#focused; character development

[emystic]

Mika's tunic is one that his mother, Marja, made for him. She made all of his clothing or took clothes from larger scaled dolls in human settlements and typically kept it hidden under a tree in the forest they both used to reside in before the incident.

Mika is actually very fussy about clothing and doesn't like bathes either. Sometimes when he was still with his mother, she would have to use food, toys, or promises of playing for him to actually stay clean.

When he was with his mother, his hair was notably more true to his actual texture being very soft, fluffy, and thick akin to an actual fox kit. Now without her his hair looks very shaggy and unkempt, without her to cut it as well it grew way past what's expected as well and is nearly the same length as himself (his hair grows incredibly fast).

#mika; focused #focused; character development #since i am waiting to do mika drafts #here's some fun facts about mika #this also explains why sometimes i draw him #either he's a lil fancy boy or like his mom runs a cottagecore blog or just literally have a cloth wrapped around him #there are no in between only three options

[haunted-xander]

I think one of the (several) reason for why Shadowbringers is so good is because the narrative is more about the individual characters than it is the Greater Conflict.

Like, the Greater Conflict is definitely there, obviously, it's what keeps the story going, but the focus is always on the people, much more so than the other expacs. HW and STB also have some level of character focus ofc, but it's very selective and even then the focus is based on them in the specific context of the current conflict.

But in SHB, the story bends around the characters' narratives, rather than the other way around. The story forms to put them in situations that challenges their flaws and limitations, by forcing them to confront it and actually deal with it. Even just at the very beginning, you see the twins being dealt a terrible hand that very neatly clashes against their faults.

Alisaie is confronted with a situation that she can and could never do anything about. She has no means to help the patients (at the time at least). The only way for her to help them is by eradicating the source of the affliction itself: the Light. But the Light isn't just some Big Bad she can kill and be done with. Even when all the lightwardens are down the Light is still there, it's just more manageable. Alisaie learns to not only see the bigger picture, but to care for it for her own reasons. For all that she has participated in Big Operations, it has always been because that's what others were doing, what others cared for to be done. She feels for the people of Doma and Ala Mhigo, but she didn't set out to liberate their homelands because she has any personal investment in it. But other people do, and she cares about what other people- be they strangers or friends- care about.

Caring about other peoples feelings and opinions isn't a flaw by itself of course, but doing things without any sense of personal purpose, is. This is what SHB helps her fix and confront, because it is personal now, she does it because she cares.

Alphinaud is forced into a situation where diplomacy and negotiations does and would never work. He can't talk himself into Eulemore, and he sure as hell can't convince Vauthry or the free citizens to let go of their life of ignorant luxury. The problem here also isn't as straightforward as a corrupt ruler, because even after Vauthry is revealed for the bastard he is, it takes considerable effort and convincing to get them to get off their asses and get to work. It's one thing to change the minds of people who wanted the same outcome just in a different way (like Ishgard- they rejected unity with the dragons, but they still wanted an end to the war), but it's another thing entirely to convince people that another way of life is even worth it.

And this is what SHB teaches Alphinaud, that words and deeds can achieve much, but that there is much more to diplomacy than appealing to their wants and/or sensibilities to convince them of an alternative outcome. His development may not be as immediately noticable as some of the others (largely bc he had a lot of it already from HW), but it is still very much there.

Urianger's development had already been build up and sort-of started already, but we don't really get to see it until it near explodes in his face after we kill Vauthry. Even after he swore off secrecy, he's forced to confront his morals when the Exarch bids his assistance. Urianger has always been looking at the greater picture, to the point he'd almost lose himself in it if it wasn't for the overwhelming guilt he feels. He works with the Exarch, because he knows he's the only one capable of it, and he hates the very fact that he is. When the climax of the plan is about to be executed, he is pained to the point that even he can't mask it anymore. He has betrayed their trust once more and once more it will result in the death of a friend.

But it doesn't, and that's what's needed for him to confront himself. As terrible and unexpected as the circumstances around it was, it did show him that there are other ways. There is no one way to solve a problem, the first choice doesn't need to be the only one. And he would find those other ones of he had just talked to the others.

The pay-off doesn't quite come until EW, where we see him actively make the choice to go against his first instinct of acquiesing to the Loporrits' plans, and instead chooses to consult us, but that scene wouldn't have made sense or even happened had it not been for his development in SHB.

Now, Y'shtola is a bit of an odd one because while she does get her due focus, she doesn't quite get the same amount of development as the others. Rather, it shows how she thrives when not held back by others interests and (often somewhat needless) bounderies. Her intelligence and charisma have the chance to shine, her independence and confidence now rewarded rather than punished. In ARR, she is constantly annoyed by the Maelstroms way of dealing with things, and how no one bothers to actually listen to her. Her advice and reprimands are almost entirely ignored until the problem blows up in their faces and they have no choice but to concede that she was right.

Being independent and confident aren't flaws by themselves, but her sometimes aggressive approaches to telling others off does her few favors. In SHB, she has the Night's Blessed who actually heed her word and respect her, they listen to her and actually take what she says- be it advise or reprimand- to heart.

She does also, however, have to deal with Thancred who, much like the Maelstrom, ignores her reprimands and doesn't listen to her. The difference here is that her bluntness actually serves a purpose. In ARR, her bluntness lacks tact and meaning, simply a result of frustration. The Maelstrom won't listen to someone who doesn't come up with fleshed-out arguments and solutions, but Y'shtola doesn't bother giving them any until she knows they'll listen. But with Thancred, she does give him the solution. It's just that the solution is him. His words, to be precise, and his acceptance. And he needs to be reminded of that, and she does. It doesn't automatically solve anything, but that's simply how it is with complicated situations like that.

Speaking of Thancred, his narrative is probably the most important of all for SHB. He's always been shown as a capable, but ultimately self-destructive man who genuinely does not know how to deal with himself in a healthy manner. Theoretically speaking he knows, he recognizes that he is self-destructive, but he still has no idea how to actually fix it. It's been shown as early as ARR when it results in him getting possessed, but it's not really made a point of until it almost ruins his relationship with Ryne. Up until now he could just ignore his problems, but with Ryne he can't because now The Problem(s) aren't just his anymore. Anything that would hurt him now would also hurt her, meaning that if he wants to continue doing the one thing he actually cares about (protecting his loved ones) then he needs to get his shit together.

But Thancred doesn't know how to. And for all that his friends try and try to help him, he doesn't know how to. He's paralyzed. Thancred is so deep into his self-destructive habits that it takes the threat of both his and the person(s) he loves the most in the worlds deaths to get him into action. He doesn't know if it's Minfilia or Ryne who will return, and I'm not sure he expected to survive Ran'jit. He only has this chance, and if he wants to die without (as many) regrets he has to do something now.

And he does. He does and what it is he does is tell Ryne that whatever happens, it has to be her own choice. That he will accept any outcome, that he will still care about her no matter what, that as long as she lives or dies as she wants to, that he still loves her. He still loves her. And it works, because that's what he's needed to do all this time, to be able to just tell her that she matters. That he cares.

He tells her to live her own life, and he learns to live his own too.

#had to put a cut bc this got WAY long lol #replaying shb as you do. goes insane. as always. it has me in a chokehold #the story primarily focuses on thancred & ryne but EVERYONE gets character development. yes even y'shtola. its just not as apparent w her #OOUUGH *explodes* #i have many more thoughts still but if i start rambling in the tags ill never stop so i will spare you. this time #alisaie leveilleur #alphinaud leveilleur #urianger augurelt #y'shtola rhul #thancred waters #ryne waters #shadowbringers #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #xander rambles #xander being insane about ryne #SHES INCLUDED SO IT COUNTS

[twelvemonkeyswere]

ofmd season 1: "hurt people hurt people" mostly from the perspective of Stede, who copes with his trauma through avoidance, hurting himself by hurting those around him

ofmd season 2: "hurt people hurt people" mostly from the perspective of Ed, who copes with his trauma through violence, hurting himself by hurting those around him

both seasons have subplots about healing and growth, about finding love, about what to do with those parts of yourself that are drowning you, and what NOT to do with them, and those storylines and themes help support the main ones, seen through the eyes of our protagonists.

in particular, the parallel deaths in the last episodes of each season (Badminton dying in front of Stede, Izzy dying in front of Ed) have distinct thematic beats as well, in different moments of the main characters' storylines, but are still connected in a similar way: both Badminton and Izzy represent the external voices and pressures that have etched themselves in Ed and Stede and have forced them to hide their true selves in order to survive. in Stede's case, the pressure and bullying was always kind of detached, an overwhelming indifference and casual hatred, while for Ed, the pressure and bullying was always up close and personal, given to him by the very people who claimed to appreciate him. that's why Badminton is a villain we don't care much about, and Izzy is a character that was much more fleshed out by the end, because sometimes the call comes from inside the house, and I thought it was nice the team tried to incorporate some of those nuances into the storyline to help develop the main themes.

#some of my initial thoughts #the effects of these deaths are different because our characters have been growing all along so there are different purposes to them #i wish we had had more episodes to develop some things so it didn't feel so crunched but i see it i see what they've done #but mostly i really love how this season was largely focused on Ed (beloved) #and what his journey is all about #tv #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #wendy watches

[prideprejudce]

the more i think about Oppenheimer the more disappointed i get because at its core it’s such an interesting story to tell. like the whole manhattan project catapulted the entire world into a new atomic era that we could never go back from whether we were ready for it or not. and the fallout from the project not only changed and devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of people (including of course the victims in hiroshima and nagasaki + the people living in new mexico where they tested the bomb) and the continued generational trauma of the bombs. also just the general mass panic and fear that the Cold War instilled into every citizen in the states who were literally waiting to one day be just annihilated by a nuclear attack. the whole creation of the atomic bomb had so much impact on the world. so doing a deep character study of both oppenheimer and his colleagues on the moral ambiguity of their work in the project and the outcome of it is such a great movie concept. but the film didn’t feel like that at all. instead Nolan gave us the watered down story that he’s best at and spent almost three hours forcing us to watch whether oppenheimer had to lose his disneyland government fast-pass due to his communist ties or not (spoiler: he does) and how strauss doesn’t like him because he got his feewlings hurt once. all the other scientists and physicists were given one or two minutes of screen time and were really just names to a face. the actual bombs creation was given a sidelong glance and trivial explanation at best. and of course to tie it all off the main female side characters were either naked/having sex for 80% of their screen time or was given the character depth of a piece of tissue paper

#oppenheimer #oppenheimer spoilers #oppenheimer negativity #I’ve had all day to think on this and the more i do the sadder i get #i wanted to like this film so much #i thought we were gonna be given a deep dive into this character and the bomb #but the result felt shallow and contrived #the movie focuses so much on fitting as much info as possible in three hours that the story just couldn’t breathe #scenes between characters lasted all of two minutes before we were launched into another scene to two new characters #and oppenheimers personal motivation/desires just felt ambiguous the entire time #like he busts his ass to build this bomb but then all the sudden develops a moral compass when it’s done? #where’s the character depth?? what makes him so passive about some things then suddenly driven for others? #and Florence and Emily Blunt were ripped off and characters were reduced to common tropes #it’s just so disappointing….i waited all year for this movie too

[ezralva]

It's been a while since I read a jjk article that actually makes me happy

And for the description of Choso which is so very right

Choso is such a deep, multi-layered character that sometimes it's very sad I rarely find any fanworks that feature and dig him thoroughly and do him justice with his phenomenal characterization and narrative.

#i would love to read more of that if they exist #those focusing on his character studies and development #choso #chousou #he's still alive #sobbing #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #choso x reader #he's so important to me at the emotional level #So this article comes into view and it's been a while since I read a jjk article that is actually eye-catching and not just repeating leaks #or copy-pasteing fans' analyses from twt #meta

[sophsicle]

hey soph,

so I’ve seen a lot of people on TikTok say that liking Regulus, Barty, Jegulus or Snape is the same as supporting N*zis and f*scists, can i ask for your opinion on this?

"that's wack" - my opinion

#this is my official statement #there are real things in the world to be upset about #real fascists and real nazis #if you are focusing your outrage on peoples desire to develop fictional characters on ao3 i don't believe you actually give a shit #soph rambles

[magmethius]

hey. hi. go read my squid romance novel. it's good for you.

(art above is a commission from nopu. go buy art from her, she's incredible.)

#it's good i promise #it's all postgame character development focused #i just have a lot of feelings about the squid and i wrote this whole dissertation and i want to talk to more people about it all you know #anyway it's complete but i'm working on a sequel and there's a bunch of other related oneshots too #bg3 #bg3 the emperor #tav x emperor #illithid tav #illithid #mind flayer

[owlsie-hoot]

Siegfried Farnon has always been a strong presence, and it’s complicated because he’s her employer, as well. It’s a lot she’s giving up. For a woman who’s in a position where she’s independent, but she’s entirely dependent on her income from that job, and that’s also where she lives, it was a big thing to offer to give all of that up and to go towards something quite unknown. (Anna Madeley)

#Anna Madeley #Samuel West #Siegfried Farnon #Audrey Hall #ACGAS #ACGAS 2020 #Siegfried x Audrey #The way for a future together is open now #it was a long and hard and difficult road #but I am glad (in the end) that they went that way #even if it hurt #may series 5 bring wonderful new beginnings #Audrey showed so much courage in series 5 #Loved her character development #Siegfried got even kinder and more focused on his little family in Tristan's absence #and he saw her in a different light as well I think #AND YOU KNOW WHAT? we will get series 5+6 and you know what that means right??????

[dragon-cookies]

I'm highkey bummed that the Mario movie went through the trouble to confirm that Peach is not from the Mushroom Kingdom, and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with it

I also would've loved to see Peach have an actual reaction to seeing an entire city of humans too. Like she was clearly really excited seeing Mario for the first time, and yet we never get her response to an entire world of humans just like her

#like idk I feel like there's SO much potential for good character development there #peach just wondering where she really belongs in the grand scheme of things #while STILL being a badass because badass characters can be vulnerable too! #it is obvious I want another movie that focuses on peach lol #I love her so much #dc talks #super mario movie spoilers #super mario

[fictionadventurer]

...Is Persuasion home-front fiction?

Obviously there's not a war happening just then, but you still get a story taking place in a vast world with all sorts of exciting things happening, but we focus on the people living small domestic lives far away from all that.

#persuasion #jane austen #i keep thinking about that cinderella retelling #getting pretty excited about how things are developing #but then it hit me that i have this vast world of flying sailing ships and explorers and daring pilots #but the story is all about a character who's left behind in ordinary life away from all that #so like isn't that a waste of a world? #on the one hand maybe #but on the other hand the austen type of stories i'm drawing from already *are* this #(and my mc does get a bit of adventure) #(and has been shaped by experience in the more exciting elements of that world) #(plus there's nothing wrong with focusing on how all the changes brought about by the exciting explorers and airships stuff) #(affects the culture of ordinary life) #adventures in writing

[cringengl]

Next season I want some quality Joyce and Jonathan content please I'm starving

#like yes i also need joyce and will obviously #but when is the last time we rlly saw joyce and jonathan have like a proper conversation #like atp id just prefer some hopper and el and then joyce and jonathan #like hopper is a character im iffy about just bcus of how he treated el and joyce and then got away with it but st has focused so much on #his character development i rlly want to know if hes going to be better with el #tho i think s5 is going to be mostly willel and elumax in terms of els relationships with a bit of elmike bcus they have to break uo #but anyway this got so off topic #stranger things #joyce byers #jonathan byers #byers family #byler #< target audience

[emystic]

Mika has features that are linked to the idea of him being a changeling (which he originally was based on being, before I established a bigger family system).

He is meant to look purposely uncanny to humans as he looks like a failed attempt of a fox and a child mixed together as if the glamour meant to disguise him failed. In my drawings of him, his eyes are incredibly round and bright (which is adorable, but he has some big ol eyes for a normal child) and though he doesn't smile wide his teeth are very sharp with claws hands, and feet.

He is incredibly small for his age as he is only a foot tall, for comparison an average newborn is around 1 and a half. Yet he claims to be 3 years old, making him a toddler. It would be believable for someone to believe he is a newborn just to hear him talk short, but clearly coherent sentences and get shocked.

Even for a 3-year-old, the boy seems to be kind of advanced for someone his age. A common way to know you have a fairy child and not a normal one is for them to display behavior way too advanced such small baby or child such as playing an instrument or dancing in secrecy (though Mika openly does things such as foraging berries for himself, dancing, and actually being able to sing with skill). The only difference is his mentality and emotional maturity are still similar to a 3-year-old, he only shows having talents and skills that are advanced

#mika; focused #focused; character development

[designernishiki]

ever think about the fact that nishiki largely spiraled the way he did because of being considered incompetent and unfavorable in comparison to kiryu by everyone important in his life, and thus was constantly neglected and forgotten about. and then think about how the bomb would never have had to go off if kiryu and/or yumi just paid literally any attention to him after the showdown. talked to him. helped him to his feet. kept an eye on him. anything. instead of more or less forgetting he was there and allowing him the opportunity to do what he did. do you ever think about that. i sure do

#there is. no conversation between kiryu and nishiki after they fight. at all. #which is. well #I don’t blame nishiki too much for going jokermode there because uh. yeah. ouch #all of this was supposed to be about him. the showdown was supposed to be about him and kiryu #and kiryu just ignored him and talked to yumi instead like he wasn’t even there- let alone the focal point for All Of This #anyway yeah having them not fucking talk to each other there and focusing on the pointless and Bad attempt at a love story was just #flat out bad writing #because it’s not in character at fucking All for kiryu both due to who he is as a person and- more importantly- the relationship they built #beteeen him and nishiki in y0. like. how fucking close they were. like yumi had literally nothing to do with anything here #they were literally basically codependent and hadn’t lived their lives apart ever for the most part up until the sentencing #and they just sorta. gloss over that. in favor of yumi. who we know nothing about and have no development with and no dynamic in place with #her and either of them or anything #it’s #anyway #I need to stop bsnchdjmfd #nishiki #yakuza kiwami #yakuza kiwami spoilers #akira nishikiyama #rgg #yakuza #rambling

[aleksanderscult]

Which Mal Oretsev do you prefer, between the one in the series and the one in the books as a whole ? In itself, they are both flat and bland characters for me. However, I will say that since the book version has flaws, it looks a bit more interesting. I think that the Mal Oretsev of the books would have been a good convincing character if he had undergone a real evolution away from Alina, just as Alina would have been a great character with a real evolution away from Mal.

Honestly book!Mal set the bar so low that show!Mal gave a good impression whenever he showed up on screen. But his show counterpart was, nevertheless, so unbelievably boring. And for some reason he didn't seem to me like he showed or felt any emotions (no shade to Archie here of course, that was purely the director's and writers' fault).

I seriously don't know which one I would prefer.

His book counterpart is so unlikable, mean, an attention seeker (especially from Alina) a bigot and, generally, an asshole. And if you take all that out, he's still boring. So the way his character was written, he was destined to fall flat. I would find it more interesting if Bardugo had given more attention and depth to his PTSD and the psychological trauma he got from his first mission to the North. Not that this would excuse his behavior to Alina, but Leigh could explore how Mal went from a careless boy to a man that experienced his own kind of horrors and matured suddenly and violently. Maybe the author could send him away from Alina (just like you said) and show us his life in the First Army and the wars he would have to fight in.

It's actually funny how Alina and Mal could shine as characters better if they were apart. While with Alarkling the opposite happened. Whenever they were together they just clicked.

#tw: ptsd #i would probably choose the show version because his book counterpart is a sexist piece of shit and generally disgusts me #I love interesting characters and Mal was never one #Leigh kept focusing on the wrong things. Especially on the whole “Malina love story” instead of developing those characters #anti mal oretsev #anti malina #grishaverse #shadow and bone #alina starkov

[arabian-batboy]

I have been noticing this for a while when it comes to fans making their own Damian’s read-list, but DC’s twitter account just posted a link to an article with Damian’s most “essential” comics and it has the same exact problem.

A lot of ya’ll leave "Robin: Son of Batman" (2015) by Patrick Gleason out of your reading-lists for some strange unfathomable reason? Which I really can’t wrap my head around, because R:SoB is the most critically-acclaimed, most well-written and most important Damian’s book out there. If his life was a movie, then R:Sob would be the “climax” of that movie.

And it’s not like its hard to read either, its literally just 13 issues consisting of 2 short arcs with zero cross-overs, so what’s stopping you from reading it (aside from “its not a Super Sons”)? Just go read R:SoB, if everyone did then we wouldn’t have to see this boy’s character getting reset every 6 months.

#I'm assuming the reason ppl skip this solo is because it focuses on Damian's personal internal development #and NOT wild story that affects the DCU or forced supporting characters who gets more focus than the main character #Damian Wayne

[wildstar25]

What physical part(s) of Arsay does her partners find the most attractive! Is it the same for all partners or does it differ between them?

(also optional bonus ask of what part(s) of/about Arsay generally do they love the most, physical or not!)

Meanwhile, if you were to ask the same of Arsay:

#ffxiv #wolship #g'raha tia #y'shtola rhul #wolgraha #wolshtola #y'shtola x wol #arsay nun #graharshtola #y'shtola calling arsay a pain in her side is very much an affectionate thing btw #and i couldnt pass up the joke of g'raha giving the sweet gentlemanly response only for yshtola to be like 'tits tbh' #her defaulting to an answer that would probably stop the conversation before she has to talk to much about her deeper feelings imo #i have. a lot of feelings about yshtola and arsay's friendship #someone who is constantly trying to build walls between herself and others vs someone who desperately wants to form real connections #its not a 'wearing that person down' type situation either #just one lonely person seeing another lonely person and hoping that they could be less lonely together #or that she could at least bring some cheer to #and idk yshtola strikes me as the type to have been like 'if they want to be my friend they have to work for it' #which arsay certainly did #i could ramble on and on how their friendship lines up so well with yshtolas character development but theres a limit to these tags #so just look at how cute shtola is with the slightest blush on her cheeks #graha is a much more complicated topic since he went from Extreme adoration to I want to be her friend but I dont think im good enough #to 100% Hero worship again to Shes my hero and I love her to Shes a person and I love her #to I love Arsay. Even the parts she can't love in herself. I will love all of her till my dying breath. #he thinks shes the most beautiful person in the world and the most important thing in his life #but he now knows how insane she's been about being everyone's hero and he really doesnt want to feed that beast #so hes trying to build her up in other ways #focusing more on the adventuring side than the saving the world side #and then there is arsay who loves so much about her partners and is in capable of narrowing it down to any one thing so its #'here let me list everything that comes to mind right now' with 0 shame or filter