#or side characters shoved in the main character plot at the end

[lexlec]

surely "bestfriends"

summary : You and Billy have been best friends for a while, but when he comes over unexpectedly.

TW's – cursing, sex (in details)

❕MASTERLIST❕

The end of your pencil tapped against the edge of your desk, the side of your head resting on your hand. Your leg bounced to the same rhythm as your pencil, while you listened to your teacher finish up telling you guys about a project. You were all reading "Pride and Prejudice", or at least had read it, and now needed to do the final project for it. You were aloud to work in groups of up to four, but you knew you'd only be working with one person – your best friend, Billy Hargrove.

Billy's step-mom, Susan, and your own mother were close friends. They worked together, and when you had been invited over for dinner the first week they moved to Hawkins, you and Billy had clicked. The two of you spent most of the night in his room, flipping through his vinyl's and helping him hang up his posters. You couldn't help but mock him about the clichè Playboy posters he had, and all the random crap in his room. But the two of you hit it off, becoming close friends quick.

And now he was your partner for every english assignment, art project, and science project. Those were the three classes you shared together. The first time you tried pairing up with someone other than him, a girl named Cheryl, he didn't speak to you for three whole days. Even when he drove you to and from school, he blared his music so loud your ears rang for hours afterwards.

Only after the project was over, and you showed up at his door with two tickets to see a movie.

Once your teacher had finished giving out her information and instructions, the class dispersed to get with their groups or partners. You leaned your head back, already finding Billy getting up from his seat behind you. He tossed his backpack onto the now-vacant desk beside yours, slamming his body into the chair with a grunt. This was your cue to get up and go get the poster board you would need for the project. You returned with a plain, white board compared to the other varying colors of purple, green, blue and red.

— Get your gross feet off the desk. — you ordered, glaring down at Billy since your hands were preoccupied. Billy rolled his eyes, but complied and removed his feet, the legs of the chair falling back onto the floor.

— Alright, doll, what's the plan? — Billy questioned, reaching into your backpack and pulling out your personal copy of the book. You'd already read the book various times throughout middle school and early high school, so you and Billy switched off borrowing your book.

— I figured I'd paint the board, sort of like a collage. Have different things on it. — you explained, looking down at him from the other side of the desk.

— Sounds good to me. We have two weeks, right? — he asked, quirking an eyebrow up at you.

— Yup, so if you don't finish the book by then, I'll kick your fucking ass. — you hissed, watching as he paused his skimming through the book.

— What?

— There weren't any lions in the book, jerk. You have two days to finish it. You're three fourths done, because that's how much we've read together, so you can finish a hundred pages by Thursday. — you sighed, rolling your eyes.

You walked over and sat in your own chair.

— Yeah, yeah, alright Your Highness. — he grumbled, closing the book and tossing it on top of the poster. — What else? We're doing the whole 'main characters, theme, plot, climax' stuff, right?

— Of course that's the only word you'd remember. — you grinned, shoving his shoulder as he laughed. — The dramatic structure, yes. And all the other stuff. We'll split it up. — you said, putting the book away. — You're coming over after dropping Max off, right? — you asked, standing up.

— Yeah. Most likely around 4:00. — he said, standing up as well when the bell rang and slinging his bag over his shoulder. — Let's go, doll.

Once Billy dropped you off at home, you laid the poster board on your bed and your backpack by your desk. You decided to shower and change into comfy clothes before Billy came over, after all you had about an hour. So you grabbed a pair of skull pajama pants and a big shirt, before heading into the bathroom. You turned the water on high, stripping off your clothes from the day, leaving you in your underwear. Grabbing your moms essential rose oil, you dropped a couple drops into the shower before leaving it slightly unopened on the rack next to the shower. The smell would help relieve the tension of the day, and get you focused for schoolwork. Finally, you took off your bra and underwear, stepping in.

The hot water hit you in the face, and you welcomed it. Scrubbing your face, you made sure to get your mascara and concealer off so that when you got out you wouldn't look horrifying. You let the water travel to your hair, smoothing it down your shoulders. Steam filled up the bathroom, the smell of rose invading your senses.

The roaring of the water was so loud that you didn't hear your front door open or Billy shouting for you name.

Billy pulled up to your driveway, hopping out of his car and heading up to the front door. Max had been dropped off at Mike's, not Dustin's, so it was a lot closer than he thought. He decided not to stop at home afterwards, and just head straight to your place. So he got there around 3:20, rather than 4:00. Not that big of a deal.

Banging on the door, Billy waited a minute or two for you to answer. When you didn't, he tried again, but louder. After the third time, Billy just barged in, rolling his eyes at the fact it was unlocked.

— Hey! Y/N? — he called out, hearing the shower running. Kicking his shoes off by the door, Billy tossed his jacket onto the back of your couch. He didn't hear a response from you, so he headed towards the bathroom. Knocking on the door with his knuckles, he leaned against the frame.

— Come in! — Billy's eyes shot open, looking at the closed door in shock.

As you were putting shampoo into your hair, you heard a knock on the bathroom door. You looked over at it through the glass doors, thinking of who it could be. Your mom wouldn't be home until later, and an intruder wouldn't fucking knock. So you probably lost track of time, and it was Billy.

— Come in. — you called out, not minding if he did or not. The glass walls were textured and opaque so he wouldn't be able to see anything porn-worthy.

And the two of you had paraded around in front of each other with your underwear on before, it wasn't much different. There was a pause before the door creaked open, and the outline of Billy came in.

— Sorry I'm early, doll. — he said, his voice darker than normal. — It didn't take as long to drop Max off. And I figured I'd stop by right after to get a head start on the project, maybe hang out for a while. I didn't realize you'd be naked.

— It's fine. — you laughed, opening the door slightly so you could poke your head out. He was sitting on the sink counter, shirtless. Every other girl in Hawkins was wet for Billy Hargrove, how could they not be? And of course you fell into that category. But you couldn't express it like they could, even though you were closer to him than they were. A few times a week, you'd find your hand sneaking down your underwear, his name leaving your mouth as you writhed against your sheets.

— Don't take too long, alright? — Billy pleaded, when he looked up and saw you looking out of the shower. His cheeks were red, but you passed it off as the hot steam. — Why the hell does it smell like roses in here? There aren't any flowers. — he questioned suddenly, lifting his nose in the air and diverting his eyes away from your wet neck.

— It's my momma's rose oil. I use it to relax. — you said, a 'duh' tone to your voice as you closed the door. — And I'll take however damn long as I please.

— Course you will. — Billy grumbled, and you smirked to yourself. You washed away the shampoo as Billy fired off more questions. — Why do you need rose oil to relax? Doesn't that burning water help?

— Not entirely. It helps my muscles from being hunched over all day, and the steam helps with my nose. But the rose oil adds the extra flare. It's rejuvenating.

— Rejuvenating? The hell's that supposed to mean? — Billy ridiculed, hopping off the counter and moving closer to the door so he could hear you better over the shower.

— It's like... I don't know Billy! — you huffed, opening the door suddenly and popping your head out. You were startled when you came face-to-face with him, noticing the way his eyes darted down to your nearly exposed chest and back up. — It helps with headaches, my skin if I apply it directly onto it, and the smell is just nice. Don't you think? It's just fucking relaxing. Unlike you right now. It's amplified in the shower, so I apologize if you're not getting the full treatment. — you snapped, getting frustrated. Having Billy so close in an intimate setting was rough, especially when you couldn't touch. It was like a goddamn museum, you can look, drool and adore. But if you touch, you're getting arrested.

— I'm getting the full treatment just fine, baby. — Billy snickered, leaning closer to you as his eyes dragged up and down your hidden form. Your face heated up, and you shot your hand out, shoving his face back.

— Pff, yeah right, Hargrove. — you scoffed, closing the door and diving under the water. Your breathing was heavy and you tried to mellow it out by focusing on your conditioner.

— You still with that Caden guy? — Billy suddenly asked, his voice now on the other side of the doors, causing your eyebrows to furrow.

— No, I broke it off two weeks ago. Remember? He couldn't decide if he wanted me or Jenny more, even though he was fucking her the whole time.?— you laughed dryly, running the conditioner through your hair as you shook your head at the memory.

— Good. — Billy muttered, but you still caught it. — You could do so much better than him.

— Yeah? — you laughed, shaking your hair to even out the conditioner. — Like who, you?

— Exactly like me. — you stopped, and turned to the end of the doors. There was an audible zipping sound, causing your heart to speed up.

— That so? And what makes you think that, Billy? — you called out, biting your lip and turning to face the water again, washing out the conditioner, in hopes of calming yourself. Your heart hammered against your chest when you heard the shower doors open, as if it was about to leap out of your throat. You didn't turn around however, opting to close your eyes as the water hit your face.

— Cause. — he replied simply, his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear.

Your eyes shot open as rough hands gripped at your hips, spinning you around. Your arms collided with Billy's chest, your head tilting up to look at him. His blond hair was beginning to stick to his face, and his blue eyes stuck out more than ever against the tiles. You weren't given anymore time to admire him, because his lips were on yours instantly. Both of you were swallowing water, your lips pushing against each other desperately. Billy walked the two of you backwards carefully, making sure you didn't slip, until your back hit the wall. You were now out of the harsh spray of the water, and you broke away to gasp for clear air.

— Are you.. — you attempted to ask, not wanting him to regret this, and have the friendship ruined.

— Yes, yes I'm sure, Y/N. — Billy said, not giving you the chance to finish. His hand reached up, pushing your wet, dark hair out of your face before leaning back down to capture you in another demanding kiss. Your fingers tangled in his damp curls, tugging slightly when his hands gripped your waist tightly.

Billy moved his hands under your thighs and crouched, indicating you to jump, and you did. Your legs tightened around his waist for dear life, knowing that if either of you gave out it'd end in a naked hospital trip.

— Fuck. — you moaned out, breaking the kiss as his cock rubbed against your pussy, tilting your head back. Billy ducked his head, attaching his mouth to the center of your throat, biting the thin flesh before sucking it. You whimpered, moving your body up and down the slick wall slightly, giving the both of you more friction. His nails dug into your ass, pinning you to the wall so you couldn't move.

— Don't do that, princess. — he warned lowly, vibrating against your throat. You could feel the occasional pulse of his cock against you, and you wanted nothing more than for it to be in you. Whether it was your mouth or pussy, you didn't care. You just wanted it.

— Billy, please. — you whined, after having waited patiently for him to finishing sucking on your neck.

— What do you want, baby. — he growled, pulling back to look up at you. You didn't answer him, instead you held onto his shoulders tightly so you could unwrap your legs without death. Once your feet were safely on the ground, you flipped the two of you, so his back was against the wall and your back was facing the water. Giving him a smirk, you kissed the corner of his mouth before getting on your knees. Billy's tongue darted out, licking along his lips while looking down at you, his hand running through your wet hair. Grabbing his dick in your hand, you pulled at it a few times, twisting your hand along the base. Leaning down, you gave the tip a few kitten licks, gathering the pre-cum onto your tongue. Looking up at Billy, you waited until his eyes fluttered closed before taking the beginning of his dick into your mouth.

— Ugh, Y/N. — Billy grunted, his hold on your hair tightening. You smiled internally, licking the underside of his cock, and then left to right in order to ease your mouth farther down. It took a few minutes, but soon enough the tip had gone past your tonsils. Your eyes were watering, and saliva was dribbling out of the edges of your mouth. Billy's hips bucked against your mouth, his tight grip on your hair giving you a steady rhythm. Continuous moans streamed out of his mouth, and eventually you were roughly pulled off of his dick.

— Not yet, baby. — he said, more so to himself than you. You understood what he meant, and grinned in satisfaction. Putting his finger under your chin, Billy guided you to stand up. Holding your chin between his thumb and forefinger, Billy pulled you in for a slower, more passionate kiss. Your hands rested on his chest, relishing in the warmth of the water and his body. His free hand traveled down the small of your back, tickling you as he went, before gropping your ass.

— Billy.. — you gasped, your voice breathless. You grinded yourself against him again, growing impatient. You looked into his eyes, chewing on your bottom lip to keep in your needy whines. Billy simply smirked down at you, fully aware of what it was you wanted – no, needed.

— Hmm? — he hummed, a wicked grin on his face. You let out an impatient huff, ducking your head to harshly bite at his shoulder. Billy hissed out, the hold on your ass tightening before it released. You thought he was just gonna move you two, but instead he brought his hand down in a harsh slap.

— Ah, Fuck. — you cried out in shock, arching your back.

— Don't bite. — he warned, and then he finally pushed your body against the wall on the side, the cool tile instantly calming down your burning ass cheek.

— Then fuck me already, you jerk. — you snapped, running your thumb over the bite mark on his shoulder. Billy's eyebrow rose at your bold statement, and you simply grinned up at him. His fingers ran down your stomach, tracing at your curves and marks of imperfections. He kept eye contact with you as his middle and ring finger dipped between your folds, slowly dragging from your entrance to your clit. Your body jumped at finally being touched, a sigh leaving your mouth. His thumb rolled around your nub, your hips jerking occasionally, while his middle finger worked it's way inside you. A small grunt sounded in your throat, and you held onto Billy's shoulder, leaning your head against the wall. Once his middle finger was in to the knuckle, he pushed in his ring finger and began pumping them in and out of you, curling them.

— Ugh. — you whimpered, your nails digging into his shoulder. Billy started kissing his way around your jaw, neck and chest, occasionally licking your nipple for fun. He added his forefinger after a minute, another moan escaping. You bit your lip, hard, holding in another whimper.

— Why are you being so quiet, princess? It's just us. — he mused, biting at your earlobe.

— I don't wanna boost your ego. — you snickered, yelping when his thumb pressed down on your clit and his fingers dug inside you even more.

— Yeah, well. — he laughed, shaking his head. — You can't hide the sounds you're making down here. — he snickered, slowly pulling his three fingers out of you and bringing them to his mouth. His tongue moved between his fingers, licking your juices and the shower water off of them. You watched, mesmerized.

Once his fingers were cleaned to his liking, he gripped the back of your thighs, having you jump up again. He gave you a nod, questioning if you were ready or not. You nodded yours quickly, having been ready for this for months. Aligning his cock with your entrance, Billy didn't have the ability to ease himself in because of your guys positions. So with one quick thrust, he was inside you, his hand splayed out against the wall and the other gripping your ass.

— Fuck. — you screamed, throwing your head back, crying out when it hit the wall. Billy was big, bigger than his three fingers. Your arms pulled him closer, trying to even out your breathing and relax your muscles around him. Billy didn't move, small moans being breathed into the crook of your neck.

— I'm sorry, doll. — he whispered, knowing it hurt. You didn't have lube or a condom, and not much preparation.

— No, no, don't apologize. — you said quickly, squeezing yourself around him to emphasize. — It's fine. You can.. you can start.

Billy removed his head to look at you, but when you gave him a nod he started moving. He thrusted slowly, not wanting to lose his grip on you or push your body. Both of you were breathing heavily, and you moved your body along his, matching his thrusts with your own.

— God. — he moaned, pulling his cock farther out before slamming back in, continuing the movement over and over again. Your nails scratched their way over his shoulder blades, biceps, back and anywhere they could reach. The pain was decreasing as the thrusting went on, and when Billy moved you slightly to the left, slamming back in, your eyes shot open.

— Holy fuck, right there, Billy! — you shouted out, arching yourself into him.

Billy smirked up at you, licking his bottom lip and doing as you said. He quickened his pace, no longer hearing your hisses of pain, and thrusted into you quickly. The sound of his skin slapping against yours, as well as the sound of your back hitting the wall, echoed throughout the bathroom, overpowering the shower.

— Ugh, god. — Billy grunted, throwing his head back. — I can't hold out much longer, Y/N. — he moaned, looking down at you just as you opened your eyes to look at him.

— I'm close too. — you whimpered, hiking yourself higher up on the wall, screaming out when his cock hit the spot again, but deeper. — Fuck, fuck, fuck. — you moaned, a streamline of curse words leaving your mouth. — Billy, I'm.. — you tried to warn him, but a high pitched moan escaped before you could finish as the heat in the bottom of your stomach exploded. A wave of warmth washed over you, your toes curling and your thighs squeezing around Billy, pulling him closer. You mouth fell open, letting out a small, quiet gasp as you orgasmed.

Billy pulled out quickly, feeling his own orgasm wash over him, and his hot cum sprayed over your stomach and the tops of your thighs. Your head fell to his shoulder limply, your body slipping down the shower wall, as it shook from your orgasm. You could see your thighs wiggling, and Billy gently lowered you to the floor. When the cold shower water hit you, you welcomed it, letting the cum wash off of you.

— Hey. — Billy whispered, his arms wrapping around you from behind. — This isn't a one time thing. I want you to be mine.

— Good. — you grinned, a giddy feeling coming over you, more intense than your orgasm. You turned around to face him, wrapping your arms around his neck. — Let's go take a nap, that project can wait until later.

#strangerthings #stranger things 4 #strangerthingsedit #billy hargove smut #billy hargrove #billy hargrove fanfiction #stranger things au #billy hargrove x female reader #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove fandom #billy hargrove x original character #billy hargrove x you #billy x you #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargove imagine #billy hargove x reader #hargrove billy

[breathe-2am]

hey idk how to tell u this but the big cliffhanger in s1 isn’t the crew being separated it’s stede going out to find ed when ed has fallen so deep into heartbreak and self-loathing that he’s destroyed stede’s ship and split up their crew. the cliffhanger is about “how will ed and stede fix their relationship after stede broke ed’s heart and ed went off the deep end?”

bc what’s going on with the crew is not the main storyline. the main storyline is the romance between ed and stede, djenks has said this many times. the main plotline is the development of ed and stede’s relationship. the show didn’t “shove most of the characters into 1 minute scenes between much longer gentlebeard arcs” in 2.04, the crew was just part of the B plot that episode, which is to be expected because they are all side characters who are always in B or C plots if they’re not part of the plot with the main characters (ed and stede). the main A plot of 2.04 is ed and stede making up now that they’ve finally been reunited, and the show develops this storyline in a rewrite/adaptation/homage to the play who’s afraid of virginia woolfe.

it’s fine if u don’t like gentlebeard or if your main enjoyment from the show is izzy/the crew, but if that’s the case for you then unfortunately you’re always have a harder time enjoying ofmd bc the writing in the show is always going to prioritize gentlebeard over the other characters. the crew reuniting was always going to be much less important than ed and stede reuniting and making up. that’s what david jenkins meant when he said “the show is the relationship.”

Heyo! I see my meme has breached the side of ofmd tumblr I usually interact with, which is really cool! Thanks for stopping by haha

I think your response is so emblematic of the shift the show went thru from season 1 to season 2- namely, that season 1 was an ensemble show and season 2 was not. Stede was the main character, yes, and he got more backstory and focus than a lot of the crew, but the story of the show in s1 was that it was a bunch of people with conflicting personalities shoved onto a boat together. Stede’s the center, but every other character gets focus as well. This show, by djenks own admission, was not originally intended to be a rom-com romance between stede and ed. He said that he didn’t commit to actually have them be together until filming season 1 episode 6- more than halfway thru the story of the first season, and that it was mainly due to rhys and taika’s acting that made him change it from an unrequited love to a relationship. So while the story is a lot about gentlebeard, saying that every other character is secondary to them and their romance isnt true.

I think a great example to bring up would be season 1 episode 7, the episode that solidifies (via lucius) that yes, this is happening. This is a very relationship heavy episode, but crucially gb isn’t the only focus.

Here's a breakdown: we start w a 1:00 gb scene, then roach comes in asking about the oranges, which leads to a 2:00 scene w the whole crew that sets up the episodes plot (swede has scurvy, we need to get more oranges). Jim protests going to st augustine, which is followed by a 1:00 scene between jim and olu, including a jim flashback. Stede and lucius return with the treasure map, there’s 1:30 more of the whole crew, then we go into the captains cabin for 1:00 of stede, ed, and lucius. 6 minutes into the ep flashes to the crew on land, a 0:50 conversation between jim and olu, then 2:00 of the whole crew, ending then nana invites them all to eat some cake at 8:15. We then go to stede, lucius, and ed in the marketplace until the 9 minute mark (abt 0:45), then back to the church where olu and jim talk to nana for 1:15, including more jim flashbacks. Back to the adventure w stede ed and lucius, which is 2 scenes back to back, totally about 3:00 (the “oh my god this is happening” scene). Then back to the church for jim olu and nana, a 1:00 jim flashback inside a 3:00 scene. Then back to the captains and lucius for 1:30, then to jim and olu, more jim flashback, then the a and b plots converge at the 2:30 mark when jim sees stede digging up their tree. Stede, ed, and lucius exit the scene after 1:30, jim and olu have a conversation for another 1:00. We see the crew leaving, then olu and nana talk, which all takes 2:00. Back on the boat, ed and stede become co-captains in a 0:45 scene, then the final 1:30 of the ep is izzy at jackie’s with 1:30 credits

Gentlebeard: 9:00, whole crew: 5:30, Jim and Olu: 11:35, Izzy: 1:30, credits: 1:30

I would say that s1e7 is the most overtly gb episode before the kiss in s1e9. But as you can see, it’s not just gb. There’s a lot of focus on jim, who gets multiple filmed flashbacks, there’s scenes w jim, olu, and nana, there’s scenes of the whole crew together, stede and ed are really only oncscreen together for abt 9 minutes- not even 1 third of the episode. And this is the ep that says directly to the audience “yes, they have a romance building”. I’m not trying to say w this that every member of the crew needs to b given equal screentime, bc that didn’t happen here obv, but everyone is doing something, and the plot is moving forward propelled by more than just the gb relationship.

Now this is very much changed in season 2.

S2e4 starts with 0:20 of stede waking ed up, then 0:45 of stede and the crew, 0:30 of ed and buttons, izzy’s w the unicorn for 1:00. The crew kick ed off the boat in a 1:15 scene. Now at the 2:25 mark we get to the plots splitting. Ed has a 1:15 scene on land, 0:45 is spent talking to a bunny. Stede and buttons find anne and mary’s antique store after 0:45 of walking. The scene in the antique porch is 2:15. Back to the revenge where there’s a 1:00 scene where wee john, roach, and pete talk about how the kraken crew, lucius, and izzy are different, and the kraken crew thinks they’re plotting to kill them. Already we go back to anne and mary’s where theres various conversations for 3:00. We go back to the revenge for a 0:45 scene where the revenge crew scare the kraken crew and lucius by trying to surprise them. Back to land, where anne and stede and mary and ed talk for 2:00. Back to the revenge for a 1:45 scene w the crews, izzy enters at the 1:00 mark and then crawls away. Well that’s that, we go back to the dinner on land for 1:00, then ed storms out and he and stede have a conversation on the couch for 2:15. Anne and mary reenter, followed by a 3:00 argument that ends with anne burning down the house and they don’t kiss for some reason. We have a 0:20 scene of the crew preparing the unicorn leg, izzy is in his room and received the leg in a 0:40 scene, and well it’s been a whole minute on the revenge, time to go back to ed and stede for 1:00, ed and buttons talk end when buttons turns into a seagull after 1:30. Ed and stede talk for 0:30, and then we end w izzy the new unicorn for 0:45. Credits are again 1:30.

Gentlebeard: 19:50, whole crew: 5:05, Izzy: 3:10, credits: 1:30

To illustrate my point, i made some graphs

You don’t even have to think very hard to see the change in distribution of screentime season 1 vs season 2. And i’d argue that this is absolutely to the show’s detriment, because that ensemble cast is given way less time to shine, grow, or even speak. Notice how for the second chart there isn’t a jim and olu section? Yea that’s cause Jim has 10 lines this whole episode, and Olu has 5. Two characters, whose relationship, backstory, and plot takes up more screentime than gentlebeard’s in season 1, have a combined 15 lines between them, only 4 of which are longer than 1 sentence- 2 for jim, 2 for olu, and those lines are two sentences long. god bless us every one.

I get that there’s a large subset of the ofmd fandom that only cares abt ed and stede. I get that that’s how u find enjoyment in the show, and u know what? All the power to u. I’m not saying stop liking the show, stop liking gentlebeard, stop caring abt these characters. I don’t like gentlebeard, but i used to, and i remember really really loving ed and stede and their relationship in season 1. That changed in season 2 because of ed’s abusive actions and stede pivoting from being an independent character to just basically following whatever ed says (but that’s a story for another day).

But let’s be honest with each other, and with ourselves: season 1 was an ensemble show. Season 2 narrowed its focus to gentlebeard, while also making it (for some people) harder to like. That’s why a lot of people (myself included) didn’t like season 2 as much as season 1.

Also, just to focus back in on the original issue, the meme was not about gentlebeard. It was about Anne and Mary. And there is literally no way you can convince me that they were used as well as they could have been, or that they were implemented into the story in a smart, necessary, or even respectful way.

Because i'm a nice person, i made a brand new updated meme just for u, anon!

:-)

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd critical #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd fandom #ofmd meta #asks #thank u for giving me the floor to explain my dumb meme in detail! #i love being right #this is your captain speaking

[theerurishipper]

Am I selfish for wishing Marinette wasn't the protagonist? She doesn't really connect to the plot besides her love arc and I don't find it that interesting. Like a lot of female protagonists like the cast of Totally Spies the girls force to work for Jerry, or Bloom finding she's a fairy and has the dragon flame or Iris from lolirock who finds out she's Princess of Ephedia. Like you have all these ladies who's arc isn't just connected to just love like it's part of it but romance isn't central to their character they have more to them.

Like it's so weird honestly because I never really knew of a protagonist who just didn't connect with the story instead the secondary character has. His father the villain, he has fans and many who crush on him, he's a model but he's secretly also the famed ChatNoir, he's an abused child who want their parent attention, rich, and a little behind when it comes to social cues. Like? Are we sure he's not the protagonist is that why the show gives him such little contributions and makes others take what he's deserves. Like the book from early on s2, felix finding out his mother in the basement, Kagami learning early on the whole agreste situation and doing a whole play in front of Ladybug with Felix to convey the situation.

She's in every episode most MC's aren't always there sometimes they leave for an episode or two or have someone take the spotlight but she is there 24/7. Like I kinda want to know another character for a chance because I already gauged enough of her character to know romance is all there is to her lol. I don't know can't we have an Adrien central episode, Alya, Kagami, hell even Luka?

No wonder I think the cast are so bland to me because they just appear we don't really know them personally besides if they get akumatized.

Marinette to me is like if we're seeing the blushing female girl and the entire show from a Hinata perspective in Naruto just there to pine for a boy who aren't even that close.

You're not selfish for that, anon. We all have our different tastes. Personally, I like Marinette as the protagonist, but we all have different likes and dislikes.

I will say that the writing for Marinette as a protagonist is pretty lacking though. She doesn't have any connection to the main plot on her own and can only have any relevance in the final battle of her show by taking the place of some other character. The show is literally allergic to taking the focus off her for more than five seconds. Plenty of shows that have a single character as their main lead also devote few episodes to the developing the side characters.

For example, a superhero show like Miraculous would usually have an episode where Ladybug is incapacitated, and Chat Noir has to do the saving. But Miraculous can't handle not having Marinette be the one to save the day at all times, so Chat Noir is just always reduced to being the sidekick or the one who gets caught and has to have Ladybug save him. Like, even in episodes where it seems like Chat Noir will have a larger role to play, the writers can't help but have it be Ladybug who saves the day in the end. Even in episodes that seem like they are going to focus on Adrien, Marinette will have some B plot shoehorned in that will take over the entire episode until it seems like Adrien's conflict is the actual B plot.

Like you said, it's not wrong for the protagonist to take a step back in a few episodes and let the supporting characters shine. Miraculous' habit of shoving Marinette into the resolution for every other conflict but her own is detrimental to both her own character and every other character. It's just bad writing, honestly.

Thank you for your ask!

#ML Salt #ML Writing Salt #ML Writers Salt #Marinette Salt #Asks #Meta #My meta

[ravenalla]

I think overall the main problem season 3 is having is the same as TBOBF, which is not giving the audience a well-established storyline and so not giving them a reason to care. This is probably gonna be long so bear with me.

Throughout the first two seasons, we had a clear goal for our main character. Sure Din did other things all the time, the “side quest” as the fandom liked to joke, but it always made sure to remind us what the motivation behind all of this was, keeping Grogu safe, finding him a Jedi. The story still introduced other characters concepts, but it made sure to always keep Din tied to them in some way that made us understand why this would affect him and why we should care. The side adventures never felt random, they all had a clear step by step progression as Din tried to get closer towards his destination. Moff Gideon was also not just a threat against Grogu, his rule under the Empire was responsible for the destruction of Din’s people. The conflict between them was personal, both because of Din’s newfound love for the baby and because of who he is. It all tied together to give us this intriguing but fun and adventurous story.

On the other hand, stuff in Season 3 just feels like it’s happening at random. It began looking like the main drive this season would be Din trying to regain his identity and the restoration of Mandalore as a whole. Instead, the former was solved in a matter of two episodes with little fanfare compared to how serious they made the situation out to be. No we get pirates both we and the characters have never seen before and have no reason to give two shits about. They’re gone for a while. Then suddenly back as a big threat we are suppose to take seriously for some reason. Din and the rest of the covert do not show any indication they are ready to rally the Mandalorians and take back their planet up to this point. Oh nevermind now they want to. Like there’s no motivation for our main character happening between episodes behind the random monster of the week stuff, nothing the covert is working towards.

Things are just happening out of nowhere, nothing feels like a cohesive narrative and Din isn’t getting any new development or character moments to make up for it. Aside from two things that have nothing to do with the actual Mandalorian, Bo and the New Republic.

Bo-Karan’s story is interesting, and I like her developing a relationship with the covert, but this is not her show. You should not be ending every episode with a shot of her like this has always only been about her journey, at least not here. It’s fine to have more than one main character, but you can do that without throwing away everything you spent two seasons developing with another one. I don’t even know why Din and Grogu are here to be honest. Are they really any different from the background Mandos at this point? Din’s speech was cool, but there’s not really been tight moments of friendship this season for us to get super emotional about him coming to Greef’s rescue from these random Disney channel villains on planet gentrification. It’s obvious now that Bo’s going to be the one to lead, so him showcasing traits of leadership probably also won’t even matter. Din is obsolete, and the heart-wrenching relationship between father and son is now being used for cheap Grogu brownie point moments when they actually remember they have to include them.

As for the New Republic, yes, as people have said this does expand the world and relate to stuff that is going to happen later that we don’t yet know about. The problem is, this is a completely detached event from the main character. Nothing (aside from the random reveal of Moff Gideon’s escape) relates to our main characters situations at all, and it is so clearly ideas from rangers of the new republic shoved in so they can squeeze already established plots they didn’t want to abandon. Because we don’t know why this matters at all towards Din, there’s really no reason to care at this point. Again, you can say there’s plot happening, but it’s all disconnected in a way that doesn’t keep us anticipating any type of ending. And look I’m not saying the show needs to spoon feed its audience or explain everything right away. My problem is everything is that Din is given nothing to do anymore. All of his problems that were built up for two seasons have been solved instantaneously, and we don’t even get many conversations between Din and Grogu as we use to, the driving force of the show. Neither do we get simple explanations for things like where the hell did all the new Mando’s come from or why they decided to settle there. It is both so busy and so empty.

The Mandalorian was never just about finding Grogu a home as quickly as possible, it took the time to show us Din’s personality, his relationship with himself, and the new relationship he formed with his son. So why is the show treating it like none of that stuff was important enough to take up screen time? That Din and Grogu had to take a backseat because showing two former Imperial officers having a meaningless conversation about a planet’s history was more important, that dedicating every emotional beat to Bo-Katan’s changing feelings left no room for exploration of the main character’s own when he is suppose to have been his most changed and isolated self yet, that setting up major plot lines and characters which will bleed into other shows was worth sabotaging what made the show so popular in the first place? The Mandalorian can have a bigger plot, it can have more characters, but when those elements feel like they can exist without that main character being there? That is just bad writing.

#the mandalorian #din djarin #grogu #the mandalorian season 3 #the mandalorian spoilers #bo katan kryze #god sorry there’s probably a million typos in this

[sapphic-agent]

I know this probably sounds egotistical and arrogant and perhaps hypocritical because I am a believer that fans shouldn’t dictate how a story should be made, it should be up to the writer and author of the story how it is written.

But after the hurricane of shit that we’ve gotten to where Bakugou is just now being forced down our throats and the story and focused being ripped Izuku and instead bequeathed to this overrated dick, I don’t care anymore.

I say we should petition that, after MHA has initially died down in popularity, we get new writers to reboot the show to where the main focus is on IZUKU, he gets treated the respect he deserves, and Bakugou isn’t the glorified asshole that gets shoved in our faces and told again and again he went through significant “ChArAcTeR dEvElOpMeNt”. Because I am so goddamn sick and disappointed in Horikoshi right now.

Absolutely! When Isayama was getting all the hate when he ended the AOT manga, I was one of his firm defenders. Even though Gege has broken my heart quite a few times in JJK, I still respect their decisions. I absolutely loved how Shirai ended The Promised Neverland manga even though a lot of people didn't. I'm all for writers making doing what they want for their own stories because usually I can understand why they made the decision. Even if it's one I disagree with, I can comprehend why they took that particular course because it usually makes sense in one way or another.

But what Horikoshi did to MHA is appalling.

He reworked an entire series to focus around one character (who was not the main character and wasn't even originally set up to be the deuteragonist). It was bad enough that Bakugou's development wasn't that good anyway, but why did all the other characters have to suffer? Why did Izuku's character have to suffer in his own series?

Not to mention the plot. There were so many aspects to the world Horikoshi created that could have been explored. This was a story about people not being born equal and had so many facets of this society it could have expanded on: quirkless people, mutation quirks, weak quirks, villainous quirks, exploitation of young female students (Kendo and Yaoyorozu), quirk marriages, child assassins (Hawks and Lady Nagant), corrupt government, etc. But nah, let's focus on and pander to the rich privileged brat who was born at the top of society with a powerful quirk and was literally quirkist.

Not to mention, the story literally forgot Izuku was quirkless. All that time he spent miserable and everything he went through (even outside of Bakugou) just down the drain. He never mentions it and hardly even thinks about it. It just... Doesn't matter. A vital aspect to his character gone just like that. Because if we acknowledged it that would just make Bakugou look bad.

Izuku deserved better as a main character. Izuku's real friends deserved to be the ones at his side, not Bakugou who only just started to not be a dick. I'm sick. And when I'm not sick, I'm tired.

I vote that a ton of fanfiction writers work on rewriting MHA together. Because if they release an official manga that treat their precious Kacchan (barf) as anything less than a martyr, there will be riots

#mha critical #bnha critical #anti bakugou katsuki #anon ask

[lloydfrontera]

related to that last post that's kinda why i think cpsm revealing that javier had died three years earlier than lloyd is poignant in a very understated way.

javier's original fate was to live when everyone he cared about didn't. he was meant to be the protagonist of that world, to face all kind of threats and survive all of them, but with no one at his side.

he's the narrative's favorite but the narrative's love is not gentle and it is not kind and it will hold you close until you suffocate under its themes and parallels. for the world would bend itself for javier to be at it's center but it would not allow him the comfort of sharing that spot with anyone else.

he was always meant to be the last one standing. fate won't kill him but it won't allow him to die either.

and then comes lloyd with his plot breaking meddling saving everyone around them and shoving his way into the protagonist role, sharing the burden javier wasn't even aware he was carrying. and fate tries so hard to correct itself, it tries by all means possible to put things back the way they were meant to be, but in the end the best it can do is to try and make it so there will only be one main character in the world. the way it was always meant to be.

it concedes. it won't take away everything from its favorite anymore. but it won't stand for there to be two of them.

and the thing is. it wins. it gets what it wants. in the end javier can't save lloyd, he can't take his place, he can't keep him alive, he has to stand and watch him sacrifice himself for everyone else. for javier himself. in the end when the battle is over javier is again the last one standing.

when lloyd comes back and the fate restoration doesn't start up all over again, he thinks it's because lloyd frontera's original body disappeared and he came back in his own body. i don't think it was that. i think the reason fate didn't try to restore itself again is because it had already achieved what it wanted.

the narrative won. not completely. not the way it was originally meant to. but in the end javier ended up as the lone protagonist who watched his loved one die before his eyes.

only then was it satisfied and allowed javier to leave its grasp. only then was he allowed to become a person and not just the main character.

a person who could spend a lifetime with all of his loved ones and when the time came, die peacefully in his sleep, knowing at least the person he came to care the most about will outlive him. at least this time, he won't be the one left behind.

#i talk a lot <3 #tged #the greatest estate developer #tged spoilers #javier asrahan #lloyd frontera #i always thought the ending of tged was kinda weird #cause it felt like the main issue wasn't really addressed?? #like. everything lloyd accomplished was still there. his soul was there. his rp his titles his effects his summons his abilities #everything was still there. why would the body he was in be the problem?? he's still the same person that disrupted the fate of the world #does that mean that if he had isekai'd in his own body the restoration of fate wouldn't have been an issue?? #he could've changed the plot in its entirety and fate wouldn't have had a problem with that?? #so personally i think his death. the even itself. had more to do with it than anything. #him dying was like. a trigger event for fate to be satisfied. #it couldn't stand having two protagonists and all of its plot disrupted. so when one of them died leaving the other one with 'tragedy' #it counted it as good enough and finally stopped trying to give the main character the tragic backstory and traumatic events #he was meant to go through. #does that make any sense to anyone. does it. #anyway it does to me so that's my headcanon ajshdksda #can you tell. i like metanarratives. and fate as a character onto itself. #can you tell i come from the [OMITTED] fandom ajhdjaadsf

[thranduel]

if mike and el stay together and byler isn’t endgame, the writers would be sending the most awful message.

firstly, a little girl escapes a lab she grew up in after being abused and traumatised, and starts dating the first person that shows her kindness after spending less than a week with him?? really? she gets kissed when she's 12 years old after a few days of knowing him when she can’t communicate at the same level as the other characters (there’s a line where lucas says mike’s 3 year old sister talks more and this was included to prove that el was definitely NOT ready to be shoved into a relationship) and she doesn’t even understand the concept of romance at all. she doesn’t even know who she is as an individual person (her likes, her dislikes, her fashion sense, her type when it comes to crushes, her favourite foods, how the world outside the lab works, literally nothing about herself at all) and she doesn't even know the meaning of the word "friend" and has to be taught what it means. yet she still gets forced into a romantic relationship with someone she didn’t even have time to develop a friendship with first while still basically being strangers? HOW is that healthy? how are people seriously okay with that?! (and before anyone starts, i’m NOT saying that she couldn’t eventually get into a relationship. of course she could. but it happened WAY too quickly when she wasn’t ready at all and people need to acknowledge this).

secondly, another abused and traumatised child is gay and in love with his best friend, and they’ve made him suffer the entire show while thinking he’ll never be loved back?? even when all the other kids were happy in season 3 and getting into romantic relationships, will didn’t have that. he got absolutely nothing, except being excluded and shoved to the side. what kind of message are they sending to only do this to the main gay character? why do all the other kids get to be happy and experience love? especially after how they included homophobic slurs in season 1 about will, it would be absolutely disgusting to leave him with unrequited love. gay people go through enough pain and suffering in real life, so why would anyone want to be reminded of that while watching a fictional show with a character that they relate to and find comfort in? shawn levy said their show is an anthem for the marginalised. how is making the gay kid suffer sending a good message for those who are outcasted and oppressed in society? it’s just hurting people. it’s making them think they’ll never find happiness and it’s also allowing the homophobes to win. it goes against everything this show has fought for and why it was created in the first place.

another thing that’s absolutely ridiculous is the massive difference between mike’s relationship with el vs his relationship with will. mike and el’s relationship lacks trust, honesty, communication and understanding, while mike and will’s relationship has all of those things and more. what kind of message are they sending if they keep mike and el together but keep mike and will apart? why are they telling people that it’s okay to stay in a relationship with extreme emotional attachment and codependency due to shared trauma when you don’t even feel like an equal to your partner? mike and el literally admitted they don’t feel like equals. they’re both insecure in this relationship and they feel inferior to each other. they’ve made each other feel like shit in every season (except s2 since they didn’t even see each other until the end). how is it okay to tell people to stay in a relationship like this?

and finally, why would the writers think it’s okay to use will as a plot device to force mike and el back together while he continues to suffer? mike is will’s best friend. he’s his safe place and the boy he loves most. and yet the writers have made will sit back and watch him with someone else while he suffers alone. they literally put him in almost every mike and el scene in season 4 just to rub it in even more. then they had the audacity to turn a very personal and meaningful scene that was supposed to be about mike and will ONLY and made it about el, because of course they did. it’s like mike and will can’t have anything for themselves anymore. will’s painting and his feelings for mike were something extremely personal and they made it about el in order to mislead mike and push him into telling her he loves her. it’s messed up on so many levels and i don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s okay.

#byler

[alice-jem]

Personally I find the chemistry between Luz and Hunter obvious and if the show was created even 5-10 years ago no one would have much of a problem with Hunter and Luz shippers. It would’ve been what everyone expected to be endgame. Sure, I love lumity, it’s a cute sapphic high school romance. But narratively, there’s a case to be made for lunter while lumity is more just to be cute. Plus Luz is bisexual so any argument about erasing her sexuality doesn’t make sense. Plus it’s not like fandom is on the same level as the actual tv show like if a group of people want to imagine Luz and Hunter dating that does absolutely nothing to take away from the canon sapphic romance! I don’t have anywhere I feel like I can express this without getting literalky DOGPILED by Twitter teenagers who think the end all be all of queer liberation is making cartoon teenagers kiss.

I somewhat heard that type of rant that I've been interested to discuss before.. But I think it's better if Hunter has been introduced first than Amity tho. To make Hunter as a Male Lead. Yet the romance plot of TOH didn't go on that route. Because (ugh, another straight couple in Disney)

Unfortunately, everything has been already set by arranging Willow and Hunter as a pair instead Hunter is compatible to be paired with Luz because, Luz is with Amity now and both had feelings for each other before Hunter came. So I can understand what they're trying to defend the sapphic canon ship because THEY NEED LGBTQA+ REP, so if there is a straight couple in their favorite cartoon/show, the fans will gone RIOT and they will forced to make the straight couple to stay friends or platonic then shove it to everyone's throats. But their annoyance of not wanting Luz (who is a CANON BI) had a chance to NON CANONICALLY be together with a GUY who has 10x potential chemistry than Lumity. (I also love Lumity too from enemies to friends to lovers). The thing is, Willow shows to become the heroine for Hunter yet still GoldenLuz/Lunter scenes has more sparks even tho they're jumping to make a side couple (Huntlow) alongside with Raine and Eda (Raeda).

And the biggest and shittiest agenda they've got in the TOH fandom is to make these two characters (Luz and Hunter) as sibling-coded into their dynamic which is a HEADCANON. But FOR THEM IT'S A FACT because of the quarrel, all that banter and starting to helping and protecting each other away from danger/harm. And yet they theorize that when we look at Lunter, it's like there are both young Philip and Caleb.

So the issue of Lunter is because the TOH fandom can easily took it down or banish the ideas and options about Luz and Hunter to become a non-canon ship especially boy x girl ships in general media where the main protagonist is a BISEXUAL/GAY/LESBIAN or part of the LGBT rep. Some of them are a bit oversensitive by the "non-canon" ships might be ruined their canon gay/sapphic ship. Like only you can ship this MC with their same gender and NOTHING ELSE. I tried to keep away from the shipping discourse because the majority wants Lunter to see as siblings, and then they will despise somebody in every fiber of their being who ships Luz and Hunter where they are both BI for each other. Like who are they to have a right to demand a person who just wanna ship without their validation? Toxic TOH fans ain't had a right to accuse somebody because they LIKE a ship that they DON'T like. Yet also the Lunter shippers didn't wish for Lunter to be canon as well. Because they can ship them without a problem canon or not-canon as long as they don't attack nor cause such any harm to others. Yet these antis has so many claims to prove that their ship Lunter is wrong and there's nothing to support of shipping them romantically. So they will non-stop accusing Lunter shippers based on their ship which i migt turned out to become 'problematic' by many.

Luz and her bisexuality is the purest rep where she likes and attracted to guys and girls. Yet when they keep telling to such people that it will erase her sapphic love between her and Amity if Luz is going to be with Hunter in the long run.. That doesn't mean Luz isn't Bisexual anymore. How can these people pushing the hatred towards Lunter where they haven't heard the word "multishipping?" So every shipper has options which good ships to be shipped with this character. They never acknowledged poly ships too so, it's too late to speak up to toxic anti Lunters out there. Stubborn as hell lol. As a Bisexual, people must understand that they cannot ruined their Bisexuality by liking or dating a guy!

#toh #hunter #lunter #toh hunter #luz noceda #luz x hunter #toh luz #the owl house #goldenluz #hunter wittebane #hunter noceda #anti lunter

[corellianhounds]

“You have done the highest honor of the Creed: Saving a foundling.”

I take umbrage with this statement in the larger context of the show this season because Mando still has yet to have what I think is a pretty significant conversation with the Armorer concerning why he removed his helmet in the first place since that ⬆️ was precisely why he did it

This season has largely brushed past one of Din’s biggest internal conflicts by never showing the audience how he feels as an exiled member beyond him asking how he can atone, not discussing with the Armorer why the transgression was done or in what context— which they apparently didn’t have to address because hey, look, the kid’s back with him again, oh also we’re not going to talk about that despite the Armorer telling him to take the kid back to his own kind in season 1— making it barely an inconvenience to ‘redeem’ himself in the end anyway, and by overshadowing his ritual redemption by knocking him out when he goes into the waters and having him sink to the bottom, having to be saved by Bo-Katan (when we still don’t know why she saved him at all), AND by having his return to the covert and Armorer be overshadowed by Bo-Katan’s out of place induction into the covert.

If they want to credit Bo-Katan with ‘saving’ the Mando kid because she headed up the hunting party even though Din was the one to actually grab the kid in the end, fine, whatever, but it is also the most overt way to again show that everything of value that Din has done this season has still been pushed to the side in favor of showcasing Bo-Katan

Unless they’re leading up to Din having some ego issue regarding Bo-Katan’s popularity and place within the covert because of how much he’s being shoved aside (which is entirely out of character for him), I’m not sure why they aren’t making him and his character more of the focus of the season. We’re not getting anything from him regarding his feelings or direction in terms of the bigger picture, which is why all of the episodes feel like filler— They’re achieving plot points like a checklist instead of showing us how Din feels about anything by not tying the emotional stakes to the physical ones. There’s no tension or narrative weight to any of these actions. His dialogue regarding the Creed, his redemption, and teaching and bonding with the kid (his character’s two main focuses) has been factual and exposition-y without feeling like his story is being told.

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #The Mandalorian critical #din djarin #bo katan kryze #idk this is messy but it was also my biggest beef with an episode within a show that has already founded this season— #— on so many other storytelling and narrative issues #there’s only eight episodes in each season. you have to be judicious/economical with where you spend your time #and we still don’t know what the main STORY of this season is supposed to be #season 1: protect the kid and stay alive #season 2: find other Mandalorians in order to find the kid’s people to return him to where he belongs #season 3: ?? not really focusing on the Mandalore or dark saber plot bc Bo katan doesn’t care so she’s not chasing him as the villain #he’s not really the main character driving any of the action or the story. Bo-katan is. #and unfortunately I think it’s a little late in the game to establish this as an ensemble show. #if you wanted that you should have established it in season 1

[darqx]

Good afternoon! I have been your subscriber for a long time and wanted to ask... Do you have any updates and work on the Battle Priest??? I miss the characters from this project very much and I can't wait for a comics or a novel with them! (sorry for possible mistakes, I'm not an English speaker)

Hullo and thank you for sticking around so long AND aaaaaaa I am so happy you are excited for BP :D I have indeed been working on it when I can (though with a full time job my time and inspo is sometimes severely lacking |D)! At the moment a good 80% or so of the story is plotted out and I got bored of writing dot points and so also started thumbnailing on the side lol. Now if I can just keep it up!! OTL

Here’s a sneak peek in the face of my generally doing things quietly in the bg XD;

Yes I have this aforementioned little webcomic I’ve kinda been pottering away at XD It’s not out or anything yet though.

I think that’s partially due to Tumblr being rather bad at searching for stuff and that yes it is a little disjointed at the moment! |D (there is a BP tag on my blog which might be helpful though). I can’t really put that much about BP out yet since like a bunch of stuff I actually want to draw are IN the story and so I’d just end up spoilering a lot of it lol, so what I DO put out might be somewhat random. You can of course still ask questions about it and if I can answer it without spoiling something I will :)

I’d love to just ditch the first few pages at everyone since I’ve finished thumbnailing them and could actually start drawing it, but I’ve learned it’s so much better to have a good bank of pages so alas, we’re all gonna have to continue being patient whilst I thumbnail/work on it 😭

It technically doesn’t have one (I have consciously not made much ref to an actual date lol), and exists in one of those AU timeframes where some things from different years got shoved together. An example being the tech is reminiscent of the 90s but then there’s also some fashion from the 2000s etc.

In the lore of BP, there are technically (love that word lol) no angels so canonically this would be a moot point lol. IF angels were a thing, any mixed race would have the free will to either be good or bad (like the demons), and it wouldn’t affect much other than maybe they might have their own special abilities that could counter the demonic ones (like how priests do).

🤔 Hmmmm if i had to pick just one as a main it might be like (and this is expressing as opposed to receiving):

.D: Acts of service

Izm: Gift giving

Marcus: Quality time

Zeke: Acts of service (specifically, cooking)

Wei Ren: Words of affirmation

Rire: ...uh...i’m gonna say quality time

Well, a satanist would not be sanctioned as a battle priest so if there is one they’d have to be worshipping in secret cos that would get them unsanctioned pretty quickly. .D and the gang would be like wat. Rire would be like well...this is unexpected. I will let you imagine the tone that conveys XD

#mstislav-ronnberg #battle priest #answer #answer dump #sz #art #doodle

[barblaz-arts]

1st season SO lacked in teen shenanigans. Like, there's barely anything outside the main plot.

In fact, I'm pretty sure a lot of it was cut (for time or whatever else reasons). Because in scenes of Wednesday's Birthday and Tyler's interrogation there are background characters that we never got introduced to... and there's no way they just some randos that got dragged into these events.

"some randos"... Their names are Yoko, Divina, and Kent..

*sniff* sorry about that

But yes you are so right. Especially with the scenes getting cut. Yoko was so obviously supposed to be a prominent character but she had only three scenes where she spoke. She was supposed to have a thing with divina too but all of that was shoved to the side...

I know the show's called Wednesday and all, but i wanna see more of the other kids too. Does Ajax have a name for all his snakes? What happens if Xavier draws on skin? Why did he keep getting dreams about the hyde if he never saw by the end of the show? Can vampires here turn into a bat? How is being able to wolf out gonna change enid now? Can Eugene control other insects? Do sirens automatically get their tails/scales if they get wet(like in Luca) or is that something they can do at will? What the fuck is up with Bianca and morning song--

So many interesting characters, and they're wasted to either be a background character, or used in bland romantic subplots that do nothing to develop or affect them in any significant or interesting way.

#asks

[newt-with-a-big-hat]

SHAKING MY FIST IN A SOMEWHAT ANNOYED MANNER AT NEIL GAIMAN

I just watched Good Omens season 2 and I'm gonna be ☝🤓 about it for a second bcuz none of my friends watched the show and I cant rant at them (exploding them with my mind rn)

obviously spoiler and unhinged tirade warning

and no im not proof reading any of this

So I got really into the books before it was a show (Im not like other Good omens fans ok) *gets shoved into a locker* So I was pleasantly surprised with the first season because I thought my annoying grinch ahh would hate it. It was faithful to the original but it still made it new and interesting. The themes, story and the vibe was the same. They did put more of a focus on Aziraphale and Crowely and made them slightly softer but it worked and was swag. I also liked what they did with the ending even though it wasn't in the book.

So when season two was announced I was hopeful but also really nervous. The story had come to a logical end (Ig it could continue with a war between humanity and a heaven hell alliance and the end of season one basicallly implied that that would happen but STILL) and then the other writer for the book, Sir Terry Pratchet passed away (SIDE NOTE: i hate when people only mention Gaiman in regards to Good Omens, put some respect on my man Pratchet). I thought a lot of the humour and charm the book originally had was very Pratchetesque and it just wouldn't be the same without him . (no shade to Gaiman btw but yk what i mean)

I found out later (two days ago) that they the two authors had actually discussed a sequel previously and it would probably follow the plot of that heaven/hell vs humanity war, but past me didnt know that ok? my point about it not being the same still stands.

When season 2 came out i didnt watch it for a month bcuz i didnt have amazon prime. But when I eventually BOUGHT MY OWN SUBSCRIPTION AND GOT IT 100% LEGITIMATELY, JEFF BEZOS IF YOU'RE READING THIS PLS DONT COME BEAT ME UP, i finally had no more excuses to put it off.

In the begining (BIBLE REFERENCE?!??) i was really getting into it. Gaiman was POPPING off with those jokes. The naked Gabriel thing was an interesting premise. It was silly, cozy, and comfy.

and then it sort of stayed like that?

Like in Season one the main threat was the literal world ending. In season 2 it was Shaz standing menacingly outside the bookshop? And I know there was the whole threat of them being erased from the book of life, but that was mentioned once and then not really brought up again until the end where all the threats were just resolved in like 15 minutes? In season 1 Heaven and hell were a proper threat, but in season 2 they felt like submissive Beta males for some reason. it just felt kind of low stakes and too easily resolved.

OK so my next part might make some ppl mad (pls dont be mean to me ill cry) so I will preface this with saying: I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST A ROMANCE BETWEEN AZIRAPHALE AND CROWELY HAPPENING IN SEASON 2 lets be honest they were basically married in the book anyway so  💀

However it kind of overpowered the rest of the season. while season 1 was focused on a lot of different characters and plot happening, most of season 2 seemed to focus on their relationship. I did like some of it (that magic show episode was a banger) but no real plot actually happened during that time ( I straight up forgot Gabriel existed).

I also wasn't overly invested in the other romance between Maggie and Nina. It was cute, but it didnt hit like Newton and Anathema did. Gabriel and Beelzebub was cute (should have been me not Gabriel tho), but it was all smooshed into the last episode. It was a bit of an information dump.

The season felt like a different genre, with different stakes and a different overall vibe. Im gonna be honest, at some points it felt kind of... fanfictiony? if thats a good way to put it? It became more of a character driven show.

While I was doing some serious academic research (reading other tumblr blogs) I found out that this season was meant to be more relaxed and a smaller scale compared to season one and an eventual season 3. It was meant to be more focused on characters relationships and getting everyone where they need to be for the final season (which i assume is going to be like the sequel that Pratchet and Giaman planned ages ago). And it was also filmed during the Pandemic which explains its smaller scale.

I have mixed feelings on it. It was an enjoyable season, but it just didnt feel Good-omens-esque, and the fact that Im a ☝🤓 and grew up with book means I cant enjoy it as much as I want to. Im hoping season three will bring back the originals vibes and redeem season 2 for me.

Ok so aside form my main critisim, I also wanna talk abt the charactarisation of Aziraphale and Crowely and the Themes. This ones less of a problem for me but someone pointed it out and now its bothering me a bit.

When I watched the ending I was ready to throw hands with Gaiman himself because I didn't realize that there was gonna be a season three where the conflict was resolved. After I found out I was fine again UNTIL someone pointed out that they felt Aziraphale leaving for heaven was kind of out of character. The main message of season one is that neither heaven nor hell is good and both Aziraphale and Crowely are on their own, and humanities side. Both of them realize that, and theres a whole scene where they make a toast to the world. The fact that Aziraphale suddenly goes all "I can fix him" on heaven seems a bit odd. I've got mixed feelings on this becuase on one hand it is an interesting conflict to have, but it does sort of seem ooc for him to do. Im deciding to rationalize it by saying Aziraphales gone a bit silly and goofy from all the stress thats happening.

Someone else pointed out that the fact that Aziraphale and crowely met when they were both angels kind of ruins the significance that they became 'friends' despite being on opposite sides. I kind of see this point too, and I did prefer their first meeting being in the garden of eden (mainly becuase it was funnier) but im choosing to interpret this as they were aquintances as angels and only got to know eachother later.

Im just putting my trust in Neil Gaiman and Season 3

OK ITS OVER. Most people probably dont care all that much because they touch grass and go outside, but I just wanted to rant becuase something about it was really bothering me. If you actually read this far im giving you a gold star and a platonic forhead smooch. ALSO PLS FEEL FREE TO BULLY ME FOR MY TAKES BCUZ I REALLY WANT TO ENJOY THIS THIS SEASON AND MAYBE A DIFF PERSPECTIVE WILL HELP. OK BYE

#good omens critical #book omens #Good omens crit #Good omens 2 #Yes i am a nerd #Yes im being dramatic too #Shaz and Muriel saved this season frfr

[linkspooky]

Hello! I Just discovered your blog and you did a lot of interesting work on jjk(I want to fully read your Fanfictions soon!) Since you did a lot of work on jjk side characters I wanted to ask how did you come to the characterization of the secondary/background characters especially the members of Zen'in family and If you had any tips about writing them. I'm plotting a Fanfiction with them as the main villains(except Maki and Mai that are "positive" characters) but I'm a bit scared to make them ooc.

Thank you! If you do end up reading my fics soon let me know what you think and leave a comment. As for the Zen'in, Gege killed them a little too fast before we could ever really learn what the Zen'in family was like in story, so I can describe my process for writing them if that helps!

There are inspiration I took from other media when expanding upon the Zen'in Family dynamic, the first is the Washuu Family from Tokyo Ghoul. In the manga Tokyo Ghoul the Washuu are an extremely rich and traditional patriarchal family who are also the heads of the CCG or Commission of Counter Ghoul the government sponsored organization that hunts down ghouls. Basically, they fight ghouls like the Zen'in Fight curses, but ghouls are sentient with human emotions so they're an even more brutal and unsavory family.

Over the course of the story we learn the Washu isn't just the main house, there are several branch families who are all considered a part of the "Washuu." The house in order to maintain their power commits the ultimate taboo of arranging marriages, some of them even consanguineous marriages in order to breed for stronger child soldiers to fight ghouls. These children were then raised in a place called the "Sunlit Garden" solely for the purpose of becoming ghoul investigators when they were over. However, only the really good ones got to join the CCG, the rest of them had to be secret agents only working in the shadows. They also, as a curse only got to live short lives.

So, you can see the parallels with the Zen'in Family right away.

"If you're not a Zen'in then you're not a sorcerer, if you're not a sorcerer then you're not even human."

If you're a member of the Zen'in Clan you basically have no choice to be a sorcerer, according to Mai the other option is being treated like a household servant, which also implies women are seen as second class citizens who are only there to support the home if they don't become sorcerers.

Which means just like the Washuu, if you're born into the Zen'in you are going to be a child soldier, you'll be sent to Jujutsu High with little choice for the direction in your life. The Zen'in are also the most militarized of the three families. It's one of the few things Gege emphasizes about them in extra-canon materials.

"The Zen'in Family: Sorcerers who place an emphasis on ability above all else. They will even oppress their own family and relatives. They hold a self-righteous and old-fashioned ideology but their battle strength is high: they construct their unique battle organization in order to support the Jujutsu World."

Here we have more parallels to the Washuu, they are basically producing sorcerers / child soldiers to support the Jujutsu World the same way the Washuu creates ghoul investigators. There's also a very regimented caste system, only the best of the best get to be actual sorcerers, those without cursed techniques get shoved down to the bottom while the elite serve in the Hei with Naoya. The Zen'in also value inherited technique above all else, which is why they cast out people like Maki and Mai and yet elevate Megumi who's a complete stranger to clan head. This is an extrapolation but considering that Naoya makes offhand combats about marrying his cousins, then arranged marriages to produce children with better cursed techniques is probably a thing too.

The only reason I draw long comparison between the Washuu and the Zen'in though is because they are both families that basically exist to produce sorcerers / ghoul investigators and raise them up. All of their power and privilege in their society is given to them because of their ability to do this. All prestige in the clan comes from sorcerer technique and ability, which is why if you're not a sorcerer you're not even human. You weren't born as a child to be loved, you're born to be useful to the family.

The Zen'in is a place for raising sorcerers not children, which is why it's such an extremely loveless environment. Men marry women to take care of the household and raise up children, men only pay attention to their children who are sorcerers, children are all raised with the expectation of being a sorcerer or they're failing their parents. The Washuu and the Sunlit Garden particular have a theme that it's such a toxic environment that every single person who's raised there is poisoned. Everyone. There are no exceptions. No matter how kind or soft a person you are, if you are raised from birth to be a child soldier and shown no real empathy or love you're not going to be able to function as a person. There are characters who actually rebel against the Washuu, but they're still very much showing signs of the environment they were raised in, they're still toxic, violent and use power to get what they want.

Which is why whenever writing the Zen'in I used the maxim "There are no good Zen'in" which means no matter how good-intentioned they are, even if they have more sympathetic traits, no one can come out of the Zen'in unscathed. Y

Yes, even Maki. Remember, she murdered a whole bunch of people. She recreates the violence of her clan the same way everyone else in the clan does, even when she's trying to break that cycle she repeats it.

The exception would be Mai who never wanted to be a Zen'in in the first place and only wanted to a normal life, but Mai can be toxic in her own way. She's codependent, she blames others, she's incredibly self-loathing and dysfunctional and in canon in the end she chooses to kill herself. So the one example we have of an "innocent" Zen'in literally dies and is consumed by the whole clan.

Now, this is the part of the post where I'm going to blow your mind, a character doesn't have to be good or even redeemable to be a good character. They just need to be complex. The biggest problem of Gege's characterization of the Zen'in is not that they're all irredeemable people, but that they're irredeemable and one-note.

Ogi wants to kill his daughters to become clan-head. Jinichi was apparently Toji's brother, has a face scar, and wanted to go along with that plan. In extra-canon materials it's mentioned that most of Jinichi's direct subordinates think he's a nicer guy than Naoya.

Naoya's the most complex character out of the bunch, and he works as a good example to outline how you can make a character complex while having them be completely unsavory. Naoya, despite being spoiled is as tragically a product of his environment as much as any other Zen'in is. As I outlined above no one comes out of the Zen'in untouched, if you're raised in an incredibly insular clan with no access to the outside world, and every male figure around you is a misogynist then you're going to turn into a misogynist too. You are educated and taught to behave by the adults around you in your life.

Naoya is really the ultimate foil to Maki in that they are both the ultimate products of the Zen'in Clan toxicity, it's just Naoya was the golden child of the entire clan and Maki was the scapegoat. It's obvious Naoya's upbringing has ruined his entire personality and made him the embodiment of entitlement. One thing I like to say is that Naoya acts like Gojo, but he doesn't have the swag or charisma to back it up so while Gojo gets away with it Naoya continually gets his ass kicked. But in that sense Gojo is also the person who he is because he was spoiled and the golden boy of the Gojo clan.

Let's look at who Gojo is. Emotionally stunted. Incredibly lonely. Thinks no one can connect to him because no one is strong / good enough. Despises the sorcery world and the clan system. Full of barely restrained anger that comes out in fights. Isn't particularly liked by the people around him but they all still need him. Has no life outside of being a sorcerer.

Naoya has all these qualities too he's just an asshole so the audience is less inclined to sympathize with him. Think about Naoya this way, he despises everyone around him, his own family, his fellow sorcerers, he has no friends and no connections to other people. He openly mocks everything and laughs and constantly makes quips like "my brothers should just hang themselves and die" but a person so full of hatred isn't really enjoying their life. He wants to become clan-head beause he thinks he's entitled to that position and he's been told since birth that it's his... but why does he even want it? He hates the Zen'in, he knows their full of shit for looking down on Toji, he hates the other sorcerers around him. He follows and repeats the toxic Zen'in Ideology despite knowing that it's bad for him, but why?

Naoya becomes a very nihilistic character in that light, there's no love or happiness in his life, there's nothing he likes, he just believes in his elitism because that's all he has. He's the perfect Zen'in set to inherit the clan but he's nothing else, he's nihil as a person, he has no identity outside of being a sorcerer and he doesn't even seem to really like anything.

He longs to be as powerful as Toji and Gojo, but once again why? Does he think being able to look down on everyone from above would at least liberate him from the toxic cesspool he was raised in? Would that validate him somehow because he derives no real enjoyment from life?

While not sympathetic a person like that is pitiable. It's impossible not to feel bad for someone miserable, even if that person is the architect of their own misery. Anyway, you can draw a lot out of a character even Naoya who's basic role in the story is just "Naoya always talks shit and then immediately gets his ass kicked."

As for the rest of the clan, like I said they have no canon material so it's basically impossible to write them as out of character. They have no characters in canon.

For Jinichi I chose to focus on his relationship with Toji, because it would serve as a good parallel to Mai and Maki. My idea was to show Toji and Jinichi actually caring about each other as rothers to show how the Zen'in can ruin relationships even when there is love. The Zen'in Clan is a poisoned earth, everything that grows in that garden is poison so even loving sibling relationships are poisoned.

Jinichi can care about his brother, he can be much nicer to him than their father, but eventually their father's mistreatment of Toji and their father pitting them against each other is going to drive a wedge in their relationship no matter what. As much as they want to be they can't be a proper family, because the Zen'in Clan aren't a family they're a bunch of soldiers.

Which again parallels to Maki and Mai who love each other clearly, but are inevitably driven apart by their family circumstances. All the love in the world doesn't make a difference for the both of them because number one they are pitted against each other by the clan and outside environment and number two they are two different people coping with their trauma in different ways.

For Toji and Jinichi, and then Maki and Mai I chose to basically show that these are two twins who are inevitably unable to have functional sibling relationships with each other despite the love they might have because despite being twins they are not the same person. They are inevitably two different people reacting in different ways and therefore they're driven apart by it.

Ogi is the last one I gave any real characterization in my fic, by not actually giving him characterization at all. That makes sense I promise just let me explain.

Ogi's the kind of man who is willing to murder his own daughters for what he thinks is a shot at getting him clan head. These are children he's spent sixteen years of his life raising, and he has no hesitation whatsoever in doing that. Sure, Jinichi goes along with it but those aren't his kids so he's at least got a reason for being impersonal.

What kind of person can do that?

Well my idea was that Ogi's just not really much of a person to begin with. At least Naoya is grappling with inner turmoil and negative emotions whereas Ogi just seems to only care about his standing in the clan and his desire for clan head.

He probably never formed an attachment to his daughters, so he handed them off to his wife to raise. He probably didn't want daughters and twins on top of that in the first place, but when they turned out to both be worthless as sorcerers he probably stopped regarding them as his children whatsoever.

So everything in Ogi's life is just about playing a role in his clan. His marriage is probably arranged, and one where he has all the power in the house considering how Matsuko is scared into just going along with his plans. He only had children out of obligation to produce more heirs to raise up as sorcerers, and those failed so they're not even his children anymore. He doesn't have anything he wants, besides his desire for clan leadership but only because he believed he was unfairly passed over.

He's someone who perfectly fits the role of a traditional man of the Zen'in, but he's absolutely nothing else. He's got no personality, no motivations beyond ascending the ranks, he's just a cog more or less. Which is why in the end he's not even that important or complex a character, Maki just kills him in an instant because he's a nobody.

Those are the ideas I came up with in fleshing out the Zen'in as a household, I hope that helped you even a little bit, anon!

#nobody dies au #askspookies #zen'in family #zenin family #naoya zenin #naoya zeni'n

[ansbobcar]

Infodumping/venting about the lack of Mashle fanfics on most fanfic platforms

WARNING: This isn't a vent. This is a mashle fanfic idea dumpster fire with MANGA SPOILERS.

I'm so heartbroken discovering that there is barely any mashle x oc content out there even x readers or character x character. I have so many tiny plot point ideas for a Rayne/Rain x fem oc/reader. Which resulted in me beginning to write my own oc, Darren Randel. Her name's stolen from my random ass mha oc Darren Halston. Darren Randel is lowkey different (she's less edgy/and emotionally unstable) even though they both have brown hair.

PLS TELL ME IF YOU'RE GONNA STEAL OR GET INSPO FROM THIS PLS BECUZ I WOULD LIKE TO HELP.

SO-

What was the original plot idea you may ask?

Infamous girl from rival school transfers to Easton Magic Academy because she fell in love with Rayne Ames lol.

Lowkey unoriginal right?

So then I added an extra spin to it borrowing a key romance drama plot point from See You in My 19th Life: Darren only gets 3 chances to confess and have her feelings be reciprocated by Rayne, and if he rejects her feelings. She'll give up (on that romance).

The ending of the fanfic is bittersweet: She doesn't get Rayne. But they stay close friends.

OH BUT HERE'S WHAT I'M TRYNA FIGURE OUT TO ADD MORE OF THAT BITTERSWEET FEEL TO IT:

1. Darren confused her initial crush on Rayne to be love at first sight/romantic feelings when she actually felt like she had a friend/that sense of trust in him compared to others.

1a. As a result of that she kind of decides to nullify all her chances of getting him.

1b. Regardless of this plot point she still ends up developing actual romantic attraction for Rayne and still doesn't get her feelings reciprocated.

2. It turns out that Rayne ALSO developed feelings for Darren over the course of the fic but he still rejects her advances due to either:

a. Her newfound realisation that she confused her feelings of attraction for something like companionship or trust. (1a)

b. His new position and role as Divine Visionary and the fear that she would be in more danger than she already was. (For context: her former school Walkis has so much beef with her existence for the 4 ish years she was there that they want her erased from existence and the Bureau of Magic is extremely alert about her whereabouts due to that and her skills which will be explained in the OC Profile section below).

c. Typical fears of a dude who for most of his life before Easton was seen as a nuisance alongside his younger brother Finn. (Big headcanon.) Doubt he cares/he probably would shove in the aristocrats face if he was dating her honestly (fake dating plot point???)

_ _ _ _ _ _

OC PROFILE:

Fyi - I haven't completed her complete information so I may have removed some parts.

General Info:

Name: Darren Randel

Other names: “Renren”, “Walkis Traitor”, “Wandless Psycho”

Sex: Female

Age: 18 (from the start of Mashle canon timeline)

Birthday: February 18th

Blood Type: A

Height: 168cm

Occupation: 3rd Year Student at Easton Magic Academy

House: Adler

Affiliation: Easton Magic Academy (current), Walkis Magic Academy (former)

Dominant Hand: Left

Good Subjects: Magic Geography (it better exist), Magic Zoology

Bad Subjects: Magic Mathematics, Magic Biology

Hobbies: Cooking, Running at 4am, Pestering Rayne whenever possible

Favourite Food: Mussel/Seafood Pasta

Favourite Word: “Antidisestablishmentarianism”

Favourite type of the opposite sex: “People think about those?”

Dislikes: Her sense of justice being challenged, Bunbun, People who hate Rayne Ames

Frequently visited school spots: School Garden, Training rooms, Dormitory kitchen 

Appearance: 

Her hair is orange brown with cornflower tips. The way she styles her hair hides one of her lines. The main line that is shown juts out just under her cheek from her forehead while the other one only juts out slightly from the side of her eye. She’s more of a sports person than a bookworm. When she manifests her third line, it appears across and under her eyes. She switches between 3 types of bottoms. Pants, Long skirt, shorter skirt of which she wears jogging leggings underneath but they’re all dark blue you know.

Lines: 2 + 1

Skills/Abilities: 

General Magic: Offensive Magic - Due to the competitive environment of Walkis, she has a general grasp on nearly all learnable offensive magic spells. Being able to cast them with ease compared to more typical and unlethal spells. Her speed at casting these spells were unmatched during her time in middle school.

Personal Magic: Impart - Darren’s magic essentially allows her to balance out either magical power, strength, and weaknesses between her targets (living and non living) or with herself. It’s essentially cheating at life. The magic is highly confusing due to the fact that she doesn’t have to chant the words to the magic and its essentially treated as a debuffing magic (which is wrong because she aims to fight everyone on fair terms).

Impart Zero - It dispels a spell.

Impart Seconth: Impartial Vice - Instead of deducting and balancing their power, like a water dam. Water is added to balance both sides.

Summon: Themis (Goddess of Justice) - When summoned, the user’s wand transforms into a dull sword whilst Themis appears with blindfold with a scale in hand

Themis Inclination - Themis appears and buffs her attacks’ range but she rarely utilises this due to how lackluster it was against Rayne (ineffective) and other people

Impart Thirds: Divine Mercy - It’s essentially renders its' target a painless death. It's an instant kill move.

Impart Thirds: Divine Tears - Unlike Divine Mercy, this one's pure torture. (To be developed later) (Tears of Themis reference?)

Wandless Casting: Her aptitude to cast magic without a wand has earned her infamy and wanted death since she enrolled into Walkis in middle school. It has also made her wanted by a few subdivisions of the Bureau of Magic, namely Magic Talent and Magic Research Administration.

Immense Speed: Exactly what running at 4am, and doing marathons before starting class does.

Immense Endurance: Due to the fact she does running as a hobby, her stamina/endurance in terms of speed/running is more than decent. She can withstand advanced offensive spells typically used by the police.

Equipment:

Basic Wand - She prefers to not wield a wand though finding it too rudimentary for her purposes, hence many assume she cannot unleash her secondth and thirds magic (to which she has). It stays in her cloak mostly.

Infinite Storage Fabric - Lining her uniform’s robe it has the ability to store anything it can consume within its’ own subspace. She stores majority of her items in it. Even though it’s mass doesn’t change due to how many things there are, it still is a heavy fabric. It will help fish out whatever the user who is currently wearing the cloak wants to have.

Resistance bands - She carries it around to do some exercise. Especially when she’s in the kitchen

Thick Rope - She carries this around as well but its to apprehend anyone she sees.

Photo album of Rayne Ames - She carries this with her at all times alongside a self printing camera. Don't worry, she gets permission to take the pictures.

Family/History:

The Randel Family while not aristocrats or anything, take pride in their magic aptitude which is a recent cut above the rest. Born as a two-liner magic user, she was put on a pedestal with unwanted attention, which is why she has a hime cut to hide her other mark. Her parents treat her like a trophy child and place their expectations on her.

She’s an only child but has an extensive selection of uncles and aunts 5 each. But she prefers her grandma over everyone else.

She had a tendency to break her wands while practising magic as a kid. Due to this her family/parents decided to just stop supplying wands (cuz it was costly) which resulted in her adapting the way she casted magic spells without the use of a wand. During her entrance exam into Walkis, she was ridiculed for not having a wand and got into trouble while getting the highest score of her batch in terms of magic.

_ _ _ _ _ _

I was tempted to add a Modern Magic/unmagic AU of this as well based on the anime endings which I find to be completely confusing even though they're fun. (SERIOUSLY, HOW IN THE WORLD DO RAYNE AND FINN HAVE FANCY OLD CARS THOSE ARE EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN WHEN THEY'RE CANONICALLY ORPHANS UNLESS DIVINE VISIONARY IN MODERN AU IS A SUPER RICH POSITION-)

#mashle #rayne ames #mashle oc #mashle fanfic idea #mashle spoilers #someone pls make more mashle fanfics once s2 goes on

[sapphickatpoet]

My Issues with Portia’s Route

(Spoilers)

I’m gonna cut straight to the chase: Portia doesn’t go through any significant character development. Now, I know that some may say that in her Upright ending, she no longer keeps secrets. Sure, that may be true, but the devs ignored something about her character that was established early on in her route. She felt like she was the side character in her own story. She felt small, like she couldn’t do anything to help. All she wants to do is to save her brother, and for a moment, she felt as though she couldn’t even do that. She doesn’t know her worth

Those secrets of hers were all kept so that she could get closer and closer to finding her brother and bringing him home safe. Everything she did was based around that hope. Well, aside from inviting the whole Satrinava family to the masquerade. That was out of her starting to care for Nadia. Yes, Portia’s secrets did get out of hand, but it seems that the devs ignored the reason why she kept those secrets in the first place.

Then, there’s the deal with Tasya. I understand why the devs did what they did. All the LIs had some sort of connection to Lucio, the main villain. All of them, that is, except for Portia. Tasya was added so that Portia could have a personal connection with the villain of the story. Tasya is a great character, but I personally don’t like her addition to Portia’s route. It took everything the story established about Lucio being the villain and twisted it on its head. Now, Julian turns himself in to…protect Portia? The whole shtick with the Hanged Man was completely erased. It was addressed in the route, sure, but that was about it. Tasya’s addition to the story reminds me of how Disney was writing twist villains for a while. She twisted everything on its head until the story was too different than how it was originally laid out to be. Lucio and his many crimes weren’t even addressed when he was brought back to life! We don’t even know what happened to him in Portia’s Upright ending

I feel as though Lucio could’ve still worked as the villain in Portia’s route if the devs remembered how Portia saw herself as the side character in her own story. Lucio wouldn’t know who she is, but The Devil would. This could lead to The Devil trying to tempt Portia into deals, and at the very end, him brutally taunting her and telling her that she’s weak. That she’s powerless to save anyone.

The Upright and Reversed endings for each LI correlate to the tarot card they’re associated with. For Portia, it’s The Star. Both endings seem to do a decent job at this, as in her Upright ending, Portia is hopeful for the future ahead of her. Meanwhile, in the Reversed ending, Portia has lost her zest for life. However, I don’t like Portia’s reversed ending. She’s still the main character of her own story, something that (in my opinion) should’ve been focused on in her route. Of course, the outcome of each route also correlates to the character arc of each LI. The reversed meaning of The Star mainly refers to hopelessness. Despite the changes to everything, Portia still seemed pretty hopeful.

It isn’t just Portia’s route with issues like these; both Muriel’s and Lucio’s routes are riddled with plot holes and other problems saved for a different post. Portia was just completely sidelined by the devs in terms of her story, and were simply shoving in plot points for the sake of plot by the end of her route. Portia has more development in Nadia’s route and Julian’s route than in her own.

And we didn’t even have the masquerade in Portia’s route. I’m still salty to this day.

Of course, if you like Portia’s route, that’s completely ok. It’s a fun route, I will say that. However, it just has way more cons than pros.

#the arcana #the arcana game #portia the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #lucio the arcana #portia devorak #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #lucio morgasson

[antares-8]

hello! i recently finished rereading the pilgrim's progress and honestly, it's some of (if not the) best beast!wirt fic i've ever read! there's a lot of stuff that i've realized makes it so good, especially after giving it more than one read through.

first of all, beatrice's characterization throughout the whole series is AMAZING and feels really accurate to the show. she's angry and almost always ready and willing to punch a man, but that's only part of her character. like, i've seen a decent bit of otgw fic where she just gets reduced down to "the angry one" but in tpp, her other emotions get the spotlight too sometimes and it makes her feels so real and human. she's determined and stubborn and willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people she cares about and you can really feel it!! she's her own person with her own stuff to deal with and it makes her so interesting in this series. i think she's possibly my favorite character.

(also, in writing that paragraph about beatrice i realized that tpp, or at least the arc with the witches, has a lot to do with grief and anger. this is more of a half-formed thought, but the way they're fairly consistent elements throughout and fit in perfectly with its other themes. i'm not exactly sure what else to say about this since i haven't put much thought into it until just now, but it's definitely something i like about it, although it's more of a personal preference.)

characters in general are one of tpp's strong suits, i think! the ocs created for this series are amazing without detracting from the main cast. felicity sticks out to me in particular, likely because we get to see things from her perspective. her motives manage to be understandable without detracting from the sense that she's in the wrong. also, shoutout to peg-leg polly, whose character description is amazingly evocative, as well as literally everything else about her. 10/10, no notes.

i think something else tpp does amazingly is all the "side" stuff. not "side" as in, like, subplots (this is all pretty much main plot, which is part of why it's so great), but as in "not the first thing you think of when you think of a beast!wirt au." "weren't you someone's son" is possibly the best example of this. we get to see how wirt's family is affected personally, something that's so often ignored. and it's a *whole main plot thing*--they never get fully shoved off to the side. the same goes with the unknown's reactions to wirt as the "new beast"--it's not glossed over. in fact, it's one the things the story is based around. tpp is BUILT around the stuff that's not immediately obvious, and it really makes it stand out in the best way possible.

and somewhat relatedly, wirt's character arc, about CHOOSING to stay in the unknown, is so good! it takes 30 works and tens of thousands of words until he fully admits it to himself but the payoff is so, so worth it. the line at the end of "to wind thy soul" where wirt says he *wants* to stay is built up so beautifully. it's another one of those things that makes tpp so unique and amazing.

and last, but definitely not least, is the WORLDBUILDING. there's a lot to say about it, but i love your version of the unknown!! it feels so real and alive, and the people in it do too. it really manages to capture the feeling of the original show--there's darkness, but it's not ALL sad times and eldritch horror, and some things are even a bit silly. and the way the unknown keeps on feeling mysterious even as we learn more and more about it is impressive. the fact that some things are mentioned but never expanded upon (like the beast-cult or the wars against nature) is far from a flaw here--they make the unknown feel like a real place, and help keep up the sense of mystery, magic, and a long history by sounding so interesting while being left mostly up-in-the-air. and the idea of using edelwood to cleanse corruption is also so good. like, if i force myself to look at it from a doylist perspective, i can say that it might exist to avoid a moral quandary which would seriously hurt everything that tpp is trying to say (although honestly, i don't think that it's a bad thing if that's the case; i love worldbuilding but making sure it plays nice with story and message is important, often moreso than making it feel "good"), but i have to force myself to think like that. while reading, it's foreshadowed well and feels so natural that i sometimes forget it was created for this series. and that's just one part of the worldbuilding! so much of this version of the unknown feels so in line with everything the show gives us, and there's so much attention to detail. it's so fantastic and i love it!!

also, a couple small details i noticed (and are appreciated):

in "all that was lost," enoch says that he can tell beatrice + greg where wirt is if they stay the night, and in "wish i was a shadow" it's mentioned that enoch vists the queen of the clouds a lot. did. did enoch ask the queen of the clouds where wirt was for beatrice and greg?

in "only one thing" greg mentions that he's sure that the cloak wirt gave him is enchanted, and in "gone to the tree" wirt mentions that he'd only tried to imbue something with his protection once before. did wirt enchant greg's cloak?? if so that's ADORABLE. wirt really loves greg huh?

anyway, yeah, the pilgrim's progress is amazing!! i didn't realize that i had this much to say about it, but it honestly deserves all the praise i can throw at it. there are some other small things that i love, but this is getting pretty long as it is. i can't wait for the next update, and i hope that you're doing well!! <3

First off, thank you for making my day! (And hopefully inspiring me finally finish the next installment. One can hope, right?) I always love to hear from readers, especially readers who enjoy my work.

Beatrice is a lot of fun to write. She accepts no nonsense (except when she doles it out to get something), her first impulse is violence, and she's fiercely loyal to all those she loves. Plus, some of her reactions to Wirt are just hilarious. She knows enough to realize how weird--or perhaps extraordinary--he really is.

I wanted to say something about how family was important in the show (the bluebirds, the brothers), but the truth is that I really like outsider POV and the parents gave me a good opportunity to play with that. That can remain our secret.

Sometimes, I feel like this entire series is just one big exercise in worldbuilding. Because the Beast is so well-known (and feared), I have to think about how the new Beast interacts with the world in general and how the world's reactions reflect back onto the character. That being said, I've still got a few headcanons that I'd like to explore.

Both of your theories regarding small details are correct. Enoch asked the Queen of the Clouds where to find Wirt waaaay back in the beginning, and Wirt added a few enchantments to the cloak before giving it to Greg. The enchantments... well, let's just say that no one will ever try to bully Greg while he's wearing it.

Unfortunately, I can't say for certain when the next update will be out. The next one is a new arc (or maybe it will be the one after that, because I've got another WIP that could become part 31 instead), so I've been obsessively tweaking it to get everything set up correctly.

As Wirt says to the people who try to drive him out of their town with torches and pitchforks, have a nice day!

#over the garden wall #the pilgrim’s progress #tpp