#I want to flesh out her character and her feelings

[spicyycarrot]

back in S1 I really gave the writers the benefit of the doubt, choosing to believe they weren't libs or centrists. that they didn't really think Vander collaborating with cops was good for Zaun, that they knew characters like Jinx aren't fundamentally broken and irredeemable but a result of trauma caused by systemic oppression.

I believed they knew about and understood real life systems of oppression but very cleverly and subtly told their story, trying not to spoon-feed the audience & shove political messages down anyone's throats.

but then season 2 being so rushed and fast-paced really showed me where their priorities lied, what they chose to focus on and it wasn't insightful social commentary or exploration of any character's psyche or whatnot (aside from ep 7 which was peak) - it felt like they were trying to elicit emotional responses out of the audience more than anything. Isha gets introduced and oh I'm sure they'll subvert expectations and keep her alive & give Jinx hope that she can change for the better and isn't a Jinx to the people she lov- oh nvm Isha's dead. oh Vi has a mental breakdown after betraying everything she once stood for, becoming an enforcer and subsequently falling into a depression & self-harming for possibly months, I'm sure they'll explore this inner conflict in more detail after this montage- nvm it's LITERALLY JUST THE ONE MONTAGE? ok this Maddie girl is sleeping with Caitlyn but she doesn't seem to have any logical reason or motivation to betray he- never fucking mind??? I guess there was just no reason?????

whenever I thought they'd subvert expectations, they just kept doing the most. fucking. obvious. thing. it felt like the writers were constantly really insecurely asking me "are you crying yet????🥺🥺🥺 isn't this sad omg🥺🥺😭💔💔 ARE YOU CRYING??? OMG THE ANGST🥺 TRAUMA🥺🥺🥺"

it felt like they were very trying way too hard and trying intentionally to replicate S1's organic feeling of loss, longing for "what could've been", palpable and relatable pain, empathy for fleshed-out and human characters.

and also, whenever something kinda obvious would've made SENSE, they didn't do it. e.g. Vi & Jinx reconciling in the end would've made for such a beautiful finale where the story comes full-circle, but they chose not to do that because framing their relationship as "doomed" is more tragic😔💔 I guess? despite the fact that we see them getting along like they used to and Jinx saying "I'm always with you, sis", they still make her (supposedly) stand between Vi and her happiness so they make Jinx, the suicidal character, fucking FAKE HER DEATH??

hey remember in S1 Act1 that one scene where Vi & Powder look at the skyline and Vi says "one day, this city's gonna respect us" and in that moment it feels hugely impactful and like it's setting up something important for later down the line and then NOTHING EVER COMES OF IT? by the end of S2, the former GOAT Vi is washed and a lapdog to her oppressors and Jinx is branded an irredeemable terrorist and as far as anyone knows, she died as such.

the creators/writers have always said they knew from the beginning how they wanted the story to end but I find it hard to believe this is the exact outcome they wanted. Arcane was always the story of two sisters in conflict, framed by a larger conflict between the Sister Cities. neither of those stories felt like they came to a satisfying resolution or natural conclusion. S2 abandoned the heart of the story in favor of the eponymous "Arcane" storyline and you can really tell that it made this season weaker.

what makes this all particularly upsetting to me is that I expected better of Arcane of all shows. I guess it's on me for having such high expectations but I wish season 2 hadn't been as disappointing as it was.

No actually I need to add on more to this. Arcane very unfortunately suffers the same issue that a lot of "progressive" shows suffer in Western media, where they go like "here are some real, systemic issues that exist and look at the consequences of these issues", and then either (1) forget to continue with the theme, and/or (2) don't do anything about it beyond slap on a half-hearted Band-Aid solution that never addresses it.

Caitlyn gassing civilians; lack of accessibility for Viktor which created barriers for him due to his disability; enforcers as oppressors, going hand in hand with Noxian imperialism; Jayce weaponzing hextech, and him already having killed a child because of it; not a single moment is really spent on any of these in S2. If anything, the enforcers are really flattened at the end of this season with little nuance, the complexity that shone in characters like Marcus and Grayson disappearing. Many Piltovan characters do not get even a single second of introspection as to how their actions actively contribute to the oppression of Zaun.

[wings-of-flying]

i will never understand people who don't like jay ferin because she's truly the best character in riptide. i don't say that lightly, either. (chip's exactly the sort of character i always love, and bizly plays him so well, with so many nuances. gillion's that perfect mixture of comedy and tragedy that charlie always manages. so many of grizzly's npcs are so well-rounded and developed you'd think *they* were the main characters - mainly talking about people like lizzie, caspian, ollie, the ferins, etc.) but jay ferin is a wonder to behold

for the first half of the campaign - literally the first half - she's hiding who she really is. she's still brilliantly funny and interesting, but she seems not quite fleshed out - but that's because condi's doing an absolutely incredible job at playing a character who's not being herself. and then once she comes into herself and feels more confident, oh my goodness condi's so great at showing her self-doubt but also her silliness. she's such a good female character (and others in riptide don't achieve this so easily, so again i'm not saying it lightly) and it's down to how well condi writes and plays her story

as much as chip is my favourite due to personal preferences when it comes to tropes and archetypes for my blorbos, i really mean it when i say jay ferin is the *best* character in riptide. i could talk about her forever, and i do often, but i really wanted to talk about this cause it baffles me when people say she's underdeveloped or boring. she's the best one, you sillies, you just might've missed when the extent of her brilliance was revealed (aka episode 53)

[pluralthey]

oh where is dawn from? and they’re both nonbinary right? could you share any info about dawn/devon’s relationship as well as keshet/outis’s, like how they got together, what they like about each other or what their dynamic is like, it’s so nice seeing how you portray different couples

minor other qs - what are your patreon tier benefits, i couldn’t really find them on the page itself

dawn is from the uk iirc and both dawn and devon are non-binary yes. i don't think i've fleshed them out enough to have a backstory for how they got together since they are side characters and it's kinda just a waste of time to develop supporting cast... i think that dawn likes devon's protectiveness, the way they seem to really pay attention to people and think about what they hear and observe and commit it to memory, and their strong moral drive that makes them reliable and predictable, but also easy to tease. if dawn is too fatigued to do something (which is frequent) devon is the kind of partner who is going to take care of it without needing to beg for the help. i think devon appreciates that dawn doesn't find them imposing or intimidating but also isn't trying to compete with them in some battle for dominance. dawn has a dry sense of humor that is easier to relax around than someone who is constantly trying to be a clown and avoid taking things seriously. they are generally easygoing but not impressionable and this works well for devon who is fairly bossy, because there is less headbutting without being a doormat. the biological compatibility between them is also a huge plus for both because they both want children who are genetically theirs. in particular i think they both value the others' qualities as potential parents as much as partners and how they'd compensate for their own weaknesses when rearing children. outis and keshet getting together i remember because i used to do character development streams.

tl;dr: outis in art school -> adderall addiction -> soliciting other college students for adderall -> meets keshet (also in college) -> keshet is attracted to outis's aura of confidence -> outis tells keshet that her girlfriend is trash (her girlfriend is trash) -> keshet breaks up with her girlfriend and feels more attached to outis for pointing it out -> outis has a heart attack and drops out -> they keep in touch and eventually start dating. they're both jewish, they're able to pass as straight, it would just work out for everybody if they gave it a shot so they did.

and i've drawn a comic about what they like in each other as well

now if i have to look at any more of my art from 2017 i'll have to kill myself unfortunately

[selnyam]

THEN vs NOW

i was tagged by @elliewiltarwyn ! thank you!

THEN:

this is one of the very first poses I ever took, back in 2021 shortly after subscribing so I could turn her into a Viera (she was a miqo for the trial) NOW

and now! oh how she's gone through changes both lore and character

Lost her voice to represent my changing from Black Mage to Dancer

Got BUFF to represent my changing to a Warrior Main

got into mods to make her BUFF and also a full lop. MORE BUNNY!!!

TEEF

thanks to SHB, made it that she had been lost in the void, making her a Voidsent.

I've written so much for her, she's a fully fleshed out character

started going to RP venues to help my writing, to get to know her better. Also started to post here which allowed me to meet SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE!!

I think I'll tag @catwhoisawizard @cindernet-exploded, @sparrowsong-7, @mimble-sparklepudding, @iron-sparrow and @this-is-ris of course you don't have to if you don't want, and anyone who sees this who wants to that I didn't tag feel free!!

[scarefox]

THIS~

I never expected this to be a whole fleshed out happy-end romance love story. Not with them being basically the human version of their opposing stances and conflicts of the euthanasia discourse. And them constantly being held back by the investigation and mistrust (+ them partly manipulating each other). I knew they would only fully let themselves fall into their feelings for each other when everything is over in peace. But these two are so twisted into the cases, it wasn't possible to be ever fully over (unless they would have gone the more unrealistic way of Tiu suddenly being 100% fine with the knowledge that Kan euthanized his mother before he could visit her a last time OR the other version of Kan stopping to feel guilty about Tius mother, Boss and him lying to Tiu)

This is not a drama for someone who is watching for BL lovey romance or possible horny reasons (have seen that question on MDL...). Tiu and Kan happen to be into each other on a human level, yep, but on an ethical vs legal level they currently can not be peacefully together on the same page. Very meta actually. Euthanasia could work together with the law if it was legal. But atm it doesn't, hence the open ending for our two guys. I think Tiu understood at the end what Kans intention was. He even forgave him. But as a cop he's an enforcer of the law and has to arrest him. If he decides to breake the law for Kan or follow through with the arrest or drive them both down the next cliff, we never get to know. Also very meta and self-protection of the creators of that story.

I srsly think Sammon literally took all POVs on the topic and turned them into characters and let them interact. Which is chefs kiss.

--

But the negative comments, it's an issue I have with BL as a genre. It being so stuck on, by popular believe, "always main focused on happy feelgood fantasy romance". SMYM still was in the area of the fantasy (bittersweet darkish) romance trope imo. But it wasn't the main point and not that happy feelgood. Sometimes stories need to, want to or should be allowed to break out of that too tight BL genre corset.... (sometimes queer asian stories aren't even supposed to be in the genre BL/GL/QL... and I feel y-series are broader in asia as we westerners make them... but that's a different topic). Complex and deeper meta plots like these always get a bit lost or even hated on by people who expect it to be main-focused on the love story since they only tuned in for that. idk, it's mainly an issue with expectations vs actual plot intentions. Hopefully that view on the BL genre will widen up soon, with all the newer sub-genres and heavier plots to come. So people go in with more open expectations or experience on how to follow different stories. (idk where the happy feelgood fantasy impression of BL came from... not even the foundation of japanese BL / shonen ai / yaoi manga are all happy and sweet... there are so many dark and some complex stories)

--

Sorry to ramble all over the place on your post 😅

Maybe it's because I don't mind unhappy or open endings, or maybe it's because I had no expectations whatsoever beyond being entertained, or maybe it's because I enjoy detective fiction a lot...

But I genuinely liked Spare Me Your Mercy beginning to end. I enjoyed the characters and the presentations of their struggles, flaws and convictions, and I also don't think that it's a mark of bad writing or narrative structuring when characters are unbending and stand by said convictions. I like how the outcome was inevitable pretty much from the beginning because every character was on a set trajectory. And I also liked how the "big bad" was unveiled/dealt with way before the show was over because Boss was never the real obstacle anyway.

Spare Me Your Mercy was never going to be a romantic thriller driven by character development, and personally I feel it's a bit unfair to judge the show by the standards of a completely different genre. To me it was a morality tale/crime thriller and imo it did a very good job in that regard. Plus, if you take Thai censorship laws/conventions into account it was never going to openly support Kan's approach to euthanasia. It was always going to end with the status quo being upheld. They went about as far as they could, given that this is a mainstream production aired nationally on television. I actually find it very refreshing that they tackled this topic at all, and I really appreciate that they were incredibly nuanced throughout all of it, from the inclusion of a living will (which is indeed a topic that surprisingly few people even know about) to the monk's approach, but also how it showed that loved ones too have every right and the room to disagree.

Because euthanasia shouldn't ever an easy topic. It should be discussed, always, even in countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands where it's already legal.

(This is also ultimately why I sided with Tiu/Wasan instead of Kan because, yeah, Kan did consensually ease the suffering of a lot of people and we as the audience know that he has the highest of moral standards - which is exactly why it's better to channel all of this into starting the democratic process of legalising it. Kan meant well, and maybe Kan was right, but you only need to look to Orn and Boss to see how easy these things go off the rails. Hell, even Kan slipped when he shot Boss in the back, and you can't justify that one at all.)

Plus, in the end I do think that Kan manipulated Wasan as much (or imo even more) as it was the other way around. To me a relationship based on so many fundamental lies was never going to be possible - which also explains the dissonance in their (romantic) behaviour. Attraction is easy (which is why I don't think it's far-fetched at all that they fell for each other) but sometimes love alone just isn't enough.

I won't begrudge anyone their dislike of the show or its characters. I think it's very valid especially given the sensitive nature of what euthanasia should and shouldn't be. It's just that I read so many disappointed and negative takes on the ending of the show in the past 24 hours that I wanted to add my own - and like I said, personally I enjoyed myself a lot (even if it's of course not a perfect show and there certainly are some details that feel very hamfisted and even harmful and stereotypical). To me, it's a well-made and narratively sound piece of television with interesting characters and an entertaining story, and I'm glad we finally got a good genre BL offering in the form of queer detective fiction.

[ap-kinda-lit]

AU where Kagome is Kikyo's sister in the feudal era and they're both priestesses (though Kagome is not as trained or high in ranking as Kikyo).

Inuyasha and Kikyo still meet and they develop a friendship and maybe a budding relationship (Kikyo does develop feelings for him). But since Inuyasha has been following Kikyo to get a chance at stealing the Shikon Jewel, he then meets Kagome.

Of course they bicker and Inuyasha notes she's nothing like Kikyo, but at the same time they still develop a bond...maybe one much stronger than that between Inuyasha and Kikyo. Kagome's differences from Kikyo actually endear Inuyasha. She's emotional, open, and accepting and understanding. She loves Inuyasha as himself, all parts of him, human and demon and all. Inuyasha feels at peace, even joyful, with Kagome, and he is overwhelmed by the affection and protectiveness he feels so strongly and quickly for her. They trust strongly, they care deeply, and they love each other greatly.

Kikyo notices everything. Maybe it's for the best, she admits. But inside...it's another story. One part of her, the protective sister and priestess part, is reluctant towards her dear sister getting involved with a half-demon. The other part, one that is more personal and selfish, is jealous of her sister (since Kikyo herself is in love with Inuyasha too) and hurt by Inuyasha and Kagome's flourishing romance. It's another reminder of what she cannot have, of the life she's destined for. The final nail in the coffin. Kikyo of course tries to suppress these feelings and carry on, but as she ignores them they fester. Her turmoil has weakened her powers and ultimately make her a target.

During all this, she's been caring for the wounded bandit Onigumo, who desperately desires her. When demons offer to give him a new body, he readily accepts. Naraku is born and bent on getting rid of Kikyo and taking the Shikon Jewel. Even though Kikyo has weakened, she's still too strong for him. But he knows what's hindering her: her fondness for the half demon Inuyasha, her conflicting emotions over Kagome and Inuyasha, and her secret resentment and frustration over her life. It's ample for him to take advantage of, to make corrupting the jewel and taking the powerful miko down. And, of course, there's the love between the half demon and the second place priestess. All in all, Naraku is licking his chops over what he could do with the situation already bestowed upon him...

[queenvhagar]

Something I've realized about the women characters of HOTD is that they seem to be aware of modern politics and sensibilities in that they seem to be detached from their time and place in a sense.

Realistically, women in these worlds would want the same thing men do in the situations that they're in. When their families' lives are threatened, when their power is threatened, they are willing to go to war. They want vengeance and justice. They want their enemies to pay for what they've done. They want power and security for themselves and those dear to them. Some have hard power, like dragons or skill with the blade, that they can and will use to achieve their goals. In ASOIAF this is Daenerys, Brienne, Arya, and more. Some have soft power, like charisma, influence, and political knowledge, that they can and will achieve their goals. This is Cersei, Sansa, Margaery, and more. All of these tools and weapons are willingly yielded by their users to help themselves and their families to survive and to thrive.

Yet the women of HOTD seem to view these things differently. They stay stuck on the fact that men don't listen to them, instead of using the tools available to them to do anything about it and help themselves as GOT characters would. When Rhaenyra is talked over by her small council, instead of making a show of force or demonstrating her ability to lead and make competent decisions about warfare, all she does is accept what others tell her to do and then complain about it in private. When Alicent is ignored in the small council, instead of using her influence to convince her vulnerable son the king to do as she wants, she puts him down and isolates herself further. Despite the many decisions that these women could take to help themselves or act in any way that could help their situation, they are stagnant and passive.

It's almost as if these women are stuck on their victim status, in that they view themselves as victims in ways that the GOT women have either long accepted as truth or have been socialized to view differently. The women of HOTD know it's not okay for women to be talked down to, they know it's not okay for women to be interrupted or ignored, they know it's bad that nobody takes them seriously, whereas this is barely a thought of the GOT women, for whom it is a part of the world they've already adapted to and they know how to navigate around. Somehow it seems like the HOTD women are consistently shocked and surprised into inaction by the very fact that sexism exists in their world, despite the fact it's been there their whole life and they've never known differently.

This is what I mean when I say that the women of HOTD feel as though they're separate from their time and place. It's as if they exist outside the narrative, outside of this time and place somehow, based on the decisions they make and the way they behave. Instead of acting as others would in their time and place, they frequently seem as if they are aware of modern sensibilities and politics and it's these things that guide their thoughts, decisions, or dialogue. Their awareness of this prevents them from going to war when they have good reason to want to, and realistically any woman in this universe would willingly go to war, and it makes them say certain things that seems almost out of place in the context of the time and place that sound at times as if the writers are using them as a mouthpiece.

Yet the men of the story behave more faithfully to time and place. They desire action, they desire vengeance, they are allowed to feel angry for themselves and they are allowed to want power for the sake of it. They get to be more fully fleshed out in their motivations and personalities. They're believably a part of this time and place. The men behave no differently than the men of GOT save differences in character and context, but the women are so distinctly different from the women of GOT in terms of how they're allowed to feel, speak, and act.

[dykedvonte]

One of my mutuals opinions is the "bro code" thing, that Curly is one of those guys who wouldn't care about the victim because the perpetrator is his friend and I'm really banging my head on the wall like that other anon. I've only played through the game once but Curly's behaviour/reactions etc read completely different from the "bro code" thing and I have to wonder if my mutual and I even played the same game.. like the constant digs at him from Jimmy, his body language in his face reveal and so on like you mentioned in your post. While this game is a little different obviously, it kind of reminded of a point in Alice Madness Returns that makes it very clear that Alice's pain blinded her to the abuse of the other children and her failure to act earlier because of it. Curly is guilty of a similar inaction but it doesn't change the fact he was a victim of Jimmy too. I don't think I can look at it any other way because both of these games have really stuck with me.

I genuinely think it really is the idea that people want a simple easy to blame problem and the idea that the only relatable victims of abuse are those that "surpass" it or do a lot to help others. When it comes to victims, especially those that don't fit the typical demographics, who either accidently perpetuate it, enable it or aren't ideal in some way shape or form, people jump to ignore what they went through as it's easier than dealing with those conflicting sentiments.

The bro-code conversation in Mouthwashing stems from a concept I generally dislike that there had to be something about Curly that made him meet or keep being friends with someone like Jimmy. I think people genuinely underestimate how many like decent and good people just know an asshole or are friends with someone who is really bad outside of their view/established dynamics. The game makes it clear none of the inaction against Jimmy is because of a lack of care, it is a lack of understanding from the privaleged postions they have as men to not have to worry about what Anya does/went through and the type of extremes men like Jimmy will go through to cover it up. They are all too preoccupied in their own strifes.

Another thing I see being oversaturated the idea that you have to be a freak, misanthrope or have a disorder to do the thing Jimmy does. The game is an escalation, it's a spiral that I don't see people comment on that Jimmy was not likely having the mood swings and episodes of rage/frustration we were seeing in the game. This is after they all start experiencing the worst moments in their lives that he got THAT openly bad. Of course, this is just my interpretation but much like in real life, people that go to extremes like that usually live mundane lives. It's a pressure cooker affect to where the stress made them pop. It's self inflicted but still the case.

I really think people need to be more willing to acknowledge that not everything needs to be an extreme or in black and white or easy to understand. It doesn't need to be happy or have an answer or solution, especially in the cases where the abused sadly helps perpetuate what they experience. It's not he should've known better from experience or shouldn't he have known what could've happened because victims tend to not like to think in matters of the worst. Not to mention, especially in cases of abuse where it feels so personally directed that you don't expect to happen to someone else.

[retroautomaton]

🍯🍨📘

[moeblob]

OC again gomen ... (her name is Yuma)

[silentsockfeet]

with the obvious addendum that act 3 isn’t out yet and we can’t form true opinions until the show’s officially done, i’m still really feeling like it could have maybe benefited from a third season. they’re hitting all the right plot points and those moments are full of really intense emotion, but everything in the middle feels so underwhelming in comparison and so much of it still feels rushed to me. idk

[okthatsgreat]

i’m realizing that one of my favorite ways to create a character is by first establishing a major flaw of theirs and then examining how that will inevitably fuck them up a bit. then fleshing them out from there

[ganondoodle]

i am being so brave trying so hard to hold back writing a rant about that 'minimizing narrative noise' comment on totk sage concept art bc its actively flying around in my head like the worlds most annoying fly

[fromtheseventhhell]

Saying this an Elia Martell fan from what little we know of her, but I'm really sick of how fandom sees her as nothing but a perpetual victim and/or hater of Lyanna and Rhaegar. Where's fandom content of her being kind to baby Tyrion or headcanons of her plotting with Rhaegar against Aerys? Makes me wish GRRM would write more Fire and Blood books to flesh her out more outside of the "pretty victim" fanon Sansa stans want her to be.

It's actually so frustrating cause there are great conversations + theorizing that could be going on surrounding her character because we know we're going to be learning more about her in the future, but a lot of her "fans" are just stuck on using her as a prop. And honestly? That's because the more we learn about her, the more she moves away from being fandom's favorite passive self-insert character. If George has her doing anything it breaks their idea of her being the perfect victim which is what they love about her. They don't even like her character organically, they just like that it gives them a justification to hate Rhaegar and/or Lyanna. I'm personally neutral-positive about Elia, but I am very interested in learning more about her character. George has kept that portion of the story intentionally vague for a reason and I can't wait to see why.

[tomatoshapedstars]

also @kittyonakeyboard infected me with gwevinkai brainrot so here's some doodles I did of Kai + some bonus depressed Gwens

[slumbergoblin]

Hi Mei :)