#that other characters could then complicate/challenge etc

[valeriefauxnom]

The Only Tierlist that Matters(tm)

'Best in Element' this, 'Best character that'...

Here's the only thing that you need to know about Dragalia and its lore: who's the best at Alberian Chess.

A fair portion of this is both evidenced and guesswork. Evidenced guesswork? I'll just walk through my analysis for anyone going ??.

In short, I think Leonidas is the best chess player shown. Leif outright states him to be a 'particularly cunning opponent' in comparison to Chelle and Phares, whom he both considers very skilled. Leonidas is the only one to have beaten Leif.

So if 1st and 2nd are locked, I'd say it's a more blurry picture between Phares and Chelle. Chelle I put lower just for the fact she explicitly finds Alberian chess a bit 'too restrictive' in rules and thus might not be quite as studious or caring of its games, and with Phares seemingly capable of getting Leonidas heated while appearing calm himself in "A Royal Tea Party", I think he might be better by at least a little bit. We know the current Chelle vs. Leif meta is a Leif win (though starting to tax/surprise him), but alas, we've no Phares-Chelle or Phares-Leif matchup to settle the big dog league for good.

A tier brings in Regina, who is only A just because I don't have any evidence to suggest how she might stack up against our formidable S-tiers. She's also native in a different variety of Alberian Chess, which further complicates how she could adapt against the southern rules most other players use here. In her own league, who knows? She could be S.

Discount Deku-looking-creature- er, Eugene, is shown to be a very skilled player, and yet his record is 0-2 vs. Leif, Leif not feeling incredibly threatened both times, and so A he goes.

Valyx here is mostly from a lack of evidence, as we never really see him play chess to my knowledge, but Leif at least will endorse him to be a skilled player. For Leif, no.2, that counts for something, and so into A he goes. We would need more sibling match-ups to see how he stacks up against his elders.

Ilia is similarly fuzzy in exact placement but we do know that Leonidas does not feel threatened by her, implying at least some tangible gulf in talent that I think bumps her down at least one tier. That being said, he also compliments her as skilled in reading his intent in chess, which, since Leo is no.1, having good reads on him is likely a very strong point to succeeding in Alberian chess. Besides, if it's 'Alberian' chess to begin with, she very well might have only recently learned the game, as Alberia as a state only started to exist 700 years after her time. That she's this good already is impressive!

Aurien provides some distinguishment between himself and Eugene by losing against him. He's still high up because Euden is very surprised he lost, and had made it in the chess tournament far. He seems to be pretty keen on the strategic understanding of the game, as well.

Falling all the way to D, we've Pinon, who understands some of the principles of strategy, etc, but still is inclined to making big mistakes for players like Regina to exploit. Even when she tries to bring back and challenge Regina with the southern rules she's learned from her travels there, Regina can still beat her comfortably.

Euden just wanted to be in 'E' tier because of his name No, it's mostly because he only just started learning at Gala Leif time in canon. And Euden... doesn't exactly seem to have a natural gift, as, per him when learning:

Or, more eloquently,

In short, he's not quite 'moving pieces at random' F tier for a complete novice, but we just have no evidence he's grown since. He's simply too busy fighting a war and having identity crises and stopping the Halidom from being blown up for the 3rd time today to have much time to practice, either. That being said, since Leif was the one to first start instructing him, he might very well have an edge when it comes to getting better over time!

[sketching-shark]

Unfortunately for plot-related convenience MK has been retconned into a fake fan (;_;)

I'm sorry but lmk not being clear on what MK knows about monkey king is sooo frustrating. He's some how his biggest fan who knows so much until the story requires him to have never known anything and it's like... why did you set him up as a monkey king fan it then just decide "actually he doesn't know shit" bro grew up to adulthood hearing stories and somehow knows Jack shit about the guy he supposedly fanboys over.

[lupinescribbler]

How to write Injuries!

Note this is how to utilize them in your story and not going into the physical details how how to write every type of injury, because that second one would both stretch my medical knowledge and be way too expansive for a tumblr post.

1) Research

Knowing about the malady you are afflicting your character with is important. In the most optimal case this involves talking to an actual medical professional who is well-versed on that type of injury. However, since not all of us have doctors at our beck and call, a few articles from decent sources can suffice. Typically you're going to want these pieces of info:

symptoms (description fodder)

mechanism (how could this injury be sustained?)

level of impairment (know how and to what level the injury would reasonably impair someone. This info might need more digging around than the others)

healing time (know how long it takes to heal from this injury)

treatment (potentially including symptom management)

Having this knowledge will help ground your story in at least a touch of realism. Make sure your symptoms match the injury, make sure the mechanism of the injury is sufficient and just overall makes sense for the injury, don't have someone with a broken leg strolling around like nothing happened, don't have the healing time unexplainably short or long, don't treat shock by trying to cool them off, etc.

A quick note, if you are doing a fantasy/not-real injury or illness you don't get to necessarily skip this step. In fact, imo, it can become even harder since you have to fill in these details yourself. Remember, internal consistency is key.

2) Attach Relevance

You want the injury to matter to the plot or character development. Does the broken leg prevent a character from joining a big battle? Does the flu present an extra challenge to going to their daughter's dance recital? Does being weak or out of the action aggravate their hero complex or self worth issues prompting growth or self-reflection? Does a captive's injuries complicate a rescue mission? Does having their dominant arm injured force a usually brunt force reliant powerhouse to be more creative in their strategies? Does the overpowered character have to rely on their friends/allies more because of a certain injury?

Use the injury to show the level of a character's commitment or mental toughness, use it as an obstacle they have to work around, use it to up the stakes, use it to force them to be vulnerable or else show how unwilling they are to being vulnerable, use it to thwart the main team's perfect plan, use it to push a situation into even more dire straits, use it as an alternative to character death, etc etc. These are just a few ideas, there are numerous different ways you can use different injuries/illnesses in stories. Really think about how it could affect or reveal things about the plot, characters, and relationships.

As always, remember writing advice is highly subjective. Find what works for you. My number one writing advice is always to not take writing advice as hard truths :) happy writing!

[byunpum]

Safe heaven | Part 4 (final)

Pair: Neteyam x Human!reader (sully family, others na'vi)

Warning: cultural things ,comfort moments, plot twist(sorry), All characters are adults.

AVATAR MASTERLIST | Ko-fi

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4[final]

It had been a week since mo'at had proposed, a week since neteyam had decided to sleep with her grandmother and a week since you had accepted mo'at's proposal. Something that was not easy for you, knowing that you had to present yourself to eywa and that she could not accept you was something that was making you more nervous. You had been with mo'at all morning, she was preparing everything for the ritual, there were only a few hours left for the whole process to start. You felt the nerves start to take control of your body, your hands were shaking a little. As you handed Mo'at some herbs. Mo'at notices these actions, and takes your hand to give it a squeeze. Smiling a little at you. "You need to relax," mo'at says. "I know…but if she doesn't accept me?" you ask, you know that eywa's acceptance was something important to every creature in pandora. "She will do it…I'm sure of it. Then you and neteyam can unite as a mate. And no one will be able to object" mo'at chuckled a little.

She had to admit that she felt bad for not standing by her daughter, neytiri. She was supposed to support her as a mother, but this situation was something she would not support. Seeing her daughter try to put her grandson together with someone he didn't love was something she would not accept. Every being should have the freedom to love whomever they want. Besides, Mo'at loved you very much, she had cared for you so much through all these years. Her greatest wish was for you to be part of her family, of her people. And now that everything was happening…she was going to help you. "Yes… neteyam is everything to me" you speak. "I know" mo'at goes back to work. There was a pause in the conversation, mo'at looked back at you and now you were looking at your feet lost in thought. "I know you are worried about neytiri…but you have to give her space" mo'at says.

"I don't want neteyam to be away from his family because of me, I don't want to be the cause of that" you speak, mo'at could hear the worry in your voice. Somehow this was your insecurity. She comes to your side, wrapping her arms around you so that you lay on her chest. She used to do this a lot when you were little, and apparently things haven't changed much. "Y/N neteyam's choice is made…he chose you. You don't have to worry" mo'at squeezes you tighter. "Besides you should be relaxed, you know you haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I don't want anything to happen to you" mo'at speaks. And yes… the whole process of the initiation ritual was complicated. You remember when neteyam had to do it when you were the perfect age. All na'vi must go through this process. It consisted of fasting for 24 hours, meditating and then a ceremony with a certain group of people. They would present you to eywa, connecting and uniting you with her to be one of her children. Not counting the challenges you had to go through before, like being a productive na'vi. Being accepted into the clan etc. Then the Tsahìk, of the clan, would evaluate if you were worthy to present yourself to eywa. Of course…mo'at was ignoring the fact that neyitiri hate you and that you were human. She was taking a risk.

On the other hand, neteyam had worked all week naturally. Doing his daily chores, meeting his siblings and his father. As if nothing had happened, but he still had no contact with his mother. This worried him, but he wasn't giving it any attention. You were his priority right now. He was even ignoring Leeka's strange approaches to him, he knew that the girl was following her mother's instructions. Ignoring and refusing to let her approach him. Neteyam had already made his choice and was not about to change his mind. This particular day, neteyam was helping her father with the daily hunts, barely looking at him, trying to talk about anything but what was going on with her mother. "Dad…are you going to the y/n ceremony?" nateyam asks his father. Jake drops the piece of meat he was cutting, to look at his son. "Sure…you know I'm supportive," jake says, pausing. The most Jake wanted was for neytiri and neteyam to get back to the relationship they had before. This was not good for the family, they were supposed to be a close family and this was tearing them apart. Jake was aware that y/n was not to blame for this problem, maybe she was at the center of the argument. But the fault was that neytiri didn't want to understand that neteyam was already an adult…and that he chose what he wanted for his life. "Teyam… you need to talk to your mother," speaks Jake. Neteyam makes a grumbling noise. "I'm not going to go talk to her…let her come talk to me. She's the one with the problem…not me. I don't want to talk about it," Neteyam says, focusing on his work. Of course this was affecting him, for Neteyam his mother was important, but he was tired.

After being with his father all day, the afternoon came quickly. Cleaning up and getting everything ready. Half of the hunting this day was going to be for the small celebration they would have for your initiation. Neteyam said goodbye to his father, agreeing to meet later in the evening. Cleaning up to go to the mo'at hut, it was now his turn to help you. Neteyam arrived at his grandmother's hut, entering carefully. Seeing how mo'at was braiding your hair, approaching the women. By now he is kneeling in front of you. "Hello!!!" you greet him, watching as neteyam takes your hand for a quick kiss on your palm. "Hi baby, are you ready?" asks neteyam, seeing you giggle nervously. "Everything is ready…I need you to do the final decorating touches." Mo'at speaks, watching as neteyam climbs up. Neteyam was your host…so he was in charge of preparing you for the ceremony. After a while, and mo'at finished your hairstyle. And you and Neteyam left the hut, to go to where he was going to help you prepare.

Neteyam took you to this place, where few na'vis passed by. A quiet place to coexist. Surrounded by rocks and moss. It was cold and cozy at the same time. Neteyam had carefully chosen the clothes you would wear, being your mentor he had to choose all the details of the ceremony. Sitting in front of you, his hands were filled with a white ink. As he traced lines across your skin, from the tips of your hands to your neck. Drawing circles and a few dots with the paint on your skin. The paint felt cold, and wet on your skin, but you were so focused on neteyam's gaze. He was very focused on his work, touching you gently. While humming some chants. Every part of your body was being gently touched by his hands, with a love and delicacy. "I am so proud of you…thank you for doing this" says neteyam, starting to draw line on your forehead up to your neck. They were small lines, accompanied by a simple design.

"thank you for accepting me as I am" you speak, watching as neteyam's face breaks into a smile. As his index finger slides from your forehead to your nose, reaching your lips. Stopping for a moment, to make eye contact with you. He wanted so badly to have you for himself, to have you as his mate. "I love you" says neteyam, feeling you now holding his wrist. Giving his finger a little kiss. You watch as neteyam laughs, flashing a big smile. It's been a long time since you've seen him laugh like that. He looked so happy and comfortable right now. "Soon…we will be together, and we will have our home" neteyam starts talking. "O…how would you like our home to be?" neteyam was getting distracted talking, not noticing that you had gotten up on your knees, to move towards him. Taking his face in your hands to give him a kiss, pressing hard on his lips. Instinctively neteyam wraps his hands around your waist, pulling you closer to him. While you wrap your arms around his neck.

"Ehh none of that…until after the ceremony" mo'at shouts, moving closer to you. You break away a little embarrassed, but began to laugh as did mo'at. He might be going through some trouble, but this moment was supposed to be one of happiness. And mo'at was in charge of this. She came over to you, kneeling beside you. Adjusting a few pieces of your ornaments that covered your chest. Arranging some beads in your hair. "Are you ready?" asks mo'at. You nod enthusiastically, you wanted all this to happen, the nerves were eating you alive. "Let's go" says neteyam getting up from the floor, taking your hand to follow him.

In the ceremony there were all the people who wanted and needed for this. Jake, kiri, lo'ak, spider, norm, max, tsu'tey etc. They all cared…they all wanted to be a part of it. Mo'at had gone ahead and stood in front of the spirit tree. Raising his hands, chanting. Setting the whole mood. Neteyam was holding your hand, but I could see that his gaze was lost in the small crowd in front of you. He was looking for his mother, he wanted to make things right with her, but she was not able to accept you. Mo'at walks up to you, taking your hands to pull you closer to her. "'y/n…once you join, you will be one of us. And we will be one" Mo'at speaks. Mo'at helps you lie down on that kind of giant log that was in front of her. You are speechless when you can see the tentacles of the tree around you, glowing brightly.

You focus on mo'at's gaze, she places a hand on your forehead. "Honey…close your eyes and good luck." says mo'at, you obey and close your eyes. Taking a deep breath as you felt some stuff go up your hands, feet, back and head. It didn't hurt, it didn't even tingle. You just felt like they were there, telling yourself that everything would be okay. You stop hearing the mo'at chanting and everything goes white.

Out of nowhere you were sitting in a room, much like a laboratory. You look around examining your space, but just as you look to your right side you can see a woman. You didn't know how to describe her, something about her wouldn't let you memorize her…you could only feel her presence. "You've come so far honey" you could recognize that voice, for some reason your subconscious recognized it. "I…" you try to speak, but feel her take your hand. And you could feel all her energy running through your body. "You must not feel alone my child… every being pure of heart, will be my child. Regardless of their descent" says the presence. While you felt all its energy envelop you in a warm embrace. "Welcome" was the last thing you heard when you suddenly opened your eyes.

The gazes of neteyam, mo'at and norm were above you. Looking at you with concern, about 15 minutes had passed, which for you felt like seconds. You had been breathing heavily and your forehead was sweating. Norm had become concerned and even mo'at. This is the first time a human has ever tried to bond with eywa, in his human form. But the worry on his face disappeared, as tears of joy began to flow from your eyes. "She has welcomed me" you speak with a tearful voice, as you see the happy smiles of your new family. You stand up a little, and hug neteyam by the neck. You could hear the shouts of happiness and celebration. "Welcome to the clan" mo'at approaches you and hands you a songcord. Your eyes widen. Mo'at takes neteyam's hand and joins it with the tupara wrapping the amulet. "I hope you can write your new life here… just with the one you love," mo'at says, pulling you close to give you a kiss on your forehead. While wiping the tears from your eyes.

Little by little everyone present approached you. To welcome you, hugging you and accepting you as one of them. You felt a little strange, the feeling was something new, but you felt like you. At all times, neteyam had not let go of your hand, let alone move away from you. At last he had you by his side, at last… he could be with you. And no one could tell him anything, no one. For a moment, Neteyam can see the figure of Neytiri at a distance. You watch as neteyam is looking off into the distance, and you see the woman. You pinch his shoulder so that he goes to talk to his mother. The last thing you wanted was for him to miss an opportunity like this. Neteyam gives you a quick glance, and sees you nod at him to go. You can see him sigh nervously and start walking towards his mother.

Neteyam needed his mother to accept him, for her to be apart of this. "Hello" neteyam says, looking at his mother. Neytiri had her arms crossed and looked a little sorry. "I want to apologize to you…I know sometimes I can be stubborn and I" neytiri starts with her speech, but suddenly sees and feels neteyam hugging her tightly. Without hesitation, she hugs him back. "Mom…I just wanted that. Just this," says neteyam. He hears neytiri laugh, and hugs him tighter. In the distance you were watching the whole scene, jake was next to you. You had already settled down and sat on the floor, waiting for Neteyam to make up with his mother. "Do you think she'll ever talk to me?" you ask, watching as jake laughs. The laugh was something to himself, and hesitantly. "I don't know…but don't worry. Neytiri is a loving woman, she's just a little overprotective of her children. But she will accept you" says Jake. "Mmm I hope so" you speak, turning your attention back to neytiri.

Neytiri turns away from neteyam, taking her son's face in her hands. "Tell Y/N that I welcome him to the clan" says neytiri. "Don't you want to come?" asks neteyam, but he sees how his mother answers him with a denial movement, it was still too early to take that step, but he respected it. After all, it was a big step for her to be here. "Thank you mom" says neteyam, watching as neytiri smiles and begins her walk back to her hut. Neteyam stands there thoughtfully for a moment, only to turn around and watch as you were giving him a thumbs up. You were so happy, that this was happening.

After a long celebration, which had been prepared in the common area of the omaticayas. Where there was music, drink, and food hunted by themselves. After dancing and celebrating your joining the clan. Neteyam was desperate to be alone with you, so when you finally leave kiri and were looking for a drink, you see how neteyam approaches you playfully and takes you by the hand dragging you with him, towards the depth of the jungle. "Where are we going, eh?" you say playfully, neteyam just laughs and continues to guide you. You were both giggling, you were already recognizing the path…it was the one to the spitirus tree. You both approached the tree, entering more into its luminous branches. You were already trying to find a place to sit down, but you could feel neteyam standing behind you.

He had already sat down on the ground, taking your hips to guide them into his lap. Forcing you to sit between his legs, as he wrapped you in an embrace. Giving you a quick kiss on your cheek. "Finally…we can be together" neteyam says, he was speaking softly as he cradled you in his arms. You close your eyes, letting yourself be carried away by the moment…just because. This was a moment you would have loved to live with Neteyam. "Together forever" you speak, looking up. To see neteyam's confused face. "Sure, why not?" says neteyam, laughing nervously. "Yeah, why not. Just ignore what I said" you speak, as you settle further into his arms. "I love you so much y/n…I love you" neteyam says, kissing your neck, and breathing in your scent. He just wanted to stay there forever. "I will always be by your side, always."

"Hey y/n, can you hear me?" "Y/n?"

*fingers snap*

You open your eyes suddenly, to find lo'ak standing in front of you. He had a small smile on his face, he could see some tears running down your cheeks. He wipes them away carefully and sits down next to you. "Still not telling him?" asks lo'ak, watching as you remove your hand from the water and release one of the tentacles that rubbed the surface of the metkayina clan's spirit tree. For some reason, a very strange one. You were able to connect to the spirit tree, you thanked eywa for allowing you to join. You were thankful that there were many rocks there, where you could go and sit. "I don't have the courage to do it" you speak, wrapping your feet to your chest. "Yes you are right" says lo'ak, keeping silent. "Hey, how about we go for a ride?" lo'ak wanted to cheer you up, he knew these were very strong for you. And for him too…he missed his brother a lot. "Sure…I could use a good distraction" you say, accompanying lo'ak, but without looking back at the spirit tree.

It was the sixth anniversary of neteyam's death, six years since he left. 6 years since he promised to be by your side. He still doesn't know… he still keeps his promise and you like to create this scenario with him where you could finally be together and create your own safe heave.

p.s Forgive me… but it's been ages since I've done something sad. ahhhhhhh

Taglist <3 : @cardi-bre91 @klowicherry @smolbeanzzz

[shizuturnspages]

same anon who asked about yandere childe with strong s/o, and i was wondering... which yandere genshin characters do you think would be totally into a strong s/o (minus childe ofc) and which ones would see it as an obstacle since it means they're tougher to restrict/'protect'/etc??? don't need much detail, just wondering what your thoughts were on genshin men/women who would find it appealing and who would see it as another issue to deal with

Yandere Genshin Characters Who Would Be Into a Strong S/O

These characters would thrive on the challenge or admire your strength, seeing it as an asset rather than a threat to their obsession.

❥ Xiao: Strength impresses him. He’s used to protecting others, but if you can hold your own, it’s both a relief and a bond-builder. He might even secretly admire you more than he lets on.

❥ Kaeya: He would find it incredibly appealing. He loves a good challenge, and having a strong S/O would keep him on his toes. He’d flirt and test your boundaries, intrigued by your strength both physically and mentally.

❥ Beidou: She’s all about strength and freedom. A strong S/O? Perfect match. She loves sparring with you and seeing your skills in action.

❥ Eula: Due to her background as a noble outcast, she respects strength and resilience. A strong S/O would earn her respect and affection. She’d bond with you over shared battles and see your strength as a shared asset rather than a threat.

❥ Rosaria: She would silently appreciate your strength, as it means she doesn’t have to constantly look out for you. She’d enjoy the fact that you’re capable of protecting yourself, and might even view your strength as an extension of her own independence.

❥ Arlecchino: She thrives on power dynamics and sees your strength as something to respect and wield alongside her.

❥ Cyno: He respects competence and strength, especially in combat. He’d see a strong S/O as an ideal match, someone he could trust to have his back. His yandere tendencies might even become more subtle since he doesn’t have to worry as much about your safety.

❥ Wanderer: He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Wanderer would love a strong S/O. He’d see your strength as proof that you’re someone worthy of his attention, and it’d feed into his fascination with you. His possessiveness might even grow, knowing others might covet your abilities.

Would See It as an Obstacle

❥ Diluc: He would struggle with a strong S/O because he’s so used to taking on a protector role. He’d view your strength as a barrier to him fulfilling that role, which would frustrate his yandere tendencies.

❥ Ningguang: She prefers to have control over every aspect of her life, including her relationships. A strong S/O might disrupt the balance she tries to maintain, especially if you act independently in ways that challenge her authority or plans.

❥ Thoma: He’s more of a caregiver at heart, so a strong S/O might make him feel like he’s not needed as much, which would bother him in a possessive way.

❥ Alhaitham: He might find your strength a little inconvenient because it challenges his need for control. He respects intelligence over brute force, so if your strength overshadows his calculated plans, he might get a little exasperated.

❥ Tighnari: He would view your strength as a complication, especially if it means you’re more independent than he’s comfortable with. He wants to be the one to protect and guide you, so your strength would sometimes clash with his protective instincts.

❥ Zhongli: His old-fashioned nature might make him see your strength as a hurdle to his protective instincts. While he’d deeply respect your abilities, it’d also challenge his need to shield and safeguard you.

❥ Raiden Shogun: Ei is used to being the ultimate authority. A strong S/O who acts independently might clash with her rigid sense of order, making her feel like her control is being undermined. She’d see your strength as both a threat and an obstacle to “keeping you safe.”

❥ Kaveh: He would see your strength as a direct threat to his overprotective nature. He thrives on being needed and would find it hard to cope with an S/O who doesn’t rely on him emotionally or physically.

❥ Ayato: He would find it bothersome in private, as he prefers being the one in control of situations. Your strength would make it harder for him to manipulate or safeguard you, which might frustrate his possessive streak.

❥ Albedo: Your strength might disrupt his plans of keeping you isolated for his “observations.” He’d have to strategize around it, which he might find annoying.

[classygreydove]

The perfect contradictory character of wei wuxian

i'm writing this as i eat chocolate instead of working on my WIP lol - but essentially i've been thinking a lot about when a fic characterization of WWX just hits the spot for me, and when it doesn't. Now whether this type of characterization is canon I think is always partially a matter of opinion, because by its very nature a fanfic cannot be...well, canon. And it is made all the more complicated by the existence of CQL canon and MDZS canon, and the different MDZS canons with different scenes and levels of censorship, and the way fans and fic writers often franken-canon it together. So this post is only my rambling about characterizing WWX in fic.

Whenever I write WWX, i always find it a balancing act. Talkative, but not too talkative; golden-hearted, but willing to question what society sees as moral; confident, but complicatedly so depending on what point he's at in his character arc; oblivious, but not oblivious; impulsive, but analytical. I'm also constantly asking myself "Is this a personality trait, or a result of his environment? Both? What would impact his character if there are different events or circumstances?

And then there's the appearance of what his character is, which is almost just as important as his actual character. The masks or roles he puts on for others, or the ways those around him willfully misinterpret him. How does this character perceive WWX's actions in this or that context? Do they find him reckless, oblivious, or call him morally wrong (even when he isn't)? Does WWX want them to react a certain way, and does that impact how he acts around them?

In my opinion, writing WWX in a modern setting or genderbend is perhaps the most challenging. Not only do you have to ask yourself what personality he'd have if it were shaped by different cultural standards, gender roles, or backstory, a fic author might also want to do their best to preserve his character integrity as a "classic golden-hero turned dark anti-hero" archetype, but have no idea how to translate that into completely different set of circumstances.

For instance, WWX and gender roles. I really love that WWX is a subversion of the classical masculine hero archetype in cnovels. As a teenager, he's confident, flirty, intelligent, skilled, enjoys having fun and not taking life too seriously. As a resurrected MXY, he has no issue pretending to be a lunatic cutsleeve, so no toxic masculinity there lol - he also likes getting swept off his feet by LWJ, and playing up the "helpless maiden" role, and is very much a romantic with cottagecore dreams, saving his first kiss (traditionally that kind of innocent romanticism is attributed as a "feminine" trait, regardless of whether it actually is or not) - LWJ in contrast falls into many feminine tropes such as being known for his beauty/grace, the way he carries the money pouch (women traditionally managed the finances), can cook, has petty jealousy, etc - while at the same time undeniably also has masculine traits. The way Wangxian subvert gender roles and tropes is wonderful and i love their characters for it.

But then how does one even begin to translate that dynamic into a genderbend? Does teenage WWX still have that masculine classic hero personality? Or does she become traditionally feminine with LWJ the one acting more masc? Do different gender roles and expectations affect how WWX interacts with the world, such as how they react to her flirting, her confidence, her heroic tendencies? I read a fic a few years ago that I thought it a fabulous job exploring some of these very questions in the canon setting. I am still devastated that it remains incomplete.

Whenever I read a fic with Wei Wuxian, I always fall in love with depictions of his character that capture some of this balance, these "contradictions," so to speak (I don't have a better word to describe it than contradictions, even though these traits don't actually contradict. Ig I could say character complexity? But people often throw that phrase around without explaining what they mean by it, so). It's what makes him such a cool character to read about. It's also what makes him so unbelievably difficult to write sometimes. So many fic authors struggle with his character, whether attributing a trait to him that he only appears to have, like thoughtlessness. Or project a trait onto him that he doesn't seem to have that much, like insecurity, or not knowing his own worth as a person/or not knowing the magnitude of his abilities.

WWX to me has always seemed to know exactly how skilled he is and what he is capable of, and he at least intellectually seems to be aware that he is not unlovable or worth less than others, even if he is required to act or treat himself as less than his peers due to classism and society. I've always felt that his attitude towards himself, his own worth and his own ability, is a sort of practicality that would come from growing up as a street kid whose only goal is survival, and who is completely aware of just how little the world cares if he does or not.

Then there's the concept of him being ridiculously oblivious/emotionally unintelligent, which many others have talked about before me. I think this idea in the fandom largely stems from the fact that Wei Wuxian doesn't pick up on a lot of small details that he later recognizes and realizes later on. But there's been a lot of discussion of how much of that was because of comphet, situational circumstances, and LWJ's own reticence that prevented or distracted WWX from making those connections earlier in the canon timeline. This means that this "obliviousness" is likely something that would change if the circumstances are different, such as WWX existing in a world with no comphet, or existing in a timeline where he isn't dealing with Wen indoctrinations or being severely traumatized by the burial mounds and a war, LWJ being less repressed and hot-cold etc, etc, etc.

Now, one WWX characterization i genuinely have such a hard time reading is manic pixie WWX. The ones where he's just... chirpy. Bubbly. (Usually really oblivious. Never intentionally breaking rules, he just can't help it! he's just too cute and enthusiastic uwu) I can't explain why, I don't even know why, but it grates on my every. last. nerve. (that being said, if u want to write manic pixie WWX, then write whatever u want, seriously. Don't even think about letting my opinion stop u from doing what you like and having fun)

As for depictions I really love to see: a WWX that kind of scoffs at rules/the system. One who genuinely has a somewhat poor opinion of LWJ's character before LWJ proves himself, because I like a good enemies/rivals-to-friends-to-lovers because that's how I believe he sees LWJ until LWJ punishes both himself and WWX and WWX goes "oooh u don't use the system to self-benefit or aggrandize or oppress, you're actually trying to be like, moral. I respect that, actually. Let's be friends and go on bromantic outings in Lotus Pier"

Or when WWX's teasing gets a little mean, because WWX can be a little mean, often unintentionally so, but still (think WWX showing LWJ porn/intentionally pushing LWJ's buttons, WWX making that comment about JL's mom). I think it's a character flaw of his that adds depth/complexity.

Also, WWX trolling people/enjoying mischief and making people question the "system." I've always felt his first-life self had the kind of annoying swagger that a guy who Knew He Looked Like That and Knew Exactly How Smart He Was that would honestly make me so annoyed if I knew him irl. Like, Mianmian, I get it. LWJ, I get it.

Basically, I like when his character is written to make u so mad you aren't sure if you want to throttle him or kiss him silly (especially if it's a LWJ pov). Or when he acts super carefree/silly, at the same time as he shows how scarily smart he is. It's the juxtaposition. The contradiction. *slaps hand on the metaphorical table in emphasis*

[TL;DR] So what i'm trying to say is, writing WWX is a challenge, but one that is so worth it.

Alright I've spent like an hour on this post, so though there's so much more I could talk about, I'll leave it at that for now. For those of you who would still really like a part 2 of that "so i read a comment bashing LWJ" post, i do plan to write more on that, so keep an eye out 👁️

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

[yuurei20]

Hi!

I was wondering what the book 5 bonuses were? I know they were originally in the JP server, but cut out of the EN server. Are you able to touch on this topic?

Thank you 💜

Hello hello! Thank you for this question!

Were maybe the Book 5 bonuses in question the “Clear Main Story: Book 5 with extra bonus" gifts? 👀 (Here is a YouTube video about this!)

These "extra bonus" gifts for clearing Book 5 were what EN players would have received in exchange for clearing all the challenges associated with the "Everybody Yaho!" rhythmic that was removed from the EN server, seen below!

As EN players did not have the rhythmic they could not earn the bonuses, so EN server instead provided the bonuses to players all at once at the conclusion of Book 5 as extra rewards ^^

(I hope I did not misunderstand the question ��� my apologies if so!)

And it was not just the rhythmic! Neige's song plays in the background of that entire scene in the original game, replaced with common background music for EN server, and there is a scene of all the characters singing together at the end that was also removed.

Tumblr only allows for one video per post, so here is the Rhythmic and Missing scene together on YouTube!

Note:

It is a common theory that the rhythmic was removed due to copyright issues, but this rumor is unfounded: it has never been confirmed by Aniplex USA (or anyone), and it is always better to not repeat unofficial information as fact.

I have also seen rumors that it may be related to usage rights outlined in Neige's VAs contract, or to a disagreement between Disney JP and Disney HQ, etc., but at the end of the day we do not know the real reason and it unlikely that we will ever be told ^^

And this connects to the official OST: It has, pointedly, 149 tracks instead of 150, and Everybody Yaho! is not there!

There is not a "Japan release" and "Overseas release" of the OST--it is all the same product, with overseas buyers even receiving the lyrics booklet in Japanese!

Was "Everybody Yaho!" originally supposed to be a part of the set, but ultimately removed due to whatever reason it is that that song is being kept from EN speakers? 🧐

We do not know and probably never will, but it is most interesting to think about ^^

Another interesting point we saw with the OST: Most of the song titles were updated to reflect EN-server's changes! (Spectral Soiree, for example, was originally "Endless Halloween.")

So JP players are buying songs with new names written in a foreign language, with one exception: Wish Resound 👀

(While EN fans are left to wonder "Why is there a song here in a language I do not know?" about 1 song, JP fans are possibly thinking the same thing about the other 148 ww)

Unlike every other song on the OST the name of Glorious Masquerade song "Wish Resound" was not translated into English and instead intentionally left in Japanese!

The lyrics of "Piece of My World" that appeared on JP server were infamously removed from EN (during the audition scenes of Book 5), and the lyrics to "Wish Resound" were also removed from EN's Glorious Masquerade, replaced with "*singing*"!

Are the removal of the lyrics and "Everybody Yaho!" somehow connected? Related to a complicated web of usage rights and copyright laws, perhaps, that do not allow them to be published outside of JP server? 🧐

Any explanations you may see (including the ones in this post) are all conjecture and unfounded rumors invented by fans looking for answers, but it is most interesting, for sure! ^^

[shallowseeker]

THE LORE

I'm Shal.  I watched SPN off and on as a teen, but I didn’t join Tumblr or the fandom until late 2022, when I was bedridden due to a heart condition.

That’s when I started reading fics like american oracle by @handsliketruth & @whiskeyjuniper, The Black Dog Ache by @winchester-reload, and Redux by @valleydean... and I was hooked. Ficlets, meta, shitposts, the whole nine. (I'm still obsessed with all of these stories, if you care.)

I'm happy to say that my heart condition is much more stable now, and I’m no longer bedridden, but I’m still on Tumblr and still having an amazing time!

///

TAGGING / WARNINGS

I’m not anti-anything, but I have a real soft spot for imperfect characters. If they come across as too polished or boring, I love digging into their flaws and exploring their Achilles' heels. (For example, I’ve paralleled Lisa Braden’s struggle with understanding grief against Jody Mills’s deeper, lived understanding of it.)

Anything I think could be challenging or a bit of a downer, I tag with #complex at the beginning—#complex john, #complex sam, #complex dean, and so on.

///

META

The meta-organization will go here... eventually. (I'm working on a #shal spn rewatch.)

Over the past couple of years, I’ve written a lot of opinions, some of which people still request. My meta tends to focus on later SPN seasons, with deep dives into Jack Kline—aiming to add variety to the ecosystem by highlighting the real, complicated Jack over the "fanon (toddler) stereotype."

A few people have called me TFW-positive, and I genuinely love Team Free Will, even when I'm mentally wringing their necks. My core focus is on Sam, Dean, Castiel, Jack, Mary, and Rowena/the MacLeod family.

Side Goals: @spnwin-reader @wheretheloveisstored

///

FICS

I post my fics on Ao3 under shallowseeker, and the new Tumblr page for them is here. (I post a lot of rapid-fire ficlets and ideas in my Tumblr posts, too.)

I write to improve my cognitive dysfunction, and I’m fascinated by religion and natural phenomena (avalanches, sinkholes, etc). My writing style has been described as chaotic, random, and weird—"like one long manic episode."

= O N G O I N G =

For your crimes against the most high (5 of 14) 

Blackout on the eastern seaboard (1/2)

= C O M P L E T E D =

Truth & despair (15/15)

Mirror, mirror (1/1)

I will not be diminished (1/1)

///

OTHER STUFF

👬 pro-DeanCas (I have eyes) // 🤩 Mary stan //⭐ Jack stan // 📚 Sam / Donatello / Metatron-coded (and was told by a friend: Kevin Tran-coded)

My username @shallowseeker is a type of fishing lure, so I thought a Dean and Jack fishing theme would fit perfectly this time around!

[retributory]

Can you talk in detail about LBH and what your favorite things are about him?

second go at this because tumblr nuked it the first time. lol. sorry this is so long and unorganized and only a little answers the question this is more of a stream of consciousness nico inner monologue sneak-peek that is binghe themed.

1) just the concept of binghe is very funny and appealing. 2014 edgy mary sue half-demon big dick op sex guy emperor of the whole world domesticated by loser 20-something with a 10k karma reddit account. really good no notes.

2) i think a lot of people (even binghe fans) tend to unintentionally flatten him because it's actually a little hard to write him. the fact that for most of the novel you have a misinformed opinion of him based off of sy's meta-contextual knowledge of events that have not happened and will not happen within the current timeline means that it's hard to actually know binghe's deal the first time around. even after that you have to grapple with the meta-meta-contextual facts of binghe being an alternative version of a character within a character within a novel within a novel that is being affected by a 'real person' within the first layer of meta, but of course svsss being very much a story that is often about being a writer/creative that second layer is played with often . . . to put it lightly i think it's probably a contributing factor to both the fact that he's really controversial and to the fact that a lot of svsss meta can get really, really existential LOL. this is before getting into the fact that you're at minimum actually talking about two characters anytime you're talking about him, so . . .

3) the thing is that i think binghe (both) fans are often incorrect about him because he (bing-mei) isn't actually a puppy crybaby, he's just acting like one. but haters are also incorrect, because similarly he (bing-ge) isn't really a domineering evil emperor. putting aside the very complicated ideas we could get into re: are fictional characters the executors of their own actions when viewed meta-contextually, the fact is that binghe spends most of the novel playing some sort of role. which makes sense! at the time of sy transmigrating, (nominally) 14 year-old binghe has already lost his birth mother, been found in a river, lost his adoptive mother, been ritually abused by his peers in all settings, lived on the streets, managed to get into cqms just to be a scapegoat, been ritually abused by his shizun, etc . . . when sy uses the term 'white lotus,' it's not actually a compliment. it should be noted sy also knows that ultimately binghe is acting nice because he wants adults to treat him nicely, and he does not (yet) have any kind of power or authority to do anything about being treated wrongly. i think probably the first hint of binghe's real personality is when he leads off lmy because he thinks sy is staring at her - i don't think binghe is mean, but he isn't nice either. he's very jealous, he gets upset easily, he doesn't take issue with manipulating others to get what he wants.

(aside: even as a child, he has already very much formed the worldview that existence is transactional, something that is informed even more by sj's treatment of him. even though sy challenges that worldview, he doesn't get rid of it. all of binghe's love language is based around the idea of doing something for him; cleaning his house, making him meals, keeping him safe. naturally i think that's informed by the only affection he's received being at the hands of a woman who couldn't do much for him other than acts of service in the first place, but i also think that usefulness is a core tenet of what binghe believes that he and other people need to be.

i don't think it's controversial to say that bing-ge does not actually love any of his wives. i'd go so far as to say i don't even think he actually enjoys having sex with them - he is purely doing so to fuel xin mo, and would otherwise either not bother with them at all or kill them. being the wife of the Emperor of Both Realms is the transactional reward for providing him with no-questions-asked xin mo-feeding sex, of which he textually will just rape them if they don't agree. because bing-mei actually does love sy, i think he has to consistently challenge the idea of 'usefulness as a core tenet of a relationship,' which is one of the bigger problems they have to navigate).

very much a core part of svsss is that both of these people (sy and binghe) are. hmm. not the best people. bugfuck crazy actually. binghe puts on the waterworks because sy likes fussing over him like an overbearing mother, and while the underlying thing that he's having crocodile tears over really is bothering him a lot of the time, he's playing it up for puppy baby points. but that isn't his actual personality. his actual personality is when sy starts soothing him automatically when binghe gets the idea that sy may have been sexing lqg up in those caves. lmfao

4) speaking of, he's very easy to read as having bpd. i think other people are fully entitled to have their opinions on the matter but binghe's quote-unquote bad personality is majorly explained if you simply operate under the assumption that he has a cluster-b personality disorder (which are caused by childhood trauma, dontcha know . . .). it's easy to view his xin mo-induced catastrophic meltdown in vol 3 as splitting, and his constant back-and-forth of "shizun is the best person ever, shizun is an angel, shizun is incapable of wrongdoing" to "shizun is the worst person ever, shizun is cruel and unrelented, shizun hurts me on purpose" is easy to see as the sort of black-and-white thinking that bpd is characterized by. of course you can just think whatever, but i like to see it that way, especially because binghe is still seen as desirable despite his flaws, while any character that has or is implied to have a cluster-b disorder is usually treated as some sort of inhuman monster.

5) of course, backing off that, did you know i actually rarely like romance? for years i made a habit to intentionally avoid all romance novels because i disliked the genre out of principle. despite being largely into the shipping scene of any given fandom i was in, i both generally did not interact with other fans and also generally avoided anything romance-centric. i avoided mxtx's works (tgcf specifically) for years because i was quite convinced all romance was the same as the very very boring sort of stuff i had unfortunately read, where both the main character and the male lead are completely and utterly perfect and the only conflict is the fact that they aren't currently together. the only reason i read svsss . . . was because someone on my twitter tl at the time was complaining about it, and their complaints sold me on it because they (bq) sounded so weird. i read the entirety of it extras and all in 3 days. it sent me cartwheeling down a rabbithole of a genre i had FOOLISHLY written off. thank you binghe's terrible personality for saving me.

6) i also . . . am eternally enchanted by binghe's borderline horrific body. the satire of 'what does a perfect harem lead power fantasy stallion actually look like' kills me. when sy feels his abs and they're uncomfortably hard all the time . . . his actual literal horsecock obliterating sy's stupid insides . . . i think binghe has body dysmorphia but the opposite way around people usually have it. he wants a smaller dick and a less sexy body. i think he is trapped in his perfect stupid sexy body and it really kills me.

7) this is getting too long i think i have to shut up. my FAVORITE THING ABOUT BINGHE?? his personality. if you put a gun to my head. but he is so cutiebaby anyways. i understand sy completely; i also want to coddle and baby binghe when he does awful things. binghe would have loved puppygirl posting online . . .

[thetypedwriter]

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Book Review

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Book Review by Gabrielle Zevin

This book fell into my lap. I usually don’t put much stock into other people’s opinions on books, but I had sooooo many people tell me to read this book—people I admire and look up to. So, of course, when my fiance procured a copy for himself, I decided to join him. 

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a book by author Gabrielle Zevin about a boy and a girl who make games together. That’s it, that’s the whole plot. It always amazes me when authors can take such a simple narrative and turn it into a beautifully crafted tale. 

The book itself is exquisitely written, with elegant prose, tasteful pacing, enchanting characters, and a rich timeline that starts with the characters’ childhoods and follows them well into their late thirties. 

The two characters are the creative, yet self-deprecating Samson Masur and the lovely and brilliant Sadie Green. The two meet as children in the hospital where Sam is recovering from a horrific car accident and bond over playing video games.

Little does Sadie know that Sam hasn’t spoken to a single person since the accident. Not one word—until Sadie. 

Following these two characters well into their adulthood makes you feel like you really know them. They’re complicated and messy, traumatized and hopeful. They have likes, dislikes, annoyances, flaws, struggles, and dreams. 

The gift of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is getting to know these two characters as well as you could know a real life person—an almost unimaginable task for a writer to do.

Because the plot is so simple (albeit still fascinating to see the progress and evolution of video games from the 1990’s to the 21st century) Zevin can focus wholeheartedly on Sam and Sadie’s characters, a literary choice that pays off in droves.

The way Sam and Sadie’s relationship changes over time makes the reader reminisce on their own friendships, especially childhood ones. As a book, it highlights the beauty and nuances of having someone you can call a best friend–emotions and ties that can mean more than romance.

The way Zevin portrays their relationship is nothing less than art. That isn’t to say that Sadie and Sam don’t fight or have their issues because oh boy, do they ever. But that’s life. Life is messy and unpredictable and as human beings we are vulnerable to insecurities and mistakes. 

Having double POV’s isn’t always my favorite, but in this case it was crucial. Seeing both sides allowed you, as a reader, to see how perception plays a role in us all.

A situation from Sadie’s POV points Sam as uncompassionate and unfeeling. From Sam’s POV you gain understanding and empathy—you piece together why he is doing what he’s doing, altering your omniscient perspective on the whole situation. 

It was splendidly crafted. 

As I’ve stated many many times before, I am a character driven reader. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a character driven narrative all the way through.

More than magic battles or surprising plot twists, I found myself moved by the daily lives of two individuals trying their best. I was encouraged by their success and heartbroken by their losses. I felt like Sam and Sadie were my friends and I loved their story as if it were my own. 

If I were to have any criticism of this book it would be that all the problems could have been avoided if the characters just communicated with each other.

This isn’t a new issue. I have this problem with TV shows, other books, movies, etc. If people properly communicated, you wouldn’t have the challenges that arise (you also wouldn’t have a plot). 

While in some cases I can understand why Sadie and Sam would keep things from each other, for two people who spend an inordinate amount of time together you would think that they would…you know, talk more about their thoughts and feelings. 

I do think that Zevin took some liberties with how often Sadie and Sam kept each other in the dark while still proclaiming the other person to be the only soul on the planet who “really knows them” but it’s a forgivable error and one easily forgiven. 

Recommendation: If you like character driven stories as much as me (and video games to boot), then Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow will be your next addicting read. Like a video game, you’ll start it up, hit the next level, and be consumed until you reach the boss fight at the end. 

Score: 8/10

[applestorms]

who do you think is smarter: l or light? without any sort of external help (supernatural forces, $$$)

L. ez. i actually already talked about this in my little ramble on intelligence in DN (in response to another ask) but to elaborate on those two in particular a bit more...

ok first of all, to reiterate: intelligence is a difficult thing to really Measure. not only could there be considered to be a lot of different areas/types of knowledge, but there's also a lot of different ways in which that understanding/informational backlog can be utilized or acted on. (plus the whole thing about how IQ tests only determine how good you are at doing IQ tests, etc. etc.)

that being said, i don't think we have to say that intelligence is entirely relative, or that there is absolutely no objective basis under which we can judge how smart someone is, particularly in the case of fictional characters. SO,

let's begin by setting up the parameter that "without external help," specifically refers to circumstances throughout the show itself, if only because it's a lot more complicated to try and figure out who light and L even are if they aren't connected to their canon backstories. this basically just means that they are beginning with whatever strengths/weaknesses they gained throughout childhood and their early teenage/adult years, like we're judging between who they were right at the start of the series pre-lind l. tailor and before they met.

of course, this means that immediately, L has an advantage over light purely by the fact that he is slightly older and has had more direct experience testing the limits of his knowledge through his detective work. while light has also seemed to receive a decently bougie education, he has not had a wealthy man looking over his shoulder to specifically give him everything he wants/needs to Develop His Mind-- he's top of his class, top of everyone in the country, but even that seems to not be particularly challenging to him. thus i don't think it's too out there to assume that light's logical reasoning/pure book & experience knowledge is somewhat stifled.

that being said, he does possess one distinct advantage over L, which is demonstrated quite extensively throughout the show-- his ability to manipulate and understand people. because L is catered to so specifically in such an isolated environment, he never quite gets the chance to have to Live Around People in the same way that light does, meaning that he is a lot less inclined to have the same kind of Instinctive Knowledge as light about how to mask his emotions or fit in with a group. also, the autism. his approach is kinda just to (white) lie a lot-- you could perhaps view this as L being able to understand other people and their motivations/emotions/etc. in the context of a kind of detective case/puzzle, but not quite knowing or realizing the importance of covering his own ass, in the way that light does. the closest he gets with this is when he pretends to be a misa fan right before yotsuba, but even then that's a pretty minor case and clearly planned to some degree beforehand.

thus: L's strengths are in his logical reasoning and ability to puzzle out all the pieces together, pay attention to minute details in evidence, and understand people in terms of base motivations and personality, particularly with regards to crime. his weaknesses are in his ability to understand people in the moment, particularly the ways in which his own actions/presence may influence them in minor ways outside of his few intentional moments of manipulation.

light's strengths are in his ability to respond in the moment (so long as his temper doesn't get to him first), to manipulate people and mask himself so thoroughly n so regularly that he can be under surveillance 24/7 and still manage to murder a few people in secret while keeping up the Sweet, Dedicated Boy Persona in the privacy of his own bedroom, and also his Pure Dedication when it comes to sticking with one plan (KIRA), especially when his own emotions/view of himself is at stake. his weakness is in his ego/reliance on people due to his need to be Seen as someone good and just, as well as his logical reasoning, which really isn't quite up to par with L.

i think people sometimes forget that in the case of both light and beyond, their ability to "reason out" the logic of these cases is specifically because they are the ones perpetrating them, and planning them out in advance. L trips light up time and time again because L is able to think through the evidence more cleanly and consider more potential paths than light, who is always biased towards his own reasoning/justification by nature of the fact that he was the one who came up with the damn plans in the first place.

throughout the series, again and again, light fails to account for the multitude of ways in which people catch on to him-- it's part of the reason why his getting naomi is such a significant moment, because it really was Pure Chance that he stumbled across her right at the time that he did. he simply didn't account for the possibility that raye may actually have close family and loved ones he would talk about his work with, much less someone intelligent enough to put the pieces together about KIRA, despite the fact that he specifically threatens raye about a loved on in the first place. idiot lmfao

in the case of the anime specifically, i'd also like to add that i think L is a bit more emotionally intelligence/mature than light, to some degree, or at the very least has more of handle on or acceptance of his own emotions (and fucked-up-ness). both are pretty childish and self-centered, yes, spoiled little brats in their own particular ways-- but, particularly as demonstrated in the rain scene, L seems to both know what he is and Accept the extent to which his morals are actually quite gray in a way that light just. can't. part of this may be due to L's lack of connection to other people, that he doesn't hold himself to their standards quite so highly, though part of it may also just be again that L is a bit older and therefore less in the throes of teenage Image angst or whatever.

additionally: if you would really like to even out the playing field, and consider 24 year old L versus 24 year old light... honestly i still think L wins LMFAO.

i've mentioned this before, but light post-time skip really isn't all that inventive with the Sick New Schemes he comes up with. honestly, a lot of what he ends up doing in the latter half of the series is exactly the same as his plots throughout the first half, just with slightly different pieces in place. he uses takada and mikami in place of misa in some cases while still refusing to get the eyes (even his father at one point), he switches the notebooks around a whole bunch to ensure he isn't caught due to the lifespan/DN owner thing, he fights a couple snarky geniuses whose names he Desperately wants to find out for a truly stupid amount of time... really, post-timeskip light comes across as very high-functioning depression to me in this half of the series, to some degree going on autopilot with the plans that he Knows will work because he's sunk cost fallacy too hard to give up on KIRA now, despite the fact that his heart really isn't into it as much by this point. kinda like L during yotsuba, though their reactions are quite different, with L going the opposite way to intentionally drop all his shit and give up to the annoyance of everyone around him cuz he's salty that his "intellectual partner" or serial killer boytoy or whatever has disappeared now.

so... yeah. i really do think L is just a bit smarter. light is certainly intelligent, yeah, he can keep up with L just fine throughout the series, but he also uses his intelligence in really fucking stupid ways sometimes (coughcough using his Stunning Reasoning to logic himself into a corner where he has to keep killing people to be a good person. make it make sense, yagami) and is much more heavily influenced by his emotions and Especially his temper and ego.

[homestuckreplay]

she seems like a pretty regular girl to me!

(page 651-663)

9/17/2009 Wheel Spin: Captchalogue Lore Verdict: ????????

9/18/2009 Wheel Spin: Parent Bad :( Verdict: Well I’d take Dad over Big Imp any day and I think John would agree.

9/19/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: John, Mid-Ogre Ambush: 'haha where are my trick handcuffs?'

3 days’ worth of pages here because work has been eating me alive and time to write about Homestuck has been tragically limited. I will keep this so so short and focus only on what’s really important.

Currently, John is facing down two adversaries. One is the Crude Ogres, the physical challenge, and the other is GG, the mental challenge. I am delighted to learn that these higher level enemies are called ogres so that I can stop referring to them as Big Imp.

‘Hanging from the tree is your TIRE SWING. In a kid's yard, a tree without a tire swing is like a proper gentleman without a monocle. That is to say, HE CAN HARDLY BE CONSIDERED A TERRIBLY PROPER GENTLEMAN AT ALL.’ This is from page 27 (!!) and now on page 663, one of the ogres has stolen the swing and equipped tireswingkind. I guess any semblance of this still being John’s yard and John’s house is gone. The other ogre has taken Sassacre’s, while the imps have plundered the magic chest. I guess I’m thinking about how everything in John’s home that means something to him is now being used to hurt him, how he doesn’t get a place of respite or even a safe place to keep his possessions, which only highlights the need for the captchalogue system – for John and as a part of the story.

I’m so excited about Dark Kingdom Politics based on how the small imps are scared of the big imps. Thinking of them as chess pieces, it would not be correct to say that pawns are scared of rooks and bishops, as in chess no piece can threaten another piece of the same color. But seeing them as soldiers from a ‘kingdom entrenched in darkness’ (p.424) engaged in a war against the light, this fear does make sense, suggesting a more complex social order and NPCs with an inner life and a motivation beyond ‘grab object and attack.’

With that in mind, ‘You stop being the imp because that was stupid’ (p.657) is too hasty, I think that command giver was onto something. Your name is PAWN #413. As was previously mentioned you are AN IMP. A number of your SIBLINGS are scattered around this house. You have a variety of INTERESTS. You have a passion for SILLY HATS. etc. I am being silly but I really would like to get their perspective, especially if it complicates the binary of light and darkness in ways that might affect John’s choices further in the game.

But the real star of these ogre pages is the visuals. The ogres are comically big, to the point where it’s hard to get a scale of how big in comparison to John. Seeing John’s house from a bunch of different vantage points, and then seeing a single toe curling in through the window or a hand slamming down from the roof as imps react in terror. I really enjoy quickly flicking through all these different angles of the house. I think this section would be cool as an animation too, like a faster paced version of the one on page 250 – I don’t know which version I’d like better but it’d be fun to compare.

The Sweet Bro & Hella Jeff on page 663 suggests we’ll cut back to Dave now, who, like John, is preparing for a dangerous rooftop encounter. Goodbye for now John <3

On page 651 we are treated to the LONG AWAITED GARDENGNOSTIC REVEAL!!!! We just get her silhouette (and pronouns, on the next page) so while I think the spikes on her head are just messy hair, it could also be a fun hat. This is a low bar to clear I’ll admit, but so much media has a lot more male characters than female, so I do appreciate Homestuck keeping things more balanced among the leads.

John’s dreams are represented in clouds. The two other places we’ve seen clouds are above John’s house before he was transported to the Medium (for example, p.82) and surrounding Skaia as it is described by Nannasprite (p.422-423). So it’s kind of like John is able to see all the way to Skaia in his dreams, and he sees his dad, a birthday cake, a box of Gushers, a harlequin emblem, Slimer, Harry Anderson, and finally his friend gardenGnostic. We then get a quick flash through the Sburb installation screen, a pumpkin, and a spirograph, as John suddenly wakes. Seeing the installation screen is especially wild – it’s like Sburb is reloading in his mind as he wakes.

Getting the GG sighting almost felt like a ‘be careful what you wish for’ moment, because John’s conversation with her on page 652 is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever read. If someone tried to message me like this I would block them. In past conversations GG has seemed mysterious, now she’s just obnoxious, and I don’t know if she’s reacting to John saying she ‘seems like a pretty regular girl’ and is trying to prove him wrong, or if there’s another reason.

For example, there are definite inconsistencies in how she talks about the meteor that might have been near her house, and possibly other things too. In the first Pesterlog we see between GG and John (p.169) she says ‘GG: there was a loud noise outside my house!! GG: it sounded like an explosion!!!!’ and also asks John what Sburb is, and if he got her package. On page 293, GG reports back and says that she ‘went to investigate the explosion’ and confirms that it was a meteor, describing it as ‘pretty big’ while not being allowed to get too close.

Then things start getting weird. On page 382, GG tells Dave about her present for John, saying that ‘GG: he will not open it GG: he will lose it!!!’ Based on timezones this conversation takes place 49 minutes before the earlier one with John. On page 442, GG gives Rose the tip about Sburb’s ability to resurrect Jaspers the cat, although does not mention Sburb by name.

Both of these stand out, but have plausible explanations. But what really tests the limits of possibility is this new conversation on page 652, in which GG says she ‘was confused’ about the meteor, ‘fell asleep for a while’ and ‘lost track of time’, that the meteor is ‘hard to explain’ but she ‘know[s] what it is now’ and strangest of all, ‘and now i know everythings going to be ok!!!’

????????

So originally I was wondering if GG might be two people, twins perhaps, one who has a psychic connection with a god or other powerful entity and one who doesn’t. That doesn’t explain how an explosion (that could be confused for a meteor) could prophesize good fortune, though. What might explain it is a UFO crash, manned by aliens who were somehow able to share some knowledge with GG. Given John’s movies, it is about time we got some aliens in this story. Honestly I’m pretty lost and don’t have a solid theory that explains everything even after sitting on it for a few days, but Rose and Dave are right. There’s something weird going on with this girl.

[stardustdiiving]

What popular familial headcanons do you not like? If you're willing to share, of course

This post was specifically about parent / child interpretations of Zhongli & Xiao and Nahida & Wanderer ! which r my favorite genshin character dynamics and also involve my two category 5 genshin blorbos . Like obvious disclaimer I don’t have a problem with people liking said hcs but I have kind of a bad grudge against both bc I’m a bit polarized out of people just Really Really insisting on them whenever I talk / make fanworks about the characters ☹️ along with just really not liking the characterizations attached to both dynamics esp in how they handle Xiao & Nahida

Elaborating on both for fun & how I like to characterize them under the cut

I like Zhongli & Xiao as a form of character study where you kind of lean into the god/follower power dynamic and the way Xiao’s idea of duty/devotion blends with his internalized dehumanization. The idea is Xiao gives Zhongli a lot of power over him bc he wants to be devoted to Zhongli as a weapon more than a person while Zhongli is, used to being in a position of power but trying to navigate around this bc he wants Xiao to learn to exist outside suffering

Its not a very actively destructive dynamic for either of them but it’s kind of challenging Xiao’s dehumanization of himself and willingness to die/suffer for Zhongli out of a deeply engrained loyalty and devotion to him. I like zhongxiao (their ship) in the sense I think it can be fun to throw in very unbalanced complicated romantic feelings into this for added drama/ambiguity because I had my brain chemistry rewired by Pearl & Rose from Steven Universe when I was 11. I was so captivated by the idea of Pearl having such an intimate and tragic and self destructive devotion towards another woman it single handedly made me comphrend the fact I could gay

I’m just really not into the father/son portrayal bc I feel it’s just really awkward and weird to do any of the complicated emotional introspection or w/e I’m interested in doing w the dynamic through that lens. Also there’s only so many times u can draw zhongxiao and have people insist on interpreting it as father/son (?????? Soemtimes even while acknowledging i specific my work as romantic omg) before you just get kind of uncomfortable with it….im not a fan of the characterizations either…I feel ppl infantilize xiao a lot and EURFH idk it just makes me uncomfortable to think about bc of how I view the characters personally yk

Nahida & Wanderer I do enjoy exclusively platonically / even as found family, but I am a rare case of being a Nahida fan over a Scaramouche fan so it doesn’t do much for me when Nahida is reduced to being his mom/therapist/etc especially when a big reason I love hat radish is the way both characters compliment each other and make the dynamic a fun ground for mutual character study

I specifically don’t like her as a maternal figure because well. Nahida is a 500 year old child and I think this is important to her character & how she furthers the themes of Sumeru. The entire reason she’s neglected her entire life is bc she’s a child and the sages disregard the idea a child has any “useful” wisdom to offer them and feel emboldened to mistreat her because of that. Its that kind of mindset that we’re in conflict with throughout Sumeru. To have the Archon be a child who is still really smart and full of wisdom is like. Thematically sound to the story when the message is essentially don’t use wisdom/knowledge as a way to disregard people and seek only power/control. Its that exact mindset that Scaramouche, as an antagonist, is the cumulation of in the AQ

So to have him come to respect Nahida and listen to her is really sweet, and I think it’s additionally sweet when you lean into this kinda duality of Nahida being really wise and in a position of authority but also a kid, and Wanderer 100% rolls with it. (Especially given the fact Wanderer is established to have a soft spot for kids, I like imagining Nahida’s more childish qualities put him at ease and r something he actively likes about her—which is sweet when it’s her childishness that she was disregarded for yk) I think ppl struggle to grapple with that kind of contradiction of Nahida being a child on some level but not the same as an average human child, which is a shame bc that’s something I like seeing interpretations on

So with all of this in mind if I am viewing a character as a child where a big part of her character is it was wrong to disregard her as a God of Wisdom bc she’s a child, I don’t exactly find it really appealing or cute to have her dynamic with a character who is absolutely treated like an adult man in the writing be her parenting him and tending to all of his emotional angst 😵‍💫 the way it’s done esp with Scara being likened to an immature edgy teenager son here (which is kinda ooc to me) while ppl insist on Nahida being the mom feels very. Well. I am not really a fan of the idea of a female character being reduced to the mom friend and people being more willing to view a fictional adult male character as a “teenager” than the girl who again I feel is on a certain level written as a child? I and unfortunately it makes up maybe 70% of Nahida showing up in fanon NSJNDJCKDNND

[loserchildhotpants]

Does writing a story like “The Comes The Rain” put you in a different headspace than when writing a story like “Everything for Anything” or “What Used To Be Mine?”

absolutely!

this is a really interesting question, thank you for sending it

Then Comes the Rain is crack treated *very* seriously. That implies comedy, which there are elements of peppered throughout, but i was putting my own spin on these tropes, and so 'comedy' wound up translating more to 'constantly in motion.'

At its core, i wanted to keep it kinetic, to not give it the solitude and stillness of my other Very Serious fics.

There are fics like "What Used to be Mine" where i am freezing a moment in time, not allowing characters to escape the portrait they're stuck in, bc the entire point is to languish there, but TCTR is very movement-based, which you can imagine, keeps the brain moving in a different way.

Everything for Anything is such a complicated story, i am not kidding, the outline for it is nearly 200 pages long. that's the outline. i had to make an outline for the outline so i could organize how i wanted to tell it. that's why it took a backseat to TCTR -- TCTR was so kinetic, i knew i could move through it faster than Everything for Anything.

EfA is gonna take me a lot longer to tell, it has a wild variety of switching POV's which requires SO much patience, perspective taking, re-watches, tone shifts, etc, and i need to be in a particular headspace for that. I need to be feeling studious and still, locked in and focused, whereas TCTR could be treated w a sort of whimsy. I didn't need to be so Locked In, i could focus much more on keeping it fun and experimental.

WUtbM required a lot of stillness, solitude, spending time in dark thoughts, EfA is scattered all over the place, requiring a lot of mood switching, paying attention to fine details, studying what i'm writing as i write it, and TCTR was a fun project and hard challenge of trying to write things i never have before, some tropes i openly dislike and trying to write them in a way even *i* would like, so my mind had to stay v open to creativity, and i had to be thinking in new ways, staying in motion internally.

so yeah! my fics all require different emotional work from me, and that definitely affects my headspaces.

[sixstepsaway]

i've had some thoughts bouncing around for a while about ofmd s2, and in light of the news, i'm going to brain dump some of them. if you don't feel like listening to me complain about HBO and would rather just go cry about OFMD not getting season 3, that's chill, go ahead, no hard feelings

so.

season 1 was absolutely the definition of lightning in a bottle. it had great acting, great writing, gorgeous set and costume design, it was great, and not only that but it was unabashedly queer

jim had a whole episode dedicated to "actually i'm not a woman i'm just jim" and then everyone - even the bad guys, even the antagonists, even their nun nana, everyone - referred to them as they/them after that, no questions asked

the main character went through an arc that was basically figuring out his sexuality and going "oh shit, i love a man" on a show that was not directly advertised as "OUR QUEER MEANS DEATH" like a, y'know, Queer Show would be

and stede and ed's romance felt like it was important. It felt like the pirates of it all was mostly incidental, background, filler, just fun to pad out the situation and give them things to be challenged by (the badmintons!) while also being fun on its own. it's the kind of show where if you pulled all the characters out and slapped them into a whole other situation like space agents or time travellers or everyone lives together in a loft runs a bakery... it'd still work. sure, the badmintons would be less murderous and run a competing bakery or something, but it'd still work, because the focus was on the characters, and on the romance between stede and ed

the first three episodes of season 3 felt that way too. the love between stede and ed was paramount and if you swapped to a mafia au or a bakery au it'd still work (with some gentle adjustments for ed's Behavior™ to be fair)

but.

season 1, they kept saying it was a rom com, and it felt like one. it was just a rom com that was set at sea! how fun!

now, rom coms have tropes. they have genre-specific things that you kind of expect from, well, a rom com. you expect mess. you expect things like ed fucking off with jack because he doesn't feel good enough

(i've recently been rewatching new girl and although some of the humor makes me cringe, it's still a great show, and one of the main things about it is that everyone is messy. no matter how much schmitt loves cece, he's going to make mistakes. no matter how obviously nick and jess are going to end up together and belong together, they're going to sleep with the wrong people, make mistakes, break up etc. it's as much a rom com as ofmd.

one of the things that makes new girl so good and makes me love the main couples so much is how hard they work to be together, how they fight adversity and the mess of their own flaws and toxicity and still get together because they love each other most, in the end)

i remember in s1 thinking how if stede had been a woman, jack would have been too, and ed would've had at least one romantic/sexual scene with jack when he ran away with him

but i also remember thinking, "yeah, but the show hadn't explicitly done the his name is ed reveal and the kiss on the beach yet, and the reveal hits so hard, it makes sense not to do that earlier", and tbh i stand by that

which brings me to s2, after the first three eps, where they tried to go back to rom com and it just felt... forced.

rom coms usually have adversity. they have other characters that directly and truly threaten the main pairing by being interesting to those characters! no matter how you feel about izzy, he was framed as a love interest or as an ex that was still complicated, but the show very much tiptoed around that

does "i have love for you" and "i loved you best i could" make sense for the characters? yeah.

do i feel like if ed was a woman, she and izzy would've had a messy rebound relationship for stede to have to contend with, for the two of them to come out the other side of wanting each other from? yeah.

ofmd s1 felt unabashedly queer. s2 felt like they didn't want to be too gay.

they put olu with a Woman™, they put jim with a woman almost like it was less queer and more acceptable this way than queering olu, they completely waved off olu and jim's relationship and dropped any concept of polyamory because that would've made it even queerer, not less queer

(i'm using queer here as a definition more of breaking boundaries and being outside of the norm to the extent it makes cishets deeply uncomfortable and the queer in question aren't conforming to society's standards. and this reading of s2 (and s1) is entirely subjective, it's just what's been bubbling here for me)

pete and lucius went from "we don't own each other" to marriage, with no footnotes of what marriage meant to them specifically, whether they were, in fact, conforming with the 'norm' of marriage (exclusivity, labels, definitions etc) or whether they were still chill about these things or whether this now meant no more penis drawings

the queerest episode was probably the party episode (which was so good), but even that was especially queer because some cast members fought to make it so (con wanting izzy's drag to be beautiful not funny has HAUNTED ME, because that means it was originally supposed to be played for laughs!!) not because it was that way naturally

the fact i read somewhere that the party and the drag was originally lupete's wedding makes so much more sense to me because yeah, they WOULD have a wedding like that, but instead they got a lame final episode wedding because it would have been way too queer to do it at calypso's birthday with drag and queer joy everywhere

it also would have been more realistic to the lucius and pete we got in season 1.

there were a lot of things in season 2 that felt... weird. we've talked about it. we have all talked about it.

the final episode, even outside of the thing i hated most, was just horribly written imo. there's big sweeping gestures and no kind of real emotional pay off for the main relationships (lupete included), and everything got tied with a neat little bow at the end

i remember when we were told s2 was 8 episodes and how much the budget had been chopped thinking, "ha, we're so not getting a season 3"

i remember when i realized how weirdly rewritten most of season 2 had been thinking, "yeah, there's not going to be a season 3"

i remember when bitching about ed's arc being totally truncated and handwaved thinking, "mm, we're not getting a season 3"

and i remember when the Revenge sailed off into the sunset with everyone but ed and stede on board thinking, "oh yeah, we're done."

just enough was left open that a season 3 could happen.

just enough was left open that if a miracle happened, there'd be something to do with season 3.

but i genuinely, 100%, hand on my heart, think djenks knew he wasn't getting a season 3

and don't get me wrong, i'm not absolving him of the poor writing choices he made in season 2, but i am saying it makes a lot more sense if you think of it from the perspective of corporate meddling and having everything taken away while he was actively trying to make season 2

we already know HBO cut the budget a ridiculous amount so they just had to make everything work with what they had. we already know HBO cut the episode number.

season 2 plays out like they prepped a good chunk of it, ready for 10 episodes, and then HBO cut the budget and cut the episodes

and so things had to be changed and chopped about. ed's arc got lots of screen time and focus for three episodes (before the cuts) and then things got quicker, and fast

characters were cut for time and for budget reasons.

and then i think towards the end of production and the end of writing, djenks learned the odds of season 3 were minimal at best, and he panicked

i think the original plan was probably for ed's arc to go for the majority of season 2. maybe a middle piece where he and stede tried but it still wasn't Right (last night was a mistake) because ed had so much to work on and so much to heal

i genuinely wonder if the finale was completely rewritten at the last minute because to me it makes way, way more sense from a narrative standpoint for things to have been more staggered out. let's consider ten episodes instead of 8:

episodes 1-5: same as they were when aired, including the gravy basket giving us set-up for what ed's dealing with internally, giving us something to latch onto and prepare for his redemption. NO KISS AT THE END OF EPISODE 5. episode 6: ed is still wearing the bell. he's sort of done his amends with lucius, but now he needs to do amends with the rest of the ship. stede is still learning his piratey ways, so there's hijinks in the background. jim and archie and olu try to decide what their relationship is after the garlic and all, and debate room arrangements. lucius and pete announce their engagement. stede and ed nearly kiss. episode 7: more ed redemption arc. he's still working at things, he's shying away from violence because violence is what took him down this dark path to begin with. maybe we get some discussion of his father. stede, blind to ed's flaws, insists he's nothing like his father! ed tries to make amends with izzy but somehow this is the hardest of all because he hurt him the most of all. izzy gets chance to apologize for what he now sees as his part in pushing ed down into the darkness (trying to drag blackbeard back) and izzy's apology makes ed feel worse somehow and gives him some absolution when he finally figures out how to return his own. ed kisses stede but says he wants to take it slow. episode 8: wedding episode!! calypso's birthday!! ed uses his loot to bankroll lupete's wedding. stede reacts with violence to ned and we know from everything before that ed is actively trying to distance himself from the violence of piracy because, yeah, of course he is. is it a good idea? nope. does it make sense to his character for him to still be putting a good chunk of the blame on piracy for his actions, rather than accepting the parts of his whole and learning how to regulate those parts healthily? yes. anyway, stede reacts to his own violence by clutching for ed, ed feels after like his boundaries were pushed. same as show. episode 9: ed is having a meltdown. he and izzy have started to heal, so izzy watching him stare at fishing boats and just chatting to him like nothing happened actually makes a lick of sense. lupete are on their honeymoon at jackie's. olu gets to hook back up with zheng and archie and jim want to go along because they're not super happy on the ship still because although ed is doing better, the past of what he does still hangs over everyone. olu, zheng, jim and archie do not discuss the poly of it all properly, and it's hilarious and a mess, and gives us something to look forward to handling in season 3. ed freaks out about stede being violent when he's the one thing he felt like wasn't violent (and thus safe for him to be with), and about taking it not at all slow, breaks things off and runs away. izzy gets stede to come back to the ship. stede gets into a fight with zheng, the bombs go off, whatever (not a fan of this for her sake but if it has to happen, it can happen) episode 10: ed is off fishing but it's not going well and he's pissing pop-pop off all the time because he's not good at fishing. stede and co are handling the ricky of it all. the episode is mostly the same at the start, but instead of ed immediately going "omg, i gotta save bae" he doesn't find out about the attack until right at the end of the episode. stede and co make it back to the revenge and escape safely, and when ed retrieves his leathers and returns he thinks they're dead! he threatens/tortures/whatever some english and they say no, stede escaped! they all escaped! the season ends with ed, all decked out in his leathers, with his sword, now in the position stede was last season: staring out over the water, planning to find the man he loves.

this sets season 3 up for ed to be on his own for a little while, for him to handle and figure out how to channel his violence into something 'good' (wanting to find his love, wanting to protect his crew etc).

maybe season 3 flashes back to baby!ed again and the fact his first act of violence against his father wasn't motivated by anger or spite, it was motivated by wanting to protect someone he loved: his mum.

then season 3 they find each other again, and maybe they meet in the moonlight for the parallel to hit even better, they finally get back together properly, for good, with maybe some comedic issues along the way, and ed finds his place in the world to be less "blackbeard, the terror of the seas" and more "ed protects those he loves."

i honestly think this is probably how the show was originally meant to go, or at least something close.

i think midway through season 2, djenks heard it was over and he (rightfully) panicked and threw together a finale that tied up as many loose ends as he could because he knew.

and i dont think there's anything that could've been done about it. i think it was dead in the water (no pun intended) the moment all the MAX/HBO/whatever reshuffles happened, I think it was too queer and I genuinely think executive meddling made a lot of the more queer elements go away, possibly right down to trying to wipe away the exes/love interests of it all with that whole father figure thing

and, again, i'm not absolving djenks of some of his more baffling writing decisions. he's a grown man and he makes his own choices. but i am saying i think it explains a LOT about why the finale we got is what we got, and i'm not sorry stede and ed ended the show together rather than apart or with their lives hanging in the balance or something

anyway these are just a bunch of thoughts i've been having, tied together by the cancellation.