#to making them actually more complex than your main character. many such cases

[foursaints]

until ur blog i think i genuinely forgot barty crouch (jr❗️) was in the hp series- when u first started posting abt him i though "classic marauders character w only one line"- but no, he has lore?!?? like genuinely a whole ass backstory i forgot abt?!? and it's lowkey kinda deep too- just w his relationship w his father and his relationship w the de etc etc

i think the most interesting characters are always the really forgettable ones that jkr slapped with the "evil" label & then never bothered to flesh out... they have these tiny little nuances & contradictions that only serve to Further The Plot that are intended to mean basically nothing. but i like to make myself insane about them

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

The Telling Truth: When 'Show, Don't Tell' Doesn't Apply (You Don't Always Have To Show, Don't Tell.)

Hey there, fellow writers and beloved members of the writeblr community! 📝✨

Today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind lately, and I have a feeling it might resonate with many of you too. It's about that age-old writing advice we've all heard a million times: "Show, don't tell." Now, don't get me wrong – it's great advice, and it has its place in our writing toolbox. But here's the thing: it's not the be-all and end-all of good writing. In fact, I'd argue that sometimes, it's perfectly okay – even necessary – to tell rather than show.

First things first, let's address the elephant in the room. The "show, don't tell" rule has been drilled into our heads since we first picked up a pen (or opened a Word document) with the intention of writing creatively. It's been repeated in writing workshops, creative writing classes, and countless craft books. And for good reason! Showing can create vivid, immersive experiences for readers, allowing them to feel like they're right there in the story.

But here's where things get a bit tricky: like any rule in writing (or in life, for that matter), it's not absolute. There are times when telling is not just acceptable, but actually preferable. And that's what you all will explore today in this hopefully understandable blog post.

Let's start by breaking down why "show, don't tell" is so popular. When we show instead of tell, we're engaging the reader's senses and emotions. We're painting a picture with words, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions based on the details we provide. It's a powerful technique that can make our writing more engaging and memorable.

For example, instead of saying "Sarah was angry," we might write, "Sarah's fists clenched at her sides, her jaw tight as she glared at the broken vase." This gives the reader a clearer image and allows them to infer Sarah's emotional state.

But here's the thing: sometimes, we don't need or want that level of detail. Sometimes, efficiency in storytelling is more important than painting an elaborate picture. And that's where telling comes in handy.

Imagine if every single emotion, action, or piece of information in your story was shown rather than told. Your novel would probably be thousands of pages long, and your readers might get lost in the sea of details, losing sight of the main plot or character arcs.

So, when might telling be more appropriate? Let's explore some scenarios:

Summarizing less important events: If you're writing a story that spans a long period, you don't need to show every single day or event. Telling can help you summarize periods of time or less crucial events quickly, allowing you to focus on the more important parts of your story.

For instance: "The next few weeks passed in a blur of exams and late-night study sessions." This sentence tells us what happened without going into unnecessary detail about each day.

Providing necessary background information: Sometimes, you need to give your readers some context or backstory. While you can certainly weave this information into scenes, there are times when a straightforward telling of facts is more efficient.

Example: "The war had been raging for three years before Sarah's village was attacked." This quickly gives us important context without needing to show the entire history of the war.

Establishing pace and rhythm: Alternating between showing and telling can help you control the pace of your story. Showing tends to slow things down, allowing readers to immerse themselves in a moment. Telling can speed things up, moving the story along more quickly when needed.

Clarifying complex ideas or emotions: Some concepts or feelings are abstract or complex enough that showing alone might not suffice. In these cases, a bit of telling can help ensure your readers understand what's happening.

For example: "The quantum entanglement theory had always fascinated John, but explaining it to others often left him feeling frustrated and misunderstood." Here, we're telling the reader about John's relationship with this complex scientific concept, which might be difficult to show effectively.

Maintaining your narrative voice: Sometimes, telling is simply more in line with your narrative voice or the tone of your story. This is especially true if you're writing in a more direct or conversational style.

Now, I can almost hear some of you saying, "But wait! I've always been told that showing is always better!" And I completely get it. I'm a writer myself and prioritize "Show, Don't tell." in my writing all the time. We've been conditioned to believe that showing is superior in all cases. But we can take a moment to challenge that notion.

Think about some of your favorite books. Chances are, they use a mix of showing and telling. Even the most critically acclaimed authors don't adhere strictly to "show, don't tell" all the time. They understand that good writing is about balance and knowing when to use each technique effectively.

Take, for instance, the opening line of George Orwell's "1984": "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." This is a perfect blend of showing and telling. Orwell shows us it's a bright, cold day (we can imagine the crisp air and clear sky), but he tells us about the clocks striking thirteen. This immediate telling gives us crucial information about the world we're entering – it's not quite like our own.

Or consider this passage from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice": "Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character." Here, Austen is clearly telling us about Mr. Bennet's character rather than showing it through his actions. And yet, it works beautifully, giving us a quick, clear insight into both Mr. Bennet and his wife.

The key is to use both techniques strategically. So, how can you decide when to show and when to tell? Here are some tips:

Consider the importance of the information: Is this a crucial moment in your story, a pivotal emotion, or a key piece of character development? If so, it might be worth showing. If it's more of a transitional moment or background information, telling might be more appropriate.

Think about pacing: If you want to slow down and really immerse your reader in a moment, show it. If you need to move things along more quickly, tell it.

Evaluate the complexity: If you're dealing with a complex emotion or concept, consider whether showing alone will be enough to convey it clearly. Sometimes, a combination of showing and telling works best for complex ideas.

Consider your word count: If you're working with strict word count limitations (like in short stories or flash fiction), telling can help you convey necessary information more concisely.

Trust your instincts (Important): As you write more, you'll develop a feel for when showing or telling works better. Trust your gut, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Now, let's talk about how to tell effectively when you do choose to use it. Because here's the thing: telling doesn't have to be boring or flat. It can be just as engaging and stylish as showing when done well. Here are some tips for effective telling:

Use strong, specific language: Instead of using vague or generic words, opt for more specific, evocative language. For example, instead of "She was sad," you might write, "A profound melancholy settled over her."

Incorporate sensory details: Even when telling, you can include sensory information to make it more vivid. "The room was cold" becomes more engaging as "A bone-chilling cold permeated the room."

Use metaphors and similes: These can help make your telling more colorful and memorable. "His anger was like a volcano ready to erupt" paints a vivid picture without showing the anger in action.

Keep it concise: One of the advantages of telling is its efficiency. Don't negate that by being overly wordy. Get to the point, but do it with style.

Vary your sentence structure: Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more flowing ones to create rhythm and maintain interest.

Remember, the goal is to create a seamless narrative that engages your reader. Sometimes that means showing, sometimes it means telling, and often it means a artful blend of both.

It's also worth noting that different genres and styles of writing may lean more heavily on one technique or the other. Literary fiction often employs more showing, delving deep into characters' psyches and painting elaborate scenes. Genre fiction, on the other hand, might use more telling to keep the plot moving at a brisker pace. Neither approach is inherently better – it all depends on what works best for your story and your style.

Now, I want to address something that I think many of us struggle with: the guilt or anxiety we might feel when we catch ourselves telling instead of showing. It's easy to fall into the trap of second-guessing every sentence, wondering if we should be showing more. But here's the truth: that kind of constant self-doubt can be paralyzing and ultimately detrimental to your writing process.

So, I want you to understand and think: It's okay to tell sometimes. You're not a bad writer for using telling in your work. In fact, knowing when and how to use telling effectively is a sign of a skilled writer.

Here's some practical ways to incorporate this mindset into your writing process:

First Draft Freedom: When you're writing your first draft, give yourself permission to write however it comes out. If that means more telling than showing, that's absolutely fine. The important thing is to get the story down. You can always revise and add more "showing" elements later if needed.

Revision with Purpose: When you're revising, don't automatically change every instance of telling to showing. Instead, ask yourself: Does this serve the story better as telling or showing? Consider the pacing, the importance of the information, and how it fits into the overall narrative.

Beta Readers and Feedback: When you're getting feedback on your work, pay attention to how readers respond to different sections. If they're engaged and understanding the story, then your balance of showing and telling is probably working well, regardless of which technique you're using more.

Study Your Favorite Authors: Take some time to analyze how your favorite writers use showing and telling. You might be surprised to find more instances of effective telling than you expected.

Practice Both Techniques (Important): Set aside some time to practice both showing and telling. Write the same scene twice, once focusing on showing and once on telling. This can help you develop a feel for when each technique is most effective.

Now, let's address another important point: the evolution of writing styles and reader preferences. The "show, don't tell" rule gained popularity in the early 20th century with the rise of modernist literature. But writing styles and reader tastes have continued to evolve since then.

In our current fast-paced world, where people are often reading on devices and in shorter bursts, there's sometimes a preference for more direct, efficient storytelling. This doesn't mean that showing is out of style, but it does mean that there's often room for more telling than strict adherence to "show, don't tell" would allow.

Moreover, diverse voices in literature are challenging traditional Western writing norms, including the emphasis on showing over telling. Some cultures have strong storytelling traditions that lean more heavily on telling, and as the literary world becomes more inclusive, we're seeing a beautiful variety of styles that blend showing and telling in new and exciting ways.

This brings me to an important point: your voice matters. Your unique way of telling stories is valuable. Don't let rigid adherence to any writing rule, including "show, don't tell," stifle your natural voice or the story you want to tell.

Remember, rules in writing are more like guidelines. They're tools to help us improve our craft, not unbreakable laws. The most important rule is to engage your reader and tell your story effectively. If that means more telling than the conventional wisdom suggests, then so be it.

As I wrap up this discussion, I want to leave you with a challenge: In your next writing session, consciously use both showing and telling. Pay attention to how each technique feels, how it serves your story, and how it affects the rhythm of your writing. You might discover new ways to blend these techniques that work perfectly for your unique style.

Writing is an art, not a science. There's no perfect formula, no one-size-fits-all approach. It's about finding what works for you, your story, and your readers. So embrace both showing and telling. Use them as the powerful tools they are, and don't be afraid to break the "rules" when your instincts tell you to.

Remember, every great writer started where you are now, learning the rules and then figuring out when and how to break them effectively. You're part of a long, proud tradition of storytellers, each finding their own path through the winding forest of words.

Keep writing, keep growing, and keep believing in yourself. You've got this!

Happy writing! 💖✍️ - Rin T.

Before you go, why not join us at The Write Right Society? We're a supportive Tumblr community where writers lift each other up. Whether you're a newbie or a pro, we'd love to have you! Share your work, get feedback, and connect with fellow wordsmiths, writers and aspiring authors. 

[marshbarks]

if the south park boys were all animals, what's your headcanons for their species and why? can be furry or just normal animals

i've answered smth similar before, but i only did the main 5 + i have alt ideas and reasonings so!!

stan - a dog, of course. a bigger breed, something that he could reasonably say "i'm a wolf" about even though he is literally not a wolf at all. he's extremely loyal and has strong emotions, and as someone who has had a husky for a number of years, i think they have matching personalities and complexities. the ONLY downside to my affection with him being specifically a husky is that it means he doesn't get stupid floppy doggy ears. so perhaps a husky mix. he needs to look wolflike enough to claim being one, but still be like.. a silly puppy! (he could also genuinely be a wolf- like my tsot stan IS a wolf, undeniably- but i think its more fun if overall he is just a dog who is wolfkin) kyle - my first thought is always a sheep or a sheep/goat hybrid, but i've become fond of deer kyle as well! though.. dragon kyle has become very prominent in my things w/ adrian ( :3c ) and i think he's so fucking cool and awesome as a dragon. why is he a dragon?? because he keeps going "i am a human being." when his friends talk about fursonas and he won't make one but he thinks dragons are cool. fox kyle is fairly popular in the fandom but other than a personal attachment to both kyle and foxes making my heart go '!' every time i see it, i don't personally really like fox kyle on a character level? cute for visuals and i think there's a couple fun jokes to be made, but he's not really much of a fox guy to me. eric - cat or raccoon! obviously. there's not really much other choice, i'll be so honest. maybe a big cat or a non-domestic cat, but he's always like a little guy on your floor who stares at you and waits to be petted and bites you when you pet him because youre never doing it right. i think, like stan, he's most likely a cat who is raccoon kin. thinks they're so cool. if he had the warriors books when he was younger (and was actually assed to read them), he'd be so fucking sick about these cats. kenny - mustelid. i've always leaned into ferret kenny specifically! why? good fucking question. i don't know. but kenny is very rodent coded without feeling like a rat/hamster/guineapig/bunny, y'know? has ratlike qualities but doesn't really Fit. would NOT be a mouse. ferret or a weaselly guy feels right. also because it makes me happy butters - a doggy, too! something medium sized, more likely. lab or a retriever type. a Good Boy who is so naive. knows how to listen and wag his tail and be good, gets confused a lot, whatever. arroouou ruuruuruuu arr arruuu [sound of butters sob-barking from good times with weapons]

more under the cut bc this post got big :3

craig - hyena! or a very calm wolf! why? because i think he's cool. mainly the hyena thing is for adrian and i just fully agree because it feels right. the concept of him being a wolf is PURELY to make stan mad. tweek - a birddddd my little tweeter.. ♥♥♥ i just think he's very bird coded. i think a canary sounds good for him, warning of danger (even if it isn't really there). might be hybrid with something else, but he's MOSTLY bird. maybe a gryphon? would be a cheetah in that case i think. cheetah/canary. actually yeah that fucking rules he's a gryphon holy shit. clyde - lion. he's strong and proud (but also kinda a coward!!!! yay!) and i think the idea of clyde being a lion and thinking he's got SO MANY GIRLS THATRE HIS is so funny bc of the way the girls kinda toss him around. tolkien - not a lion. maybe a cat, honestly? he's so.... Normal. he's just such a normal guy. i could easily see him slotting into role as a cat. like your typical american shorthair. very average and normal critter that you gotta get to know to learn exactly the ways his personality works and differs from things. jimmy AND timmy - both parrots or parrot-adjacent birds! this is adrian's suggestion, because parrots are very smart and community focused and care about each other. i think the idea of these two being birds who bond over time is so cute. also because i got the thought in my mind of jimmy helping timmy find sweaters to cover up plucked feathers :( used to be VERY stressed out and then he found a friend and now he's doing a lil better.

wendy - rabbit wendy is my favorite, but i think she could work as a cat. but rabbit makes me happiest. maybe a hare, actually? type thing that looks like she's a little prey beast but will kick your ass into next week if you don't watch out. sigh.. i'm so in love with her.. lets her be small and sensitive while still being able to, at any point, stand up for herself. bebe - liger. pretty and everything, but doesn't quite fit her role like she could. specifically like.. a low-expression one, stripes that only show off in certain light. very low contrast markings. enough to not fit in Perfectly amongst other lions, but not enough to visibly be a tiger. this is to mirror her struggle with brains and beauty and trying to have both without becoming reliant on her beauty- but not disowning or dismissing having 'pretty privilege'. sighhh i love bebe a lot i love her so fucking much. heidi - bunny.. she's just a little rabbit. small and scared. trying to do her part and be good! trying. hybridized with a goat, freaks the FUCK OUT when her horns grow in because she's not supposed to have those. legally i suppose she is a jackalope except she is a bungoat. nichole - bearrr i just think she'd be so cute as a bear.. i don't even have a good reason for this. i associate her with bears and sunflowers. sun bear..... aoawouahghgg.. red - iguana??????????????????????????? i dont know why. that's what my mind said to me.

henrietta - sheep!! one of those multi horned ones. as satantic as an ungulate can be. firkle - cat! if it wasn't conformist to read warrior cats, he'd be kin with scourge i think. would want to be that. purple collar, obviously (personally i think the rainbow is the best choice but firkle would NEVER) pete - big cat of some kind. this thought is undeniably influenced by 6ftkyle's stuff, i love the idea of him being a tiger so fucking bad it makes me sick okay. black and red stripes??/ fuck OFF thats so COOL he would look so sick. people would call him edgy emo and he'd get so fucking MAD. michael - dog. one of those tall dogs with curly fur. de-facto leader type. they also look very distinguished and cool to me. but he's still a dog, y'know? has little quirks that pop out sometimes that you're like ohh you're just a puppy doggy aintcha. mike - dog! chihuahua type. big ass fuckin ears. says he's part bat.

mole - shockingly, not a mole! i think he'd be a cat. like a weird cat who digs holes, but a cat. not your typical domestic shorthair. maybe a forest cat, actually? :thinking:

douglas - cat, but he'd be like.. a catboy. i couldn't see him as full furry. he'd be your nasty dirty grimy indoor catboy boyfriend. he's awesome augh. dogpoo - unsurprisingly, a doggy. i think he'd be one of those breeds that isn't like.. DEAD without care, but needs care to be at their prettiest, so he's always a little fucked up looking and dirty. fur a mess... english for some reason.....

while most siblings can be The Same as their other siblings, i do think ike would be like.. a little hamster...... id ont know why. he's such a little hammy to me.

the cotswalds are designer toy breed dogs. bradley (cartman sucks) is an antelope. gary harrison is an extremely proud golden retriever with perfectly groomed fur. damien is a jackal, obviously. pip is a bunny i think. kevin stoley is a devon rex. leslie is a cat but she looks ai generated. thomas (tourettes) is a pitbull. tammy warner is a fox.

and scott malkinson has diabetes (i think he'd be a cat)

[not-poignant]

Worldbuilding and Writing Fiction are two separate skills.

Someone reblogged one of my shitposts yesterday (the one about intimidating myself out of worldbuilding) expressing confusion in the tags about how anyone could be intimidated out of writing through worldbuilding too much.

This was kind of baffling to me, because I think I've seen it 50-60 times now, especially with new, ambitious writers who are starting off with deep fantasy or science fiction projects. When you talk to them, they've often sunk months or even years of worldbuilding into the project, but when you ask how far they've come on the fiction side of things, they usually have writer's block, haven't started writing the story, or say they're not ready yet. 'I'm starting soon' is a common refrain. 'I just have a little bit more left to do.'

The main reason for this - I feel - is that worldbuilding and writing are two different skills. Someone who spends 5 years worldbuilding has learned how to get really good at worldbuilding, but that doesn't mean anything about how good their writing will be. Many folks think worldbuilding will automatically make a story better, but sometimes worldbuilding can become unwieldy and stressful, especially in the case of a) entirely new worlds / secondary world fantasy, or b) complex worldbuilding. Definitely not talking about contemporary romance here, lol. (Though no shade to that, I've had a lot of fun worldbuilding for those stories too).

Going from worldbuilding to writing is launching into an entirely new space. If you find writing new stories easy, that won't be a problem for you, in fact you may not even have realised they're too different skills before now.

If you find writing new stories intimidating, sometimes having hundreds or thousands of things about your world to try and constantly remember can feel overwhelming and mess with the executive function needed to start a chapter.

In some cases, worldbuilding can make it much easier to start a story. But it really depends on what you're needing to do. If you're just writing a contemporary story where you need to research two characters and two jobs, you're generally going to be just fine.

If on the other hand, you have the equivalent of a 500 page Wiki behind-the-scenes, it can feel overwhelming very quickly.

New writers fall into this trap the most, I feel. They become accustomed to what worldbuilding feels like, and they hedge on writing the actual fiction, because they just have more experience worldbuilding and keep waiting for their confidence in worldbuilding to become 'confidence in starting the story.' It doesn't work that way. They're different skills.

They might even be better at worldbuilding than writing! But that just means - if they really want to be a writer - that writing is the skill they really need to work on the most. That can be a comfort zone issue too. It can also be a 'only about 5-10% of all this work will ever appear in the story' issue, where folks want to share the worldbuilding more than the characters or plot, and therefore are just not inspired to work on their story. It can be a 'I want this story to be as good as my worldbuilding' issue. It can be a 'I find the worldbuilding part easy' issue. There are lots of reasons people stall out in worldbuilding and then feel intimidated to write the actual story.

This can also happen with established writers who become aware that the more they know about their world, the more they don't know about their world. It can start to feel like - if you write 10 articles for yourself, you end up with 100 more to write. If you write those 100 articles, you have another 300 to write. Worldbuilding never ends. Worldbuilding can be endless, and if you're an immersive writer, you can get lost very easily in the details, or in not knowing what details are critical and what details aren't. (A hint here is that you'll figure that out really fast when you start writing).

Stalling in worldbuilding can be a lot of things, it can tell you that there's something broken in the world, something broken in the story, it can tell you more about your insecurities, it can tell you how good you are at one skill and where you might need practice in another. It's super informative!

But, generally speaking, the advice I tend to give to many new writers is to try not to let your worldbuilding period last too long. Ideally, put a timer on it and see how it feels to start writing your story once the timer has gone off (3 months, 6 months, 3 weeks, put it in your phone or in your calendar, and start the first chapter, or some random scene, once that time is up).

If, after that period of time lapses, you still aren't ready to start your story, something bigger might be going on. It's an opportunity to dig deeper into the situation. And sometimes just ask yourself if you're using the idea of a novel as an excuse to do what you love most: Worldbuilding. If that's the case, there are other jobs you can parlay a solid worldbuilding ability into. It doesn't have to lead to novels. :)

But yeah it's super super common for many writers to stall out between worldbuilding and writing, and to feel overwhelmed by their own worldbuilding.

New writers get affected by it the most based on observation and hanging around writing forums, and the advice that gets asked quite often specifically on 'when do I go from worldbuilding to writing the story,' but established writers experience it too, because as Gene Wolfe once said to Neil Gaiman: "You never learn how to write a novel, Neil. You just learn how to write the novel you are on."

[chodzacaparodia]

I have more thoughts on bllk and Isagi soo It was cool in the start because Isagi was like one of the worst players and we could see how he evolves and that was interesting and weren't boring hearing his inner monologues I guess? And the others all seemed impressive from his perspective lmao But now he acts like a main boss of something and a prodigy who has lots of skills and actually acts a bit rude towards others? (here comes the personal taste that one can just not like his personality I guess) but he like turned to a prodigy whom he admired and win against in the first half and now those are the ones trying to beat him but Isagi is the main characters so kinda these evolve around him which is unfortunate for the ones who don't like his character Soo I kinda mean that we could try to bring back Isagi not being too good? and now he could actually lose (like he can I guess bc he already win a lot and evolved so it's not like it'd be over just for him to get less op and the others could catch up too, because the power scales and balanced really shifted from him needing to beat someone to others needing to beat him which is quite an interesting development of events and a lot has a more tragic past than him now give them a win pls (this is just some personal thoughts I came up with they might not be full correct so my apologise)

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

I understand your point of view because in many respects I agree. I admit that it was interesting that he started to develop from an average player into one of the best. His internal monologues were also completely different, because not only did he surprise others, but he was also often surprised himself when he noticed complete things and analyzed them.

I like that you wrote that Isagi turned out to be a prodigy. Because that's the truth. He was a prodigy from the beginning, but before Blue Lock he never had the opportunity to discover it. It's not that I don't think he hasn't developed as a result of hard work and training, but his greatest strengths are actually related to his way of thinking and his special ability to analyze, something that not every character is gifted with and is unlikely to practice because it happens rather automatically.

As the story progressed, Isagi actually became overconfident. (Yeah, totally like a main boss!) And that's why he actually started to think that he was better than others (actually I did a meme about it ). And I must admit that it irritates me a bit. Surprisingly, this didn't irritate me with characters like Barou or Rin. Maybe it's because we get to know them as characters who feel better than others. And Isagi went from a guy with low self-esteem to a guy with a bit of a God complex. From extreme to extreme.

And in fact, he behaves rudely towards others. It seems even more visible because he was a really nice guy from the very beginning! But honestly, I think it's not just a matter of him feeling better than others (but I think that's largely the case). Isagi blended in with the Blue Lock's atmosphere. He was constantly exposed to people who treated others in the same way (including Isagi), so I'm not surprised that such behavior influenced him and he adopted it as well.

(And it must be really irritating when someone you don't like makes you grow. Typical bllk experience).

Honestly, I wish he would lose and humble himself a bit. I want absolute destruction. After all, the higher a person rises, the more painful the fall. And logically, sooner or later Isagi has to lose, because you can't always win. However, I'm not sure Isagi can return to that level as before (I'm not talking about the level from the very beginning, because he will never return to this times, but maybe more to the level from the 3rd or even 2nd selection). He's gone too far with all this. After his defeat, he would definitely go through a worse time, but would he actually become more humble? Would he have completely despaired of his abilities? Would he feel inferior to someone else? It's possible, but I think it's more likely that it will be just an episode rather than a longer streak of self-doubt. This will be seen from the outside more as "His rival was better" than "Isagi wasn't good enough".

But deep down, I really want the character I like more than Isagi to win. I admit that I often let my thoughts go in the direction of "this character has a traumatic past, he deserves to win as compensation". But in my head there is always the thought that Blue Lock was a manga unlike any other from the very beginning. Such issues really don't matter there. On the field, no one cares about the characters' traumatic pasts. All that matters is being the best and striving for a goal without any scruples or moral compass. And as interesting as it was (I would REALLY like to see it), even though the other characters theoretically deserved their victory more. A character doesn't have to have a tragic backstory (like Isagi) to win. They just has to be the best.

(I'm sorry if this wasn't the answer you were expecting! I didn't know how to respond to this and I thought for a long time, but in the end I let the discussion carry me away and referred to some of your thoughts and added my own, not necessarily related to your statement. I really don't know what and why I wrote all this 🙈).

[khaopybara]

Just saw your post about people JUST discovering Capitain Christ is an actual cop at ep6 and this seriously raises so many questions to me like:

1. Did they not pay attention when he called Kant in and thought he was some sort of criminal too? and if so how was he supposed to hold Kant off on his charges??

2. Did they just not read the dialogues cuz it was not romance related and so they turned off their brains there?

3. the most concerning question of the bunch: did they ACTUALLY START SKIPPING KANT AND BISON SCENES FROM THE START? then thats just being biased to FS without EVEN TRYING to put an effort in the show! and so disrepectfull to the cast! I would get it if they skipped his and KB scenes after like a few eps(not really cuz how? they are the best but I am also biased tho I NEVER skip on first watch) cuz if you are so bored by them I guess? but that then shows that they have been doing it since the start if this is the case

hope it's one of the first 2 and they just watch shows with their brain off unless there is kissing or sex on screen

but god am I so pissed at the people skipping KB scenes cuz how? how are they boring??? they have the most nuamced and layered relationship in a BL I have seen in a long time, and I don't say this just cuz I am FK biased in general, I swear tiktok and YT people only care for the more classic and "tropey" couples, and lets be honest FS are more of a classic BL couple than KB in how they developed and don't get me wrong I like them a lot just objectively they are more classic and practiced

anyway sorry for the rambling I just don't get this people

of all the options you laid out, i'm afraid it's either option 2 or option 3. i'm not going to stand here and say i don't have my favorites, i clearly have, but it baffles me every time i see people who actively put effort into not watching someone's scenes because… they aren't their favorite character?

i was here during only friends era, and i didn't enjoy every storyline they've had in that show, but i would never skip scenes just because my favorite character or couple weren't on screen since they, as a whole, tell a story, and only friends had a lot less plot lines than the heart killers. the heart killers is somehow a lot more involving because the plot doesn't depend only on the main 4. it has plotting under all of that, too, with christ, lilly and keen and even babe. and then they decided to just… skip that? so why are you even watching this then?

that's why it pisses me off when bl fans ask for more complex characters or complex stories when they aren't here to watch the plotlines unfold and instead, stick around just so they can watch two beautiful man make out and throw heart eyes at each other (and pls, understand, i'm not saying this is what fs are. they, as well, are layered and have nuance and i know that because i have been watching the show as a whole, see the difference?).

i would much prefer that people who skip their scenes or pay zero attention to kb when they are on screen would just shut up about them and that would make me 1000% happier. if they did watch their scenes, they would at least understand the reasons why kant is doing what he's doing instead of just saying he's *reads notes* manipulative and a liar who doesn't care for bison and doesn't have feelings for him because all he wants is *squints* money… sure hun, that's why he's doing all of this.

[natureismynature]

What is idwtkoh?? Tell me your propaganda

Oh my fucking god anon hello and THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity to talk about THE most amazing webtoon I have ever laid my eyes upon. Get ready cuz I'm gonna be insufferable-

OKAY. So, 'I don't want this kind of hero' is a Korean webtoon (manhwa) made by Samchon. It became popular in 2010 and the english translation ended in 2020. It has 290 chapters when I say every single chapter is top tier, I MEAN IT.

First of all, the artsyle is SO GOOD. It's so fucking charming and so BADASS when it wants to be, a perfect balance. Idfk why some people get turned off by the artstyle?? Like???

This is the first ever panel and it already looks SO GOOD WDYM. And the character designs??? THE CHARACTER DESIGNS OH MY GOD. You can take one look at any character in this series and you'll have the basics of their personality just like THAT. It's so obvious but subtle at the same time??? I can't explain. Just- the character designs are AMAZING. I want to post every single character in the series just to prove my point but that'll be overkill, take this group photo instead-

SPEAKING ABOUT THE CHARACTERS.

The characters in this are all SO GOOD. And I'm not even being biased about it I swear- I mean, I don't like main characters often, in fact, I can count in two hands the number of main characters I actually like from ALL the stuff I've watched over the years, and Naga is in that list. Naga is the main character of the series and that boy owns my HEART. He's the most powerful person in the world, he goes through a lot of shit, he canonically has depression, he had so many opportunities to take a life and get away with it because it would have been JUSTIFIED, but he still finds it in him to be the kindest person out there. He can be selfish, he can be childish, and he is unapologetically FLAWED in more ways than one, he messes up and sees the world for what it is, but he learns and he grows but he will never be perfect and that's what makes me love him.

And it's not just Naga who's amazingly written. ALL the characters are unique and complex in their own ways. I can go through every single one of them, from the heroes to the villains to the people caught in the crossfire- I can make ESSAYS for everyone. Why they act the way they do, why they did the things they did, how the circumstances that they went through made them who they are. The dynamics between the characters themselves are so amazingly done as well, it's so origanic, in a way.

Oh my god if you love women, you'll LOVE this series because lemme tell you, the women in this are amazing. 100/10 would recommend. They're not sexualized in any way, they get as much character development AND exploration just as much as the men do and no one is there to purpose as the mc's love interest. The ladies as fuckin BADASS and cool and beautiful and the villains!!! HOLY SHIT THE VILLAINS LADIES. They are so evil and flawed and I adore them so much- the hero ladies too AUGH- (makes sense cuz the author is a woman)

But yeah, I talk about heroes and villains a lot bc this is a story about heroes and villains and a world with powers and animal hybrids and mythical creatures-

AND THE STORY. THE FUCKING STORY. IT'S SO GOOD.

I won't go into details because that'd be spoilers in case you wanna read it (PLEASE READ IT ITS SO GOOD) but I can tell you this much- it's a perfect balance between humor and action and tragedy. It starts of light and funny, but the story gets a darker edge as time goes on, I know that's a deal breaker for a lot of people, but it's actually done in a way that makes so much sense that you realize in your second read that it's ALWAYS been a much darker story. The cruelty of the world has always been there, the racism, the unforgiving circumstances, the perversion of the world, the pain and the grief and the misery- it's always been there.

Only, we were seeing the world through Naga's young and naive perspective. He was new to the world of heroism, he's just a kid that didn't know any better. He was never arrogant about his powers, he never bragged about it, didn't even want the attention it brought him, but he unknowingly got too confident in his abilities to keep him sheltered. As time went on and as more fucked up shit he goes through, he sees more, understands more, and suddenly everything's too dark because that's ALL he sees now.

The story shows us how the world is not black and white but instead a multitude of the shades of gray. And it doesn't shy away from exploring those shades. It DIGS into those shades of gray, makes you question the justice of a character's actions, makes you wonder if things would have gone differently if this or that happened instead. Even goes deep into the psychology of the characters, both heroes and villains alike.

And the main villain? OH THE MAIN VILLAIN. Baekmorae is SUCH a top tier villain. I HATE HIM. I hate how much I love him. He's so- he's insane. He's crazy. He's unhinged. I want to put him in a blender, turn his bones into powder and feed him to the fishes. He's so well written it HURTS.

Oh and this series gets dark. Like DARK dark. It's like if you mix One Piece, BNHA, Mob Psycho, and Saiki K together, you get this. And if you know me, you know I ADORE all four of those, so this series owns my entire being-

Augh, as much as I want to keep going, this is getting longer than I expected it to be. Well, that's a lie, I wanted it to be longer but I also want you to read the entirety of my propaganda and having this stretch out longer might turn you off so I'll stop here kfvekdvs if you want to know more PLEASE don't hesitate to slide into my inbox I'll be so freaking happy to talk about this more <3

TLDR: idwtkoh is freaking amazing from start to finish you should go read it it's amazing, BYE!

[lillified]

is there a name for the fan continuity you’re making? (ie transformers earthspark, transformers prime something like that) also you probably get tons of people telling you this constantly but i really like how you portray megastar in your work, they are so messy and i love it, it’s fresh and new compared to. well. tfp and idw as the main offenders cough cough

anyways also want you to know you’re super cool and i love your artstyle its like the feeling of running your hands on smooth metal if that makes sense

hi!! tbh im not sure if ive ever properly said it, but the working title is The Decepticons! might be subject to change, but it works for now lol

as for the art style thing--I'm glad you mentioned it, because that is kind of what I'm going for! I love the blocky and geometric angles of things like gundams, but the thing that got me interested in robots was transformers prime, and I'll always be a fan of the sleek, modern, and organic appearance of the characters in that... I wanted to bring those together for my own art, because I think both of those are true to the spirit of TF :)

as for your second point--you should know that i will never pass up an opportunity to talk about my thoughts on writing and characterization and stuff, so forgive me preemptively for the long post, lol

thank you for the kind words! I agree that there are a lot of issues with how certain characters have been portrayed... while the comics were great for fleshing out certain classic characters, they also seriously flattened many others. These characters have decades and series long histories of exploration and experimentation that feels like it's been completely restricted to one of only a few avenues lately, and that bothers me a little bit. like, when was the last time we've seen a piece of transformers media where they have inventive takes on character relationships in the same way as Animated? what's the point of rebooting and refreshing if nothing new happens??

Megatron and Starscream are a great indicator of that for me--their relationship in G1 is bombastic, but also complicated and interesting. they're the most important decepticons by far and their characteristics are integral to the functioning and philosophy of the entire group, to the point that, for example, removing Starscream from the equation of the Decepticons, I'd argue, makes Megatron an entirely different character. They're necessary to eachother, but it really feels like (with very few exceptions) their relationship has only gotten flatter and flatter over time. Even Prime, which I'd argue has the most textually interesting and deep take on their relationship, is, very obviously, held back by an overture of cheap, aesthetic violence. I firmly believe you could rewrite TFP without any of the violence and none of the character arcs would have to change at all, because, at the end of the day, it's purely superficial--it has nothing to say, and exists only as a way to bolster Megatron's dominant image, and to satisfy the audience's assumed disdain for Starscream.

while obviously it is transformers, and nobody is required to think that deeply about it, I'm a dork and it's always bothered me specifically, because, outside of that, there IS a lot of complexity to the stuff that happens!! I like this series specifically because there is so much variation and so many perspectives that have touched this franchise, and, in the best cases, we get the underlying character arc in Prime, where Megatron and Starscream's relationship is a case of two people who respect eachother more than anyone else and can't quite find equal footing about it.

going the IDW route and turning their interactions into constant hostility is the easy way out because it adds the aesthetic of "maturity" via shock value without having anything to say; however, the actual most thoughtful variations on the characters can communicate that both of them are inherently flawed without any of that, and that's what I want to do. this is my writing exercise, in essence... I'm not trying to make the decepticons "good" and just show them frolicking about all the time, I'm trying to make a properly "adult" spin on the formula that actually treats the audience like adults instead of trying to shock them. I'm a nerd about this already so I'm not going to shy away from the intense relationship these characters have because it's too complicated and messily homoerotic to unpack. if I've got the liberty to, why not?

anyway. thanks for reading once again! i can never make these short and succinct haha. i feel like i repeat myself all the time but also I never run out of things to say about them. as always, I'm really grateful that other people are interested in these things--I know none of it is really super important and it's probably something only I ever think about, but I feel like I owe it to the people who have contributed their perspectives and artistic ability to this thing to care at least a little, lol.

[certifieduruihater]

really wish the 12 series didnt have raph bring out the splinter's favorite line. they were so close to not doing it. so close to not slapping that on as the reason for raph being raph.

but they did it. and it lowkey still doesnt make any sense? not once in the show were there ever any hints of this being an issue. not once was it ever hinted as something that bugged raph. i think this could have worked, but it needed to have some sort of precedent, and it didnt. this leaves the statement kind of feeling like it came out of left field.

i always got the impression that raph's anger came from other sources. like being cooped up with your brothers for 15 years and not being able to go outside for fear of being hunted down like an animal. no way to release pent up aggression. and when it comes to leo, the first few seasons made it seem like raph's anger was due to his perceived shift in power dynamics. for 15 years he was on equal footing with his brother, and in the span of a day, suddenly he's the leader? maybe raph always did feel some sort of rivalry towards his brother, maybe he was jealous of leo to some degree for his skills/some other reason like that, and these feelings were exacerbated when leo became the leader. but to say raph was actually always jealous of leo because "he was always splinter's favorite?" huh? where did that come from? when was this established? either way for it to work i feel like this should have been brought up before.

and you could chalk it up to raph perceiving leo to be splinter's favorite, and this not actually being the case, but i dont think the series ever explores raphs feelings any deeper than this so idk. and then once again, you'd probably have to establish this earlier if this were to be the case. season 4, which is basically the last season of the main story, should not be the first time we're hearing about this major aspect of raph's character. is it ever even mentioned again??

and honestly, i think slapping this on as the reason for raphs issues is kind of boring at this point. its been done before in so many other characters in other stories. boo. give me something else. youre telling me yall cant look any deeper into raphs character than this, that you have to give a surface level reason? it feels like a cop out to just blame splinter. but hey, if you guys really want someone to blame, SHREDDER IS RIGHT THERE. maybe if they didn't have to live in fear of getting killed their whole lives things would have been different.

i guess im also just bothered by this because now it gives fuel to the "abusive parent splinter" fans who have this weird agenda of completely rewriting splinter's character to be a terrible parent and then blaming all of the boys' issues on him

also, why muddy raph and leo's relationship even more? honestly to me their relationship already started getting muddier by season 2 due to weird writing decisions, but overall i really liked how they genuinely seemed to be good friends and have a close bond with each other. i got the vibe that they liked hanging out with each other in their spare time, and that most of the time they did get along (just look at the amount of times they're just casually hanging out in the background/sparring in their free time/in the same room). it's just that whenever an episode focuses on them, they tended have some sort of conflict due to the nature of an episode, i guess. but when you introduce this to their dynamic it just feels weird. like i guess having this added to their dynamic doesn't have to negate their friendship, but it adds another layer of complexity that the writers just didn't seem to be willing to face/deal with properly

[moviemunchies]

I finally got around to seeing this movie! Hurrah!

This movie has a similar Plot to 10,000 B.C.? It's better, though.

Centuries after apes began to talk, and Caesar’s death, apes are the dominant civilization on Earth, and as far as apes know, humans are all dumb animals at this point. Noa is a chimpanzee of the Eagle Clan, a tribe of chimps that train eagles as their way of life. After a chance encounter with a human, raiders of a rival tribe pillage the Eagle Clan and carry them off to Proximus in the name of Caesar, with Noa as the only one to escape. Proximus has been violently assimilating surrounding clans to build a kingdom and break into a vault from before the downfall of humanity. Noa goes on a quest to follow Proximus’s forces and free his people.

I am always surprised by how good these movies are? I haven’t seen the original Planet of the Apes, and I don’t have much motivation to–other than maybe to finally see the source of all those quotes that people won’t stop repeating in different media.

[Every. Single. Time. Someone faces an ape and says some variation of, “Get your hands off of her, you damn dirty ape!”. In case you were curious. It’s alarmingly common in fiction.]

Anyhow, we had no reason to expect that the revival with Rise of the Planet of the Apes was going to be good, and yet every single movie afterward has turned out to be an excellent film. They’re not fun popcorn flicks, in the same way as a Star Wars film, but they’re good, with complex, interesting characters and nuanced conflicts.

Which is darn impressive! There’s an idea out there that we, the audience, cannot get invested in or tell complicated stories about characters who aren’t human (think about how many science-fiction stories have settings with tons of alien races, and the main characters are all human anyway), and that’s obviously not true. These Planet of the Apes films tell stories where not only are the protagonists mostly not human, but many times the humans are the antagonists to our heroes.

And I appreciate that, unlike Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (a movie that I still like very much!), the Plot can’t be reduced down to a pile of situations that went “Things could have been okay if everyone chilled, but then there’s this douchebag screwing everything up.”

So I like Noa! I like his supporting cast! I like the idea that different ape communities evolve with different niches that they fill, and have different ideas about the past. It’s fascinating and frustrating in all the right ways when we learn that they don’t know anything about Caesar, and then the one guy who does know about Caesar doesn’t actually know that much about the past.

I think the Eagle Clan needs a bit more development, and I’m a little baffled about how these people make and build things. The apes don’t wear clothes, for instance? But they have blankets? I suppose it’s not strange that they build mostly out of wood, but are all their tools made of wood? I think this is a worldbuilding issue, though, and I wonder if later movies would theoretically go there and show off more how apes build their civilization.

There’s only one main human in this film,  Mae, and spoiler alert! There’s more going on to her than Noa thinks at first. Which isn’t much of a spoiler, because there are trailers that spoiled that reveal, though the extent of her complexity is still obscured for the movie itself. I found her a fascinating character, and I’m wondering if she’ll be coming back if they do another movie in the future.

Speaking of the future: what is this building towards? There are things in the film that hint at something in the future, and I wonder if it’s meant to be call-forwards to the original film, or if the plan is to do something different. Will they remake the original story, with the events of this revival/reboot movie series in mind? Because there are some key differences in the shape of the world here. Or will they keep teasing it forever and ever, while telling original stories?

I don’t know. I’m curious to find out, though.

It’s a good movie, and I think if you want to see this sort of story, a science-fiction story about humanity that also has a cast made up of mostly non-humans, this is a good movie. If you’re invested in the world after the last three movies, or the original storyline, then you should check it out. I think it’s a pretty good movie, and it has some excellent moments, though it’s not a happy action flick to watch casually.

[guriyuri]

School Zone/「スクールゾーン」

🌸9/10🌸 (HIATUS)

A quirky yuri comedy about the chaotic daily life of high school girls! Yokoe and Sugiura have been together forever, and they've mastered the art of making trouble when life's a bore. High school might be a drag, but these girls in love know just how to inject a little chaos and comedy into their sloppy school life.

(Seven Seas Entertainment)

*occasionally listed as ‘School Zone Girls’

I fuckin LOVED school zone, man. There isn't a single character in it that isn't eeping out of their minds at all times. It throws almost all normal shonen/male-targeted troupes off of their kilter and is incredibly refreshing to read. One of its best qualities is its ability to maintain its identity outside of being a queer story- providing commentary on a wide range of topics relevant to high school, youth, etc. I can't really describe the effect of finally being able to read girls just being fucking stupid- other than saying its like running your brain under cold tap water, if your brain was a lesbian yuri enthusiast with a perpetual craving for full-cream milk. As silly as it may be, I actually genuinely enjoy its approach to w/w and adolescent relationship. 2 out of the 3 arguable 'main' three couples have one partner that is gender nonconforming/visibly queer, a rarity for contemporary yuri as a lot of works- to no fault of their own- fall into pitfalls of exclusively drawing hyper-feminine women to try present itself more believably or because it has no other way of proving to you that the characters are girls. The negative of this being that ostracises an entire group of people within the real-life lesbian community and disregards the instrumental role of butch lesbians in queer history by refusing them representation in a genre for them. Despite how I phrase this, though, I'm not exactly trying to present School Zone as a Magnum Opus or the pinnacle of political-correctness and singlehandedly defeating lesbophobia worldwide (which it did); I just cannot stress how badly we need diverse gender representation in yuri.

The main two girls are both fucking hilarious and strangely adorable in their own way (aside from being every gay couple to ever™). Their dynamic mostly consists of Yokoe being a combination of stupid, evil, and helplessly down bad and Kei being a single thread away from pulling a glock on her. If that can’t convince you to give szg a shot you’re a lost cause + I’m unplugging your life support. Anyways, they’re only one of the 3(ish) main pairings in the manga; but that’s where we get to the difficult part to talk about. Touched on some-what briefly, but too often to be able to ignore (iirc they have a handful of dedicated chapters), is Tsubaki’s incestuous crush on her sister Hiiragi. It’s kind of unfortunate this is in here and it sucks for me to have to mention but In this specific case I do think it’s worth overlooking for *so* many reasons. At its’ core their relationship is mostly focused on teenage adolescence and navigating complex familial relationships whilst still trying to grow up and find yourself. In isolation both Tsubaki and Hiiragi are very well written characters; on par with the rest of the cast and really are both very likeable. It’s when their relationship with eachother gets played up for fanservice is when they start to shit on your salad. Still, though, the author pretty clearly has no intention of actually writing them ending up together/Hiiragi reciprocating. So it’s highly likely Tsubaki’s character arc will lead her to move on, especially considering how she’s developed thus far. Last Couple worth discussing seriously is Fuji and Kishiya-san. While I was reading I was under the impression that Fuji + rest were high-school aged and Kishiya was in her first year at uni, but the only source I can find that lists their age says that Kishiya is a first-year high school student; which must make everybody else be in secondary school. Either way though, the age gap between them remains roughly the same and doesn’t really change my hot take on these two. Out of the entire cast Fuji is definitely the truest depiction of the experience of growing up sapphic, unknowingly. She is also my favourite :-). It was also refreshing to read about a girl who hasn’t figured it all out and is just kind of weird and off putting instead of elegant and tragic like the atmosphere of traditional yuri + made me feel weirdly heard? Call me biased, or a victim of grooming ALL you want but looking up to someone maturer, more in control, someone who feels above it all is someone you tend to gravitate towards when you’ve felt helpless and inept at understanding yourself your entire life. Much like Tsubaki and Hiiragi, Kishiya-san has yet to show any indication of reciprocating or even knowing of Fuji’s feelings and is what I think a genuinely positive influence on her. I can also imagine Kishiya-san fighting on the mental FRONTLINES to stay as patient and kind to Fuji as she is, aswell as taking the time to talk to her and treating her like a friend. Everyone please take a moment to acknowledge her service in the troubled youth industry.

There’s also Yatsude and Kaname but they’re pretty interesting so I’ll let you develop your thoughts independently on those two. They also have ZERO buisness being the most beautiful fucking women alive. The things I’d let Kaname do to me are to be repented for.

[veebs-hates-video-games]

Let's see if I can sort out what to say about Fire Emblem Engage yet, which might end up with a bit of commentary on other games in the series, which I guess is appropriate since it's basically an anniversary game. The short version is that I feel like a lot of the hate for it from The Gamers is extremely exaggerated, and even though it's not perfect it's probably my favorite Fire Emblem game at this point.

Like most people old enough to have been around at the time my main introduction to Fire Emblem was through SSBM, although in my case I didn't really care about the characters in that so much. Specifically it was the inclusion of Together We Ride in the soundtrack that got my attention. I still have an mp3 somewhere that I recorded from the game by hooking up the line out of my GameCube to the line in on my laptop.

I didn't actually play the GBA games because I never had a GBA of my own, so I started with Path of Radiance instead and have played a decent number of the games since then at least part way through. Still need to get around to Shadows of Valentia one of these days, but it'll probably be my next FE/3DS game when I do.

Up until now I'd say Awakening was my favorite of them. It was pretty satisfying mechanically without being overly complex like Fates (which was great if you really like planning everything out and min-maxing stuff, but it's all a bit much the first time through playing casually), it had a bunch of fun characters and supports, the music is frequently excellent, and the story is completely ridiculous in a fun way.

In a lot of ways Engage felt very similar to Awakening to me, which was great for me. I don't think I could convincingly argue that any other game in the series is anywhere near as fun for me in terms of gameplay. It's incredibly flexible in terms of what you can do with your units and what kinds of team compositions will work, especially on lower difficulties, but it manages to achieve that flexibility without being overly complex in an intimidating way, and a lot of the map design is excellent too.

It does a great job of encouraging you to try different things out by the way the maps are structured and enemies are placed and various different gimmicks on them and is full of moments early on that demonstrate the value of different units and abilities without directly telling you what to do. There's a lot of stuff set up in ways that don't just hand you a victory and have multiple ways to approach them, usually more than one of which makes you feel very clever for pulling something fancy off.

And the Emblem abilities that are restricted in use by being situational and on long cooldowns let them give you some truly ridiculous stuff that would be broken in any other game but feels perfect here, and it lets you do some absolutely bonkers stuff once-ish per map as a result. A lot of it gets balanced out by giving bosses multiple health bars though, which solves so many design problems and stops you from just warping a single unit there to burst them down instantly. That and sometimes having multiple bosses on the same map really forces you to use the ridiculous emblem abilities and take advantage of your whole team you've deployed a lot more often.

I know there are some people who don't love it aesthetically, and that's fine, but just on a technical level it's easily one of the best-looking games on the Switch. Seeing clips of Three Houses again after playing Engage for a while is rough. It feels like looking at a PS2 game running in an emulator, and Engage feels easily at least two full console generations ahead in terms of the tech it uses and the results they get out of it. Plus I actually love the art style too, with all the bright colors and overdesigned characters and stuff, and the combat animations are probably the best the series has ever had.

And I suppose the big thing that the most people complain about is the writing and story. You know what? They're fine. As far as I'm concerned the series has never had top tier writing (sometimes it's pretty decent like the Tellius games or Three Houses, but even those have some issues), and if that's really what I'm in the mood for I have plenty of other options for that. Just from stuff I've played this year there's been Future Redeemed, 13 Sentinels, The House in Fata Morgana, and probably some others I'm not immediately thinking of.

It's not like a story or its characters have to be super deep to be fun or interesting or serve their purpose in a piece of media either, and for me Engage managed to do that for me in the same way Awakening did. I genuinely enjoyed spending several dozen hours with a lot of the characters, and the story's a bit silly sometimes but did what it needed to to bring a bunch of random characters together and through an adventure together.

And something unprecedented for me for a Fire Emblem game (and pretty uncommon for games in general) is that I immediately wanted to play it again right after finishing. Usually I want to see more of the supports and any optional stuff I might've missed (e.g. optional recruits and stuff), but that's not enough of a motivation to play through the whole game again, especially not right away. This time though in addition to that the game mechanics are so satisfying that I wanted more of that too, especially with all the units I never really used and all the new silly build ideas I started coming up with toward the end of the game as I understood how everything worked better. I've been holding back from actually doing it yet because there's so much other stuff I'm trying to get through or finish up, but there's a pretty good chance I'll start over again at some point in the next few months, maybe after SoV and/or going back and finishing my replay of PoR I started earlier this year before getting distracted by this game.

Engage is almost definitely my favorite Fire Emblem game at this point and easily in my top five games I've played this year, probably in the top three. I think it's probably number one for gameplay, with 13 Sentinels for story and Future Redeemed for all aspects combined overall, and Unpacking is an honorable mention for general vibes.

[muckmagister]

can you explain your tierlist please. i'm genuinely curious

i don't knowwww it's mostly vibes based tbh

i wasn't really ranking them according to who i thought was "A tier" or "C tier" i just ranked them in reference to each other

i did replay the game after making the list just in case and it's like. first of all, the music still slaps i'd forgotten about that, but also it's so short there really isn't actually much characterisation unfortunately

and that's the main issue i have with any of the girls lower than an A tier, they just aren't as interesting to me as the rest. except beel. i never liked beel all that much. didn't really gel with her design from the start idk. cerberus is down there too cause honestly i don't have much to say about her, all the girls have their own gimmicks of sorts to help them stand out and for cerberus her's is being a hyperactive dog girl who controls three bodies with one mind, which is cool! but it's not much of a personality trait, so she ends up being one of the plainer ones imo, even if she's wonderful

anyway starting from the top, justice being there was inevitable, of course she is. but lucy's always been my fav though, she has one of my favourite designs, she's used to getting everything she wants but also she never gets a damn thing she wants, she's sadistic in a much more subtle way than pandemonica that i enjoy a lot more. in the context of the game i think she and the helltaker suit each other the best, they both love pancakes and they're both constantly stuck cleaning up after everyone else's bullshit, i mean they have matching "satan" aprons in the epilogue for chri- hm. and in examtaker when she says subject 67 reminds her of a man she knew long ago. ough, she clearly cares about him toooooo it's very sweet. tbh it definitely helps that i can chuck everything i already know about lucifer into her character and make it infinitely more complex than it would have been, which is great, i love a sympathetic lucifer. she's cute and sweet and evil and blatantly toying with you, hell yeah

i almost put judgement at the top too, but i ended up keeping that to just my fav. and justice. anyway i'd be hard-pressed not to say this was my favourite design, i mean her whole part of the game was awesome. she clearly doesn't get many compliments which is a shame, when you do compliment her i just think it's really cute:3 oh and those chains. whew. i mean what. uhh, the substance abuse sisters! they have a fantastic dynamic together, in that they have an awful dynamic but it's very entertaining. malina is great, someone to play videogames and ttrpgs with ofc. and zdrada is hilarious, the bitchy demon just waiting for someone to tell her off~ fjdkjdks then she's on her best behaviour when pandemonica's around lmao. also that comic where she wears glasses and gets so flustered over being called adorable the ensuing conflict lasted days. which is adorable

now azazel and loremaster are just fun characters, i enjoy that she exists but idk, she's also just a little bit.. one note, to me. but i guess you can say that about any of them. nevertheless i can't ignore her narrative contributions, but if she didn't have that loremaster future side of her she'd probably be down with cerberus. however for modeus i'm reconsidering her tier, like if i put judgement up a tier i'd put modeus up a tier too y'know? she has what's probably my third favourite design, the sweater is a fun departure from the more standard dress-ware most of the others are in, and all the hearts floating around her head are cool too ^^ personality wise the choice for her to not know about romance and end up thinking it's the kinkiest thing ever is inspired, and the comics she's in are all great

>tfw you're reminded porn doesn't happen irl

if it weren't for the comics fleshing her out a bit more though i'd definitely leave her where she is

pandemonica is a bit of a shame to me cause having those two personalities feels like it should be fun and interesting, but both personalities end up feeling kinda void of actual personality. she spends most of the game in sleepy mode which means she's just tired, doing her job, which'd mute anyone's personality tbf. like it makes sense how as the custodian of hell as well as the first demon you meet that she just kinda lets you know what's up and tries to keep things in order, but that doesn't make it feel any less plain. when you do get her coffee though her sadistic mode is just so intense it feels like there's still nothing else there. with lucy there was that manipulation and playfulness but here it's just *threatens harm*, it's like instead of two personalities she's just got two personality traits, and you only get 1 at a time. in the comics there's more of her sadistic mode but it still doesn't add much, like there's that bit with zdrada which is funny but it's way more of a zdrada moment, for pandemonica it's just threatening someone the same way she always does. i know she has that third nice and sweet personality when she gets proper good coffee, which is funny and adds some needed depth to her character but we only hear about that once and never actually see it, i get why though, a secret niceys personality for her is funny to imagine but actually showing it off betrays the purpose of her character

oki so that's about it i thinks, hopefully you can kinda tell why i clumped them together in their tiers the way i did, i don't know why i wrote so much i hadn't thought about these characters in like over a year at least before you asked :||

[yurisorcerer]

That was really good!

Gosh, I have many thoughts, but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to articulate them given that I'm kind of tired at the moment.

So, my main love here is for the characters. I think people tend to sell Dungeon Meshi on its worldbuilding and I do get that (it's very complex and is quite well thought-out), but the characters are what really grabbed me. I don't think there was a single member of the main cast I didn't love. Laios is such a delightfully weird monster manual fanboy and I 100% agree with the people who say he feels neurodivergent and that this feels intentional. Senshi is awesome and it's very funny how the manga is extremely horny for him. Chilchuk brings a profound Divorced Dad energy to the cast that I think is great for bouncing off of the other characters. Izutsumi is interesting by how she contrasts with the earlier party members, I want to think about her role in the story more. I think she was kind of meant to give us an "outcast's perspective" of sorts? I think she's good at being that, but I feel like having blown through most of the manga in a few days may have hampered my appreciation of some of the more subtle aspects of her character.

Marcille, though, is my favorite; as someone who is also a really fussy eater and just kind of tightly-wound in general I found her really relatable. She's also super, super, super pretty and cute but we don't need to get into that right now. I cannot be the first person to point out how, when she becomes the dungeon lord, her behavior starts feeling extremely manic, right? I suffer from delusional episodes that include very difficult to ignore intrusive thoughts, and I thought the whole bit she went into about how being the dungeon lord feels felt very familiar in that respect, and it really hit home for me.

(On the flip side, having your desires eaten by the demon seems similar to depression. I've been there, too.)

Other stuff! I like the whole overarching theme of eating both in the literal sense and as a general metaphor for going through one's life. In the very last chapter Marcille says something to the effect of, perhaps this journey was to teach us to accept death, and I don't think that's necessarily the entirety of what the series is going for, but that's part of it definitely. There's a whole circle of life thing going on here. The manga is very....sensory? Lots of focus on taste of course but also scent and feeling. Lots of really strong imagery along those lines throughout the entirety of it.

I set the worldbuilding aside earlier but it is super neat actually, also. I still don't love the general conceits of a western-style fantasy setup, but I think this is honestly about as well as it's possible to do this material. Everyone has a motivation for their actions that feels inspired by experience and history rather than just Dwarves Do X and Elves Do Y and so on. There's a LITTLE of that, but not nearly as much as is typical for this kind of thing. In particular, I liked the orcs. Their usage as a symbol is perhaps somewhat fraught (I'm not the person to make that call either way), but it felt like it was coming from a good place and they're just treated so much better here than comparable people in other media, idk. It felt nice to me.

The art! The art is fucking gorgeous, like, if I wanted to get someone to read this manga this is one of the things I'd mention. The entire dungeon feels so wonderfully lived-in and ancient. You can practically feel the stonework in some panels. (Sidebar here! The anime is really good at capturing this, do watch the anime it's fantastic.)

Some other random stray thoughts:

-The circumstances she gets it in obviously suck, but Marcille's dungeon lord outfit honestly serves hard and everyone should get off her case about it.

-I ended up liking the captain of the Canaries a lot more than I thought I would. He's just an interesting character all around.

-I also really love Sissel / Thistle / apparently how you romanize this is a source of some contention. I feel sooooo bad for the guy. He just wanted to keep everyone safe! It's not his fault that his idea of keeping everyone safe ended up being influenced by a lion-headed demon from outside of reality and corrupted into a suffocating hellscape for those same people! OK maybe it's a little his fault

-I like the diversity in appearances across the characters. This is a thing I wish more manga did this well.

-Laios' kingly titles in the final chapter, RANKED from MOST to LEAST badass: 1. Laios of the Three Heads (based as fuck, makes people ask questions when they hear about you in a history book several centuries down the line), 2. The Demon-Eater (badass and very specific) 3. The Vegetable-Armored (basically gets the same reaction as #1, but with a more comedic lean) 4. Demon King Laios (this honestly seems pretty disingenuous but it is dope) 5. The Dragon-Slayer (very generic, also not even the most impressive part of what he did) 6. The Lord of the Dungeon (Crusader Kings 2 auto-generated-ass name) 7. Pervy Tallman (this sounds like a bad comedian)

-I want to kiss Marcille on the lips

-who said that

-haha I wouldn't mind the Canaries coming to arrest me am I right fellow lesbians

-who said that (part 2)

anyway yeah really good manga highly recommended. I'm not sure if it's a (get out the scare quotes folks) "Personal Favorite" per se, but it might become one over time. Usually such things take a bit to settle with me. The fact that I have any interest in reading it again is a good sign, though. 90% of the time when I'm done with media I'm fine with never revisiting it again. Dungeon Meshi I would very much like to revisit, both in the form of the anime that's airing right now and also I think I'd like to re-read the manga in a few years when I'm at a different place in my life to see what I think of it a little farther down the line. I liked it a lot, and I think it will stick with me.

[markersmadness]

OTP PROMPTS ೄྀ

If you're brainrotting, here are some situations & scenarios that can help with writer's block, or just are fun to imagine!

A = Typically the character struggling in angsty prompts, perhaps the stubborn person in the relationship. Usually the main focus in a 3rd person POV!

B = Typically a stoic character. May be better at hiding their feelings, or have a complex psyche especially. Usually the perspective in a 1st person POV!

[ Whatever characters you envision never have to fit these tropes, they're just a general outline as to what these prompts work best for! The roles reverse occasionally for ships with other dynamics or dynamics where both characters share the descriptors listed. You're more than welcome to use a prompt here without credit, but I'd love to see anything made based off these prompts! ]

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A comes out as [identity/sexuality]. This idea can be elaborated upon in many ways! Perhaps it makes B realize they actually have a chance, or that they don't know A as well as A knows them. Did A not have a choice? Perhaps B could be comforting A after being distraught that they had been outed. Was it a drunk confession? One that only happened after a series of very 🌈 things, and/or is very overdue? The possibilities are endless! If you're more of a hurt/no comfort person, consider if B didn't like them that way or was discriminative. Or A was murdered or hate crimed for it, bullied, etc. Think about how A would handle it, and how would B react to A's reaction?

The gold ol' sickfic in which A falls ill. A great fluff, angst, hurt/comfort or even a hurt/no comfort. Fuck it, a smut fic in some cases! Consider what reasons your character probably got sick; Overworking, laziness (not being hygienic), staying out in the rain too long, just getting sick during that time of the year, having a weak immune system, mental problems that had/have physical symptoms, was unlucky and got a chronic illness, eating habits, family genetics, perhaps even faking being sick for B's attention! Consider how B would react to this information- or if they'd even know this information about the other, and if A would tell them. Would B pick up on the clues, or be oblivious to the other's sickness? How would B care for them? Would B be more soft, or be angry with them for getting sick? What stage of their relationship are they in? If you struggle to write a sick character, I suggest scrolling through the sickfic tag!

Note: While most sickfics show a dynamic where B is a caretaker and only listening and tending to A, there are lots of other possibilities! B could get into an argument with A because A refuses to rest, or argue because B doesn't know how to explain that they're in love with A and that's why it's important to them that A is happy and healthy without confessing. A could feel burdensome and force themself to get better (which could backfire), or B could be absolute dogshit at caretaking (babe I made you soup but I burnt the everything) (shit this ice pack is warm as fuck) (I'm sorry dude I fucked up your assignments while you were resting), etc.

Jealousy. While it's a overused trope, it is still a good one! Typically portrayed as B being protective over A, I find it is more fun to write when both are jealous for each other. Or when the jealous character hasn't come to terms with their feelings ("I'm not in love but when my "friend" flirts with someone else I feel really mad for no reason at all hahaha what"). Did A make B jealous on purpose, or by mistake? Maybe A is the emotional hotheaded one, or the jokester, whilst B is more reclusive and gentle, making their uncharacteristic anger (read; jealous) that much more evident. Or it could be A whose jealous, as B is simply chilling and talking to someone, and now it isn't a joke when A comments that "don't get too friendly I might get jealous!" They could also be rivals if you like ETL, making their jealousy even more confusing for them because why would I ever feel jealous about them..?! That's so weird whattt...

Jealousy is used a lot in every aspect of fanfiction. I find it best enjoyed as angst, but wholesome reassurance fluff is also a huge fan favorite of a lot of people I know- ("I only like you, so don't worry", etc.) Smut, of course, plays on jealousy as well. But make sure to keep in mind jealousy isn't the same as possessiveness! Protective characters can be more prone to jealousy, using B as an example, who wants to protect their loved ones, but then why does it hurt when someone is protecting A, and it isn't them? Humor is also used in jealousy, as watching a character slowly get hotheaded or act stupidly or comedically from their jealousy is also fun to read. Do consider when writing (if you want to!) if B comes off as overbearing or jealous, or both? Write them the way you want them to come off, as readers can feel uncomfortable if possessiveness or other toxic traits are passed off as jealousy. And it's also interesting to read about a character who thinks it's just jealousy! However, make sure to properly tag your works if on ao3, or add TWs on other platforms so they know what they're reading :)

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That's all I have right now! If this gets a lot of likes or if anyone wants more tropes / ideas like this I'd be happy to make a part 2. I've been brainrotting so much I've run through these scenarios like 30 times over, so I'm making this guide for myself as well so I can stop repeating the same fanfic in my head (>_<)

[thesovereignsring-if]

Elizabeth Olsen, Serena Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Celine Dion, Zendaya, Michael Jordan, and Robin Williams might remind you that younger children can have huge potential for success! I totally get that MC has been denied opportunities and sheltered so they start out on the back foot. But to be honest I’m not interested in playing as someone whose background is only used as a simple pass/fail and will give no flavor text. To be blunt I don’t want to perpetually play as the most useless person in the room. I think it’s a cool concept to have others actions/reputations hang over the MC, but I don’t want my MCs actions to have no consequence. Even if it’s just a MC who was super friendly to everyone and the party privately feeling frustrated when a noble is cold to them or being eh if they are more aloof. I’m not trying to say that eldest kids or middle children aren’t successful; anyone can be successful if they have the willpower and luck.

— a probably overly triggered youngest sibling who carries their fam

Hi anon.

You come across as a little combative in this ask, at least in my point of view, so forgive me if that is not the case, but it will colour the tone of my response.

If this is your way of telling me your expectations of the game, then I do not appreciate your phrasing and the tone of writing in doing so. In the future, I would prefer something more gentler or polite. Had not included your last line about being triggered and perhaps are acting emotionally, I would have deleted and ignored it completely. You are allowed to be honest and blunt, I welcome it, but your writing prose in this instance makes you sound aggressive, rude and accusatory and I do not like that.

Now onto what I think are your concerns:

The whole point of the game is that main character's agency allows for the change in the Empire. The MC's choices are important and they are game changing and consequential. I promised that on the game's very first post. I would not have made it an IF if that were not the case. It would take less effort to write a book.

There is no doubt that younger siblings can be successful. If I did not believe that, then I would not have made the MC the youngest child who can ascend the throne despite all the cards stacked against them.

In the original ask that I was responding too was in regards to any established preconceptions of the MC as of Chapter 1. I never said that being the youngest meant they could not rise above their siblings. I decided that considering the circumstances of their station or birth and past family history, there are preconceptions about the MC that will eclipse who the MC actually is as a person. And that preconception colours the MC's reputation to the rest of the world.

Birth order does not beget success. But using your example above, I can also say that some of those people are successful because of the efforts/privileges of the people that came before them. That they were born in better socio-economic circumstances than others, that their parents made the right connections/knew the right people, that they were born into the right family, the right coloured race, so on and so forth. Some of it might be true, some of it might not. But that doesn't matter if I believe it's true. It's a preconception that I have. This is what I am talking about when I mean there are preconceptions are being held against the MC no matter what they do.

This is only Chapter 1. Everything has to start somewhere and I made the informed decision to have all MC(s) start on this controlled platform because when there are too many variables in place, things become out of hand. This story is already too complex with multiple layers of nuances that must be juggled.

If you want your MC to be independent and ascend the throne. That is a choice that I allow players to make. There will be consequences. There will always be consequences. I will punish you for being cruel. I will punish you for being kind. You cannot make everyone happy. You can only do what you think is right. You can be as selfish or selfless as you want.

But I will say this as a warning: If my response to that original ask triggered you, then you will not enjoy the beginning of Chapter 1. Prior to drafting this response, I had just finished writing a group of scenes involving a character that is more of asshole than Eirik. He will humiliate you and look down on you for things out of your control and you will not be able to respond properly because he will be right.

Have a nice day.