#also he's more thematically relevant

[beevean]

The thing about Isaac's "character arc" in the show is: would you really be able to tell that he's changed if he stopped babbling his mouth about it?

Like how different are his actions really? Because if you need your character to spell out repeatedly "I have gone through character development " then chances are that said development doesn't reflect that well on the actual screen

Because apart from no longer wanting to kill Hector...he kinda still mostly acts the same?

Isaac asking how Hector is doing without a finger is unironically the only example of genuine growth he has shown. In the past he wouldn't have given a single shit, he always spoke to Hector and about Hector with disdain and was all "huehuehue we can't be friends because we'll die anyway", so him showing concern unprompted is big for him. (and I want to remind everyone that Lenore, the woman supposedly in love with Hector, did nothing of that. Her only reaction to Hector cutting his finger was disgust and dismay, not worry that he might bleed to death or regret that he had to mutilate himself because of her actions. But tell me more about her character development!)

Isaac certainly changed attitude between S3 and S4. In S3 he was mostly angry and sneering, in S4 he's all zen and content and wise. As I said other times, though, the most substantial change in his character was that he finds "better" reasons to kill people. Before, he killed everyone who was slightly rude to him, because making demons out of them was more convenient than finding another way around, because humans bad or something. Now, he kills people for the sake of "improving" the world, so the magician is fair game because he enslaved a village, Carmilla is fair game because she's insane, and the mercenaries who happened to be in the castle are fair game because they're in the way.

When you think about it, he's still killing people for the sake of "purifying" the world, like he said he wanted to do in S2. Him deciding he wants to build a better world is conceptually not very different from his original plan of wanting to eradicate humanity because only without humanity the world can be full of love. He's just more selective about his victims. And he's doing not for Dracula's sake anymore, but for the sake of himself and feeling good about his actions. He says so! He enjoys feeling like the hand rather than the knife! That's his change! This big character development touted by many as the best of all time is just this dude deciding he wants to do things for himself! Which works, absolutely (insert here Hector's speech about not wanting to be a pawn in Dracula's plan because he's a human being), but I'm not impressed with how it was portrayed here. Because accepting his "change" from someone who would murder people at the drop of a hat to someone who murders for "heroic" reasons, or rather someone who killed out of hatred to someone who focuses on his own happiness and feeling of satisfaction, hinges entirely on you believing Isaac deserves to be happy simply for who he is, because he suffered enough in his childhood, because he's "cool" as this super badass fighter. I don't, he did nothing to earn my sympathies, and the more the story sucks him off at the expense of everyone else who were beaten down out of literary sadism, the less I care about the narrative's favorite receiving yet another prize on a silver platter.

As I said other times, "I want to live." yeah and i'm sure the guards whose corpses you defiled wanted to live too, but you're still using the Night Creatures you made out of them as convenient tools :)

And having the show tell us no less than three times that he has changed is certainly a failure of writing, yes, not to mention a lack of faith in the viewers' intelligence and its own skills to convey a concept. So, business as usual for the show!

[tinyfantasminha]

👍

[flowersandfashion]

In Memoriam A.H.H. [V] by Alfred Tennyson

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

⚠️ - If this oc came with a warning sign, what would it be? ☔ - How does this oc feel about rain? -> for lucius

🦷 - Would this oc ever bite someone? 💛 - Are they ‘good with children’, or more awkward? -> for an oc of your choice!

hello!! thanks for asking!! referencing this post:

⚠️ - If this oc came with a warning sign, what would it be? (lucius)

"CAUTION: CLEVER DUMBASS" in the biggest, brightest, UV-flecked letters out there (fine print: "this individual WILL do inadvisable shit at the drop of a birdkid off a cliff, no you will not have time to blink, yes he can safely fall that far, no that's not the only thing that will surprise you, proceed with caution")

☔ - How does this oc feel about rain? (lucius)

he loves non-compulsory rain, by which i mean he likes to Enjoy and Appreciate Storms, but he does NOT (!!) appreciate being required to Do Things in it. he likes to curl up with a book and tea when it's real bad out there, and he has been known to enjoy the occasional rainy run on his own terms, but he WILL make Very Bad Decisions if someone oasis demands that he Participate In Activities In Rain.

🦷 - Would this oc ever bite someone? (dealer's choice)

jorge has and would (although not lately). driscoll, my beloved monster child to whom i am returning next month, has one (1) close call, and feels bad about it for the rest of their very long life. (jury's still out on whether or not FarFuture!Driscoll bites marshall or crimson, although i'm currently leaning toward nah--biting your fellow semi-eldritch horrors is the recourse of those who can't do Weirder Shit although we could do Weird Biting, i spose.)

💛 - Are they ‘good with children’, or awkward? (dealer's choice)

jorge is good with kids! driscoll actually is, too, although they sometimes feel awkward around them (because driscoll can't always tell how old a kid is and/or how much they can handle, and dealing with Tiny Humans and their Huge Feelings during Active Misplacement Events with a side of Monster Activity is. fraught.).

thanks again for asking!!

[freunwol]

if you go into a guy characters tag (like. choose a guy and try your luck) youll find bucketfulls of fanart and him-centric aus and angst and thinkpieces about his character and relevance to the story and thematic weight and everything. if you go into a girls tag (once again, choose a girl, try your luck), you find her in the background of group posts and the "designated braincell" of every incorrect-quotes blog. if you're really lucky you might even find a take that doesn't make you want to projectile vomit blood!

[llycaons]

if I reread tgcf I might come to slightly different conclusions bc I've forgotten a lot and I remember what annoys me best. but I've read it twice and I've had similar issues for ages so I don't think so

[foxmulderautism]

having elaborate vivid dreams a nightmare sometimes i had a dream where I went back in time throughout all the mercury prize winners but my brain obviously does not know all the winners of the mercury prize so it just invented an entire album concept + design that looked SO COOL but it literally doesn’t exist!! i made it up!!! I can still see it in my brain but i know that’s the only place i can see it

[thefudge]

Advice for writing smut???

gonna do bullet-points of things i tend to live by when it comes to smut (this is just my opinion):

don't switch styles: the way you write the smut has to be consistent with the way you write the rest of the story, so if your story is more comedic or romcom-y in nature, the way you write the smut should have those stylings. i personally find it very jarring when authors decide to break the format for the smut, almost like the story has to stop for the sex intermission; if you're writing a horror story, the smut must be informed and influenced by that genre, and if you are breaking genre for the smut portion, tell us why you're suddenly switching gears (it has to be an aesthetic choice you're making on purpose). likewise, if your style in that story is more lyrical, the smut has to be somewhat lyrical too, or if your story is more cormac mccarthy-esque-cut-and-dry, the smut can't suddenly involve an effluvia of purple, sappy prose. integrating the smut in the story and treating it like any other part of the story is key to me. too often i've seen ppl switch to this anonymous pornified style when they get to the smut

which brings me to specificity. i'll talk about het sex, since that's what i tend to write most: not all men are going to be fingering or eating pussy the same way, not all dicks are big and they shouldn't be, not all women immediately get excited by fingering, not everyone moans the same way or makes the same sounds. you're writing about particular characters so it has to be particular to them. i know this is very old advice, but i think it bears repeating

there isn't an exact formula or sequence you have to follow, there aren't precise steps, you don't have to go "well, first he has to kiss down her neck, then reach the boob area, then play with the nipples, then put the nipple in his mouth, then slowly go down on her, then prepare her for entering her etc. etc. etc." this can get boring and repetitive and you start thinking of your characters as these mechanical dolls who have to fuck for your audience. and that can be a vibe too, if you do it on purpose. but sometimes you can get stuck in a porn routine (and ofc, having only the guy show initiative can also get boring)

in order to break that, insert some character moments. what are the characters thinking during this? sometimes they might be thinking of something completely unrelated on the surface, but which has a thematic relevance that can make the scene hotter. likewise, maybe they're doing smth that seems unsexy on the surface, but which, within the context of the story might be really hot. sex doesn't just involve, well, sex, but so much weirdness and humanity and creativity. two bodies (usually) are trying to do this really awkward thing together and they might have a lot of baggage and history to inform it. there's a lot you can do with that.

don't make it glossy and clean, where everyone smells of strawberry shampoo and there is never anything out of sync. the most boring smut tends to be the kind where no one makes any mistakes and everything is super efficient. i imagine it feels like using an industrial pump to milk various farm animals.

and you know what? you can make that hot too. you CAN write a kind of robotic efficient smut and make it really interesting based on the context. let's say you're writing a 1984 AU fic where ppl are forced into intimacy only to procreate and their sex drive is diminished. you can play with that premise and lean into the dehumanizing industrialization of sex, but you have to mean it, aka your narratorial voice must be conscious of these factors.

if you're writing dubcon, make the dubious part present, make sure you draw out the ambivalence and ambiguity. if you're writing noncon, the character whose consent is being violated has to be transformed by this in some way. it can be forced pleasure, for instance, but not only. it has to be a journey for them too, some kind of spiritual pit, or a form of access to terrible knowledge. i know this is a personal thing, but noncon doesn't work for me if the character being noncon'd is just sort of *there*, suffering passively. i think that sort of dead passivity can be done very well too, but the narratorial voice has to persuade me.

that being said, don't be afraid of fear in consensual sex. terror and vulnerability are a part of consensual sex too, imo, and again, depending on the story and the characters, there's a lot you can explore there

i personally find it really hot when the narratorial voice starts discussing some of the ideas that the story wants to convey during the smut. so like, you can characterize person A and outline their worldview and their plans while they're ramming person B, and the thinking & fucking are thus entwined. idk, i dig that

speaking of which, smut can convey world-building details and social/philosophical ideas, not just emotions and character beats

not all smut has to end with mutual orgasm or even one-sided orgasm, it depends what you want to do or where you want to go. again, you don't have to follow a sequence. plus, it's fun (and hot) to write about frustration and failure too.

if you want to mix up the descriptions, resort to the story & characters. you'll find it's easier to describe someone fondling a boob in a new or at least interesting way if you're thinking about that particular character in that particular story, and not just Man X from planet porn (sorry to be snarky, but mainstream erotica is soooo guilty of this)

screaming & really intense reactions are cool but they have to match the characters and the situations

sometimes, it's hotter if an effect is mild or negated, if the usual outcome doesn't happen; mix up the order of events, toy with the usual reactions. it's not about being original, it's about finding out what works for your characters. writing about sex is, in a way, a performance of it, an attempt to go through the sexual motions, to find out what works and doesn't, to engage with the erotics of text (roland barthes entered the chat)

if you are bored by your own smut, that's a problem. i know we all talk about how hard we find writing smut, and IT IS hard, and sometimes it's not enjoyable, because writing itself is often not enjoyable, but even when it's painful and annoying, it gives you that little intellectual kick like "huh, i'm creating this and making these people do this, and ohh look, i can maybe put this unnamable thing into words". but if you become bored, that's a sign you have to look at the language & characters and figure out what's not working for you

last thing i'll underline: pay attention to your narratorial voice. in this ordeal, you are the seducer. not the characters. you have to seduce us with words and context. your voice matters the most. you can persuade us of anything. but you have to be confident in your weirdness and particularity. this is your bedroom (so to speak), so invite us in.

[sirenalpha]

kingdon isn't popular just because Mel is a popular character, Langdon is conventionally attractive, the two of them get a lot of scenes together, and the actors have chemistry

their relationship is thematically relevant to the show

the pitt is about burnout in the high stress environment of an ER post-COVID and making connections, both to do the work well and to survive it

between doctors and nurses and between them and the patients and the patients to the social worker as needed

and there are connections between other pairs of people, super young Javadi is paired with mature student McKay for a while which does open Javadi's eyes to life she's been sheltered from, Javadi gets a crush on Mateo who invites her to the park at the end of the day, Dana is the first to figure out Collins' pregnancy on her own and also speaks with Javadi on her new crush, Robby and Collins come together for a deep conversation after her miscarriage and before he sends her home, Mohan helps the sickle cell patient and the mercury poisoned influencer, Santos overtly tries to make connections to the two med students and is ultimately successful with Whitaker but she also gets protective over the daughter whose mother poisoned her father with progesterone and gets another patient to open up about their suicide attempt while Javadi over identifies with the baseball kid, lots of little new connections or longer formed ones

and then there's Mel on the verge of caretaker burnout as the only one supporting her sister

and Langdon who is basically on a different planet from his wife and gets outright rejected by Robby when he asks if they're friends

both so desperate for connection, someone on their level

and they click, they're the only ones that show up excited to be there (Mel more so than Langdon but he's not nearly as dismayed as Collins by the board when they first come in), Langdon offers Mel opportunities like the crike and Terrence, and compliments her successes and checks in with her and tells her to take breaks as needed while Mel seeks him out for his opinion and keeps up with him

they are the connection in the show, they just met and they make each other better at the job, if only all the doctors and nurses could get along this well, right?

except Langdon is an addict, through Robby the show implies the job broke something in him before the cameras even showed up and what Robby sees as a betrayal from Langdon contributes in turn to Robby's collapse on his worst day, and the parallels and what ifs come out

what if Robby had been as attentive to Langdon as Langdon was to Mel? What if Robby had allowed the connection instead of rejecting Langdon? What if Mel had shown up earlier? Would she have just burned herself out faster?

Langdon and Mel are the high point so Robby and Langdon yelling at each other and trying to tear each other down and talking more at each other than to each other can be the low point

Langdon and Mel improving their relationship in future seasons, moving beyond a day one spark to having more time and experience to deepen their relationship and making each other better doctors in the process is proving the themes of the show, that you need support and connection to do the job well and survive it

so of course people want to extend that into their personal lives so Mel is not alone with her sister and Langdon isn't in a crumbling marriage so they can have connection and support and be better people in their personal lives and not just professionally

Langdon and Mel are also shown as foils to Robby and Collins who once dated and Mel's single with a sister pushing her to make a romantic connection when the connection she's made is with Langdon and Langdon seems well on the way to divorce even before the addiction reveal

and the actors have a lot of chemistry

[point-two-two]

truly he feels so much more like a person in the novel. although i will say, the other characters (except maybe hyuna) are much better developed in the manhwa at least at this stage, probably because a comic format allows a much wider, though shallower, focus on the cast, so we kinda know all of the characters to some degree while with the novel we see all of yj's characterization and next to none of that of the other characters; only his perception of them

Reading this paragraph it occurred to me: yet another thing that the webtoon was not able to convey due to medium is that Yoojin has an incredibly sharp eye for talent even aside from his skill. He's thought things like this before (e.g. that Myungwoo should sell his cooking) and it's interesting to see that that twig skill is very much linked to his personality just like everyone else's skills are

[everythingisamazing]

I really feel like we, as jayvik shippers, need to talk about this shot more:

Like, I have seen it mentioned here and there, but I actually think it's one of the most glaringly obvious hints (its not even a hint tbh) that what is going on between Jayce and Viktor is undeniably framed as romantic. As it was stated by one of the animators: Every detail in animation is intentional. This shot was chosen and it was chosen for a reason.

First of: The timing. This happens after Viktor leaves Jayce. We all know the scene - it often gets (jokingly) called the breakup scene, leading up the "divorce era". So what do we typically see in movies or whatever media after the big breakup? What's the cliche? We see the protagonist, reminiscing and yearning for what has been lost. Often in a montage. Overlaid with some music. Well, it's exactly what we get with Jayce. And while we hear Heimerdingers song in the background going "Go and make some mistakes. You live and you learn", we see Jayce sitting in the rain looking at those two very much male looking figures looking like they are leaning in for a kiss. If that's not enough, I will add more: Jayces scenes are altering with Ekkos in the AU, where he developes his romantic relationship with Jinx. Arcane in general relies heavily on parallels to tell the parts of the story that are not directly shown on screen. And they will very often do it in this manner, were they cut back and forth between scenes, that are thematically relevant to eachother. I will let you decide for yourself, what the thematic relevance could be. Also, speaking of heartbreak - I actually could not remember this shot from watching the show, so I always believed it was edited when I saw it posted as an image, but it's real? Like, you can see the heart, broken in half by the ravine Jayce just climbed out of? The ravine in which he hallucinated Viktor in the fire? Yeah, okay. I am sure whichever highly skilled artist who drew this blatant symbolism (in red and pink, mind you), did it completely by accident. Or maybe they just thought that would be the best way to show their platonic brotherly relationship *shrugs*

Here is something else: As a few people pointed out before, the shot reminded them of the "Lovers of pompeii" - two human remains that were initially thought to be women, but then later discovered to be men. I say, if the people watching made that connection, there is no way in hell that the artists, who work on these shots for months, would not think of this comparison. Especially because the way the corpses are hardened but retain their shape in the AU, is very much like an Arcane-corrupted version of Pompeii. So yeah. I get kind of annoyed when I read comments complaining why people can't accept that Jayce and Viktor are just brothers (I'm talking about the "why does everything have to be sexual/gay" comments). I get annoyed, because if you have a quantum of media literacy, you will CLOCK all the tricks they pulled in the show, that are frequently used in media when portraying romantic relationships. And again, I am talking about a single shot here. As we all know, there is SO MUCH MORE.

[kuroposting]

Now, obviously, I don’t think Sebastian knows that this is a trigger. Or that he grabbed his hand in a familiar way the first time, either.

I think it’s symbolic. Yana is constantly drawing hands as analogous to relationships. Sebastian is insecure in his ability to understand the complexities of human emotions and, by extension, his ability to care for Ciel in this arc. He has an idea, but he defers to Takana’s authority on the subject (initially); I’ll make another post about that later. Meanwhile, the crisis of conscience Ciel is experiencing is over his growing camaraderie and dependence on Sebastian, in r!Ciel’s place.

Using Sebastian to attain revenge is one thing, but to stop holding a grudge against him for presumably eating r!Ciel’s soul and shamelessly accepting his attachment to Sebastian and the autonomy that he provides Ciel with, is a severe betrayal. A betrayal of r!Ciel, and of Ciel’s own morals.

Sebastian is at least somewhat aware of this. I’m not totally sure- I think Sebastian is under the impression that Ciel did intentionally sacrifice r!Ciel in his place, and that he took on his identity out of jealousy. He wanted to be heir, and he wanted to marry Lizzy. Sebastian may believe that Ciel regrets doing it and resents Sebastian for being the living proof of Ciel’s wickedness. He wants to force Ciel to confront this aspect of himself and do something about it, but I think he’s slowly come to realize that Ciel isn’t actually to blame, and feels conflicted over his own attachment to him.

These last two panels, by Sebastian’s expression and the black backgrounds isolating the two of them, read to me as if Sebastian is slighted by Ciel’s scolding and lack of gratitude for saving him; something Sebastian is good at and took pride in. It reminds me of his interactions with Will. Even so, it’s apparent to me that he otherwise admires Ciel for being so resistant to the temptation of accepting his comforts, but then he sincerely wants to comfort him. By rejecting Sebastian and maintaining all the loyalty to his brother that he can, Ciel maintains this very unique (“pure”?) form of integrity that Sebas both resents and yet also wishes to maintain himself. Allowing Sebastian to touch will get his master dirty, so he changes his gloves and offers himself again. Unbeknownst to Sebastian, part of the guilt Ciel feels is over him fulfilling r!Ciel’s role as his devout protector and guide. This will have to be elaborated on in a part 2. (will add a hyperlink here when I have it written)

On the other hand, Ciel already believes himself to have already betrayed his brother for being able to benefit from his death whatsoever. This makes him beyond redemption and beyond saving. We have reason to believe that between r!Ciel’s acceptance of his role as first born and Ciel’s illness keeping him holed up in the manor while r!Ciel had fencing lessons and went traveling with their parents, r!Ciel was less innocent than his younger brother. Our Ciel believes himself wicked and weak for having shamelessly accepted their roles, as his role allowed him to be so naive and complacent that he never felt the same responsibly to protect anyone; most notably, r!Ciel. For that, there were consequences.

His powerlessness cost r!Ciel his life and at the cost of his life Ciel was granted the pursuit of living; the ability to help people and bring justice to evils are things only granted at the price of facing the horrific realities of a world that has failed others. Of feeling the weight on your soul when you take on the responsibility of other people that you can fail, responsibility for the failures that are inevitable in pursuit of your goals. Chess is a game of sacrifice.

When Sullivan gave them a chemical shower and performed it as a “purification ritual”, something thematically relevant was happening. Their personal feelings of inadequacy surfaced and they’ve been forced to confront them- though Ciel’s was much more immediate and visceral. His pursuit of Sebastian was an acceptance of himself, that he is worth living for despite what he expressed to Finny. That he accepts the responsibility for his own survival in the face of all who have been sacrificed for his continued existence so far.

Here Sebastian almost seems to reveal the truth of the matter to Ciel, that the ritual was not required to summon him and that it most likely wasn’t even the true intentions of the adults who had committed such evil against him. Demons can appear on a whim, and he repeats as much to Sullivan. On Twitter, Yana said that Ciel was about to ask “did you come on a whim?” but dropped it because it ultimately didn’t matter. She said it wasn’t relevant to the arc iirc, but I disagree lol, It’s at least relevant to the philosophy this manga holds as truth. Ciel wondered if he was already prepared to forfeit his soul for his wish or if Sebastian chose to come to him regardless.

You could wonder if that means that Ciel actually is responsible for sacrificing r!Ciel’s soul (however unintentionally), because that meant that Sebastian never would have eaten him if only Ciel cherished his own soul more.

You could wonder if Sebastian made the decision to take r!Ciel’s soul just to crossover and meet Ciel’s calls completely on his own. You could wonder if Ciel wasn’t prepared to forfeit his soul at all, until he was manipulated and pressured into it by Sebastian.

Who is the blame supposed to fall on? What were Sebastian’s motivations?

You could wonder about any of that, and it doesn’t matter, because the outcome is the same to Ciel. It does not change where they are now. What is done cannot be undone.

[delicatestones]

Wave of Wardposts sliding across my dash reminding me I have unresolved issues with the fact that Chris is one of the most categorically telling fumbles in Ward.

Like you have a character who touches on:

The way that the physical form links to the mind and how embodiment is part of identity

Living with severe harm done to you by a sibling

Forging a future for yourself while struggling with the expectations of an abusive parent of who they made you to be

The strain of pushing yourself to constantly perform new stunts with your power in ways that don't necessarily align with its 'intention'

Dealing with a 'villainous' origin and the stigma of that in the world of capes

The difficulty of forming relationships when you're kind of an asshole

Chris has one of the most 'easy to make thematically relevant' powers in the therapy group to boot. And we can't say it's too high concept and convoluted to make legible to readers because let us consider some of the other fucking powers in Ward. 'Guy mutates based on emotional states he wants to evoke' is pretty straightforward compared to some!

But for reasons that remain beyond me Chris betrays the therapy group because...it was time for the scheduled shocking betrayal, and he did it because...reasons that don't quite follow from prior characterization but okay, well, surely Villain Chris will provide some kind of interesting - ah no never mind he's just apathetically Evil now in ways that occasionally show a glimmer of promise but ultimately conclude in "our viewpoint character doesn't care about the interiority of people who aren't her + Wildbow was in the weeds by that point".

And I could dissect this all more but the way Chris' potential is spilled like a soda behind sticky theatre seats feels like a symptom of the many ways Ward did that with everything. We got rid of Chris so we could, bless her, spend approximately one million years resolving Rain's issues as a central hinge of Ward's dissolving thematic tissue only to - and this part also gets me - not resolve Rain's issues or arc to the extent of concluding a major part of it offscreen.

Salvaging Chris wouldn't have saved Ward and it's far from the biggest issue with Ward, but in the version of Ward in my head that's good Chris sticks around to force Victoria to have ongoing beef with a child in orthodontic headgear. I think it would be funny.

[quantifiableme]

A big part of this argument is talking about the difference between your *main* character and your *favorite* character.

Like Zuko can be your favorite character. Hell, he can even be the more interesting character. However, the main character’s goal and overall arc also reflects the major theme of the story, which in Avatar is about Balance and Responsibility. Zuko understands both of these things inherently, but is shamed out of them by his Father who wants him to be Nationalistic and selfish. Zuko’s arc is to trust the things he already knows to be true IN SPITE of his upbringing.

It’s an awesome character, but the show isn’t about learning to trust yourself. The show is about responsibility.

Aang trusts himself too much, and he skirts out of responsibility. His arc is about embracing his role as the Avatar, and bringing balance to the world. THAT is why he is the main character.

Now let’s talk about Voltron. What is the main theme of Voltron? It’w a giant robot that needs to be manned by five people. It very easily can be a show about working together, cooperation, and the good of the community > the good for the individual.

At the start of the show, Shiro knows this inherently. That’s why he’s the leader, and must teach everyone else.

Keith also knows this, but to an unhealthy degree. He’ll starve himself for the people he is loyal to; easily giving up everything to find Shiro. This is also why the BOM arc is so perfect for him, because it’s essentially a sucicide squad of people who ONLY care about the mission. And they are WRONG. Because the show isn’t about mission > individual. It’s about COMMUNITY > individual, which includes the individual. You can’t help the community when you die, because that is killing a part of the community.

So Keith’s arc is about learning he is apart of something. And to protect that community, he must also take care of and protect himself. Again, this is a great message ESPECIALLY for kids.

But the theme of the show is about learning to put the community above the wants of the individual. Keith is a great foil for this message, but he cannot be the main character because he doesn’t learn this lesson.

You know who does?? LANCE.

Lance’s whole arc is about humility. He is the first to get a Lion because he asks “What if you just knocked”? He is friendly and social, and (like I said before) is the only character with a genuine and individual banter with ALL of the other characters. He’s best friends with Hunk, he’s like a big brother to Pidge, he’s rivals with Keith. Shiro is his role-model, but there are so many funny moments between the two in the beginning still. Even with Coran and Allura, who easily could be pushed to the side, Lance as a character works to bring them back into every scene.

Lance CREATES the community. As the comic relief, he creates opportunities for the other characters to react, and we as the audience get to see them more as people. (Note: this is as a study as a character as a tool in the scene. Lance is an effective tool.)

Lance’s arc as a character is about learning to let his ego go, and become a good second in command to Keith. YES, Keith is still the leader in this story, that’s important to Lance’s character development. Lance needs to humble himself and do what’s good for the team, which is NOT being the Black Paladin.

(Now, I do think a better ending would be to make Lance the Black Paladin later, when it is no longer something cool or fun. Instead, Lance becomes the Black Paladin out of necessity, out of responsibility. When he does not want to, but had to.)

Lance should not date Allura. Allura should reject Lance, and Lance should have to come to terms with that. Allura should not die!! Self-sacrifice is a bad message to teach children!! THAT’S WHY KEITH’S ARC WAS SO COOL!! (Shiro can die, but more as a metaphor that he is no longer needed in the narrative. He is a teacher, and they do not need to be taught. (Also this wouldn’t be “killing your gays” because we make Keith gay (don’t even have to rewrite it) and his whole arc if “You are a part of a community” becomes all that more relevant.)

Anyway, Lance being the main character makes the story better because it *focuses your theme*. Instead the story doesn’t make sense.

as a retrospective, it is a kind of tame cruelty what the writers did with Lance as a character

because I have, and will, talk again about they set him up as the perfect protagonist in the first episode. after the prologue, he’s the first character we hear speak, which is a good writing technique to imply his importance in the story. they perfectly establish his arrogance (main character flaw), and how it effects his actions. (They fail the mission because, although he had the skills to lead the team, he gets cocky and crashes the plane.) after they crash, the drill sargent guy IMMEDIATELY chews him out and brings up how Lance was only there because Keith dropped out.

i’m not saying he has to be your favorite character, but the first five minutes of the episode are like a crash course in how to write a complex protagonist. He’s charming, he’s arrogant but IMMEDIATELY faces the consequences for it, and he’s only arrogant because he’s trying to prove himself to the people around him. That’s nuance! That’s good writing! And all of it is done through Lance’s actions and the consequences of those actions.

(We could also talk about how he is the only character who has a genuine and unique relationship with ALL the other cast members, which also makes him a perfect POV character for an *ensemble show*. That’s why Zuko is the FOIL for Aang, but Aang is the main character.)

On top of this, it worked! Audiences LOVED Lance, and they related to him. He’s insecure and want’s to prove himself, which is a goal a lot more relatable than anyone else’s. The popularity of Langst, or fics where Lance was put through extreme situations to test his perserverence, or have other characters appreciate him more, is a good signal that audiences want more from this character. It’s like the kid that imagines his own funeral to think about how people would miss him. It’s fucked up, but its something a lot of teenagers who feel ignored or under appreciated do. (It’s STRONG EMOTIONS)

So, with the knowledge that this is the audience that relates to this character: teenagers who struggle with identity and validation. Teenagers who feel like they always have to help others, but feel abandoned in the process. Teenagers who struggle with insecurity, but are ultimately ambitious, even though no one sees them as capable. What do you do with this character?

You take away all of his lines, give him a love story with a character who spends the entire show making fun of him, kill her, and then make him a hermit.

[madeofjules]

I'll never agree with the short Peeta/tall Katniss takes because their canonical sizes are both narratively and thematically relevant.

Peeta's medium height and stocky build give him the size and strength to overpower most of his competitors in the arena, yet he rarely uses those traits to hurt people despite being in circumstances that encourage violence. Having the power and motive to be deadly and choosing to be kind instead is what defines Peeta's character.

Katniss's small size generally puts her at a disadvantage in the Games but she's still very deadly. I like that she's earned the skills (bow and arrow, hunting) and survivor mentality that make her a formidable tribute because she's not supposed to be this naturally gifted "chosen one" type figure. She's a regular teenage girl who has some special qualities but still needs a lot of help to win the Games.

Their size difference is also relevant in their relationship. Katniss has had to take care of herself since she was a young girl because of her mother's neglect, and as a result she doesn't trust other people to protect her. She's understandably mistrustful of Peeta's kindness when they become tributes, as one of them has to die for the other to live and he has the ability to kill her with his bare hands if he wants to (which we see later on when he's hijacked). Yet once they become allies, his larger size is no longer a potential threat but a source of comfort and protection; being held by him is the safest Katniss has felt with anyone since her parents held her as a little kid. And after they leave the arena, his strong arms are the only ones she trusts to guard her from her nightmares.

So even though I do think short guy-tall girl couples deserve more rep, it doesn't really make sense for Peeta and Katniss. And tbh viewing the gentle and compassionate boy as short and the tough hunter girl as tall is a little stereotypical lol.

[knight-a3]

Heavenbound AU

Masterpost

Charlie Morningstar: Daughter of Lucifer and Lilith

Here's a character sheet for my redesign of Charlie

Notes under the cut to minimize clutter

Family resemblance:

She has a mix of goat and snake traits from Lucifer and Lilith, respectably. I think I gave her a good mix so she looks like both her parents.

Because the biblical devil is associated with a variety of creatures, I wanted to lean into some of them. Snakes because of the whole Garden of Eden debacle, which Lilith was heavily involved with. Because Lilith was created by the angels, her demon form has doll cheeks. (I essentially traded Lucifer's cheeks for Lilith's horns. It just ended up more thematically relevant that way) Goats because Lucifer isn't actually "the Devil" like everyone thinks he is. He gets blamed for everything wrong, and is essentially the scapegoat. "The Devil" as humans know it, doesn't exist. It's a conglomeration of various demonic characters that humans thought was the same one.

Body:

Hair: In canon, she has long hair, long legs, long body, and it was a bit too much 'long'. There's a short, medium, long ratio in character design to help create visual interest. So I shortened her hair and body. And I saw this as an opportunity to give her a hairstyle that resembled a goat tail. So now she has long legs, short body(with the help of the vest), and the hair makes the head a medium ratio. At least, that was the intention.

I had initially thought about giving her a full head of snake hair, like gorgons. But that seemed too complicated, so I limited it to one. (I had the same thought with Lilith, but gave her seven instead, most of which can hide in her hair) His name is Hugh, which is short for Hubris(synonym for pride). And I love him.

Tail: I wanted her tail to be there permanently, instead of just in her full demon form. It just seemed fitting that way. I did the same to Lucifer.

Hooves: Animals that have hooved feet are called ungulates, and typically walk on their toes. The heels on her shoes don't really unbalance her like they do on human-style plantigrade(full foot on ground) feet. For her, running in heels is pretty natural. If anything, the high heels just provide her extra support.

Clothes:

She primarily wears her hotel uniform. Of the hotel staff, only her and Vaggie actually wear the them(Alastor and Husk would never, Niffty simply does not care). Angie already wears pink, but he's not staff. I liked the vest for her, because it felt like a good nod to the buttons on her canon battle outfit. I wanted her to wear something that looked like a uniform, but wasn't just a suit. Too many other characters wear them, and I wanted some variety. I made it pink because it's between red(color of hell) and blue(color of heaven), but also leaning towards hell's colors, since that's where the hotel actually is. And also because I could get it to look good on both Charlie and Vaggie.

Her battle outfit in the show was cute and all, but I didn't like that she would inevitably flash everyone mid-fight. A dress and thigh-high (boots? socks? tights?) just wasn't practical. So I gave her leggings. I also don't really like the use of crowns, because royalty in hell seems very...pointless, given nobody recognizes them as rulers in any way. I tried to reference her zoophobia design in a way that felt like it suited her current character, but also didn't hugely deviate from the canon battle outfit, and wasn't overly complicated(keeping animation in mind). But all I could really manage was the leggings and boots.

Her "full demon" design doesn't have a specific outfit; I just wanted to show her bare limbs. The forked tongue is true of her normal form as well, I just didn't draw an example of it.

I originally drew her in the dress to show off her hooves and put her in something cute while I was at it.

(Feb 21, 2025- changed flame color from red to blue for lore reasons)