#but he gets a lovely villain arc and a beautiful redemption

[mothymayhem]

ABYSS!!!!!!

[autism-autobot]

LMK'S "REDEMPTION ARCS"

I like Lego Monkie Kid's "redemption arcs", and that is a hill I'm willing to die on.

It's no secret that the 'redemption arcs' in LMK aren't your stereotypical redemption arcs, AND THAT'S OKAY!!!!!

I think that it's very nice to have evil/villainous characters have a moment of "It was at this moment that he knew... HE. FUCKED. UP." and then doing a 180 from their original plans.

The Demon Bull Family's arc is a great example of this. Heck, Princess Iron Fan and especially Red Son might not have even been antagonists if it wasn't for Demon Bull King wanting to take over the city/world. They love him so much that they were willing to follow him to the ends of the universe if that's what it took to help him fulfill his goals and dreams.

Then came their run-in with the Lady Bone Demon. That's when the Demon Bull King realized just how much his plans could cost his family if he chose to continue down this path. IT COULD COST THEM EVERYTHING

Everything that he just got back. The family who freed him from captivity, likely in spite of having been told that it would be a fruitless endeavor. His family: a beautiful wife and intelligent, innovative son who love him so much that they'd lay down their lives for him in a heartbeat. His plans could cost them their lives and almost did. While under LBD's influence, he attempted to strike his son... and Red Son didn't even try to move out of the way. He had no reaction period. DBK is absolutely strong enough to kill his son. Had his wife not stepped in, Red Son might have been killed by his own hand if the blow was hard enough. That realization alone of what LBD almost made him do could very well be the thing that made him turn back on the idea of world domination.

It makes total sense for a man who's number one priority is his family (even if he doesn't always show it) to give up on all else if his family is the price he has to pay.

It's just not worth it.

He later lectures Azure Lion on this topic of "The price is worth more than the payoff" when he says in season 4:

"This pursuit of yours has warped your mind, brother."

The exact same thing happened to him. DBK tried to warn him to turn back now.

But he didn't.

And now he's dead.

Doing a 180 saved the Demon Bull King's hide and it works so much better for the story overall than a long fleshed out redemption arc.

The villain getting a reality check is in my opinion a much better storytelling device than a redemption arc and is criminally underrated.

A metaphorical (lego) brick to the face is much more powerful in my opinion.

[theerurishipper]

Part 2 of my Paris special commentary (Part 1 here) because Tumblr is an ass and has a word limit.

Disclaimer: This is long asf.

Marinette here playing 5D chess, queen shit.

The most important thing the special confirmed is that Gabe added the word "dark" to his transformation phrase on purpose cause he's a dramatic bitch.

I am here for Claw Noir mocking Gabe. Go off, king.

"Oh nO, iT WAs aN IlLusIon!" That giggle is adorable. She's so cute.

Ladyfly is an ass name, but she looks so great.

Not Gabe getting annoyed at Claw Noir's teasing. See, now this is why we stan Claw Noir on this blog.

Gabe's plan isn't half bad, actually.

Symbolism? In my children's cartoon? It's more likely than you think.

They're having a pun-off.

RIP Chat Noir's ear.

Gabe got feathered lmao

Monarch dipped like a little bitch.

A mirror, I called it. It'll make for some nice symbolism.

"Let alone a calm and gentle mom" I wonder what Sabine is like in their world to make Emonette feel like she's so alone.

I like how they handled the villains tbh. I wasn't a fan of making it seem like Marinette was one step away from becoming a supervillain at all times, but it seems less like that's the case and more like The Supreme took advantage of her suffering and vulnerability at her lowest moments.

It's also nice that they established that Shady and Claw weren't the actual big bads and are just hurt kids who got recruited into a fight they weren't ready for. Their motivation isn't some rehash of Gabriel's, they are literally trying to survive under the rule of someone who will kill them if they don't do his bidding, and because of whom they're dying. Their life is literally full of suffering and they're trying to find something that'll give them a way out. Shady wants Marinette's life, and Claw Noir wants his mother back.

Like, it doesn't excuse their actions, but it does add a more humane element to them that lends itself better to the kind of redemption Miraculous likes to do, which is to fix things with a speech. That's why this redemption works, and Gabe's doesn't.

Anyway.

The back and forth between Chat Noir and Claw Noir was pretty funny ngl.

And we discover that Claw Noir wants his mother back. Of course.

MY POOR BABY

When Marinette was talking about how she was also angry and hurt, but chose to love herself and the world around her and chose to try and fix it... that hit hard. Honestly, it did. It's everything I love about Marinette in one speech. I love it.

And then onto my personal favorite scene in the entire special, possibly in the entire show.

That whole conversation was powerful. "I'm as well as I can be anyway," that's so profound. Like, of course you aren't going to be 100% okay after losing someone you love, but Adrien wants to move on and be happy like his mother would have wanted him to. This scene really showcases Adrien's empathy and his strength, when he acknowledges that having no friends can make it harder for Claw Noir to move on, and then he tells him that only he can make the choice to stop being alone. And that's really true. This scene really showcases everything amazing about Adrien, his hope and optimism, his empathy and his strength. How he finds the strength to keep going by choosing to not be alone. It's beautiful.

Like, it could have been so easy for both Marinette and Adrien to give into their darkest impulses, and Shadybug and Claw Noir really are just representations of how letting your hurt overpower you can lead you down a dark path, and it really highlights their strength, that they choose to make the right choices everyday, despite everything. It really highlights their characters and their arcs. And they're able to take everything they've learned, and look at what they could have been in the eyes and help them change too. It's so poetic.

It would have been a little more impactful if the show had spent more than 10 minutes out of 5 seasons focusing on Adrien's grief and how it has impacted him, but whatever.

Anyway, it also had some Adrien and Nino friendship crumbs, and I'll be darned if I didn't gobble it up like a starved animal. Also, we have confirmation that "Space Mutants vs. Ghost Shark" is Nino's favorite movie, so Nino stans please say "thank you Paris special."

And they are REDEEMED.

Shadybug fixes everything with her Lucky Charm after spending the whole special making destructive ones. My heart.

Shadybug and Claw Noir stop being evil and immediately go from hating each other's guts to flirting shamelessly. They just speedran enemies to lovers in a matter of seconds. They literally just defaulted to flirting. Truly, the natural state of Ladynoir in any universe. We stan.

Gotta be honest, I'm not a fan of the new designs. Wish they had kept the old ones. I'm one of those people whose toxic trait is liking Claw Noir's design, so I'm a little unhappy with it, but hey, it's a sweet scene.

Also, Claw Noir's hair went from the color of rotten bananas to ripe bananas. If that was intentional, I applaud the writers for being both profound and funny as hell.

Aaaaaaand Gabe is back, because we can't have nice things.

The montage going through different realities was great, it was small but I enjoyed it.

They're literally so cute omg. Couple behaviors fr. I'm so obsessed with them.

HUGS

POUND IT

They're holding hands... already... like they're in love... I'm so emotional... I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS

And they're gone. But their adventures will continue forever in my mind and in my fanfics. And in other people's art that I will ravenously consume.

Cute Alya and Marinette scene. This is really sweet, I love the exploration of the impact Alya has had on Marinette's life.

And now, I'm not an Alyanette shipper, but I think they should kis- oh, wait, never mind, they did it.

And thus, the endless night comes to an end (it happened a while ago but that's just semantics).

Final thoughts

I really loved this so much. Sure, there were some exposition dumps that probably should have happened in the actual series, but that's not the fault of this special. This is probably my bias talking but this is the best special and it's literally perfect, no I will not take any constructive criticism on that. This, this special and everything in it, this is what Miraculous is all about. This is exactly what I wanted, this is what I signed up for. It's literally the best thing ever to come out of this entire show.

[vladdyissues]

I like the idea of "halfa's ghost form changes with their personality". First of all, it looks the age halfa feels himself/herself (so, yes, I doubt that Phantom is forever 14). I guess, Danny will get a full knight armor and, maybe, some stuff like a cape.

As for Vlad, I have more headcanons (but I should warn you, I see his hair as long and loose which is better for bitter broken lonely soul). The first change should has happened after "Masters of All Time": Vlad was at full force all the time to heal yourself, preventing ecto-acne symptoms, but since he is cured, his ghost form is in normal state, Plasmius' eyes aren't the whole red anymore, it's human-alike but still red, maybe, there're some pink inclusions.

At the start of Vlad's redemption arc he must develop his creative skill (ecto-constructions, weapons that works on his pink ectoplasm), trying new forms. Slowly but surely he will approach to his dream - to raise a child - he will learn how to create a life. It will take decades or even centuries but soon he will learn to make something beautiful and durable. Something like this will add to the ghost form, something like a… pink rose's tucked behind the ear.

And the last change in Plasmius' look I see is breezy hairstyle which is formed after the mutual love confession of Vlad and Danny.

I'm sorry if these hcs sound too corny for Vlad but after all I see the bitter broken lonely man who develops by love and the young halfa into the beautiful burning soul but still bitter-sweet because he can't forget what he comes through. (I love him)

No no no, these headcanons are great! Beautiful, actually. (I firmly believe there's no such thing as a "corny" headcanon. That's like saying only certain hopes and dreams have value while others are worthless—and what are headcanons but our hopes and dreams for stories and the characters within them?)

Evolving ghost forms, especially for halfas—who, unlike spectral entities, are still changing and aging—makes a lot of sense. And the idea of Vlad having long, flowing biseinen hair is very appealing 🌹

You also brought up a fantastic point about Vlad's ecto-acne being cured in Masters of All Time and how that would affect him going forward. I have a pile of headcanons about that myself but I'll make a separate post about it since it's more general meta.

But yes, imagine if Vlad was allowed to be more than a 2-dimensional cartoon villain, and curing his ecto-acne removed a terrible, irritating thorn from his side. When one is no longer suffering or in chronic pain—or living in fear of the next flare-up—imagine the difference that would make mentally and emotionally.

How could Vlad possibly be unchanged after that? The Fentons cured him. (Okay, it was more Danny discovering the cause and Maddie developing the vaccine, but still, it was their combined efforts that ultimately saved him.) If there was going to be a turning point for Vlad's character, that would have been the place to start, just like you said.

And hey, we can still dream that's what really happened, right? 🔮

[xixovart]

very specific media things i need to see more of

animated villains with soft/quiet voices

post-redemption arc antiheroes being awkward around the people they were trying to kill like a month ago

loving each other but never specifically stating it because they didnt need to

"youre as beautiful as the day i lost you" (how is this quote from a childrens movie????)

mother-son relationship wherein they constantly grasp at straws trying to save each other from a common enemy

old man who knows nothing about kids and the overexentric daughter he accidentally adopted

genderfluid shapeshifters that cant seem to find a permanent physical identity

animal symbolism 💗💗🫶🫶

bloody teeth, pomegranates, crows, the sorts

siblings that cannot save each other but try to anyway

"i'll take care of you" / "it's rotten work" / "not to me, not if it's you"

tired main characters who simply do not care if they get skinned alive atp

deus ex machina

prince/ss trying desperately to avoid inheriting the throne and end the monarchy who end up responsible for the kingdom anyway

"is there anything so undoing as a daughter"

francesca by hozier

"looking rather ragged, arent you? finally the flesh reflects the madness within" / "well you'd know all about the madness within, wouldnt you?"

whatever viktor and jayce had going on

a character with very little screen time (preferably dead within the first plot act) holding the plot together and tying the characters together with a shared motive

[theetwinkleboy]

okay. OKAY. i have started and discarded this post literally 12 times because i never feel like i can say what i exactly mean, but here's hoping i get it right this time. i've posted in the past about how bnha is like 5 stories in a trenchcoat all fighting to be the head, and some of those stories have contradictory themes and priorities. this is part of why i enjoyed it so much--there are a lot of different facets to the story, and i could completely change my reading of the story based on which 'story theme' i chose to prioritize. the thing is, though, as we approached the end of the story, i feel like each of those stories started to butt heads a little, because what makes a satisfying or happy ending for one story doesn't necessarily match what makes a satisfying ending for another one.

izuku, as the protagonist, exists at the intersection of all these characters, and therefore their stories and priorities. and as we approached the end of the story, there were times when these intersections led to more nuanced view of stories as they intersected, there were times when horikoshi settled on an unsatisfying halfway point that didn't feel like a great ending to either story, there are times when people in the fandom got super upset because their favorite interpretation of the story didn't get 100% precedence. like. it's messy and izuku's gotten a lot of hate because he sits at the middle of it and therefore he ends up as the focal point for a lot of the missteps of either horikoshi or the fandom.

bakugou and uraraka are a great example of this because their stories and priorities are very different. more behind the cut because i uh. talked a lot more than i thought i would.

i've said before that it's like, a pretty important thing that bakugou is not on the saving-the-villains squad. uraraka is the captain of the saving-the-villains squad, while bakugou, by the end of the story, is the captain of the saving-izuku (and sometimes the saving-izuku-from-himself) squad. uraraka's story is at its heart about saving the hearts of people maligned or forgotten about by society. from her 'who saves the heroes' thing to sticking up for izuku in front of an angry mob to telling toga how much she loves her smile, her priority is finding the people whose needs have been forgotten about, and trying to meet those needs. her story is more world-focused, based around the way her definition of 'who needs/deserves saving' expands throughout the latter half of the story. we see this continue in 431 with the focus on her quirk education program.

bakugou's, on the other hand, is pretty laser-focused on the people immediately around him, especially izuku and all might. it's also focused inward, toward his own redemption arc and like, spiraling journey with izuku toward a midpoint where they can understand each other. he spends the story realizing izuku's worth, and then fighting for him when he's in over his head or when izuku fails to prioritize himself and realize his own worth. his story, about going from the person who first names izuku worthless to someone who, even in 431, is telling izuku that he is worth the world to the people who care about him is--it's so important. it's so beautiful.

however, it's not about the wider world or society. it doesn't ask if people other than izuku have inherent worth, if the other people who society has written off deserve to be saved. and, honestly, it doesn't need to ask those questions to be a powerful story on its own, because his story is not ABOUT society at large. it's about himself, and izuku, and all might. but the fact is that those other aspects of bnha demand to be explored, and have to be addressed specifically by izuku as the protagonist of the story. izuku exists in a kind of push-pull between uraraka and bakugou's stories. is he trying to be the world's greatest hero? is he trying to save the villains? do those intersect? can they, with the current state of hero society? what does saving the villains even look like? and then there's another dimension to consider--shigaraki's story, and his desire to smash up the hero society that drove him and all of his friends to the margins. and then izuku GIVES shigaraki his quirk. he literally gives up his dream and then fails to save shigaraki. and then shigaraki says he just wanted to destroy it all, and izuku tells him that it's been destroyed.

and then like. in the aftermath of that. katsuki's breakdown over the loss of izuku's quirk is so telling because like. they just caught up to each other and now the entire landscape of everything has changed. it's all been destroyed. on a side note--katsuki and izuku and uraraka all like. died. or close enough. they all explicitly gave up their dreams for the future in service of being true to the priorities they've cultivated. katsuki's last thought upon death is whether he can catch up to izuku and then his breakdown is over the fact that he thought he had another chance at that dream that he thought died with him and now it seems like it's dead again but LIKE. I AM OFF TOPIC. or am i? the thing about katsuki's dream is that it's kind of dependent on some sort of continuation of a status quo of hero society. don't get me wrong, he does have a beautiful and important story and i really love his character development, but. he's not looking to change society the way uraraka or izuku or shigaraki are.

so like. then the question is. what did saving the villain ('s hearts) actually look like? because the punching wasn't what helped or stopped shigaraki or toga in the end. and now, what does heroism look like in the aftermath of shigaraki destroying everything? and what does rebuilding society look like? does it mean a return to power and what was? does it mean deprioritization of power heroes and more emphasis on outreach? does it mean clinging to a dying spark because it's the physical manifestation of a dream that you just realized you had? can you have your cake and eat it too? some of the resolutions of things were not done in a satisfying way--i think the hero billboard chart is dumb and should have been trashed and i think it's only there because of the residue of that 'be the number one hero' dream. which! by the end of the story, i don't actually think katsuki and izuku's dream about being rivals for life is dependent on there being a #1 hero slot on the billboard hot 100 to shoot for! I think it acts as a crutch for that dream and getting rid of that would have maybe made it a little more clear that the external trappings aren't important in the end to their relationship but! once again. i am rambling. but i'm NOT making this post a 13th time so you are stuck with the ramble.

BUT ANYWAY. 430 is the denouement that katsuki's story needed. a last chance to affirm izuku's worth, both as a person and a hero. and his big moment at the end, reaching out a hand toward him and calling him deku, not as a way to call him worthless but as a way to remind him of his worth as a hero, is a really beautiful button on that story.

and then 431 was the denouement to uraraka's story. a deeper dive into the world and how its attitudes have changed, exploring how uraraka herself is working to change things, and affirming izuku's decision to save those that need saving. even in this chapter, katsuki and tsu both remind uraraka and izuku that having a world-focused mindset can't come at the expense of the self. and todoroki echoes that message--that it's okay to want things for yourself, outside of changing the world.

and i do think that this chapter would have benefited GREATLY from a more explicit reminder of shigaraki, as well as a deeper dive into izuku and his speaking (he mentions it in passing. what does it look like? how is he working toward change?). because as it stands, i think izuku does come off kind of lukewarm here. like. it feels like other people's denouements are kind of happening to him as opposed to the other way around. i wish he was more active in reaching out for what he wanted, or in reaching out for what he fought for with shigaraki. i just. i did need more from him, but i think that some of the stuff he's doing is unsaid, and some stuff is just. wishywashy because horikoshi doesn't want to commit to any one path with izuku so he just kind of sits on the fence?

idk that's not it. because izuku does both express desires and show the way he's working toward change in these chapters, and i'm in NO way saying that izuku choosing to be a teacher or rejecting katsuki's offer to work at his agency is bad bc i actually kind of liked those things and i thought they made sense To Me and his decision to do both education and heroism does represent him finding that happy medium between katsuki and ochako so like. idk! i do find myself wanting more because as it stands, 430 does feel kind of like bakugou's big gesture and 431 feels like uraraka's moment to shine, and neither of them truly truly feel like izuku's. but that doesn't mean that both chapters don't still have worth and good things to say. but i think bringing in that third perspective, izuku and shigaraki, the thing that he shares with neither bakugou or uraraka, and showing how that 'story' has affected him and his choices, would have helped it feel more like izuku's. but then again, that could just be my OWN bias for that storyline showing rn. more shigaraki!!

so like! all of this is to say that. all those different stories in a trenchcoat had their turn as the head. and some of the themes seem contradictory. and some stuff was done in an unsatisfying way. but some of it is like. i feel like people need to consider the other dimensions to the story and the sway they hold on the final conclusions of bnha.

[crooked-wasteland]

I just saw your essay on the codependency of FizzOzzie and it cleared up a lot of things I've been thinking about this ship and to be honest, I myself thought it was the most healthiest ship in the whole show even better than the trash that Stoliz is but well... (btw, I was trying to scroll through tumblr to find it but can you just link it for me so I coud read it again)?

It also brings me to an idea of the possibility brung up in two fics each with different ideas:

#1 if Hazbin's events every leak in Helluva's since they're the same universe, there's a possibility that Lucifer would want to have precautionary heirs for the defense of Hell and outright force Ozzie and any other relationships with lowerclass apart since it's "not compatible with angelic DNA" or some thing, so Ozzie could in fact leave Fizz because of his status

#2 Ozzie getting tired of Fizz... Ozzie is the sin of Lust after all and Lust can be ever-changing and capricious in its nature as a sin. Ozzie’s character, embodying Lust, might lead to a fluctuating commitment level, influencing his interactions and relationships. In biblical lore, he did end up causing a lot of sinful things like fucking a human named Sarah or so I remember?

Again this is the same guy who humiliated Blitzø in Ozzie, S2 just rewrote him completely (btw, in my rewrite I'mma change him to be more evil and instead give the whole "lovey-dovey Sin" idea to Satan who is female and thinks Asmodeu's "fake-love" is like a slap in the fact to her idea of realistic and true romance)

I'd just feel like Fizz would be better off with Blitzø tbh or Striker or all in a threesome... the possibilities are endless, and why is the show making love seem too fairytale and unrealistic?! Like Blitzø shouldn't have to fuck Stolas just because he was his arranged playmate for just one day??? The show did the childhood friends trope dirty and would be better if Stoliz was a thing until mid-teens broke up for [insert reason] and reconnect but honestly, Stolas should've had his own seperate season/arc dedicared to himself if HB was an anthology show

Also the fact that Asmodeus couldn't just burn the contract, one-shot the lawyer and go on a rampage to save Fizz is just beyond me... the Sins are supposed to be these scary demon lords so why aren't they, hm?

Sorry for rambling and what do you think or want to add?

Absolutely here you go.

The consistent failure of Vivziepop is to commit to a mature story. She describes her own protagonists as "Deeply flawed but understandably traumatized people who just need love to fix them" while the villains of her shows are "irredeemable" (and women, but that's a tangent).

I mentioned before that trying to use the excuse of the setting being Hell and playing that out to the logical conclusion would end up exactly like Good Omens. The whole moral of said show being that imperfect humanity is worth saving, that life is worthy and beautiful for its own sake of existence. That is why the story of Good Omens uses the Bible, angels, and demons to tell it's story, to make that point.

Why is Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel set in Hell? What is being said by the plot, themes and story? So far we have that demons are better people than the Angels in Hazbin. That sacrifice is the only virtue worthy of redemption and thus reinforces backwards Christian ideals of penance.

Personally, I would have made Hell less absurd. Less a place of debauchery and chaos and more a mere continuation of life. We see in the Hazbin Pilot a character falls from the sky and says "I'm alive?" Before being hot by Travis' car. The point being that people just transition from one life to the next and in that they keep living life the way they always have.

My personal criticisms of the series' use of Hell is that it established this idea that people only behave if they have a god to fear. Once in Hell, there is no salvation, so why bother. It's like a Christian asking an atheist why they wouldn't commit murder if they don't believe in God. The answer is that people like order and security. People dying would seek to maintain their status quo from life. A lack of salvation wouldn't change that for them.

And frankly, I wouldn't have redemption be a thing. This story and its messages are actively devalued by the act of redeeming sinners when the Angels are just the same as them. By having Hell just be a warped continuation of life on Earth, it makes the message more universal: Life is Hell. Life is suffering in a way Hell can never hope to be. Physical anguish and torment for all eternity can never amount to the pain of the fleeting and the terror of change and uncertainty.

I would have made it impossible to be redeemed because the fact is, regardless what you believe happens after death, what we know we have is life. We fear death so much we have created salvation throughout history, the wish to keep living forever in some way. But, especially for young people, life is harder now than ever before. It's more terrifying and uncertain and cruel and uncaring.

So if life is Hell, how do you be happy?

That would have been my thesis for the show. The message underneath is all about finding happiness in the absence of salvation. Even the idea that maybe salvation is something we should reject to really feel what it means to be alive. Giving up on our deaths and seeking our own fulfillment, and in that finding community, love, and hope. To see true humanity as something selfish and kind at the same time.

That's how I would have taken the concept.

[sur-i-ki]

10/20

At the end of the day

it's fluff. Tooth-rotting, sweet, domestic fluff. Redemption arc core before going back to the villain arc

The house felt quiet when he finally pulled into the driveway, exhaustion settling into his bones with every step. His feet ached, his mind ached. It had been another long week, and he was drained. The weight of work had been pressing on him so heavily that even the thought of his family had begun to feel distant. There was no holiday for him this year—no time away to unwind in the mountains as he’d hoped. Deadlines, meetings, emergencies had all piled up one after the other, each time a reason to stay just a little longer, to push off the time he so desperately needed to be with them.

But as he stepped inside the house, that overwhelming sense of exhaustion began to fade.

Laughter. A soft, familiar sound—his child’s giggles. His heart did a little skip at the sound, and curiosity tugged at him. Something was different.

He set his bag down by the door, and his eyes scanned the room, immediately drawn to the living room. It was transformed. The floor was covered in blankets—thick, colorful sheets draped over the furniture. Pillows were scattered everywhere, and a lopsided blanket fort stood in the middle of the room, held up by every chair, every couch cushion, and even a few kitchen chairs hastily shoved together.

And in the center of it all, there they were.

You, sitting cross-legged on the floor, grinning up at him, your face lit by the soft glow of a lantern inside the fort. His child, barely able to contain his excitement, jumped up from the fort’s entrance, his little eyes wide with glee.

“Daddy, look!” he shouted, waving their hands. “We made a fort!”

His chest tightened at the sight. A lump formed in his throat as he stood frozen for a moment, taking in the beautiful chaos before him.

You stood, walking toward him with a smile that said everything. “Welcome home,” you said softly, the tenderness in your voice wrapping around him like a warm embrace. The exhaustion in his body melted a little more at the sight of you.

He couldn’t find the words at first. His eyes flicked between you, the fort, and his little one who was now eagerly tugging at his hand, pulling him toward their creation. There was so much love, so much effort poured into this little thing, and his heart ached with it.

“You guys… did all of this?” he asked, his voice soft with awe. “Just for me?”

You nodded, that same smile never leaving your face. “You’ve been working so hard. We knew you didn’t get your holiday, so we decided to bring the camping experience to you.” Your voice was playful, but there was something deeper behind it. Something warm and knowing. “We thought this would be a fun way to spend the evening.”

His heart swelled, emotions bubbling up. He had been so caught up in work that he hadn't even realized how much he needed this—how much he needed them. They had taken the time to bring a piece of joy into his life, something he thought he had lost. He had missed seeing his family like this—happy, carefree, together.

His child tugged harder on his hand, pulling him toward the fort, his tiny face glowing with excitement. “Come on, Daddy! Come inside!”

With a soft laugh, he followed them, crawling through the opening of the blanket fort. The inside was warm and cozy, scented with the familiar smell of lavender and vanilla. The soft glow of the lantern flickered in the corner, casting gentle light on the mismatched blankets and pillows.

His kiddo had drawn mountains on paper with crayons, had hung them up on the "walls".

“This is amazing,” he murmured, his eyes flicking over the little space they had made. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

His child scrambled onto his lap once everyone was settled, curling up against him, his small body pressing into him like he couldn’t get close enough. He wrapped an arm around his child, his heart, instinctively, pulling him closer. He glanced up at you, who had settled next to them, and he meets your eyes.

“We wanted to make sure you knew that even though you didn’t get your break,” You said softly, “we’re still here. Together. It’s not the mountains, but… it’s something. And it’s ours.”

His throat tightened, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak. The overwhelming weight of your words hit him hard. His family had thought about him, had made something to give him comfort, even when he hadn’t realized how badly he needed it. The quiet, tender love in their eyes made his chest ache, and he pulled them both closer without a second thought.

“This…” He swallowed hard, his voice rough. “This is exactly what I needed.”

You smiled gently, your hand resting on his, fingers intertwined with his in a simple, comforting gesture. “You’re more than enough. You do so much for us. We just wanted you to have something special.”

He pulled them all into a hug, holding them close. The small space of the fort was tight, but it didn’t matter. It felt right. It felt home. He didn’t care about the unfinished projects at work or the endless emails that waited for him the moment he stepped back out of the house. In this moment, with them—his heart full, his family by his side—nothing else mattered.

His little one was looking up at him with bright eyes. “Daddy, can we sleep in here tonight?” he asked, excitement still bubbling in their voice. “We can make s’mores!”

He chuckled, the sound light and free. “We can definitely make s’mores.”

You gave him a knowing look, eyes shining with love and a little mischief. “You know,” You said, voice teasing but soft, “we could even do the whole camping experience. Blankets for sleeping bags. Flashlight stories. Maybe we’ll even have some real camping in the future.”

His heart did a little flip at the thought. “That sounds perfect,” he whispered, squeezing both of them tighter. “We’ll make that happen. Together.”

For the rest of the evening, his family stayed in the fort, the three of them bundled in blankets, sharing stories, laughing, and simply enjoying the warmth of each other’s company. The world outside, with its demands and stresses, felt like it didn’t exist anymore.

In the dim light of the fort, surrounded by the people he loved most, he realized something he hadn’t fully understood before. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how many holidays he missed, it was moments like these that would stay with him. They were the moments that mattered most.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, he could finally relax, finally feel like he was home.

It's all he needed.

And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

⇝ 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥! 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Hey, i follow your blog for several weeks now and think you make some fresh of breth air.

What is your opinion on aang and his arc in general ? Are you critical of the lion turtle at the end and think it was a selfish moment when he did not redirect lightning back at ozai?

Despite of all the shipping wars :)

Let's make a distinction clear here: the lionturtle was poorly set up, that is a totally valid complaint. Claiming that a traumatized 12-year-old, who as a bonus was raised to be a pacifist, is being selfish for not wanting to be people's assassin for hire is complete lunacy. He's a child, a person. He's not your super weapon/soldier, and his responsibilities as the Avatar don't change the fact that what people are expecting of him is unfair and deeply traumatizing.

And actually, Aang's role as the Avatar and the way people misunderstand it ties into why I think his arc was great: he has a duty to the world. The WHOLE world. Fire Nation very much included.

He isn't there to wipe them off the face of the Earth in retaliation for what they did to his people. He isn't there to have them be ruled with an iron fist for the crime of being born in the wrong place/culture, regardless of how complicent every individual was, or wasn't, in the war. He isn't there to disregard anyone's humanity and inherent right to life and dignity, not even Ozai's, for "the greater good."

He is there to bring back harmony. To help put the Fire Nation back on the right path. To make them stop being a threat, yes, but through REDEMPTION, not violence.

That's why he learns that the kids were taught lies basically from birth, and that any form of self-expression, and even old Fire Nation traditions, are being suppressed. Why he turns to Iroh for advice in Ba Sing Se even though the old man was constantly helping Zuko. Why he could see the lonely, angry, sad child hiding behind Zuko's hostile behavior. Why he too needed to see that fire could be both life and death, and thus should not be hated but also not used caressly, because even though he is an air-nomad before anything, that is still his element too.

The Fire Nation's original culture might not be his primary identity, but it is part of him, and he's one of the few people alive that were there to witness it in it's true glory - and the only one who hasn't had time to get used the idea of them being nothing but a threat now. That's why Aang is the perfect guy to save the day. He won't let them do evil, but he won't let their potential for good be ignored.

And it's sooooooooooooooooo satisfying to see the Fire Nation needing to rely on Aang's air-nomad culture to help. To see him prove Ozai was wrong to think they were just dead-weight in the world, that they had nothing of value to offer (and grabbing the fucker by his stupid beard).

To see Aang, who lost his people, saw sacred temples and relics destroyed, and that even had to hide his arrow, screaming to the whole world that the wisdom of the airbenders was the one hope for a brighter future and being validated by the narrative for it was fucking beautiful.

Aang was a child that was constantly told he had to sacrifice everything, his beliefs, his peace of mind, his culture, his attachment to the people he loved, what was left of his childhood and potentially even his own life for everyone else's sake, and that he was selfish if didn't like that shitty deal the universe offered him. And in the finale he said "FUCK THAT NOISE!" and that was thing that ultimately saved everyone, not just himself.

He is the poster boy for "Fuck you! It's real easy to talk about sacrifices for the greater good when you're not the one who'll have to sacrifice anything!" and I love him for that.

Seriously, it's crazy how fans that go "Urgh, just betray your beliefs and traumatize yourself for everyone else's sake already, you selfish asshole" don't realize they're unironically talking like an actual cartoon villain that is know for being cowardly and cruel.

[writingquestionsanswered]

With enemies to lovers (especially for Hero x Villain who actively want to hurt and thwart each other), how much can they hurt each other before it crosses the line from enemies to abusive? Beast imprisoned Belle's father, and Belle volunteered to take her father's place, and the internet won't stop screaming toxic love. Meanwhile Catra tried killing Adoras friends, nearly destroyed the universe, and used Double Trouble to try and destroy the rebellions friendship from the inside out, and nobody seems to call Catradora toxic the way they do for Beauty and the Beast. Where's the line, and how do I make sure I don't cross it?

Worried About Toxicity/Abuse in Enemies to Lovers, etc.

I'm not a psychologist or otherwise an expert in toxicity and abuse, and I'm also not familiar with the storyline of the 2018 She-Ra, which was bit different from the version on TV when I was a kid-ish. That said, I'm not really qualified to do a deep dive on this, but I strongly suspect one major difference is in how Beast's actions were portrayed versus how Catra's were portrayed. Beast was seen as a villain by the villagers, but he was never really the villain of the story. His actions were therefore not due to his goal being in opposition with the protagonist (Belle), but rather due to his bitterness and anger. In other words, he was just being a jerk. He does have a redemptive moment when he saves Belle from the pack of wolves. He's harmed in the process, and could have been killed, but it's not a sacrifice that really represents a change of heart or major character growth, because even in his bitterness and anger, he wasn't the sort of guy who would stand by and let this innocent woman be mauled by a pack of wolves.

Catra, on the other hand, was an actual villain in the story. Her goal was in direct opposition with the protagonist's goals, so we expect her to do things that will be harmful to Adora and her friends. Unlike Beast, who makes a split-second decision to rescue Belle in an emergency situation, Catra goes through a growth arc where she begins to question her motivations and see the ways that her choices and actions harmed people. She made an active choice to do better and did the hard work of redeeming herself, changing sides and fighting for the good side. The romance, as I understand it, doesn't really get underway until Catra is already redeeming herself. So, it's quite a different situation. Something else I think, too, is initially Beast's motivation for being nice to Belle was a selfish one--he needed Belle to love him in order to break his curse. So, even once he makes the shift from bitterness and anger toward kindness and compassion, it's not motivated out of a selfless desire to do no harm and be a better person. The opposite is true for Catra.

As stated in my ask policies, I'm not going to talk about how to portray toxicity and abuse (there's plenty of info out there). However, I will say if you want to do something like Catra and Adora--or even something like Belle and Beast, but done right--it's all about why they did the bad things, why they decide to do better, how the bad things are framed/portrayed (never romanticized or swept under the rug), and about making sure the character's growth and change is an intentional choice and something they work hard at.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[readingrynbow]

a little httyd & rtte rant:

[gif from google]

ok watching race to the edge for the 1 millionth time and i’m doing some thinking.

first of all:

this is still one of my favorite shows ever and it’s an underrated masterpiece—every story beat is so well crafted.

if you watched the httyd movies and asked yourself: ok, how did we get here? what happened in those 5 years? why are hiccup and astrid suddenly in a long-term relationship, who are gobber and stoic’s dragons, why is berk so different, why does he have a flaming sword and flight suit?

well—they made a show abt all of that.

secondly:

i like the way the main cast is portrayed in this show WAY more than in the movies.

i just did a marathon of the movies and toothless and hiccup are really the only two to have ample screen time—i get it, they’re the main characters that’s the point—but the beauty of rtte is that with six seasons they are able to feature everyone equally and do.

i love the relationship development between hiccup and astrid too ofc!!!!

the twins, snotlout, and fishlegs are fully fleshed out characters and i’m reveling in it. they all have such great chemistry with each other and it’s so fun to watch.

thirdly:

i think the villains in rtte are farrr more compelling than the movie villains.

vigo is one of the best tv villains ever imo and the twists and turns the show takes when he is in power is so entertaining and engaging (he's literally a cockroach and won't leave/die). i love and hate him and you never know if you can trust him or not!!!! GAH THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD

lastly:

[gif from google]

holyyyy shit why isn’t heather in the movies?? her and dagur making a cameo would’ve astronomically altered my brain chemistry—mae whitman deserved to be in the movies. heather as a character is so interesting--as well as her and dagurs’s relationship (what a redemption arc holy shit). their character development is impeccable. + fishlegs and heather are so made for each other that deserved to have made it into at LEAST one movie (and let's be real her and astrid def were a thing at one point).

closing remarks:

WATCH THIS SHOW WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!

tuff and ruff are slowly becoming my favorites tbh

i miss this show!! watching it as it came out was so fun.

hiccup and astrid have my heart

david tennent you are everywhere

[class1akids]

hey! how are you feeling following these last chapters? tbh i just want it to end already 😅 but i have a question for you!! as a huge shouto and todo-fam fan what would be YOUR preferred ending for them?? either as what could happen in a possible chapter for the epilogue or in more general terms what do you want for them and for shouto in special in the future

Not good. I thought I was going to enjoy the epilogue, but tbh, after this last chapter, I can't imagine reading about Eri singing or having another Sport Festival without wanting to throw my laptop across the room.

The Todoroki family is really in a tough spot currently, because I don't really see an straightforward way to satisfy all the different characters' arcs. But for me, it should have the following components:

Touya lives. This is a big one. With Tomura, you could argue that he helped bring down AFO, with Toga you could say that her heart was saved, but where Touya was left off? A death would serve no narrative purpose. Even just with an open ending, there needs to be a hope that he can get better.

Enji delivers on his "I'll watch Touya" promise. He needs to make some kind of sacrifice where he puts his family first over his hero career. What form this will take? Idk.

Shouto and Touya need a moment. That moment of connection where Touya saw Shouto as a child needs to be spoken into existence somehow. I don't expect anything as sweet or idyllic as the Tgchk or Deku-Tenko moments, but I think Shouto deserves an opening from Touya even if it comes as a sarcastic comment about favourite foods. Like something fittingly low-key that gives us a glimpse of how they could eventually down the line build something.

Enji and Rei need to take Shouto off the pedestal and embrace him as a child. Shouto getting the "family hero label" and all the expectations that come with that now needs to stop. All the kids are masterpieces in their own beautiful ways and Shouto should be embraced with the unconditional love he deserves without any pressure of who he needs to be and what he needs to deliver to get it. All the other kids too.

Public fall-out addressed. This is a bit a stress-test on a society level. I think it's a given that the Todoroki family will stand by Touya (in contrast to Toga's parents who quickly disowned her). What will happen with Touya (prison, mental clinic, house arrest, some secret rehab program) is a test to see if anything changed. Also, how the public relates to Shouto who chose to save his villain brother, who is tainted by family scandals is a big question.

In the end, I'm hoping for an open, but somewhat hopeful ending. Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo living in the new house, Touya getting the help he needs with a rehabilitation path, Enji putting him first and Shouto while obviously will keep his family close in his heart, being freed from the "hero role" and can be free to work on his own path and joining his friends.

I don't mind if he forgives Endeavor even - I feel like that's something he may decide for himself just to be rid of the anger, but it's a difficult balance because the past cannot be forgotten. So I definitely don't want the whiplash of a sudden chummy relationship with Endeavor and Shouto being handled as Endeavor's redemption trophy.

I think also a long-overdue hug from Rei and a reason to make Shouto smile genuinely are the only things I'm hoping from the epilogue.

[raph-fangirl]

SHILOH ROSETTE'S MASTERPOST

It would be so much to me if you took the time to donate even $1. I am broke living with my conservative parents and my only income is from random house sitting jobs. I don't have a steady income and want to do art for a living. Anything is appreciated <3 I have tiers for monthly supporters but you can also do a one-time donation.

MY STORIES

❖ That Which We Call Beast - A Victorian-era Beauty and the Beast retelling. Has been described by some of my readers as: "If Jane Austen wrote Beauty and the Beast". Ongoing. First installment in the That Which We Call Beast trilogy.

❖ A Tale of the Shapeshifters - My first ever complete novel. A Beauty and the Beast retelling set in early 1900s Ireland. Two shapeshifters do their best to hide their secret from one another, but that soon becomes the least of their worries as the past unfurls itself.

❖ Demon x Reader (unedited) - A sexy, fun, romantic story of a woman who never realized she wanted anything other than her plain, vanilla life with her husband in the suburbs---that is, until a perverted demon steals her away.

Chapters 1 - 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

❖ When Lilies Pierce Thorns - The second installment of the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Has not been written yet.

❖ Melisande - Upcoming prequel/midquel to the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Focuses on our dearly beloved evil queen herself and her villain origin story.

❖ Raphael - Upcoming sequel to the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Focuses on our favorite wet pathetic man and his redemption arc.

❖ Tyler & Alaca - Childhood friends to lovers, with some werewolf and vampire shenanigans to make things interesting. Twilight and Castlevania lore but more original than fanfic.

❖ Forte-Piano - A Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas prequel. Forte is determined to become the castle composer, but will this ambitious young pianist get in his way? BxB

❖ Shark x Mermaid story (title tba) - A young mermaid is desperately in love with a human, but has been betrothed to a mer-prince. In the midst of her predicament, she meets a were-shark who annoys her to no end and challenges her entire worldview, but that she can't stay away from.

❖ Donatello x OC TMNT fic (title tba) - Donnie has always loved April from the first moment he laid eyes on her. Even though April is now dating Casey Jones, and he and his brothers have become friends with a new outsider girl--Serafina--Donnie can't help but still harbor feelings for her. When he starts spending more time with Serafina, will he let his old feelings go or will he make a mess bigger than anyone could have ever imagined?

❖ In the Garden of the Witch - Completed short story. Hedy is so ready to be married to the love of her life, Bruno. Even if he is a beast, he has the soul of a man. But one day, something changes in him, and he leaves her. Will she be able to find him as she travels through the wilderness? Will Bruno recapture his humanity? Or will a conniving witch mess everything up for the two lovers?

❖ Dandelion - Completed short story in the middle of edits. Dandelion does not know what it means to have a family or to love another person. So what will happen one night when two people who say they knew her parents randomly show up asking for her help?

❖ He Who Dares Not Grasp the Thorn Should Never Crave the Rose - Beauty and the Beast one-shots and short stories for all versions. From the original myths, to Madame Villeneuve's novel, to Jean Cocteau's film, to Disney's movies, and beyond! Feel free to commission or request a piece.

❖ My Fair Ladyhood & Other Short Stories - Incomplete collection of short stories I've written and will continue to write.

Includes My Fair Ladyhood, an imitative memoir I wrote for a class: Southern Women's Literature. This is an extremely personal piece that explores my relationships throughout my life thus far, as well as my issues with body image and eating disorders.

And Nolan's Flood: Charlotte McPherson is the only girl—and one of the only people—in the town of Roadsdale who can read. This makes her particularly interesting to the local doctor and part-time Sunday school teacher, Mr. Nolan. Although they don't know each other well, the two make plans to marry. But how long will this courtship last in the face of tragedy?

COMMISSIONS

Tba

EDITING/REVIEWING SERVICES

Tba

[rin-bellatrix]

Oasis

"When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." - Goo Goo Dolls

August finds himself in the middle of the Pandoran desert, left to clean up his business' loose ends. Though, he's not as alone as he once thought, coming face to (pretty) face with the grifter who stole his heart. It seems that Sasha has some of her own loose ends to clean up as well.

I love Sasha and August ok

I'm firmly in the belief that August needs to reclaim his full redemption arc (he started towards the end of Tales and well, we just never got to see the end result 🤷🏽‍♀️)

So here's my first "saugust" piece! (Pls tell me if there's a better ship name for them out there 💀) I've written them as bg characters in my rhyiona fics, bc we love a big ol' happy family affair, but this is their first solo spotlight on my blog 😌💕

they need more recognition, they're kinda like Bonnie and Clyde, love my lil outlaw couple 💖 so stinkin' cute 🥰 (not to be confused with everyone's favorite villain couple, jackisha, who I've also written for 🤭)

Ahem, anyway~ this is part one, so this is unfinished. More to come from this particular story ✨️

Also. Am I posting this in the last hour of the month of August, instead of getting my shit together and posting it sooner...? Don't worry about it~ ☺️

Enjoy~ 🧡💜

It was always sunny on Pandora. Or at least, it seemed to be whenever August had to venture out of the dark shithole that was Hollow Point. The white sub-giant star that was Pandora's sun seemed to be on full blast today, the curve of the horizon a warbled, dancing edge in this heat. Sweat rolled down the side of his face and gathered at his jawline before spilling off in incessant drops. He shook his head to get the sweat out of his eyes before leaning into his truck bed and grabbing two fistfuls of rough canvas.

He tossed another burlap covered carcass onto the small pile of bodies, grunting with its weight. His Ma might be gone, but that just left the family business up to him. Which meant cleaning up the mess when a rival gang thought that they could prove themselves bigger and badder. Not a chance. But it was best to dump the bodies farther away from the entrance to Hollow Point to avoid scavengers somehow finding a way to spill into his town. That was the last thing he needed.

Dusting his hands off, he slammed the trunk door closed and ripped an old rag out of his back pocket. Mopping the perspiration from his neck and face (minding his piercings), he squinted up at the ball of fire in the sky and cursed its heat. What he wouldn't give for an ice cold drink right about now, he was fucking parched.

Stuffing the damp rag back into his pocket, he rounded his truck to head to the driver's side. His boots kicking up sand, his mind already focused on securing a cold shower as soon as he got back home. Gripping the handle, he pulled and yanked the door open, one foot on the step bar ready to hop in, before he looked up and froze.

"Thirsty?" Sasha chimed, sitting relaxed behind the wheel, dangling a cold bottle that was dripping with condensation.

The sight alone had him wondering if this was a mirage, if the heat had really gotten to him and made him hallucinate this as his own personal oasis. But then her scent of orange blossoms hit him, and he took a step back in shock. The sweet scent that sometimes haunted his dreams was a startling contrast to the freshly decomposing bodies that he just unloaded from the back of his truck.

How did she even get here without him knowing...?

She was as beautiful as ever, maybe even more so if that was possible. Her locks were pulled back in a sleek style, much like the last time he saw her during that whole vault debacle. Her outfit looked clean and classy, a stark contrast to his current state of sweaty and sandy. She wore reflective sunglasses that kept him from seeing her eyes, only his own warped image staring back at him.

When she arched a pretty brow, waiting for a response, August had to reel himself in. "What the fuck are you doin' in my truck?" No one could ever say that he didn't have a way with words.

"Is that the greeting I get? After I came all this way to bring you a nice refreshing drink, because I know you always leave to come here without one."

It shouldn't move him that she remembered his dump sight. It should mean nothing that she remembered he always forgot to pack a drink. It wasn't a big deal that she came to drop off a cold drink. She was a con artist, this is what she did. It's how she wormed her way into his heart the first time. He told himself this, and tried to ignore the way his heart beat a little faster at the implication that she still cared about him.

Did she ever really care about him...?

"What's it to you? If I forget to hydrate, how's it any of your business?" He glowered at her, old hurt resurfacing as if it were just yesterday.

She watched him from behind her sunglasses, quiet as she struggled to find a new lie to fixate on.

"Listen, I don't care, get the fuck out of my seat and go back to wherever you came from. You've got nothin' here, unless ya want me to put a bullet in your brain."

Sasha pursed her lips, her free hand settling firmly on the steering wheel. "I'm gonna drive you back." When he opened his mouth to argue, she continued. "I just want to talk." When he remained suspicious, she reached up to remove her sunglasses, meeting his eyes clearly. "Please?"

Her eyes were so clear, the light jade so beautiful with her complexion. His mind told him to watch his heart, not to fall for her tricks. But his heart told him to go along with what she wanted, simply because it was her who asked. August considered himself a strong man - an intelligent man - but in the face of the woman he loved, he crumbled far too easily.

He grunted as he slammed the door closed, rounding to the passenger side of his own damn truck. He hopped in, the cab rocking with his momentum, the door shutting behind him as he huffed.

Sasha held out the bottle again, and he watched as a drop of water raced down the side and gathered at the bottom before splattering across his leather seat. He looked up at her and met her eyes again, ignoring the excitement that wanted to bubble to the surface.

"Is it poisoned?"

The pretty grifter frowned, before twisting the cap off and taking a swig, once again holding it out to him. "That answer your question, smart ass?"

He hesitated before taking the bottle from her. Glancing down as she shifted the car into drive and pulled off, he noticed the faintest glossy shine of her lip gloss on the lip of the bottle. As the truck rumbled through the Pandoran desert, he recalled how slick her lips were when she would kiss him after applying it. They way she giggled when he pulled back and groused about the texture. How she would joke with him, arms looped around his neck, if she should withhold her kisses then. And he would snag her closer by her waist, pulling her into him and grumbling a complaint against her wet lips as he kissed her through her laughter.

He eyed the residue of it on his bottle now. Then, he lifted it to his lips and drank deeply, imagining that he could feel a phantom press of her lips against his own. It quenched him like nothing else.

☆

TBC

☆

☆ borderlands masterlist ⋆ main masterlist ☆

©rin-bellatrix 2024

[luneemeritus]

Love Never Dies slander because I can (it's ok if you like the show, I'm just giving my personal opinion)

The wasted potential of Love Never Dies haunts me.

Because a sequel to the musical is not a bad idea, actually. But writing an adaptation of "Phantom of Manhattan" (very famous for being horribly written) was definitely a terrible one.

Andrew basically wrote a bad E/C fanfiction that ignores completely Erik's redemption (and obviously, his past terrible actions) and Christine's arc of empathy and indepedence. Meg Giry and her mother became villains for some reason? And they have the worst swerfy slutshaming against Meg, really disgusting. Gustave is a useless character, he only exists to bring Erik and Christine together (Beneath a Moonless Sky woulndt exist without him, I don't know if that's a bad or a good thing). And, even though I heavily dislike Raoul, I agree that it's pathetic what they did to him. Raoul became an alcoholic caricature of himself that mistreats both Christine and his son for no reason other to make Erik look better. Again, I don't like Raoul, I also think he's toxic and he could be portrayed REALISTICALLY as a bad husband. But not like that lol

And, like. What is the purpose of erasing Erik's redemption and giving him Christine's (and Gustave's) love as a prize if you make him even worse? This Erik abandoned Christine after FUCKING HER. He and Raoul make a bet over owning Christine like if she is some kind of object. This Erik is horrible to Giry, which makes no sense, he even creates a freakshow and exploits disabled people??? Literally what has done to him in the past??? Also, Erik being a rich business man with little to no social struggles is so ridiculously out of character lol. "Mister Y" doesn't act like Erik himself.

The ending is straight up bullshit. It's too ridiculous and irritating to be tragic. Christine has absolutely no agency in LND, her entire arc is choosing between her boring alcoholic husband or the teacher that abandoned her after fucking her 10 years ago (not to mention that Erik's past mistakes, like, idk, maybe KIDNAPPING HER, killing Piangi and Buquet, is not even mentioned. No one remembers that). And then she sings a pretty song, chooses Erik, and dies. Wow. Amazing. She dies by accident by the way, because Meg shot her... unintentionally? Depending on the actress, I think. I won't even talk too much about Meg's character assassination because it just frustates me. "Oh the deranged sex worker that is punished with abandonment and pain by the end". Ugh.

The songs are amazing though. This I can't deny, even like, Bathing Beauty, it has nothing to do with POTO but it's a good song honestly.

Love Never Dies could be a good sequel. Erik trying to make amends for his mistakes, having terrible coping mechanism (as always), maybe they could explore his relationship with Madame Giry (even if she is depicted as a morally grey character). Christine realizing that she and Raoul were too young when they made the decision to marry, and that she has much more potential than what the victorian patriarchal society has to offer her. It could even end with E/C being canon, but like, with actual development??? Him learning how to behave apropriately, actually healing and being a better partner? (because he doesn't grow in Love Never Dies, he just gets Christine for sometime before she dies, he learns nothing, he just becomes an asshole that is portrayed as the good guy 'cause "Raoul is worse")

[aarcade]

I've spent the last few days watching through Alan Becker's entire youtube channel. you know the experience, everybody knows the experience. the crude but entertaining videos get better and better, quality spikes in ava4, then again in vs minecraft, then oh my GOD ava8.

but the topic of this post is shorts #30, the king. which I was hyped for beyond belief. so it pains me to say that I. kinda hated it. and I can't find anybody talking about this.

spoiler discussion and why I hate fun or whatever under the break

so first thing, why the FUCK didn't I like shorts #30?? it's the best conclusion the story could've possibly had, right? it was cool as hell, the fights went hard, there was emotional depth, maybe you cried at the end (I saved my tears for the wild robot).

it's uh. it's the emotional depth. specifically the way they resolved king Orange and purple.

the backstory for King Orange is fine, sure. it fits him. minecraft ate your son, so you're gonna destroy minecraft. it's not super complex, but he's a villain and he's got aura (pigstep 🔥🔥🔥) so it's fine.

purples's backstory in shorts 29 is an absolutely beautiful setup. his constant seeking of approval, his desensitisation to abuse, how much he clearly enjoys being with the main crew. it's a fantastic inner conflict and his self hatred is really well written. green manages to drag him out of it, reminding him of the people that genuinely enjoy his company.

... so he doesn't need the approval of an abusive father figure anymore, right?

back to shorts 30. king nearly kills purple during the big final fight, sees the parallels between the childlike character he's abusing and the son he lost, and has a change of heart. far too little too late, but it's paying off the setups, so sure. let him have a moment before he gets sucked into the black hole.

it's the aftermath of the black hole that pisses me off. like makes me actually fucking angry. after the storm clears, king shows back up looking all sad, and apologises to the cast. and they (seemingly) forgive him. the child abuser, murderer, slaver, and actual fucking genocider.

this would be fine in earlier avm. it's not that serious, it's a fun animation with good fights where everyone makes friends at the end. hell, it's what happens with the character of Alan himself, and that didn't bother me.

but when you write a complex character arc about abuse, self hatred, inner conflict, you're doing big boy serious writing. you're asking me to engage with the work on a slightly higher level in order to appreciate what you're doing here.

AND THEN YOU HAVE PURPLE DRAMATICALLY HUG KING ORANGE???

whose fucking idea was it to resolve an abused child's arc by having them earn the respect of their second abuser and go off to live with him (assumedly)? purple deserves way better than this. king doesn't deserve this at all. even if we set aside his genocide and enslavement of the minecraft world as being wacky cartoon shit- maybe he didn't realise the mobs were sapient, etc etc etc- even then, he still physically beat purple several times and left him for dead.

why does this character deserve a scrap of sympathy? you wrote your villain too evil and then you tried to shoehorn in a redemption because you were on a friendship is magic kick, I guess.

if you want to write a serious story where emotions have weight, don't forgive and redeem a genocider just because ONE of his sins happened to remind him of something bad that happened to him in the past. and if you want to write a fun light story, maybe have a little less child abuse in there???

I loved these videos up until this point and it breaks my heart to be so angry. but Alan Becker fucking fumbled his most interesting character and had him regress from independence back to parental approval, all in the name of giving the worst fucking guy ever the happy ending he definitely doesn't deserve.