#like what she likes what is her biggest fear what is her fatal character flaw what is her big experiences on life that shaped her

[nthflower]

Being fan of powerful women is so hard it's either sexism or girlbossing out there.

[youroomwasquare]

Marcy Wu, and Why Her Unfinished Character Arc Worked.

I'm gonna ramble a bit about our favorite newtopian ranger, marcy wu!!

so. I, like many others in the fandom, was a bit disappointed with how the show handled marcy's growth and character arc. it felt rushed.. incomplete, and overall messy. I felt that marcy's growth wasn't given the same attention and care that anne & sasha's growth was. coupled with the overall tragedy of marcy's character and role in the story, I was feeling extremely discontented with marcy's character.. until I realized that the show writers may have unintentionally made that the point of marcy's arc.

because LISTEN. out of all of them, marcy was the one who came away with the least positive things from amphibia. she didn't connect with her amphibian charges (she even admits it herself in the finale, and says that she wished she got to know them better), she was more focused on the technical and worldly aspects of amphibia, and while she did come into her own, she wasn't able to address and tackle her underlying core issues in the way that anne and sasha were. --

the two main themes of amphibia are learning to embrace change and letting go. and all the story arcs of the calamity trio showcase this in different ways (that's a discussion for another time, however). of these two themes, marcy's arc leans more towards the letting go aspect. but here's the thing. that was her main problem. marcy's greatest fear is being alone, and her greatest flaw is her inability to let go. marcy couldn't FATHOM a world without anne and sasha. they were her biggest support system, and by moving, marcy was essentially stranded. she had a hard time connecting with people, and she didn't have the social skills that anne and sasha did. so to her, moving was the absolute WORST thing that could have happened. she was unable to live in a world without anne and sasha, and so she didn't. she chose to take matters into her own hands, and as long as she was able to get anne and sasha on board, everything would be fine, right? wrong. we obviously saw how catastrophic that was, both for marcy and everyone around her. it was beat into marcy's head repeatedly how reckless and stupid and downright fatal her mistake could have been, how fatal it was. marcy's biggest lesson in amphibia was that there are some things you will have to let go of. no matter how desperately you latch onto them, there will always be claw marks left behind.

--

my point however, is that this was marcy's only major flaw. marcy was a flawed character, deeply flawed in some ways, but from what I observed, she was never flawed in the way anne and sasha were. outside of her major flaw.. marcy was a pretty well rounded person. and of course, there is growth to be left desired, but most of marcy's (visible) flaws were communication, and the ability to make yourself be truly seen in a friendship.. and they aren't really even flaws. more just things she needs to work on.

unlike anne, she didn't have self-esteem issues. she was pretty confident in her abilities and her interests, as shown by the first temple. surrounded by the right people (which at the time, were unfortunately not anne and sasha), she would've flourished. and in amphibia, she did. because for once, she was allowed to be the person she truly wanted to be. and unlike sasha, she didn't have horrendous control issues. anne and sasha's flaws are what I like to call character flaws, flaws that are innate and come from you; ie, they aren't as a result of other people's actions. anne and sasha were allowed to address and properly correct their character flaws because amphibia (and the places they landed in) was the perfect environment for them to see their flaws and to see the consequences that came with them. sasha learned that trying to control everyone and everything around you will only drive them away, and end up destroying both them and you in the process. her strength came from lifting people up, allowing them to rise WITH her instead of pushing them down like she used to. anne learned that self love is important, and in order to become the best version of yourself, you need to surround yourself with love, and in turn, it will come back to you. anne's heart comes from the people around her. their love allowed her to give love tenfold-- both to herself and the people around her. their major flaws only got resolved because of amphibia.

but marcy? her main flaw, which is letting go? that could not be resolved in amphibia, no. because amphibia only amplified this flaw. because choosing to go to amphibia, making the conscious decision to run away, is the entire reason why this flaw is most prominent. marcy flourished in amphibia, yes, but she was never able to address her major flaw. because of a multitude of different reasons, of course, but also because to marcy, amphibia was another out. another way to run from her problems instead of facing them head on and dealing with the fallout. anne dealt with the fallout. she stood up to sasha, for ONCE in her life, and watched her plummet down a cliff in return. (this is a weak point, but for the sake of parallels, I can't take it out.) sasha dealt with the fallout. she betrayed anne, once, twice, and was forced to go back to wartwood, anne's town, with the knowledge that she and anne are no longer friends, no longer anything. marcy's way of dealing with the fallout.. was not the core. to many, the core may be a physical personification of all of marcy's flaws coming back to bite her in the behind, but I disagree. the core was a cruel, merciless, and downright horrible way for marcy to learn her lesson, yes, but the core was not the fallout. the fallout, that showed marcy the consequences of her major flaw, was in true colors. was in the throne room. was in watching anne and sasha's faces twist into horror and disgust, respectively. the fallout was in living with the fact that everything she did was for nothing, and that she still had to live in a world without anne and sasha, that in her mind, they now hated her. that was when marcy hit rock bottom. and when you hit rock bottom, you have nowhere to go but up, right?

--

marcy did atone. in the core, in the face of everything she could have ever wanted being handed to her on a silver platter, she said no. she swatted aldrich’s hand, and said that for once in my life, I'm not going to run away. I'm going to face this head on. and why did she do that, pray tell? because of anne and sasha. because everything that marcy wu did depended on anne and sasha. because in her mind, even if they hated her, she'd rather face their potential wrath instead of accepting a reality without them. the real them. it's natural, of course. her major flaw was not of just letting go. it was letting go of anne and sasha.

--

and so, the reason why marcy wu's major flaw could never be resolved in amphibia, is because amphibia is a personification of marcy wu's major flaw. sure, she had good moments, and things about it she will always cherish and remember (and less good things that she’ll always remember), but marcy wu could not start getting better, could not start healing, until after she left amphibia. going through that portal meant many things, for all of them, but for marcy, I think it represented her final act of truly letting go. of letting go of her escapism, and her tendency to run away. of letting go of the old version of her, who came to amphibia with the intent of being with anne and sasha forever. going through that portal also symbolizes the end of that version of their friendship, the version that marcy kept chasing after. and I think that’s one of the many reasons why the only way to close off marcy’s journey, at least from our point, is by having her move. the move, and how marcy dealt with it, was what started this entire, crazy journey. and by choosing to have marcy move at the end of the series, even after everything that happened, is a brilliant move from the show’s writers. because it shows that marcy truly did learn from her time in amphibia. she HAS accepted and is taking the steps to overcome her major flaw, and I think more than anything, that is proof of the growth that marcy is capable of. marcy acknowledges that anne and sasha changed, yes, but through her actions and words, she also acknowledges that she changed as well. going through the portal, going back to earth, facing everything is a symbol of marcy's growth. because the marcy we were introduced to would have never done that.

--

going to amphibia changed all three of them. and even though we only get to see anne and sasha’s growth, marcy’s growth is SO poignant as well. I think it was for the best to leave marcy’s arc unfinished, because it shows that she still has a lot to learn and a LOT of healing to undergo. marcy’s final arc in the show has drawn to a close. but her character has not. and the amount of opportunities, possibilities, lessons, friendships, love, and more, are limitless. I also think it's poignant that we're left with a sort of open ended interpretation as to what happened to marcy after she moved. as for her friendship with the girls, I have many thoughts on that, but that’s also a discussion for another time. I think I’ll close it off by saying that moving was good for marcy in a different way as well: it allowed the calamity trio to truly come into their own. their reconciliation with marcy in all in was proof that they want to give their friendship another try, and that they are better off in each other’s lives. but showing that they drifted apart, came back together, and redefined their friendship on their own terms is beautiful. I think even without amphibia, they eventually would have to come apart. not forever of course, but long enough to carve out their own paths and figure out what they want to do with their lives. I know the fandom loves the idea of them being codependent messes together (it’s also a guilty pleasure for me lol) but I LOVE the fact that in canon, they allowed their childhood friendship to morph into something new, something better. in the wise words of anne boonchuy, change can be difficult, but it’s how we grow. but of the things you let go, you’d be surprised what makes its way back to you.

not to get all sappy, but out of all of them, I think I’m the proudest of marcy. and I relate to her a lot! so writing this was extra personal :,)

[lovely-writes-alot]

I've been thinking about my OC's biggest fears recently.

Like obviously, I've thought about their fatal flaws in great detail but their biggest fears aren't like something I really plan when I'm first making the characters

So I was thinking, if my character's were to face like a boggart type monster, what would they see?

First, Brook. She's easy enough. The dead bodies of all her loved ones. Those relationships are so important to her, and it would crush her if she lost them.

Next, we have Anastasia. I had to think a little harder about this, but now I've like come up with her background and what not, it's for sure her bio dad. I won't get super into why because it's a pretty triggering backstory but to sum it up, he's an abusive piece of shit.

Now there's Finley. I've been really stuck on her, but it would be herself, or more losing control. She already lost control once, and that led to her mortal dad dying, and now that has like formed into a perfectionist beast inside her who always need control.

Anyways, if you've seen this post, I'd love to hear what you think you're characters biggest fears are.

Tags because I actually want to see them:

@your-favorite-sapphic-monster @arisdaughter @childofthewargod @damiedantediane @kaiaalwayswins

@that-girl-cupid (Sorry If I'm tagging the wrong account) @delilah-isnt-dead-yett @daonedaonlyskh

@aria-pane @poseidons-hyperactive-kid @wine-cooper @i-am-persephones-daughter @unhinged-as-hell

@demigod-jack-hearth @seed-of-the-pomegranate

If you want to be added, removed or if I forgot to tag you, let me know :)

[crimeronan]

wait say more about how u use tarot to make ur OCs

oh sure!!

you can basically customize whatever spread you want to whatever project you're working on. i also sometimes use tarot for solving plot tangles or inspiring new plot points.

essentially you make a tarot spread like you're asking introspective questions or questions about the future -- but you're asking questions about a character instead.

then you can write down the results and interpret them based on the card's various potential meanings. tarot is all about using vague concepts to clarify your internal thoughts and feelings, it translates REALLY WELL to writing fiction.

i just pulled out my novel planning notebook and am thrilled to report that i have Pages And Pages of tarot spreads & interpretations in here. not just sol ruby devin and nova's original spreads, but also spreads about their relationships to each other, the environment surrounding them, etc

i'm not gonna transcribe my entire reading and interpretation for all four of the main quartet. i Will say that i pulled nova's cards first, said "these are all so well-adjusted and boring," and then rafi said "but what if she's the antagonist," and...... the rest is history.

this is the spread i used:

core self (one card to return to for their personality or archetype)

childhood (what most impacted how they grew up)

parents (relationship with parents)

education (background in school, study, etc)

friendships (either an important friend or generally how this person does friendships)

sex/sexuality (their relationship to sex and romance, if any)

goal (their overarching narrative goal)

fatal flaw (what will be their downfall)

work (career, attitude toward work, etc)

mental health (is it bad)

how far they'll go (what will they do to achieve the goal in #7)

fear (their biggest fears & how they manifest)

strength (a core character strength of theirs)

the core cards for each member of the quartet are

nova - the star

sol - queen of pentacles

ruby - queen of cups

devin - strength

and again, not gonna post the whole spreads, but. if you do something this involved, you'll find that certain bits will stick out Much more than others. i did these spreads in 2019 and would say a solid 80% of the cards are STILL relevant four years later in 2023. even as the project itself has undergone multiple scrapped drafts and revisions and plot changes.

some example highlights would be:

nova is my main antagonist. her spread is littered with stability, growth, reward, responsibility, opportunities, wishes, potential, dreams, whatever. her fatal flaw is the ace of wands, the fire card, a sign of creativity and passion. her parents are represented by the tower, the most chaotic and destructive card in the deck.

so here we have a woman born and groomed into enormous power by incredibly questionable forces, who has been raised not to care about the destruction surrounding her, and who has lived an Extremely Charmed life. uh oh!

sol's childhood is the seven of swords - betrayal, deception, loss. her friendships are the three of swords - disappointment, heartbreak. her strength is the five of swords - conflict, dishonesty, intimidation, lack of reflection. her fear is the magician - resourcefulness, willpower, desire, manifestation.

and. well. that's my antihero bitch. she sucks so bad. god bless

ruby's spread is much kinder by comparison. a calm childhood with happy parents, friendships and sexual relationships that are focused on partnership. her goal is justice. self-explanatory. her mental health is the four of swords - the exhaustion card. her fatal flaw is the two of wands - plans, anticipation, restlessness, lack of contentment.

so here's this woman who loves so much and so deeply and cares so much about so many things..... and has trapped herself inside a life that makes her fundamentally unhappy. because she can't walk away

devin's fear is the five of pentacles, a card that represents loss. often called The Breakup Card. it can also mean a loss of faith. their mental health is the ten of wands - burdens, responsibility, obligation, burnout. their goal is the knight of swords - ambition, battle, assertion, big changes.

so here you have an exhausted chronically ill mess who's standing alone because they're the only person who can do so, fatally loyal to their loved ones & burning with quiet rage n a desire to rip down the entire system.

like i said, you can customize any spread for any character or relationship. you just wanna ask broad questions about what that character or relationship looks like, and then interpret the cards in whatever way is most inspiring to you! i consider tarot a tool for creativity rather than an end-all be-all of fiction plotting.... take what you like, leave what you don't.

[moonlights-fandom-hell]

So Sinsmas may be about the 7 deadly sins…

I won’t lie I’m nervous but I’m very interested in seeing Belphegor… she may not live to my expections though… But is it bad to admit I kind of want her to be bad too??? Or morally Grey???

Like instead of being evil like Mammon, but not super nice like Ozzie and Bee… but an actual morally grey character from the deadly sins????

Like I always picture that she’s not evil but also not good, and I imagine her biggest fatal flaw is self sabotaging and sucking the energy from others…. Like I can see her being passionate about Medicare… but she’s kind of a lost cause herself because working in the hospital with too many patients drove her mental health to pieces???

I kind of wish we saw more of a psychological horror with Belphegor. I’m not too keen on how the sloth ring is all pinky and cutesy… but what if that’s like an illusion?

Like I know it seems all pink and almost like a fever dream for patients to feel comfort and relaxed… but here me out if this is just an illusion.

My headcanon is whenever the patient take pills or are under some hypnosis (since Bel is suppose to be like that in a circus )… they get these hallucinations and wake up in some nightmare

With everything looking distorted and abandoned depending on how these patients feel with their mental health, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts

I know this may sound way too dark and too horror like for a show like Helluva boss but I feel like it’s such a missed opportunity. Plus they can tackle issues like mental health and how they overcome their struggles with addiction, depression, ect

I also can picture Belphegor being almost like a Lisa Garland form Silent Hill design wise but her actual demonic form being almost like Incubus.

Sorry you can tell I have silent hill on my mind and it be so cool to see a sin resembling to psychological horror.

Plus it be nice to see characters go through these intrusive thoughts, having Bel challenge their inner fears and how to overcome them.

I’m actually planning to draw out for fun and do a fun design for Bel before the episode airs.

[gisellelx]

What signifies a good fic to you? What is it about your favorite fics that made you like them?

This Q has been sitting a little while but this post on my dash today made me think of it.

Anne Lamott has always been one of my all time favorite writers; I read Bird by Bird in middle school, and I used to talk about her a great deal with my irreverent, very witty, funny role model 9th grade English teacher. This is how I write, and have always written (you'll note that my profile on FFnet and the name of my tumblr both come from her.

I write from character. What I understand myself to be doing as a writer is giving life to characters, whether they are mine, or someone else's. It's getting to know someone, intimately--what is their biggest fear? What is the thing they most love? What are their hopes and dreams? What is their fatal flaw?

I wrote my own stuff for many, many years before starting to write fic, and my reason for writing and reading fic is from exactly that same root. I want to see the same characters from the source, and I want to see them in a way that sheds new and interesting light on who they are. This is a major part of why I don't write, and generally don't read, out-of-universe fic--I'm just not interested in reading about a generic human lead with some characteristics of Edward Cullen. I want to see an author show me something I didn't see before about Edward. My favorite fics do that. By virtue of the situation the characters are in, or the alternate POV they are from, I see something different about the characters, their dynamic with one another, the things they care about most. Going through my FFnet faves to give a couple of examples of what I mean. Going to stick to one-shots so they are easy to grab (which is most of my faves)

Three Men and a Baby by Kristen Elizabeth.

Stephenie Meyer doesn't give a rat's ass about the fact that other people in the family probably also would've liked to have a kid. She sets up this horrific backstory for Esme but then waves it under the rug with "oh well she has her vampire kids now." This story grapples a little bit with how Edward's siblings (and importantly his male siblings!) deal with their own feelings--it sheds interesting light on all four Cullen men through their interactions with an infant Renesmee.

Mamihlanpinatapai by Writing Ficariously

Edward as a father. Enough said. But also thinking in a more complicated way about Renesmee growing up with Jacob around, and how she feels about her parents' relationship and its perfection. This is a running theme that is even more beautifully explored in A Federation of Cassandras but with that one you're signing on for a full (very excellent) novel so beware.

Caterpillar Wine by gallantcorkscrews

Nobody in this fic is with the people they are with in canon and yet. It really thinks hard about the permanence and lack thereof of relationships, questions that canon brings up and never answers. Most haunting to me in this, with a tiny spoiler, is that Carlisle ends up alone, which is revealing in this particular scenario and very in character in my opinion.

Funny that all of these recs happen to at least loosely contain Renesmee--I think she does important work in revealing a lot about others' characterizations. I find her to be an immensely useful character to think and write about.

Anyway. For me, it all comes down to character. Always down to character. With the tiny add on that my brain frustratingly won't let me not be a snob about the writing--I notice how the words work on a page, and if the author has made a homonym error, if the narration is too much "tell" or the characters are saying things for the reader's benefit. I would like to not have that problem, because I have a great appreciation for the fact that there are many people learning about writing itself by writing fanfiction. But I find it difficult to get myself lost in the story the writer wants to tell when my brain is noticing the writing itself instead. So that's always a piece of it, too.

[yvtro]

It’s me again. (The anon that just asked you a billion questions about Jason’s death.) Also wondering: what do you think of the Killing Joke and Babs’s role as Oracle, and how do you think her and Jason’s “rebirths” can be compared? (Sorry for all the English class ass questions. I’m just so interested by your post. I never thought about the classicism behind Jason’s return as Red Hood but now all the wheels are turning.)

it's so immensely curious to me, because there's this parallel of both babs and jason being essentially fridged (well. jason got boyfridged. sidekick-fridged. sonfridged. i'm aware this term is usually used in relation to women.) but barbara's trauma stops being a plot device for other characters. it becomes a set off for her own storyline about healing and reclaiming her life instead. and the thing is, she succeeds! her life might have been altered by the joker, sure; but she refuses to believe that he made her in any way that matters. she refuses to let her whole life be dictated by it, and she recognises that she's so much more. she lives up to her potential, no matter the constraints.

and then you have jason. jason who is relentlessly victim blamed through decades after his death. jason's death never stops being vital for how other characters are written. this creates a sort of tension in which jason's voice as a victim cannot be central to the story. he has to remain a ghost, even alive; bruce's reminder of his "biggest failure".

and so, jason's act of assuming the red hood identity might be intended as a reclamation of what he fears, but it ironically reduces him to his trauma. let's be honest; this is not some neat bruce being afraid of bats -> taking batman as his name parallel. and you see, maybe jason's action of reclamation could work if it was used for catharsis; if he could later abandon it and go on, reinvent himself, as barbara did. but it's been years and it doesn't happen (even with countdown attempting to kick this off). he never gets to really learn that he is more than what happened to him; he's stuck in a vicious cycle of trying to free himself from his trauma, failing to understand that what he's actually doing is centring his whole life around it.

the reason for which this is how it plays out is def influenced by classism. the whole 'rebirth' (as you called it) itself is already affected by it; to go back to our comparison, for barbara to make a comeback, there was no need to retcon and rewrite her whole character. for jason, some "fatal flaw" was needed – and winick did not even care to make any of his original personality traits into it (like his love. kindness. sensitivity. it would work, goddamit, jason crossing the line because he cares too much and can't stop caring and has to do everything in his power to try to fix the world, no matter the cost, no matter the blood on his hands). instead, we get jason being overly aggressive and quick to anger; something very conveniently consistent with framing poor people as inherently likely to become criminal and somehow evil.

so i'd say, barbara's invention of oracle is a rebirth, while jason's invention of red hood is more of a reburial.

[simgerale]

I heard it's "send Miranda asks because being sick sucks" time!! :))

Because I miss The Gang, and am a curious gal, I'm gonna ask some questions!

How did you choose the names of the main characters? Do any of them have any special meanings to you or to the story?

What is one thing that Maggie would never be able to forgive someone doing, even if she loved them? (be that person Olette or Luca)

What is Luca's greatest fear? (also, does he have any "normal" fears, like the dark or spiders or whatever.)

For the main 4 + Antoin: Cats or Dogs? (or neither, or both)

For Olette: what would she tell her past self?

For Antoin: what is his gretest desire, even if it's one he'd never tell anyone about? Is there a line he wouldn't cross to get it?

For Sheri: Does she ever see herself having a family? Also, does she believe in soulmates/true love?

For Luca: what is his biggest regret?

Maggie: Does she trust people easily? How would she react to her trust being broken?

And for the main 4 + Antoin again: What is their fatal flaw? (Bonus: are they aware of it?) (list of potential fatal flaws)

That is all!! I hope you feel better soon and enjoy your bonus sims time!! <33

you're absolutely right, it IS that time!!!!!!!!!!!! here i go *cracks knuckles*

i think i looked through name lists to find magdalena's, maybe also olette??? i thought they were magical and different ✨ sheridan and antoin also came from a name list!! luca just popped to the top of my head and i said "hmm yes perfect" lol. they don't have any special meanings to me, but i read a book with a character named luca and they're completely different so idk pffft

:O good question!!!! hm okay let's think deep. this one is gonna sound kinda obvious but it would have to be hurting her family. so for olette, this one is hard as she is the only family maggie has left. this means magdalena will pretty much forgive everything olette does, which is SO her. now, luca could totally do this one. if he hurt olette in ANY way... out he goes.

greatest fear would have to be ending up like his father. silly fears would be of frogs and bugs ajsdhaxnahancadsf

maggie: dogs / olette: both / sheridan: cats / luca: both / antoin: neither (are we even surprised lol)

(^: she would say "Olette, darling. Chin up. You will get to travel to many wondrous places, just like you wanted! It may not seem like it now, but things will fall into place. You will even fall in love. Just... spend more time with your mother and father, alright?"

:O another good question!! his greatest desire.....hm.... it would probably be to see his daughter grow up to be the greatest ruler eden AND volais have ever known. as far as lines he wouldn't cross to get it... anything that would disappoint his wife (considering that going to war with volais does not disappoint her, it would have to be quite drastic). still, it sounds rather unlike him as far you know, hm?

she didn't see herself having a family for the longest time. losing her own at a young age really put her off of the idea, since she didn't want to lose another. but lately, something has sparked an interest (^: she believes in soulmates, simply because that was an idea her parents taught her. almost spiritual. she didn't think she'd meet her person so soon, but...

brooo talk about REGRETS!!! luca has many. his biggest one is probably not trying to prove himself worthy of being a ruler growing up. his father was so quick to dismiss the idea when he was a kid that luca wasn't even an option when his dad died and passed on the title. he thinks that if maybe he had proven himself, he could have taken the throne and eased the tensions with volais a lot sooner. created a better alliance. or even convinced his father not to go to war in the first place.

oh heck no!!! it takes a lot for maggie to trust someone. i think i mentioned this in a previous ask, but it takes a lot and that's why it was a surprise that she trusted luca so fast. we'll find out why it was so easy eventually (^; refer to chapter 6 for if her trust is broken lol. basically she'll give you the silent treatment until she confronts you about it, which you should be scared about.

i'm gonna use that list lol

maggie: pushes herself too hard - aware of it, which makes it even worse that she refuses to stop

olette: jealousy (both relationship-wise and otherwise) - not really aware that it's a bad thing

sheridan: blunt - not aware of it, just in her nature

luca: people-pleasing - aware of it... hates it, and is trying to fix it (aka going against his brother lol)

antoin: greed - unaware that it's inherently bad! he just wants the world

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS!!! I HOPE THIS QUENCHED YOUR THIRST FOR REGAL STUFF!!! cause idk when it's gonna be back 🤧

[strawberrycupsforever]

Reira or the art of creating an unorthodox antagonist.

I thought I’d make a post about Reira because she really is an interesting character to read and analyze.

Firstly, I would like to clarify that an antagonist doesn’t always have to be a villain. Reira is an antagonist not because her main motivations are to harm other characters, she is one because her actions cause pain regardless of this.

Now in complete honesty, Reira is a character that really frustrates me, I’m never going get over her relationship with Shin (so wrong, so, so wrong) but that doesn’t mean I can’t see how much she has suffered and how that suffering has affected her.

Reira has everything: the looks, the talent, the magnetism that draws other people towards her… it would’ve been so easy for Ai Yazawa to fall into the clichés these types of characters ususally get. She could’ve gone with a conniving femme fatale, a schemer who goes out of her way to compete against the main protagonists. It honestly says a lot about the type of media we consume, when these are the common traits in female antagonists, especially if they share a love interest with the protagonist, but I digress.

Instead of this type of character, we get Reira: a young woman in her early 20’s with a very sweet demeanor (almost childish) and a bright personality. The first time she meets Nana O. there’s nothing but genuine excitement, she simply doesn’t come across as an antagonist at all. Here lies Ai Yazawa’s talent for characterization. Reira is confusing to the reader, she is the main singer of the rival band our main protagonists are up against. She’s incredibly talented, Nana O. is left feeling very insecure after hearing her sing live. The first few times she appears in the manga is as a beautiful and cool figure. That’s why the first introduction to her actual personality after the last concert of their tour was so surprising and comical: the contrast between the image of Reira the singer and Reira the person was just beginning. 

Throughout the manga, her fears and insecurities start to unfold, (usually through conversations with Shin, which I think is interesting, and not a coincidence) and we start seeing how many layers Reira has. We can see how much her father’s loss affected her, how she can’t even disclose her identity as half American (she states her label thinks it’s beneficial if fans think she’s fully Japanese), the fact that she had to move from everything she considered home at a very young age to move to a country she didn’t know… It’s clear Reira has been through a lot, and through most of it she’s had Takumi as a constant. It’s only natural that she’d feel so strongly towards him, but what these two have is an incredibly toxic relationship.

Reira centers her existence and worth in her voice, and this is because she thinks her talent is the only reason why Takumi stays by her side. She feels like she has nothing more to offer to the world, and that’s sad because when it comes to Takumi, Reira really has no power over her feelings.

All this being said, Reira’s biggest flaw is her selfishness. She’s incredibly self-absorbed without the arrogance, which makes for a very interesting character. In fact, most of the harm she causes comes from her simply not taking into account other people. The main victim of this has been Shin. Although one could argue he lied to her about his age, she did eventually find out that he was a minor, and no amount of mental gymnastics is going to make the relationship okay. She doesn’t register the possible pain she can cause Shin, who is clearly taken by her or how her attitude towards Ren can make Nana O. uncomfortable (even though Ren mentions  Nana’s jealousy more than once). The biggest offence being during Ren’s wake. She doesn’t think about Hachi when she sleeps with Takumi, or even Shin, who she admits to have some feelings towards. She truly doesn’t look past herself at first, only to realize later the harm she has caused and feeling guilty about it, but not actively changing her ways.

She isn’t the only one to blame though, when it comes to her selfish ways, Reira is always enabled by the people around her. From Takumi to Ren to even Yasu. All these men, have a weird fixation with saving Reira, delegating this task to each other and even Shin (a teenager), when the thing Reira needs the most is independence. Shin seems to be the only one who sometimes calls her out on her selfishness, only to be demonized for it and then feel guilty about it, like what happened during Ren’s wake.

We can’t forget that Reira is an adult, regardless of how much people around her baby her, she should know better and take responsibility for her actions, trauma doesn’t justify any of them.

[magicaththedemigod]

an extensive analysis of “the song of achilles” by madeline miller

Or: things I noticed and couldn't keep to myself.

Because I just finished reading it and have many feelings about it, I've decided to compile all of them into a very lengthy Tumblr post.

This will be broken up into three parts:

1. Foreshadowing

2. Dramatic (and regular) Irony

3. Fatal Flaws

1. Foreshadowing

Miller does such a delightful job with foreshadowing. The number of quotes I could be spitting at you right now... but I digress. The main job of foreshadowing, especially in a tragedy like "The Song of Achilles," is to set the characters up for their tragedy.

What I like most about how Miller goes about it in this book is that she doesn't attempt to pull a shocking twist out of nowhere; instead, she takes an approach which allows the reader to fully marinate in their despair.

For example, this quote:

Achilles shook his head, impatiently. "But this was a greater punishment for her. It was not fair of them." "There is no law that gods must be fair, Achilles," Chiron said. "And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone. Do you think?"

Let's take a moment and unpack some of this. For context, this is a conversation between Patroclus, Achilles, and their mentor Chiron. They're discussing the tale of Heracles, who's driven to madness and ends up killing his own wife and kids.

From reading the book, (SPOILER ALERT) you know that Achilles' own pride and honor end up forcing Patroclus to impersonate him in order to save the Greek army, and in doing so is killed by Hector. The fact that Chiron directs this question, "And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone. Do you think?" to Achilles, who is left behind after Patroclus' death is such delightful foreshadowing that I almost threw the book across the room when I first read it.

Achilles slumps into such a depression after Patroclus dies (really, after he kills Patroclus with his own fatal flaw), that he even loses the ability to care about his fame or honor anymore. He feels the greater grief, so to speak.

Even after he dies, Patroclus is left behind, unable to rest properly because they never put his name on the tomb. In that sense, Patroclus is then the one left behind, experiencing loneliness and grief.

The book is full of little hints like this, and that's part of why it's almost torture to read as someone who knows how the Iliad goes. As I said before: the foreshadowing in this book is meant to have the reader in pain from the beginning because you know nothing is going to work out in the end.

2. Dramatic (and regular) Irony

Yes, that's right. I'm about to rip into your soul.

Probably one of the biggest parts of classical Greek myths is dramatic irony (the audience knowing something the characters don't). In plays, the ending is almost always announced before the play begins. In fact, the audience most likely already knows the story from previous tellings or just general knowledge. It makes sense that it would be one of the biggest players in "The Song of Achilles."

As usual, let's start with a quote:

His eyes opened. "Name one hero who was happy." I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back. "You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward. "I can't." "I know. They never let you be famous and happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret." "Tell me." I loved it when he was like this. "I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it." "Why me?" "Because you're the reason. Swear it." "I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes. "I swear it," he echoed. We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned. "I feel like I could eat the world raw."

First of all: cute. Second of all: wow, so much pain.

As you know, Achilles is the opposite of happy at the end of the book (well, maybe after they die, but we'll get to that later). Though he swears it here with Patroclus, the two of them make decisions that ultimately lead to their downfall: Achilles decides to abandon the Greeks after they slighted his honor, Patroclus decides to help them even if it means risking his life, and Achilles lets him do it.

So let's talk about dramatic irony. The irony here is that you know, maybe just from this exchange alone, that Achilles isn't going to be the first happy hero. You know there is a war coming, know that Achilles and his famous heel will get himself killed. You might also know at this point that Patroclus will die first and send Achilles spiraling into grief before that happens.

It's painful, truly. Achilles spends his last days in utter agony, wanting to die but unable to kill himself, and Patroclus can only watch on as a ghost (spirit?). Even when Achilles does die and his ashes are put into their urn (seriously, how did any scholar ever think they weren't lovers?), they still have to wait to be reunited.

But there's still more. Consider these lines:

Hector's eyes are wide, but he will run no longer. He says, "Grant me this. Give my body to my family, when you have killed me." Achilles makes a sound like choking. "There are no bargains between lions and men. I will kill you and eat you raw."

Sound familiar? That's right: "I will kill you and eat you raw" sounds an awful lot like "I feel like I could eat the world raw," doesn't it? Another parallel from Miller: one from a time of happiness, the other from a time of extreme grief. However painful it is, I really live for connections like that.

And I've got one more for you:

Achilles shook his head. "Never. He is brave and strong, but that is all. He would break against Hector like water on a rock. So. It is me, or no one." "You will not do it." I tried not to let it sound like begging. "No." He was quiet a moment. "But I can see it. That's the strange thing. Like in a dream. I can see myself throwing the spear, see him fall. I walk up to the body and stand over it." Dread rose in my chest. I took a breath, forced it away. "And then what?" "That's the strangest of all. I look down at his blood and know my death is coming. But in the dream I do not mind. What I feel, most of all, is relief." "Do you think it can be prophecy?" The questions seemed to make him self-conscious. He shook his head. "No. I think it is nothing at all. A daydream." I forced my voice to match his in lightness. "I'm sure you're right. After all, Hector hasn't done anything to you."

See where I'm going with this? I don't think I need to explain this one.

3. Fatal Flaws

That's right, one of the most essential pieces for a tragedy: hamartia. For those who might not know, hamartia is the fatal flaw that ultimately leads to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine. In every single piece of classical greek writing, if the story is a tragedy, the main character will have a fatal flaw that makes it so.

Take Achilles:

I looked at the stone of his face, and despaired. “If you love me-”

“No!” His face was stiff with tension. “I cannot! If I yield, Agamemnon can dishonor me whenever he wishes. The kings will not respect me, nor the men!” He was breathless, as though he had run far. “Do you think I wish them all to die? But I cannot. I cannot! I will not let them take this from me!”

You probably already know what his fatal flaw is: pride. He needs the fame, needs the glorious memory of his deeds to live on forever, so badly that he is willing to sacrifice his life and what might’ve been a fulfilling and long life with Patroclus out of the limelight. His fatal flaw is what spurs each of his actions in the later half of the book, including the moment where he decides to leave the Greeks to their deaths for slandering him.

Even Patroclus has a fatal flaw: his love for Achilles.

That night I lay in bed beside Achilles. His face is innocent, sleep-smoothed and sweetly boyish. I love to see it. This is his truest self, earnest and guileless, full of mischief but without malice. He is lost in Agamemnon and Odysseus’ wily double meanings, their lies and games of power. They have confounded him, tied him to a stake and baited him. I stroke the soft skin of his forehead. I would untie him if I could. If he would let me.

Though riding into the center of the fighting, especially dressed as Achilles, will make Patroclus the prime target, he decides to do it anyway. And not out of fear for Achilles’s life; he knows how important his pride and reputation is to him, and out of desperation will do anything to keep Achilles from being devastated when it doesn’t work out for him.

(Honestly, this is the part where I start to hate Achilles for doing this to Patroclus... it’s like he doesn’t even consider Patroclus his equal and does everything without consulting him.)

Of course, Agamemnon has a fatal flaw as well. He is like the mirror image of Achilles, so proud and stubborn, righteous and arrogant. However, he is the darker image, the one that revels in taking things by force and, of course, raping women like Briseis. He serves as a poignant foil for Achilles, highlighting all the ways the traits they share can easily become corrupted. It’s part of why this novel works so well.

I hope you all enjoyed this book as much as I did. Truthfully, I did have a few problems with it, but I wanted to trying picking it apart anyway. And if you haven’t read the song of achilles... what are you doing reading these spoilers?? 

[droshawoluv]

FF7 characters traits and moments that aren’t talked about enough.

I’m kinda tired of entering twitter and seeing wicked weird theories or fake leaks shared that goes soooo against what the characters are and were during 25 years, and I’ve been wanting to do some remarks of what people COULD talk about more about the characters in FF7 instead. And I mean all the cool characters, not just their self-insert characters and ideas, SO! some things I love summarized:

CLOUD STRIFE

(My favorite character) His actual journey through his identity issues that are super hinted before the reveals, but also how he opens up about his vulnerabilities through the journey, to his close friends (barret+tifa) or the group itself (after Aerith death) about how insecure he is, how scared he is, with one of my favorite phrases of him “There’s someone inside me (...) who’s not really me”; but also opening up about his fake persona until now after the lifestream admitting his flaws that lead to believe he wasn’t the one who thought and reach his lowest point at the Northern Crater in the most anticipating heart wrenching moment of the future remake(s) personally.

BARRET WALLACE

After what happen with Dyne, Barret starts thinking about a lot of things -Cosmo canyon and its planetology being the perfect place for it-. One of those things is reevaluate the decisions and stance he had in Midgar with his activities in Avalanche, admitting that behind those actions, there was a big sense of personal revenge covered by his “save the planet” speech (I personally think admitting when you were wrong about something needs a lot of courage and wisdom that’s why I love it). All that introspection will end up on his resolve to fight for his daugther future and save the planet through other ways that involve learning about the planet and its resources. Being a true hero for the planet eventually

TIFA LOCKHART

Tifa deals with the biggest emotional rollercoaster in the entire game, by far. There’s so much confusion in her head, summed by the tragic event that hit her both in the past and during the game. She dealt disc 1 with all the confusion about Cloud’s odd behavior and her own twisted memories, scared of doing something that would fuck up everything;  AND YET! She never got lost in all of it, refuse to stop believing in her childhood memories and was allowed to save her last link to her hometown from despair, and will lead to help save the world eventually. In her rich story, her resolution to not lose herself in the middle of everything is an admirable trait of her

AERITH GAINSBOROUGH

My favorite Aerith trait BY FAR has to be with her struggles and basically existential crisis about her role as the last Cetra, now that she left Midgar because shit goes down. It’s something lost in the remake -and ignored in the OG- imo, but moments like this show her fears through the journey, and what she thinks are her obligations while talking to the planet. All of that add for her final resolution of “I’m going alone because I’m the only one who can stop this”, and its eventual fatal consequence for her (that of course, still help to save the planet at the end).

NANAKI - RED XIII

I think when you talk about Red you talk about the Seto quest, and not to blame anyone, it’s pretty relevant. But I also appreciate his change in his behavior, in particular, he shows a mature attitude through the journey because he refuses to accept he is still very young, and even better, after that first visit to CC, he embrace that fact, and understand that he has a lot of room to improve, grow and learn. In his final visit to CC, Bugenhagen suggests him to go out there, and learn what the world has to offer (side note: another incoming heart wrenching moment in the future), in another hint of his journey to learn about the planet that will eventually be on Case of Nanaki.

YUFFIE KISARAGI

Every hour is ‘Missing Yuffie Kisaragi hours’ in here, the apparently spoiled thief kid who’s actually the only one in Wutai, the land humiliated by Shinra, that wants to turn things around, and keep the traditional might of her land while refusing to surrender her own culture to Midgar and its soft power invading it. Her conflict with her father it’s really dope, and have a nice discussion about strength and determination. With the Wutai war and its fake Avalanche link out there, she can have a great role in the future. 

REEVE TUESTI / CAIT SITH

When people talk shit about Cait Sith I immediatly think about Reeve, the actual dude behind it and its interesting character. My favorite part being his opposite point of view from Barret’s. Even if their last goals coincide, he wants to save people from within as best as he can instead of recurring to extreme decisions (either from Shinra or from Avalanche). All of that works great to have some polarity with Barret in the future and potential tension between them, but he still believes in the group and can be the diplomatic leader the city needs in the future.

CID HIGHWIND

Talk about character development, how great it is to go from being a grumpy dude with anger management issues, to start embracing his important role for the fate of the planet and its people, and during the achievement of his longtime coming dream to understand the power of humans when they desire and create something, taking the lead to convince the others they have the chances to protect the planet from the threats that it is suffering amidst the huge universe (when even the main character is having a defeatist attitude at the moment).

VINCENT VALENTINE

Vincent is very similar to Cloud in some aspects. But what I like about him is that after giving himself a punishment for not stopping Gast+Hojo+Lucrecia, he eventually takes a step forward and participates with the group to have his redemption through action instead of pushing himself away alone, and that not only includes the expected “kill hojo and stop sephiroth” but also give some closure to Lucrecia so she can also rest in peace and being able to move on too, opposite to his passive role in the past.

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

okay, okay, STS time!! Get ready!!

For Snow + Lan: What are their fatal flaws? (Bonus: are they aware of them?) (@/lyralit has a list of fatal character flaws if you need ideas.)

For Lan: Greatest fear? Also, what about "normal/mundane" fears? (spiders, the dark, etc.)

For Snow: Are they a good liar? Do they have any "tells" when she's lying?

For Tris: What makes them fly into a rage?

For Tris: Have they ever killed someone? Would they be capable of doing it if they had to?

For YOU: Describe your WIP in 5 words or less.

Favorite character to write?

Hardest character to write?

What is your favorite scene you've written for your WIP so far?

Share a line you're very proud of!

Feel free to choose any WIP for the WIP questions!!

BONUS: For any 5 characters: Cats or dogs? Both? Niether?

(I'm so sorry, I just love sending giant asks, asjdsakdj)

~Morri 🗡 (@memento-morri-writes)

Happy STS!

I don't care how many questions there are or how long it's going to get under the cut THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD AND I'M GOING TO ANSWER EVERY SINGLE ONE.

For Snow + Lan: What are their fatal flaws? (Bonus: are they aware of them?) (@/lyralit has a list of fatal character flaws if you need ideas.)

Snow: She's too trusting and forgives people too easily. This flaw quite literally is fatal because it almost gets her killed several times. She keeps giving her stepmother second chances and trusting her no matter how many times she hurts her or tries to kill her (when they find out who's trying to have her assassinated). It's also Snow's biggest obstacle in overthrowing Queen Reigna, because Snow keeps seeing good in her stepmother that isn't there, and it's keeping Snow from being feirce enough to stand up to her stepmother. Deep down she knows that it's a flaw she has, and that it might get her killed, but she doesn't want to admit it- even to herself. Lan: I actually had to think for a minute on this one. I think it might be that they're loyal to a fault. They're so loyal to their best friend that it will get them killed one day, but they don't care, as long as Snow is safe and happy.

For Lan: Greatest fear? Also, what about "normal/mundane" fears? (spiders, the dark, etc.)

I would say their greatest fear is either that Snow's forgiveness in her stepmother is going to get her killed, or that Snow won't be able to have enough faith in herself to rule. They're really worried about their bestie.

For Snow: Are they a good liar? Do they have any "tells" when she's lying?

She doesn't like hurting people and manipulating them the way her stepmother did, and she especially doesn't want to do it through lying. But when she has to, Snow is good enough that only people really close to her can tell. Her tells include standing up straighter, talking very formally, and just trying to seem more authortiative in general so that the person she's lying to will feel compelled to trust her.

For Tris: What makes them fly into a rage?

Before dying, she's actually a pretty compassionate person, and isn't easy to anger. However, one of the main effects on her from being in the underworld is that she's angrier all the time. She hates it, but something about dying made her a short fuse, and now almost everything annoys her and pisses her off somehow. Her lover Kaye and her friends know that she doesn't mean it when she blows up, and they all help her with the anger issues.

For Tris: Have they ever killed someone? Would they be capable of doing it if they had to?

In General Cinderella, the first person she kills in one of her opponents in the arena. Tris didn't like it at all. She never intended to severely injure someone, much less kill them, but it was a fight to the death and she would've been executed for treason if she didn't finish the other girl off- that girl was already bleeding out anyway, so telling herself she gave the girl a quick and painless death makes it a little easier for Tris to deal with.

For YOU: Describe your WIP in 5 words or less.

Fairytales but darker and funny.

Favorite character to write?

Raven is the number one easiest character and most favorite character to write for me because I project all of my autistic experiences and issues onto him, and he's just so goddamn affectionate and sweet it's adorable. Sapphire is a close second because I project all of my ADHD experiences onto her, her relationship with Raven is so goddamn cute, and she's exactly the kind of hotheaded princess I've always wanted to see in fairytales. Snow is also a close second because I project my aroaceness onto her. I also project all of my family trauma and a little bit of my religious trauma onto her relationship with her stepmom lmao. Plus she's a cool knight, what's not to love?

Hardest character to write?

I honestly don't know yet, because the only characters I've written stuff so far is the ones I project on, which are really easy to write for. I think it might be one of the characters I can't project onto as much, so I'll have to work a little harder. So maybe Prince Monty, Tris, or someone else, but I won't know until I start writing for them. 😅

What is your favorite scene you've written for your WIP so far?

Oh there's several. Most of them are for Raven and Sapphire, two of the scenes so far being angst and the other three being mainly fluff. The other two scenes I've written so far are in the first few chapters of Snow Knight, and I'm really proud of those. But the Raven and Sapphire stuff is my favorite, especially the angst >:)

Share a line you're very proud of!

There's so many, but here are some of my favorites! Yes they're all Raven and Sapphire stuff From Raven's POV in the first chapter of the Sleeping Beauty retelling: The princess was… something else. Not that it was a bad thing, but she was so different from what Raven was used to- energetic, adventurous, wild, impulsive, hotheaded, and… full of life and excitement. Angsty moment from after the others are rescued from the underworld in the second to last book of the series, from Raven's POV: “Oh, Sapph….,” Raven whispered, keeping his voice gentle as he wiped her tears and held her. He pressed a kiss to her temple, letting it linger as more tears fell. “You need to rest, Love. You don’t want to be asleep on your feet tomorrow.” “I can’t,” She said, hiccuping on tears, “I can't go back to sleep. If I- if i don’t wake up- I’m- I’ll- What if the curse- what if it comes back- I- I don’t want to- I don’t wanna sleep forever- I don't wanna go back to the underworld- don't make me go back, please-” Cute and fluffy moment with Raven and Sapphire, Sapphire's POV: Sapphire woke to someone gently shaking her. She grunted, rolling over and burying her face in the pillow. “F’ve mor’ minutes…” “Come on, Sapphire,” Raven whispered, “I wanna show you something.” “Does i’ require me gettin’ out of bed?” Raven chuckled a little, warm as usual and slightly husky from sleep. “Yes, but you can come back for a nap when we’re done.”

For any 5 characters: Cats or dogs? Both? Neither?

I'll do Prince Kaye, Captain Cassandra, Princess Hestia, Max, and Princess Snow for this one! Prince Kaye: He likes both, but he has a preference for cats because there's a couple around the castle that really like him. The cats will sit on his lap and let him pet them all the time. He doesn't like dogs when they're aggressive or bite when they play though. Cassandra: There aren't any cats or dogs in the ocean, so she's never really seen one before. I think she would like dogs because of how playful and loyal they are, if she met one. Princess Hestia: She really likes cats, mostly because they'll hang out with you in silence, and if you earn their trust they'll curl up next to you and purr. Max: It's a tie for him! He likes dogs that are loyal and playful, but he also likes cats because they're quiet and are less likely to bug him for attention. Princess Snow: She likes both, but has a preference for dogs because she goes on hunting parties with knights a lot, and they always bring the loyal and playful dogs. And the dogs at the castle are really drawn to Snow and love her.

Thank you so much for all of these questions, I loved every single one and they all made me really think about some characters. @memento-morri-writes

[itsmariejanel]

ASK TIME!! (sorry for hitting unfollow!!)

for Jace: biggest regret?

for Jace: biggest fear? What about "normal" fears, like spiders, the dark, etc.

for Serena: Do they believe in soulmates?

for Mia: what was her first kiss like?

for Gemma: what did they want to be as a child? what is her goal in life now?

for Erwin: waht does he daydream about?

for Raven: greatest desire?

for all the roommates: Cats or dogs? Both? neither?

for Kiara: does she ever see herself having children?

for Makoto: does he get jealous easily?

for Jace and any other 2: fatal flaw? bonus: are they aware of it? (list if you need it)

describe your story in 5 words or less

pick a favorite character. yes, you have to pick, yes, you can only pick one.

which character do you relate to most?

favorite scene of your story so far?

Have fun!! <3

omg VIIIIBBBIBNGGGG, thanks morri! <3 gonna put this under the cut, since its a lot ahahah rubs hands lets do this

jace doesn't have a lot of regrets. he thinks of the things that happen are experiences and we should learn from them and grow :) something he learned from evanora actually! right now, i would say that he regrets not having dealt with the breakup as he should, and that's what he's doing now.

ooooffff, jace's biggest fear is dying actually. having lost his father from a young age made him fear death. normal fears huh, well jace is afraid of spiders kfjfkf

serena doesn't really believe in soulmates, she thinks thats a myth

her first kiss was with j huntington iii, and it was absolute shit. quoting her right now “the guy’s hot, but holy shit he sucks so bad” 💀

gemma wanted to be an austronaut actually! right now, a part of them still wishes they had gone trough with this dream. right now, they just wanna be a good spellcaster. the family has high expectations for them, which is very overwhelming at times. 

ughhhh, erwin daydreams about aliens, and more aliens, anddddd more aliens. he also wakes up in a cold sweat when he remembers what he read on reddit about the earth being flat. 

raven’s greatest desire is to have guidry beside her 😩 she also really wants to open a lil coffeeshop with lots of plants 

jace likes both ; kiara LOVES cats ; makoto likes both ; serena is a dog lover all the way, she doesn’t hate cats tho ; mia is afraid of cats, so dogs eheh 

kiara sees herself having children, absolutely. she wants to be a mom eventually! right now she thinks its a bit too soon, but definitely someday 

hmmmm, it depends really! makoto tends to be jealous if there’s a reason to be jealous if that makes sense. he’s not a possessive guy tho, he would talk his concerns with his partner and figure it out. 

it might not seem, but it’s hard for jace to open up. when he open up for kiara, it’s because kiara has gained his trust. they have become very close friends since sulani. it’s not easy to accept or deal with feelings if that makes sense. he is very aware of this ; serena is a very stubborn person. when her mind is set on something, its vveeeeerrrryyyy hard to change her mind, if not impossible. she’s not aware of this fkjfkf everyone tells her and she’s like “this is not being stubborn” ; erwin tends to be a bit too trusting and often gets hurt. he is kind of aware of this, like he knows he trusts people very soon, but he also thinks everyone deserves the trust. 

ugh man i can’t do this, sorry :/ 

fuckfuckfukcufkcufkcufckffkfkf..................... j....a, jakiakonaliomia :) there you go! and no i didn’t cheat. 

oooooffff, might be cliché and say all, but it’s truly all. when i built my characters i made them with a lot of my own personality and experiences in them. so i do relate to all of them for this reason. i think i relate to kiara the most tho. 

i think i’m gonna have to go with this one - x 💖 such a happy moment between all of them

[ljones41]

"WITHOUT REMORSE" (2021) Review

"WITHOUT REMORSE" (2021) Review Three years ago, Amazon Prime premiered a series about the adventures of C.I.A. analyst, Jack Ryan. After two seasons, the series has yet to adapt any particular novel by the character's creator, Tom Clancy; it pretty much set up Ryan's origin story. Recently, Amazon Prime released "WITHOUT REMORSE", an origin tale about another one of Clancy's characters - namely "John Clark".

Anyone familiar with Clancy's Jack Ryan novels would know that "John Clark" is former U.S. Navy SEAL operative John Kelly, who became a black ops agent for the C.I.A. The character has appeared in two Clancy film adaptations - 1994's "CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER" and "THE SUM OF ALL FEARS". However, "WITHOUT REMORSE" marked the first time in which Kelly/Clark served as the main protagonist in an adaptation of a Clancy novel. This should not be surprising since the movie is based upon Clancy's 1993 novel of the same title. "WITHOUT REMORSE" begins in Aleppo, where Senior Chief John Kelly and a team of other Navy SEALs led by Lieutenant-Commander Karen Greer rescue a CIA operative taken hostage by a suspected pro-Assad paramilitary group. The situation escalates when the SEALs discover that the operative's captors happened to be Russian military. The latter apparently retaliates against the SEALs for the mission by sending Russian FSB operatives to kill several members of the SEALs. They managed to kill two members of the team. When they break into Kelly's home to kill him, they accidentally kill his pregnant wife Pam, not realizing that Kelly was in the basement. He manages to kill all of the FSB operatives inside his home and badly wound the last survivor, who manages to escape, before enduring near-fatal wounds himself. With the help of Lieutenant-Commander Greer and reluctantly, the C.I.A., a vengeful Kelly decides to go after the surviving FSB agent and discover the truth behind the attacks on his SEAL team. I have never read Clancy's 1993 novel, but I have read a detailed synopsis of its plot. Needless to say, screenwriters Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples made some major changes in the 2021 adaptation. Unlike the novel, the death of Kelly's wife played a role in the conspiracy that loomed over the Aleppo mission. In fact, the literary Pam was a drug mule/prostitue whom Kelly had befriended and whose death he wanted to kill after she was raped and murdered by her drug-dealer/pimp. The Aleppo mission was basically a replay of a mission involving Vietnam War P.O.W.s and a K.G.B. mole. To be perfectly honest, I found Clancy's novel rather convoluted. Kelly's narrative arc seemed to be torn between the plot line involving Pam and the drug-dealer/pimp and the situation regarding the P.O.W.s, with no real connection between the two. Sheridan and Staples made a wise decision to combine aspects of Clancy's two narrative arcs into one plot line for the movie. Another aspect about "WITHOUT REMORSE" I find interesting is that Amazon Prime had decided to produce a movie about the John Kelly/Clark character. The fact that the company started with an adaptation of a novel about the character's origin only makes me wonder if it has plans for the Kelly/Clark character to make his appearance in a future episode or season of "JACK RYAN". Or . . . if Amazon Prime has plans for Ryan to appear in another production with Kelly/Clark as the lead. Both Ryan and Kelly/Clark are known as the two biggest characters in Clancy's literary "Ryanverse" franchise. And the pair became close friends and colleagues as well. Not only did "WITHOUT REMORSE" prove to be an improvement on the 1993 novel's plot, it also featured some first-rate action sequences. Actually there were two action scenes that really impressed me, thanks to Stefano Sollima's direction. One of those sequences featured the SEAL team's efforts to rescue the C.I.A. operative in the film's opening scene. I thought it was well handled. But I was especially impressed by Sollima's handling of the movie's last action sequence that featured Kelly and the others' efforts to find the fourth FSB operative in Murmansk. I believe this sequence was enhanced by the cast's performances and Sollima's efforts to convey a sense of impeding doom for the SEAL team. Most of the performances featured in "WITHOUT REMORSE" struck me as solid, but not particularly mind-blowing. These solid performances came from the likes of Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Lucy Russell, Luke Mitchell and surprisingly Colman Domingo and Guy Pearce. I say "surprisingly" in regard to Domingo and Pearce, considering that both actors are usually known for delivering outstanding performances - even in supporting roles. I thought both actors did not seem to be putting much effort in their performances. However, I enjoyed the performances of Jodie Turner-Smith, who portrayed Kelly/Clark's commander Karen Greer and Jamie Bell (lead Michael B. Jordan's former co-star from 2015's "FANTASTIC FOUR"), who portrayed C.I.A. officer Robert Ritter. I thought Turner-Smith did an excellent job in conveying both the warmth and commanding presence of Greer. And Bell was excellent as the ambiguous and at times, manipulative Ritter. I certainly had no problems with Michael B. Jordan's portrayal of the vengeful Kelly. I thought he did an excellent job of conveying his character's emotional journey from a man satisfied with his life, grief, revenge and finally willingness to start a new path. If I had to choose two scenes that I really enjoyed, they were Kelly finally facing his grief over his wife's death and his confrontation with the movie's main villain. As much as I enjoyed "WITHOUT REMORSE", I must admit that I had two problems with Sheridan and Staples' screenplay. Both were featured in the film's finale. Kelly, Greer, her SEAL team and C.I.A. officer Robert Ritter went to Murmansk in order to find the last FSB operative who had survived the attack on Kelly's home. After Kelly, Greer and her SEAL team managed to survive what proved to be a trap, the movie focused on Kelly discovering who was truly behind the Aleppo mission, the attacks on Kelly, his wife and two other SEAL operatives; and the Murmansk mission. Needless to say, this hunt for the "Big Bad" felt like a rush job. I truly wish they had taken the trouble to convey how Kelly learned who was responsible for the conspiracy behind the Aleppo and Murmansk missions, along with the murders of the two SEAL operatives and Pam Kelly. Also, the main villain's motives behind the conspiracy struck me as unoriginal. I have seen this scenario used in so many political thrillers over the years that it seemed a pity that Sheridan and Staples' screenplay could not be more original. Yes, "WITHOUT REMORSE" had its flaws. But flawed or not, I still believe that it was an improvement over Tom Clancy's original 1993 novel. I have to give credit to Stefano Sollima's energetic direction, a solid screenplay by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples; along with a first-rate cast led by the always excellent Michael B. Jordan. I do not know if this movie will be considered part of Amazon Prime's "Ryanverse", but a part of me hope so. It would be a waste if it was not.

[cabin7-hufflepuff]

PJO/HoO/ToA characters as MCU quotes. You don’t need to know MCU context, because it’s just about the meaning of the quote for the character. **TBM and *slight* ToN spoilers, read at your own risk**

Percy: “I’m with you til the end of the line, pal.”-Bucky Barnes “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.”-Steve Rogers

These two should be pretty self explanatory. Bucky and Steve are loyal to each other the way Percy is to all of those he loves, his fatal flaw being personal loyalty. Percy is someone who can’t stand bullies just like Steve, considering his time with Gabe. Both of them had dealt with horrible situations that made them sympathetic. I just feel like these fit him perfectly.

Annabeth: “I have nothing to prove to you.”-Carol Danvers

I couldn’t find one that clicked for Annabeth in my head, but this quote to me shows how strong of a person Annabeth is considering what she’s had to deal with since she was 7. I feel like she could say this to anyone, even Percy, and no one would question her, because she truly doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone.

Nico: “It’s not about how much we lost. It’s about how much we have left.”-Tony Stark

This one may not seem as good of a fit, but hear me out here. Nico has lost so much throughout his life and had to deal with his identity. His mother, Bianca, Jason. He loves very strongly and when he loses someone, he is devastated. But once he figures out how to move on from what he’s lost, he can turn to what he has left: Hazel, Will, Reyna.

Jason: “Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. To stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”-Abraham Erskine “Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life”-Ho Yinsen

PAODIGDSFGN the Erskine quote to Steve is what made me want to make this textpost because it could be said to Jason, and it would fit right in with his story. Steve and Jason’s stories can be compared quite easily, even if you have to dig a bit before you make any connections. The Yinsen line to Tony fits him too well, and imagining Jason saying that to Piper...

Leo: “I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up.”-Tony Stark

Sure, this one looks like I didn’t really try, but Leo was honestly one of the more difficult characters for me to match. Leo and Tony are so alike it’s not even funny, and I like to try and see through Leo’s humor to find the other facets of his personality. Leo has always felt like the 7th wheel, which he technically is, but this Tony quote matches with Leo realizing his part in the plan, even if it’s going against all of his friends’ wishes. He finally feels like he is doing his part, instead of just being the extra.

Piper: “The world has changed and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best we can do is to start over.”-Peggy Carter

Ok so I don’t really care for Piper, so I didn’t put as much effort into this one, but this quote can still fit her pretty well. This is something that would apply to her after Jason has passed, and refers to her moving on to her new girlfriend. Sure, it’s definitely faster than anyone should move on from a dead ex, but she’s trying her best, and that’s all we can ever do, right?

Reyna: “We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe.”-T’challa

I couldn’t find a quote that fit Reyna as well as I wanted it to, but this one still works. I feel like a lot of people forget what her demigod powers actually are. Yeah, she’s super helpful in battle and is a great comrade, but her actual power is giving others strength. Strength is literally her power, and this quote from T’challa seems to mirror that quite well.

Frank: “I choose to run towards my problems, and not away from them. Because that’s what heroes do.”-Thor

Frank started out as a more timid, hesitant person who wasn’t exactly willing to take risks. This is mainly due to him being worried about his wooden lifeline, but then by Trials of Apollo, he has overcome this fear, and saves Camp Jupiter. I think Frank was slow to accept his position in any situation, not entirely confident in his abilities, but he gets there eventually and becomes the hero he was meant to be.

Hazel: “Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, ‘No, you move’.”-Peggy Carter

Peggy and Hazel man. They would be a power duo, that’s all I’m saying. Hazel is probably the most resilient out of the 7, considering her age and the things she’s experienced. I also like this metaphor of being like a tree, since Gaea had the biggest grudge against Hazel, and Gaea is the earth goddess, so Hazel being a strong-rooted tree would be perfect.

Lester: “I know you were only doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do, it’s all any of us should. So no matter what, I promise you-if you need us, if you need me, I’ll be there,”-Steve Rogers

Yes, I mostly chose this because of its similarity to the end of ToN, but there’s more to it. I think this quote does a good job of meaning any point in Lester’s journey. It could be about when he was originally turned into Lester and hated everything, or it could be about when he turned back into Apollo and understood what Jason meant. I just like the idea that he is there for his friends and family, finally grown into the person he was meant to be.

[battlekidx2]

She-ra Season 5 Thoughts and Review

I believe that she-ra stuck the landing with its final season. I did have a few issues, but overall I really loved it. I remember when the first season initially released I watched it because I had just finished watching trollhunters and had just started voltron and was excited to see what dreamworks had in store next. The first season contained one of my favorite animated episodes of that year with “Promise”. I was struck by how good the character writing was for Catra, Adora, and their dynamic. That wasn’t the only surprise I experienced when it came to the character writing, Angella and Glimmer’s relationship also had more depth than I was expecting. It became one of my most anticipated animated shows right after that season and I’ve been on board ever since and I don’t regret the ride one bit. So of course I woke up at 2 am my time despite having to work in the morning to watch the entire 5th season of she-ra. Here are my thoughts and there are a lot.

I know the season is new so I’m putting my thoughts below the cut because there are spoilers. 

I want to start with what I loved most about the season. Catra’s redemption. This arc was easily my favorite part of the season, maybe even the whole series. This is what I’ve been waiting for since the series started and I wasn’t disappointed. Catra has been, in my opinion, the show's best and most consistently great character. She’s incredibly complex and trying to write about everything that makes her well written in a single paragraph would not do it justice. (That’s the subject of a meta that would need to split up season by season) I liked that we finally got to see Catra admit out loud what she must have been thinking for awhile. That she’s sorry and that she doesn’t want to be evil and have the bad actions define the rest of her life. This has felt like a long time coming. There have been multiple episodes dedicated to making it clear that her goal to conquer Etheria is superficial and not what she truly wants or needs. Catra has tried to gain power so that she can’t be hurt by people again. Physically by people like shadow weaver and emotionally, however unintentionally, by people like Adora. So when she finally acknowledged that she has been lying to herself the whole time and that she really does care about Adora I was relieved. She could finally start taking the steps to get the love and happiness that she has so desperately wanted this entire time and she does get it through Adora, Glimmer, and Bow. She finally starts expressing her emotions in a healthy manner. Through her arc we see that redemption isn’t just one big decision, but many decisions that have to be made every day. It is made clear that bettering herself is hard, that she has to work on it and she has the resolve to do just that. I really liked that they had her struggle to continuously work towards self betterment like when she initially pushes Adora away after “Save the Cat” and her attempt to leave after Adora accepts the failsafe, but in the end she does make the hard choice to own up to her shortcomings and face the things she fears. If she hadn’t had any obstacles after doing “that one good thing with [her] life” I would have had problems with her arc, but it was handled very well and realistically. I really liked Catra’s redemption arc and thought that it all came full circle in the end.

I really like the interactions between Glimmer and Catra early in the season. Their bonding over their shared connection to Adora was sweet. I liked how they integrated Glimmer as the good influence in Catra’s redemption arc. The good influence is a staple of the villain to hero arc typically. This one was interesting because this was after Catra’s wake up call from double trouble and because Glimmer herself is in need of a redemption of sorts after last season. They both are a “good” influence on each other. Catra has deep seeded doubts about her path in life, but she’s also scared to leave her path. It’s because she saw herself in glimmer last season that she starts to let Glimmer influence her. Glimmer made a huge mistake and pushed her friends away for the same/similar reasons as to why Catra does and it led to her making a rash decision that almost destroyed Etheria. Catra’s decision to open the portal and Glimmer’s decision to activate the heart of Etheria are directly paralleled with the key difference being how they dealt with realizing they made a terrible mistake. Glimmer acknowledged she made a mistake and struggled, despite the futility, to fix it whereas Catra drove herself deeper into denial. Catra got to see Glimmer strive to fix her mistake and regret over how she treated Adora and Bow and can no longer deny her own faults and care for Adora. Glimmer, through Catra’s sacrifice, realizes that she was wrong about pure goods and pure evils. That there is a shot at redemption even for people like Catra. That doesn’t necessarily mean forgiveness but working/trying to be a better person or doing the “one good thing in [their] life”. Both changed the other and I loved the new dynamic.

(On a semi side note I loved the interactions of the new best friends squad)

Catra and Adora’s relationship has been the heart of the show since season 1. Be it romantic or platonic or enemies they have always been driving each other’s character arcs. I don’t really ship but I am a fan of how their relationship intertwined with their character arcs. The way it played into Catra’s descent and redemption as well as Adora’s struggles was fantastic. Catra realizing that she really does care about Adora and regrets her actions played perfectly into how she was able to bring Adora’s arc to completion and get Adora to think of a future and what she wants instead of resigning herself to dying for others. And it was Adora never giving up on Catra that made it so that Catra can start moving forward from her abuse and fear of abandonment. The final decision where Catra tells Adora she won’t leave no matter what happens and Adora accepts her decision is what completed both characters' arcs.

The perfect summation of their relationship is their arc words and how they evolve. Their main arc word is “promise”. This has been echoed season after season with none of the previous ones being entirely kept. This season is different. The promises that Adora and Catra make are kept until the end. Their other arc words evolve from “come with me” to “stay with me” in this season. On the surface level they seem to have similar meanings but in the context of Adora and Catra’s relationship they have completely different meanings. “Come with me” is reminiscent of someone leaving, like Adora does in the beginning, because they aren’t happy with where they are and they have to move forward and they want someone to follow. This is what triggers the fractures in their relationship. Adora leaves and chooses something else over staying with Catra which is Catra’s biggest fear and causes her resentment towards Adora for breaking the promise to always be together. Catra isn’t at the point where she can follow Adora. She is too hurt emotionally and right then unable to move past her abuse. With the words changing to “stay with me” this season it’s about keeping someone from leaving rather than having someone leave with you. Catra has finally gotten to a point where she has finally come with Adora. She has opened up to others and started to move forward in spite of the abuse inflicted on her. She is “with” Adora. They are in the same place and Adora wants to sacrifice it and leave because she feels she has to, not because she wants to. So when Catra says “stay with me” she means don’t give up, don’t give in to the destiny thrown at you, keep fighting to the end with me. So the arc words come full circle as well. Catra’s greatest fear is being left so until that point she left people first and now she is holding on and fighting for the connections. It’s a great bookend to her arc. And Adora accepting Catra’s decision to stay marks the completion of her arc as well. Adora finally lets someone help her through to the end. Both these characters have come so far and I’m just happy that they got happy endings.

I really liked how they sort of inverted the typical heroic character arc with Adora this season. In a traditional hero arc the hero starts out selfish and then becomes selfless. Adora however has been selfless since the beginning. To the point of it being her fatal flaw. Adora has always sacrificed her happiness and well being for others and in this season she learns the limits to this self harming sort of selflessness. She’s always believed that to have worth she had to help others and solve all their problems even at cost to herself. This season she learns that it isn’t selfish to want a future, to not want to die saving everyone and how that can be a strength. That if you have something you want to live for it will help you power through in times where Hope seems lost.  “You’re worth more than what you can give to other people” It was a touching message that I was happy was given so much emphasis.

Adora’s arc is so well done. I really love how deep of a dive they decided to take into her character and trauma. Up until this season everyone seemed able to brush aside how deeply Adora’s abuse effected her and how her experiences in the show have just reinforced the toxic thought process that she is the most disposable person in every room and that she needs to be needed or no one will want her around. And how easily these traits can be misconstrued as heroic or overbearing by those around her rather than the mental scars that they are. I loved how it was all displayed and confronted. It was a very emotional journey and I wasn’t really expecting it when I went into the season, but I was really happy to be surprised by it. Mental abuse is frequently thought of as lesser and not as damaging, but this show took the time to show how horrible and pervasive the effects of mental abuse can be. Adora is a good person that has been hurt and screwed over by shadow weaver and led to believe that her life is meaningless unless given in service to a greater cause. This is a damaging mindset and one that is romanticized frequently in media, so I was really glad that it got addressed this season and that they came to such a satisfying conclusion. It’s okay to want to live, it’s okay to want a future, it’s okay to want to be happy, and that it’s these desires that give Adora the strength to power through and save everyone in the end.

Now onto the things I didn’t really like. There aren’t many. For one I felt like there was a bit more mood whiplash in this season than the last two. It didn’t bother me that often, but I thought it was strange how soon after the emotionally charged episodes of “save the cat” and “taking control” there was a mostly comedic one with “perils or peekablue” which pulled me out of the events of that episode until the end where Scorpio sacrificed herself. And how right after “Corridors”, another highly emotional episode, there was “stranded” which while not at all a bad episode didn’t have even close to the emotional weight of the previous one and was significantly more lighthearted. I just wish the tone was balanced a bit better in the comedic episodes.

Horde prime, while intimidating, wasn’t as compelling a villain to me as Catra, Shadow weaver, or Hordak. I will be rewatching the season so my opinion may change. During my first watch through I was mainly focusing on Adora, Catra, and Glimmer, so this time I’ll try and take in everything else.

 I want to make it clear that I don’t think shadow weaver was redeemed in her final act. Even then she put emphasis on the importance of destroying the heart to free the magic rather than on Catra and Adora’s survival. I’m not entirely sure what they were going for with her sacrifice, but I was at the very least glad that both Catra and Adora stood up to shadow weaver in this season in ways they had failed to do previously. Catra made it clear that she didn’t care about shadow weaver and her opinion and that it was Adora she cared about and Adora made it clear that Catra wasn’t a distraction or any of the things shadow weaver says about her. I’m not really a fan of her saying she was proud of Catra in the end because it felt really hollow. Shadow weaver wasn’t a good person at all and both Catra and Adora deserved much better than her.

I was overall a big fan of this season. I found it to be a much better ending than many of the cartoons I’ve seen recently and I will definitely rewatch it in the future. I really like the character writing present in she-ra. Catra, Adora, and Glimmer are some of the best written characters in recent memory. 

Addendum: I loved She-ra’s redesign! The animation and music in this season were superb. I just want to thank Noelle and everyone who worked on this show for all the hard work and love they put into this work.