down into the cave. "There's copper down there. Copper is good for us. We want more copper. The medibay will be very happy with you if we bring back copper. Ratchet might even reward you if you let us bring back copper." He manages to pulse the lights of his optics in a suggestive manner.

Rodimus is suddenly very much onboard with this. "Yeah, sure, I'll go down into the cave. The rest of you can wait here."

Perceptor and Brainstorm and Swerve and Velocity all stare at him.

"Um," Velocity begins politely, and then stops.

Brainstorm takes Rodimus by the pauldrons. "How do I put this the nice way.... Out of everyone here, you're the one most likely to make the mountain go boom. I say that with Swerve standing right next to you."

"Hey! I'm the most qualified to go into that cave!" Swerve shakes his servo at the jet.

"Yeah, which is why Rodimus is the one most likely to make the whole place crash down for once," Brainstorm says.

"I'm also the one most likely to survive if the whole place crashes down," Rodimus points out. "The heat and air blast won't destroy me because of my outlier ability and I can just recharge if I get stuck and wait for all of you to dig me out."

"Uh, Roddy, sweetie, if a whole mountain drops down on top of you, it's going to take a really long time for us to dig you out," Brainstorm explains.

"He does have a point, however," Perceptor says, pinching his chin thoughtfully with his other arm folded over his chest plate.

This goes back and forth for awhile. Perceptor is actually on Rodimus's side that he should go down into the cave by himself, see if the readings they are getting are actually for copper, and bring back some samples. If it turns out to be copper, and a sizeable amount of it, they can send Rodimus back down for bigger samples.

Brainstorm is saying, "I can't believe I'm the one trying to do the smart thing, but Rodimus will absolutely walk in there, snap his fingers to see if the mountain really collapses on top of himself, and then be surprised when we turn out to be right."

"I will not do that," Rodimus promises. He had thought about it, but he's not that stupid. If scientists are telling him that the mountain will go boom, he's going to trust them. This time. Only because the last planet they were on, they told him to not walk so close to the edge of a cliff because the slope of it suggested it wasn't stable and he'd gone, blah blah blah, how can you know just from the slope? And then Cyclonus, Brainstorm, and Whirl had had to airlift him out of the river at the bottom of the cliff and no one, I repeat, no one will let him live it down.

He's not going to be the captain who blew up an entire mountain on top of that. He refuses. He's going to be careful. As careful as he can be. He is, at least, not going to snap his fingers to see if it ignites the methane and blows the whole place up.

Swerve is on Rodimus's side because, "Just in case you die down there, can you state now in front of these witnesses that I'll be co-captain in your place? Please? And, you know, don't die down there. But, if you do - "

Velocity isn't necessarily against him going, but she is against him going alone. "Just in case of injuries, I think I should go with you," she reasons.

"But what if we're injured if the mountain blows?" Swerve asks. "We're standing right here."

Rodimus plants his servos on his faulds. "Well, go stand somewhere else!"

So the rest of the team gets out of blast range (which is very far away) and they send out a broadcast telling the other teams to also get out of blast range and they warn the Lost Light above the planet's atmosphere about what's about to happen (they already know since they're tied into Rodimus's video feed and Rodimus has already turned off their comm feed so that they can stop harassing him about how this is a stupid idea and he's about to get himself killed and he better not do it, Rodimus, we're serious -).

Once everyone's a safe distance away, Rodimus goes down into the cave with Velocity and some data packets from Perceptor about what copper rock even looks like. They're actually quite colorful, he likes them.

Velocity is tip-toeing along like the very movement of her joints might set off the methane, so Rodimus makes a show of being very unbothered by everything. He's joking with Velocity, making her laugh, getting her to unwind a little bit as they go further down into the network of caves.

They're limited in where they can go since most of the caves are too small for them to fit through, but the major systems are very accommodating.

"Drones," Velocity groans, almost slapping her own forehelm before she pauses and puts her servo back down. "We could have sent drones down in our place. We were so busy arguing with you that we forgot we didn't have to send anyone down here. And they would be able to fit through the smaller tunnels and chambers too."

Rodimus had actually thought of drones, but he wants to be able to take a hunk of this copper rock to Ratchet himself, dug out by his own servos, and have his mate berate him for his stupidity right before he gets rewarded for his gift.

"Well, if there's a lot of copper, we can just send the drones down next time instead of coming back ourselves," he offers.

They eventually find some colorful rocks in a side of a cave. Rodimus digs his digits in and scoops it out. The cave wall is softer than he expected.

Velocity is also very carefully digging out only as much copper rock as she can carry. Rodimus's optic catches on the glint of something next to her.

"Hey, what's that?"

She turns her helm to look at what he's pointing at. "Oh, it appears to be some kind of... gem, I guess. I'm sorry, my geology is poor. I'm sure it would be very pretty if it was polished, though."

As it is, it's some kind of milky green where it just breaches the wall, dull and without much shine to it.

Rodimus opens his comm to Drift (and Drift alone) to show him his video feed. "Hey, sweetspark, what am I looking at?"

Drift gasps through the comm line. Rodimus's interest is instantly perked. "That's emerald! I have only ever seen emeralds on Earth. They're beautiful once they've been tumbled and polished, and their energies are so pure. They can channel emotions such as love and improve the health of your spark." And then he gasps again. "Roddy, turn to your right. There is something... Yes, a little more. There. Primus, that's a rare form of chrysoberyl. It also resonates with the spark and promotes feelings of love. And it's so rare. On earth, they called it alexandrite and it was still in short supply." His voice is ringing with longing.

Rodimus is determined now. "Anything for you, sweetspark."

"No, Roddy, you're there for the copper."

"And I've got the copper. No worries. Like I was telling Velocity, we'll just send some drones down for more once we get back to the surface."

"Then the drones can pick up the crystals, it's okay."

But it isn't. Rodimus is going to be the best mate ever. He's going to give Ratchet his copper rocks and he's going to give Drift his crystals because they deserve it and because it will mean more from him than some drone that can't even recognize how gorgeous and awesome his mates are.

Velocity has stopped mining the copper rock and is watching him closely. "Be careful, Rodimus. Be very careful. If you scrape your digits across those crystals..."

"Don't worry, I got this." He pauses. "But, just in case, you should start up without me. I'll meet you up there." He turns off his comm feed where Drift has started yelling at him, echoed by other voices on the bridge.

"I'll stay," Velocity says, scared but brave. Brave because she's scared and still will not leave him.

He respects her. "Okay. Just give me a klik and we can head back up."

For him, it doesn't take long to dig around some crystals and put them directly in his subspace (he's going to have to hose it down, he realizes with a grimace. There's dirt and sediment everywhere now). With Velocity watching with the widest optics, posed as if ready to start running, it make the process feel eons longer.

But he gets the crystals and nothing combusts and they have the copper rocks. They leave the cave and the air quality is almost instantly different without the methane cloud setting off their sensors.

It's all very anticlimactic for Rodimus, but everyone else is acting like he just barely managed to escape the certain grasp of death.

The moment he and Velocity are out of blast range, Perceptor and Brainstorm send down some drones to get more samples and Rodimus and Velocity take one of the shuttles up to the ship.

The mecha waiting for Rodimus are Not Happy. Megatron has that look on his face that says, "I've eaten Cybertronians before out of desperation, but I'm willing to bite you in half out of sheer frustration." Minimus tells him how many rules he broke by the order they were broken in.

Drift has that closed off look on his face that says he's more upset than he is angry and he doesn't want to show it. Ratchet just looks thunderous as he yanks Rodimus in that direction and another, checking him over even though the only thing wrong is that his servos are dirty. Velocity doesn't point out that she already checked Rodimus over because this is just a Ratchet thing, not a medic thing. Ratchet needs to know for sure that Rodimus is safe.

It's not the easiest checkup he's had since he's holding copper rocks in the curve of one arm and refuses to let them go for anything. Not until Ratchet is done with him and he is able to, with a sunny grin, hand over the copper.

Ratchet looks incredibly sour as he takes the dirty rocks in his servos. "I can't even do anything with these, you fool! Swerve has to draw the wire from these! And you left Swerve on the planet. Now my servos are just dirty."

That was not how it was explained to Rodimus and now he's kind of angry that, at no point, did Swerve mention this.

"Yeah, but this is your copper," he stresses. "You can do whatever you want with it."

Ratchet is clearly tired of his slag. "Sure, Rodimus." He ex-vents. "Thank you for risking your life for some rocks a drone could have brought me without endangering the life of my mate."

"You're welcome!" Rodimus says, choosing to ignore everything that came after the thank you. If he thinks about it too hard, it might ruin his mood.

At least it makes Ratchet huff with humor. Ratchet wraps one of his dirty servos around the back of Rodimus's helm and pulls him down into a kiss. "You're an idiot, but at least you're my idiot."

Drift steps up to them and puts a servo gently against Rodimus's chest shield. "You didn't just risk your life down there to impress Ratty," he says knowingly. "I'm upset with you, but I am so, so thankful as well. Never risk your life like that again. You are worth so much more than copper and crystals. But, thank you."

Rodimus opens up his subspace, grimaces as he feels how dirty everything is, and pulls out the clumps of crystals. "If it makes my mates happy, I'd do a lot more than just walk through a cave and pick up some rocks." He gets another grateful kiss.

Rodimus's spoiler shakes from how high he's holding it. He's beaming with joy as Ratchet grimaces down at his filthy gift, a calculative look in his optics as he's already thinking about what to do with the copper that will get drawn from it, and as Drift gives his own crystals a much softer, much happier look.

Their happiness means so much to him.

[mareastrorum]

As a known villain-enthusiast, I figured I’d write up how I assess them as storytelling devices. Like, whether they’re enjoyable characters is up to taste, but whether they’re good writing requires critical assessment. This is a rather long post, so here is a summary:

Learning how to critique villains is a great way to identify skilled and passionate storytellers. They embody the ideas and decisions that the writer feels are incorrect. While some narrative devices are more subtle (local politics unfolding in the background, color or song cues, scene settings, etc.), villains are dramatic. That is a person designed to be wrong! They intentionally draw the audience’s focus for important steps of the story. When a writer stumbles on that, it reflects poorly on the entire work precisely because of that focus.

This post is going to get into the following key components of an effective villain:

They highlight the wrong conclusion about a key issue in the story.

They should be a symptom of either a larger issue in the narrative or the one they fixate on.

They don't need to be evil, and, in many cases, that label is a hindrance.

As the average age of the target audience and/or the length of the story increases, villains should be more frequently correct in their beliefs and choices.

They evoke strong emotion appropriate to the genre.

They don’t need to be antagonists, and antagonists don’t need to be villains.

They raise the stakes: the world will become worse if they are left unchecked.

Their strengths and weaknesses should be directly tied either to the central theme of the story or their opponent's character arc.

Their ending is consistent with the theme of the story.

If included, a villain redemption arc must have 4 components: (1) an external stimulus causing (2) a choice to deviate from their plan and (3) a corresponding shift in their worldview, and those result in (4) action that matches the strength of their new conviction.

They should not be included in a story if any of the above causes distraction or discordance with the main plot line.

Of course, there’s spoilers to follow, so reader beware.

First, some definitions. These are definitely not perfect, but they're how I keep these narrative issues separated in my own head.

A villain is someone whose wrong actions/beliefs are relevant to the plot/themes. An antagonist is someone who acts in direct conflict with the protagonist. The protagonist is the character that the audience follows in a story. Sometimes villains are protagonists, sometimes they're antagonists, and sometimes they're neither. This post addresses villains regardless of their other roles in a story.

I am intentionally using a vague word like “wrong” in that definition because villains are versatile tools. What is the core message or theme of this story? What is the wrong conclusion? What did the villain get right before they fucked up? At what point did this take a downturn? Can this be fixed before it’s too late? How can it be fixed? A well-designed villain can be used to answer most, if not all, of those questions without any reference to another character. When a villain is included in the story, each of the topics below is a point where the writer should be using that character to bolster the narrative.

Villains highlight the wrong conclusion about a key issue in the story.

The point of a villain is to be a bad example. A job well done requires the author to have a thorough, intimate understanding of the themes, plot, and other characters, and then showcase each of them through that villain.

In other words, the villain cannot be conceived before the protagonist's arc is decided. The author needs to have a plan for the protagonist's character arc and plot because that is going to be the audience's focus for the entire story, and the villain is meant to emphasize a key problem for that character. Even when the villain is the protagonist, their purpose as the protagonist must be determined first before any villainous aspects should be addressed.

That said, villains should be minimized or omitted for any issue that doesn't culminate in a climax. Villains are dramatic: once outed as a villain, the audience will watch everything they do. That level of focus is difficult to match with other narrative devices, so the optimal use is to direct it at key issues. For other topics, antagonists are a better fit (discussed further below). If the writer does not intend to address some core aspect of the story or worldbuilding, then it shouldn't significantly involve the villain.

A poorly done villain often reveals how the author failed to grasp something, either as a concept or in execution. Again, by definition, a villain is someone the author disagrees with. People are usually much better at making themselves and their own opinions look good than they are at portraying people with opposing viewpoints. A skilled storyteller commits to giving villains a good faith dissection rather than merely attacking a strawman.

Of course, more complex stories may warrant the use of minor villains, an ensemble, or a Big Bad Evil Guy standing above the rest. The depth and time spent on each villain should match their overall importance to the main storyline. Perhaps a lesser villain will feature in a particular episode/chapter addressing their connected theme, but they shouldn’t be emphasized by the writer outside of that relevance.

Villains should be a symptom of either a larger issue in the narrative or the one they fixate on.

This is one of the more common flaws that I've encountered. Most villains believe they are solving a problem. A lot of stories fall short of answering, "what is a better conclusion?"

Caveat: this isn’t necessary for all genres. Genres that rely on gaps in understanding don’t need to supply answers. Comedy, horror, short fiction, and any other story focusing entirely on a plot about “stuff went wrong” don’t necessarily benefit from telling the audience what the problem is. Eldritch horror stories, for example, are specifically about encounters that the characters and audience do not understand, but they may still feature villains.

This facet is more noticeable in stories about problems that affect large populations. Whether it's a social heirarchy, a government structure, a natural disaster, resource shortages, etc., it's something that requires more than removing villains from seats of power or ending a plan. The nature of the solution will vary widely, especially across genres, but the writer should be concerned with the exact thing the villain had been.

As an example, in a lot of contemporary stories involving revolutions by lower classes against an oppressive upper class, the key conflict of the story is that the revolutionaries have resorted to an unconscionable option for the sake of success. Whether it's genocide, biological warfare, nuclear escalation, etc., the climax is about stopping a villain from successfully employing that option. However, a solid number of those stories end with the status quo or with minor concessions by the upper class. Each of those is a problem. If they stuck with the status quo, the story is that the oppressed should accept their station, even without hope or promise of improvement. If there were minor concessions, then the message is that drastic threats of violence are necessary for even the smallest concessions. Neither of those is a very satisfying story, and in most cases, neither were the writer's intended takeaway. Unfortunately, that sort of message often gets baked in because the unspoken implication of “don’t resort to these tactics” is “accept your place”—unless an alternative is presented within the story.

Of course, the challenge for these sorts of stories is how to convey a better option without getting on a soapbox in the narration. Villains are an efficient option to challenge the protagonists (or their opponents if they're protagonists) on these issues. “If you're so determined to stop me, then what are you going to do about [XYZ]?” It's a great way to weave in the author's intended message through some exposition or by seeding internal conflict for the protagonist to grapple with after the two separate again. This can even be brought up by other characters in discussions about the villain, without requiring a direct confrontation. Whether the opposition achieves that goal isn’t necessary either; it’s enough to introduce it and start the path toward it, letting the implication become “that’s not happening yet because that would be the next story.”

While stories don’t need to answer every question, ignoring the villain’s concern conveys that the writer doesn’t care about that issue. In that case, why include it as the villain’s motivation? What benefit did that complication bring to the story? Useless or unintended elements should be cut from a story to avoid muddling the themes, and failure to do that with a villain demonstrates subpar storytelling.

Villains don't need to be evil, and, in many cases, that label is a hindrance.

Evil is a moral label. Some stories aren’t concerned with addressing how to be a good person, what should happen to bad people, etc. That is certainly a most common framing for a villain in Western media, but it’s not the only one. Stories don't need to convey a moral to be great.

Sometimes the villain cares deeply for others, is motivated by saving people and doing good, and checks all the boxes for a hero, but the means they resort to are absolutely fucked up. Their arc often involves realizing a terrible act is “necessary” to achieve their desired result, and because they believe that result is worth the travesties, they commit. The audience can debate whether that means the villain is good or evil, but that is beside the point; the problem is that they’re doing something they shouldn’t, regardless of the moral label attached to it. Stories like this often include a message that there aren’t good/bad people, only good/bad acts, which also means that people cannot attain a moral label, and therefore the villain cannot be evil. (The Dune novels are a fantastic example of this.)

Sometimes the villain is someone dedicated to a cause that has long since careened into villainy. Their personal morality doesn’t match with what they do because duty or honor requires them to act this way, and to forsake that obligation is also failure. No matter what they choose, they will be trampling their moral ideals. Pretty much any story about well-meaning military, police, government, or other duty-bound characters following a chain of command after the bad guy takes control is an example of this. Some stories focus on the interpersonal conflict arising out of that, and others stories might focus on the internal cognitive dissonance and psychological fallout of such circumstances. These stories often posit that there is no such thing as pure good, and since everyone must commit evil on some level in the course of pursuing a moral standard, we cannot assess anyone (including the villain) on morality alone. These also tend to be stories that include a redemption arc (discussed below), though they very frequently involve some sort of dramatic sacrifice in the process.

Other stories ignore morality entirely because it just isn’t the point. These villains tend to be more subtle because their presence isn’t as offensive to the audience. Bureaucrats ruthlessly enforcing the rules in spite of unique circumstances, then getting overruled by a superior after a big display by the protagonist, are a fairly common villain trope in media aimed at children and young adults. It does happen in media for adults as well, though most often in comedies (My Cousin Vinny, Ghostbusters) or legal/political/professional dramas. These stories usually criticize overzealous commitment to systems, not because the systems or villains are inherently evil, but because excessive enforcement can unhelpfully inhibit good, health, fun, freedom, etc.

Villains can absolutely be moral/good/neutral people in the author’s perspective, framed as such in a story, and still be the bad guys.

As the average age of the target audience and/or the length of the story increases, villains should be more frequently correct in their beliefs and choices.

This is such a frustrating thing when writers muck it up. As stated, villainy highlights a wrong conclusion. Do you know what would ruin that effect? If they’re wrong about everything.

The thing about highlighting is that it’s only useful when done sparingly or with clear methods of differentiation. Highlighting a single line with one color or multiple lines with different colors can each be effective methods of focusing attention, but highlighting an entire page is a waste of effort. The audience doesn’t know what to look at anymore. The purpose is lost when it's overdone.

So too with a villain. A well-constructed villain needs to get some things right. That is a signal that those aren't the parts the audience should be concerned with. That works both for focusing on themes (if indeed that side issue isn’t important) or as obfuscation for a reveal later on (related to plot, motive, identity, etc.). This wealthy villain pays his taxes without complaint, donates to charity, and tips generously, so the story message isn’t about whether businessmen pay their fair share to government, give back to the people generally, or pays people for their labor. Instead, when the businessman turns out to be a financier of a warlord plotting a coup, we can ignore the question, “should the wealthy use money to help people?” and instead focus on “the harm of using wealth to enable oppression far outweighs any generosity that coincides with it.”

In most media, I prefer main villains to be correct on so many things that, at some point in the story, they would have been capable of swaying me to their position if not for a key theme. That is the gold standard because it points the audience right at the villain’s narrative purpose and explains why no one has managed to stop the villain before this plot line. After all, if a person is tolerable, useful, or personable except for this one thing, then they are likely to have many allies and defenses to prevent anyone from stopping their plans. While not every villain needs that level of honing, it is vital that the villain associated closely to the main theme is the one with the most clarity.

When a villain is wrong about most things, that clarity is lost. That extremism is only expected in children’s fiction, comedy, and short form fiction because those genres usually don’t explore any other facets of the villain anyway—the audience rarely gets a comprehensive look at that character. A villain is a portrayal of a person, and people are complex. Any longer forms of media require more time spent with the villain, and a two-dimensional character doesn't hold up well in those circumstances. When an author decides to structure a villain who is incorrect at every step of a story, there is meaning there: this villain is intended as an extreme example of everything the author dislikes. This story is intended to be propaganda.

Propaganda invites heavier criticism: What ethnicity did the author choose for this representation of someone getting everything wrong? What gender? What sexuality? What nationality? Social or economic class? Level of education? How does that compare to their opposition? If there’s someone who does everything right, what differences are there between that one and the villain? Those choices are just as intentional as the decision to frame the villain as so egregiously wrong about everything. Writers don’t get to pretend such decisions are meaningless. More often than not, when this happens, the writer's bigoted views are put on display. The villain absolutely did its job, so it's not an ineffective villain: it told me what the writer disapproves of and that the theme of the story is that type of person is inferior. It just turns out that now I have an entirely separate reason to dislike this writer and their works.

Villains evoke strong emotion appropriate to the genre.

I expect that most discussions about villains will include something about making that character entertaining or fun, but that isn’t quite the right mark. A proper villain is evocative in a way that matches the genre. There’s a lot of flexibility in this, so entertainment value is a safe bet. Some stories need a villain that raises tension in every scene, and others just need a laid back asshole to quip at the hero and be an obstacle. That said, sometimes a villain would be better if they aren’t fun.

For example, in Pan’s Labyrinth, Captain Vidal (played by a well known Spanish comedian who had never previously ventured outside of comedy) in fascist Spain confronts a potential spy who claims that he was hunting rabbits with his son. Indeed, the man was carrying a weapon and a bag of supplies, and he has a younger man with him. Until that point, the Captain had been presented as extremely strict and hierarchical in every facet of his life, even with his new wife, but not necessarily bad. In full view of the man’s son, the Captain personally kills the hunter, declares him to be a traitor to Spain, then discovers the dead rabbits in the pack and ignores that he may have been wrong. The son is taken away without apology or aid—not even the food and supplies they had been carrying. Any audience expectation of mercy is shunted out the window because fascism involves seeing common people as either resources or threats, and nothing else. It’s a brutal, terrifying way to establish Captain Vidal’s role, that this character will not be fun or comedic, and what type of story the film will entail. We know without a shadow of doubt that if Captain Vidal discovers what the child protagonist has been up to, he will kill her. He would kill that little girl without remorse for the slightest infraction against his control. An unavoidable dread surrounds Captain Vidal’s presence through every subsequent scene, even when he isn’t shown on screen. That brought the terror of fascism to a personal level in a horrifically efficient manner. Excellent use of a villain.

Because the core purpose of a villain is to highlight aspects of a story, stoking the audience’s emotion is a surefire way to guarantee everyone is paying attention. The most commonly used options are anger (unjust acts), disgust (socially unacceptable traits), and fear (unflinching violence). Regardless of which emotion it is, it should be something either unexpected or more extreme than encountered otherwise. These cues should be in contrast to the emotions evoked by positive developments. If the rest of the mood of the story is somber, inappropriate lightheartedness is an excellent contrast. If the rest of the story is tense action, an eerie calm is incredibly upsetting. There are many options for creating a discordant tone, and doing so not only emphasizes that this villain is wrong somehow, but also ensures that any dialogue or narration in that scene carries that same sense of wrongness.

Obviously, some stories involve villain reveals, so those high-intensity scenes shouldn’t occur until the right moment. In those instances, the method and circumstances of the reveal are a great vehicle to emphasize the villain’s narrative purpose, especially when done close to or during the story’s climax. That said, a shocked audience may have difficulty parsing complicated dialogue; sticking to a simple, overarching topic is a much better option for those particular circumstances. That’s why a villain monologue is such a common trope: it works.

When this sort of emotional turmoil is absent, I get the sense that the writer doesn’t know how to structure a scene to reinforce themes. This sort of narrative device isn’t necessary for every villain scene, but if only one scene in an entire story were to stoke the audience’s feelings, it should be the scene where the villain’s conclusion is front and center. Denouements and moments of triumph also obviously warrant strong emotional responses, but I prioritize the villain for a simple reason: why would anyone add a villain to a story if they weren’t going to demand the audience’s attention? If that type of scene takes away from the story’s purpose, then the villain does too, and they should be removed.

Villains don't need to be antagonists, and antagonists don’t need to be villains.

This might seem contradictory to the preceding points, but the fact is that protagonists cannot be expected to fix every problem they encounter.

Villains are supposed to reach the wrong conclusion about something core to the theme or plot. Antagonists are just people who work against the protagonist. For a lawyerly analogue, my opposing counsel is the antagonist (working against me, a plaintiff litigator) and their client is the villain (that fucker did Wrong, even if they never interact with me and haven’t done anything since). The lawyer isn’t wrong for simply being on that side; they’re doing their job, and their job is to be in my way. I’m not right for simply being on my side; I’m just the one telling the story. When assessing a villain and protagonist, we look at both characters in those conflicts. In comparison, an any conflict with a non-villain antagonist is entirely focused on the protagonist; the antagonist’s values, beliefs, etc. don’t really matter.

All that said, villains are usually antagonists. It’s a very efficient way to structure a story, so it is a preferred option for shorter or simpler narratives. That isn't a flaw. It's a completely valid way to handle these roles. Whether the villain should or shouldn't be an antagonist depends on the themes. Is a person versus person conflict necessary to resolve the problem that the villain is highlighting?

For example, if the key theme is about the catastrophic damage caused by climate change, a direct conflict with the villain could distract from that. Many disaster movies focusing on climate change feature villains that ignore or exploit it, and rather than meet their end through conflict with the protagonists, they usually end up ruining themselves. That makes sense given that climate change is a phenomenon that cannot be stopped by an individual and that it doesn't discriminate as to who is affected. There's plenty of other themes where similar story structures are more effective than the protagonist causing the villain's downfall. Those stories don't benefit from direct conflicts with the villain, but that character added to the narrative regardless.

Sometimes a character is necessary for the protagonists to have a concrete victory at a certain point in the story, but there’s no thematic conclusion yet. Villains would distract from that, but antagonists wouldn’t. For example, a middle point in the story has the culmination of a coming of age arc for a main character, but the final conflict is still on the horizon: a sports competitor has to end their growth arc by winning at regionals before shifting to the main rising action involved in going to nationals. Introducing a local rival with no significant bad qualities would allow the audience to focus on the protagonist’s growth, and the villain in the later arc doesn’t lose any presence or effect by having a predecessor.

All that said, some characters shift over time, especially in serial media. An antagonist of the week in a superhero comic might be the dastardly Big Bad villain in a special release and then back to a background problem in the next. Villains should only be used to extent that they will help the audience understand the full scope of the themes. Regardless of genre (except maybe satire/parody), the villain shouldn’t be causing problems “on screen” beyond the scope of their purpose, so unless the dramatic brawl between villain and hero adds something other than cool visuals, antagonism is just wasted time.

Villains raise the stakes: the world will be worse if they are left unchecked.

Any villain that fails to raise the stakes is an example of poor writing. Why should the audience care about a villain if there is nothing to lose should they succeed? It is a complete failure to use such a dramatic narrative device to highlight a non-problem. Even if a villain is not an antagonist, they need to be a threat.

In order to achieve that, the villain needs to have strengths necessary to achieve their goal. When villains don't have a skill or a resources necessary for their plan, there should be a relatively straightforward method for them to fill that gap. For example, a warmongering monarch might lack the manpower from her own lands to continue conquering neighbors, so she has her army conscript soldiers from annexed territories to put on the front lines. Of course, these power gaps are also excellent points for conflict with the opposition, and that can be worked into the plot. By shaping the villain into a formidable power in the world, the protagonist (or their faction, allies, etc.) has to step up and find a solution to the plot problem before the villain ruins everything. It adds time pressure to the protagonist’s goals and allows for logical opportunities to foil the villain’s plans.

When the villain is incompetent, that tension is lost. Within the story itself, of all the possible characters in this made up world, this was the one the writer focused on. Why hasn’t someone already stopped them, and why should the audience care what they’re up to? Why is the writer wasting the protagonist’s time on this character? That reflects poorly on the story because that conveys that there’s not a real a risk of failure or a bad ending; if there was, the writer should have focused on that instead! So, why include the villain at all?

Unless the story is parody, nothing is as disappointing as a story where a villain succeeds or fails because of something stupid. It can be funny, it can be an oversight or mistake or gap in knowledge, but it should never be because of stupidity. That tells me that the writer couldn’t up with something clever because they’re stupid—they used a complex narrative device without thinking it through—and they expect me (a member of the audience) to applaud. Absolutely not.

Villains' strengths and weaknesses should be directly tied either to the central theme of the story or their opponent's character arc.

Building off the last point, a villain should be competent in a narratively convenient way and have convenient weaknesses. In many story structures, a villain antagonist is a wonderfully efficient option for the protagonist hero to grapple with a key character development or plot climax. The best villains are those whose weaknesses are ones that the protagonist is capable of exploiting; it helps establish the protagonist as an appropriate perspective for this story. However, that logic needs to work both in the direction in which it was planned, and backwards from the opposite view.

First, the writer needs to choose a villain that suits the protagonist and the plot. I’ve lined out plenty of reasons for that above, but in short, the villain should be actively engaging in behavior or building to a turning point that will impact the ending that the protagonist desires. It doesn’t need to impact the protagonist directly, but there must be a clear motivation to interfere with the villain’s plan. Thus, the villain’s strengths should be relevant to the theme or opponent’s arc—it’d be a waste of opportunity otherwise.

Once the protagonist’s needs are established, the writer needs to change perspective: the villain needs to make sense within the narrative whether the protagonist does anything or not. Generally speaking, any person would prefer a plan with requirements they would not struggle to complete. People like to do things they’re good at. A mad scientist is going to prefer mad science over politics. A corrupt politician is going to prefer bribery over a ray gun. If the plot demands a particular course of action, the villain should be designed to be someone who prefers that method and is damn good at it. Even in situations where a villain is forced to resort to something they don’t excel in, there should be a logical explanation for how this arrangement came about. Failure to achieve this breaks immersion.

The difficult part of discussing this facet is that it is the most versatile aspect of villain characterization, so there aren’t any rigid requirements. I wouldn’t even go so far as to say that a villain should be a foil because that limits them to mirroring a specific character. They don’t need to be foils! Sometimes, a villain should be bigger than that: Sauron in The Lord of the Rings trilogy could be compared to numerous protagonists, but he is not a direct foil of one, while lesser villains (Denethor, Steward of Gondor) in the books are.

For a vague example, let's say I want to write a story about a slave who is leading a revolution. The obvious themes would be the necessity of violence to wrest freedom from oppressors, that legal systems are always biased in favor of those already in power, that most people will accept oppression of others for the sake of economic benefit, and so on. There are many potential villains, but the best ones would be the owner, the lawman (chief of police, sheriff, judge, etc.), and/or the head of government (mayor, governor, etc.). Regardless of which one I choose, their respective strengths (color of law, weaponry, support of the ruling class) will require the protagonist to address his own weaknesses (lack of legal authority, resources, and social capital), which gives the plot shape. Those are the parts that will be addressed in the rising action of the story. In addition, the villain's weaknesses (over-reliance on demoralized slaves, personal immorality, bigotry, cruelty, apathy, etc.) each give options for what strengths to give the protagonist. Perhaps the protagonist's unfailing courage and camaraderie stokes the other slaves' will to resist and fight back, and it becomes a story about greater numbers overcoming the villain's strengths. Another option is that the protagonist stoops just as low and has no moral or social high ground, and the point of the story is that freedom should be achieved by any means necessary by anyone willing to fight for it. Yet another option is that the protagonist makes contact with a third-party, and they cooperate to overthrow the villains, because the villains' institution of slavery could not be tolerated by anyone with an unbiased view (outsiders with no stake in it). Whichever possibility is chosen, the strengths/weaknesses of the villains put a tint on the overall message: the owner would focus the story on individuals and allow for more intimate exchanges between characters, the lawman would be more of a philosophical story with impersonal distance, and the head of government would focus on social values and how to change the will of other people. I need to choose the villain that allows me to explore my preferred protagonist arc, and I need to choose the plot line that matches well with that conflict.

But that’s a bit cerebral. A simpler example: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. He’s sexist, only wants Belle because she’s the prettiest girl in the village, and his ego demands the best of everything. There’s literally nothing else he finds attractive about her. He’s charismatic and appeals to the toxic masculinity culture of the town. He does not value intelligence or kindness, so many potential options for getting what he wants are closed to him. In the climactic conflict, Gaston whips the town into a mob by using his charisma to deceive them, has Belle and her father imprisoned in their own home, and goes to kill the Beast so that he can claim the mantle of hero and Belle for himself. Belle uses her intelligence to improvise an escape, and her kindness spurs the Beast out of inaction after it was established that nothing else had ever swayed his heart. While there may be other things to criticize in this story, Gaston is an excellent example of making strengths and weaknesses relevant to plot, themes, and other characters. Everything he did was as bad as, if not worse than, the Beast, his conflict with Belle allowed her agency and traits to shine, and his devotion to violence and ego caused his own death rather than Belle resorting to his methods.

When that doesn't happen, it feels like a plot hole. Why hype up a villain to excel at worming his way into powerful social circles and then he never attempts to manipulate anyone in any scenes? Why make a villain so egotistical as to ignore security flaws in a key scene and then never have anyone take advantage? I’m not talking about trope subversion; I mean when a strength/weakness is added and then ignored. It's such an intrinsic part of the process for constructing a villain that failing to flesh it out demonstrates poor writing skills.

The villain’s ending is consistent with the theme of the story.

I truly do not care if villains get “what they deserve” in a story. Can it be satisfying to see villains contribute to their own failure? Yes, but they don’t deserve anything. They’re not real. Even if they were, people don’t deserve anything. You can’t earn an ending. The world doesn’t work that way, stories don’t work that way, and that line of thinking isn’t interesting. Catharsis is not about a character getting what the audience thinks they should, it’s about evoking emotional satisfaction, and limiting that assessment to whether characters get what they “deserve” is narrow-minded.

Because stories are not real, everything is on the table. The writer can do whatever they want to every single character. The most important issue is whether the outcome makes sense for what issue the villain was highlighting.

For example, if the villain is meant to be a focal point of corruption in a government structure, and the highlighted problem is that this person was tolerated by others because of the benefits they provided, deposing only that villain doesn't really fix anything. The people that let this happen are still there, and they'll find another person to do it the same way. Instead, a better resolution would be to turn that villain against their enablers, whether by threat or force or agreement. Maybe the villain is willing to testify against co-conspirators in exchange for a lenient sentence in a court of law. By definition, leniency means that the villain does not receive a fair punishment, but the problem is resolved and won't happen again. That demonstrates that the writer actually understands the issue they chose to address and that they're telling a story about a solution to a problem rather than fulfilling a base desire for punishment.

Of course, sometimes a key point of the story is wish fulfillment for punishment. The Count of Monte Cristo is probably the best revenge story ever written, with every single villain getting their comeuppance due the machinations of the wronged protagonist after returning from imprisonment and exile. Even better, the protagonist orchestrated the events so that each villain ultimately causes their own end through willful greed, ego, and cruelty. However, the key question is whether or not the protagonist is a villain too: at what point will he stop? When is it no longer justice? What about innocent bystanders? When faced with the decision whether to legally kill the only son of both his hated enemy and his former lover, Edmond Dantes finally decides to stop. This differentiates him from the villains, and the story allows the audience to determine whether to attribute it to morality, love, duty, etc. The story includes wish fulfillment because the ongoing audience consideration is “How many more times are you going to wish for this?” It felt good, it felt just, they “deserved” it, the world was better for it, but the point was that Dantes had other needs that he was ignoring by focusing solely on revenge. A core theme was that a desire for revenge is not inherently wrong—it springs from injustice and a desire for equitable results—but it isn’t the right answer to every problem. The villains’ ends fit in perfectly for the characters individually, the themes of the story, and the cultural backdrop of France before, during, and after the tumult of the Napoleonic wars.

Further, sometimes the “end” is just a pause. Many serials need the villain to remain a threat for future use, so that thread is left unresolved. This isn’t necessarily poor writing. However, those villains shouldn’t be intricately tied to a theme that requires a definitive resolution by the end of that phase. This type of arrangement requires extra planning because bringing back the villain will evoke those old themes, so either reviving the question or tying it into a new one is vital to a good story.

If included, a villain redemption arc must have 4 components: (1) an external stimulus causing (2) a choice to deviate from their plan and (3) a corresponding shift in their worldview, and those result in (4) action that matches the strength of their new conviction.

A proper villain redemption arc always has the same core message: people can change. It has absolutely nothing to do with earning anything because change comes from within; as soon as external approval comes into play, it’s no longer about change, it’s about relationships. The quality of a redemption arc has nothing to do with anyone other than the person being redeemed. If this type of arc doesn’t suit the story, it should not be included.

The four points listed above are necessary because they tie the villain’s arc to the plot. Why is the villain changing during this story? What does the writer believe is needed to correct course? Does the writer actually believe that people can change?

The external stimulus is necessary because of the above point that the villain should make things worse if left unchecked. That check doesn’t necessarily need to be the protagonist, an opponent, or even a character; it could be a sudden change in circumstances, like war breaking out or a new faction coming into play. Maybe the villain achieves their goal and something goes horribly wrong. Regardless of the specifics, the cause should something other than internal rumination. A villain coming to a sudden epiphany in a moment of daydreaming is too convenient, to the point that it lacks any dramatic effect. That tells me the writer doesn’t actually understand why the villain would choose this course of action in the first place. Demonstrating what would shake them out of it is not easy, but it is vital to a proper redemption arc. Something new needs to break the villain’s intentions apart.

The next two parts can happen in any order: shifting perspective first and then a choice, or choice first while ideas solidify, or both at the same time. Maybe there’s multiple steps along the way for each. Any of those can be believable.

The shift in perspective means that the villain understands that they had made the wrong choice. Whatever the new problem is, they couldn’t stop it, can’t fix it, or need something they had discarded, and the reason for that deficiency is their current course of action. The new development is undeniable proof that they were going to fail or already had failed. They don’t need to accept this psychological change immediately—the timing and fallout should match the genre—but it should happen in response to that external stimulus. In addition, even if they grapple with it as the story progresses, the villain should not fall back into old ways over minor problems. They can ruminate or even obsess over inconsequential issues, but actions should be taken only for something significant.

Once the dramatic revelation has occurred, the villain needs to have agency for how to deal with this dilemma. Maybe the story even involves the villain fighting for that agency before they exercise it, and that may happen in tandem with coming to terms with their shattered perspective. There should be at least one moment (perhaps several) where the villain has the opportunity to revert to their original plan or take a new path. That said, making such a choice under threat of death or harm isn’t very effective. Choice also requires more than one option, so I don’t find “you’re going to die anyway” circumstances to be powerful redemption arcs. They can be suitable for tragedies, but they carry the implication that villains have to face death before they will change, which is not going to mesh well with many themes absent some other redemption arcs in the same story to compare it to.

Finally, there needs to be action that matches both the villain’s new beliefs and the theme of the story, and the scale needs to be appropriately comparable to the villain’s prior intentions. Maybe the villain drains hoarded resources to support the protagonist’s gambit, emphasizing the need to collaborate with and trust in others. Maybe the villain becomes a double-agent and sabotages the corrupt empire from within, demonstrating that good is not served by people refusing to engage with an ongoing problem. Maybe the villain redesigns their ray gun to kill cancer cells, so the message is that technology is only as harmful as the people using it. Whatever they do, the villain’s redemption arc will be just as important to the audience as the protagonist’s arc. They need to make an impact worthy of that effect.

I’ll also note what I omit from this: emotion, forgiveness, and justice. Emotions are irrational, so I don’t buy into the idea that any character needs to experience a specific kind of emotion for a certain kind of arc or story to be high quality. Choices do not require emotional congruence. As for forgiveness and justice, redemption comes from within, and these two facets require input from other characters or social groups. Redemption does not need someone else’s permission or validation. While these three things can certainly add to a redemption arc—and I’m sure people have preferences—they are not necessary aspects. It is entirely possible to construct a quality redemption story without them.

Schindler’s List is essentially a villain redemption story: Oskar Schindler (the protagonist) was a businessman who joined and benefited from the rise of the Nazi Party. He held fascist leaning ideals (people as resources, efficiency and profit over all else, etc.) and bribed officials to get his way, but he wasn’t overtly cruel. His experiences with the Jews forced to work for him gradually changed his perspective, and he took small steps to make their lives easier or safer—against the wishes of the Nazi government. Eventually, he reached the point that he decided to engage in treason to try to save as many as he could, not only spending his ill-gotten fortune on selfless bribes, but also risking his own life, freedom, and station. There are several scenes that emphasize what would be done to him if his plots were discovered. Schindler ultimately saves hundreds of Jews and is not destroyed for it. Those he saved even work to protect him from the consequences of his past deeds. But his final scene shows that Schindler is crushed by his own conscience and laments that he could have done more. He was introduced as an apathetic, greedy villain, and his gradual change to a man genuinely heartbroken by the genocide and remorseful for his participation was well-paced and cathartic. In particular, his role as a villain (a “bystander” profiting from genocide) contrasted well with his later choices (sacrificing his fortune to save those he exploited).

In addition, the villain switching sides does not mean that it’s intended as a redemption arc. Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds absolutely betrayed the Nazis, but he did it to save his own hide and talked his way into a rather comfortable retirement over it. There was no internal crisis, no new belief system. Landa simply realized that he had a better chance at a preferred future, so he remorselessly served up people to be killed, just like in the opening scene. Nothing had changed. That worked wonderfully in a film about stopping violence with violence and the emotional dissatisfaction of letting vile people live after they had terrorized and slaughtered innocent people. So the protagonists carved a swastika into Landa’s forehead as a warning of who he was. Is any of that good? That isn’t even the right question for a Tarantino film, but again, it was not intended as a redemption arc; it was very clearly intended to mean that some people don’t change and we may have to let them live anyway.

Redemption arcs don’t suit every story or villain. They take a lot of narrative focus to pull off well, and many of the thematic implications can be handled in a protagonist’s arc anyway. A lot of writers tend to fuck up by making the protagonist’s forgiveness or approval a necessary part of the story, ignoring that they’ve then added a message that change is only legitimate when recognized by others. (Note: Schindler’s List dodges this because Schindler denies himself the catharsis of forgiveness.) That said, many audiences like that message. They like the idea that their permission is needed for a bad person to change. I have a strong aversion to that mentality, especially when it conflicts with other themes in the story.

Is the writer telling a story about redemption, or is it about a religious concept of sin and atonement? Forgiveness and acceptance? Is this really about change, or is it about punishing people who hurt your favorites? Change is something we do, and there is value in that even when there is no atonement, forgiveness, or punishment waiting at the end.

Villains should not be included in a story if any of the above causes distraction or discordance with the main plot line.

Villains aren’t necessary for every story. If you want to go with conflict structures, a person vs. world or person vs. self story doesn’t need a villain. Villains can be added to those stories, but they need to represent something about the world/self for that to make sense. They are too dramatic and time-consuming to toss in as an afterthought. If there is nothing else you take from this post, take this: if a villain doesn’t add substance to your story, don’t include one.

I can tell when the writer is just checking boxes. None of these things can be done well without a certain level of affection for both the art of storytelling and the story being told. It’s not even difficult; it just takes effort. There’s an incredible amount of stories out there to engage with, and I’m never going be pleased to put up with a writer’s checklist villain.

Write what you want, and if you don’t want to include a narrative device that requires effort, then don’t.

[paeliae-occasionally]

Writeblr interview!

Thanks for the tags @drchenquill and @theink-stainedfolk.

Short stories, novels or poems?

I am currently only working on novels, but I consistently have to write little short stories when parts of the world come up that aren’t relevant to the story. I haven’t written a poem in a while, I might do that.

What genre do you prefer reading?

I read fantasy, sci-fi, the usual but then the other half of my bookshelf is physics and psychology books. I also read lots of books about Ancient Greece and Rome and have recently purchased one on Venice.

What genre do you prefer writing?

The world I am currently writing starts high fantasy then falls, so in the time of the main plot it is more of a general fantasy.

Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person?

I do plan because otherwise my vague concept of a story will never become a plot, but the outline can change as I go if I feel like another idea would be better.

What music do you listen to while writing the story?

I can’t listen to music while writing. It distracts me. I do however have a constant internal playlist and while working on Kell in the Xaeren WIP I have she used to be mine playing. It is not consistent.

Fav books/movies

Ooh, ok favourite books include: Strange the dreamer, Babel, Piranesi, The wind singer series and The mistborn series. I don’t really watch many movies.

Any Current WIPs?

Yep, They don’t have titles yet but the two I work on the most are Xaeren and Paeliae.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Dark blue cloak with many pockets for runes or spell components. I also hide trinkets in there. I would have a flowy blue starry top and black leggings. It would be very breathable and easy to move in and would blend in well with shadows.

Create a character description of yourself.

You look over to the side of the room, and there was nobody there. It was confusing, like a vacuum in space where you knew person should be but they just weren’t. They didn’t break the silence so you couldn’t hear their offer to join them at the table, yet you accepted all the same and sat down. Despite their absence they filled the chair opposite you and didn’t smile because they weren’t there. Still you could feel the amusement that managed to escape them.

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

No. It feels weird to write real people. I do steal names but that is about it.

Are you kill-happy with the characters?

I don’t like killing heroes without good reason. I will do it to show stakes or for tragedy but for it to mean anything you have to use it sparingly.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Neither. Lemonade sometimes.

Slow or Fast writer?

Depends on my mood. If I can focus I can write quite quickly but if I am not on task it takes ages to write anything.

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

daydreams, other people’s writing.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

I would have magic even if I have to study for another 10 years to get there. Whoever I have to bribe or kill, I will get magic.

Fave book cliche?

Hmm… I love magic/action prologue then cut to our main character on a farm or in regular life somewhere. I use it all to much just to set a tone but it is a bit cliche.

Least fave book cliche?

I hate miscommunication. It can work in comedy settings but if you want a dramatic story and the threat to the characters could be resolved by a short conversation then I get frustrated.

Fave scenes to write?

Conversations. Especially conversations where something new is implied about a character. I love getting a vibe from a character’s dialogue and then seeing it come true later.

Most productive time of day for writing?

Whenever the motivation hits. I schedule writing for the morning around 8-10 I have to get stuff done.

Reason for writing?

The people have to go somewhere. I have had stories before that I have forgotten and it is so sad, I just want to put them somewhere more long lasting than my mind.

Tagging @illarian-rambling, @phoenixradiant, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @leahnardo-da-veggie and @the-golden-comet

[scribbled-anecdotes]

For the AU WIP ask game! What about this psychic AU? 👀

Oh my psychic AU!! Thank you for asking!!!

This is absolutely one of those WIPs that I like binge wrote on a rainy day, poured so much thought into and then forgot about and every time I stumble upon it again I am reminded of how much I like it and need to finish it.

I'm gonna put the summary and snippets under a cut because I have so much to say about this AU lol

it's a SongXiao AU because well I am nothing if not consistent. And it exists for two main reasons: 1. I love it when Xiao Xingchen is weird/ethereal/supernatural and Song Lan is some guy and they love each other very dearly and 2. I wanted to write something that featured Cangse Sanren and Xiao Xingchen's relationship a little more prominently and deal with the effects of living in seclusion all your life and suddenly finding yourself in the world.

Xiao Xingchen is a psychic/medium, who was raised by Baoshan Sanren on a secluded mountain, but Xiao Xingchen eventually leaves the mountain because he can't seem to understand why he and his family cult hide their gift from the world instead of helping people. He very quickly learns that being constantly surrounded by the dead who demand your attention however they can get it is hell on earth. In a frenzied attempted get some relief, he ends up ripping out his own eyes, landing him in the care of nurse Song Lan who cares very deeply about helping this John Doe in the ER. Song Lan tracks down Xiao Xingchen's seemingly sole relation, Cangse, and pays particularly close attention to him while he recovers. While other doctors think Xiao Xingchen is a psych case, Song Lan isn't so sure, noticing that Xiao Xingchen seems to be clinically 'dying' the same way the spirits he's talking about have (because, even if you can't see them and try to ignore them, spirits will make themselves heard. poor XXC). Anyway, Xiao Xingchen is healed, released to the care of his sister, and about a year down the road he and Song Lan run into each other at a coffee shop and Cangse pushes them together. They start dating, fall in love, and build a fairly normal life around Xiao Xingchen's supernatural abilities.

The main bit of the plot follows a married SongXiao who have their heart set on establishing a hospice in a darling old property sold quickly and cheaply. They run into problems when they realize that decades ago the entire family was murdered in the home. They eventually run into another psychic/medium, Xue Yang, who seems to have a lot of interest in the remaining spirits in the home and who promises to help the big hearted couple get these souls off the mortal plane and all they'll need is Xiao Xingchen's unprecedented ability to invite the spirits to possess him (and they definitely don't need to worry about what Xue Yang plans to do with these spirits. no. not at all). Though, Song Lan worries that experiencing the deaths of 50+ people will kill him, Xiao Xingchen and his big heart agree.

This is a really haphazard plot summary, but those are the general vibes of this AU. Honestly, if anyone wants to ask me specific things about scenes, character interpretations, etc or ask for more snippets (because I have more), please do because I am falling in love with this AU again.

Anyway, have some snippets:

Song Lan had just gotten out of the shower and was putting on the scent-free lotion required by the hospital and then his scrubs. On days like this he was grateful he didn’t quit when they decided to pursue their dream of a hospice home. He had called the realtor the moment they had gotten through the door yesterday. Well, after getting Xingchen settled in bed with a cup of tea and some mindless, distracting romcom on Audible. She said there was nothing she could do now that the sale had been finalized. It was also how he learned that realtors only had to disclose violent deaths in three states and Massachusetts was not one of them. 

He felt guilty going to work today, given yesterday’s events. When he slipped out of the ensuite bathroom the room was still dark. It was only 6 am. He sighed when he saw Xingchen sitting up, wrapped in blankets. He knew he hadn’t slept well last night. He never does after an episode. “Did I wake you?” 

Xingchen nodded, softly. 

“I’m sorry.” He came around to Xingchen’s side of the bed to plant a kiss on his forehead. “I can stay home today, if you—“ 

“No. You can’t. We both know that. You’ve already taken six days off this month to take care of me.” 

It was no use arguing. When Xingchen had his mind made up, there was no convincing him otherwise. “I’ll call you sister, then?” He compromised. 

Another fragile nod. “Thank you.” 

…

“Hey, Cangse,” Zichen said, stepping out of the bedroom. “Sorry I know it’s early. But I have to ask a favour.” 

“Xingchen had a rough go?” His sister-in-law asks through a yawn. Zichen can hear the rustling of blankets on the other end of the phone as she gets up without even hearing what he has to ask. They’ve been through this enough times to know. 

“It was really bad, I think.” 

“You think?” Cangse had said before that all deaths are bad and traumatic when spirits haunt you. People who die painlessly and peacefully don’t scream in your ears at 3 in the morning or hang their bloodied, bloated faces over yours at the dinner table. 

“He hasn’t said anything about it really.” That’s the biggest give away; Xingchen always tells him everything. “Except that he thinks it was a murder.” 

Cangse hums into the phone. She says nothing either. 

--

What do you steal for an exorcism? 

Song Lan is standing in front of the medicine cabinet. He’s gotten the basics—gauze, rolls and rolls of bandage, hot water bottles, cold packs, the like—from the superstore. He’d picked up Xingchen’s usual refill of anti-anxiety meds. He went a few days without, insisting that it would be better to have a full restock the day of. Song Lan tried to convince him to turn his back on the plan when the nightmares started and his insomnia flared again. And now Song Lan found himself standing in front of the medicine cabinet thinking about whether or not he should steal a more powerful anti-nausea than Gravol. He thinks of the movies he’s seen, though Cangse told him he shouldn’t. All the crying and puking…..dehydration. He stuffs a few Saline IV bags into his backpack. No one ever thinks of dehydration. The first thing he grabbed had been sedatives, and he grabs a few more. Whatever will limit Xingchen’s suffering. When he finally leaves, he’s not actually sure what he’s grabbed. Initially, he thought about creating a fake intake for a patient and charting all the stolen medicine there. But on a busy night, he figured missing medication could be otherwise explained.

--

The first floor of the house looks like a field hospital. And Song Lan wouldn’t have it any other way. He makes the little cot that they ordered off Amazon as comfortable as possible, adding extra pillows and Xingchen’s favourite blanket. He had spoken his piece once more before finishing the set up. “I don’t think we should be doing this; it’s too much for you to burden alone.” 

And Xingchen pushed back again, the same way he had been for weeks since Xue Yang had come up with this awful plan, “But I’m not alone, Cangse and A-Yang know what they’re doing in the supernatural department and you take care of me, and you know what you’re doing in that department.” 

It’s hardly the reassurance Song Lan wants. Really, he’d only feel content if they took down the cot he’d struggled with for 30 minutes, packed up the rest, and just left this disaster of a house. He feels cruel for thinking that. As far as Xingchen and the others are concerned, they’d be abandoning real people in need of help and Song Lan thinks that, as a nurse, he should consider this part of his duty to care…He does, to some degree, because Xingchen does. If it weren’t for Xingchen, none of them would be here… 

“Speaking of: your arm, please.” And Xingchen obeys, stretching his arm out so that Song Lan can poke until he finds a good vein. “Little poke.” Xingchen laughs softly. He feels the ‘little poke’, as Song Lan has called it since that first faithful meeting in the ED. “You’re already dehydrated,” Song Lan admonishes as he adjusts the needle to try and get just a little drawback. It takes a couple of tries before the red starts to seep into the tubing. He flushes the IV and hangs a bag of saline. “I’ll get you something to drink.” And he moves to do so, but Xingchen catches his wrist with surprising accuracy for someone without sight. 

“Could you stay here, please? Ask Cangse to get it.” 

[adornesibley]

NAME GOES HERE: a Newsletter

Reading: Old Gods of Appalachia TTRPG by Monte Cook Games, Starter Villain by John Scalzi, The Secrets We Keep by Shirley Patton

Finished Reading: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Future by Naomi Alderman

Podcast: Unwell

Playing: God Hand (PS2(on PS3(Thank God Hand for PS2 Classics)))

Making: Zines and Doom Levels

Writing: Project E

Word Count: 168317

TLDR: EfanGamez needs food help badly! CHEAP TTRPG BUNDLE! Working on working titles. The, frankly, crowded writing scene and AI intruders. ADHD and unfinished proj… Wingspan is so cute and so fun~ We’re Here because We’re Here because… Mekborg and Steel Psalm want YOU!

An indie TTRPG designer needs help badly! EfanGamez has put all of their paid TTRPGs and supplements together into a tidy little bundle and is currently offering it for $25USD on their itch.io page! This sale is on for another 19 days as of the posting of this newsletter and I HIGHLY encourage anyone interested in trying out TTRPGs that are out of the norm to take advantage of this deal. Grim and Mourn are two first-person-shooter-inspired TTRPGs that I can recommend in particular.

I have been working on Project E, the working title, of which she’s had many. Just recently, I decided it was necessary to completely rewrite every bit of dialogue for the main villain, allowing him a more gradual, consistent descent into madness. It’s going well, and progress is happening. I want to touch on something in the first sentence of this paragraph. It’s FASCINATING to me how some stories get their names with minimal teeth-pulling. Hell, I’ve had stories who received their names BEFORE I wrote a word of them. But Project E has gone through so many iterations of names that I’ve sort of decided to keep this working title until I’m done and maybe even after Beta Readers have had their turn. I know the name will come when it’s meant to. Part of my problem is the book is about a very specific theme, its plot has some consistent elements, and its setting is vivid… but to wrap up enough of these separate elements together in a title is proving… troublesome.

Trying to get your work out into the world as an author (in ways where people will actually see it that is) is SO freakin difficult. The market is saturated now more than ever. We, as writers, not only have to “contend” with our fellow writers but now with AI as there is an influx of AI-generated content being submitted to journals and magazines around the world. I am glad I am not in the publishing industry right now. But, nevertheless, I have submitted to two anthologies this past month. One bigger name bi-monthly and one niche market which was INSANELY fun to write. Hopefully, something will come of them. But if not, what do you do? We, as writers, continue on. We heed the call in our hearts and minds, we sling that ink and continue forward, one lie at a time.

Speaking of which, I have so many unfinished works XD I tend to post about something I’m working on then distraction occurs and all of a sudden it has been a month and I have totally forgotten about the project I had been working on. I have no doubt picked up something new or something old and once-forgotten. ADHD brains often feel like a quagmire, hard to pull thoughts through, sometimes you lose them altogether to the deep dark, sometimes they resurface, grimy and forgotten… what was I talking about again?

Last month, my little TTRPG group didn’t meet as several folks were unavailable… so instead we got the remaining few of us together and I got to play Wingspan for the first time! What a blast~ It was certainly complicated starting off but the rules become pretty easy to grasp after about two rounds of play. After that, when you’re about one round from the end is when it becomes clear how you’re supposed to plan for the ending if you’re intent on winning. Or of course, you could just enjoy all the beautiful birds, the weird facts, and the wonderful time shared with your friends.

I am a long-term Nerdfighter. 2012 era. If you are unsure of what this means, I’ll briefly explain. John and Hank Green are two authors/ YouTubers /philanthropists/ podcasters/ educators/ nerds/ TBFighters (I could go on… these guys are PROLIFIC) and they have been vlogging since 2007 and around that vlog (originally meant to bring them closer as brothers which I think is/was/whatever a resounding success) has grown a community called Nerdfighteria, among many other things. They have recently started a “good news” newsletter called We’re Here. “A nice little email for people from Earth.” I highly recommend signing up. These humans have continued to make the world less sucky by their presence and their actions. It’s beautiful how these massively powerful, famous, and influential creators are using their network to support folks in their extended community and using their community and influence to make so much good change in the world. Please go check out We’re Here and Vlogbrothers.

Speaking of community and supporting one another, DMDave is starting a Kickstarter for two books! Mekborg, which seems to be Warhammer 40k grimdark meets Battletech, is/was/whatever designed by John K Webb who has a LOT of design credits for the magazines Broadsword and Sidequest. As well, there’s Steel Psalm, designed by Dave himself, which from the name I’d presume is the same setting, but using wargaming rules similar to Forbidden Psalm (Also big recommendation). The Kickstarter is launching April 16th and the best part? When it’s done, the digital copies will go out immediately and by June or July the books will be shipped out (depending on how long printing takes) as the books are already finished! I’ll fully admit DMDave probably doesn’t “need” help to get the project funded, but the more support there is, the more likely projects like this will be created in the future!

Support weird. Support indie.

[thisisablogforyouthlit]

100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle, Art by Lian Cho

This children's picture book using fantasy elements of dragons to explain mathematic processes like addition and subtraction. This book is written for young children between the ages of two to about eight (second grade). Its goal is to teach basic math whilst being entertaining and fun for children. It follows 100 mighty dragons, all named Broccoli, traveling and getting lost, eventually deteriorating the population of dragons. What happens when there is only one Broccoli left?

This book is on the 2024 Texas 2x2 List, which is the reason I chose the picture book. I also have seen this book checked out frequently at the library I work at so I thought I'd give it a shot.

The art in this picture book is absolutely adorable. It does a great job at having a diverse cast of dragons and keeping consistency in the art by having specific dragons leave and return so the same cast of dragons is cohesive. The dragon, Broccoli, that comes from the original 100 and remains as the last dragon, can be seen on every spread with the main group. It's a detail that is important for children because they can easily recognize and count the unique dragons. The massive grids of dragon babies at the end was my favorite part; I am especially partial to Frodo and Chubby Cheeks. The focus of the art is clearly on the dragons, but the additional elements like the French page and the pages where 12 dragons travel to four different American states (LaRochelle, 2023) are well-done and full of bright colors.

One of the best aspects of this book is the pacing. Being a book about math, its plot is driven by dragons being added and subtracted from the original 100 Broccolis. There are clear indications about which dragons are leaving and why, reiterating the total number of dragons each time and establishing the value of the complete equation. It doesn't drag on for ages going from 100 to one and also is diverse in the kinds of mathematical processes. The previously mentioned American states page is three dragons per four states, so 34-(3x4)=22, visually showing multiplication without explaining too much or simply adding three four times (LaRochelle, 2023). Even with the pacing being entirely math-based, it is not overwhelming and the book has a steady flow of plot.

The style and language of this book is great for young children despite the constant repetition of the phrase "[number] mighty dragons, all named Broccoli" (LaRochelle, 2023). The book uses larger words like "tremendous" and "professional" where the book is not monosyllabic, an issue that can occur in picture books meant to get children comfortable with complex syntax and language. It is also important to note all of the Broccolis go to real places, like Wisconsin and New York (LaRochelle, 2023), that allows children to learn about places that exists in their actual world without being the settings being diminutive or overly-fantastical to distract from the lessons of math.

I gave this book 5 stars because I simply adored the book and its fun art and references. A good recommendation for children who enjoy this book is The Little Guys by Vera Brosgol. While not math-based like this one, it has a fun cast of unique little characters going about multiple tasks and adventures.

References:

Brosgol, V. (2019). The little guys. Roaring Brook Press.

Current List. (2024). Texas Library Association. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://txla.org/tools-resources/reading-lists/2x2/current-list/

LaRochelle, D. (2023). 100 mighty dragons all named broccoli (L. Cho, Illus.). Dial Books for Young Readers.

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

i resent very much that i am writing twd meta this late in the year of our lord two-thousand-twenty-two after my long journey to distance myself from it, but the words are rattling around in my mind grapes, and because i am incapable of keeping things to myself, how about one more go for old time’s sake?

i think the main thing that i want to say to y’all is that we didn’t imagine it

obviously caryl has had chemistry from the very first scene they had together, but even these past few years, where we’ve dissected and meta’d every second of their screentime together under kang’s watch to death, and been like “here’s how bernie can still win!” we weren’t being delusional. the romantic beats were all there. the narrative was set up that way. she was wearing a ring in that dream sequence. he brought her a cherokee rose on a tray. they longed for each other, and planned to run away together, and it was never once foolish of us to believe otherwise, bc the only reason it didn’t happen is bc the narrative got eaten by amc’s desire to beat the shit out of twd for every drop of money it could possibly give them, and in the process they contracted Chris Charter Syndrome, which is unfortunately fatal

for those unfamiliar (tho with this group there’s probably enough crossover that i don’t rly need to explain), chris carter, the creator of the x-files, is notoriously dense af about how much of his show’s popularity is driven by his ~amazing lore~ vs the audience’s desire to have mulder and scully fuck

every conversation with him, to this day, goes p much like this:

[chris carter: people love the x-files for the mystery and intrigue and they don’t want resolved sexual tension, they want to watch our mains constantly will-they/won’t-they while battling government conspiracies until the end of time

the audience: we would watch one hundred billion hours of mulder and scully searching for bigfoot but comically missing him every time bc they get distracted by fucking each other, we could not care less about your plot. your plot doesn’t even make sense

chris carter: they just can’t wait to see what twists happen next

the audience: we are tired of the twists, and we want them to bone. in fact, here are graphs and studies and stats that all say that we would be much happier if you would just give us mulder and scully fighting silly monsters and stop trying to be gritty and dark with your plots that even you admit you don’t understand

chris carter: i am very good at my job

the audience: you are not good at your job]

rinse and repeat

if this sounds like gimple, that’s bc he has the worst case of CCS i’ve seen in a long time, and it’s unfortunate bc it’s contagious, and those who are especially susceptible are misogynistic money-hungry dudebro companies who think that what people want are GRIT and BLOOD and MAN PAIN, even when their statistics consistently tell them that they are wrong. a key component of CCS is an undeserved inflation of one’s ego and the inability to recognize the fact that one is making an ass out of oneself, which is why the past 84 years have looked like this:

[gimple: man, people love my negan and rick man-pain arc

the audience: no we don’t

gimple: i know what the ladies want, they want jerk-off contests between mediocre men while i kill off all their faves

the audience: no we don’t

amc: hmmm, while i’m picking up what you’re laying down, gimple, let’s see what this other showrunner can do for a minute

kang: people want stories about people. they want to see the seeds of character development that were planted at the very beginning bloom. they want to see the characters with chemistry go down on one another

the audience: yes, this, this is what we want

amc: interesting concept

amc: however

amc: that sounds suspiciously like conflict/resolution, and if things are neatly resolved then we can’t make money out of it anymore. i know that all the statistics say that caryl is our top ship, and that we should get them together, and let them have a concluded, peaceful ending

amc: BUT

amc: let’s instead launch a spin-off with one (1) of the duo (the male, obviously), and then let’s leave their storyline ambiguous bc that way they’ll follow us to the shitty spin-off, but also anyone who just has the hots for daryl/norman reedus will also watch bc he’s still an Eligible Bachelor ;) 

amc: this is a good idea that will make us lots of money

the audience: no it will not

amc: gimple, we need your wisdom again, btw, the people miss you

the audience: no we do not

gimple: who’s ready for some GRIT AND BLOOD AND MORE MAN PAIN?!?!?!

the audience: for the love of god]

it’s stupid and exhausting, and i have Mad Respect for those of you who have been putting so much effort into making sure our voices have been heard. ( @my-mt-heart , @gunmetal-ring​ , @lighteneverything​ to name just a few) plz know that your voice WAS heard, and i fully believe that you DID make an impact. it’s just that, when push comes to shove (i.e. when you’re dealing with misogynistic rich white men), CCS is one helluva disease

and it’s sad! it’s very very sad! i’ve been spending my time away over in the “our flag means death” universe, and y’all, it has been WILD. all of the interactions with the show’s creator and the cast have been “oh you enjoyed that? we’ll be sure to keep that in mind so that we can cultivate a show that you will love, bc it makes more sense to listen to our viewers than to ourselves sometimes, bc they’re the ones who keep us from driving ourselves directly into a ditch! thank you for your feedback, we appreciate and love you!”

like??????

but see, that’s the difference between creators who are in it for the story vs. creators who are in it for the money. if you are solely money-driven you’re never going to be able to dedicate yourself to the narrative, bc narratives have concrete endings. they require you to not always be looking for that next spin-off, or to not sacrifice a character’s integrity to fit it inside of a bad plotline. they are shows like the good place, that had an ending in mind from the start. they are shows like ofmd or what we do in the shadows, where the audience’s opinion gets listened to. even supernatural (mother fucking supernatural, you guys!!!) catered to its biggest fanbase better than twd did. it might have been clown shoes, but destiel’s last-minute confession was at least explicitly romantic. amc was too cowardly to give us even that, bc it might “jeopardize” their spin-off 

what we can take solace in, tho, is the fact that they are in the end stages of CCS. they think they’ve given enough to string caryl fans along over to the spin-off era of twd, but they haven’t. they’re going to crash and burn, and go out the way of GoT, in that everyone is going to be like “wow that was... let’s just not talk about that one, huh?” and it will be satisfying to watch them fizzle out into nothing when they get hit with the grim reality that they should have gotten their heads out of their asses and listened to their fans who told them that, yes, your “hot male lead” needs that middle-age grey-haired woman you cast to the side so carelessly, and that fact doesn’t change just bc you can’t fathom people caring about a woman over the age of 25

whatever. it is what it is. what matters most here is what i said up top, which is that we didn’t imagine it. we did not waste our time. we were not stupid. we had these beautiful characters laid out before us, and a storyline that supported them, and we took it and ran with it in the right direction. it’s not our fault that the narrative didn’t follow

our retribution will be the fact that now it’s our turn not to follow. instead, we can finally rest, not having to worry about the future, bc who fucking gives a shit about their dumb taunts, trying to get us to watch the spin-off for the “possibility” of caryl way down the line? we’re over it. we’re not chasing anymore carrots. we’re happy here in our caryl sandbox, with our li’l aus and headcanons and fix-its, and we don’t have to fucking discourse at each other every week anymore. we can come and go with a lightness we haven’t felt maybe fucking ever, bc it’s over now. it’s not in their hands anymore, it’s in ours

it was real. the feelings we felt, the relationships that were made between us, they were real. and it will all continue to be real in whatever way we decide to keep it. we can and should grieve what could have/should have been, and we can and should be mad, because there’s no question, we were wronged, but let’s not stay in that negativity place forever. let’s not forget why we all were drawn here to begin with, and let’s not forget what we’ve gained from each other 

it wasn’t “just a tv show.” it was, and is, a community that has influenced lives to the point of changing their entire trajectory. i have written over one million (1,000,000+) words of caryl fic, and bc of that i have been able to self-publish my own book, and get into freelance writing. bc of caryl, i have been able to ghostwrite and collaborate with published authors, and am on my way to making my actual day job being writing, which is something i’ve wanted since i was itty bitty. bc of caryl, i have traveled the world. bc of caryl, i have made relationships and connections that have, quite literally, changed my entire life. amc can’t take any of that away from me. it can’t take any of that away from YOU

so yeah, shit sucks, but hey, i got something for you:

we are fine, fam, or we will be, once we’ve had a chance to lick our wounds, because we are the holders of the narrative now. caryl is OURS, finally

so, when you’re feeling up to it, come join me in the sandbox, and let’s have some fun

stay hype, stan each other, bc twd is in its grave, but caryl is forever,

-diz

p.s. felt weird not having a 30 rock reference in here anywhere so:

k bye 4 real

[longitudinalwaveme]

Flash Video Game Concept: Wally West Edition-“Rogue War”

At long last, here is the Wally West game proposal that I promised in the Barry Allen game proposal post!

  Important Disclaimer: I am not a video game designer or regular video game player and my knowledge of the mechanics of game play is thus fairly limited. This is more of a plot proposal for a video game than anything else. While I will be selecting bosses and creating hypothetical side missions, there won’t be any detailed descriptions of how the playable characters will work. That being said, should someone with a broader understanding of video game mechanics wish to offer suggestions, I will gladly add their ideas to the proposal.

And now...onto the plot!

The main playable character for the game will be an adult Wally West (the third Flash), though Jay Garrick, Jesse Quick, and Bart Allen will be playable in side and/or bonus missions that are separate from the main game.  The game will be set in Keystone City. Linda Park and Hartley Rathaway (the now-reformed Pied Piper) will be major supporting characters; Fred Chyre and Jared Morillo will be Wally’s main support in the KCPD police department. Barry Allen can be either alive or dead, but for the purposes of the game (and because he was the star of the last game), he won’t be active as the Flash here. Jai and Irey West, Wally’s twins, will also be in the game, but they won’t be major players in the story due to how young they are and to how dangerous the current situation is…though that won’t stop them from attempting to slip away from their parents to fight supervillains at least once. There will actually be two sets of antagonists in this game: the Rogues (lead by Captain Cold and consisting of him, Sam Scudder, James Jesse, Heat Wave, and Captain Boomerang, plus the dubiously-trustworthy Top and Golden Glider, who want to lead the group themselves but have no interest in teaming up with Blacksmith in order to do so) and the “New Rogues” (lead by Blacksmith and consisting of her, Axel Walker, Evan McCulloch, Murmur, Girder, and Double Down, plus the Weather Wizard, who’s left Cold’s team). These two teams are responsible for the titular “Rogue War” as they fight over Central City; Wally will have to put a stop to the war before it destroys the city.

The game would open with narration from Wally that explains who he is, his relationship with Linda and his children, and how he became the main Flash. This narration will be full of Wally’s characteristic snark and will lead into a cutscene where Wally is shown watching baseball with Linda (and the twins). He’s bored out of his mind, and as such, he is overjoyed when the game is interrupted by a news report that announces that KCPD headquarters is under attack by the Trickster. The cutscene ends with Wally rushing to the scene…unaware that his daughter is following him. After this, there will be a tutorial/intro level with Axel Walker as the boss. This fight will allow the player to become accustomed to the controls and to Wally’s fighting style; as such, it will be less difficult than subsequent levels (justified in story terms by the fact that Axel is a kid). After the player wears down Axel’s health bar to a certain point, Irey will appear on the scene in an attempt to help her father. Her appearance distracts Wally and allows a crowing Axel to get away…but not before throwing one of his t-bombs into the evidence room at the KCPD. The player, as Wally, will have to use a very high level of super speed and precision in order to rescue Irey and a few police scientists from the explosion.

After this, the story will shift to a cutscene at the Wests’ house, where Wally and Linda are scolding Irey for putting herself in danger (while Jai unhelpfully comments about how his sister is in trouble). Irey runs to her room in tears and Wally follows her. He tells her that he understands that she just wanted to help him, and assures her that he still loves her. While he reiterates the fact that crime fighting can potentially be very dangerous and that she’ll need to wait until she’s a little older before she can become his sidekick, he then cheers her up by telling her a story of a time that he screwed up as Kid Flash. Irey promises that she’ll stay out of trouble from now on, and the two of them hug. After the cutscene ends, the player will be allowed to spend some time investigating the West house and the open-world environment of the twin cities; with the option of speaking with neighbors, flirting with Linda, playing with the twins, stopping petty crimes, carrying people’s groceries, painting fences, and generally doing all of the typical Flash things. The game will not progress until a certain number of goals have been met. This section exists to familiarize the player with the game’s map and to give them more practice in controlling whatever super-speed mechanics that the game will end up utilizing.

The game would then transition to another cutscene. Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, the Trickster (James Jesse), Golden Glider, the Top, and Mirror Master (Sam Scudder) are all in one of their dilapidated hideouts. Heat Wave, Cold, Mirror Master, and Boomerang are playing cards; James is watching TV; Lisa and Roscoe are kissing in the corner; Weather Wizard is reading Twain but seems to be on edge. After a bit of introductory chatter, a news broadcast comes over the TV, announcing that the Trickster has escaped from his attack on police headquarters. James, who hasn’t been anywhere near police headquarters for over two months, is initially confused, and then becomes outright livid when he sees footage of Axel causing mayhem at police headquarters. “That’s my bag of tricks that punk’s using!” Cold is more concerned with how Axel managed to get ahold of James’ gear. James is usually pretty good at protecting his equipment; no teenager could have gotten ahold of it without help. Before the conversation can continue further, there’s a knock on the door. Len opens the door to find Blacksmith and her team (importantly, Evan is not with them). She proposes that the Rogues ally themselves with her group, whereupon she will lead them to greater heights than they could ever have imagined. Spotting Axel in the group, James is furious and is the first to reject the offer, followed shortly by Cold, who tells Blacksmith in no uncertain terms that he leads the Rogues and that he’s not interested in working with them. He’s heard about her and is sure she’ll only lead them into trouble they don’t need. A fight immediately (and unsurprisingly) breaks out. The player will be allowed to control Sam Scudder (the first Mirror Master) during the ensuing fight. The Rogues, who were caught off-guard and without most of their weapons and costumes, are at a severe disadvantage (though Sam and James have a few of their gadgets, Cold has one of his cold guns, and Roscoe obviously has his innate powers). The fight won’t last for too long (primarily due to the fact that Sam’s controls would differ from the Flash’s and we need to have the time controlling him be relatively short); being put to a very decisive end when Weather Wizard switches sides and manages to zap Roscoe into unconsciousness with a lightning bolt. Cold demands to know what Mark is doing; his question is answered when the Weather Wizard goes over to Blacksmith and the two of them kiss. Blacksmith explains that she has promised to help Weather Wizard become a more capable and competent wielder of the weather wand. All that she requested from him in exchange for this power were some of his teammates’ excess technology. Mark somewhat awkwardly attempts to persuade the other Rogues that Blacksmith’s offer is a good one and that the two of them are in love, but none of them are particularly interested in what he has to say. Sam, sensing that they have to escape and regroup, opens up a mirror portal and yells for the other Rogues to go through it. Cold manages to create an ice wall to cover their escape and all of the Rogues (except Weather Wizard) flee into the Mirror Realm, with Captain Boomerang carrying an unconscious Roscoe as though he’s a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately, before they manage to complete the journey to one of their other safehouses, a second Mirror Master appears (the player will still be controlling Sam at this point). At first, Sam assumes that the second Mirror Master is a mirror duplicate of himself, but that notion is put to the lie when the new Mirror Master starts talking. “Howzitgoan?” Sam demands to know who—or what–the newcomer is, at which point he cheerfully introduces himself as Evan McCulloch, a Scottish mercenary/hitman. He explains that he’s been hired by Blacksmith and that he has orders to ensure that Rogues will be neutralized as a threat—“one way o’ the other”. Sam quickly finds and opens up his emergency escape route—the one he uses when threatened by mirror monsters and other inhabitants of the Mirror Realm—and tells the other Rogues to escape while he deals with “this impostor”. Cold hesitates, arguing that there’s strength in numbers and that they don’t really know what Evan’s capable of, but Sam insists that he won’t have any problems defeating the Scotsman. After all, how could Evan possibly be more skilled with the Mirror Technology than the man who invented it? Cold reluctantly concedes the point and gets the rest of the team out of the Mirror Realm. The player will then control Sam for a brief fight with Evan—a fight that will demonstrate Evan’s almost supernatural capabilities within the Mirror Realm. Everything that Sam is able to do in the Barry Allen game, Evan can do better, and Sam is totally unprepared for his opponent to be able to be more dangerous in the Mirror Realm than he is. Neither the player nor Sam will be able to get more than a few hits in, and, after a certain amount of time, the game will automatically transition to a cutscene, where an injured Sam will go flying out of a mirror and land in a heap in front of the other Rogues. He’s followed by Evan, who steals Sam’s remaining mirror gadgets before disappearing back into the Mirror Realm. “Ta!”  Sam has a broken arm, a bad concussion (obvious from his slurred speech and poor balance), and a few broken ribs, but, being Sam, the injury he’s most concerned about is a nasty cut across his face. When he gets a proper look at his reflection, he all but goes into hysterics. Scudder’s as vain as a peacock, and he’s horrified by what’s happened to his once-handsome face. Lisa is equally upset about the unconscious Roscoe, and Cold is livid. No one messes with his team. “This means war!”

After this cutscene ends, the game will pick up a few days later. Wally and Linda are at the Jay Garrick Park with the twins and are discussing how weird it is that there’s apparently a new Trickster on the scene when Hartley arrives. After exchanging pleasantries (and getting tackle-hugged by an overly-enthusiastic Jai and Irey), Hartley tells Wally and Linda that he’s done some digging and managed to identify the new Trickster as Axel Walker, a teenaged troublemaker who dropped out of high school a few months ago. He says that, since extensive experience with James has taught him that all of James’ tech is heavily guarded by sneezing powder, yo-yos of doom, weaponized rubber chickens, and exploding whoopie cushions, in addition to a complex security system, he is sure that Axel had help from someone with a lot of power and connections to get ahold of the technology—which in turn suggests that the new Trickster is on the payroll of someone who could potentially be very dangerous indeed. Wally asks Hartley if it’s possible that the Rogues gave Axel the tech, but Hartley tells him that it’s not very likely. The Rogues haven’t recruited anyone since the Golden Glider (six years ago), and James would never let another Rogue use his name and weapons. The conversation is interrupted by several alarms going off, and Wally has to rush off in response.

Wally follows the alarms to Central City’s First National Bank, which Double Down and Girder are attempting to rob. The player will have to fight both of them at once while also protecting civilian hostages and the police from any collateral damage. Girder has super strength and can throw a wide variety of objects at the Flash. His punches cause a lot of damage if they land, and his health bar takes half again as long to deplete when compared to other bosses. Double Down has a greater range with his razor-sharp cards, and he’s more agile than Girder, but he’s much less durable. Once Wally manages to defeat them, he snarks about how they should obviously just give up this whole crime thing, since they’re clearly not very good at it—only for both of them to suddenly disappear through a nearby reflective surface. “Blacksmith sends her regards, sucker!” Needless to say, Wally is perplexed. Girder and Double Down aren’t Rogues, so why would Mirror Master help them to escape? And who’s “Blacksmith”?

The player will next get to control Hartley as he and Linda attempt to uncover evidence as to who Blacksmith is. This section will somewhat resemble the CSI segments from the Barry Allen game. Their search takes them throughout much of Keystone, but the evidence eventually leads them to an upscale penthouse owned by one Amunet Black, an important mover and shaker in the Twin Cities’ financial circles. Hartley comments that, when he was a Rogue, he had heard rumors that the criminal network in Central City was run in part through a prominent corporation; Amunet’s company fits the bill nicely. However, before they can do too much digging in the apartment, Murmur appears and attacks them both. Hartley goes for his flute, but Murmur is close enough to him that he’s able to inject Hartley with a syringe before he can actually use his weapon. Hartley yells for Linda to escape. “Not without you!” “I’m contagious! You have to leave me here! Murmur—it’s his Frenzy Virus!” Linda still doesn’t want to leave, but Hartley insists that he can’t leave the building or he’ll risk infecting the whole city. Linda flees as Murmur pulls out a serrated knife and starts to give chase. Hartley manages to use his flute to freeze Murmur in place and Linda leaves the penthouse. With Murmur’s threat temporarily neutralized, Hartley continues his search for anything that might incriminate Amunet or hint at what her plans for the city might be. His search uncovers a trail of paperwork that leads to a Scottish hitman named Evan McCulloch. Hartley is about to photograph the evidence when the Mirror Master suddenly appears in the penthouse. Hartley naturally assumes that this is Sam, and,  while he does go on the defensive, he also believes that he has a surefire way of getting his former colleague to leave without a physical confrontation. He tells “Sam” that he’s been infected with the Frenzy Virus and that Sam should probably leave if he wants to stay alive. “I appreciate the concern, chief, but ye’ve got the wrong man.” Evan’s been immunized to the Frenzy Virus (a precaution on Blacksmith's part). He takes advantage of Hartley’s surprise to destroy Hartley’s camera, incinerates the paper trail with a laser beam, and tells Hartley that the Flash had better stay out of Blacksmith's affairs if he knows what’s good for him. Then he disappears, taking Murmur’s frozen form with him.

Hartley is able to put two and two together and figure out that the Mirror Master with the Scottish accent is probably the Scottish hitman that was hired by Amunet Black, but before he can continue his investigation (he’s already dying—what worse can be done to him?), the effects of the virus begin to kick in (something that would be reflected in the player’s ability to control the character). He sees Wally arrive on the scene just before he slips into unconsciousness.

After a cutscene showing a worried Wally and Linda standing by Hartley’s hospital bed (this happens a day or so later in story terms and Hartley is obviously quite ill), Wally speeds off to find Jay, who tells the younger Flash that, since the Frenzy Virus stems from Murmur’s own mutated blood, he might be able to create an antidote for Hartley’s condition if he can get a sample of that blood. Wally races across the city and eventually finds Murmur in a building that he recognizes as one of the Rogues’ old safehouses—alongside Girder and Double Down, who are thoroughly destroying the place. A fight predictably breaks out, made more complicated by the fact that Murmur is wielding one of Captain Cold’s guns. Murmur isn’t nearly as talented with the gun as Cold himself would be, but it still presents an added complication for Wally as he attempts to defeat the villains and to keep the battle relatively contained.  Once the player manages to best the villains, Wally will whisk them away to a room without any reflective surfaces in the hopes that this will stymy any mirror escapes. He also manages to get a sample of Murmur’s blood. He calls the police to have them hopefully arrest the trio of criminals before rushing off to Jay’s lab. Jay manages to create an antidote with it in record time (super speed is helpful for more than just combat!). He immunizes Wally with it and Wally zips to the hospital, where he immunizes everyone in the building and also manages to save Hartley’s life. Hartley even regains consciousness, though he’s clearly in no condition to go back into the field. He tells Wally that there’s a new Mirror Master, a Scottish guy named Evan McCulloch, and that he’s on Blacksmith's payroll. Then he passes out again.

Linda and Wally then return home to their twins (relieving Joan Garrick of baby-sitting duty), only for Wally to get a call from Officer Jared Morillo. “Flash? The metahumans you said you defeated appear to have escaped.” An exhausted Wally apologizes to Linda and the kids for having to rush off again before returning to the place where he left the defeated villains. Sure enough, when he arrives, the only sign of the supervillains is a note that reads “Eyeballs are reflective, too! Better luck next time, Flasher!” Morillo and Chyre are puzzled. Sam Scudder always needed an actual mirror to pull off his stunts. Wally informs them of Evan’s existence but admits that that only muddies the waters further. Evan McCulloch hasn’t had access to Scudder’s technology for that long. How could he possibly be using it to pull off feats that Scudder himself can’t? Having reached an apparent dead end, the trio depart in frustration, with Chyre noting that he’s off to visit his old partner, Julie Jackam, and her son Josh, who’s about two years old.

This would dovetail into the next level, which would take place a few days later in story terms. Wally and Linda would be dropping the twins off at school when a news broadcast would report that the Weather Wizard is whipping up a massive storm downtown. Wally promptly dashes off and engages the Weather Wizard in a fight, only to be repeatedly caught off-guard by the villain’s unusual display of competency in the use of the Weather Wand. The mechanics of the battle would effectively be a more difficult version of those used in the Weather Wizard’s boss fight in the Barry Allen game.

Weather Wizard is full of bravado and is boasting about how Blacksmith has provided him with a way to become even more powerful than he is now. Eventually, he creates a tornado and vanishes from the scene while Wally desperately tries to stop the tornado before anyone gets hurt. Once he puts an end to the threat of the tornado, Wally zips off to find the Weather Wizard and catches up with him just as the Weather Wizard rips Josh out of Julie’s arms. Wally demands to know what the Weather Wizard is doing, and Mark replies by telling him that Josh is his son. “After all, he has my eyes.” Josh’s eyes are sparking with electricity, and the Weather Wizard explains that the boy is a metahuman with natural weather-controlling powers. He wants that power for himself…and all he has to do is bring the boy to Blacksmith to be opened up. Julie is in an absolute panic and pulls her gun on the Weather Wizard, telling him that Josh is her son and that Weather Wizard can have him over her dead body. The Weather Wizard laughs her off and is about to depart when he gets a good look at his son. “He does have my eyes….my brother’s eyes.” The storm that’s been raging throughout the city dies down, and Weather Wizard actually lands. He seems to be a bit dazed; staring at his son as though he’s seen a ghost. He doesn’t even react when Julie snatches Josh out of his arms. However, when Fred Chyre moves to arrest him, Wally is blinded by a violent flash of light. By the time Wally’s vision clears, Weather Wizard has disappeared. A frustrated Wally decides to pay a visit to Captain Cold in the hopes of figuring out why the Rogues are working alongside Blacksmith.

Wally finds Captain Cold sitting in a bar with the Golden Glider, nursing a beer. The two of them react to his arrival by launching into action and Wally will have to face both of them in a boss fight. The two siblings compliment one another very well and watch one another’s backs closely. Golden Glider has aerial attacks; slicing and kicking the Flash from above. She also has a lot of weaponized tops and her own weaponized gems that she can use; Captain Cold can lay down traps and slow the Flash’s speed to a comparative crawl. However, Wally eventually manages to defeat them and demands to know why the Rogues are working with Blacksmith. Captain Cold replies by telling Wally that he isn’t in league with Blacksmith and explains that Weather Wizard betrayed the Rogues when he sided with her. He tells Wally that the Rogues are going to defeat Blacksmith personally. “No one steals my turf and hurts my people!” He tells Wally that he should stay out of his way—and to underscore this point, he manages to distract the Flash long enough to freeze him in place and flee with the Golden Glider. Wally escapes the ice and decides that he needs to go home and regroup before he can continue his campaign against the two opposing groups of Rogues. He’s really run himself ragged today!

The scene would then shift to the original Rogues, who are hiding out in the back of Paul Gambi’s tailor shop and generally bemoaning their bad luck. Although the Top has regained consciousness, neither he nor Sam are back to full health, and Sam is in a bit of a sulk over the blows to his pride he received from Evan. Most of their hideouts have been systematically destroyed by Blacksmith’s gang, and they’re running very low on both money and technology. But Captain Cold is determined to come up with some plan to take everything he’s lost to Blacksmith back…with interest. The other Rogues, particularly Sam, are rather skeptical that there’s any way they can regain their old power…at least until James hits upon the idea of calling in the Rainbow Raider to induce some fracturing into the other group. This meets with approval from the rest of the group, and James promptly calls up the Rainbow Raider to request that he help them out. The Rainbow Raider is overjoyed by the prospect of finally being respected in the underworld and eagerly agrees.

The player would then control Linda for more detective work as she returns to Amunet’s apartment in the hopes of finding more evidence to tie the businesswoman to the recent chaos in the city. She finds rather more than she bargains for when she accidentally stumbles upon a meeting of the whole gang sans Girder and Murmur (all in civilian clothes as to reduce suspicion). Murmur is off doing his own thing; the exact details of which will be revealed in a side mission. The player will have to ensure that Linda doesn’t give herself away during this sequence. She manages to stay hidden as she listens to Blacksmith haranguing the Weather Wizard for not having brought his son to her. Weather Wizard protests; arguing that she’s taught him to be powerful enough already. They don’t need Josh! Blacksmith vehemently disagrees. She calls Weather Wizard a moron for ignoring his chance at obtaining innate powers; Weather Wizard responds by questioning Blacksmith’s love for him. He was under the impression that she wanted him to become powerful to improve himself…but now it’s starting to sound as though she’s more interested in him being her weapon. Blacksmith dismisses his claims by telling him to shut up and then orders Evan McCulloch to find Josh and bring him to her—but Evan refuses. “You didnae say anything about hurting a woman and her wean when ye hired me!” Blacksmith is decidedly displeased by her hired gun’s sudden and inconvenient display of a conscience and reminds him of his million-dollar paycheck. Evan stands his ground and refuses again. “What sort of hitman are you?” Evan laughs and disappears into the Mirror Realm. “Call me when ye have a real job for me.”

As Linda carefully undercovers documentation in the shadows, Double Down furiously demands to know why Evan’s paycheck is so much bigger than his, which prompts Axel to demand why he isn’t getting paid at all. As the argument increases in volume and eventually escalates into physical violence, Linda finishes gathering up the necessary evidence and prepares herself for departure…only to run directly into Rainbow Raider, who has been using his emotional-manipulation powers in order to create tensions between the members of Blacksmith’s group since before Linda even arrived. The two of them glare at each other but decide to depart without a confrontation in order to avoid being discovered. As soon as they get out of the penthouse, Rainbow Raider zips off on a rainbow and Linda is picked up by Wally. The couple return to their home at Flash-speed and Linda shows Wally all of the evidence she was able to gather while Blacksmith’s group was arguing amongst itself. Wally congratulates his wife enthusiastically for her accomplishments and says that, with any luck, her discoveries will enable him to get Blacksmith off the street before Captain Cold can launch a counter-assault against her. The two of them then enjoy a celebratory dinner with the kids (during which Wally eats as much food as the player can get him to consume in a two-minute time limit).

Unfortunately for Wally, the wheels of justice turn slowly enough that Captain Cold’s Rogues are able to issue a challenge to Blacksmith’s Rogues. Wally doesn’t find out about this until the fight has already begun and the news begins to report on the damage that’s being caused. Desperate to contain the damage, he rushes to the scene and is faced with what will be by far his biggest challenge of the game: fighting both groups of Rogues at once, while also protecting innocent bystanders and keeping collateral damage to a minimum. (Note that the Rainbow Raider is present and fighting alongside Captain Cold’s team; Sam Scudder and the Top are absent since they’re still too injured to fight.) The player’s most important goal is to protect the civilians; defeating the Rogues is a secondary objective. During the course of the fight, Weather Wizard will defect back to the Rogues and put Girder out of the fight entirely by fusing him to a nearby car via a lighting strike. In a brief pause in the action, he apologizes to Captain Cold and receives a fist to the face for his troubles. Cold doesn’t actually knock him unconscious, though—-Weather Wizard is too valuable an ally to lose. A bit later in the battle, Evan McCulloch turns on Blacksmith as well when he sees Captain Cold go out of his way to herd the battle away from a group of civilians that includes several small children. (The player, as Wally, evacuates them all to safety not long after.) He rather handily defeats Double Down and offers his allegiance to Captain Cold, who accepts with a degree of bemusement. Evan’s defection then prompts a similar defection from Axel (who can read the room and wants to be on the winning team). Blacksmith is predictably furious, and, aware that she’s about to lose, uses her metal-controlling ability in an attempt to collapse a building on everyone. Wally has to use his speed to evacuate anyone in the two blocks surrounding the building before the building can collapse (cue hyper-speed Flash time). Blacksmith makes one last attempt on an exhausted Wally, but she’s stopped by the civilians whom Wally rescued, who gang up on her and manage to knock her unconscious. Thoroughly exhausted from their war and not particularly willing to fight an army of furious civilians, Captain Cold has Evan transport all of the Rogues away from the scene. Blacksmith, Double Down, Girder, and Murmur are left behind and are taken into police custody.

Wally rebuilds the neighborhood that was destroyed during the fighting and promises that he’ll bring in the rest of the Rogues the second they show their faces again. He gets ice cream for all of the children in the area before returning home to Linda, the twins, and Hartley (who’s just been released from the hospital) for a relaxing baseball game and a well-deserved nap.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

For a show that chose Amphibians as a major plot element because such animals represented change very well, it feels like most of the Amphibian cast is honestly fairly flat and stagnant. They all feel pretty 2-D and puppets of the plot, while the girls stand out because their development is actually consistent, builds off of who they are, and overall just feels more real; They feel more like real characters while 99% of the Amphibians feel like puppets of the plot who don’t actually think and make decisions, because we need a lesson of the day story!

It’s telling that the fandom is totally apathetic to the Plantars; They’re just not interesting. And part of the reason for that is they’re just largely stagnant... They don’t really change or develop save Polly, but that’s in the second half of the show tbh. They’re totally disconnected from the plot when they don’t need to be (remember when Hop Pop was set up as a revolutionary at the end of S1 only for that to be dropped?), so they just feel like bystanders who distract. Mother of Olms could’ve been an episode about the lore and prophecy, but no I guess we need her to be amnesiac and waste time on a useless gross-out adventure so Hop Pop can feel better about his arthritis that sprang up out of nowhere, despite not being an issue a few minutes ago in the previous episode.

The Plantars just feel arbitrary and superfluous for the most part; Any ‘flaws’ they’re given have no buildup and are introduced at the start of the episode to be resolved at the end, and then those lessons never come up again, assuming they aren’t repeated for some reason. They’re honestly stagnant and HP and Polly feel like the only ones who changed... But even HP became a useless flanderized idiot in Season 3. The Plantars are supposed to be Anne’s emotional support yet they pressure her to take them back home out of nowhere with zero guilt???

I think the show believes that more screen time exposure to the Plantars will automatically make us like them more, but that’s not necessarily how it works. The show has all this runtime but it never does anything meaningful with it, so most of the Plantars’ screentime feels redundant and even makes us RESENT them for wasting time, instead! It feels like the show is just fulfilling an arbitrary quota by giving them something to do because they’re main characters, instead of properly fleshing them out and giving them actual arcs that are both personal and connected to the plot, they just don’t contribute beyond ‘emotional support’ I guess. The herons were shoehorned into the finale for the sake of giving the Plantars something to do... It all feels forced and not at all natural.

The fact that they literally did the Hop-Pop getting old not once but twice in S3B....like....we get it: he's getting old and getting mad people don't have as much interest in gardening as he does. How about we actually see that damn revolutionist we were foreshadowed back in S1 already? And I just....look at how they dumbed Sprig down, I swear. Like, this show really telling us he'd be so stupid that he'd potentially fuck up a mission just because he and Ivy got told they can't work together for this mission??? And....yeah, no, you right about Polly. She really the only one that developed in the end and I am somewhat concerned the baby character is the one that developed more then her brother and grandfather.

Like, if they had just done SOMETHING with the Planter's, their screen time wouldn't be so annoying. But because it was either generic plots or plots that made them annoying. Like, Spider Sprig or Sprig and Ivy could have been something, but they won't, and they literally wasted an episode on Hop-Pop in Hollywood, let alone how they handled the three as a unit in S3A as a whole. Like, again, S1-2? Perfection. But dear lord, S3 was a mess for everyone.

[courtney-deserved-better]

Hello, TD fanfic anon here! I just wanted some general competiton and ship fic advice

hi td fic anon i am so sorry it took me this long to respond 😭 but anyways here's my advice (under the cut bc it got long)

competition advice:

it really helps to plan out your elimination order before you jump into writing. you don't have to have every elimination planned but ones that are plot significant/necessary should have timing/a solid reason for elimination to make sense within the story. but don't be afraid to deviate from your plan or improvise! i was originally gonna eliminate courtney in the china chapter of slippery slopes and decided as i was writing it to finally deviate from the canon elimination order and boot duncan instead. and that totally changed the story for the better! i think the biggest thing to watch out for is having a character get eliminated with very flimsy reasoning. the reasons don't have to be dramatic, they can literally be "yeah everyone thought this one team member was annoying so bye", but as long as they're believable it helps strengthen the logic/structure of your story.

speaking of logic/structure, it's a good idea to have a concept of the tone you want to take when it comes to the competition. this is especially important for total drama fics, because there's a lot of frankly fucked up shit happening in canon that's played off for laughs or not fully delved into. and maybe you want the sharks and deadly challenges to be silly or brushed off while you explore the character dynamics/relationships as serious. or maybe you want the challenges to be scary and dark and threatening to the characters. or maybe everything, including the character relationships, is slapstick! the key is consistency. consistency doesn't mean there can't be tone shifts—maybe you start off the fic with the challenges being seen as goofy, but then as they keep going, the characters experience more and more danger and become traumatized by these challenges now seen as horrific. or maybe it's the opposite, the challenges start off as scary but over time the contestants get used to them and they fade into the background. the one thing that puts me off in fics is where the challenges are regarded as commonplace until one event needs to be emotionally heavy for the sake of plot and then that challenge is portrayed as Extremely Dangerous And Traumatizing when it hasn’t been any different than the rest of the challenges. not sure if that makes sense so i’ll just reiterate that consistency and confidence of tone is important.

when it comes to the content of the challenges: if you’re doing a rewrite and anyone who’s reading your fic has most likely seen the challenge and episode it’s based upon, err on the side of less detail. if you’re writing about the obstacle course from all stars, we don’t need an explanation on how every obstacle works if it’s not relevant to what your main character(s) is experiencing in the moment. on the flip side, if you’re making up a new challenge, be specific in how it works since it will be new to people and they will be imagining it without a reference point in canon. also, don’t be afraid to not explain things if it’s not super relevant to the main character. if a minor character beats your main character to the finish line, but your character was too focused on a conversation with another main character to care about competing, you don’t necessarily have to talk about the minor character running ahead of your character throughout the whole conversation/challenge. you can just write something like “when [main character] finally crossed the finish line, there was [minor character] panting and looking rather smug with themself” and leave it at that. if it’s not super relative to the main character’s pov, and isn’t necessarily a funny bit or enriching detail, you don’t have to write more than a single sentence about it, especially if it distracts from the main pov. it’s something that can get tricky with total drama’s ensemble cast, so you have to find the right balance for yourself.

ship advice:

when it comes to the (main) couples you’re writing about, it’s good to keep the arc you want their relationship to take throughout the fic in mind while writing, possibly tying it to specific plot points in your planning if you’re the type of person who likes to get meticulous (like myself lol). if you’re writing friends to lovers, explore their friendship and platonic dynamic before one character realizes they’re in love with the other, it gives the readers a sense of how these characters care for one another and work well together, and gives more stakes to the classic “if i tell them how i feel it’ll ruin our friendship” dilemma. if it’s enemies to lovers, explore why they dislike one another and how they push one another’s buttons and the transition from hating someone to having feelings for them. while the names for these tropes are simple, the content within the trope doesn’t have to be boiled down. using slippery slopes as an example again, alenoah in that fits into the “enemies/rivals to lovers” box. but what makes their dynamic compelling is how within their rivalry they had moments of friendship and attraction. heck, they were getting along really well in chapter 6 which made the inevitable blowup that deepens their rivalry that more impactful. so in a nutshell: have a clear idea of the arc but don’t be afraid to delve into or subvert/complicate the dynamic. the line from point a to point b doesn’t have to be a straight line.

i already talked about consistency when it comes to challenges but it’s important when it comes to ships too. if character a is mad at character b in chapter 3, but is suddenly fine with them with zero explanation in chapter 4, that’s jarring for the readers and diminishes the emotional impact of whatever happened to make character a mad in chapter 3. therefore diminishing emotional impact in future chapters if the readers know [important thing] that happened in chapter 8 could totally be glossed over when they get to chapter 9. don’t be afraid to take your time with the characters’ emotions and feelings toward one another, it doesn’t really read as natural for someone’s opinions toward another person to turn on a dime without something significant happening to cause that.

lastly, think about why these two characters work as a couple (or don’t work, if that’s the direction you want to take). what does character a admire about character b and vice versa? in what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different and how do those affect their relationship? what makes them a good couple? why are they attracted to one another? it’s harder to get invested in a fic that goes “character a and character b like each other” without elaborating on that than a fic that goes “character a likes character b because b brings stability and a soothing presence to a’s anxiety-inducing chaotic life and character b likes character a because a’s impulsivity pushes them out of their comfort zone and challenges them to be their best self when b is finding themself bored with their own life’s stasis”. this is obviously A Lot to work with if you’re writing a fluffy oneshot or something but if you’re working on a roughly season-long multichapter fic it’s good to really dive into what makes your main couple(s) click & tick.

not really related to ship or competition but: do NOT be afraid to write extremely niche stuff that you think only you have an interest in. it’s probably not gonna get written if you don’t write it, and if you do write it and put it out there, you might find other people who like that same niche stuff or didn’t like it before but like it after reading your fic. write what you wanna see!! don’t worry about who might read it, write for yourself. if you’re putting all the effort/work in to create a fic you deserve to be that fic’s number 1 fan.

i hope this was helpful, please keep in mind that i’m not trying to be a definitive authority on how to write well, i’m just “verbalizing” what helps me write fics i can be proud of and enjoy. again, im so sorry it took this long to respond! if you have any more questions feel free to send them in and i promise it won’t take me another month and half to get to them lol

[bookofmirth]

why Illyria still matters

Hi, tis I, your friendly meta hoe trying to get us to take off our shipping goggles.

This post gave me a lot of thoughts about the Illyrians, so thank you anon and others who contributed! I have to admit that I didn’t have those thoughts before because I had been looking at everything from a shipping perspective. I am here to talk about the Illyrians and why their story remains important, from a logistical plot perspective, but also from a cultural standpoint, irrespective of whatever ships happen.

Many of our main characters are Illyrian or partly Illyrian. Rhys, Cassian, Azriel, and Emerie. We also know of Balthazar. Why would we assume they would ignore a major part of their heritage? It’s always part of them. They don’t cease to be Illyrian just because they aren’t in Illyria.

Illyrians are the only “lesser” fae race that plays a major, consistent role in the story, as a counter to the High Fae.

Ramiel is sacred; it is the third mountain left that has not been explored, after the Prison and the mountain in the Middle where Amarantha held court (thanks @xnightwolfx). We still have a fourth Dread Trove object to find. Ramiel?

The Blood Rite, a sacred, incredibly important part of Illyrian macho culture, was not only infiltrated and won by women, but it was also rigged. Essentially the major cultural touchstone of the Illyrians was desecrated, in their eyes. There will be repercussions.

The characterization of the Illyrians is a major eyesore on the Night Court, and frankly on Sarah. They have been described as brutish, misogynistic, etc. Leaving that culture as-is, and having it be the main non-white culture in the books... I think you see where I am going. Whether she does it intentionally or not, Sarah needs to resolve this whole racist mess she has created, and to do so from the inside: IE using characters who come from that culture.

While Cassian seems able to work with the Illyrians, Azriel still has some major unresolved trauma regarding his upbringing. No matter how ships end up, he needs to reconcile that trauma so that he can move on with a healthy-ish life.

Briallyn infiltrated the Blood Rite, on Koschei’s behalf. This ties in to point 4, but also leads to bigger implications - why was she able to get Illyrians to help her betray the Rite? There is still discontent. We now have a connection between the Illyrians and Koschei.

Illyrian discontent would be a good way for Koschei to expose a Night Court weakness. It could be as simple as a distraction to make Rhys & Co. look away from Koschei for a minute, or Koschei could go so far as to manipulate or exploit their discontent, getting them to ally with him. 

The Illyrians are warriors. Cassian mentioned that some of the previous Blood Rite winners had died in the war that occurred during acowar. There is little to no reason why their cooperation wouldn’t be needed to go against Koschei. However, their cooperation is going to be hard won at this point.

I’m still personally hung up on the idea of combining Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques, and how Nesta’s statement had some sort of fate/world-altering effect that we don’t understand yet.

Anything else to add? Feel free! 

[androgymagnus]

HI JUST WANTED TO ASK did u just watch glass onion because I watched it yesterday and can see ur reblogs AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR UR THOUGHTS!!!!!!!

Also I want to draw a fake movie poster for it so bad. It deserved nicer posters w janelle monae covered in blood fr (the glass letter ones r sexy tho)

ALSO HELP I just connected the dots that Phillip is Blancs partner oh my god. Gay people r real

LKJDFLG YEAH I DID <33 i loved it it's very good

i love it when a movie like. totally turns everything on its head at the halfway point and recontextualizes everything that's already happened. lkie. yes please bend my mind into little circles

and just generally i liked the twists and turns and it was visually interesting and like, it actually held my attention the whole time. i was never on my phone or distracted i watched the whole damn thing without pausing nine thousand times. which is a big deal for me, adhd king. like that says a lot

and there were just soooo many good little details, both ones i noticed and ones that i saw later being pointed out. and like the ending is so satisfying, kind of like a good episode of classic leverage but with a cinematic budget, where everything clicks into place and the rich asshole gets his just desserts and like. the characters are all fun (the "disruptors" are all so fun to hate, including miles, helen/andi is amazing, benoit blanc continues to be an icon in so many ways--i know people have said it before but i too am not immune to "protagonist who is genuinely kind and compassionate and wants to help people, cares more about other people than about "winning", etc" + he's so funny and i love how he takes no shit but does the whole polite southern columbo routine + he's GAY!!! god i love him so much, he's such a good main character--this kind of whodunnit gentleman detective thing can really like. the protagonist can make or break it--columbo works because columbo is so charming and endearing, other shows fail because the detective may be alright but just not compelling, or they lean too much into the "asshole genius" trope, benoit never falls into that and the fact he's consistently caring and compassionate is just. chefs kiss) and the plot was fun, it was like, well-done enough i wasn't like "that makes no sense" and even guessed some things, but was like, also still surprising and fun,,,,

like it's just a good whodunnit with strong deeply likable protagonists (both benoit blanc as the gentleman sleuth, and helen as the sorta watson of the movie/true main character--god both of them did such a good job, they're so iconic) and a satisfying ending

and such good humor!!! miles covering his chest when they mention his "golden titties", benoit yelling about how dumb it all is, him revealing the whole fake mystery immediately and getting tossed an ipad, THE ICONIC SCENE AT THE BEGINNING WITH THE PUZZLE BOXES I FUCKING CACKLED WHEN SHE SMASHED IT, etc

also dlkfgj help yeah when i first watched it i legit didn't make that connection either and then later when people were like "oh his boyfriend/husband/partner!!!" i was like oh yeah!!! yeah that tracks!!! like i'd heard he was gay but i'm fucking stupid and somehow just did NOT make that connection at all

anyway im not saying it was perfect, i'm sure it had flaws, but i really enjoyed it and i'm definitely going to force my mom to watch it when she gets home from her christmas holiday trip

would love to see these posters 👀 feel free to tag me if you post them

[spockandawe]

Well, this is interesting! So, in that post yesterday, there was one line that really baffled me, a thing about people brushing off a character as an asshole “because he shows literally zero growth.” I kind of set that aside because it was such a weird non-sequitur, and guessed that it was just someone’s sentences not quite keeping up with their train of thought, which has happened to me many times. Apparently I was wrong! I already spent long enough on that one post, I’m tired of talking about that, but this is new and interesting. 

Okay. I kind of wanted to see if I could talk about this purely in terms of abstracts and not characters, but I don’t think it’ll work. It would be frustrating to write and confusing to read. It’s about Jiang Cheng. Right up front: This isn’t about whether or not he’s an abuser. Frankly, I don’t think it’s relevant. This also isn’t about telling people they should like him. I don't care whether anyone else likes him or not. But I do like him, and I am always fascinated by dissecting the reasons that people disagree with me. And the process of Telling Stories is my oldest hyperfixation I remember, which will become relevant in a minute.

I thought I had a good grasp on this one, you know? Jiang Cheng makes it pretty obvious why people would dislike Jiang Cheng. But then the posts I keep stumbling over were making weird points, culminating in that “literally zero growth” line.

So! What happened is that someone wrote up a post about how Jiang Cheng’s character arc isn’t an arc, it’s stagnation. It’s a pretty interesting read, and I broadly agree with the larger point! The points where I would quibble are like... the idea that it’s absolute stagnation, as opposed to very subtle shifts that still make a material difference. But still, cool! The post was also offered up as a reason why OP was uninterested in writing any more Jiang Cheng meta, which I totally get. I’m not tired of him yet, but I definitely understand why someone who isn’t a fan of his would get tired about writing about a character with a very static arc. Okay!

Now, internet forensics are hard. I desperately wish I had more information about this evolution, because I find this stuff fascinating, but I have no good way to find things said in untagged posts, reblogs, or private/external venues. But as far as I can tell, that “literally zero growth” wasn’t just a slip of the tongue, it’s become fashionable for people to say that Jiang Cheng is an abusive asshole (that it’s fucked up to like) because he doesn’t have a character arc.

Asshole? Yes. Abusive? This post still isn’t about that. This is about it being fucked up to like this character because he did bad things and had a static character arc.

At first, that point of view was still deeply confusing to me. But I think I figured out the idea at the core of it, and now I’m only baffled. I’m not super interested in confirming this directly, because the people making the most noise about this have not inspired confidence in their ability to hold a civil conversation and I’m a socially anxious binch, but I think the idea is: ‘This character did Bad Things, and then did not improve himself.’

Which is alarmingly adjacent to that old favorite standard of ‘This piece of fiction is glorifying Bad Thing.’ I haven’t seen anyone accusing mxtx of something something jiang cheng, only the people who read/watched/heard the story and became invested in the Jiang Cheng character, but things kind of add up, you know?

Like I said, I don’t want to arbitrate anyone’s right to like/dislike Jiang Cheng. That’s such a fucking waste of time. But this is fascinating to me, because it’s like..... so obviously new and sudden, with such a clear originating point. I can’t speak to the Chinese fans, obviously, but exiledrebels started translating in... what, 2017? And only now, in 2021, do people start putting forth Jiang Cheng’s flat character arc as a “reason” that he’s bad? I’m not going to argue if he pings you in the abuse place, I’m not a dick. I’m not going to argue if you just dislike his vibes. I’m just over here on my blog and in the tag enjoying myself, feel free to detour around me. But oh my god, it’s so silly to try to tell other people that they shouldn’t like him because he has a static character arc.

I want to talk about stories. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to say, because it’s impossible to make broad, sweeping statements, because there are stories about change, there are stories about lack of change, there are all kinds of media that can be used to tell stories, and standards for how stories are told and what they emphasize vary across cultures and over time. But I think that what I can say is that telling a story requires... compromise. It requires streamlining. Trying to capture all the detail of life would slow down most stories to an unbearable degree. Consider organically telling someone ‘I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich’ versus the computer science exercise of having students describe, step by step, how to make one (spread peanut butter? but you never said you opened the lid)

Hell, I’ve got an example in mdzs itself. The largely-faceless masses of the common people. If someone asks you to think about it critically like, yes, obviously these are people, living their own lives, with their own desires, sometimes suffering and dying in the wake of the novel plot. But does the story give weight to those deaths? Or does it just gloss by? Yes, it references their suffering occasionally, but it is not the focus, and it would slow the story unbearably to give equal weight to each dead person mentioned. 

Does Wei Wuxian’s massacre get given the same slow, careful consideration as Su She’s, or Jin Guangyao’s? No, because taking the time to weigh our protagonist with ‘well, this one was a mother, and her youngest son had just started walking, but now he’s going to grow up without remembering her face. that one only became an adult a few months ago, he still hasn’t been on many night-hunts yet, but he finds it so rewarding to protect the common people. oh, and this one had just gotten engaged, but don’t worry, his fiancee won’t mourn him, because she died here as well.’ And continuing on that way to some large number under 3000? No! Unless your goal is to make the reader feel bad for cheering for a morally grey hero, that would be a bad authorial decision! The book doesn’t ignore the issue, it comes up, Wei Wuxian gets called out about all the deaths he’s responsible for, but that’s not the same as them being given equal emotional weight to one (1) secondary character, and I don’t love this new thing where people are pretending that’s equivalent.

When Wei Wuxian brutally kills every person at the Wen supervisory office, are you like ‘holy shit... so many grieving families D:’ or are you somewhere between vindicated satisfaction and an ‘ooh, yikes’ wince? Odds are good you’re somewhere in the satisfaction/wince camp, because that’s what the story sets you up to feel, because the story has to emphasize its priorities (priorities vary, but ‘plot’ and ‘protagonist’ are common ones, especially for a casual novel read like this)

Now, characters. If you want to write a story with a sweeping, epic scale, or if you want to tightly constrain the number of people your story is about, I guess it’s possible to give everyone involved a meaningful character arc. Now.... is it always necessary? Is it always possible? Does it always make sense? No, of course not. If you want to do that, you have to devote real estate to it, and depending on the story you want to tell, it could very possibly be a distraction from your main point, like the idea of mxtx tenderly eulogizing every single character who dies even incidentally. Lan Qiren doesn’t get a loving examination of his feelings re: his nephews and wei wuxian and political turnover in the cultivation world because it’s not relevant, and also, because his position is pretty static until right near the end of the story. Lan Xichen is arguably one of the most static characters within the book, he seems like the same nice young between Gusu and the present, right up until... just before the end of the story.

You may see where I’m heading with this.

Like, just imagine trying to demand that every important character needs to go through a major life change before the end of your book or else it didn’t count. This just in, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg go through multiple novels without experiencing radical shifts in who they are, stop liking them immediately. I do get that the idea is that Jiang Cheng was a ~bad person~ who didn’t change, but asdgfsd I thought we were over the handwringing over people being allowed to like ““bad”” fictional characters. The man isn’t even a canonical serial killer, he’s not my most problematic fave even within this novel.

And here is where it’s a little more relevant that I would quibble with that original post about Jiang Cheng’s arc. He’s consistently a mean girl, but he goes from stressed, sharp-edged teenager, to grief-stricken, almost-destroyed teen, to grim, cold young adult (and then detours into grim, cold, and grief-stricken until grief dulls with time). He does become an attentive uncle tho. He..... doesn’t experience a radical change in his sense of self, which... it’s...... not all that strange for an adult. And bam, then he DOES experience a radical change, but the needs of the plot dictate that it’s right near the end. And he’s not the focus of the story, baby, wangxian is. He has the last few lines of the story, which nicely communicate his changes to me, but also asdfafas we’re out of story. He was never the main character, it’s not surprising we don’t linger! The extras aren’t beholden to the needs of plot, but they’re also about whatever mxtx wanted to write, and I guess she didn’t feel like writing about Jiang Cheng ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But also. Taking a step backward. Stable characters can fill a perfectly logical place in a story. Like, look at Leia Organa. I’m not saying she has no arc, but I am saying that she’s a solid point of reference as Luke is becoming a jedi and Han is adjusting his perspective. I wouldn’t call her stagnant, the vibes are wrong, but she also isn’t miserable in her sadness swamp, the way Jiang Cheng is.

Or, hell, look at tgcf. The stagnant, frozen nature of the big bad is a central feature of the story. The bwx of now is the bwx of 800 years ago is the bwx of 1500+ years ago. This is not the place for a meta on how that was bad for those around him and for him himself, but I have Thoughts about how being defeated at the end is both a thing that hurts him and relieves him. Mei Nianqing is a sympathetic character who’s also pretty darn static. Does Ling Wen have a character arc, or do we just learn more about who she already is and what her priorities always were? I’m going to cut myself off here, but a character’s delta between the beginning of a story and the end of a story is a reasonable way to judge how interesting writing character meta is, and is a very silly metric to judge their worth, and even if I guessed at what the basic logic is, for this character, I am still baffled that it’s being put forth as a real talking point.

(also, has it jumped ship to any other characters yet? have people started applying it in other fandoms as well? please let me know if this is the case, I am wildly curious)

(no, but really, if anyone is arguing that bwx is gross specifically because he had centuries to self-reflect and didn’t fix himself, i am desperate to know)

And finally. The thing I thought was most self-evident. Did I post about this sometime recently? If a non-central character experiences a life-altering paradigm shift right near the end of the story (without it being lingered over, because non-central character), oh my god. As a fic writer? IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE. This is the most fertile possible ground. If I want to write post-canon canon-compliant material, adsgasfasd that’s where I’m going to be looking. Okay, yeah, the main couple is happy, that’s good. Who isn’t happy, and what can I do about that? Happy families are all alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, etc.

It’s not everyone’s favorite playground, but come on, these are not uncommon feelings. And frankly, it’s starting to feel a little disingenuous when people act like fan authors pick out the most blameless angel from the cast and lavish good things upon them. I’m not the only one who goes looking for a good dumpster fire and says I Live Here Now. If I write post-canon tgcf fic, it’s very likely to focus on beef and/or leaf. I have written more than one au focusing on tianlang-jun.

And, hilariously. If the problem with Jiang Cheng. Is that he is a toxic man fictional character who failed to grow on his own, and is either unsafe or unhealthy to be around. If the problem is that he did not experience a character arc. If these people would be totally fine with other people liking him, if he improved himself as a person. And then, if authors want to put in the (free! time-consuming!) work of writing that character development themselves. You would think that they would be lauded for putting the character through healthier sorts of personal growth than he experienced in canon. Instead, I am still here writing this because first, I was bothered by these authors being named as “freaks” who are obsessed with their ‘uwu precious tsundere baby’ with a “love language of violence,” and then I was graciously informed that people hate Jiang Cheng because he experiences no character growth.

[anonnie-in-wonderland]

when i say that I enjoyed “Home Calls the Heart” so much trust that i do not lie!!! i typically don’t like to compare people bc everyone has a different journey to writing and creating stories on here , but man the way you write using tropes like hybrid and poly bts, which can easily become horribly written (in my opinion) is something out of this world. I feel like people typically either explain the world surrounding hybrids too much or too little to truly understand how their dynamics work throughout the story. But the way you write makes it seem right. I understand enough to the point where it doesn’t distract me from the main plot! I also love the way you write poly!bts <3 again im trying not to sound too harsh because everyone works hard for their art, but the way you write ot7xreader seems so genuine and not too cartoonish if that makes sense. i have a hard time trying to find some good poly!bts fics bc i luv them so much but sometimes it hurts my head. i mean i could imagine how hard it could be to incorporate seven character that have different traits and their own spirit, but, again, the way you have written them in “Home Calls the Heart” has me excited for new chapters to come!! Im trying my best to give feedback and appreciation towards my fav authors on here because i know how hard it is to express your art and not be financially compensated jiji you guys literally deserve the world!!! it’s also fun just being able to tell my favorite people that they are doing amazing at what they do best :) i hope this ask finds you well and yeah <3 i’ve also decided to give myself a lil nickname if that’s okay (pls do let me know if that’s okay) i would like for it to be the 🌙 emoji!! if someone else has it pls lmk so i could change it jiji-🌙

Hello, hello! Wow this was not something I was ever expecting to receive, but I am really humbled. I thank you for being into my writing. I’ve been writing a very long time but not for any kpop fandoms, and I was nervous about how it would be received.

I think different writing styles appeal to different people, but at the same time I know what you mean! It can be very difficult to find the right balance of how much information to use, and you don’t really want to confuse yourself or the reader, but at the same time you want to include more than barebones info.

I’m glad my approach to worldbuilding currently is not too hard to follow along with. That’s the key. Because at the end of the day I saw the prompt and wanted to tell a nice tale of the reader and hybrid BTS all healing from their friendship (and eventually more) with each other. As to the relationships…OT&s are popular and I knew right away I wouldn’t be leaving anyone out cause that’s not my style, but I did have to decide whether there would be shipping among OT7 or not, and you know I feel like when you’ve been around the people you love a long time, things would be casual. Casual intimacy.

I think some stories maybe do a lot of “hey!! Look!! They’re dating!!” And write them accordingly, and I suppose that’s fine, but I guess I try to write them as people in love who have nothing to prove. They just are comfortable in a relationship together and the Y/N gets to be a part of it.

Thank you for wanting to be someone that tells fanfic writers how much they’re appreciated. 🥹 That is so kind! I admit, I kind of miss the consistency of the feedback on my writing I’ve gotten in the past. Like beyond people just asking to be on the taglist or saying they’re excited to read more, I really use to love engaging with people on tumblr about my writing, but haven’t gotten a whole lot of that so far. So sometimes I wonder if I come off too intimidating. 😭 Because I see other writers chatting with readers about their stories and I’d love to do the same if anyone wants to. I appreciate any and everyone who takes the time to leave comments or ask questions though!

And of course you can go by that emoji if you choose to! It would help me keep track of who I’m talking to in the future and no one else is using it, so I don’t see why not. Thanks for your ask!

[neonacity]

HYACINTHE | Chapter 2: Jaemin x Reader

Summary: 

Na Jaemin is far from being your typical 20 year old. Instead of slaving through college, he wastes away his hours cracking safes. Weekends that should be spent partying with friends consist of illegal races on good days and small scale bombings on bad ones. Na Jaemin is far from being average, unless you consider being a member of Seoul’s top organized crime family normal.

There is no such thing as a sense of normality and peace in his trainwreck of a life, so when he met a barista who was brave enough to call out his dangerous taste in coffee, he was like a moth to the flame. Everything about her is normal, which means she is forbidden to him, in all sense of the word. So why, then, does he always find himself at the front steps of her shop, breaking all his personal rules even if he wishes he could stay away?

A/N + Disclaimer: this is a side story to Black Daisies, my main mafia fic feat. 0T23. While the plot is based on the main story, this can also be read as a standalone fic. As usual, this is purely a work of fiction and in no way am I implying any member of NCT to behave the way I write them here. tw: crimes, heists, potential death, mentions of drugs and other illegal activities.

PAIRING: Jaemin x Reader

CHAPTER 1

FIC TRAILER

MASTERLIST

------------------------

"So you want to be a doctor?" Jaemin asked as he took a bite off the crust of his pepperoni and cheese pizza. He could have easily eaten it like any other person, but of course, he refuses to be normal and chooses to do even this his way.

I shrugged and tucked my legs under me with a sigh. We were currently sitting on an expansive field of grass overlooking a cluster of abandoned factories, the first place that Jaemin actually asked me to hangout with other than his regular visits in the cafe. It was a couple of minutes of drive away from the city—and is honestly kinda sketchy looking—but at twilight, the place transforms into a peaceful sea of green with the clear night sky watching over it. 

"I'm trying to be a doctor. A surgeon, to be exact." 

He turned and gazed at me quietly for a few seconds, his slice of pizza halfway into his mouth.

"Trying?"

"Yes. Getting into the medical field… It's tough. And expensive. I can take the endless studying, but the money… that can be so hard to get by sometimes."

"Why? How much is it?" He asked innocently, a small frown etched between his eyebrows. Jaemin wasn't lying when he said he doesn't know how to do friends. In fact, there's a lot of things he doesn't seem to know. Normal ones too, almost as if he lives in a bubble of his own. It has always intrigued me, how someone can be so out of touch with things, but of course I never took it against him. 

"Hmm… really expensive. Usually students like me can get loans but that will have us strapped into long years of paying them off even after finishing our studies. I did get a partial scholarship though so that helps, but the day to day academic expenses are just expensive so you know…"

"Doesn't your job at the cafe cover that?"

"No way," I answered quickly with a short laugh. "Well, barely. But it isn't comfortable. If I want to get a side gig that can pay for everything, I might as well work at a strip club. Or find a sugar daddy," I answered off-handedly as I popped a french fry into my mouth. 

"You don't want to go to strip clubs. They're dangerous."

I choked a little at how seriously he said that. 

"Why do you sound like you know so much about them?" I grinned and teasingly wriggled my brows at him. He didn't answer, taking another bite of his pizza instead. 

"Just… don't even think of doing that, okay?"

"Jaemin, do you really think I can pass off as a stripper? Relax. I know that's one job I'm underqualified for."

"Overqualified. You're too pretty to be one."

He said that so casually I didn't even know what hit me until he had moved on to another topic. 

"You know if you need money, I can help."

I gave him an odd look, still reeling from that compliment he just gave. 

"How?"

"I can give you money." 

I blinked at him.

"In exchange for what?"

"Nothing. I can just give you money."

I stared at him like he had grown another head. 

"Why?"

He looked at me like I was asking such a common sense question. 

"Because you need it."

"Jaemin, you're not my sugar daddy. Is this how you always offer help to your friends? Because I am seriously so concerned for you right now."

"Well, if you want, I can also be your sugar—"

I slapped his arm before he could even finish what he was trying to say. 

"Ow! That is not very sugar baby-like of you."

"I'm going to wring your neck, I swear." 

He flashed me his grin and dropped himself back on the grass, his arms behind his head. It was dark, but the moon threw just enough light on the curves of his face to compliment his features. His eyes twinkled back at the stars looking down on us and I forced myself to look away after realizing how much my heart started beating harder in my chest just by staring at him. 

I don't know when I started feeling this way towards him, but it is for sure not the first time I noticed where my emotions were going. It is odd… how these things happen. One day everything was going well like normal, until all of a sudden there is a skipping of a pulse after a smile, a flushing of the cheeks when he laughs. Everything is normal, until one day, it's all just free fall. 

Of course, I'm not stupid enough to do anything about it though. Jaemin has been nothing but a good friend, but the fact that I still know nothing about him is a big factor, at least for me. Lately, I felt like he was trying to open up more of his world to me—case in point, these quick escapes to this field—but there are still barriers there, walls that seem too steep to be broken down. 

"I wanted to be a surgeon too…" 

His voice was so quiet that I barely caught it when he spoke again. I looked back at him and caught the pensive look on his face, the same one he would always have whenever he thinks nobody is looking his way—that expression of longing that seems to overwhelm him every time he retreats into his own world. 

"You can still be one though… it's not too late yet," I whispered as I leaned back so that I was laying beside him. I rolled to my side to face him better, my eyes scanning his moon-washed features.  

He chuckled and briefly looked at me. 

"I wish it could be that easy, but it's really complicated."

"Why?"

He rolled on his side as well so that we were facing each other. The stare he gave me was so intense, it felt like he was pouring his heart out to me, except he can't do it with words. I tried my hardest to meet his gaze, my own way of telling him that he can if he wanted to... That I am his safe space.

"Didn't we agree on not asking questions?" He asked in a soft whisper. 

"I never agreed to such a thing." 

"But you've been trying your best." 

That made me purse my lips. My gaze moved away from his momentarily as I tried to weigh my words. 

"Until when can I not ask questions…?"

"Until when can I ask you to do it without you leaving me…?"

Our eyes met again. In that exact moment, I knew we were both on the same page despite the unsaid words and the secrets. 

"Until I can, Jaemin."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

------------------

"Hi, hi! What's your specialty here?" 

It took me about three seconds to register the boy currently beaming at me by the counter. I was going through some inventory so I had my back turned to the door for a little bit but I sure was expecting to hear the small bell by the entrance ding to alert me of new customers. I was about to open my mouth to answer when another boy strolled towards us, coming from the area where we have our pastries on display. There were… two of them I didn't notice? 

"Yah, Chenle. They have cheese bread. Buy me some." 

I softly cleared my throat and tried to plaster on my well-practiced service smile.

"Um… hi. Welcome to Brick and Beans. Would you like to have a cold or hot drink? I can recommend our best-sellers for each." 

"What does Jaemin-hyung usually order?"

My smile dropped and I stared at the duo in front of me. Who are these kids? 

"I'm Jisung and this is Chenle. We're Jaemin-hyung's friends."

The taller of the two answered as he seemed to have picked up my confused expression. I nodded slowly, my eyes scanning the visitors. They look just a little bit younger than Jaemin, maybe about two to three years tops, as noticeable from their more careless, youthful air.

"Did… Jaemin recommend our place?" 

The pair exchanged glances before they both broke into giggles.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"What the hell are you two doing here?”

The three of us whipped our heads towards the source of the voice by the door. Standing there was Jaemin, his face tensed as he stared at the two boys in front of me. It’s obvious from the looks of his reaction that he did not, at all, recommend this place to his friends. 

I was about to call out to him when the door pushed open behind him again to reveal two other boys.

“Yah… I told you to distract him, Jeno-hyung!” Chenle whined while Jisung pointed at his friend as if silently telling everyone that it was all his idea in the first place. The one I assume is called Jeno shrugged and dug his hands deeper into his pockets. He looked almost the same age as Jaemin but with a more muscular build that reminded me of some of the athletes at my uni. 

“I tried. Haechan slipped. Go blame him.” 

My gaze moved to the other one standing on Jaemin’s right at that moment. He is a little shorter than the other two boys crowding the door but there is something about him that seems wilder than the two. His eyes sparkled as they met mine and his lips twisted up into a slight smirk as he knocked back the lollipop he had into the other side of his mouth. He crossed the space between the entrance and the counter quickly with long quick strides and leaned his hand into Chenle’s shoulder to peer down on me. 

“Ah, so that’s why this is your favorite place, Jaem. How selfish of you to keep it all to yourself~” 

“Um…” 

Jaemin finally moved to approach us quickly, his eyes moving between me and the three boys in front of my counter. The boy called Jeno wandered into the cafe, looking at the bags of beans and tea packs we have on display at the far side. 

“I’m sorry, I had no idea they were coming,” he told me apologetically, his face strained. I couldn’t really understand why he was so worried but I gave him a smile to assure him that everything is fine. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I have no customers anyway so I’m glad your friends came over.”

I have a feeling there is more to his anxiousness than I could understand. 

“She’s right. We’re just here to have some coffee,” the boy, Haechan, said as he winked at me. “So what do you recommend, miss? I won’t have anything Jaemin loves to get, if it means having his death concoction.

That made me laugh a bit. Jaemin’s frown deepened.

“Well, we have really good Chia tea and some hot chocolate. Our cocoa is sourced from the Philippines so—”

“According to online reviews, their blueberry cheesecake is bomb,” said a new voice that followed the opening of the cafe door for the third time in the past ten minutes. All of us looked around to see a new visitor with black and blonde hair falling over his eyes. His thin frame was covered by a light jacket and he glanced up from his phone to talk to us as if he was right there with us from the beginning.

“Do you have it right now?” 

“Uh… yes.”

“Seriously, who else did you crackheads invite?” 

Jaemin turned to Haechan and the rest of the guys with an expression I couldn’t quite paint.

His answer came with the cafe door dinging open again. 

“Yo, man. Am I late?”

Jaemin gave one look at the boy with blue hair, groaned, and cursed silently to himself. 

-----------

“Go back there and hangout with your friends,” I nudged Jaemin slightly by the shoulders as he continued to fume silently beside me. I was finishing the orders of the group and he seemed to still be adamant in keeping his distance from them for as long as he can. 

“I don’t hangout with assholes.” 

I chuckled. He looked like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Hey, language. Why are you so pressed, anyway? They just came by to visit. I’m glad I have customers.” 

For a moment, I thought he was not going to give me any answers again. Jaemin simply stared  at me, his arms crossed over his chest for a few full heartbeats. 

“I don’t think I should get you any deeper into my life as it is,” he finally said quietly, voice just loud enough for me to hear over the humming of the espresso machine. I looked up at him, surprised by his words and the fact that he actually replied to my question. 

“I suppose I cannot ask what that means…?” 

He gave me a small tight smile. Just then, the microwave beeped to tell me that the food I was heating was ready. We both looked at it and Jaemin took the chance to push himself off the counter he was leaning on to grab a tray. 

“I’ll take care of it. We’re making your job harder today, at least let me help serve those dorks.”

I nodded and wordlessly let him put some of the drinks on his tray. I did the finishing touches on the blueberry cheesecake the guy called Renjun ordered before loading it on mine. 

When we both walked to the table that the rest of his friends chose, the boys had already busted the jenga game that we usually offer to our customers. Jisung, Chenle, and Haechan were in the middle of sabotaging each other with their pulls while Renjun and Mark—the last newcomer—were peering over Jeno’s shoulder who I assume was playing a game on his phone.

“Here are your orders. I added extra powdered sugar on your chiffon cake, Jisung,” I said with a smile as I arranged everything on their table. The youngest boy looked up at me with sparkling eyes as if I’ve given him the world. The others took their orders after giving their own variations of thank you. 

“Thank you, noona,” Jisung said before turning to Haechan to “whisper” in his ear.

“I like her.” 

“She can hear you as clear as day, Jisungie.”

“Well, if you need anything, just call out to me alright?” I said with a polite smile, already feeling a little bit more relaxed around the group. I’m sure Jaemin has his own reasons to feel anxious about his friends being here, but they all seem like your regular boys to me. I’ve always wondered what kinds of acquaintances he has and I’m glad to know these are the ones he has around. 

“Wait, can’t you hang out for a while?” Haechan asked as I took the trays with me. Jaemin was quick to answer, throwing dagger glances at the other. 

“She has work.” 

“There are no customers.” 

“You can go back if someone comes. You’re only serving us right now, anyway,” Renjun quipped as he took a bite of his cake. My eyes moved to Jaemin just in time to see his jaw tighten a little bit. He did look a little bit resigned though so I decided to compromise.

“I guess I can stay for a few minutes. I haven’t had my break yet,” I said with a slight smile. Mark patted Jeno’s thigh to give way for me to sit on the space where he had his leg up.

“So, are you and Jaemin-hyung dating? For how long now?” My ass haven’t even touched the seat yet when Chenle shot the question. I looked at him, completely taken aback. 

“Chenle, you don’t just ask people that out of the blue,” Mark said, despite the small playful smirk that he tried so hard to hide. He turned to me apologetically then, “I’m sorry, he doesn’t go out often.”

I was too taken aback that I failed to notice how Jaemin didn’t even try to deny Chenle’s assumption. I glossed over it and chose to take another route instead. 

“Do you guys all live together?” I asked with genuine interest. Jaemin did say that he doesn’t get a lot of chance to socialize but it seems like it applies to all his friends, too.

“We all live in the...same apartment, yes,” Jeno said carefully. 

“Oh… roommates.” 

“We grew up together, actually,” Renjun pointed at Jisung who had his upper lip covered with powdered sugar as he shoveled cake into his mouth. “Jaemin birthed him.” 

“That’s right,” Jaemin said so seriously with a straight face beside me. 

“So you’re also childhood friends.”

“I guess you could say that. Chenle and I both came from China but we grew up here.”

I nodded, already invested in knowing more.

“Are you studying? Or are you always here?” Haechan asked me as he deftly removed a block from the Jenga tower he had reassembled. 

“Mm, yes. I’m on pre-med right now.” 

Jeno gave a low whistle and lowered his phone a bit to look at me.

“You’re going to be a doctor?”

I smiled. “Hopefully a surgeon, yes.”

“So does that mean you’ll be stitching up wounds and getting bullets off flesh and things like that?” Chenle asked. I laughed at how specific the situations he gave were. 

“I can actually do them right now, but yes. My father used to be a doctor too and I helped him around his clinic before he died so I know the basics.” 

“I didn’t know about that…” Jaemin spoke up beside me in a quiet voice, breaking his silence.

“About what?”

“About your parents.”

I laughed. “You never asked.” 

“So are you living alone?” Mark followed through. 

“Right now, yes. I lost my parents a couple of years ago but I do have an auntie living right in the next city.” 

“Man, so you’re working and studying at the same time. You’re tough.” 

“Thank you, but it’s not really anything new to college students like me. How about you guys? Are you in college?” 

The boys exchanged quick looks with each other. 

“We’re all, uh, home schooled,” Renjun finally answered. 

“Oh… I see. That makes a lot of sense.” Just then, my eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. I started slightly after realizing that my fifteen minutes of break is up.

“I have to go though, sorry. I’m alone right now so I have to work on multiple things,” I said apologetically as I picked myself up from my seat. I gave everyone a quick smile before retreating behind the counter. 

I didn’t look back to see how Jaemin stared at me as I left and how he finally caught Mark who was staring at him in return. 

The two boys didn’t have to speak to understand each other, but the younger one easily got what his captain clearly told him with his gentle gaze. 

Be careful. 

----

Chapter 3

[recurring-polynya]

hi there! AMAZING blog and great bleach write-ups. u know the characters so well it rivals - if not surpasses - kubo himself. im just curious what ur thoughts were on the 20th anniversary special one-shot chapter? (i apologize if u already talked about this but im just living vicariously through some of ur old bleach posts and haven't caught up to the new ones yet. sorry!)

Hi, thank you so much! I *wish* I knew as much about the characters as Kubo... the only thing I don't like about the return of Bleach is that he keeps dropping info and ruining my headcanons/stuff I said in my fanfic. 😂

Here is my very personal and biased take on the one-shot: I loved it. To be honest, it was basically catered to my very specific interests: lore + my faves. Renji had more panel time than any other character (really, truly, someone on Twitter counted) and his DILF energy was off the charts. It was lieutenant-centric overall, my favorite group of characters. We got an Akon shikai tease, I love both the new lieutenants, Mayuri shot laser eyes at Hisagi, Shinji made a hilarious face. There is now canonically tv, Line, and videophones in Soul Society. Yumichika is a wine aunt. Rukia is a shitlord. It's perfect.

Beyond that, even, I actually like the new story arc that's being teased (I am working under the assumption it is going to continue, it just doesn't make sense otherwise). My primary complaint about late Bleach is that there are too many characters. Kubo feels the need to have all his mains get a fight and then he needs to let everyone they fight have a backstory and he tries to interleave things and it takes so long to come back around to the small subset of characters any given reader actually cares about.

Don't get me wrong: I really, really like Ukitake, Unohana and Kyouraku as characters, but part of what I like is that they are a) old as balls, b) have seen and done some gnarly shit, and c) enjoy the relative peacetime where they get to mentor young people and be kind and pretend like they haven't committed a ton of murders for the Good of Soul Society. Yamamoto is a special case because I don't believe he's remotely sorry for anything he ever did (see: that filler arc where he falls asleep while Amagai is screaming about how Yamamoto threw his dad under the bus). In any case, we never really got to see Ukitake go ham, and we only got glimpses of Unohana, and I'm honestly kinda into the idea of them becoming Lords of Hell, because they probably do deserve it. Also, I want to see Bankai Rukia vs Hell Yamamoto, that shit is gonna slap.

I do wish we'd gotten a little bit more of Orihime, Chad and Uryuu (and no one needs to tell me that was the back of Uryuu's head at the ramen shop-- I don't actually think it was and also the back of someone's head is not very exciting). As I said, I have every expectation that this story will continue and I am hoping they are all involved. I can't imagine that Orihime *wouldn't* be, but it is a strong possibility that Chad and Uryuu will get shafted. I am saving my rage for them. (Note: What if Chad got to fight Shrieker again?? That would slap!!) I'm not really concerned about other people not appearing much-- it was already an extra-sized one-shot, and it had a lot of cast members, it was enough for me.

Two last thoughts!

1) I liked the amount that the kids appeared. For a while, I was really concerned that they were gonna pull a Boruto and make some next-gen series (possibly with minimal involvement from Kubo) and it was literally going to make me hate Bleach the way the new Star Wars movies made me hate Star Wars, a thing I once deeply loved. Instead, the kids were there and they were relevant to the plot, but the action was carried by the adult characters. This is cool in my opinion because it lets use see our faves in their role as parents and it builds the kids' characters organically instead of asking me, the reader to care about them solely on the basis that I liked their parents.

2) I mentioned Kubo ruining my headcanons earlier, and probably the #1 thing I didn't like about the one-shot is that I had always assumed that Soul Society basically knew how Hell worked, and that they had some sort of treaty or natural division of responsibility between them. Tbh, that's on me, my expectations were far too high. From day 1, shinigami have consistently known jack-shit about how anything works and just blunder through the larger greater spiritual world, making stuff up as they go along. I used to assume that this was a Rukia thing-- she only had one year of shinigami school, she's a Kuchiki so she can just say things and no one disagrees with her, and she's Rukia. But, no, Kyouraku's out here performing insane rituals and sending his pals to Hell and he's like, "oh, man, I think I read something about this on Yahoo! Answers once but then I got distracted." Complete and utter buffoonery. I can't wait to see more.