#my bbs i love them so

[mappingthesky]

burning through you - part 3

it has occurred to me that i may need to title this work instead of a referring to it as a drabble for the rest of its life...i'll think on it! anyways, here's part 3!! thank you for reading :')

Day 3

Jane hadn’t slept very well. She should have been relishing in her win, and she did for a while, but some stubborn pang in her chest kept her from relaxing. There were a few minutes she genuinely thought she might be having a heart attack. The real problem, much to her surprise, was that she was not immune to having feelings.

Jane was feeling guilty. She had been eager to claim her rightful place on top, and even a tad intimidated, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d truly cheated Nymphia. It wasn’t unlike Jane to be so defensive. She had been wired that way for as long as she could remember. What bothered her was that she felt she’d defended herself at the wrong person’s extent. Nymphia, as much as Jane had wanted to deny it, was deserving of credit. She was gifted, and Jane saw in Nymphia the same reverence to her craft that she prided herself on. It didn’t help that Nymphia, as far as Jane could tell, was genuinely good-hearted. She wouldn’t have felt so bad if she thought Nymphia would strategize against her in the same way, but she didn’t think she would, and with that knowledge Jane couldn’t quite justify her actions from the night before.

And so Jane found herself hesitant to face Nymphia that morning. She was worried that Nymphia might have put it together in her head, especially after Jane’s unwarranted hostility towards her mere hours before their performances. Jane wasn’t one to shy away from confrontation, anyone could tell you that, but she found herself not having the heart to go down that path with Nymphia.

Jane was then surprised when Nymphia arrived for the day as her regular, sunshine-y self. She chattered on with the girls, complimenting them, making stupid jokes in silly voices. If she had felt spurned, she was either over it or much better at hiding it than Jane ever could be.

The whole room congratulated Jane once again, which was nice, even if some did so with a bit of spite. Nymphia’s congratulations, of course, was annoyingly genuine. This was becoming a recurring theme. She clapped for Jane, smiling a real smile, her eyes bright and glittery (as per fucking usual). Jane just nodded a silent thank you. She was still mostly happy to have won, as she should have been, and wouldn’t let anyone see the sliver of her that wasn’t completely satisfied. She was grateful for Nymphia’s niceties, and in return she’d decided to give the girl as much space from her as possible.

She’d caught Jane off guard when she approached her for the first time that morning, Nymphia appearing behind her and draping her arms over Jane’s shoulders.

“The winner!” she’d sing-songed, her face coming in right next to Jane’s. “Congratulations diva, it was well deserved.”

Jane’s hands flew up to Nymphia’s for some fucking stupid reason. She suddenly couldn’t remember what she was supposed to do with them. Jane blurted out some sort of thank you as smoothly as she could manage, which was not very, and spun around to face Nymphia. The girl was practically radiating light. Jane scrambled to find the words. 

She finally landed on “you were amazing.” She wasn’t sure if it sounded sincere enough, but she tried to make it so. “Really, it was great.”

It seemed to be more than enough for Nymphia, who clasped her hands under her chin and grinned at the compliment. 

“Thank you!” She drew out the last word, twisting her torso from side-to-side with excitement. There was a stupid smile on Jane’s face. “You really liked it?”

“Sure she did,” someone chimed in from across the room. Morphine. “This beast?” Morphine’s head tilted towards Jane, “liking anything we do?”

“No, no, no,” Jane started, “I did! I really did.” Nymphia laughed, much to Jane’s relief, and was swept up again by the banter of the room. Jane sneered at Morphine, who she momentarily hated for upstaging her attempt at sweetness. Megami muttered something about a death glare.

Jane tried hard to stay out of Nymphia’s way that day, she really did. She thought steering clear of Nymphia would be apology enough for her behavior the night before, not wanting to bring any more off-putting behavior between them than she was sure she already had. She was frustrated, however, at whatever weird gravitational pull kept bringing them together.

She found herself next to Nymphia in the line-up that morning. When Jane was handed that fucking immunity potion, Nymphia leaned her head jokingly on Jane’s shoulder. Jane wanted to flinch away, like she’d poison the girl somehow. She was somehow beside Nymphia when she was coming up with her design idea, which was so good that Jane had immediately resolved to hide her own. Of course, there was Nymphia again, floating around the table while Jane was sewing. Each time she came around, cooing and looking over Jane’s shoulder, Jane thought she’d stab herself with the needle. 

Day 4

When Nymphia settled in to paint at her station, Jane opted for a seat at the mirror - as far away as possible. She was still trying to do Nymphia the favor of staying far, far away. Jane busied herself by bantering with the other girls, and immediately felt a bit more like her usual self. 

But then Nymphia was there, chit-chatting with whoever was next to Jane. She would scurry away to the other side of the room, giving Jane a moment to fucking breathe, but within minutes she’d be back, saying something that made everyone around her dissolve into laughter. Jane found herself scoffing, shaking her head with a silent smile at whatever shenanigan Nymphia had gotten into this time, trying hard not to engage. Still, it was more than once that she glanced up at Nymphia’s reflection in the mirror. It was more than once that she found Nymphia looking back at her. There was something in her expression that Jane couldn’t quite decipher. An expectancy, maybe. A wish.

Jane did well that night. She always did. Nymphia did even better. She didn’t just wear the clothes, she embodied them, brought them to life. Every look was seamless, of course, but it was the way that they transformed once Nymphia wore them that made each presentation so moving. It was, of course, the final garment that stole the show. Jane knew Nymphia’s vision was a great one from the moment she saw it sketched on the girl’s pad, but the finished product left her, for once, without words. Every detail was perfection, and Nymphia brought them to life. It was pure magic, the way Nymphia walked. For the first time, Jane let herself be completely awed by Nymphia. She found that it was much better than trying to hate her for it. Jane admired real artistry, molded herself in the shape of it, here it was right in front of her - in the form of a girl who turned everything she touched into gold. 

There was a smile on Jane’s face when Nymphia won that night. Jane was beaming, and her eyes were oddly watery. She’d thought she’d gotten away with wiping them until she looked around the room to her sisters, still smiling, and found Morphine staring back at her. Morphine’s eyes were narrowed quizzically at Jane, a discovery held there that Jane couldn't quite work out. A smile crossed Morphine’s face, and they looked away.

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[pink-link-lemonade]

Sleepy snuggle time :]

MVA!Sonic/BB: @weirdozjunkary

Smooches them both <3

[mazojo]

Elaine just like me fr because Seb does/says the bare minimum and it makes me SICK

[ramagerslatteart]

applin line has my whole heart always

[hauntingjasper]

"I'm calling a truce!"

The truce in question:

[englishlotusflower]

Elrond would have been the bestest grandpa ever and the fact that he never got the opportunity to be so is a Crime.

[endlesstimelines13]

HhHhH Dreamtale brainrot...

The last two pics are from @dadmareau's Dadmare AU. Im obsessed.

[shousdraws3]

Chu

[aethersflood]

And what have I but regret? My life ended in the Dominion. I fear death no more. Besides, I would have words with Ultima. He has much to answer for.

[moongothic]

WAIT WAIT WAIT HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE

So normally we only get fullblown, extended and dedicated flashbacks for heroic characters in One Piece, the characters who we're meant to root for. The literal only TRUE exception we've had to this rule was Big Mom's flashback. Even fucking Doflamingo's flashback was tied to Law and Rosinante's

So the fact that we haven't gotten a single fucking GLIMPSE at Crocodile's backstory is?!?

Like sure, we haven't gotten like a Moria flashback, but you know, he literally told us all we needed to know himself, AND we got to see glimpses of him in the Wano flashbacks. Arlong didn't get a flashback of his own, but he did get to cameo in Fisher Tiger's flashback. And Rob Fucking Lucci got a flashback that was 6 whooping panels long

BUT CROCODILE?? Not only do we know almost Fuck All about his story, but also have never gotten as much as a glimpse at it? But his backstory has been HINTED and TEASED at multiple times??

GUYS. FELLAS

Like. I am SURE the "Full Backstories for Heroes Only" rule is going to get broken again, but with Imu and Blackbeard already there just BEGGING to have their beans spilled, can we even be sure Sir Fucking Crocodile is somehow going to become A Villain So Dangerous To The Narrative that he ALSO should also recieve a Full Fucking Backstory?? For his Nefarious Schemes?? AT THIS POINT??

Y'all

I think it's more likely Oda's been saving up Croc's backstory because it might just completely recontextualize his entire character

[hallenanyall]

what its all about.

[bonefall]

I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".

Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"

Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)

Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say

Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.

I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.

In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.

If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.

But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.

Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.

"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."

It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.

...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.

(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)

[bushmonsterr]

wip 😭

[3416]

Mitch and Auston's media availabilities after being put on separate lines the first time this season | 11.27.23

[nikiswonderland]

qiu mc and tamarack in step 1