#like there are big issues with the story on a logic and character level

[fictionadventurer]

I love setting fantasy around and after WWI. It's such a good combination. WWI was a loss-of-innocence on a societal level. There had been this assumption that technology and progress could solve all our problems and make us better people, and then WWI comes and shows us horribly and violently that it does not, and then in the aftermath we have to deal with what this means for us as a society and as people.

Throwing magic into that is a perfect thematic fit, because magic and technology are basically the same thing--people trying to impose their will upon nature. It can do good things or terrible things, but the issue is not necessarily the technology or the magic itself, but the hearts of the people using it, the cost to bring it about, the drain on resources and the effect on the environment and people. In the aftermath of a major conflict, we have to take a long hard look at ourselves and the choices we've made and will continue to make. Are the benefits worth the cost? What is the true nature of man--can we ever trust ourselves again? Have we progressed to a better stage of humanity or reverted back to beasts? There is just so much to explore there. The WWI connection has been built into the genre ever since Tolkien, and it continues to be relevant to our modern world.

[preposterousjams]

My opinion on the Latino Jason Todd headcanon

While I do understand ppl's criticism of the latino Jason todd headcanon and how its kind of racist to make the kid with parents with drug problems as the latino one, to me its more of a reclamation BECAUSE of DC's racism.

Read any 80s/90s batman issue that covers gang violence and drugs, most if not ALL of the criminals are poc; black people and latinos visibly make up the majority in the poorer neighbourhoods in Gotham. Aside from the caricaturist way they r drawn/speak, its not THAT weird cause its a reflection of irl big cities where immigrants and marginalised ppl are often forced to live in such situations, (like most of my dominican family lives in the bronx... it aint racist to say dominicans tend to flock there), BUT...the weird part is when the second a sympathetic character comes from that area, he's white and has a name thats "too fancy for the streets".

Obviously, Jason was created to look like the old robin, so I can't say that the whole "diamond in the rough" situation was purposely a tad bit racist, but its still a lil weird (especially with bruce's comment).

If Jason were a part of the overwhelming demographic in his area, the good-kid-in-a-bad-area trope has less connotations. DC is currently trying to fix this trope is by making crime alley whiter, which isn't bad but they could've just yk... humanised the non-white residents.

I also feel like the messed up way Jason was treated post-death is what makes him so relatable to latino readers. His tragic story of dying while trying to save his only living relative is turned into a lesson for newer vigilantes. Jason's particular disdain for abusers on a few occasions was twisted (by both writers and characters) into him always being dumb, reckless, cocky, angry and disobedient, always violent, never having been able to get over his upbringing. None of those things were true (he was a normal level of reckless and cocky like every other robin, not more), but its an easier narrative to digest compared to how it was in reality; a kid who worked so hard and loved even harder, died to save a woman who couldn't care less about his existence. He was an emotional AND smart kid who wanted so bad to help others get better but was remembered as too emotional (in a bad way).

THIS is the reality for many latino diasporas in day to day life; Theres no question that Latino culture is passionate and emotive, but people from other cultures assume that it is followed by instead of logical. both can coexist. emotion does not mean u have no logic. Emotions can be irrational but they aren't inherently that way, and I wouldn't say that the moments where Jason lashed out as a teenager were irrational (in og runs, not rewrites post red hood), they were mostly done to protect someone (going crazy on abusers, disobeying batman to save sheila, that time he got into a fight at school to defend his friend).

A lot of euro-centric culture is OBSESSED with the idea that rationality is separate from feelings and emotions, but not crying at a funeral doesn't mean you're better than those who do. Emotions are the basis of human ethics and morals, they define the way we interact as a collective and ignoring them does not mean they are not there. Theres no winner to a contest of who can feel the less. And the way Jason's emotions are treated (pre-rh, hes definitely unhinged afterwards lol) is so in line with how white culture tends to punish those who aren't ashamed to feel.

I TOTES UNDERSTAND that some ppl who headcanon Jason as latino are doing it for the complete opposite of reasons, like "oh here some angry emotional guy with druggie parents, haha must be latino". Its weird. I dont like it. And its only brought up so he can swear in spanish in some rlly bad text post where his emotions are getting out. But to me there's so much potential for metanarrative and commentary on how latinos are treated in media that can be exemplified through the way his character is treated. Being latino would add SO MUCH DEPTH to his character and his dynamic with the others.

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Been thinking about Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and what makes Death the Wolf such an effective villain, and like… character design and voice acting is certainly doing a lot there, don't get me wrong, but I think there's something else at play.

Death is the most terrifying character in Puss in Boots, because he's the only one playing the genre straight.

The premise of the Shrek films has always been that they're normal, modern people living in wacky fairytale land.

The evil king uses his magic mirror as a dating app. The fairy godmother uses business cards to contact her clients. Her workers consider unionising over their lack of dental plan.

Puss in Boots 1 kinda broke the mould in that— while there are plenty of modern elements to how the characters act and how their world works— it's more specifically intended to be characters from the world Zorro living in wacky fairytale land. But the point still stands.

The aim of the Shrek films and spin-offs is to subvert common fairytale tropes for comedic effect. What if the princess fell for the ogre? What if Prince Charming was an entitled dick? What if Goldilocks teamed up with the three bears and started a crime family?

But Death? Death, for the most part, isn't playing that game.

No character questions why he doesn't just kill Puss outright. There are no gags about him being inconvenienced by Jack Horner losing so many men. Nobody makes any self-aware fourth wall breaking jokes about why he bothers with the whole whistling thing.

We all know why he does the whistling thing. It's the same reason why Little Red Riding Hood has to go through the whole "what big eyes/ears/teeth you have, Grandma" rigamarole. The same reason why the wolf takes care to knock before blowing the little pigs' houses down.

The Wolf is scary because he's the only actual fairytale creature in this entire setting. He's not bound by rules of logic or common sense, or his own will, he's bound by the narrative.

And that's also why he backs down at the end.

The first time he and Puss fight, in the bar, Puss is arrogant. The second time, in the Cave, Puss is scared out of his wits. It's the third time, on the wishing star, that Puss learns his lesson. Of course the Wolf backs down after that! The rules say he has to.

But, on another level, there is also the issue of Puss realising that he wants more from his life than just to be a legend.

They say "legends never die", but the most famous part of any given legend tends to be the story of how the hero finally bites the dust.

And "he was such a great fighter that Death himself had to kill him off, personally!" is just the sort of ending that would fit the legend Puss has constructed around himself. In a sense, the Wolf is giving Puss exactly what he proclaims to want— the chance to go down in history.

Puss realising he doesn't want that anymore is the catalyst for sending the Wolf away. Through his own egotistical and reckless attitude, he turned himself into a story and thus summoned a narrative device. Only by choosing to value his life over the legend is he able to escape that trap.

The Wolf's defeat is both the natural ending of the story that he and Puss have been playing out since the film began, and a rejection of the natural ending to the story Puss has been telling about himself since he first became the hero of San Ricardo.

[heliomanteia]

ngl its nice to finally see some actual analysis/understanding for Calypso compared to the rest of the fandom's immediate hatred and demonizing. All the other gods in Epic do just as terrible things to Odysseus but they get so much adoration from the fandom regardless of that. I'm just so confused on why the sudden hatred for this one goddess in particular came from. I could understand if it was just people reacting emotionally to Calypso's actions, but this feels different from that. What is it about this goddess that makes everyone react borderline violently?

"We need more complex female characters" — "you couldn't even handle Calypso" etc.

Calypso (overall but specifically her Epic self as the musical expands on her feelings) is very, very interesting to me.

I think part of the reason behind the fandom's reaction is the expected knee-jerk response to a character implied to sexually force another person. It's very hard for people to look past that veil and try to analyze the character beyond that surface level. I know that Epic is rather vague with what Calypso did/did not do but I choose to believe at least some physical intimacy is implied by both Love in Paradise and Not Sorry for Loving You. Even if not, it's still imprisonment — something very common in mythology, as you point out, though it's extremely rare that it's coming from a woman towards a man.

I don't know if it's deeper than that or not because Epic portrayed her pretty accurately to the source. People seem to very eagerly accept Circe and Circe's perspective despite it also coming from the place of power imbalance and intimidation, probably because the musical offered her narrative from a more sympathetic side. Maybe it's because most people sympathize with Odysseus? I personally think that he gets exactly what he worked for. I don't hate him but he's also not my poor baby boy either, #TrojanSquad

Also, I would be more willing to side with the "black and white" thinkers if this was a mortal character. Like, I understand people that have very strong feelings about Antinous (sort of, since Epic removed his young(er) age) because he's mortal and he's overstepping boundaries known to him and understood by him. But Calypso is a Goddess/Nymph and there's a lot of theory regarding the reception of the narrative of divine-to-mortal assault/enforcing of anything.

Calypso was not analyzed from her POV before Epic. In the Odyssey, she's a narrative tool: the perfect maiden (literally perfectly concealed! in ancient logic, any man would want her) who has not known anyone prior to Odysseus offering him dwelling, family, and immortality. Odysseus rejecting her is him rejecting every gift a man can have; much like with the Sirens, though then he was held back. The Odyssey is a big, long journey through various obstacles and rejection/overcoming of said obstacles and Calypso has no voice in that story, in a way. We knew nothing about her feelings aside from her showing frustration that Gods seem to have such an issue with Goddesses taking in lovers (much like you do, isn't it ironic).

Epic explores her as unapologetic and her feelings as genuine while also showing her actions as wrong (though she does not agree). I love it. Love fucking sucks sometimes, you know? People do cruel, horrible things justified by love (even Odysseus himself, Mr. "I will do anything to be with my wife, even war crimes"). There's so much to explore about her character because she literally has close to no known lore.

Thank you for sending it in, I'm rotating her in my head.

[jolyne-best-jojo]

What Stands I think the Logical Proposals wavewave family would have:

Soundwave: Hermit Purple. This one's pretty easy, it's got everything a wave of sound could want: break a camera and get photos of a picture anywhere in the world, have a screen to project onto and read minds, just use the vines on a TV screen and get a message like "x is a traitor". Or Moody Blues since being able to see and hear what happened to a singular person would make for great intell depending on who it is.

Shockwave: Gold Experience. Shockwave would love having it, funding becomes a far smaller issue if he can grow the body parts himself. Not to mention the research he'd do testing the limits, how big can the being he grows be relative to the original objects mass? Can he grow an extinct species? And he'd love finding these things out.

Ravage: Harvest. Being the only responsible child is hard, much easier when you have 500 tiny buggers to keep watch on everyone.

Buzzsaw: Kraft Work. Given his weapon building I feel like he'd find some use for being able to store however much kinetic energy in an object he desires then release it all at once.

Laserbeak: Mr. President. With the caveat that he just had the user on him at all times. Laserbeak wants a nap, just pull out Mr. President, hide it, and take a nap in the key room, he can even fill it with all his favourite blankets.

Rumble & Frenzy: Star Platinum & The World. This one's the most obvious, SP and TW stop time for 5 seconds, that's 5 seconds of free prank set up.

Enemy: Survivor. Probably a bit too surface level for his character but it makes sense. He wants enemies, Survivor makes everyone around him so mad they start beating each other to death.

Flip Sides: Sticky Fingers. It's got a pocket dimension to explore long range travel purposes with (idk if it can do that but presumably if Sticky Fingers opened a zipper in one place then went hundreds of miles away and opened another they should connect) and I think Flips would find that interesting.

Beastbox: Man in the Mirror. So long as he has a mirror shard with him he can hide away in the mirror world whenever he's feeling overwhelmed and come back when he feels better.

Slugfest: Pearl Jam. He may not be a cook, but given the positive effects Pearl Jam has on the consumers he'd absolutely learn how to cook to give healing meals to refugees.

Squawktalk: Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't know if It works if it's only audio but it turns fiction to life and what better way to tell your stories then making them real? (Just ignore the part where people are forced to play a part in the stories, usually the one who dies)

Garboil: Earth, Wind and Fire. Technically not a stand (but maybe it is who knows) the shapeshifting would be really handy for painting, don't wanna use a picture or just memory to base a drawing on? Just shapeshift into what you wanna draw.

Overkill: Scary Monsters. It can turn people into dinosaurs. He'd finally have Dino friends that the Autobots don't steal away before begging to hand them back. (Targets of it retain their sentience right? I can't remember)

Howlback: Killer Queen. This isn't because of the fact it's a cat, nor is it about it being able to turn objects into bombs or its tertiary bomb Bites the Dust being able to rewind time an hour. No, this is about Sheer Heart Attack being indestructible and as such the perfect thing to enjoy biting to no end, and honestly what more does Howlback even want in life?

Ratbat: Kiss. Sure, the duplicated objects crash back together after the sticker comes off, but so long as that happens long after he sells them it's not his problem.

Wingthing: I'mma be real, I got nothing, he got killed in the great cassette culling of chapter 36 and he was introduced in that chapter. Weather Report? Because he wanted to know how rain works?

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

If you had to pinpoint the main issue of MLB, the root of all evil if you may (aside from Astruc), what would it be?

If we're going super high level, it would be narrative consistency (I believe this is a synonym for "narrative coherence" or, at least, I've always used them pretty interchangeably and googling one finds you stuff on the other). I wanted to get an official definition of this term and wikipedia gave me this from a larger article on the theory of narrative paradigm:

Narrative coherence is the degree to which a story makes sense. Coherent stories are internally consistent, with sufficient detail, strong characters, and free of significant surprises. The ability to assess coherence is learned and improves with experience. Individuals assess a story's adherence by comparing it with similar stories. The ultimate test of narrative sense is whether the characters act reliably. If figures show continuity throughout their thoughts, motives, and actions, acceptance increases. However, characters behaving uncharacteristically destroy acceptance.

I also found a pretty good overview of the topic on the blog of a random editor. You can follow that link to read the whole thing, but I wanted to highlight this section on characters as I thought it was particularly relevant to the stuff I talk about on this blog:

Your characters will have their own personalities and behaviours that the reader will become familiar with as the story develops, so if you deviate from these patterns, the reader will notice. That’s why it’s important to maintain character consistency – that they would act in a way that is right and in keeping with their personality, rather than making them act out of character to make elements of the story fit.

As you can hopefully see from the above sources, the stuff I've talk about on here, and just generally thinking about the show, most of the issues with Miraculous have to do with the show being narratively incoherent. Characters do whatever the writers want them to do. Plot lines get dropped and picked back up then dropped (Lila) with no rhyme or reason. Big, meaningful setups lead to nothing (Gabriel learning all the temp heroes identities). Twists come out of nowhere (Kagami being a senti). They all indicate that something is majorly wrong here.

I am not involved in the production of this show, so I cannot tell you where all of these issues come from. It may be that the writing staff doesn't know what they're doing or it could be that unknown forces like marketing are driving the writers to do things that they'd rather not or it could be a mix of the two. For example, I'm pretty sure the magical charms we get in season four were only added to sell stuff like this and this, which is why I try to approach this show without pointing fingers at anyone too specific unless there's some hard evidence to back up what I'm saying. All I know is that this show has a massive writing problem and I'll end with a little advice on how I avoid this issue. It may or may not work for you. It all depends on your writing style.

When you sit down to write a story, it's very normal to not have a clear path for how to get from story point A to story point B. You don't need to find that path before you start writing. You just need to keep in mind that B is your goal and start figuring out how to logically get there.

I often describe this process as taking a journey with a known destination, but no planned route. However, just like with a road trip, the further you go, the more limited your options become because of the choices you made. If you skipped stopping at an interesting city or landmark, you can't change that fact and we're not turning the car around just so you can get a picture next to the big ball of string. You had your chance and you missed it. Accept that and move on.

Similarly, as you write your story, you have to own the choices you've already made on your journey. If you choose to let a character in on a massive secret (Alya learning Ladybug's identity), then you have to fully own how that choice would impact all elements of the story (Alya's opinion of Lila) not just the short sighted elements you wanted it to impact (note how Lila's not a thing in season four? Almost like they didn't plan out how to handle her and Alya at the same time?) Own the route you committed to and find a way to tell the next part of the story in a way that feels like it's on the same route and you'll be fine.

Does that mean occasionally having to give up on cool ideas that you really liked? Yep, but that's the nature of story telling. It's part of the reason why people are told to "kill their darlings." That's just a thing you have to learn to do if you want to be a good writer.

[cbrownjc]

As an older fan, I’m starting to get some major Sherlock-vibes from the show, in the sense that fans are coming up with all these big-brained theories to explain weak writing that we have to have faith will come to fruition in some future season. Why make the change to Lestat saving Louis? Why is Louis seemingly stronger than Armand?  Why have the Loustat reunion, only for Louis to leave and challenge the entire vampire world (despite the fact that he’s apparently in a better place mentally-speaking)? Why publish under Daniel’s name, when that would clearly paint a target on his back, especially now that he’s a vampire? What’s going on with Daniel’s eyes?

The whole “spite” thing seems like a clear mis-direct, but with only like 8-ish episodes a season and Dubai-era Devil’s Minion being 100% subtext so far, I don’t think the writing team can do DM justice. All the inconsistencies seem like they’re being written off because it’s the unreliable narrator show, when they’re actually just plot holes.

Like…I 100% think the writing team forgot makers can’t telepathically talk to their fledglings, and that’s why they had to add in the throwaway line of Lestat actually whispering to Louis in 1x02. There was no hidden reason we were meant to find, it was just inconsistent internal logic justified because Louis can’t remember anything correctly.

IDK. I don’t want to be a downer, but a lot of my hype for the show just kinda fizzled out with the finale. I'm still gonna watch S3, but I think I'm just gonna wait til the whole thing comes out this time.

Hi!

So I never watched Sherlock nor was every in that fandom, though I did hear about some things after the fact. So I can't compare it to that fandom. But I can compare things to another book series that was being adapted fandom I was in which was Game of Thrones. And I think wrt things we are at least nowhere near that level of things and theorising. Yet.

Maybe because, unlike ASOIAF all the VC books are written and done. So that's a plus.

And see, the thing is? I can actually see a lot of methods to the madness of some of the things you've listed. Especially given the nature of how the story in the show is told through POVs. Where the issue comes into it is not ever knowing if what you are seeing is true, false, or just an interpretation of the truth -- as in Louis' POV of the play-trial rehearsal.

And I'd really like to know if how they ended this season is how they plan to end every season when a full book has been adapted? Something that wraps up the main character arc and story, but just leaves a host of other questions that, if we weren't getting a Season 3, would have never been answered. And who knows if they will all be answered in Season 3? As far as Devil's Minion goes, or Armand himself, I'm not expecting it to be now, given that Season 3 is The Vampire Lestat adaptation and Armand is a straight-up villain/antagonist in that book and Daniel doesn't appear in it at all, so anything we get with him will be extra anyway.

Now, as to whether Rolin Jones and the writers have a plan, Rolin says he pitched an 8-Season (or so) Arc to AMC before he was given the show to run. So at the moment? That is the only solid thing we have to go on right now wrt if there actually IS a play or not for the show.

But see (and oh boy, please forgive me as am I about to go into a big digression here), plotting a TV show is much harder to do than a book or a movie. TV writing is way more organic given that unforeseen circumstances can occur that you've never planned for when you go into a new season of TV production. Such as the studio asking you to split the first book you're adapting into 2 seasons instead of one, leaving you with only a month to rewrite the scripts. Or, a writer's strike and then an actors' strike a few weeks later, delaying production for months. Both of which happened to IWTV wrt Season 1 and then Season 2.

So organic things beyond the show's control are why it is much harder to plan out every little detail of a TV show in advance over multiple seasons. Take another AMC show, Breaking Bad. It's known that Season 2 of that show was intricately plotted out in advance but then, after that, the writers plotted and wrote the rest of the show as things came along for the remaining seasons, with no grand design to it -- even though the creator of the show, Vince Gilligan, knew way in advance how the show was going to end. And the show was able to get there, to that ending, without having a meticulous plan over seasons on how to do so.

I mean, the character of Jesse on Breaking Bad was originally supposed to die at the end of the first season. But instead, he lived through the whole damn thing. That was not planned at all.

And I think that might very well be the situation we have going here wrt IWTV. I think there are larger things they already know in advance about the show -- which books out of all of them will adapted into full stories vs which will only get references. Which characters in the show will make it into the show as full characters vs which characters will either be cut or combined with other existing characters (as Sam Ried revealed in his interview with Autumn Brown that that is going to happen -- that some characters will be combined with others). And what end point they want each of the main four characters -- Louis, Lestat, Armadn, and Daniel -- to be at when they get to at least Season 8. (If not Season 10, which is what AMC wants, 10 seasons). I think those are things Rolin and the writers very much know.

But I don't think the show has every single little detail plotted out for every little thing wrt how they are going to get to certain things. Not super far in advance at any rate.

I do think they'll purposefully put in seeds for later -- that they very much know they are going to need later -- though I think at most they do it one season ahead if it's a little thing. I very much do think that is what the things from episodes 1x02 and 1x03 very much were, since Season 1 and 2 were supposed to just be one season originally. Or the fight in 1x05 only being shown from Claudia's POV. I think that was also deliberate and they are very much planning on visiting it once again in Season 3, as they did in Season 2.

But I also think there are some things the show has not plotted way in advance and only figured out when they are writing that particular episode. Or maybe just decided to do that season as they were writing it, and not before then. Just like how almost every other TV show works, even ones that might very well know the ending they are working toward.

So I in no way think the show has figured and plotted out every single moment and beat of Armand and Daniel's relationship. Why? Not only because much of it happened in the past -- which yes I very much still think it did -- which covers 12 years of time, but because if you look at this clip, Rolin Jones kind of hints that they haven't plotted it out completely point for point even though there are some things they've thought and figured out:

video credit: Rei Gorrei on Twitter

So as far as Devil's Minion goes, I think Rolin and Co -- mostly Rolin -- has an endpoint for it in mind. But how they get to that endpoint is probably not planned out to the letter, super far in advance. And something they very likely just come up with as they are writing that particular season. At most? I'd say they've put things in this season that will be relevant next season and that's it.

So, I'm not going to say they can't do it justice. Not yet. I frankly don't have enough data to call that in a yes or no fashion since we haven't seen anything adapted from it aside from the 3-4 days Daniel spent in a cage, which is just the very start of how Devil's Minion begins. Basically one or two paragraphs. That's all they've really adapted when it comes to it at the moment.

And hey, it's okay if you feel down about all of this. If it helps, I'd say try and take a pragmatic approach to the show season by season, and if you feel it's better to binge it than watch it episode by episode for a time, that's good too. This is going to be a long journey after all.

[queenvhagar]

Honestly, I don't really know how show runners feel about how they adapted this series, like it really hurts me as a fan because that was one of the interesting parts of Targ history and at the same time, while GRRM does have his bias, still F&B still shows you that nope, but sides are wrong in this and people suffered, especially the smallfolk.

I don't even want to compare because it would be unfair, but whenever I see bad adaptations, I am reminded of one of my favorite anime/Light novels. It's called 86 and like the adaptation, animation, CGI, the music, the story? 💯 (I'm not trying to promote it or anything, but if you already are an anime fan or if you are willing to watch mecha, then this one is so fkng worth it to watch)

I don't know if I remembered it correctly, but I think the animation staff also added some original scenes, but still stayed true to the story and characters and even with production issues because it was released during covid, they were so dedicated that when the anime was paused for a while, it returned after 86 days and the whole run was 486 days.. like you know for 86. The author even cried with how good the novels were adapted. But how about these big name companies?

It's either they just treat adaptations as another profit making thing without regard to the fans (and have the gall to be angry if criticized) or they make it a biased fan service but make all characters OOC and change the whole damn story (like if I wanted fan service, that's where fanfiction should come). Sad to say but great adaptations are so hard to find these days.

Well, I've dropped the show since Episode 3 and I have no high hopes for Dunk and Egg. 🤷‍♀️

Very true very true. HBO sees it as a money maker. Ryan Condal and Sarah Hess think they can improve upon the existing story by adding OCs, removing essential characters, changing entire characterizations and plots, ignoring in-universe logic, and pushing a surface level 2017 read of white feminism. GRRM's intentions to explore the history and portray a gray conflict with gray sides died when he gave HBO adaptation rights to his work and all he can do is blog vaguely about his disappointment while still not finishing the book series he started 30 years ago...

Disappointments abound for ASOIAF book fans who actually care about the stories, the characters, the world, the themes. It's so over and it feels like this is what the universe is telling us:

[toskarin]

A while back I feel like you mentioned an RPG that offered a villainous route that went full tilt and really delivered... to the point where most people felt bad about playing it.

I'm curious, how would you design an evil/villainous story that feels good to play while being unquestionably evil?

this ended up being rambly so it's below a break to save your dash

I think a big part of villain routes that a lot of games slip up on is assuming that the average player can act in self interest without reverting to a metagame mindset, because what actually encourages people to be selfishly villainous tends to play out in the long term, and games with structured stories can just be walked away from

in other words, a lot of the issue comes down to something inherent to interactive narratives: when the easiest path forward is checking out, your player will almost always check out. a nihilistic villain arc rarely works if you want emotional investment from the player, because a nihilistic player is going to check out

this means that, in my opinion, a good villain route that makes you feel bad usually falls into one of two categories:

"I know I am no longer fighting for the greater good or the many, but I like this character enough to want to work in their interest specifically"

"everyone but me is wrong and I, personally, could fix everything if I just had their cooperation. even if I have to force it"

but there's an interesting exception to this that you mentioned in the ask: Tyranny, up until the end (lol), manages to be a game about committing lesser-and-greater evils. through making it clear how much worse noncompliance or indecision could make things, Tyranny nudges the player towards doing objectively awful things on purpose. and it makes them feel bad!

now, to make a villain route that feels good to play, we could just expect the player to check out and make a game that revolves around simply fighting the forces of good (see: Overlord) and making them annoying, but I'd argue that even that feels out of spirit. at that point, you're just looking for snarky ways to dress up the same old villain and hero roles in different colours

so what then? well, to get a villain route that feels good to play, I'd personally revisit those two aforementioned categories. the second one was actually handled pretty well in Wrath of the Righteous and there are shades of the first in Heaven's Feel. why did they work without making the player feel like complete shit?

corruption

there's almost nobody whose moral code aligns automatically with "villainous" acts, so you have to ease a player into accepting them from a baseline. you've gotta go from good intentions, ignorance, denial, justification, and then finally land on that nihilism that was so impossible to kindle safely until that point. give the player something logical and moral to pursue, then just something logical, then just something emotional, and then ride emotion to the end

it's a fine line to tread and you run the risk of coward's pitfalls along the way (making the "good" characters villainous to justify the player acting against them being a common one), but I'd definitely go about it that way. corrupting the player is very rewarding on an emotional payoff level!

[creative-hanyou-girl]

I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I think a big reason why I'm so chill about the changes made to the PJO show from the books is because I kind of look at each other as their own seperate canon.

Like, I read a lot of anime and manga, and anime adaptations have a huge habit for changing plot points for various reasons, and as a fan of said anime and manga, I've found that I can enjoy both versions of the same story even with the differences when I look at them as their own universe or canon. That's not to say I don't want them to be faithful or true to the source material, but if a scene or situation plays out differently for a logical or entertaining reason, than I can still appreciate that deviation from the manga even if I still like the other original version of that part more. And I can even like the reversal way if I feel an anime does something better than even the manga. But if I want to, I can look at certain moments as more canon than others because I got 2 different versions of that same scene or moment.

And, I don't know, I kind of apply that reasoning to the PJO series as well, mainly with the books, the show, and even the musical (not the movies put that right back where it came from). So far I'm loving the TV show, and while I miss some of the things they changed (like the pink poodle), this adaptation really is doing a great job with staying true to the heart and spirit of the original book that I personally am not even really bothered by the changes, especially when I remember that the books will always still be there with it's own version, or canon, of events.

Like, I will say 1 thing I adore in the books that isn't really in the show is the fact that a lot of Percy and Annabeth's "rivalry" during TLT has more to do with the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena. I just really like on how this adds a level of "forbidden friendship/love" to their relationship 'cause I personally eat the forbidden relationship trope up, especially when it's done well like with Percabeth.

Yet, even if this isn't really the reason percabeth have beef with each other in the show, I can still appreciate and enjoy that according to the show's canon, they have issues because they genuinely have problems with each other as actual people rather than their parents' rivalry, because at the end of the day, that's the PJO TV show canon, and I can always turn to the books for that version of Percabeth's "rivalry", as that is the PJO book canon.

Same goes for the characters too. I will always have and love my dark haired Percy and blond haired Annabeth in the books, but I can also welcome and love Walker's Percy and Leah's Annabeth from the show. And so far, they along with Aryan are KILLING IT as those characters.

I can love both versions of the characters.

I can love both versions of the same story.

I can look at both versions as they own seperate canon or mix them together if I so wish too (especially since both versions of PJO are written by the same guy)

And that's ok. The adaptation doesn't have to be a complete copy of the books. It doesn't have to have things play out eactly the same way. The characters don't have to look exactly the way they are described as in the books. And that's ok. I will still always have the books to love and appreciate, but I can also start to love and appreciate the new adaptation for it's new spin and twists to the same story that sets it apart as it's own canon while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessor.

Anyway, sorry if I'm not making a lot of sense. I just think the people complaining about the changes in the show are looking at it all the wrong way. The show has it's own canon just as the books have their own canon, or even the musical. At the end of the day, isn't that kind of cool to have different versions of the same story and characters? Doesn't it give you so many more options to look at the story in different ways that you can prefer or choose from? Doesn't it give you new versions of canon that you choose from? And really, as long as the PJO adaptation, or any adaptation for that matter, stays true to the heart and spirit of the original story and characters, do the changes made really matter?

[aotopmha]

General spoilery thoughts on all of Dawntrail!

Current thoughts on Wuk Lamat!

I like her, but I think they pushed her too much.

I talked about this in one of my impression posts, but you can't force your audience to like a character. You have to let the characters be who they are and then let the audience decide. This is entirely just really clunky and frustrating writing.

To also address another elephant in the room, this was my issue with Lyse, as well.

I think Wuk at least avoids some issues Lyse's character had in terms of writing.

She's a sheltered royal rather than someone who never lived in her country and she has actual solid relationships within that country, so the emotional core at least makes stronger sense. She is one of the people she is setting out to lead and at the very least, it is initially to stop a much worse candidate from ascending the throne.

But once the framing turns to her actually being deserving of the throne, I had trouble believing it all the way through, no matter how her character actually changed and I think this comes back to the narrative pushing her so much. She was the new leader because the story wanted her to be not because her growth logically lead to it.

The other big issue I have with both is just how certain aspects of them just have no nuance and those parts without nuance take over their character. Lyse's flaws at the start of Stormblood were droned over and over. And that's fine. But any one-dimensional character traits eventually become uninteresting, be it flaws or positives.

I like that Lyse's self-righteousness and insecurity is addressed even if it's not always consistent; I think she pretty firmly at least loses the self-pity that's so prevalent at the start of her arc. She becomes hyper self-aware, but the most prevalent struggle she started with is gone.

Yes, she still "fails" at a bunch of stuff beuse circumstsnces still put her in an awkward position, but at least she puts in the work to help and fix issues without constantly doubting herself. And that part is pretty consistent.

And this is same for Wuk and her naiveté and belief in happiness. It's just so one-note that it becomes uninteresting.

But I also like that Wuk ends up as the empathic big sister and learns to be serious when it matters. I like that she appoints her brother alongside her and learns to admit to her flaws. But like Lyse, it is unfortunately not always consistent. The empathy and seriousness sticks, but other stuff is shaky.

They're both incredibly messy in terms of writing, but I think I can say I at least enjoy Wuk a bunch more because of what Dawntrail is trying to be, which is a Shounen Manga with some complexity added into the mix somewhere at the level 97ish point.

A big overarching issue with Stormblood to me was that it had the serious threat of the Empire constantly in the background while trying to be an adventure story.

Dawntrail's much smaller-scale internal political conflict removes that urgency and by doing that makes the adventure and the downtime associated with it much more logical. The adventure is the point.

It's not trying to be a grand epic at least until half-way through, so I was not expecting it to be; I realised this the moment I saw how they presented the Rite of Succession as a journey to collect tablets. And Wuk Lamat is at least much more suitable to lead this story.

The Tl;dr is that I like her, but just like Lyse, the writing surrounding her has some pretty obvious flaws and this is jarring because character writing is usually one of this narrative's strong aspects.

But just like Stormblood, I think we have some really stand-out side characters that have a lot of potential.

I'll talk about them in another post.

[toujokaname]

Game master / Episode 7

Author: Akira

Characters: Rinne, Hiiro, HiMERU, Tatsumi, Aira, Takashi, Mayoi, Kohaku

"So, what I'm saying is, don't just settle for surface-level thinking. Keep questioning things over and over."

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Secluded Village

Later that night. The start time of the Matrix fourth match, in a corner of Amagi Village.

Rinne: —It's the Matrix fourth match, a test of courage showdown!

Hiiro: ......

Rinne: Heeey, ain't your reactions too dull?

Don't you get it? In this showdown, we'll be competing in "reaction performance," so to speak.

Idols and comedians are technically different jobs, but they're expected to pull off similar tricks, especially on variety shows.

And that's a must-have skill for idols.

No matter how good you are at singing or dancing, if you suck at banter or cracking jokes, you won't be seen as a first-class idol.

That's why we compete in this. I've said it many times, Matrix is a competition between Crazy:B and ALKALOID, to see which are the superior idols.

HiMERU: —HiMERU understands the logic. However, that's a weak point of his.

Tatsumi: It's one of mine as well. But you don't need to worry, HiMERU-san is an amusing person to look at.

HiMERU: Are you mocking HiMERU?

Aira: Hey! Instead of brushing it off like it's no big deal, I think we need to talk about "this problem" more!

Hiiro: Umu. Since we came to this village for work, it's inevitable that work progress takes priority in some aspects.

But, if you leave questions unanswered, we won't be able to perform at our best.

To ensure Matrix progresses smoothly, I believe issues should be addressed promptly.

Rinne: Gyahaha, you've gotten real good at making excuses, Otouto-kun.

Nah, you've been like that since you were a kid.

Always spouting these clever-sounding arguments you didn't even get.

"Adults are always right. The law is always right. What's right is right, so Nii-san should obey it, too," right?

Hiiro: Rather than dealing with the consequences of breaking the rules, I think it's easier to just follow them.

Rinne: It depends on the kind of rule. For example, suppose me, Ai-chan, or someone you love commits a crime punishable by death, right?

In that case, would you be able to follow the rules and execute us? Because that's the law? Because what's right is right?

Hiiro: That's such an extreme example, Nii-san...

Rinne: That it is. But even the most trivial argument, when you dig deep into it, becomes a crucial issue that affects our lives and the world.

So, what I'm saying is, don't just settle for surface-level thinking. Keep questioning things over and over.

Rinne: Besides. Otouto-kun and the others seem to think it's a problem, but wasn't "that person" properly explained to them?

Takashi: ......

Mayoi: Hawawa... Truly, this is a big problem. Tiny Hiiro-san is just far too adorable...☆

Tatsumi: That's true, but is that really the problem here...?

Rinne: Then what's the problem? Like I said, this boy's name is Takashi Amagi—

The child born between me and Anzu-chan.

Kohaku: T-That's why we ain't buyin' that explanation, y'know?!

HiMERU: Indeed. It's an utterly implausible story.

Rinne: Huuh? How can you be so sure it's impossible? You guys don't know, right? How close Anzu-chan and I are—

HiMERU: HiMERU was under the impression that you were merely colleagues, hence his confusion?

Kohaku: Yeah... Let's say, for the sake of argument, that this kid really is the child between Rinne-han and Anzu-han. It's a stretch to think they're total strangers, right?

Mayoi: In that case, the Amagi family's blood, or rather, genes, are too overpowering...

Kohaku: But even then, it's still a problem. Surely you haven't forgotten. We're still idols even if we're a tad rotten, y'know?

Did ya reckon we'd just shrug and be like, "Oh, he's got a kid? Sure, whatever," and let it slide?

Tatsumi: In fact, if it is true, it would be a major controversy.

Poor Niki-san was so shocked he ended up bedridden. Perhaps he can't move because he ate too much dinner.

HiMERU: Even that amount wouldn't satisfy him, in Shiina's case.

However, it is understandable that Shiina was upset. For Amag—Rinne, Shiina is his longest-standing companion here, aside from his younger brother.

Even Shiina, whom one could call his dear wife of many years, was caught off guard, so it's difficult to fathom such an improbable story.

[ ☆ ]

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[kyogre-blue]

I've been thinking more on the NATLAN ONLY 5.0 livestream.

There were some comments about the free weapons we're getting from the web event that basically said that these weapons are a great option for new players because they are viable choices for each of the new 5.0 characters. We're specifically getting a copy of the craftable catalyst, spear and claymore, plus at least some materials to level them.

So if you're a new player just joining in 5.0 and you pull for the cool new characters on the banner, you'll have a cool free weapon to put on them, plus mats to level them, and you can quick start their AQ to see them in the story (and get the free Kachina and the extra rewards). And exploring their region, the coolest, newest thing in the game, gives even more rewards than anywhere else. It would "onboard" the new players quickly and get them "caught up" with everyone else.

This makes sense. So working backwards from this, what Genshin is probably trying to achieve with 5.0 is attracting a lot of new players. Maybe that's even why it feels like it's so heavily diverging away from everything that came before it, almost like a soft... reboot is too strong a word, but maybe retooling?

And extrapolating from that, the big scary issue they saw in their analytics would probably be that Genshin's growth has slowed. They're not getting new players in the same rate as before and not as quickly as they'd like. That also makes sense. Older works will generally start having problems getting new fans because they're kind of daunting to get into, and they don't have the same energy and excitement in the community. But at the same time, it's not like you can have perfect player retention either, so even if you're not a crazed infinite growth capitalist, you need a high new player rate to outpace the old player loss.

I can understand the logic, but still... I feel very "change bad" about it.

I doubt the writing will be any better, so they're just jettisoning everything I did like for a bunch of stuff I do not care to spend the energy getting accustomed to. I'm too old for this lol

[hyba]

WHO IS INVIDIA?

I put my detective cap on today, and made a cork board sketch to determine who Invidia is. Strings, connecting dots, the whole deal.

For those who aren't familiar with this character, "Invidia" is the code name that Cassia's blackmailer went by. This person knew about Cassia's past and her true relationship to Aster Lockwood. They were using this information to get payments from her each month. A few months before her murder, Cassia had stopped paying Invidia and refused to continue doing so. Naturally, Laith suspects that this Invidia person might have been Cassia's killer.

In the current draft, Invidia is revealed to be...

(SPOILER ALERT? It changes so it doesn't matter but if you're reading the current draft and haven't gotten to it yet, read ahead at your own peril.)

...Audra Haize.

In a nutshell, here's the case against Haize:

She works at PATET HQ, she is able to hack her way into parts of the PATET system she isn't supposed to have access to or clearance for, and she has more money than an Assistant Spec should have. She also worked under Grot Antrum, who was connected to Cassia's past, so she could have maybe learned about the whole thing from him, directly or by snooping. She's a good snooper.

Moreover, she would have had the knowhow and opportunity to remove all traces of any footage which featured Cassia Grove meeting up with Invidia at Platano Maduro.

On the surface, she looks like the kind of person who would be able to pull all of this off. In the current story, we learn that she was doing it for two reasons:

She was blackmailing Grot Antrum to keep him in check and ensure her career progression.

She wanted to get a little extra money; apparently, there are rumours within PATET HQ that Specs have crossed lines for bribes before.

Why this doesn't hold up:

Audra has been cooperating and aiding in the investigation into Cassia's murder from the moment we meet her.

If she was Invidia, she would want to stay as far away from Laith as possible. To make herself invisible. Just another Assistant Spec. There is one compelling reason for this:

In the current draft, Haize claims that she had no clue about the murder that Grot, Cassia, and her husband were covering up. Given that she had become a part of that crime, there is a very big chance she would be arrested and sentenced heavily for her involvement in the continued cover up of a murder.

The punishment for murder in Heliopolis is the death penalty.

Covering up the crime is almost akin to being a part of it, which means that Haize was, in the worst case, facing the hangman's noose if her involvement was revealed.

Why does she help Laith if she truly is Invidia? She could be risking her life. There is nothing tying her to this case, apart from Aster Lockwood, and if we're being honest, he's not credible. Logically, if she is Invidia, the best thing for Audra to do is lay low.

The other issue is the money and job progression thing:

Specialists are very well respected in Heliopolis, and even Assistant Specialists are paid handsomely for their work, despite the job's entry level status. So she's pretty solid on that front, too. She doesn't need to blackmail anyone.

And, if she's as good at her job as the book makes her out to be, why would Antrum keep her career from progressing? He wouldn't; and he couldn't, because each team of Assistant Specialists reports to two Specialists which act as co-leaders and trainers. It's not up to Grot alone.

It just doesn't make sense for Audra to be Invidia the way I've set up her character and the worldbuilding.

So, who is Invidia? 🧐

After carefully assessing motives, means, and opportunities for each potential Invidia suspect - including new characters I've added like Moorland and Wulf - I narrowed it down to four main questions:

Did they know/could they have had the opportunity to learn about Aster Lockwood and Cassia Grove?

Would they not actually go through with their threat if Cassia and her husband refused to pay? (This is a necessary point because Invidia didn't do anything after Cassia and her husband stopped paying up. After all, Invidia is meant to be a false red herring - not related to Cassia's murder but related to the huge iceberg of which her murder is only the tip.)

Did they need the money enough to do something like this, right under PATET's nose, where the smallest slip-up could cost them everything?

Did they have access to PATET and could they potentially manipulate it to protect themselves?

Only one suspect fit all four criteria, and it wasn't Audra Haize, mainly because she didn't need the money enough to potentially put her neck on the line.

Also, the one person who did fit all four criteria had an even stronger motive, means, and opportunity than she would have, and a history of criminal activity.

I wonder if you can guess who it is? 😉

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

[Text: Tell me, what do you think of people actually liking the character development in season 4-5 and the show's treatment of mental health? [Redacted] thinks that and she's the mother of a teenager]

Re liking the show: I generally assume that they have poor taste and/or media literacy.

Re the mental health rep: I generally assume that they're incredibly privileged and/or ignorant.

I'm posting this as an image and not an ask response specifically because I will not participate in fandom drama or shaming. This blog exists specifically so that people can actively choose to engage in my content and so that I can post critical thoughts without dragging their source into some petty fight. So I'm not going to talk about the named individual. Instead, I'll replace them with the show's head writer and talk about him in a similar context.*

He's pretty famously denied that Chloe suffered any abuse, ignoring her obvious neglect, which came from both parents, just in different forms. When you pair that with how the show handles people like Gabe and Jagged Stone, we see a clear pattern of the show ignoring the devastating effects that abandonment and neglect can have on a person, especially if they're a child.

Now you could look at that and say, "The head writer condones abuse! He's a monster!" But I prefer to go the more likely route and assume that he's a privileged middle-class cis white man who has never had to deal with those issues or support someone who has, so he has no idea how to handle them properly or that they even need to be properly handled. There's every chance that he's a loving, kind man and a fantastic father who just happens to not be very good at writing a complex topic that he clearly has no understanding of or desire to learn about. I apply similar logic to fans who share his opinions. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence or ignorance.

And all of the above is assuming that we're talking about someone who thinks that the show is objectively good or that the mental health rep is good, which are big assumptions. It's fully possible to enjoy a piece of media that you know is objectively bad or even "problematic" in some way.

Personal confession time: is Loonatics Unleashed an objectively terrible show that you should never, ever watch? Absolutely. 100%. Are Rev Runner and Tech E. Coyote two of my favorite characters who will live rent free in my head until the day I die? Yep! I pulled up a YouTube highlight real as I was writing this and those dorks still make me smile even though the show is terrible on multiple levels and I know that I'm not alone in that sentiment. Those two clicked with a lot of people for some reason.

A piece of fiction need not be good for you to love it and you don't need to justify your love for a piece of fiction if you're not claiming that it's good. Similarly, people hating that piece of fiction or pointing out flaws in it is not a reflection on you in any way shape or form. You can even agree with their criticism and still love the piece of fiction. This approach to media - loving a thing in spite of its flaws - is normal and healthy and I'd really love to see it make a comeback in younger fandoms.

Like, I cannot emphasize this enough, most fandoms consider it perfectly normal to have lots of fans who are critical of the source or who have even lost interest in the source for one reason or another, but they still like some element of the source enough to want to create/consume fan content for it. These more critical fans arguably make some of the best fan content because looking at canon and saying "That's nice, let me show you how I'd do it" often leads to some of the most complex stories that you'll see in fandom spaces. Stories that can often blow canon out of the water for TV shows and movies since fanfic isn't limited by budgets or studio policies or marketability concerns. Fans who think that the source is perfect tend to just write fluff or romcom type fics, which is not a dig! I love bother of those genres! But woman does not live on fluff alone.

Obviously there's some complexity here because who decides if a show is bad? Saying "it's okay that you like a terrible thing" can certainly sound like an insult and prompt a feeling of needing to defend the thing, which is why I don't fight with fans who like the show. There's really no need to convince them that the thing they like is bad. Do I think it is? Yes. Does it matter if they disagree? No, not really. At worst, they create stories with similar issues and, well, they're not the only ones and fighting with them isn't going to stop them. You're much better off focusing on creating your own good media and trying to get that popular. Heck, even if you made the head writer see all of Miracuous' flaws, it wouldn't change anything. The show is already made.

So, yeah, I don't really assume anything bad about people who think that miraculous is good. I know lots of wonderful people who have terrible taste in media and I'm still friends with them. I just don't take recommendations from them.

It's important to remember that, when you're online in a fandom space, a person is condensed down to a very tiny snapshot of who they are and judging a person solely off of their thoughts regarding a poorly written kids show is a dangerous path to tread. Like, looking at this blog, you might assume that I spend all of my time thinking about miraculous and obsessing over its flaws, which is very much not the case. I actually have this blog specifically so that I don't obsess over miraculous' flaws because I've found that, when something is bothering me, writing it down or talking to someone about it is the best way to stop thinking about it. Even then, most of my posts are reblogs of stuff I come across while browsing my tumblr feed, which is not solely miraculous content. I mostly interact with the show by creating non-salty fanfic that I honestly enjoy writing and find to be a relaxing, positive outlet.

It's human nature to judge and it's totally normal to think that a person's an idiot because of something they post online, but be careful to not lean into those thoughts too hard. At the end of the day, Miraculous is just a stupid kids show that will fade from the popular consciousness a few years after it stops airing. If it and/or the fandom are negatively affecting your mental health, then it's okay to step away for a while or use the block button. It really is your best friend. I enjoy being critical about Miraculous specifically because it's not that important. While I do think that kids deserve better media, I don't think Miraculous is some terrible evil harming the youth. I'm not horrified when a kid watches it, it's just not a show that I'd encourage them to watch and, if the kids was close to me, we'd spend a lot of time talking about the bad things that the show showcases from time to time. There are lots of episodes that are fine and I can think of way worse kids shows. Shows that tell their horrifying morals really well, making a kid far more likely to pick up on them and internalize them.

*Note that I only feel comfortable talking about the head writer like this because he's a public figure with an active social media presence AND because I'm not @ing him. If he was a private person or if he was not a professional creator, then I would not talk about him like this and even in that context I try to avoid it whenever I can. You can think that he's a terrible writer, but he's still a human being and, as far as I'm aware, nothing he's done deserves people harassing him.

I absolutely understand how devastating it can be to see a story you love get ruined by the creative team. The first time that happened to me, the life lesson I came away with was, "I will no longer put my happiness in the hands of another creator. I will enjoy stories, but I will temper my expectations and remember that they're just another human being and it's completely possible that their vision for this seemingly awesome story may end up being terrible."

[megasuperhappyfuntimestuff]

So, my growing position in terms of post-canon homestuck is disliking the epilogues and LOVING HSBC. I used to be an epilogues defender but I've been doing a reread and candy is so incredibly unfun. But I'm on meat now and...

Meat jadedavekat is kinda cute??????

Like. There IS a fundamental flaw in Jades approach. Her trying to logic it out and all that. But like... Dave and Karkats dynamic with her in that one is really cute and it seems like their fundamental issue with it is 1. The fact that they don't wanna communicate and 2. That they haven't reckoned with their feelings for each other yet.

Idk !! Meat still has got its issues, I mean the shit Dirk says about Jade are things people have said to me to justify why my polyamory is some sort of fucked up coping mechanism but rereading it has been really fun. Like I got so hyped for certain parts. Idk.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the main way both epilogues disappointed me so greatly is how it treated polyamory. And it had an actively negative effect on the fandom space regarding that. People were saying slutshaming, biphobic, and misogynistic things about Jade THAT PEOPLE HAD SAID TO ME IRL BEFORE. (Back when I id'd as pan). Like it seems like not only did a lot of people walk away from the epilogues feeling like there was a genuine "polyamory is just bad" message(like I did), a lot of people came away from it with "AND I AGREE, even though I don't even like this story". It was the first time I actually got harassed over fandom drama !! And I'm just a rando !!

Shrugs. I HIGHLY doubt hsbc is gonna end with meat jadedavekat. Tbh, I would WAY prefer if Jade asks about it and Dave and Karkat have matured to a level where they can just tell her that they don't want that. And Jade just gets to... Be her own person??? For a bit??? And kick more ass pls. God the hsbc chapter where she beats up ult!Callie is so good.

ALSO MAKE CANDY JADEROSEMARY GOOD SOMEHOW???? CONVINCE ME HSBC!!!!! I'm very willing to be convinced bc I do love that ship outside the context of how they did it. Show them grow and show them care for each other. Make it up to Kanaya. Instill trust into their relationship. Let them make boundaries. Idk. Help them heal.

(I may be biased because I literally adore Yiffy as a character like. Such a cool design such a cool deal)

Idk. I genuinely feel like homestuck kind of has to redeem itself big time with polyamorous fans and I don't know if the team knows that.

Anyway I literally adore this team so I will proooobably like what they do no matter what, even if they take the characters in directions that I wouldn't. I'm here for the ride and to support cool queer art. Worst that happens? There's an aspect I don't like of it and I write my own damn homestuck >u<