#i didn't even know there were dragon age novels? lmao

[raayllum]

I know you love The dragon prince and that’s great. I binged the show after season three released. I listened to podcasts about the show . I listened to yours and felt really happy when I found people who also liked the show. Unfortunately I fell of during the hiatus between season three and four. I am patient person but three years was long. Also I watched the show for rallylum and through the moon just kind killed my love for them.Then I found your blog and was really happy. Then I saw how you felt about the owl house and it bothered me. As a neurodivergent person the show made me feel really seen. I know it’s stupid to be upset about an opinion. As a person who wants to be an English major how do find parallels between relationships and characters. You talk about certain ones and I don’t see them at all. Your probably more seasoned as a writer than I am so

Ps : sorry this is long and hope tdp ends well in your opinion

Few things:

1) I'm also neurodivergent (hi!) - specifically Autistic - and I have also largely wanted to be understood my whole life, much like Luz (according to S3). While a show making you feel seen can certainly be wonderful, meaningful, and sometimes even life changing, to me that's not enough to make it a Good (per my subjective tastes) Show. That's not to say TOH is a bad show - far from it - but it's one that didn't appeal to my particular tastes due to 1) too many characters and not enough screentime, 2) a lack of theme (which many kids shows don't have a ton of because they're, y'know, for kids), and 3) all of the characters have very black and white morality, and that's just less interesting to me.

Being upset about opinions is very natural, and it's not stupid, but it is also important to acknowledge that 1) you can't control how anyone else feels or interprets things and 2) no one else can control how you feel or interpret things.

2) I adored Through the Moon. Rayla's tendency to leave (and why) is always a hurdle I expected them to have to tackle at one point, and given that it's her main character flaw, I'm really excited and happy with the way it's been handled so far and how TTM kicked it off. The graphic novel also really resonated with me in Callum's place, as I too have loved many of my loved ones through incredibly difficult periods regarding their mental health, and the graphic novel felt very honest about the toll that can take on both parties in different ways, and how love/support can help, but ultimately isn't enough if the person isn't ready (or willing) to start trying to get better. It's not an easy pill to swallow, but it is a realistic and important one and I've enjoyed how the show has continued that storyline with Rayla (and Callum) into S4 and S5

3) Being an English major is not for everyone! I know many people who love to read and who are very good writers where an English degree would not suit them at all. It's a lot of reading (by my final year, there were some weeks where I was reading an entire 400 page book roughly every week, if not multiple at the same time). It is also a lot of writing (and my professors regularly chewed me out for my grammar). You also tend to kind of double being a history major as depending on what you're reading, you learn a lot of the religious/historical/cultural context in order to understand the language, references, and messaging intended by the author (and then whether or how much to disregard it, lmao). Being able to analyze — to see connections between characters and themes in particular, but other forms of symbolism and messaging — quickly is probably the main thing that saved my ass and let me stay on Honour Roll throughout my undergrad.

I have also been writing pretty seriously for a long time (I 'started' at age 10 but only really count age 12 onwards, cause that's when I first started writing 70k+ drafts every 1-2 years for original WIP stuff). A lot of what makes a good writer is being a good reader, taking your favourite stories (books or otherwise — movies, musicals, tv shows, etc can be gold mines) and figuring out what works in them and why, or why you like them (or don't like them), etc.

For example: The Owl House is a primarily character driven > plot driven story. In book form, it'd likely be Middle Grade to early YA. It's interested in character relationships among the main cast (any of the more villainous characters like Belos are never given the same amount of development or screentime) and some mild worldbuilding. It has some social commentary (mostly on the school systems through Luz and mental health through Eda) and an overall theme of "being different is good," breaking away from abusive systems/dynamics, and the importance of solidarity.

If I compare and contrast this to TDP, The Dragon Prince is far driven in equal parts by the plot (because it's wholly serialized) and by character. It is also very thematically driven — most notably how to break intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence, but also self-destructive tendencies, abuse, responsibility, power, grief, and concepts of justice and punishment. This is also reflected in the fact numerous villainous characters (Viren, Claudia, etc.) share close to equal screentime with the 'good guy' protagonists and heavily explores morality across a decently wide spectrum. It thereby has a more mature tone in its subject matter and would easily be YA in book form.

Which is to say: the best way to get better at analyzing is to break characters down to their basic plot structures (Character A does this, they want that, Character B does this, they want that, etc.) and see what pops up (for example, in Avatar The Last Airbender, Aang and Zuko both cannot go home, and duel Ozai when they're 13 years old, ultimately refusing to be violent against their opponent). You can also look at similar personality traits (curiosity, selflessness, carelessness, etc). Practice looking at the stories you love and figuring out what works and doesn't work for you personally — and then go beyond relatability to look more at subtext and symbols. Some of the best things I've ever read were books that had nothing relatable to my personal experiences in them (like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini), and that was why I loved them because they got to broaden my horizons.

[autopotion]

Inconsequential things that frustrate me: I really cannot stand it when fans of something can't or won't acknowledge a perspective of the thing they like that is not wholly, effusively positive. Of course people can be rude or unfair if the critic is annoyed by the thing, but I'm also talking about the situation where, like, two people both generally had a positive experience with the thing, but Person A goes "but x thing didn't work for me" and Person B reacts condescendingly or with extreme offense or upset.

Like in this case I'm specifically thinking of Outer Wilds, which is a reddit darling, so you see it recommended all the time (regardless of, like... relevance). I love Outer Wilds! It was a cool game and it's in my top 50! But the way people talk about it, they act like it's the only mystery game with a heartfelt story ever made, and if you indicate that some things didn't work for you, they will mock you for not appreciating "games as art." This coming from a demographic that typically dismisses visual novels outright... Okay lmao.

It's just really annoying. Anyone who's followed me for more than a couple weeks knows I have no problem airing out my complaints about things I love. It's a critical part of engaging with media, to me. Not as like a "virtue signaling" thing, but like, if I want to make anything ever I want to get pretty good at picking apart what works for me and what doesn't! I love Dragon Age and despise the obnoxious elf racism worldbuilding. Final Fantasy has a pretty serious misogyny & transmisogyny problem; if we're talking about pettier quibbles, I deeply disliked the defanging of AVALANCHE in FFVIIR (a game I have also praised extensively for its characterization of Aerith), and I'm repeatedly frustrated by the many damsel plots & hanging plot threads re: relationships between women in FFT (my favorite game of all time!!). Transistor is gorgeous, and really fun, and uncomfortably homophobic. And even OUTSIDE of racism, misogyny, and homophobia, sometimes game mechanics don't work, and sometimes storytelling decisions fall flat, and I want to work out why they didn't work for me! I don't know!!!

It's just like... put yourself, briefly, in the shoes of someone who didn't care for some decisions in the thing you like, instead of, idk, mocking them? "I couldn't handle the flight controls in Outer Wilds" totally fair, they're an acquired taste, they were designed intentionally which I appreciate but it's not going to be for everyone; "I liked Outer Wilds but I don't think it's the most groundbreaking game ever made" LITERALLY NOT EVEN A NEGATIVE OPINION??? And that's the one that is CONSTANTLY derided and mocked on Reddit. "You don't get games as art, you pleb." I'm starting to think one of us doesn't, because a robust critic scene is part of what makes something art, and video games don't have that, much to their detriment, so the world of games journalism and even "sharing opinions online" is a shambles! IDK!!!

All I am saying is allow some space in your head for the acknowledgement of something you like not working for someone else. And it's not the end of the world. It's not even a value judgement. I've softened my hater attitude over the years but some knee-jerk defensiveness and cries of "well you must not really get it then" really make me want to pull my hair out.

[fattybattysblog]

All of my OCs

I just wanna share my OCs today :) You can find them and their artwork on my refsheet (NSFW warning there) but here's the basics and some images.

I try to use only my own art for all of these but I HAD to share the Amea x Zant commission because it is one of my absolute faves. I scoured my entire back log of bought commissions because they didn't put their name on the art but I think it was this person?? If not them then... they may have deleted their account from where I bought it.

Saphira Nightingale, my main tippy top OC

A shapeshifter and the last of her kind. I use her for lots of original stories as well as series where I don't have a dedicated character. The rule of thumb is "if she has clothes, it's an AU".

Mako Bianchi, Saphira's ex

A reaper that I used to pair with Saphira. She is now with other people and he is back to being the guy I draw sexy because I crave men. It's a toss up whether he's a skeleton or an elven winged man at any given moment.

Valus Nesrine

An incubus I used for my original novel. You can read about him there and in a short story, but they're both pretty naughty hahaha. He's charming and sweet. I love writing him.

Thorne

A mothman and the focus of some more stories. He's a bastard. But a sexy bastard. Honestly, that's all he has going for him.

Tarine

A bio android OC for Dragon Ball. She's mostly just there for pairing with Piccolo, lmao. But she did have some cool fights in the server where she was made.

Majin Mani

Same boat as Tarine, but for more of a "I like messing with these guys" vibe than the former. Mani was made for Dragon Ball Xenoverse so she is a time cop (ranger? whatever they were called)

Amea

A mercenary in Twilight Princess. I have her for an AU specifically but she is my Zant lover OC. She is half Twili and half Hylian. Does that work? Not really, but I really loved the idea.

Arin Ferris (and all of her Pokemon)

Arin is an Ex Rocket (which placed her at around 30 at the time so that's just her age now) and now owns a daycare off the coast of Hoenn. I like giving her the poison aesthetic but she doesn't use too many poison types.

Lia (Alix) Bech

A keyblade wielder who kinda sucks at fighting. She far prefers staying out of fights. Yeah she's just here to bang the organization. But she also has identity issues :D

Pire

More of an "everyday" OC for Zelda. I use her in all other Zelda games while Amea is for Twilight Princess only. She is a tech whiz and she makes mechs, hahah. And this was before TOTK was even announced!

Celeste Wade

An OC for Final Fantasy 9. She's a noble in Treno and she captures monsters to sell as pets and manor security. So she packs quite a punch without lookin like she can! I haven't designed her monster hunting get up yet.

Boriell

You know Lawachurls from Genshin Impact? Well I didn't like the game, but I loved these guys <3 So I made one for myself. He's the only remnant of my Genshin knowledge.

Velka, the Arcta Knight

My Kirby OC. She is a bad guy and I use her to antagonize everyone in the game. She has a vendetta against Meta Knight. And she got her powers illegitimately from Nightmare.

Thalia Vanfin, another favorite

A fishwoman bar owner/bounty hunter. Yep! Another one for shipping. But I love writing her encounters and drawing her being cute with people. Not always romantically but mostly romantically.

Fatei

Monster man with mask face and tentacles~ He's got a human form since he was turned into a beast like everyone else. But I usually only draw his monster form.

Dia "Dragoon" Chambers

A depressed college student who uses the Dark World as escapism from her life. Anything that makes her feel like she doesn't have to go back home. She comes with some friends! Laguna the Rogue and Phish!

Laguna the Rogue

Phish does not have any character traits beyond "is an Addison", but here's Laguna! She was originally made for an Undertale AU but now she's just a crazy ass monster and the only one looking out for Dia.

[wandering-tides]

Its a nice theory.

What I think is, well, remember who wrote TBOAH? It was CJG (the english Otaku-), Nelan Barrow, the first dragon slayer, and one of the few people who survived through the ancient WS age. He is the same kid who was saved by Super Rock, during his fight against the ancient WS and sacrificed himself.

He saw the strength, the absolute monstrous power of the ancient powers first hand. And yet, when he wrote TBOAH, he claimed that they weren't as "strong" and were just enough powerful to protect people from small dangers. CJG never let the reader of TBOAH know how those AP's can bring tsunamis, or turn the earth upside down, or burn down a whole forest into ashes and vice versa.

Why?

At the end of the day, TBOAH was written as a guide book for the transmigrator (who was supposed to be CJS, but CJS denied to be 'saved' so GoD took KRS instead)- and he needed to make sure that the "transmigrator" would actually read the guide book, so he made sure it was written in such a way that would actually pique peoples interest (and simultaneously keep it hidden away from the eyes of the hunters and other enemies): hence, it was written as a novel.

So, TBOAH is a guide book- was supposed to be for CJS, but instead of CJS, KRS transmigrated instead. And I think CJG took that into account. He wrote TBOAH in such a way, that, if somehow CJS didn't transmigrate as planned, krs would be the substitute. Because KRS is the one who can be transmigrated because of that whole soul jargon with WS.

And if KRS transmigrated? Do you really think he would go and collect those AP's that has world destroying powers when he wants nothing more than a peaceful slacker life?

Cale would have never taken those AP's just for his own peace of mind.

CJG stalked KRS during his high school year (and probably before that too), so he was definitely aware of KRS personality.

It was all planned from CJGs part about not disclosing the full powers of the APs to let the transmigrator take them. Whoever it turns out to be- CJS or KRS

Did you notice in what order the AP's were introduced? The first one was the indestructible shield, within the Henituse territory. The next closest AP was super rock in the forest of darkness, right next to the territory, but CJG didn't mention that in TBOAH. Despite the fact that he was the last to see super rock before he died, and most definitely knew where the rock AP was. Because why? Had the transmigrator taken any other AP that was NOT Vitality of The Heart, they would have died.

So he told about the vitality of the heart next instead, and went to talk about the heart AP in very detail and told about it's healing properties. And well ofcourse you'd want a healing powers that heals you, right? So even if the shield AP wasn't taken first, CJG wrote the heart AP in such a way that the transmigrator would basically be sold into taking it- if only to raise their chances of survival in an entirely new world they got thrown into out of nowhere.

The mentioning of the AP's were never a single passing line that the reader could look over, no. Whenever the APs were talked about, they were very descriptively talked about and even told the reader of exactly how to obtain them. When, where, how, why. The AP's were described too well for their "lack of power".

Basically CJG baited the transmigrator to take the APs.

And the reason he wrote them as "not so powerful" is so that, if, instead of CJS, KRS ends up transmigrating, he would have no reason to not take them.

CJS would have taken them either way, whether ultra strong or not, cuz AP's have their uses and it would have helped him, the problem here was KRS who may or may not take it (to achieve that slacker life, lmao) so CJG had to write it in a way, that in the off chance KRS does end up transmigrating, he would actually take the AP's

And yeah, that's all what I think

Why were ancient powers in TBOAH not considered strong? Let’s talk about it.

What was that thing in the beginning of the novel that talked about ancient powers not being powerful? And despite people having them, they weren’t used very much in The Birth of a Hero because of that?

Cale had said it before when he talked about the fiery thunderbolt in tboah when Pendrick had gotten it, saying that it was of equal power to like a lighter or something, nowhere as powerful as what they needed it for.

But when Cale got it, it’s suddenly just gods damnation?!?!?? And it had the power to purify dead mana and black magic like this whole time?? That needs to be a topic for a whole other post (I mean seriously, that’s overpowered af, and no one would’ve ever known because only Cale can hear the voices of ancient powers, so Pendrick would forever have absolutely no idea it could do that)

I mean, it could be the way he spent all that money just to give it more power in a way Pendrick would never be able to do because they’re so non-materialistic.

But still, it’s just such a big difference????

The Sound of the Wind, Toonka in TBOAH never used it, again, maybe just because it might’ve been a bit too similar to magic, but he also called it weak and just never used it!

The Unbreakable Shield was just never used period, despite its usefulness and utility.

I have no idea about the Sky-Eating Water because I think it also never got used.

But why does something about Cale make these powers stronger?

They’re not even fully combined with his soul! They’re not at full power!! What the hell???!??

I have a theory about this, but you have to hear me out-

So TBOAH was the story about the creation of a hero through suffering and overcoming adversity, right?

Maybe his ancient powers are so strong because of a, “high risk, high return” type thing?

For example, referencing one of my past posts, every time he coughs up blood from an ancient powers recoil, he should be dying. His plate is weak, it’s made of glass, and every time he uses one last their limit, that glass will get closer snd closer to breaking, that is, without the Crybaby ancient power.

The Crybaby ancient power serves as a cushion, a shock-absorber, for every time one of the other ancient powers tries to recoil against Cale’s glass plate.

Just think of it as, every time Cale has ever coughed up blood, he should’ve been dead.

And of course, Cale, with barely any self preservation instincts, or those mental blocks in his brain that would usually be like “oh using that much would be too harmful, let’s not,” Mr, I can used Instant for 5 seconds and come out looking like I jumped into a blender, who is willing to sacrifice himself at anytime for the ones he loves, will always use the ancient powers past the safe limit.

For taking such a large backlash, one that would, should, be strong enough to kill you, you must be rewarded with something pretty powerful, right? Balance and all that shit?

Does any of this make sense? It’s like 1 am right now

[stinkrascal]

hey just wanted to let you know that alistair is canonically biracial ! his mom is described as having dark skin in one of the novels, but bioware white-washed the hell out of her when she appeared in inquisition, & did alistair dirty too (he looks way tanner in origins). bioware unfortunately has a trend of whitewashing their poc novel characters, like briala for example. the pasty blonde alistair we see in inquisition is inaccurate lmao

i’m sorry about that! :-( i’ve only played the game series, i’ve not consumed any separate dragon age material, so i honestly didn’t know. fiona looks super white in inquisition, and alistair looks white in origins and inquisition, so i assumed he was white and made him as such. my dragon age sims are always based off the characters i see in the video games, as, again, i’ve never consumed any separate dragon age media aside from the games. so i apologize for not making him accurately! again, i honestly had no idea :\

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

Sorry if you've answered this before but I'm curious about the lost tomb. Does one need to watch the other seasons to watch the reboot or whatever the new thing is? I saw gifs from it a couple months back and thought the cast was really pretty but didn't watch because I didn't want to have to watch all that other stuff to get to the pretty boys yanno? Would I be losing out on anything by not watching the other content?

Hum...

So I watched “The Lost Tomb” first, the original season is only 10 episodes long, and then dove immediately into “Reunion”;  but since every single character is re-cast between seasons with extremely few exceptions, you still have to learn everyone over again. I did feel like I was missing some stuff, but not to a degree that impacted my viewing.

Um... I’ll make a little character guide for you. Read that and you should be fine::

Wu Xie (Iron Triangle #1)

Wu Xie is the main POV focus. Wu Xie’s great-grandfather began robbing tombs during China’s great famine as a way to feed his family. He left behind The Gravedigger’s Notebook (title of the book series), which catalogues hidden tombs both explored and rumored. It is considered the family’s greatest treasure.

Wu Xie does not rob tombs to make money. He believes in studying their history and secrets, and sort of goes in as an advanced scout before summoning archaeological teams and donating everything inside to museums and such.

In the original “Lost Tomb” series (2015), Wu Xie is poisoned inside a tomb. To save his life, Xiao Ge feeds him something called “Dragon Medicine”- an ancient, rare form of Chinese medicine that grows more potent with age. The piece Wu Xie eats is 3,000 years old, and it causes permanent changes to his DNA. This appears in the story as both Wu Xie’s blood being used to protect others sometimes and whenever someone mentions Wu Xie having “Dragon’s Blood”.

Kylin // Zhang Qiling // Xiao Ge (Iron Triangle #2)

A 100+++ year old tomb raider. Xiao Ge is the patriarch of the most powerful tomb raiding family- though he doesn’t have anything to do with them. His kind are incredibly long lived and he may even be an immortal- so long as he doesn’t die of injury, starvation, cold, etc.

His blood is a deterrent to most of the creepy crawlies in tombs, it can cure some poisons, and he has two fingers on his right hand that are elongated and possess near super strength thanks to an ancient and lost technique. 

Xiao Ge often wanders off on his own, but he always appears when Wu Xie is in trouble. For an unknown reason, Xiao Ge has had a couple instances in the past where he as badly injured and lost time or memory entirely, so much of his past is a mystery to him as well.

Wang Pangzi // Fatty (Iron Triangle #3)

Wu Xie’s constant companion and, along with Xiao Ge, one of his best friends. Pangzi was a tomb robber once upon a time, but a couple of raids in a row landed him with Wu Xie, who doesn’t allow him to steal.

Pangzi has friends in low places, but Wu Xie has become the person he is most loyal to. Seriously, they act like an old married couple most of the time. Oh, and Pangzi might have magical abilities like Xiao Ge- no matter how long they’ve been in a tomb or how unprepared they were to enter, he somehow always has plenty of peanuts or sunflower seeds in his pockets. It’s a running joke.

** Wu Xie’s uncle Sanxing had a companion and right hand man named Panzi who is mentioned a couple times. It gets confusing, just a heads up.

Wu Sanxing // Third Uncle

(Couldn’t find a GIF)

Wu Xie’s father is the first brother, Wu Sanxing is the third (the second is listed next). Wu Xie idolized his uncle Sanxing his entire life, but Wu Sanxing vanished after a tomb exploration, never to be seen or heard from again. 

Wu Xie’s guiding mission is to find his uncle Sanxing at all costs- but to do that he must use his grandfather’s notebook to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and try to piece together a decades-old mystery.

Wu Erbai // Second Uncle

Wu Xie’s... second uncle, lmao!

With Wu Sanxing missing, Wu Erbai is the only family Wu Xie has around (in some “Lost Tomb” adaptations Wu Xie says his parents are dead, but in this one it is implied they are alive but estranged from Wu Xie). Wu Erbai is a bit of a mob boss, though he is kind to his family. He tends to finance Wu Xie’s explorations and takes a keen interest in his nephew’s safety and wellbeing.

A-Ning

(No GIF)

A-Ning was one of the first tomb robbers Wu Xie ever encountered on his travels. Over “The Lost Tomb” series, Wu Xie and A-Ning go from enemies to friends- and there are little hints that they may have been heading towards intimate relations.

In “Reunion”, A-Ning is revealed to have died on Wu Xie’s watch as they searched for a tomb (IDK if this is part of another of the Lost Tomb shows, I’m going back now to watch my way through the whole series). Her memory is very present in the story, so it was worth mentioning her.

Black Glasses // Hei Yanjing

(Not Giffed, but... you know... look for a dude all in black wearing sunglasses religiously)

One of the people Wu Erbai has on his payroll. Black Glasses is another semi-immortal. He is only a little bit younger than Xiao Ge, and very nearly his equal in terms of power. 

Yanjing’s main abilities lie in his eyes though. Out in the world- day or night- he is blind without his simple black sunglasses. In a pitch-black tomb though, he can see perfectly due to his insanely good night vision.

Xiao Ge fights mainly with his sword, but Yanjing is more fond of modern weapons such as guns. He’ll use anything to his advantage- and he’s quite mouthy. I think he and Xiao Ge are... cousins? Or something?

=========

=========

That’s pretty much it for “Reunion”. There are a few other characters who are returns from earlier seasons, but their purposes are pretty easy to guess and their roles minor enough that you’ll pick up on their characters pretty quickly. This includes Liu Sang- the one whose GIFsets I keep sharing :)

The show contains itself in its own story very well, so I think you’ll be able to make it through. But if you feel lost, all I watched before going into it was “The Lost Tomb” from 2015 (10 episodes), mainly to learn who the characters are. You can also look up the characters in the DMBJ Wiki (DMBJ = shorthand for the name of the novel).