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sparrowsabre7 · 11 months

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Shin Godzilla Review/ Shin vs Legendary Comparison

While the 2014 Godzilla by Legendary was a fairly strong film and solid reboot of the franchise for western audiences, 2015's "Shin Godzilla" feels a lot truer to the original concept and source material by far. Both films are more concerned with the human fallout than kaiju action, but "Shin" is far more concerned with the horror of the beast and the scenes of human response are less "plucky military guys and unconvential scientists save the day" and more "crushingly oppresive bureaucracy stifles any efficient response". Despite the two films being similar in many ways, even aside from the same source material, their differences are numerous and fascinating. I started this out purely as a review of "Shin Godzilla" but I found as I went I was using the 2014 film more and more as a comparison point, so I figured I may as well include both here.

For anyone not wishing to read on the tl;dr is: Both are good films, but "Shin Godzilla" is much better.

The Humans

The Response

I will confess right now I cannot remember any of the names of the characters outside of Serizawa and Yaguchi. In the case of Legendary's film, this is because none of them were especially memorable. There was Aaron Taylor-Johnson, his wife Elizabeth Olsen, and his Dad Bryan Cranston and that's about all I can recall. In the case of Shin, it's because the cast is insanely large, featureing dozens of (deliberately) interchangeable ministers, secretaries, and advisors. The cast is swollen with people due to the sheer number of departments involved in the Japanese government's response to Godzilla. While this made it a little tricky to follow who was who at times (the subtitles flash up with their name and rank a mere one time, so learn it then or be sorry!) it painted a beautifully chaotic picture of the inefficiency of government to deal with the unknowable. Equally, here it is the few, exceptional ministers that make the difference, making the hard or unconventional calls which save the day with a lot of very specific very regulated planning that needs to carefully executed.

Compare this with Legendary's film where largely the protagonists are military men, or part of a super secret organisation that's known about Titans for years. While one may think that having soldiers be the protagonists would make for more action or a more interesting plot, it's actually far less engaging than the inter-departmental juggling of Shin, and also doesn't result in any more Godzilla screentime (9:59 compared with Shin's 17:23) and the day is won by Godzilla, not the humans, who only serve to almost mess everything up with a super special nuke.

Here I feel is where Hideaki Anno's (of Evangelion fame) authorship is most felt in Shin. The encounters with Godzilla frequently cut between ineffectual attacks and equally ineffectual bureaucracy, multiple individuals relaying information to each other before a counterattack can be actioned. It feels very much akin to how he handles Angel attacks in "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

The defence force's weapons complete impotence in the face of Godzilla echoes the jungle scene in "Predator"; unloading round after round and having no effect on the target. However, after that, there's a neat scene where one of the military leaders on the ground comments "there are other ways to make a difference besides an offensive" and talks about assisting the evacuation efforts and I feel like there's very little of that in these types of films usually. Indeed in 2014 the military's response to failed attacks is... just keep trying bigger ones. There also feels like a much greater emphasis on evacuation and protection of civilians in "Shin Godzilla" even with the awkward response from the government.

Despite being firmly set in the modern era (and having Godzilla act as a stand in for the Fukushima Nuclear disaster instead of the atomic bomb) there is still much of the film's narrative informed by the events of 1945. The requirements and stipulations regarding Japan mobilising its defence force, its initial reliance on the UN and USA to mount "effective" attacks on Godzilla, and most prominently, the plan to drop a third nuclear bomb on Japan by the US in order to try and kill Godzilla. It's a theme that vibrates at the core of the film but one that doesn't feel tacked on or exploitative, but an integral part of the narrative.

The Creature

Legendary's Godzilla in an excellent modernisation of the classic look, feature the main hallmarks but adding more real world animal details and making it feelt like a weighty powerful creature.

Instead of the heroic dinosaur of Legendary's version, Shin Godzilla is a grotesque abomination, bulging eyes and useless stubby fore arms, continuously mutating, a walking cancer given form quite literally leaving polluting everything in its wake. It's very skin seems like a mass of tumours with a lava-like orange glow under the crust of its skin.

Similarly, the way the two are shot is vastly different. Many of Shin's shots feel almost documentary-esque, seen from passing cars, overhead news cameras, it feels almost like a "District 9" version of Godzilla.

Legendary shoots Godzilla like the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, glimpses of body parts here and there, scattered throughout the film until the more consistent full body views in the finale. The emphasis on dramatic reveal over Shin's "here it is" style. Indeed the first full shot of Godzilla comes very early in Shin's runtime as a slightly awkward looking, wobbly creature, looking very much like a warped idea of a salamander.

Kaiju Action

Both Shin and 2014 feature creature action sparsely, but the difference between the two is quite literally night and day. 2014 likes to shroud the majority, indeed almost all of its kaiju scenes take place in the pitchest, blackest, night scenes imaginable. By comparison, Shin has Godzilla brazenly out in the open during bright daylight. This treatment of Godzilla feels so much more real and does not suffer dramatically for it, presenting the monster as an unassailable reality (even accounting for the slightly iffy cgi in early scenes).

The atomic breath scenes for both are incredible in vastly different ways. Legendary's Godzilla uses his atomic breath as a big "fuck yeah!" besting his opponent moment, like Captain America catching Mjolnir or Luke blowing up the Death Star. Shin Godzilla's atomic breath, like the creature itself, is a hideous demonstration of power, less a weapon to defeat its foes, more a vomiting purge of all the energy it's just soaked up, an imperfect deluge of smoke, then fire, then pure light beam of energy, coating miles of city in radiation and fire.

The destruction caused by each varies too. When 2014 causes damage it seems deliberate with a measure of intent, while Shin is simply moving forwards, uninterested and uncaring about what is in its way, right up until it's wounded by the US forces. It is just passing through, feeling very much like a lost creature, out of its habitat rather than an ancient warrior dragon looking to rule its kingdom.

Overall

By an large the two films are such different beats despite the shared subject it almost feels unfair to compare the two, but it's always intriguing to see how directors from two different countries can massively affect the interpretation of the material.

In part it's clear that Gareth Edwards and Legendary knew people would want to see a kaiju fight and so rather than properly establish Godzilla in his own film first he gets relegated to secondary sort of protagonist and gets less screentime than the MUTOs they were so desperate to establish the Monsterverse.

By comparison, it feels like Anno and Shinji Higuchi went "what if we made a Godzilla film for today as if no one had seen a Godzilla before and also, Godzilla looks like it's a hideous mutating tumour, constantly in agonising pain at merely existing" and then ran with that.

There is definitely a place for both, but in terms of which film has something to say and offers more than spectacle, there's a certain clear winner here.

#godzilla #godzilla 2014 #legendary godzilla #shin godzilla #films #reviews

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kogo-dogo · 1 year

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4, 13, 27, 37, 40, 76 and/or 77? hi kogo i love you and your words

Hi, Stumpy. I love you and I didn't forget you. I was just juggling Life, and also Got Very Distracted By Neopets.

04. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas? - Everywhere. A lot of my fanfics come about because of stupid hypotheticals while playing games, which usually leads to hours of me figuring out tiny details until I start getting upset that nobody acknowledges those tiny details. As for my original work, I... look. I have written horror stories about stuffed dogs I found at vendor malls. I have a rough start inspired by a pipe I saw in the distance on the way to work from my old apartment. I honest-to-god saw an In Memoriam picture at work that was badly compressed, had an errant thought of, "I didn't realize it was so jpeg," and then freaked myself out because what if it wasn't Jpeggy before? Do you understand how insane I am?

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow? - Read your shit out loud before you post it. You will catch so many typos and weird-ass problems with your flow if you just say it out loud. It's so easy to graze over things with your eyes. Significantly harder when you realize you can't say it easily, or that you randomly have to speak a sentence fragment you missed.

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing? - Favorite? The satisfaction when you finish and you can pat yourself on the back for not giving up. Also: Character Creation. Least favorite is that my brain sometimes forgets how to words correctly, and so I'm looking at my old shit and crying because I USED TO BE SO GOOD (I was not).

37. How do you choose where to end a chapter? - Arbitrarily. A lot of the time, the end of a chapter falls when I realize that I am running the risk of making the world's most convoluted, longest chapter and that it would be easier to stop and move to the next instead of trying to force Plot Point Six into it.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see? - My Morrowind fic. Any of it. I know most people who follow me are here for HRV, but my Morrowind work is my pride and joy. More people need to appreciate my sad, wet khajiit.

77. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? - One in my Morrowind fic I haven't written yet. I shan't divulge.

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shina913 · 2 years

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Your year, your words

Thank you @btscarnivalnet for encouraging this retrospective of 2022. It was a big writing year for me and I've met so many beautiful people through this site. I'm so happy to be sharing a space with so many humans who can build worlds and create visuals that I never even thought possible. Let's keep that energy into 2023 🎉

✦ How many works(fics, gfx, gifs) have you released this year?

24 fics (including spin-offs/one-offs)! I really set out to build my masterlist this year and I can’t believe how much I’ve written…I am losing my mind over it!

✦ Which ones took the longest to make?

I have a handful of ongoing fics but so far, Scions is taking me the longest to update. My chapters for that fic are long, super angsty, and very dramatic. It’s also an ensemble story so I try to make sure that I give each character their own moment. It’s a lot of balls (heh) to juggle!

✦ Which ones took the least amount of time to make?

I have several one-shot fics that I’ve written in either one sitting or within a day. The quickest fics that I’ve been able to write were:

Ristretto 1, KNJ

Revenant, MYG

Stubble, KNJ

Whirr, MYG

Satiated, JJK

In terms of series, Intersect took me the shortest amount of time to complete. I was just very inspired, I guess?

✦ Pick out some of the works you’re most proud of and tell us something about the creative process. (Be it idea, the actual work, how it started, whether it changed lanes between, etc)

I love all of my stories but am proud of Scale and Coquet.

For Scale–I have a love-hate relationship with it because the plot had morphed into this really complex story since I first came up with it. It was just supposed to be a chaebol/CEO!Jin trope…and then my mind just went off the rails 🤣 There were so many technical details that I had to look up and work into the writing. It was exhausting and I really wanted to give up several times but I stuck with it and tried to simplify the ending. It was all very satisfying once I finished it!

I also picked Coquet because I took a movie that I’ve loved over the years and tried to rewrite a slightly different ending for the characters (because I had an issue with how it ended). There were definitely some (unavoidable) plot holes but I still love how it turned out in the end.

Another thing, these two particular fics are significant to me because during the planning process, there were plot points that I wanted to introduce into each of these stories but my loves, @internetjunkdrawer and @deepseavibez quickly shot them down and discouraged me from doing so. In hindsight…they were right 🤣 They’re pretty embarrassing now that I think about it and @internetjunkdrawer and I frequently laugh about them…especially my initial idea about what I had planned for Jennie’s backstory on Coquet 😬

If you’re curious, DM me and I’ll tell you!

✦ From January to December, has your work/methodology changed? How?

My methodology hasn’t changed much since I started to write. I get an idea or inspiration somewhere and I just write on my phone or my computer. More recently, I have lengthy conversations with my sis about my plot points especially when I get stuck on something. It’s helpful for me to talk it out!

The tone of my writing has changed, though because…medication😬 But seriously, throughout the year, I have gone through many highs and lows. I found that I don’t write as often in bed as I used to, that’s for sure. There were many chapters of Gradation and Scale that were written at 3AM…

Whenever I get an idea, I try to capture it right away or at least write it down on my phone. At some point, I’ve revisited some WIPs throughout the year and either transformed them into something completely different than I originally intended to (On Tilt) or repurposed portions and included them into my other fics (Flowerworks, Coquet).

✦ Pick a BTS song that was your biggest muse this year.

Butterfly is a constant favorite and Persona always gets me fired up.

✦ If your work could be depicted in three colors, what would you choose?

Black for some of the darker content that I’ve written; blue for inspiration, calm, and joy; and red for passion, love, and spice 😉

✦ Some words for the new creators who will enter this community in 2023.

Just write! I’ve seen non-writing moots (or they write but don’t publish) on my dash saying that they are inspired to write because of certain prompts that they’ve seen or heard recently but also scared that it might ‘suck.’ If you’re feeling inspired, just write it now and edit later. If the words are flowing, capitalize on it!

✦ Some words for yourself for the year 2023.

Let go of the things that you can't control and be kind to yourself! 🥺

#youryearyourwords #btscarnivalnet #shina ramblings

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laur-rants · 4 years

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Fic Update: Blood Wolf

Chapter 4

Fandom: Dishonored Ship: Daud/The Outsider, but I’ll heavily focus on the Daud and his Whalers relationship

Rated: Mature to Explicit, Strong Violence and Gore Ahead!!

Synopsis: Daud-Centric Prequel to Wolfbann. Origin Story, pre-canon. Centers on how Daud turned, and his subsequent marking by the Outsider and his formulation of the Whalers. Notes: There probably won’t be nsfw content in this fic, but it WILL be… violent. I want to play with my own boundaries of written violence and also Daud’s start wasn’t nearly as clean as Corvo’s. Their contrast on dealing with the werewolf transformation is one of the things I want to really explore, and Daud gets very close to falling off the wagon.

CHAPTER TAGS: His hands do violence, but there is a different dream in his heart. Alternatively, Daud talks to the Outsider, saves a girl, frightens a medic. AO3 link

Previous :: First :: Next

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Midnight, ???

The Month of Songs -- 1820

Daud drew breath and it burned cold in his lungs. He checked himself; somehow, his clothes remained intact, untouched by… whatever had just happened to him. He lifted his gaze and when he inhaled again, it felt like gaseous seawater at the back of his throat.

Where there once stood the Fink Manor, the house was now splintered, cracked, and floating into a vast, sky blue expanse. Though he was still standing in the pantry, the shrine humming next to him, the other two walls and the roof were destroyed as if by a bomb. A whale breached next to the stone platform this all stood on; it's massive eye met his briefly before disappearing down again. Daud felt his heart lurch.

His hands flexed. He whirled back to the figure still watching him so adoringly.

"What kind of game is this?" Daud asked, his chest still fighting to find air, still unsure if he was breathing water or not. The atmosphere was thicker here than it ever was in the waking world; not even the Serkonan summer had settled so heavily in his chest. Daud met those black eyes and refused to flinch. "Who are you?"

The entity just frowned, and something about that disappointment hit him like a carriage. He immediately regretted saying anything at all, especially something so pitiable, and he bowed his head in apology. A cold hand lifted his chin, forcing him to look back up into those glassy eyes.

"Oh, Daud, you know who I am. Even if you never were the worshipping type…" A slender thumb ran over those wounds on his cheek and he shivered. "No, you're the gambling kind instead, aren't you? Betting with your life instead of coin. You've always been like this. Perhaps that's why I took such a liking to you in the first place."

"I don't understand," Daud said, his head feeling clouded under the touch of such an ancient being. "The Outsider is just a myth, a fantasy to keep children at home, to give nobles something to jerk off to, or to give the Abbey a scapegoat while they piss on the Strictures." He shrugged out of the Leviathan's hold, grabbing at the hand with his own. The Outsider watched the motion, his face full of glee at the contact.

"Oh? It's not that complicated with me, Daud. You had a bet, remember? And I so wanted you to keep it."

Daud frowned. He racked his brain, searching for the memory. As he did so, the Void around them warped, unbidden, and the Outsider smiled as a forgotten vision burst forth. Daud's eyes widened, looking up at two massive monsters fighting in a sewer. One was grey and malnourished, covered in boils and scars. And the other was a snarling mass of black fur, it's face glistening with dark blood that poured from fresh wounds that looked exactly like--

"What the fuck?" Daud's lip curled and he mirrored the black, wolflike creature of his memory. His tongue touched his teeth and found them sharp. The Outsider just grinned all the more.

"I needed to save your life, or I would lose you before your story even began. So, I gave you the gift of your power a little earlier than others who have had the misfortune of being attacked by such a void-touched creature. Yes; you were cursed the moment those claws broke your jaw and split your throat, but I knew your tale wasn't so easily finished." The Outsider gave him a once-over, the gaze was so hungry it made Daud squirm. "You do not know your own importance and it is so splendid to behold."

There was a reverence there that Daud didn't trust, but it stirred something in his soul. "I'm just an assassin," he managed, taking a step away from the god of the Void. The Outsider just watched, but made no move to follow.

"You will move the tides of the entire Isles, Daud."

"You sure about that," he sneered, his fists clenching. "I am cursed now, you said it yourself. Cursed. I am doomed to go mad, just like the beast before me."

The Outsider held out his left hand. The smile he held was deadly.

"Will you be worth my time, Daud?"

Daud's lip twitched, wanting to refuse, but in the end, curiosity won. He relented.

"Bet," he growled, then gave his hand over to the Outsider to shake. As soon as he did, the back of his hand burned, seared as if branded with an iron. He hissed, not breaking his grip even as he turned his palm to see the back of it. There, glowing bright and smoking with arcane magic, a Mark appeared, one of an intricate arrow-and circle design. He stared at it, transfixed, as a new sort of power flowed through him.

"My Mark," the Outsider said casually, running his hand over Daud's soothingly. "It will keep the beast of you at bay, give you the control you so desperately seek." He grinned, his eyes glittering maliciously. "But how long can you keep up that control? I wonder…"

The god pulled Daud closer, dragging him in like the riptide. The Outsider smirked against his ear and Daud felt the shiver all the way down his spine.

"Can you shape the world to your will, Daud?" He whispered, holding the statement between them like a secret. "Or will you be ruined by it?"

The Outsider pulled away, his smile far too knowing.

"Until we see each other again."

Then, as suddenly as he appeared, the Outsider was gone. His cold, suffocating presence fled from Daud and when he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the Void. Instead, he was in the very real Fink Manor, the weight of reality far heavier than the pressures of the deep. Daud swallowed, first retrieving the runes from the shrine before stepping back across the pantry threshold.

The house was in ruins. The rampage he had caused nearly razed the building; a pipe from the kitchen was spitting water, the pantry wall was burst and the dog and handler were lying dead at his feet. Down the hall, he could see evidence of his huge body crashing through doorways with little remorse and forethought. Blood splattered the walls and limbs settled in places far and away from their original owners.

It was the sight of a massacre, one of Daud's own making. He choked on the bile clawing up his throat.

This wasn't his handiwork. It couldn't be. Assassins were meant to be clean, quick, quiet. A good assassin left no trace of themselves behind; a great assassin could even clean and dispose of the body before someone found the scene of the crime. The City Watch was founded to try and protect the streets, but they could do nothing against men and women like him. The best of them were, in all ways, untraceable.

If anyone saw this house, they wouldn't see the work of a trained killer. They would see a contained storm, or perhaps a Tyvian fanged bear set loose on a dare.

They would see the work of a monster.

Daud silently stepped through the wreckage, spotting a woman -- a maid, by the clothing -- with her throat ripped open, the lines jagged and unclean from where her trachea was bitten into. A wolfhound, ripped in two; the other half, he could not find, no matter how hard he searched for it. It left him light-headed, slightly nauseous, considering he vaguely remembered Eustace's arm in his mouth, the blood in his jaws --

He retched dryly. He fought the sick that threatened to come up, not really wishing to repeat what happened on the roof earlier. Certainly, he didn't want to know or see what would come up if he succeeded in vomiting. With a monumental effort he kept it down, gasping for breath and running a shaking hand over his face.

The fingers of his left hand traced over the new scars on his cheek and the sensation sent an intense shiver down his face and neck, all through his arm. He jerked his hand back away from his face, hissing in discomfort. The Mark on his hand burned for a moment, reminding him of his newest annoyance. He flexed his hand; the Mark lit up, itching, begging to be used.

He pulled curiously at the power beckoning to him. His fingers immediately morphed into long, black claws; he yelped, shaking his hand out in surprise. The claws disappeared-- but the power remained. He frowned, trying again. He focused on one spot near the stairs; the Void grabbed him at his request, pulling him forward in a rush and leaving a trail of ash in his wake.

Daud's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. He had traversed 10 meters in just a moment, the Void whispering in his ear as he did so. It was heady, thrilling; he grinned, feral, and tried the power again.

He landed in a nearby living room where he had ripped a couch in half and knocked a woman in fine jewelry into a wall, breaking her neck. He was about to jump through space again when he heard a squeak, a yelp; he froze, looking to the sound.

What he saw brought a vice around his heart. A child, a girl, trapped under some fallen wood and plaster from the ceiling above. She caught sight of Daud and when Daud caught sight of her, her eyes shone with tears, threatening to spill over.

"Sir…" she said weakly, her voice bubbling up, full of pain and fear. He rushed over, pulling his glove back over his left hand. She squirmed, choking in sobs. "Is it gone? Is-is...where did it go? That beast…"

Daud shushed her gently, trying not to let shock set into his features even as his limbs ran cold. Of course the child didn't recognize him as the monster she witnessed slaughtering her whole family. "Don't use too much energy now, I'll get you out of there." He gently moved some plaster and she squealed in pain; he shifted a joist to the side and clenched his jaw tight.

A large nail had impaled her tiny calf, the wound covered in blood, the color of it darkening her slacks. He looked at her carefully; she was staring at her leg and when she went to grab it, he caught her hand in his.

"Do not touch it," he told her quietly. "You'll make it worse. How long have you been injured?" She just gripped his hand tight and shook her head as her chest heaved with swallowed cries. Void, she couldn't be older than eight.

"I don't know… it just hurts," she wept, her hands bloodied, her face pale. "My mother, she-she…" the child gulped, fighting for air.

She was spiraling. Daud put a hand on her head, trying to ground her. "Hey, I'm here, okay? You aren't going to die. Did--" his mouth went dry, and he tried again. "Did the monster touch you?" As he asked the question, he dug through a pouch on his hip, his eyes darting down to look for a familiar lime-green vial.

"No, I got trapped and then the dogs came and then…" her face screwed up in agony, and Daud had a feeling not all of it was physical.

Did it have to be a child? He hated this, hated thinking he had let a kid see something so needlessly brutal. "It's going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of here. I'm not going to leave you to die on this nail."

Her eyes met his for the first time all night, searching for the truth. He didn't waver, opting instead to hold her little hand tighter. He swallowed, and when he saw the returning trust in her eyes, he pulled out a small dart and showed it to her.

"This is a sleep dart," he told her, holding it out for her to see. "It will put you to sleep for an hour or so. It will sting a little, but it will help lessen the pain, and it will help me get you off the nail without it hurting. Do you trust me with this?"

What other options did she have? He knew she had very few, and there was nothing she could do on her own. She would die of infection here.

She nodded, but grabbed his hand before he could administer the dose. "Wait," she said. "What is your name first?"

He blinked. "Daud."

She smiled. "Daud, like Dad." That settled very unpleasantly in his stomach, but he did not correct her. "I'm Emma, it's nice to meet you."

He nodded. "Likewise. Now, are you ready?"

She let go and nodded. He adjusted the dose in the dart and then stuck it in her arm. Her eyes drooped; in the next few seconds she was asleep, and completely unaware.

Daud moved as quickly as he could. He had some bandages on him, as well as a few rags for quick wound wrapping, but nothing sustainable. He got up, using the Void to rush through the house and find the bathroom. He looted it swiftly; the first aid kit would have to do for now. He transversed back to where she lay, still stuck to the nail. He breathed, then got to work.

Daud had a very strict policy on children when it came to assassination jobs, one that put him at odds sometimes with his colleagues in the business. Other assassins would happily off a whole family to prevent leaks or future loose ends. In a way, it was self-preserving more than anything; a dead child could not speak of what they witnessed. Sometimes, the hit was on the child itself; easy to poison an unwanted heir, for example.

But Daud… he wasn't in this line of work to slaughter kids. He left kids alive; he took parents away from the home if he had to, so that it looked like an accident. He had even dropped a child off at an orphanage, an unfortunate leftover from a hit he and Rulfio once conducted. Rulfio had argued with him about it, but they both decided it was better than ending up dead, abused, or in the Golden Cat.

Never kill the kids. Not if he could help it. Whenever he saw a child, he saw a young Daud, stolen from his home, made to kill and perform for coin until he finally roused the courage to off his own abuser.

Then Daud had run off to become a killer of bastards just like the one who abducted him.

He frowned as he tightened the tourniquet and eased Emma's leg off the nail. The wound spurted with blood and Daud quickly staunched the flow as much as he could, before quickly wrapping the leg with bandages soaked in disinfectant. Through it all, the girl slept, and Daud sighed. This would not be enough, he knew; he worked his jaw, the scent of the blood and rubbing alcohol strong in his nose. He packed back up, lifting the girl carefully before shifting her so she was cradled in his right arm. His left fist clenched and he ignored the claws itching their way free as he jumped through the Void once again. He traveled back up the stairs, back to Eustace's room; the whole time, Emma slept. He kept a bead on her heart, the beat of it steady in his ears.

The bedroom was even worse than the rest of the house. Eustace Fink's body was wretched apart, nearly unidentifiable. Daud neared the pile of human viscera, trying not to think of how he had lost control, bursting forth and slaughtering the man.

Never again, he thought to himself, but even as he held the girl tight, he did not know the long-term validity of those words.

He spotted his whaler blade and mask; he grabbed both, carefully sheathing the sword, then, after a moment of hesitation, he clipped the mask to his belt. He then pulled the audiograph from Fink's remains and carefully swept the room for anything else of value.

A safe with gold ingots and 500 coin. A few choice books, stashed away. Notes from his brother-- Daud paused at these, frowning down at the ledgers.

Eustace,

Jerome changed last week; he will be ready for challengers soon, so get those hound fighters excited for our next event! The first week of the month of Clans will be best. I will test this brute against the others; as a former assassin, I cannot believe how strong his killer instinct is! Brimsley was right; the stronger the person turned, the more likely they are to survive to put on a show! I don't expect the others to fare so well, but now we know that we at least have a sure-fire way to lure Dunwall assassins into a trap.

Be careful if you come down to the ampitheatre to see this dog, however. I can hear it in my mind… it taunts me, hates me, tries to overpower me. I always just shock it back into submission; it's so weak it can't carry out it's bigger threats. But Eustace… please. Your mind is not as strong as mine. Do not be swayed. These monsters of the Outsider are no longer human, like you or I, no matter what it says to you.

Here is the list of the next possible brutes I have selected, and also the date for the next Hound Pits fight. Don't forget the fliers, we need the noble's coin to keep this up!

The snarl that ripped through Daud was so strong and loud it shocked even him. The girl stirred but did not wake; he looked to the body of Eustace Fink and no longer regretted his fate.

They truly had found some giant monster, one like him perhaps, that had attacked someone and then that person had turned. And then the next person, and then the next until they trapped an assassin -- Spirits. He knew Jerome, had seen him in passing; he was from Potterstead, was raised into the profession, was cleaner than all of them. Surgical, even.

And he had been tortured into blindness, forced to fight dogs, and then Daud himself had…

Daud bit down on his cheek until he tasted blood. He scoured the room once more, then pulled out a bolt from his satchel on his belt. Carefully, he set the girl down in a chair, then readied his wristbow. Three incendiary bolts flew through the room, igniting expensive fabrics, flammable wallpaper, the remaining useless documents on the table. He watched the fire spread, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. He pulled the drag, then threw it into the growing flames.

Then, he secured his belt, carefully lifted Emma back into his arms, and left the burning wreckage of the home he single-handedly destroyed.

------

It was another late night, one that Misha knew he would not be walking home from. It was well past midnight and even with the Watch prowling about, the Hatter's were likely to jump anyone unsuspecting, stealing money for months rent, or worse. So instead, he just sighed and closed the downstairs shutters, pulling the curtains in and locking the door. The one lamp still illuminated the front desk where his assistant had been sorting paperwork earlier; end of month books, on top of end of year numbers. His numbers had seen better days. Between the gangs clogging up the streets and his brothers getting caught up in hound fight gambling, he had lost more than he had recuperated.

He missed his brothers. He did not miss them asking him for more coin every week of every month, effectively bleeding him dry.

He had tried a few times to dissuade them, but all in vain. They were his brothers, two versus his one. They knew how to guilt him, especially with the death of their mother hanging over the practice like a cloud. So he had given them what they asked for, knowingly enabling them like a bar enables a drunkard, and hoped everything would be okay in the end.

It wasn't okay. His brothers were presumed dead and he had no money for a dying practice. All he could do was try to set the remaining things right. Hiring the assassin gave him a grim sort of satisfaction, some twisted sense of justice. After the deed was done, he'd file with the Watch, see if their bodies couldn't be recovered. The hardest part was between step one and step two; waiting for the completed assassination.

As he headed up the stairs to retire to his office for the night, he stopped at the calendar on the way up. He looked at the final week of Clans-- then put an X over the 28th day, the last day of the month. Four other angry Xs precede the 28th, all counting down from when he and Daud had come to their agreement. He frowned, flipping the calendar to Songs.

Daud had said that his job took time, but gave no frame of reference to ease Misha's worries. He sulked for a bit at the calendar on the wall before finally moving on, entering the office and lighting the desk lamp easily. He then -- as he had done so every night for the past four nights -- went over to the terrace and moved to unlock it, just in case Daud returned with news and wished to enter the way he had initially done.

He didn't expect the man to suddenly appear before him in a swirl of ash and smoke. He also didn't expect the small, pale body Daud was carrying in his arms, either.

And he certainly didn't expect Daud's face to be visible, his eyes burning, long scars cutting valleys into his otherwise young face.

Misha gaped. He fumbled with the latch, pushing the door open to give Daud more access. The assassin pulled in a ragged, tired breath.

"Daud--" Misha started, following the other man as he swiftly entered the office. "What happened? Is Fink--"

"Dead," Daud said, the roughness of his voice contrasting how gingerly he handled the body in his arms. "I need your expertise. Do you have a table?"

Misha glanced towards the small figure and nodded, pushing open the far door; it led to a small operating room, separate from the others and one that he used for special cases. He turned on the light over the table as Daud placed a small child -- Void, a child -- down onto it. She was asleep but her breath was shallow, sweat beading on her brow. Her leg was bandaged, but it was already bleeding through, the blood dark and angry.

Misha immediately let himself still, evaluating this new, sudden patient. His emotions detached, and his brow furrowed in focus. He quickly grabbed gloves and sharply demanded, "Tell me what happened."

Daud hesitated, then, "Nail. She impaled her leg on a nail. Got trapped in the home."

"And you just took her?"

"Everyone else was dead." He said it softly, as if full of remorse. Misha knew the time for questions was now past. Instead, he got to work. He unraveled the leg and pulled over a bowl, cleaning solution, and a syringe.

"I used a sleep dart on her," Daud explained. "I don't know how much longer the sedative will last."

Assassin sleep darts, he knew, were usually sodium pentothal, and at the dose Daud probably used, the girl would still be down for a while. Still, a local anaesthetic wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Here, be useful. My usual assistant isn't here so I will need your help cleaning this." Daud complied, then began the task of fetching anything that Misha asked of him. Sutures, clamps, saline solution, scalpel, magnifier, light. The girl whined in her sleep, and Daud, surprisingly, was there for her, holding her hand in a heavy glove. It wasn't long before her leg was properly cleaned and closed, the sutures staying as he carefully bandaged the leg back up.

"If all goes well and the wound stays clean, her leg will survive," Misha sighed, pushing tiredly away from the girl and removing bloodied gloves. Daud just nodded, watching the girl carefully as she slept. A whisper tickled at the back of Misha's head and he grimaced, scratching at his hair. The movement made Daud's head jerk to look at him, inhuman and unnatural.

It was now that Misha was actually able to get a good look at the face of his hired hitman. He had short black hair, styled back and out of the way, though now it was tousled and out of place. His eyes were a striking blue, but not in the way that left him feeling flustered. Instead, they were like ice, splintering into his chest and making him feel as if a wild predator was evaluating his continued existence. The scars on his face tugged as he frowned; the longest line cut from his right forehead all the way down over his throat,a and the second longest also sliced through his cheek alongside the first. The last two sat partially hidden under his chin, over his throat, and Daud's frown deepened as he caught the doctor staring.

Misha's face flushed. He was never one to hide his feelings well, and definitely not as easily as a hardened assassin.

"Daud..." he started, trying to cover the intrusion. The assassin suddenly stood up, his hand flat on the table, challenging and threatening Misha to continue speaking.

"Go on, say it," Daud said, dangerously soft. "Others already have. They didn't have to be a doctor or an assassin to know I shouldn't have survived -- this." He waves at his neck, as if disgusted by the scars.

Upsetting an assassin seemed to be a poor life decision. Misha chose his next words carefully.

"You need to clean up, and you seem invested in the child. Would you like to stay the night, to at least be there when she wakes up?"

Daud's face immediately closed off. Again, something itched at the back of Misha's head, and he tried to rub it away. A whisper, almost… indecision? Misha had not expected an emotion to come forth. When he questioned it mentally, it disappeared, so still he shrugged it off as imagaination. He watched Daud as he pulled his face out of the lamplight and back into shadow, his eyes still bright in the gloom. His fist clenched.

"No, no, I'd rather not. I've already done enough to ruin her life." He looked around the office and then, finding what he was looking for, went to fetch it.

Misha almost missed it; Daud's left hand twitched and then suddenly, in a rush of ash, he was across the room, and then back. Misha gaped as Daud scrawled words over the paper he had fetched, then handed the paper to Misha.

"Outsider's eyes," he breathed out, but the look on Daud's face silenced him.

"This address; when she's well, take her there. Tell them Daud sends his regards, and hopes Jason is well. Also--"

He pulled a purse from his satchel, setting it down. "That's for the girl." Then he pulled out a whole gold ingot and handed it to Misha. "And this is for you."

Misha gaped. He'd never seen so much gold -- he shook his head, holding his hands up. "What--! I can't accept this-- Don't tell me that you are paying me for--"

"Don't worry, I have another," Daud assured. "I made sure I'd be paid well for this too. Besides, I told you, 'half now--'" he pushed the ingot to Misha more insistently. "'half later.' Here's your half, later."

Misha gulped. He had a feeling that Daud was not going to take no for an answer. He acquiesced, gently taking the gold, and the assassin relaxed. He stood back, giving Misha some space.

"Don't spend it all in one place," he suggested, a dry attempt at humor. Misha managed a tired smile in return.

"Am I allowed to offer my appreciation, now?"

Daud said nothing. He looked away.

"May we be blessed to never meet again, Misha Romanov."

Misha, personally, did not see that as a blessing-- but perhaps, given Daud's line of work, it was for the best. He nodded, not wishing to argue with a man who could so easily murder him.

"Regardless… Thank you, Daud."

Those prickled whispers returned, just as Daud met his eyes. There was something mildly astonished in his gaze, and Misha tried not to push away the foreign white noise that invaded his mind. Instead, somewhere in there, he thought -- imagined, he reminded himself -- that he caught the faintest expression of " You're welcome."

As quickly as it built up, the emotion was gone-- and so was Daud. Misha blinked, putting a hand to his ringing ear. He looked to the open terrace and was suddenly filled with the urge to follow, to rush out to the balcony so he did, throwing the doors apart in his wake. He breathed the night air and there he was, on the opposite rooftop, eyes and scars burning, even in the dark. Daud looked back at Misha; their eyes met.

Daud's left hand raised, smoking and black. His fist clenched.

And in a flurry of ash and wind, he was gone.

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desultory-novice · 2 years

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Do you have any headcanons on Marx Soul?

Do I have Marx Soul Heacanons...?

...This does remind me that sometimes I end up with several headcanons for a character that, oh, maybe differ from each other or conflict in some way? But heck, I typically love them all and want to play with all of them, so I just kind of juggle from one to another as the mood hits me! (I'm frequently balancing several different Kirby "universes" in my head for this reason.)

So I can't just give you one static Marx Soul HC that is my favorite. What I will do is take this opportunity to share several Marx Soul ideas I'm fond of, as well as just gabbing about Marx Soul (and Marx) in general, because there's some cool things going on there that can't easily be wrapped up in HCs alone!

---

Marx Soul is a fusion of Marx and Nightmare

...This one is my baby. Mostly because I think I'm the first one (?) to come up with it? This is entirely based on the similarities Marx Soul shares with Nightmare (color palette, necklace) and the fact that Marx Soul's JP pause description doesn't specify that it is Marx's "evil soul" that resurrected after the collision. Aka, what if a part of Nightmare got stuck in Marx (through any number of methods, but obviously, I favor the "he was once a peaceful Noddy hit by Nightmare shrapnel" theory) and when Marx was on the verge of death, Nightmare "woke up" and took over his unwitting host.

I like this one a lot because I, err, maybe kinda like body hijacking as a plot point...Oops... But also I just love love love the Dreamer (Marx being a Noddy) vs Nightmare (Nightmare being, well, a "nightmare"...) parallel and putting them together in one body gives me even more fun ground to play with there!

This way, Marx Soul has DOUBLE the reasons to want revenge on Kirby! I would argue that you could use this as an explanation for the infamous Marx Soul flash frames that occurs right before Marx transforms!

Because there's like a frame or two before Marx grows his wings and goes all boss mode where he actually looks like Marx Soul. And this is back in the original game, before Marx Soul was even created! Which is just fascinating...!

So, if Nightmare IS lurking inside Marx, that flash could be a hint of Nightmare's power resurfacing/awakening with the sudden surge of energy? Also, Marx is *exceptionally* pale during that brief flash, with his skin turning a pale, sickly, corpse-like purple, just like Nightmare's skin!

Ahem. Outside of my desperate attempts to find enough evidence to make other people latch onto my favorite HC, I also just like it because it would make Nightmare more of a threat too. Which I always enjoy. Gotta give credit where credit is due to the OG "scary" Kirby boss. (...Even if the scariest part was how surprisingly easy it was to run out of time in the orb phase of the fight.)

And if Nightmare, in *some form* carried on over into a second game (aka, Super Star) we'd have an antagonist who makes a much better foil to Dark Matter/Zero! Now we've got “The Dark Matter Trilogy” and “The Nightmare Trilogy!” Or maybe “The Fountain Trilogy?” Err, duology! Because I can't link a third game into this. Unless I'm missing a relevant game somewhere...?

(...Smash Bros Ultimate...??)

Oh, yes! Another thing that's kind of fun/funny about this theory is that, if it were true, in light of the connections Forgotten Land gives us regarding the Galactic Novae, then a Nightmare-carrying Marx Soul has the potential to be a fusion of THREE lifeforms, depending upon if the Novae are made from a living Elfilis simulacrum or a fake one. (But again, the *heartbeat*...)

Anyway, three may honestly be too much, but I absolutely believe Marx Soul is a fusion of two lifeforms, minimum. You COULD see the "splitting in two" at the end as just a random creepy thing, or some kind of ironic fate based on his black hole attack, but I can't believe it’s unrelated. The Kirby series has too many meaningful lore and background bits tucked away in innocuous places for that and I think the splitting is a sign of...SOMETHING.

Just not sure what.

Marx Soul and Void...?

I've been trying to think about WHY Marx Soul and Void share a battle background. Obviously, I considered the shared BG to be an important element in my Nightmare v Marx comparisons. They're not identical, such that you could say they occur in the exact same place, but they are close enough to be noticeable.

But I really have no idea why...! The fight with Void's core takes place inside Void Termina's shell body (?) and it's difficult to say WHERE that space even is.

Given that Marx Soul is absolutely an Ancient artifact-fueled beastie made out of various Nova parts, it's not unreasonable to suggest that the weird polygonal beehive-esque space these fights occur in is one that spawns when you break or otherwise corrupt some kind of Ancient power source? ...Or rather, something the Ancients USED as a power source? ...A twisting of reality?

Void Termina wields the Master Crown as a weapon. And I think Void/Void's power must have been the inspiration for the physical crown's creation on Halcandra. Plus the Ancients (presumably/possibly) built the Novae based around Elfilis's dreamscape-creating/dimension traveling powers.

Man, what little we know about the Ancients, we're already getting the feeling their "best" creations came from stealing the powers of other lifeforms...

Would you believe that, as big a Marx fan as I am, I hadn't even made the connection between Void Termina's glass wings and Marx's glass wings until it was pointed out to me? Ahaha... I guess I just associated Marx's with all that pretty color-changing, where as Termina's wings looked so static. But they are the same shape...ish. And I think that's relevant! Somehow! Again, it's a little hard to make a solid connection, unless you can somehow connect the Void-born species and Elfilis with each other...? That is, a connection outside of "A Voidborn and a fragment of Elfilis went on a journey together in Forgotten Land!"

(Also, why am I suddenly interested in calling Kirby's species "Voidborn?" What is this weird Bloodborne/Gothic-Horror Kirby crossover building in my head...?)

Oh, oh! But another thing that's kind of neat (BIAS TALK INCOMING) is that, partly due to their popularity in the fandom at large, Marx and Magolor ARE slowly working their way up into sub-main character status of the Kirby series! And I'm not just talking about the concert promotion either...!

I can't say if this was in all 30th Anniversary merch, but I got the Kirby Room Light (sooo cute) and it came with a booklet introducing the various major characters of Kirby and right alongside the four heroes (and Rick, Coo, and Kine) were Marx and Magolor. Not only does this please me for personal reasons, I think it's a REALLY GOOD CHOICE.

One way or the other, whether Magolor is just a Halcandran fanboy (fan cat?) or an actual Halcandran, whether Marx is just a jester or some sort of green goop producing semi-clockwork being now, the two of them provide an excellent link to the broader Kirby cosmos! They were villains once, are no longer serious villains now, both survived (?) their experiences, and they can be "friendly" to the heroes (...if you have enough REAL CASH on hand. Or maybe they’ll ambush you mid-credits sequence because it's funny!)

Anyway, the brilliance of upgrading them to major characters is that the dev team can keep the main 4 relatively free from weird, complicated Ancient backstory hijinks (...although Meta Knight, should he also be Voidborn, remains a big, untapped secret...) while still giving us players a cute orb-sized link back to them any time they choose! And that's another reason Void Termina is such an interesting fight! Because while Void calls back to pretty much every Kirby boss, the two bosses they call back to the most are... Marx and Magolor.

.........This was about Marx Soul. Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to get distracted.

(But WHILE I'm distracted, I meant to say that part of what this means to me is that, if we were to get a new, more faithful Kirby anime, I can totally see/respect/want desperately for Marx and Magolor to become a Team Rocket-esque pair of reoccurring villains this time around. A selfish, greedy Dedede as villain of the week needs to go. Let the selfish mischievous jester and greedy lying wizard cause all the problems!)

Ahem. Now back to Marx Soul. And headcanons.

So, I dropped this idea out there once, but I headcanon Drawcia as Marx's magic teacher pre-Milky Way Wishes, and the reason for that is almost entirely due to their connection as Soul bosses and the inherited move set. I mean, he turns INTO PAINT! Who else could he have picked that up from but the living painting herself?! Of course, moves would be carried over from Soul boss to Soul boss after that, regardless of any potential ties between them, but eh, this one is too firmly entrenched in my mind that I just can't get rid of it!

...I like to imagine Drawcia made Marx's training anything but easy. (She IS a villain.)

Marx Soul and Death in the Kirby-verse

This one gets a little complicated because it's tied to a bunch of things and is more of a philosophy(?) thing rather than a headcanon thing? I’m going to talk about it anyway though because why not!

So, I think, in general, the understanding/implication is that Marx either died or was very near death after the collision with the Nova. His body is an ashen grey and he's not moving after that. This would, in a sense, make Marx Soul out to be Marx's animated corpse. (Yikes...)

But death is WEIRD in Kirby. There's that line in one of the early material books or earlier interviews or something (although every time I get asked about a source for these things, I end up being wrong so take what I’m saying here with a grain of salt, please!) but I RECALL a bit about the creatures in Popstar coming back "like the grass in summer." ...Or maybe it was weeds...?

And yes, it might've been referring to the respawning system in the 2D games and NOT a lore element. But I'm ridiculously fond of this one as lore for whatever reason and I tend to work it into my generalized Kirby headcanon almost every time: the idea that things on Popstar never really die.

(It’s a stretch but then again...the critters in the Forgotten Land DON’T respawn like the Popstar ones when you destroy them. Now, that's because there's no "screen border" you can cross that means its safe for them to do so...and they DO respawn if you exit and re-enter a room. It’s an out there idea, but isn't it kind of interesting...?)

So, anyway! Popstar as a weird Fountain of Eternal Youth/paradise planet where nothing ever dies! Maybe it's energy of the planet? Maybe that's why everyone is attracted to it/always wants to invade it? And if Marx and Kirby had fought on Popstar, maybe Marx would have just been sent flying ala King Dedede in Dream Land 1? But they fought juuuuust outside the bounds of Popstar, so when Marx makes a magnificent crash into a Galactic Nova, he's a little more messed up than typical. (If Popstar residents CAN’T get permanently injured or die, that crash must have been a real system shock to poor Marx...)

And now you have this weird dead/dying/undead/undying Marx (...all the worse if he had just enough lingering Popstar energy in him so that he COULDN'T just die post-crash, but wasn't alive either...) Anyway, depending upon how deep you read into it, what you get there and the emotional implications of it are all kind of horrible, really. Because Kirby has never really faced or had to contend with, err, death before... Not yet, at last. Anything that's been an invader to Popstar is destroyed or dispersed in a safe clean way, but Marx is different because Marx was at one time alive and now...isn't.

I imagine, sometimes, what that must be like for Kirby. Kirby wouldn’t be exactly responsible for Marx’s death or the creation of Marx Soul because it was Marx himself that went spiraling out of control, but still...

Even though Kirby games have no specific timeline, I occasionally think about how various events would take their toll on Kirby. Affect Kirby’s growth. (Like the stuff with the friend hearts in Star Allies and how Kirby goes on to save EVERYONE in FL, right off the heels of being unable to save either Secty or Haltmann. When you look at the big picture, it DOES tie together.)

Long story short, I have various thoughts about the fact that the next mainline game to be released after Super Star Ultra is Return to Dream Land - where Kirby is (implied to be) constantly in the company of Meta Knight, Dedede, and Bandee. Maybe they thought Kirby shouldn't be alone after, well...after the ghost of a former foe came back from the dead for a ghastly revenge...? And boy is Marx Soul ghastly. At least for the early Kirby series. The awful noises, glitchy movements, and the weird bits of sanity-slippage you get from that fight does play strongly into the "zombie Marx" theory.

Speaking of Marx Soul graphical weirdness, I love how, among the new animations for him, we get this cute (?) little one where he curls up into a ball...? Except the way he tucks his wings in so that they slowly cross over him/vaguely meld into his body...? It's not your typical HORROR horror, but there's something unnerving about it. Maybe it's that "creepy cartoon" effect?

...Brief aside. I’ve only watched, like, 10 episodes of Steven Universe but I did watch the movie, thanks to a friend. And my mind almost can't help but make visual parallels between Marx and Spinel. At least as far as "creepy cartoon characters who are creepy specifically BECAUSE they are a cartoon."

What makes this one move of Marx's even more weirdly dissonant is that when you stop to look at the sprite, he's got this surprisingly peaceful expression on his face for squishing himself into a physically impossible little ball of impossible.

Marx Soul is Marx's Negative Impulses/Thoughts

This HC is one I barely use myself, but I LOVE to see it???

I'm not at all into Marx/Marx Soul selfcest, which, frankly, is where I see this headcanon pop up the most, but ahhh, I can't help but enjoy the concept of a Marx Soul continuing to linger in the back of Marx's mind whispering all sorts of horrible things in his head even after Star Allies. As someone with negative intrusive thoughts, it feels kinda good to see versions of a comfort character struggle with them too, in either a mental or physical form...

It also makes for some damn good fanart.

On that note, temptation is strong to make a parody of Guchiry’s Flower song "Abnormality Dancing Girl" that plays into this version of Marx + Marx Soul.

Back to random Marx Soul observations!

You know what I also love? The minor detail of Marx Soul's hat switching colors! Regardless of WHAT Marx Soul is, we understand him to have needed to use the power of the Nova to reconstruct/revive himself, and I occasionally like to think the reversed hat is a possible representation of just how wrong he was when he came back. Yes, it doesn't exactly work out logically or physically, because Marx wasn't (yet) split in two when he near-died, but it's almost like, while absorbing Nova's parts to remake himself, he (or it) put himself back together in the wrong way. His eyes are more prominently facing outward too. I'm not exactly saying his left eye is on the right and his right eye is on the left now but...maybe?!?

So much body horror in one tiny jester

...Oh geez...! Speaking of...

This just came up in my feed today, but Super Star was supposed to have one last mini-game included in it that was horror-themed and it was initially planned that Kirby would have his *mouth sewn shut* by the villain so he couldn't use copy abilities?!? (Yikes yikes...) And he'd have to collect them instead?

This is, I gather, the base of the system used in Milky Way Wishes?

The lost game theory makes sense, because Milky Way Wishes is more like a rehash/revisitation of the other Super Star mini-games. Every planet is made of reused tiles. The most original element in it is Marx. So...if Marx was originally planned to be the villain of that horror game (...and it fits, what with him being a scary clown...) Well...you can sort of see why Sakurai's original version of Marx is a whole lot scarier if THAT is the kind of thing he'd do to Kirby...

...Also, I don't know why...but I get the strong feeling that, seeing as how Marx in MWW suffers a very karmic "He's destroyed by the very comet he wished on!" defeat, the ending to this horror-themed Kirby game would probably have the magic Marx used on Kirby backfiring on him in a very bad way...

Imagine a zombie Marx Soul making Those Noises with a stitch-ripped mouth...

...Or don't, because, you know, that's awful.

...

I CAN'T END THIS ON THAT IMAGE IN GOOD FAITH SOOOO....

...Aha, I know what I can still talk about! The Roses!

Marx Soul's roses! Who told them they were allowed to add roses to Marx's attack patterns?! It's so...gah, it's so interesting! How is it Marx goes from thorny vines (...thorny catci?) to blooming roses?! I have NO idea. Kumazaki, why did you give Marx Soul roses?! Marx isn't tied into the plot of Triple Deluxe in any way, is he?! It's just...I mean, roses have a ton of associations, of course. One for every color. But Marx Soul's roses are blood red.

And he has those hearts on his wings. What do those mean??

I actually ended up doing some research on this, because I was trying to figure out if there could be some meaning to Marx's heart wings. Tbh, the first thing that came to mind was "...Is this a Dio Brando reference?" Because of the heart-iconography + crazy villain thing. But through that, I learned that the "heart shape" actually existed in Japan for centuries! Only it wasn't a "heart," it was a boar's eye(?) And it was a symbol of good fortune and to ward off evil. Interesting how, even if it didn't mean love yet, it was still a positive symbol.

So why is Marx associated with these positive symbols?! But this may be another Void connection because Void is all heart imagery all the time!

...And...so is Elfilis...

Huh. Wasn't I just wondering about ties between Void and Elfilis toward the beginning of this essay? If Marx's hearts are Elfilis's hearts are Void's hearts...?

Alas, I don't have an answer. Ran out of headcanons.

In any case, I really do hope that Marx's rising popularity means a consistent appointment to the position of semi-regular character (like with Magolor) because there is just SO MUCH packed inside this little jester to explore!

#Kirby #Kirby series #Marx Kirby #Marx Soul #Nightmare Kirby #Void Termina #KatFL spoilers #Fecto Elfilis #Magolor #SU mention #JJBA mention #cw text descriptions of body horror stuff #cw mentions of character death #selfcest mention (not shipped)#Dess Text Post #Dess Answers Questions #Long Post #...3k words long!!

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fantasyforbeginners · 3 years

Text

how to deal with writer’s block when you don’t outline

Outlining doesn’t work for every author (even if it works for me). So how should you confront writer’s block when you’re not sure what might happen next?

After all, it’s all well and good for me to say I always know my ending - but as you point out, how do I get there? How are we supposed to “know” or figure out the next section of our story?

If I’m stuck, I make a list of all the ideas or concepts I want to consider or I know I want to hit (similar to outlining, but a little bit messier). But in this list I take it one step further, and consider all the different ways a story could go, i.e.

What if this character reacted angrily to this situation? Sadly? In denial? What could push them to react in each way and why?

What does my character want in this moment? What are they afraid of?

What would make this character or situation change (unexpected beliefs or viewpoints, personal failings or successes, etc.)? What sort of change is interesting to yourself as the author?

If your characters are discussing an aspect of worldbuilding, the inability to move forward may be because you haven’t fleshed out the worldbuilding they’re discussing (i.e. politics, economics, trade, etc.) well enough yet.

Write an AU or canon divergence of your own story. Explore as many different possibilities or reactions as you can. Make a list

As you can see, a lot of writer’s block - any kind - usually comes down to a struggle with some sort of characterization. When I’m struggling with how a scene would be executed, it’s almost always because I’m not entirely sure how my characters would react (or how to phrase it). So I would suggest looking at possible characterization struggles of your own in this case. Even the most plot heavy story is really tied to character reaction (and action) in some way.

If it’s an original work, that can be trickier. Most of my advice is already dispensed above, but here’s a few more tips

If it’s a romance or realistic fiction, what are your characters going to hide and why? No one is entirely truthful all the time, especially about things that are embarrassing or make them vulnerable. What do other characters think someone is not being truthful about (even if they are)?

If it’s something like fantasy or sci fi with higher stakes, I always ask my characters three questions: What would completely break them? and What do they want and what they willing to justify to get it?

You will pretty naturally write double meanings and layers into your work. One of my favourite things is having a character make a choice and the readers/other characters think they know the reason for it - a sound reason, often, too - and it’s later revealed there was another reason for (either in addition or one that flat out took priority). Same goes for metaphors and meanings. These are things that can always be considered!

The theme or meaning of your piece is your guiding principle. Almost every scene can chip away at it a little. I’m not saying to make sure every single scene is super important to theme or meaning; you can wear yourself out thinking like that, juggling too many things at once. But this connects back to “what do you want the takeaway emotion of this section/scene to be” and often times something that connects to a theme (proving yourself, healing, regret, etc. or even all three in the same work) can be a helpful guiding tool. It can even be as simple as “i want my characters to do something fun in this scene”

Always consider emotional continuity! Are your characters coming up to a section where they’re processing what’s happening around them? Or are they in a section where they just have to keep going? Is this a breathing moment for your story? Follow accordingly. This is not to say your characters always have to react like real people (I would have a breakdown after just one day in most of my characters’ lives let alone a week dear god), fiction is escapism and to a certain degree unrealistic by extension. But figuring out whether you want a big emotional focus in this section or to be more plot focused can always be useful!

#writer's block #writing advice #outlining #or therefore lack of #mine

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ganymedesclock · 3 years

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a thing about your headcanons that really intrigues me is that, much as Knuckles seems to have originally been done as a contrast or rival to Sonic back in the Genesis days, your take on them has a opposite approach to the responsibility they feel, but done in opposite ways. Sonic runs from responsibility and doesn't want to think about it, while Knuckles feels guilty about NOT being responsible to an extreme, and since people don't often deal with how they're similar, i really like this

Honestly, this is a thread that is not exclusive to Sonic and Knuckles, but actually ties in heavily to a major theme I'm considering and working in Worlds AU.

Basically, "freedom" has always at least nominally been a theme associated with Sonic. It's in his motifs, it's in his attitudes, it's the quality that people tend to envy when they compare themselves to him- whether that's Knuckles who feels bound by fate and obligation, Tails who feels like he might not be enough or can only keep up, Amy who dreads the drudgery of her ordinary life by comparison. Hell, one could say it's even in the many one-off characters who are introduced with Sonic blowing into their life, changing things, inspiring them to grow, and then leaving- Elise, Merlina, Chris Thorndyke, Chip, Shahra.

But it's a theme that's kind of been weakened in the direction that the games took.

In Sonic SatAM, the concept of freedom vs. tyranny was rife in the setting. Robotnik had his boot down on 90% of the world and the remaining pockets are either actively dwindling, or struggling along as best they can through limited resources. All characters are- at any time- in danger of losing specifically their freedom; not their minds, but control of their bodies. And it's a compelling hook.

But the gameverse has very long not been that, and since Sonic Adventure, the world of the games has been very metropolitan. There's a bunch of cities and countries and everybody's going about their daily lives and Eggman's still a wannabe conqueror but he's now become abstracted, a supervillain, who might have this big scheme or that, but- basically until Sonic Forces- we have never had Eggman really decisively in control. And in his absence, there are not really ever any consistent or clear threats to freedom except that, yeah, we guess if we let someone like Solaris or Perfect Chaos or Black Doom run wild long enough that would kill people and then nobody would be free, but... that's an abstract and inelegant way to speak to one of your main center themes.

(and I personally don't like Forces basically trying to reinstate- even if temporarily- the SatAM status quo, even if I think some people like the IDW comics have done interesting things with that, but that's my personal relationship with the character of gameverse Eggman and how I view him distinctly from SatAM Robotnik, as absolutely iconic as the latter is)

I don't think you need an encroaching dystopia per se to make a meaningful discussion out of freedom- I think using the modern gameverse's more colorful, populated world opens up a lot of possibilities for that. So, a major thematic thing I've landed on is that abject tyranny- while the easiest 'threat to freedom' to scan and oppose- and an important one!- is not remotely the only thing that challenges freedom.

A big thing is responsibility.

Responsibility is the thing that most of us sacrifice our freedom to on a daily basis. That may sound dramatic, but it's true; we may have other reasons for it, but we don't just run off somewhere else or go have an adventure or leave our job because we feel responsible to things. And responsibility isn't a bad thing- it's good to feel reliable or trustworthy. If you enjoy your job or your coworkers, you want to do well at it. Having a house is a responsibility, we take care of them. Having a relationship of any kind is a responsibility; so is having kids. If none of us were ever responsible, society would fall apart and we'd all live lonely lives. Moreover, we'd have very little power- ironically a lack of responsibility can lead to a lack of freedom in some regards.

But also, it's very easy to give too much of yourself away and not have any left. I mentioned before that many characters are consistently depicted, across many continuities, idealizing Sonic- because Sonic's free! Sonic doesn't buy groceries or pay taxes or do boring stuff, he certainly isn't stuck in a frustrating or isolating situation, and this can even tie into one of Sonic's major themes- he refuses to be talked into accepting lesser evils.

In Sonic and the Black Knight, Merlina tries to explain to him why she's using Excalibur's scabbard- why she's doing bad things, trying to justify it that she can't just let the kingdom end, even if that means needing to twist it into a horrible place to live- to which she at one point, in frustration, asks if Sonic understands, to which he responds, "No, and I don't want to."

While it's not exactly a perfect moral stance (those don't exist), there is something to be said powerfully for the idea that Sonic as a person has a certain rejection of responsibility as a chain to let bad things happen. He rejects loyalty to a thing that drives you into cruelty.

And this is really interesting, when we consider- specifically in the very first game that featured Shadow and featured him explicitly as a dark antithesis to Sonic- that is exactly what happens to Shadow.

Shadow is not, by default, an amoral person. Pre-trauma, we see that he doesn't want to hurt others, and frankly, as much as "ow the edge" circles (and is somewhat warranted), we can often see that he's standoffish but fairly civil; someone who is dealing with a lot of stresses and problems, but doesn't often relish hurting others unless he's already desperate, frustrated, or looking for an outlet or solution. And in adventure 2, Shadow is led into nearly ending the planet on account of loyalty; to the idea of Maria, to what he believes she asked him to do (and what he believes is owed to the people who killed her)

It's kind of conspicuous that if you think about it, most of Shadow's arcs in various games that focused on him are about questions of what's owed- to him, or to the world. Does he owe a debt to Eggman? Rouge? Black Doom? Gerald? Maria? Does the world owe him a debt of anger and pain to be paid back in vengeance, or, is he the one who owes the world a chance? Does he owe himself a chance? These are questions of Responsibility.

So to bring this back to Sonic and Knuckles, I think that's an interesting context to set them apart, because both of those two definitely have a special relationship with the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles is the guardian of the shrine that doesn't just have positions for the Master Emerald, but all seven smaller ones as well; and Sonic... well, Sonic consistently and regularly does stuff with the chaos emeralds nobody else does. He transfers super forms to other people, or even awakens them in people who haven't done it before (as implied with Burning Blaze in Sonic Rush). And at least according to Sonic 3&K, his arrival (?) was foretold.

But Sonic... does not feel responsible about the chaos emeralds. If something's happening with them he wants to know but it's about curiosity. When the chaos emeralds are corrupted, tarnished, and lose power, Sonic... juggles them, while he's confused about his own (related) corruption. It's weird, it's concerning, but it's not an obligation. He gets distracted buying ice cream in the same scene.

By contrast, the only time Knuckles feels confident shattering the Master Emerald, it's as an obligation- he has to protect it from Eggman even if it creates more work for himself, and he later freaks out and nearly crashes the shuttle he and others are on when a near-miss scatters the master emerald pieces he's collected across the ARK. I can only imagine half of the plot of Sonic Unleashed would've given Knuckles an ulcer if he'd been around for it. You did what to the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic????

Basically, I think while freedom vs. tyranny is definitely Sonic's brand, you can have a lot more fun and shore up the thematic strength by also factoring in "responsibility" as a secondary theme and this strengthens or illuminates many characters and their arcs.

#Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic Worlds AU #readmore

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tsukikoindreamsmp · 3 years

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Dream SMP, But Make It Hardcore

Aka. What if you only have one canon live

This is written before 30 Days SMP, I know there’s no connection with DSMP but just in case XD

Before we start, we need to lay down several rule.

There should be at least one player death for each war/arc, with possible some exception.

In this au, there are majority two ways to cheat death: using the totem of undying and the resurrection book. Totem of undying can only be used if the victim is holding it when they on the brink of death. The resurrection book can only be used with equivalent exchange: a life for a life. Any methods outside of this won't be acknowledged temporarily. Except one that we’ll discuss later.

Thirdly, the existence of ghost. As far as I knew, the only ghost characters are Ghostbur, Glatt, and Mexican Dream. All of them are formerly death people. But so far, at least from what I know, there is no actual reasoning of how the three of them came to be. So, temporarily, we will pretend ghost doesn't exist.

Fourthly, if the characters have crucial role in the Arc, the role will be passed on to someone else. This is still in the juggling process, so there will be possible contradictions.

Lastly, I'm not versatile in Dream SMP lore. I only join after Tommy resurrection, but I have a vague knowledge of the previous season. Even so, I haven't watch all the POV, so I might mot know which canon death is important and which is not. I'll try my best and follow the wiki, you any of you can argue with me. I'm open for discussion.

Now with that out of the way, let's begin the body count.

Acknowledged Death

Fundy

Cause of Death: The Final Control Room

There is no denying that Eret’s Final Control Room is one of the most iconic scene in all of Dream SMP, thus any death that happens here would have bigger meaning: they died because of a betrayal, they died fighting for the independence of their beloved country. If they die here, they die as a revolutionary hero.

However, if we look in the L’Manburg gang, everyone has importance in future role: Wilbur with the Season 1 finale, Tommy with the Season 2 finale, Tubbo with the Manberg Festivavl, Eret with the Final Control Room, Fundy with the Schlatt Administration. But, if we hae to choose one, unfortunately, we have to choose Fundy. Wilbur and Tubbo has bigger role in the narrative of Season 1 and Tommy is the central character throught Season 1 and 2. However, knowing the future and Quackity lore, we don't know how far Fundy would go in depth. So we'll put a pin on this.

Tubbo

Cause of Death: Manberg Festival Execution

Canonically speaking, so far, Tubbo has lost two canon life: in the Final Control Room to Sapnap and the Manberg Festival Execution to Technoblade. Both events are crucial in the DSMP lore however I chose the execution because it kick-started the Manberg vs Pogtopia War even further. Tubbo’s death leads Nikki and many others to join Pogtopia and Tommy vs Techno Duel at Pogtopia. Unlike Techno, Tubbo doesn’t have the Totem of Undying, thus his execution is inevitable.

However, as we know, Tubbo’s role at the end of Season 1 and beyond is important. He’s the president of L’Manberg, he exiles Tommy, the Butcher Army, and the Disc Confrontation. If he dies very early in the story, many plot will be lost. So, temporarily, unless by divine intervention his execution is stopped, his lore will be given to Lani or Ranboo.

JSchlatt

Cause of Death: Heart attack at the the end of Manberg vs Pogtopia War

This is probably the first ever canon permanent death, so we had to put in here. Schlatt other two death are during the Manberg Festival, having caught in Technoblade fireworks, and Quackity assassination at The White House. Since we already have Tubbo’s death during the Manberg Festival, that only leave with Quackity assasination and his heart attack. But, considering his heart attack death ends the Manberg vs Pogtopia War, I choose this. I’m sure anyone would agree in this.

My only worry is the potential of Schlatt’s resurrection by Quackity. In rule two, you need one soul to resurrect another. Who would Quackity kill to resurrect Schlatt?

Mexican Dream

Cause of Death: Killed by Dream during Exile Arc

Poor Mexican Dream. The best character always die too early. But, according to this wonderful analysis video, Mexican Dream is very crucial to Tommy descend to depression during the Exile Arc. With Mexican Dream being the few people who visit Tommy during exile, his presence becomes quite importance to Tommy. Which is why when Mexican Dream dies, Tommy is left with no one else (but Dream) which leads him down a harsher path to depression and suicide.

Tommy

Cause of Death: Killed by Dream in the prison

We know that Tommy is the main character throughout Season 1 and 2, so why is he chosen for death? One reason: Wilbur’s resurrection.

All of Tommy’s death are actually important in the history of Dream SMP, but as we know, his role in Season 1 and 2 are too important that I can’t think of anyone else who can replace him. His death in the prison is a shocking moment and I’m pretty sure everyone remembers that. The main character is killed by the antagonist. Tragic isn’t it? And going back to Point 2, with Tommy’s death, Dream can resurrect Wilbur for whatever he’s planning for the future. A soul for a soul; Tommy death’s for Wilbur’s resurrection.

Antfrost

Cause of Death: Killed by Puffy during the Red Banquet

The Red Banquet is once again a staple event on the server. Even if it’s count as a side-arc, we can’t ignore any awesome moments surrounding this event (plus, nearly all characters that Quackity recruit in Las Nevadas Arc were invited to the Red Banquet). Thus, any death happening here will effected the Eggpire gang and the guest invited there. Back then, Antfront was the one suggesting that Foolish should be sacrifice first, which made him being a bigger target for Puffy and for her to gain revenge for the death of her son. Plus, Bad mentioned that the egg required energy gained from death to hatch, thus Antfrost (and Foolish) death will fed the egg more...

Survived

Quackity

Currently, we have Las Nevadas Arc with Quackity as the central characters, this there is no doubt that Quakcity is an important character. Heck, even before this, his role is very crucial in history. He challenged Wilbur in the election, becoming the vice president of Manberg and New L’Manberg, conducting the Butcher Army, and in Dream’s imprisonment.

Quackity has one canon death: his duel with Technoblade (the one death on the Manberg Festival by Technoblade has been retconned). So, knowing the imortance of his role in future Las Nevadas Arc, he didn’t die after the battle with Technoblade.

Jack Manifold

Jack Manifold probably had the most unfortunate deaths of all. He was killed by Wilbur because the dude just felt like it. He was killed by Tommy because he was too surprise. And he was killed by Techno during Doomsday. He’s like the SBI kids personal victim.

Now, out of all the death he suffered, I can only count his death to Techno to be the most crucial. However, Jack and Techno doesn’t have that strong relationship except Jack thinking Techno was an enemy because of Doomsday. Heck, even Jack isn’t written in Techno’s relationship list. Thus, I can’t make Jack to have a battle to the death with Techno. Compare this to Quackity vs Techno which already lit up during the Butcher Army incident, thus making Quackity vs Techno much stronger than Jack vs Techno.

Dream

Skeppy-BadBoyHalo

Originally I was going to count this as a canon death. However, their death happened before the Red Banquet, which was a bigger event. But I won’t deny that Skeppy and Bad’s fight is heart-wrenching in a way. Both of them are very close and it’s just sad to see them had a big fight like this. You can blame the Egg for messing with their head, but it lead to Skeppy’s death and Bad soon followed. You can’t deny how Bad and Skeppy’s lives are connected is quite cute.

Because both of them are the main players of the Eggpire Arc, we need to keep them alive until the end of the arc.

Cheated Death

Karl Jacobs

Origin Cause of Death: Manberg vs Pogtopia War

Method of Cheating Death: Time travel power awakening

Karl is an interesting character regarding the lore in Tales of the SMP. It had been confirm that Karl is a time traveler, however I don’t think we actually know when he got that power. Thus, if we want to incorporate this in lore we can take his death in canon and make it he could time travel for the first time, only returning when the war is over or before he was killed to avoid it. So, this is the only resurrections outside the usual methods I’m willing to acknowledge.

Technoblade

Origin Cause of Death: Butcher Army excecution

Method of Cheating Death: Holding the Totem of Undying

Canon, this is the first canon cheated death in the series so I’m keeping this, there’s no really a further connection. The execution, along with the whole Butcher Army is the start of Quackity Villain Arc, Tubbo descend into mirroring Schlatt, Bedrocks Duo, thus marking this moment as an important staple. Also, SAD-ist Hog Hunt, my beloved. But also, Technoblade is possibly the strongest member on the DSMP, seeing that even the strongest need to cheat to avoid death is interesting.

Foolish Gamers

Origin Cause of Death: The Red Banquet Sacrifice

Method of Cheating Death: The embodiment of Totem of Undying

Foolish is a god, the embodiment of the Totem of Undying, thus he has a personal connection with cheating death and resurrection. Same case with Technoblade but with more sinister condition. Even a god like Foolish can’t escape death and need to cheat to survive. But also, his death only fueled the Egg into hatching, which wouldn’t be good in the long run.

Wilbur Soot

Origin Cause of Death: Season 1 Finale

Method of Cheating Death: Resurrected by Dream with Tommy’s soul in exchange

Wilbur’s death is definitely an iconic moment considering this is the peak of his madness. The only problem is the existence of Ghostbur. Going back to Point 3 of ghost doesn’t exist, this would means Ghostbur doesn’t exist in this au. Which leads to Point 2 where you need a soul to resurrect another soul. If Ghostbur doesn’t exist, then who should Dream kills to resurrect Wilbur? Dream had only ever kill one person, and that’s Tommy. A soul for a soul; Tommy death’s for Wilbur’s resurrection.

#dream smp #dream smp au #dsmp hardcore mode #itsfundy #tubbo #jschlatt #mexican dream #tommyinnit #antfrost #quackity #jack manifold #dreamwastaken #Skeppy #badboyhalo #karl jacobs #technoblade #foolish gamers #wilbur soot

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tcookies777 · 2 years

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TAOL related. But there’s kind of like a “war” going on the comment section of your latest chapter. Well, it’s not really a war but more like a discussion or debate. Based on some comments, I get the feeling a lot are anxious that either Sakura or Kakashi are to have sex with other people(?) in future chapters and they don’t want to read any of those or they’ll drop the fic(?) is what I am understanding. I mean, I understand that issue because I’m not a fan of reading those things. There’s also the concern when it comes Rin but I don’t understand the issue here tho.

I welcome any and all opinions just so long as they are expressed in a polite and respectful manner even in the face of disagreement. It's disheartening to see that which could have been a civil debate devolve into snide remarks and callous rebuffs.

On that note, it's also hard to say anything in response to all these theories and interpretations because that would require me to give away spoilers which ruins the fun for everyone.

I do want to reassure people that this is first and foremost a KakaSaku fic through and through. But it's important to understand that internal conflict is significant for the character growth of these characters, especially for these 2 who are very much inexperienced in love. A romance as forbidden as this one is not so simply resolved by confessing feelings like you would to a classmate. Because their feelings are forbidden, it is expected that they would try to fight those feelings. So, Kakashi's sex scene with that bar chick wasn't just written in for fun; the outline omitted details of the sex scene because I originally intended to have the sex scene be vague in detail and like a summary (i.e. "they fucked and he went home later to feed his dogs blah blah blah). But while writing the chapter, I found it was necessary to have the sex scene be detailed in description and I explained why in this ask. So it is confusing to hear that some readers take that one sex scene to mean that this whole fic will be about Kakashi and Sakura banging OCs instead of each other. I'm not trying to scam people here - this is indeed a KakaSaku fic. I don't throw in OCs without reason, but I'm also not going to spoonfeed those reasons to you guys in the story either. If people don't understand the purpose of a scene then that's on them, but it's also okay to not understand it just so long as they don't dismiss it as pointless. If I think a scene doesn't add anything substantial to the plot or character development then I cut it out as a deleted scene.

But if a reader does understand the point of a scene and still doesn't like it, then that's on them - I'm going to be direct to the point on that. But that is no one's fault - not the writer's or the reader's. It simply boils down to preference. And I am the kind of writer who prefers to intentionally write uncomfortable scenes (i.e. sexual assault, death, tragedy, etc) because my primary goal is not to fulfill readers' expectations and fantasies but to take a grounded approach. And for a story like TAOL which wrestles with mature themes, a grounded and sometimes gritty approach is needed to convey such themes. Because at the background of all this romance is a war veteran struggling with mental health issues and a girl juggling a doomed romance life with abandonment issues.

There's no easy route to a happy ever after because this story is meant to be a more grounded take on the forbidden student-teacher relationship trope. We have an underaged girl in an arranged marriage who falls in love with her teacher who is twice her age and suffers from a lot of trauma. There are many obstacles to overcome in their road to a happy ever after and I don't want to just Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo all the shit away just so that readers can get to their dessert of smut more quickly. There are many fics where teacher Kakashi and student Sakura fuck and ride off into the sunset within a couple chapters, and people can go read those fics instead if they want instant gratification (I sure as hell do that!). But this fic is tagged "angst with a happy ending" which means these characters (and me as the writer, ugh) have to work very, very hard to overcome all odds and challenges to their forbidden relationship in order to achieve that happy ever after.

I want that ending to pay off so that we, and the characters, all feel like it's well-earned and justified.

As for Rin - in this story, Kakashi's relationship with Obito and Rin is integral to his character just like it is in canon, so it's impossible to avoid writing Rin in. Sakura, if we remember, is also only 17 yrs old and has 0 experience in romance - in fact, the few boys who have asked her out always end up leaving her stood up, which is damaging to a girl's ego. If she sees a woman like Rin intimately touching Kakashi who tends to keep people at arm's length, of course she's going to wonder who this woman is to him. And again, given Sakura's young age and lack of romantic experience, of course she's going to feel insecure. I mean, imagine you're a 17 yr old girl who has never had a boyfriend and you're crushing on a super sexy 31 yr old professor whom all the women go gaga over. Wouldn't you feel insecure? So maybe it's cliché, but I find that's the more realistic, grounded approach and if that bothers some readers then that's totally okay - they can always quietly drop the story whenever they want, no excuses needed and no hard feelings.

Either way, everyone is free to interpret or theorize however way they want. But the story is still incomplete, so we must remember to take everything with a grain of salt until all truths are revealed. AND sometimes when a truth is revealed, there is still yet the explanation to be given. There are even some things set up in ACT 1 that won't be explained until the last ACT. And that's one reason why ACT 1 is a slow build is because it's setting up a lot of things for later on. You may have noticed that there is a B plot, a C plot, and even a small D plot going on in the background while Kakashi and Sakura have been having this whole drama with each other. Weaving all these plotlines together while juggling character development and romance so that they all coalesce in the end takes time and - unfortunately for me - a high word count. Which is why I warned at the very beginning that this is initially a slow build. If readers don't have the patience for a longfic like this one then that's okay because that's their preference, but I'm not going to skip the development just to get from one plot point to the other more quickly. People want to read a story - not a summary - and a story is what I want to tell.

So speculate away, but it helps to read the whole story first and get the entire picture before coming to conclusions. It's easy for the audience to see a drawing of a tail and assume the artist is painting a dog when it actually ends up being something entirely different.

But again, everyone has their preferences and they are always free to drop the fic whenever they want for whatever reason they have. No harm, no foul! What is harmful and foul are comments that lack courtesy and that is where I draw the line.

#cookie answers #taol #the anatomy of love

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yuzukimist · 3 years

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For the WIP Ask game . . . for your current main! ^_^ #2, 5, 7, 8 annnddd 17!

Thank you so much for the ask! I love doing these so much. :D

Let’s see…I’ve spent the last day and a half fixating on my LOTR fic Legends Are Made (the one where the main character is a Haradrim OC) so we’ll answer the questions for that one. ;D

2: Post a line from your WIP with no context:

“The Shadow-Sword himself is hunting for you,” Yantanis hisses, emerald eyes almost glowing with fear even as her nails dig into the skin of Nasrin’s arms, and that one simple statement more than explains the elf-maiden’s distress.

5: Search for the word “knife” in your WIP. If you find it, paste the line and explain the context. Strangely enough (even I was surprised lol) the word “knife” is actually not currently in Legends Are Made (at least, not in any of the parts I haven’t already posted). But because that’s not a very fun answer, let’s swap out “knife” for “weapon”, shall we? ;D

She hurls her glaive spear-point first at the second beast, but its ferocious charge barely slows even as her weapon plunges deep into its shoulder, momentum carrying it forward as it snarls its fury at her.

The context is basically that Nasrin (the Haradrim original character who is pretty much the main character of the story along with an Avari Elf named Gwath) and the, uh, group she’s traveling with for a little while gets attacked by some wargs. It’s all very dramatic. ;D

7: What are you the most proud of? Oooh, the lore and the world-building I’m doing, without a doubt. We (the fandom) don’t get a lot in the way of canon information about the Haradrim and Haradwaith in general, so I really enjoy exploring the various aspects of that and I’m really pleased with everything I’ve done so far. :D

8: What is your biggest challenge? Posting consistent updates, as per always lol. My eternal struggle as a writer is juggling all my many WIPs (they multiply like gerbils, I swear) and to my great regret Legends Are Made is often one of the fics that gets shuffled to the back burner because it doesn’t have as many readers as my other non-OC fics. But! I’m all about self-indulgence lately, so you can probably expect updates on a, uh, slightly more frequent basis moving forward? Hopefully? ^_^;

17: Does your WIP have any themes or motifs? Ooooh man. I don’t know how to answer this question lol, I’m really bad at putting things like that into words when it comes to my own writing haha. For Legends Are Made it’s even more difficult because while I have a general sense of where the story is going in regards to certain plot points, I haven’t even finished writing the first ten chapters and everything else is largely just…vibes, lol.

That being said, since it is a Lord of the Rings fic, there is of course the overarching theme of Good vs. Evil, and the additional reoccurring theme of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity; I’m also going to try to weave in love, because for me one of the most important themes of all Middle-Earth works is the love; between romantic partners, between friends, between family, etc. In Legends Are Made specifically, Nasrin’s main motivation for almost everything she does is the tremendous and unwavering love she has for not only her own tribe but also all the peoples of Haradwaith; her country is suffering because of Sauron and the coming war and she’s furious over it because she cares so much. There will also be some romantic love and strong friendships woven into the narrative as well, although I don’t know that those necessarily count as ‘themes’ lol.

TL;DR: Courage, Perseverance, Love.

#writer ask meme #yuzu answers #writer ask game #ask game #i really love doing these :D

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littleeyesofpallas · 3 years

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SO.... HEROINE'S JOURNEY. YA?

There are a few approaches to the Heroine's Journey and they're all a little wonky as fuck.

is to look at old myths about Heroines and find patterns in them, the way Campbell found patterns in Hero myths. Problem here is that there's much less narrative consistency in those, and they're generally a little less common, and so there's not as much of a pattern to distill into a neat little diagram.

is to craft a psychological model for little girls coming of age, akin to the one the Hero's Journey provides for little boys, and work off that. This is nice, but tends to lack the weight and kind of viral catchiness of the mythologically derived formula

is just to genderswap the Hero's Journey, or to put a Heroine through the Hero's Journey as is. These most often fall apart on account of having zero critical assessment of what the plot being acted out is or how it functions. No one learns jack squat, no one grows, and as a shitty cherry on top the plot just looks derivative. (Looking right at you, Force Awakens.)

The old mythic approach is generally ignored for being far too loose. It also tends to revolve around awkward at times sexist narratives of purity and purification as a process, the role of healing, mending and forgiving flawed and often outright antagonistic individuals, preservation and protection of the home, and consequently a lack of real adventure. It very often ends in an ascension to goddess-hood by way of or for the ends of some kind of self sacrifice. I'm not super keen on this for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the narrative trend in which a woman's role is give herself up for the good of others... But worth pointing out here is that the myths that can be referenced that don't fit these themes are so wildly different both from the proposed core formula and even one another that they don't outline a new or alternative trend at all. Women that kick ass in myth absolutely exist, but they tend to be unique rather than formulaic, be that for better or for worse...

Funny enough Zelda: Skyward Sword utilized this in a fascinating way. As Link goes through a very conventional Hero's Journey, really beat for beat, in his pursuit of the missing Princess Zelda he continually gets to the end of a dungeon to find that Zelda was just there, but he missed her and she's moved on. And in fact each time this happens we learn that Zelda had her own reasons for visiting all these temples and sure enough this background plot that Zelda has been acting out is the mythic Heroine's Journey.

Seeing the two acted out in tandem, and showing how the two actually facilitate and serve one another in a bigger picture is actually a really brilliant way to tell these old stories. Zelda's quest has added urgency because we know that as she progresses, the encroaching evil is only barely being beaten back by Link. and Link's Hero's Journey is given new importance because his Meeting with the Goddess isn't just about shipping him with Zelda, it's about saving Zelda from the consequences of her self sacrifice.

The distantly Jungian derived model is actually only as old as 1990 and came about as a centerpiece in a women's self-help book. Maureen Murdock suggests this process:

Shift from feminine to masculine

Identification with the masculine

Road of trials

Experiencing the illusory boon of success

The descent/meeting with the goddess

Yearning for the reconnect

Reconciliation with the masculine

The union

In which the girl has to adopt masculine agency in order to act upon the world in the way man are expected to and girls are not. She adventures with these masculine skills/features at hand. She feels fulfilled by these conquests, but then must face the idea that masculine conquest is not a valid or meaningful kind of accomplishment. She has a conflict of self, dives deep into the self to meet with her own feminine side, now long repressed. She learns to want to be a woman. She confronts the flaws of the masculine pursuit she's been on. She learns to embrace both gendered identities and is at peace.

This thing has so many little bumps and hiccups and things to get caught up on. I'm really not fond of it. It's a product of its time and its writers' predecessors' biases and already kind of misaligned premises. (Btw this is a huge contributing factor to the plot of Revolutionary Girl Utena.)

The second version is generally exemplified in the Heroine's Journey formulated by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. I'll be totally honest, I'm not as familiar with that one. But it was written to more directly mirror Campbell's Hero's Journey in its cyclical nature and use as a writing template (where as Murdock's was decidedly less focused on story telling applications) and it's major pitfall is that it really doesn't seem to have any kind of "universal" mythic origin, and so kind of lacks the punch Campbell's implication of myth speaking to the innate human psyche in the universal familiarity of its trends.

Illusion of the perfect world

Betrayal/disillusionment

The awakening

The descent: passing through the gates of judgment

Eye of the storm

All is lost/death

Support

Rebirth/moment of truth

Return to a new world

Like I said, I'm just less familiar with this one in practice. It doesn't feel like a terrible plot or character arc, and there are aspects of it that I really like, even. But it doesn't really feel like it particularly "fixes" any of the problems at hand with its predecessors.

And the third one, I mentioned is typically just bad and stupid; a creative decision made in pure ignorance. When removed from any psychological context the motions of the plot become meaningless. But a fascinating case of sort of doing it was Disney's Moana. Not because it genderswapped the Campbellian Hero's Journey but because it chose to merge the myth Hero and Heroine's Journey together, and yeah, in which a little genderswapping happened to be involved.

Moana's role is to "stay" and be mother to her people, to protect and preserve, to purify and heal and forgive... BUT in a beautifully deft twist she discovered that preserving her people's way of life means heeding the call to adventure/call of the sea, means venturing into the unknown to learn new things and conquer trials... it means meeting with The God, Maui (instead of the Goddess) means confronting The Mother (Instead of the father) but instead of defeating her like a Hero, healing her like a Heroine. It really beautifully juggles the two cycles in a way that doesn't give either one supremacy over the other, in the truest Reconciliation/Union of proposed masculine and feminine. (Yes, the Te Ka/Te Fiti reveal was 100% a textbook Vader moment.)

But of course the big pitfall this, and the original Hero's Journey fall into is the assumption of some kind of deeply essential gendered aspect of psychology, and not separating elements of biological impulse as they relate to psychology from the heavy HEAVY filter of socialization. On the one hand, I still believe the Hero's Journey, and some variations of the Heroine's Journey(s) can absolutely be utilized in writing in a deeply meaningful and largely accurate and affecting way. But I'm also very much in favor of seeking out alternatives to these in ways that pursue more of that universal appeal that Campbell thought he'd tapped into. But that is yet another rant entirely...

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gumnut-logic · 4 years

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Thunderfam Appreciation Post

I’m giving this a new post to prevent scroll city, but the original and several reblogs can be found by clicking the above link. Also, it’s an excuse to post a piccy of Virg cos any excuse, really :D

Many thanks to @willow-salix for writing this question list :D

Before I start, I just want to say that I value every member of this fandom. I’m often hopeless at communicating in group settings so I don’t speak to many peeps, but that is my failing, not anyone else’s. You are an amazing group and you have supported me and each other just brilliantly over the last nearly three years that I have been hanging with you guys. Thank you ever so much for all your wonderful support and encouragement. I’ve had so much fun and created so much stuff…you guys are amazing. Thunderfam rock!

Please note that my memory is pathetic and I will fail to mention everyone. Please do not take any offence if you aren’t listed below. That does not mean I don’t value you, I do, it just means I have swiss cheese between my ears.

-o-o-o-

Your favourite writer of your favourite boy.

@i-am-chidorixblossom You are a whumper and comforter after my soul. You speak the Virg :D @vegetacide I adore your turn of phrase and your description is to die for.

The person who's stories you will always read.

I try to read most fics that come across my dash, but there are a few that have me jumping up and down. @i-am-chidorixblossom , @vegetacide , @tsarinatorment , @scribbles97 , @the-lady-razorsharp , @janetm74 Of course, I regularly fail at this as some of you write a huge amount of fic and I am often playing catch up, but fic!

Who wrote the first fic you read in this fandom.

I landed on FF.net back in May 2018. I immediately ran into @the-lady-razorsharp who I knew from another fandom ten years prior and she was absolutely wonderful, drawing me in and introducing me around. I gobbled up several of her fics in the process.

Person you can talk to for the longest without a break.

I am hard to get started, persistence is required, but once started, it is usually hard to shut me up. @scribbles97 @vegetacide and @tsarinatorment have all discovered that. Dangle a Virg, a plotline and stand back.

Person you can't be trusted to be left alone with.

Um, @vegetacide and I have plotted out the entirety of Warm Rain together…poor Virg. Add @the-lady-razorsharp into the equation and Virgil ends up with a beard, dressed in leather and riding a Harley – that was a hilarious evening. Between @tsarinatorment and @janetm74 Virgil gets grey hairs and has to go rescue Scott – because Scott inevitably ends up in the story :D @scribbles97 gets the blame for Gentle Rain – expand your horizons she said ::headdesk:: But then there was the time I left one random line about Eos visiting Virgil in the shower and went to bed. I woke up to hilarity and chaos as Thunderfam took the idea and ran with it! Love you guys :D

Person whose fic made you cry the most.

I know there were at least two fics that made me cry, but for the life of me I can’t identify them. I did cry writing my own fic – Flannel – and don’t tend to reread it for that reason. Purupuss traumatised me with A Quiet Day to the point I had to put it down and walk away for a bit ::wails::

Person whose fic made you laugh the most.

I have no idea. I know there are fic out there and I know I’ve read it, but without a complete list of everything I’ve read, I don’t have a clue.

Person whose fic made you think the most.

Aaaargh, I don’t have a master list so can’t remember everything. Staring at my paltry favourites list on FF.net (which was mostly gathered three years ago and never maintained), Purupuss’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ and her whole Quiet series has me wanting to write a Scott-Virgil telepathic fic (and she has given me permission to run with the idea, I just haven’t actioned it yet). Counterpoint by Swallow and Amazon is amazing and likely contributed to Sotto Voce.

Person you have laughed with the most.

I’m really not liking this ultimate one person idea. I’ve laughed with a lot of people in this fandom. I’ve candy cannoned a bunch of you as well :P There has been mad plot cackling, evil conspiring, fic written to stir pots and delight on purpose. Hell, I’ve even written fic that was purposefully a giant virtual hug because I’m so far away that even if half the world wasn’t in isolation, I couldn’t hug most of you. Sure, I talk with some of you more than others, and there is laughter in those chats…oh, god, so much cackling, poor, poor Tracy boys. But then there are also so many smiles both vocalised and not. Thunderfam is one of my happy places. Bring on the belly laughs :D

Your comfort fic that you'll go back and read again on a bad day.

I will often resort to my own fic when I’m really down simply because it helps me get to sleep :D and it is kinda tailored to me ::grins:: (and my memory is that bad I often forget what I wrote anyway – yes, it is that bad) But there are also a few on my FF.net favourites list. Mostly hurt/comfort in a Virg flavour. Cheesycheese, nhsweetcherry, A Small Rescue by Nalina, Breathe Easy and Under the Weather by @loopstagirl – several of hers, in fact – the Virg ones :D Pretty much anything that has Virg fainting and being looked after apparently :D Chiddi and Veggie fic, of course.

Favourite piece of fan art.

I have never been so honoured by artists before. This fandom has some amazing skills and I have been gifted some beautiful works. You guys are amazing (I keep saying it like a broken record, but you are).

Again, I’m stuck on having to list one and I can’t. I think Fanart Appreciation Month in January pretty much summed up my opinion.

Who have you known the longest in the fandom.

@the-lady-razorsharp followed by @vegetacide both wonderful peeps. I can’t miss out on @weirdburketeer either for her amazing support almost from day one.

Favourite OC.

I have to say that I really enjoy reading about Ray from @i-am-chidorixblossom ‘s fics :D He is so gentle and kind and just ::sigh:: Virg likes him lots :D Selene by @willow-salix is, of course, a major presence in the fandom and amazingly written. @hedwigstalons ‘ Claire is lovely.

Person who supports your work the most.

The Thunderfam? There have been some wonderful people who support all the time. @hedwigstalons @cg29 @janetm74 @weirdburketeer in particular have been amazing support liking and commenting on just about everything I write. I honestly don’t know how they do it. Plus several peeps over on FF.net and Ao3 who support me over there.

And then there are the poor souls who put up with me in chat and listen to my wibblies and whining and character checks and field random chunks of writing that get thrown their way. @scribbles97 @vegetacide @the-lady-razorsharp @tsarinatorment @i-am-chidorixblossom @onereyofstarlight @godsliltippy @willow-salix @janetm74 all have had random passages thrown at them at all times of the day and night by a crazy me begging for feedback. Does this work? Is this in character? Am I insane? What the hell is Scott doing? Is this John??? I give up, tell me what to do? Virgil is driving me insane! So, um, yeah

Person who's progress you are the most proud of.

I love those peeps who appear in fandom who start off poking around commenting and generally being lovely and then all of a sudden get out their own pens and start writing and they are frickin’ amazing! Both @janetm74 and @hedwigstalons come to mind in this department. Like holy cow – ‘here is my first fic and I’m not sure’ ::reads it:: Omigod! Where did you come from? That was amazing. Sit down here now, keep doing that writing thing, bloody hell! I think being brave enough to pick up a pen and join in is a major thing :D

Person who's story you think is underrated and should be read by more people.

If I find fic I like, I reblog it and shout about it. What I like is definitely skewed in a Virgil direction and this dictates often what I’m going to read first. I can’t reblog what I haven’t read. So, this equation will always be skewed by ‘reasons I haven’t read a fic’ which mostly involves either Virgil or the fact I’m juggling RL. So, my answer to this is if I think a fic needs to be shouted about, I shout about it.

Something you think people would say about you.

She’s nutty.

Silliest 'thing' you do with someone.

I’ve been known to write fic on the fly directly into chat windows to try and distract peeps going through shitty times.

Favourite pairing you now Stan because of someone's fic.

Virgil/Kayo because of @vegetacide for reasons I have blamed her for multiple times. @the-lady-razorsharp and @weirdburketeer were accessories to the fact.

Favourite headcanon from someone's fic.

Um, Virgil and coffee? I got that from somewhere and it has infiltrated my fic…a lot.

Ultimately, though, I feel most people I interact with contribute to my fic and how I’m feeling. This has been a wonderful experience. I try to return the support as much as I can, but sometimes it is a juggle between writing more, my stupid fluctuating mood, the demands of RL and my own creative drive. I hope I’ve helped a few peeps, because you guys have certainly helped me ::major group hug::

And yes, I hug a lot, because to be honest, I have no other descriptor to communicate how I feel, so you get buckets of hugs :D

Tagging the Thunderfam. Feel free to grab these questions and run with them. You’re all part of the gang whether you write, read, art, gif, screenshot, chat, babble, stare at Virgil all day...I know I do a lot of staring.

Nutty

(Thunderfam rocks!)

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderfam #thunderfam rock

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