#and then sometimes a new character is introduced

[literaryvein-reblogs]

What are ways you can make s big cast of characters and make them feel different from each other?

Writing Notes: Ensemble Cast

Characters don't exist in a vacuum; they interact with each other, sometimes in tropish ways. Ensembles are some of the more common group dynamics you'll find.

In most cases, the protagonist is a defining element of fiction. It is they whom the plot revolves around and, usually, the one the audience is supposed to empathize with most.

However, some shows decide to do something different—there is no one protagonist. The plot and its narrative don't revolve around a single, "most important" main character. Instead, it shares a cast of characters with (almost) equal screentime and importance to the plot. This is called an Ensemble Cast.

This type of narrative is interesting because it highlights the relations between different characters by taking away the importance of a single character.

In addition, it allows the writers to focus on different characters in different episodes freely, without worrying about giving the main character not enough screen time.

On the other hand, it can also result in a work that lacks focus and drive.

Something must unite the events other than the main character.

Most of these works therefore fix on a restricted setting and stick to it like glue.

Some Ensemble Subtropes

Big Bad Ensemble - The story features two or more villains, each of whom has their own distinct agenda and resources. Having multiple main villains can bring new dimensions to the story and make it more complex and less predictable. It can force The Hero to face a range of different challenges. The success or failures of one Big Bad can affect the fortunes of another, as they may have to consider each other in their plans, or might try to profit from another's defeat. The hero might defeat one villain before fighting another, or might regard one as more dangerous or important than the others.

Big, Thin, Short Trio - A group of three people where one is huge, one is skinny and one is short.

Breakfast Club - A gang of misfits whom no-one likes and/or don't like themselves (and perhaps each other by extension) get together, or an elder, often a Zen Survivor, brings them together.

Classical Elements - A team or group of people in which each character is associated with one of the classical elements, the classical elements being a specific subset of the Natural Elements, typically composed of fire, water, earth, or air. So the standard ensemble is a team of four with each person aligned with either fire, water, earth, or air.

Creepy Family - A family that happens to consist of monsters or very strange and sinister people.

Nice, Mean, and In-Between - In certain group dynamics, you will notice three characters with different mannerisms, attitudes, and personalities that are easy to identify with — a character who is nice and gentle, a character who is mean and tough, and the character who is caught in between the two other characters.

Rotating Protagonist - When a series with an Ensemble Cast has each episode focus on a different character. In other words, a series where every episode is a different character's Day in the Limelight.

With a Friend and a Stranger - When introducing characters, you want to keep the overall number of relationships and names to remember to a minimum. This is why many media start off with only a handful of primary characters, often three. There are many common "stock" variations on the genders and relationships of these few characters. One of them is the friend and stranger dynamic. The protagonist will have a best friend, often a childhood friend. This dynamic is easy to show in the limited time you have to hook your audience, and easy to add depth to at a later time. The third character will be a stranger to the protagonist and their friend. Their appearance will often serve to drive the plot, and their unfamiliarity with the characters and location helps justify Exposition.

The Hollywood Formula - follows the interactions of three characters through the Three-Act Structure:

The Protagonist — the person the story is about. He or she is a person who wants a goal. The goal must be something concrete, definable, and achievable. Rather than "I want to be happy" or "I want to be rich", but rather, "I want him to fall in love with me so that I will be happy." "I want to win the game show that I'm going to be on so that I will be rich." "I want to rob the casino of the guy who's dating my ex-girlfriend, so I can be happy and rich."

The Antagonist — the person who places obstacles to the goal in the path of the protagonist. This does not mean the bad guy. The antagonist's goals are in some way opposed to the protagonist, and they are the one who is blocking the protagonist's journey.

The Relationship Character — the person who accompanies the protagonist on their journey. Typically, they are someone who has been there, done that before, and they have wisdom to communicate to the protagonist, and the protagonist isn't hearing it. The theme of the story, what the protagonist needs to understand in order to succeed, is expressed either by or to this character. In many cases, this happens as part of an actual conversation. At the end of the story, this conversation or expression of the theme will be revisited, and the protagonist and this character will reconcile with each other.

The story ends when the protagonist achieves or relinquishes his goal, defeats or is defeated by the antagonist, and reconciles with the relationship character. The closer together these things happen, the more emotional impact the story will have.

Excerpt from this post:

Ensemble of Characters. In summary, most successful sitcoms have this dynamic (and some unsuccessful ones lack some element of it): BOSS – A character in position of power over the striver/protagonist and others – it may be a role or rank or just social status or family seniority. They may have real power or it may just be vested in them by their position but they are inept in some way. STRIVER (PROTAGONIST) – The main comic character with all their flaws and failings. FOIL – The more reasonable normal one (usually also a striver) who has to deal with the main striver. Often protagonist and foil are basically on the same side but they can be rivals. Usually the foil is the one the audience can identify with but sometimes they are less obviously likeable. FOOL – Self-explanatory – the "stupid" or naive and awkward one. Often happy with their lot, they tend to be able to bounce back from the indignities heaped on them.

Writing Tips: Ensemble Casts

With each additional main character you add to your narrative, you’re adding another layer of complexity to your writing process. You don’t want to have extra characters just to have them, after all—each character needs to be unique, compelling, and contribute a story worth telling to the narrative as a whole.

Interview Your Characters - You’re going to sit down and pretend like you’re speaking to your characters. Is it a news interview? A gossip rag interview? A police interrogation? That’s all up to you. The questions you ask? Also up to you! The only important thing is that you answer each question as your character. If you’re stuck trying to create characters for your latest project, or if you have the basics down but you need a little push to help them feel like real, fully fleshed-out people, interview them.

Mix and Match On-Page Pairings - When you have an ensemble cast, some characters will inevitably spend more time with each other than others. When you mix and match your on-page pairings, you give the audience a few things. First, you give them a switch-up—something unexpected and, hopefully, enjoyable to read: a change of pace. Secondly, you give yourself the opportunity to explore parts of your characters that you might not have explored previously. After all, every relationship brings new opportunities to compare and contrast your character’s personality and outlook. Don’t be afraid to change things up as you’re writing and see what comes out of it.

Back Your Characters Into a Corner - Be as brutal to your characters as possible. For better or for worse, people show their truest colors when their back is against the wall. Backing your character into a corner is a convenient way to show your audience exactly what your character is made of. Your readers are also going to be more willing to readily sympathize with a character when they’re in a pickle. Getting a reader to sympathize with one main character is hard. When you put every single one of your characters in a seemingly inescapable situation, you give yourself a better chance of getting readers to connect with your characters, put themselves in their shoes, and really feel for them.

Character Voice - Each character should have a unique way of speaking. This will show up not only in the words they say, but in the things they say, and, by extension, the thought process behind their words. Best case scenario: it should be obvious without dialogue tags which character is speaking.

Diverse Representation - This allows us to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers, and promote inclusivity. Readers are exposed to characters who may share their own experiences or who open their eyes to different ways of life. Our hope is that this broadens readers' horizons, fosters empathy, and promotes a deeper understanding of the world. A diverse ensemble cast provides a platform for exploring social issues and amplifying marginalized voices. By incorporating characters from various walks of life, we can tackle important topics such as race, gender, and sexuality.

Embracing the Power of Perspective - One of the strengths of using an ensemble cast is the ability to present the story through multiple perspectives. This allows readers to connect with each character and understand their unique motivations. Constantly ask yourself, "Whose scene is this? Who has the most at stake here?"

Balancing Storylines - One of the greatest challenges during the plotting process is ensuring that all your characters have a common goal to strive for throughout the story. At the beginning, they are all individuals with their own goals, but mold them into a cohesive group with a shared objective.

Build Interconnecting Character Arcs - Your ensemble cast needs to grow and change together as the story goes on. Your characters should all impact one another in some way. Are they helping one another grow? Are they bad influences, bringing one another to regress? The choice is yours. Only when your characters come together to impact one another deeply and profoundly will you be able to impact your audience in that same way with your ensemble cast as a whole.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Choose which of these tips from different sources work most appropriately for your writing, and which notes & tropes you could use as inspiration.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

What do you think that Sonic 4 will be about?

Hi Sweetpea ❤️✨

I think that there will be a couple of messages that will be explored in Sonic 4: the concept of moving on and forgiveness.

Recently, Pat Casey and Josh Miller confirmed that Dr. Robotnik is 100% dead (until Jim changes his mind). The only one that survived that catastrophe, as of now, is Shadow. Also note, that this is the same interview that mentioned that they’d like to include Shadow in the fourth movie as well. If anything, we’ll have Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy Rose, and now antagonist Metal Sonic. Six Sonic-based characters is pretty good for now. Then all that’s left is Tom, Maddie, Wade, Walters, Rockswell, and Agent Stone.

I strongly feel that Stone will be the next villain. Stone is beloved enough by fans to where he can carry the title until Jim wants to come back as “Dr. Robotnik.” Rockswell could be a villain, but the most villainous thing that I can see her doing is locking the Fluffer Puppers up at G.U.N. HQ and arresting Tom and Maddie. I’m not saying that this isn’t evil. What I’m saying is that we don’t have enough information on her to k ow if she’s capable of doing evil. Stone is beloved by fans of the movies and games to create a story out of him. And that story can be about moving on. Make his character arc about how Stone struggles to accept that Dr. Robotnik is gone and have him carry out a heinous act of having the world pay for not respecting his brilliance. This would allow the army of Metal Sonics to come in and show to the world that Robotnik was fully capable of imprisoning the planet if he had enough of Sonic’s quills.

For the Wachowski boys (and Shadow), the concept of “forgiveness” can be utilized in how they’ve handled their last adventure. Neither of them know that the other has survived. Sonic thinks that Shadow died, Shadow thinks that Sonic fell into the vacuum of space. I’m in the belief that Shadow might have some emeralds at his disposal and does his best to search for Sonic in space. Sonic uses his share of the emeralds to search for Shadow if wreckage has been found. Whether the two like it or not, there’s still some luggage that they’re carrying around from their last adventure. They both feel responsible in some shape and form. This film could be used as a way to help the two find closure with each other.

So then what about Amy Rose? What could she do and contribute? The answer is self love.

Sometimes it’s hard to find ways for people to forgive their actions when they’re conducted. It’s an inner turmoil where an individual asks if they’re worthy of forgiving themselves for doing something wrong. Even if the rest of the world forgave and encourage actions of healing, there’s still a sliver of guilt and question of if one should be forgiven. Amy Rose can step in and encourage Sonic and Shadow that they are worthy of self-love and allow the love for themselves to heal from their mistakes. That is forgiveness.

If Amy Rose and Metal Sonic are the next characters introduced into the series, the story will more than likely adapt elements of Sonic CD. For those new to the franchise, this 90’s classic is a game that involves time travel. This would be a great opportunity to show Stone’s desperation of trying to revive his precious doctor. And the key to the ability of time travel has to do with Amy Rose. If Amy Rose won’t share that knowledge in time travel (and potentially connecting with loved ones), then Stone will conquer the world.

This is all that I’ve got so far in terms of what Sonic 4 could be about. It’s not a whole lot, but I can see it going in this direction.😁

[ihaznoclue]

Hello there friend!

I am here to send you a request of pure Fluff, maybe Kirishima and Bakugo (those are my two favourite characters in the MHA series)

So I basically saw this post on my Instagram reels and I wanted to see if you could do it :)

So the video is about this couple giving each other gifts on a topic (example "Their Favourite colour", "Something that reminds you of them" and then "Something to do together")

Kirishima and Bakugo can be adults aka pro-heros and they are wanting to marry the reader for a while now and then the last topic "Something they need to do together" they bring out a ring while the reader brings out a puzzle XD

Anyways if you do this I would be so happy

Pairings -> Kirishima Eijiro, Bakugo Katsuki x Reader

Warnings -> None

Note -> They played a little game but they had other plans in mind

Genre -> Fluff

Kirishima Eijiro

Okay this is a cute one

Kirishima thought of an Idea of a game to play with you but he had something in mind at the end of the game

So he introduced you to the game and you said that you would love to love with him, so you two went to the shops to get everything you needed for this game

Now you two were currently getting everything ready as you two sat on the table in the dining room

You wondered why Kiri, your boyfriend wanted to play this game out of suddenness but it seemed like a cute couple game so of course you played

The rules were simply as you got a topic of each thing that you were gonna hand out to them

For the "favourite colour" you obviously got red doritos

While for him he got a (F/C) item

You were enjoying this so far as Kiri got really expensive things for you

The next topic was "Something that remind you of them"

You got a shark plushie for him while he got a teddy bear which was really cute as you started to cuddle it

The next topic was "Something they need to do together" so you handed out a puzzle as you never did a puzzle with Kiri before because of how busy you guys get sometimes

You started to laugh as you wonder what Your boyfriend got until he handed out a little black box on top of your puzzle as he opened it

This made you gasp as you heart started to beat up

You were shocked as Kiri grabbed the box as he went down on one knee smiling brightly

Your hand were covering your shocked expression as you started to tear up

"Name.. Will you marry me?"

Bakugo Katsuki

He would have second thoughts on this but he was already here, sitting at the table with you as you both had bags filled with stuff for the game he suggested

The topic of "favourite colour" went well as you handed out a orange hoodie that he could wear outside if he wanted to while

Bakugo got you some (F/C) slippers

You giggled a bit as you always need a new pair of slippers so you were glad he got you some with your favourite colour

The second topic "Something that remind you of them"

You got out some drum sticks for his drum set that he would play in his free time away from hero stuff, but he broke a stick while playing to hard

Bakugo got a bouquet of your favourite flowers which confused so he explained why he got them

Saying that flowers always reminded him of you as you were sweet like a flower which caused you "aww" at him making him blush

Now for the topic "Something they need to do something together"

You pulled out a puzzle as you laughed, Bakugo was hesitate to take his out but then leaned down to take his item out of the bag that look fancy

You waited for him as he placed his on the table which caused your eyes to wide

You covered your mouth with a hand as he started to get up from his seat as he kneeled on a knee in front of you

You started to tear up as you never expected this to happen so suddenly but you were so happy that he did

"Name... Will- Will you marry me?"

-A<3

[lozeyart]

So I started watching she ra (finally) and I'm on season 3 and I actually really like it! The animation can be a bit funky at times but it adds to the charm and I really like the little blushies across the cheeks of every character (I kind of want to try that out now)

Anyway I love Entrapta and Hordak and I ship them so hard

[hesgomorrah]

we need to make suggesting someone skip the first three seasons of mash as taboo as suggesting someone skip the ninth doctor

[gamer-comix]

hello this question has been burning and idk who else to ask but I want to get into magireco but idk how. and ik its shutting down but do you know if there are like. archived stories or anything

I dont mind if you dont answer this cause its so random but if you do then thanks in advance

[AUTISM ACTIVATED]

okay so you can watch pretty much (almost) everything on youtube, including a bunch of fan-translations of post-NA server content. but you'll wanna start with the arc 1 main story (you can watch the prologue here and chapter 1 here--there are 10 chapters of arc 1 in total) but there's also the "another story" side chapters (basically showing the main story events from the POV of the original pmmm cast and offering additional context. and boob jokes.)

there's ALSO short side stories for nearly every playable character and event stories (listed in release order here)

it's definitely a huge amount of content (almost 7 years' worth...sob...) and can be overwhelming for a newcomer but the only REQUIRED reading is the main story, so just stick with that to start and you'll be fine

or you could...uh...watch the anime... but it's, uh, kinda... it has...some issues, so... maybe not...

[silentsockfeet]

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

[chaos-bringer-13]

My brain just hit an old hyperfixation (is this what it's called? I hope I used the word right) and oh dear am I losing my mind now. I need to write a story I think. About this one old guy. He's unhinged. There's so much information about him and yet not enough. I want to explore his character so much. He's definitely a criminal - at least he was one - and I'm 95% sure he can do actual real magic, and he's a musician and an artist and an actor and a magician and a philosopher and a traveler and a conman and so much more and also I think he's some kind of immortal. Maybe he just has a VERY long life. It's strongly implied he was a pirate at some point of his life. He started a cult by accident several times. My conspiracy theories about him include him being a secret god.

He's also a freaking round blue raven. Someone save me from my mind.

[solradguy]

about that most iconic fighting game protag. it’s so weird every time i see how popular gg is and then like. no one cares. you never see gg merch at cons and like. gg doesn’t get in smash at all it’s like. damn

Guilty Gear's in this weird spot where it was decently "big" over in Japan since day 1 but was this strange, quirky, underground thing here in the west until Strive where suddenly it's the headliner game at major tournaments like EVO. I think the Sammy-Sega merger putting the entire franchise into IP hell for most of the 2010s didn't help too... Maybe if that had never happened we would have gotten a GG character into Smash...

Strive really has kicked the frontdoor down here in the west though. I bet the amount of GG merch at cons and stuff is going to go way up between now and the next game in the series haha

also I don't think most other fighting games have a community on here the same way GG does? and following my blog is like being exposed to the elephant's foot of GG content rofl so there may be some kind of data bias there hahahah

[justafriendofxanders]

i go back and forth a lot on my interpretations of ats s5, ie. what parts of spike are 'in character' or not, but the one thing that stays constant is my belief that spike and angel fucking would have fixed most of this.

[littlefoxgw2]

[theokusgallery]

now how about pet names they use 🥺 (referring to nick and sunny)

im assuming that nick uses them at least a little based off one of your comics

That IS a thing I've thought about before ! A lot !! Unfortunately I don't draw a lot of comics and therefore there aren't many written traces of the way Nick or Sunny talk — Tosteur (@tosteur-gluteal) has drawn a bunch of Arsenic-related comics, though, and since we talk about Nick a lot he tends to be very accurate with characterization :] You'll find them if you scroll down the '#fanart' tag

Nick tends to use kind of old-timey or formal nicknames. The way he talks in general is very formal, so sometimes he might sound like he's straight out of a Jane Austen novel when just... talking casually in practice. He calls Sunny things like dear, sweetheart (sunshine is an obvious one), love... But you won't catch him dead calling Sunny "babe"

Nick uses a lot of nicknames and pet names and tends to use them more than the person's actual name (most of the time it's because he doesn't care for the person, only for the abstract concept of a lover). He calls Sunny "dear" more than he calls him Sunny, on average, though it's not like he never uses his name, either.

Sunny's more of a nickname person himself, rather than a pet name person. The name "Nick", or even "Arsenic", is kinda his thing at the start, since Nick went by Basil before meeting him. Sunny's not a very verbally affectionate person, so he doesn't tend to use pet names very often, and when he does, he feels quite awkward about it.

[potionwine]

Oooh, you’ve also seen Nirvana in Fire?!? That was SO good. And as inspiration for PF?? That, explains some things, dang! It works

My friend. My dear. My lovely Cimi—

WHAT in the world—

Have I seen the drama that bloody changed my life; my favourite comfort c-drama; the series that I rewatch yearly the way I rewatch lotr every Christmastime; that exquisite story with the most incredible breadth and variety of characters with impeccable character work and amazing themes and an ending that respects its viewers which however tragic is thoroughly earned and identity porn and politics and pride and grief, god, so much grief—and an Emperor who is shakespearean in his tragedy and—

Okay. Okay, no, you could not have known, tis a failure of my part if I have not spoken enough about it—I probably mostly reply to other people's posts as they liveblog their watching but. BUT. God when I saw your ask it felt like you came up to me to remark "hey wow so you also ship PF?" that's how gobsmacked I was lol!!!

I have dragged everyone in my life into watching this show! I have mutuals on here who can testify to my introducing them to it omg. I just checked and the earliest NIF post I reblogged was in 2016 so I have been watching it every year since 2016 hahaha!!! Although it's pretty complex chinese, and since so much of the show is made up of characters sitting around talking the intricate plot into existence, it's not really a beginner-friendly c-drama either!!!

NOW I DIDN'T KNOW YOU'VE WATCHED IT TOO???!!!

I. have. been. going. UTTERLY MENTAL. at the lack of anyone with whom I could talk about it? OR SO I THOUGHT. So many times I thought of going into our discord to be like "has anyone ever heard of NIF because hhhhhhh the phoenixflare resonance" or like "so is anyone into TGCF perhaps perchance mayhap???"——because heh. hehehehe. heheheh??? My fic is practically a NIF/TGCF mashup, it's a Lin Shu+Xie Lian!Joshua Rosfield & Jingyan+Hua Cheng!Dion Lesage——and I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I wanted to ask god please does anyone else see my vision please god does anyone?? but no one would even understand the references, and I couldn't even ask in areas (asian fandom) where there would be a higher chance of people knowing what crack I'm on because asian fandom is all about that...you know...that I loathe—and I have been in pain and I thought right well fine I'm writing the fic anyway it's fine if I have no one to scream about it with because I'm writing it and then I'll find fellow competence porn+politics enjoyers if they find my fic and—and.

God. What an earth-shattering message to receive in my askbox! You are some sort of miracle <3

Do you see it??? Do you see it? A boy who burned to death in an inferno as an innocent betrayed youth in a catastrophic event caused by his own family, his father slain, his entire clan (and all the troops under his banner) wiped out or scattered. A boy reborn after extensive and horrific injuries after an agonisingly long period of recovery: a ghost who crawled his way out of the gates of hell, the last of his broken once-noble house.

That boy's transformation into his new identity of Mei Changsu/Margrace. His off-screen discovery of the truth that led to Meiling/Phoenix Gate and his continued on-screen quest to learn more. His determination to hold the true culprits accountable at immense personal cost and suffering. His dogged persistence despite incredible odds and visibly failing health. Being surrounded by people who love him and want to protect him, and himself constantly undermining their efforts because his goals are more important than his health. (Because in truth he knows perfectly well that he won't survive, but he can make a difference while he is alive.)

Something that amuses me hugely is how Lin Shu and Joshua literally both come back as 宗主? I love it so much! They come back with the same title! Both of them come back as clan leaders of an organisation that obeys their every command! Margrace is the 不死鳥教団の宗主(=leader of the cult of the undying bird) and Mei Changsu is 江左盟的宗主(=leader of the Jiangzuo alliance).

AND. Hooooo yea this PF fic is just JingSu at this point because oh, a handsome, principled, prideful, and stubborn prince who is a decorated warrior famed for his numerous military accomplishments and the man who is essential to the success of Lin Shu's/Joshua's plans? The resurrected boy barging into his prince's life: no matter how insane it is to choose your side, still "I choose you, Your Highness Prince Jing"??? The fact that the undervalued prince has a history with our secretive ghost protagonist? And (arguably) frequently thought about and missed the bright boy he knew once upon a time in happier days—"I know you," says Dion Lesage without a shadow of a doubt, extremely normal of him to instantly recognise a dead boy he met 20 years ago?

Mutual admiration of each other's integrity and capabilities? Reciprocal faith and remembrance? The foundation of deep respect and enduring friendship, their shared goals and shared family??? I froth at the mouth. JingSu are cousins, PF are stepsiblings by their parents' marriage. Each pair is bound by destiny and by choice—other people have made choices that permanently entangled each pair's lives together forevermore (Joshua+Dion and Jingyan+Xiaoshu), and the choice they themselves personally made to choose each other—

DO YOU SEE THE VISION.

How difficult it is to pursue justice when everyone involved is family and how impossible it is for Lin Shu the nigh-extinguished Chiyan fire for Joshua, the guttering flame, to indict Jingyan's father the Emperor of Liang Dion's father the Emperor of Sanbreque of his crimes against Joshua's family without opening old wounds and hurting many loved ones in the process including Dion himself. The people directly responsible for the tragedies are related to the protagonists in one way or another! If Lin Shu Joshua ever wants resolution for his grief unending, he has to strike at his beloved's father, and plot meticulously to avoid all of the dangers of attacking such a powerful enemy.

(Of course, I acknowledge the critical difference in Jingyan's versus Dion's feelings about their respective fathers.)

Now if only Joshua had done the famous blizzard scene with Dion instead of letting him go off to carry out his ill-advised coup—"Xiao Jingyan! You stand where you are! If I don't stop you today, what are you going to do? What do you think you can possibly accomplish if you charge in to challenge imperial power like this? Do you think you can simply force the Emperor [to do what you want/change his mind about Anabella Wei Zheng]? You have honour and valour but why do you just not have brains! How many more people must be hurt, you tell me!"

Anyway Joshy doesn't have the insufferable smugness of Xiaoshu but he does absolutely have Xiaoshu's pride, the sort of pride that is not just personal pride but familial pride too (after all Joshua comes from extremely prestigious lineage)—just look at how he speaks to Ultima in every scene, his lordly manner. Joshua I think has more Consort Jing to him, and Consort Jing is only my favourite character in all of NIF, in a drama where I love every character to bits—steel in softness, ever gentle ever polite yet not to be bullied and not to be underestimated and also extremely perceptive and learned and patient. Extra sweet bonus that Consort Jing is also a healer. Elegant, restrained, and very repressed. Who knows the depths of Joshua's Consort Jing's grief and loss?

But you know, Jingyan, near the end he is completely in charge—the prince who was always a great and respected general on the battlefield is now more than that, he's directly taking responsibility for all of his people as their future ruler—that means thinking on multiple fronts and exerting control over all of the key governing officials, not merely his military officers. He's leading with confidence, and there's that little scene where he apologises to Xiaoshu for taking action on several plans without consulting him, and Xiaoshu says no, this is the way it should be, this is the correct state of affairs: you are the crown prince, and this is rightfully your arena. You lead, you decide, you command.

Jingyan now sees clearly, he's found out and accepted the truths of his father's role in the atrocity at Meiling and everything that happened back then. He rightly perceives the failings of his family and seeks to redress past wrongs and avoid repetition of past mistakes, he weeds his court of the corrupt and the cowardly, he's become the best possible version of himself: stronger than ever, not just a powerful wartime commander-in-chief but an inspiring leader in the imperial court, careful, thoughtful and politically up-to-speed, finally stable in his sense of self instead of being permanently stuck as that angry and lost and hurting child. He has renewed purpose, he possesses hope for the future, he is able to dedicate himself fully to what he truly believes to be right and act in furtherance of righteous causes—

Critically, this is the man he becomes only because Xiaoshu came back into his life to shake it up. Without Xiaoshu he wouldn't even have the opportunity or means or knowledge. The radiant and fiery boy who Jingyan missed all his life came back to save him. From the outsider prince without contacts or support within the imperial court->to the crown prince who has the court subdued within the palm of his hand. From his pitiful existence as a neglected, unfavoured prince, his lowkey constant simmering resentment, his half-dutiful half-forced obedience of paternal orders that chafe at his conscience->into the steadfast and self-assured prince who is capable of fighting for the betterment of his country and the rallying point for virtuous officials who share those aspirations. The drama shows the audience that Jingyan is unquestionably ready to assume rulership, and together with the person he loves most, they achieve their goals, they save each other and their country (by arresting its downward slide due to the rotten state of its governance).

It's just a strong headcanon of mine (albeit one that I can absolutely present extensive arguments for) but to me Joshua Rosfield is the one and only character able to perform that same abovementioned function for Dion Lesage. Catalyst, turning point, spark that ignites the fire—whatever you call it, this is salvation. It is beautifully poetic that both Lin Shu and Joshua are characterised by fire. They are the fires of change that burn away the old life: before their arrival, the two war princes exist in a state of wearying routine, long-suffering and almost hopeless. Both Jingyan and Dion are shackled by their stations and duties, both are unloved sons with virtually no chance of their circumstances improving without drastic action, and both are trapped in precarious situations where they are subject to the whims of their father (if their imperial fathers turn on them, it will result in irrevocable loss of their status).

Dion's position is weak in the Oriflamme imperial court—pretty sure this point isn't up for debate, since no one ever speaks up in support of him despite the obvious injustice of his ill-treatment. His degree of influence in the court is much, much, so much less than any reasonable person might expect someone who is literally Bahamut and crown prince to have. The Council of Elders and other officials stand by haplessly while he is progressively stripped of power in favour of Olivier. Nobody defends him, nobody objects. (Or maybe some did, and were eliminated.) Even Dion himself submits to the abuse despite inherently superior abilities. Career politicians know which direction the winds blow—they don't defy their Empress, meaning they are either her cronies or too fearful of her to make themselves a target by any raising any opposition. Added to that is the implication that Dion was often away for long periods—and as Xiaoshu explicitly tells Jingyan in the drama, the crown prince cannot leave the imperial capital untended because that is the surest way to lose power. Dion may be Sanbreque's mightiest weapon and revered by the populace, but in practice his political sway is almost negligible. He is not able to leverage himself effectively.

Don't get me wrong, for these reasons I extra extra love the canon portrayal of J*** obeying Joshua against her wishes and T****** obeying Dion against his wishes—I absolutely think their obedience is, to them, the truest and highest and final demonstration of their love and understanding of their respective masters. And both Joshua and Dion expected no less from them. [I've not typed the names out just in case the search function ends up capturing the post and putting it in their tags, not because I hate those characters; I just don't want to be uncivil within fandom.]

But the very point here is that, you know, sometimes you aren't supposed to leave someone just because they say so. Sometimes it is the worst possible course of action to obey someone just because they command it. Sometimes it is undesirable at best and disastrous at worst to support someone's every decision out of unchanging (if uncharitable, one might even say unthinking) loyalty. That is a fundamentally unequal relationship, and while beautiful in its own way, is also uniquely doomed. The truth is, Joshua was always going to pull that trigger, and Dion was always going to pull that trigger: the master was always going to sever the relationship. Those pairs were doomed as soon as they began, because one party can only ever say yes, and yes means the end, you see? That is The End, that is the final break. By their very subordinate nature and by their established personalities within the game, "yes" is the one and only answer J*** and T****** can ever or will ever give. Their master will say, "Leave me", meaning it is over, and they will reply, "Yes, I obey". Because this is the only answer that proves their devotion, leaving them totally incapable of changing the script. Both J*** and T****** knew it and played their parts to perfection, and my heart hurts for them.

In NIF terms, I reckon J*** is Gong Yu, and T****** is Lie Zhanying. Zhanying will follow Jingyan to the end, whatever it may be—in fact in one episode he explicitly says so, and his loyalty is never in doubt. He will go to his death if Jingyan orders it. He will always support Jingyan's decisions. He and the rest of Jingyan's men have been following Jingyan even when the prince was out of favour and cold-shouldered and constantly dispatched to safeguard the country's frontiers—inconvenient places where comfort is low and the environment harsh. Jingyan's favoured brothers live in the lap of luxury within their palaces (like Olivier), while Jingyan himself (like Dion) has always been at war. And as with Zhanying, T****** will never be able to change this status quo on behalf of Jingyan (Dion). For all his boundless dedication to his lord, Zhanying will never be able to improve his prince's standing in the court, never be able to secure more political power for his prince (unless his prince decides to revolt/coup), never be able to make his prince's father love or prize his prince.

It is not a problem of character or willpower or desire. It is, simply put, a problem of power. It is a problem of class. The servant rises as their master rises, and falls as their master falls. In other words, the servant's status is determined by their master's status. Zhanying is Jingyan's deputy. When Jingyan's status was elevated, Zhanying naturally also assumed commandership over more troop divisions because those were allocated to the prince by the Liang Emperor. (There is no doubt in my mind that T******'s status as second-in-command is because of Prince Dion. He's too young to have earned that position by gradual promotion through meritorious accomplishment. Unless you're telling me that the knights dragoon don't have a single officer above age 30.) Zhanying is invaluable to Prince Jing in security, in warcraft, and in a variety of generic daily tasks. However, he is part of the rigid imperial system and lower in the hierarchy. He may persuade his lord, but he cannot order him. He may disagree, but he cannot defy. He may privately despise the Emperor/Empress, but he cannot show it and cannot act on it (literally treason). His role is to follow and obey. If he does not perform that role for whatever reason, he fundamentally negates his utility to his lord.

Ergo, endgame Jingyan is only possible because his true equal and soulmate, his real zhiji, came back to challenge the status quo. In fact, came back to challenge him. It is not merely the fact that this person understands him above all, it is also the fact that this person has the ability to act on that understanding. Jingyan is technically also Xiaoshu's prince, master, and eventual Emperor—so where is the difference?

The difference is, Lin Shu is comparable in nobility. Lin Shu is the cousin of princes and the incumbent Emperor's nephew, Lin Shu was raised amongst the imperial household, and played and studied and fought and hung out with them as peers of roughly equal rank. In this respect Joshua actually outstrips Lin Shu: Joshua is a prince by blood, and had Rosaria not fallen (especially if Sylvestre had not risen to the throne), would have been higher status than Dion. It's a massive pet peeve of mine that so many fans in XVI fandom don't seem to realise that Joshua was crown prince? Everybody knows Dion is crown prince, but do they realise Joshua is the original? In the English version prologue, the knights do call him "prince" and "your highness". The Rosarian throne is Joshua's by right of birth. At the time of their meeting as children, Joshua outranked Dion. They were equals as Dominants of their nation, but Dion back then was the child of a Cardinal and not the child of Sanbreque's ruler at that time; i.e. he was not a prince and not in line for the Sanbrequois throne.

The other wonderful similarity is Lin Shu's and Joshua's statuses as outsiders to the system when they reintroduce themselves to Jingyan/Dion. As Jingyan's strategist, Lin Shu has more leeway with regards to making his prince listen to him and take his advice. But importantly, he is now Mei Changsu, and that means he is able to play outside of the system. The imperial system effectively cast him out when it killed him. The strict codes of imperial conduct no longer chain him as they chain those confined within its structure. As a free agent unlike Zhanying, he has the right and privilege of choosing his own master. That includes the right to leave or to change his mind. And although the prince's strategist is supposed to be subordinate too, Xiaoshu would never truly be subordinate in the same fashion no matter how many times he bows his head, because at his core he is still high nobility and it still shines through despite everything. His manners are still perfect. He still navigates life with the easy expectation that people will serve him. He grabs the Duchess' hand and yells at Prince Jing and gloats at Marquis Ning. It's all the little ways that remind the audience, over and over, that this man was raised as a posh lordling. You can remove the boy from the upper class but you can't remove the upper class from the boy. It's the same with Joshua. His manners are still court-perfect. He still moves through life accepting that he will be served. He may bow his head to Dion and call him "your highness" but he also takes the liberty of throwing himself at Dion for a hug. Because to him, the prince is not some lofty and untouchable figure to be addressed with unfailing deference, he's just a friend.

(I know T****** is minor nobility, to be honest Zhanying definitely is too. The deputies of high level royals aren't going to be commoners. But I don't think I have to explain the gulf between ruling class/a close blood relative of the monarch versus lower nobility.)

Joshua too is an outsider that isn't beholden to Sanbreque's Emperor in the way that all of Dion and his knights owe their fealty. Again in this respect Joshua has it better than Xiaoshu—Joshua is his own sovereign master, and that should impact his perspective, his sense of self, and therefore his behaviour with others and how he navigates the world.

Gong Yu... I think anyone who's watched NIF will know exactly why I say that J***'s counterpart is Gong Yu lol. I think the s/h/u/a/t/e/s want her counterpart to be Princess (Duchess) Nihuang and they certainly produce fanwork in that vein, and I respect them for it because fans be doing what they love and hooray for that. But..... she's Gong Yu.

For all these reasons I am utterly obsessed with a Joshua that pushes back at Dion. The person able to challenge the status quo and challenge Dion. An equal who listens to Dion's absurd speech in the palace at Twinside and calls utter bullshit, who says, "A matter for the imperial family? are you joking? that's my mother, that's my younger brother. an imperial matter for you to resolve? say rather, our family, OUR problem to resolve. You don't get to go off half-cooked to arrest or kill my mother without actual political strategies, notwithstanding your military capability to launch a coup. And also, what about your dad? However much I love you, my darling Dion, we have to talk about the way that you insist on poor little meow meowing your awful father because my dear old mum didn't do Phoenix Gate alone and she for sure didn't immaculately conceive Olivier."

Endgame Dion isn't satisfactory in several glaring ways and it annoys me hugely that even unto the end he never grapples with and confronts the truth of his father instead of the idealised version that lives in his head. It's a little bizarre how Dion's arc is often praised by fans, since it feels very incomplete to me. Or, well, fine, perhaps just unsatisfying (since XVI simply isn't his story). His deep-seated need to be loved by his father prevents him from seeing anything clearly, which is so ironic for the only character to possess a third eye in canon? His honour and his might have been squandered in service to a selfish, uncaring, and objectively bad monarch, yet despite how earnestly Dion wants to be a good prince to his people he seems wholly incapable of recognising this fact? His mind repeatedly shies away from his father's shortcomings. In one scene he calls his father out for words befitting a tyrant, yet ultimately he persists in the belief that his father simply needs to be saved from Anabella's evil influence as if Sylvestre Lesage isn't a 50-year-old adult man who schemed his way to the throne and killed a woman's whole family and happily married that woman to beget legitimate offspring with her.

Soooo....... I've just spoiled the whole plot of my fic but it's really just NIF nonsense as usual and that is actually extremely predictable of me. But honestly the spoiling is not a big deal, because as with NIF, fundamentally my story is not meant to be plot-twisty and suspenseful—the real storytelling skill of the NIF drama is that the audience should be able to quickly grasp the overarching plot with no difficulty because the pleasure of this particular type of story is to watch the protagonist achieve their heart's desire, step by delicious step. The objective of this type of story is to properly pay off what it promises. NIF=the wronged protagonist seeks justice. We already know Lin Shu will obtain justice by the end of the tale, what we are here to enjoy is the journey! Same really for IEM I reckon; by the end of chapter 1 Joshua's goals should be really obvious, and since my little fic will have the happy ending tag because I only ever write happy endings, the audience basically knows he'll succeed—it's very much a journey not destination kind of story.

Ooof the post is crazy long and took me 3 nights to compose an answer and I haven't even managed to go into any TGCF elements but that work mainly contributes to characterisation instead of plot. One of the craziest XVI scenes was the Hideaway's sickbay after Twinside, the genuine regret Joshua expressed and how he blamed himself for not reaching out to Dion sooner; now the Empire and her prince lie in ruins etc. Surely he remembers this is the country that destroyed his own? Surely??? What kind of person, robbed of home and throne, can find it in himself to respond with so much empathy and kindness? Sanbreque has now experienced pretty much the same tragedy they inflicted on Rosaria two decades ago, and isn't that just the funniest parody of divine retribution? Instead of viewing this as Sanbreque's just deserts, Joshua Rosfield pities them and wishes he could have helped them avert this disaster.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderfully Xie Lian-coded. Something something someone who has been through the worst and nevertheless chooses goodness and kindness. Someone who intimately understands the ugliest and lowest depths that people sink to, yet refuse to lose themselves in that temptation even when vengeance would seem perfectly justified.

You've known for a long time now that I love a Joshua who is very similar to his mother. This is why lol. It's about that delicious, delicious contrasting foil. It is the difference between Jun Wu & Xie Lian, as it is the difference between Anabella & Joshua. That the indestructible integrity we see from Xie Lian or Joshua didn't come easy, they weren't born perfect, their ethics were tested and forged and earned through suffering the likes of which most people will never know. The person that they have each become is the sum of their choices actively made. In the canon of TGCF and XVI, both of these ex-crown-princes live on in disgrace, in circumstances best described as reduced and humiliating, their respective kingdoms fallen, their wealth and glory spent—but they are better and braver human beings than everyone around them, they are beautiful and noble souls, quiet and unacknowledged, and only Hua Cheng and Dion truly see and fully understand that (and therefore cannot help but love them utterly).

I've a few more thoughts regarding Joshua swirling around as captured in other Xie Lian posts: here, here, here, and here. Not sure if you know TGCF or are into it as well, but just leaving links to those posts here for my own benefit too. I've been gravitating towards phoenixflare comparisons in various hualian meta posts since early 2024 so clearly these concepts have been stewing in my head for some duration, but I haven't fully teased out what it is about these two ships that gives me that niggling sense of connecting similarities.

^ Whereas I clearly know exactly what it is about JingSu that makes me point and holler "THEM!"

[jennrypan]

...Ew the Walmart version of Marinette who was just introduced for literally no reason is making people compare her to Alya.

..whatever her name is cuz I refuse to spell it better not be another replacement Alya in yalls shitty little salty 'Alyas Lilas attack dog' bullshit fics istg.

I should HOPE we've left all of those lack luster tropes behind. (Especially Saltinette, literally she's the worst of them)

Anyways, S..isnt better than Alya. Marinette can have TWO(2) Bffs you lames.

S would love Alya and be glad Marinette has a new friend and Marinette would be overjoyed to introduce these two. Cmon now bffr

[chironshorseass]

im reading a day of fallen night and i am so Confused

[thewarnerbrothers]

im gonna be 'that guy' for a second

the comments in warnergames that got everybody so upset are not a big deal and actually pretty in character? what is the big fuss