#to make a point about how essential they are

[theliteraryarchitect]

5 Reasons NOT to Use Multiple Point of View (and What to Do Instead)

I've been meaning to make this post for a long time. As a developmental editor, I see a LOT of manuscripts that use multiple point of view (where each scene or chapter is from the perspective of a different character), when they really should be using a classic single character POV. Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that writers see multiple POV as a solution to problems that really shouldn't be solved that way. Basically, they're using it for the wrong reasons. And when that happens, instead of making the story more awesome, multiple POV can actually weaken it.

Here are five of the most common reasons writers choose multiple POV (and why those reasons might be a problem). Don’t worry—I’ll also share what to do instead.

1. You Don’t Know What Your Story Is About

Sometimes, when writers aren’t 100% clear on their story’s main conflict, theme, or plot, they reach for multiple POV. It feels like a fix—after all, why focus on one perspective when you can try out a little of this and a little of that?

Here’s the thing: multiple POV actually requires you to be more clear about your story, not less. Readers will naturally look for a thread that ties all the perspectives together, and if that thread isn’t there, the story will feel scattered or aimless.

What to Do Instead: Take a step back. If you’re feeling unsure about what your story is really about, try some journaling or outlining. Ask yourself:

What’s the main conflict?

Who’s the central character?

Why am I telling this story?

Often, writers discover they actually have one protagonist, and a limited third or first-person perspective would work better. If you still feel like multiple POV is the right call, go for it! Just be sure to periodically revisit your outline to make sure the story hasn’t “gotten away” from you. (Multiple POV has a sneaky way of doing that.)

2. You Haven’t Developed Your Characters

Multiple POV doesn’t work unless each character is fully developed. Every POV character needs their own voice, journey, and reason for being in the story. If they can’t stand on their own, readers will notice.

What to Do Instead: Before assigning a POV, ask yourself:

Is this character compelling enough to hold the reader’s attention?

Do they add something essential to the story that no one else can?

If the answer is no, it might be better to stick with a single POV. Sometimes less is more.

3. You Can’t Decide on a POV Character

This one is common, especially in early drafts. You’re still figuring out your story, and it’s hard to choose whose perspective should take center stage.

What to Do Instead: Experiment! Write key scenes from different characters’ perspectives. Often, the strongest voice will make itself known as you go. And remember: just because you write a draft with multiple POV doesn’t mean you can’t narrow it down later.

4. You Need to Share Information Your POV Character Doesn’t Have

Ah, the classic "But how do I show this thing the protagonist doesn’t know?" dilemma. This is probably the most common reason I see writers reach for multiple POV. It’s tempting to throw in a chapter or two from another character’s perspective just to share that extra bit of information.

The problem? Those chapters often feel disconnected from the rest of the story. Every POV character needs to carry their weight, and dropping in a random narrator just for convenience can leave readers feeling unsatisfied.

What to Do Instead: There are other ways to get information across. Here are a few ideas:

Educated Guesses: Let your main character speculate. (“Iris kept tapping her pencil on the desk. Was she nervous about the meeting earlier?”)

Show, Don’t Tell: Use actions, dialogue, or other clues to reveal what another character might be thinking.

Bring in a New Element: Introduce a third character, a conflict, or even an object that reveals something important.

Overhearing or Spying: Yes, it’s a little cliché, but when used sparingly, it can work in a pinch.

5. You’re Looking for an Easy Way Out

Let’s be honest: multiple POV can feel like a catch-all solution to tough storytelling problems. Need to fix pacing? Add another POV! Can’t figure out how to make the ending work? Add another POV!

But here’s the truth: multiple POV is actually harder than other POVs. You’re not just developing one character—you’re developing several, and you have to tie all their perspectives into a cohesive whole.

What to Do Instead: Focus on nailing the story with a single POV first. Once you’re confident the core of the story is solid, you can decide if adding other perspectives will truly enhance it.

In Summary

Multiple POV is a powerful tool, but it’s not a shortcut. It requires careful planning and strong execution. If you’re considering it, ask yourself:

Does every POV character bring something unique to the story?

Am I clear on the main conflict and theme?

Could this story be told just as well (or better) with a single POV?

Sometimes, the simplest route is the best one.

Hope this helps!

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@theliteraryarchitect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler, a writer and developmental editor. For more writing help, download my Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers, join my email list, or check out my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing your Character's "Soulmate"

Soulmate - someone with whom you share immense compatibility.

Deep connections forge soulmates, and while people often see soulmates through a rom-com lens as a love story-perfect match, soulmates can transcend much more than romantic love.

It is possible that your true love—your spouse or romantic partner—is your soulmate, but you can have another or a different soulmate, like a best friend, mentor, or professional partner.

Healthy relationships outside of marriage are essential.

Still, when people mention a soulmate, they often refer to “the one”: the person with whom they share an instant connection and romantic interest.

No matter what kind of soulmate you have or seek, this person will uplift and fulfill you in life-changing ways.

Types of Soulmates

Several types of relationships can be soulmates. Consider the following strong connections that can be soulmates:

Best friends: A best friend can be a soulmate. A best friend might be someone you’ve known since middle or high school or from an adult friendship. Best friends will foster a deep connection and find it easy and fun to be in each other’s presence. Best friends may go on trips together, support one another’s families and life goals, and be there in times of difficulty to help each other.

Karmic soulmates: A karmic soulmate will come into your life to teach you something or provide a need. Each person may bring particular skills to the table in this soulmate connection, but both unite in a shared vision.

Life partners: A life partner—a spouse or significant other—can be a romantic soulmate. This soulmate relationship usually entails building a home and family together. Unconditional love is a marker of this kind of soulmate.

Twin flames: A twin flame connection describes a relationship in which each person sees a part of themselves in the other. Twin flames might share specific qualities, passions, or insecurities. Twin flame love can be platonic, emotional, romantic, intellectual, or a combination. Sometimes it is an artistic collaborator, mentor, or standalone friend with whom you share a deep bond.

Finding Your Soulmate

Pay attention to the following 5 signs, pointing to someone being your soulmate:

You can easily spend time together. There should be little to no tension when you spend time with a soulmate; your hours together will take on a breezy quality, and time passes quickly. Soulmates can and do have disagreements, but the important thing is that you always act toward one another from a place of love and find room in your heart for forgiveness.

You care about their well-being. You will want to genuinely support your soulmate’s family, career aspirations, and ventures outside of your relationship, and they should want the same happiness for you.

You feel a spark around the person. You might feel a romantic spark—an ineffable feeling when you are in each other’s presence—but it also may be a platonic or intellectual spark. Whatever it is, it will feel contagious and like you want to spend more time together.

Your self-confidence increases. You may feel sunnier when spending time with a soulmate. This person should make you feel better about yourself, raising your self-esteem. Similarly, this person should feel safe, comfortable, and celebrated by you as well.

Imagining a life without your soulmate may feel dark and lonely. Losing a soulmate can be a tremendous loss, so you may feel bittersweet with this person as you know how lucky finding a soulmate is, how fragile some relationships are, and how important this person is to have in your life.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[donetbhlmao]

others have said this but i find the perceived "conflict" between innie mark+helly and outtie mark+gemma to be so boring and, in my estimation, so NOT what the show is trying to convey to us.

like gemma is dead, she's gone, that's it. whatever form she's in as ms casey is not the gemma that was married to mark. severance is a show partially about grief, and i find it very difficult to believe that they'd have mark grieve her for two years just to bring her back. the point is to deal with grief by letting yourself FEEL it.

i'm not sure how much clearer the show can make it that innie mark does not have any connection to ms casey, beyond concern for her from a human level (and loyalty to his outtie). the reason the innie mark+helly dynamic is SO juicy is because it will force outtie mark to contend with the consequences of his choice to sever part of himself - essentially freeing part of himself from the knowledge of his wife.

what happens when the part of you that you designated to be unfeeling falls in love? that's what the show is going to answer. and that's what i can't wait to see answered.

[walble]

What's coming up in your love life?

This is meant to be a fun, general reading, so it may not resonate with everyone. Take what resonates for you and leave the rest behind! Please take a moment to breathe, focus on your intuition, and choose the photo that calls to you. Each holds a unique message for you!

𐙚 • 𝑃𝑖𝑙𝑒 1

A period of introspection and self-discovery is unfolding in your love life. This may manifest as a time of solitude, whether by choice or circumstance, where you are encouraged to reflect on past experiences, personal growth, and what you truly desire in a partner. There is a sense of deep contemplation, where external distractions fade, allowing you to see relationships from a wiser and more enlightened perspective. This phase is necessary for gaining clarity before stepping into the next chapter of your romantic journey.

As this cycle of reflection comes to a close, a significant shift is on the horizon. A sense of completion or closure may take place, allowing you to move forward with a renewed outlook on love. However, uncertainty still lingers—hidden emotions, unspoken truths, or a feeling of being unable to fully grasp a situation may arise. Trusting your intuition will be crucial during this time, as things are not always as they seem. You may need to navigate moments of confusion or deception, but doing so will ultimately lead to greater understanding.

Commitment and stability will soon become important themes, encouraging you to align with what truly resonates with your values and beliefs in relationships. Whether this means strengthening an existing connection, seeking a deeper bond, or reassessing what long-term commitment means to you, this period will bring clarity to what you need. Balancing different aspects of your life—whether it’s love, work, or personal growth—will be essential, as you may find yourself juggling multiple priorities.

Despite this, a sudden burst of energy is set to propel your love life forward. Things that once felt stagnant or unclear will begin to move rapidly, bringing excitement, new opportunities, or unexpected developments. This shift could come in the form of passionate communication, travel, or even a swift change in circumstances that alters your perspective on love. Whatever happens, be prepared for momentum to build quickly—what once seemed distant will soon be within reach.

𐙚 • 𝑃𝑖𝑙𝑒 2

A significant transformation is on the horizon, one that will challenge old patterns and beliefs about love. There may be a connection that feels intense, possibly even obsessive, drawing you in with an almost magnetic pull. However, beneath the surface, there are lessons to be learned—this situation is pushing you to question what you truly want in a relationship and whether you are holding onto something that no longer serves you. It’s a time to break free from any limiting attachments or toxic cycles that have kept you stuck in the past.

This period may also bring a strong need for introspection and solitude. Taking a step back from romantic distractions will help you reconnect with your inner wisdom. There is a chance that someone new, or even an unexpected message, could appear when you least expect it, stirring emotions and awakening feelings of curiosity and excitement. However, the real work will be in how you navigate these emotions—will you repeat old habits, or will you embrace a new way of loving and being loved?

Momentum will soon pick up, bringing rapid changes in your love life. Whether it’s a sudden realization, an unexpected encounter, or a shift in an existing connection, things will move quickly. While this may feel overwhelming, trust that it’s leading you toward necessary growth. This is a turning point—what no longer aligns with your higher self is being stripped away to make room for something more meaningful. Embrace the transformation, and you may find yourself stepping into a new chapter with a clearer sense of what love truly means to you.

𐙚 • 𝑃𝑖𝑙𝑒 3

A deep and emotionally fulfilling connection is on the horizon, one that feels mutual and harmonious. This could signify a strong romantic partnership or the strengthening of an existing bond, where both individuals are emotionally in tune with each other. There is a nurturing and compassionate energy surrounding this connection, suggesting a relationship built on understanding, trust, and emotional depth.

However, there may be some underlying deception or secrecy at play—whether from external influences or within the relationship itself. It's important to remain aware and trust your intuition to navigate any hidden motives or unspoken truths. Balance will also be key in this situation; there may be multiple responsibilities or priorities demanding attention, requiring effort to maintain stability in love and personal life.

Ultimately, this phase marks the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. There is a sense of fulfillment and completion, as if things are coming full circle. This could indicate reaching an important milestone in love, such as a commitment, deeper emotional connection, or even a realization about what is truly desired in a partnership.

My personalized love readings are on sale for $10 during the whole month of February!! Feel free to message me to book a session or visit my Ko-fi page to schedule one here: https://ko-fi.com/walble

[tls12lessthan3]

Also it's fascinating to think about how the dehumanization and lack of autonomy under the star stream thing extends to people’s relationships as well. In the star stream rpf is not only fine but an extremely valuable product - as exemplified by Uriel’s, well, everything. It’s not just her, either - Kim Dokja receives coins from [A Constellation who wants to see a harem] when he saves Han Sooyoung at the coin farm, for example. People’s relationships are turned into stories to be devoured (often with somewhat misogynistic undertones given how often romances with women get sold as some sort of ‘reward’ in the types of stories these comments parody).

And there is a monetary incentive for people to play into it! We see Kim Dokja do so with Yoo Joonghyuk at multiple points, spoonfeeding him medicine or playing along with Uriel in order to gain coins. This is played for comedy, because Kim Dokja is secure enough that this is a choice for him. But it is not difficult to imagine people in this world who cannot make a better product of themselves, resorting to playing up fantasies about their relationships. The star stream creates scenarios that encourages constellations to play with incarnations like dolls, including mashing their faces together, in a way that plays into the general dehumanization and lack of autonomy they face. This is, I feel, especially haunting from a woman’s perspective given how much greater of a precedent women being pushed into relationships for economic gain has in real life

Anyway, Kim Dokja has essentially been transported into a shitty action fantasy webnovel which contains a canonical niche for bad harems and has an audience which ships him with multiple women + one specific guy and its like. he is not interested in any of that (<- its own type of metaphor for being aromantic in an romance centric world where there are economic incentives for and people pushing you towards romance at every turn) but it is fascinating to think about the canonical horror that could emerge if he was. Think about Myung Ilsang for example, that boy who got isekaid and thought he was the protagonist of his own shitty harem novel. Fascinating potential for a metaphor about how living in a society that prioritizes the heterosexual dream leads to dehumanization + misery on both sides but lets be real worse for women + how people are incentivized to play into it in a capitalist society. and also for a horror series about what if your life depended on playing into isekai harem tropes. I kind of got distracted I forgot what my point was. Yeah.

[captainclickycat]

Whoops turns out I have Further Thoughts on this.

So, here's the thing. We could argue a lot about whether or not characters in horror films make stupid decisions and how it depends on the individual film and what have you all day long. And I'm sure we could come up with a few examples on either side of the argument.

But I think there's a broader point here which is that when people say "what if there was a horror movie that featured a convenient and straightforward way for the characters to get out of trouble without making any sacrifices along the way, so they did that and were fine, the end", and especially when they present this as some kind of refreshing new take on the genre...

Well, aside from the fact that this would make for a very boring and disappointing story for anyone who actually wanted to watch a horror film, it has the same energy as those people who are presented with moral dilemmas as a thought exercise and get fixated on "what if there was a way to stop the trolley and save all six people" "what if you could replace the Omelas kid with a robot" and so on. It's a copout, and it really does come off more like they're balking at the idea that suffering is sometimes unavoidable, that sometimes there are no easy answers and any decision you make comes at a cost.

It reminds me of this other post that was going round a decade or so ago, where the title was something like "horror movies for our generation" and the gist of the whole thing was essentially "if millennials were in a horror movie scenario we'd be able to fix everything and save ourselves straight away because we're so smart and progressive and have the best resources!" (Which to add a bit of extra context was clearly pushing back against a lot of the "millennials are stupid children who don't know how to do anything" think piece discourse that was floating around at the time) and a lot of people in the notes (possibly even including me, at the time) going "omg I need this!! I'd watch the shit out of this!!" which, when you think about it, is really weird when you acknowledge that the scenarios being described were essentially just "what if something that claimed to be a horror story actually just had no plot."

The idea of a horror story where the characters make sensible, realistic, understandable decisions is potentially a great premise (and again, there are plenty of existing horror stories that already meet that criteria.) Crucially, though, that can't be enough to get them out of trouble, at least not instantaneously.

If you could avoid getting lost in the scary woods just by using your trusty functioning gps tracker, there would be no story. So in an actual horror story, the gps wouldn't work, or it would be hijacked by some sinister entity and end up landing the characters right back where they started, or lead them further into danger. The characters happen to have the exact right combination of personalities and skillsets to instantly defeat the monster and go home? Well, first of all that's just dumb luck, and second of all that can't work right away either. There would be a different monster that they can't defeat so easily, or they simply don't have enough information or opportunity for most of the story to be able to actually use their collective skills against it. You managed to evade the killer and get out of the creepy log cabin unharmed? Congratulations. Your best friend is still in there, though, and they might be injured. Are you comfortable leaving them behind and hoping they can fend for themself while you get away? What if it's your child? Sometimes the "stupid" decision is the one you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you didn't make.

I'm going to give the "cozy romance" person props because at least they're honest about the fact that they don't actually want a horror story, and at least the story they're proposing would actually have a plot, just not a horror one. I can see where their thought process was going; there is something cool about the idea of a secret secondary plot going on in the background that the protagonist managed to narrowly avoid, that we can put the pieces together about if we pay close enough attention. (It's not the best example, there are undoubtedly better ones, but it reminds me a bit of Shaun of the Dead where we get these hints that there's a doppelgänger squad running around in the background, and it seems like just a one-off joke until one of them shows up at the end with the military in tow.)

But the thing about that example and a lot of the other ones is that there's eventually a payoff. Ultimately it does affect the protagonists in some way, even if it's sometimes a subtle way. And there's something sort of weird, and just a little jarring, about the idea of reading a story where you're sort of vaguely aware that horrible things are happening to some poor bastard in the background, and your only takeaway from that is supposed to be "oh well, sucks to be them. Let's continue to enjoy watching these Sensible people kiss! Yay!" Apart from maybe being a cool sort of easter egg, what exactly is the point of this subplot, besides imparting the profoundly unsatisfying message of "you can easily avoid danger and have a wonderful life if you're just smart and sensible enough!" when that's so often and so tragically untrue in real life.

And that's why I feel like this would be a much better premise if the horror eventually caught up with the protagonist. Because sorry folks, but escaping the genre unscathed is too easy and too unsatisfying. It has to at least be a challenge, or there's no story worth reading.

You can't just replace the Omelas kid with a robot.

people are so mean about horror movie victims like. sorry but if i had gone to a cabin in the woods with my friends as a teenager you couldn't have stopped us from reading aloud from the evil tome. how were they supposed to know the ancient curse was real they're like 17

[genericpuff]

💣💥💣💥💣

so with Episode 67 finally posted and the dust settled, I wanted to share some funny behind-the-scenes stuff with you all.

Clip Studio is a great piece of software, it's what allows Banshriek and I to work on the same episode together via cloud-syncing (it's a function called "Teamworks" in the app) but it's also... kind of garbage sometimes. Without getting too much into it, CSP has a bottleneck issue with how it predominantly uses CPU rather than the graphics card in a computer. And considering it's literally graphics software, yeah, you can probably figure out pretty quickly with the most bare minimum of computer knowledge why this is a problem that's really silly for it to have LOL

ANYWAYS. This has been known to cause problems between Banshriek and I when trying to complete an episode. Problems that - often enough for me to tell you stories about it - result in us having to essentially "rebuild" the episode we're working on. This doesn't necessarily mean having to redraw anything (thankfully that doesn't happen very often) but it usually goes down something like this:

1.) The software suddenly has an issue syncing our changes which results in either conflicted files that can't update, software crashes that refuse to load pages, updates not even going through, or taking WAY too long to update to the point that we'd rather just rebuild and work on the episode independently and then swap the files and layers when it's time for the other person to do their part.

2.) I have to inform Banshriek that Clip Studio crashed again, and in the event that I can't get back into page editing because of the aforementioned issues ^^^ they immediately get to backing up their most recent version of the file that's stored on their computer. Thankfully a lot of the time these versions are pretty up to date, but it's still a moment of tension every single time because these crashes don't always happen the same way every time.

3.) Using the backup version, a new .cmc file (the file that contains every page for each episode, it's the thing that lets you make pages for comics in the software!) is created by whoever has access to the pages without issue (usually Banshriek is the one who's able to do it, this has become a very one-sided problem LMAO) and then is sent to me so that I can upload it to the cloud to replace the old version. This file is then usually called something like "Episode#BACKUP" to distinguish between both versions as we usually still have the older versions downloaded as well.

4.) Work (hopefully) continues as normal. Though it's definitely caused setbacks, so far our survival rate is still 100% 😆

This happens at least every other episode. It's become rare to go a whole episode without having to go through this process. We're still trying to figure out what we can do to avoid it, but we've tried a bunch of other options (and Banshriek has created some test episodes using pages from completed episodes that crashed for the sake of experimenting) and so far it's still a struggle understanding what exactly is going wrong with Clip Studio and it's syncing features. Fortunately, Banshriek and I are both auDHD enough that we're gonna obsess over it until we figure it out LMAO but until then, we're constantly having to treat Clip Studio like a live snake that's trying to wrangle itself out of our hands 💀😆

And the most recent episode? Episode 67, which ran a week and a day late? It set a new personal best for number of backups, because we had to rebuild it not just once, but TWICE.

What we've noticed is that sometimes you can barely make a change to an episode and these crashes still happen, as if major changes have been made. So far the best hypothesis Banshriek has come up with regarding this observation is that the software struggles more to update changes that affect overall pixel count and appearance - stuff like moving canvases, flipping canvases, adding on textured layers (which is what we do at the end of making each page) , etc. that covers a lot of pixels at a time, even if it's only changing the hues / colors slightly, seems to cause the most problems.

During the production of Episode 67, the following plagues came to pass:

Our car exploded

Our cat nearly exploded (btw! for anyone wondering from my last post about him, he's doing better now!)

Our toilet pipes froze twice (and exploded once)

Democracy in the U.S. exploded

My husband's wisdom teeth were exploding so the last 3 of them were removed all at once

The files for Episode 67 exploded twice and had to be rebuilt just to keep it on life support (by the end of the episode we were literally sending files back and forth via Google Drive like peasants 😔 /hj)

The most non-explosive thing to happen was the tattoo shop I work at moving locations up the street, and even then, I came very close to exploding a few times during that process LMAO (and our debit machine just exploded so we're cash only for the next few days sksksks)

This episode was probably our most cursed yet, and frankly, it couldn't be more fitting, I think Dionysus himself had a hand in our madness, just for the sake of being on theme with this episode. And the worst part, we haven't even gotten into the truly chaotic stuff yet. All Dionysus has done so far is slam Hades' head into a table, he's barely gotten started. Dionysus only knows what Episode 68 has in store for me and Banshriek as well 😭💀

[dollsbite]

husband!gaz thoughts... ⭑.ᐟ

husband! gaz that couldn't be more of a perfect match for you.

when you first announced your engagement, the snide comments under the guise of, "we're just worried about you!" nearly put a damper on what should be an otherwise happy moment. of course, in every family, there's always one relative that just has to to make their opinion known — no matter how unwanted it may be. in their eyes, how could such a relationship stay afloat? he was gone for months on end; how could you maintain a marriage with someone that was rarely home?

oh, they couldn't have been more wrong.

even while he was overseas, kyle did everything in his power to stay in touch with you. sending you letters in the mail, recording tender voice messages to your inbox, video calling you on his down time. he could be exhausted, his feet aching and his eyes drooping, the weight of a strenuous day heavy on his shoulders. yet, he always manages to make time for his sweetheart. and well, uh... let's just say he's fallen asleep on call more than once on occasion. not that you mind. he looks pretty cute when he's drifting off, even if he's likely drooling on his pillow.

there's no denying just how excited the two of you get when he's finally coming home. your presence is a soothing balm to his weary soul and he makes it known when he bursts through the front door of your home, tossing his duffle bag onto the floor and enveloping you into a tight bear hug. he's burying his face into the crook of your neck, savoring that warm smell of yours that he had been craving for weeks on end. you have to essentially pry him off of you to get him to sit at the dinner table to eat dinner.

i'd like to believe that garrick is such a green flag, a man that treats you so tenderly, that he would even make friends and relatives of yours absolutely jealous. even on the rare occasions when the two of you argue, he's always willing to communicate, sitting with you for hours just to solve the issue at hand. never, ever have you two gone to be angry with each other. he just wouldn't let it get to that point.

even with his hectic schedule, kyle never uses his job as an excuse to worm his way around helping around the house. there's no way in hell that he's going to watch you work yourself to the bone, not on his watch. what's the point in marriage if you aren't a team together? somehow, it always manages to surprise you when you come home after a particularly grueling day at work to find the whole house spotless, a delicious, home-cooked meal waiting for you. he'd move mountains for you if it meant getting to that pretty smile of yours. <3

[therosielord]

Not to be super English major about it, but Animal Farm was NOT an “anti-revolution” story. According to Orwell, it was inspired specifically by the Russian Revolution that led to the Stalinist regime. The story of animal farm is essentially what happened to the Russian people: they had a revolution against the tyrannical ruling class, only for the very people who had promised them freedom to turn into tyrants themselves.

The moral of the story is not “don’t have a revolution,” it’s that you should always be suspicious of those who promise you this utopian idea of freedom while still aiming to maintain power. The pigs never wanted to actually make everyone free, they just wanted to be the ones in charge. The novel details every small instance of the farm sliding further and further into fascism until it’s too late for anyone to do anything about it.

And 1984 doesn’t have much to do with communism at all. It’s about totalitarianism and fascism. There’s nothing pro-capitalist about the book. A totalitarian government like Big Brother’s could exist in either a capitalist or communist society. The point is the control they have over their people, and how important the flow of information is to that control.

George Orwell literally risked his life fighting fascists, so I think it’s pretty unfair to reduce his books to “anti-commie” propaganda. He was intensely critical of any state that maintained too much power over its people, and at the time, one of the worst examples of that was the recent communist revolution in Russia, which deposed a monarchy to install a dictator in its place.

very funny to me when people act like animal farm and 1984 are revolutionary anti government texts that the Powers That Be dont want you to read when they have literally been a part of every standard middle/highschool english lit cirriculum in the usa and beyond for decades. precisely because theyre such convenient primers to propagandize that Commies = Bad. the government is quite literally making kids read them

[pandaofsecrets]

This convo got me thinking about how Ozai being a good parent and husband would actually be like (and how little that would actually change things), so here's the basics of the AU. It follows comics continuity because I think it's more impactful that way, and also because I really don't want to write two AUs for the price of one.

Okay, so first of all, how do we get here? Let's say that instead of Ozai becoming narcissistic as a coping mechanism (unlikely, but bear with me), he just kinda gives up trying to "prove his worth" and distances himself from his father and brother, distrusting them and trying to avoid their attention as much as he can.

Anyway, Azulon hears about the prophecy and wants Ozai married to Ursa, which. So much for not attracting attention. Azulon's logic here is that while he does want those strong firebenders, he doesn't want any of Roku's line to actually inherit the throne. So, marrying Ursa to his out-of-favor second son it is.

Needless to say, neither Ozai nor Ursa are exactly jazzed about the marriage. They're both essentially forced into it, and Ursa was already seeing someone, thank you very much. But they both figure that it's for the good of their country and that they can't really leave anyway, so they might as well try to make it work. Ozai works to make Ursa as comfortable as possible, and she cooperates with him as much as she can. A few months or so into the marriage, Ursa is pregnant with Zuko.

This is when Ursa notices that no one is replying to her letters. No one at all. Not Ikem, not her friends, and not even her parents. Like, she knows mail is slow, but it's been almost half a year at this point. Her parents at least should've written back by now. So, she does a little detective work, and puts together that Ozai is intercepting her letters.

Unsurprisingly, Ursa is pissed. She'd just begun to like Ozai, and he went and tore her heart into confetti. Incredibly betrayed (and also hormonal as all fuck), Ursa comes up with the very smart idea of writing a letter to Ikem in which she pretty much confesses to cheating on Ozai, reasoning that would hurt him pretty bad.

As Ursa expected, Ozai gets the letter and barges into the room, demanding to know what the hell she was thinking. "I knew it!" she goes. "I knew you've been intercepting my letters!" Ozai is like "Count yourself lucky it was me. What if it was my father? How would you have even begun to explain this to him?" He goes on to remind her that she was to give up contact with everyone outside of court, including her parents. He doesn't like his father's orders any more than she does, but he has to enforce them. He then burns the letter, telling Ursa that she can see whoever she wants, do whatever she wants, but she had better not let Zuko get caught up in any of it. Ozai makes a point to call Zuko his child, both because Ursa's letter did hurt him, and as a way to imply he cares about Zuko and Ursa doesn't.

A couple of hours later, both are feeling bad about the whole debacle. Ursa goes to see Ozai, who's in the middle of his usual "dealing with his angst by training until he straight-up collapses" routine, and they have a chat. Ozai apologizes for trying to imply she doesn't care about Zuko and for putting her in this position in the first place, and admits that he should've talked to her instead of going behind her back like that. Ursa swears she wasn't trying to get them in trouble, she was just so hurt by his actions that she wasn't thinking straight. Ozai promises her he'll find a way for her to contact and maybe even see her parents, so long as she promises to try and be less reckless. She agrees.

I'm skipping around a lot over things I haven't thought of in detail, so cut to a few years later. Zuko is around 7 and has just started his firebending lessons, Azula is around 5, and everything seems to be going pretty good. And then Azula starts firebending as well. Not only that, but she turns out to be a prodigy. Oops.

Ozai being Ozai, he immediately goes for damage control. He holds back Azula's progress under the pretext that it's going to be better for her in the long run, discourages her from attracting attention, and is generally very cagey whenever the subject of her bending is brought up. This is in sharp contrast to Azulon and to her teachers, who praise her for her talents and encourage her to develop her skills. So, naturally, Azula is really confused. If she's so great, why doesn't her father ever acknowledge it? This is made worse by the fact that Ozai can't really explain to Azula why he does things the way he does. So he just comes off as an unreasonable tyrant, which is. You know. Not at all the impression he wanted Azula to have of him. He knows what it's like to be the secondborn who is disliked by their parent, he never wanted to do that to his own child. It honestly feels like the universe is out to get him at this point.

So Azula becomes increasingly recalcitrant, and Ozai resolves to just give her space for the time being, spending more time with the one child who isn't fighting him at every turn. Seeing this as a rejection, Azula takes whatever pent-up rage she can't direct at Ozai and starts directing it at Zuko, meaning Ozai is put in a position where he has to protect one of his children from the other. Ursa tries her hardest to pick up the pieces, but that just ends with Azula writing her off as well. Azula also becomes aware of the fact that Ozai and Ursa are both pretty much powerless against Azulon, and that's where the fun begins.

It's a crappy situation all around, but it's about to get worse. Lu Ten dies and Iroh is about to return home from the Siege of Ba Sing Se, so Azulon tells Ozai that he has to give Azula to Iroh. Ozai is like, yep, there it is. There's the moment I've been dreading ever since I got married. Because due to the way this whole eugenics experiment worked, his children were never truly his. Azulon's vested interest in them meant Ozai never had any control over his own family, and Zuko and Azula were always going to be taken away from him sooner or later. But before Ozai can say anything, Azulon drops the bombshell on him. He has to kill Zuko, too. Ozai is like, fuck this. He doesn't care that Zuko was a failed experiment or whatever, that's his son. But he knows by now that his father cannot be reasoned with, so he asks Azulon to wait until Iroh comes home, buying himself time to figure out what to do. Surprisingly, Azulon agrees.

Ozai then goes to Ursa and tells her the tale of what just happened. Ursa goes, yeah, no, we can't afford to wait until Iroh comes back. Because even if they did, Zuko would still die. Ozai is like, well, there's gotta be something we can do. And that's when Ursa gets an idea. She briefly considers telling Ozai, but quickly thinks better of it. Patricide is a strong word. She knows Ozai wouldn't approve, so if she wants something done, she's gotta do it herself. Instead, she just says she knows a way, and leaves Ozai to mope.

Next morning, the palace is in chaos. Azulon just kicked the bucket, Iroh is away, and everyone is looking to Ozai for leadership. Ozai has a chat with Ursa and is like "You did this, didn't you?" Ursa is all "I don't know what you're talking about", and Ozai asks her if she really thinks he's that stupid. He then encourages her to get the heck out of Dodge, because someone is definitely going to trace this back to her and then they'll all be in big trouble, her especially. Ursa counters that she's not the same reckless woman she was 8 years ago, and that she made sure to cover all her bases this time, pinning the blame on supposed Earth Kingdom assassins. They sit in silence for a bit, and then Ozai confesses he can't believe Azulon is dead, and that he doesn't know whether to be relieved or to hate Ursa for murdering him. Ursa says that everything she's done, she's done to protect her family.

So Ozai basically becomes interim Fire Lord while waiting for Iroh to come back, and he does a pretty good job, having basically been acting Crown Prince ever since he came of age (with all of the responsibility and none of the credit, because Azulon was a dick like that). From here the AU can go any number of ways, from Iroh immediately taking over as Fire Lord, to him giving up his claim to the title, to Iroh trying to give up his claim and Ozai refusing.

I don't know if I'm ever going to actually write this AU, so I'm leaving this here, I guess? Lmk what you think.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Fantasy Worldbuilding

Fantasy worldbuilding - the process of creating a fictional world replete with core characters, overlapping storylines, detailed settings, and fantastical elements that set the world apart from our own.

A clear, detailed fantasy world will help readers invest in the characters that inhabit it.

Essential Elements of a Fantasy World

The fantasy genre often contains elements of science fiction, magic, or imaginative creatures—but it’s more than just writing every fictional element you can think up. The world of your fantasy novel, video game, television show, or film has to make sense in order for the rest of its parts to work in harmony.

Magic: Decide if there is a magic system in place, then set the rules of it. What powers it? Is it a secret? Can anyone use it?

Geography: It may be helpful to create a fantasy map. Identify major landmasses and historic sites. How does the landscape impact the plot or the characters? What is the climate like? You can get as specific as identifying the indigenous flora and fauna, even if you don’t use those details. As a world-builder, you can include as much or as little in your process and final version as you like—as long as your story comes together in a way that makes sense for the audience.

Society: Figure out the inhabitants of your fantasy world. What language do they speak? What do they look like? Are they humanlike? Are they creaturelike? What sort of culture do they have? How have previous historical events impacted the way they live now?

History: While you don’t have to outline the beginning of your world’s history to the end, it’s useful to know of any key events like wars, plagues, political strife, extraterrestrial invasions, or anything else that had an effect on the way your world operates now.

Time: How does it flow in your world? Is there a calendar? Are there seasons? What affects the light and the darkness?

How to Create a Fantasy World

There are many avenues for writing fantasy worlds, and you can start with whichever aspect you like first:

Use real life as inspiration. That doesn’t mean taking people from existing ethnic groups and putting costumes on them—but observe how other cultures live, how they interact with their environments and each other. By incorporating real-life into your fantasy book, you can avoid falling into tropes and clichés, and create a richer template for your characters and plot to thrive in.

Define the setting. A good starting point when creating a fantasy story is the universe itself. Is this an imaginary world existing within our own world, like Black Panther’s Wakanda? Or is it its own entirely new world, like Narnia in C.S. Lewis’s fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia? Describe what the landscape looks like, what colors it contains, or how many suns and moons it has. Any details that can help make your fantasy world feel more like real-life in order to help ground it in something believable will make a difference in how your audience feels and experiences it.

Create inhabitants. A fantasy world has more than one type of inhabitant. They can be vastly different from one another, or only have subtle contrasts between them. For example, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the magical world setting of middle-earth has both Dwarves and Hobbits, which, despite both being the smaller races, contain many differences between them. They each have their own origins and backstories, temperaments, key aesthetics, daily life routines, and various other aspects that enrich and define the separate races. Inhabitants include the antagonists as well. Make them more than one-dimensional bad guys—give them a motivation that’s relevant to the world they live in.

Make magic. Implement your magic system, if there is one. Write its limits, along with its capabilities. For instance, in George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, the magic in the world seemingly gets stronger when the main character Daenerys Targaryen brings about the birth of her dragons. Magic needs rules in order to function properly in your fantasy world, and while you don’t need to include a list of laws in your writing, the use of it must make them apparent.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[olderthannetfic]

So there was a stupid, badly executed major character death in my fandoms canon. And fans trying to defend that media from other fans frequently argue that we simply can't "handle" MCD and need to grow up and get over it rather than being upset that character died in a really poorly written way.

I'm now watching a different thing, with a really well executed, beautifully tragic MCD. And I'm essentially petty and salty of being talked about like a wittle weak baby who can't handle big mature themes.

I can appreciate meaningful, well done MCD. I am not a lesser or less mature fan because I point out when it's done badly for shock value. I am allowed to be mad my blorbo died for nothing.

And why do fellow fans so often feel and act as if they have to defend their franchise from any critique from fellow fans?!? Or worse, tell fellow fans to leave the fandom if we're not thrilled with what fandom gave us. I'm still writing for it, which is contributing more than some who only mocks and attacks fans who disliked how things went.

--

I am so fed up with people crying about how MCD is such a valid artistic choice. 99% of the time, the interest and value from some character's occasional future appearances in an ongoing piece of media would have added up to more than the death did even if it was wonderfully well done.

A death towards the end often takes a gigantic shit on the other themes of the piece or is idiotic in light of genre conventions that would normally make that uncurable poison/lingering illness/minor flesh wound non-fatal.

Nearly nobody wails that some two-hour film festival fare shouldn't end in the lead's death. We all know those are going there, and they often do it competently.

"You should like my bad art because consuming drivel misery builds character" is never a sympathetic argument.

[technofeudalism]

you are doing the same exact thing that the person in the tweet that is being made fun of in this post is doing.

what does this have to do with anything? what assertion are you trying to make? what enlightened contribution are you making with your reblog? do you not think that everyone is aware governments pay for things with currency? the entire point is the exploitation that takes place as part of that relationship.

through neoliberal structural adjustment plans that imposed austerity on already impoverished countries, the West forced African nations to take out loans with interest rates that are unaffordable, and imposed fundamentally neo-colonial conditions - determining what constitutes "good" and "bad" governance - which systematically destroyed African countries throughout the 80s and 90s. they also essentially held all aid at gunpoint for these countries. and it's still happening in 2024.

"The deal on the Chagos Islands ends a battle over Britain’s last overseas territory in Africa and preserves the Diego Garcia air base but has been criticized as aiding China."

THIS. this is the difference. did China swap for military bases in any deal in Africa? no. and in fact...

Developing countries have renegotiated about $50bn of Chinese loans in the past decade, with term extensions, refinancing and debt forgiveness the most frequent outcomes, according to research challenging “debt-trap” accusations surrounding Chinese lending. An examination of 38 Chinese debt renegotiations with 24 countries in the past decade by the Rhodium Group, a consultancy, concluded that China’s leverage remains limited, with many of the renegotiations resolved in favour of the borrower. Debt write-offs were found in 14 cases, deferments in 11 cases, and refinancing and debt term changes accounting for most other cases

so yeah, obviously things cost money. what matters is how that money is loaned, what is done with it, and what conditions are behind it. and before you say "land," that's wrong, too.

this tweet in response to why the reactions from the global south in response to partnering with China are so much more positive than the United States or the UK will be stuck with me forever

[gallowdancingmuck]

Analyzing W(e)yler: Part One

The first thing I would like to discuss is Tyler’s role in the whole story. While we can debate on whether he is the best love interest or not (I’ll get to that) I think it can be accepted that he is a foil to Wednesday. A foil is meant to act as a contrast to the protagonist and is not always necessarily the antagonist. The difference between foil and antagonist is that the antagonist opposes whilst the foil exposes essential beliefs and characteristics of the protagonist. Something often forgotten in terms of foils is that they are extremely similar to the protagonist, but a critical factor causes a ripple effect that diverts the foil’s path from the protagonist’s path.

Lets look at how exactly Tyler and Wednesday foil each other:

Grumpy x Sunshine

Tyler showcases a positive and soft side, but hides the darker aspects of his personality (Hyde, anger, sadness, resentment). Wednesday showcases her dark side proudly but is ashamed of the softer aspects of her personality (love, affection, loyalty, sympathy). If Tyler (and people around him) were more accepting of his darkness, Hyde would not be as easily manipulated and he would probably be able to leverage more emotional control. If Wednesday accepted her softness she would also be able to exert more control with her emotions. Her “getting in her own way” comes into play because she doesn’t reach out for help and when things go wrong she makes impulsive decisions that hurt her relationships (think about how Enid and her fought because Wednesday just didn’t ask for her help in an honest way). Raw emotions are hard for Wednesday but her care for other people is always used against her and her denial makes things 10x harder for her.

Family Dynamics

Tyler’s family is broken. His mother died and his father shut down, leaving Tyler with anger, sadness, and abandonment issues. The neglect from Donovan has caused Tyler to develop severe daddy issues and a mommy complex. Tyler is chasing affection, which is why he falls into Laurel’s grasp. Wednesday’s family on the other hand is pretty functional if not a little overly expressive, however she finds their constant affection suffocating and is running away from it. She has mommy issues in the fact that she looks at her mother as competition (which I hope the reasoning behind this is explored more because it really confuses me, what led to the riff between Morticia and Wednesday?)

Outcast Status

Tyler has been forced into outcast status. As a hyde he was already predetermined to be isolated, add onto it his family dynamic, Tyler is alone and he does not know how to deal with that. He wishes he was normal as seen through the way he interacts with other characters and in Jericho. Wednesday, while seen as strange by the world, is still accepted. I think it has been seen that as long as you are a pretty girl, you can be as weird as you like (Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibes) and with the Addams family wealth and status added, Wednesday truly will always have a place. She despises this. She wants to be an outcast, but as seen in the show, her assuredness is magnetizing, so people flock to her despite her best efforts.

Wealth

Tyler comes from a working class family. While he may not be struggling to get by, a sheriff and barista’s salary is not much. The Addams family has so much money it's comical. This matters because when Tyler beat up Xavier he got sent to bootcamp. Wednesday maimed the swim team and got sent to a private school. Money affects circumstance and punishment. It begs the question of what would happen if the roles were reversed and Wednesday was a hyde? Wealth affects power, and the hyde is in constant danger of power dynamics being manipulated.

Masking

Faulkner’s diary points out how the hyde is an artist by nature, this relates to how they are actors, switching personalities or parts in society. Hydes are naturally manipulative because it is an adaptation to the tumultuous personality changes. For the most part, Tyler can act through social interactions and delight people. and that is why he successfully tricked Wednesday. He is able to save himself a lot of trouble. Wednesday on the other hand is honest to a fault. Brutal and straightforward, Wednesday scares people and causes herself a lot more trouble than she needs to.

Emotional Expression

Both Tyler and Wednesday have difficulty with emotional control. Tyler lets his emotions explode while Wednesday diminishes her’s. Moving forward I think Tyler is going to be going through therapy where he learns to not suppress the hyde, but regulate it and all the emotions that fuel it. Wednesday has been put through a lot of emotional wringers (Thing almost dying, Eugene being attacked, the attraction and betrayal with Tyler, Enid being Enid) that I think she is going to soon realize she has to manage rather than ignore them. I think learning to cope with this regulation will happen as Wednesday and Tyler reconcile and learn to work together again.

Control

Due to the nature of the hyde and how it was unlocked, Tyler has never been in control. Even before that, he had no control in his family due to neglect and secrecy. His development is about gaining a sense of control and autonomy in his life. Learning to be alone but not being forced to be. His story I think has to revolve around choice and empowerment. Wednesday is a control freak. She hates emotions due to the unpredictable nature and she can’t handle relationships because you can’t healthily control another person. She needs to relinquish control because it stands in the way of her softer qualities and often gets her in trouble.

Tyler and Wednesday are the same, but the way they approach life is different and is linked to an overall theme of Wednesday (and the Addams Family in general). The Addams Family has always been a satire about how despite the family being macabre and gloomy, they love and support each other more than the average nuclear family. Never are we expected to understand the family but more so to accept and appreciate them. If we look at Tyler’s Hyde, this character is exactly what happens when we don’t do this. The filial bond is damaged because Francoise’s hyde was never accepted and it caused this generational trauma. The hyde I think is a representation of the things that haunt people and families when they are not addressed or accepted. Wednesday is just as much about the hyde as the Addams family, so with the tragedy surrounding the Galpin family and the state of the hyde as a species, I do think that Wednesday and Tyler will reconcile (maybe not romantically) and work to resolve the stigmatization of hydes.

Plus if Wednesday wants to be odd and outcasted she would refuse to be outdone by Tyler! Not for a second time.

[utilitycaster]

You've mentioned a couple of times about different ways the campaign could have shook out if they chose to keep Predathos sealed, and I'm curious if you think that option was on the table (and/or how late into the campaign it was on the table)? Maybe this is just me looking at the finale DMing choices and going "yikes" but the last chunk of the story very much felt like Matt having an idea of where they were going to go and shuffling the plot from point A to point B (even if that required NPCs making choices/not offering follow-up to PC choices). And I don't know if that's because they were so aimless before that point and he felt like he had to shuffle them to provide some kind of forward movement or if there was an intended outcome from the beginning.

I suppose we'll find out either tonight or in the wrap up, but my guess is that initially (like, from the start) Matt thought the party would be in favor of saving the gods and this would be straightforwardly about that; as I've said, moments like Tuldus and Hearthdell and Ludinus's backstory work as "we are humanizing the villains to make them more than mustache-twirling cartoons of pure evil"; they do not work as cohesive arguments in favor of said goals.

Once it was clear the party was also largely motivated by petty personal grievances it sort of fell apart, and I think the entire wandering about collecting flowers and shards/Ruidus mission/Aeor/Accord/Feywild situation was intended to give the party an opportunity to make up their mind; however, they simply didn't, and the last of that was exceptionally poorly run since the Arch Heart threw another complication (that was, as we know, not even something Matt had planned for) and Zathuda was somehow Yu But Worse in terms of "this person is a danger but we can't KILL THEM" "why?" "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" which really should have sealed that this was a party that does not make decisions.

I genuinely think he did not know at all where they were going with this until episode 118, when they did choose to unleash Predathos, and the party did not make up their mind until 119, when the Matron's option was essentially thrown at them because they were like uhhhhhhhhhh so we have Predathos, but we don't really all want to chase you away or have you be eaten? Like...my guess is the "gods enter the Luxon cycle of rebirth" was an option Matt had in mind overall for the campaign given the plot of Downfall, but he thought the party would land on it themselves in advance, go to Ruidus with that as the goal, and not need it spoonfed to them at the last possible minute. I think, really, that is the problem: this party was fucking stupid as hell, largely incurious, and didn't know what to do ever, and didn't want to be making any decisions but kept going into the places where they had make decisions anyway and then failing to do so. Honestly I said elsewhere a time crunch would have helped but the Matron straight up had to say WHAT DO YOU WANT to them during a magical pause in the final combat so I think that a pattern of "you snooze you lose" needed to have been established earlier.

But yeah I think that if the PCs had made different choices as late as episode 118-119 the plot would have gone somewhere else; the reason NPCs stepped in is because they did not make choices. It's a bit of the worst of both situations: took too long to pivot the plot on the DM side, took too long to decide on anything on the player side, ultimately DM had to kind of force the choice.

[love-byers]

i've seen a few anti-byler people say they view byler the same as percy and nico from percy jackson, meaning that both dynamics are just a tool to reveal one character's sexuality. and i think that's interesting because i've always thought the opposite

if you're not familiar with percy jackson, percy is of course the main character, and nico is a recurring side character introduced in the third book (there are 5 books total). in the sequel series, heroes of olympus, it is revealed in the fourth book (of five total) that nico once had a crush on percy.

nico's crush on percy was undoubtedly just a tool to reveal the fact that nico was gay. so let's go through the several differences between these two dynamics, because it's actually in byler's favor

first of all, percy and nico have a four year age gap. when they meet in book 3 nico is 10 and percy is 14, so this comparison is automatically garbage. will is literally 2 weeks older than mike. needed to get that out of the way at the beginning lol

aside from that, mike and will are best friends of 7 years when s1 begins. they became best friends on the first day of kindergarten, they are extremely close, they hang out every day. mike's entire arc in s1 is about finding will. we see how he defends will behind his back, how devastated he is when he thinks will is dead, how he clings to the first bit of proof that he may be alive even though no one believes him, how happy he is when will is found. he runs into will's hospital room and lays his head on will's chest. and we all know about s2 byler...

in the first pjo book, we have no idea nico exists, and neither does percy. percy bonds with annabeth (his love interest) for the entire story (as well as every book besides the third because she was kidnapped at the beginning, and percy's sole motivation was to save her. sounds familiar...).

pjo spoilers ahead (its been out for 20 years come on...)

in the third book, nico is absent for the majority of it because percy leaves camp on a quest with bianca, nico's older sister. bianca dies on the quest, and at the very end of the book percy tells him what happened. nico is devastated and blames percy for her death. the few times percy and nico interact in the 4th book, their arc is entirely centered around nico accepting bianca's death and the fact that it wasn't percy's fault. in the final book they briefly team up at the beginning and make peace, and nico fights on the good side in the final battle. percy and annabeth have their first kiss in the 4th book and start dating at the end of the 5th (looooong situationship)

nico doesn't appear in the first book of the sequel series. he does briefly appear at the beginning of the second, and then leaves to go off on his own business. he is absent for basically all of the third book because he was trapped in a jar by a titan (long story). but percy and the others save him at the end. in the fourth nico is a main character for the first time. he's present for the whole story (while percy and annabeth are stuck in tartarus) and heavily involved. this is the book where we find out nico had feelings for percy. nico and another charcter, jason, are attacked by cupid and cupid forces nico to admit that he had a crush on percy, therefore admitting that he is gay, outing himself to jason. then in the fifth and final book, nico narrates about a quarter of the chapters so we get his more insight on his thoughts and feelings. he feels like a mistake for being gay and feels like he'll be alone forever. when he had a crush on percy he viewed him basically as a superhero. percy was an older, stronger, powerful demigod that protected him, and nico idolized him. but at this point in the story nico is essentially over it. near the end of the book, nico teams up with a guy his age named will solace. and there's a scene in nico's last pov chapter after the final battle is over where nico tells percy that he used to have a crush on him, but that he's over it and percy isn't really his type anyway (lmfao). and then nico walks over to will who had been waiting for him, obviously symbolizing him moving on from percy and choosing will. and in the trials of apollo series we find out that nico and will are dating. (solangelo my bookies<333)

how is this in ANY way shape or form similar to byler??

percy and nico do not have the depth and backstory that mike and will do. percy does not give nico a tearful monologue about how asking nico to be his friend when they were children is the best decision he's ever made. percy and nico do not agree to go crazy together. percy does not tell nico that home isn't the same without him. percy doesn't emphasize that they are just friends. nico isn't the one to push percy into confessing his love to annabeth. nico and percy don't spend every single book attached at the hip. percy doesn't choose to stand with nico instead of following annabeth when the world is ending. percy and nico barely bond at all. their relationship is complicated. they are borderline enemies in the 4th and 5th books (the hate is one sided, but nico has also yet to earn percy's trust), but they become allies and friends in the end.

percy and nico are a good example of a character's feelings for another solely being a tool to reveal their sexuality. byler would be an awful attempt at that. there is unnecessary depth and development. mike and will's bond is a plot point every single season, which would be pointless if they don't end up together. nico had a crush on percy. a crush. it is only every referred to as a crush. will is in love with mike. deeply, devastatingly in love, and always will be. percy was not the only person capable of making nico not feel like a mistake. nico never said he needs percy. nico never says that he's lost without percy.

IF I EVER HEAR P*RNICO EQUATED TO BYLER AGAIN I WILL DRINK BLEACH ON INSTAGRAM LIVE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AND I MEAN IT. miss me with that bullshit