#and each book has like 2 separate arcs usually!

[burst-of-iridescent]

Hey does everyone remember when Aang physically hurt Katara via burning her due to his own negligence with fire because he didn't listen at all to her concerns? But all of Katara's concerns were her being worried for him getting hurt and not herself, and then he hurts her badly, this never gets addressed again in the show, but I remember this vividly.

i actually like this scene on its own.

aang burning katara is a good character building moment because it's a brutal reminder of his own capacity for destruction. he needs to understand that his reckless actions can have horrific repercussions in order to fully realize the weight of his responsibility as both a firebender and the avatar, and it makes the moment where he uses zhao's recklessness against him more impactful. it also sets up the "water = life, fire = death" dichotomy that's part of katara's arc on viewing the world in binaries, which will later be broken down in book 3.

but ultimately the incident is still of greater significance to aang, and he's the one to bring it up in the guru and western air temple episodes, telling both guru pathik and zuko about his guilt over burning katara and his refusal to firebend ever again. this experience is also what leads him to accept zuko as his firebending teacher, and then finally forgive himself when he learns the true meaning of firebending. for the most part, it's a well-sustained arc and one of the few narratives aang has that is actually brought to completion.

do i wish that katara and aang had actually talked about his actions beyond this episode? yes. do i wish the aftermath had been focused a little more on katara instead of showcasing the impact of her physical injuries mostly through aang's continued self-flagellation? yes. but as a one-off incident contained to a single episode, i don't mind it.

what i do mind, however, is that this is not the last time the show is going to use katara as a lynchpin for aang's character development.

in the book 2 premiere, katara is turned into a pawn to propel aang into the avatar state. in the guru, her imprisonment is the reason that aang chooses to go back to ba sing se instead of unlocking his chakras. that is three separate times now that katara has been damselled in order to facilitate key turning points in aang's narrative, but not once does the same apply in reverse. there is never a moment where aang is the only one put in danger solely to drive katara's arc, the way she is in his. the closest we get is katara bringing aang back to life, but even then his death is still the result of his own choices and more integral to his storyline than hers.

now, compare this to the final agni kai.

at first glance, katara being put in danger just to complete zuko's redemption looks like the same tired trope, and had the scene ended at his sacrifice, it would be. but crucially, it's katara who continues the fight. katara who defeats the scion of fire nation destruction at the height of her power. katara who saves zuko just as he saved her.

in proving herself a master waterbender powerful enough to defeat azula and save someone she loves - someone who sacrificed themselves for her - from fire nation aggression, katara brings her own arc full circle. it is in triumphing over azula by saving each other that zuko and katara become the people they were always meant to be, and so their individual arcs are brought to their narrative culmination through bookending the other. the final agni kai works where the kat.aang moments fall short because it is of equal significance to both zuko and katara's narratives.

obviously, this is not to say that it's bad for certain characters to exist just to drive another character's arc. it's inevitable that some will be written solely to fulfill that purpose because a story only has so much narrative space, and it usually can't - and shouldn't - be divided equally amongst every single character.

but if we're talking about two main characters who end up in a lifelong romantic relationship, and it's the female character being repeatedly damselled to drive the male character's storyline within an already imbalanced dynamic... perhaps it's time to rethink a few things.

[herobrinna]

Man i havent drawn anything in ages. Eh, might as well waste my time rambling about these guys.

Ok so i made these ocs like absolute ages ago, so mind their backstories being very cringe, but i also dont wanna change them, theres some kind of charm to having silly cringy ocs.

right, so, the yellow one is Bananaslug (bigender, she/he), and is a hive/rain hybrid (like duhh, u can clearly see that). her silly backstory was, starting with his parents (and mind that this made made up before arc 3 was finished), a hivewing, who like cricket(? was that her name? i havent reread the books in ages) wasnt effect by the shitfuck evil plant (for which basically, i hc that cricket wasnt the only one who wasnt injected with the plant, on a rare occasion queen Wasp would miss an egg or two, human error, er, dragon error and all that, usually this would be noticed in early childhood and they would be "fixed", but like with cricket, an occasional dragon gets unnoticed) managed to escape the hives as the plant takeover or whatever tf was happening happened, and followed behind the group of migrating silkwings. sadly they got swept in a storm which lead them astray to the rainwing jungle instead.

now i personally see the jungle as having an absolute shitload of little rainwing villages, some not even having contact with the main one! or even knowing anything about the outside world. this hivewing ends up in one of the villages that at most mightve traded bits and pieces with the main one, but has never seen non-rainwing dragons. the hivewing quickly gets accepted as a weird lil guy. and for once, this hivewing feels like theyre in a community where they belong, now being given freedom that they wouldve never had previously. they quickly adopt the hivewing way of life. Bananaslug then, the only dragonet they have, not for their lack in game, but more so due to pantalan and pyrhian dragons being genetically further apart, so having children with each other is extremely unlikely.

as Bananaslug got older, she lived through Queen Glory making an effort to actively contact all outter rainwing villages, and develing an in-tribe education system (the thingy mountain, forgot the name, that we follow the students of in the second arc, being presented as like one of the only schools is real stupid in my opinion), there, learning of other tribes she decides to go out and explore the world once hes come of age.

(oh and btw, Bananaslug, like, inherited nothing special from either parent, she doesnt have any hivewing powers, she doesnt have rainwing venom, and at most, he can slightly change the shade of his yellow scales, cant do anything with any other coloured scale tho)

-

the green dragon is Seaglass (agender, they/them) they are a sea/sand hybrid, no they do not have a tail barb.

they were born to 2 generals from the sandwing princess succession war, both the sandwing and seawing commanding over, urh man i can never remmeber army terms, fleets? groups of dragon soldiers. in most other cases, general/whatever leaders, of separate tribes would not get along, they might have had an allience, but that didnt change their internalised racism and all that, but these two got weirdly well along.

once, going out for drinks over celebration of a succecfull battle, lead to a drunken hookup and an accidental clutch of eggs. the seawing decided to leave them at the deep palace hatchery, paying good money to the caretakers there to not only take care of the eggs, but also be dragonetsitters when they hatched. sadly, all but one dragonet were born without gills (or partially formed/malformed once), never being even given the chance at a first breath. Seaglass was the only one hatched with functional gills, and even then, theirs are less developed that an average seawing, giving them the gill equivalent of asthma.

they rarely got to see their seawing parent, and didnt even know they were part sandwing till way after the war was over. as soon as they were old enough to be left mostly alone they escaped from the deep sea palace, wanting to start a new life somewhere where they wouldnt be seen as a freak.

(oh yes and, not sure where to put this, but Seaglass is missing some of the bioluminescent stripes (such as not having any on their belly scales) so they have always had communication issues. and of course, having grown up hidden away in the deep sea, they didnt properly learn spoken language (outside of the required theory for it in their schooling) untill they escaped.)

[gudvina]

I hope the sotr film is better. I agree with that Haymitch's characterisation was destroyed, especially when it comes to the other D12 tributes. I didn't even think about that! They really would have just been given a guy who talked about his dead 16-year-old girlfriend. I also think Haymitch should have either 1. been an only child or 2. had an older sibling. I think it would have made for a more interesting protag if he was the Prim and was thrust into the Games whilst his older sibling had to watch their baby brother fight each day to survive.

I actually really liked the idea of Haymitch having a younger brother, had it been explored with a different dynamic separated from any parallelism from Katniss and Prim. Given that they both had a present, stable parent, their dynamic would have been less parentified and more based on their siblinghood. But this would have needed more exploration on his ambivalent feelings on both his mother and his brother, who in the books are relegated as secondary characters who have little to no impact on Haymitch.

We are not really told anything about their dynamic and, unfortunately, they are not shown even a quarter of the consideration Lenore Dove has been given, and as a consequence that ends up making it impossible to feel anything about them but mild sadness when Haymitch does lose them.

But yes, the implications Sunrise on the Reaping leaves of Haymitch's arc outside of the 74th Hunger Games cheapen a lot of the points that the og trilogy seemed to uphold. Haymitch did not get interested on Katniss and Peeta because of their potential, because for once he had the hopes that MAYBE he'd have a chance to get them home (mostly Katniss, as it is heavily implied), and then developed an affection for them that stemmed for them as a person. No, Haymitch had no chance but loving Katniss because she was his best friend's daughter, and Peeta was the luckier version of him and Otho's son. Had Katniss and Peeta been anyone else's kid, Haymitch would have been the same drunk bubblering man that the other tributes got. This is not to say that the other tributes wouldn't have gotten a lesser hand anyways, but the motivations as they are implied in the og trilogy were much more complex. Year after year Haymitch had lost hope because he actually saw his tributes having no chance because of their situations before they were reaped, and because of that sinking feeling of seeing children killed year by year, something that would be taxing on any individual, he inevitably descended into hopelessness, cynicism and, as a coping mechanism, into alcoholism. Now that is changed. His descent into alcoholism happened because Lenore Dove died. His cynicism is not real, it's just Capitol propaganda. In the end, there is no mention of the tributes, so, regardless of how much we want to fill in the gaps, in his point of view they will never matter as much. They had no chance of him investing in them not because of their disadvantages that triggered his hopelessness after yearly proof of D12's inability to bring home a Victor, but because they were not connected to his friends and loved ones in any way. It might not be the intentional implication Suzanne Collins wanted, but in the end of the day it reads that way. Katniss was not regarded as a child in an unfortunate situation by Haymitch, she was Burdock's daughter. Otherwise, her destiny would have been the same as the tributes before her.

I also hope the movie is going to smooth this book's flaws, but unfortunately i have little hope because the Hunger Games' movie usually do a worse job than the books, so my fear is that it will exacerbate the already glaring cracks of the book.

[onlycosmere]

Editing

tahollow: I always wondered exactly what editing was, but I figured it was more of making sure things align with the main focus of the story/characters instead of truncating the novel.

Brandon Sanderson: There's really three big stages to editing.

1) Substantive Editing. This is usually the editor reading the book and offering an "Editorial Letter." The editor often doesn't leave any marks on the manuscript in this stage, but instead writes everything out on the large scale. They might offer suggestions for improvement, but more often than not, they just highlight the problem areas and ask you to rethink them or ask for more clarity. Sometimes, you'll do a call an explain what you were trying, and you'll bounce ideas off each other of how to better achieve it.

I have four people usually doing substantive edits with me. Devi at Tor. Gillian from the UK. Peter from my own company. And Karen, my continuity editor. All are seeing the book early, and all are making large-scale notes about problems to work on. (Karen's focus is on continuity first--large scale continuity like timing of days, and comparisons to previous books. The others don't worry about that much, and focus on things like character arcs and structure.)

2) Line editing. When I had Moshe, he did both substantive and line editing. These days, Gillian is our primary line editor, and she does a second pass to cover this after doing her substantive editorial letter. She's a very good line editor, by the way. This is the "Make the page bleed" type thing you might hear of an editor doing. They go through and try to help you clarify. During this stage, they will trim, though the focus is on helping you find the right words, identify trouble sentences, and the like. Gillian usually has a handful (four or five) of these per page, depending. Some pages have none. Some have more. Tightening IS a focus during this stage, but it's again more about clarity.

After this stage, I do my own revision where--with a spreadsheet and wordcounts in hand--I cut 10-15% of the book, line by line, to really condense and make it pop. This is where I pay attention to language most. If I'm writing a book with a strong voice and distinctive prose, like one of Hoid's novels, I look to really implement it here. If I'm trying something more clear and concise, where I want character voice to dominate not narrative voice, I really try to get the writer to vanish here and let the character and story reign.

Because of this, I can track exactly how much I trimmed from Wind and Truth.

3) After this, a separate set of editors take over. The copy editor is focused on maintaining a style guide and making sure that there aren't line-level contradictions in the book. (Did you say his eyes were green here, and blue in a different chapter?) A copy editor is also a "first line" proofreader. They aren't supposed to make, or suggest, sweeping changes--at this point, the page numbers and the like of the book are getting locked in for pre production.

Peter Ahlstrom, my editorial VP, oversees this. I make changes during this stage, but when I do, he actually puts them into the text. He then works with the proofreaders, doing multiple passes.

So, not counting beta readers and alpha readers, I have five main editors on a Stormlight book.

Devi

Gillian

Peter

Karen

And Terry (our primary copyeditor.)

Each has a different role, though all of them but Terry offer a lot of substantive changes.

[nalyra-dreaming]

whether or not that loustat hug is the contested NOLA reunion, do you think it could happen in the present day instead? obviously in the iwtv book it’s a fleeting visit from louis. but in the show i just can’t imagine them going separate ways again after a reunion as it’s all heightened so much more. plus, i believe it’s been said that we have a modern day NOLA shot in the trailer. after watching s1 i just assumed that lestat would eventually pop up in the present day, but that was before reading the books!! how do you think us seeing him in the present day will go down? do you have any thoughts on where he even is? i’m feeling so clueless but curious about how they’ll introduce him and pave the way for his story to be told. sorry that this is so long🫶🏼

The hug can theoretically happen in Dubai time, but then... you know, back then, when Claudia's diaries showed up for the first time, I said that I sure hope their potential will not be wasted.

Because... Claudia's diary was a twist. A BIG twist, even for book readers. It shifted perceptions of characters yet again. "Merrick" was a blow to the stomach, especially knowing Anne had originally planned to let Louis die. (Btw, the first "Merrick" post I tagged as such was a reblog of @cbrownjc, in October 22, go figure :P)

The show has taken elements from Merrick, elements which would indeed be wasted if they do not go a certain route towards the end of season 2. Because they have been building up to it, and if they should not go there then they won't be able to return later on and then this twist will be wasted.

I just... cannot see them waste that twist, tbh, given its importance for all the arcs.

Which brings us back to NOLA (or not) and Lestat, and where he is, because if we are in Merrick territory... then Lestat is either asleep/in coma, or roaming. Because I agree! I don't see them separating again (not fully) after finding each other again. It wouldn't serve the show imho, the back and forth, and why would Lestat tell his story?

So I do not see the hug happen in NOLA. And if it is, then I bet that will be the contested meeting.

Now, I personally think Lestat is close by. I think he might be connected to "The Groan". I think it will literally all come crashing down when Dubai comes to a head.

I think Lestat might be in the "chapel" with "Those Who Must Be Kept", maybe. A chapel which serves both, and which explains the "I serve a god", too.

I think the moment when the books come down Lestat will wake up.

If they are mean, they'll go out with a cliffhanger of epic proportions^^ (aka Louis seemingly dead), but I can also see them go through with the resolution first... and then sit back, literally, proverbially, and Daniel going something like: "So you are the vampire Lestat." in that tone of his, while side-eyeing all vampires there :) I can hear it.^^

That said, there was once a comment about Lestat maybe telling his story through a different device, so maybe... maybe Daniel finds some old tapes :) Or maybe he even interviewed Lestat before! We don't know yet. He did seem to react to "Come to me".

Personally I want Louis there to listen to the story though. Because ultimately Lestat tells his story for Louis.

So. To come back to the hug and Dubai... Maybe what we saw was the end of the season.

Because... if they are not that mean (to us)... then maybe Louis does attempt suicide, Lestat wakes, he, Armand and Marius save Louis... and Louis wakes to see Lestat - dusty, hair tangled, and clad in a velvet jacket.

"Lestat had by this time brushed off the cumbersome covering of dust he wore, and taken from his own closet a new coat of dark- brown velvet, and fresh linen, so that he wore his usual thick and faintly discolored old lace. He had shaken out his hair and combed it, and put on new boots."

Dark brown velvet jacket, and shaken out and combed hair.

I mean, we can hope, right? :)

[ewingstan]

Been curiosity-reading comics lately and rather enjoyed Immortal Hulk. I noticed it was Ewing and looked up what he's done, but that's a rather long list of other things he's written-figured it'd be best to ask tumblr user ewingstan for any particular recommendations to look at from here.

Oh dang! Glad you're enjoying yourself. I'll say up front that Ewing likes to use a lot of the same characters across series, and that they tend to have larger arcs between series, so reading all his stuff in order is pretty rewarding. I also provided a few reading lists below the cut. That said, If I were to recommend some highlights:

Iron Man: Fatal Frontier— Co-written with the incredible Kieron Gillen, this is one of Ewing's first series working in Marvel. A mini-series with a great premise (Iron Man acting as basically a sheriff on a Moon colony) and a great take on Stark, emphasizing a pig-headedness that makes him very entertaining to watch. It's also Ewing's first use of Doom as a character, who'll become one of his favorites to use—and damn if he doesn't write a good Doom.

Loki: Agent of Asguard— One of my first experiences with comics, and one that set the benchmark for what you could do with an extended universe. What starts as an interesting setup for a mythical spy storyline spirals into a larger tale of deciding what kind of character you want to be. Technically a follow-up to Gillen's runs on Journey into Mystery and Young Avengers, but these aren't at all necessary—Ewing sets up the context quickly.

Contest of Champions (2015)— An especially zany one, this series lets Ewing indulge in his favorite passtime: bringing back a bunch of unconnected obscure characters and banging them against each other like never before. An excellent showcase of Ewing's abilities to quickly spin a compelling character out of very little.

Avengers: No Surrender and Avengers: No Road Home—These two series have a soft spot for me. Co-written by Ewing, Mark Waid, and Jim Zub, they're both some of the best examples of classic "there's a big weird threat, lets assemble some heroes" storylines to date. They also serve as a culmination of sorts for Ewing's various scattered Avengers series, though they can each be taken on their own. (Those scattered Avengers series are typically quite good, though they tend to be mired in event cross-overs. Usually you'll need to quickly look up the basic premises of the event an issue is tying into to avoid confusion, though larger engagement with the events are unneeded. These two series thankfully avoid that trend).

Guardians of the Galaxy (2020): This is Ewing firing on all cylinders. It arguably requires a bit more comics background to get the full effect, but it employs some of his most interesting ideas and most compelling action. This ended too damn soon.

Now for the reading lists:

Ewing loves working on team books that are 80% made up of heroes the average person has never heard of. Some of his favorites to work with are Blue Marvel, Spectrum, Sunspot, and various iterations of White Tiger. The most direct reading order for what I consider his most classic, pulpy superhero work is going in order from Mighty Avengers (2014), Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (2014), New Avengers (2015), U.S.Avengers (2017), Avengers: No Surrender (Avengers #675-690), Avengers: No Road Home, Empyre, and Avengers Inc.

However, you can alternatively take the Mighty series to be the start of his exploration of Marvel's larger cosmic makeup. For this somewhat separate, trippier storyline, the reading order is Loki: Agent of Asguard, Mighty Avengers (2014), Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (2014), Ultimates, Ultimates ^2, Contest of Champions, Avengers: No Surrender, Avengers: No Road Home, Immortal Hulk, Marvel Comics #1000, Defenders (2021), and Defenders: Beyond. From what I understand, Venom (2021), The Immortal Thor, Venom War and All-New Venom (2024) also follow from this storyline, though I haven't gotten to these yet. Do make sure to check out the tie-in Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk, the one saving grace of the whole Danny Cates Venom series.

Finally, you can construct a list focusing on his take on Marvel's interplanetary politics: Royals, Rocket, Empyre, Guardians of the Galaxy, S.W.O.R.D, X-Men: Red, and The Resurrection of Magneto.

Here's a more detailed breakdown with notes on where you can continue specific storylines. Note again that many of these will have tie-ins, just look up the basic premise of whatever event they're connected to and you'll be fine.

Mighty Avengers is directly continued through Captain America and the Mighty Avengers.

After that, Ewing starts working on two different ensemble books: Ultimates (2015) and New Avengers (2015), each using some characters from the Mighty Avengers books. Each of these are followed up in later series, creating two separate storylines. The New Avengers is arguably a more direct continuation of the larger Ewing Avengers storyline.

If you liked Spectrum and The Blue Marvel, and like your sci-fi with a dash of mytho-poetics, start with Ultimates and continue with Ultimates ^2 (2016). The team also makes an appearance at the tail-end of Contest of Champions. Much of the focus on the big cosmic beings it explores gets revisited in Marvel Comics #1000, Defenders, and Defenders: Beyond.

If you liked Power-Man and White Tiger, and want something pulpy and frenetic, start with New Avengers. Optionally, read the 3-issue Ultron Forever miniseries first. Then move on to U.S.Avengers.

After finishing U.S.Avengers, continue onto No Surrender (aka Avengers 675-690.) This is the last hurrah of the team started in New Avengers, and ties back in several characters from the Mighty Avengers runs. If you want more Roberto Da Costa afterwards, check out X-Men: Red.

No Road Home follows up on No Surrender, and follows up a bit more directly with some of the plot threads from the Ultimates series. Optionally read Rocket beforehand. Afterwards, you can continue the storyline it set up in Guardians of the Galaxy.

The event series Empyre, co-written with Dan Slott, follows up on character arcs from the Mighty Avengers with She-Hulk, The Ultimates with Captain Marvel and Black Panther, and from New Avengers with Wiccan and Hulkling. It also sets up storylines in GotG.

Avengers Inc. is not especially related to other works here, though it uses several characters that he's frequently used across his Avengers titles. Optionally read Ant-Man (2022) and Wasp (2023) beforehand.

[partyhorn]

Have u ever posted your comic or animation workflow anywhere? Im super curious on how you tackle the process, especially not using a drawing tablet. I know you have a very simple (and adorable) style so that probably helps in terms of workflow -- Im just curious about the steps you take.

Thank you! With both comics and animation my key thing is to not spend too much time on any particular thing, just draw loose and fast. Honestly the only downside to drawing with a mouse is that I can tell my arm has extremely specific muscle memory regarding it- if my mouse breaks and I get a new one I have to spend a good month or so just letting my hand get used to it again lol. Same with if my setup gets readjusted too much- right now my setup is my mouse on one of those padded mousepads, on top of 2 books, with my elbow resting on my 3DS case (I'll get an actual pillow or something for it eventually lol). But luckily thanks to this I suffer very minimal wrist pain 👍

(...Okay I started to go really in depth in my process here, so sorry if this is way more than what you were asking. Putting it under a readmore just to save space lol)

With MFM in particular, I start by writing out the entire script for the next story arc, which really is just all of the dialogue and vague notes about any important actions. Then I do the paneling with very loose stick-figure like sketches of where the characters are and what they're doing. I prefer having very little planning when it comes to character poses and panel shapes, coming up with those on the fly makes things much more exciting and faster to make. But it's the opposite with dialogue... it needs to be 100% FINAL before I draw a single line lol.

That's part of my script for my most recent chapter, as well as what my extremely loose goofy thumbnail sketching is like. I write the script as one big thing and don't separate it into pages until I actually start drawing- then I go and color change it just to keep track of what dialogue goes on each page

After that, I go back and do the ACTUAL sketch, as well as the lettering (I don't believe this is how it's done professionally. I used to do lettering as the very last step in the process... but then found it hard to cram speech bubbles in the right places lmao.) After that is lineart, coloring, background flat colors, then shading/rendering for all of it. I do each step in batches, as in I sketch out ALL pages of a chapter before moving to lineart, I line ALL pages before starting coloring, etc. I find it way easier to be productive when it's broken up like that, though when I first started the comic I used to draw each page to completion before starting the next (but also, the comic's style was DRASTICALLY simpler back then haha)

(Unfortunately I merged some of the shading to the background flat colors so it's not entirely accurate... oops) FireAlpaca has a sand texture feature that I only found out about last year- adding that to the backgrounds makes them look 10x better with WAY less effort.

With animation, it depends on the project. For simple 5-10 second animation I make for fun, there's very little planning lol. I skip some steps in the process- I'll sketch out the keyframes (and maybe any difficult inbetweens if necessary), line those, then go straight into making linework inbetweens. I'm not a cleanup artist and have no experience in that, so I always find trying to line my rough animation makes everything jittery and wobbly. If I do it with a clean line from the start then I can avoid that and save a lot of time 👍

For my bigger projects (such as the Parvey cartoon and the MFM Kickstarter trailer), I do the whole animatic with final audio first and foremost, with the animatic being almost like the keyframes. I split them up into individual shots, .mp4 files anywhere between 1-30 seconds usually, and animate those one at a time. I'm a huge fan of free to use programs and try to use them as much as I possibly can, here's a list of the ones I use:

FireAlpaca- for the actual drawing part itself (storyboarding/animating/etc). FireAlpaca has a feature that lets you export every frame as it's own drawing, as well as an onion skin mode

Windows Movie Maker- for compiling all of those frames into video format, creating individual shots. If you upload all of your frames and set them to around 0.08 seconds, it equals about 12fps (I usually animate at 0.10 seconds/10fps, its a bit slower but looks nice)

Onlinesequencer.net- for making music. It's the place I've made all of my songs on, like the timeloop song, hyperworkaholic, and the background music for the MFM Kickstarter trailer.

Audacity- for editing audio/music. Also great for recording things directly from your desktop

DaVinci Resolve- for editing and putting together all of the shots into one big video. Can get kind of intensive on the computer during rendering, so watch out.

YouCut (app)- also for editing and compiling shots, I used this one a lot a couple years back but I'm not sure how well it holds up. Doesn't need much phone storage to download but needs a lot to render videos.

MS Paint (yes really)- for typing up text. FireAlpaca has a text option but I don't like it as much as Paint's.

...The only thing I genuinely can't do alone is voice acting. Luckily there's a big voice acting community on Twitter and they're all amazing to work with!

This got... way more in depth than I planned for it to be, so sorry if this is way more than what you were asking lol. But that's my general process when it comes to my art 👍

[greenerteacups]

I power read Lionheart months ago and it's been living in my brain ever since. In random moments, I see/think about your characters in the world around me. Like: a couple in the park holding hands? I start musing on your Draco's PDA thoughts. I remember the handholding moment as the Third Task started. I see a threadbare book in the thrift store? I wonder how fired up Hermione would be if someone asked her if wizards had an obligation to fix Muggle goods. If Reparo can fix a roof (and costs a witch nothing), should impoverished Muggles have to fight with their insurance company after a storm? On and on. I love it.

Thanks for opening up your asks for questions! Seriously, that's a badass move. There have been a few stressful moments in my life where--bing!--I check Tumblr and read one of your answers and I'm immersed in your HP world again, carefree and curious. <3

I have about a billion things I could ask/am curious about, but I'll restrain myself to two. This time. ;-)

Draco's mentioned once or twice that Harry & Ron don't understand him and Hermione. I was interested in that moment right before Draco follows Hermione to the Owlery. Harry stopped Ron from saying anything, and Draco recognizes that he's probably just as ignorant about Harry and Ron's friendship. So: 1) Is it too spoilery to ask what Harry (dear, sweet boy that he is) has noticed about Hermione & Draco? Does he think of them as one nerdbrain, or is he like Draco? Hermione? Weren't they married like, ages ago? I'm so fascinated by what others see when they look at Draco and Hermione because good GOD, what a power couple. And 2) Could you speak to Harry and Ron's relationship? Is Harry like, "Ron, you've gotta kill that Hermione pipedream," or is that topic irrelevant in the face of Quidditch gossip and less relationship-driven moments? Their (Harry and Ron) connection just seems so...necessary. It's beautiful.

I hope you're doing well! Thanks again for sharing such an immersive, gripping story with us.

Aw, this is so touching, thank you! I'll try to answer your questions as best I can without spoilers or breaching any rules on author-answer-ethics. Standard disclaimers: anything not in the text doesn't count, if I want you to believe something I have to give you a reason to believe it in the body of the fiction itself, and you're free to disagree with anything I say here. For the purposes of these types of questions, I'm basically just a fan who knows what the author had for breakfast this morning.

Harry knows that Hermione and Draco are... something. I think this comes through most in the arc of Book 4 where Ron separates from the group, and it becomes a tricycle of Draco, Hermione, and Harry. Harry is miserable, and it's not just because Ron leaves (although that's a large part of it); he's now in the position that Hermione occupies for most of the original series, where he understands very clearly that his other two friends, while both loving him very much, are First in each other's minds. He has a number of remarks that start to show his irritation with this, though he tries his best to be understanding — it is a similar dynamic to him and Ron, after all. (Fun story: I didn't realize until late in my drafting how much Hermione and Draco's dynamic echoes Harry and Ron in canon, from meeting on the train, the paying-for-candy moment, the Sorting, the class partnership, etc.)

All this to say that Harry looks at Hermione and Draco and sees a wall, in the same way that Draco looks at Harry and Ron and sees a wall. He doesn't understand it, but he knows that's deep water, and he knows he's usually better off not touching it. (Some of this comes through in Ron's conversation with Draco by the pumpkin patch; there's a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to "whatever the hell you and Hermione have got going on," along with a quick gloss on their weird pseudo-spiritual mind-meld connection, which was meant to give a glimpse into how the rest of Gryffindor sees them: eerily well-suited people with separately terrifying abilities who, when together, sail merrily off into their own universe of intelligence/plots-and-schemery and become a black hole of You Don't Want To Fucking Know. I sometimes amuse myself by thinking of Dean and Seamus giving the first years PSAs on Do Not Approach the Wild Swots In Action.) And he, like most of Gryffindor Tower, would have to be blind not to see how much they favor each other. They're always together. There's really nothing that they can do to hide it.

Which is probably why he pulls Ron back in the Owlery moment. He understands that what Hermione is dealing with is something that Draco, perhaps only Draco, can fix. She needs to hear a very specific kind of reassurance, and she needs to hear it from him. In the same way, when Hermione tried to calm Harry down before the plan to rescue Sirius in the third book, she failed miserably; they love each other intensely (they're siblings! the muggle-born twins!) but they're extremely different, and of all the Quartet dynamics, they're the ones who seem most at peace with that. Harry and Hermione's friendship works because they get what the other needs and they get that sometimes it's not them. (Harry more than Hermione, because she's still working on the concept of "sometimes people do not want my help" in general, but still.) There's a reason basically no one ever speculates about them being involved outside of a joke, because no one who knows them would think they could work romantically. They love each other, but they weird each other out, and they're content with that.

In contrast, Ron and Harry's friendship is more of the soul-bonded, life-partners, "he is more myself than I am" kind of friendship. Catherine and Heathcliff dig-up-the-corpse-to-lie-down-with-it type of shit. When Ron gets a death scare in the finale of Book 3, Harry goes fucking ballistic. Likewise with Harry's portkey fakeout in the end of Book 4 — Ron loses his shit. They are deeply, irrevocably attached to each other in an almost codependent way, which is the product of Harry's "first friend ever, like literally fucking ever, not nobody else, not one" situation meeting Ron's "first person who ever loved me as Ron and not so-and-so's brother" situation. So just as you put it, really: necessary and beautiful (and messy).

[pedrocomicreviews]

Magik #5

“For someone who supposedly likes to be alone, you’ve touched so many lives, Illyana.”

BEHOLD! DARKCHYLDE! And spoilers!

The Magik solo reaches the conclusion to its first arc, and I personally think it was pretty good, even if I don’t like some pacing decisions on it.

I don’t know if it’s just me but I definitely felt like we skipped an issue, as far as how this all panned out. The story beats for this book all work, I think– but they left me with a feeling that this was supposed to be issue #6, and not #5. 

The actual end of the conflict with Liminal felt like it had little to no time to breathe, and there was almost zero escalation to the actual moment of his arrival. I actually completely forgot this was supposed to be the last seal broken, and maybe that’s because… all the seals broke in almost the exact same way, and it didn’t feel like the characters were approaching this one particularly differently. It felt like they had no relationship to the villains that really mattered up until the last moment, and when Liminal, the ostensible final boss of the whole thing started talking, I… kinda expected more, I guess. 

But I do think that’s less important than the things this story does well. That is to say, the real point of this story is to have Magik and Darkchylde facing each other in what I can only describe as the Kingdom Hearts 2 Darkness Beach. 

And I’ve decided I do not mind most of the rest of the book, because they really nail this. I have been waiting for this god damn moment for years. The final synthesis of the Magik character’s thesis: is Magik inherently evil, and just denying it? Is she Darkchylde, and just pushing the inevitable? Is she more than the sum of every bad day in her life, and if so, then what is Darkchylde?

Comic books are no stranger to “the hero fights a monstrous version of themself in a metaphorical battle for control over their worst impulses”, and X-Men, specifically, is very commonly associated with this. Every single one of these characters has gone evil at some point, and most of them have had full conversations with their evil sides. Magik, however, always has something else going on with her. I’m sure I’m forgetting some comics released 20 years ago, but Illyana usually has some separation between her and Darkchylde’s actions–

She sometimes is just acting out prophecy, sometimes she’s got no soul, sometimes it’s not “really” her, sometimes she’s being manipulated, but in general, it is reasonable to assume that Magik’s actual conflict is not going berserk with Limbo-based demonic power, instead of actually having the “Is Jean Grey The Dark Phoenix?” conversation so many other characters get to have. So to see this finally taking place was very good, and I do think this presented its arguments for the Magik character well enough that it fits with the bigger truths about her we see in other publications.

The decision to use Darkchylde less as every bad impulse in Illyana’s mind and more as a defense mechanism; a way to make herself bigger to face the world that she doesn’t enjoy tapping into, was probably the best choice they could have picked. It is far too late to disassociate these “two” characters from each other, but more than that, it also provides a lens into Magik’s internal world that other books sometimes don’t have the chance to look through. Illyana is always portrayed as maybe the strongest person in any room she’s in, forged by fire, tempered by trauma, kept together by sheer force of will and occasionally spite, and it’s very easy to write her this way.

But it’s a lot harder to show pathos with a character that has mostly already ended her character arc in the 80s. Almost every Magik-centered story ever since the original Inferno has had to add caveats and sometimes gimmicks to what she’s going through, or just picks something she’s already done and does it again with another artist. But for the first time we’re actually asking ourselves, does Magik even need Darkchylde to tempt her? Isn’t it better to just stop fighting and be real about what this is?

And the book says, yes! It is! This story is done and we should have done this before! 

It’s a great moment, beautifully rendered by Germán Peralta and Arthur Hesli– who killed it this issue, especially with that last beautiful panel. Also shout-outs to Ariana Maher's excellent lettering, with the synthesis of Magik and Darkchylde having both of their speech bubble styles harmonized and integrated. It's the kind of thing you love to see letterers doing.

It’s the culmination of a story I thought the character wasn’t designed around ending, and hopefully it sticks around for longer than her previous attempt at catharsis during the Krakoa Era– something I’m kinda guessing we’re going to do away with, considering what the next arc is bringing. 

It’s just a bit of a shame that Cal and Liminal’s story had to basically fizzle out half-told in order for Magik to get this amazing moment. I don’t know what I was supposed to feel when the whole thing was resolved so fast, but it wasn’t very satisfying. Especially not for a villain who had previously held himself together in conversation, and I feel had a lot to give as a final fight. Oh well, it’s comics, it happens.

I have decided I don’t have a strong opinion about Dani’s final words to Magik in this, because they’re kinda in the same dimension as Cal’s ultimate fate. I think I’ll have to come back to this later when Dani reenters the narrative at some point. Either way, I do have an opinion about the end with Scott consoling Magik in the Alaska base.

Scott and Magik have been a really interesting pair to watch. Scott likes orbiting people like Illyana; immensely powerful, damaged people with the devil in them, but who desperately need someone to see them for the person they want to be instead. Basically all of his more intimate and important relationships follow this pattern, and Magik is no exception. It’s no wonder they’ve been so good together.

So to see him actually put that into words, and show his appreciation to her outside of the context of a mission, or even just him being polite– to see Scott actually try his best to make her feel well, not just useful or strong enough but well, is a sight to behold. I really enjoy Scott’s characterization as someone who just wants everyone around him to be as content as he remembers being in better times, and who has no barriers in front of his feelings when that’s the case.

I really wish this was X-Men, is what I’m trying to say here.

Anyway, Magik was very good this month, I’m happy with it. I hope the next big arc gets the necessary amount of issues it needs to properly develop everything it’s going to be juggling. Even if it’s a bit rushed again, I’m sure it’s going to be really satisfying on some level. It’s nice having Magik be well-written consistently again. 

[zahri-melitor]

I feel like I want to contain my Absolute Power feelings separately at the second as I'm reading the tie-ins in bursts, particularly the ones that aren't on my usual reading schedule, so here's what I want to say since my last update on them, after the first month of the event (I've only talked about the lead ins so far):

Absolute Power #1: The Wall turns off everyone's powers, which is bad, and manufactures a bunch of deepfake footage of various heroes doing killing, leading to riots that attack heroes in the streets. Clark gets shot. This leads to everyone going undercover or getting kidnapped and imprisoned by Amazo robots.

Lois being extremely mad that the Daily Planet got hijacked to also stream and publish this 'heroes are terrible' content is my highlight of the issue.

Ollie makes the world's most unconvincing play that he's a double agent who has betrayed the heroes and is now on Waller's side because she's 'on the right side of history' about the dangers of superheroes (he's not even trying to sound like this heel face turn is related to his values in the speech).

Absolute Power: Origins #1: people have had more coherent thoughts on this than me (Ink. Androxys,), but in terms of pivoting Amanda's story from the 1987 version of these events to what Waller's been doing for the last 20 years or so? This is handled with as much tact as possible in the reframe, while unfortunately heavily seeding the road to hell with major manipulations rather than good intentions. It's a necessary change, but I still don't think it's providing enough depth and justification for the in-your-face comically evil figure they're using Waller as right now.

Green Lantern #13: what this title should obviously be: Hal getting mad that Ollie switched sides on them. What this title is: Hal getting punched by Shark a lot while Waller questions him. There's some sort of Green Lantern resistance running here based presumably on the current arc in the title but I honestly haven't been reading Green Lantern and I can't work out how all this ties in. Kyle IS glowing like a rainbow though while looking messed up, which is very pretty. The JSA also get their asses kicked pretty hard and half of them get captured and the other half run off into hiding.

Superman #16: Clark is in surgery with Mr Terrific and Dr Midnight as you do if you need healthcare in the hero community. There's a resistance base running out of the Fortress of Solitude which has largely what looks like most of the Titans and the current Birds of Prey present, plus a few extras.

Wonder Woman #11: Justice League Dark gets hauled out of retirement as a concept for this book. Their magic gets disrupted, which various characters react to in different ways, when an Amazo turns up. Tom King's handle on half these characters seems tenuous to me; Nimue in particular seems a cypher. Bobo loses the power of speech.

Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1: so these titles are genuinely fun as they've been spread between writers and are checking in with various sections of the universe over how characters are reacting. This one is largely Shazam based: Billy, Mary and Black Adam get captured when the Amazos try to invade the Rock of Eternity, disrupting Mister Dinosaur's filing! Tonally, it's pretty on point for the characters, which I enjoyed. Steve Trevor finds out that he's supposed to be reporting to Sarge Steel, something that could never ever go wrong, given how much those two despise each other.

Absolute Power: Task Force VII #2: Doom Patrol and Aquaman team up! This was fun. What a shame neither of them have titles at present. Waller hilariously thinks the Amazo she sent to Atlantis made a treaty, rather than just beat people up. (He beat them up. It's Atlantis. What did you think was going to happen?). Basically everyone here got away and headed for the Fortress. Sarge Steel tries to frame Steve Trevor as a mole, in the most obvious move of all time (especially given Steve was obviously going to be acting like a mole).

Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3: The JSA issue! An Amazo gets infected with free will because something something absorbing Alan Scott's powers something something Starheart. Alan convinces the Amazo to let the rest of the JSA go free by going along with it to discuss what free will involves. The Oblivion Bar appears for like two pages. Also in the Steve Trevor plot, he escapes and starts sneaking around Waller's base undercover as you do to work out what's going on.

More generally; I have to say the event is doing pretty well at dipping into different parts of DC and checking in with the wider cast. That's actually something that DC's been decent about for recent events to my eye; fewer 'just a speck in a crowd' moments and more 'people without current titles actually get some focus' time. It's making the various teams of DC seem more extensive than the published titles they're appearing in right now.

[jtheplante]

SCREENSHOTS OF THE DAY!

✨Ted and Dorothy✨

First of all, I love Ted in this pose. From this side he has a nice curve but typically he's flatter than a pancake which is the one thing holding him back from being the perfect twink. He also seems like the type to starve himself of nutrients with constant silly diets and cleanses, so if he ate more I bet he'd have a nice booty.

"after the pandemic ended in 2020, I had to think of other excuses to keep us 6ft apart 📏 IBS usually did the trick😅" - from my Insta. btw, I never used AI when I RPed as Ted. 💪 Just my brainy parts and being a lot like Ted myself!

Ted hosting the how to be a mommy class with Dorothy is so sweet to me. I'm also a gay man that deep down wants the experience of being a parent someday but feels like it's never gonna happen (adoption is a beautiful thing but it's just not the same as having your own biological child)

THIS SCENE I can explain so easily omg and I feel equipped to do so because I'm basically Ted and I'm also gay sexually but biromantic. I think that's exactly what Ted is too. He feels love for Dorothy but only for her soul (in a wholesome way). It's like an extra special friendship but he lacks the desires for se- or extended commitment with her. No doubt he was also extra affectionate here because she SAVED HIS FCKING LIFE AND BROUGHT HIM PS1 POLYGON SANDWICH TO TOP IT OFF

One thing we don't have in common: He's rich. I'm a broke ass bish working at dollar general

This performance was just an excuse to shake his ass at King Julien. While his wife watched.

A fascinating aspect of their marriage is that they're both equally victims. They both continue to suffer by their own choice. Ted continues to deny that he's a gay man, and Dorothy continues to deny that she married a gay man. They both "want what they can't have" as Dorothy put it. AKA they both want di-

Once again, emotions were elevated here. They thought they were gonna starve to death together. I'd expect any lifelong friends to hug each other. This is the only time in the show they both hug each other. But he did choose to be by her side instead of Julien or Horst. I think maybe he wants Dorothy to protect HIM. Like he wants her to be his husband figure. This was also season 2, Ted's attachment for Julien grows and he distances himself away from Dorothy as the show goes on. This show's writers did not miss when it comes to character development and character arcs 💯

They sleep in separate beds because instead of hot steamy se- Dorothy got hot steamy gas (Ted dutch ovened her all the time, she called it the "Madagascar oven". I love that.) He's excited to have a giant picture of King Julien in their bedroom. The hand flips. I mean c'mon. "I'm proud of being able to push forward in terms of inclusion and do a lot more with queer characters in animation" - quote from my big DreamWorks book about when they started DreamWorks TV. Also fun fact: "Friend of Dorothy" was used in the past as codeword for a gay man. The AHKJ crew were fckin geniuses

Thank you DreamWorks for giving us such well written, explicity queercoded characters. And for making the greatest cartoon for gay furries ever. AHKJ manages to be gayer and cooler than Helluva or Hazbin could ever wish to be and with none of the f-bombs. Getting into AHKJ really validated me to let my freaky flag fly. And Ted makes me reflect on my own battle against internalized homophobia. I'm like Ted in this screenshot, but hopefully not for much longer. Ted didn't get his happy ending, but I can. I think this is the year I end my virginity and finally let myself free. I will still love God and I know God will still love me!

[concerningwolves]

today's disconnected but related Thoughts are about how stories should exist within "containers", and how problems in long-running TV series are typically introduced when the writers don't use those containers properly. I'm struggling to articulate it in a coherent order, but:

● an audience needs to be able to see some kind of boundary enclosing the story, otherwise it doesn't feel satisfying. This is why we have set plot structures like Freytag's Pyramid and Fichtean Curve which so many stories follow. Most storytelling formats lend themselves to this – novels, certain comic books and graphic novels, plays, and films all have a beginning and an end. You open the book or enter a theatre or switch on the telly, and you experience the story, and then it ends. The story might live with you afterwards, if it affected or resonated with you or made you want to analyse it, but if the creator did their job well you'll at least feel closure with it on a mechanical level (i.e., plot and character arcs have conclusions that you can see fit within the framework of the story, even if personally you didn't like or agree with something). The Good Place is an example of a TV series that did this very well, because the writers had a set vision for the series and they executed it.

● A lot of TV dramas and serials operate on the premise of being ongoing – a story that stretches on without any defined end in sight. This can be done well, but sometimes the story gets bloated and stale, or it ends up like separate swatches of cloth instead of an interwoven tapestry. I'm not saying this means every TV series automatically fails to tell a story in a satisfying way, or even that the series that don't are inherently bad. It works differently from books or films, and therein lie its strengths as a storytelling medium! For one thing, TV is excellent for character-focused stories, and these can go on and on for ages and still be enjoyable and entertaining (even if not "good" by critical artistic standards). There's also more flexibility in TV than in a film; the ongoing format lets writers string out rising and falling tension, and focus in and out on different plots/subplots across a far larger scope.

● The way these shows work is the overarching medium of the series contains smaller stories in the form of plots. The boundaries between one plot and the next usually need to be permeable, too – a plot arc should conclude satisfactorily, yes, but the things that happen in it ought to resonate with the larger narrative afterwards, otherwise it'll feel pointless to the audience. Ghost Whisperer is an example where the creators failed to do this, repeatedly: each of the five seasons introduces a new concept which seems to be building towards some kind of climax, and then... doesn't. Characters vanish from the story never to be mentioned again. Huge events that ought to have life-altering consequences for the characters only have consequences for a few episodes, and then it's swept under the rug. The series had its appeal in a fun concept and lovable characters, but was let down by the execution. By contrast, medical drama Grey's Anatomy has been going successfully since 2005. It has some continuity issues (like interns vanishing without explanation) and some plots are better than others, but on the whole it takes its status as a long-running story seriously and does it quite well.

● The streaming model and the way TV writers are treated is a factor, too. Even where the boundaries of a story have been pre-defined and could be executed well, the creators often don't have the chance. (and I'm sure the same is true of long-running manga/comic books/graphic novels, although I'm focusing mostly on TV here). Ratings, network politics and actors' personal lives/ambitions have a huge impact on what happens to a TV series, and the popularity or apparent success of a series doesn't always guarantee its continuation. Just look at Netflix's habit of axing series after 2 seasons! Or at Good Omens, which despite being written by Neil Gaiman, having a huge fanbase, and a pre-set story which would be concluded in three seasons, hasn't yet been officially greenlit for season 3 (afaik). The industry has created an environment where stories are commodified, and that's not an environment in which stories can flourish.

[natlacentral]

'It's Gonna Suck': Avatar Netflix Star Prepares Fans for Season 2's Zuko & Iroh Conflict (Exclusive)

An actor from Netfix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series teased one "heartbreaking" arc that seasons two and three have in store. 

For many, one of the best part of Netflix’s live-action remake of the beloved Nickelodeon series was the performances behind beloved characters Iroh and Zuko, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Dallas Liu.

The dynamic between the two brings the duo from animation into live action, and their bond feels authentic. Sadly, as close as those two are, in Book Two of the animated original, there is a notable break between them, leaving them both on their own.

With Season 2 right around the corner, fans should start prepping to go through that very same heartbreak.

[ Avatar Netflix Season 2: Dallas Liu Reveals His Big Hopes for Upcoming Episodes (Exclusive) ]

The Inevitable Conflict Between Uncle Iroh and Zuko

While talking with The Direct at Paleyfest 2024, Avatar: The Last Airbender actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee shared how he is not looking forward to the big fracture between Uncle Iroh and Zuko.

"It’s gonna suck so hard," the actor noted regarding being separated from his usual scene partner Dallas Liu; though he made sure to point out how it will no doubt be "really good storytelling:"

"It's gonna suck so hard because I'll be alone. No, I mean, that's one of the lovely things about our story arcs is the fact that you see them together at first, you establish that, and then really good storytelling is putting people through conflict... And so having them separate is going to be heartbreaking, but at the same time, really, really great storytelling to see what they're like apart from each other. And so that's something I'm really, really looking forward to. And yeah, I'm gonna miss him."

Dallas Liu previously expressed a similar sentiment to The Direct in a separate interview, where he explained how close both he and Lee got during the filming:

"And I'm thankful for Paul because he was so supportive when I was feeling stress and worry, in the same way, that I think Uncle Iroh would care for Zuko during those times. And so what was going on in real life and behind the scenes sort of played out on camera really well."

Liu mentioned in that same past interview how he can only assume the split between the two characters will "feel real:"

"I can only assume that it'll feel real. All of my scenes in this series have been with Paul. So to not work with him in those scenes is hard because, for me, he feels like the backbone. That relationship is truly why I think the chemistry between the two of us is why those scenes feel so strong."

At Paleyfest, Liu told The Direct that for Season 2, he is actively hoping for "a strong Zuko" storyline:

"I'm hoping for like a strong Zuko alone. Like, I'm hoping I'm hoping for that. And I'm hoping for Lee from the tea shop, going on his little date. That was cute."

The actor also expressed how both he and Elizabeth Yu (Azula) "would kill it" in portraying the character’s intense sibling rivalry:

"Me and Lizzie were actually talking; we feel we would kill it. She did such a good job. I was so very impressed. Because I didn't, I wasn't on set the days that she was shooting. So, I didn't get to see our work until it came out. So I was really impressed."

Yu agreed, noting how "the sibling vibe" between the two of them "has definitely grown:"

"Yeah, I'm very excited. I feel like we've been spending so much time promoting the show, too, that the sibling vibe has definitely grown. So I'm super excited to see what that looks like on screen."

It Will Suck Missing Uncle Iroh and Zuko in Avatar Season 2

The split between Uncle Iroh and Zuko will undoubtedly be disappointing just as much for the audience as it will for the actors behind the scenes.

It is going to be hard to swallow the fact that fans will have to go almost an entire season (perhaps more) without them together.

Thankfully, there will be at least an episode or two with them still together when Season 2 starts.

While Uncle Iroh may play a smaller role in Zuko’s time on the show, at least there will (probably) be further exploration of his sibling rivalry with Azula. The first season didn't offer much in that regard, and the duo butt heads more than a few times in the animated show’s second and third seasons.

Season 3 will be particularly interesting, as, when it starts, Zuko is spending some time at home in the Fire Nation nice and comfy—a dynamic which hasn't been shown in live-action yet.

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Is it hard to write group interactions? Since I usually write stuff that's focused in on two characters with maybe a third popping in and out here and there, I'm curious about the mechanics of writing a big cast.

If you have all of your characters in one scene, is it hard to designate who's speaking each time unobtrusively? Is it tricky to kind of make each character distinct in the scene? From the bits and pieces I've gotten to read I know you do a great job with it, but the idea of trying it intimidates me! It seems like a lot to juggle.

Whether or not it's difficult to do depends on what kind of writer you are.

(Also I dunno if I would consider five important characters ala that book we were just talking about an especially big cast, but that's not the point here)

The more characters in a scene, the trickier it can get if you don't have a distinct personality and role for the set up both in the story and in your head. But if you know what each character is there in that scene for, and how they interact with the others, than you have the grounding you need to make it work.

I have written scenes plenty of times where I looked back later and went, "Yeah, other character is actually here but they're not doing anything in this scene," and that's something that, well, has to be fixed. So remember that sometimes what looks like being good at it is just being good at recognizing when you fucked up and committing to fixing it.

For example, that scene I was talking about last night and we were talking about a little earlier, in which "Character almost gets punched for saying the wrong thing to an openly grieving character," we have five relevant characters to that slice of interaction (and most of the scene is actually only two of them).

We have:

Character who is grieving/crying/having a breakdown

Character who Says the Very Wrong Thing

Character who intervenes and defuses the situation

Character who emphasizes the wrongness of the action and throws in moral support to bolster Character 1

My actual protagonist, who was actually sitting by while most of that scene happened and letting the others deal with the situation, but whose role in the situation was to take the threads offered to steer out of the situation and tug until the situation was over

And each of these Roles is based on their role in the story and what their established personalities are: Character 1's character arc is about actually opening up a decade of old grief he's never processed, Character 2's role is to fundamentally offer different perspectives on things, Character 3's arc is to develop into the Responsible Practical One and act as a Binding Agent, Character 4's role in the story is to represent old wounds that haven't healed and won't without work and atonement, and my protagonist has always been the one Leading the Way.

So really, their roles in that interaction are the same as they are in the story write large. And since I knew what each of them was doing in the scene, it was eas(ier) for me to not let them step onto each other's toes and keep their actual goals in the scene intact and separate.

As for the small fundamental of dialogue tags, etc, that comes in two parts. That scene I sent you does not have dialogue tags on every part, but you can always tell who's speaking by:

The character acting in the paragraph attached to the dialogue.

Only one person would logically be saying that, because they speak differently and were, again, performing different roles in the scenario.

Or, okay, let's take one of the Bigger messes in YuuMori. Remember back when the Morigang was all sitting around learning about that court case? Bond's role was to Not Know Any of That, Louis's was to tell the story, Moran was there to make insightful remarks based on actually knowing the brothers better than the rest of them, William's role was basically to determine what was happening (asking Louis to tell the story, etc.), Albert, as ever, was kind of there to demur and keep some of the family history and his personality to himself. They're all reflective of their positions in the story at that time, and they all perform different functions.

You can also see this when everyone is waiting to greet William after 3 long years and do it in different ways in different times, and have different things to say to him, and react differently to the brother bonding.

Basically, use it as a chance to reinforce who the characters are.

[bluberimufim]

21, 5, and 10 for the writer’s ask :))

Hiii thank you for the ask! Sorry for the late reply, I had this tab opened for an eternity and forgot about it.

21. Have you ever thrown any major rules that everybody follows out of the window?

Kinda?? I usually don't look too hard at writing rules and just do whatever. I find that figuring it out myself works better than following advice I don't fully understand, sometimes.

But I guess I could say I've discarded a few? I write mostly fantasy and, when people give advice on writing fantasy, they tend to gear it towards a more stereotypical idea of it. A lot of advice on story climaxes and character writing for fantasy focuses on there being a Big Bad Antagonist to beat and a Great Showdown at the end. And that just isn't how I like to write.

I've said it before, but my stories are all extremely chill. There are still big events happening and there are obviously stakes to the plot, but it's more emotional than anything else. The climax of "Black and White" is a tense conversation at a coffee shop and a farewell between two friends. (You could also say that the climax is Alphonse's death, but. Eh.) People literally just talk to each other all the time with almost no action scenes involved. "Devourer of Souls" features an entire war with an outcome that ultimately doesn't matter because the story is about the relationship between two characters. The climax is Seth trying to revive Theo after she dies and that's literally just. Also a conversation.

This also happened to me a bit in my architectural project classes in my first year of college. All my professors were like "pick an axis and go with it" and I discovered, together with my professor, that I just think differently about space, and tend to focus more on staying in a certain place rather than in walking through it. Everyone is different. Be yourself.

Wow. Sorry for the ramble. It turned into life advice. Dammit.

5. How would you describe your writing style? Does your writing style change for different WIPs? If yes, describe all or maybe just a few.

I've mentioned this once in passing. My style of story structure is very... jumpy, I guess? I switch POVs to get the better picture of a certain scene, and I skip around a lot in time. Both B&W and the dystopia WIP have a "present day" plot happening parallel to a "flashback plot". The dystopia WIP technically has five different flashback plots, but they're all told separately. This is because they have multiple protagonists who are at different points in their lives. Darius's story happens over three years. Diedrich's happens over thirty-five. To be given the same weight, they must mix. Otheriwse the story becomes "Diedrich and Some Dude".

"Devourer of Souls", however, is completely different. It has one protagonist, Seth, and it tells the story of her life. Book 2 has two protagonists, introducing Flick, but there's still no need for flashbacks, because the story of Seth's past has already been told. And I gotta say, it is super weird to write something so linearly. It feels wrong, but it's one hell of an experience!

10. How often do you stick to your original plot?

I only really outline the bare bones and the scenes I daydream about before writing, so it leaves a lot of room. I am technically still within DoS's outline, but I have since added two characters, new magic mechanics, and an entire mini-arc in the middle.

But the basis is usually still there. There's also bits that I just leave as "???" in the outline that stand for "pretty much 2 years of relationship development that I'll figure out in the moment". Anything character-driven I just leave as "whatever, we'll make it up as we go". I plan plot but I 100% pant the hell out of character development.

[tc-doherty]

9, 11, 19 and 20 for the asks! :D

Favourite OC?

Ithea, it's no contest! She's just been part of my life for so long. After her I really feel like Dante needs serious consideration because he was a side character from an RP in middle school who I continued thinking about and draw pictures of until I decided to put him in a novel like. last year. So obviously I really like him! I also love Gheist a lot~

Sum up one or more of your wips!

Well summaries of my work are very easy to access however I feel like when it comes to Silverwood I usually just do the sort of overall vibe, but I don't know that I've necessarily gotten into the core conflicts of each generation.

1st generation the conflict is between Ithea and her father on one hand and Ithea and her brother on the other hand. Her father is trying to undermine their race for various reasons and she sees it while others don't because she wasn't raised in that culture. She wants to put a stop to him and his bullshit but unfortunately only manages to turn almost everyone against her so things proceed even faster after she dies. The conflict with her brother is personal and if it weren't for his inability to let go of the past, she might have been able to get more done on the actual conflict that she's worried about but sometimes things don't go the way you want them to.

Generation 2 also has two things going on, there's Charlie who gets involved with a resistance group and ends up funding a failed coup d'état, and all the politics going on over there. There is also Cyan, Gavin, and Kaite who are inventing the concept of organized crime. As for the other siblings there is some information about what they're doing but it's not as important to this particular section of history.

Generation 3 is sort of a domestic arc where the siblings end up coming back together and deal with a bunch of emotional baggage, the world is at this point at least relatively peaceful so there's not so much political nonsense going on it really is just focused on the actual relationships of the Silverwood kids as adults and also their children.

In generation 4 everything goes to shit again and one of Ro's grandchildren leads a revolution and takes over the government of 2 separate countries before deciding that one of them is too troublesome and stays with the other one, prompting all kinds of chaos. If there ever is a generation 5 it will probably revolve around the inheritance rights of the throne that Rona abandoned.

What are some things that inspired your stories? Real events? Maybe a dream?

I am often inspired by dreams actually! I tend to have very plot heavy dreams that I remember well so I've used those on multiple occasions. Celestials, Magic Black as Knight, and Northbound are still active stories that are wholly or partially based on dreams.

Otherwise I get a lot of inspiration from the "wow I would've written a relationship like that so much better" LOL

What story are you the proudest of? Why?

The Ghost! It really is exactly the kind of book that I wanted to be producing when I decided to be a writer, I love the characters and the world building and the story, I think it's held up really well considering how long ago I wrote it, and it just honestly means a lot to me. It's really one that I wrote not just because I had the idea but out of sheer love for the idea and the characters and that love has not diminished ^__^

I'm playing this ask game!