#but in terms of characterisation it just doesn't fit with what i'll ever write here

[useless19]

So, King Boo in Days. Where to start.

When I started writing Days, I hadn't played a Luigi's Mansion game aside from a little bit of LM1 years ago before I got too scared to continue (it had ghosts!). I still liked making references here and there to the series, since it's half the reason for Luigi's characterisation being what it is these days. I've since picked up LM3 and had fun with it. Even if I don't have a proper handle on King Boo's character yet, I think I've got the rough idea.

However, my main issue with actually putting him in is that he's a final boss and I don't want to treat him as not a final boss. Equally, using him to make Luigi look tougher while weakening Bowser wasn't what I wanted to do to those characters either - any sort of curb stomp battle is not going to happen. King Boo needed to show up but not make too much of a mess because he's not part of the main plot; his appearance isn't the catalyst for Luigi and Bowser to change how they feel about each other. Trying to balance the weight of such an important character with the planned out state of the main relationship wasn't something I thought I could do justice.

That doesn't mean I don't have ideas for when he might have shown up :D

First off, somewhen around Day 24 could've been interesting. Adding him to the melting pot of Luigi in denial, Bowser coming to terms with liking Luigi more than Peach, and Peach being at the castle while trying to make plans to take back her kingdom. It would've been such a wonderful mess, but not one that I could ever have figured out how to write (especially given how long it took me to put Day 21 together). It would've derailed the plot and I would've had to have redone a lot of what I had already written for Day 27/30.

On the other hand, Day ~11 could've been very interesting. I have way more notes about how that might go down:

The scent of fresh welds mingled nostalgically with the dusty aroma of crumbled stone. Luigi hummed, satisfied with his work, as he fitted another length of pipe into place.

We open with Luigi fixing the pipework in the baths (Bowser broke some of it in Day 9 and Luigi wanted something to do while Junior was getting some lessons). The baths are also having their monthly clean out/scrub, so there's no risk of falling in boiling water or anything like that. Luigi's having polite chit-chat here and there with the cleaners until a Boo jumps out of nowhere and scares him.

Not knowing why a Boo is around, Luigi packs up his borrowed tools and heads off to ask someone what's going on (the cleaners don't know any better than him, also Luigi doesn't pick up that the Boo is similarly confused as to why Luigi is here). He tries asking a few people, but no one really knows. Eventually he reaches the throne room, where Bowser and King Boo are chatting about something. King Boo notices Luigi, tries to portraitify him, only to miss when Bowser yanks Luigi out the way with the contract warping.

Here's the tricky part, there needs to be an argument that doesn't significantly mess with the status quo. Something roughly like this:

Bowser: That's my prisoner. King Boo: That's my nemesis! [Bowser falters somewhat] Luigi: You kidnap Mario all the time, King Boo. Bowser [rallying]: Yeah, exactly! King Boo [lying through his teeth]: I would've handed him over after I'd gotten Luigi. Bowser [lying just as much]: I'll hand him over after I've gotten Mario out the way and married Peach. Luigi: ... yay.

After that, Luigi goes back to fixing the pipes, but with a guard watching him now (ostensibly to stop him escaping, he thinks it's just for show, Bowser's actually put the guard there to make sure there's at least a witness for anything King Boo might try). King Boo shows up to threaten him. During this, one of the cleaners/the guard refers to Luigi as 'Princess' (importantly this didn't happen during the previous confrontation) and King Boo finds the whole magical marriage contract hilarious. He laments that he ignored Bowser's wedding invite because it would've absolutely made his death to see Luigi get entangled in this mess.

I think it would be interesting from there to have a proper interaction between King Boo, Bowser, and Luigi. Highlighting why Bowser and King Boo are allies and don't mess with each other's plots. Possibly getting into a bit of what Bowser's marriage means on a larger political scale. Potentially touching on Luigi's fear of ghosts and him having to figure out how to explain it without insulting one or both of the kings.

But then I don't know! I don't feel like King Boo would just leave it at that. Maybe Bowser could work out a deal where King Boo helps him find something to break the contract (maybe he's the reason Bowser went looking in the Silicarid desert)? Though he wouldn't have done it for free and Bowser might have to deal with consequences shortly after letting Luigi go in Day 30 and I wouldn't want to leave that plot thread hanging (that's not going to stop Bowser from make the deal because he has never cared about potential consequences in his life).

Part of the problem is that around this time Luigi's starting to feel comfortable in the castle. Adding the vague threat of Boos showing up whenever they like is going to kneecap that. He's also still happy to make escape attempts and this could prompt one of those (which is another mess entirely that I'd want to do justice).

By this point, Bowser has definitely noticed that Luigi is his type, but hadn't reached the point of wanting a relationship rather than just sex. He's possessive anyway, so he's not going to give up his prisoner without a fight.

So, yeah. That's my King Boo in Days thoughts. Hopefully that ramble makes sense!

[bureaubitch-a]

OOC.   #( ... only after i post an anti mutsvrie thing tho lmao just wait for it )

ok i was browsing the character tags early this morning which is always a mistake,  but i was at least able to pinpoint something else that bothers me about this ship. i’d say 99.99% of the content for it casts urie in this role as like ... mutsuki’s savior, his patient and understanding and caring boyfriend who always has comforting things to say and wants to protect him and devote all his time and attention to him. which already i think is a mischaracterisation, because this is urie and even when he wants to show he cares about people, he seems to have an inability to actually voice or show it in a normal way. 

but more than that i just feel like urie’s not in a position where he can devote everything to someone else, because even though you can say mutsuki had it worse, urie’s still had to face a huge amount of his own trauma, including but not limited to lifelong abandonment issues from his father’s death, recently having one of his only friends die in his arms, and permanently destroying his health to the point where he’s actually destroyed his humanity along with it  ( and that’s from the stress of trying to look after the people he cares about. )  urie has huge issues of his own that always seem to have to take a backseat to mutsuki’s problems, and while that might be something he’s theoretically willing to do for a partner  ( again, it’s urie, he doesn’t like talking about himself or showing weaknesses )  i don’t find it to be a remotely healthy or desirable setup. once again it always reads as miserably out of character to have him always ready to offer support when he’s barely holding his own life together.  

... while i’m at it though, that does tie in with something i’ve been considering about urie and relationships, so a headcanon: the people he’s attracted to are the ones that seem to have their lives in perfect order. confident, successful people. i think he recognizes he’s at a limit for how much stress he can handle, and a potential relationship that promises more emotional labor is a turn off  ---  he wants someone he can ignore his problems with and pretend his life is better than it actually is.  ( ... surprise that he’s single? ) 

[onewomancitadel]

Hey, hope you're doing well. Maybe you've talked about this before but I was wondering if you'd considered the idea of Cinder having a similar moment to Anakin in Return of the Jedi? Like Luke to Vader, Jaune forces Cinder to question her beliefs. With Cinder believing it's too late for her and Jaune stubbornly refusing to accept that thinking theres still good inside her. Or rather that she has the potential for good. I feel like something along those lines would work nicely. -EmperorLuffy

Hi EmperorLuffy, thanks for your ask.

Well, first of all, I defer to my fanfic The Distance Which Fools the Skimming Eye: my opinion on this is evident and the rest of this post is probably not even necessary to write, lol. (I think you mentioned you may have read it, but for those who haven't/have no interest etc. I'll go into detail on redemption arc features instead).

Second of all, I know you're just using it as a reference but this is a really well established point of interest with redemption arcs in general, not just Luke and Vader, and my favourite stuff ever.

The reason I particularly hold no interest for retreading the Original Trilogy intentionally is because Vader and Luke is a father and son dynamic. That does not fit a romantic dynamic which Cinder and Jaune would (theoretically) have, and is particularly damning given that Vader's death-by-redemption, in its misunderstood glory, characterised modern narrative reception of redemption arcs which should conceivably end in death because they're too hard to write I guess. (We would not like that for Cinder).

Rey/Kylo Ren explored it from a romantic angle already in universe.

So, if I would be taking any cues from SW, it would be from Reylo.

Reylo is actually very successful at this; the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren is two-way, and the more interesting thing to me is how they're personally fulfilling to each other and would have a future they equally create together (when Rey is offering a future to Kylo, it's also her own). This is not a feature of the father-son dynamic really, not in the same way.

My point sort of here is that I'd like to see more interesting things from Jaune/Cinder which explore redemption arcs from more interesting angles than the established Vader or Zuko generally speaking. (Every girl interested in redemption arcs gets a little tired of hearing about Vader and Zuko).

But yeah, I do love a yummy yummy baddie who thinks they're too far gone and is scared to take the opportunities offered to them because they've been hurt, this is basically why I run my blog, this is one of those questions where I'm kind of laughing because it's essentially the reason I exist at all.

So yes, I would like to see Jaune fervently believe in Cinder when she doesn't and it seems impossible and her life is a tragic cycle. That's all I want. It's the absolute last thing he should ever do (in popular belief) and is a transgressive act but is also the best and most correct thing spiritually and morally. As I've mentioned before this really fits the Joan of Arc heretic angle as well.

In terms of structural questions the interesting thing to me is asking why the villain thinks they're too far gone and what's their standard of too far gone and how is it that they have that conception of morality and their own moral acts. In a way they can accidentally end up the mouthpiece of the very people who think they shouldn't be redeemed, and that's interesting. Because what you're doing is that by saying someone is too far gone, that means they can't turn around, and there are people who would turn around if they could but they believe otherwise. That's basically... the fundamentally interesting question of a redemption arc. Why can't you turn around?

It's that intersection of idealism and perceived failure... which is really embodied in the Byronic hero(ine), honestly. You can clearly see how Cinder's the Shadow of Ruby here, her archetype is the dark beautiful Romantic mirror.

Have a good one.

[datastate]

pls talk more about lurien and aster (?)

i love them both and i love how you characterise them !

aaa i'm very happy you like the both of them!!! i enjoy writing their dynamic! :D

i would love to talk more abt them though it is a little difficult w/o direction sometimes ehe. if you have anything in particular feel free to let me know!! :] in the meantime! here are some misc. thoughts i've had lately between these two:

- lurien's never really been one to be openly affectionate. it's not that he's averse to it, in fact he'll often welcome it, it's just that he typically feels it's just... not something that he should initiate.

-> something similar goes for any of his possible romantic endeavors; this habit, alongside the fact there was a long period of time he wasn't in a state to hold (several, stable) close relationships, ended up with him only ever left admiring someone from 'afar' - often never able to break past superficial endearment to find some deeper connection, whether that's friendship or a romantic relationship.

-> eventually, he essentially bars any chance of committing to a romantic relationship once he becomes 'watcher'. he is gay, but never images he'll be able to cultivate something like this, especially now due to his position within the city. he finds his peace with it. it helps that it isn't often on his mind anyhow

- i'll shut up abt romance after this point, but it makes a fun contrast for aster. where aster's been the sort to throw themself out there for their relationships to figure out who they are and how they'll fit in this world and what they want, lurien's much more reserved and, while certainly not sheltered, inexperienced in some social fields that aster traverses much more easily.

-> from this, it's surprising that they're of the few friends lurien's had to ask directly whether or not it was alright to physically reassure them - who hadn't held him first. aster's made it clear prior that they find comfort in it, and they often give it out to other friends of theirs! but never once asked that of him. it's sort of like a give and take here, where they don't want to step out of line and assume too much of their friendship, and he doesn't wish to impose anything upon them. (and though they accepted that first time, there was some lasting fear there that he unintentional placed pressure within the phrasing of his offer; thankfully, they were more comfortable afterward with allowing the two of them smaller affections)

- anyway, speaking of aster coming to terms with who they are, i feel it's very important to have them be (mostly) certain of themself prior to joining lurien's service. while there is still room for them to grow, it's just. key, to me, to have them have experience outside of lurien's influence so there isn't any underlying possible manipulation going on. if they're sure of themself and their worth, then they aren't gonna let someone treat them like shit, watcher or no.

-> alongside the above, it's weird if lurien's the one insisting they keep titles of master/servant if he wishes to have a close relationship + there should be something financially aster can fall back on. while not their favored option, it shouldn't be entirely sour. if you want lurien and aster to be close, there has to be certainty that aster has chosen this work (whether it's something they genuinely enjoy, or they chose to work in place of a friend, or it's to humble themself lmao). this removes a Lot of weird implications where lurien could like... hold that over their head, you know? not that he necessarily would, but regardless of intent, there would definitely be external pressure to abide and keep him content which just! ruins their friendship / any possible close and healthy relationship, in my eyes.

- anyway, moving on to a lighter note - where lurien loves painting (and architecture; iirc i've spoken here before on why he prefers scenery more than portraits so i won't rehash that), aster favors embroidery as their hobby. same goes with sewing. working with physical materials is just very soothing for them. it's in part why they choose their work, too. it helps keep them in the moment

-> these two have definitely made some things for each other / let the other watch them work on their art ;-; (in fact there's a wip i've got of them giving something to each other something for bug new year's bc. they. yeah <3 ... also i imagine aster isn't all that close to their family, so they've got either the option of staying with a friend over this time or staying by lurien and... esp years later on, they tend to favor time with him :] )

- i feel like. although lurien and hegemol were close, aster and hedge could never quite click with one another. it became especially difficult after lurien became a dreamer bc. well. you've got someone who was also close to the person you cared for years on end. all they're doing now is reminding you of the person you've lost. for both of them, they end up avoiding each other where possible. it's just how they've grown accustomed to coping when other people embody the issue. aster's dealt with it countless times in their past, and in this case they cannot move past that cowardice; hegemol did the same upon his suspicions toward thk, keeping it out of sight when possible for his peace of mind.

- this is quickly leading into heavy territory, but i feel like... lurien, himself, was already counting down the days to when his life would be put to an end for the dreamer plan. and that's in part why he concealed the purpose of his visits with other dreamers / the king from aster. when he ultimately revealed he was to 'be set to rest' by the end of the season for the infection to be put to an end, aster was... deeply hurt. while they understood why he did this, it didn't stop them from feeling like he didn't trust them. which was just... there was such little time for them to process that whirlwind of emotions before he essentially died, so they ended up emotionally closing off - this only served to strengthen lurien's argument and he was so certain he was in the right that he didn't recognize it was just the little time that caused them to shut down, and just. wow. it became very messy very quickly

-> don't get me wrong! most of the time these two find it fairly easy to communicate, but. when you're talking about premeditated death. well... it's a difficult subject. and lurien, as proven, is one reluctant to change. he didn't want things between aster to change, and withheld information for that reason. he knew it was selfish, but 'ignorance is bliss' and all. (and deceit isn't necessarily such a crime in his eyes; it reflects integrity yes, but ultimately it is one's actions which count their merit.)

i'm sure i've written some fics/made posts on all of these before but . yep! some thoughts. i apologize if it's a little spotty / hard to read :'D i have a lot of thoughts on them but idk what thoughts to try to summarize and i haven't even finished my full document on how i write their characters / what the character's comprised of and that's for my own reference ahvmgsd