#and each book has like 2 separate arcs usually!

[kvothbloodless]

Once again begging on my knees for people to read Practical Guide to Evil

Message from an Overly Sarcastic Productions video that I feel Tumblr and fandoms at large should fucking internalize

[writingwithfolklore]

Subplots are your side character arcs

              Subplots are incredibly important in longer works as they assist in pacing out the main plot, develop your characters, and give you opportunities to explore parts of your world you might not get to in the main plot.

              So where do subplots come from? Often, they are the character arcs of your side characters (or connected to them). Today we're mostly focusing on side characters that are allies or close with the MC. Let’s talk about it.

1. Developing your side character

There’s as many ways to create characters as there are characters themselves, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll take you through my favourite way to do it.

              You’re going to need: A goal, an objective, a disrupting characteristic, and a formative event.

Objective: The actionable (your character can work at it) objective they want. It is likely the same as your main character’s if they are allies, such as Sam also taking the ring to Mordor with Frodo, or Flynn also working towards taking Rapunzel to the lights.

The difference is in their…

Goal: To what end are they working towards this thing?

Flynn’s goal changes throughout Tangled, but his goal in the beginning is to get back his crown because he wants to “be something” more than he is (rich). Rapunzel wants her life to begin so she works towards seeing the lights, he wants the crown so he works towards getting her to the lights. Same objective, different goals.

Disrupting characteristic: What internal reason do they not already have what they want? While characters tend to face external antagonists that keep them from their goal, it’s their internal conflict that is the thing they work through to provide change by the end of the story.

Let’s go back to Flynn—his disrupting characteristic is that he believes he has to be rich to “be someone”, so he’s turned to a life of crime.

A disrupting characteristic can be either a personality trait (selfish, self-destructive, naïve, relentlessly optimistic) or a belief about the world (I need to be rich to be worthy, I need career success to make my parents proud) etc.

Lastly, the formative event: An event in your character’s past (usually childhood but depends on how old they are) that has inspired why they are they way they are. The beginnings of backstory.

2. Building an arc

From this character development, we can figure out what the arc is. Take your character’s disrupting characteristic—what do they need to internalize or figure out in order to get past it?

              If your disrupting characteristic is, like Flynn’s, that he believes to be rich to be worthy, his arc is going to be discovering self worth separate from monetary gain—which we see throughout the story as he falls for Rapunzel, and caring for her becomes his new purpose.

              Your character’s selfishness keeps them from forming the close connections they crave with others—so they need to be thrown into a situation in which caring for another person over themselves forces them to be unselfish.

              That gives us an A to B.

3. Add conflict

To get from A to B, characters go through a whole lot of conflict. The conflict your side character will go through relates directly to their goal and objective—so the subplot is intertwined closely with the main plot while still exploring this side character’s internal change and journey. The conflicts they face on their own will likely be internal—typically side characters don’t have separate external antagonists from their main characters, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.

              Speaking of, check out my posts on antagonists and conflicts here, here, and here.

The last thing I'll say is that subplots that don't necessarily revolve around the MC but are kind of their own journey until they come crashing together with each other (such as the two POV characters that only meet halfway through the book) should be created as their own MC--so essentially two plots.

Questions?

[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.)

[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).

[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.

[raayllum]

So for some reason this ask isn’t showing up in my tumblr inbox but I was luckily alerted to it through my email soo

@nothingmorethanageminiboar 

Behold, you have stumbled upon what is probably my favourite Rayllum dynamic pattern and definitely one of my favourite parallels / arcs in the series. Which is to say: Callum and Rayla are defined by the choice to leave or stay, specifically in their relationship with each other, more than arguably any other characters in the series. While Ezran’s choice to leave and go home to be king is noble, and Claudia’s choice to stay is tragic, for most of the characters (with the exception of Soren and Claudia’s splintering) their choice to either physically stay or go doesn’t affect their relationships, and doesn’t continually affect them. Soren chose to leave once in 3x07, thus being one big ‘leaving’. When Claudia and Soren go their separate ways again in S4 after a brief reunion (although him chasing her down definitely does factor in) there’s not a lot of focus. 

Rayllum gets this focus constantly.

From their first episode

to their last

In fact, one of the first Rayllum metas I ever wrote was about the trend of Callum running after Rayla throughout season one, and how each scene reveals a new facet of their dynamic, as well as progresses their bond. 

Which, their pattern of chasing, leaving, or staying typically goes like this. Rayla, for various reasons, leaves first. Callum either watches her go, chases after her, or both. Rarely, if Rayla leaves, does she approach him after the fact; normally it’s a full on ‘pursuit’ if you will. (Which makes sense, as Rayla usually leaves out of nobility or shame or both, and Callum usually leaves out of anger. This is why her coming back at all of her own fruition, although we don’t know why, is a massive step forward.)

Or, if Callum is leaving first, Rayla chases then watches him go, and then typically waits for him to come back to her. 

This also tends to very much entangled with their reaching motif, as well. It’s present in their dialogue too, with lines such as “It’s okay, Callum, I’m not asking you to come with me” and “But I’m not going with you” (3x08) and “Callum, please, come back! You’ve got to stay with me, I can’t lose you like this!” Rayla is more verbally connected to the theme, while Callum tends to be more action oriented (hence him regularly chasing after her, perhaps), flipping how they usually express love (but not need, which one of my favourite meta followups here). The Book 2 novelization has also commented on this, with a quote from when Callum watches Rayla leave for patrol in early 2x01 (something the show didn’t give the same weight to, I suppose) with: “Callum stared after her. He wished she didn’t have to keep risking her life for them like this” even perhaps paralleling Rayla’s own sentiment in Dear Callum: “I wish I could stay and eat fake cake and sing songs with you. I wish I could show you the Moonshadow Birthday Dance, and kiss you one more time.” 

Season four, as with many things, takes this facet of their dynamic from the first three arcs (mostly Callum running after her / choosing to stay, but plenty of Rayla seeking him out as well) and giving it even more overt dialogue, bringing it to the forefront, albeit in accordingly modified ways. For Rayla, once again, it’s more verbal. 

Soren: You can’t just go off alone. Rayla: Alright, fine. Callum and I can go look for the entrance. Callum: No, I’ll stay with Ezran. Soren, you go with Rayla. 

Dear Callum: But I can’t let you stop me, Callum. No matter how much I want to.I have to be strong. No matter what. And if you said even one word to me, I wouldn’t be—couldn’t be. If I stay even until your eyes open and you yawn your silly morning yawn, I’ll break. I’ll still be here when the sun rises today, and the next day, and the next…I should go. I have to go.

Dear Callum: Oh, Callum… I have to go. I have to. I want to give you one last kiss, but I can’t risk your waking up. I have to go.

But let’s back track and break this down a bit.

Rayla returns in 4x03 (”She was still gone, and Callum didn’t know if she’d ever come back” —Inheritance). Callum, almost immediately, tries to leave. Rayla chases and asks him not to. Callum cannot bring himself to leave the way she did; he stays, even if he’s angry, unable to bring himself to disappoint her or to bring himself to go. When he shuts her out again, Rayla asks if she can stay. (Callum, at this point, has never asked to stay, only if he can come with.) Callum agrees. She leaves silently the next morning and is unsure about sticking around to go with them to Xadia precisely because of Callum, but luckily Ezran insists.

Then in the Uncharted Forest, Rayla tries to go off on her own (again) and tries to bring Callum along with her. He refuses and she leaves, and for the first time, Callum does not (or cannot / will not) watch her leave. 

We get a smaller inversion of this in 4x07 when he at least partially watches her go back into the air sphere and when he runs to her in 4x08 

but we get a proper fulfilment in 4x09, at least in terms of watching her leave and letting her leave, but also in running after her. (If you want the “looking away” motif version of this pattern across the series, and particularly in S4, check out this post here.) Specifically, in the way that Callum is the first to say/identify that they need to leave Umber Tor, but he’s actually the last to leave, staying behind to watch Rayla go until a boulder nearly crushes him, and then running after her (once again) to pull her from the rubble and to embrace her afterwards, walking up to her sword beforehand, etc.

“And it was the night I met—” It was impossible to say her name out loud. Rayla. It still hurt. She was still gone, and Callum had no idea if she’d ever come back.

Each time Runaan leaves, it is with the weight of knowing he may not come back. That to fulfil his duty, he may have to sacrifice everything. Himself, and all that we have here. 

Remember how I said that usually when Rayla leaves, she doesn’t come back on her own? S4 gives as a repeated turning point, in that Rayla is starting to make choices (although we don’t entirely know why) to prioritize coming back rather than finishing things to the brutal end. We don’t know why she came back in 4x03 (but given that Callum asks three times and the show doesn’t let it go into detail on purpose, I’m sure we will) and in 4x09, we can possibly read it as her deciding to get out with the coins > following Viren further over prioritizing her family (over a notion of prioritizing herself) but we shall have to wait and see.

So they have their cycle. So what? Well...

Breaking The Cycle

For example, Dear Callum and then S4 in show is the first time that Rayla expresses that she wishes she could stay. That she wants to stay, deep down. Compare and contrast to Ezran in 2x09 (“I wish I could go with you, but I can’t”), Rayla has stayed far more silent on the matter: “But I’m not going with you [...] You and Ezran should take Zym, but I can’t leave. I have to stay and defend the dragon queen” (3x08) in which Callum rightly points out that this is mostly out of guilt and not a mistake that she should have to pay the price for. 

And we also know that learning to take things together is where both of them are headed. Not only because it’s crucial for a relationship to operate as a team, and that Callum needs to learn how to express himself again and that Rayla needs to learn she deserves help, but also because we see this be evident with both sets of parents she’s emulating. Lain and Tiadrin both left to fulfil their duty together, and Runaan and Ethari know that they work as a team, fundamentally, too: “Ethari-” “I’m coming with you.” “As I assumed you would.” 

So we’re making progress, but Rayla is still prone to go off on her own (and Callum currently hasn’t given her an incentive to change, given that he listened to her and therefore kept himself safe, and can now accept this is a part of her that hasn’t changed, even if it hurts and breaks his heart). Thus, I expect S5 to give them enjoying the fact that they’re sharing space again, but fracturing due to these unresolved issues. He still missed and mourned her for two years, and she’s still completely liable to put him through that again, even if she really doesn’t want to. 

This is where more plot stuff comes in. I think Rayla guiding Callum out of the possession from Aaravos, if/when it happens again, and asking him to stay with her (call backs to 2x09) and promising to stay with him and not leave would do the trick in terms of reaffirming a lot of what they need. But as noted above, Rayla has asked Callum to stay before. 

He’s never asked her. I’ve written a larger meta about this (which you can read here) but Callum tends to express his devotion through verbal admiration and deep seated “I’m here for you what do you need” in action and in emotional support. “We’re in this together” / “I don’t care if you’re crying, I’m here with you” / “You know I’m always here for you, right?” Running after her, checking up on her, trying to get her to open up, accepting whatever she says whenever she does, etc. He’s just as devoted, but he expresses it differently in speech, and mostly through action. 

But think of how Rayla’s big speeches and statements almost always revolve around wanting to keep him safe/with her:

You’ve got to stay with me. Callum, please come back. I can’t lose you like this, you mean too much to me. 

He’s smart and kind and brave and he’s… My friend. My best friend. So please, allow him to pass into Xadia and help me take the Dragon Prince home. Because I don’t think I can do it without him.

But I became so obsessed with revenge, that I risked losing the best thing I ever had: you.

Callum. I’m glad we can be here together, looking at the stars. 

Beyond his heartbreaking “I couldn’t lose you” and “I let you go into the Nexus alone and I knew right away I made the biggest mistake of my life - I could have lost you” Callum doesn’t express in the same way, and not so consistently. He’s only ever asked to come with her, not for her to stay with him. We come close, very close, in S4 when he says that he needs her (to kill him) and Rayla is very surprised at first. 

[Rayla jerks back a bit, surprised]

But I am leaning more and more towards one of their turning points being Callum making it clear just how much he needs her, just how much he wants her to stay, just how much she’s important to him, and this actually getting through to her in her thick skull for once, being a significant jump forward in terms of her “I sacrifice and protect for you, but I can’t let you do the same for me” hurdle. 

Which is also why they have a pattern of Rayla putting herself on the line first (with the smoke wolves, saving Bait, the dragon, Sol Regem, saving Zym) and Callum putting himself on the line to save her in turn. She saves everyone - she saves him - and he saves her, and that’s the way it is. Callum giving her unconditional love and acceptance with this pattern is important, especially since Rayla has faced a lot more conditional feeling love in her life, and it allows her to grow and change not based on a relationship ultimatum, but because she wants to, for herself. However, her realizing that she really is just as important - and just as worthy of love and protection and being saved - to her friends as they are to her is also something that Callum can absolutely help with and affect. 

So yeah I’m fully banking on a “I lost her once, I can’t lose her again” from Callum in S5 and even more sentiments of staying and leaving and chasing in S5, possibly even to fruition. After all going into the Moon Nexus is the watershed that split them apart, so going back down into the water would be very full circle. 

[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.

[turkey-sandwich]

Assorted Fairy Tail headcanons #2

#1

As before, put under cut and many spoilers.

With Gray's more frequent usage of his Devil Slaying Magic, it's inevitable that he starts getting a few demon traits at some point. It's usually just small changes like how his teeth are sharper or the enhanced sense of smell. He starts worrying when one of his pupils turned purple, even after using his magic. Now one of his eyes is the usual black and the other is a glowing purple.

If Earthland Lyon and Gray had the worst falling out, the opposite can be said for their Edolas versions. They never had the whole "You're the reason our teacher died and I hate you" thing happened between them.

Even if they're anthropomorphic cats, Exceeds are still cats. Happy has been seen multiple times loafing on Natsu or Lucy, Charle making biscuits on Wendy's arm and even Lily casually scent marking his things and Gajeel. He then denies whatever he's doing to save face. Frosch is also notorious in Sabertooth for napping where the sunbeams are that people almost tripped over them. Lector also just flops over, asking Sting to pet him.

Jellal is a nerd. That's probably canon, I think, but Jellal is a huge nerd, especially when it comes to history. If you let him loose in a library, he will head straight for the books in the history section and he won't be seen for weeks.

Loke lied about not remembering anything that happened during the Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc. While it's not exactly vivid or anything, he does recall a few things, like how he hurt Lucy and her feelings and targeting Happy when he fought Natsu. He couldn't bring himself to talk to them for a week (in Celestial Spirit world time, which would be a month or so in Earthland time).

All of the Dragon Slayers have really bad abandonment issues, but Wendy has it worse. Like, way, way worse. Grandeeney disappeared suddenly when she was five, she found a big brother in Mystogan and he left her too, she then finds out that her guild, the people who pretty much raised her aren't even real, she gets separated from her big brother figure again, she meets Grandeeney again, but she disappears again too and for good, and her second family suddenly disbanded and went their separate ways and didn't even contact each other in that year they were apart. Wendy's constantly fearing that everytime she gets attached to someone, when she starts to care about something, they'll suddenly vanish and there's nothing she could do about it.

In the first years when Zeref was cursed, he tried so many ways to kill himself. All of them getting more gruesome than the last.

Ever since Minerva returned to Sabertooth, the members noticed that she seemed more open and even happier. It was as if there wasn't a dark and scary cloud looming over her all the time anymore.

Aries has always been sweet and soft spoken. However, after Karen's treatment of her and then Angel, she's become more of skittish and constantly anxious, hence why her constant apologies. She's been getting better lately since having a contract made with Lucy.

Rufus is constantly haunted by Erza's handwriting.

Jura is constantly at the Top 10 of Sorcerer Weekly's "Most Marriageable Wizard" polls since he grew out his beard. Comments from poll participants include, "It's a very mature look!", "I like my men buff and bearded.", "Get a man who's strong and wise and would make a great dad.", "Would make a very good husband, I think." Lamia Scale approves as all statements are true (Lyon's words), Blue Pegasus on the other hand, are always surprised with the rankings. Jura himself does not care for the rankings, but he's flattered that people think that he would make a good husband. This is definitely not my Jura propaganda, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Mest's memory is fucked up like hell. Mind wiping himself and altering other people's memories does that to a guy. His memories of Fairy Tail pre Magic Council infiltration are basically non existent and some of his memories are fuzzy and blank. Ask him about what happened last week and he'll stand there for a minute or so before responding. Memories that left a lasting impact on him (Tenrou Island and Lahar's death), seem to be the only ones that he can remember right down to the last detail.

Lucy and Jellal bonded through their star-based magic. Jellal taught her a few spells like Meteor, and Jellal had made new spells based on the constellations of the spirits. He had also picked up a little bit of Celestial Spirit Magic, owning two Silver keys (Canis Major and Corvus).

[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.

[aaronymous9]

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

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

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

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

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

Sunny - The aromantic queen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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