#...you can be idealistic (and naive) at any age!

[desultory-novice]

Where comes the idea that Kirby "needs adult guidance?" When has Kirby been shown to ever need guidance by anybody outside of the extraordinary circumstances of Rainbow Curse and Mass Attack?

Kirby is always the one doing the guiding. He's at the head of the party. He also isn't native to Dream Land and we're left to assume he cared for himself perfectly fine before arriving there in DL1.

(Let's not be so quick to remove "traveling" from "traveling youth." Remember that the travels Kirby have been on are inter-planetary ones. This isn't the anime where he was a sleeping infant. The series tells us he's been on galactic adventures before arriving on Popstar.)

Kirby IS a childish character, of that there is no doubt. They are quite likely to be a childish child! But Kirby is no one's dependant.

Kirby is perfectly capable of surviving alone, on their own, in situations that have toppled kingdoms. He can also logic out what is going around him with only loose context. In fact, he picks up on complex situations like Susie's and Taranzas really fast.

Kirby can be young. How young is up to each individual person. If it's your HC or you want to write familial relationships with him and the cast, by all means, write him as whatever is cutest/most fulfilling!

But for the series in a general sense? The evidence of Kirby needing other's supervision, protection, and guidance isn't there.

[trans-leek-cookie]

seeing ppl shipping marcille n chilchuck just makes me. Okay this sucks man. Like these r the least 2 compatible Dungeon Meshi characters chilchuck is a full hater of magic and elves and shit and like. Yeah he can grow out of that but marcille should not have to deal with this idiot. He already lost one wife he doesn't need to be inflicted on more women

[izzyspussy]

anyway so seasons 1-early 3 mickey is a pessimist with a dash of nihilist (miserable), and because of that ian looks like an optimist verging on idealist to him.

the fact of the matter is that ian is not an optimist and he certainly is not an idealist. he's a little naive, sure, but less than what would be appropriate for his age. he's also not a pessimist or a nihilist (either kind). or a realist or a pragmatist or any of those.

no, ian is quite simply. unfathomably stubborn. and that is all.

he'll get into west point. he's absolutely certain of this. why? because he fucking said so.

he'll have a real relationship with mickey. they are in love and they are going to be together. this is true. how does he know? because. he. fucking. said so.

he doesn't have hope. he doesn't want things. that's pussy shit. there are precisely three types of things in this world: things ian isn't interested in, things ian already has, and things ian will have. that is simply that!

(which is obviously its own very specific mindset and is at least as extreme as pure optimism and pure pessimism, and is almost certainly just another fun little factor when the force of his will alone is not enough to change the reality of an ongoing traumatic event that contributes to the somewhat early onset of his bipolar disorder. but that's tangential.)

now. once again, disclaimer, these characters cease to exist past early season 5 for me, so there's every chance this next bit is exclusive to MY mickey and ian. there's just no way to know ❤️

that said. ian matures into a nihilist (carefree) - and i would say he's here-ish already in season 4, but in a maladaptive way at that stage - and then eventually matures further into a nihilistic (carefree)-leaning pragmatist.

mickey on the other hand - after a period of having no particular mindset of this type of thing at all which in effect amounts to a months-to-a-year long panic attack where his every action is fueled by emotional desperation and he has no solid concept of his own wants, needs, values, or future beyond the ever-present but totally incoherent certainty that he can't live without ian but ian can and will leave him with ease for even the slightest infraction or failure that terrorizes him like a weasel terrorizes a hen in his every waking moment - um. what was i saying.

oh right. mickey on the other hand, after All That, matures first into a sort of quiet idealism (kind of a pendulum swing maybe, but not quite not also progress, iygiygi), and then. into a less naive version of the old ian's way lmao.

there is no "that's how things are/go" or "that's how the world works" or "life is/isn't fair" or any fundamental human nature or any purpose or lack thereof to life or possible and impossible or likely and unlikely or anything else along any of those lines. there are only two types of things in the world: things that don't matter and mickey's next achievement. and that's that, baby!

and then eventually, mick finishes out at a relatively stable and sustainable realist-leaning optimism, heavily informed by romanticism of the Certain Things Are Meant To Be kind. like, he wouldn't necessarily express that or think of it in those terms. and he doesn't think it's a common thing, in fact it's rare and special and he's very lucky, and even if something is like that it still doesn't mean you don't have to put the work in for it to go well and end up Right. and he doesn't believe in a higher power or in Fate quite as such or in the will of the universe or a cosmic balance or anything like that really.

it's just, you know. sometimes. every now and then. there's just this one little thing that will continuously keep trying to happen without any heed to sense or logic or the incredible odds against it. just something in particular that will forever and always find a way to happen.

like say. for example. there's this gay kid, right? and he gets in this fight and he wins and he's about to bring down a tire iron and ruin this other idiot's pretty face and - for no discernible reason whatsoever - he just... doesn't. and maybe he'll think about it half a dozen years later and wonder why. that one tiny little thing that changed his whole fucking life, why did he do that? what was the reason? and there just. isn't one.

and that's not even all. see, these two dumbasses have no idea the other one is gay too, but some-fucking-how they don't have to say a word or even make any opening moves to just Know they want each other. it's like they read each other's fucking minds, even though he knows, he remembers, he didn't sense anything from ian. but for Some Fucking Reason he just never for a second considered ian wouldn't want him, and ian was in perfect time with him. and maybe he'll think back and try to find an explanation for this part too. was there some body language he read? was there some look in ian's eyes? but the answer is no every time.

and then after that, these two gay kids just can't be kept apart. they just can't. and it's not just that they inexplicably can't resist each other either. every time they're separated they find each other again, no matter what. even when they're the ones to separate themselves, situation after coincidence after happenstance after necessity keeps putting them in each other's orbits. secrecy and jealous exes and gun violence and imprisonment and infidelity and a fucking pathological fear of intimacy and conversion therapy and genuine threat to their lives and marriage to someone else and permanent life-altering illness can't break them up. at least not for long.

and then. somehow. SOME fucking how! after all that, and with the absolutely shit chances that they ever even hooked up in the first place, they actually fucking make it? they don't just get to be together, they get to be happy??

so no, he doesn't believe in god or destiny or soulmates or whatever the fuck. but at the same time, i mean. what other explanation is there?

[seriouslysam8]

I really enjoy the Dumbledore/Fleamont connection and thought it was a very reasonable explanation to have Fleamont vouch for James’ and his friends’ entry into the Order. I saw someone say it was dark for a parent to have Dumbledore’s mentality of “Take these Gryffindor kids, they will even die for the greater good”, and I feel like that’s not it at all. Fleamont supporting their entry into the Order doesn’t mean he - or Dumbledore - saw them as canon fodder to die for the “greater good.”

Like, at what point in their life is a person “allowed” to decide that they want to fight for a cause that they believe in? If everyone uses excuses like that…”they’re too young”, “they’re too old”, “it doesn’t directly affect them so they shouldn’t get involved”…then Voldemort wins because there isn’t anyone left to stand up for what’s right. Some things are bigger than our individual selves.

I’m sure Fleamont was incredibly worried about them joining up and being actively part of the war, but who was he to stop them?

I think it gives a gateway to how James and Sirius even knew about the Order in the first place. It's all about connections, right? I can't see Dumbledore recruiting a bunch of kids into the Order without reason. He wants to trust these people. But Fleamont and Euphemia being in the Order would allow James and Sirius to know about the Order. Of course, then Remus and Peter would know. Lily and her friends would know. None of them are ones to sit by. They're all brave and they want to do the right thing. I can totally see them wanting to join, not being asked to join.

Who is Fleamont to say they can't join? He vouches for their characters. He treats them like equals because he himself cannot sit ideally by and let these injustices happen.

As Sirius often says in Brumous as a thirty-something year old, they were all dumb idealistic kids who were too arrogant and didn't know any better. They all thought they were invincible until they weren't. While Sirius frets and worries about Harry, he's not holding Harry back in his position in the war. He's preparing Harry because he knows even if he wanted to run to another country and disappear that Harry wouldn't want that. Harry wants to fight and he has a strong sense of right/wrong. I feel like that's what Fleamont was to those kids. They wanted to fight and he did his best to prepare them.

I have a lot of complicated feelings about Dumbledore, but I don't think he's some evil manipulator who is recruiting fodder for the war in young idealistic kids. Nor do I feel that way about Fleamont.

Even in canon, you can see the different parenting styles. Molly is very against the kids knowing anything. Not because she doesn't think they're mature or naive to think they will never be apart of the war, but because she's a mother who is fucking scared after losing her family in the first war. Sirius, on the other hand, knows what it's like to be that age in the midst of the war. He knows they were dumb kids. He knows they made a lot of mistakes out of reckless bravery and just plain arrogance. While he's worried his ass off like Molly is, he wants those kids to know the facts so they don't find themselves in the same position he did as a kid. Neither are right. Neither are wrong. They're both equally scared as hell for those kids and are doing what they think is best by them.

[misscrawfords]

Strong Girl Nam Soon is falling into that sweet spot for me between being good and entertaining enough to make me invested in it and having sufficient flaws to make me deeply frustrated.

So obviously I'm going to analyse it way more than it deserves!

I think

The characterisation (or lack of it) of Nam Soon herself. Quite a lot to delve into here. She started off with a really intriguing origin and character with lots of directions in which she could go in... and she just hasn't developed at all really. She starts up very idealistic and naive which is understandable considering her upbringing. She acts charming in a childish way. She is rash and thoughtless but fundamentally good-hearted and on the side of the underdog and uses her powers for good. All of these are qualities that make sense in who she is but she is very immature. The show keeps these qualities but instead of interrogating them and allowing her to mature realistically while suffering inevitable set-backs and challenges to her idealism, she keeps all of this, is somehow incredibly attractive to both the hero and villain (despite her child-like tone and mannerisms - I genuinely find this so odd) and adds being a super spy to her list of accomplishments. (Surely being a good spy is literally the opposite set of skills to being good at brute force and not thinking before you act?) Dare I say it... she's a Mary Sue! Which leads onto the second issue with Nam Soon which is she is both over-powered and not given enough to do with her powers. The first few episodes showed her frequently using her super strength and it was very cool and superhero-like and fitted the apparent theme (and name) of the show. But she's rarely used them in the latter half of the show. Meanwhile she also has super speed, super vision and I'm sure something I'm forgetting. If she's got these skills, she needs to use them frequently and to advance the plot or it feels quite pointless. Instead, we see her playing the role of a spy which feels totally OOC. How is she so good at lying all of a sudden? It doesn't fit at all with the character we were introduced to in the first couple of episodes. Someone who just builds a ger in the middle of a public park and beats up everyone who tries to stop her without any thought for consequences is... not going to be good at a danger-filled spy mission in a high security mafia joint. Right???? It's hard to care too much about Nam Soon because there seem to be no consequences to her actions, she doesn't seem to respond realistically to what happens around her based on her own established character, and she doesn't seem to have developed from the beginning to close to the end of the drama.

Second issue is the way the romance(s) are being played. Look, I'm happy for the grandma and all and I think it's lovely she's getting a romance with sweeping soundtrack and dramatic moments but it is a bit odd that this is the relationship that is getting the most attention in the show. Nam Soon and Hee Sik are adorable and I can get behind a cute relationship without ridiculous manufactured impediments but very little attention is given to it and just as Nam Soon's character is very static, so is the relationship. There are no issues between the pair of them (and there easily should be) and their relationship doesn't seem to impact the other at all and make them grow individually as well as together, which a really good fictional relationship should do. It's cute - and that's it. As for Ryu Si-o, hmm, another puzzle. I'm usually behind villain romances and redemption arcs (I'm a Reylo shipper, for goodness sake) but I'm struggling to see it here. Mainly because Nam Soon acts so childish, I feel a bit icky shipping her in a relationship that is so adult coded. I know she's an adult (I'm not some weird purity shipper who can't deal with a bit of an age gap) but the way the actress plays the character makes her come across as so immature that I just can't read it romantically. And she has no interest in him. Nothing he says seems to sway her or interest her. She's a good little foot soldier and nothing else. Which is very boring, but that's the characterisation... Frustating. And don't get me started on the bizarre way Nam Soon's family is gunning for this "you have consummate this relationship and have strong girls when you're 22". Any normal person would be running for the hills! Why is this not creepy and an issue? Very bizarre.

The way the characters are forced to be unbelievably stupid to make the plot work. Like, it seems TOTALLY unbelieavable that Nam Soon has not been caught. She's really unconvincing as a spy - why is nobody running better background checks on her? How has Si-o not found Nam Soon before? Like, with his resources, it can't be hard! Why is nobody suspicious? Why did the police department let their supervisor lick a known deadly drug then believe him when he said he was okay and not take him to hospital etc.? Absolutely clown behaviour. Why does Geum Joo take the trouble of putting bodyguards around her family because they are all in danger but her closest confidante doesn't come into work on a very important day and won't answer the phone, just texts to say "she's ill" and Geum Joo is like "Sure, that sounds legit"? Why did nobody communicate about Nam In and the symptoms of the drug? The whole Nam In plot altogether... Why are the men in the family not just "not strong" but completely emasculated and massive losers? We're apparently dealing with wealthy and successful people but they're all behaving like complete incompetents! Which would be funny if the show had retained the comic tone it started with but it's got quite dark and so it's tonally off.

Okay. Enough whinging. Under the cut, I'm going to give some suggestions for how I would rewrite aspects of the show to try to make it less frustrating. (I'm so close to writing fanfic but I know I won't haha.)

First, the things I'd definitely keep:

The grandma's entire plot

Geum Joo being a total badass

Nam Soon's initial characterisation (and her plaits)

Cute romance with Hee Sik

Si-o's characterisation and tragic backstory

The drug plot - I don't mind it at all

In other words, I'd keep the show telling the same story but I'd alter the characterisation.

Nam Soon would have a lot more inner conflict, which she can have without losing a fundamentally optimistic outlook. She finds it very hard to living in Korea. Her homeless friends play a much bigger role and she dedicates herself to trying to make social changes to make society more egalitarian and is continually frustrated by her inability to make progress within the system. It leads to clashes with her mother after an initial honeymoon phase of being reunited who cannot understand why she can't just throw money at individuals and consider it done and why Nam Soon even grows to resent her own family's wealth. It also leads to clashes with Hee Sik, whose role as a police officer means he is upholding the very social order she finds so unfair. On the other hand, it drives her towards Ryu Si-o who she discovers knows more than anyone else in her life about destitution and who is willing to operate outside the law to effect change.

I also think it would be very interesting to have Si-o discover very early on who Tsetseg is. She is a terrible liar and not sneaky at all so he realises first that she is planted as a spy but she is so obviously terrible at it that he is more amused than angry and then he digs around and realises she is Nam Soon. He realises all this before/as he develops feelings for her. He decides to keep her around to keep the enemy close but quickly finds her straight forward attitude which comes through despite her best intentions and frustrations with many of the things that frustrate him too compelling and he ends up getting distracted from his business with the drugs in order to do big bad mafia villain type things like funding soup kitchens. And of course, social justice warrior Nam Soon who is learning about class inequality and really trying to do something about it is shown to mature by her dropping her childlike tone and mannerisms over the course of the show.

Honestly, can this end up being a Hee Sik/Nam Soon romance when he has so little he can contribute to her development? I'm honestly not sure. It depends how far down the redemption path you're willing to take Si-o. And I don't know how the show will end but redemption by death is so boring...

More exploration of strength and how Nam Soon and Si-o parallel each other. Oh botheration, no matter how I try to look at it, they ought to have the most compelling dynamic for a ship! It's just Nam Soon's mannerisms that stop me shipping it. :( On paper, it's a no brainer! Maybe I'll just plan a superhero/villain original romance instead!

Anyway, I just wish this show made more sense and was more coherent because I do like it enough to be engaged and invested. And the ideas and initial characters were so cool. Geum Joo - what a bamf! A whole series about her but without her strange lack of attention to issues with people near her... or deal with it properly as a significant character flaw.

[arcaneglitch]

5 and 19 for your all your main OCs?

oh gosh I hope you know what you just asked for lmao

5. What's their moral compass like?

19. How do they view the world? Are they an optimist? A pessimist? A realist?

I think I'll use alignment answers here to simplify a bit (also starting to think that I should include a quick breakdown of my various OCs in my pinned post)

Harley

Neutral good: What others deem to be right doesn't necessarily factor into his decision-making as much as what his conscience says is right. He wants to help people and is willing to make personal sacrifices to do so but is willing to bend or even break the rules Pessimist-leaning realist: He tries to balance his expectations by what's most likely to happen regardless of positive or negative outcomes. The Red War triggered a more negative shift in viewpoint that only became exacerbated by Cayde's death (he blames himself for not preventing it, due to having seen a simulation in the Infinite Forest)

Fyr

Chaotic good: He does things for (usually) the right reasons but how he goes about doing them can be unorthodox and he can come off to others as unpredictable/uncontrollable Optimist: Fyr's generally a very positive person and tries to look on the bright side. Sometimes when things mount up, it can grow to be too much for him, but he's generally able to hang onto his optimistic outlook when others give up

Jade

Lawful good: She has a very strong sense of justice and what's right and is generally unwilling to compromise her values (though she will make occasional exceptions if she feels there's unfairness in the way things work out) Realist-leaning optimist: She knows her optimism can sometimes make her seem naive or idealistic, but she also sees it as worth hanging onto. She's aware that positive outcomes aren't necessarily the most likely, but she believes it's important to try reaching for them anyway

Bazzle

Lawful good: He's very by-the-book in his values, and it takes a lot to convince him to make exceptions. However he's entirely capable of recognizing when the system is rigged (such as Harley's persecution by the Praxic Order) and is willing to step in and help (within the boundaries) Realist: He's very practical-minded and doesn't let himself get carried away by imagining positive or negative outcomes. He believes in doing the best he can in any given situation without getting caught up in what might be

Kaedro-22

Chaotic neutral: I would almost describe him as "recklessly responsible." When he's around older Guardians (his age or close to it), he tends to embrace more of his chaotic side, but when he's around newer Guardians, he tames those instincts a bit more in an effort to set a "good example" Realist: Kaedro would say he's been around too long to be anything else. He's seen both the bright sides and dark sides of humanity. While others might see his outlook as a tragedy born from his centuries of experience, he would view it as a triumph to not have fallen into pessimistic and cynical ways of thinking

Rogue-12

Chaotic good: He doesn't have much respect for the Vanguard as an authority, but he does respect them as people. He's fully willing to act outside Vanguard jurisdiction if he sees it as the right thing to do (which is why he wasn't one of the people sent to the Tangled Shore to stop Harley lol) Optimist-leaning realist: To some extent, Rogue believes in the power of positive thinking, but he believes even more in the power of positive action. His optimistic tendencies are a tool that shapes the way he acts and how he handles sistuations

Rae

Chaotic neutral: She's been around the longest, so she's pretty ambivalent toward institutions like the Consensus and the Vanguard. She cares about her clan and her fireteam and doesn't really care to listen to anyone outside of those two groups. She will drop a cause at the drop of a hat if her values stop aligning with it Pessimist: Rae tends to look on the darker side of things, which she would probably describe as "necessary." It's not that she believes that things can't get better, just that she doesn't think it's likely

Liv

Chaotic good: She's headstrong and willing to disobey orders that go against her morals, such as Zavala's order to not push into the Titan Arcology when none of them had the Light. Sometimes this tendency gets her recognized as a hero and sometimes it gets her in trouble Realist-leaning optimist: Liv is firmly committed to not letting herself sink into cynical thought patterns. Granted, it became much harder for her in the wake of events such as the Red War, Cayde's death, and Harley's apparent death. Still, she thinks it's important to hang onto the hope that she can change things for the better

Kai

True neutral: She's one of the older Sunbreakers and remembers what it was like when she wasn't welcomed by Zavala or the City. She's often able to separate her feelings from her actions and can come off as impersonal as a result, but she cares about her fireteam and clan Pessimist-leaning realist: Similar to Rogue, Kai tends to favor actions. She doesn't really put much stock in picturing a good result when she can get involved and make that good result reality. After her teammates fell in the Great Disaster, she's taken on more pessimistic traits but doesn't let negative thought patterns take over

Tristan

Lawful good: The difference between right and wrong is firmly ingrained in him and he generally respects the Vanguard and the Guardian Code. Like Bazzle, he favors a by-the-book approach but can be pressured into other methods depending on the situation Pessimist-leaning realist: Tristan is fully aware that things may not work out in the best way possible, but he still tries his hardest to promote that outcome. He's conscious of his negative thought patterns and does his best to combat them or put them out of his mind

Kyler

Chaotic neutral: He has no problem rejecting the rules or systems that he lives under if they don't suit him. When his adoptive father was killed in a Taken incursion, he began working for the Underlord to get back at the Guardian he saw as responsible. He can develop loyalty to others, but he looks out for himself first and foremost Optimist-leaning realist: Kyler started out as a more cynical realist due to getting dealt a sucky hand by the universe, but has since made an effort to change his viewpoint. Just because he's had some darker times in his life doesn't mean there hasn't also been good and now he consciously tries to seek out that good

Tysm for the ask!

oc asks

[thattimdrakeguy]

What would yo say are the best Tim comics?

I apologize for how long this got. I can't talk like a normal person. I get too excited to talk about stuff. So bare with me. I'm really sorry.

I'm an Early Tim guy. I enjoy the consistency involved with them. Are they perfect? A-ha...noooooooooooo. Not at all. No comic is. Chuck Dixon was very clearly a grumpy middle-aged conservative man, which can make Tim come off as occasionally out of character since Tim was developed by Marv Wolfman as a naive, idealistic, positive-thinker, from a liberal family.

But he at least most of the time understands Tim, and certainly the aspects of Tim's anxiety caused by how highly Tim thinks of the legacy of Batman and Robin which is great.

So, like: Lonely Place of Dying.

It's his origin written by Marv Wolfman, it is THEE thing to read if you want to understand Tim. The fandom mostly talks about a made up version of his origin that is not even close to the case.

You want to read Tim? You want to understand him?

Lonely Place of Dying is the way to go.

There's also a good two-part story in Titans where Dick helps train Tim, but I can't remember what issues those were. You will likely be able to easily read it.

Tim also has a lot of fun moments before he's Robin but after Lonely Place of Dying where he's still written by his creator Marv Wolfman. The thing is, they're moments, so try to look like them up at least for extra content that show you more of how much of a Boy Scout Tim is.

The stories where Tim's parents die, and how he handles it afterwards are also very good. I would've preferred if his parents had lived, since a parent dying is such a trope. But it gives Tim an interesting dynamic where he was already working on being a crime-fighter when his died. It gave Tim a more existential side to his personality, that gives him a nice contrast with his positive-thinking side, giving him more depth ultimately.

The first Robin mini-series is great, mostly. But it is great.

This is where Dixon started writing Tim, though. And there's an extremely uncomfortable scene between Lady Shiva and Tim in the fourth issue, that I still can't put a comfortable twist on.

His other mini-series are also great. Joker's Wild is the second one, and the third one is Cry of the Huntress (Pretty sure), the third one is extremely angsty, so warning on that. They're all angsty, but goodness that one goes further with it.

His appearances in the general Batman and Detective Comics issues are also good. Different writers but he's consistent. It was a really good period for Batman and the Bat-Family overall, except for perhaps Dick, who wasn't terrible, just not his peak period anymore.

Robin, the ongoing Tim had is weird to describe. 'Cause in Dixon's run it is very very good. Yet filled with stuff that is really really not good.

His relationship with Stephanie has dated terribly, and with the modern eye makes no sense.

Stephanie essentially sexually harasses him, Tim does not like her beyond feeling responsible for her, and eventually they date.

Steph is a good character besides them dating, but the fact they ever dated is really unrealistic. Steph is a character created by Dixon, and you'll be able to tell when she goes from side-character with a great dynamic with Tim, to a character Dixon is desperate to have stay in the Bat-Family legacy.

And even past Steph, Dixon is horrible at writing romance. Any attempt at a love interest with Tim are almost always terrible. They can be distractingly bad how horrible the writing is.

Dixon's conservatism also pops out...which is distracted when Wolfman literally, in-comic, had the Drake's consider themselves liberals.

Not enough to ruin the experience, it's noticeable though.

Dixon's ability to write a complicated kid character, with a great pacing, great depth, side-characters (mostly), and characters that bring out Tim's character are fantastic. It's a great run overall.

There's more after this, that's important to read, I just don't want to cram up people's dashboard.

I'm simply warning you that it is dated, like many comics of it's age. So be warned when gross stuff shows up.

The pros outweigh the cons I'd say, since Dixon is mostly blacklisted from comics right now anyhow.

Tim will also have appearances in Nightwing too around this time, that are some of the best content those two characters have in their history. Search em out, they're fantastic.

Oh, and once Tim goes to boarding school in Dixon's run, feel free to jump off. Dixon gets increasingly lazy, and his writing turns really bad. It's not that bad at the start of it, but as it goes, my goodness does his once great run turn into total garbage. Side-characters are generic, Steph turns into an outright emotional abuser, characters act super super super out of character for moments that are written for Dixon himself.

Read the start of it. There's still good stuff, and a few good, fun stories. I particularly like one that ends with Tim getting autographed books for his friend.

Just know that it will eventually turn to shit.

And his solo isn't good again until Adam Beechon. Adam Beechon arguably has the best Tim Drake run, if you skip the Evil Cass storyline that was forced onto him.

He understands Tim incredibly well, and without the conservative politics. Telling similar stories to Dixon but doing it better. And Tim's love interest is, genuinely, the only one he's ever had that feels like they're good for each other.

It's also perhaps the only, if not one of the only comics during Tim's depression era that still understands who Tim is as a person.

Adam Beechon has even written for Ben 10, and the Teen Titans animated series.

If you only want to read one run for Tim as a test drive, besides Lonely Place of Dying, read Beechon's run.

Besides that, uh, some guest appearances in Birds of Prey, and Batgirl. Though don't read any that are late in the Batgirl run, 'cause holy shit there's one story that's just about the writers fetish for the Barbara Gordon classic Batgirl suit and it is really really bad. Full of projection.

The closest thing to an in-character Tim since Beechon is maybeeee Bendis's Young Justice, but they try to act like his and Steph's relationship is the one and super healthy. And it got too ambitious for his own good. Also Tim randomly goes from Robin to 'Drake' and it's bad. Tim never wanted to be anything but Robin, and was created that way so it's super distracting.

So if you want more crumbs that'll do ya, just, again, be warned.

This is comics we're talking about.

That isn't me calling it the best. It's more of like--an extra thing of note for the sake of other people. Enjoy what ya will.

There's other comics that are good, just...Tim's characterization feels really different and forced in ways that go against what one would call the heart of the character. The thing needed that can have even some not so great characterization feel bearable.

In my opinion anyways.

Enjoy what you enjoy.

[dangermousie]

Four eps in and it’s official - I am enjoying Blooming Days very much even if I am not particularly emotionally invested.

It definitely shows that this drama was cut down to 2/3 of its original runtime - the narrative has a certain Cliffs Notes vibe and supporting characters lurch suddenly in their motivations (the biggest victim is FL’s fiancé, who lurches from loving unambitious man to someone who wants power to someone who wants to save her and is fine being a slave as punishment to someone so mired in his trouble he doesn’t worry about her. Like it’s actually a functional arc if it was given space to breathe but in a space of an ep and a half it’s making me dizzy.)

BUT!

I adore He Hongshan’s pragmatic but with an idealistic streak FL. If she were allowed to be in a proper harem drama this was initially slated as, she’d be glorious and even hampered by the changes in narrative, she is a pleasure. For once, we have a FL who is neither childishly naive nor helpless.

And Peter Ho’s “seemingly idler in reality schemer” prince is likewise a delight. You have no idea what a breath of fresh air it is to have a ML who is allowed to scheme and not be a bloodless paragon. I am sure he burns with weal for the people but at least he’s allowed to be ruthless and manipulative. Like FL, he is also deeply pragmatic and prone to accept situations are what they are - he may work to change them, but he starts from a realistic standpoint.

That whole story starts with his dragging FL off course she planned for a peaceful life of obscurity with her fiancé and he knows that’s what he did and he’s not repentant and it adds a fillip to their interactions especially since, refreshingly, she does not hate him for it - she does not like him in the least but she’s a pragmatic realist and she gets why he did what he did and after her plans to get out of it fail decides to deal with it how she can.

Also he has a son and an evil concubine (who we first met when she chopped off a finger of a servant who spilled tea) and that’s, once again, refreshing for a recent cdrama (perhaps because it was filmed years ago.)

Like, I am willing to forgive a lot to a period cdrama which involves actual adults and is not utterly candybox.

That horribly boxy wig is not doing him any favors (yes, he’s in his late 40s but he is the same age here as when he did Fox Volant and he was a snack and a half in that, in a freaking Qing queue no less - the boxy wig is WORSE! Though I suppose the shirtlessness helpless) but I have fangirled the man for around 15 years so I don’t care, I am biased.

[edotvie]

Related to this post by me

MAJOR BG3 SPOILERS

It was at an ungodly hour to most anyone that Gale heard three light knocks on his door. He wouldn't exactly refer to himself as an early bird, spending many long nights reading a book he simply couldn't put down. But even so, if someone were to unexpectedly arrive at his door after the Sun had rested for an hour already, he was likely to shout at them through the wood to return at a humane time.

Of course, this time the interruption was expected, and thus no such action was necessary. Though maybe it would become relevant again since another, more impatient knock followed suit when Gale didn't immediately arrive at the door.

"Coming, coming," he promised, satisfying the visitors for the moment. Finally he opened the door with a creak to properly greet them.

"Hi, Gale!"

"Well, hello, Darling. It seems you're getting sluggish in your old age. Perhaps it was only the tadpole that still kept a pep in your step?"

Gale folded his arms at the greeting he thought of as rather uncalled for. Behind his door stood no other than the odd Elven couple he'd traveled alongside only weeks ago; It wasn't that two Elves together were strange in any manner, but it was their respective personalities together that tended to throw Gale for a loop. Since he was in the habit of analyzing just about anything, these two were no exception and became an occasional headache.

"Need I remind you I'm doing you a rather grand favor, Astarion? I'm sure you can spare a little more patience where it counts," he scolded.

Before Astarion could give the indignant response clearly on the tip of his tongue, his partner rushed to speak instead:

"We're very grateful, Gale. Sorcerous Sundries is an amazing resource in our search."

As usual, Tav - as they'd gotten used to calling her - was the reasonable one. She was generally kind and much more patient than her lover, though by no means dull. She was playful and adventurous, having traveled the Sword Coast even before the group set on their involuntary journey. And though she'd become the de facto leader of their merry gang, she wasn't above making bad or even terrible decisions at times. "Naive," Astarion had apparently once called her, when her idealistic nature was still an obstacle to him. He wasn't entirely off the mark, either. Tav was perhaps a little more hopeful than the average person, relying on things working out in the end with little to no proof required.

Perhaps that's where the balance of her more cynical partner came in.

"Yes... Well, I hope you don't mind I'll save any 'thank yous' for when we're actually there, hm? Patience where it counts, and all that."

"Fine," answered Gale irritably, "Would you like a cup of tea? I was in the middle of mine and it'd be a waste to not finish such a sublime brew."

He turned to walk inside, the door left open for the couple to use. He heard two footsteps, then Astarion clearing his throat.

"Oh! Uhm, Gale?" voiced Tav, causing the wizard to finally stop and turn around. While Tav had moved past the doorway, Astarion stood stiffly about a step away from it, still.

"Ah. I didn't think a temporary room might count as a home, though of course I have gotten quite comfortable here. Then again I don't need much besides my books, scrolls and Tara to feel that way," he started, to the growing irritation of the Vampire stuck outside the apartment.

"I could do without the unnecessary narration, Gale. It's frustrating enough to be stuck standing here as it is."

"Right, of course. Come on in, Astarion," answered the wizard with a welcoming gesture of his hands. Astarion huffed quietly before doing just that, cautiously stepping past the doorway to join his lover inside.

"Tea time better not take all night. There are limited hours under the Moon, you know!" complained the Vampire while being walked to a table by the other two. Tea time, of course, didn't take forever. It was mainly catching up on what each of them had been up to since the Netherbrain had been destroyed.

Gale had been busy with retrieving the crown of Karsus, the very reason for his rented room in Baldur's Gate. He had narrowed down the search area based on the approximate crash site and the effect of sea currents, but there was little progress otherwise. It didn't help that the area was swarmed by opportunists and looters, especially on the first few days.

Astarion and Tav's answers to the question "what have you been up to lately" were suspiciously vague or roundabout. But the fleeting looks between them, as well as the fact they were still a fresh couple, told enough of a story. The only notable point was the fact that Tav had to adjust to nighttime living, since her love could quite literally not tolerate the Sun. She brushed off any particular difficulty on the issue, likely for the sake of her partner.

After tea had been enjoyed (and Astarion got visibly more impatient, the only one not partaking due to his dietary demands) the group set off into the night.

The streets were different in the dark. An acquired taste, thought Gale; There were less people around, but the ones who braved the night were gathered in inns and taverns, where music and the sounds of drunken patrons melded into a less than harmonious concert. He noticed he was a few steps ahead of his companions, and a glance behind showed him the two Elves holding hands. There was an uneasy air around Astarion at first, but Tav leaned in and whispered something that made him let out a sudden laugh. Gale turned away when they shared another affectionate look amongst themselves. He wasn't one to intrude on intimate moments, no matter how small.

"Ah, here we are: The Gem of the Lower City herself, home to many a wonder and priceless document!"

"We don't need the introduction every time," chuckled Tav. Yes, perhaps Gale had gotten a little over-excited, but who could blame him when a marvel of magic and literature like Sorcerous Sundries was right in front of him?! Even at night the building stood proudly at the center of the district, dignified and impressive in its architecture. But alas, they weren't here to simply observe the outside.

"And here is where your gratitude should be placed. You have no idea what kind of effort I went through to make this happen. I had to cash in several favors and make another that I'd rather not recount while sober, but! We have a private audience with the entire collection (excluding the rare tomes in their guarded vault), for one night only."

Gale knocked on the door in an enthusiastic rhythm, waiting several seconds in expectant silence until the lock clicking open could be heard. A clerk peered through the doorway, though upon spotting Gale's pleased face, he sighed and moved to open the door the rest of the way.

"Come on in."

They did as told, wandering into the silent halls of the book store. Tall shelves of leatherbound tomes lined the walls, and looking up, you could see the spiral staircase leading up and into the more private areas. They'd avoided the place ever since their arcane thievery for the Annals of Karsus, but thankfully despite triggering a trap in the vault, they'd never been caught.

"So, where do we start...?" asked Astarion, his voice echoing into the darkness while he eyed the books among books, among books, hesitantly. Gale cleared his throat.

"I believe I was owed something... What was it again? Ah!" he answered, thoughtfully tapping his cheek until the faux epiphany hit, "A thank you, was it? That's right, it was! A big, fat "Thank you for your irreplaceable aid, Mr. Dekarios. I could not do this without you.""

Astarion rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his partner. Unfortunately, she was no help, and only gestured for the Vampire to go ahead.

"Ugh," he sounded in offense, arms folded, "Thank you, Gale. You're doing me... Us, a favor."

Though Gale felt the need to gloat for his achievement of actually wrangling some gratitude out of Astarion, he settled for a smile with just a hint of smugness to it. He was also genuinely pleased to get a thank you, and decided not to push his luck.

"Now, I suggest we start by researching famed Vampires and known Vampire colonies. You find everything you can on the former, I'll take care of the latter. We'll meet back here and try to narrow down our search, since we have limited time available," instructed Gale, already walking toward a specific section, "Oh, and if anyone asks? You're extremely busy tome collectors with no room in your schedules during daytime, and a low profile to keep!"

Gale barely caught a glimpse of the look the couple threw at one another, but it was just enough to discern bemusement among other emotions. But now wasn't the time for that! It was, after all, time for a famed and favored Dekarios special: A Book Hunt!

[negative-speedforce]

writing challenge from my bad things happen bingo card: try to get one full bingo (any line of your choice, 4 corners also counts) with one ficlet :)

CW: A WHOLE LOT OF REALLY DARK, FUCKED UP SHIT. See Bingo above for deets, some of it is just mentioned/implied, but it's all here.

With: My OC Director Lydia Hawke

Director Hawke checked her reflection, smiling at the face that greeted her in the mirror. Greying blonde hair, perfectly slicked back without a hair out of place, sharp grey eyes, and sharp, angular features that managed to not quite look her full age of 55.

She checked the camera feed from her office, making sure it was on a loop of her at her desk, checking emails, before she quickly enveloped herself in shadows, pulling herself through the Nether until she was spat out on the detention level of Project Syncope's facility.

"Director Hawke- ma'am." The guard saluted, a middle-aged man who was little more than a glorified mall cop. "I wasn't expecting you today."

"I'm here to see Inmate 351. Beatrix Grey." Director Hawke. "I may need to facilitate a transfer for her."

"Of course, ma'am." The guard replied. "I just need your fingerprint and iris scans, then we can let you through."

Director Hawke nodded, pressing her thumb to the electronic pad while staring into the iris scanner above.

"You're all clear." The guard said, pushing a button on the wall next to him, which made the door unlock and swing open.

Director Hawke walked down the hall, pristine stiletto boots clicking against the concrete floor until she reached the cell, where the girl she was searching for sat.

Inmate 351, formerly known as Central City high school student Beatrix Leanne Grey, sat in her cell, staring at the wall. Her hair, which had been little more than few short curls in neon blue, had grown out in the four months that she had been detained there, a natural light brown almost reaching her shoulders.

Her story was similar to many of the others that Director Hawke had funneled out into her... personal project. A poor, struggling foster kid, goes to a store and steals over two hundred dollars of food for herself and her siblings. The cops try to take her in, and her previously unknown abilities kick in, with Beatrix's unique take on this perverted magic being the ability to do what was colloquially known as bloodbending, manipulating a person's body by controlling their blood.

"I told you, I didn't mean to kill those cops." The prisoner said, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"I'm not here to interrogate you." Director Hawke replied. "I know you didn't have control of your... rather extensive abilities."

"Are you here to help me?" The sixteen-year-old looked up, eyes wide with fear.

"I am." Director Hawke lied expertly, smiling softly at the scared young girl. "We're gonna bring you somewhere else, somewhere here you can be with others like you, and we can learn more about your powers."

"I... I don't want to hurt anyone." Beatrix hugged her knees a little tighter.

"You won't." Director Hawke held up a pair of power-dampening cuffs.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?"

Director Hawke smiled. Oh, this would be so easy. She summoned a small ball of her signature glowing purple magic, pressing it against the glass so it floated over to Beatrix and exploded above her into a shower of sparkles. "See? I'm like you. Me and my friends help people like you, metahumans who get on the wrong side of the law. We can help reunite you with your siblings, or we can smuggle you across the border into Mexico or Canada."

"I- I want to see my siblings again." Beatrix looked up, hope practically written on her naive, idealistic young face.

"Then you will." Director Hawke said. "Come with me."

She pressed a button on the wall, and the force field separating her from Beatrix fell. Beatrix stood up, walking towards Hawke.

"You'll have to wear these, for now." Director Hawke clicked the cuffs around Beatrix's wrists, cutting her off from her powers. "Just a precaution, so they don't know we're smuggling you out."

"Okay." Beatrix nodded bravely, following Director Hawke out. They passed the guard easily, then got into the elevator that would lead Beatrix to what she believed to be freedom. Foolish, naive deviant. Soon, she would learn her lesson, for desecrating the magics that the Hawke family had practiced for generations.

Once they entered the elevator, Director Hawke shadow-traveled, dragging Beatrix with her, to a parking garage far from the facility.

"Pietro, now!" Director Hawke shoved Beatrix to the man, who put a black bag over the girl's head, then pulled a baton from his belt, repeatedly beating her over the head until she collapsed.

"Put her in the van. Take her to the facility. I'll meet you there."

After mind-wiping the guard and forging a record of Beatrix's death, Director Hawke again transported herself offsite, this time to a mysterious underground lab, which was on the grounds of a condemned, abandoned hospital.

"Lydia Hawke." Pietro grinned, greeting her. "Good to see you. And what kind of surprise have you brought us this time?"

"Can it, Pietro. Your whole 'mad scientist' schtick isn't funny, and it never will be."

Pietro drooped. "Seriously though. What's her deal? I thought we usually don't bring in kids."

"We don't. She's a ward of the state. No family, except for two younger siblings, both under the age of ten." Director Hawke examined her nails. "No one's coming for her. And the best part? She's one of those- what do you stupid kids call them- oh, right. She's a Bloodbender."

"That's going to bring us a fortune." Pietro smiled, mind occupied with stacks of cash.

"I know. She's perfect." Director Hawke. "Where is she?"

"Room 63." Pietro replied. "Follow me."

Pietro led her down the hall, to a completely dark room. From outside, Hawke could hear thrashing, and screaming.

"Where am I? Somebody help me! Please, I want to go home!" Beatrix sobbed from inside. "I just want to go home!"

"Is she still dampened?" Director Hawke raised an eyebrow. Pietro nodded.

"Doc's already in there. He's in the other room, setting everything up."

Director Hawke opened the door, turning on the light. Beatrix winced, pupils contracting from the sudden influx of light.

"You! You brought me here! Why?"

Director Hawke smiled. "You and your kind are an affront to magic. My kind has to work for our abilities, while you were handed them on a silver platter. Do you understand how insulting that is? That we toil constantly to hone our skills, while yours were granted by a single man with too much hubris? We'll be glad when you're dead. Until then? You're going to be our little cash cow."

"What do you mean?" Beatrix asked hesitantly.

"It's simple- your DNA." Director Hawke replied. "We're going to find what makes you tick, rip it out, and sell it to the masses."

"Please... I just want to see my siblings again. I don't want to be here. Please." Beatrix pleaded.

Director Hawke cocked her head. "No. And don't think I don't know about your siblings. Eloise Gray, age six, and Brennan Gray, age four. If you want being impoverished to be their biggest worry, you'll do exactly what I say."

"Please- don't hurt them." Beatrix implored.

"If you try to escape, or hurt anyone here, accidentally or on purpose, there will be hell to pay, and they will pay it." Hawke pushed Beatrix's chin up, "Do you understand?"

Beatrix nodded. "I understand."

"Doctor." Hawke beckoned to the man standing in the doorway. "Are you ready?"

"I am." He held a tray with three syringes, walking over to Beatrix. "This first one will stimulate your pain receptors, in order to create an adrenaline response. The second one will help to make your DNA more malleable, so we can make more changes in the future. The third is a pheromonal lock, so you'll be unable to commit any violence against anyone in this facility."

"Please..." Beatrix looked up at the doctor, eyes pleading for mercy, but none was to be found. The doctor pressed the first needle to her arm, plunging the serum into her veins.

Almost immediately, Beatrix began screaming, thrashing against her restraints as her veins became tainted with the doctor's serum, turning a deep black color.

"Don't worry." The doctor said, taking a few steps back to observe his subject. "It will only get worse from here."

[limpfisted]

stolen from myself (a dm i just wrote)

regarding wyll, his charm, and 10 wisdom!:

TO ME, is essence, he is an extremely empathetic and kind person, but he is defined by his imagination. he is a dreamer, he believes in LOVE and adventure. as a child he dived with his boots and clothes still on just to get a glimpse at a mermaid. he stayed underneath the water looking until he almost drowned. he loves clowns, and puns, and has a dry sense of humor, but flirts with all the girls in the party as a joke.

he believes in like, generic fantasy balduran, and he wants the blade to be a violent force—but also a heroic one in a way that… just does not exist? like he believes in lawful good, but also that goblins are all chaotic evil, etc.

(ans obviously, this moral framework is NOT REAL. and fucked up in a lot of ways, and the game tells u assuming all elves are twinks and all ogres are mindless brutes is BAD!)

to me wyll is eassentially a story about how a dream of adventuring and heroism is just a fantasy or a fairy tale, like wyll playing goblin hunter as a child.

and its so corruptable, the desire to be a hero and be recognized, that he makes a devil to have the power to BE a hero at a very impressionable young age when he probablu should have just ran back and asked his dad for help like any less like. i dont eant to say foolish. but he is just so damn naive about the world intrinsically bc hes so optimistic about what good is—and stringent about what “evil” is. so cynical but also extremely idealistic, a black and white thinker to be sure.

hes not ignorant in the evils of the world, but also, just on a fundamental level, hes so beautifully flawed, the way any dungeons and dragons character would be flawed if they were real. and i love that wyll is in essence, taking all these tropes seriously and going “ok but what if u really did kill a monster? what then? what does that mean?”

but also. he is just so sweet. candy of a man. he flirts with all the girls—but he respects their boundaries, makes innuendos, but never addresses them for just their body!! the sweet cannot be so corrupted tho…. idk idk

karlach vc you can be TOO good somebody should tell wyll ravengard that

[mxcottonsocks]

Been thinking lately about David Copperfield and Esther Summerson…

Similarities:

Affectionate;

Trusting;

Hard workers;

Seek the approval of others and to please others;

Heavily relied-upon by other characters for practical and emotional support;

Have a deep sense of gratitude to the people who have benefitted them, and try their best to ‘repay’ them in some way;

Place a high value on the domestic;

Have a plethora of nicknames (relates to their quests for identity and belonging);

Bisexual Have at least one opposite-sex romantic interest and at least one same-sex intimate friendship;

Differences:

They approach some of the above in differently-gendered ways;

How deeply they interrogate their own psychology and/or how open they are about what they find there: David usually interrogates his own past thoughts and feelings deeply, and will be pretty honest about whatever conclusions he comes to even when he’s ashamed about it (it’s possibly worth noting that part of the subtitle that appeared on the wrapper for the serial editions of David Copperfield was ‘(Which He never meant to be Published on any Account)’, meaning he didn’t really write it for public consumption); Esther, on the other hand, while she does often begin the same process of digging into her past thoughts and feelings, will often shy away from the conclusions, usually on the basis of ‘well it’s about me, so it doesn’t really matter’;

Naivety and idealism: David is more idealistic and naive than Esther, who is more able to see things as they are (not just compared to David, but also compared to others in her social circle; she is able to see past the façade of characters like Mrs Jellyby and Harold Skimpole more than John Jarndyce, past the façade of Mr Turveydrop than Caddy, more able to recognise the changes in Richard than Ada, etc) - however, Esther also trusts her own perception of reality less than David does, and David becomes less naive and idealistic as he gets older (especially from the age of about 21 onwards), so this is probably reversed by the end of the novels. David is now less naive and more of a realist than before, and Esther - while preserving a good instinct for the reality of things - still struggles to trust her own perceptions, past or present, and right to the end of the book shies away from concluding her thoughts and pinning down her truths

- even supposing -

The differences, I think, mainly come down to a difference in self-esteem: Esther does not recognise or cannot acknowledge her own worth; David can and does. 

This difference in self-esteem stems from their childhood: Esther was emotionally abused for the first fourteen years of her life

“It would have been far better, little Esther, that you had had no birthday, that you had never been born!”

and her only friend until that age was her doll; David, on the other hand, experiences more varied forms of abuse (emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, deprivation of education, child labour, completely unnecessary food-insecurity and shelter-insecurity, etc) but they are for shorter periods of time; David’s earliest memories are happy, and by the comparable age of fourteen he has regained a secure domestic situation and has multiple people he loves and who love him. Perhaps most important of all to his self-esteem is the fact that - even during the darkest, most unsettled time of his childhood - he always, always had at least one person who he knew loved and valued and believed in him: Peggotty

I broke down as I was trying to say [to aunt Betsey] that her home [Peggotty’s] was my home, and that all she had was mine, and that I would have gone to her for shelter, but for her humble station, which made me fear that I might bring some trouble on her

So yeah, David and Esther are similar in many ways, and both strive for the same things, but they are coming at it from slightly different angles. Esther desires the emotional security, domestic happiness, and love she never had in childhood; David is trying to regain the same.

[inkantation]

@eternasci asked:

people are prone to reducing others down to the first few traits someone shows them. what would be the predominant three thoughts you would have of your own character? what do you think others' perceptions are?

As All Mighty Creator ( lol ) I have a very omnipotent narrator view of my characters. Tsunaomi has existed in some form for nearly nine years now, while Eden is a newer character ( first drafted in late 2019, and solidified in 2020. ) And I think it does influences their characterizations and the way I view them. Naomi as a character has always been my age, so to speak ( She was 16 when I was 16, and because the Splatoon franchise chose to move forward in time synchronous with the real world, it feels like she's aged with me. ) Meanwhile Eden will always be younger than me; I was 20 when I first started working on her character concept, and that drafting was set around Octo Expansion, in which she is 16. So she's baby.

This is a trick of the mind, of course. They're both fictional, I can choose to look at any time in their lives I'd like, but it is a little funny to realize. I'm not really the Omnipotent Narrator, just along for the ride.

There is also a sense of overlap between the two - it makes sense, they are characters who have been developed in tandem for four years now. I'd describe it as... open heart idealism, letting the world's problems press into them. They both love the world enough to try and save it; its hard not to accept all problems as your own.

Naomi is a character who has built walls and only lets certain people see the truth of her. As such, it's almost easy to separate her characterization out into layers, starting with the furthermost wall, and working inwards.

She's and when you only think of or; Naomi is change. A polite, placid exterior; beneath, an obsessive, driven to perfection work ethic; her outward maturity hiding an ever present youth and idealism.

Upon meeting Naomi, the first impression is always her reserved nature. She seems so quiet, so put together; clean clothes, simple jewelry, and a poised stature, her back straight, her head held high. Naomi is well aware that appearances are everything, that the first impression lasts the longest, so she is always putting her best self forward. This exterior wall easily crumbles; she won't change herself to please others, but she'll make a nice impact.

Beyond that, the bulk of Naomi's persona is her hard work, her workaholic lifestyle. There's always something one can be working on, always something to complete or perfect. It sticks out as a skewed work ethic, as perfectionism. Naomi doesn't give up - once her teeth are in, she won't quit. Defeat isn't an acceptable answer - if she won't do it, then who even could?

That interior layer is... Interesting. Naomi is someone who, for all the time and work she's done, has a part of her that has never grown up. She can be petty, she holds grudges and makes bad decisions; Naomi can be loud, despite what her external mature grace shows. She ignores red flags with her naive heart under her sleeves, an idealist to a fault.

That's it, right there. Naomi refuses to give up on her idealistic principles, despite what the world has thrown. It's fair to call her guarded, but I always worry that it implies she doesn't let herself feel those emotions. Everything is felt hard against her heart, even if she doesn't show it to everyone.

Eden on the other hand, is a character with no walls. She will speak her mind, reveal her hand, her heart is on her sleeve and bleeding on everything she touches. It's not to say that she's less guarded than Naomi - bright colors often warn of toxicity in nature, and Eden's brash nature serves the same purpose. If people don't want to be around her as she is, then repelling them is in her best interest.

She's a world of color, the singing of the soul; Eden has little time for obstacles, is open minded and willing to see all points of view, and at the end of it all: Eden, too, has not grown up.

Stubborn is the first word. A never-give-up, never-say-die attitude. It can come off as naive, refusing to accept failure when it's so plainly written. But Eden has never accepted what she's told - after all, she's rebelled her whole life, railed and rallied against the system. That sign can't stop Eden, she's got matches to burn it to a crisp. It can also read as workaholism; late hours in a studio or hunched over a computer.

Eden can, at times, come off as excitable, flighty. She wants to see everything the world has to offer, wants to see it all and taste it without pause. It leads to her being very willing to hear people out, if only because... Well, who else will listen? That doesn't mean she agrees with everything - see point one, Eden is stubborn as a rock. It's love all the way down; and the world she loves so much would not exist without all the different opinions and ways of living in it.

Of course, this means she comes off as naive. Eden is excited, she has so much love in her. And walking so openly into every door means some of them are the wrong ones. Her skin is very thin, for someone who has handled far more than her fair share of rejection and pain. Sometimes, Eden is still the scared little girl she started Octo Expansion as. But at the end of the day, if she lets go of who she was, if she lets go of her hope and idealism, she's no longer Eden, is she? She'd no longer be the girl she fought to remember.

I think that's an interesting dynamic to keep in mind; Eden only has some of her memories, even post-OE, and during OE, she has none. She fought so hard, clung to success with claws and beak, to find herself, to find Eden. There's no way, after all that, she'd let go of her youth; broken hearts be damned.

[auditionsuggestions]

Show Breakdowns - Moulin Rouge!

This one should be fun! The tricky thing with MR is that they specifically ask for non-musical theatre songs (Hadestown does this, too). My challenge for myself for this breakdown was trying to stay away from the pop songs already featured in the show. Some of the songs repeat since they can fit a few different characters.

Unfortunately I can't seem to find actual notes for the ranges (but given they changed keys for all of Christian's stuff when they brought in Derek, I don't think it's too important).

Satine

Playing age: Late 20s-Mid 30s

Leading Role. Star Vehicle

Dance Requirement: Strong mover at the very least, ideally a dancer

Range: Mezzo belt (Bottom note is about an F#3)

Sexy and confident on the outside, Satine wants nothing more than to be free of her life in the Moulin Rouge to be a real actress. She's both strong and vulnerable with a decisive pragmatic streak.

Suggested Songs: Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson, Leave by Jojo, A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, Bang Bang by Ariana Grande & Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie, Trouble by P!nk, Who Knew by P!nk, Circus by Britney Spears, Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar

Christian

Playing age: Mid 20s-Early 30s

Leading Role. Star Vehicle

Dance Requirement: Some dance

Range: Tenor (or Baritenor)

A true idealist, Christian is a bit naive. More or less a male ingenue at the start. He believes love can and will conquer any obstacle and that art is the true meaning of being human. As the newcomer character, he is also the main cipher for the audience.

Suggested Songs: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher, Mr. Brightside by The Killers, You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi, I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At the Disco, Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, Attention by Charlie Puth, The Other Side by Jason Derulo, Tearin’ Up My Heart by NSYNC

The Duke of Monroth

Playing age: 30s-early 40s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Mover

Range: Tenor w/ a strong lower extension or high Baritone

Darkly charming and seductive, with a violent temper, The Duke is the other third of the iconic love triangle in Moulin Rouge. However, rather than the sniveling man-child of the movie, he's a viable, though dangerous, choice for Satine. He knows what he wants and will not take no for an answer.

Suggested Songs: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) by the Backstreet Boys, Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, Tonight I’m Lovin’ You by Enrique Iglesias, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

Santiago

Playing age: 20s-30s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Strong dancer with partnering skills

Range: Baritone with a gruff, scratchy color. Lots of false fold work.

Santiago is the narcoleptic Argentinian, the greatest tango dancer in either Spain or Argentina, and "also the biggest gigolo." Suave, and just a touch silly. He's the choreographer of the show within a show. He and Toulouse take an immediate shine to Christian.

Suggested Songs: Smooth by Santana, Bailando by Enrique Iglesias, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira, Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, Maneater by Nelly Furtado, Rock Your Body by Justin       Timberlake

Toulouse Lautrec

Playing age: Mid 30s-mid 40s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Some movement

Range: Baritone

The great painter, Toulouse is another of the Bohemians. He grew up with Satine (or at least has known her since before her time at the Moulin Rouge). A little world weary, he still believes in the ideals of Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and Love.

Suggested Songs: 24 Karat Magic by Bruno Mars, Somebody to Love by Queen, The One that Got Away by Katy Perry, A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga, DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher

Harold Zidler

Playing Age: Mid 40s-mid 50s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Strong Mover

Range: Baritone

The MC/Ring Master of the Moulin Rouge. He is flamboyant and fun, though very morally gray. Everything he does is for the MR and he will do anything to keep it running.

Suggested Songs: Circus by Britney Spears, Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega, Bang Bang by Ariana Grande & Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Nothin’ But a Good Time by Poison, Tik Tok by Kesha

Nini Legs-in-the-Air/The Lady Ms

Playing Ages: Mid 20s-Early 40s

Supporting Roles

Dance Requirement: Strong Dancers

Range: Alto, Mezzo, or Soprano

Nini is another dancer at the Moulin Rouge, though jealous of Satine, she's deeply loyal to all the girls. The other Lady M characters include Baby Doll, Arabia, and La Chocolat. These characters also serve as a bit of a Greek Chorus, and ensemble members. These Four: Nini, Baby Doll, Arabia, and La Chocolat sing Lady Marmalade to open the show. Typically Baby Doll is cast with an amab actor though the character is femme presenting and La Chocolat is cast with a Black actor.

Suggested Songs: Bang Bang by Ariana Grande &  Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Maneater by Nelly Furtado, U + Ur Hand by P!nk, Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera, He Said She Said by Ashely Tisdale, When I Grow Up by the Pussycat Dolls, S&M by Rhianna, I Wanna Be Bad by Willa Ford, Kings and Queens by Ava Max

[ofdusk]

WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY

A template for analyzing features of a personality beyond listing adjectives.

SELF-CONCEPT

View of Self: perhaps naively, corrin holds herself no higher than she does anyone else. princess this, dragon child that -- to her those things that set her apart have never given her life any greater worth or entitled her to be any more capable than another. 

View of Others: a stranger is just a friend to be made, a story to be learned. people are kind until proven otherwise, and it takes a great deal of proving to be out of the realm of forgivable. corrin seeks to understand people, to learn from them. such is the fate of an avatar who can s support the entire cast.

View of World: seeing as she was sheltered for the years of her life that she can still remember, it’s only natural that corrin find the world nothing short of fascinating. there is an unshakable novelty to it, a childlike wonder in the way she approaches new places and things. that said, this leaves room for a great deal of surprise when introduced to harsher realities.

Motivations & Goals: as with most protagonists, corrin is motivated ultimately by a search for peace. her idea of peace is a pacifistic one, a world where unnecessary death is eliminated and its people can coexist with their differences. this is something that, following conquest, she has come to accept as a touch idealistic, but that does not mean it cannot be worked towards.

What they Value Most: relationships. her nature as an avatar is, by default, to act as the vehicle by which you learn about other characters. this has always interpreted to me as a genuine interest in being close to others, in filling those gaps in her own experiences with those of the people she cares about. down to her prf skill, it is made evident that the people corrin surrounds herself with are of the utmost importance to her. 

EMOTIONAL REACTIONS

Reaction to Stress: in terms of most emotions, corrin is... poorly equipped. a byproduct of being raised in captivity, probably, leaving negative emotions like stress to give her anything from panic attacks to bouts of insomnia or physical illness. that said, she has grown a thicker skin towards it since fighting a war, and is more than capable of acting under pressure. even if she does have a tendency to hesitate. 

Reaction to Fear: in a different vein from stress, corrin is far more susceptible to fear. stress is an over time sort of thing, fear and anger are adrenaline inducing and harder to control. these are the kind of moments that, pre-dragonstone, may have incited outbursts similar to the one that happened following mikoto’s death. age, war, and experience have obviously made these occurrences fewer and further between, but she is nowhere near immune to them.

Reaction to Success: disbelief initially, joy afterwards. though she doesn’t often (...ever?) attribute success solely to herself. there is always a dedications page, always a list of names and a dozen gratitudes. it’s always we did it, not i. 

Reaction to Failure: this one i had to actually go investigate for, and i think the answer is guilt and denial. in nearly every defeat quote there is an apology, and if not then there is some sort of disbelief. the former comes, naturally, from the value placed on other lives and her need to protect them. the latter is the more interesting, for i think it stems from her optimism. consciously, she does not think that she is unbeatable or that things cannot go wrong, but subconsciously is another matter. she doesn’t quite grasp that anything but the best can happen, not really.

DEVELOPMENT

Ideal Self: the self questions are admittedly really difficult :sob: but i think to corrin, the ideal self is a strong one. something to be proud of, to prove that the love she was given so liberally had not been for nothing. somebody who can protect instead of being protected, after so many years of the latter.

Areas of Growth: the obvious answer feels like it should regard her naivety and maturity, as throughout the events of canon, both improve drastically. they are still things that she struggles with, though there is a time and place. enough time has been spent in the position of a leader that she knows how to put on a brave face when it’s asked of her and can confine those weak moments to private ones.

Barriers to Growth: that said, there are exceptions. she is still often too trusting and debatably a little too forgiving, seeking always to look for the best in people. she is also still a little bit out of touch as well in terms of society, since very seldom has she ever been left to care completely for herself and... never once has she truly lived outside of the luxuries of nobility. 

[jentlemahae]

imo the only part where nj seemed 'entitled' was the part where they gave hybe a deadline to reinstate mhj by bcs what makes them think they have any authority to make that demand? however like you said that's mostly down to them being misguided and misinformed and their age plays a part too. this is incredibly naive of them and they clearly don't really know how any of this works from a legal or business pov 😐 while they have every right to speak up about mistreatment and about hybe staff being weird towards them, i'm concerned about the fact that they're doing this only 2 weeks after mhj got fired. it's like these girls have been manipulated so much that they can't even stand 2 weeks without her. hope these girls get away from the weird people around them eventually

i think it’s more naïveté than entitlement! like those of us who are older and/or have different experiences in the corporate world understand that a lot of what they’re describing is idealistic and ignores realities of the business/legal side. but i don’t think we can fault them for that, if anything that is further proof that they were put in the idol environment too early and without proper supervision/guidance

and woah has it really been only two weeks ?? yes, that is unsettling 🙃🙃 another reason why this should be concerning