#where lies happiness?

[echodrops]

A key problem I’ve seen bandied about over and over is that Y’sthola doesn’t have a “character arc” and that she is a very static character--she has no growth because she essentially came in without any flaws that could be fixed over time in the narrative.

Characters don’t need flaws to be good characters. But in the absence of flaws, what they do need is organic motivation. Y’sthola ostensibly has a motivation: she loves knowledge and wants to learn more to sate her own desire for information about the world. She’s literally a ham-fisted “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back” metaphor.

The problem with this motivation is that no reason has ever been given for it. Why is she so driven to pursue knowledge? What made her choose this path? What events in her life led her to this specific course, when we meet her sister who behaves in a totally different (read as: much less self-sacrificial) way? What made her leave her family to study with Matoya and then leave Matoya to join the scions?

At her core, Y’shtola is characterized by her lack of prevailing connections. She has essentially no backstory other than “has a sister and studied with Matoya.”She has a family but never spends time with them. She loves Matoya, clearly, but still made the choice to leave her to join with Louisoix. Why? Although she’s friendly to all the scions, she still isn’t given any of the truly personal relationships that mark the other scions’ stories--she doesn’t have a Papalymo, a Minfillia, or a Moenbryda to truly “humanize” her; Matoya is the closest, and Matoya is a side character at most.

To be honest, I don’t care about learning a ton more about Y’sthola’s search for knowledge. It’s a typical and, in her case, criminally under-developed motivation. What I do care about is why, surrounded by so many opportunities to connect, she remains quintessentially a stray cat.

It seems to me that Y’shtola’s story would be much more interesting if it was not about this or that arcane magic she can learn to advance the plot, but instead about the deep and personal struggle between individual desire--endless pursuit of knowledge to sate one’s own curiosity--and the abiding desire to belong to others, to forge meaningful connections even if that sometimes means giving up on some of your personal, lone pursuits.

If you are never satisfied, can you ever settle?

Y’sthola’s "character arc” shouldn’t be about intelligence. It should be about wisdom: the discovery that the road to enlightenment might actually be the road that leads you home.

[punksalmon]

get freakay with it

[coffeeandtoastforbreakfast]

…the Lies of P brainrot continues. I love them so much

[cn-alastair-lite]

i been waiting for this one TURN IT UP 🔥 ‼️‼️📣📣

[boonie9]

[deepseasecret]

Got into Street Fighter in the last few months (and old woman yuri)

[stil-lindigo]

how clare managed to lock down the two strongest warriors of her generation as mums.

a claymore fancomic.

[snailvibes]

Redid my Max design!!!! Also enjoy a lil timeline of her and her appearances!!

[whyeverr]

We are eating good today!

[crrows]

Jane Marple's 2001 Feather Motif Ring

[todayisafridaynight]

[teaandinanity]

I love my character in The Golden Rose so much. His stat screen is basically like

[corpusdiem-seizethedead]

Charlie: I came out to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now

Alastor: I came out to attack people and I’m honestly having such a good time right now

Angel: I came out

Niffty: attack people

[ruvviks]

was vitali ever truly happy in his college years when he was together with nick? well, it's complicated.

taglist (opt in/out)

@shellibisshe, @florbelles, @ncytiri, @bialanwake, @stars-of-the-heart;

@lestatlioncunt, @katsigian, @radioactiveshitstorm, @estevnys, @adelaidedrubman;

@celticwoman, @rindemption, @carlosoliveiraa, @noirapocalypto, @dickytwister;

@killerspinal, @euryalex, @ri-a-rose, @velocitic, @thedeadthree;

@jacobseed, @swordcoasts, @ordinarymaine

[evie-doesnt-write]

Found these on a video about Zoro’s love life

[krillonthegrill]

i want to keep the idea of Amanda cooking for Max when she's busy

when Max is getting really swept up in grading people's projects or developing photos and choosing the best ones, she forgets to eat actual food and just survives on the occasional hot pocket with hot sauce and coffee. and it doesn't bother her, because she's been doing that for years

Amanda knows she's "eating" but she's not eating decent, nutritious food made with LOVE and that bothers her because Max has a big brain and big brains need variety. plus, she's seen Max cook and it is...a time

so, y'know. a tray of lasagna with homemade pasta and tomato sauce made from scratch occasionally appears on Max's counter. maybe fruit salad. even just like maruchan packet chicken ramen but with added touches like green onion and an egg.

all of it tastes fucking amazing. yet Max feels kinda guilty, that Amanda is fussing over her like this ("i should start cooking for myself," she thinks as she slurps down the best ramen she's had in years). but Amanda shuts that shit down so quick because this is literally just how she shows affection. Max is unreachable when she's really zoned-in, so this is her way of doing stuff for her without bothering her so EAT THE DAMN FOOD, MAX

and Max can't really cook. like, her idea of spicing something up is dousing it in hot sauce. but she wants to do something for Amanda so maybe one day Amanda walks into her house with whatever food she brought that day and there's a simple grilled cheese with white american cheese on it. and a note beside it that's like "for Amanda :)"

is it slightly burnt? yeah, but Amanda eats the whole thing and maybe she cries a lil bit while eating because it's not often people cook for her back and to have Max do it is just so

idk i just love them