#also. reader HAS to have some agency and character in order to move the plot along.

[pondslime]

"when ur reading an x reader fic and the author blatantly mischaracterizes u 🤮" "I would NOT fucking say that" idk man.........I feel like reading x reader stuff requires you to be.......okay w/a certain level of roleplay. like yeah, you might not be this exact type of person—or maybe even the slightest bit like them. but, for the duration of the fic, you ARE. that's what's kind of neat about them. you get to step into another version of yourself and walk around your favorite stories. call that latent theater kid energy or whatever. but I dig it. she doesn't have to BE me, she's just me for now. and I'm buckled IN

[overdecorated-furniture]

Dead Parents - How to avoid them.

We are all very familiar with the notion of dead parents in fiction. For example, Harry Potter’s parents are dead before the first book even starts. Or in Portrait of Dorian Gray, the protagonist is brought up by an absentee and very neglectful grandfather. It’s a trope used again and again. And it does kind of work. It certainly allows your young protagonists the opportunity to gain agency and find their own way in the adventure thrown at them. But it’s also rather predictable. As a reader, we don’t sympathise as much because it’s such a used trope.

So, here are some of my thoughts about how to avoid the dead parents trope, and still propel your characters into the action.

Kill Someone Else.

I know, violence isn’t supposed to be the answer. But characters don’t only have close relationships with their parents. If your plot centres around a revenge quest for a dead loved one, it doesn’t have to be a parent.

Siblings who got caught in the crossfire trying to protect your MC, or an aunt/uncle they were close to being poisoned works just as well. Best friends are also a useful source of grief, and the fact it’s someone outside the family perhaps gives your MC more of a push. Equally, a significant other may work, although that is a used trope too. It might even just be a beloved pet.

Use their Morals.

People in the real world do not simply act out of revenge for the death of a loved one. Character morals can be just as powerful a motive for action, and Young people in particular are just beginning to discover what matters to them, and so it feels at its most important.

Perhaps your MC feels that the magic system in your fantasy world does not allow for people with disabilities to have access, and so uses that as their springboard. Or in an apocalypse setting, the desire to protect fellow humans against a threat may act as the MC’s launch pad for setting up a safe base somewhere. Concerns over equality, safety, climate change, government choices and even things as small as how cereal is marketed can motivate a character into changing their world/current situation.

Create Conflict.

Arguments, breakups, scrappy fistfights with someone in a back alley. Conflict is one of the spokes of a story, as it creates opportunities for moving the plot forward, and can hold the characters back from achieving their aims. Using this to start your character’s story arc makes for an explosive scene, and allows immediate sympathy with the situation they are in. Everyone argues, has had someone they care about walk out of their lives, or has at least been punched, so the familiarity of a minor but important conflict helps the reader associate with the character, as well as setting up any skills the character has or may need in order to defeat the foe at the climax of the story.

Parental Encouragement.

In a good family situation, parents will want to support their children and young people in achieving their goals. And the same can be true in stories. Perhaps your character wants to learn to play hockey, for example. Their parents can very easily encourage them to join a practice group, help them buy kit, and encourage them to play in matches. Having a supportive adult can mean as much to an MC as having said support removed, and although this doesn’t work for epic fantasy revenge quests, it does create a welcoming atmosphere for a reader.

Those are the main ones I can think of off the top of my head. Do add in comments/tags any you know of!

Happy writing!🌿

[supersoakerfullofblood]

Plot Twists Aren't Real: Defining "Agency"

People get into writing because they want to write cool things, and one of the coolest things in the eyes of the early writer is the "twist": twist ending, twist villain, etc. But twists only appear to exist; in strong writing, there are no twists. Let me explain.

If you've read some posts on my blog (which, thank you for the reception :)), you'll know I preach above all that character makes story, specifically character change. If Edmund wants something in the narrative, he will take an action towards that thing. That might lead to consequences or blessings that will cause him to make another action. More consequences or blessings, action, etc., until your story is done! All narratives are, at their core, cause and effect.

But obviously some stories are stronger than others (not in the sense of quality, since that word is subjective and nebulous, but in the sense of structure, how it holds up, its reliability), but how? It's about information. Think about the decisions you make in real life from a game theory perspective. In any moment, you can only make choices with the information you're given. If you want to get a pizza from the local pizzeria, and you're hungry, you will do that, and that will be a good choice. Similarly, if you want to get a pizza but you didn't know the pizzeria was staffed by murderers, you will still get the pizza, and even if you die, it will still have been a good decision, because you were working with the information you had.

Your characters can also only act on their own information. If your character wants a pizza and gets it, that's solid writing (albeit too bland), because it's solid cause and effect. If your character is killed by the secret pizzeria mob, that's poor writing. (Obviously there are exceptions: if it was a throwaway character designed to show the reader the pizzeria mob exists, for example.)

This is what people mean when they talk about characters who are "agents" in the story. A strong central character, a character with agency, is a character who makes decisions based on what they know and have. This doesn't mean they always make the best decision--and most of the best literature is filled with characters who make bad or mentally/emotionally/ethically gray decisions--it just means they're doing what we do as humans. But if your character operates on the best information they have and are still punished for it (ie. the pizzeria mob), they aren't an agent in the narrative, they are the narrative's victim. People don't want to read about victims; they want to read about characters who, by their actions, become victims.

Take maybe literature's most famous "victim" Oedipus, who has sex with his mom on accident. The story of Oedipus isn't him waking up one day, finding a beautiful woman, having sex with her, and then realizing it's his mother. It's a story of Oedipus making horrible decisions--killing a man, refusing to listen to people wiser than him--in order to sleep with this beautiful woman who happens to be his mother. The mom part isn't an accident in the narrative but the narrative punishment for Oedipus's horrible choices.

This is my summary of the idea, but hear it also from John Gardner in his book On Becoming a Novelist, a must-read if you haven't yet:

"Only the writer who has come to understand how difficult it is to tell a first-rate story--with no cheap manipulations, no breaks in the dream, no preening or self-consciousness--is able to appreciate fully the concept of 'generosity' in fiction. In the best fiction, plot is not a series of surprises but an increasingly moving series of recognitions, or moments of understanding. One of the most common mistakes among young writers (those who understand that fiction is storytelling) is that the story gets its power from withheld information--that is, from the writer's setting up the reader and then bushwhacking him. Ungenerous fiction is foremost fiction in which the writer is unwilling to take the reader as an equal partner." (Gardner 47-48) "The wise writer counts on the characters and plot for the story's power, not on tricks of withheld information, including withheld information at the end... In other words, the writer lays himself wide open, dancing on a high wire without a net. The writer is generous, too, in that, for all his mastery of technique, he introduces only those techniques useful to the story: he is the story's servant, not a donzel for whom the story serves as an excuse to show off pyrotechnics. This is not to say that he's indifferent to the value of performance. Those techniques he uses because the story needs them he uses brilliantly. He works entirely in the in the service of the story, but he works will class." (Gardner 50)

What we perceive as a twist occurs when both the reader and character have the information they need to understand the story, but by the writer's ingenuity, have been shied away from the truth. The best murder mysteries don't have twists but subversions. You as the reader are given everything you need to solve the crime but have trouble doing so because of the author's many tricks (probably the most common of these being a viewpoint character who comes to the wrong conclusions about the mystery. This is why so few detective stories are told from the perspective of the detective. SPOILERS FOR KNIVES OUT: Imagine if Knives Out was told from Benoit Blanc's perspective, who by his own admission uncovered the mystery early in his stay at the house, and not from Marta's perspective, who has all the right information but comes to the wrong conclusion that she killed Harlan Thrombey.)

So, as is usually the case, all strong writing comes down to characters and their choices. And strong choices are choices characters make based on the information presented to them. Strong consequences can only come in relation to the quality of these choices. If your character wants a pizza, don't give them the pizzeria mob. If your character kills a guy and refuses wise counsel, then yes, give him the pizzeria mob.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Chaol's Desert Adventure

Ok, this is going to be the MOST "your mileage may vary" review ever. I'm admitting to bias right up front because I was SO GROUCHY that I had to slog through Chaol's Desert Adventure after the end of Empire of Storms, and quite frankly this book could have been an email. There were exactly three plot-relevant things happening, and the rest of it was following characters I was never terribly invested in anyway. This book is not bad, strictly speaking, but I was mad about it. So let's briefly talk Tower of Dawn.

Hey, so I'm about to SPOIL THIS BOOK below the cut. This is your SPOILER WARNING.

The three plot relevant things are as follows:

Maeve is a goddamn VALG QUEEN

Nesryn managed to succeed in recruiting a bunch of absolutely-not-Tolkien-Eagles to the war and Chaol and Yrene solidified an alliance with Antica

Apparently a magically gifted healer can exorcise Valg demons and princesses from people.

All of which are good to know and substantially affect the overarching narrative and the shape of the war. Maeve being a goddamn Valg queen in particular is big...but mostly because Aelin is EXTRA SCREWED given that she's currently in Maeve's hands. The extra armed forces and the fact that Valg possession can be undone are also great to know and will absolutely be important...in the next dang book.

So...as for the rest of this book. We have basically two couples we follow: Chaol and Yrene as well as Nesryn and Sartaq. So let's just take them in order.

Chaol and Yrene

Ok guys, I LIKE medicalish stories. And I LIKE angst. This had stuff that I generally would have enjoyed, but...I just didn't care? Like I'm glad Chaol had his come-to-Jesus with his self-loathing and trauma--lord knows he needed to--but I did not care. He has been on this boat since book 3, and while he probably DID actually need a book to deal with his shit, but it took the overall series pacing and rand it directly into the ground at a point where as a reader, I was actively resentful of the digression.

There is every possibility that I would enjoy this WAY more had I not been chomping at the bit to get back to Aelin. But the journey that Chaol and Yrene go on is...honestly one I've read before. PLUS, I'm not sure I love the whole "fall in love with your healer" storyline. Medical ethics and medical power dynamics are fraught on a good day, and like...that's the LAST situation you want to bring sex into. And for all Yrene's insistence that she can and will remain professional...sorry hon, but from MINUTE ONE with Chaol, there was no professionalism. We just kind of moved through one kind of unprofessional behavior to another. And as a professional, Yrene should have KNOWN BETTER than to use Chaol as a teachable moment without his permission. If I were the Healer on High watching that shit, I'd have pulled Yrene up on that. Expeditiously.

But instead the Healer on High is just like, "She means well." Which...for crying out loud. Come on.

AND ANOTHER THING: I'm fine with the loophole to keep Chaol alive at the end of the book. There is even something romantic about the two of them being basically one and Yrene willing to pay any price to keep him alive. We also get some nice growth from Chaol about living with a disability. All that said, though? The "if one of you dies, the other one dies" thing is JUST BARELY less stupid than Feysand's death pact from A Court of Silver Flames. Like the sheer lack of agency involved is its only saving grace, because if they'd WILLINGLY CHOSEN THIS I'd have been so done.

Nesryn and Sartaq

I...don't really have anything to say about this one. Nesryn breaks up with Chaol via text, and honestly good for her because she deserves better. Sartaq is fine. I had zero emotional investment in these two. Again, your mileage may vary, I just didn't connect with Nesryn, and while I'm happy she has a better boyfriend and her family is safe, I had no other emotional connection to them. There wasn't even anything ethically dubious to be mad about like with Chaol and Yrene.

The pacing and technical construction of the relationship was competent and fine, and if you're a Nesryn stan, you would likely really enjoy this. It just...wasn't for me at this point.

Other Stuff

So... this book. This book does that "generic foreign" thing with Antica where a metric ton of Asian and desert cultures are imported wholesale and flattened into one "generically Asian desert" culture and...yikes. Like, the backstory is basically just Genghis Khan and the Mongols, there were Tibetan influences, Egyptian influences, and some stuff that even felt vaguely Moroccan. Like...we just took a bunch of cultures and mashed them up and flattened them. It's not great, and it really doesn't feel respectful in terms of cultural detail use. It does feel like SJM went "ooh, these feel unusual and foreign, so I'm dropping them into this book!" Which... *baps her with a rolled up newspaper*

Chaol's injury and recovery was handled...better than I expected. There is real growth and the move from self-loathing to self-acceptance is done fine. I particularly liked that Shen was there, and that Chaol had a little moment of internalized ableism and Shen called it out. It went objectively too quickly, but the peer support that Chaol accepts after realizing that Shen uses a prosthetic arm felt on point and better done than I would have expected.

SJM does kind of...have her cake and eat it too as far as "kill or cure" goes, because Yrene does heal his broken back, he walks again. But then the Valg princess breaks it again, he literally dies, and then comes back with some level of physical impairment. Which...y'all...it was fine as a dramatic climax, but way to cover all three possible options in about as many pages to avoid anyone yelling about how this was wrapped up. I could go into this more, but I'm not that invested in this book and this character. She did all the things and ended it with a wedding. Yaaaaaaaaaaaay...

Now if y'all would excuse me, I'm going to go inhale Kingdom of Ash, because I'm not done being mad about the Empire of Storms cliffhanger.

[dearreader]

i'm here! it's a long story but i had to leave the state to attend to family stuff and royai was pushed to the backburner for a while. but i'm back and i've decided i want some royai context because i currently know

she is blonde

he has dark hair

their relationship is a secret/mostly hooking up/a headcanon/real/not real (it's confusing and depends on which fic it is)

he's her father's apprentice i think

at one point he burned her back because it has the secret map or whatever and feels guilty about it but she's glad because it gave her agency and she wasn't controlled by the map

he is army and she is smart

he has ADHD (me too king)

she is serious and he is goofy but it works

her dog (is it his dog?) does not like roy

he works for her/with her/under her/idk because royai fic authors cannot stick to a plot or create consensus they are worse than religious leaders when you ask them a direct question

riza's dad is relevant somehow (i think he's an admiral? or a general? i think roy is the admiral actually? idk man idk)

so yeah if you have a powerpoint for me or something about the royai basics that would be great because i don't know what's real or what's a very talented ao3 author projecting

oh my gosh hello!! i hope the family stuff went well and i’m happy to give context cause i love talking about them >:)

riza is blonde

roy has black hair and black eyes (though their sometimes blue in the manga depending on how the author wants the character to react. his eyes are also gray after he loses his sight at the end of the series)

their relationship isn’t canon however it’s heavily implied. they grew up together and served in war together and they both want to restore the country to a democracy so they can be punished for their actions, they’re digging their own graves. because they’ve been through a lot of traumatizing events together they’re stuck together. riza says she would follow him into hell if he asked her to and her one job is to make sure he never stops pursuing his goal. if he does riza is ordered to kill him, which she doesn’t want to do. there’s a scene where this does almost happen and one of the things that helps bring roy back from the brink of madness is him calling riza’s bluff by going, “oh yeah you’re going to kill me? then what are you going to do when i’m gone?” and she point blank says “i’ll kill myself too.” and he literally says he can’t bear the thought of a world without her in it! and during a scene earlier when riza thinks roy’s dead she is literally begging for someone to kill her cause she doesn’t want to live without him. basically they’re canonically codependent messes who love each other and however the viewer/reader wants to interpret that love is up to them. though the most common interpretation is romantic love and there’s a lot of hints that it is romantic to some extent. so when authors change it up constantly for fics it’s mainly cause you can decide however you want their relationship to be in the story. for example in my own fanfics i’m constantly changing when they’re together because they legally can’t be together cause he’s her boss. which is why is usually secret (illicit affairs coded 😔)

yes! roy learned alchemy from rizas dad! he tried to learn flame alchemy from him but he refused to teach him because he wanted to join the military. however in the most dramatic ass way her dad dies when they’re talking about it and he says for roy to protect riza cause she has the secrets (her tattoo on her back). however riza ends up giving him the secrets of flame alchemy anyway cause he talks about how he hopes to join the military to protect the people of amestris and its very naive but riza’s moved by it and wants to help so she shows him the secrets (this conversation happens at her fathers grave/funeral and they’re lowkey being awkward teenagers flirting and in one of the bonus parody chapters it’s this scene and when riza says she wants to help roy his heart bursts out of his chest cause he’s so excited). she also then enlists in the military to and is the best sharpshooter in the academy.

yes he burned her back!!! riza and roy don’t want another flame alchemist created so she asks him to burn her back and “free her” after they leave ishbal/ishval and he doesn’t want to do it but he views it as his duty cause he inspired her to join the military and he blames himself for ruining her life but riza is thankful for it and does gain her own agency and independence from it because she chooses it (implied her father forced her to get the tattoo) and she does kinda blame him but also knows it was her own choice to join.

he knows how to army she knows aristotle

so yes and no. it’s a headcanon he has adhd (and riza is autistic) and i do consider that but a lot of his “lazy” or procrastination stuff is mainly his womanizer persona because he’s trying to seem like a guy who isn’t that suspicious so he’s always going on dates and doesn’t do his work/his assistant (riza) has to babysit him to do it. however him going on a bunch of dates is actually him meeting informants because his foster mother/paternal aunt runs a brothel/is a information broker with connections in the military so the girls who work there gather info and roy’s dates are really just him getting information. and him being lazy/not doing work isn’t true cause he actually does do a lot but wants people to not look at him to much and if he’s good at his job they’ll be nosy cause he’s 29/30 and is a colonel which is like�� two ranks below general i think??? idk im to lazy to grab my book where he explains this. but while i do recognize that’s why he’s procrastinating tasks i also think it’s his ADHD brain kicking in cause i have ADHD and can diagnose every character with it and you can’t stop me! there’s actually a bonus chapter that’s observation reports from his team members and they comment on how he doesn’t do stuff for hours then will clean a meeting room in 15 minutes and it’s perfect. also another part is that roy is supposed to go on a date and gets his work done on time actually because he wants to leave early and riza at the eleventh hour shows up with an ungodly amount of paper work for him to get through that he physically can’t finish before his date so he has to cancel but he finishes it in like five minutes and dips and riza goes down to the shooting range with her regular rifle and not her training rifle and starts practicing :) cause she’s totally not jealous :)

she is serious and he’s goofy cause of his facade but he also can be serious to. this one’s more amped up in fanfics i think. also something criminally underrated is rizas humor cause it’s dry and silly. like there’s a document mix up that says ed and al are in there thirties when they’re 11 and 12 and roy is like “wait no what happen why does the paper say they’re thirty?” and riza says “that paper either came through a time portal or there was a serious mistake”

she does have a dog, and as noted by my friend demi he looks like roy, and that’s also fanfic author discretion. though to be fair he is a shiba inu and those dogs are crazy smart (they’re like a tiny person cause they can learn to sit in five minutes but then learn a minute later they only have to sit if they want to because they’re smart and self aware) so i think it’s less he hates roy and is more like “you’re not in charge and i can say no to you”. hayate is also technically a military dog and has an official military rank.

riza works for him in his unit. she’s a first lieutenant and is his adjacent. basically his assistant. which allows her to follow him around all day and let’s her do her job of protecting his back and watching it

so it’s not rizas dad who’s relevant in the military it’s get GRANDFATHER who is general grumman, who is also roy’s mentor in the military and grumman asks him the marry his granddaughter (riza) so she can be first lady and roy says “you’re getting ahead of yourself”

but that’s hopefully everything 😭 i’m sorry that was so much longer than intended. i’ll also link both of my power points on then from powerpoint night that does talk about them a bit.

the royai playlist

how the great war is about royai

but i hope this helps in your royai journey.

[spikehunter]

pls can u explain about your character that’s like the bikes falling image please i’m so interested

hmmmm okay the best i can do without getting totally neck-deep in my own convoluted lore is

a bicycle accident is a really important point in her backstory and serves as kind of a defining moment that separates a "before" and "after" period of her life. even though the actual incident on the bike is not the important part (the things that actually change "before" into "after" are not direct consequences of the bike accident) she continues to use it as a temporal landmark, ie referring to things as happening "the year before i fell off the bike"

she has total locked-in syndrome and has no direct control over her physical body, she communicates exclusively through a brain-computer interface; she repeatedly asks her parents and caretakers to cut her hair, but her parents refuse because they want her to "look pretty", so she has extremely long black hair (visual resemblance to the bicycle path image) that serves as a symbol for... a lot of things, really, but chiefly it represents the lack of agency over her own life

the plot of the story revolves around her (+ another character) manipulating reality -- again i'm trying not to get into the weeds here both because it would be very difficult to read and because i want to keep some of this private until i actually format this story into a public-facing work -- in a way that involves making note of and influencing a huge number of tiny, almost imperceptible starting conditions in order to make certain end states more likely. essentially, they are figuring out exactly what position every part of the bike needs to be in, how hard you need to push it, the material the floor needs to be made of, every detail of the ambient atmosphere, et cetera in order for it to move, unsteered, along a specific track. this is not exactly "time travel" but it does involve acting across seemingly impossible distances of both time and space (if the phrase "statistical proxy distillation tracing" means anything to you, it's something similar to that)*

so the unsteered bicycle serves pretty neatly as a thematic, visual, and narrative representation of this particular character. her name is tallulah.

also, the original paper isn't sourced on the tumblr post nor the reddit post, which is a shame because it is quite good. it's about experimenting with getting an artificial intelligence to ride a (simulated, virtual) bicycle.

it's pretty short and, in my opinion, worth reading even if you don't really care about physics simulations or ai or whatever. there are some fun footnotes.

*nb: the phrase "statistical proxy distillation tracing" originates from mother horse eyes post #77, where it is used to refer to some very complicated and arcane process beyond the scope of the narrator's (and the reader's) understanding. this is a rhetorical device and statistical proxy distillation tracing is never actually explained, which is fine, because all we need to know for the sake of the story is that it lets someone influence things they otherwise should have no control over, and it is only the consequences of that influence that we care about.

[hazeljoycrizaldo]

NARRATIVE ESSAY-TRAVELOGUE

TOPIC

NARRATIVE ESSAY-TRAVELOGUE

PREPARED BY

HAZEL JOY C. CIRIACO

II. Content

Travelogue

ELEMENTS AND IDEAS IN WRITING AND CRITIQUING A TRAVELOGUE              “A travelogue is a person’s account of a journey to another country or place. It can either be a written report with many factual details or a narrative story about impressions and experiences supported by images.                                                                                                          Travelogue is a person’s account of a journey to another country or place, sharing his/her significant experiences with that particular place he/she has been. A travelogue is always accompanied with pictures of the places the writer has been, to make the story more captivating and truthful since it is his first-hand experience which makes the readers interested to read. Personal narratives and travelogue are writing forms in which the content is all about the personal experiences of the writer.” (Excerpt from the DepEd SHS Module)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            “Travelogue is a story of the experiences encountered by someone while touring a place for pleasure. It may include impressions, experiences, insights, and commentary that support the theme of the article. Aiming to inform and entertain, a travelogue transports readers to the place one has visited and convinces them to visit it.” (Excerpt from Creative Nonfiction, Sibs Publishing)                                                                                                               Travelogue still has the elements of a story and it uses narration in chronological style to inspire and encourage readers to visit a travel destination. In travel writing, the character is the Writer and the point of view is in first person. You may also include the people whom you travel with. You may use the past tense in telling your experiences. You can maximize the setting by describing vividly the geographical location by using imagery or sensory words. You can describe the place starting from near to far, left to right, top to bottom, or as you move around the area. The plot is your itinerary. Tell in chronological order how you started the trip, how the trip proceeds, your encounters, amazing experiences, and reflections that occur along the way. Provide some tips and advices for readers who may be interested to visit the place also. Encourage them to try some adventures. You may leave some safety travel tips or precautions. You may end by giving your insights, unforgettable moments, and plan for revisit. You may share some ideas for next travel destination or provide some constructive feedback about the resort/hotel/restaurant that you have visited.                                                                                                                               Some good travel destinations in the Philippines to write about are: Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Tagaytay, Baguio, Palawan, Batangas, Iloilo, and Siargao. You may also write about popular places in other countries, however state clearly whether you really have encountered those tourist spots or you are writing a creative research about that place.                                        ��     Some other content to write in a travelogue is your experience about the resort’s customer service, the travel agency’s assistance throughout the trip, and the expenses that comes along visiting such place. You may provide some guidance to readers in regards to commuting to such place or availing of a group tour package (Crizaldo-Ciriaco, 2024).                      

Criteria

1

3

5

Score

Consistency in Using First Person Point of View

1 pt- Inconsistent in using first person point of view

2 pts- Some parts are written in first person point of view

3 pts- Consistent in writing in first person point of view

Imagery

1 pt- Rare use of the five senses in describing the place

2 pts- Minimal use of the five senses in describing the place

3 pts- Maximum use of the five senses in describing the place

Itinerary and Clarity

1 pt- Majority of the events in the story are not told in chronological order and are not clear.

2 pts- There are some events in the story that are not in chronological order and are partly clear.

3 pts- The series of events in the story is told in chronological order and are clear.

Tips and Advice

1 pt- The Author did not share tips and advice for travelling the place.

2 pts- The Author shares some tips and advice for travelling the place.

3 pts- The Author shares tips and advice for travelling the place.

Total

Remarks

Reflection

Prepared:

HAZEL JOY C. CIRIACO

Teacher II

Tanza National Comprehensive High School

[zeciex]

Please don't think you're writing a predictable story just because I got lucky and figured some future plot points. I'm sure some other readers guessed as well but since most don't comment we simply aren't aware of them. Also it could be just me, but I like to think that in a good story, a good author won't make things happen just for shock value so on this basis alone I'm always dismissing certain scenarios that seem unlikely if this makes any sense.

For example, take the cheating stuff. While both Daenera and Aemond won't admit just yet their love for each other the real nature of their feelings is clear to us as readers and this is why I simply refuse to even take into consideration a future scenario where one of them will cheat on the other for any reason whatsoever. Why would Aemond cheat on her? Just because the relationship with his wife will be at a very low point after Luke and their child's deaths so much so that he chooses to deal with his grief by sleeping with another woman? And this will solve things how exactly? Of course as a man he may be able to get away with having as many affairs as he wants face to but I like to believe he thinks too highly of himself in order to do that and seem like Aegon 2.0 in the eyes of his family and of the realm (and he really doesn't seem like the type of man who deals with his grief and trauma the way Aegon does). And yes, he also won't do that because even after everything that will have happened, he truly loves his wife and won't ever hurt her in this way. Likewise, the same goes for Daenera. She'll have every reason to believe he's cheating on her with Alys, yes, and I won't blame her for it but would she take revenge on him by sleeping with another man? Absolutely no. And should she? Again, no.

I know you've assured your readers they won't be cheating on each other and I'm sorry for reopening the topic, but I've almost always found the cheating trope to be a sure way to ruin a good story if handled incorrectly so this is why I offered it as an example. No couple will truly have a happy marriage or relationship after forgiving a cheating partner. There won't be any happiness either if the one who cheated cheats back and then we'll all have to pretend that "it's all fine, they're even now!"…like, why? And why turn the person who got cheated on into a cheater as well?

Good point about Daemon perceiving Daenera giving birth to Aemond's child as a betrayal. A betrayal to her mother's cause, family and of course, as a confirmation of her having true feelings for Aemond. He's not stupid at all, he knows she would've gotten rid of the pregnancy somehow if this weren't the case, especially after seeing and realizing how she refused to give Boris a child (yeah sure she'll deny and tell Daemon this didn't happen, she'll claim she just didn't get pregnant but we know better!!). I do wonder though, will she suspect her that her mother was onto Daemon's plan to kill her child? And probably Jaehaerys as well? As I said previously, Rhaenyra would never agree to do something like this but surely there will be some doubt, no? It also makes perfect sense for Daemon to have Jaehaerys killed as well; 1. As cruel as it is, getting rid of Aegon's firstborn and heir is a smart move. 2. If you still go by canon events, Aegon will throw Aemond a feast for his kinslaying of Luke. I can't imagine Daemon will be happy when hearing about this, it seems only natural that he won't let something like this slide.

I also look forward to Daenera's time in King's Landing as a hostage basically. Most fics have their OFC fighting in the war with their dragon so this should be very different already. I think many authors are simply reluctant to portray the main female character as having almost no agency and seemingly at the whims of a husband due to how controversial this choice will be with some readers but…she's a hostage and there will be a war going on. Not everything has to be all nice and pretty and eventually she will regain her power. Having a storyline like this is very realistic for their world actually, as bad and unfair as it will be for Daenera as a person. Speaking of realism, I do also love how realistic Fenrick's opinion on her affair with Aemond was and how he always found excuses for Boris' infidelity on the basis of his gender. And I hated him for it and for essentially being the cause behind her getting married to Boris. Also, Boris himself is a realistic portrayal for what your average Westerosi man and husband would be like…usually in most fics the OFC is married or betrothed to a nice, good man (and there will be a rivalry/competition with Aemond for OFC's love) because apparently Daemon and Rhaenyra would never agree to arrange a marriage for their daughter to a bad and abusive man…which yeah I mostly agree, they won't knowingly force their daughter to be with such a man, and in this fic I doubt either of them will be indifferent at hearing how Boris actually treated her as his wife re: the marital rape and abuse BUT also considering Daemon's political ambitions and certain things he will be doing…I doubt he will truly regret for forcing Daenera's marriage in the first place and not giving her a choice, not truly…but she never was in a position to refuse the marriage anyway. And like you said, everything has consequences and her messing up with Aemond resulted in the whole thing with Boris.

By the way I also agree with everything else you wrote. Yeah, in the event Aemond decides to betray his family he won't be accepted by Rhaenyra and Daemon either. He will be considered untrustworthy, a spy and of course they will never agree to marry their daughter to him...probably the best case scenario for Aemond if he does something like this and still be spared is to become part of the Kingsguard, this way Daemon is sure he'll have no wife, kids that would be threatening Rhaenyra's future rule and the ones of her kids. I think the last chance at repairing this mess went away with Viserys refusing to do anything and with his death and Aegon's subsequent crowning - the war was always happening, it was a matter of when and who will be the one to officially shed the first blood, sadly for the Greens it was Aemond. Perhaps most of this would've been avoided, at least for this generation, if Viserys had been smarter he would've realized how deep the divide between the two sides of his family was especially after Driftmark happened and forced some strategic betrothals to unite the bloodlines between his children with Alicent and Rhaenyra's and Daemon's. They would've refused, I know, but he's still the king and should've forced the issue anyway. Now that I've written about this I wonder how the relationship between Daenera and Aemond would've been in an AU like this, had they been betrothed?

Loved the preview for the 55th chapter! I'm not worried since we know she'll get out of that and return to King's Landing buuuut…I now have to wonder whether or not Borros will ever be smart enough to suspect Aemond's involvement in Boris' death? Not now, but in the future he may be able to put two and two together and realize that that was no mere accident especially with Aemond being at the scene of the 'crime' and after hearing about him and Daenera getting married…well, one may suspect was something going on.

I fully agree with the whole cheating thing, which is why I've made it clear that neither of them will cheat because it won't make sense for their characters or what I want from the story. (And lets pretend that Aemond would even debase himself by cheating on the woman he loves, you can be sure that Daenera wouldn't EVER forgive him/trust him again especially if its after the loss of their son--and that is being said as if she wouldn't straight up kill Aemond for it.)

And yeah, Daenera will for sure have some doubt as to whether her mother knew of the plan. And Aegon will hold a feast in honor of the murder of Luke, I've already written it, though it will need editing when I get to it.

I know we all love a good girlboss that doesn't make mistakes, never lose power, and constantly has the upper hand/knows her way out of shit... But, I can't see a all of that happening when you're a political hostage during a war. I mean, look at Sansa! She had little to no agency, she was constantly under scrutiny and she had no say in anything. Daenera will be a hostage, trapped by the Greens as they fight the war, both physically fight but also PR wise. She's a pawn to them. And while she will do her best to make her own machinations, she will essencially still be very much powerless. The only true power she has is through Aemond. And since all (save for a select few) friends/servants are gone, she's constantly surveilled by servants that belong to the Queen, the Hand, Larys, whomever. She we will see her make a decision that (I intend to be) is ruthless and very dark, for the sake of securing/freeing herself. It won't be an easy one, and it will be the start of both a Dark Era, but also just... the era of desperation. (I also hope, if I can write it properly, to have a Dark/paranoid/mentally unstable era, but its not set in stone/it will be something to overcome and I hope that once she does, she'll be more assured of what she wants and what she'd do to get it/how powerful she really is)

I try and write the characters with empathy towards what/why they're thinking the way they do. As with Fenrick, he is a man, but also, he wants to protect Daenera and her reputation, and he thought that he was doing the right thing. We as writers/readers know what the consequences was and we know how deep Daenera/Aemond's connection is, but he sees it as a threat and something that could be used to tear Daenera down AND her mother. (Because it's happened before with Rhaenyra). As for Boris, I wanted him to be a realistic Westerosi man and since we know he's illiterate and how ill-tempered the Baratheon men are, I thought it was the best way to portray him. If she married Cregan in stead, things would have been different. And Daenera will confront Daemon with everything. He will be hard at first, and she'd be reluctant to tell the extent of the abuse (because that is humiliating AND it's how things were) but she will tell it. And neither Rhaenyra and Daemon will respond well. There will also be a scene where we follow Rhaenyra after the confrontation, where her and Daemon argue about it all.

--Oh, god, I'm giving out so many spoilers and what you can expect lol--

I think the only true way to somewhat avoid the war would have been if Viserys had dismissed Otto as Hand and had Rhaenyra take up a bigger part in the council. Rhaenyra would have then learned the ropes, so to speak. And then they should have married the kids. (I don't remember where in the new chapters or whether it's been posted yet, but Aegon says something along the lines of; Jace would have married Helaena and Aegon would have married Daenera (He says it to annoy Aemond)) And I think they would have been very plausible. But, I'd like to think that Rhaenyra wouldn't have had Daenera, her only daughter, marry Aegon. I have no idea what their relationship would have been like had all of this happened. I would like to think they would be happy. But the entire start of their relationship in my canon is built on animosity and lust. Hate fucking that turned into something more... then realizing that perhaps it wasn't so much hate fucking as it was angry fucking.

We will see how Borros responds when we follow Lucerys (i think) at storms end ;)

As always, thank you for your comment! I get so excited to see what you have to say that I make myself nauseous lol. I love hearing from you, and I will post ANOTHER preview of next chapter now!

[ringofsilver]

Hey, thanks for your response! These are INCREDIBLY interesting insights! And I agree with a lot of what you’ve shared about Ranma’s *actual* personality and his character development. Also love the stuff about Ranma allowing much of Genma’s stewardship of his son and his relationship to Akane go unchallenged. There were several times throughout the manga where I was surprised and intrigued by the, frankly, off-putting things Genma outwardly expresses about women and relationships. I think this is a super interesting point! Putting the rest under the cut:

To answer your question, in the English translation he does essentially use ALL of the same Japanese insults, but the translation heavily leans on “macho” as one of the insults he continually lodges at her.

Also, I want to clarify, I don’t think his insults are intended to be altruistic within the narrative - in terms of the characters interacting with one another, I do believe Ranma is being brash and hurtful in those moments, and/or his rough upbringing and thoughtlessness overtakes him and he doesn’t/can’t restrain himself.

I do believe that his continuous assertions, however, reinforce to the reader that Akane is not stereotypically feminine, or fails to live up to those expectations. (I love that you brought subjectivity into this because one of my biggest gripes with the manga is how little of Akane’s interiority we are provided. We do get SOME things - some of her thoughts, her thought processes, but they largely revolve around the situations currently at play within the narrative.)

(I wish so wholeheartedly that they would’ve addressed her thoughts around the arranged marriage beyond her initial dissatisfaction with Ranma and her hatred of boys - even though, I’m sure her hatred, while stemming from her daily interactions with them also must, in some part, come from the knowledge that the one thing that prevents her from being heir-apparent to the Tendo Dojo/Anything Goes school is her gender. I can only interpret that there must be some resentment wrapped up in her assertions that she “hates men.”

And I really wish we had been given some insight as to her relationship with this devastating knowledge - how did it shape her? Why doesn’t she protest? Why don’t we get to see how this affects her?

Ranma is moving in and overnight claims what is essentially her birthright, which he can do because he’s male. There is so much within this that could’ve been explored!!!

It makes me wonder, though, if her seemingly fatalist acceptance of their predetermined future part of these themes & ideas that those vestal fragments of a hyper-patriarchal social order still determine people’s fates in this late age of the 1980s? Like saying, we’ve come so far, but women still accept their male relatives’s decisions and words as law? ANYWAY AUGH DIGRESSING!)

To my initial point, I don’t believe there is any actual kindness in Ranma’s insults, but that by osmosis Akane being forced to reconcile with this truth, no matter how nasty the delivery, is liberating her in some respect from the expectations that she has been heretofore unable to live up to.

I used “kindness,” but perhaps what I should have said was his insults are “liberating,” or “revelatory,” in how they allow her to accept, in some regard, that she is unlike her sister and gives her space to discover herself.

Although, I will say, there are some disappointing ends to her story (and to others - like Dr. Tofu). She becomes a good cook, she participates less in martial arts as the series ends, I find the changes to her agency in the manga to be disappointing, but, and this is something worth its own post, it’s also an interesting result of the serialization of one story over many years, and how that can affect a plot’s overall development.

Anyway, thank you so much for these thoughtful replies, I LOVE THEM! I wish I had more time to address them all.

Controversial (?) Ranma 1/2 opinion below the cut. This particular one isn't very Ryouga-positive; brief discussion of SA

This has been brewing for two weeks for me now. I was hoping that the 2024 anime would deviate from the manga plotline concerning P-chan somewhat, and... it didn't.

There are some issues in the Ranma 1/2 canon that really bother me, and one of the biggest is the matter of Ryouga-as-P-chan. I understand that having P-chan around as Akane's pet and sleeping with her in her bed adds dramatic and comedic tension to Ranma 1/2's story-telling & character dynamics. I understand that, to a degree, it's also functional. But that doesn't mean that I like or agree with it.

I feel like this is a problem that gets skated over a lot in fandom or discussions of canon, and it really, really bothers me. The bare-bones issue is this: Ryouga acting as Akane's pet pig with Ranma being in on the secret and Akane never knowing her pet's identity is both a betrayal of her trust from both of them, and a violation of her autonomy, privacy, etc.

The whole P-chan... debacle is kept very superficially innocent—no doubt from necessity—but it by nature cannot be fully innocent. A teenage boy is using his canonically-fully-aware cursed form to sleep in the bed of a teenage girl upon whom he becomes romantically fixated (as we see as the series continues). Canonically, Ryouga doesn't have the mind of an animal when he transforms, and reacts like a hormonal teenage boy. Even if nothing ~sexual in nature~ actually occurs, this is tantamount to sexual assault.

This isn't consensual; canon also makes this clear. There are loads of instances where Ranma hints at Ryouga being P-chan to Akane—or just calls him "P-chan", threatens to expose Ryouga and/or averts exposure of the P-chan secret when Akane is watching/nearby. Ryouga goes to great lengths to conceal his identity as P-chan from Akane, sometimes aided by Ranma, so it's clear that both boys know on some level that what Ryouga is doing—and Ranma is passively enabling—is wrong. (It's not just the lying that's wrong, obviously; they're both aware on—I'd argue different—levels that Ryouga's actions are dishonourable at best, or at least that Akane would never be okay with it).

I'm not sure how much Ryouga knows about Akane's previous "boy troubles" courtesy of Kunō, but Ranma certainly knows how Akane has difficulty trusting boys because of her trauma. The violation of knowingly allowing Ryouga to sleep in Akane's bed is significant, and it's both a betrayal from Ranma regarding having Akane's best interests at heart, but also a failure to consider her honour as equal to his own*.

(Incidentally! Akane's father is in the same position! It was made explicit in the Kodachi intro ep that aired today; Ryouga came into the ofuro as P-chan and transformed in front of Sōun! With no reaction or ramifications! I was so disappointed that they kept this throwaway scene!!!)

And! we know from the manga canon that others know about Ryouga being P-chan, too! Once Shampoo and Cologne are introduced, they find out essentially the same way Genma did (which reminds me that Genma also knows about this and says/does nothing! I doubt he's so out of touch not to realise that he'd met Ryouga before in China), and presumably Mousse is told by the other Amazons, as he doesn't seem surprised when Ryouga transforms in the onsen race arc.

I understand Ryouga being Mr Lonely Hearts Club, given his abysmal sense of direction or lack thereof, but all the loneliness in the world doesn't make these choices okay or less harmful. Akane never learns this secret in canon, so I guess we'll see if the anime ever deviates, but... I'm so angry and disappointed that the recurring plot point of Ryouga-as-P-chan sleeping with Akane with some regularity when he's around hasn't been changed or addressed as being harmful and exploitative.

*This is made more explicit in the manga: Ranma silently makes a promise to Ryouga to protect the secret of his Jusenkyō curse according to what's translated as "warrior's code" in the official Viz translation (lit. 武士の情け/bushi no nasake, which roughly translates to "warrior's mercy/compassion"; the implication is that he's taking pity on a fellow warrior). What he says in the 2024 anime is simply that he'll "protect [Ryouga's] secret". It's an interesting change, to make the promise more vague and less binding wrt a link to Ranma's honour as a martial artist, but ok...

[shadowed-dancer]

How the anime enhanced the Touya mystery

Season 5 of MHA just finished adapting the Endeavour Agency Arc. While everyone has their own opinion on how the anime adaptation is doing, I wanted to take a moment to praise something that (I think) they handled really well: The Touya Mystery. Today we’re going to walk through how the anime handled this plot point, and why it worked so well.

Proud to say this post is free of manga spoilers! Today we’re ONLY talking about the anime.

Intro: What is the Touya Mystery?

The Touya mystery is the ongoing mystery of what happened to the third Todoroki son. It is foreshadowed in seasons 2 and 4, but it exists in earnest throughout season 5. It is never explicitly stated, but is instead referenced in passing by the characters, allowing the audience to try and piece everything together until it is eventually confirmed.

Disclaimer

Obviously the manga has this mystery as well, but anime as a medium has certain factors that the manga simply doesn’t have. OPs and EDs are a good example, but there’s also the way hiatuses affect the way we consume the story, as well as how the breakdown of seasons clump certain storylines closer together then they were in the manga (compare 6 months to get through Joint Training in the manga, compared to 2.5 months for the anime).

I am also aware of the theories surrounding Touya’s potential connection to a previously established character. You’ve probably seen the theory at some point, but I won’t name names just incase some of you haven’t. Either way, this post isn’t about that theory.

Finally, I’m very well aware that most viewers may not have picked up on some of the stuff I’m saying. A lot of these points are minor details, and I don’t fault anyone for missing out on that. In fact, I’m sure there are some fans out there who never even realized there was a 4th Todoroki sibling because they just... didn’t care or pay attention. I’m going at this with the mindset of someone who is very, VERY analytical, not your average viewer who’s just here to enjoy the show.

The Set Up: Season 2

We are first introduced to the Todoroki siblings way back in Season 2, Episode 10 (Todoroki’s fight with Deku in the Sports Festival). During Shoto’s flashback, we are given this frame to introduce his siblings...

We have the white-haired brother, the red-haired brother, and the sister. In this scene, the red-haired brother fumbles his soccer move and ends up falling, causing his siblings to laugh. This added movement (which was never in the manga) causes the red-haired brother to stand out slightly more than his siblings.

Now, granted, I’ve seen quite a few people who didn’t realize these were Shoto’s siblings at first. They just thought he was watching his neighbours. That’s why, if their hair colours weren’t enough to clue you in on their relationship to Shoto, we meet the sister a few episodes later (Season 2, Episode 12).

She refers to Endeavour as “dad” which informs the audience that she is also Endeavour’s child, and is therefore Shoto’s sister. It then stands to reason that the two boys she was playing with (both of whom share their hair colour with her and Shoto) would be her brothers.

The Set Up: Shout Baby

Season 4, Episode 15 gives us a new ending sequence, Shout Baby, in which we see this...

Todoroki Family photos. On the left is a photo of Shoto on his first day of school (I double checked and the sign behind him indicates some sort of entrance ceremony). On the right, we are given a photo of the sister and white-haired brother as adults.

(Despite it not being explicit, you can tell that’s the white haired brother based on context clues. He looks so similar to the kid in the flashback that it doesn’t make sense for him to be anyone else. This is of course confirmed later in the season).

However, the red-haired brother is missing, which now launches the mystery of why. Why is he not in any of the photos? And then, as the frame pans down, we get this...

A torn, burnt corner of a photograph. For a while, I had some trouble making out what that blue stuff was in the corner, but a comment on Youtube helped point out that it is the exact same Sakura tree as the one in Shoto’s photo. You can even see the branch in the same spot.

So what does this tell us? Well, it’s the same place Shoto went to school, but the photo is burnt. Is it just a burned up copy of the same photo to symbolize how Endeavour ruined Shoto’s childhood? Or is it a photo of one of the other kids attending the same school, burned for mysterious reasons?

The actual answer is that it’s an Easter egg for manga readers who already know about the red haired brother but shhhhh we’re only talking about the anime right now.

The point is, we now have intrigue.

The Set Up: Season 4

Season 4, Episode 25 gives us our first full look at the Todoroki Family, with the siblings (sans Shoto) on a visit to their mom.

We get confirmation that the man in the photo from the ED is the white haired brother, and we learn their names as well, with the sister being named Fuyumi and the white-haired brother being named Natsuo! But, just like the ending sequence, the red-haired brother is missing.

His absence is never brought up, but this is only highlighted by the fact that Fuyumi teases Natsuo for not calling often ever since going away for college. His response ISN’T “aw come on, why do you only pick on me?” or “hey, at least I’m here! Unlike [red-haired brother]”. Instead he says, “aww come on, sis, I call you guys!”

No one calls attention to the fact that one of the siblings is missing. The red-haired brother is never even mentioned, which tell us as the audience that the characters know something we don't. Whatever reason they aren’t mentioning the 3rd brother is common knowledge amongst them, so there’s no need to bring him up.

But the anime ensures we remember that, yes, there IS in fact another brother. They replay the soccer flashback as Natsuo and Fuyumi watch Endeavour’s fight from their laptop, but we are also given this...

... Our second look at the red haired brother (played when Endeavour reminisces about his family). From this, we notice that the brother is significantly shorter than his siblings. It’s also worth noting that his bangs are in front of his face, meaning we never get a clear idea of his appearance (I’ll bring this up again later).

This episode also serves as the season finale, meaning fans were treated to an entire year of hiatus to theorize on the red-haired brother.

The Mystery Starts: His Name

Season 5, Episode 2 begins the mystery-of-the-missing-brother in earnest by providing us with this quote...

“Mom’s screams, Shoto’s crying, and what happened to our big brother, Touya”

Not only is this quote the first time the red-haired brother is being directly spoken about, but it also provides us with 3 pieces of information.

FIRST: His name is Touya. We now have something to call him besides “the red-haired brother”.

SECOND: He’s Natsuo’s big brother. At this point in the series, the age order for Natsuo and Fuyumi had not been confirmed in the anime, but we now knew Natsuo is either the second oldest child, or third oldest.

Touya being Natsuo’s “big brother” means Touya is either the oldest child, or the second oldest. But the fact that Natsuo says “our big brother” does seem to indicate Touya is the big brother to all of them.

This seems to be contradictory to the fact that Touya is just so small compared to his siblings in the 2nd flashback, but it’s certainly not impossible for younger siblings to outgrow the oldest.

(Yes I know technically their age order is revealed in episode 17 but I’m trying to walk through the experience live)

THIRD: We learn something happened to Touya. We don’t know what, but it’s implied to be bad. At the very least, it implies that whatever happened led to Touya no longer seeing his family.

The Mystery Continues: Quirk Singularity

In Season 5, Episode 3, the anime adds a fun visual while Deku explains the Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory (the theory that, as quirks combine through generations, kids will end up with stronger and stronger quirks with bodies that cannot control them).

In the manga, this is just Deku talking to All Might, but the anime adds the same flashbacks Endeavour had during his Nomu fight for some visual intrigue. Not only does this flashback remind us that the Todoroki siblings exist, but it implies that they are somehow connected to the Quirk Singularity Theory (Shoto is shown as an example of how quirks combine to create stronger quirks, but perhaps we’ll learn some more about Touya to connect him to the theory as well).

The Mystery Continues: Touya’s Quirk

Season 5, Episode 7 gives us another flashback to Shoto’s childhood. Here, Endeavour comments on some very interesting details of Touya’s quirk...

“Touya was close. He had more firepower than me, but he had Rei’s weak constitution. He... was close”

It’s also worth noting that the English Dub of this scene has Endeavour end this line with, “He was close, until...”

So what does this teach us?

FIRST: The English Dub implies he was doing well UNTIL something happened. Was it the incident that Natsuo was referring to? Either way, it has once again created intrigue.

SECOND: Touya had a fire quirk, and it was even stronger than Endeavour’s (hey, look at that, kind of like quirk singularity, right? How the next generation gets stronger than their parents?).

Viewers may have been able to theorize that Touya had a fire quirk based purely on his hair colour (think of how Shoto’s hair represents which side produces which quirk) but this line gives us solid confirmation on his quirk.

THIRD: Touya “had Rei’s weak constitution”. Now, it’s debatable on what exactly a “weak constitution” means. Is this referring to his resolve? Was he too passive? Or is this referring to something else? (Perhaps Rei’s physical constitution?)

Well, wouldn’t you know it, but all the way back in Season 5, Episode 2 (the same one where we learn Touya’s name, go figure) we hear this exact phrase used in reference to the original OFA user... but ONLY in the English Dub.

Here’s what AFO says in the sub...

“My brother is frail”

...vs the dub

“My little brother has a weak constitution”

This gives us a direct reference point that a “weak constitution” in this series can be another way of saying someone is frail (and even if you don’t want to cross reference the dub and sub, OFA is portrayed as weak no matter what). This seems to tie in well with the fact that Touya was so much smaller and appeared weaker than his supposed younger siblings.

The Through Line: Arc Rearrangement

If you didn’t know, I’m here to tell you that the anime pulled a little sneaky on us manga readers by rearranging the arcs.

The manga originally went from Joint Training to (the upcoming arc) to Endeavour Agency, and while the anime has kept these events in the same chronological order, it changed the way they were presented to us. Endeavour Agency has been put first, which means we get more Touya information a heck of a lot closer to the rest of his reveals, compared to the manga.

Regardless of how you personally feel about the arc rearrangement, it works wonders for Touya’s mystery. Endeavour is sprinkled throughout many episodes of the Joint Training Arc in the anime, so it feels rather natural to go straight to the Agency Arc because Endeavour is acting as our narrative through line. He’s been a reoccurring presence, so it doesn’t feel as if he’s coming out of nowhere. 

The Reward: The Photo

If you’ve been paying attention to the clues the series has left regarding the missing Todoroki child, you are rewarded in Season 5, Episode 17.

The episode is rather... flashback heavy, but it does a good job reminding us of all the Todoroki drama before we head to the dinner. And at the end of the episode (literally the last thing we see before the ED), observant viewers who have been keeping track of Touya are rewarded when we finally get to see...

... Touya’s face. The first instance where it’s unobstructed. There he is. The missing Todoroki son. He’s so cute!

(Also yes yes I know his hair is now white and I’m sure that was very confusing for anime onlies. However, I promise it is the same kid.)

But, perhaps more importantly, we learn the implication that Touya is dead. His photo is on a shrine where Endeavour is praying, and the shrine seems to be set up in a child’s room that has remain unchanged (small shoes, a soccer ball, and toys on the bookshelf, all of which seem to be too young for any of the living Todoroki siblings). Suddenly it becomes all too clear why the family didn’t bring him up that often, and why Natsuo was so upset about “what happened to our big brother, Touya”.

The Tease: What Comes Next?

Season 5, Episode 18 leaves us with a teaser for the future of Keeping Up With The Todoroki's.

Touya’s death is confirmed, and we even learn a bit more on the circumstances surrounding it, as we learn Endeavour feels responsible for whatever happened. We also learned that Natsuo blames Endeavour, hinting that he certainly played some part in it.

However, all of these hints lead to a story for another time (more likely Season 6, to be precise). I won’t spoil what exactly happens, but I can confirm that we eventually see Touya’s death and the events leading up to it through flashback, and I’m honestly so excited.

Perhaps I’ll make a part 2 to this post when the anime gets to that point.

Hope you enjoyed!

[depizan]

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

💘 There are definitely little bits that could be fixed--I have a tendency to end fics rather abruptly, and there's definitely evidence that I was making it up as I went in my first fic--but... I'm not sure how to quite explain this, since it's very much a me thing, and not something I'd think of another writer... it's the Special Edition problem. I feel like once things are done, they should stay done. Going back and fixing things has no guarantee of making them any better, and might just annoy your audience. It also opens the door to things never being done, which really doesn't seem like a good headspace to be in as a writer.

Again, it's a personal thing, not that no writer should ever go back and redo things. (Unless you're George Lucas...) Just, for me, I think it's a bad idea.

💞 That's hard, because characters and plot (and worldbuilding and plot, and even worldbuilding and characters) interact in ways that make it hard to completely separate them. And, of course, you have to have the technical stuff down well enough to tell the story in the first place. But I think I'm going to go with the characters because that's where things start breaking down for me as a reader.

If the characters are compelling, I'm distracted from other issues, unless those issues directly impact the characters. But if the characters aren't compelling, my mind wanders and oh look at all the plot holes and my but the worldbuilding doesn't make any sense and what even is that grammar and...

And, as a writer, I need to know what the characters would do in order to make the plot happen. Or I have to figure out what situation to put the characters in to make the plot happen. However you want to put it, it comes back to the characters. You can't just shove chess pieces around and call it a story; they need to make those moves for a reason.

🦋 Oh god, I am entirely a ball of insecurities after I hit post. Does it make sense? Did I do the characters justice? Do their actions make sense? Is it boring? Is it too fluffy/dark/silly/serious/etc?

I'll be honest, I want people to like my characters. I want people to like my stories. I want to be entertaining. I want the stories to make sense. For all that I write for myself in the sense that I write what I want to write even though it's probably the least popular sort of fic I could possibly write, I still want to be validated.

I suppose that's only human.

💌 At this point, I've been struggling to write for so long that any progress would make me excited.

But that's probably not the right attitude, or the right sort of answer. I am looking forward to unsnarling the first chapter of the Smuggler story, making it more fitting for Jezari, and giving Bowdaar some agency in his own plot. (The game writers did such a shitty job with him.)

[scripttorture]

Writing Agency in Hopeless Situations

This was prompted by a couple of people asking for clarification on the subject of survivor characters and agency.

 I think a lot of writers assume that in order for a character’s actions or choices to have meaning in a story they need to be effective. That can add to this sense of not knowing what to do with a survivor character or a character who is trapped in a hopeless situation.

 Whatever situation your characters are in and whatever they've survived I think it's important that they have agency. The character's hopes, dreams, wishes and actions are a big part of what make them seem like relatable people to readers. Without them characters can seem like two dimensional cut-outs or objects buffeted around by the plot.

 This post is about helping you write characters with agency; characters who still have their dreams and still act in accordance to what's important to them, even in the most hopeless situations.

 What can your character practically do?

 It sounds like an obvious question but bear with me.

 Think about what your character is physically capable of in the situation they’re in. If they’re imprisoned then what’s in the cell? If they’re forced to work what materials or tools do they have access to? Is their movement or mobility restricted? Are they under surveillance and if so how closely are they watched?

 Try writing a list of things the character has access to and another of actions they could potentially take. In a survivable situation*, however hopeless, characters are usually capable of more then you think.

 What are the risks?

 When deciding what your character does it’s important to try and gauge the risk from their perspective. Keep in mind that a character who’s imprisoned or otherwise has difficulty finding information might not have an accurate idea of the risks.

 A prisoner might have spent every day of their sentence being told by the guards that anyone who escapes is instantly caught and turned in by the surrounding townsfolk. Only to escape and find the towns people going out their way to help hide them.

 Once you’ve got an idea of how risky an act is think about what would make the character take that risk. Some of them might be willing straight off the bat. Some might need to wait for the right moment or need a narrative push to get them moving.

 Focus on the character and don’t be afraid to experiment. If the situation isn’t working in the story change it, change the risks and see if that works better.

 Effective vs Meaningful Action

 As writers it’s easy to forget that our characters should fail sometimes. It’s often tempting to write characters or scenarios where everything becomes a success.

 And I think that means we often confuse meaningful action with effective action. Acts that have no immediate or practical benefit can still be moving and can still tell readers a lot about the characters.

 There’s a scene in Casablanca where the main characters come downstairs into a bar to find the occupying Nazi solders have taken over the piano and are singing about ‘the fatherland’. One of the main characters goes to the house band and tells them to play La Marseillaise (the French national anthem**.) The entire bar rises to their feet singing and drowning the Nazi’s out.

 It’s one of the most moving scenes in the film but practically speaking it accomplishes nothing. The bar is immediately shut down. The main character is put in danger. The Nazis still hold Casablanca.

 But now we (and they) know that hold is tenuous.

 Once you know what your character can practically do think about what the character’s priorities are.

 No, not the ones directly related to their survival. A well rounded character will always have more to worry about then that.

 It could be their family, friends or supporters. It could be an ideal (religious or political). It could be outliving their captors or making the bastards regret catching them.

 A desperate situation is a chance to show your readers what the character values most as well as showing off their personality.

 Your character might not be able to speak to or help their child from jail. But a religious character could pray for them. A creative character might dream up stories to tell them when they get out. An influential one might find a way to smuggle letters out.

 Any of those acts is meaningful to the character, even though they don’t have a practical benefit for the prisoner.

 Agency when characters are constrained

 The main thing I want readers to take away from this is that trauma shouldn’t make a character stop being a character.

 If you’re choosing to have your character imprisoned, tortured or enslaved as part of your story that should put constraints on what they can do, but not who they are.

 It is more work to come up with ways to show off a character when their actions are limited. You have to think outside of the box and you generally can’t fall back on tropes to help you through.

 But it also leads to a more emotional and more engaging story. What your characters live through has more impact when they remain a person. Readers see them struggle and desperately try to hold on to the things which are important to them. They’re more relatable and human, readers connect with them more which helps bridge the gap of lived experience.

 Treat it as a chance to be inventive. And don’t be afraid to have moments in your story that are more about the characters then the plot.

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

*Being restrained in a way that leaves someone completely immobile and unable to talk is not survivable if it’s kept up for several days. People can easily choke or suffocate when gagged. Patients in full body restraints tend to have heart attacks. I don’t know why that happens but it’s part of the reason these restraints are a last resort.

Edit: I did indeed forget to include the second footnote.

**There’s a conversation to be had here about the fact a marker of French identity is used as a rallying cry in a colonised north African nation but I think the point of the scene comes across nonetheless.

[wondereads]

Personal Review (12/11/22)

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Summary

After being raised away from her home, Princess Kelsea of The Tearling is called home. For years, The Tearling has struggled under the rule of a corrupt regent and threat of a bloodthirsty, foreign queen. Now, as Kelsea returns to take her rightful place, she must set to rights all the wrongs within her kingdom.

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

This was a very good political fantasy. As is expected on the political side of things, this book moves a little slower than I'd want, but it was never boring. There are multiple problems the characters have to face, and they intertwine with each other and interesting ways. Fantasy can't be wholly realistic (it's fantasy), but there is a lot of realism in this story that makes it much more tense—the stakes seem higher. Kelsea has to deal with problems that would definitely affect a queen; it isn't just magical discoveries and fighting evil, she's also dealing with corrupt government agencies, a lack of natural resources, and regular crime on top of the malicious rival queen.

The worldbuilding is so intriguing. This world actually exists in the future. Something happened many years ago that forced the people of today's world to migrate to this new land; The Tearling is the result of American and English settlements. I have a feeling the origins of this world are going to come into play in the rest of trilogy, and I'll be very upset if they don't because I'd keep reading this series just for the backstory.

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I love the main character, Kelsea. She's a good balance between the naivety that comes from her upbringing and the brains and leadership required to be the queen of a country. She makes some hasty and impulsive decisions, but it's so easy to tell that she genuinely cares for The Tearling and its people, and by the end of this first book I have no doubt she'll be putting her utmost effort into protecting her charges. Kelsea also thinks progressively without falling into a weird situation where her views don't line up with the world she was raised in. Thanks to her upbringing, which we get a few glimpses of, Kelsea's willingness to challenge the norm makes sense.

The side characters were absolutely amazing. Probably the most prevalent is Lazarus, or the Mace, the head of Kelsea's guard and her mother's before her. Lazarus is incredibly interesting because although he is arguably Kelsea's closest ally, there is no end to the conflict between them. He has secrets he won't tell her, he doesn't trust her with information, and it grates on Kelsea to follow his orders. However, there's a lot of development between them, and I can't wait to see more. Other side characters, such as Kelsea's other guards, a woman who ends up as basically her lady-in-waiting, and a renowned thief known as the Fetch are also great; they each have very distinct personalities, so it was rare that I got people mixed up.

The main antagonist is the Red Queen, the nameless, all-powerful queen of the neighboring realm of Mortmesne, which has been steadily colonizing all the countries around it. At first it seems like she's a typical, utterly evil antagonist, but the chapters from her point of view were so intriguing; I definitely want to know more about her. The minor antagonists could be one-dimensional, but they also caught my attention, particularly the regent, Kelsea's uncle. He definitely wasn't what I expected, and his chapters were very well written.

The only issue I can think of is Kelsea's odd infatuation with the Fetch. Normally I would have no issue with it—a 19-year-old with a crush on a mysterious, playful thief? Seen it—except it is implied that the Fetch was grown and stealing when Kelsea was born? I have a certain tolerance for age gaps as a fantasy reader, but really?

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I think the overall writing of this book was very good. The descriptions are well done, and I loved how Johansen did Kelsea's emotions and the different perspectives. There are multiple points of view in this book, many of which are from antagonists, and Johansen did a fantastic job garnering sympathy or at least interest for these characters.

As previously stated, the pacing is a bit slow. This book is over 400 pages, but there are only 14 chapters, which occasionally makes it feel as though the story is dragging. There were some points at which I was like, ok, let's move on, but for the most part, I was hooked.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I wasn't anticipating enjoying this book so much! This is the first high fantasy I've read in a while that managed to grab my interest like this. It wasn't perfect—the pacing is my big gripe—but it was pretty amazing. The plot is complicated but not confusing, the worldbuilding is unique, Kelsea is a great main character, and the side characters definitely don't fall behind. I liked the regular POV-switching, and I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series. One note: I've seen people promoting this as a Hunger Games-Game of Thrones successor, but please don't go into this with that mindset. There is nothing Hunger Games-like about this book, and it's one similarity with Game of Thrones is being a political fantasy. This is its own story, and it stands well on its own.

The Author

Erika Johansen: American, The Queen of the Tearling is her debut novel

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more!

[gwynsplainer]

On The Grinning Man and the De-Politicization of L'Homme Qui Rit (a Spontaneous Essay)

Since I watched The Grinning Man I’ve been meaning to write a post comparing it to The Man Who Laughs but I have a lot of opinions and analysis I wanted to do so I have been putting it off for ages. So here goes! If I were to make a post where I explain everything the musical changes it would definitely go over the word limit, so I’ll mostly stick to the thematic. Let me know if that’s a post you’d like to see, though!

Ultimately, The Grinning Man isn’t really an adaptation of the Man Who Laughs. It keeps some of the major plot beats (a disfigured young man with a mysterious past raised by a man and his wolf to perform to make a living alongside the blind girl he rescued from the snow, restored to his aristocratic past by chance after their show is seen by Lord David and Duchess Josiana, and the interference of the scheming Barkilphedro…. well, that’s just about it). The problem I had with the show, however, wasn’t the plot points not syncing up, it was the thematic inconsistency with the book. By replacing the book’s antagonistic act—the existence of a privileged ruling class—with the actions of one or two individuals from the lower class, transforming the societal tragedy into a revenge plot, and reducing the pain of dehumanization and abuse to the pain of a physical wound, The Grinning Man is a sanitized, thematically weak failure to adapt The Man Who Laughs.

I think the main change is related to the reason I posit the book never made it in the English-speaking world. The musical was made in England, the setting of the book which was so critical of its monarchy, it’s aristocracy, and the failings of its society in ways that really haven’t been remedied so far. It might be a bit of a jump to assume this is connected, but I have evidence. They refer to it as a place somewhat like our own, but change King James to King Clarence, and Queen Anne to Angelica. Obviously, the events of the book are fictional, and it was a weird move for Hugo to implicate real historical figures as responsible for the torture of a child, but it clearly served a purpose in his political criticism that the creative team made a choice to erase. They didn’t just change the names, though, they replaced the responsibility completely. In the book, Gwynplaine’s disfigurement—I will be referring to him as Gwynplaine because I think the musical calling him Grinpayne was an incredibly stupid and cruel choice—was done to him very deliberately, with malice aforethought, at the order of the king. The king represents the oppression of the privileged, and having the fault be all Barkilphédro loses a lot thematically. The antagonism of the rich is replaced by the cruelty of an upwardly mobile poor man (Barkilphédro), and the complicity of another poor man.

The other “villain” of the original story is the way that Gwynplaine is treated. I think for 1869, this was a very ahead-of-its-time approach to disability, which almost resembles the contemporary understanding of the Social Model of disability. (Sidenote: I can’t argue on Déa’s behalf. Hugo really dropped the ball with her. I’m going to take a moment to shout out the musical for the strength and agency they gave Déa.) The way the public treats Gwynplaine was kind of absent from the show. I thought it was a very interesting and potentially good choice to have the audience enter the role of Gwynplaine’s audience (the first they see of him is onstage, performing as the Grinning Man) rather than the role of the reader (where we first see him as a child, fleeing a storm). If done right, this could have explored the story’s theme of our tendency to place our empathy on hold in order to be distracted and feel good, eventually returning to critique the audience’s complicity in Gwynplaine’s treatment. However, since Grinpayne’s suffering is primarily based in the angst caused by his missing past and the physical pain of his wound (long-healed into a network of scars in the book) [a quick side-note: I think it was refreshing to see chronic pain appear in media, you almost never see that, but I wish it wasn’t in place of the depth of the original story], the audience does not have to confront their role in his pain. They hardly play one. Instead, it is Barkilphédro, the singular villain, who is responsible for Grinpayne’s suffering. Absolving the audience and the systems of power which put us comfortably in our seats to watch the show of pain and misery by relegating responsibility to one character, the audience gets to go home feeling good.

If you want to stretch, the villain of the Grinning Man could be two people and not one. It doesn’t really matter, since it still comes back to individual fault, not even the individual fault of a person of high status, but one or two poor people. Musical!Ursus is an infinitely shittier person than his literary counterpart. In the book, Gwynplaine is still forced to perform spectacles that show off his appearance, but they’re a lot less personal and a lot less retraumatizing. In the musical, they randomly decided that not only would the role of the rich in the suffering of the poor be minimized, but also it would be poor people that hurt Grinpayne the most. Musical!Ursus idly allows a boy to be mutilated and then takes him in and forces him to perform a sanitized version of his own trauma while trying to convince him that he just needs to move on. In the book, he is much kinder. Their show, Chaos Vanquished, also allows him to show off as an acrobat and a singer, along with Déa, whose blindness isn’t exploited for the show at all. He performs because he needs to for them all to survive. He lives a complex life like real people do, of misery and joy. He’s not obsessed with “descanting on his own deformity” (dark shoutout to William Shakespeare for that little…infuriating line from Richard III), but rather thoughtfully aware of what it means. He deeply feels the reality of how he is seen and treated. Gwynplaine understands that he was hurt by the people who discarded him for looking different and for being poor, and he fucking goes off about it in the Parliament Confrontation scene (more to come on this). It is not a lesson he has to learn but a lesson he has to teach.

Grinpayne, on the other hand, spends his days in agony over his inability to recall who disfigured him, and his burning need to seek revenge. To me, this feels more than a little reminiscent of the trope of the Search for a Cure which is so pervasive in media portrayals of disability, in which disabled characters are able to think of nothing but how terribly wrong their lives went upon becoming disabled and plan out how they might rectify this. Grinpayne wants to avenge his mutilation. Gwynplaine wants to fix society. Sure, he decides to take the high road and not do this, and his learning is a valuable part of the musical’s story, but I think there’s something so awesome about how the book shows a disabled man who understands his life better than any abled mentor-philosophers who try to tell him how to feel. Nor is Gwynplaine fixed by Déa or vice versa, they merely find solace and strength in each other’s company and solidarity. The musical uses a lot of language about love making their bodies whole which feels off-base to me.

I must also note how deeply subversive the book was for making him actually happy: despite the pain he feels, he is able to enjoy his life in the company and solidarity he finds with Déa and takes pride in his ability to provide for her. The assumption that he should want to change his lot in life is not only directly addressed, but also stated outright as a failure of the audience: “You may think that had the offer been made to him to remove his deformity he would have grasped at it. Yet he would have refused it emphatically…Without his rictus… Déa would perhaps not have had bread every day”

He has a found family that he loves and that loves him. I thought having him come from a loving ~Noble~ family that meant more to him than Ursus did rather than having Ursus, a poor old man, be the most he had of a family in all his memory and having Déa end up being Ursus’ biological daughter really undercut the found family aspect of the book in a disappointing way.

Most important to me was the fundamental change that came from the removal of the Parliament Confrontation scene, on both the themes of the show and the character of Gwynplaine. When Gwyn’s heritage is revealed and his peerage is restored to him, he gets the opportunity to confront society’s problems in the House of Parliament. When Gwynplaine arrives in the House of Parliament, the Peers of England are voting on what inordinate sum to allow as income to the husband of the Queen. The Peers expect any patriotic member of their ranks to blithely agree to this vote: in essence, it is a courtesy. Having grown up in extreme poverty, Gwynplaine is outraged by the pettiness of this vote and votes no. The Peers, shocked by this transgression, allow him to take the stand and explain himself. In this scene, Gwynplaine brilliantly and profoundly confronts the evils of society. He shows the Peers their own shame, recounting how in his darkest times a “pauper nourished him” while a “king mutilated him.” Even though he says nothing remotely funny, he is received with howling laughter. This scene does a really good job framing disability as a problem of a corrupt, compassionless society rather than something wrong with the disabled individual (again, see the Social Model of disability, which is obviously flawed, but does a good job recognizing society that denies access, understanding and compassion—the kind not built on pity—as a central problem faced by disabled communities). It is the central moment of Hugo’s story thematically, which calls out the injustices in a system and forces the reader to reckon with it.

It is so radical and interesting and full that Gwynplaine is as brilliant and aware as he is. He sees himself as a part of a system of cruelty and seeks justice for it. He is an empathic, sharp-minded person who seeks to make things better not just for himself and his family, but for all who suffer as he did at the hands of Kings. Grinpayne’s rallying cry is “I will find and kill the man who crucified my face.” He later gets wise to the nature of life and abandons this, but in that he never actually gets to control his own relationship to his life. When I took a class about disability in the media one of the things that seemed to stand out to me most is that disabled people should be treated as the experts on their own experiences, which Gwynplaine is. Again, for a book written in 1869 that is radical. Grinpayne is soothed into understanding by the memory of his (rich) mother’s kindness.

I’ll give one more point of credit. I loved that there was a happy ending. But maybe that’s just me. The cast was stellar, and the puppetry was magnificent. I wanted to like the show so badly, but I just couldn’t get behind what it did to the story I loved.

[starfireandthistledown]

Hi again! Hope you don't mind more asks from me haha. I'm thinking about this idea: two killers are set against each other (which reminds me of Guns Akimbo even though I haven't watched it yet), each has to find and kill the other before the other does the same, and I'm trying to understand how to develop a plot like this written from the perspective of one of them. It should be a lot of suspense, right? Any prompts or ideas? Thanks a lot!

Hi! I never mind asks :) Thanks for dropping in again!

You're definitely right that you need to build suspense in order for it to be believable. Your story will be character-driven, and you need to build that relationship up right from the start so you can hook your readers. From there, the tension should build at a good pace - not so fast that you lose your readers, but not so slow that they get bored. Here's some tips on building suspense:

Let the character who is telling the story from their perspective be worried about stuff. Give them a short deadline to do something, a reason to look over their shoulder at every turn, something that is constantly on their minds that makes everything they do more urgent. This will create suspense like nothing else.

Give the characters some kind of puzzle / riddle / problem to solve. Their relationship should revolve around this story, but it should also develop separately. For example, the two characters are trying to kill each other, but what if they're actually working for the same agency and have no idea? What if there's someone long-lost in their pasts who is going to confront them both? What if they knew each other a long time ago and are about to discover that too late? What if there's someone hunting both of them at the same time they're hunting each other? The possibilities are limitless, and it will add so much weight to your story if you're giving the characters a race against time to solve something while still carrying through with the relationship angle.

Use parallel plotlines to build suspense. Don't let the main characters' arcs be the only thing the audience cares about. Craft strong secondary characters / villains / sidekicks / mentors / strangers / etc. who will give weight to the story and move the plot along beyond what the main characters are doing.

Don't reveal everything about your characters at once. Give them a few defining characteristics that will allow your readers to be intrigued by them, but then slowly reveal things about the characters' motives, backstories, decisions, etc. that will keep the readers anticipating more.

Constantly end chapters / sections with the promise of something more to come, whether that be in character relationships, plot twists, unfolding of unexpected events, etc.

Use flashbacks to build the narrative in a non-linear progression. You don't want to overuse this, but flashbacks can be a really strong way to develop characters and build suspense.

As far as prompts go, I'd have to know more about the nature of the characters' relationship (enemies to lovers, enemies to friends, enemies to grudging partners, just plain enemies, etc.) and the setting. I hope this helps with the plot and suspense angle! Let me know if there's anything else I can help with! :)

[the-lady-writes-what]

Gilded Cage, Part One

Summary:

Keigo Takami, AKA Hawks, has turned villain and you don't know why. After a run-in with the League of Villains, you give chase after the former hero. When you end up taking a bullet to the knee, you're surprised that Keigo not only left you alive, but has taken you to his secret lair. He's built a special cage for you. He says it's to keep the League from coming after you, but you can't help but wonder if it's true or if he just wants you for himself.

Content: Kidnapping Sorry. No smut this time, but it'll be in the next one. Stay tuned

Villain!Hawks x Hero!Reader

(You're a pro-hero whose quirk is basically bending metal. Think Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

This part does not contain smut (See above mentioned note). For smut, please follow the links for Parts 2 and 3

                                                       ---080---

It was hard to walk down the halls of Endeavor’s agency these days. The news of Keigo Takami’s, also known as Hawks, betrayal hit Japan’s hero world like a tsunami. It turned into a question of who the next hero will be to go against their moral code and become a villain. Your workload had increased in the drama and paranoia that followed after Keigo’s sudden villainous change. Endeavor worked you down to the bone, but that was because he must have seen you as useful. Your hero name? Iron Maiden on account of your ability to bend metal, such as iron, steel, and copper. Netting bad guys was a whole lot easier when you could wrap them in a fence or trap them with a lamppost.

You finished the afternoon’s paperwork before heading to the breakroom for some lukewarm coffee. You half-expected Keigo to be sitting on the counter where you used to find him. He used to be a fan of Endeavor’s, so he frequented the agency whenever he felt like it. Of all the time you got to see him, it became evident that he wasn’t there to goof around Endeavor’s office. You should have known better than to encourage his casual flirting, but you couldn’t help yourself. Keigo was the first guy who turned your way after a dry spell in the romance department. It had been months since you last had a date, and even if Keigo was joking, it was nice to have a conversation with someone that didn’t involve hero work.

If only you knew back then that his over-confident smile belied an insidious plan to turn to the other side.

Keigo didn’t hurt people. Much. It wasn’t a great comfort to know that he at least didn’t go around murdering people as soon as he became a villain. That didn’t change the fact that he had become one of them. He robbed banks, caused collateral damage to the cityscape, and set the hero society into panic mode. Nobody knew who would switch sides. Heroes and civilians were starting to look at each other with suspicious eyes ever since.

You fixed yourself a cup of coffee when the cellphone on your hip went off. You immediately stopped what you were doing to pick it up. Shocked, you found your boss’s name and number on the screen. You didn’t hesitate to hit ‘receive.’

Endeavor’s voice came loud and clear, even over the sounds of fighting.

“We need you over by Central Park. Takami’s new crew showed up, and we need your quirk to help round them up!”

“On my way, sir.”

Central Park was at least ten miles from your location. Even if you speed, you won’t make it there on time by car. Not this close to rush hour. Of course, you had other methods of getting to where you needed to go. You pried open the nearest window and lept threw it. Part of your hero costume involved strips of steel wire you could sling around with like that American comic book character. Sailing over the city and swinging in between buildings was much faster than any car. You arrived at the scene with the villains terrorizing civilians trying to enjoy their day at the park. You spotted three of them charging at you as soon as you hit the ground. They were nothing but mooks. Clustered together, it was quick work wrapping them in a bundle of wire. You spotted others and repeated the process. Keigo was nowhere in sight. You heard the sound of flames engulfing the trees. Pillars of red and blue flames shot up in the distance. You found heroes to take care of the villains you’d already captured before heading towards what should have been the epicenter of the fighting. Endeavor was busy with Dabi, and there seemed to be no other villains in sight. Still no sign of Keigo anywhere.

“Endeavor!”

You dodged a blue fireball just in time. You hoped that Endeavor would order you to go elsewhere. Five more minutes, and you’d be cooking in your costume.

“Takami headed west. I leave it to you to apprehend him!” Endeavor was so focused on his opponent that he didn’t turn towards you when he gave the order.

You had to dodge more flames, both Dabi’s and Endeavor’s, to head towards Keigo’s last known whereabouts. Away from the smoke and flames, you found a trail of red feathers. There was a moment where you stopped to wonder if Keigo had been injured and left behind some feathers by mistake or if he was deliberately mocking you. However, you didn’t have a moment to linger on that. You followed the trail of feathers regardless if it was a plot.

Keigo made it easy for you to follow. That should have been your first red flag. You were so focused on getting him in handcuffs that the apparent beeline to him was so fucking clear as day. You picked up the feathers as you went. You had a fistful in each hand by the time you reached the end of the park. Your trail went ice cold.

That is until you spotted the shadow of bird wings graze above you. Your head whipped to the sky. Hawks swooped down, nearly knocking you down to the ground. His wings grazed you. He perched himself on a branch far above you.

His appearance was vastly different from the last time you saw him. He wore an all-black suit with a red and gold tie. Pewter rings were on his fingers. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but his smile was the most unnerving thing about him. You lashed outwards with your arms, the metal from your gauntlets catching him by the ankles.

“Keigo Takami, you’re under arrest. You have the right to—”

Keigo didn’t let the mild impairment weigh him down. His wings couldn’t be easily held down by you. He flew straight towards you. His height never hid the fact that he was powerful. He plowed you into the ground. The wires unwhirled around his feet and let him soar above you.

“Get back down here, bird brain!” You lashed out your wires again in hopes of pulling him back down to earth.

Each time Keigo moves just a little bit out of reach. You already spent so much on capturing those D-level cronies that you didn’t stop to think of conserving your limited amount of iron wire. Keigo’s wings took him high above to where your weapon couldn’t reach him. He smirked down at you before taking off.

You ran after him, going so far as to hopping over the chain-link fence and following on foot. Your wires came in handy twice today as you soared from lamppost to lamppost, tracking Keigo’s aerial movements. Citizens yelled words of encouragement as you chased after Japan’s new most wanted criminal. The air stung your cheeks, and you could feel your eyes watering as you sped faster between rooftops.

Keigo made the mistake of flying to close to the building whose roof you just scaled. There was a split-second decision. You could stop and let him get away, or you could take the chance. You lunged for him, limbs scrambling through the air to find purchase. Your hands grabbed his suit jacket. Hauling yourself upon his back, you managed to secure your legs around him and put his neck in a headlock.

“As I said before, you’re under arrest!” You screamed as the wind busted your eardrums.

Keigo merely looked over his shoulder at you. His smile was cheeky as ever.

“Really, Princess? The way I see it…you’re the one at my mercy. Unless you got a plan to get us both safely on the ground without bashing our brains on the concrete.”

You growled as Keigo caught you. You didn’t think this far ahead.

You screamed as Keigo flew up towards the sun at lightning speed. Light burning your eyes, you had no choice but to shield them. Keigo used your distraction as the opportunity to shift your weight off his back. All too late, you felt your legs and arms loosen around him. Soon you were plummeting back to the ground. With any luck, your wires would find purchase on something and save you from falling to your death at the last minute. At the rate you were falling, good luck.

You were ten feet from meeting a concrete rooftop when Keigo reappeared. He wrapped you in his arms almost in a possessive manner.

“You’re way too pretty to let splatter. Come on. I’ve got a much better place to finish this!”

His clever hands worked your phone from your belt. Keigo dropped it on the ground, where it shattered several feet below you. Your only chance of survival was to let him take you where he wanted and not get your brains to plaster the sidewalk. His wings soared over the city. You once imagined being in his arms like this. It only made your stomach churn with the thought of what he was going to do to you once you were where he wanted you.

Keigo dropped down in the industrial district. Factories surrounded you. The smell of iron and diesel filled your lungs. But of all the places he picked, why did Keigo go where you had the most advantage? Didn’t he realize that with all of this metal, you were the one with the home-field edge? You didn’t have the time to ask or react when he pulled out the gun from his jacket.

In a flash, your life flashed in your mind. You didn’t stand there waiting to die. At least, you were going to make sure they say you died fighting to your last breath. You charged for Keigo, metal whips whirring to life.

BANG!

It was over. Except instead of sweet oblivion that came with death, you found yourself bleeding on the ground. Your blood pooled around your knee, where he shot you. The pain was exquisite as the bullet lodged itself in your knee cap. You weren’t going to be standing on that leg for a very long time; you could forget about fighting. Keigo’s black shoes came into your line of vision. From shock, you got onto your elbows to look at the bastard.

“What…the hell?” You ground your teeth. “I didn’t picture…you to be the sadist. Going to kill…me…slowly? Is that how you roll now?”

Keigo put his gun away. Then, he reached into the other side of his jacket. When his hand came away this time, he held a syringe.

“That was just to keep you from fighting me. I’m going to get you patched up real quick. Just as soon as I give you your medicine.”

Keigo was faster than you. Your hand shot up to grab him, but the needle was already in your neck. He squeezed the trigger and pumped you full of the drug. It took a few minutes for it to kick in. By the time he had you in his arms again, your head was spinning. A moment later, you finally found that oblivion you were looking for earlier. This time, you were reasonably sure you’d wake up this time, and you weren’t going to know where he was taking you. And that was the scariest thought you had before passing out in the former hero’s arms.

When you woke up, you noticed the stiffness in your leg. Your favorite color draped the bed you laid in. Your hero’s costume was gone and replaced with a negligee you wouldn’t own even if you had a boyfriend. It, too, was in your favorite color. The lace hem barely touched your upper thigh.

Further down, your right leg was held in a cast. Your foot rested on a pillow. As your vision cleared, you got a better picture of where you were.

It could have been described as a room if only it had more than one wall. Where plaster walls should have been, stood solid gold bars. The floors were marble tiles. There was a dresser, a desk, a lavish set up on a vanity, and a familiar coffee table on which sat a widescreen T.V. Every item in your cell was made of either wood, fiber, plastic, or metal you couldn’t bend, including the bars. Squeezed between the actual wall and the cell bars stood a small room. With its door closed, so you couldn’t discern its purpose yet. Footsteps came down the hallway. They rounded the corner. Keigo smiled at you like you were a pretty bird in his cage.

“You’ve been asleep for a while now. Doc had to give you an extra shot so you wouldn’t wake up in the middle of your surgery. Sorry I had to bust your knee cap. You can be so stubborn sometimes.”

“Why am I in a cage? Why am I dressed like this? Just what the hell are you on?” You started to get up from the bed, but it was difficult to swing your leg over the bed when it was in a cast.

“In reverse order,” said Keigo, “I’m not on any drugs. I thought you would look cute in that negligee, and it’s in your favorite color. I put you here for your protection, and honestly, you look damn good in it.”

“Why? Why the hell did you do any of this?” You still struggled to move your damn leg.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’d hate to come in there and show you why.”

His eyes held a glimmer of that charm you once fell for, but there was a predatory light that eclipsed it. Keigo leaned against the bars, stroking the beams.

“Solid gold. It took me a long time to find enough money and resources to build this thing. A pretty little cage for my pretty little bird.”

“Just how long have you been saving?” You wanted to know how long he had wanted to put you in here, yet you still dreaded his answer.

“A couple of years. My original idea was to take us on a cruise. It probably would have been much more romantic, but things come up. You change your plans. Ideals become tainted, and you have to find new ones.”

“What happened to you? You were the number two hero! Some so many people looked up to you. There are still people who believe that this is just a rouse to capture the League of Villains. How could you do that? How could you betray everyone’s trust?”

Keigo didn’t say anything. He held his head down as if lost in the thought. He braced his forearm against the bars as he leaned his head against his arm. Inhaling a long breath,

Keigo let out an aggravated sigh. When he looked up at you, you saw a different man. “Let me ask you this, Princess. How could somebody’s parents sell their kid to the government? How could anyone take a small kid and turn them into a child soldier? For what? So they can pat themselves on the back and say that they’re morally superior to the villains. They take kids from their parents and steal their childhood. And when those kids grow into adults and realize what a shitty system they were raised in, they stare up at you surprised that you had enough of their bullshit.”

“T-Takami…”

“I realized too late that everything that was supposed to be mine was taken from me. My family. My name. My childhood. For what? So I can be number two behind a man like Endeavor. Have you spent time with the bastard? I never noticed it before, but all of a sudden, it becomes clear that society cares less about a hero’s moral code and more about their ability to beat down the nail that sticks out. Ever wonder how his youngest got that scar?”

You nodded. You vaguely remember hearing Endeavor talk about his youngest son.

“It turns out Endeavor pushed his wife around so much that she went mental. She burned the side of Shoto’s face because it reminded her of the man who knocked her around and forced to have his four kids. Does that sound like hero material to you?”

Blood drained from your face. It made sense…in a way. You never met Endeavor’s youngest, so you couldn’t verify the truth or not. For all you knew, Keigo was pulling it out of his ass to make you sympathize with him.

“Why didn’t you go to the authorities? There must have been someone who would have investigated it.”

“By the time I found out, nobody would have believed me at any rate. Endeavor might be a bastard, but he’s still the number one hero. I’m just the rejected garbage the Safety Commission doesn’t want to clean up.” Keigo unlocked the door to your cage.

“Why are you telling me this then?”

Keigo crossed the “room” and picked you up from the bed. You couldn’t move your leg without feeling a jolt of pain go up to your thigh. There was no way for you to struggle. “Because I made a deal with the League. As long as I keep you by my side and you don’t go anywhere, they won’t touch you or your family. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing much of the outside world for a while. At least until Shigaraki accomplishes his goals.”

“You know he’s crazy, right?” You sneered.

“Yeah. Little bit. He’s also the first person who made any damn sense when I realized how badly they screwed me over,” said Keigo as he carried you down the hall.

There were a few rooms that he walked past, but he stopped at the end of the hall. He kicked it open. Your heart fluttered like you were his bride; he carried over the threshold. Your stomach churned with guilt rotting inside it. You shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts for the man who turned into a villain and kidnapped you. He confessed to planning to keep you as a prisoner for however long it took for that maniac Shigaraki to complete his mission.

Keigo brought you to an actual bedroom. It was a little more sparse than the cage he planned to keep you in. He must have spent more on you than himself. Looking around, the bedroom contained a giant bed and little else. He had you sit on the bed for a moment. Keigo pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows before gently grabbing you and laying you out. There was a contraption hanging from the ceiling that he pulled down using a thick cord. He slipped your leg into a sling and adjusted it to your comfort before Keigo left you to pull clothes from the dresser. He disappeared into the adjacent bathroom didn’t return until he was half-dressed in a pair of black sweatpants.

Small scars littered his chest and shoulders. From what, you dared not ask. You remembered his words about a stolen childhood to be raised as a soldier. You wondered if they were true. Your mind was plunged headfirst back into the present when Keigo crawled under the sheets with you. Your face went red.

“Relax, Princess. I’m not going to do anything,” he mumbled. He turned off the lights.

“Then why am I dressed like this?” You asked in the dark.

You felt Keigo’s weight make the bed dip. He settled on his side so he could snake his arm around your waist. He snuggled uncomfortably close, but he kept his hands mostly to himself or above the blanket.

“Because you look damn cute in (fave color). I like looking at you.”

His breath against your skin created goosebumps in its wake. Your eyes eventually closed to sleep. As you drifted off, you asked yourself: How long could you live like this?

                                                       ---080---