#but out of my protags she keeps the most to herself and i have to shake her aggressively to get her to spill ANYTHING vulnerable

[gailynovelry]

First day in a while that I’ve gotten genuine writer’s block! The brain is not focusing. Might be that I’ve got only about six chapters of Ember Warrior left, and that does kind of mean that only the chapters I was nervous about and putting off are left. Maybe I will have better luck after sleeping on it though!

[animebw]

So! In order to keep myself from losing my goddamn mind in the aftermath of that G-Witch episode (how are we supposed to wait two weeks for the next episode I swear to fuck), I want to take a second and focus on something this show has done exceptionally well, but that I haven’t really seen talked about at all. Namely, the fact that Suletta is one of the best examples of an overpowered protagonist I’ve ever seen.

And yes, she is canonically overpowered. As long as she has Aerial by her side, she can curb-stomp pretty much every opponent without breaking a sweat. Time and again, she goes up against impossible odds and wipes the floor with them The best duelist at school? Chump. Facing multiple opponents alone and outnumbered? Child’s play. And honestly, I was starting to get annoyed by it around the end of the first season. How are we supposed to believe Suletta’s ever going to be in danger if she’s so ludicrously stronger than everyone else?

And then The Slap happened, and everything turns upside-down.

See, what makes season 1′s cliffhanger ending so goddamn powerful isn’t just the sight of our cheerful bumbling protagonist liquifying a living person into red paste in front of her horrified fiance. It’s not just the realization of how deep Prospera’s manipulation has twisted Suletta’s sense of identity. No, the real secret behind The Slap’s brilliance is that it retroactively makes every single moment of Overpowered Suletta fucking terrifying. Suddenly, we realize that her overwhelming strength in battle is a direct result of Prospera’s influence, raising her to be the perfect pawn in her little scheme. The reason she’s able to knock the socks off every single opponent she faces isn’t just Latent Protag Syndrome; it’s because her mother crafted her into a relentless warrior with the strength to destroy any obstacle in the path to her revenge. Suletta’s strength in battle isn’t just overwhelming; it’s dangerous, to herself and everyone around her. And the second she has to unleash that strength in a situation more serious than a no-casualties school sporting match, it becomes instantly, horrifyingly clear that she is in no way ready to grapple with the great responsibility that comes with such great power.

In other words, what first seemed like just a case of another anime protagonist winning every fight because reasons turns on its head and makes that overpowered nature a source of fear, both for the audience and for Miorine. So instead of ending up a boring tension-killer where we’re never afraid for Suletta’s safety, the fact that she’s capable of such force becomes the most critical source of tension and conflict driving her and Miorine’s story in the second season. Suletta being so overpowered is an explicit character flaw, at least as long as Prospera’s claws are in her. Because just because she can punch away any physical threat in her path doesn’t mean she’s not vulnerable in countless other areas. She may be the strongest in a fight, but she has nowhere near the strength of character to deal with the political schemes and emotional burdens that come about as a result of that strength. All that skill on the battlefield doesn’t mean shit when you can’t see how that skill is being manipulated for dark ends, or causing you to take on stress and trauma you have no healthy way of coping with. Suletta can smash her way to victory in any fight, and yet she’s the most vulnerable, least protected person in the entire cast, in no small part thanks to the forces that made her so strong in the first place.

There’s a reason characters like Saitama from One Punch Man and Mob from Mob Psycho 100 are so beloved, despite being so overpowered. ONE knows that in order to make an overpowered character interesting, you need to give them struggles beyond the scope of their powers to fix. Saitama can punch a mountain in half, but he can’t punch his way out of existential ennui; that’s just as much of a struggle for him as any normal person. Mob’s psychic powers can’t solve his emotional turmoil or provide him the perfect path toward maturity; he has to figure that out himself. They are overwhelmingly strong in fights, but the primary conflict of their stories has very little to do with those fights and everything to do with their growth as people. They’re stories about how even being the strongest person alive doesn’t protect you from the challenges of life that everyone on this planet faces, and their journeys to self-actualization are enormously compelling as a result. No one remembers the overpowered exploits of Isekai Harem Protagonist du jour; everyone remembers watching Saitama and Mob slowly find their way forward in life, one simple step at a time.

Suletta, in my eyes, is very much in the same vein. Like Saitama and Mob and all the best overpowered protagonists, her writing understands that being incredibly skilled in one area doesn’t mean you can’t be challenged in others- and in Mob’s case especially, how that incredible skill can actually be the biggest obstacle for the challenge you actually need to overcome. Suletta’s skill in battle is made compelling by her lack of that same skill in other areas, and the ultimate conflict of Gundam Witch is a conflict she cannot punch her way out of. If she’s going to survive this chaos and live happily every after with Miorine, she will need to struggle to overcome her years of conditioning and emotional uncertainty. She will need to struggle just as Mob struggled, just as Saitama struggled, not just to learn the skills she hasn’t developed yet, but to push back against the influence that resulted in her being so freakishly strong in the first place. Suletta is an overpowered protagonist who’s overpowered nature is, itself, the greatest challenge she will have to overcome in order to truly save herself and the people she loves. And I think that’s really damn neat.

[1moreff-creator]

Happy Birthday Teruko Tawaki!

It's the protag's turn for a birthday post! You know what that means! Small character analysis, fun facts and songs that remind me of her! Let's celebrate! Just make sure to bring out the fire extinguisher before lighting any candles... actually just keep the extinguisher handy in general :v

-Being the protagonist of the series, we actually know quite a lot about her backstory. Enough to know it's quite sad in general terms. This is because she appears to have supernaturally horrendous luck, which she claims affects her and those around her. She's mentioned several instances of highly unlikely, unlucky situations she gets into constantly. From washing machine explosions, vehicles crashing, theaters being "too flammable" for her, all the way to being stuck in a killing game where she gets betrayed, stabbed, her friends die, etc.

-She's an orphan who's never known her parents. She had a brother who was compassionate, but constantly hurt by her misfortune. That brother got adopted when Teruko was around five, and she's never seen him since.

-She doesn't have an ID, which meant she had to attend schools by stealing uniforms and infiltrating them. She then usually gets caught and repeats the process several times a year. She is also in a lot of medical debt as a result of her constant injuries. Given all of this, she actually prefers living trapped in the killing game, though obviously she'd rather not have people killing each other around her.

CW Suicide

-That said, it seems her luck prevents her from dying. She told Xander that she wouldn't die because she was the Ultimate Lucky Student, and it was implied she's unsuccessfully attempted suicide by hanging.

CW over

-This misfortune has led her to develop a tremendously pessimistic view of the world and her life, believing her fate can't be changed and resigning herself to her bad luck.

-This also extends to her relationships. She tried to be amicable at the beginning of the killing game, but after Xander stabbed her, she decided to stop trusting everyone else. She now carries around her unique weapon, a hunting knife, for self-defense. This is a pretty understandable reaction given everything she's gone through, but it will inevitably go wrong (prediction).

-Her numeral in the David MV is unlucky number 13 (XIII). Go to 1:22:20 on this video for an explanation!

-The secret quote on her page's source code is "It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust no one at all." Probably something she'll say in the final trial, given that this is one of the main messages the series seems to be aiming for.

-The quote on Mai's page attached to Teruko is "Some years ago, she was searching for someone named ‘Teruko Tawaki.’"

...

-Yeah, Teruko's relationship with Mai is one of the most mysterious parts of this series. Given that quote, it's very possible they knew each other several years before the killing game, got separated, and reunited some time before the killing game. After all, Teruko does remember meeting with Mai in the CH 1 Ep 6 dream sequence. If you want to read some of my other opinions on Teruko and Mai, I'll recommend reading the related portion of this post.

-Though adding to that, Teruko and Mai seem to have matching phone charms :D

-There is a lot more to talk about with Teruko, but I'm done for the day :v

Fun facts!

-Her nationality is "legally in question", whatever that means.

-She's left-handed, the only lefty in the cast!

-In kanji, her name is spelt 田脇【た ・ わき】暁子【て る ・ こ】

-She has prosopagnosia, aka face blindness. And fun fact about me, I actually have this too! I may have learnt about it when Teruko was a bit too relatable in that one conversation-

-Her favorite color is red due to "association." Possibly because it's Mai's hair color. Her least favorite color is pitch black because it's unsettling.

-Her hair recently started turning grey, probably from stress. Wild.

-Her favorite ice cream flavor is red bean.

-Her sexuality is unlabeled.

-She smells of dirt, sawdust, and burnt smell.

-Straight from a Q&A, "Her fashion sense diverges from what she’d actually wear. Secretly she wants to wear girly, cute things, but is unable to afford that kind of thing. She likes skirts."

-She likes fresh food, food which can be prepared without endangering herself with knives and stoves.

-Her birthday, January 7th, lands on "distaff day", "I am a mentor day", "old rock day", "bobblehead day"... still don't know how these come about. I think my favorite for this day is "I'm not going to take it anymore day." That's hilariously in character for Teruko xD

Songs!

-Again by Crusher-P

-The Things I Deserve by Ghost & Pals

-God-ish by Pinocchio P

-The Medical Anomaly by RIProducer

-End-World Normopathy by Ghost & Pals

-Scapeg∞at by Ghost & Pals

-Chronic Wasting Disease by RIProducer

-Those Who Carried On by Ghost & Pals

And Happy Birthday! Well, that was fun. Now I have to deal with the meteorite which struck me midway through writing this post! Take care!

(to be clear the meteorite thing is a joke)

[heliphantie]

It's not symmetrical or perfect But it's beautiful, and it's mine

Some long ramblings about Isabela under 'read more':

I originally didn’t use to be interested in Isabela, brushing her aside as yet another emancipated princess character, but with time, I figured she’s more dimensional and distinctive character of her kind, and possibly, most multifaceted one next to Bruno. More than that, the two, as opposite they look on the surface, have enough things in common for him to have more rapport with her than with Mirabel, as movie seems to suggest.

First of all, magnitude of their powers. All of original triplets have got gifts that surpass any others in the family, outright divine in nature – abilities of healing, conduct the weather and foreseeing future. While out of third generation, Isabela has got an ultimate divine power – of bringing life out of thin air, and in accordance with her emotional state no less. Thus, her powers also require thorough control, which may be another hidden reason for her always needing to keep herself straight. And it’s apparent too, bearers of greatest gifts are also under hardest pressure, with Bruno and Isabela even visually (in the sequence of “Dos Oruguitas”) indicated to be most subjected to.

Second thing is, external and internal presentation. Out of all characters, the two have the most conflict between public perception and genuine expression, and an array of different facades in case of both – from impassive and contemptuous to caring and heartful. We don’t get to see any objective view of Bruno’s behavior in the past, but from how he’s perceived in retrospect, it appears he used to give off impression of distant and uncaring to people around him, which could’ve been simply an effect of his professional duty, including acting impartial to the events he gets to witness as local oracle and avoiding personal interference with anybody’s fate (just my conclusion, anyway). Which is rather similar to Isabela’s acting around people – pleasant, but not extremely intimate, more like performer than participant, and impression of egoistic, haughty person she leaves on Mirabel. (Did encounter with and insight of real Bruno give no clue about what her sister’s situation would be? It’s not a Mirabel-bashing article, but she’s one dense protag, I must say…) In that, they’re two people in family who appear to bottle their feelings and maintain the constructed façade the most of all (“So much hides behind my smile…”). In addition, as parallel to Isabela’s built image of conventional feminine “perfection”, Bruno has his own invented persona of Hernando, which seemingly serves as “perfect”, and more stereotypically masculine version of himself. (Their natural selves are, of course, still properly feminine/masculine, just of more subtle and nuanced variety.)

And what is fundamental trait shared between two: the extreme selflessness and devotion, and sense of responsibility, being prone to self-sacrifice with long-lasting consequences and openly declaring their willingness to give it all for the family. Which also slips into coming to well-intended, but misguided, and even hurtful in perspective, decisions: no, making yourself a traitor in the eyes of your relatives, never getting rewarded for your good will, while for noble reasons, is not going to bring family together, and neither does confining yourself to lifetime of fake love relationship (and hell knows how suppressed discontent seeping through would manifest itself in the end of things… Mariano dodged a bullet, also not deserving such misery). Anyhow, willfully getting your freedom cut short for the rest of your life for the sake of wellbeing and benefit of your loved ones is tremendous sacrifice (and yet again, it’s such a short sight on Mirabel’s part to take confession of that sacrifice lightly, beside of not realizing she is a case of Isa’s predicament, what with approving a proposal behind her sister’s back). And that’s where Isa is deconstructing Disney rebellious princess archetype even before her breaking out: unlike Jasmine or Merida, she actually holds her family in priority over whatever carefree life she could lead, and makes mature move, total opposite of pampered princess Mira thinks she is. It should be said, marriage is not something exactly forced upon Isa, but rather silently accepted on the assumption she does return affection of would-be fiancé. While Isabela seemingly doesn’t have the same luxury as Jasmine to reject suitors left and right (it doesn’t seem there’s a lot of options…), nor fiancé in question is as obnoxious as any of Jasmine’s, or, say, Gaston, she definitely has enough authority around the town to deem any suitor unworthy of herself or make her own choice, so she’s not that submissive in that situation as it may look. (And nothing indicates any of older Madrigals were forced into arranged marriage, which makes me think that is not entirely in Alma’s hands to decide on whom or if her children going to marry.) It appears, based on observation of similarities between Alma and Isa being possible reason for her singling the granddaughter out as her favorite, Alma might just have been projecting her own perfect romance on the young couple, being convinced they’re destined for each other just as she and Pedro were, and have to make up for her own abruptly cut matrimonial bliss, not taking in account Isa doesn’t have to be her carbon copy. Note that, entering marriage, Isa is not simply getting what she (presumably) wants, she puts herself in a role of next (after Julieta, most likely) matriarch, a head of family, a ruler of town, accepting huge responsibility, quite an opposite of effort-free fairytale life.

Which brings me to connection between characters affirmed in the movie itself: what was exact output of Bruno’s words – either prophetic or not – for Isabela? She is the only one, whose prophecy wasn’t appearing to fulfill itself, and she doesn’t comment on it even in the moment of honesty. We never get closure on that issue, let alone any conversation between two (because poor Bruno was denied of opportunity explaining himself properly by his kind relatives…). One answer that seems to be likely correct in context of Bruno’s reputation: because his vision always undoubtedly becomes reality, promise of the dreams coming true was taken for granted, and Isa considered that, as long as she goes with the flow and doesn’t take the initiative in deciding for herself, she obtains happiness by default. So, she’s basically another princess in waiting for the miracle (hm…) until she gets to break free on her own, which is consistent with modern trend of Disney subverting and defeating their own fairytale standard.

But other possible interpretation is: what if that promise, while leading to wrongful and harmful conviction, was giving her strength to follow her path and assigned duty, vested with faith she, by doing right thing, eventually will become a master of her life and achieve fulfillment. (And probably, it makes sense for her to think Mirabel, revealed being linked with imminent destruction of miracle, somehow also leads to her miraculous destiny being dissolved with no hope left.)

Worth noting, it brings up a parallel with classic story about destiny – and also another one of Disney fairytale standard – tale of Sleeping Beauty, blessed with magical gifts and cursed with ominous future, outcome of which tale being basically the same as Encanto movie: fighting future is dangerous, some losses are inevitable, but what’s matter is what we learn and take from it to improve even more distant future. Also, there’s even visual parallel – Aurora’s two-colored in funky manner dress as result of fairy godmothers fighting over its color, and Isabela’s multicolored holi’d dress, I wonder how intentional it was.

And one another minor and not instantly obvious connection, not clearly visible in the movie: both Isa and Bruno may be “brains” of the family! Some concept arts depict Isa being something of a bookworm, and while you have to be really observant (or peek at production art), there’s hints in Bruno’s environment he’s one himself – in addition to some books in his hideout, there’s drawings on the walls showing doodles of rats in casting of stage plays of Shakespeare’s tragedies and “Don Quixote” (both are not exactly light literature).

And while Isabela being an intellectual isn’t something directly stated in the movie, it’s still part of her development and isn’t contradicted by anything on screen. Though she probably may give preference to non-fiction on the topic of biology. Speaking of nerdy inclinations…   

One last (rather tangential) thing worth of discussion: abandoned Bubo storyline and its connection to ultimate version of story. For the aspects that justify it being scraped for good: first, as I stated above, her being actually loyal to family, instead of trying to elope, makes for all more powerful presentation of her character. Second, is unfortunate implication of her being driven to person simply because he understands her (which is valid on its own) rather than because she likes him for his own qualities and personality. But it may be just lack of context for single scene, otherwise dynamic of two people with connection to nature and such contrasting behavior and appear is pretty endearing. (Official source states the storyline is written off so Isa in the end does not “defined by a man”, but then, Mirabel is treated like hero and she’s “defined” by two men, given she’s in need the word of Bruno on what action to take, and if we take literally statement that she was “send by Pedro” to save the family…) So while I appreciate her ending as more independent and decisive person, I still like how concept of that relationship speaks of her personality, and it did find its way in final version, even if in funny way, by replacing man with cactus:) Even as brief moment leading to big reformative number, having her admiring the “imperfect”, peculiar creature gives evidence of her carrying deep fondness for unconventional forms of beauty, fascination for irregular, whimsical (as opposed to what she’s assigned for -  Mariano, while having his own depths and not entirely flawless as well, kind of dorky in his own way, is simply that – conventional and too ordinary for Isa to spark interest). And considering that trait of her was maintained through the variations of story, it seems more than plausible she may develop profound fondness and connection with her eccentric (and definitely “fish out of water”, as Bubo is described) uncle, which makes it a loss that the story didn’t even tipped toe into interaction between the characters. (And it’s hard to overlook, Bubo’s personal and even physical traits also seem to transfer into final version of Bruno, so the character’s concept wasn’t entirely lost either.)

On the final note, bunch of random musings about the character of Isa, that neither here nor there:

Speaking of unpredictable nature of gift and popular parallel between Isabela and Elsa: may it be that Isabela had to teach herself to regulate her power for pretty much the same reason, given connection between emotions and outcome, and inability for child to properly control it? Even in suppressed state, Isa’s powers have dangerous side to them: we see her being able to use vines to restrain people, making flowers grow from every surface, and later she creates carnivorous plants and just unleashes botanical chaos all around the town, not to mention that her negative emotions resurface itself as plants that unsafe for handling. Between Alma’s worried notion that Isabela got “out of control” and Bruno’s reluctance to face her (which he only partially admits to be for the fear to meet Alma), there could be something that young (and simply not being in existence yet) Mirabel might not knowing about full effect of Isa’s power when unbound and under emotional affect.

And one aspect that felt conflicting to me for some time: as for type of person with “green thumb” she’s supposed to embody (and more prominent “child of nature” image with which her character was conceived at first), Isabela acts rather violently, shown destroying her creations, plucking roses out of her flower bed, ruining topiary and such. But considering she’s not simply nature lover and expert (who she seems to genuinely be), but embodiment of nature itself, like Pepa is an embodiment of atmospheric forces, it’s organic for her to having embraced its destructive side as well, as part of death and resurrection circle. /So she’s a bit of like Stitch, with equally creative and destructive inclinations at one because of immense abilities she’s packed with:)/

I definitely have a little more to say, and contemplate, about the character… but some of it going too far into speculative and fanfic-y territory, so it’s a topic for another time. And sorry for all incidental Mirabel kicking:) – I have things to say about her too, but in its own turn.

[the-owl-tree]

There’s so many toms that I hate because they were shoved into the plot to steal a she-cats story for themselves… it’s SO OBVIOUS when the Erins do this. The she-cats deserve to have just as much of an arc and character depth as the toms do, yet the writing team consistently devolves it’s female cast into accessories for their male counterparts.

Examples:

- Alderheart (blatantly having been written to strip sparkpelt of an arc that so clearly should’ve been her own - ie “the spark that remains” - sparkpelt is then twisted into a xenophobic jerk at the drop of a hat to make alderheart look better than her, when previously she was VERY MUCH in support of SkyClan’s return. What the fuck, Erins??? Sandstorm is also iced for this loser’s manpain.

- Nightheart (basically every she-cat has their personality altered to fit his victim complex, and we all KNOW that Finchlight would’ve been more interesting and deserving of a pov than him. If they kill off spark, finch, or sun to further his angst, I will be so pissed off…

- Tree (violetshine’s character growth, struggles, and arc completely disintegrates with his introduction. in tbc, she’s reduced to your typical background protag mother… while tree remains a major character, and is not only hugely valued by the plot, but also by its characters. violetshine deserved so much better than to be shoved to the sidelines by this random-ass character who was *totally not introduced just to make her into a a generic wife and mother*. that’s not even getting into how stupid the Sisters fiasco is, where ‘waaah tree was oppressed by all the women in his life and kicked out, isn’t he just so tragic and sad???’… good god. that was bizarre

- brambleclaw: probably one of the worst offenders of this, right alongside alderheart. Tawnypelt should’ve gotten his pov, considering her personality in TNP… it seems liked they flipped their stories around just because she’s a she-cat, and they just *had* to make the main protagonist of the arc a tom. very disapointing

- rootspring: bristlefrost’s character arc was absolutley DERAILED by this character, and it’s such a shame. even her most iconic scene, her sacrifice, was primarily focused upon rootspring and his pissbaby manpain. also… needleclaw, anyone? she’s the one who should have the sisters’ abilities, after all, but instead she has none… how does she feel about that? I think exploring that would be much more interesting than ‘whiny loser is upset and feels weird that he can see ghosts in a society that values the ability to see ghosts, gets a girl by being weirdly pushy and not taking ‘no’ for an answer, and goes through extreme manpain after she’s iced to further his development’.

- crowfeather: I don’t have any qualms with early crowPAW, but what I DO have an issue with is just how much feathertail’s death is twisted to revolve around *him*, when, in reality, it should’ve focused on Feathertail herself, as well as her brother. FeatherCrow was just awful in general though… especially considering that her name is only invoked later on as an excuse for crowfeather to be an abuser, implying that he’s justified in hurting his wife and son, as well as leafpool and her kits, ‘because manpain’.

real & true, it sucks seeing how many mollies in the series will have really interesting stories and potential conflicts then have the writing team choose whatever supports the main dude around them. more i think about tree the more annoyed i am that it wasn't violet, the big prophecy kitten who had survived the kin and would have more reason to want to keep the clans from tearing each other's throats out. the mediator role is a dumb one (i say with my mediator oc) but it would have been nice if it was actually a character who we followed who got the position instead of "my mommy is mean to me :(" rando dude who just shows up.

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

Antag & Protag Duos Canon Divergent AU

it's Miu in the locker next to Shuichi so they're the circumstantial friends

and Kaede with Kokichi are almost the classic lead + support except you can't tell which is which (they're both leads and Miu and Shuichi are both antags, gay people win)

I mean, Miu and Shuichi friendship is so chaotic, he could let go and say what he thinks more often, he'd be more rude. Progressively leaning more into the antag role

And their talents combined used for meddling

And working with someone who's being straightforward and friends with her would be better for Miu's state of mind

She was something along of frenemies with Kokichi, but here she's besties with Shuichi and she's in on the planning, equal on the team, so she won't backstab him

And then there's Kaede and she doesn't have Shuichi at her side, hiding behind her extroverted self during introductions and already creating the illusion of leadership and community being built around her. No, she's with Kokichi

And that affects people's first impressions of her

Those two argue a lot, not really fighting but if she wants to do something one way he insists on doing it the other, it isn't even about the leader role, each simply thinks they know better and can't move forward until they reach a consensus and every so often one will tell the other to leave them alone but "you're stuck with me, no way I'm leaving you to your own devices, somebody would end up dead if that happened"

The funny thing is they're right when they say that, it's a joke for them… they don't even know

Protag Kokichi go brrr He's always working, doesn't need to hide it and sneak at night

"Don't strong-arm everyone to work with you, work with me, I am as feral about it as you are, also I don't trust you further than I can throw you (and I couldn't even pick you up) so I am going to keep an eye on you, alrighty?" glowing eyes Kaede: equally glowing eyes and clenched fists "We're going to catch the mastermind"

They're like wild hogs to me (I don't know what I am saying) [this sentence pops up in my head every once in a while and it's so true, the real oumatsu dynamic]

Kaede to Kokichi: you're the most suspicious person I've ever meet, my headache, there's something deeply wrong with you, my peace of mind depends on knowing your whereabouts, if anything were to happen to you, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself

They don't need to trust each other to be the best of friends, it's actually better this way, that's the whole reason they're each other's closest allies in fact

And maybe it does happen, maybe she does lead everyone as a protag to make the decision not to vote after he dies with Shuichi, having agreed to go along with the plan our antags made

Maybe she's grieving and sobbing and self-loathing because when they split up in their plan to figure out antags scheme she chose to pursue Miu for… selfish reasons that make her feel so gross with herself now that he's dead and she doesn't know he agreed to it and that they all betted on her anger to get them this outcome

But I dunno so don't ask me [

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

no. 1 thing people get wrong about sumi? (Or royal trio in general)

i mean honestly that she's terribly written. she's not. there are flaws because of the time constraints of third sem being so short, and i do have issues with her writing, but people complain so much about things that aren't issues or were the entire point. for example, the first half of her confidant being boring. she's supposed to feel like half a person, like a mask, like there's something Off, that there's more to her she's keeping secret.

something that haunts me is how little she talks about her dead sister, which feels like should be the key to her character arc and her slump--she mentions her once, in passing, and doesn't get very upset about the fact that her sister and best friend is dead! but the thing is, sumire thinks she is the one who died, and so she doesn't mourn herself. because of course kasumi wouldn't care. no one would care if sumire died. anyway, my point is, before you find out she's sumire, the way the narrative completely brushes over the fact that her sister died just months ago feels like missed potential. but it's actually entirely intentional. that's how the whole first half of her confidant is.

oh here are a couple other things about sumi that i've seen people be wrong about in the past. there was a post going around about how sumire should have been allowed to be more angry and go apeshit about being herself and allowed to be depressed for a while and like i just don't understand that? did we play the same game??

sumire DOES get angry she DOES go apeshit she LITERALLY TRIES TO KILL YOU so she can remain kasumi. after you defeat her she refuses to talk to you for days and for the next couple ranks she's visibly upset and depressed. sumire's arc is about recovery. they had to show her getting better in the short amount of time they had, so she couldn't continue to be dark and depressed beyond those couple ranks, but it is there.

and like. sumire wouldn't get angrier or darker than she does, because she's far too respectful? it's not in character for her to be rude or angry beyond how she already is in the game. and on top of that, she idolizes the protag. so she's not angry with him, she's angry at herself for failing him by refusing to face the truth.

the other thing is the take that cendrillon in her entirety represents sumire, while cendrillon at the ball represents kasumi. which is a really nice idea and i'd love it were it true, but it just...isn't. when sumire awakens to cendrillon the second time, it's kasumi's "spirit" or memory that transforms into the persona. cendrillon is always symbolically tied to kasumi, whether that be sumire's desire to become kasumi, or sumire carrying on the memory of kasumi. and the latter idea is nice, but it doesn't quite work for me without a middle step where sumire embraces that she is herself, without the baggage that is kasumi, first. (which is why i gave her odile in code violet.)

as for royal trio, probably the idea that they're a really boring and overrated trio, which just. isn't true. i get that there is limited content of them, but royal trio is all about the potential. as someone who has written a 100k+ fic about them, trust me. the potential is there and just waiting to be explored.

and this isn't really a royal trio take persay, but the idea that goro doesn't care about sumire, dislikes her, only sees her as a useful teammate and nothing more, or is indifferent to her, is objectively false. seriously. the moments are few and far between, but goro does show that he cares about her. in navi dialogue, one particular moment during the royal trio infiltration that lives rent free in my mind where he seems genuinely concerned for her, even the way he refuses to fight her is in its own strange way an expression of care.

and ofc, most notably when he saves her life after their fight with maruki by stopping her from going after him. "he only sees her as a useful teammate" my ass. if that were true he could have let her kill herself going after maruki and it'd have been nothing to him, because their fight with him was over and her usefulness was moot. but no, he stops her, because her safety matters to him. can you tell i'm insane about that moment? because i am so insane about that moment.

[petorahs]

what are your headcanons about Juliana and Florian?

oughhghghg where to begin

Both

-Juliana (Jules for short) and Florian (Flori, Flor, etc) are twins! Juliana is the older one. This is inspired by the fact that... they look so similar in their official art! All the recent protags all do but these two take the cake. It's so funny to me. -they look so similar in fact, that they could be body doubles! but that's totally wrong and unethical they'd never... right? -I like the HC that they're both from Galar (their mom having Skwovet and using a British term early-game, the Galarian pokemon stickers in their room, etc). They're both Paldeans, but were raised there before moving back to their hometown with mom.

-Fun thing about Scarlet/Violet is that they're such huge games that it's totally justifiable to have dual protags doing different things. Because of this, I decided to have Juliana handle the 'battle-heavy' routes like Victory Road while Florian, who is more research-focused (and has main character syndrome) features more in The Hidden Treasure arc. -I can't decide on who really does Starfall Street yet, but I'd like for Path of Legends to be the both of them helping Arven since it's the most plot-heavy and has to do with endgame. -Don't ask how but both Koraidon and Miraidon exist at the same time and the twins are their trainers. -In my recent art of them, you'll notice Juliana and Florian's eyes get all blue/crystal-like! this is an effect of their time in Area Zero/being exposed to that much Terastal energy. just them though, no one else...

Florian

-additionally, Flo's hair turns from a purply-brown to pink post-game because he's named "Haruto" in Jp, meaning spring. this carries over across all languages! I wanted to evoke a sense of a blossom coming to life over the course of his journey.

-hates battling because his sister will always be better at it than him, so he vastly prefers pokemon catching instead. (Galar's League-focus/prominence made him sickkkk. he was glad to move) -helped Jacq complete the Paldean, Kitakami and BB pokedex because of that. they're tight, the both of them. -his smile never reaches his eyes, early-game. -he is not naturally kind, nor does he see himself as the 'hero' of the story (that was always Juliana, not him), but he fakes being a main character to make people think he's just as good (this is also a byproduct of Galar's culture tbh) -that's why he seems like the more extroverted of the two, but really, he's just as quiet as her behind doors. -tbh even the fact that he has one beauty mark under his eye instead of two like his twin sis bothers him... blud thinks he'll never be enough! -Koraidon's trainer

-after meeting Kieran, Florian tried to be kind from a genuine want instead of to impress people. he wanted to be the 'hero of the story' that Kieran saw him as... and not because he needed to be out of his sister's shadow. Kieran made him want to try. -like the only way I see him winning during BB League wasn't because he was the main character who always wins, but because winning was the only way he could be friends with Kieran again. -his arc will conclude when he learns to be kind and do things out of selflessness :) which is why he takes a Tera Blast during the Indigo Disk's climax, the ultimate act of selflessness. help. sorry man it was for character development...

Juliana

-The actual main hero of the story. Really insanely strong in battles. like just straight up a beast -Juliana's names mean "youth", so she stays the same, forever a young battle prodigy Florian tries to match (but can't...). Also, youth to me can mean the future, which is why she's the Miraidon trainer! -Another reason why she's Miraidon trainer is because she can't express herself how she wants... she can't emote easily and speaks monotonously, like a robot. -Her arc would conclude when she learns that the people worth keeping in life are the ones that get her even when she doesn't feel "normal" :]]] true treasures. -big eater -read once that having beauty marks under your eyes means you'll have "trouble in love" and tried to scrub hers off... really envies Florian for having just one and thinks Flo's some kind of romance genius. goes to him for love advice one day and it freaks him out (he's having just a complicated time as any teen!!!)

-Heavily inspired by Pokemon Special's take on her. like look at her she's so cool.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Kiyoka 🤝 SDRA2!Teruya

Having a cowboy aesthetic

Yeah, for Kiyoka, I decided to push the cowboy vibes with her cause I think it's neat that she has a cowboy hat but is never seen with it in her sprite work so I went, "Haha, cowboy go brrr." Considering Kiyoka is a natural professional at any sort of range weapon without even trying, I think this aesthetic suits her a bit more than anything related to the military cause 1.) there's no indication she's related to the military, unlike Haru who's interests include the military and 2.) she never asked for her talent, it just fuckin' happened. It makes me wonder how she even became the Ultimate Sniper. Did she just enter competitions on a whim, decimated her opponents, and Hope's Peak just went, "Yep, that one. That one right there." Either way, since Kiyoka has a cowboy hat, I decided to go with that aesthetic since it feels more casual and cause she'd probably find it cool! So I gave her sprite her cowboy hat with a bit of more details, and changed her shoes to boots. Kiyoka is interesting cause she's clearly pretty feminine in how she talks about makeup and fashion magazines, while she's wearing pants, sneakers, and has a sweater tied around her waist in her OG sprite. Which makes me think that she leans more towards feminine but prefers pants and such. So I kept that vibe for her as I changed her design, keeping her pants but shortening the length to her knees. The top part of her design was changed the most as the shirt had been tied into a knot and I shortened her sleeves. But of course, I added a black tank top with stripes to reference her outfit in her concept art underneath her tied shirt as I didn't want to show off too much skin since, again, she's a teenager. But I do feel like Kiyoka would be the type of person to like showing off a bit of skin and have the confidence to do it. I also think she'd go out and get herself a tan hence why her skin is darker here than her canon sprite, and I gave her makeup. I kept her hair length, but change it's style into a ponytail and have it a drill-style like her bang(s). Since in the IF illustration Kiyoka cut her hair and lacks her drills, she probably styles her hair this way on purpose. Probably because she saw the style and liked it. (Even if this is true, I think it's a shame that she doesn't have them anymore as I think it helps her stand out a bit more.) I actually wasn't sure how to do her ponytail at first cause making it clear that there's a ponytail in a front-facing sprite like this can be kinda hard and I didn't want to make it a top ponytail cause that styles gives a more professional vibe that Kiyoka just does not have (unlike Akane who takes her job seriously), and a low ponytail can get lost in the design because it's hidden by most of the body (just like Sora's regular sprite or even my redesign of S.O.R.A. for my Protag Teruya AU). But after looking through some references on Google, I was struck with inspiration when I saw the ponytail-over-the-shoulder style and knew what I wanted to do. It allowed me to show off her drill-style hair more while keeping it loose cause that's who Kiyoka is: a casual girl that wants to be normal and have fun. I gave her scrunchies, and with that said and done, I changed her necklace cause having a gear necklace didn't? Make much sense?? For her character? Like, there's no significance and it's kinda just there. So I made it into a regular bead necklace instead since I felt like that was more up her alley. I also changed her jacket into a button-up with a plaid pattern and gave her black tights underneath her pants and boots to match her tank top. And that's it!

Now, that's fifteen people done! All that's left is...is...oh no.

[starlightshadowsworld]

So in comics there's definitely been and are characters that everyone just agrees that they have to die.

And stay dead.

Think of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Uncle Ben etc.

Now these have changed from what they were initially

After Death in the Family, Jason Todd was supposed to stay dead.

And he did, for 17 years before coming back as the Red Hood.

Like there was a fake out in Batman: Hush that it was Jason and it was wild.

Bucky Barnes, also meant to stay dead and did so for 37 years.

... 37?!

Before becoming the Winter Soilder.

And these aren't in universe years, this is real world time.

Now it's hard to imagine them not wandering about.

So I'm trying to think what 3 characters I think should stay dead.

At least for the forcible future.

And who's dead that should be bought back.

.

Staying dead: Jason Grace (Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus.)

Yeah... I know.

I love him I'm still holding out hope he will return but I don't think it's coming.

I say think because... Leo.

Jason Grace is the perfect example of, I followed the rules, I did everything I was supposed to and I still lost everything.

He's the perfect soilder, the paragon of heroism and he fell sacrificing himself to save his friends.

I think it's best if Jason stays dead because his death is used to show the fragility of human life.

Of the harrowing lives demigods lead.

His final words are punctuated by him staring at Lester, Apollo in his eyes as he's stabbed.

And telling him to remember.

Remember what you saw, remember the way my life drained from eyes.

Remember this day, and know I'm not the first nor the last.

It's such a powerful moment.

Especially because Apollo gets to know Jason and is hit throughout the book that Jason is so young.

That he's just a kid.... that they all are.

Demigods aren't promised happy endings.

Most don't live to be adults, and it's perfectly and tragically shown perfectly through Jason's death.

He just got the life he wanted, found out Leo's alive... And than in a moment it was all gone.

Also, for Jason who's served 14 years at 16, he deserves to rest a while.

.

Coming back to life: Summer Rose (RWBY)

Didnt see that coming, I was very much on the "Oh my gosh can we not... Can she just stay dead" train.

Now look at me.

To be fair we know more than we did than and I am really interested to know what happened to Summer.

What happened to STRQ in general to be honest.The tragic death that no one speaks of.

Who's events seem to be only known by Summer herself.

And with the rise of Grimm like the Hound, a beast made of both grimm and silver eyed warriors.

With the note from Ruby and Yang that Summer could have been the turning point.

From Salem killing silver eyed warriors to capturing them.

Given Salem was trying to kill Maria when she was young, now am old lady.And has only ever tried to capture Ruby.

That and Grimm Summer is just the concept ever, I wanna see Summer Rose the paragon of being a huntress be an underling for Salem.

Especially if she's not as reluctant of a follower as we may believe.

.

Staying dead: Junko Enoshima (Danganronpa)

Junko is that werid one of I want her to stay dead but like keep her memory alive.

Because it makes sense too, woman caused the apocalypse.

And if we're still operating in that universe it makes sense she'd be bought up, especially after the fact.

But I don't think Junko herself should be bought back.

I get why they did it in Danganronpa 2 because it made sense.

But after, I don't think Junko needs to keep being our main bad guy.

I think exploring the word, her followers and hell people have nothing to do with her would be a lot of fun.

If they do bring her back I'm not gonna be mad, just think hey if we can have multiple protags it'd be fun to have multiple villians too.

She can't carry all of this on her own.

If they do bring her back, kinda defeats the purpose of her death.

Of why it meant so much to her, why she had to lose to Makoto the ultimate hope and her own class.

She lost but she also won.

It's such a huge thing and to bring her back and than kill her later it really deminishes the impact her death had.

... That and...She'd need a whole new body because who knows what happened to her corpse.

.

Coming back to life: Matsuda Yasuke (Danganronpa)

Speaking of followers of Junko I'd like to see.

We know little about Matsuda, given he's only appeared in Danganronpa Zero.

I think him being around would be really interesting especially in a world where Junko stays dead.

Because Matsuda is that complex thing of being someone infatuated and in love with Junko.

He was her childhood friend and boyfriend after all.

But also someone who wants her to change.

He created a version of her devoid of despair and he'd be happy to keep her that way.

Which is a unique perspective because most Junko followers think she's the most perfect thing ever.

And I think having that perspective would make for an interesting story.

Because no one really sees Junko as a fully realised person, not even Mukuro her own sister.

Also even aside from Junko, Matsuda also plays a huge role in the killing game's.

He's the one responsible for the memory wipes.

Being the Ultimate Neurologist.

I personally would love to see the memory stuff explored given it was always second to the killing games.

I get why but it's so cool and not something we talk enough about. Wonder if he was scouted by Hope's Peak not just for having a talent but for it's usages.

Say... The Kamakura project 👀.

I dunno but I think Junko's boy toy deserves some time in the spotlight.

.

Staying dead: The Grabber (The Black Phone)

His death was not only deserved.

It was fucking satisfying.

Watching Finney use everything the other boys gave him to beat that fucker.

That has kept him hostage, killed several others and is now getting his just deserts.

Was glorious.

... And I'm well aware that there's a sequel coming.

And I'm just hoping he stays dead.

Because not only do the ghost boys, Finney and Gwenny deserve to rest.

The Grabbers death was just perfectly set up and delivered so brutally.

That him being alive and returning to die later kinda ruins the ending.

Because it's Finney's fight to freedom.

I mean if that's the way they go with it, I can't say I'm not intrigued but yeah... Not in a rush to see him again.

Would much rather see someone else wear that mask.

.

Coming back to life: Sammy Emily (Five nights at Freddy’s)

The fact everyone dies and comes back to life in this series.

But not Sammy is a crime.

I'm sorry but the story about the mysterious twin brother of the girl who becomes the puppet.

Is something I wanna see.

I know he's only been mentioned vaguely in the Silver Eyes books.

But that's only more reason.

Just Sammy who's thought be dead for years raised by his mother and having an unexplainable connection to Freddys.

I mean tons of kids in the Fazbear Frights books have been drawn or compelled to go to Freddys.

His would make the most sense.

Maybe Williams after him?

Maybe it's Charlie in the Pizzaplex recognising and calling out to him.

Maybe he's the new night guard at the place trying to figure out what happened here... And why it feels familiar.

Maybe he knows about Freddy’s but he knows Charlie was taken and killed.

A parallel to Charlie thinking it was him in the original books.

Maybe he's out for revenge or just trying to find his missing sister.

There's so many possibilities.

I'm just saying if we can get a book about Sea Bonnie's we can get a Sammy Emily story.

.

Well that's my list.

Feel free to add your own, I'm curious.

[jihyocentric]

Ok as much as I love angel sana and demon jihyo i got to give my opinion about demon sana and angel jihyo

so, I don't know of you've ever seen the seven deadly sins but meliodas, the main protag, was a general of the demon army and he represents the sin of wrath, also known has 'the dragons wrath' and I'm basing demon sana off of him

Just like angel sana, demon sana would also be a war general and it would be interesting if she represented the sin of wrath, imagine demon sana has a serious and sarcastic nature and has to control her anger very often as to not lose control and annihilate thousands of living beings

On the other side, there's angel jihyo, the kindest,, warmest angel in existence, and the angel who soon becomes sana's rock, who keeps her grounded and who steals all of her attention away

The only thing she keeps thinking about is how pretty jihyo is, how small she seems and how she needs to be protected, every day and night there's only 'jihyo jihyo jihyo' running through her mind

angel jihyo has the most dangerous demon general wrapped around her tiny pinkie, the same demon who's constantly demanding cuddles from her little angel as she likes the feeling of jihyos body in her arms, I'd also like to add that since wrath is represented as a dragon, then sana could have a dragon like tail and the ability the cover her body, or parts of her body, in scales, like it's armour

She likes to wrap her tail around jihyo and jihyo actually likes the feeling of some of sanas scales against her skin

jihyo is also the only one that can make sana's anger dissappear by just touching her anywhere, the feeling of jihyos body against her own immediately calms her down

If her anger is too extreme jihyo might just sink down on her knot and stay there until sana forgets what made her angry in the first place and focus on pleasing her little angel 🤭

like demon jihyo, sana's horns are a sensitive spot and she really likes it when angel jihyo touches them, which usually is jihyos way of teasing sana and making her all horny, knowing exactly what she'll get for teasing her partner

Just because jihyos a kind angel it doesn't mean she doesn't like to tease sana whenever she wants, she likes to bend down in front of her, stroke her horns and tail, run her hands through sana's body, feeling it tense under her touch, whispering about what she wants sana to do to her in the most random place possible

She likes to get sana all raring to go, making her frustrated and making use of her pent up anger to get the best pounding of her life, who would have thought that the sweetest angel liked to be kinky

Damn sorry it got long I really wasn't expecting an ask this big

(don't apologize!! i love asks like these and this one specifically is making me think abt so many things 😵‍💫)

so sana probably lived as a silent individual before she met jihyo, because even thinking about talking to people or fellow demons already made her angry. people are annoying and demons get under her skin way too quickly. it's probably not even their fault, sana just doesn't really... like anybody? it's out of her control

demon sana x angel jihyo will always make me think about corruption kink and i mean actual corruption. after a while of being with sana, jihyo might get bold and not see sex as promiscuous or morally depraved anymore — well she probably loses all of her grace honestly, so there's no reason for her to be hesitant. it's good, it makes her feel good and she might have lost her old life because of it, but it was worth it.

but jihyo didn't always think that way. jihyo used to be the purest and never once in her life she thought about deviating, and that's what made sana keep insisting, keep pushing her until she got something, and when she did, it felt fulfilling like it was everything sana had missed while keeping herself recluse.

and sana probably thought she'd only have her fun with an innocent angel and then leave her for good, but she can't leave jihyo. she's the only thing that keeps her sane. sana soon finds out that there were healthier ways to control her wrath, like keeping jihyo on her mind 24/7. since jihyo probably loses her home due to associating herself with a demon, she definitely sticks with sana, so she's always there to prevent sana from getting stressed.

i'm actually audibly giggling while typing this but imagine demon sana with her pointy horns and scary-ish dragon tail suddenly hugging jihyo, burying her head into jihyo's neck and going 'can i kill them all?' and jihyo knows sana wants to do that but she's still cute and sana wouldn't just end someone without a reason, at least not after meeting jihyo. so jihyo says that sana can't, but that sana can do whatever she wants with her.

and honestly nobody will ever know what jihyo did to give sana some control. nobody will ever guess what her methods are, even demons. that's because jihyo just looks so pure and innocent that they would never guess that she's out there suggesting for sana to knot her instead of doing harm.

i like to think that jihyo keeps sana on edge all the time because she's always so genuinely good and yet naughty... she'd keep thinking about their first time together and how much jihyo has changed, all because of her. this change is minimum and only sana would notice as she's the one who sleeps with jihyo every night, but it's there.

and when sana feels like she has fully corrupted jihyo, she quickly remembers that jihyo is still too innocent for her own good and that she needs to be protected from people/demons like herself, who'd see jihyo as prey and do their best to have her... sana did it, yes. but she's the only one who can! jihyo has learned interesting things, but she's still just a little angel who has no evil in her heart

[your-local-uwu-artist]

sharing ocs <3

i've shared kaiya before but anyway: some of this is a wip because this is essentially me revamping older ocs and I'm still reworking their stories

for example originally their magical girl mascots were little like orbs inspired by hanko-kun's haku-joudai but now they resemble teru-bozu

mini infodumps from left to right + design notes!

so basically their (yet to be named) story is a combo between a mahou shojo and an unidentified supernatural ... drama? Theres a few main parts: reincarnation exists in the world, the hometown/setting is called 'yureikikyo"(subject to change) and is home to a lot of graveyards and ghost stories. The magical girl characters are those that can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Their job as magical girls is to help keep spirits in check, moniter the balance between the two planes of existence, and help reincarnate souls that are stuck. Theres a bit more to it (like this weird side story thing that can be interpreted a number of ways, but is essentially a different story with different characters that are parrellls to the main ones)

kaiya!

the protag, I've shared her here before but anyway. Her color is pink, her symbol is an x and her bonus motifs are spiders and music

she's a new magical girl and is struggling with how the ghost world which was previously hers and hers alone being interrupted by the magical girl world. she spent a long time putting herself on a pedestal and socially isolating herself so the revelation that shes not alone challenges her worldview. shes sorta a jerk, but in a 'angsty teenager that is going through it and can get better' kinda way. She's depicted as cold-hearted, closed off and cruelly selfish with her peers. but as kind, cheerful, and caring when with spirits and ghosts. while she'd never admit it, most of her actions stems from anger against the universe. This anger fuelled source ends up hurting her as a magical girl

in the side story the character "Merci" resembles Kaiya. Who I'm not even sure how to begin to describe, she is one of a duo of characters who's premise is just 'a relationship so fucked up, like just manipulation and general horribleness from both sides'

Suika!

my beloved<3 she's the senpai magical girl, her color is green, her symbol is an upside down heart and her additional motif is skeletons and being hella attractive more traditional magical girl aesthetics like ribbons, pigtails, and hearts

She's also the adult of the group, I had to make up an imaginary school program thing so I could have her be graduated but draw her in the cute uniform, (basically I'm thinking being a small isolated town they only have a community college, so the post-graduation highschool program essentially provides students with additional resources for a higher education in exchange for assistance and work at the school)

suika's been a magical girl for a long time, shes at times can be a strict mentor. Shes pretty hard on Kaiya sense she sees her younger self in her and desperately wants to prevent her from downfall. she presents herself and is presented as close to perfect, disciplined, strong, responsible, and compassionate. But she struggles alot with her identity being built on her magicalgirlhood, and has a habbit of projecting on others and vise versa.

Joyuu!

the second oldest! his color is blue, her symbol a triangle and her bonus motifs are bats and flowers. Joyuu is a misfit that doesn't try to change that. She works at one of the local cemeteries and is softspoken and poetic. Their roles one of the ones thats changed most from the original so I'm still working it out. but bassically she willingly is sharing a body with a ghost. She's not as disciplinary, strict and mentor-y as suika, but unlike suika whos values are prone to falling apart with her emotions. Joyuu is very resolved. Their also transfem and nonbinary, (she/they/he) but the ghost he shares a body with uses they/it pronouns

joyuu is very reserved as a magical girl, she does her job well but unlike suika who really plays up the magical girl warrior aesthetic, Joyuu lacks these monologues of grandeur, their a lot more down to earth and logic based in their ideals as a magical girl. seeing it as a job where as suika really takes on the idea of this destiny of responsibility and heroics

koko

koko is the youngest, sorta too young. She's the tag-along little sister. (her 'first draft' actually was suika's younger sister) her color is purple, her shape a clover or flower if you prefer, and her motifs are black cats and kids drawings/arts and crafts) she's struggling with growing into her own person with her various role-models having such vastly different outlooks. she's sorta a mediator and provides a nuetrual perspective on things. all the characters are trying to preserve her childhood, while koko feels like her childhood isn't over yet

she's the least developed both in universe and out of universe: hopefully brainrot will hit so that can change tho

[whataburgerlover]

Dark "Treecko's" Design

This takes place somewhere in the middle of the Explorers saga, where "Treecko" attempts to fight Grovyle on her own. "Treecko" insisted her strength alone would be enough to take Grovyle down, but she ended up being proven wrong in the most humiliating way possible. Luckily, the rest of the team arrived just in time before things got uglier.

Darnell, along with the rest of the team was giving it their best effort to keep Grovyle from escaping with the acquired time gear until Dusknoir suddenly shows up, leading to Grovyle making a hasty retreat with the use of a luminous orb. Dusknoir vanishes with no additional explanation, leaving the rest confused. With the battle finally coming to an end, Darnell rushes towards "Treecko" and gives her a revive seed. When "Treecko" woke up, she runs away without saying a word, as it's clear that she's not taking the loss very well. Darnell wanted to catch up, but he had to stay put and make sure the others were okay, as they had taken quite a lot of damage from the battle.

Later, "Treecko" arrived atop of a cliff located who-knows-where, isolating herself once again. She felt frustrated that she had grown much stronger, but not strong enough. Eventually, "Treecko" is confronted by Darkrai, who persuades her to side with them, claiming that they know what she really wants: power. "Treecko" was a little hesitant at first but at the same time, she couldn't bare with the idea of staying weak. The hate within her heart slowly grew larger and larger as she thought about the offer; she was sick and tired of being one step behind Darnell, and hated how she couldn't beat Grovyle. "Treecko" only wanted to prove that she wasn't the thief, but even then, she couldn't do it. Eventually, "Treecko" took Darkrai's offer into consideration, and allowed her heart to be taken under Darkrai's control, causing her dark form to unlock.

This form causes her inner voice to become heavily suppressed, meaning that "Treecko" isn't the one planning to eliminate both Grovyle and Darnell, it's Darkrai. "Treecko" gains an additional type, making her a Grass AND Dark type, allowing access to dark type moves. As powerful as her new form may be, it comes with a couple flaws. "Treecko" has little to no control over her body, and the form is constantly taking a toll on her state of mind, as her true feelings are lingering within her heart, combatting her altered nature. (If that makes sense)

.

I'm very happy with how this turned out. It's been sitting in my head for way too long, but now it's out. At this point, you can tell that my favorite character in my AU is "Treecko", aka Mori.

Also I STILL have yet to come up with the other protags for the Explorers Saga, but I'll bring an idea to the table eventually.

.

Also, don't mind the little @, that's just an Instagram @ I recently set up.

[heroftruth]

behind the scenes character notes

'heroftruth' used to have two o's. It's been a constant user name/url/ present somewhere. While Hilda will not refer to herself as a hero so to speak, that position of Reshiram's chosen has been a constant central theme since the night I started writing her. It's a defining point in her story.

Expressing Hilda's trauma more properly has been a theme since I picked her back up in 2020. I've had this muse for a LONG time and while the heart of her (a small-town girl who had a strong belief in what was right and refused to back down) has stayed the same, she has definitely evolved.

I view her and N as two sides of the same coin, a foil to one another. N isn't a villain, he's an anti-hero. In older takes on Hilda I followed as her reasoning for leaving Unova was to look for N, because one she wanted to make sure he was okay and two it felt to her like he would be the only one to really understand what she went through. They both had the weight of the region on their shoulders. While she still does look for N and follows leads (same reasons still) I changed things in 2020 as her needing to get away because I didn't want it being viewed by others as the stereotypical "oh the protag dropped everything to find N". Because there is more to it than that.

Her Samurott's name, Percy, comes from Percy Jackson. I know, look I was 14 and couldn't think of another water-type male name, and it just STUCK.

Hilda having trauma from the events with plasma has been a constant. Having experienced that sort of intense fear and pressure is trauma and so is something that shouldn't have happened to you making you lose out on normal experiences. I've just progressively better at writing expressions of trauma as I've learned more about it.

One of my goals with Hilda has always been showing a female character with trauma not letting it own her. One of my favorite book series, Shatter Me, has a character like this (Juliette Ferrars) and that character has been a big inspiration since around 2015.

Katniss and Snow (hunger games) conversation scenes are inspo for writing involving Hilda and Ghetsis. That cold & calculated dynamic vs unwilling to give up because there are people you care about that need you to keep going.

Hilda was not the strongest protagonist in terms of pokemon team levels. If you play though BW without excessive training, only doing enough training to be up against what the game puts in front of you, you'll finish with your pokemon in the 50's. The strongest opponent pokemon is level 54. All of my other games main teams (without excessive training) have finished in the 70's. I see her strength coming from the way her and her pokemon work together and her determination. People are going to have a challenge facing her, even if their pokemon are higher level, but it may be more of a "she and her team are very much one" type thing. Her team is definitely higher levels now, around 70's-verging 90's maybe one or two is in low 90's but it's been years.

The levels you end in bw are the reason WHY I hc that the events of BW occurred at a FAST pace and within MONTHS. No later than ten months at the MOST.

my last thing is this muse is just, I love her okay? Hopefully that shows <3

[pugsbone]

Thoughts on Volume 9? I really could've done without Jaune during that whole arc, and just let the Rusted Knight be someone from the Evr After. I want to see more of the title characters, and not a secondary protag get his metaphorical dick sucked.

I want to see more of Ruby than I do Jaune.

(Also, it was a dick move of Winter to look right at Jaune, and not help him get to safety.)

Personally, I don’t think Jaune should’ve fallen in with RWBY, and this is for a few reasons.

1. The dude gets a lot of exposure during most of the volumes, definitely feels like he’s THE main side character at this point, and this isn’t getting into the common debate on if he’s Miles’ self insert or not. It would be nice to get a break from Jaune, mostly so that both sides of the fandom can calm down about him. Also, side point to the Jaune thing, it would've been nice if he actually brought up the fact that he "had" to kill Penny (had is in quotation marks because it feels like to strong a word for what happened during that volume.) Hell, have it be part of his dialogue when he's shouting at Ruby, let that be the final straw that breaks our hero, to learn how her BFF died.

2. I really think it should have been somebody else from the main group who was forced to grow up in the Ever After. In my personal opinion it should have been either Ren, Nora, Oscar, or Emerald. Ren/Nora for arguably the same reason, Nora wanted to figure out who she is without him, and this situation is a freaking monkey law of that, either she thinks he’s dead or has been given plenty of time to find the answer to her question. If she fell in, suddenly she has all this time to find herself, let her grow as a person while also figuring out just how much she does love Ren and misses him. If Ren falls in, he now has to deal with being all alone along with his brand new semblance, seeing all the different emotions of the strange creatures around him, making this whole experience even more confusing as he has to deal with this alien culture.

Emerald because this could all be her way of trying to show that she has become a better person, her guilt over the fall of Beacon, making her guarding the paper people even more poignant since she wants to make up for who she was, not wanting to be like Cinder ever again. Like just imagine her trying to keep the paper people alive, acting a little crazy as she calls them Penny, Hazel, or Pyrrha, all people that she has either helped get killed or watched die for her, she's just trying so dang hard.

And for Oscar, this would be the first time where he’d be someplace where Oz is just as clueless as he is, the two of them being on even footing as they explore this new land. With them being in the Ever After, we can finally get a conclusion to the convoluted mess that is the whole reincarnation thing, which is a rant for another day. Also, it would be cute to see Ruby's reaction to a grown up Oscar, I'm sure it would be adorable.

With Jaune, it just feels like we're getting kind of a rehash of his arc during the fourth and fifth volume, where he's trying to process his grief and trauma, only to channel it in some pretty self destructive ways instead, until he gets better through the power of friendship. We've done this song and dance before with him.

Now for my real thoughts on the season, it had some decent ideas, just poor build up to them. Like I love the whole thing with talking to a part of themselves that they don't want to face when they go into the smoke, love that trope, but all the problems that the girls face don't feel like they were actual problems. (Mostly Blake's dumb ass thing, "Am I a person or an animal?" When has that ever been a thing for this fictional race?!) Could've done a sweet callback to Volume 2 by having them face their old dreams, Weiss becoming the head of the SDC, Yang doing this for the thrill and adventure, Blake trying to help the Faunus, Ruby becoming this fairytale hero, let these be what they have to face. Weiss, Yang, and Blake can all see how far they have grown, seeing how they have become better than those old dreams, that sort of thing. All while Ruby just gets asked "What happened to you?" or something, just another part of that is cracking under the pressure.

But yeah, most of the ideas just didn't feel they were implemented all that well. I think it's just another example of something that CRWBY could have foreshadowed better overall, heck, even just having someone reading The Rusted Knight would have been a pretty easy way of doing it, like during the montage of good deeds they do in Atlas, maybe Yang is reading to a bunch of kids or something. Would've been sweet.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Round 5

[image ID: the first image is of Turnip, a teal mouse. it looks like they're wearing little shorts. the second image is of Granger, a girl with green eyes and short, wavy or curly black hair. in her hair is a red hat or ribbon. she's wearing a black turtleneck sweater, blue overalls, and a green coat. end ID]

Turnip

Little guy!!! Littlest dude!! Best mouse in the world. They’re so scared of the dark and nervous about messing things up but they do their best!! They go through the dark tunnel to meet you and deliver an important message!! And while they may have gotten lost on the way back, you’re able to help and together you escape! (Also canonically they sent a birthday card like months too late and also got lost going from the donut shop to their house which is like two blocks) luv them my favorite little guy <3

Granger

so granger is the main character of the indie game "NeverHome" Chapter one, which is only $1 on Steam, is called NeverHome: Hall of Apathy. if ur a fan of young protags being put in RPG maker horror games, then this is the game for you!! so granger is just that… she wakes up to find herself in a strange, hostile world. she, along with the friends she makes, must solve the various puzzles before them while creatures are out to kill them… and along the way they can uncover the secrets of these never ending halls… her dynamics with the cast is also super fun… each character gets their moment or moments with granger. and what's so cute is that there's unique art for each pair that highlights the fact you cant get through these halls alone!! she also has her own theme song!! here!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vwtmIj5cw it's called cyclical tragedy AND HERE IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE THEME!! MUSIC THEORY!!! written by my good friend @HIEMIOLA "cyclical tragedy" embodies the protagonist, granger, through the music theory behind the track and ties itself back into the main track as well. to begin with an overview of the track, the key is D minor and hte time signature is 3/4. the piece begins with a broken minor third starting from the tonic. that is, it begins on the main note and moves along the main chord, D to F. the next set of notes are C to E, which is shifted down a step. the phrase repeats again, this time D to F, then G to E, which is an inverse movement from the original sequence. even in this first part, we could tell that the protagonist begins from square 1 with a simple pattern, then tries it again when it works. however, the inverse breaks that expectation of repetition, thus showing the diverse variations of solutions she comes up with using just the tools she has (the two notes moving in thirds). just like the game, she is given a handful of objects as well as a knife to defend herself and solve the mysteries of the world she exists in. with her creative uses of the items given to her, she continues on her way through the plot. we will keep moving. the melody begins. true to the title of the track, the melody cycles around the same beginning note, D, that she always returns to at her square 1. this is a nod to the save states she is allowed to keep to make sure that we the players don't lose the game, but it also references the health bar that appears as a circle around her avatar. the melody, mapped out, is also moving in an up-down wave movement across the sheet music. granger is creative with the knife she has and the quest items she obtains throughout the story, but she is not entirely reckless. rather, she knows when it is time to return to the safe rooms to rest. to time her returns requires skill because she must run to cover without being caught by varying her path so the enemies don't corner her as she tries to return to the room. most of the time, she is successful, shown through the consistent return to the beginning note. let's keep going. i would like to turn your attention to the main theme briefly. in the bass notes, you can hear arpeggios and outlined chords. this makes up the bulk of the accompaniment in the main game theme. [mod note: the rest of the essay, and some more propaganda, is continued under a cut because tumblr will not process more text than this in an indent. sorry to split it up, please continue below for the rest of the essay and additional propaganda!]

the third variation of granger's theme also has arpeggiated chords in the accompaniment while the melody features broken chords. at this stage, the pattern switches to eigth notes instead of the quarter notes at first. with greater movement and heightened senses, she runs throughout world and befriends other people, thus interacting further with the environment. while she isn't exactly someone we would call open, she is respectful to the people she first meets and has no problems with asking them for help when she needs it. because of her openness to working together, she speeds up her progress by asking for aid at obstacles that would be too difficult for her to overcome on her own, such as asking a teammate to break things, move things, or reach into smaller holes. fusing the main theme elements with her own theme marks this step as the inciting incident that sets her on the path to escape from this world. we'll continue.

continuing the same part, we hear some secondary fifths. i'm not entirely sure if this is what you call it, but it is a nod to the parallel key, D major. depending on what theory class you take, this could also be considered the other half of the key. i dont know how else to describe it, but i digress. these are glimpses to different dialogue options she could take, glimpses to a different key or a different ending. because this game only has one chapter ending so far, we are unsure of what other paths granger will end up in; we only know that there are certainly other endings she will experience, only to begin the cycle again when the save state is loaded for players to reach another ending. both A major and G major are chords that signify different choices that may lead her elsewhere only for her to return back to the tonic or main note, D. despite this, she keeps going, as will we.

at the midpoint of the track, we see a quick shift in patterns. instead of upward leaps in the notes, the melody falls in stepwise motion. true to the plot, this is another turning point of the game when she is forced to make a choice: continue or stop. after facing the spoiler event, her once determined personality is challenged as she struggles to keep herself and her team together. despite being the headstrong protagonist who spearheaded solutions, even now she finds herself doubting and taking smaller steps, smaller risks.

even after all of this, she rises to the challenge as the melody returns to its beginning sequence. true to a protagonist she gets up again despite the events that transpired and keeps her team moving in their lowest points. the thirds return as she finds more objects to solve more puzzles to open more rooms to save more friends. this repeating part of the track only solidifies her resolve as the piece ends with a broken chord in the main key, her key, of D minor. despite everything that transpired, she stayed true to herself."

the game is also so, so charming with the art, music, and story made by the same person… its so clearly loved and full of passion!! i love listening to the game's ost on occassion!! since it's all on youtube!

ok one last thing thing!! on may 8th, the game hit 100 downloads (on both steam and itch.io). you can see the creator of the game celebrate that with this lovely drawing of granger: https://twitter.com/NeverHome_Game/status/1655761270694633472

so at most, only a bit over 100 people have played the game… id like to say that makes it obscure!!

anyways granger and neverhome!! we love to see our protagonists put in horrific situations and isn't she super cute with a lil bow on her head? she is my daughter…

[additional propaganda 1]

[additional propaganda 2]

[additional propaganda 3]

[additional propaganda 4]

[additional propaganda 5]