#dark character arcs

[joncronshawauthor]

Master the Dark Arts: GUILD OF ASSASSINS Halloween Special!

🗡️ This Halloween, step into the shadows for less than the price of a dagger… GUILD OF ASSASSINS is now just 99p/99c on Kindle, or free to read on Kindle Unlimited! Enter a world where sculptors become killers, where friendship survives in darkness, and where survival demands becoming what you once feared. Follow Soren’s transformation from artist to assassin as he infiltrates a deadly guild…

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Shout out to all artists who had to work without any strong direction or instruction.

I wish you a merry “the client likes it anyways”

[whatisamildopinion]

Kyoto- Phoebe Bridgers

Pro-tip: don't think too long about how Moonshine and Bev have ouroboros arcs with family members and devils and saving the world at great personal cost. Don't think about it too hard. I definitely haven't (lying)

[dontbelasagne]

desperately need to do a presentation on why the Twelfth Doctors journey perfectly represents the transfem experience

their previous eleventh incarnation being suave and hypersexual (i know moffat is mostly to blame but!) is reminiscent of attempts to fit into heteronormative ideals of masculinity. whilst it is not completely insincere, there are obvious signs this does not fit you as a person, it is acted out of desperate need to being seen. as Vastra put it, eleven wore that face, and subsequently that form of masculinity, to be accepted. on becoming twelve, realising even an "idealised" masculinity does not inherently serve them, they retreated into themselves as a person for self-reflection and trying to understand why they feel so detached from who they are.

the "am i a good man" arc mirrors being closeted and having to present as something not inherently tied to your sense of self, but still wanting to be the best of your perceived gender as any failure could leave you spiralling into self-doubt about simply being like any other "man". you ignore your gender dysphoria/questioning by trying to claim a moralistic view of gendered expression. made even more clear by Twelve rejecting Clara's heroic view of them, establishing that even though they have made efforts to be a "good man", that is just a placeholder for their loss of identity.

Missy appearing as she does, who as a character serves as a parallel to The Doctor on what they could become, and her eventual arc in trying to become good is symbolic of the fear around transition regret that internalised transphobia can create when you are closeted. Missy never gives importance to their fem existence other than nonchalant jokes, rather showing a more free and expressive personality devoid of any frustration. this immediately dismisses the transphobic assumption that trans people are only focused on their gender. also, Missy representing trans femininity is inherently tied to chaos and upsetting the status quo, she is the embodiment of what society considers accepting your womanhood as someone previously labelled masculine. what many others, and The Doctor themselves, saw as a need for attention and senseless disruption is Missy not needing to serve a false version of who they are, that they can now focus on becoming whoever they want to be now without losing energy to performing a gender that society has imposed on you. Missy could never have made the decision to stand with The Doctor if she had not given importance to her own queerness.

it wasn't coincidence with meeting Bill, she was the perfect foil for The Doctor to finally let go of their anxious attachment to masculinity. i would even argue for the majority of s10, The Doctor is largely ambiguous in their gender identity and does not fit into any construction of masculinity or femininity. whilst they still present as something socially labelled as masculine, they do not internalise that gender expression. they are uncaring about and not needing the validity that comes with heteronormativity, and thus is free to finally accept the decision they have to make. as Bill says, it is so hard to let go of The Doctor, and that rings true for twelve themselves. but they begin to realise The Doctor can be anyone. yes, they are tired, it would be so easy to simply rest and not give value to who you can become. but choosing to let go of everything you once were to survive is better than oblivion. it is better to let go, to choose another lifetime where the only person that dies is your falsity, to finally get it right and choose kindness. for yourself and for those who you love. they regenerate, not just into another person, but into someone who (if only tv scripts...) can now move forward.

[stardustedknuckles]

It's looking like there's a growing divide between Campaign watchers and Tlovm watchers in terms of like. We're here for the characters. 12-episode seasons aren't. They can't be. I'm already making peace with everything we'll lose in the Mighty Nein show, and I know I will enjoy it for what it is but I also know that almost nothing that made the story so special will translate to the screen, because turning it into a show automatically means (in this day and age) that plot must be the number one priority. They've already come out and told us it's going to be different, the characters we know and love but new stories.

Because that's how this has to work. And I feel bad for campaign one lovers, because while it is certainly the easier of the two to translate to a big, overarching story, even though it's a more "traditional" high fantasy story with easier archetypal characters, the archetypes and the plot aren't what cemented most people's love for the campaign. So much of the love for critical role is stored in the interpersonal dynamics and the payoff that comes from hundreds of hours of tiny interactions that one day become cornerstones of development and even affect or dictate the plot.

There's no room for that. There's no room for Bard's Lament in a story that cannot afford to remove and replace a main character. A lot of tlovm is for people who have been here for all of campaign one. Most of it, however, isn't. It's for a new crowd. While CR may have creative control, you can bet your ass that there were months and years devoted to figuring out how to map a character-focused love of the show into a plot that hits the right beats to be viable in the show market.

And it worked. Tlovm has consistently high viewing numbers, and its popularity has brought and will continue to bring new people into the universe who have never interacted with CR previously. That's not a bad thing - imagine finishing your favorite show and discovering it has another FIVE HUNDRED HOURS of the equivalent of behind the scenes content. That's incredible for these newcomers. But man, it is in many ways a loss for us.

[dogpawsswapgod]

something I've appreciated about The Dragon Prince is how it eschews a good/evil, hero/villain binary and instead insists that what matters are choices: the path one chooses to walk. are you fated to walk a dark path? or did you make a choice with every step?

characters say "i had no choice," a lot, but eventually face the truth (usually before a big moment of growth): there's always a choice, and you've always been making choices. this is something pretty much everyone is going thru throughout the series but no one more obviously than Viren (and now, Claudia 😭).

when Viren faces his younger self in the mirror in season 5 and young Viren rejects the idea that he is "fated" to walk a dark path, he places his hand on the glass, saying "i am free, and so are you!" this is one of the series' main theses--alongside whether history is "a narrative of strength or a narrative of love"--that "i have no choice," is never true. our choices are all we have, and they shape our reality by paving the path we take.

Viren has been a worthy and engaging "villain" throughout the series, totally hateable, a grade A baddie, but I'm grateful for how his arc ended in season 6. i admit i shed a tear for that old war criminal.

if history is to become a narrative of love then different choices must be made.

making space for anger and holding "villains" accountable for their harmful choices, but also allowing for those same villains to change (or cut out) their hearts and thereby change the path they have walked--even if it's only in the final few days of a lifetime of wickedness-- all play well alongside the setting of the story: a magical world on the precipice of revolutionary transformation ("a long slow spiral into chaos," as one Star Elf put it).

can't guess how this will play out with the big boss battle against Aaravos himself in the final season, but for now, I'm content w how the writers seem truly invested in exploring these big ideas and applying them to the characters' story arcs.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Worksheets: Death & Sacrifice

Worksheets & Templates Death; Sacrifice; How to Kill Your Characters

Use the following questions as a story guide, or to interview your characters...

DEATH

What do you think happens after you die?

How does the thought of death affect you? Why?

Whose death has affected you the most?

What is the biggest lesson that death has taught you?

How do the deaths of people you didn’t know personally affect you?

Recount your favourite death myth.

What would you like to happen to your body after you die?

What would you like to be written on your tombstone, in your obituary, or in a posthumous biography of your life?

If you were a ghost, what would be your favourite haunt?

What do you fear most about death?

How is death not what you feared?

Describe death as a person, creature, or symbol.

What are your thoughts on euthanasia?

Which fictional character’s death affected you the most?

Is your own mortality different to that of others?

How has your perception of death evolved over time?

Research a death ritual.

How does death create life?

Choose 3 very different characters and explore their relationships with death.

How would you solve the trolley problem? [The Trolley Problem: You are riding in a trolley without functioning brakes, headed toward a switch in the tracks. On the current track stand 5 people who stand to be killed if the trolley continues on its path. You have access to a switch that would make the trolley change to the other track, but another individual stands there. That person is certain to be killed if the switch is activated. So do you switch tracks or not?]

Write a fictional will.

SACRIFICE

How do you know it’s the right time for you to make a sacrifice?

What are you afraid of losing?

How will losing this change you?

How will not losing this allow you to stay the same?

What is the cost of not making this sacrifice?

Why is this sacrifice necessary to achieving your dreams?

How can you make it feel more like a relief than a sacrifice?

Why have you been chosen to make this particular sacrifice?

What are the steps you need to take to make this sacrifice?

How will you know that you’ve really made it?

How to Kill your Characters

A worksheet to kill off a character...

Why is the characterʼs death important?

When does it occur?

Why then?

How long does it take?

Who is there with the character?

What is the character’s reaction to imminent death?

What emotion is evoked in the reader?

Locations (associated with the character):

Objects (associated with the character):

Themes (associated with the character):

Ways to die:

Effects of death on other characters:

Effects of death on the story:

Source

[robustaart]

Last Arc RPG collab: Black Widow’s Dance

Last Arc is an indie TTRPG developed by Old World Studios, inspired by both D&D and classic JRPG elements.

I’ll be drawing several illustrations for this project, so please give us a lot of support!

Follow the development of Last Arc: https://www.oldworldstudiosinc.com/

Instagram: @lastarcrpg

[markantonys]

"This is some of the most fun work we’ve seen from the talented actor Dónal Finn all season; he gets that Mat is a depressive character, and so when Mat has moments of joy and elation — whether that’s simply reuniting with his friends or realizing he was born to be the leader of the most legendary assemblage of heroes ever known — he really makes them almost radiate inner sunlight. It’s just a pleasure to see Mat happy." –Vulture

[monotone-artist]

[id in alt]

some idw redraws

[oneluckydragon]

"Suddenly the world was gray and dull and my heart was so heavy I felt like I couldn’t move, let alone make it back to Treasure Town. But because of Echo’s last wish… I was able to keep living.”

--- --- --- --- ---

SORA : (Partner)

Abilities: Justified / Inner Focus

Nature: Gentle / Hardy

Moveset: Aura Sphere / Metal Claw / Poison Jab / Dragon Pulse

[weaverofink]

an eye for an eye.....

[vasiliquemort]

Here the grass once flashed with hard steel Blood of scarlet on the sword point gleamed That is all for you and that’s for me – These two blades of those who became now Phantoms of the winds for centuries

All tendrest, all smouldering and gentle aches - adore's and love's galore all for the glorious within of evermore, most beau and fawned, all for the @quietvesper, of eventides' one!<зз

[kirnet]

EGG HEAD - "YEAAAGHHH! ONCE THE LIGHT IS ON IN THE UNIVERSE -- IT WILL NEVER GO OUT!"

True Detective (2014) / Disco Elysium (2019)

[botanautical]

THE DARK ERA - 黒の時代

(textless version below the cut)

[p0rchc0ll4ps3]

Okay more headcanons where Kim is the leader of the revolution in Harry's place bc Harry steps down from the position

Anyways THE THING ABOUT IT THOUGH THE THING ABOUT KIM BEING THE LEADER OF THE REVOLUTION IS THAT HES JUST HUMAN. Hes JUST flesh and blood. Hes not an innocence. He never will be. He's not palefucked like Harry is. He's no magpie. He is just. Flesh and blood. Revacholian. Traumatized like all her people are. She has left scars deep in him, but what revacholian doesn't have these scars??? Kim is just that. Kim. Just human. Just revacholian. Just people, like those he leads. When he bleeds, he bleeds the same. Harry meanwhile is something else and he's untouchable and he's CHOSEN by revachol. Revachol picked HIM to save her. But it costs Harry everything until he realizes that he will die if he keeps going down this path, and he chooses to save himself. To be there for the people that matter to him. It's a tragedy that he takes his hands off the levers and lets revachol burn but the thing is

Harry and Kim are intertwined. Their fates are shared. Harry is there for Kim to fall back on and vice versa. They complete each other, they are parts of each other's wholes

And of course when Harry steps down, takes his hands off the levers, even though he burns with innocentic light, Kim is there to step up. Take his place

And the thing is while Revachol chose Harry... Kim chose Revachol

So yeah. Something I've been thinking about a lot