#truly an aspirational character arc

[somfte]

Content warning: execution, hangings, one scene of enslaved people in a cage.

[video description: a Black Sails fanvid set to a rewritten rendition by Chumbawamba of the folk song Bella Ciao. The song is sung a cappella. The video consists of scenes of Charles Vane. His procession to the gallows is interspersed with moments of resistance against England and defense of his principles and the people he cares about. Throughout the video, excerpts of his speech on the gallows are heard over the music:

These men who brought me here today do not fear me. They brought me here today because they fear you. […] They brought me here today to show you death, and use it to frighten you. […] But know this. We are many. They are few. To fear death is a choice. And they can't hang us all.

The video ends as Vane slowly strangles on the end of his noose.

/end description]

[laufire]

I'm seriously going to need to rewatch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel soon, because that final season? FUCKING. FANTASTIC.

after so many disappointments when it comes to female characters' arcs this show (that I enjoyed but wouldn't have claimed among my favourites) has truly delivered for Midge and Susie, and Midge&Susie, beyond my expectations.

so, yeah, I'll definitely want to watch it again and see how everything holds up in light of this.

[technoturian]

Regardless of my feelings about the BoS as a whole in the Fallout series, Maximus as a character exceeded all my expectations.

Maximus, honestly, to me, was the most nuanced and best acted character in the series. His situations were fantastical and yet the way he reacted to it all was so grounded. He was like a prestige drama character in a series full of cartoons. Don't get me wrong, I like the cartoons. Fallout leans heavily into parody and it's totally on brand. But Maximus' entire emotional arc was so understated and I really appreciated it.

He isn't a very vocal OR excessively emotive character because he knows being vulnerable hurts him. He shapes himself to that idealized memory of the knight in the armor even as he doesn't seem to really understand or care for the beliefs behind the armor. He's failing his classes as an aspirant. When talking of the BoS beliefs, he throws in a "or whatever". That part of it doesn't matter to him. The armor IS his belief system.

His whole story is about the cycle of violence and toxicity. The bullies who beat him. The abuse he endures. He wants power so that he can escape it but once he gets that chance he's doomed to perpetuate it, because that power is coming from the system. It's tainted. Deep down he doesn't want revenge, he doesn't even want power for power's sake, he wants safety. And he wants to be the hero from his memory, he wants the strength to save himself from this cycle.

And yet, he just keeps making he wrong choices. Over and over and over. He can't get out of it.

And then Lucy throws him a lifeline. And it takes someone from outside of the cycle to break through. And then he makes the choice to do the right thing even though it means making himself weaker, making himself less safe. He chooses to do the right thing for the first time in the show. And it means finally letting go of his dream, the armor.

And he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks his reward is going to be Vault 33, he's going to be safe and happy with someone who cares about him and makes him feel like a real, good person.

And by the end of the series, he's trapped in the cycle again.

There is just something so delicious about someone getting everything they wanted at the start and being miserable about it. There's something so REAL about wanting to be something but every instinct makes you sabotage yourself every step of the way.

And the thing is, he had all of these little moments of genuineness, selfishness, pettiness, virtue, I genuinely didn't know what he was going to do for most of the show. I thought he might turn on Lucy at some point. I honestly, truly thought he had sabotaged Dane even though Dane was his only friend. He is so morally hard to pin down because he's so full of life's little hypocrisies. His ideals and his feelings are in conflict so much and he doesn't have to look anguished for you to understand that. You just see it in his resigned stares, in his hesitance and his ultimate actions.

I just... I really loved Maximus. Bravo to Aaron Moten.

[idkhowtopickausername]

I think it’s interesting in rgu how Utena’s aspiration of being a prince is not only hurtful to Anthy but also serves a sort of double purpose in Utena’s life wherein it allows her to express aspects of her gender expression and sexuality without having to really confront them directly, and a lot of the most important moments in her character arc are moments where she has to confront those things without relying on it.

Utena saying at the end that the only times she was really happy was when she was with Anthy is so important because it’s not just her presence that changes Anthy’s life but the reverse is true as well, and the idea that she is acting solely on some sort of heroic noble mission separate from her own feelings at times allows her to kind of sidestep the vulnerability of admitting that. It’s after Dios has urged her to give up, saying that she’s done all she could and giving her a way out and into complacency that would still leave her ego and dream of keeping her promise to Dios partially intact, but it wasn’t ever really her promise to Dios that mattered but her promise to Anthy both as a child and once she knows her that matters.

It’s also really interesting that the first time she says no to Akio she says it’s because she wants to stay true to her prince—it’s an idea that gives her a way to momentarily reject his advances without acknowledging that her own feelings should be reason enough, and shows how she feels that appealing to (even an abstract) patriarchal figure gives validity to her own feelings that they wouldn’t have on their own.

Episodes 12 and 37 are also really interesting in that they both begin when Utena has realized that she does not truly know or understand Anthy and feels betrayed by her, and she temporarily renounces her role of “protecting” her only to realize that her relationship with Anthy is deeply important to her personally even outside of that dynamic, as is her masculinity/gender expression, but in order to express this realization she ultimately returns to that dynamic (trying to protect Anthy via the dueling system) in both cases because she cannot yet imagine another way. It’s not until she fails at being a prince that she succeeds in expressing her true feelings and escaping the academy/the structure it represents (and inspiring Anthy to do the same) because those things were never truly compatible to begin with.

[crackedhrglass]

i got this ask on my strawpage and was gonna type it up in my notes app and post it to twitter, but i really couldn't figure out a way to say it concisely, so i'm answering it here bc it's prob gonna be long lol.

do i think stancest is actually canon? simply put, no. despite how often i'm like "STANCEST IS CANON!!" i truly don't think that AH and the writers intended stan & ford's relationship to be seen through an incestuous lens.

their relationship is def the heart of the show, second only to dipper & mabel's own bond. they are the center of each other's worlds, their story & character arcs revolve almost entirely around each other, and their happy ending is literally the two of them sailing off into the sunset to spend "the rest of their days" together (ford says this almost word-for-word in journal 3).

but i still don't think all of that was meant to be taken romantically.

in my opinion, where things start to get a little weird is, surprisingly enough, ford's relationship with bill.

the rest is under a cut bc HOLY SHIT this got longer than i expected.

there's no denying that bill was written to deliberately parallel stan in a number of ways, from his mannerisms, to his conman status, to the fact that he calls ford the same name stan did when they were kids.

he's written in a very intentional way that makes him serve as both stan's parallel and his foil, especially in their respective relationships to ford (bill feeds into ford's ego and encourages him to aspire for greatness alone, stan has always been a direct obstacle & challenge to ford's ego, accidentally ruining his chances at WCT & encouraging him to live out their childhood dream together; bill valued infinite power over his own family and destroyed his dimension as a result, stan valued his family over everything, and saved ford and his dimension as a result).

normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal to a stancest shipper like myself. but as the book of bill & the accompanying website all but confirmed in big, flashing neon lights, ford & bill have a romantic history and are exes.

having the two people closest to ford be compared to one another is one thing. having ford be drawn to bill because of how similar he is to the brother he secretly misses is one thing.

having ford be romantically involved with said character is what makes me raise an eyebrow lol.

again, do i think ford is literally a brocon who's got repressed sexual/romantic feelings for stan?

no.

i do, however, think he has unresolved Brother Issues that led him to subconsciously find comfort in a romantic partner that reminded him of stan (right down to bill calling him stan's nickname for him) in much the same way a person with "daddy issues" may seek out affection & intimacy from someone who reminds them of their father (or is just "fatherly" in general).

that much, i believe, was actually intentional. it's just too blatant to not be lol. it'd be a completely different story if either

bill & stan were nothing alike (untrue) or

ford & bill's relationship was strictly platonic and didn't have any romantic implications (also untrue)

i've said this before, but this isn't just a case of "oh, ford fell in love with someone who just coincidentally reminds him of his brother." bill's use of the nickname "sixer" during their first encounter was a deliberate attempt at appealing to a part of ford that was repressed, vulnerable, and aching, in order to get ford's guard down and make it easier for ford to trust him, and it worked.

billford is a ship that, to put it bluntly, would not exist without ford's buried feelings for stan, even disregarding shipping/incest/etc. ford's desire to be close to stan even platonically is what allowed bill to needle his way into ford's heart in the first place.

and all of this wouldn't be that weird if, again, bill hadn't continued to feed into ford's longing for stan even after they'd established a romantic relationship, by still calling him "sixer" and trying to permanently sever the relationship he had with stan specifically, once he and ford broke up (the phone call he tried to make while in ford's body that was described in tbob).

to put it another way, imagine if wendy was basically an older, taller mabel, or if any of mabel's crushes were eerily similar to dipper. people in the fandom would def take notice and view it as a little strange. so i don't get how people can look at ford dating someone so blatantly and intentionally similar to stan and think to themselves "ah yes, this is normal. ford is completely Normal and definitely doesn't have any underlying issues whatsoever" lmao

to conclude: no, i don't think ford & stan's relationship is actually canonically romantic, nor do i think ford falling in love with bill was incestuous, necessarily.

but i do think that he had a desperate longing to reconcile with stan buried DEEEEEEP down, and it manifested itself in the form of being attracted to bill, which is probably why he never bothered correcting bill's use of the nickname "sixer" since their very first meeting, or ever expressed that it made him uncomfortable.

[on-a-quest]

Hunter's character arc: from solider to father

As I re-watch episodes of The Bad Batch, I've come to realise just how perfectly laid out Hunter's character arc from solider to father is, right from the beginning of the series, gradually developing over the course of the show.

In the pilot episode of the show, the Batch makes the choice to go back and rescue Omega and take her with them as they flee Kamino, a decision which leaves them with a new responsibility (should they choose to accept it) — a child. Then, in episode 2, we're reintroduced to Cut Lawquane from The Clone Wars, a clone who deserted from the GAR, settled down, and has a family. In a way, it's a glimpse at a possible future for Hunter (and the rest of the Batch) — he just doesn't see it yet. In fact, quite the opposite. Rather than seeing Cut's life and parenting abilities as something to learn from or aspire to, Hunter is convinced Omega would be better off with the Lawquane's instead and tries to send her off with them. The episode ends with Omega remaining with the Batch and making it clear to Hunter that she wants to stay with them, and Hunter agrees, officially accepting this new responsibility.

There is a particular conversation in the episode between Hunter and Cut that perfectly foreshadows the series' ending 👌, while also presenting Hunter with what will eventually become his desire and new path:

Hunter: So, where will you and your family go next? Cut: I suppose find a remote piece of land on a distant planet. That's all we really need. Hunter: That's the key to not being found? Cut: You wanna know how to disappear? Put being a soldier behind you and make a new life for yourself.

The rest of season sees Hunter and the rest of the Batch embracing their new responsibility as their lives begin to revolve more and more around caring for Omega, protecting her, keeping her safe, and teaching her as she becomes a crucial member of their team and family.

In season 2, we see Hunter much more directly confronted, on multiple occasions, with this question of what he really wants to do with his life and he begins to grapple with it in a more serious way. We see Hunter and Echo at odds over their differing goals and desires. While Echo wants to keep on fighting and do more to help others, Hunter doesn't have the same desire, his focus entirely on keeping his team, his family, safe — especially Omega. Neither of them are "wrong", and I think the show does a great job of presenting that; they just want two different things, which is why Echo decides to leave and pursue his goal.

In the episode 'Tribe', on Kashyyyk, we see Hunter beginning to ponder what it is he wishes for the future and we get a little glimpse, through his conversation with, Yanna, at what it is he truly wants — to leave the war behind and give Omega a safe and happy childhood.

Hunter: They're both just kids. But they don't get to be. Not in this galaxy. Yanna (translated by Tech): When a young one leaves, the trees weep. But when they return, the trees sing. As this child [Gungi] has found his new home, perhaps, one day, we all will find a new path. Hunter: Hopefully... (sighs) ...one far away from war.

Then, the episode 'Pabu' presents Hunter with just that, a secluded and safe paradise where he and the Batch could settle down and raise Omega in peace. Hunter's desire goes from a wishful hope to an actual real possibility, if he chooses it.

Hunter: Phee said the villagers here are refugees. Shep: Many, yes. Pabu has been a safe haven for those forced to flee their homes during the war and others after. Hunter: And you're not worried the Empire will show up? Shep: Why would they? We're a remote island with limited resources. But if they do, we'll manage. Some come to Pabu looking for a clean slate. A chance to start over. As a father, you couldn't ask for a better place to raise a child. Something to think about, isn't it? Hunter: You're suggesting we all stay on Pabu permanently? Shep: She seems to like it here. A little stability might do you all some good.

The season 2 finale then turns everything on its head by giving Hunter the very thing he feared. He couldn't keep his family safe. Tech is dead, and Omega is taken. With Omega captured, him and Wrecker spend their time doing whatever they can for even the smallest scrap on intel on where she may be, as they cross the galaxy over and over in search of her. She is their only priority.

Once Omega returns to them, Hunter's main focus is once again doing everything he can to keep her safe. When she is taken again, his sole focus is once more getting her back at all costs.

Once Omega is back, Hemlock dead, his project destroyed, and the fight finally over, they are all at last free to be "whatever they want". The conversation between Omega and Hunter as they both sit beneath the tree together, both finally at peace, Omega moving to rest her head against his shoulder so perfectly portrays exactly what he wants, what they both want, and finally can have. Hunter finally gets to leave his solider life behind, settle down somewhere safe and peaceful, and be a father to Omega as she enjoys the childhood he had hoped to give her. It's a beautiful, heartwarming conclusion to Hunter's character arc in the show (and we even get to see old man Hunter enter the next phase of his fatherhood journey as he watches grow up Omega set off on her own adventure 😭). ❤️❤️

It's the ending that was always coming, right from the beginning. Hunter was always going to make it to end, always going to retire and settle down, and be a father to Omega. I really love the storytelling in this show and the fact that we got such a beautiful, satisfying ending to Hunter's character arc.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A 7-Part Book Development Template

Take your story from a vague book idea to an impactful first draft.

PART 1: Concept Development

A great story is built on a great premise.

This exercise is meant to help you develop a strong foundation for your story.

This story follows [name + brief character bio]. Their life changes/story begins when [inciting incident]. This causes [problem]. They wish to [goal] but are held back by [antagonistic forces].

CHARACTER "This story follows [name + brief character bio]"

Brief description of character (occupation, skills, lifestyle, etc.):

Emotional trait or problem:

PLOT "When [inciting incident], this causes [problem]"

Inciting incident:

Problem:

GOAL "They wish to [goal]"

Goal:

ANTAGONIST "Held back by [antagonistic forces]"

Internal antagonist:

External antagonist:

PART 2: The Protagonist

After writing the premise of your story, it’s time to focus on your protagonist.

This exercise will help you sketch out the fundamentals of your main character.

Five (possibly) positive qualities:

Five (possibly) negative qualities:

Personality type:

Aspirations and goals:

Belief system (written as ‘I believe…’ statements):

Significant life events & backstory:

Skills:

Appearance:

Mannerisms, body language, speaking style:

What is their character arc in the story? How do they change and grow?

PART 3: The Cast

Behind every strong protagonist is a strong supporting cast. This exercise will help you flesh out the key relationships in your protagonist’s life.

What important relationships were a part of the protagonist's past?

Who were they?

Their influences on the protagonist?

What happened to the relationship/s?

What important relationships are a part of the protagonist's life now?

Who were they?

Their influences on the protagonist?

What will happen to the relationship/s?

Select at least one and at most 3 important relationships to focus on developing. What are their progressions?

Relationship #1:

Relationship #2:

Relationship #3:

PART 4: The World

An impactful setting should put pressure on the character to grow. This exercise will help you identify how your setting can accomplish this.

Where and when is the story set?

What other settings will we visit in the story? List them here.

What does the main setting look like?

What is the climate and weather like?

Imagery associated with the setting?

What are the people like?

What does a day-to-day for this place look like? Describe it in a few sentences.

What challenges does this setting present? What opportunities?

How long has the protagonist been here? How do they feel about it?

PART 5: The Plot

This exercise helps you define your plot using the popular 3-act structure method.

Identify the 5 key points on the timeline:

Inciting incident:

Plot point #1:

Midpoint:

Plot point #2:

Climax:

PART 6: Form, Style & Voice

If a book’s structure is its walls, its voice and style is the interior design that makes the book truly unique. This is an exercise to help you nail down how this particular book will be told.

DEVELOPING THE BOOK’S FORM

POV:

Tense:

Narrator:

Voice and tone:

Emotional core:

What are the primary emotions in this piece?

Atmosphere and mood?

DEVELOPING YOUR VOICE

Identify 3 books whose style or voice is similar to what you want:

Read a few pages from each and describe what they do specifically:

Write a scene from your character’s voice. How close is it to hitting the mark? What do you wish it did differently?

PART 7: The Writing Plan

This exercise will help you determine the logistics of your writing process, so that you can finish your first draft.

What’s your project timeline?

Set a deadline for finishing your first draft.

To complete your book, how many words do you need to write per:

Week:

Month:

Source ⚜ More: Writing Worksheets & Templates ⚜ 100 Sensory Words Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding ⚜ 170 Quirks ⚜ 600+ Personality Traits

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Why doesn't Marx want Kirby to forgive him, is it just the guilt thing?

Long story short, this is a combination of "the fear of getting hurt/rejected" & "shame and guilt," which results in self-sabotaging, but the main reason is...

HAMELIN REALLY MESSED UP MARX!

So, like Kirby with Cappytown... Marx was Hamelin's hero, but they betrayed him and thus turned to the dark side.

This all ties into his initial hatred for Kirby... he's very much angry at his former self for being so foolishly naive, and Kirby's good nature is too reminiscent of his former self.

That also makes it the main reason he could never truly hate Kirby... a younger self that he can't help but connect with. Leading to his "fake friend act" to accidentally grow to care for him and actually want him as a friend.

However, Marx knows he deceives Kirby the same way the people of Hamelin did to him... "pretending they cared for him." Using the very same methods, the townsfolk did to him... ("became what he hated")

This is why Marx doesn't have the heart to forgive himself... even though Kirby was always ready to forgive him and welcome him back with open arms. Because he knows he can never forgive the people of Hamelin... Why should Kirby? And, of course, he does!

The restoration of a friendship between Marx & Kirby happens~, But unlike the people of Hamelin, Kirby has this unconditional love for Marx and wants more than anything to have him back in his life.

I'd say these events happened after Planet Robboot... Marx finally makes his return and "saves Kirby?!" (I'm not gonna reveal from what because of spoilers)

With my interpretation of Marx, I wanted to take him into a sympathetic route (to make him stand out from the others). He still has the sass and mischievous charm, but I wanted to give him a proper reason why he is the way he is. It's a more heartfelt version of Marx that Kirby would want to be friends with and him in turn.

Marx represents "self-worth"; if people don't appreciate or treat you the way you deserve, then they don't deserve you. (Minus the piping all the Dark Matter back into the town as revenge...) KNOW YOUR WORTH AS A PERSON PEOPLE!

And he stands as one of the main reasons why Kirby ultimately chooses to become a star warrior. Moved out of the Popstar to travel and pursue his aspirations & dreams.

Please keep reading for spoilers & quick bonus comic~

So Arthur pretty much reveals Marx's backstory to the rest of the Kirby gang... and needless to say, they're speechless!

He still doesn't want to be forgiven, so he stays with Magolor (which I cover here with Magolor's lore), but yeah, of course, Marx opened up to Mags about Hamelin. And that's why Mags is there, while Kirby & Marx are back in his place telling his story to Kirby. (Kirby saw it because of "empathic touch" but didn't know the exact details of it..)

And Dragato, yeah, he was already on his redemption arc (Falspar's already went through his with Fluff, so he's there for moral support, plus it's the reason why Arthur partnered up together).... he already knew he messed up. But now, hearing the full story that he was, not only did he fall for the people of Hamelin's lies, but... MARX WAS THEIR HERO. (I know kinda of shoehorned the crew for the sake of missing the gang, I just missed them I had to...)

There's actually a small bit of tragedy... while the adults sold Marx out, the children who really loved him would've vouched for him... it'll tie back into his character later.

And I know it seems like I'm painting Dragato in such a bad light, but it's part of his character development. And for those of you who don't know... HIS MENTOR WAS DAME MORGAN (LE FAYE)! So yeah, high standards, little affection, never impressed~

Which is why I still need to establish her a bit more! More Morgan coming up soon

I'm trying to get to the old asks I wasn't able to answer before (since I was still developing the lore...) And I just need a little break from the tournament plus, I've been working on some Kirfluff stuff for Oct.: Kirfluff week!

Also, little funny side notes and gags' "Hero to Zero... Hercules" reference and Mag's little side comment. Based on the meme, "you ruined a perfectly good child..."

So, hope you guys enjoyed it!

[supremeb1tch8783]

Something I find really funny as I revisit Black Butler is Sebastian’s character.

It’s been years since the last anime arc release, and an arc that’s animated as a full season rather than a movie. And I haven’t kept up with the manga as much because I will binge read and so I like to let ongoing series rack up chapters and preferably finish whatever arc they’re in so I don’t have to be left on a cliffhanger for a month.

But that’s neither here nor there. Onto Sebastian Michaelis! I’ll be brief!

I find him so absolutely funny because as we see from his cinematic record in the Book of Atlantic, and later as they showed us the specifics of how their contract was formed, he kinda sorta fr hated “Ciel” and found him to be punitive human not worth anything other than a potentially delicious meal lol. He wanted his soul for sure, and he came forth upon Ciels cries because he recognized a high quality meal, but he a) didn’t expect the job to go on for so long, b) didn’t know his new master wanted to do all the investigating rather just letting him run off and kill everyone and return to eat him, and most hilariously c) he didn’t think his new master would expect and demand of him to do a butlers job in a more “human” fashion.

Things like cleaning each room with dusters and brooms, etc. or cooking food step by step rather than just waving a hand and it all being done.

But what I find so funny is that despite him being a demon, and us seeing that very often, him voicing his thoughts on how pathetic and futile a humans life or goals or aspirations to be, he has found some actual pleasure in doing things the human way.

And it’s pointed out so obviously in the pride he takes in being like “ah yes, the linens are all perfectly pressed, dinner is exquisitely prepared, I was able to do XYZ for the Funtom Company, truly I am the best butler to ever butler,” rather than the “best demon to ever act like a butler”

Like he’s lost in his role, the method acting is so strong I wonder if he realizes.

And what’s even funnier is when he’s interrupted. Cuz he’ll be in the zone getting preparations done, having the butler aesthetic going on and then Bard, Meyrin, or Finny will do some off the cuff nonsense and he’s pulled away from what he was doing, like god dammit! I was JUST whisking the meringue to the perfect consistency but now I have to replant our entire greenhouse garden. Etc.

Like he really started out so feral and petty with Ciel when he started, loathing being a butler, finding it annoying, not thinking he was gonna have to do it for over 3 years and now he’s here acting as mother, father, teacher, uncle, aunt, daycare instructor, and on occasion male prostitute to perform his duties as butler to the queens guard dog.

He’s still feral for sure, but there’s a sorta domesticated feeling I get when I look at him being such a loyal demon servant. And he doesn’t hate all humans, he can still find their lives otherwise short and pointless, but he’s respectful in a real meaningful way to people like Tanaka, Agni or even Elizabeth, and despite being a demon the chivalry he’ll show at times is sincere, and once again, he’s been there for so long. It cracks me up sometimes.

Anyways, rant over <3

[that-ari-blogger]

Pentious Eyes (It Start With Sorry)

I think its really important to understand that Sir Pentious is introduced as a villain and a schemer. He is an architect of destruction who wants to murk a main character. He’s evil, and he should be unredeemable.

And yet he gets a redemption arc, so, what’s up with that?

Pentious serves to demonstrate the thesis of the series. Hope. To redeem yourself, you need to recognise your flaws and try to get better, you need to look forwards and believe in a better tomorrow for yourself as a person.

This is not optimism. As defined by the show, optimism is passive, hope is not. Optimism says “I wish it would happen”, hope says “It will happen”.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD (Hazbin Hotel)

The most memorable part of this song is the “Pentious Eyes Motif”, which goes like this.

I kid you not, those last two notes are the majority of this song’s messaging and themes wrapped up into a single progression.

It’s not actually that uncommon of a phrase. It’s a single note increase from E to F and G to A, forming an E minour and then an F chord. It’s got an upwards inflection that conveys a positive tone, but it's not unusual in itself. If you play enough notes in any order, you will eventually run into that progression.

The trick here is in the name. “Pentious Eyes”. The series associated this progression with a visual, that being the most adorable of all blinks. The song is sparse at this point, so you hear the progression clearly, and suddenly it is stuck in everyone’s mind as associated with that character.

There is more to it, however, specifically in how it changes over the course of the song.

We start with the idealistic, overtly saccharine version that is too high for most people to sing. Then it is played again, each time following the word “sorry” to hammer home the thematic.

I want to briefly talk about the differing registers that this number is sung in. Charlie is a soprano, matching her high aspirations. But the description of her verses that came to mind was “heavenly”. They have that sweeping, smooth tone that reminds me of chapel choirs. Partially, this is the limited backing, which serves to let her voice stand out without upstaging it, but the music comes across as ungrounded.

Meanwhile, Pentious is voiced by Alex Brightman who I believe sings Tenor. I’m far from the expert, but the terminology isn’t important. The point I’m making is that Pentious’ voice is so much lower than Charlie’s. He has to reach up to meet her, and she has to come down to meet him. Symbolically, he has to improve for her to reach down and help him up.

When Pentious does start singing, the music gets a lot denser, with strings backing up the piano and almost causing Pentious to blend in with it. Pentious isn’t special, Charlie is, and she’s offering him help up.

“Who could forgive a dirtbag like me? I don’t deserve your amnesty.”

I feel like the reading of Pentious as being just misguided and therefore not truly bad takes away from his story. Because he’s right. He doesn’t deserve the amnesty. He’s tried to kill multiple members of the cast, and the only reason he didn’t succeed was that he was adorably incompetent.

However, that’s the point here. He didn’t deserve amnesty, but he still received it. That’s who Charlie is, the person who offers a chance at a better life, no matter who to.

As Charlie lifts towards her ideal, Pentious tries to follow, but is unable. She has to meet him halfway so they can rise together.

“It will take time to cover for my vast multitude of sins but sorry is where it begins”

Bingo. The song is about the start of a redemption arc, not it in its entirety, and it addresses this fact here.

Redemption is a journey; you don’t just get forgiven and move on. You don’t just say “sorry” and then become a better person. An apology is just the first step on that journey.

However, this does lead to my criticism of the series, pacing. The series is shorter than it was pitched as, and I will insist that this is mostly not a fault of the writers, but a negative impact that the Amazon executives have had on the series.

As a side effect of the shortening, Sir Pentious doesn’t get nearly enough character development. He gets moments, individual moments, but the show can’t get across the journey of his character with just a song and about ten other non-comedic lines.

Genuinely, the best fix for this flaw in the series would be “more of the series”, which is worth noting, but in my opinion, doesn’t take enough away from the show to stop me enjoying it.

Before I go, I want to mention what this says about the end goal of redemption. Because I have been going on about “becoming better” but that is vague as all hell. So, what are the tangible benefits of being a better person.

In this series, there are two incentives, a carrot and a stick. The former of these is genocide. Be better, or you will get murked. But this is a false reward in this situation. For one, nobody knows it’s possible, but also, Heaven doesn’t care if you get better. As I discussed in my post on Hell is Forever, the one size fits all style of retributive justice really doesn’t help anything.

So, what about the other incentive?

I would say that is community and compassion. The villainy in this series is presented as self-defeating. Pentious seeks the Vees’ approval, and puts his neck on the line for them, and Vox is awful to him. The Vees themselves are a part of one of the most toxic group dynamics ever put to screen, its stable for the moment, but you don’t ever get the feeling that these three wouldn’t immediately drop each other if it became convenient.

Enter Charlie, someone who will protect Pentious from his own actions, and who offers friendship to someone who doesn’t deserve it. The music backs up Charlie’s greatest strength. She can see the best in people and inspire them to see it as well.

The best thing you can give someone is a support network.

Final Thoughts

Ok, I have to get this out of my system. But Pentious knew about Alastor being back before the Vees did. Like, he wants respect from the Vees, but at this point he’s just picking fights with someone he thinks they will want dead.

I’m just not sure “impressed” would be the first emotion to cross Vox’s face if Alistor turned up dead on his doorstep after being missing for seven years.

This isn’t my observation, but Tumblr’s delightful search engine won’t let me find the original. So, if you know who they are, please give me a shout.

Next week, however, I will be discussing Respectless, and the Vees in general. The good, the bad, and the Velvette. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[uninformedartist]

3 AM thoughts but this video right here perfectly spells out why I hate poison (& behind the scene stuff)

So 1st just a tw, going to talk about ep 4 & poison here.

Ok so just focusing on the song itself, not the behind the scene stuff of Raphielle, Vivienne all that (I talk briefly about that). The song is in its essence decent.

Calxiyn analysed this song properly, it rhyme, instrumentation, the meaning of the lyrics all that deals with the musicality & technicality of the song & it all came out its a solid song actually.

What they saw about this song is that its not a I want song like happy day in hell Angel singing about his aspirations, dreams, wants ect or an I am song, a song showing who he truly is but more of a "pity" song (mean this in how the writers want it to come across), a song that rehashed what we already saw about Angel, his abuse, the facade he puts on, his "work". Its a song that is not needed at all to be made as it adds nothing to Angel as a character.

I always, when I watched ep 4 felt so disgusted by this song. Yes for behind the scenes things that went on but just how I know & saw Angel's pain, his facade BEFORE this song, having this song + the visuals added nothing to his character, his story & just felt like putting Angel through this pain, through that spectical of a song & visuals for nothing.

Aside: Well not nothing since behind the scenes one of her staff gets off to seeing Angel go through his abuse, Vivienne defending him but I digress.

The song was not needed like wow after watching this video & hearing the analysis what a waste of a song. Waste of adding depth to Angel in this song. Exploring just anything of him. His dreams, his aspirations or even how he truly is not his facade. Because of this song it feels, no IS that Angel in episode 6 just accepts his life being contractually bound to Valentino. There is no real resolution to Angel's arc. The cycle will probably just continue into season 2 even.

Angel is written purposely to be in this perpetual cycle of abuse & pain & his song solidifies it. There's no hope of him getting free, no hope of seeing his true dreams, his true self in song its just a depressing hope said by Angel in him wishing "I had something to live for tomorrow" but it won't come as ep 6 he just accepts his life, his "work" like is some typical 9 to 5 when IT IS NOT.

I can be wrong on all this, its 03:23 the morning idk.

[theofaluvsviolet]

Miquella’s Character arc

There is a fuss going on after the dlc release about Miquella so I am here to say my own thoughts and opinions on this. YES, Miquella ended up being manipulative and he didn’t do the best things to achieve his goals no matter his good intentions. But that was not always the case…

Miquella’s beginning, as we see in the Haligtree, gave hopes and possibilities for a better world. He did care for his sister and did care for the unwanted. After he abandoned the golden order fundamentalism he still worked hard to cure his sister. Thinking he could achieve his goals by remaining an incomplete god and essentially a child though, didn’t work.

If you think about it, every Demigod that ever ascended to godhood or anything related to gaining power (Rykard, Godrick, Malenia etc) drove them all out of their last parts of sanity, their sense of justice and compassion. A common thing we see is that, the demigods begun as rebellions against the golden order and then to make their goals reality they ascended into gods, in a maddening state. This is what happens to Miquella in the dlc and you, save him from this fate…

By leaving behind his body parts and especially St. Trina, Miquella left behind everything that was keeping him a good person and a person willing to truly change the world. He even abandoned the Haligtree and his sister in order to ascend. He moved to horrific deeds and decisions in order to succeed his ascension to godhood, and if you think about some other demigods, or Marika herself, it’s a non escaping end.

If in the beginning, wished for a better world he wouldn’t even think of his “non free will age” he then realized that to fix this world it’s going to be needed more than mere compassion. And by realizing that he abandons every doubt, every kindness, every unconditional love to his ascension. His ability to gain love from others and to aspire a world of it turned into manipulation.

When you, the tarnished follow his footsteps you essentially follow his broken parts, all parts of his fears to follow this path. And then St. Trina, all that’s left from his kindness, tells you to kill him in order to protect him and save him from this fate of corruption that his mother too had.

St. Trina tells you to kill Miquella and not let the poor thing become a god. This is what she meant. She meant to save him from this fate of becoming a god. He left behind his pieces of all unconditional kindness. By killing him, you save him from this fate. Maybe you, even save his kindness alive in any way you wish.

• Were his actions in the DLC wrong? YES

• Were his intentions good? YES

• Did he manipulate? YES in the end

• Did he truly have care for others? YES, in the beginning

Would I choose his age of compassion? No it still doesn’t add up to me but, in my eyes Miquella is not that evil master villain that others portray. His character development is much more complex than the definition of “good” or “evil”. Essentially he begun as a promising and carrying character and ended up as a naive tragic manipulator.

Now shoutout to the other topic today.

Miquella and Mohg

• Did Mohg kidnap Miquella on his own will? YES

• Was he enchanted by Miquella? YES

• Did Miquella have any plans with him? YES, but NOT before he took him.

So, even if in the dlc we know that Miquella charmed Mohg, we are also clued that, Mohg actually had his own plans and ambitions with him. Miquella would never think to involve Mohg in his plans, not after he realises that he turned useful. It just doesn’t make any sense. But that doesn’t mean that Mohg was not charmed, LATER

The first plan of Miquella, was to wait inside his cocoon inside the Haligtree and be born again as a new god. But we know that Mohg, while Malenia was against Radahn, still abducted Miquella from inside his cocoon.

“ Wishing to raise Miquella to full godhood, Mohg wished to become his consort, taking the role of monarch. But no matter how much of his bloody bedchamber he tried to share, he received no response from the young Empyrean “

“Render up your offerings of blood to your Lord. Drench my consort's chamber. Slake his cocoon's thirst. His awakening shall herald the dawn of our dynasty”

This concludes to the fact that indeed, Mohg tried to share his bedchamber with Miquella and indeed wished to build a new dynasty with him as his consort.

And while we know that Miquella charmed him in order to achieve his entrance to the Land of Shadow, there is no explanation on why would he charm him to take him out of his cocoon which he was trying to succeed something in. He still had faith in the Haligtree and he decided to abandon it later.

But I am pretty sure that Miquella departed his spirit from body, so he probably wanted Mohg to stop his blood rituals on him. This is probably why he charmed him. He wanted him to stop and used his power to make him act on his own plans. I believe that the charm came after the abduction when he realised this ritual will not grant him his wishes.

What Ansbach said about him trying to undo Miquella’s charm, Mohg must’ve been already charmed at this point. Ansbach would not like his lord to be enchanted in any way, no matter what Miquella made him do.

Miquella decided to take Mohg’s body way after he was killed. He lost all of his kindness and compassion at this point.

[trojanteapot]

FIONNA AND CAKE SPOILERS: Thoughts on Marceline being "The Star"

I rewatched The Stakes Miniseries after last week's Fionna and Cake episodes, and maybe to some of you who have thought about Adventure Time more than I have, this is old news, but they had always telegraphed Marceline being "The Star".

In the last episode of the miniseries, The Dark Cloud, when Marceline activates her full demon soul-sucking powers, she glows pink and becomes kind of like a starry nebula.

The whole plot of the stakes miniseries is about Marceline coming to terms with the trauma in her past, growing up, and feeling more sure of herself. This is in fact all themes that align with the Upright tarot card The Star.

[image ID: The Star/Meaning When the Star card appears, you are likely to find yourself feeling inspired. It brings renewed hope and faith and a sense that you are truly blessed by the universe at this time. The Star represents: New hopes and splendid revelations of the future, insight, inspiration, courage and enlightenment of the spiritual self. Body and mind and converging towards the light at the end of a dark time(s).]

The Star is number 17, following The Tower number 16. It's supposed to represent the light at the end of the tunnel, the glimmer of hope. It's positivity and aspirations after many trials and tribulations. This tarot card perfectly encapsulates the character arc of Main Universe Marceline.

Now what about the other universe? This brings me to what The Star means when it's drawn Reversed:

[image ID: Hopelessness The Star Tarot Card Meaning. Key Meanings (Upright): Hope, inspiration, creativity, calm, contentment, renewal, serenity, spirituality, healing, positivity. Key Meanings (Reversed): Hopelessness, despair, focusing on the negative, lack of faith, lack of inspiration, lack of creativity, boredom, monotony.]

In the universe where the vampires have taken over the post-mushroom wars Earth, they were so effective at killing humans, and all manner of living creatures that life on Earth is on the brink of collapse. The Vampire King has used the Ice Crown to cover the sky in perpetual clouds, which must have also sped up ecosystem collapse for life that doesn't have blood for the vampires to drink. The Princess Bubblegum of that world even spells it out that their world is pretty much nearing its end. In that sense, the Marceline of that world represents hopelessness and despair. However, not for herself, but for the three protagonists of Fionna and Cake.

Fionna is beginning to realize that no matter how much she tries to help, nothing is working out. Adventuring wasn't how she thought it was, and she just wants to go home.

Simon is already deep in his pit of despair from the very beginning of the series, because he is depressed and sees no place for himself in the land of Ooo, and no way to contact Betty after she ascended to godhood. And Fionna is realizing that if Simon becomes Ice King again, he will have to give up his mind, and pretty much annihilate himself in order to give magic back to her world.

Cake doesn't seem to be in despair at first, but we learn by the end of the episode that Cake absolutely does not want to go back to being a normal cat. She would do anything to stay the way she is, but this is at odds with what Fionna is realizing that she wants.

And if all of that hopelessness isn't enough, after the vampire universe, the trio are teleported to an even worse universe where the Lich had already succeeded in wiping out all life! Not to mention when BMO tried to help them fix their universe-hopping remote, he also destroyed himself in the process ):

So yeah, the writers were very smart to insert both meanings of the Star (both upright and reversed) into the wider narrative of Adventure Time!!!

[nomhano]

Hinata is so underwritten/develop rant

Hinata is often described as kind, gentle, and compassionate. She dislikes competition and conflict, and although she becomes more "shinobi-like" in Shippuden, her care for her friends and comrades remains constant (Third Naruto Databook). According to the First Naruto Databook, "Although she is the heir to the renowned Hyuga Main House, she is full of compassion and dislikes competition and fighting: such is Hinata’s personality." She is also referred to as "The kind and gentle dancing fighter with feelings for Naruto" (First Naruto Databook). While these traits are admirable, they are not typical of a shinobi. In the Land of Waves arc, we learn that becoming a shinobi requires following strict rules in the field, where emotions must be suppressed to prevent them from interfering with the mission. The shinobi's primary duty is to be a tool for their village and country, even if that means sacrificing personal relationships or friends. Naruto, however, rejects this traditional idea of a shinobi and vows to follow his own nindo, or ninja way. Hinata, deeply inspired by Naruto, adopts his nindo of "never giving up" and "never going back on your word," hoping to grow stronger and more assertive. However, her adoption of this nindo seems more rooted in her own internal struggles than in a desire to become a shinobi.

During the Chunin Exams, it’s revealed that Hinata feels trapped by the immense expectations placed on her as a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan. She battles low self-confidence and feels inferior to her younger sister, Hanabi, who is more skilled in the Gentle Fist technique. Hinata resents her inability to be assertive, a quality she wishes she could change. Her father, Hiashi, essentially gave up on her, favoring Hanabi and showing little concern if Hinata were to die on a mission. As the First Naruto Databook states, "It can be said that Hiashi possesses an even callous strictness concerning the protection of the Hyuga’s dignity, and so he completely abandoned Hinata, who was of lesser ability, and gave thorough training to her younger sister, Hanabi." Additionally, "Currently, her father has given up on her, and she is assigned to difficult missions as a Genin. Even being in that dire situation hasn’t broken her; she hasn’t lost that kindness of hers, and that’s because Naruto was there, inside her heart. And now, Hinata is strengthening herself, soundly and steadily" (First Naruto Databook). Hiashi’s harsh motto, as described in the First Databook, is: "No place for the weak."

This motto only adds to Hinata’s struggles: "Shackled by the strict laws of the Hyuga clan, and further weakened by her inferiority complex towards her younger sister, Hinata is always seeking strength and power. Hinata is never assertive about anything, something she tends to hate about herself" (First Naruto Databook). She admires Naruto so much because he’s the exact opposite of her. Naruto is overflowing with strength, courage, and self-confidence, qualities Hinata aspires to have. She wants to become like him, which is why she applies for the Chunin Exams—to prove that she too can become strong, just like Naruto. Though she dislikes conflict, she fights fiercely against Neji, driven by her desire to change herself.

From my perspective, Hinata’s desire for strength seems more introspective than driven by the need to defeat enemies or gain glory. For her, strength is a path toward self-confidence, self-worth, and faith in herself, rather than a tool for combat. This raises the question: did Hinata truly want to become a shinobi? While I love seeing her in action, being a shinobi doesn’t seem to fully align with her character.

Being a shinobi isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In this line of work, one may have to take another's life. It’s not entirely improbable that Hinata, despite her gentle nature, would face a situation where she had no choice but to kill in order to protect herself or her comrades. As a member of the Hyuga main branch, Hinata possesses the Byakugan, a highly sought-after dojutsu, which could easily place her in dangerous situations. Given the harsh realities of being a kunoichi, it’s difficult to believe she never took a life throughout her career.

For someone like Hinata, who values kindness and compassion so deeply, how must she have felt in those moments? The emotional toll of taking a life, especially for someone with her personality, would likely be profound and deeply conflicted. I can only wonder how she reconciled that with the path she chose.

It would have been fascinating if Hinata's story had explored the darker aspects of the shinobi system, where children are forced to become soldiers for their village. Given the weight of her clan’s expectations, Hinata had little choice but to follow the path of a shinobi. Perhaps she secretly yearned for a normal life—one free from the constant weight of clan politics, her obligations as the firstborn of the head of the clan, and the pressure to earn her father’s approval. She might have longed for the simple joys of friendship, acceptance, and genuine love from her family. I personally like this idea because it connects back to Kishimoto's original concept for Hinata as a regular city girl, which I just find cute haha. In this idea, Hinata doesn’t walk the path of the shinobi. I don’t think it’s impossible for her to walk the path of a shinobi, but her motivations for doing it will have to change.

I believe Hinata is the type of person who fights primarily to protect her loved ones. However, being a shinobi often means fighting not just for those closest to you, but for your entire village and country. While protecting your village may include safeguarding your loved ones, the broader duty of defending your nation extends beyond them. Hinata's kindness and compassion seem to be what drive her as a shinobi—her desire to protect her comrades, family, and others around her. Growing up feeling unwanted likely fuels this need to protect. As someone who was overlooked and abandoned by her own father, being able to feel needed by others may have given her a sense of purpose as a shinobi. But I still wonder how Hinata will feel if killing someone is a means to protect the one she loves. How would she process the emotions of taking someone's life?

I guess what I want to know is what you think about all this? What path would be more interesting to explore with Hinata’s character?Anyways, thank you for reading this long rant about a side character I have a bit of an unhealthy hyper fixation for lol. 💜

[casual-praxis]

May I present the post-canon vidow in my genderbent au?

They've been through character development, but at least they still have each other! :)

I think about them a lot. I have more ramblings about them below the cut if anyone is interested in that.

The genderbent au is something I cobbled together originally because I have an easier time drawing women, but I didn't do anything with it since it was mostly just the Four Swords manga with girls instead.

Now that I have had time to think about it though, I've made a few more adjustments so it's not just a carbon copy. The bulk of changes happen with Red and Blue, but Vio and Shadow definitely have the most going on post-canon, which you can somewhat see here.

After Shadow dies, Vio spends a year or two without much purpose. She didn't have any goals or aspirations like the others. She barely knew how to process feelings beyond the basics. So now that they'd defeated the big bad, returned the sword, and miraculously not disappeared, what was left for her?

All the others seemed to pick up loose ends left behind by the original Link; Green became the personal guard of Zelda, Blue was working her way towards captain of the royal guard, and Red was pursuing blacksmithing (something Link had found interesting but had no time to dabble with). There wasn't much else left for Vio, and so she simply kept on as she had before. Learning emotions from the others, absorbing information regardless of utility, and waiting.

It wasn't until Zelda approached her with the request to investigate some ruins that she began to find a calling for herself. None of the others could be pulled away for this task, and that was fine. They were all busy with their own lives. She could read between the lines.

The dark and ancient air of the underground passages was oddly comforting to her anyway, and she found her time never wasted when transcribing olden words near faded to parchment. It felt refreshing, in a way, to be so enraptured by the secrets carved in stone.

Had she ever felt such a way before? She must have. Recognizing how she was feeling was something Red had been most thorough in teaching her. So when had she... Oh.

Vio hadn't thought of Shadow in a while. She tried not to, really. Her death had been the first time she'd truly had to grapple with the notion that someday, you'll have your last conversation with someone.

No matter how much you enjoy that person's company, or how much you wish you'd said something different. Someday, you'll say your last words to someone, and that will be that.

It was sad.

She wished she could cry. She wished she could grieve properly. The belief she couldn't feel these emotions was what got her in that mess to begin with. She did feel sad. She just couldn't express it.

More than anything, she wished she'd told Shadow that.

If only she had told her with those stupid words Vio touted so proudly above emotion. Maybe then Shadow wouldn't have died staring up into Vio's cold dry eyes and blank expression. Maybe then she would have known how Vio felt.

But she didn't.

And there was nothing in the world of light that could change that.

So she'd turned to the dark.

One more conversation is all she wanted, and then one more conversation after that. Call it selfish if you would, but she didn't care, she was selfishness embodied after all. She'd trade her listless life for the one who'd had hers cut tragically short if that's what it took.

Even if she can't emote well, or speak the way she feels, she'll show Shadow how much her friendship meant to her, no matter what.

And thus, Vio's dark magic arc began.

While already attund to earth magic, dark magic was a difficult secondary type to pick up. It was finicky and liable to kill its caster with litte warning, so much of the early process was spent learning theory over practice.

The others thought little of it at first, simply figuring it was more miscellaneous research tied to Vio's sudden interest in forgotten ruins and text. It wasn't until Green stumbled across Vio casually casting it did they start to ask more questions about why she was looking into forbidden magic. Surely this wasn't actually her hobby, right?

Well, yes and no. Her magic studies were begining to branch out into less devious arts (much to Red's delight, "magic besties!!"), but ultimatly it served a purpose to her outside being a fun challange. She was going to resurect Shadow.

Green and Blue, as expected, were incredibly hesitant about the idea. Meanwhile Red was more optimistically on the fence. None of them wanted to outright discourage Vio, but none of them had really known Shadow the way Vio had. Who's to say she wouldn't just go right back to being evil? One sacrifice in the grand scheme of things didn't suddenly vouch for a life on the straight and narrow.

In the end, it was Zelda's call to let Vio continue her studies (with Zelda's assistance) to bring Shadow back. Should she turn out to still be evil, they'd just shoot her with a light arrow or something. Zelda really wasn't that worried about it, she knew Shadow could be convinced to see reason.

This all culminated in a few years of study, a giant mirror, blood rituals, and Vio literally dragging Shadow out of said giant mirror.

Vio's arm, which she'd used to pull Shadow out, was irrevocably stained by the dark magic, and will presumably remain this way until she dies. Small sacrifices, in her opinion. She's able to cast way stronger spells with it now.

Shadow, meanwhile, was coated completely in the dark magic of the ritual mirror, and bares the stains all over her body. She'd remained in somewhat of a limbo state after death, floating in eternal darkness up until Vio reached in to pull her out.

She was actually feeling a little petty when she noticed Vio attempting to reach her and intentionally didn't take her hand right away. This quickly changed however once she realized Vio was going to keep leaning further into the mirror until she either fell in or found Shadow, hence why the dark stains go so far up Vio's arm.

Though technically dead, Shadow did remain aging along with the others, on account of being their shadow. She was thrown for a loop initially by being brought back by an older-looking Vio with a wider range of emotions, but she bounced back quick.

After a year or so in the light world, she managed to adjust to life amongst the colors and Zelda. She's unofficially officially Zelda's "fun advisor", and makes her and Green take breaks whenever it seems like they need enrichment and time away from work. She spars with Blue to keep both their skills up, while also just hanging out and intimidating new recruits for the hell of it. She and Red gossip about town drama and only occasionally commit arson with Red's newest projects at the time. Lots of fun.

Shadow and Vio start off as just friends, trying to rebuild their relationship in a less back-stabby way, but quickly realize their feelings run a lot deeper than that. They travel together a lot, but Shadow's role as Zelda's advisor always brings them back to town after too long. Shadow's still getting used to Vio's more obvious shows of affection, as it was never something Vio did before, but she's found the change to be exhilarating. They are sickly sweet together.

I have more notes on these two but I didn't mean for this post to get this long and the sun has risen in the time I spent writing it all out why am I like this. If anyone has stuck around and read all this, thank you! I love to ramble about my fixations and it makes me happy when people listen! I appreciate it.

Bonus: Isolated Shadow and Vio.

[bestworstcase]

Hi, I've been enjoying your essays on Salem immensely and your theories about Summer have got me hoping we will get to see her again. A thought popped into my head recently: do you think it might be possible for Ruby to choose a new emblem at some point? Her emblem is the same as Summer's except for color. She's starting to learn that she doesn't know as much about her mother as she thought and that maybe she shouldn't aspire to become the hero she thought that Summer was. So what if part of Ruby discovering herself came in the form of an emblem change? I guess it's a long shot, since the show hasn't touched directly on the emblems very much, but this particular one carries explicit narrative significance...

i think she might modify the brooch in some way—maybe take a leaf out of yang’s book and paint it?—to really make it hers.

this is smth i talked about while v9 was airing but the core problem ruby had to face in the ever after is that because she lost her mom at just the right age to have indistinct, amorphous memories of summer and grew up hearing about summer as this fairytale hero (who was just! like! ruby!), ruby is alienated from herself—her "memory" of summer is really more of a projected idealized form of herself.

we glimpse this in v6/v7 with ruby visualizing her own feelings personified in summer rose (+ the character model being a barely tweaked clone of ruby, which is not, as v9 reveals, what summer rose actually looked like—the low effort v6/v7 model may have just been a budget/time consideration but even if it was they leveraged it narratively to great effect) and ruby asking qrow what he thinks summer would have done in her shoes when she’s doubting herself. but the ever after pulls it to the surface and confronts her with it.

(this is also sort of what’s going on with penny’s sword, incidentally… it wasn’t literally penny’s sword that fell into the ever after somehow, it was an outward physical manifestation of her grief in the form of a sword because ruby’s the "weapons are extensions of ourselves" girl)

ANYWAY the point being, ruby sacrificing the brooch is what precipitates her katabasis in the last arc of v9 because she is, at the same time, letting go of summer but also rejecting herself, because her idea of summer is really her own reflection disguised as what she wants to be (<- STILL CANT BELIEVE THIS.) and then crescent rose shocks her and ruby just unravels. take the image, the icon of summer from her and she has no idea who she is.

that separation from the burning rose was necessary but (as surmised in the linked post) it’s equally crucial that ruby took it back in the end, first because it’s the one real thing she has from her mother and that’s important to her and second because it is also very much ruby’s symbol now—summer left it behind fourteen years ago and it’s belonged to ruby ever since.

the key is that she needs to detangle her own identity from the idea of summer rose—smooth out the funhouse mirror so she can see herself (and her mother) as she truly is. which is a different kind of challenge than stepping out from her mother’s shadow; ruby isn’t struggling to assert that she isn’t like summer; she needs to realize summer wasn’t (isn’t) her, that when she imagines summer she’s really picturing herself without all the qualities she doesn’t like about herself.

it’s the reversal of the standard trope, which would generally end with the child discarding their parent’s identity and symbols to forge their own. i think for ruby it’s going to be similar to what jaune does with his shield after the fall of beacon, having it reforged with the image of her diadem worked into it as a way of both honoring her memory and claiming the family shield as his own. keeping the brooch but modifying it with her own touches, like by painting it or maybe casting a copy, allows for that same sort of balance between memorial and new beginning. which is also in keeping with what the burning rose itself symbolizes narratively, so it works on that level as well.