#I need to balance her backstory out some; make it a little more clear in my head but; she is getting the work d o n e!

[patheticpat]

It’s never a good thing when I set my eyes on a character, oh no it isn’t

[sir-adamus]

One thing I love about RWBY is how it manages to thread that needle of, "That's a person" & "They have a reason for being this fucked up" without forgetting or failing to convey, "Doesn't mean they aren't still being bastard!"

See Adam, Ironwood, Salem, Mercury, hell even Jac got some of that treatment, as much as his narrative role needed and more than someone like him would usually be given.

In that regard though, it does always leave me vexed and confounded that people act like the Brothers will be some big exception. As though their issue is just that they are a little confused and don't understand some things, but once its explained and or they go home, it'll all be chill.

Like, sorry but if the woman they tortured for potentially millions of years still gets the "She's still being a bastard" treatment I cannot envision why the Brothers genocide would avoid being framed or treated as such.

yeah it's kind of weird how people have a blindspot for the gods being petty, arrogant assholes in the backstory; like it's been a weirdly common trend to see people making posts claiming it's fine for the gods to be assholes because they're gods (and therefore shouldn't be held to any kind of moral standard whatsoever), or thinking that post-volume 9, now the goal of the show is RWBY reuniting the relics to summon the gods because "the world is united" and the gods will deal with Salem.

like, the terms of Salem's immortality are made very clear, and these jackasses aren't gonna rescind on their punishment of her (which i need to point out was immensely disproportionate even before the mass genocide. "you need to learn a lesson, so now you can't die until you do" is fucked up) just because everyone else is on the same side.

and on top of that, the gods returning only means hanging a Sword of Damocles over humanity's head, because if they don't stay united, then it's just gonna lead to another disproportionate tantrum and Remnant getting the full scorched earth treatment. not to mention the gods dealing with Salem would ultimately prove her right and be immensely unsatisfying narratively (it would literally be a deus ex machina)

RWBY borrows heavily from Final Fantasy and other JRPGs, and a major recurring element in those sorts of games is that defeating the present big bad in the narrative is never the end of the story, there's always a greater scope threat that's usually either your dad or god or both. coupled with how Light and Dark are heavily influenced by mythological gods and how those are often petty, short-sighted and abusive bastards who cause more problems than they solve, and we've recently been outright told that the Brothers have completely misunderstood what 'balance' is and how that's factored into their conflicts and decision making, and how that then filters down to their treatment of Salem, demanding she understand something they don't and expecting her to learn it through the punishment they inflicted on her only ended up causing more damage

Salem's defeat has to be factored into ending her curse, and the end of volume 9 makes heavy implication that it's RWBY, not the Brothers, who are going to achieve that. but even with Salem then out of the picture, the Brothers are still a threat, they still wiped out the population of an entire planet for childish reasons and routinely abandon their creations; someone else could go for the relics to try and summon them, so there's the potential damage they could do to Remnant again, and who knows what same horrors and punishments the Brothers are inflicting on the worlds they've gone on to make and abandon since?

[nrdmssgs]

A wall of silence

Masterlist with OCs AN: My friends @sofasoap @siilvan and @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot inspired me for a tiny backstory to a A heart full of pity. This happens a day before the main story.

Characters: Lieutenant Olga (not yet Zhar) Samoilova and Doctor Heather Green (an OC of @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot)

As usual, Olga came exactly 3 minutes earlier for their appointment.

"Doctor Green, Lieutenant Samilova re-"

"Cut it, Olya, how many times do I need to ask you." Heather stood up from her desk and moved a chair closer to the one, on which her patients would usually sit.

For many years Heather monitored the now so-called Task Force and some things never changed. Soap turning their sessions to a little stand-up of John MacTavish, Ghost sharing much more with Price than with her, Gaz balancing between the calmest logic and a raging storm of emotions. And Olga, trying to be the quiet, the 'i'll cause no problem', the 'please don't banish me' one. It felt as if she knew, how every answer should sound in order to make a perfect report.

No matter, how hard Heather tried, she couldn't get into Olgas ears - to her psychologic evaluations were not an instrument to help her, but an endless test, she had to pass with flying colors in order to stay in Prices group.

So without any big hopes Heather asked, how Olgas week went so far.

"Great! The mission planning is almost done, I'm waiting for the Captain to give me all clear, I also controlled the amount of resting hours as you advised, here is my report, I also sent a copy on your email address..."

Heather listened patiently as Olga recited an obviously prepared in advance answer. Behind all the razzle-dazzle, her patient tinkered till the last smallest detail, Heather still saw a very scared girl, who was willing to do anything to stay in the Task Force. If Heather was honest - she didn't want to corner her own patient, when she already was in a survival mode for a long time. But there was no other choice.

"Tell me about the last Sunday."

"Had a nice training session with the Sgs, worked on reports, had a walk, about an hour long. Then there was some gathering in one of the hangars, but I left early. Read a book, not a work-related topic, as you suggested. And thats about it!" Despite Heathers concerns, Olga didn't tense up. The same smile was plastered upon her face as she reminisced on her weekend.

"And what made you leave the gathering early?"

Olga looked down for a moment and sighed. "Gaz? Or Soap?"

"Olya, darling, don't get the wrong picture of it: nobody in the 141 is trying to find any imperfections in you, or make you go. They are worried about you. One of their own makes you frustrated, there is something going on between you two, and they want to help." Heather reached out to Olga, touched her shoulder, but her patient just froze and looked back with an unfocused gaze. Trying to guide her out of the blackout, Heather added, "you can always tell if you're uncomfortable. With me or with Nikolai."

"Nothing is going on between me and Nikolai." Lieutenant came back to senses. "I joined the gathering, I left early, because I got a new idea for the mission plan, that's the story. We didn't say a single word to each other - there was no conflict, doctor."

"Darling, it was a gathering to celebrate Nikolai coming back to our base after a long leave. And you stood up and left the hangar the very next moment after he entered it. This doesn't scream 'nothing is happening' to me. And I`m afraid, that you look at how everyone appreciate him, and hide something, that makes you so distant. You see, how we greet him every time and think that nobody is going to take your side once you reveal the reason behind your reaction to him. I want you to know, it's not like that."

"Doctor Green, it is not my place to lecture you." Olga leaned back, defending herself from any possibility of a physical contact with Heather. "But it takes a very special personality to serve, where that man served. I know, you all believe that ultranationalists are the worst, that they represent everything thats wrong with Russia. But I assure you, they are just kids in comparison to what beasts are lurking in Kremlin. And that man served them. Maybe he still is."

Heather understood that their time was almost up and made the last attempt to make her point.

"Olya, I can't manipulate on Nikolais background. I won't deny, he worked for the FSB, but I can't draw a conclusion from my or your emotions. But what I can do is to analyze the facts. You see a monster right there, and you feel like you are the only one, who sees his real nature. Neither I nor anyone from the Task Force can change your perception. But I can share, what personally see, when I look at him."

When Olga hesitantly noded, Heather went on.

"I see a guy, who cares for his friends, even when it remains unnoticed. A guy, who found out, one of the TF was on the brief medical leave for a minor reason and his very first question was 'do they need any medication or anything?'. A guy, who is always asking if every member of 141 is ok. A guy, who looks at somebody, he cares for, and smiles broadly even though they don't have an opportunity to touch base with each other."

"Doctor, I'll stop you there. I am aware of Nikolai's and our Captain's friendly bond."

"I'm talking about Price, Olya. Everything, I just told you, was about Nikolai and you."

In a dead silence infesting the room, Lieutenant shook her head. The last words that reached Heather were muttered quietly.

"He is lying. Lying to you all."

***

Price came half an hour after Olga left: Heather wouldn't want them to stumble upon each other in the hall. Doctor Green still had a small hope, that Captain would change his mind about Olgas upcoming mission. But when Price asked her, if his Lieutenant was ready, that hope was forgotten.

"John, she hates him."

"That I know." Prices deep voice echoed in the walls of her office. "My questions was, is she able to work with him. This mission is critical, if Olga makes it - we are promoting her. So, please, give me a sign."

Heather took a pause. She didn't want to torture Olga, when she's already living in constant stress. At the same time she understood how much this mission might serve Olga and the whole Task Force. Heather didn't like, what she's about to do, but something told her, it's the right thing. So she finally answered Price.

"She will do anything for you."

[iniziare]

DAV Spoilers. Or at least, my "general game opinions". I'll be vague in terms of the game's conclusion, so you don't have to worry about spoilers. Though unless you've finished most of the game (roughly halfway act 2, or just around part 10 in terms of Steam achievements), not all of this will make sense to you. But in short: I like it, I like it a lot.

First off, I need to be honest and say that I went into Veilguard as an absolute critic with the expectation that as a fan of the older games and their lore, I was going to rip into it. After all the news of the team crumbling, I simply lost all faith. But worst of all, I was going to do so while potentially not even playing the game. But in all of my rationality, I always say that one only ever has a right to judge something, after having given it enough of a fair chance. So that's what I did (and admittedly, I had some hype simmering in my heart to see the ending of a story that had become very dear to me), and I don't regret it. Dragon Age: Veilguard, in my opinion, is deserving of praise, and is unworthy of the bad reviews it's gotten. Alright, this is only part of my opinion— but it got a little ramble-y, so forgive me.

Rook. I thought that it was going to be impossible to get me hooked on another protagonist, especially in today's society where people seem to prefer a 'make your own' approach, as opposed to my personal preference of a pre-written character. For instance, I always had a clear preference for Hawke vs. the Warden and/or Inquisitor, but that's just me— I don't like 'creating' my character when I play, I simply want to be told an established story (AC Valhalla is an example of a massive dislike for me). But again, I'm aware that this comes down to preference. Now, I was afraid that Rook would be an even blanker canvas, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn differently. Rook is incredibly reminiscent to me of Hawke, without being a copy in whatsoever way. I'm delighted to have the sarcastic option back (and as many, I loved that it was reacted to by Solas), as it really adds some wonderful personality into the mix. To add to that, I love that it's Rook who is the 'comical relief' without being actually outright comical to a point where it's too much, which would then risk taking away from the weight of the story. Bioware chose a perfect balance here. Outside of that, I very much appreciate the backstory options. My first playthrough had me picking the Crows out of curiosity and as an ode to an old favorite's origins (hi, Zevran), and it was very fun. I enjoyed the consistent mentions and references of the tales of her past after I'd chosen them, and I find enjoyment knowing that even the small details change a bit, such as the verbal reactions to the ziplines. I also was very happy to see her interact well with Solas, because that was another big concern of mine, as I was very worried that there might have been a decision made to add in any sort of flirtations (despite knowing Weekes likely wouldn't go there, based on Solas' foundation). Rook and Solas' dynamic is one I very thoroughly enjoy in exactly the form it was presented in. Up until the very end of the story, she stayed consistent with my choices, and had me seated here with blurry emotional vision on occasion. And while those who know me know that I can get very emotional over details in games, it isn't actually that easy to get me there initially. But good job, Bioware, Rook is a worthy, and wonderful addition to your lineup of protagonists. Good job.

Solas. God, the consistency of his character in this and DAI has driven me wild to the extent of a rabid dog. It is so good, I'm wildly impressed. If there was ever a character that I could give up all of my other characters for, I genuinely think it would be Solas. He is incredible. I was thrilled to see the connection to Mythal more properly addressed, and while I know that there's many firm opinions out there on this dynamic (my own write-up will be incoming), it was made clear that their dynamic was always one of utmost fundamental importance, at least to Solas and his motivations. That's my big thing, Mythal's perspective aside, I think that it was imperative that we learned just why Mythal was such a 'final transgression' and catalyst for all of his actions (though don't worry, this isn't me taking away his accountability). And from a personal point of view, while Solas' origins were hinted at already in DAI, it was nice to see it confirmed that he, and the others, indeed originated as spirits. And in that, it is good to have learned how he became 'twisted' from his nature as a spirit of wisdom, to one of pride. I think that's fundamental to his character, and I also greatly enjoy the elaboration on some of Cole's lines in DAI about Solas, and who we now know for sure was Mythal: 'He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.' A lot of things hit vastly differently now, when you look back and you realize you have confirmed answers finally in the palm of your hand. I thoroughly questioned Mythal when I went for her essence, reloading multiple times as to ensure that I got as much lore as I could. And I hurt, especially since the end of the game. As I said, I won't spoil, but the ending has left me emotionally scarred in more ways than I could ever explain. That interaction, that emotional release was everything to me, and it was good to see it, even if I could barely see my screen anymore at one point. Weekes did Solas justice in so many ways, and while I initially had a little bit of a peeve at a decision in the game towards the end, my rationality had kicked in, and it was a logical decision. I'm happy, I think, if that's the right word that I can use for this. Also, seeing the scene from the trailer was so good, I screamed at my screen. I just, I'm in total and utter love with this man.

Dragon Keep/choices. Let me actually get to my point of criticism, but know I'm approaching this rationally, and not emotionally. I need Bioware to confirm their canon within these games, and if they officially want to let go of the 'decisions that we once made', then just say it and state it somewhere. Tell us what the decisions are. But that aside, I do want to play light devil's advocate, because I think that it's important. Since the revelation about Morrigan in specific, I've been caught in the push and pull of 'does this make sense for her character', and I think that it's so easy to say 'no, it doesn't' when thinking of DAO, but we're not coming from DAO. We're coming from DAI (after numerous years of development for multiple characters), where Morrigan had already shown a pressing interest in something that held a high risk of her getting possessed by Mythal just like her mother. Despite this, and despite her arc in DAO, she wants to drink from the Well of Sorrows. 'But there was no choice, for Corypheus was going to destroy Thedas', the Inquisitor was an option the entire time. No, what I actually am personally of the opinion of (although I'm waiting on my Morrigan expert to finish playing, for I am not an excessively thorough one yet), is that Morrigan was, and remained hell-bent on obtaining knowledge/power, it has been part of her arc for a long time, and even the threat of possession didn't dissuade her from the possibility of obtaining an unusual amount of it in an unparalleled rare form. That isn't, in my opinion, bad or lazy writing, that is consistent and shows a character flaw that I don't think is often addressed with 'protagonists' enough most of the time: greed. I want flaws that make it much more difficult for me to feel inclined to agree with those that call her the Indiana Jones of Thedas, for she is a brilliant character— but a character with flaws. Now do I think, since having watched the ending, that her presence was also a plot device for Mythal in one way or another? Possibly, but that's merely a side addition in my opinion. I just find it too easy to simply go 'it's bad writing', because while I could agree, it also means you then have to condemn Morrigan for the exact same reason back in DAI, which I don't think is something that's fair to do. An argument could be made that Veilguard has lost most of its original team of writers (including David Gaider himself) and so they took liberties, but that same argument can't be made for DAI. Gaider created this franchise, he had intentions for characters, and arcs, and he ultimately is the one who decided when something was good to go. And on top of that, he wrote and created an amazing franchise, and he earned my trust because he did that. And so I trust that the presence of Morrigan in DAI was logical, which I did think it was— it showed flaws that I craved to see outside of her arc in DAO. And I think having seen DAI, that Veilguard isn't unrealistic for her. And as to why this isn't a 'full possession' as it was with Flemeth, I think the key for that is realizing that she obtained it alongside that headpiece where Mythal was killed by Solas. Because what we also know, in that little scene— and it took me a rewatch of it, but Flemeth/Mythal left part of herself in that Eluvian at the beginning of the scene. I would bet that's what Morrigan possesses now, since Solas himself is the one who 'absorbed' the part of Mythal that had fully possessed Flemeth. Does this match with what Morrigan says? Not exactly, but I don't think that she's a reliable narrator.

[rei-does-stuff]

Some ramblings of g5

-Very excited for the future of Tyt esp now since with mym ending theyll probs get way more budget and with the specials coming and the longer runtime!!! It’s exciting! I do wonder if the animation/format of tyt can work in longer forms but we’ll just have to see :)

-Allura’s brother has some connection to sombra, bc like its pretty clear this new place is like the crystal empire and WHO was the main villain of that? Sombra? Maybe he was someone who saw sombra’s work and wanted to finish it???

-Tyt’s new ep shows that Allura is IN maretime bay so I’m guessing until we get our first tell your tale special her stuff will be similar to opaline’s role in tyt (aka silly slapstick of her trying to gain power and failing) Im hoping her character will be as fun as opaline but I’m kinda doubtful since opaline was like SO iconic

-I need to see more of her to rlly get a feeling for her, what im hoping is that she’ll so serious and edgy abt EVERYTHING meanwhile her little bunny sidekick will be there to balance everything out

-Speaking of Opaline I did wish we got more of her backstory, she did say she’d be back so maybe we’ll get it eventually in tyt?

-Comet being basically a minor mane 7 is interesting, I hope they do more with him, maybe hitch can get a boyfriend idk

-I WANT SPARKY TO GROW UP, MAKE HIM TALK AT LEAST PLEASEEEEE

-I like how we’re slowly getting more of Sunny’s ang’s personality back!

-HC TIME THO Sunny gets paranoid easily now after her defeating of Opaline and Allura, her friends are always there to calm her down tho :)

-Okay I think that’s everything!

[a-tale-of-huntsmen]

A Tale of Huntsmen: Team RWBY Initial Plans

Team RWBY is going to be largely the same. Most of the changes made to them are either going to be making things more consistent with information we learn post Beacon.

While also making some aspects of their personalities more prominent and things like that.

Ruby Rose

Ruby is largely staying the same. Though I do plan to make her more socially awkward. With a little bit more focus on her love for weapons and her smithing/engineering skills.

While Ruby has a flat character arc in canon, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do intend to give her more of a character arc. Mostly revolving around her responsibilities as a leader and huntress, and her living up to Summer's legacy.

I also do want to make it fairly clear that while rather optimistic, Ruby isn't super naive. Since I don't really like how some fanon makes Ruby a little too childish for my liking.

Also going to focus on her lack of hand to hand skills, and generally everyone's weaknesses when it comes to combat, earlier on. Though I'm not sure that's really going to be a problem she fixes, more just a flaw she's going to have to work around.

Weiss Schnee

I'm going to have Weiss' character arc take a bit longer, and I'm changing how she got her scar.

That's pretty much it. Weiss is best girl, I think she just needed a little longer to get to that level.

Schneekos?

Blake Belladonna

Blake is pretty much the same in terms of personality and what's she's going to be doing early on in the story.

I'm going to give her a reason to want to be partners with Yang, since it seems like Blake picked her out specifically and we never really learn why. Obviously we know where their relationship goes in canon, but I don't think "She's hot" is really going to work there. I'll think of something I guess.

When it comes to what exactly her relationship with Adam is/was and how much of her backstory I'm keeping. I'm not really sure at the moment.

Yang Xiao Long

With Yang I'm going to... actually give her something to do in the early volumes.

But to be serious, I want to let her be the bombastic, puntastic, and awesometastic bombshell blonde that she is. While also having her act at the "team mom" for RWBY and JNPR. With a little bit of conflict in balancing those two aspects of herself.

It's hard to go be the fun party girl when you're taking care of your friends.

And her not really knowing how to deal with Ruby being not only her teammate, but her leader.

And don't get me started on Raven.

[12freddofrogs]

Three episodes into Artful Dodger.

Thoughts so far that are not particularly spoilery but will be under a readmore nonetheless:

1. Baby Dodger is adorable. I love his little accent ("guv!") that very much feels like a literal Dickensian street child. I want more flashbacks. Give me all of the flashbacks.

2. Belle and Jack steadily creating all of modern medicine themselves within a week is a little bit dramatic, but I don't care; it's fun. They have a fantastic dynamic and it's a fun balance of genuine respect and also being very annoyed at each other.

3. Actually everything about Belle is fun? I like that she's just running a different subplot entirely. Just blackmails a surgeon into teaching her. Doesn't fully grasp her class privilege but does have a pretty good idea of it; is very willing to use her title to actually fix things. Assists with surgery in a ballgown and a tiara, and presumably climbed out of her window wearing it.

4. On a character level, I support Jack's desire to not thieve and want him to do well about it, but also I adored watching the Artful Dodger do a pickpocket with the card. He is so good at it, its his absolute skillset.

5. Fagin is less annoying then he was in the first episode. The fact he does actually seem to care about Dodger/Jack helps, the whole e2 scheme being almost entirely for Jack's benefit with the gambling debt rather than to make a profit himself. That said, Fagin definitely has some plan upcoming that Jack isn't going to like.

6. I liked Fagin making a "best of times/ worst of times" reference, but it was almost too subtle. Different book entirely. I am very much hoping Jack will at some point say "Consider yourself part of the furniture" or something equally blatant as a reference to the musical. Tells Belle "Its clear we're going to get along."

7. I want Oliver Twist himself to turn up at some point. Ideally as a very nice guy, because that is more in tune with the book of the virtuous kid, regardless of Jack's feelings towards him, and it would be kind of great if Jack just punches Oliver and he's still not telling anyone about Dodger.

But come on, you can't just name a character 'Jack Dawson' and call it an adaption (spin off? Sequel? Its not trying to be Oliver Twist), there needs to be significant link. Yes, yes, Fagin is there but they are inventing half their backstory so it helps but doesn't really count. I am still mad about that book that just named characters Peter, James, and Wendy and called it an adaption with no closer link. That's not an adaption that's an allusion.

(7 and 1 are linked, btw. Please give us a flashback of baby Oliver and the Artful Dodger. Show us a scene from the book, or make one up during the book's time period. I want it. I will not give you anything for it but I want it. Please)

[aaronymous9]

The WOF Love Interest slander has made me think about it. What would be my ideal love interests for each Wings of Fire protagonist?

Clay - Keep him without a solid one, he can have minor flings but honestly I like how the books kept him single and made it pretty clear Peril’s crush was one-sided. I don’t personally headcanon him as aromantic or anything I just think him not having a love interest is more useful and interesting to the character dynamics and the story than having one would be.

Tsunami - As I have previously stated, pathetic malewife ( gender-neutral as usual for the bisexual queen ) or equally as tough dragon who has a soft spot for Tsunami and she has one for them. I like how Riptide is the first person Tsunami meets but not in the way the books portray it, it shouldn’t just be “first male of the same tribe as her now they are dating” I feel “this was the first person I felt I could relate to on all the things I never knew why I did and you taught me so much but never used me for being a princess or forced me to be a certain way thank you”

Glory - Okay girlboss and her hitman bodyguard is cute, kinda reminds me of Yor and Loid Forger in a way but also the age gap has to go Tui how’d you fuck up the timeline that bad 😭😭 I don’t actually like how Deathbringer is written either I kinda would want more of a serious to outsiders but playful slowburn when alone with eachother. I feel like Glory wouldn’t actually get with anyone until she’s an adult because she would be so focused on her career BUT GOD GET A MAN OR A WOMAN OR WHATEVER IDC WHO IS YOUR AGE PLEASE DONT MESS UP THE TIMELINE AND IMPLY STRANGE AGE GAPS IT RUINS SHIPS

Starflight - Tbh… I love him and Fatespeaker nerdy quiet boyfriend and his bundle of energy nerdy girlfriend, just crank it up to 11 I want more I don’t care if she’s annoying it’s fun I just wish they did more with it it was so cute :(

Sunny - The aromantic queen.

Moonwatcher - Everytime I heard her worrying about “oh gosh oh me should I choose the nice funny guy who is nothing but kind to me or the nasty racist man who keeps telling me who hates me because I’m a nightwing” makes me want to rip my hair out. If you can’t tell love triangles are often poorly written and both choices are not equal. Solution: Give Qibli more apparent flaws and maybe don’t make Winter dragon racist it makes the bad boy character a lot less of a bad boy and more of “why are you giving this man the time of day Moon he hates you” energy. That was a rant and a half but basically balance it out more and in the end I don’t want her to decide. She can have some romance drama on the side but I feel like she could never choose, or she could go poly or open relationship but who knows. If I could throw Qibli and Winter in the love interest trash bin I would give Moon a quiet gf with an interesting backstory or something like that, someone who doesn’t have a bombardment of thoughts and is calm and peaceful and Moon can just chill with her. Or honestly if Arc 2 wanted to focus on plot more, discard love interest for Moon until Arc 3.

Winter and Qibli - Stated before. Honestly would prefer if Winter didn’t have a love interest at all and worked through his own issues with his friends where as I’m a little more open to Moon and Qibli personally I’m not the biggest fan. I think Qibli is another character like Clay that I can’t see any story reasons to actually give a love interest until after Arc 2.

Peril - Realize she doesn’t need Clay to love her to be worth anything and slowly come to realize to learn to love herself, maybe she gets to be with someone as an adult but after lots of healing and being able to separate her worth as a person from a partner’s love. <3

Turtle - I like how he has a crush on Kinkajou and how Anemone kind of ruins it but I don’t want it to go anywhere and I want he and Kinkajou to have more discussions about it and for them eventually decide not to get together. Or something like that I can’t really see Turtle with anyone but I liked that storyline.

Blue and Cricket: I actually really enjoy this ship and I want them to be happy, make it less sudden though Tui I stg they went way too fast but I do enjoy pathetic little boy x nerdy girl it is a very cute dynamic and made arc 3 tolerable in the first half for me.

Sundew: No complaints. Willow is amazing, I just wish she had more of a role in the story.

Snowfall: I think she and Lynx are cute but they do also work as friends, I don’t think she needs a love interest. Single girlboss.

Luna: I like Luna and Swordtail a lot actually Arc 3 had pretty good romance for Wings of Fire standards, I just wish it was fleshed out more before Luna’s POV book. Her thoughts and memories of Swordtail also made her book tolerable I’m ngl the plot was lacking but Luna and her awesome thoughts and mind and memories was super cool!!

I could also include the humans, the winglet characters and Darkstalker but I don’t want too!! Fuck the humans I hate them!!! Also I acknowledge I didn’t include any MLM ships in here at all but that’s kind of just because most male characters have pretty solid ships already which are primarily straight, which is sad that there isn’t a lot of LGBT rep in Wings of Fire besides Sundew x Willow and side characters Pineapple x Jambou(? He is so irrelevant I forgot his name help 😭 ) and arguably Sky/Peril. Maybe after Winter works through his angst he can get an emo boyfriend that would be my heart and soul.

[science-lings]

What do you say to a giving a little more lore on the priestesses AU?

I WOULD LOVE TO

first of all, some things need to be adjusted for totk, and that means I have to share a different theory that I have that's kind of independent from the priestesses au.

The idea that the Zonai weren't the only race that disappeared. I think that probably at the same time as the Zonai there were a race that lived almost exclusively in the depths and were able to manipulate the darkness. (see Thypho ruins in botw) they could be what form the ancient hero took, (bc that magical fursuit does not look like any zonai we know, the tail, the ears, the hair, etc...)

That way there could still be a connection to the Twili, (also since Midna's and Zant's helmets are down there). It really bothered me that the Zonai suddenly came from the sky and looked like goat people and what little we knew about them was shattered. But if there were a race that cooperated with the Zonai in the depths, a mirrored world of the surface, blanketed in pitch darkness, that may have disappeared alongside them, and after thousands of years had been forgotten entirely, that makes sense to me.

The priestesses au is largely centered around creating a backstory for the three elemental dragons in botw, and so totk... made me have to make more changes for it to make sense. Originally the AU was supposed to happen a hundred years after the first calamity, like how botw happens a century after the second and final calamity. The plot was going to be that just like in the future, even with all the tech and the might of the champions and the princess and the hero, the calamity still wasn't quite sealed. It still had influence and a wanting to take the triforce from its chosen guardians.

But in totk the whole idea of the dragons was kind of explained (though I'm not sure if the dragons appeared in any past cutscenes or if Zelda was kind of 'the first'. I have a feeling due to the abundance of massive skeletal remains, the dragons aren't as immortal as they seem and there were more of them than just the four that we know about)

So, that just means that I now have a method of how the priestesses became the dragons. Perhaps after Ganondorf was sealed, more secret stones were discovered and given to those of extraordinary power, or perhaps they were just a last resort to keep the sacred springs and the goddesses that they represented safe. There was a reason calamity ganon tried to take over Naydra (Zelda) but wasn't able to fully control her. Her divinity was too much to turn her into a threat against Link. I have a feeling he would've tried to go after the other dragons but after the first one, knew it was a losing battle.

Or, they could be the reason draconification was banned in the first place and they turned before Hyrule was even a kingdom. Perhaps there used to be nine secret stones (Rauru/Zelda's- Light/Time, Sonia/Ganondorfs- Time/Gloom, Sages- Lightning, Fire, Wind, and Water, plus three more for the dragon trio) and the Zonai, who wanted to keep the secret stones within reach, banned the practice. After all, dragons don't really do much other than vibe and a secret stone is much more useful to have available.

Now, enough of that, it's kinda boring, let's get to the good shit, I want to talk about Ravio being the equilibrium between darkness and light, out of the rest of his siblings, he's the one who takes on the most 'twili' traits, he has the greatest grasp over darkness, which he uses to conceal his face, and his hair glows the brightest. And he's the one chosen to wield the sword that seals the darkness. I think it's important to note how the character of Link as the hero is always kind of a sponge of the magic and people around him, so Ravio is no different. He's the balance of the darkness and the light, and the magic prowess and the skill with a sword that it's important for the hero to have.

Every other character has a more clear delineation of skills, they have more extreme strengths and weaknesses but Ravio is made to be a little more adaptable, he is the duality that is needed to be the hero. He knows when to run and hide in the shadows, and he knows when to fight. He just has to learn that his nature of being a jack of all trades is a good thing rather than being disappointed that he can't seem to get good at one specific thing like all the people around him.

thanks for letting me go on a tangent, however, I am still open to more instigation lmao, my typing fingers aren't tired yet

[tokiro07]

Undead Undead ch. 147 thoughts

[I Have No Voice and I Must Scream]

Look at that cover!!! It’s so cute!!! The Panpandas are such an underutilized concept within Undead Unluck, I really hope we get to see more of them when Tatiana comes back. I feel a little bad for Chikara, though, he’s barely visible under Top and I had a heck of a time figuring out it was even him because I wasn’t sure what I was looking at until I realized we were seeing his bangs covering one of his eyes

I really hope that we’ll get to see the Under crew as Panpandas later too, it’s such a shame to exclude them. I imagine that we’d get that in a cover page with Bunny, though perhaps it could be Tatiana showing Billy her collection or Rip sewing them for Latla? There’s so many ways for this to go, it’d be such a missed opportunity not to! 

Man, I hope they make merch of these...

Oh, also, this is the third color page we’ve gotten in six chapters, currently averaging at one every other chapter for this year! I wonder if perhaps UU will be a bit closer to the front on the next shared cover...?

We cut to Southeast Asia in the country (?) of Buroja, which I had been unable to find when I was researching the South China Sea a few weeks back. I figured that perhaps it was an island nation that I just couldn’t find because it was so small or something, but no. The reason I couldn’t find it is because it isn’t real. Tozuka made it up, presumably to avoid stepping on any toes by referencing a real conflict, but in the process he stepped on mine by making me look a fool. Also, the name Buroja is apparently a reference to one of Tozuka’s favorite things, Gundam, as it’s an anagram for the Jaburo federation. According to David Evelyn, the wounded soldiers we see later even share designs with some pilots from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. David also realized that he had missed another Gundam reference much earlier in the series in Andy’s backstory, as the members of his gang were all named after  various Gundam characters! Man, I wonder if I’d be able to get away with making a bunch of Medaka Box references in my work...

We see Tella identifying an airdrop based on the sound, and he determines that they are under-armed. He reports this to Billy with the help of a map that seems to be made so as to allow Billy to read it through touch, confirming that Billy is already blind at this point in his history. I thought he would go blind during his tragedy, but I guess not. I wonder if that will be important, or if he was born that way? If he was born blind, that may explain why he’s such a capable fighter; rather than relearning how to operate without sight, he never learned how to operate with it and wasn’t hampered by the loss. Maybe, I guess we’ll see

We learn that this conflict isn’t exactly political in nature, rather it’s a treasure hunt, with various mercenary groups hired by presumably different nations to find an ancient superweapon: Disc.

As you may recall, Disc was the UFO that Gina was using to scan Lake Baikal to find a UMA back before Andy and Fuuko joined the Union, and ultimately the cause of her death when the on-board laser misfired as a source of Unluck. I had been under the impression that Disc, with its clear resemblance to Gina’s hat, was designed by Nico specifically for Gina’s use. When we later learned that Tatiana’s armor was simply called Sphere, I took that as confirmation that Nico just had terrible naming sense, but now it seems that Disc might actually be an Artifact. Perhaps it’s the ur example of a UFO

Tella worries about handing over Disc to whatever government their group, Horizon Balance, is working for, but Billy reveals that he intends to keep Disc and use it as a deterrent for future conflicts. The thing about mutually assured destruction, though, is that the world saw firsthand what nukes could do; if everyone believes Disc to be a myth, then they’d need to see proof before it can be a deterrent, so Billy’s belief that he’d never need to use it is perhaps a bit optimistic

Billy sends Tella back to camp and asks him to sing for the injured soldiers, as apparently he’s quite good at it, making his inevitable awakening as a Negator even more tragic. Also, I forgot to mention a couple of chapters ago that we got our first good look at Tella’s unmarred face, so I’ll mention it now: Tella’s a lot cuter than I would have guessed. It is 20 years earlier, so obviously he was going to look younger, but I didn’t expect him to have such a babyface. Hell, even Billy looks a lot softer, even though there’s very little different about his design. I think it’s that he doesn’t have that wrinkle under his eyes; what a small detail to much so much of a difference

So Tella sings for the soldiers and tells them he plans to keep all of them alive, but they chide him for being too softhearted to leave an injured soldier behind, which they cite as strategically unsound. Tella’s temper flares when they mention he got his softness from Billy, so I don’t think this is so much an insecurity of Tella’s, but rather a defense of Billy

The soldiers recite Horizon Balance’s oath, which states that their goal is to make the world fair and balanced (hence why Billy ends up becoming the vessel of Unfair), a goal that they are willing to die for if it means that their team can continue the fight. It’s really interesting that Billy was the leader of a group like that only to betray a similar group to lead a group that only has a concept of mutual benefit. It was already stated in the previous loop that Billy founded Under in order to force the Union to meet the conditions for Unfair, but this really drives home how much doing that must have gone against his beliefs and how difficult it must have been for him

Tella leaves the camp to keep watch, and Billy immediately identifies that he’s been crying. Tella accuses him of being able to see, but Billy states that it was clear from the sound of his breathing. I wonder if perhaps Billy’s superhuman hearing will somehow be relevant to Tella’s Rule, if Billy will be able to garner information from Tella that he can’t verbally share? Even if not, Billy and Tella really make an interesting pair: a blind man and a mute man. I’m sure that’ll make for some spicy fanfiction sooner or later

After taking over the watch, Tella realizes that the light airdrop he’d heard earlier was actually a decoy and much more heavily armed tanks are now on track to attack the camp. It is at this exact moment that Tella gains his Rule: Untell. I figured this would be the name after we met UMA Tell during the Ruin Arc, but I still feel like the name itself could use some work. Untold works well for the Rule, but Told doesn’t work as well for the UMA; Untellable also works, and I think that the UMA would probably still be Tell since I can’t imagine there’s a Believable and Avoidable when Belief and Avoid would make more sense

As I’m sure we all expected, Untell negates Tella’s ability to communicate with his body, hence why in ch. 120 we see him talking through a speaker hooked up to his throta and why in the modern day we would see him using speakers that plug into his forehead; presumably neither require any muscular movement, with the latter seeming to work on thought waves. I don’t know how the former would work, though, but the image of Tella with a tube jutting out of his bleeding neck illustrates a very painful process for learning how to circumvent his own “power”

We do see just after the fight with Summer that Tella can use his speakers to intercept attacks, so it’s clear that Tella 100 did figure out how to turn his obviously weak and restrictive ability into a strength and that the current Tella will undoubtedly do the same, likely without the same tribulations. My guess is that Tella interprets the oncoming attacks as incoming communications to him, negating them before they can hit his body. That might be a bit of a stretch, but I can’t think of a better way to describe that usage of his ability

Similar to Unrepair paralyzing a target that tries to stop their bloodflow, Untell paralyzes Tella whenever he tries to perform a communicative action such as pressing a button for Morse code or walking toward someone you want to talk to. It is only after Creed fires on the camp that any sound comes out of Tella’s mouth, the disbelieving and grieving whimpers not meant to reach anyone but only to react

On the subject of Creed, my roommate tells me that the tanks his troupe is using are Russian, implying that Creed may have been hired to find Disc by Russia, so I think there’s a good chance that Horizon Balance is working for the US, but that’s probably not an important detail right now

What is important is that the Union has arrived to defend Horizon Balance from Creed, deflecting enemy fire with Unchange and ready to return fire. I’m guessing that Void, who seems to be holding an attack stance, is meant to keep the enemy from scattering or retreating while Fuuko is going to fire Unluck bullets at the tanks. disarming them while not hurting the people inside. Also, Nico and Ichico can be seen retrieving the injured in the background, so they seem to have this situation pretty well under control

The question now is what role Isshin 12, Yusai and Sean are going to be playing in this battle. Perhaps Isshin made their body armor, Yusai will keep bullets from being fired and Sean will launch some kind of sneak attack? Again, we’ll see next week

Also, I know I pointed it out a few weeks ago, but the Union’s fatigues are so good; Gina in particular looks great in this shot. both because of her outfit and because of her stance. She looks so confident and cool, I love her so much

This chapter went a really long way for endearing me to Tella and continuing to endear me to Billy, I can’t wait to see how Fuuko convinces them to join her cause and how she gets Creed to become an ally rather than an enemy. Will Billy and Creed get their powers at the same time? Will Undecrease be the first victim of the new Unfair, or perhaps will spineless Sean end up viewing Billy as a threat and inadvertently give him Unseen?

This chapter was really good buildup for the coming fight, I can’t wait to see the payoff

Oh, you may also have noticed that I didn’t bring up 2003 again this time (not counting this paragraph). That’s because I’m starting to find it redundant; I’ve expressed my confusion plenty of times by now, and bringing it up every week is just as annoying for me to write as it probably is for you all to read it. For the time being, I’m going to have faith that it will be explained later as either a misunderstanding, events happening earlier like Sean’s birth, or as something more pressing than the majority of other preceding tragedies. Whatever the case, I don’t plan to mention it again until we know the truth for sure, but hopefully that will be sooner than later

[coffeebanana]

📚 Adrien, Ivan, Rose

💔 Kagami

💎 anyone

Thank you so much for the ask!! (i am sorry this is months late but you know when a deadline has passed and suddenly your brain is like "oops this isn't a thing i need to do at all anymore" even though that's a lie? well this is like that, except the deadline was arbitrary aksjkfsdjbf. so yeah this has been sitting in my drafts half-finished for a while 😭) 📚 assign some characters to be in a group project together, and I’ll tell you how that would go (Adrien, Ivan, Rose) Ooooh! This is such an interesting group to think about! Ok, well, Adrien spends the first five minutes trying to shake his disappointment that he didn't get put into Marinette's group, but it doesn't take long for him to get sucked into his group's enthusiasm.

Rose has like 10 billion ideas with varying degrees of over-the-topness and wants to put glitter and everything. Initially Ivan is shy about sharing his own thoughts, but Rose and Adrien encourage him until he does, and they love his ideas. Ivan is also familiar with handling Rose's more extra ideas from their experience in Kitty Section, so he's very helpful in whittling them down into realistic concepts they can actually use. Adrien ends up the de facto leader of the group, since he's the best at organizing the ideas and thinking practically about what they'll need to execute them, but if asked he claims it was 100% a team effort.

All in all, they only get accidentally covered in glitter once, so it's a success. (Months later, Adrien still finds the occasional bit of glitter in his room, since you can't ever get rid of glitter not EVER it always stays around. It always makes him think of his friends, which makes him smile.)

💔 send me a character, and I’ll tell you some canon tidbit(s) I like about them that no one ever talks about (Kagami)

akjsdbkj I'm going to be honest: this is the question that tripped me up and made me accidentally put this ask aside for months, because I don't know. It's hard because she doesn't get a lot of screen time, so I can't really think about things people never talk about. But she doesn't get talked about enough in general so anything is fair game 😎(thank you littlebug server for your help with this akjbsfdk) I think one thing I love about her is like...her growth throughout the series? Because when we first meet Kagami it's very clear she has a very specific worldview and particular ideas about how things should be, but throughout her interactions with Marinette and Adrien throughout the series you see her considering their POVs more and more and developing who she is outside of who her mother wants her to be. Like, her deciding to befriend Marinette, or her sneaking off to date Adrien, or when she calls Adrien in risk (I saw her get a lot of flack for that scene but I freaking loved it). And I think that's one of the reasons I love Marigami so much, because Kagami's relationship with Marinette, be it friendship or something romantic, really pushes Kagami out of her comfort zone. And Kagami pushes Marinette in other ways. They really balance each other out in a cool way.

💎 Ask me about rare pairs I wasn't sure if this was supposed to refer to a specific rare pair or like rare pairs in general, so I'll ramble a little about both. It's funny, actually; prior to this fandom I was never really a multishipper. But this fandom has a lot of great rare pair content and it sucked me in! (Especially because it gives me an excuse to write more sapphic ships ahaha.) I love writing rare pairs because it lets me explore familiar characters in new ways and get to know characters I'm not well acquainted with a lot better. Plus, it's fun coming up with backstories/headcanons for characters that don't get as much screentime in canon--it's like flexing brain muscles I don't use when I write love square fics. And yeah...Marigami is my favourite rare pair in the fandom for sure, but I already talked a bit about why I love them in the last question so I'm also going to talk a little about Alyanette because my brain's been thinking things about them lately. Hands down my favourite thing about Alyanette is how their relationship is built on like...a mutual admiration for each other? Like, you have this really cool set-up where Alya looks up to Ladybug, but Marinette only followed through on becoming Ladybug because of how much she looked up to Alya--and BOTH of those things were established so quickly, like their gut reactions to meeting each other was basically just mutual admiration. And you get to see them gain a deeper understanding for each other as the series goes on and it's just lovely. We need more Alyanette content in the world <3

[ajaxbell]

I watched Back from the Brink because I guess I just wanted more dramas about dragons? But I was pleasantly surprised.

I actually can't say why I started watching this. I remember when it came out thinking I wasn't interested. I went in with low expectations and feel pretty rewarded for what I got. Like a lot of cdramas this makes some pretty startling tone shifts if you're used to western storytelling. It has the same original story author as Love Between Fairy and Devil and I can definitely see some theme similarities between the two. Resurrection/rebirth, all consuming revenge as a source of downfall, the 'good' guys actually being the villains (to some extent, here it's more individual). But I wouldn't say there's much similarity between the two productions beyond the opening credits and the music.

Zhou Ye was amazing at the comedy and really capable competent character which was refreshing after the recent shows I've watched.

Back from the Brink starts of with pretty high level of slapstick, even as it's clear from the beginning that the themes are serious. The opening flashback is about heartbreak and deceit, but the the main story has a cartoon levels of slapstick comedy. The comedy resonated with me and was amusing rather than irritating as it can be when done badly. Though it did lower my expectations for the show overall. But the acting across the cast was unexpectedly good, even as some of the directorial choices were weird.

There was a lot of baozi eaten in this and I regret I did not get to eat any.

Things I didn't like:

I think one of my biggest complaints is that like 20% of this show is flashbacks. Not like scenes of things that happened before the present day story, but like replay scenes of things you literally just saw as recently as the last episode, or sometimes even in the same episode. Like I get the person is supposed to remembering or thinking of something, but most shows can depict that without showing the exact same footage over and over. Maybe it was supposed to somehow deepen emotional impact, but it sure didn't work for me.

And the main villain came across as petulant rather than scary or even really powerful, which ultimately detracted from the overall impact of the story.

The very end was a little weak, but honestly if the PRC would get it together and let shows depict reincarnation a lot of these plots would make so much more sense.

Things I liked:

The slapstick! Really something I don't usually look for or always even enjoy, but Zhou Ye did the comedy very well and Hou Minghao did a good job of playing the straight man against her hilarity.

The sets and costumes. All of them weren't great but the overall aesthetics were great and quite pleasing.

The second male lead had a good plot, backstory, did comedy well, and made me feel wistful longing. Usually I either hate the 2ML, or like him so much than the main love interest that I end up mad at the show (you know like The Wolf?).

There's a really charming subplot late in the show that was way too cute but like not TOO cute and it really kept me in the show as the plot twisted.

The main female lead was really competent, smart, but also silly and charming. It was nice balance, and definitely different than what I've been seeing in female leads recently (really the antithesis of the FLs in The Longest Promise and The Journey of Chong Zi).

The secondary cast was huge, all did decent to great work, and had their own good side plots.

I definitely enjoyed this but I was more entertained by it than I was really emotionally invested. I liked the story, and mostly liked how it was told (minus the repetitive flashbacks). I think Zhou Ye carried a lot of the emotional acting work of the main couple. Hou Minghao was fine as the dragon lord, pretty enough for it, and I'd even say his acting was good, but he didn't have the brooding intensity the role required. It did need something like a Wang Hedi as Moon Supreme type deal and it just wasn't there. And though it didn't diminish my enjoyment, it's probably what kept me from being really emotionally involved. Still I'd recommend it, though maybe as a palate cleanser between more intense dramas.

Even if I thought he lacked some keep element (gravitas?) he sure is pretty

[billconrad]

Writing Has Changed Me

    On 3/12/2016, I started writing a fictional book. Since that fateful day, I have noticed changes in my life. My attitude is slightly more liberal. I am a bit more socially responsible and a bit more carefree.

   Why did this occur? An author must get into the minds of the characters. These “people” need to think, react, feel, and act far differently than an author’s humble life. An author cannot simply duplicate themselves. Let me be clear. Nobody wants to read about the adventures of Bill Conrad, Super Engineer! Spoiler: His secret identity is a part-time author. Just yesterday, in an epic display of courage, he FULLY overcame an obsolete resistor. (Insert “We are the Champions” music.) Yeah, not best-seller material.

    A good story has conflict, personality, and depth. To achieve this, authors must connect with their characters. To do this, an author must put their (boring) life aside and think independently. Then, they can mentally build a fictional scene and plop characters inside. This effort requires compassion to be successful. I have invented scenes and characters so often that it took away some of my conservative personality, leading to a more balanced life.

    I had not thought about this change until I wrote this article. Granted, it is a minor change, but it is a change that I wholly attribute to a different type of thinking. Is this change an improvement? Honestly, I am not sure. Most people resist change. They like their simple lives, and I am no exception. If I were to guess, being slightly more liberal is a wonderful change. Am I comfortable with it? I think so. The change is defiantly a new chapter. Ha, get it? A book reference.

    After my first draft, my beta reader (mom) pointed out that my characters lacked depth and they did not have appropriate descriptions. A sad person walks into a room and says, “Hello.” How were they dressed? What did the room look like? Why were they sad? What was their name? Man or woman? Yeah, that was all missing.

   I solved this problem by putting more effort into studying the people I saw. They were no longer faces in the crowd but little gems to be described. That woman over there. Her hair is “flowing and fresh.” No. I can do better. Her hair is “naturally bouncy, and it brightens her face.” Better, but not great. Spice it up. Her hair is “spiky blue which makes her face pop.” Hmm. Now we are getting somewhere. Keep trying.

    I wanted to know a person’s backstory, history, choices, and why they were here at that moment. Since I do not enjoy striking up random conversations, I fill in the blanks based on their appearance. That man in the suit over there. I bet he is a rich guy. What would happen if somebody handed him $100? Would he accept the money or decline it?

    This change was a fascinating addition to my personality, but making up facts about a person I have not met can feel creepy. I certainly would not like a description of my nose or how I would react to a monster attack. I just threw this shirt on. I was not thinking of the bold statement it would make about my personality.

    Do I have any emotional attachment to random people I analyze or throw into plots? No, this is just a mental exercise, and I often forget these random thoughts. What about my co-workers and friends? Yes, I study them, but not too closely. People are wise, and staring gets noticed.

    Do I study myself? I have always studied myself. I try to be a better person, and I try to treat people better. I observe how others react to my decisions and learn from my mistakes. Writing has helped in this area, as I have a more focused approach. I also ask myself better questions.

    How significant is this change in my life? 10%. Does that mean I am 10% changed or 10 % better? Hard to say because my mind is telling me the percentage, and I know that my mental outlook is still conservative. How about 5% better? Umm, how about 5% mostly better? There is that conservative mind kicking in. What will happen in my future? I anticipate a 5% increase over the next 20 years. However, life is unpredictable. You, over there. Watch out. A monster is coming!

    You’re the best -Bill

    July 22, 2023

    Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

[malglories]

character-driven outline

so! this is my outline template!

i combined save the cat, dramatica, and a character arc guide from this site to create a character-driven outline that suits my tastes, and also based the format off of the “foody” method, seen in this video.

disclaimer that i’m not an expert; i just spent a ridiculous amount of time making this, and to me, it makes sense, so i thought i would share.

here’s the link! to use, click make a copy or download.

(long) explanation under the cut

as you can see, my outline divides the story into 3 main acts, 4 sections, 12 save the cat beats and 33 core scenes.

the 33 core scenes are based on save the cat and dramatica, and are simply basic plot points that should happen in a well-balanced, satisfying story. they are the bare bones. 

you can change the order, add more scenes to connect between core points, add more core points themselves, take out anything - whatever works for you.

again, i’m not an expert at all.

when i was compiling this, and looking at save the cat specifically, i found their plot points too vague and difficult to fill in. since i love character-driven stories, i decided i’d connect basic plot points (which can include both internal and external action) with my main character arc.

there are several principles connecting the main plot and the character arc here:

the exterior conflict should challenge, enable, encourage, or otherwise reflect the character’s inner conflict 

therefore every core scene affects, or is affected by, the character, and specifically the lie they tell themselves

the character’s inner conflict revolves around this lie

the character arc centers around 4 core drives: want, need, lie, and truth. as you can see, the lie is the central drive.

i’m going to use jane eyre as an example (plugged in below) mostly bc the website with the character arc outline used it and i’m lazy.

a character wants something. jane eyre wants to be loved

but their want masks their specific need. jane needs independence and spiritual freedom

their want is also a projection of the lie they tell themselves, due to some specific backstory. jane’s lie is that she isn’t worthy of being loved, unless she submits and debases herself for others, because of her aunt’s neglect and her experiences at lowood

jane’s real truth, that she is worthy of being loved and that love isn’t submission, leads her to her need: independence and spiritual freedom

the conflict between jane’s lie and her truth, her want and her need, reflects the main conflict of the story.

(also, i know it’s not a perfect beat-by-beat of jane eyre, but again i couldn’t really be bothered)

still, looking at the main plot points for each section (opening image, inciting incident, major revelation, lowest point, battle, and final image) can make this a little clearer.

when the story begins, jane is in her “normal world,” a sense of stasis, which introduces, enables, and symbolizes her lie: her abuse and neglect at home with her aunt and cousins, her childhood at lowood

the inciting incident, and the new world it pushes the character into, will introduce a challenge to their lie and lead to a reckoning. in jane’s case it’s meeting rochester, her love interest, a reflection of her want

the revelation, at the midpoint of the story, begins a struggle between reconciling the lie and the truth that will bring them what they need. jane sees rochester’s darkness and feels uneasy, and knows she’s in love with him, but also knows she can’t work for him if he’s going to marry blanche

the lowest point, at which jane discovers the existence of mrs. rochester, is a major defeat, stripping away all her illusions

but by the battle, jane has embraced her truth, is now financially independent, has true relationships, and reunites with rochester on equal footing and with clear eyes

luckily for jane, mrs. rochester is dead and rochester is blind; she can be both happily married and independent

as you can see, even if external events are happening to jane at each point, every event is closely linked to jane, her lie, and the story’s actual theme.

it may not always happen that attaining the need will also lead to the want; throughout the story, the character may change their view of their original want, find a new want, be ultimately unable to attain the want, etc.

also: this is obviously a positive character arc, but there is a negative character arc i can map out if anyone is interested.

and of course you can add more columns if you have multiple povs.

if you have any questions about specific beats or details, feel free to ask!

and again, here’s the link.

[aliteama]

♡Headcanons♡

S/O with a demon curse technique

Inumaki Toge

♡ Please he get’s so scared watching you regenerate, the first time you lost a limb or a vital organ he swears his heart stopped, If it’s a small cut he thinks it’s so cool watching it heal quickly and vanish as if nothing happened.

♡ When he finds out you’ll eventually live on forever or at least until you die he gets a little sad so please let him in on the demon reversal! Get’s so smiley at the thought of spending his life with you.

♡ Uses you to play pranks on the others, like he’ll have you 

♡ Finds the whole concept of demons fascinating and can hear you talk about breathing techniques for days on end, gives you his best puppy eyes so you can teach him proper breathing forms.

Peering down at the stinging in your chest laid a gushing hole located little too close to your heart, dull pain flowing rushing to your veins as your cells rushed to heal themselves.

“Blast Away”

In an instant Inumaki was by your side placing pressure on your wound despite you insisting you were fine, crimson covering both your dark uniforms and seeping into the fabric to create an uncomfortable feeling. It wasn’t exactly ideal to be covered in your lovers blood and no matter how many time he had seen you get punctured like a pincushion the prodding thought of you dying crawled into his head and remained there.

“Toge I’m fine! just need a little time to heal is all” grimacing towards the curses remains you watched it turn to dust, “how annoying” agitation swimming in your mind at the fact that you managed to get hurt by some silly curse.

“Leaf Mustard?” shaking hands cupped your cheeks, they were warm and painted in blood yet the gesture was appreciated. 

“Yes, I promise I’m ok”

Gojo Satoru

♡ If you can’t go into the sun he’s going to be gifting you different umbrellas to match with all your outfits, he got you guys those matching clear one’s as well because he likes to walk side by side and bump you with it.

♡ Gojo knows you can protect yourself but he can’t help but worry about what the elders would do to you considering their so old-fashioned and fear the unknown.

♡ Once he finds out about your demon abilities he will not leave you alone, going to be sparring with you constantly because he heard you mention a demon slayer mark ONCE and it’s all he’s thought about.

♡ Probably asks if he’ll turn into a demon too if you bite him.

♡ Slipping into the shade you watched the sun rise from the horizon, turning the cool toned sky turn warm, stretching an arm forward to meet the light and watch the skin boil you retracted whatever wasn’t burned away and let yourself regenerate.

“Weather says sunny skies all week long” a teasing grin appeared on Gojo’s face as he stepped into the shade with you, an arm hidden behind his back held a not so hidden umbrella.

“Were going somewhere”

“Just a little outing”

Holding up the umbrella he got down on one knee and presented it to you as if it were a sword, “A stunning red for my stunning date” swiping it from his hands you gave his head a soft whack at the cheesy line before undoing the velcro and watching a vibrant red pop up.

It really was a stunning shade of red, it contrasted the pale blue in his perfectly and made the white of his hair stand out “You use it” shoving the umbrella into his outstretched arms you saw the smile he bit back.

“I know I’m hot but I don’t get burned like you”

Rolling your eyes at his lame quip you made your way back inside to grab the faded blue umbrella you always found yourself reaching for, “I like this color of blue”

“Hmm, is it because it reminds you of me?”

“Perhaps”

Itadori Yuji

♡ Loves training with you because your strength is on par with his and he doesn’t have to worry about hurting you.

♡ Once said there’s a demon under his bed and he felt so bad and kept apologizing because he thought he offended you.

♡ Thinks your the coolest and keeps bragging to Sukuna about how he’s not the only one who can regenerate anymore.

♡ Ok all demons have sad backstories so if you ever tell Itadori yours he gets so sad like he’ll think about it for days and become super cuddly around you because he want’s you to know he’ll make this life better for you.

♡ Sweeping a leg under your opponents your watched him loose balance and fall back, swinging your sword over your shoulder you pushed the hilt into his stomach, “you loose.. again”

Letting out a loud whine Itadori pushed your sword away and rolled back onto his feet into a fighting stance, fists clenched and eyes honed as he charged at you once more. Inhaling a sharp breath you countered his strikes and aimed for any openings he left, when Itadori said no going easy he meant it. Dirt flew up as his body collapsed downward with a yelp “Your really strong!”

“So are you Yuji!”

“I think I’m done for today! I’m hungry..” placing a hand over his rumbling stomach Itadori looked up at you with excited eyes, “You don’t need to eat right? That must be really cool!” 

Pushing a hand out for him to grab you pulled him up like nothing with a grin on your face, “I could always eat humans!” tugging his arm to your lips you bit down on the soft flesh gently before releasing him with a loud laugh at his shocked expression.

“It’s not funny! I really thought you might want to eat me!” 

Throwing himself onto you Itadori clung to your body and let himself be dragged while you walked back to the main campus “Can you carry me?” with curious eyes you leaned down and let Itadori jump onto your back as he lout an overly excited ‘woah.’

“AH! Your way crazy strong! I wanna carry you next!”

Nobara Kugisaki

♡ Nobara loves watching you open your sword and see it regain it’s color, would never admit it but she secretly hopes you break it so she can see if a new sword means a new color.

♡ You once told her that her sword was forged from the strongest material and she tried to smash it with her hammer, she made a dent at most.

♡ She thinks your regeneration is super useful and doesn’t worry about you too much but get’s a little sad at the fact you can’t go shopping with her out in the day.

♡ Loves to hear you talk about everything you’ve seen come and ago for however long you’ve been around, likes to talk about development and never get’s tired of hearing your voice.

♡ If you’ve killed people Nobara isn’t going to hold it against you and she’ll try to put herself in your shoes so you don’t have to tackle everything on alone.

♡ Tall buildings illuminated by late hour offices and blinding street lights filled your vision, in awe at the lively night life, people passing by with their children and cars honking loudly in traffic. A firm hand held your and guided you around with ease as if she’s been here a hundred times, which she probably has.

If it weren’t for her you’d have been left in the crowd wandering aimlessly in and out of shops, insisting you go shopping with her Nobara paced around all day until the sun went down to drag you out into the bustling city. Stopping outside packed stored and peering into windows of little shops she was overjoyed at finally getting to spend time with you, nighttime was her favorite time as it meant you could travel to and from without worrying about the sun rays damaging your skin.

“Oh! That jacket would look really cute with the boots I got!” hauling you into another shop you sat outside the dressing room while Nobara laced her boots and slipped a neon jacket over her shoulds, “How do I look?”

“Amazing as always” with soft eyes you watched her give you a spin and show off the bright designs that littered the sleeves before switching out her shoes and shrugging the jacket off.

Radiating with joy she bought her items before letting you decide where to stop next, “Ah, I’m not too sure since a lot of places closed already”

Guilt knocked at your heart, if it weren’t for your technique the two of you could travel as far she wanted whenever she wanted without having to hide from the sun.

“I don’t mind though, as long as I get to spend time with you I’d be happy going anywhere”

Wrapping herself around your arm Nobara pressed a loving kiss to your cold cheek that seemed to gain some warmth at the affection given, “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am! Now let’s go”

As long as it was with her anywhere was fine.

[iheartgarrus]

MERweek 2021 - Day 2: Long Time No See

Yes, I know we’re almost done with Day 3 already (in my time zone anyway), but I’m going at my own pace on these things. Meet Viola’s mom! Viola has a backstory adapted from the Earthborn and Spacer backgrounds - you don’t need to know all about it to read this, but there are little references. If you’re curious, I summarized it here.

Not sold on this title. Doesn’t quite work tonally, I don’t think. But I picked it because it’s a lyric from my mom’s favorite song. This takes place a few months after Shepard’s arrest post-Arrival. Fair warning: this is seriously nothing but talking.

Title (working): Darlin’, May I Intrude? Rating: T Content: Language; rocky mother/daughter relationship Pairing: Viola Shepard & Hannah Shepard (faint background Shakarian) Genre: Family/General  Word Count: 1160

“Commander,” the young MP on guard duty greeted when she opened the door.

They weren’t supposed to call her that, but none of them could seem to figure out what to call her instead. Another had tried “Ms. Shepard” once - he’d immediately grimaced like he had food poisoning and never said it again. She told them just Shepard was fine, but, no matter what the brass said, they saw her a certain way. She let it go - at least this one wasn’t saluting her. “Yes, Lance Corporal Kabinoff?” she asked. And if she sounded a little annoyed, well, it was getting late and Shepard was just sinking into her book - god, this whole house arrest thing was turning her into an old lady.

“You have a visitor, ma’am,” Kabinoff replied before stepping off to the side, and Shepard got a glimpse about 15 years into her future.

She’d always vehemently denied that there was any resemblance between her and her mother, but something - distance, death, whatever - had changed that. She definitely saw it now, and it gave her a pang of familial fondness she was unaccustomed to. “Mom,” she said quietly.

Hannah smiled, her eyes wet. “Hey, Vi. Got time to catch up?”

Shepard blinked a few times, thrown off balance by the old nickname. Only one person had called her that in the last few years, and she was trying very hard to keep her mind off of him. She swallowed and set her jaw, moving to let her mother inside and closing the door.

Viola took a deep breath and turned to face Hannah. She had to look down at her - she had been the taller one since the first time they’d reunited 17 years ago. “I didn’t think they’d let you visit,” she said. She folded her arms across her chest, a silent signal that she wasn’t ready to be touched. Her mom was demonstrative in her affection, but it was only ever on Viola’s terms.

Hannah gave her space, moving to look out the window. “I had to ask a few times. Luckily, Admiral Anderson has a soft spot for you and me, so he cleared the way.” She smiled softly at the Vancouver skyline.

Viola huffed a laugh. “What are you gonna do if he ever cashes in on all the favors you owe him?”

Hannah turned and caught her eye for a moment. “I think you knocked out a few of them taking out Sovereign and making him Councillor,” she quipped.

“Are you kidding? I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for making him play politics.”

“Hmm,” Hannah hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe if you beat the Reapers he’ll call it even.”

Viola’s posture relaxed a bit, and she stepped up next to her mother, joining her in staring out the window. “So… you believe me?”

Hannah’s head whipped around to face her. “What?! Vi, of course I believe you. I was at the Citadel - I saw that thing!”

Viola shrugged. “So did the Council. So did millions of other people. Still feels like the only people who believe the Reapers are real are the ones who were on my crew. And… fucking Cerberus, I guess.”

Hannah scoffed. “‘Geth ship’ my squishy human ass,” she muttered. “That was the joke of the century, and trust me, I’m not the only one who thinks so. You’ve got more friends than you think in the Alliance, even if the higher ups won’t admit it.”

“Friends will help,” Viola said with a sigh, “but we won’t get very far without actual preparation. And I can’t do shit locked up in here.”

There wasn’t much Hannah could say to that - she was right, and they were both powerless to do anything about it. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, watching a shuttle take off from the spaceport a few kilometers from the base and basking in each other’s presence in their own way. Eventually, Viola’s arms loosened and fell to her sides, and her gaze dropped to the floor. “Mom…” she whispered. “I’m afraid I fucked up.”

“Oh, Vi,” Hannah soothed. She wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders and pulled her closer. “I’m not going to pretend I know what you’re going through, and apparently the details are classified. But I know you’ve never taken death lightly. I know that whatever the hell happened in that system, you made the call you had to make. If you had fucked up, you would admit it. You wouldn’t be saying you were afraid - you would be sure of it, and you would own up to it, because that’s the kind of person you’ve always been.”

Viola shook her head. “Heh. You sound like…” She trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose - she was not going to cry about this again.

Hannah rubbed Viola’s shoulder. “Whoever I sound like must be pretty smart.”

Viola took a deep breath to gather herself. “Smarter than he thinks he is, to be honest. At least about this kind of stuff. Arrogant as hell about other things.” Fuck. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him, and she definitely wasn’t supposed to be talking about him.

“Should I ask?” Hannah was trying not to smile.

“No.”

“Point taken. But, listen.” She stepped around in front of Viola, encouraging her to meet her eyes. She did, after a moment. “Whatever hell rains down on us, I have your back. I’ll always have your back. So will Anderson. So will your crew, I’m sure. I know you’re going to give this fight everything you can, but you need to remember you aren’t in it alone. Let some of your people help carry the burden, or there won’t be any of you left.”

Viola turned away - she felt her walls instinctively going up, though she tried to fight it. She was no good at this sort of thing.

Hannah sighed. “I’m sorry, Vi. I know. And you know how much I wish things had been different. But that’s not your life anymore. You have people.”

After a few tense seconds, Viola nodded a couple of times, her posture still rigid. “Yeah. Yeah.”

Hannah stepped back, letting her breathe. “I have to ship back out in the morning. I can head to the barracks if you want - no hard feelings.”

Viola finally looked at her again. “Are you even allowed to stay?”

Her mother shrugged with a light smirk. “They didn’t tell me I wasn’t.”

“Well,” Viola said, trying to smile a little in return. “House arrest is pretty fucking lonely. A little company might not kill me.”

“Ha!” Hannah barked. “‘Might not kill you’? Is that a bit of a joke I hear?”

“Mm. Trying to lighten up a little. But I do want you to stay. I…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Hannah knew what she was leaving unsaid. She tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Yeah. Me too, kid.”