#there are so many character developments i want max to have over the course of this rp but number 1 on my list is making her a dog person

[sengenism]

It definitely went downhill after the American arc.

After reading the Treasure island arc (the best imo) to see how rushed and weird the American arc is was underwhelming.

Sure, I think the opening was cool and interesting, with new characters and a new villain but then came to the point where the KoS separated and it went downhill.

New characters get introduced so quickly and we don't get to know much about them except their talents (with the exception of Sai, he's cool and well written).

Like Joel, my man has some sick designs and what we know about them is close to nothing, only that he's so into his work that he can't talk to women and has respect for Kaseki.

Then there's Chelsea, a character that came out of nowhere just with the purpose of guiding Senku n' co because she's a teen prodigy. The story might try and give it a reason why she wasn't in the evil Disneyland but let's be real, her addition to the team is just unreal, you're telling me that a scientist like Dr. Xeno wouldn't send one of the many soldiers to check if anyone from that party broke free on its own periodically? And if he did that the supposed super soldiers wouldn't notice that one statue is gone and there's more stone fragments on the ground? For someone who's supposed to be the elites this sure doesn't feel like one. (The sign they left is a joke, one can never be so sure that a natural event or a wild animal torn down the sign)

Well characters aside, the story was still fine, a bit rushed sure but I'm telling you, after the 7 years arc (I sorta wished there would have been more chapters for this) the story just became bad, like I wasn't reading Dr. Stone anymore.

I started this series because of how informative the anime/manga was, but after that arc, well no more of those lengthy science breakdowns but just "let's go to ___ so we can find ___ to do ___" and I mean I get it, you can only write so much about science before dragging it out on too much, but you really gotta do it in just two-ish chapters?!

It took 200-ish chapters to reach America, and it was supposed to be the half point of the story, but no, it was the arc that started the ending and I hate it and I hate this story lost its charm so quickly.

The only thing that came out after America Arc was Sai and that's only because they gave him a backstory! A personality! And struggles and regrets that he managed to go over thanks to Gen! And all of that didn't make him feel like a rushed character...

Ugh I have so much to say especially with how Hyoga and Moz's redemption felt non existent, Carlos and Max purposes other than be Luna's simp and whatever the hell is wrong with Ginro and all his wasted potential. (My man dodges every development arc like I dodge the red flags in Stan) (I'm pretty sure he had at least 4 chances to have a character development but threw it in the trash for how sleazy he is) (still love him though)

- 🧅

THIS EXACTLYYYY I AGREE WITH ALL UR POINTS, ONION-CHAN!!! Oh this will be a long reply, I'm so sorry lol

Dr. Stone manga spoilers of course!

Honestly, Dr. Stone became so unbearable to me after the American arc because I love it so much that it actually hurts to see how far it has fallen. I even dropped the manga and only continued it when it was finished after seeing how much screentime Gen got in that last chapter.

I really love your points about the characters and I want to get into that a bit too!

[Chelsea]

She's the first to be introduced out of the new characters and also the turning point of me realising just how rushed and unthoughtful Dr. Stone has become. Just like you mentioned, she's a character that conveniently appeared from nowhere with incredibly flimsy reasoning.

Don't get me wrong, Dr. Stone has always had the tendency to pull out new characters with whatever niche talent was required at the moment. It's a bit like Danganronpa, where you kind of accept whatever crazy thing that happens because you have to set your mind to operate on its terms to enjoy it. It's part of its charm, in a weird way. But then there's a limit to all of this and with the character Chelsea, Dr. Stone had thoroughly passed mine.

There's a reason that Chelsea differs from all the other characters. Say for instance, Tsukasa was depetrified at a convenient time when Senku and Taiju needed someone strong enough to fight off a lion. But Tsukasa was shown in the very first chapter when Taiju noticed and recognised him as the Ultimate Strongest Primate High Schooler. So it wasn't a case of him suddenly appearing right at the moment they needed him, it was somewhat foreshadowed. The same goes for Ryusui and the other modern KOS members. Tsukasa had Minami around to search and find these talented people, or he knew them beforehand like Gen. So while it's Dr. Stone logic, there is some logic to it. Unlike Chelsea who is a clear asspull.

And oh don't get me started on Chelsea somehow getting lost from a simple North vs. South. It actually drives me insane ( ╯°□°)╯ ┻━━┻ Not only is she supposed to be a prodigy, but she's also a modern timer? I get that it'll be hard for her to create glasses when she can't see clearly, but if you're telling me a primitive girl like Suika can figure out the pinhole effect and wear a watermelon with small holes because it helps her eyesight, how can someone like Chelsea, who is a renowned scientist not think of something similar?

The character itself is... well, I don't mind her, or more like, I don't care much for her because she barely feels like a character and leans more to being a prop. I really wished I could find it in myself to care (and maybe I will when the anime is out?), but currently to me, she's just there to be a personified GPS, share geography facts and occasionally say blunt things to speedrun any relationship drama/development because the manga is near its ending.

And again... why is it near its ending????????

[Joel]

Ah, it's like they just keep introducing these characters with no care put into it! An improvement from Chelsea since he didn't exactly come out from nowhere, but there's barely any information about him. Like ok, workaholic guy who acts like a jerk with men but a simp to women and only respects Kaseki because Kaseki is good at his work. His unique relationship with Kaseki slightly saves his character from being a total prop, but like, he's still another new character that's just there to me. A wasted potential, because it would've been fun if he brought a bit of steampunk aesthetic into the manga, being a watchmaker and all. I do like his character design though, so there's that.

[Sai]

I'm glad that Sai, as the last KOS member, had some flair to his introduction. Clearly sensei gave some more thought to his character, with the Nanami background which took at least a few chapters to fully get into. It wasn't so immediate or non-existent like the other two new characters. But what I do find regretful is that there didn't seem to be any foreshadowing to his existence despite being Ryusui's brother (unless I missed it. Ok well, there was that random fact dropped about how Ryusui was good at playing video games because he had a professional gamer tutor. It could be that he wanted to impress Sai, I guess, but I'm not sure whether to count that as foreshadowing or nah.) Well, at least his character wasn't pulled out of nowhere.

Sai, is also someone with opinions of his own which makes him feel like a character. He didn't just exist to readily accept KOS into his heart and start doing mathematics and programming for their sake. He had some resistance which gave some friction to the quick-paced end the manga was heading to. He was given some time to develop and become a character, which the other two unfortunately weren't. There's also the sick design he has got going on (though I really think some melanin would make it even better...)

So I like Sai, he's good and I felt the Dr. Stone charm coming back to life with his introduction. But it didn't help much when the plot was going downhill anyways with... whatever that last arc was.... which brings me back to this topic: HELLO WHY IS IT ENDING?????

When we were promised a World Tour, I'll be honest, I expected some full-fledged arcs in different countries besides America but nope! I can barely even remember the other countries they visited. So there's India to depetrify Sai, but did they even do anything there besides that? There's Indonesia where they made onigiri and... and I honestly can't remember! Maybe it's a skill issue on my part, IDK but I feel like all the other countries were made so irrelevant and it's really sad. It would've been so cool to dive into different cultures in the world and the social aspects that come with it.

And you're so right, American arc was "the arc that started the ending" which is still so weird to me. This was supposed to be the FIRST STOP to their global world tour. But instead, it felt like their only true stop to me. And all that wasted potential genuinely pains me. I can't help but feel like sensei just wanted the whole thing to be done with at that point. The rocket making was too quick.

But I think the reason for Suika's 7 years being executed within 3 chapters is because sensei was worried about the manga's continuity. He mentioned in an interview that he had planned for Gen to be the one who goes through those 7 years alone because Gen a) is popular hence able to keep the readers engaged and b) has his heart on the right side and so is able to survive getting shot by Stanley. The only reason he didn't go through with it is because he didn't like the idea of Gen being so much older than the rest of the cast by the end of the manga. I still grieve for this 7 years older Gen, though... But Suika was a good choice too.

Anyways, I could really go on forever but this post is too long lmao. Thanks for reading this far <3

Tldr: I'm so frustrated at all the wasted potential. I wish they took their time. But I love Dr. Stone.

[jackdaniel69nice]

Do you think you can do a deep on Tokoyami’s character? I don’t see a lot of depth in to his personality due to him being mostly off screen. I wanted to know if you could headcanon his flaws and his strengths as a character! I really enjoy your input! Thank you for your time 😄.

Wow this is gonna be a lot haha I’ve never really tried to make write all this down in one go before but let’s give it a shot.

Secretive/Mysterious

On the surface tokoyami is a chunibyo goth kid with a penchant for dramatic speech, this is all true of course and what you see is exactly what you get, but there is also a hidden secretive side we do not get to see. Each little comment and interaction can reveal small details about his true personality that is hiding underneath.

Tokoyami obviously has a mysterious persona that is maintained by the fact we know little to nothing about his past or motivations for becoming a hero. It can be inferred that he tends to keep people at arms length. During the summer camp we saw what happens when he becomes enraged and loses control. He thinks he is dangerous and has a fear of getting close to people who will only be hurt because of him. It’s also heavily implied that he has hurt or even killed someone before in one of these rampages. That sort of trauma can be paramount to one’s character and influences their thoughts and behavior in many aspects.

The sports festival is when Tokoyami’s character really gets to shine. Here is where we learn about dark shadows weakness to light and their increased strength in the dark. There is already something impressive about him being able to keep that a secret for several months. I don’t think we even saw dark shadows face until the sports festival arc meaning tokoyami was probably keeping to the shadows and scoping out the class’ reactions before revealing dark shadows true nature. He is naturally skeptical of trusting others but also cunning to keep secrets to get an edge during training. This can be a sign someone has broken his trust before and he might have developed a complex that people will betray him. Of course he is willing to break this rule when it is pertinent like how he willingly told koda and Midoriya about his weakness when it was important to their teamwork.

He is also very closed off and private like how he didn’t want anyone to see his room. This can be because he is shy and it’s likely a result of being teased because of his interest in the dark ways. Despite his reclusive personality he isn’t actually off putting, he is actually very agreeable and gets along well with everyone and has been described as having maxed out communication stats. I think his ability to work well with others, even difficult and aggressive people, comes from learning to cooperate with dark shadow. He has always had to compromise to make them both happy and is willing to concede some things to get better results.

Disciplined

Tokoyami has been described on several occasions to have strong self-control. This is obviously due to his fear of losing control of his emotions and causing dark shadow to go on a rampage. I would think he was raised with strict rules and had to maintain a “perfect” persona. Suppressed emotions are unfortunately the source of his issues because they have to get out eventually and usually all at once. He didn’t have a safe space to express himself until he came to UA and that’s why he is suddenly making so much progress and developed Ragnarok so quickly.

He also seems to have a competitive spirit. He will join in on competitions and accepted kuroiros challenge. This could also be a result of how it was push for him to be perfect. While it means he’s determined and willing to put effort and practice into winning, unfortunately it also gives him a complex about failure. When faced with a task he thinks he will lose he will often give up like how he surrendered to bakugo at the sports festival. It takes him a while to get over a defeat and realize it’s not the end of the world (so dramatic). This can also be a sort of survival instinct, if you loose a fight in real life you will likely die, so he needs to win every time because he sees it as life or death.

Logical

One of Tokoyami’s strongest traits is that he’s a logical thinker. He doesn’t let his emotions influence his decisions and will do what’s best in the moment even at his own discomfort or sacrifice. Even during a crisis he thinks calmly and rationally to figure out the next move. He omits his true feelings to make teamwork easier and even will lie to avoid a negative situation. Obviously he is able to avoid conflict through logical deception but it’s at the sacrifice of his emotions. He is incredibly repressed and will go to far out of his comfort zone which could lead to a breakdown. Even when he is upset he won’t tell anyone due to this nonconfrontational nature and fear of upsetting them.

Another aspect of his cooperativeness is that he’s a very good listener. He is full of wisdom beyond his years and can come up with solutions to his friends problems. This is applicable to training because he will prioritize a team win over his own success. Unfortunately it also means he tends to stick to the shadows and follows other people’s lead to allow them the spotlight. He needs to stop acting as support and use his strength to the fullest.

Protective

Tokoyami’s motivations for becoming a hero are unknown but what we do know is that he is fiercely protective of his friends. There is no direct explanation for tokoyami to be so protective of his friends other than the fact that he is probably quite lonely and becomes easily attached to someone like his relationship with hawks. He will value other people’s life more than his own due to his insecurity and self hatred and belief that he is not good enough for them, like he has to prove himself. There is also the fact he could have developed a protective bond with dark shadow. Tokoyami had to become mature and calm very young to help take care of shadow’s needs. This is something like how the oldest sibling is expected to help take care of younger siblings. Tokoyami takes care of shadow and protects them from the light (Of course dark shadow also protects tokoyami and is even more protective than him). In the end though there really doesn’t have to be a reason for him to be a protective person, it’s just one result of someone who is completely selfless. Selflessness it’s-self isn’t to bad but tokoyami will actively throw himself into dangerous situations that could kill him like trying to save hawks from dabi. There is also the problem that this protectiveness makes him angry when someone does get hurt and led him to lose control in the forest with shoji.

[gregorovitch-adler]

AO3 Wrapped (Writers' Edition).

Thanks for tagging me, @lisbeth-kk and @gaylilsherlock!

1. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

That I developed a genuine hyperfixation over an OT3 (Sherlock x John x Mariana). Enough that I wrote several fics (including a smutty one) about it.

I'm not even that big of a shipper in most fandoms (I tend to be a non-shipper generally), but even when I do start shipping something, it usually just involves 2 characters at a time.

Especially with the case of John Watson and Sherlock Holmes.

A year ago, I never would have imagined shipping either of them with anyone else apart from each other (because I'm generally not a multi-shipper).

It changed this year because the friendship among these three in the canon of the podcast Sherlock & co is just that good.

It was a very pleasant surprise to me. :))

Expanding my usual writing style from writing about strictly monogamous relationships (and that too usually just about Johnlock) to including a third character - and thus a polyam relationship in my fic writing - was a little challenging though.

A very interesting challenge, of course. ;)

2. How many WIP's do you have in your docs for next year?

Just one case fic right now. It's definitely going to increase.

3. Your favorite character to write this year?

Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul!

I know I didn't write a lot of fics about him this year, I'm just featuring him during this December fluff (fluffcember) prompts challenge, but still.

He'll always be my favourite antagonist.

If you've watched these two shows, you'll realise he's not even a villain. All significant characters (especially Walter White) have various degrees of villainy under their belts.

Something about him being such a no-nonsense kinda guy on the surface, never saying a word beyond what's necessary in the source material (especially in Breaking Bad), but all of that just being a façade to cover up his human side (i.e., his feelings for Max, his determination to avenge Max's death, his genuine respect for his employees at Los Pollos Hermanos and everything else) is extremely interesting and delightful to me.

In Tumblr-speak, I want to place Gustavo Fring under my microscope. 🤭

And then there's John Watson, of course. He's my all time favourite. But this year, I just felt the need to write about Gustavo Fring too a bit more.

Also, Irene Adler is my wife. ☺ I loved writing Mollrene ficlets in December this year.

Here's to featuring her in my stories even more.

4. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

I can't think of anyone in particular at the moment, but I did find capturing John's voice in The Veiled Lodger (my first ever Sherlock & co fanfic) a bit challenging in the beginning. Because I was only getting started with my Sherlock & co fic writing journey, and I wanted everything to be perfect.

5. What's one pairing you want to explore next year?

Gus/Max.

I'll continue to write about Sherlock x John x Mariana (and even about just Holmes/Watson), too, obviously, but yeah.

I used to be a bit hesitant about this pairing before, even though I've always loved Gus ever since I first watched Breaking Bad (in 2020).

That's because we don't see Max in canon at all, save for that one (1) flashback scene which lasts for just 5 minutes (and Max dies brutally in that one...)

So, featuring Max in a fic at all would just mean writing an OC from scratch at this point. And making an OC feel like a fleshed out character makes me feel a little nervous sometimes.

But I broke all that hesitation this year, and I hope I continue to do that next year too!

6. Did you receive any gifts this year?

Yes! I received 3 beautiful art pieces (including the one in my header image) from my friend as gifts. It was lovely. 🥰 @jamielovesjam

7. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

I did! @nowiamcoveredinyou and I wrote this fic based on ACD canon this year. We had fun.

8. What do you listen to while writing?

Nothing much, to be honest. I prefer a quiet environment.

9. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Hard to choose, but if I have to, then here you go:

Sherlock stepped forward and took John’s hands in his own.

“Watson, I’ve said this before, and I’ll repeat it now: fear is a sickness. Fear is seemingly ordinary but insidious enough to eventually put one in the shackles of one’s own imagination. Never let it get to you. I can very well face Moriarty alone. He did ask to meet me, anyway. So, this is my battle. I’ll fight it.” Sherlock visibly swallowed. “Please, go now. The lady will never find a doctor as good as you.”

From my Sherlock & co fic Dilemma. It's a modern day re-write of that one scene from The Final Problem (where Watson cannot decide whether to help the old lady or to go with Holmes to meet Moriarty with him).

I wrote it just after the Part- 1 of The Shoscombe Old Place (Sherlock & co) had aired on Spotify and YouTube (and on other platforms).

Moriarty's name had been (not so) casually dropped for the first time in the podcast when John was going through all the shoutouts.

We still don't know where they'll go with that... 👀

Enough with my rambling.

Tags: @helloliriels , @nowiamcoveredinyou , and anyone else who sees this! (No pressure).

[didyoupainthis]

One thing I see on bylertok way too much is people pointing out that even though Will told Mike it’s “not possible” that he’d ever join another party (replace Mike), Mike still went and joined Hellfire after he told Will to grow up and move on from D&D in S3 (which Will ended up doing)

It takes everything in me not to summarize the situation every single damn time I see someone mentioning it as if it’s proof that Mike ‘doesn’t deserve Will’ or something because it’s so frustrating that people just don’t understand anything about Mike and try and cling to any bit of ‘fault’ in his actions to justify why Byler wouldn’t work and why they don’t ship it

Because this whole ordeal had nothing to do with Mike and Will’s friendship, it was bought about in the first place by Mike and El’s ever incompatible relationship

Mike loves D&D, he loves writing, he loves being DM for the Party, he loves being with the Party. He never stopped loving these things, he stopped pursuing his interests because he was so over invested in being ‘normal’, which in his mind means ditching his friends for his girlfriend. El doesn’t like D&D, she doesn’t share Mike’s interests in his favourite things and because of that, Mike dropped all of it in favour of making out with El. Because that’s what you’re supposed to do in a relationship, and so that’s what he did

Of course, none of that is El’s fault either; El is learning the world and will eventually learn what she likes personally when she befriends Max whilst Mike is lost in juggling between what he should like vs. what he actually does like

All that is to say;

Mike dropped D&D because of El

(again, not El’s fault I’m not trying to blame her for anything it just is what it is)

So circling back to the “not possible” moment, I wanna point out that Mike’s insecurity in that moment specifically is Will leaving him emotionally because Will already is physically leaving and Mike blames himself. He’s mentioned himself obviously that he’s afraid of losing Will but he’s also made it clear many times. After their fight, Mike just wants to know that Will would still choose him and Will assures him that he wouldn’t be replacing Mike. Will placed no expectations on Mike when he said this, he just wanted to reassure Mike that they’re okay and that they’ll be okay which is exactly what Mike wanted

After Will and El left, Mike joined Hellfire because he could focus on doing the things he liked again without having to devote himself to being El’s boyfriend. I was happy for Mike to have D&D back when I first watched S4 and I know Will would be happy that Mike is finding himself again. And while we’re on the topic of Mike finding himself, since he’s joined Hellfire he’s started slowly accepting himself and accepting that he doesn’t care anymore if he fits into the standard or not. He doesn’t care about popularity or people liking him. He is growing and he’s been getting his character development

Anyway that’s all I just love analysing Mike it’s so interesting, but in this case I don’t think it even needs to be analysed. Mike isn’t himself around El and that’s got nothing to do with Will— that’s just Milevens relationship dynamic

[sunsetcurve]

Hey! Same anon here!

(Listen, I just want to see this fandom being more active, haha! And I think that you are very articulate, and quite insightful, haha! 😌)

Can I ask you what do you think, retrospectively, about Fanon Max™️? Do you have any observations about how the character was handled by the fandom? Like, the entire #protectmax2016 discourse, for example.

It's 2025, and I'd really like to be honest, haha! Can we say that it was part of the appeal? It was part of the appeal lol. Like, I think that people came for the villain phase, for the wonderful relationship between Max and Phoebe, for the character development, but stayed because he was downplayed (But I'll admit, I might be projecting here 😆😆)

By rewatching the unaired pilot episode, I've started to think that the fact that Max's skills weren't acknowledge during the series (See: Max to the Future), was a byproduct of the writers' not knowing how to justify Max's sense of inferiority towards Phoebe, when the character took Oliver's place in the show: it almost feels like they still wanted to use the "villain brother" storyline, and had already found a sympathetic rationale for the character (Oliver had no powers, and Phoebe had so many of them) and tried to make it work by trying to "trick" the audience into thinking that Max was talentless.

What do you think about that?

hi anon welcome back!! thank you so much, that’s so sweet and i also would love to get more activity in this fandom, so i’m happy to have you in my inbox 🥰🥰 feel free to come talk to me about this show literally at any time, i love talking about it!!

for the protectmax2016 thing specifically, i actually wasn’t really around in the fandom during that time (i was definitely watching the show, but i didn’t get into the fandom here on tumblr until closer to maybe 2018?) so i’m not familiar with what was going on! but i’d love to hear more about it, i’m very curious. also just more overall, to be completely honest i don’t actually interact that much with the fandom in general outside of my sphere of usual mutuals, partially because it’s so small, partially because a big portion of the content is either thunderc*st (which i filter/block on sight) or like x reader stuff (which is just not my personal cup of tea), but i’ll do my best to give my thoughts on this based on what i have seen!

i definitely have been a max defender since i started watching this show and have always been pretty open about him being my favorite, so i totally get the sentiment. i can’t speak for everyone, but i for one have always gotten more into kids shows that i think have the potential for a more complex character/relationship/dynamic than they put on screen, just because it always gives me something to write and think and talk about. i definitely have always felt like that with max, especially with his family dynamic and like, obviously most of his initial descent into villainy happening off screen, and i do think there was a lot of agreement in at least the circles that i was in that there was something interesting there. for the fandom as a whole (at least from what i’ve seen) i think it certainly helped that he was a conventionally attractive “bad boy” who, imo, had pretty compelling development over the course of the series.

i do think fanon and canon max are pretty different; i know i definitely write max differently than i perceive him on screen, not because i don’t like him in the show but because making him a little bit edgier and more reserved/cool is just aesthetically fun for me. i also do think the fanon versions of him downplay just how much of a goof he is, like he does get into some pretty ridiculous shit in the show and he’s definitely not as “edgy bad boy” as he pretends to be/he’s written by the most of the fandom. i honestly think his dorkiness adds to his appeal in the show; a lot of the reason i write him the way i do is because i either a) am doing angstier stuff than the show or b) am writing tgsa (my silly little dangerverse crossover chatfic), where i write everyone a little more charicature-y to make them all more distinct (since there’s so many characters). i will say though, i also think part of the reason fanon max is sometimes inconsistent is because canon max is; i really like the way he’s written overall, but i think max as a character suffers from the writers needing him to be different things for the narrative at different times: i kind of talked about this in my answer to the last question about seasons, but he spends most of s1 being pretty sweet at his core despite his posturing, but then spends a lot of s2 being a more one-dimensional asshole while he’s creating conflicts for phoebe. i think s3 and s4 are way better about this, but the thundermans undercover has kind of started to go back to that characterization of him being selfish/unwilling to own up to his mistakes so they can play it for laughs or create more conflict. it’s definitely not always like that, but he does change a lot episode to episode. i think max characterizations in the fandom generally tend to lean more heavily on that asshole-with-a-heart-of-gold idea, because it definitely is more appealing, and in doing so he gets to be a little bit more cool and edgy and serious.

i’m getting a little off track here so sorry for the tangent—but like, with max’s skills and the original idea of oliver specifically, i definitely do agree that the writers kind of wrote themselves into a corner when they wrote max’s primary reasoning for becoming a villain to be about not being as good as phoebe but then also…didn’t give us much to explain why he feels that way or where it comes from. because, to be totally frank, phoebe does in canon work way harder than max, and that seems to be the main reason she’s more successful than him. in fact like, i would argue that some things seem to come more naturally to max than they do to her, and she just puts more time and effort and care into getting it right (report card is a great example of this). i do think it sets up a reallyyyy interesting parallel between them, where they’re both hyper-perfectionists but it takes them in opposite directions (i talked about this very briefly here), so i do still think it still makes sense for both of their characters, but at the same time with like us not ever seeing the beginning of max’s villain arc it’s really hard to pinpoint where his “inferiority” comes from, especially when, when he does start actually trying, he does just as well as phoebe. and yeah, i think it’s definitely reasonable and a great observation to think the writers tried to write away some of the things he’s especially good at; he’s consistently shown as extremely smart by the things he does, but the narrative and the other characters in the show generally treat him like he’s not, and the show itself doesn’t really acknowledge just how intelligent he is (except when he’s calling himself a genius). there seems to be a general sentiment of frustration towards max to the future specifically for being especially guilty of this. i honestly agree that knowing about oliver makes all of this a lot more sense: obviously i don’t know what the writers were thinking, but if i had to guess it seems like they wrote oliver as a villain with no powers who relied on his intelligence to give him a leg up, turned oliver into max and gave him powers, wanted to keep his inventions/intelligence as part of his character and as a plot device but didn’t have a good way to balance it out with his powers, and so just kind of left it as Something He Does without giving it much weight as like, a particularly special skill of his that sets him apart. it does feel kind of weird overall because it seems like the writers both try to put him on equal footing with phoebe ability/powers wise but then want to justify his feeling of inferiority, so a lot of times he’s kind of written off as just seeming either lazy or careless, which is where i think the fandom depiction of him (where things like adhd/dyslexia/other learning disorders are popular hcs, he has a more complicated relationship with his parents/their expectations, etc) helps to fill in some of the gaps.

this is getting super long so i’m gonna wrap up but like, this is a very long-winded way of saying i definitely agree with you about everything. i like max’s portrayal overall but i honestly think that because for a long time he doubles as both the secondary protagonist and the antagonist, the writers spend at least a decent amount of time not being completely sure what to do with him. this is where i think, while obviously him not having powers would’ve made for a very different show, it could’ve been really interesting for his character; i think there’s even a world where his powers developed later on like in s2 or 3 but his experiences built enough resentment to where he still wanted to be a villain, and i’m really curious as to what that version of max would’ve looked like. for the most part i think the change from oliver to max was for the best, but i think the villain justification made more sense in the original pilot, and would’ve made for a super compelling story. i have like a million more thoughts on max as a character but that’s all i can coherently put into words for now, so let me know what you think and thank you so much for the ask!

[ladyluscinia]

I think they were so worried about not getting a season 3 they ruined both the viewers expecting one and the viewers who would've liked it to end there. they've created an easily destroyable status quo because of course something needs to happen to get everyone back together for season 3. so it's not even a happy ending; it's so fragile, it's designed to fall apart the second that anyone learns that the show is back on. i get not wanting to bank on having a third season and wrapping it up but like. Galavant did that and did it better. WITH THE HEROES RETIRING AND THE TWO MINUTE MARRIAGE CEREMONY TO BOOT. But it gave an outline of where the plot might go from there and how the adventure will continue if it gets to. And it never got to, and season 2's ending is good because it's not /fragile/--it's not a cliffhanger, but you get the idea that they could keep going from there still. whereas this one didn't want to be a cliffhanger so much that they created the most breakable new status quo in history and if there is a season 3 it'll immediately be undone and I'll probably still watch it but like I'll /know/, y'know? They could fix everything in the first episode of season 3 and I'd still have to know that at one point, this was considered an acceptable outcome.

The thing that is driving me absolutely insane is they DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS!

There's so many people looking at it like "well it's a shame that 2x08 clearly had to cram several episodes into one for budget reasons and it made the development weaker but that's the situation MAX put them in" and I cannot emphasize enough how much that is not true.

MAX did not break it to them after episodes 2x01 - 2x07 were written and half filmed that they would have to wrap up the whole plot in 30 minutes. Like absolute worst case scenario they had 10 eps mostly written and budget came back 20% over and they had to reduce to 8 total. More likely they knew they were getting 8 from the start.

It is absolutely nobody's fuck up except David Jenkins and his writers' room if they were unrealistic about what character beats were needed and would fit in the timeframe to reach a satisfying wrap up.

Worries about no S3 were on the table the moment it took until JUNE to get confirmation of S2. This wasn't sprung on them. If they wanted their story to have a "just in case" happy ending and then a "fully realized arc" happy ending, they should have fucking acted like it???

I was shocked when the first three episodes that dropped were so hardcore on destroying Edward's relationships and laying bare exactly how deep his issues went. It only made sense to me if they were going all in on getting a S3 and prepared to spend all of S2 focused on the implications of all that, and then the not-even two week in-universe timeline of the season reinforced my understanding that was happening.

"Shame we don't have time for our main couple to even start addressing their relationship or having moments of self-realization and sharing their issues," says guy who decided to make the first half of S2 about adding more problems on top of well established ones from S1 and the second half of S2 about throwing in a second breakup cycle instead of dealing with the fallout from the first.

Want Edward to end on a beat of feeling part of the found family? Well maybe adding a timeskip after 2x05 and then a crew chat in 2x06 where you make it clear he did an apology tour offscreen could help, but you also could have just not focused hard on him poisoning his relationship with every single one of them in the first place???

There's multiple different ways you can do Act 2 of a three act structure, and they did not have to choose one that ends on another dark cliffhanger beat or right at the open ended turning point toward growth? Like they didn't even do the one they picked in a way they could fit in their season. I feel like by the end of a struggles Act 2 both your protagonists need to have self-realized their issues and maybe had one conversation about it? Edward still wasn't talking about his guilt, and Stede wasn't talking about anything.

They aren't even at the turning point of growth and out of the backsliding / lessons learned era yet, that's why potential S3 will start on another backslide when status quo breaks and Stede starts "that's nice, dear"-ing Edward during the day and slipping out at night to vicariously listen to pirate stories or whatever (and they frame it like he's cheating).

We have two out of three seasons in a show that might only get two, and I feel like the characters have barely moved from their starting position.

Like idk maybe they are really good at coming up with character flaws - ex: Stede is repressed and bottles up his traumas until he mentally checks out / runs away - and just drawing blanks on how to believably "fix" them, but just going "well what if we just used this flaw to throw another miscommunication roadblock in their relationship?" is not getting them where they want to be.

The season was fundamentally designed against their stated goal and did not make what seem to be necessary writing concessions to the reduced screentime if they wanted their finale to land as an even plausibly happy ending. It's hollow.

And possibly not even salvageable in S3 since they aren't demonstrating the skills to salvage it.

[careful-wish]

I know that Eddie had to die bc plot reasons yada yada

But they could have done that in season 5. We had so many deaths deaths in 4 (tho Max did end up living). The stakes are higher in season 5 and having a beloved character die halfway through would have had such an emotional impact

But also Eddie and Argyle not being included in season 5 with the other older kids feel like a joke, especially Argyle.

Nancy is the only one of the older teens (now young adults) to have a real close friendship with someone (Barb). Could probably argue Eddie too bc of Gareth, Jeff, and that other guy in Hellfire but they're younger than him so Idk how long they've been friends or how close they actually are.

In s4, though it's through super unlikely circumstances, Eddie does develop friendships with Steve, Nancy, and Robin. Probably, he already has had some interaction with Robin and Jonathan in the past due to the fact all three were considered weirdos or freaks (Jonathan was The School Freak(tm)) but he had no interaction with Jonathan this season.

Jonathan after being apart from Nancy for a few months then meets Argyle and they become pretty close mates, weed aside. Jonathan finally has someone he can talk to and open up to, and you can tell Argyle genuinely does care for Jonathan and is a LITERAL ride-or-die for him.

Why, WHY did they take Eddie and Argyle away? Yeah, we get the monster-hunting trio back in s5 along with Robin and Vickie in the group, but why'd they take Argyle away? He is also wanted by the government and knows everything. We're just going back to Jonathan having no friends, Nancy really having to confront what happened to Barb, and only Steve having a best mate? Why does Steve get to keep his best friend and Jonathan doesn't?

Also, the group would have been a little bigger than the Party but the dynamics and just absolute chaos would have been amazing.

Steve realising he is absolutely outnumbered by nerds and that he is not the leader, that role goes to Nancy and her babygurl Jonathan.

Vickie being introduced in a group that has several very loud ppl (Steve, Argyle, Robin), joins them immediately and Jonathan goes insane bc the four chatter like kookaburras at three am.

Nancy insisting they need to be discreet and Argyle explaining that while yeah, having an all black van would be cool but bad guys have those too and they would blend in better with a pizza van bc "Who would question the pizza man, Wheeler?"

Eddie secretly having tons of respect for Jonathan and nearly falls over himself trying to make up for the fact he tried to push another guy at Jonathan's girlfriend. Also develops similar respect for Nancy and feels guilty after seeing how happy Nancy is with Jonathan, and also realising it was never his, Robin, Steve, or anyone else's decision what Nancy does or who she wants to be with, it's all her.

Vickie learning about everything but still not knowing the kids very well and fellow newcomer Argyle is like "Idk about the others but Little Byers and Wheelie-boy are good, and of course our amazing super-powered little friend"

Steve discreetly being a terrible wingman for Robin without accidentally outing her. She comes out to Nancy first, then Argyle on accident after they have a weed sesh ("You're good, Batman's sidekick, boobies are great"), and of course ends up with Vickie.

Mike being the one of the Party Vickie ends up bonding with the most, mainly so they can make fun of Steve together but also other reasons

Anyway, we were robbed of these seven chaos nerds being a group together.

And if Eddie were to die halfway through, the turmoil. Dies similar to s4, Dustin is there, but it not only affects Dustin and Hellfire, but the other six he'd started becoming close with.

[vax-merstappen]

f1 boys as 1989 songs

thought i could only follow up reputation with 1989 of course! i can only add 10 pics on the app, so i picked the 10 drivers i thought best fit my favorite songs on the album! lmk if you agree or any other albums you want to see! 🩵

Lando Norris

Wonderland

For this one, I’m picturing like a fling with Lando. Like you have an amazing time together in “wonderland” where you love so hard but in the end it doesn’t work out. With all the attention Lando gets, “there were strangers watching” would put pressure on the relationship and it would all fall apart. Also “you flashed your green eyes at me” would fit with his greenish blue eyes. Like I can just picture it all falling apart dramatically after a long relationship. “We both went mad,” like you both are torn up about it? Idk I just think it fits Lando.

Max Verstappen

I Know Places

Max generally strikes me as a kind of private guy. He would want to hide away with you from the public eye, not dragging you into all the criticism that comes with being a wag. If you know places to hide, he would be totally happy to run away with you wherever you wanted to go. I feel like the “lights flash we’ll run for the fences” line really fits, like both of you trying to hide from the prying eyes of the media. Like everyone wants to be him and find him and you’ll keep him away for yourself.”

Charles Leclerc

Style

Like you would definitely be the most stylish and the it couple of f1. “Can’t keep his wild eyes on the road,” like driving through Monaco with him in his Ferrari? And I definitely see the “daydream look in your eye” with Charles as well. His eyes are stunning. You would dominate the media together, never going out of style and always being the people everyone can’t help but look at as you walk down the street. Just a stunning couple with stunning style.

Carlos Sainz

Bad Blood

Ok so I’m picturing a lovers to rivals situation with Carlos! Like you start out madly in love with him, but you break up and become rivals on track and off track. I could see him betraying you and having this sort of intense rivalry. And then maybe he tries to make up with you but “bandaids can’t fix bullet holes.” Like come on, I feel like it fits really well. Especially the way he basically started a one way rivalry with Oscar, like that but romantic? If you get it you get it.

Lewis Hamilton

All You Had To Do Was Stay

So what if he had left you years ago when he was young but realized after dating other people that you were truly the one for him? Like he’s a changed man now, he realized that he had left the best person in his life behind? But you moved on too, “now you say you want it back now that it’s just too late.” Like trying to put the pieces of what you had back together. I just feel like it fits with the character development Lewis has had throughout the years.

Daniel Ricciardo

Is it Over Now?

Ok hear me out, like I can just picture Danny Ric moving on and just being a playboy right? But you want him to come back to you because deep down you both still care about each other. In the end, you are meant for each other but you have to go through “300 takeout coffees later.” Like both of you trying to move on and wondering if your relationship ever truly ended or if you are still meant for each other. Also Daniel just screams “flashing lights.” Like I just picture him running back after going separate ways and I just picture him when I hear this song.

Alex Albon

Wildest Dreams

I’m feeling Alex as the “so tall and handsome as hell,” man that you can’t stop longing for after you go separate ways. Like you and him waking separate ways as the sun sets? And you hoping he still thinks about you as he lives his life. Like he would hurt to leave behind and it would be a soft and passionate departure. You can’t help but see him in your “wildest dreams.” So many memories with Alex would be hard to leave behind.

Logan Sargeant

New Romantics

Imagine like a crazy, wild relationship with Logan. He already gets so much hate, but imagine he just doesn’t care when he’s with you. Like you both build a “castle from all the bricks they threw at me.” You both just enjoy living life together and revel in all the hate that the fans and media throw at you. But when you’re together “every night is like a dream.” You just live your best life, entirely unbothered. Just an incredible life with Logan by your side

Lance Stroll

Out of the Woods

I feel like this song fits with taking a chance on a relationship with Lance. I think it would take a while to really see his sweet side in a relationship, but once you did, you would be inseparable from him. Like that stage of taking a chance on a guy who is so in the spotlight and often talked down on would be hard, so getting “out of the woods” would be seeing the success of your mutual efforts finally come together and having the time of your life with him. When the “monsters turned out to be just trees,” it would be like all the hate isn’t true and he really is the perfect man for you.

Fernando Alonso

Blank Space

I feel like if anyone has a crazy ex, it would be Fernando Alonso. Like imagine he dumps you, you would try to keep driving him crazy. I feel like the “boys only want love if it’s torture” fits well, like he would enjoy the game of both of you trying to make the other regret the breakup. He would definitely “love the game” of toying with you and you messing with him back. Like both of you just trying desperately to make the other jealous and ruin their lives. Lowkey I want to write a fic about this now.

[chubbydino]

fic writer interview (thanks @toppamplemousse)

How many works do you have on ao3?

62 lol

What’s your total word count?

2,564,696

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

fool's gold (of course)

mr. invisible and the thing (still shocking to me)

phantoms and pencil marks

drunk on just being there

i'll race you for pinks

my avengers era is truly over 😭

Do you respond to comments? Why/ why not?

not usually - i think my readers would rather me publish a new chapter every few days than reply to comments :)

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

divinity. or concatenation.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

mr. invisible and the thing probably. i had to force it so it still makes me lol that people love it so much 😂

Do you write crossovers?

if F1/F2/F3 in FG count as a crossover haha

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

yep. mostly just ridiculous uncalled for comments because people didn't like how things went or didn't read the tags.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

not really. only for character development--it feels really repetitive pretty much always

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yes. someone was reposting FG on wattpad and people have stolen parts of my fics for "collections" they post on other sites without crediting authors.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

several people have asked me but i don't allow it with rpf. too dangerous.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

kind of? i posted rp archives but i don't think i'd do too well with co authoring even though i love(ed) rping

What's your all-time favourite ship?

hm. stucky probably. i've been in my feels about them lately.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

i started a maxiel fic from the perspective of max's cats but it was boring. loved the concept tho

What are your writing strengths?

angst and dialogue probably.

What are your writing weaknesses?

happy endings lol

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

for f1 rpf specifically it feels inauthentic to write without it. i don't think my translations are always accurate (sorry french speakers) but most f1 drivers don't speak english as a first language so i lean on my friends and readers who speak other langauges to help with translations if there's time. for example, the scene with esteban, pierre, and charles at the restaurant before the french gp in FG was only possible because a GROUP of french speakers debated over the proper dialogue.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

supernatural on deviantart lmfao. then terra nova, then marvel.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

hmmm. loscar for some reason? or a real charlos-only fic.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

fool's gold was really special, but concatenation, divinity, and HLS have spots in my heart. ia slo thinks about two of you, two of me a lot.

[showtoonzfan]

Anyways I want to talk about Nerdy Prudes Must Die real quick, Starkid’s recent Hatchetfeild musical. I love the show, it’s amazing in so many ways, I can’t say much about it that others haven’t already said so I won’t be really vocal about how good it is, at least yet. That’s why I really want to share just a few criticisms or nitpicks I have, cause I don’t see a lot of people talk about that and I’ve personally been itching to get these out lol. Keep in mind I love the musical to death and I just want to see if other fans have the same opinions I do or not, if you disagree that’s fine! Spoilers for the musical!

- My biggest complaint is that I feel like Stephanie doesn’t get enough screen time. Not that she’s not developed or fleshed out, but after rewatching NPMD a million times you’ll know that the two main characters that get the most screen time are Grace and Pete. (Especially Grace cause she steals the show, not in a bad way tho). However, Steph is supposed to be a main character but to me she kinda feels like a side character pushed to the back. I’d say this starts when the kids plan to prank Max, and moving forward she eventually goes from someone being at the front to a follower until the near end where they have to summon the lords in black. I will say of course it does make sense, for a cast like this you have to move main characters to the back to leave room to develop others, that’s fine, but I still can’t help but feel that Steph lacked more.

I think of all characters she should have gotten her own song too, I was disappointed to hear that she actually DID have one and even a reprise until it was cut. Jeff had said it was about her being a popular kid and how she struggles with that, and I think it would have been really interesting to see, it would have added more. Though of course cut songs are cut for a reason, Jeff had said it didn’t fit or add anything but it’s still something I wish we had.

- Some fans have already said this, but it is distracting how glossed over the deaths of the characters are, mainly Ruth and Richie. Max’s death makes sense here, because he was a jerk and the theme of how the town and the kids didn’t care for him when he died and glossed over his death was done on purpose, but for Ruth and Richie…the characters they were actually friends with didn’t seem to care. For starters after Richie dies no one notices he’s gone, and when the gang do find out he dies, nothing really comes of it other than a “wait Richies dead?” Then the characters just move on, Ruth dies and the same thing happens to her, only a “wait she’s dead?” line and that’s it. Pete was the closest to these two and we don’t even get to see him mourn, or a simple line indicating that. I don’t blame the characters themselves but if you asked me if I thought the writing for the musical was just a teensy weensy rushed, I’d say yeah.

- That also leads to my other problem, “If I loved you” feels misplaced. The song itself is good but it takes place legit right after Ruth dies, a character who got an amazing send off. There isn’t time to process it at all because now Pete and Steph are arguing over their relationship, and after that Grace bursts in to kick off them leaving. I feel like “If I loved you” should have been placed before “Just For Once”, that would have been slightly better.

- Okay so this is just a nitpick but I didn’t like “Best of You”. For a horror musical (especially for Hatchetfeild) it feels VERY forced and preppy and it just threw me off I’m so sorry. That’s why I was thankful “Dirty Dudes Must Die” was the true ending because that fits more with the universe and the tone of the show. I guess it makes sense though because Jeff had revealed “Best of You” was an in universe pop song that the students were just singing, so after I heard that it made perfect sense on why I thought it was so cheesy lol because it wasn’t supposed to be a song for the show itself.

Still like some others have said, the way everyone is so happy in the ending throws me off. I get that they establish a few weeks had passed but after ALL of the hell the characters went through only to cut to them carefree at prom it’s….off putting. Like Steph is literally an orphan now and Pete’s friends are dead. And it doesn’t get addressed or acknowledged AKSKKSSM 😭

And that’s pretty much it regarding issues I had with the musical. It’s damn near perfect, I just think the script is a little rushed and the pacing is kinda all over the place. Other than that? It’s amazing and I’ll definitely talk about it more soon. Feel free to disagree with me!

[batsplat]

'I am not different. Or, what I mean is, I'm just like everybody else and truly everybody is different. If you compare yourself with others you see similarities but everybody has their own paranoia, their virtues and their defects. There is a whole world inside every person!' More than anything, this comment - one of many - was a statement of intent from Jorge Lorenzo. One of his biggest motivations in life is to differentiate himself from everybody else. He doesn't mean to be pretentious, he simply has a healthy desire to create a style that sets him apart. 'I just think he wants everybody to look up to him,' observes Cheni Martínez. Sometimes it is easy to create a persona by observing and being inspired by someone whom one already admires - and even though Jorge might not admit it out loud, the person he looks up to (as, of course, do many others) is Valentino Rossi. Interestingly, some of Jorge's first fall-outs with his father were about Valentino. Chico isn't exactly Rossi's biggest fan, but he'd always insisted that 'The Doctor' was a better rider than Biaggi. So Jorge, partly because he liked to ride like him and partly because Max was Rossi's biggest enemy, rebelled against his father and became a Biaggi fan. 'The truth is that I started siding with Biaggi to wind my dad up in the Harada era. In 1997, when Biaggi signed for Honda after Aprilia decided they didn't want to continue with him, nobody thought he could win the title because, at that time, the Honda wasn't a winning bike. So when my dad used to go on about it, I'd say, "We'll see." And Biaggi won the first race at Shah Alam by 13 seconds! But then it developed into a difficult season, with a couple of crashes, and they arrived in Barcelona with Waldmann holding the advantage. I was at my mother's house watching the television. Biaggi led the whole race until two corners from the end, when Waldmann passed him and won! I was so upset that Biaggi had lost, I cried.' Rossi himself admits in his autobiography (written in 2006 with Enrico Borghi [actually published in 2005]) that he was a Biaggi fan as a youngster. In 1993, aged 14, Valentino had a Biaggi poster on his wall. Jorge didn't quite go that far, and he had probably already realised that Rossi was the more complete rider, although he couldn't say so. If you were a Biaggi fan, you were a Biaggi fan. Nowadays he has no trouble at all admitting that Rossi is the greatest there has ever been, although he hasn't come to that decision totally on his own: there has been the occasional push in that direction over the years from people like Juanito Llansá. 'I said to him, "Jorge, if you have to look up to somebody, focus on the best ... and that's not Biaggi. You can have your own heroes, but the best of the lot is Rossi." Now he needs no convincing - especially since riding alongside him in MotoGP, on the same bike. He realises that to win so many titles on one of these things, you have to be seriously good!" Even so, Jorge can't resist his rebellious side, claiming the best race he ever saw was won by Biaggi. 'I can remember perfectly Max's first victory at Suzuka in 1998 - his first on a 500! Nobody expected him to win there, people wouldn't have bet a single dollar on Biaggi. It's a bit like in football, when you're a fan of one of the smaller teams and they play against Barça or Madrid, you don't expect them to win. But not only do they win, they win 5-1! Doohan crashed but Max was already five seconds clear. It was incredible. I liked Biaggi's character - his wheelies, his designs, his number.'

Riveras Tobia's Jorge Lorenzo: My Story So Far

[pinktinselmonstrosity]

everything i read in march!

spring has well and truly sprung, and all i want to do atm is sit outside in the sun and read! alas, it's actually quite cold and i have a job 😔 but i have still been doing a lot of reading so let's get into it! Reviews under the cut as always

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

I read Parable of the Sower for a class last year and was obsessed with it, so was happy to finally get around to reading the sequel. I don't think I have adequate words to describe these books; they are horrible to read, but also incredible, and also important and prescient, and also very compelling and very human. It was genuinely hard to read about the community Lauren had strived so hard to build being destroyed like that, to see this incredibly strong character debased and abused. From a storytelling standpoint I understand why it was necessary but. Jesus christ. Jawdropping in so many ways. Everyone should read these books!

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

I bought the very last copy of this book from a bookshop when it went super viral, and it took me this long to get around to reading it lol. For such a short book it was kind of crazy how many times my opinion on it changed! I will start by saying that while I enjoyed it, I do think it was overhyped. It's very high concept, and while I eventually got my head around what was going on I think (as usual) I would have preferred a longer, more in-depth novel to really dig into all the world building and character arcs. It's a love story told through letters between two enemy combatants, and I did find myself, in the middle of the book, really invested in the characters and their relationship, but the ending once again felt rushed and under-explained due to the length of the book. I think it was good for a novella, but I just don't vibe with novellas I guess!

All Fours by Miranda July

Another really really overhyped book! If you've paid any attention to publishing in the past year then you'll have heard about this book, and how it's the best, sexiest, most shocking and important story ever put to paper. It's about an artist who leaves her family behind for a road trip to New York from LA to find herself - except she stops in a town only 30 mins away from her house and starts a tortured affair with a local rental car driver. What pissed me off the most about this book was the main character; I found her incredibly annoying and pretentious, full of contradictions in the least interesting way, and at no point did I root for her. She's an 'artist', and her art is very important to her. What kind of art does she make? It is literally never described! She just goes to her office and 'works' and goes on and on about how important her work is and how it makes her better and more thoughtful than other people, but the author literally never explains what she actually does. It's hard to get the sense that this is something important when the author couldn't be bothered to describe it! She's explicitly bisexual, has had deep sexual experiences with women in the past, and seems very self-realised about her sexuality at the start of the book, but then she has a sexual awakening with a woman that changes everything. Of course people who are very self-knowing can still find things out about themselves, but everything about this character was just completely inconsistent. The most hyped parts of the book, the sex scenes, fell short of the mark for me, relying too heavily on being shocking rather than actually having any substance. Overall I was really disappointed with it considering all the hype. Save your money and time, don't read this.

The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic

I was so excited for this and it did not disappoint!! While I think it's probably the weakest of the series so far in terms of plot development (it felt a bit all over the place sometimes) I still hugely enjoyed it. Would I recommend it to someone who isn't already deeply invested in this world and these characters? No, probably not, but maybe you should read AFTG so you can get on my level.

The Prey by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

I bought this from a local bookshop that specialises in crime novels, so I was, understandably, expecting a crime novel. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a genuinely terrifying horror novel! I love horror and do not scare easy, but I was home alone one night and decided not to read any that night because it was too scary. Really good supernatural crime story but seriously, read with your back to the wall.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

I'd read another of Locke's books (Heaven, My Home) and I was really confused at first because the protagonist seemed really similar, and then I checked and actually that one was a sequel to this one lol. Both books follow a black Texas Ranger investigating race-related murders in small Texan towns, so they are quite easy to mix up. I think that Heaven, My Home probably has a stronger plot - the murder in this one was solved less by actual investigation and more by Ranger Darren Matthews just stumbling upon the answers, which is a pet peeve of mine in crime novels - but I do really like her storybuilding and will definitely look out for more of her books in the future.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

My friend lent me this and I ended up really enjoying it. It follows a woman trying to run an independent bookshop in Seoul, as well as her employees and some of her customers, who are all wrestling with the expectations of society and what it means to be happy. Work/life balance is really the main theme, with multiple characters dealing with leaving their full-time jobs to pursue things that make them happy but are seen as less valid by society. It felt really important for where I am in my life right now and is one of those books I will probably think about for a long time. I kind of don't want to give it back to my friend! Might try to buy my own copy.

Currently Reading + On My Radar

I finished Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop last night (2nd April, so I'm counting it as a March read) and haven't started anything new yet. I'm kind of in the mood for non-fiction, probably something history related; I recently watched this incredible documentary about the mutiny on the Bounty, and it's got me in the mood for history. Apart from that, I don't know! Just going to work on getting my TBR pile down, because it's taking up almost an entire bookshelf 🥲 as always, if you made it this far please chat to me about books! What are you reading, what do you want to read, have you read any of the books on this list and what did you think? Ily ❤️

[smash-64]

2023 Game of the Year Countdown #1 The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Nintendo Switch, 2023

For a fourth time since 2018, a Trails game takes my #1 for the year.

Breaking from tradition, this Trails game has no sidequests. It has a very linear story, although technically there are three linear stories and you can jump from one to another for most of the game. In many respects, this is the “Trails in the Sky the 3rd” for the Cold Steel series. Not only is the story more linear, but we get redemption arcs from past villains, and we also get an absolutely disgusting amount of playable characters. Chrono Cross has 45 playable characters, and people often say that’s too many. Well…Reverie has 50. And each of them gets at least a little time in the spotlight. It’s fantastic for Trails fans, and I adored it. I put 150 hours into this game and I’m not sure I could have put less time into it.

Playing the game on Switch, there were definitely a few times the game chugged, so I can’t give the game a perfect 10. Many of the cutscenes in Crossbell City were bogged down by the sheer number of NPCs, and was noticeable to me, a person famously unconcerned with performance. I can see why people advocate for playing this on PC or PS4, but the portability of the Switch trumps all else in my mind. This is really the only downside I experienced with the game, although it did not affect my enjoyment at all.

Having three linear storylines to follow in any order you want is phenomenal. You can keep going with characters you love, and are never forced to stick with the ones you don’t for very long. And with having a linear story, the pace of the game is potentially sped up a little bit from the traditional Trails experience where sidequests can often lead to very long delays in the main story.

The story itself offers a ton. Obviously I can’t spoil a game that is the 10th in an interconnected, on-going series, but I’ll just say that once the main story is over…the postgame story is equally as interesting and gives fans a peek at some of the series-long questions and issues brought up in previous entries. 

Combat is fairly standard as far as the Cold Steel games go. I love Trails combat and this game tweaks little, as nothing was broken. It’s perhaps a little bit more difficult than CS3 or CS4, since the Break mechanic was pretty OP in those two games and it has been toned down slightly, but you can still take full advantage of it if you’re smart and plan well. I also like how some of the accessories drastically increase specific stats, so min/maxing is actually fun in this game. I was able to get Tita Russell’s attack and HP to absolutely absurd heights in this game. She is no longer baby; she wants power!

As previously stated, almost every single character gets their time in the spotlight. Some more than others, of course, but the fact that we get 50 playable characters, yet every one of them gets a chance to shine is a wonderful piece of work by the developers and writers. I’d say that perhaps Musse gets very little, but she had more than enough focus in CS3 and 4. Even Machias gets his own episode, and he is so often forgotten that even I forget about him at times.

Music is good as always when it comes to Falcom. I appreciate some of the battle tunes, like Elegant Prowess, and the game has its own unique sound that sets it apart from CS3 and 4. Maybe not to the same extent that Sky the 3rd sets itself apart from FC and SC, but the tracks unique to this game sound different enough that they are easy to pick out. There are dozens of returning tracks as well, since we revisit quite a few places from previous entries. 

My favorite character is Estelle Bright, and I was glad to see a focused effort to put her in the spotlight more often. She wasn’t in CS1-3, and played a more supporting role in 4 than anything else. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Rean ran the show. Estelle is not one of the main storylines in this game, but it’s nice to see her back with some of her famous one-liners.

Overall, I can’t really say enough about the game. It’s an amazing JRPG experience, but one that requires playing the 9 previous games in the series. Maybe that’s a daunting task to some, but the good thing about trying out a Trails game is that there is always another one to play afterward.

[centrally-unplanned]

As I am now full-in on the body count section of The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, I do have growing complaints about how it handles its sort of mystery build-up and reveal aspects. There is an adage for mystery novels to "have your answers ask more questions"; you set up a mystery, you *resolve* the mystery, but that resolution itself just creates deeper mysteries. This of course works very well to keep ratcheting up tension and keep the story moving forward; but it also resolves tension at the same time, you do actually get answers as you go. As an author you can perhaps think of there being a "quota" for the number of active questions for the reader to be considering; if you stack too many at once its both too hard to track them and is frustrating to read about, the story never delivers.

TFTBN breaks this rule; not every time, but a lot. In particular with Su's identity/trauma origin it happens all the time, you get literally dozens of "more mystery" moments behind it before you ever get any answers around it. Its just too coy by half! Why is my narrator like deliberately hiding their own thoughts from the reader across dozens of instances where those thoughts would be extremely relevant? The tension has already been ratcheted to the max, you can set it aside for a bit if you want but if you dangle the question in front of me too often it loses impact.

And even though now we have been getting answers, its *still* playing coy. You have a flashback to a scene of child Su being confronted by Ran over her identity mystery, and she breaks down and starts to explain it, and then the scene just cuts, so you only get a half an explanation. Which is enough to pretty much piece it together, so like the tension is gone? Now when you are coy about it (multiple times after that scene!) its a little lame actually, who ya fooling! But what it did is take away the opportunity to just have a really good scene. You cut away from a character's moment of emotional revelation and interpersonal confrontation.

Mysteries, to simplify of course, do two things for the reader; they make you turn the page in your desire to know more, and they set up dramatic stakes for their reveal in scenes. Its a balancing act ofc but you don't want to sacrifice the latter to keep baiting the former.

I feel this too around the "villain faction" for the story. Right now the villain faction is a virtually-unknown group of actors who have had no interactions or relationships with any of the characters, using mystery tactics to kill people. We are many chapters into that plot, multiple people of note have died, but they are still just strangers - their stated motives minimal and seemingly farcical.

Ofc I am no fool, I understand via meta knowledge and have picked up on the hints they have dropped that they will in fact not be strangers in full - I get how stories work. The problem is that meanwhile we have had like multiple scenes of the group having the traitor debate - "is it one of us?" But that question is silly because I *know nothing about the villains* of substance. Why would any of these classmates betray their group for them? We have no info on that. Oh sure sure I have these like, tiny *mechanical* hints. Like one time Seth? He gave a thumbs up to Ezekiel, when they were supposed to be mad at each other. Sus, my dudes. But that isn't a *motive*, right? Its not a compelling story, its just data. Because the story wont resolve any of its dangling questions, the idea that any of these people is a traitor is just dumb, you would have to like explain the entire plot in one infodump to sell it as interesting. By insisting on drip-feeding every mystery, instead of chained resolution-renewal, these plot threads aren't developed enough to work when they need to.

I do think this comes back to the fundamentals of the pacing issue - there is essentially a desire for this story to be longer than it is. Its a 3000 page book (equivalent ofc), but it isn't, not really. I am ~1000 pages into it I guess, but its probably not even ~500 pages in actual content. I could do this in definitely 400. And this is more than just a padding problem - its that structural thing, to make that length work and still be decent as a story (which it is, its a good story overall) you have to sort of chop up your big moments , which sort of kills them.

Like there is a character, Jia Fang, a fellow student who doesn't go with the group, but is mentioned a bunch as a sort of wild card, and its built up right? They are totally gonna show up somehow, there is tension about what they are up to, and then bam, they literally burst through the door. Its great, they make a huge impact, the chapter ends on that cliffhanger.

And then after maybe a few paragraphs with them the next *multiple chapters* are about a conversation between other people, about other topics where Fang is barely mentioned, and then literally, literally, we get multiple other student's academic thesis presentations, before the plot that Fang showed up to be involved in kicks back into gear. Its self-sabotage right, the literary moment broken apart because the story has to hit quota.

Its certainly a case where the serial nature of the publication would make it ludicrously difficult to fix, that I totally get. Art is really, really hard.

[primatechnosynthpop]

I wasn't going to make a post on this because I didn't think I had enough material but here's what I'm thinking for Company agent Neil AU (NKotR × Heroes)

Ryan's family has had powers going back several generations, and many of them tried to use these powers to fight crime. This got the Company's attention and led to some of them being detained. Ryan's had his memory of his superpowered parents wiped, and the Company has decided to give him some chance at a normal life rather than immediately locking him up. However, it's a pretty sure thing he'll eventually manifest powers, so Neil is assigned to keep an eye on him and, if/when he manifests, bring him in.

It's less sure whether Kevin will turn out to have powers, but it is a possibility-- his mother has pyrokinesis, and while he thinks she died in a fire some years ago, she was actually recruited by the Company at around the same time Neil was. On previous missions she's acted as the "one of them" to Neil's "one of us", but not for this assignment, as her son finding out she's alive would blow their cover and they're trying to keep the mind-wiping to a minimum. That said, Neil did have René (that's a Heroes character) wipe Ryan and Kevin's memories of their first meeting, and pretends to have forgotten how/when they met as well, to make it feel less like Neil just Showed Up and appointed himself their friend one day.

The Studio is of course just a front for the Company, running little tests from afar to see how the new kids will act in certain situations. All the supernatural stuff they encounter is real though. I wouldn't take that away from them. And the friendship they develop is ALSO real <3 Jury's still out on the bit where Neil gets arrested though. Anyway...

At some point Neil is assigned to recapture Max, an escaped Level 5 detainee who can phase through walls (hence him being able to get into everyone's house so easily). He knows Max often hangs out around the high school, so he gets René to make his friends temporarily forget how old they are and is like "hey guys let's go to school!" so they'll run into Max, provoking a confrontation. He tampers with Max's car such that plugging the exhaust pipe would cause an explosion, and plays up the "oh no we KILLED him!!" act so Ryan and Kevin won't bother to check whether they did actually kill him. Then he gets René to wipe their minds of how that confrontation ended, drags an unconscious Max out of the flaming car, and hands him over. Another job well done!

After Spooky Manor, the urn supposedly containing Kevin's ashes is a fabrication. While he pretends to put their friend to rest with Ryan, in secret Neil has to perform an autopsy on Kevin to try to figure out whether or not he had the gene that gives you powers. During the autopsy, he removes a wood splinter that had gotten lodged in Kevin's head, and upon removing it Kevin immediately springs back to life. So that answers that question: he's got a power, and it's cellular regeneration! Neil has some complicated feelings about this development-- it's great that his friend is alive, but this means he technically has to bring him in for testing now. Also, he has to make Ryan forget that Kevin died in the first place. The latter he does without too many qualms, but Neil just can't bring himself to do the former... so with help from Kevin's mom, he forges some documents and somehow manages to keep Kevin having powers under the radar from everyone.

And then we come to Ryan's powers, enhanced strength and agility, manifesting. By now Neil has seen the error of his ways and doesn't want the Company getting its hands on his friends, but he can't resist seeing Ryan use his gift to its full potential. He tells Ryan a partial truth about his family, then watches from the shadows and observes for himself how dangerous Ryan really is, weighing his options on how to proceed. By this point his superiors have caught on to his subterfuge and are breathing down his neck, so he crumbles under the pressure and chloroforms Ryan with the intent to bring him in... but he can't go through with it.

Ok full disclosure I don't actually know how things would resolve from there and I especially don't know how to make episode 6 work in this au. But at some point down the line Neil gets completely fed up, comes clean to his friends about everything, and they all fake their deaths in order to get away from the Company, which buys them a few years to just chill before they start attracting media attention with their shenanigans and the higher-ups catch on. Max gets partnered up with brand-new Company recruit Mitch, the "one of us" to his "one of them", and they set out to track those new kids down and eliminate them (but of course don't succeed)

EDIT: Wait actually I do know how episode 6 fits in. Neil pulled some clever scheme to sweep Ryan's powers under the rug but his superiors are very much onto his tricks so they send in Spencer, a telepath, to read their minds and work out what's going on. Neil manages to evade Spencer's telepathy by thinking in a different language, but he's worried when Spencer and Ryan start to bond because Ryan still remembers enough about his vigilante stint to provide incriminating evidence.

Oh also, jumping back a bit, of course Wendy would have been a Company agent too. If you wanna get a little angsty maybe she was actually starting to fall for Kevin but wasn't allowed to get any further involved with him than the Company's script called for. Or she was just playing him the whole time; either works

[pbaintthetb]

Invincible s2e8

spoilers ahead

angstrom's anger with being "just some guy" makes perfect sense but also for him to be just some guy to mark

oliver crying :-( he so little, does he even know what's going on?

I really thought mark was going to circumvent levy's expectations and instead of going for him drag his family out of there but now mark is in a whole new dimension

DINOSAURS???

okay so like oliver's ages and develops wayyy quicker than mark so like... are his powers gonna come through?

too many memories

Yellow and black suit? damn damn dang very ominous- and the tone and the lines, feels eviller than s2e1 evil mark although

heh it was the walking dead dimension

go debbie!?!

debbie joins up sometimes too? firstly damn but scondly debbie's character aside- Nolan lets her?

"Not me, I raised the boy who defied his father and saved this planet" YES you tell him Debbie!

feck Debbie's arm

mad max world? and why he shirtless

oh jeez louise mark

"You have no idea what I've been through! How much I am holding. back!" -> again, gret line but JEEZ LOUISE mark

mark omg no pls stop you're beating him to death lease noo (and other than I feel you may regret this even though yo've been heading for a snap, if you do this you also can't get home)

holy fucking shit

I thought you were stronger.

the rationalisation, that's not gonna help you sleep any better at night Mark

oh, ok the evolution of mark's desert rambles are fantastic

oh so they are mark's guardians- interesting there is no Rex then,

was half way through a thought about eve's new look when robot took his helmet off and REX? (or is it just rudy aged and with his hair styled to look like rex, sounds like rex though (and i know they have the same vocal chords but like it soudns like rex but also the tech reads robot)

it is rex??????????

debbie hugging mark :-(

bad guys, good guys... indeed mark, how do you tell, and if breaking an arm is bad what is beating someone to death. Mark and Cecil have different... views

You weren't there.

dang there is a kate prime

guyyyyyyys ladies look perhaps it is sexist but maybe just take it as a win that you won't be posessed today and don't argue about it

just noticed the episode title llol adhfakdjfalskdfj

"I wanna do what you do! I want to be just like you." -> "You will be son." feels uh more like a threat than a promise now, the looming cliff over head oH GOD. Dont like the music though

Amber!!! :-((((((

I love the Debbie and Mark roof scenes

also yeah, thought mark was gonna quit college after the amber scene and he probably does need the break- but also the "why would i do any of that" please mark please don't do a dick grayson, have a life outside of heroics

Allen time

anyway overall really really incredible episode, but of course, end of season sadness cos now long time, but it was great and I shall have thoguhts for a while