#they're very layered TO ME. my beloved canon ocs

[francy-sketches]

If I'd actually posted all my pjo art when I made it instead of hoarding it like a little goblin for no apparent reason today I might have been known as the octavian guy instead of the joffrey guy...scary thought...

[deathwis-arc]

@the-kings-cavalry wished » for the expert thing: mat etn obviously but also joey! ( fictional character expert // still accepting! )

aaah thank you so much !! i'm always really tickled to see people claim i'm an expert at any etn character, genuinely. it's nice to know that me watching that niche show religiously has paid off at all! i've spent so many hours rewatching etn ... jotting down random notes, taking screenshots, and recording tiny moments where they're showing some sort of personal mannerism/tick! i'm just very much attached to the casts of etn and i've put a lot of love and passion forward when it comes to nailing down the characters. when you love something so much, you want to do right by it! and that's very much the case for me when it comes to characters like matthew & joey! they're my beloveds and are so complex to me? like, they're very layered in terms of personality and motivations and trauma ... so it's nice to see all my blood, sweat, and tears get some recognition!

i've been told a lot that the detective is very much my character, and that nobody could portray him the way i do - that my interpretation is very in line with canon. and it warms my heart each time! especially since matthew gets such a bad rap in the overall fandom and amongst most fans. you know how he's shown by most ; boy scout with a heart of gold, always right, morally superior, etc etc. it pains me to see and i'm glad my very different takes on him resonates well with my dear friends like you! that he's the version you prefer over that persona. is it weird to say that compliments like these makes me feel thankful? when it comes to characters & my views on how they are as people, i've always been one to harbor the most unpopular opinions imaginable. i'm the kinda writer that breaks the mold and actively rejects headcanons that the majority claim to be actual canon. and with mat, it was no different! i started to share my stories and takes on him out of spite, really, even though i was scared of the backlash i'd get ... and i've gotten some backlash! but i've changed some minds about him as well, and have found people who adore my take. which is ... nice! it's always nice and thanks so much for being one of those people. i'll admit, i let it get to my head a lot. me being the owner of the detective ,,, i'd totally be one of those people who would say “this is my oc!” if he wasn't done so well by canon haha. ahem, point is, it means a lot you think that. the obviously part made me chuckle because, ah, is it obvious? i assume so, even if that's still such a crazy concept to me! glad to know my detective propaganda can be enjoyed by my friends <3 seriously, seriously!

and, can i just say, i'm surprised about being labeled a joey expert? i've had someone else say this to me recently and it's shocking another shares the sentiment! i've always fawned over the savant and i'm one of his biggest defenders, like - the amount of times i've gone to bat for this twink is insane! but i never really thought i was amazing at handling his character. he's complex like matthew is, which is what drew me in, but joey comes with a shit load of history & dynamics ; since he's in every season of the show! it's not an easy feat to explore all those factors, or to weigh them in when it comes to how he views the world and why he makes the choices he does. so it feels like i'm handling this very delicate statue, kinda? you have to observe the savant with lots of care, otherwise it's so easy to fall into characterizations that just don't feel right. or you feel like you've missed something! and it's not easy to do, since joey ( while the protagonist ) is a very mysterious type of character. he never says what's on his chest a lot, not even in his confessionals ... it's very rare to hear joey being vulnerable! which makes it all the more harder to pin him down and understand why he works the way he does. oh, and don't get me started on how he's a walking contradiction! joey's not bad, but he's not good - he's the victim, he's the bad guy. he's been used and he has used. matthew is a more linear character because he's condensed into one and a half seasons, and he follows a very obvious character arc! while joey is ... everywhere, all the time. as someone who likes knowing all the inner workings of every relationship with my muse and them in general, he's just ... very troubling! takes lots of work, this guy!

i will say that writing jmn ( my post s3 / pre s4 fic ) in his pov has really helped me find my footing in how i desire to write him. which just goes to show that sometimes, writing a random fanfic or oneshot or whatever can really help you get a feel for a character. as much as i love rping, i probably wouldn't have done this good of a job with my etn muses if i hadn't obsessively written random, unfinished works with them first. so you can thank jmn for my joey portrayal! but ah, i also want to extend my own praise! i think you, captain, write the savant really well yourself! i actually re-read your sole joey response on waxrot a lot, and get lost in the utter poetry of it and how he views himself. how he views the detective and their isolating revivals. it was such a good response and one of these days ill reply to it, but regardless ; just know i read it a lot. you did an amazing job with toeing the line between death and life when it came to the savant, which is such a huge part of his character! so even if i'm the expert on him, you're an advisor! as is pan, who also writes joey and does a phenomenal job at it as well. they masterfully capture his petty, kinda bitchy nature in s3 as well as glimpses of his life before the shows events ... which is something i don't even do! it's very mesmerizing to witness and get lost in, the pure humanity and love they write the savant once having ... and their tyjoey has easily become such a foundation for their take on his character, so much so that i've kinda stole it for my take too! again, you guys are advisors of his character for sure. i'll graciously accept the crown from you both but only if you take credit as well!

okay, i got a little carried away with this. explaining my journeys with mat & joey as well as other miscellaneous stuff but ... once more, thanks for the opinions! i love knowing what muses i write well and knowing i might be someone who others turn to when it comes to writing a specific character. it's very touching to me! and it's all i aim to achieve when it comes to writing! so thanks, it means more to me then you'll ever know probably! i'm beyond happy to accept authority over these two muses ❤️