#Why what works and how

[raguna-blade]

A bit of a rant/analysis below. Nothing super detailed I think but if you’re interested

Ok, so the benefit of looking at stuff tha’ts not quite as good as actually good is that you get to see what works and doesn’t by the mechanics of it, especially when they don’t quite match up.

In and of itself that’s fine and probably good practice

But I’m struggling to put into words WHAT exactly is the difference here between Kicked out of the A Rank party and Beast Master Blahblahblah.

They share similar overall shape (Capable character is kicked out of high ranking party, reveals that they’re actually quite skilled and powerful in their own right, gain attention of cute girls who join together with them as a team and they kick ass)

Easy straight forward.

Chapter lengths are also similar, being about 15 pages or so, a bit on the short side.

Genre is overall the same (fantasy, adventure guilds, monsters, etc)

Main characters have many similarities in this regard, and while I didn’t get super far in Beast Master, (I could only manage 10 chapters before my attention fell off entirely) there’s some pretty pointd differences there too which I’ll get to in a sec. Design Wise, Despite being similarly black haired stock LN dude, I favor A Rank’s a bit more, despite beast master being technically a bit more original looking (He hs brown hair as I recall)

Cute girls, as seen, are also pretty similar. Not super deep characterization, but nobody in this does really so that’s not really the biggest issue but there are differences as well so. Designs are also, similarly, pretty basic from what I’ve seen, although here to I favor A Rank over Beast Master.

Plots are, near as I can tell, about the same. Adventure, See weird stuff, continue. Beast master from what I’ve seen DOES get more complicated, and maybe my issues with it later get worked around.

And then the general magic systems don’t seem to be quite as different as they could be either…

So what’s the differences then?

The first and most obvious in my mind is that the Main Character in A Rank definitively has a Spine. There’s a small but critical difference of him actively leaving the party that he was a part of, because they were being shit heads. Compare Beast Master, who get’s kicked out.

In both cases, the parties do not recognize the amount of stuff they’re doing for them, but A-Rank’s hero (Yoke) saying hey you fuckers are undervaluing me And actually actively telling them to fuck off gives a stronger impression overall compared to Rain who is actually undervaluing themselves.

A further point in A-Rank’s favor for main characters, is that Yoke (despite being yet another example of stock MC uber badass in certain respects) also demonstrably is actively expanding his skills and abilities. While there’s definitely a certain point where it probably leans too far into hyper competence, there’s also the ready and actually completely reasonable excuse that This Man Was On A High Ranking Party. Of course he should know all this stuff, he’s been at it for years. Him expanding his range of skills makes sense, and the fact that the seems to actively go out of his way to do paints him in a better light.

By comparison, Rain, protag of beast master….Doesn’t seem to be doing that. He’s already very strong in a lot of ways, ut I think the thing that absolutely kills it is that he seemingly has no experience with OTHER normal beast masters (it’s made abundantly and explicitly clear early on in the few chapters I read that he has not met ANY other beast masters. Just no one else in his trade at all, despite being a high ranker). This undervalues his skills by a large amount, and rather than serving to be impressive, it just comes off as fellating the main character “Look how good they are!” rather than just being a build up of their skills.

Again, It’s not like Yoke’s a hyper well built up character either, but the fact that he IS aware of what he’s worth, the fact that he does seem to go out of his way to build up his skills, and the fact that the story ad setting in general DOES make it a point to show why some of his thoughts and drives for this make sense.

That is to say,Red Mages (Yokes class and power set) seems to be built around buffing and debuffing (and the debuffs seem pretty legit actually) but there’s a general devaluation of the class and skills, which seems weird at first, until the story encounters the first Big Name Monster and it’s pointed out “Oh yeah, these debuffs Stop Working Well against the big horrible monsters” and you suddenly get it, Oh That’s why they’re devalued. Yes he has a range of buffs that help out, but it’s made clear that LITERALLY all of the buffs can be handled with items, and while carrying them around is a problem, the questionable utility of a specific buffer debuffer when there’s items that can do the job just as well is a fair one to ask. It’s not necessarily a sensible decision, but it’s one that I could understand.

By comparison, Rain’s class of beast tamer is, in universe, seemingly pretty bleh at best, but again I didn’t get super far. But it IS made clear the differences between Rain and others is SPECIAL PROTAG RIGHTS more than Homie Worked his Ass Off and Doesn’t know it. Again, everyone who knows even a bit is constantly surprised at his antics, which get’s old fast.

And ok, in both cases, there’s the party that they get kicked out of. Let’s take a look at them.

Generally speaing, from both cases, both are scumbags. Like Unambiguously so, but there is the difference of Rain’s Party Being Righteous Scumbags (We’re the Hero Party!) vs just Greedy Dickheads (ala Yoke) which does give each a different feel. Not to mention, that while both parties are played as incompetent with their base knowledge, the degree of it for both comes across as wildy different.

In Rain’s Case, again from my limited read I might go back again to see whats up if it changes a touch, there seems to be a genuinely lack of skill, guts and so on, which makes their dismissal come off as well, they’re huge dumbasses. There’s a shallowness to their shallowness if you get me. By comparison Yokes party are SIMILIARLY dumb as a sack of hammers, and you do have to wonder why and how they got as far as they did, but you can at least understand that with the amount that Yoke was doing and he was doing a frankly freakish amount. Yes there’s the oh man look at how competent our hero is thing, but when you see his party go “Oh wait yeah that makes sense we should also do that” and then they do, you kinda start to realize that it’s less Yokes a Freak, and more Yokes the only one with common sense on that party. But in doing so, you can at least understand WHY it is that they’re lacking that knowledge, because they themselves actively undervalued that knowledge that Yoke himself had and made use of.

Like they’re serving the same fucking purpose as dumbasses who don’t know what they lost, but the difference of how it’s demonstrated makes a huge difference there.

Then there’s the element of the girls. Which, hey, it’s what the manga’s about fundamentally. Self insert dude with cute bevy of girls with him, haremy shenanigans, blahblhablah. There’s ways you can play that and be fun so I’m cool with it (and cute girls are cute, it must be said) but the difference of it is..

Again, I only got so far, but it’s made clear that the while neither party has particular depth, the catgirl vs the trio of adventurers who Yoke joins up with have…well…

It’s again a competence thing. Kanade (the catgirl) shows up needing to be rescued from a situation that to all indications is straight up her fault. Explicitly, she’s superhumanly strong, so there shouldn’t be a reason she’s not able to procure some food, even if it is the case that she needs to eat CONSIDERABLY more than a baseline person to keep herself running. Like yes starvation happens, I get it, but it feels like a you dumbass moment rather than a preventable fuck up. Even having her being actively harried by something she couldn’t actually handle would at least make it make sense, but at least in the manga she handles the creature on dregs pretty casually (even if it’s a single blow) so it’s a big ????

By comparison, the Adventurer Girls (Silk, Rain, Marina) are introduced in a considerably lower stakes situation, and more to the point it’s a social situation that by all indications they have…Not under control, but within their ability to handle. As a unit, their competence never actually get’s called into question, and in fact they’re sold as actually VERY talented rookies by our Much More Experienced Protag. They just need more experience and they’ll be golden, which in subsequent big monster fights you can actually see! They handle a monster WAY out of their league by ranking pretty handily (if with injuries) the first time we see it and also get to see our protag flex off his credentials, and the NEXT big monster they similarly get to flex against mostly by themselves and Successfully for the most part.

And individual characterization wise, they’re all simple characters, boy the A Rank and Beast Tamer, but there’s differences in how they’re handled that makes the difference. By introducing them (a rank) as a group, you get to see them bounce off differing characters sooner as compared beast tamer hwo only has the bland Rain to bounce off, and when you introduce Yoke to the mix, there’s an additional dynamic added to the vibe, which makes the simplicity charming rather than bland.

And I guess the last major point is the Romance angle, because of course there is it’s basic middle of the road stuff here, but the general vibe of it and how it’s developed actually feels well…A rank Explicitly has Yoke be an ex teacher of their, and he hasn’t seen them in years, which makes the dynamic of respect and admiration and school girl crushes feel well..Earned I guess. We know how competent Yoke is, he taught them, and they’re good at their jobs by all indications, and they remember that. You can get how that infatuation would develop and it’s cute. Not to mention that they’re on a more even playing field here both setting wise and position wise (he’s out a job, they have an opening, they know he’s skilled everyone wins) but I think critically, for A Rank, is that while it’s clear the girls are smitten with him, they’re also not like…It’s not a big deal? Like they playfully tease him here and there, and he get’s it and a lot of his vibe in regard to it is along the lines of “C’mon really? I mean you know me so I get it, but please be a bit more careful, what if I wasn’t as good a guy as you think I am?” which at once feels like oh yeah duh, but also we see that they DO actually have that common sense and clarity so it comes off as him being well…understandably dense, but also not updating his mental model that they’re young women instead of young girls now if you follow (and one of them is the same age he is, which alright sure whatever, this is not that serious a show and it’s not like they’re doing that annoying shit where it’s like oh they’re 14 or some shit)

Not to mention, for A rank yet again, the romance drama seems to be well…None. They’re all actively into him, and since polygamy is apparently just legal in their country they’ve just kinda seemingly settled into a polycule (which, given the general closeness the girls had already prior to meeting dude, not that I’m expecting anything in the manga to touch on this, does kinda give this vibe of them already being in one of some sort? Or else being close enough that the idea has been broached before which is…A weird consideration but feels right for them which is weird now that I think on it)

Meanwhile, and again, only so far in, There’s the basic rescue for Kanade and that’s…It and she’s already catching feels. She can just sense it you know? And sure fine, but at the same time it feels hollow and threadbare, and since we only have the two to bounce off it doesn’t really rate how good a read she has on things actually (and we, the readers, of course know that Rain is a goody goody sweet nice boy with no inner flaws or whatever)

There’s also just some panelling weakness in general but that’s getting into other issues I don’t particularly want to worry about since I’m looking more at the story telling of the characters than anything, but it’s…

I think I get why A rank hit’s better for me now at least. There’s a level of actual activeness going on for everyone, and while the characters are simple, they’re being allowed to interact with more people at once allowing edges of their personalities to be shown off more. None of the competencies rate as actually abnormal so much as yeah this dude is a skillmonkey in a setting where if you’re a top rank you REALLY should be or else have the aid of one. The setting actually set’s up the importance of this relatively early on, and the main character actually valuing himself set’s him up as being aware of things in a way that makes him immediately likable and personable, even if he is again very simple.

Meanwhile beastmaster things fall flat immediately because mc despite being DEMONSTRABLY a monster in skill and power, also doesn’t seem to realize this, and is more of a passive player in his own story early on. I will actually add here as an additional thing, with the protag being overpowered thing that infects this range of stories, that the difference in how they acquired that and how it’s demonstrated in story makes SUCH a huge difference in the feel of it, even if mechanically it plays out the same. It’s not like you can have I’m just built different as a starting point and it always plays out bad, but given the rest it’s flaccid in support.

Rain knows TOO little about his setting despite the fact that he should know more, and he’s a bit too passive in how he get’s his power (and the fact that his power is one of those ones that makes very clear that he’s going to be overpowered as hell in short order especially given the romance/harem premise just…sucks the tension out of things quick like)

[hinamie]

10 years later

[krysmcscience]

I have some questions about karaoke night, Alex Hirsch. Very Important Questions. Which I will happily scream at a poor hapless baby triangle who can have no answers for me, and possibly also does not have object permanence yet.

Follow-up that is I guess suggestive, but let's be real here, Bill's a fucking triangle:

Dude slipped right into his birthday suit, lmao

this is so stupid :D

Anyway, I don't care what anyone says, this brilliant individual knows what's up - Bill is absolutely way more of a monsterfucker than Ford could or ever will be, full stop.

[fox-mulder-gets-pegged]

I just wanna say bc I KNOW you're somewhere on tumblr, to the teenage girl who attended Take Your Kid To Work Day at an office building in Ontario, Canada circa 2013 and had a conversation with a middle aged woman in which you showed her your Black Veil Brides fanart and fanfics and ship content and told her about different fanfic tropes including a/b/o verse bc she happened to know who Panic! at The Disco and Fallout Boy were and thus you felt the need to show her your bandblr ship art, that was my fucking mother and I had to clarify all that to her including looking my mother in the eye and trying to explain a/b/o verse without sounding like a lunatic.

It's been 10 years and I still regularly sent evil energies in your direction. Since you'd be probably two years younger than me and thus legally an adult now, please know if this post reaches you it's on sight.

[theangelcatalogue]

Making a chain cause why not!? Hdisiwisjs

Put your name/nickname in the Character Headcanon Generator and see what you get!

Link!

Erm...so-

@starsinthenigth @mxnaceo @duckp0t + Anyone who wants to do it! (No pressure)

[xxplastic-cubexx]

obligatory beach divorce doodling

bonus rough cover redraw of x-men #41 (1995) But Beach Divorce below cut

[petricorah]

Having icons on the dashboard increases community. I don't take the time to read every username, but with a quick glance, I know who posted something. It means I can associate what they posted with them. Otherwise it's just Stuff. (It's also fun to see the icons. It's a unique personalization that makes people happy, and their prominence makes tumblr unique.) It doesn't take up space. Why take that away?

it's honestly alarming that they're making this shift to depersonalize and disintegrate community.

part of me feels like this is the progression they want:

can't tell who posts -> don't care who posts -> no connection to who is on your dash -> FYP/algorithm

and it's horrible that they seem to be taking such a beloved website and sending it in these directions. probably overreacting but it's sad and frustrating to watch it go

anyway. it's a good reminder to reblog the posts you love, because that's how the website can keep functioning like it does

[bluerosefox]

Phantomish Rogues

Team Phantom get ripped from their home universe into the DCverse. With no money or real ID's in this world. Now thats a problem.

Another big problem is that Danny is badly injured and his core kinda put him into a deep cryo sleep. He needs to rest and gather ectoplasm.

Bigger problem Team Phantom have no clue how to get home because they don't know how to decode the Fenton Portal blue-prints, not even Jazz who at the time didn't pay attention to her parents portal work anymore by the time they finished it. The only one who does have an idea is Danny!

Biggest problem, they landed in a place called Gotham that seems to be overrun with actual villains and heroes? (vigilantes). And for some odd reason many of them seem to find them no matter where the Team goes to hide.

Until they can get their hands on a safe space, tech, and money, Team Phantom might have to go a bit Rogue/Villainous if they wanna keep Danny safe until he wakes up.

[andsewingishalfthebattle]

Novice sewing pattern: Cut out shapes. Line up the little triangles on the edges. Stitch edges together. We've also included step-by-step assembly instructions with illustrations.

Novice knitting pattern: yOU MUSt uNDerstANd thE SECret cOdE CO67 (73, 87, 93) BO44 (63, 76, 90) 28 (32, 34) slip first pw repeat 7x K to end *kl (pl) 42 * until 13" (13, 13, 15) join new at 30 pl for 17 rows ssk 27 k2tog mattress lengthwise BO and sacrifice a goat to the knitting gods. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WANT "INSTRUCTIONS," I JUST GAVE THEM TO YOU

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hello Madam. Sorry Madam.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[tofixtheshadows]

So I've been thinking lately about how Mithrun is Kabru's dark mirror (more on that another time- it needs its own post), and I thought it interesting that one of their parallels is that they were both cared for by Milsiril, but in opposite directions. She took Kabru in as her foster after he was orphaned and tried to convince him not to become an adventurer. On the flip side, she helped rehabilitate Mithrun specifically so that he could rejoin the Canaries.

And I kept wondering: why?

For Kabru, obviously she loves him a whole lot- despite any other shortcomings in their relationship, I do believe that.

So I get why she tries to convince him not to go dungeoning, and, failing that, at least prepares him as thoroughly as she can.

But why help Mithrun? She used to hate Mithrun, but after realizing what a secretly twisted person he was, she actually thought of him more positively (oh, Milsiril). So it wasn't as if she held the kind of grudge that might motivate her to make his already-depleted life even more miserable by sending him back to the dungeons. And it wasn't that she felt bad for him either, since she didn't visit Mithrun for the first ~20 years of his recovery.

The Adventurer's Bible says that Utaya was the impetus for Mithrun returning to the Canaries, but Milsiril is the one who made the trip to see him and tell him about it.

Why would Milsiril work so hard to get her old coworker back into fighting fit? Why encourage him to return to such a dangerous lifestyle, when she was the one who chose not to mercy-kill him?

That last panel is such a crazy thing to hint at and then never elaborate on. Without it we could have just thought that Milsiril wanted the Canaries' work to continue without her, even if it seemed out of character. I think some people even assume she's just a natural caretaker as a foster mom and handwave it to include nursing Mithrun too. What could Milsiril's suspicious motives be? What does she gain from Mithrun joining the Canaries that isn't an altruistic desire to see dungeons safely sealed? Feeling a sense of responsibility for the work she left behind isn't an ulterior motive.

My theory is: Milsiril, knowing that Mithrun was empty save for the burning desire to face the demon again, wound him up like a clockwork doll and pointed him back at the dungeons.

Hoping that he'd eliminate the biggest threat to Kabru's life, before it was too late for him.

Milsiril the puppetmaster.

[persona-brainrot-real]

Sae Niijima is such a good character it drives me insane a little. She's not a mother nor a maternal or doting older sister but instead a twenty four year old who was thrown into a position of responsibility that she never asked for. She loves Makoto just as much as she resents her and its so apparent every time they talk up until November. "Are you studying?" (I want you to do well) (I need you to get a job and stop making my life harder) "I'll use any method necessary to get this promotion" (Life will be easier for us) (So stop distracting me with your problems) "Focus on your future" (I know that you're capable) (I can't afford to waste my time on you, so stop wasting time on others)

Makoto is not only the sole reason she pushes as hard as she does for a promotion, for success, and the reason that she loses herself in her animosity over her fathers death, but also someone she can't stand for so long. Makoto was 14-15 when their father died. Sae was 21. As soon as she got the career she wanted and things started to look up, her stability was robbed from her and she was disillusioned with the system that her father had taught her to rely on and completely adhere to. How do you manage, the daughter of a cop, following his footsteps towards law enforcement, when you're suddenly reminded of how unfair it is? You can't quit, your little sister relies on you and she's so young and struggling just as badly with this grief. So you pick yourself up and you get moving again. You push harder, press further. You abandon your morals and your ethics because punishing criminals (guilty or not) is almost like punishing the man who killed your father.

And the whole time she's fighting for promotions, going for drinks with the SIU Director to make herself more favourable for promotions, trying to navigate being a woman in a competitive, suffocating, male-dominated field, falling behind despite doing so much where others are promoted for doing so little - all the while your little sister comes back from school and her biggest issues are so small compared to yours.

Persona 5 revolves so heavily around grief and loss and change and Sae embodies all of that so well, all of the sharp and unpleasant and jagged parts of grief.

[hinamie]

*catboys ur shounen protag*

[tomcriuse]

Criminal Minds 1.19 'Machismo'

[hychlorions]

a what-if i've been thinking about for forever... trucy knowing the truth before anyone could tell her

[lucabyte]

So does anybody else ever think about how Loop felt the need to demonstrate that the party's deaths wouldn't have any effect on the loops. I know I do but that's besides the point. Anyway I don't think Loop actually needs to bathe, they just like to feel included.