#motherstone meta

[motherstone]

Silas's true colors

Ok, y'see @chi-the-idiot and I have been losing our minds when we combined our observations about Silas, and I thought it's developed enough to be a meta post about him and his actual character.

He's not a good person. He's not even a "flawed" misunderstood type - nope, just straight up someone who genuinely doesn't have the wellbeing of others in mind.

Main Points

Silas has always been suspicious since Book 1

Leon has a miscommunication with Emily about Silas’s intentions.

He assumed that Silas passed away too soon to tell Emily his noble goals. Thing is, if that was truly Silas’s intention, he would’ve prioritized saying that on his deathbed, especially when he’s fully aware he’s going to bite the dust soon.

Except he didn’t.

From the get go, Silas first attempt to hook Emily into claiming the Amulet is that it grants power and authority - not the ability to help other people.

Indeed, Silas’s last laments weren’t even about his failure to help the Resistance, but rather his failure to achieve great power. When Emily makes it clear that she’s not interested in it, Silas makes a point to switch tactics, and this time properly nails Emily’s actual desire - an ability to return to a time she’s happier.

And then, proceeds to give the worst possible advice to Emily about stonekeeping - listening to the stone (Which we already know, it’s a horrible idea). And to add insult to injury, he wistfully wishes that he at the very least could partake in the Amulet’s blessings would apparently gift Emily with, but alas, the bell tolls.

What’s even more sinister is Silas’s last words to Emily’s valid question of “why me?” 

Silas already knows Emily won’t be able to reject the stone to begin with. It’s not a stretch that he manufactured or at the very least allowed the events to happen that would lead to such a situation.

From start to finish, this was a sales pitch. A trap. And Emily has so very little choice but to take the bait - all hook, line, and sinker.

2. Miskit’s design and potential purpose (All Chi's notes)

Chi brought it up to me about her suspicions about Miskit’s design.

Miskit’s design looks like a plushie - he’s small, cute, all round features unlike the harder edges of bots like Cogsley or Theodore.

For one, it’s quite unique and unusual, even among bots seen in the series. But especially when compared to the rest of the Charnon bots:

Put Miskit there and he sticks out like a sore thumb.

Oh, and also, he’s Silas’s apprentice and has all his knowledge stored in his memory banks. Which is. A very weird design choice. You’d think an adult like Silas would design a bot that matches him more - but Miskit looks out of place when put beside Silas.

Unless, Miskit wasn’t built for Silas’s sake.

But rather, for his successor, Chi noted. A child successor.

Miskit, standing next to Emily, looks like a perfect match. He was built to be her companion from the get go. Silas was never going to choose his son or Karen for the stone - he had the intention of an adult succeeding him to begin with. Miskit’s design, in context of the story, is meant to emotionally manipulate the successor, because Silas wanted someone malleable, someone who is yet to grow into their place and their sense of self, and who is more perfect for such a role than a child?

3. The Charnon bots and their reliance on Silas's stone.

I want you to take note of some things:

Emily’s stone fizzled out the same time Silas died, meaning his life force is connected to it.

2. Pink energy glows and crackles in the bots' eyes.

It goes unstated, but it’s clear that Silas uses his stone to power the house AND the bots. The lights and bots going out isn’t for dramatic effect nor the stone shutting down - it’s Silas’s will over the magic spell that keeps them up running fizzling out at the same time as his life does.

Signature pink energy crackling as they're restored back to life - they're powered by their very creator, and currently, their new master.

The house lives as long the stone does. It’s why Miskit is so panicked when Silas dies and is frantic on begging Emily to accept the stone - aside from being saddled with a massive duty out of nowhere, their lives quite literally depend on it. Sure enough, when Emily accepts the stone, they all come back to life. I’d bet my entire shoe collection (which comprises three shoes) that had Emily rejected the stone, they, along the house, would remain stone dead.

Sounds reasonable enough that Silas would use his stone to power them - it is a power source after all.

But the thing is - he doesn’t need to do it.

We don’t get further context later, but then we get to see other bots in the series and -

They all operate independently of a stonekeeper providing them power to function. We get that confirmation as early as book 2.

Meaning Silas built in the bots' dependence on him from their inception - they’re quite literally chained to Silas by life. It’s true that they’re loyal to him by choice, but that’s all the more convenient for Silas, as he makes it quite clear that he has no intention of letting them go if they wish to - either they serve him, or die.

In other words - SILAS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TERRIBLE PERSON. I don’t know what the fuck Kazu was thinking trying to retcon him as a flawed hero, but it’s obvious he was never a good guy to begin with. He’s a power hungry, control freak who’s a slave to his desires - there’s not an ounce of decency nor noble intentions in this man.

[motherstone]

Emily outfit redesigns

One for when she was 12, starting out as a stonekeeper, one when she's 14-16, a bit later down the line.

Notes:

I have been trying to give Emily a redesign throughout the years, and it was difficult finding out which one worked. On one hand, her kazu design is recognizable but unfortunately every other character is a copy pasted version of that, which doesn't really help her stand out or say anything about her.

I also tried color variations, like giving her a green shirt to complement the hair (and also a ref to videogame heroes like Link), but it honestly doesn't suit her. So i decided to re-stick the basics.

I recall Nausicaa as an inspiration to Emily, so the first drawing is built around that. Her hair is longer there, and nothing about her outfit is "combative" per se, everything is cloth and easy to move around, as she hasn't built a preference to what is best to wear in a fight. She uses a walking stick.

The second one is based on an abandoned manuscript for book 5. Kazu actually planned a shorter haircut and new outfit for Emily (at least on text, not on drawing), so I decided to get a bit more creative. She has darker colors this time around, which symbolizes her going on a darker path bc of her experiences (thnx Max). She also wears armor this time around, as she's a stonekeeper built for offensive magic. I also thought it'd be interesting if I were to give her a sword this time, to show she's more willing to commit serious violence vs her initial rejection of it in book 2, leading her to make more aggressive and lethal attacks.

I also think it'd be a nice foil to Trellis's outfit in this case: Emily starts with light-colored soft clothes, Trellis in dark armor, and then they gradually invert as they go on their journey in life.

Also, I had to look up some ref on how 12 year olds and 15 year olds are, and it's an odd combination of 'wow that's really young' and 'HUH they actually look way older and taller than I assumed in my head', so there's that!

Idk if my 2nd design of her will stick in future art. On one hand, I actually REALLY like it. On the other hand, rather difficult to render. May need to actually create a reference and draw her often that way.

I may or may make redesigns for other characters in the future.

[motherstone]

Any thoughts on Ikol? He’s a bit confusing to me

*grasps your shoulder* I don't get Him either.

Controversial thoughts below:

The Voice is unnecessary as a character.

Unpopular af opinion I know. The Voice was a charismatic character and pretty much the lynchpin on why Emily came to Alledia but listen. He's a tumor on the story. There can be another alternative that could push her to go to Alledia. If he was done well then maybe yes he could've been the horror and mystery factor the story had but no. More often than not he's pretty much the default reason why characters get absolved of their actions bc "wah they were influenced by the Voice that's why he was pushed to transform into a giant" wenk wenk that's kinda boring I say. Where's the agency. He's basically just a really loud conscience/impulsive or intrusive thought turned into an entity. People already do that themselves. Like the entire premise is already terrifying enough on its own. Idk. Maybe it's bc I'm already viewing it as an already older person lens that I can't seem to incorporate the more lighthearted part of the kid's fantasy but seriously. A dark entity can make things interesting I guess but ngl people can already be horrible people on their own. No dark spirit required. It's already about war and tyranny. It's already about putting power and responsibilities and blame on already fragile shoulders. It's about adults who failed children. Wouldn't be more interesting if they focused on characters with autonomy who fucked up and then explores on how those mistakes affect everyone else.

Agh fuck I know the story is also trying to discuss abt fate and choices and whether or not a person has the freedom to make those choices and actions and it's about defiance against that helplessness, but my main complaint about the characters is that they have zero fucking agency. They don't push the plot at all. The plot just happens. It's so ironic for a series that's supposed to be a celebration of that defiance have a protagonist that is only is what she is and does things she does because she feels like she has to be and has its entire plot crumble in on itself by characters that are treated not as characters but just paper maches. What then.

[motherstone]

If you have time I'd love to hear the lore for the new set of art they're down right gorgeous

Hnnhhnn rn they are vibes, but the angle I was going for that set was actually Trellis officially becoming and recognized as a healer!! He's a King at that point, and while being crowned also involves baptism, but it doesn't take place there. It takes place in Stengard, and has way more people in the procession. Here, it takes place somewhere far east in Gulfen (west is more desert, east has a bit more greenery), and he only took a small batch of guards (Trellis hasn't recruited his own Kingsguard at that period).

The outfit he's been wearing (and in the 15th Anniversary) is a healer/shaman's robe (based on Kazu's unused manuscript for book 5). His royal outfit is a bit more different. The belt is a ceremonial version of the healer's chatelaine, it's typically where the healer hangs their stuff they use frequently like say, scissors and capsules.

The one baptising him is an elven religious elder. Of what, Idk yet. I haven't built much thought abt his lore atp, but healers are very rare in Alledia, but he can officiate the ceremony. You swear the creed in the lake of healing, get baptised (the bowl is mixed w the lake's water and other stuff), then wash away again under one of its smaller falls.

[sosobol]

Gods thank you! I just started the series (I am on book 7) and, althought I like the idea, some of the things were bottering me, Luger and Trellis is one of them. There was so much potential in the mess that is their relationship, but it is just gloss over.

Like, if we are going to go with the sibiling thing, what if, post memory whip, Luger and Trellis still cared for each other, but living in such a violent inviroment that Luger was convinced that the only way to protect Trellis was to "toughn him up", the beat down he gave the boy in book 2 (I think) seen to support that.

Not to say "oh he has 🌟trauma🌟 so it not his fault UwU". No. I want him to question why Trellis helped him (like in the book), I alwant him, like you said, start seen Trellis as a kid, see how Karen trys to protect her kids (and maybe even be called out by Karen) and all of this amount to the realization of "I was not protecting him from the elf king, I was just helping he hurt him".

What do you think the relationship between Trellis and Luger is or should be like in Amulet? Would they try to talk about what happened in the past? Would they try to make amends? How would they interact throughout the series if you were writing it?

Answer under the cut:

Ok, but like, the plot twist of Luger being Trellis’s brother whatnot kinda annoyed me - it does sorta cheapened Trellis’s act of compassion because it more or less kinda imply “oh! He helped him because deep down he knew Luger is his brother! Love perseveres even through amnesia!! :):)” which. I guess if executed properly would’ve felt compelling but that came out of his ass without any foreshadowing and even then the REVEAL itself was absolutely botched (GOD even now it still makes my eye twitch Emily was able to deduce the father Gabilan was talking about was the fucking ELF KING despite NO dialogue leading up to that). Even then, it could be rectified if Kazu bothered to show that their brother relationship was super strong and close in the past but. He didn’t. So it felt flatter than Reno’s pecs.

Therefore I propose: They’re unrelated, but develop a sibling relationship. (I’m a sucker for found family sue me)

Ok, I know that’s a pretty damn tall thing for these two to do because uh, Luger treated Trellis like shit and beat him within an inch of his life because he thought so lowly of him. So uh. There’s def a lot of trauma on Trellis’s part regardless of his willingness to care for Luger. He’d forgive him, but he definitely won’t feel safe around him, or trust him with his personal problems for sure. I don’t like the idea of Luger having to undergo more suffering or pain to redeem himself or prove that he is worthy of Trellis’s care and love (what is this, Catholicism?? Hell nah) BUT I do believe in accountability, and I think this adopted sibling relationship could work if Luger is willing to work for it (and it does appear he does), gets over his guilt and prejudice (because those things don’t disappear offscreen just because he got transformed, Kazu), and prove and reassure over and over that he is willing to change and has changed to be a person Trellis could trust and rely upon. Another name to add to the very short list that care about him.

I do think Trellis will be the type of person to give others a chance! Yeah, he’s not the demonstrative type, but you get a lot of subtext of his character through his actions (in a show not tell kind of way unlike how Kazu does the Hayes siblings :( sad), and from what we can see, he is a really forgiving guy. Perhaps a bit too much. I think he’d crave Luger’s presence as well in a way, because he’s the only one other elf in the group (until Riva), nobody else is really gonna understand how isolating it feels, not to mention, he is also a former stonekeeper.

I would also like to touch upon that it eventually dawns on Luger that Trellis is still ultimately a kid. Being in war and in Trellis’s constant serious presence desensitized Luger to Trellis’s very situation, until it blindsides him when they’re distanced from Gulfen and most of the fighting that Trellis occasionally acts like his age and then Luger realizes and then he is horrified because. This is a kid. A kid. Trellis is young, and he had to undergo unspeakable horrors that would’ve destroyed a normal person, and he contributed to his trauma. So, this awakens something deep into Luger, something he buried and forgotten a long time ago, a memory of a more honorable man and quietly swears to himself to take care of Trellis. Because like hell is he gonna allow that no one would.

[motherstone]

OHOHO HMMM... HMMM IM HAVING THOUGHTS.

Ok I read this post and uh it intrigued me so much and it actually made me want to revise some fic ideas.

Look, I don't typically like Chosen One tropes. It reduces agency of the character and if done wrong, can be pretty lazy writing. I can accept how juicy it is sometimes if it's written like. Really, really well. Or if it ends in tragedy.

Mostly I dislike it because it forces a character into a situation because of the Specialness of Who They Are. Not because it's their choice nor at their own ability nor at their inherent goodness or whatnot. And tbh plotlines like that all I could think in my head would inevitably end in tragedy because forcing a character into a path that isn't their choice would not provide them the conviction to actually pull through it.

But that's just me. There's a lot of factors on why or why something befalls a character but that's my opinion and tbh explaining that sort of stuff requires a lot of discussion I don't have the brainpower nor knowledge to do yet.

Like, Emily and Trellis are very much characters who are Chosen Ones. Like book 6 implies on it but book 7-8 kind of? Kinda not? Dropped it.

THE INTERESTING PART ABOUT IT... Is that instead of Trellis embodying the Divine Right of Kings trope... Instead of turning him into an Utmost Specialest Boy... He actually suffers for it?

Ok but like I wanna talk about Emily first. In contrast to Emily, her connection to her grandfather results in her gaining allies and significant power and attention from both friends and enemies alike. Hell, Leon explicitly states she's special because of her blood. But at the same time she also gets unwanted responsibility (which Leon also points the tragedy of). Like we get a repeated reminder that Emily isn't doing this because she wants to. It's because she feels like she has no choice.

And to be honest at first, that is frustrating to me! Emily is barely given moments to be a heroic character, and is even rarer that she does those things by choice. It makes her difficult to root for because she lacks so much agency in her own plot bc of poor writing decisions.

But to be honest, I think that's why book 7 is so compelling to me, introduction of the alien bullcrap aside, is because of how tragic it is? Like that's the culmination of Emily's sorrow and anger at her helplessness from the very prologue of the series and revisitng it again, and in a subversion of her prior lack of agency, Emily was for the first time, is actually active in making choices. And those very choices led to her falling.

And that's amazing! That's fucking tragic! Because Emily despite being surrounded by people is very much a lonely person. She's honestly emotionally neglected. And that makes Supernova so goddamn frustrating because that shit came out of nowhere! She's been having issues for 7 straight books and gets resolved in one?? What!! And even then she's still doing I don't really have a choice but not really, because now I'm taking things to me own hands shtick like wwhaat... Kazu fucking commit to the tragedy pls.

Now on to Trellis. To be honest, Divine Right of Kings trope pisses me off full stop. It just plain fucking sucks. But here I think is where Trellis diverges from Zuko (who very much had power bc of his status, and also the terrible things happening to him isn't bc he's the prince nor is he bc of his blood connection to his father. It's usually due to his own poor choices or schemes of other people. And also his and aang's destiny/prophecy is just real done in general).

Trellis is compelling because instead of gaining great treatment because of it... The narrative actually seems to punish him for it.

And it makes us root for him, because it's well. It is reasonable on a surface level, people were hurt because of his father, but also unreasonable because it's not like he chose his dad. If anything, I don't think most characters In-Universe (except for the incredibly select few) expect him to do good things nor just being great in general. They probably wouldn't be surprised if he fell or if he backstabs everyone or just be pathetic in general. If anything the narrative does show instances that would compel him to do unethical choices.

So unlike Emily, who is expected to do great things, Trellis gets the odds and words stacked against him, and this in turn gives a good reason to have agency to actively work against those obstacles. Yes, he is cliche. Yes, we have kinda have the notion that his arc is gonna be similar to Zuko's but more knock-off. But at least it's there and it works. It's compelling. We root for him. Unlike Emily whose needed to be described but not exhibited, we can actually see Trellis's better nature in his actions and his words. It's not explicit. It's just shown.

Now, it kinda makes me wanna make a fic where Trellis actually rises and succeeds? Like, the narrative punished him enough. It kinda makes me regret making the Broken comic, but at the same time it doesn't (bc that's not the end of Trellis's journey in my head that was just the crux of it, so many chances for Trellis to redeem and rise up again)

Anyways I forgot what I was suppose to say as conclusion. But I think you guys got my point.

tl;dr: Emily feels compelling as a tragedy bc of her lack of agency, Trellis feels compelling as a Rising hero bc of his agency against his obstacles.

[motherstone]

Luger confronting Trellis

Ok, book 2 overall is actually the best written book in the series in my opinion because of how well rounded it was. It did a lot of things well: better pacing, balanced narratives that all serve a purpose (Emily properly starting her jounery as a stonekeeper, Navin having his own separate but integrated subplot, and even Trellis speedrun Heel-Face turn), actual character development, scary and effective villain, and not to mention, the elements introduced at the start of book 2 has actual payoff in the climax (which I guess is to be expected, because Kazu based it on ESB). (Although book 5 was a very good book in itself, it also has serious plotholes and pacing issues)

But I'm not just here to hark praise about it, I actually wanna talk about Luger's beatdown of Trellis because, really, you should have expected it

For one, the confrontation was bone-chilling. Luger wasn't fooled by Trellis for one second, using a particularly scary assimile.

Luger is in such absolute control of the situation and loyalty of the soldiers that Trellis's rank means nothing in this. The fact both guards acted wordlessly and quickly meant they always planned this behind his back and were willing to do it. Kinda saddening to know Trellis has no one at his side. Luger isn't above beating him senseless either, and despite Trellis's pleas, his next words were brutal.

Ouch.

Luger is not so subtly telling that Trellis is the problem — the one with the inherent flaw. Tbh, it would have been fun if there was a call-back to these words, that Trellis internalized it somehow.

What is most particularly chilling is how Luger knows what he's doing is cruel, barely cares about it, and is also utterly convinced that what he's doing is the correct thing to do. That he himself is the answer. And that Trellis would thank him for it. Ugh, narcissism and ruthlessness rolled into one.

Also, I don't think you guys noticed, but by the 4th panel, Luger had actually already struck Trellis. It was kinda implied that he did it multiple times (althlugh, kinda weird on how Luger was able to injure Trellis in full stonepower nullifying armor? Maybe he is just that powerful. Or maybe he hit him on the head).

Apparently, the pain was so bad, Trellis could barely move or talk. On the official pain scale of 1-10, that's around 9-10. So yeah. He's probably in absolute agony in this scene.

Luger departs a final "kindness" by giving such twisted words of advice, that if taken in any other context, might actually sound reasonable. And then he leaves him incapacitated in an isolated, dangerous area. Wow, you might actually think he's leaving him for dead? Hahahahaahah

tl;dr: THIS SCENE WAS BRUTAL AS HELL

[motherstone]

Comic breakdown (symbolisms and stuff)

Keeping it under a readmore as not to take it up, because uh, this is pretty long

The very first panel lands smack dab in the middle of the conflict – Emily and Trellis being cornered and being on the very precipice of a cliff and their survival. The barrier being in the middle shows the two threats that traps them – a humongous monster, and the void below.

From the get go, it gets established that the barrier serves as the actual panels except for a select scenes where we can see very close up shots of the characters. It serves as an active part of the story as a character itself, even showing cracks (which will be important later).

The very first panel lands smack dab in the middle of the conflict – Emily and Trellis being cornered and being on the very precipice of a cliff and their survival. The barrier being in the middle shows the two threats that traps them – a humongous monster, and the void below.

From the get go, it gets established that the barrier serves as the actual panels except for a select scenes where we can see very close up shots of the characters. It serves as an active part of the story as a character itself, even showing cracks (which will be important later).

The audience may get a clear shot of their reactions, but you gotta remember – neither of them can’t. They have no idea the other is also on the edge of despair, although we go more in depth with Trellis.

The black, white, and red coloring all serve to appear jarring and harsh to the viewer -which is how Trellis views those memories. The first is when the Elf King scars him, the second is after Luger incapacitates him in book 2, and the last is when the Voice taunts him after Emily transforms – all of these memories reminding Trellis of his weakness and failures – and if you zoomed in, it’s actually typed into the background over and over, a subtle yet unrelenting constant reminder.

This then also contrasts with the 4th memory, that, despite being on the background, is vivid and in full color – it’s the act that Trellis regrets and feels guilty of the most and haunts him greatly.

Which leads to this:

Trellis arms droop, and his hands tremble. He’s in the dark and the barrier has also but disappeared (I kinda headcanon he sees that mastering it makes him feel more safe and secure in his control), which represents his state of mind, vulnerable, scared, and insecure.

Which also represents by the black, desaturated colors in the panel he is in, while Emily is colorful in the light – which is how he view each other.

Once again, they juxtapose one another – we are looking at Trellis downwards – emphasized with the flow of the energies behind him, we can’t see his face, his eyes in the shadows, and it looks like he’s CONTAINED. While we are looking at Emily upwards – also emphasized by the flow of energies, and we can see her illuminating her own light despite not activating her amulet, and she overlaps the panels above her, appearing she is not contained.

The memories panels have bluish coloring and blends well with the other colors of the scene, showing these memories are not remembered as bad, or even fondly – it also serves as the memories that they share with one another and what connects them both. It contains scenes of Emily rescuing Trellis from book 3, them confronting the shadows in book 5 (not the hug scene alas else it’ll be repetitive, I intended the last panel to be that), and the last is book 8 in my head – Trellis gets Emily back. In fact, the look like glowing a bit.

The texts are also in single line in comparison to the rant-like depiction in the previous page. It symbolizes on how their friendships solidified over time – until it becomes unbreakable in the last panel.

Also, Trellis’s question aligns with the last panel - this is intentional, because it shows his question is already answered.

Remember me saying the barrier being important as a character earlier on?? Yeah, well know we can see it break as the tentacles crushes it in its grip.

God, I keep making contradictions, don’t I?? Once again, their roles are reverse – Trellis is now looking upwards, while Emily is looking downwards. Also I uhhhh hard to explain but the blood flowing downwards is contrasted with Emily’s tears floating upwards -somethin something having a bit of the other…

Also, where Emily in the previous page realizes Trellis is just as scared as she was, this is when Trellis realizes vice versa.

Ok, ngl, I’m patting myself on the back for this one because the teardrop of sheer sadness transforming into a barrier that would be the hope that may or may not save them – tbh, I’m kinda surprised how I came up w that one.

Which leads to the ending!! Trellis’s dialogue at the bottom is seen last, almost like a quiet plea. We can see the barrier is not fully solid.

But, the next panel gives us hope. Because despite the large wave of destruction, it does imply Trellis managed to get his barrier strong enough to cause a large impact. Whether he survived the strain of using his powers for such an incredibly taxing feat – is up to you.

[motherstone]

About potential character arcs of Riva and Aly (ramblings)

You know, despite Amulet being mostly cliche, I still think its a world and story that could have a lot of potential to produce intriguing narratives and discussions. Tbh, one of the things that endeared me into it when I was young is that it doesn't really hesitate to submerge the young reader into dark themes and disconcerting topics (although back then Kazu did give a crap to do it properly, nowadays was just....bleugh).

If you think it might make you uncomfortable, then don't read beyond this point:

I think it'd be intriguing if Cielis and its stonekeepers wasn't a benevolent institution to begin with. They're more of a colonizing state and its stonekeepers are its enforcers under the guise of order, expansion, and development.

Another thing is that the books that has Cielis as its focus shows that its population is homogeneous — there's technically no elf or animal curse in sight. Then book 6 comes along and you read that Cielans long ago cut off from its outer rim along with their "outsiders", which involves people who look like Riva (albeit she was too young, or perhaps even unborn when it happened, which says a lot, because it's also implied that elves live long here! The secession happened a very long time ago). And it's not subtext either! There's like, a huge disparity to how the rest of Alledia views Cielis vs. Lucien, which is a city literally formed by people who were casted out — undesirables as they were.

And it's exactly that fertile ground that a conflict between Riva and Aly could be born. Like, you have this girl who was born to a city isolated from the rest of Alledia, the existence of other people are likely based no further than books and records of ages past, and you have this young teen born to a city of outcasts, the existence of a floating wonder that left them all behind to the mercy of the war. Like. That's so loaded. That's so freaking loaded.

Like polarizing views come head to head to one another, Aly naive and ignorant of Cielis and its abhorrent acts, defending its honor and insistence their good will, and there's Riva, who is typically kind, can't help but be scathing because this girl was a stranger to survival, conflict, and war, that all she says is nothing short of condescending.

And how would the rest of the kiddos act? What would Navin and Emily say and do? If they should even say anything? Neither of them are born to Alledia, and they never grew up and dug their roots into it — they have no right to say because they experienced neither firsthand, they have no personal stake or connection to it. Trellis could probably understand Riva to some degree — they're both part of the Elven diaspora. They have a loyalty to their people, sure, but those same people who look like them are the ones who rejected and abandoned their own people, and now they're stuck in a country that actively hates them.

Like... The potential...

[motherstone]

Headcanons about Riva's braids!

I've always been pretty interested in her hairstyle... So i made a couple of headcanons abt it!

Typically hairstyles can tell a lot abt a person (status, wealth, religion, etc...)

In this case, it shows how experienced an elf is!

The length of the braid and the amount+color of beads depends on the elf's milestones and accomplishments

Meaning they keep it at a length until something noteworthy happens to them, to which they'll allow to grow for an inch or so and maintain that new length until the next noteworthy thing happens

Typically, it's done via a ceremony by elders

The braids framing the face is a culture practice exclusive to the Ash family (particularly the members who are direct descendants)

The ones who got married in have their own style of braid!

Also ties the braid with a bead of their own creation to make it official ;)

It is an old important tradition that is passed from parent to child! :D

[motherstone]

Character study!

I wanted to practice how I draw them, while also trying to explore and diversify their designs (since... Most of them has the same face and all)

Notes:

Emily: gives the impression of round and poofy. Her eyes are large to easier express her emotions and they're almond-shaped, but thei positioning is kind of flat*

*the first six characters' eyes are drawn in such a way that their position are either flat (Emily, Trellis, Max) to show that they're pretty serious/jaded or angled to make them somewhat more jovial (Aly, Riva, Navin)

Trellis: narrow eyes (so one would get the impression that he's smart, but also suspicious and secretive, alluding to his ambiguity in the earlier books) all in all having straighter lines to make him "lifeless" in comparison to the others

*his hair is neat, except for a strand that falls out of place, to impress that he's not as stiff or aloof as he looks

Navin: he looks a lot like Emily, same jaw and eye and all, but his hair is thicker and livelier. I want him to look friendlier to contrast with the other two much more serious main characters

Aly: her hair was honestly a pain to draw. I drew her with small eyebrows for some variety, and her eyes is narrower in comparison to Navin's, and her jaw rounder than Trellis's.

Riva: I modified her jacket to look more appropriate for the weather, and her face is a mash between round and sharp (to contrast Emily and Trellis). The upper line on her eyes are thicker and her pupils a bit larger and less of slits, to make her seem friendlier (she also has short ears, to reference her having a bit of subpar hearing since she misheard the prophecy in book 6 and all)

Max: Max is an interesting character since he serves as a foil to Emily and Trellis, so I wanted to express that in his design. His eyes have the same shape as Trellis's to show that he's an intellectual, but large and intense like Emily's because both are driven by emotions. He also has the harshest angles.

Vigo: in two words: blocky and floofy. Vigo's eyes are squarish to show he's grounded and wise. I wanted him to give off a firm impression.

Leon: I just wanna see what he looks like with realistic fox characteristics. He's hard to draw, be it Kazu-like or otherwise.

Karen: to show that she's actually related to her kids, I made her look pretty similar to Emily: they have the same style of hair that frames their face and same eyes and positioning (I consider Karen to be the more cynical one of her and David — Navin takes more after his dad). Basically, she's Emily if her face is elongated

Gabilan: an absolute nightmare to draw without making him look all wonky. His mask is a pain. There's honestly no technique to make drawing him easier

Luger: I want to show that he's related to Trellis, so I made some of their attributes the same: both have long jaws, straight hair, and narrow eyes. I wish I could've drawn his nose and mouth better though.

Elf King: to make him feel as unnerving as possible, he has a very monochromatic color scheme. Basically, he looks like divinity, but feels very "off".

[motherstone]

One of the things in Amulet that I wish had happened the most is that Kazu hadn't dropped the ball on the found family aspect the crew of the lunar moth is a ragtag group of misfits and they should be one big weird family, half the time I can't tell if they even like each other though and I will always be sad about that

I understand the feeling. Found Family is one of my most favorite tropes but despite Kazu kept teasing and emphasizing the notion of family, it ultimately never really happened. Despite Book 1 establishing the Charnon House crew being a new family and the Luna Moth crew being an additional extension, Book 7 disses on all that when Emily instructs Trellis to find her family - Karen and Navin only respectively. Most of the company is so severely underdeveloped, you can’t even assign a mom or a dad friend or the weird uncle. No one is shown to be explicitly close to one another nor have any sort of interesting dynamic one another, and even the ones that did was never touched upon again - and most of those came from Navin. Navin and Cogsley, Enzo, and Luger - all these had an interesting relationship that could’ve been so touching, and it’s exactly why I think Kazu separating Navin from the rest in book 6 was a mistake, not when he executed it so badly. It would’ve been wonderful for Navin to eventually develop on his own independent of others, particularly in his relation to Emily but Navin was just so passive in his own arc. He became an object the events happens around upon, but ultimately has no longlasting nor significant impact on the plot.

EVERYTHING SUCKS

[motherstone]

Do you think the eyes of Kazu's elves are more reminiscent of cat eyes or gecko eyes?

as long as they can both have big eyes is good enough for me ok!!

[motherstone]

Sadly, Emily hurting Trellis in Firelight... Is her fault (is this a discourse? It's not, not really, but I wanna talk)

Emily as a "heroic" character sounds... Inaccurate, to me.

Source: @leximohneyofficial on IG

Ok There's the indisputable fact that she harmed Trellis, which one may argue would be unintentional or manipulated by the Voice, but based on the chart above... That may not actually be the case.

So how does it flow? Let's work it out.

Was your character in an altered state of consciousness, and would not have done so otherwise?

No. Emily is not possessed by a shadow nor has she undertaken any substance that can alter her behavior. She hasn't even transformed yet.

Did your character act with the intent to harm anyone in anyway?

Yes. She attacked Trellis when he tried to stop her. She also attempted to attack the man who accidentally killed her father. Neither of which she appears to genuinely regret.

Was your character acting defensively or protectively?

No. She attacked Trellis when he tried to stop and warn her yet poses no threat. The same goes for the man.

Ironically... If we ARE going to solidly follow Kazu Kibuishi's canon that Trellis was possessed during the events of book 1... It absolves him of all responsibility (which I believe is a really awful writing move but eh I'll just change it in my head :/)

There's also the fact that she didn't spare Gabilan... No, not at all. For one, Emily doesn't know he had a flying steed. She's aware he's not a stonekeeper (and even if he was Emily would know that flight is impossible at that point), he doesn't have gadgets that could help him fly, else he would've used it in the fight. And another, she still threw him off the floating island. That was definitely done with the intent to kill. What a fun kid!

Aaah she may be justified, maybe not. But that doesn't make her any less disturbing of a ruthless protagonist! :D

[motherstone]

opinions on luger 🤨

Incredibly under appreciated and terribly under utilized..,,, Kazu Kibuishi Luger spin off when

Honestly, I think he should've been explored more. Like, explain and explore his motivations why he's a villain and how the heck he got here now. He has a lot of potential, of which I'd be delighted to explore. He's also pretty strong and gives a lasting impression because oof in comparison to Trellis (who, altho, did most of his plan alone, got his ass kicked immediately and frankly was pathetic) and Gabilan (whose intimidation is mitigated by a few humorous moments and the ability to be cordial towards some people, as well as more restrained and pragmatic), Luger is a straight up ruthless monster who recklessly destroys and kills things in his way. (if it weren't for Book 3 but that's prolly the Worf Effect. There's also the fact he got one-upped by Max in sheer scariness and competence didn't help his case)

Anyways I would never forgive Kazu for doing him so dirty like that,,

[motherstone]

ELF HEADCANONS YET AGAIN,, this time abt biology which I have zero understanding of

Elf ears are incredibly important of an elf's identity. It is, technically speaking, what all Elves consider that differentiates them the most from humans. It represents their dignity and sense of honor as an elf

So if it's cut, expect a LOT of ostracization.

The typical punishment for Elves with very heavy offenses is having both of their ears cut, the more severe the offense, the worse the mutilation will be

A nick

Well you did a couple of really messed up stuff. People would probably avoid you as much as possible, very scared of ya prolly

Half cut

WHOO ok people def hate or downright terrified of you because whatever the FUCK you did was pretty damn bad... You get ready living as a hermit because no ONE will bother interacting with you...

HMM... You're either getting lynched or on the trip to the gallows to serve as an example. Yea. Congratulations!! You've reached the nadir of Elven achievement

Symbolism of honor and dignity aside, having the ears cut, even a nick (esp if it's deep enough) will severe an Important nerve connected to the ears tips. Thing is, you know how the shape of our ears allow us to get a better sense the location of a sound source?? Hm. Well, elven ears take that to a whole new level, via those ear tips. So if you cut to a nick or fully cut it off, they'll lose depth perception

The thing is,,, those ear tips are VERY SENSITIVE... Esp to cold so everyone's scared of frostbite because it will Freeze and fall off... Not a fun experience so they make sure to wrap it up properly to avoid this via Special Hat that makes them look Stupid but it's still Stupidly Efficient

So don't touch it!! Touching it makes it feel all tingly and weird, altho it will flick like a cat's... They'd enjoy it a lot of you rub the ears tho, just don't touch that part thank you very much

Elves all have naturally sharp nails. The don't really cut it, since it's pretty darn tough, but more of filing and whittling it down. It's not super fun if they do the WooHoo while having it uncut though, so it became a part of their culture that if their nails are blunt then... Huehuehehue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Also, very long sharp nails is a sign of the elite and the privileged, since having them long is inconvenient if you're working, so the fact that they're long implies you're so well off you don't need it cut :(

Elves has a special membrane in their eyes that protects it against salt water but not at sand... Yes they are also outraged at this, wtf evolution

Elven bodies regulate body temperature better than humans, but most of them are for extreme heat, a few for extreme cold. They're are some Elves who still have their hibernating gene turned on so when needed they could also survive extreme cold

Their pupils can contract and dilate, so when they're hyped, it goes all round 😁 they can also see in the dark (altho, I think everyone already has that headcanon huh?)