#this has to be my fav non-arc special episodes..

[squeakerbrains]

smg34 / smg43 fistbump :]

(posting this after my mini rant, forgot how normal i am about the fistbump)

[just-a-carrot]

ok so i ???? just finished playing all the arcs and tell me why i'm sitting here sobbing and grinning like a sopping cat over A SOPPING CAT OF A MAN.

when i last sent an ask i was on arc 2 but. it fucking destroyed me because !!! it felt so complete !! with genzou!!! and iggy !!! being together and soft and sweet. also the ace conversation about??? And acceptance??? and him not being broken?? fucking broke me?????? the arc felt like decades of yearning resolved but i will say. something felt off namely the overall. like. Openness about the rest of the characters just being. ignored and overall genzou's childhood behaviour being brushed over???hohohohOHO how fucking wrong i was about this never being addressed.

act 3 was a whole another can of worms but i will say. this is my second favourite (tied) arc in the entire thing because while i. i honestly hadn't seen the appeal of orly before this HOLY FUCK THIS. ORLAM THE MAN YOU ARE !!!! THE BEAST THE CREATURE THE. anyway hit me right in the feels with a lot of the. emotions surrounding him and the way iggy seemed to be the only one who looked after him and. even though it did indulge a bit of my past suicidal tendencies and fantasies (??) it was still so hedonistic and fun. baby girl you are so unhinged about everything ever and i love you for it. also loved the fact that despite his route being. probably one of the worst endings ever it still felt. so sweet? in places? like irl it seemed very much like orlam started liking iggy much as a way to get over genzou but eventually realised that this isn't a joke anymore bro.... anyway the entire dance and like. love part of it was soooo. baby you are so fucked up i support your rights and wrongs. also shoutout to my fav cg ever where iggy is just. gaming intensely as orlam has a threesome in the background. boundaries king FGHJK i could not stop laughing

act 4.... oh god this is the other second favourite tied arc mainly because of how close it hit to home with the entire mother issues + non binary thing. even though i personally can't see iggy and gidget working out as a romantic relationship, their moments especially in the flashbacks were so sweet and innocent. LOVED the internal dilemma and the pressure sweet sweet gidge put on themself because of others and the way iggy unintentionally reinforced it??? even though i felt personal revulsion at the s/a scene as like. aroacespec individual i will like. forgive gidge mainly because it's very obvious it's a projection of their desire to simply fit in and be normal and like. it was so. it was done so well . also shout out to genzou ??? pining??? in this act??? ik this is meant to be gidge's arc but hello. genzou. i think this is the moment i was like. fully sold on them like the amount they're willing to sacrifice for iggy the way their entire lives sorta revolves around the two of them..... wails they're really so soulmates coded like the 20 years is INSANE . also shoutout to cecil !!!! my fav !!!! butler !!! his dynamic with orlam and gidge is soooo.... to me. love the entire premise of their character and how much they dislike iggy GHJKKL. orlam and cecil sequel one day because they're so.

ok but through this all i was thinking. ok that's nice but iggy is still very much an accessory where is his wish and.

oh.

to say act 5 blew me out of the water would be an understatement because it was (is) genuinely one of the favourite conclusions to a game i've ever seen. not only does it neatly tie up everyone's arcs and shoots their character development... it's just so. special to me about how this little group comes back together despite everything. from gidge finally discovering themself (even at the death of cecil my beloved) and how their arc was resolved with her not having to be a crutch on iggy and iggy realising how much they hurt them and accepting them just the way they are.... to orlam's entire manic episode being cut short by the frankly beautiful reconciliation between genzou and him and the entire apology and finally feeling remorse and emotion like joy..... to jerry !! the most beloved rabbit who cannot for the love of life beat the secretly soft allegations..... bucks and hunar with buck's internalising the violence as something intrinsic and hunar saying that it's not and he'll love her anyway because she's capable of gentleness and goodness and love and that entire emotion being the one thing that brings them back....saydie wanting to die being her purest wish and being a conduit to iggy specifically and being the catalyst for the our wonderland destruction....

ah. but my favourite part has to be iggy. iggy being the one person who's lived his life so much for others to the point where he's hollow and his only wish is to make his friends happy finally. finally choosing himself and choosing happiness and choosing freedom and love for himself despite. everything. for instead of trying so hard. from hating himself for not being good enough for everyone for making so many mistakes to wanting to not exist to grabbing life by the hands and making a choice of i want to live the way i want to and my friends will like me anyway because they're my friends!! the fakeout choice the entire ending cutscene with the willow tree....... i'm so normal about this i promise (i am delirious. this was such a good end to his arc)

precisely because i like. wanted to drive in the live-on-my-own-terms i personally love the independent ending the most (which does seem?? to set him up for love still, which is very neat!) but the close second will the genzou ending because. genzy save me genzy save me.... the tenderness with the way the both of them treat each other, the softness and gentleness the. entire love confession scene with iggy !! telling genzou to live for himself and not because of him (which i felt was SO IMPORTANT personally) and the. rushing of the emotions and. the final kiss feeling so complete. even the ending made me wail because these two made it tgt finally.... it's just so.

anyway this is to say. this game will not be living rent free in my head for a long while. this is such a gem of a game and it is sooo criminally underrated i am going to lose my mind. literally every aspect of the game is so beautiful from the horror being macabrely showstopping and aesthetic?? to the expressions to the dialogue to the entire interactions and growth to the message....... thank you for this i think this simultaneously broke me five ways but . this was just so. i'm in shambles !!!! <3 <3 <3

ahhhhhhhh.......... 🥺💕

this is so incredibly sweet... you're really making me tear up here...

"something felt off namely the overall. like. Openness about the rest of the characters just being. ignored" -> LKJDLFAKD indeed.......... many many more arcs of pain yet to come.........

there's just like. an inherent Nope to all the arcs until the end. obviously some of them Nope much harder, but even the ones that don't scream Nope are still Nope at heart. because you can't just have one good thing happen and ignore the rest of the issues going on and expect everything to still be OK... lol

really enjoyed reading all your thoughts about the different arcs 🤭 i'm glad you enjoyed them all in different ways. they all feel so vastly different in my head somehow. and i love all of them in different ways. even if there are parts of them in each that are sometimes hard for me to replay ldkjfafd it's always so curious to me not only which arc(s) people will prefer but also how much their opinions on chars change as they go through the arcs

i'm also glad you liked how everything tied up in arc 5 and everyone's different conclusions to their "character arcs" so to speak... arc 5 is just so intense to me ldkjfads also i feel like to much hinges on it and whether people will like how the characters make it through to the end. i'm really happy you liked it so much!! 💕

iggy's kinda whole ending... shtick... is very personal to me and was really cathartic for me to work on. i'm really touched it could mean so much to you 💕💕 (i still cry when i watch the field scene...)

ahhh you played both the neutral and genzy endings then!! i'm happy you liked them both 😍 the neutral ending does indeed set things up lakdjfa (it's a little easter egg that ties the game into Our Cinderella, one of the side games, if you haven't played it yet) i suppose because i wanted it be an ending for iggy himself while at the same time being like, well if iggy chooses himself then he can't ever find companionship later if he wants it, or something like that. it felt like a nice little way to allow room for both and iggy to have time and choice

ahhhh the genzy epilogue does cut to the core of me tho... my heart... 💕

your words are really too much. thank you so much for the kind message and for all the love for the game and chars. i'm really happy you ended up enjoying everything!! thank you for reaching out! this really made my day! 🥺

[metabolizemotions]

Tag Game

Tagged by @drlaurenb, @englishstrawbie, thanks 🥰

Favourite colour: blues, greys, black

Currently reading: I used to listen to a ton of audiobooks, f & nf ~ 2x speed. (Some f ones are really good - even much better than entire shows). I generally prefer listening to reading. Tho I haven't really been doing either lately.

One that I revisit from time to time - Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman (sort of fiction/ v. imaginative thought experiments by this neuroscientist)

Non-fiction: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Essays he wrote, some from his podcast episodes. Part memoir. I listened to the audiobook a while back, narrated by him.)

Last song: This is mesmerizing (turn on the CC). Whenever it pops up, I’ll watch/ listen again. Also a partial, random playlist:

Last series: Watched a bunch recently. Finally caught up: The Umbrella Academy & Stranger Things - I was thinking the whole time, man, they really have huge budgets and I wished some of the other smaller shows I watch have that kind of production value.

For TUA, I always love Elliot Page's performance - this time his transition from Vanya to Viktor, reflecting his real life, was v. moving. & the usual dysfunctional family shenanigans. Some interesting twists.

ST has a v well-developed overall arc - I think it's rather rare that a show gets to fully develop its plots & intricately build its world. I really like Max’s arc - & the actress’s performance.

Paper Girls, The Sandman, For All Mankind. I love all 3 differently. I tot each did well for its respective production scale & genre, with something special weaved in. I was thinking about how the meanings of life & death change when you meet the past/ future you; are stranded in time/ space; or exist for eternity… A certain sense of loneliness/ helplessness... My personal fav is PG - setting aside the genre aspect, I really like the simple but touching stories of the 4 protagonists - esp KJ's story & the actress’s portrayal.

Currently watching: A League of Their Own

Last movie: Nightmare Alley - not my type of show, only watched it for Cate & Rooney 😍

Currently working on: Getting back to meditating more regularly. To be more mindful of my tots, be less reactive, & just remind myself to breathe deeply… I used to do it for ~20min daily. Guided meditations aren't really my thing tho I did listen to some teachers talk about meditation. Walking meditations are kinda better for my overactive mind - I can easily get distracted tho if I keep my eyes open - you know, if I don’t want to trip & fall. Ideally sitting meditation - at least 20min - to "get to the good stuff". Like after you settle down, when your legs start to cramp, after thinking about the grocery list or the plot holes of the shows you're watching or sth... I'm starting with listening to the same Philip Glass's piece each time. Sometimes when I'm tired I just lie on the floor. I fall asleep sometimes...

Tagging: I suppose everyone's being tagged at this point...? I know you typically don't do this tho I still want to tag @mayasdeluca & @closetednobody for fun 😝. Don't feel obliged tho.

[autumncalls]

since i have watched and rewatched shadow and bone and had some time to distance myself from the initial 'my favourite books have been adapted to screen' excitement, i can finally put into words what i liked and didn't like about it

Overall i really liked the show, but i still like the books a lot better. Obviously there will be some spoilers for the books, but not really relevant ones because the show didn't go that route

I'm gonna start with the things i didn't like, they were not bad but i just wish they didn't do it that way

- i didn't really like that they had Alina burn the maps of West Ravka and then have her entire unit go through the fold instead of just having her unit go through the fold because they were scheduled to, like in the books. Imo the burning part just makes her appear a bit selfish and naive

- one of the biggest things that bothered me was giving the Darkling a name and having him reveal his first name to alina so early. I don't get why they couldn't just have called him the Darkling. Also the name reveal at the end of book 3 had such an importance to it, i'm kinda mad it went that way in the show. I refuse to refer to him as General Kirigan

- something that was missing from the show for me was the focus on the consequences of grisha not using their powers. Alina was sickly before she started training and i just think that the entire thing is a good concept to explore, i hope they do it in the future

- speaking of Alina training, a huge part of book one was her struggling to summon and how it affected her relationship with the other grisha and also her fight training with Botkin. In the show her struggle and initial feeling of not belonging didn't really come across properly. I wanted more of her training and interaction with the other grisha

- Zoya being racist towards Alina. Zoya was a bitch in the beginning but her as half Suli being racist towards Alina? I don't buy it

- Genya not being liked by the other grisha was not there at all. I mean good for her in the show, but in the books the actions of the others towards her give weight to her initially betraying Alina. I was missing that depth to her character

- Alina not using the cut in the last episode. Obviously they couldn't do it in the show because the crows werw there, but it's such an important moment to establish her as a morally grey character and set up the ending of her character arc in ruin and rising

- spoilers for siege and storm & ruin and rising! I didn't like the portrayal of the amplifiers. Alina has to actively hide them in siege and storm and they break in ruin and rising, how is that going to work in the show?

- moving on to the crows, i liked their inclusion and plot, they were my fav part of the show, but i wish it hadn't been like that. I would have liked to see their plot revolving around stealing the De Capel from Van Eck (also would have been a perfect opportunity to have a first look at Wylan) and meeting Nina at the end, setting up the key players for the soc book plot. The thing that's bothering me about their plot mainly revolves around Inej. The main reason why Inej is still in Ketterdam in the books is because she has no means of leaving for Ravka. In the show she can't have been working for Kaz that long, she still has the peacock feather tattoo after all. She can't have that deep of a bond to Kaz yet, so i feel like she wouldn't have returned to Ketterdam with him but looked for her family in Ravka instead, because she is already there after all

- i also wish they hadn't aged up the characters. I get why they did it, but i'm sorry, the soc plot is so much funnier when you realise Kaz is only a 17 year old baby

- now Nina, i didn't like the 'secret spy for the Darkling' plot. In the books Nina was still in training during shadow and bone and i get how they couldn't do that with aging up the characters. But Zoya and Genya are important mentor figures to her. They could have at least have her be kidnapped while on a mission with Zoya, like in the books. For example when Zoya was banned from the palace due to her treatment of Alina. That would also have been a perfect opportunity to showcase Nina's language and acting skills

- what i was also missing from Nina's arc was her love for Ravka and the grisha. Her patriotism is an important part of her character after all

I know this sounds like i didn't actually like the show all that much, but i loved it a lot! I just think it could have been even better. There were a lot of things i really liked

- the casting. It's perfect, especially the crows. I also really loved that the og trilogy got more diverse characters. While six of crows and king of scars was way better with the diversity, the og trilogy really didn't have any

- the portrayal of Kaz and Inej / Kanej. I feel like we all had just one major rule, no Kanej touching and they delivered. Obviously non book readers won't get why it's such a big deal that they can't even touch without the insight into their thoughts, but i am really happy about their portrayal

- the Nina and Matthias scenes. They were almost all word for word lifted from the books, i loved them a lot

- six of crows / crooked kingdom spoiler in this one! I liked the little hints we got of Jesper being a fabricator! I don't think every none book reader picked up on that (i know my parents didn't), but it was well done

- i loved that we got to see the creation of the fold. That was a nice little world building touch

- Mal. Now i always loved Mal in the books, but show Mal is arguably better

- also appreciated that they didn't develop the Malina romance overly excessive in season 1, that always bothered me a bit in the books

- Jesper apparently knowing about Kaz's past with Pekka. Like good for show Kaz that he trusts Jesper enough to tell him about it

- Alina kidnapping herself. That was funny shit

- the Kanej scene where Inej is just like 'why does Helen get the Crow Club' and Kaz just straight up leaves, so on brand

- Alina giving Inej her dagger. We know from soc that Inej has a dagger named for Santa Alina, but her actually getting it from Alina makes it even more special

- Ivan and Fedjor. I don't think they were together in the books? But i liked their relationship

Bonus: Milo. This blog firmly believes in Milo supremacy

[starline148]

I hope you feel better soon! ;u; For the ask meme, 001 with KdFd, GouTora and/or SomeFubu!

Hi! I’ve been really busy this past week but I’m better, thank you and thanks for asking too! I did the three of them because I just love all of them :D

001 Ship: KdFd

When I started shipping it if I did:

Here it's again the story of how my little brother with only 10 years opened my eyes and changed my life. So we were watching Inazuma Eleven 3rd season (before the rewatch) and I was watching the anime without shipping (or realizing) anything at that moment. Then my brother sighed and told me "Jude and Caleb should marry, they're so obviously in love" and I was like OMG it's TRUE. (Funny thing is that he has this good sense for canon ships, like he said Korra and Asami would end together when half first season was on and has done it with other couples too -also he could adivine who would fall on an ice skating rink, he would be a very good fortune teller-)

My thoughts:

They're my OTP. Like, they're the ship I like most of every ship I ship. And I have some old “growing with” ships in the list like pokeshipping, takari and harutake, which are from some animes that were truly important to me as a child and so are these ships.

I love Kidou and Fudou as individuals, as friends and as a couple. Fudou is my favourite character from Inazuma (and my favourite character in general). And well, I just adore their relationship so much, like they're so pure somehow. I love their moments, their episodes, their hissatsus. I was really excited when Killer Fields happened. And the match against Team K or the Demons/Fallen Angel. I love so much when they're holding hands, such a moment.

So, summarizing I LOVE THEM.

What makes me happy about them:

THEY, EVERYTHING about them makes me happy. I love watching anything about them. And I love creating drawings/stories about them because I just love them so much.

What makes me sad about them:

Ares/Orion. But as I don't like it in general… Something I missed was Kidou not returning to Teikoku in the end of OG. But I also would have liked them interacting in Go. Like, I want to rewrite Go movie so Fudou can go save Kidou when he is kidnapped.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Here I really have something. When they make Fudou not being faithful to Kidou just for drama or kinks. When I don't like a summary I don't go further but I found twice something not expected in tags or warning and well, went sad because to me they are LOVE made couple. 

Also, this is very particular and based in personal trauma. I don't like smoking Fudou. I don't like smoking characters in general, because my mother smoked when I was little and somehow this is a traumatic experience. But I can go with it. Like I'll read the story although I don't enjoy this specific little thing.

Things I look for in fanfic:

If they're there in a respectful relationship or going to it, I'm on board. I love them so much that I'll read almost anything with them. I even read a story where Kidou died and I didn’t like them but the story was beautiful.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

I can't imagine another person for them. And what's more I never saw Kidou as an easy partner. I think it's hard to go on with him based on his personality, but that's just my view of him.

My happily ever after for them:

While I like the idea of them working as professional football players I absolutely love the idea of Fudou and Kidou being the first ones to start the time travelling thing. Like first investigations, first ideas of how this is in fact possible, etc. Maybe not being able to travel, but putting the seeds for further investigations.

So, they marry after Genda and Sakuma. They’re in the Japan Football Team but as the same time they work in their own business of ingenery/physics helping with prototypes of really complex technology (I can see them working in collaboration with Tatsuya and Midorikawa). They have three kids and live in an expensive and luxurious flat near a park. They often travel to Italy, they even have a second residence there. They in fact (as any other couple you can ask me) have a long and happy married life. Kidou dies first, Fudou’s the last one of his friends and he makes a special bond with his great grandson Kidou Akira.

Who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Fudou is the big spoon most of the time to cheer Kidou up. Sometimes despiste it is Kidou who hugs Fudou from the back.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Watching Happy Feet 😂😂 ok, seriously. I imagine them being very competitive so they enjoy any game they can play. Chess, Go, Super Smash Bros, Monopoly, any game. They enjoy playing and trying to beat the other so the winner can show dominance.

I also think they'd enjoy walking at night together and sitting on a bench (Kidou's romantic rival) just to breathe air and hold hands in silence, sometimes they'd talk, sometimes they wouldn't.

001 Ship: SomeFubu

When I started shipping it if I did:

The truth is that the first time I watched Inazuma I didn’t like Fubuki, the anime was in middle of the second arc and I didn't understand what was going on. It also happened someone I didn't like loved Fubuki. So it took me some time to like Fubuki and start shipping him with Someoka who is one of my favs. More truth to be said, Someoka was the one that helped me to like Fubuki XD The scene that started everything was the one of "being like the wind together" and AND the Ogre movie. When Someoka gives his T-shirt to Fubuki to defend Raimon, he didn't know him yet and still trust him so much. Being Someoka that meant a lot.

My thoughts:

I adore Someoka so for me is a bit unbalanced, I mean, I love Someoka so so much that Fubuki doesn’t get all my focus here. Anyways, this couple is just adorable, the thing I like most is thinking that Someoka would be so soft and tender with Fubuki, Someoka loves everything in him, he knows him so much. You can’t convince me that Someoka wouldn’t be the best boyfriend ever. And Fubuki would absolutely love him back at 200% or more, supporting his dreams, improving his self steem and being for Someoka when he needs it. I like to imagine them as one of these extra sweet couples.

What makes me happy about them:

I’m always happy when I know someone else ship them because they are amazing. But as they’re not canon there’s no so much content. BUT the only good thing Ares had to me was Someoka being in Hakuren Team (I don’t like how he was used there, but well… that’s another story). And I love watching art or reading of them.

What makes me sad about them:

People being assholes and insulting Someoka and Someoka’s fans. Especially when they ship Fubuki with Gouenji. Ship whatever you want to ship and leave the others alone. Don’t come insulting us.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Sometimes I find that SomeFubu relationship is portrayed as toxic as hell and Someoka is really abusive. And that makes me sad even if I’m not going to read that.

Things I look for in fanfic:

Fluff, comfort, daily life. Happy stories.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

I don’t have any particular ship for them aside from SomeFubu. But if not with Fubuki I wish Someoka to be with the BEST PERSON he could dream.

My happily ever after for them:

They live in a little house in a little town in Hokkaido. Someoka at least plays in the National Team and Fubuki is Hakuren’s Coach. They both play in a smaller local team too. When they are too old to play in the National I can see them running an Adventure and Excursion business, maybe aimed at children so they can enjoy and have fun at the mountain. They have a daughter and a fox Someoka rescued.

Who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Someoka is the big spoon and he loves it.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity:

I really think they’d love to go skiing and snowboarding together, in general they’d love to enjoy snow and then go back home to drink hot cocoa. I also see them cooking together, being the main chef Someoka and Fubuki helping him with the little things like putting near the salt or taking the carrots out of the fridge.

001 Ship: GouTora

When I started shipping it if I did:

If I remember right it was in the match against Fire Dragon. But I’m not so sure with this ship, it could be sooner, but not later.

My thoughts:

I am usually don’t like so much ships where one of them starts with such an admiration for the other because I think they tend to not be healthy. But Idk, I just love them so much? I love Toramaru, I don’t usually talk or write about him but he is one of my favourite characters and I totally felt with this ship. I like the idea that Gouenji can be himself with him too, even if this means that he is sometimes a bit mean or impatient, not that he can mistreat Toramaru because he wouldn’t, just not need to be always perfect.

What makes me happy about them:

I love how their relationship evolves and how Toramaru wins confidence in the anime. I think that shipping or not shipping it’s a really nice relationship. And I also really really like Tiger Storm. I was also happy that in Go Toramaru is the only one of Gouenji’s friends to whom he not only told the truth but asked for help, like their bond is so lovely.

What makes me sad about them:

Not about them, but I was sad Toramaru wasn’t in Inazuma Legend Japan. I think he was in the bench, with Tachimukai, Midorikawa and all the others that didn’t appear in the Team, you can’t change my mind.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Not sure, I didn’t see many fanfic for them ;v; which is the most sad. So, the lack of stories.

Things I look for in fanfic:

As there are only a few fan fics of them I think I’d like whatever I can find if they don’t have my no-no (main character death, and so)

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

I don’t have any other for Gouenji but for Toramaru would be Gouenji’s sister Yuuka :,) (I prefer her with Yuuichi anyways).

My happily ever after for them:

Toramaru runs his Detective Agency and Gouenji plays in a national team (can be boring but they are football players so being professionals I suppose is the best for all of them ;v;). They live in Okinawa, near the sea. Being neighbours with TsunaTachi and HIjikata. They have a really really really big dog called Tiger because owning tigers isn’t allowed (as Gouenji discovered). They’d have 3-5 children, adopted from Hijikata orphanage. When retired Gouenji starts working as a doctor because he actually studied Medicine and because I fucking love the detective+doctor duo :D They have the best garden in Okinawa.

Who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Toramaru is the big spoon or jet pack.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity:

They love going to the cinema together, Toramaru couldn’t go but a few times as a child because he had to help his mother so he is always super excited when they go to watch a movie. Once they grew having the best garden, it helps them to relax and keep stress away. But they always like to watch a good movie, specially if it’s about detectives. I also think they’d enjoy the sea a lot: swimming, surfing and all, once Tsunami teaches them how to love the sea.

[overthinkingkdrama]

I stumbled on a post of yours listing your favorite kdrama melos and I hadn't realized until that moment that my fav kdramas (the smiles has left your eyes, just between lovere, secret love affair my ahjusshi etc) would all be classified together as distinct from other kdramas. I'm wondering what your thoughts are about Korean melodrama as a genre that is separate and distinct from not only other kdramas but also Western melodrama.

I apologize for how long it took me to post this response. This is a really great ask, touching on one of my favorite narrative subjects, and it required a bit of mulling before I could formulate an answer.

Melodrama as a genre umbrella is broad enough to include many different types of stories beneath its label. Sometimes the term "melodrama" is used specifically to differentiate from a "romcom", or to indicate that a drama (sometimes, but not always) will steer toward a tragic rather than happy ending. Sometimes it merely means that the subject matter is going to be "heavy" and "angsty" rather than "light and fluffy". The definition of the word in English typically connotes a story that includes sensational or exaggerated characters and themes, designed to appeal to emotion. In fact, if you start trying to parse what we mean when we describe something as a "melo" it might seem so general as to be unhelpful, but I believe we can narrow it down a little more.

The term "makjang" also very often gets applied to Kdramas, sometimes interchangeably with the word melodrama or as a sort of intensifier for melodrama, which is how I frequently use it. Although I would suggest that the way we use the word in the English-speaking fandom is somewhat different from its actual connotations in Korean. If you’re interested in specifics about what that term actually means and where it comes from this is a good blog post. And I think I’ve seen a couple other good definitions floating around if you do some googling.

If you’re more familiar with American television or fairly new to Kdramas, you might compare a makjang drama to a daytime soap opera. All the secrets and betrayals and star-crossed lovers you would associate with melodramas in general, but turned all the way up to 11. The most extreme end of the meo spectrum, verging on absurdity. This is generally what the uninitiated think all Kdramas are like. I frequently have people who don’t know much about the subject refer to Kdramas as “Korean soap operas”. I dislike this characterization because a) it ignorantly and rather Eurocentrically paints all Korean television with the same broad brush, when anybody with more than a passing familiarity knows that Korean television is just as varied in quality and content as any other country’s and b) the term “soap opera” has such a specific, culturally defined, low-rent connotation that I would have a hard time applying it meaningfully to non-Western television.

Not all melodramas are makjangs. Although all makjangs will be some variety of melodrama.

Rather than overwrought, exaggerated or sensational I prefer to use the word "heightened" to describe the subjects of a melo, since the word does not imply a value judgement and I think gestures at the central element of all story—but especially melos—that makes them so appealing in the first place. The emotions are “heightened”, the personalities are “heightened”, the actions are “heightened”. Everything is just a little bigger, a little sharper, a little louder than normal. They have deeper, more broad-reaching implications. They have greater scope and thematic resonance than what we generally experience in everyday life.

Even dramas that deal with fairly quotidian subjects (such as college, family relationships, workplace stress) can either have a more grounded/realistic bent, or a more melodramatic bent. Although I would argue that story because it seeks impose order and meaning on otherwise random or meaningless events through the magic of narrative structure will, by its very nature, necessitate certain type of melodrama. That is the quality of “heightened”-ness. Without it, we don’t really have stories at all. So, in that way this is very much a continuum, and not a set of discreet genre categories

As for the second part of your question, how Korean melodrama is distinct from the Western melodrama…I may not be entirely qualified to answer it, as my perspective is that of a Western viewer who is trying to define and categorize things as a non-native speaker with a distinctly Western literary critical background. However, I will attempt to give you my best answer based on the many dozens of dramas I’ve now seen and my own readings about Korean culture.

Because the single run mini-series with an average of 16-20 episodes is currently the currency of the realm, a lot of Korean television focuses on delivering a compact story with a limited cast of characters and bringing a single story arc to a conclusion. Which is different from most American network television which basically tries to stretch out endless seasons of a show whether the story actually calls for it or not. In the West this is changing because of streaming services, which make prestige television shows more and more desirable and common, resulting in more complete stories in limited runs. And it’s also changing in Korea which has been increasingly experimenting with preproduced, longer run and multi-season dramas. (This is of course a limited view of Korean television, which also has its share of long run weekly dramas or weekenders which have a different structure altogether, but I don’t know much about those so I won’t speak to them.) We’ll have to wait and see what style of television grows and thrives in the coming years.

While Korea has indisputably experienced an Americanization of its media in the past decades, there are certain things that are unshakably culturally construed, which appear in dramas again and again up to the present day. A lot of this peculiarly Korean sensibility I think can be tied to a few factors: the influence of Confucianism, the division of North and South, the country’s history of colonization, and a uniquely Korean relationship with emotionality typified by the concepts of han and heung.

I don’t want to wade too far into waters that are too deep for my shallow understanding, but a lot of the “fodder” so to speak of Korean melodrama comes from the specific history of the peninsula. The heavy emphasis on familial (especially parent/child) relationships and the specific way in which they are handle in Korean dramas requires a basic crash course in Confucianism to grasp. The concept of “filial piety” and different types of generational guilt or generational trauma might seem alien to a Westerner. Especially a Westerner from as young a country as the United States.

Because of the concept of “filial piety” and a strong emphasis on family background and blood ties, the recurrence of plots points like birth secrets, family registry falsification, the mistreatment of orphans, adopted children or the children of criminals/murders is much more frequent in Korean melodramas than Western television and treated with different weight within in the culture, and I find this can sometimes be off-putting or confusing if you don’t understand where some of these hang-ups come from. It’s also important to remember that South Korea is a relatively young Constitutional Republic with an extremely recent and troubled political past. More recent than the Japanese Occupation which left so many scars on the collective cultural consciousness, more recent even than the Korean War and the division of North and South Korea. Also, it doesn’t hurt to recognize that, while social stratification is an issue everywhere and that there is no culture in the world that doesn’t have some kind of class system, strongly Confucianism influenced societies have engrained into their history a type of caste system that many Western viewers are completely unfamiliar with.

I’m not saying that you have to be immersed in Korean culture or history to understand and enjoy dramas, but it certainly helps to understand some of the nuances or even troubling elements that you will detect while watching. And it might be a good attitude to adopt, that if you find something off-putting or weird in a character’s reaction or the behavior of a particular group of people in a drama, to ask yourself if there is some kind of shared cultural context that you might be missing to explain the difference. A lot of what I’ve learned about Korean history and culture over the past few years has come from detecting such differences or such intellectual discomfort and doing my own research to find out why these things are coming up again and again.

Moving away from structure and even just cultural context, I do think there is something really unique in the “feel” of Korean dramas that isn’t present in other media I’ve watched. A special kind of relationship “raw” emotion that I think is integrally and inescapably Korean. I think this has to do with the concepts of jeong, han, and heung.

Jeong has to do with a sense of community and communal love, which I think might be the most “visual” of these three “indescribable” emotional concepts. You can see it in the special weight given to sharing food, or in drinking together. You can see it in the family that the neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong in Reply 1988, that creates an umbrella of bonds which extends far beyond blood relations. It’s something that generates a special kind of warmth that I look to Kdramas for specifically. Of course, when an ideal like this is damaged or missing or twisted beyond recognition it can cut deeply and leave behind irreparable scars. Which, I think, might explain why so many romantic heroes and heroines in melodramas come from places of profound social isolation (people like Moo Young in TSHLYE and Gang Do in Just Between Lovers) or from severely broken homes.

Perhaps more relevant to the discussion of melodramas in particularly, han has to do with a sort of internalized trauma, or grief that one carries with them throughout their lives. It can be a broader cultural trauma (like the societal scars left behind from the Japanese Occupation) or something more personal (Like the loss of a child or a broken relationship). I found this quote which I think explains the feeling and its relationship to Korean media well:

Long-term foreign residents here note a tendency of people to wallow in or enjoy the sadness, in an almost romantic way. There is a deep strain of melancholy in Korean culture, and this is expressed in the modern age through sad songs, films and TV dramas that offer an unrelenting stream of tragic heroes, unrequited love and bittersweet memories – most likely contributing to the appeal of Korean pop culture abroad.

[Korea: The Impossible Country’ by Daniel Tudor (2012)]

Heung is somewhat less relevant to our discussion of melodramas, although it is interesting and much more evident I think in other examples of Korean media, but it is the almost manic reaction or counterpoint to han. A sort of overflowing, irrepressible sense of pure joy. And I totally recommend you go out and read about this stuff yourself, I'm probably just slaughtering these concepts trying to summarize them in my feeble way.

It the special cocktail of all three of these "feelings" that give Korean dramas (for me, Korean melodramas in particular) that special addictive quality that made me fall so deeply in love with them. That tacit permission to feel things, to feel them deeply, even overwhelmingly and the catharsis that goes along with that. That is the special sauce, the “heightened”-ness I mentioned before that takes the mundane and makes it magical.

Sorry this got so out of hand, but I hope it was an interesting read and worth the wait. Thank you so much for the ask.

Jona

[soberqueerinthewild]

talk to me about 9-1-1!

my all time ultimate fave character

Christopher Diaz. I mean is there another answer? I want Christopher in every single scene.

Besides that, probably Hen. It’s so rare to have a show feature a black lesbian who is gender non conforming. She’s so badass, I love her marriage, and her friendship with Athena is one of my fav things.

a character I didn’t used to like but now I do

Buck. I wasn’t really into the idea of a firefighter playboy who thinks he has a sex addiction. I actually first watched two episodes of the show and stopped when his therapist had sex with him in a session (obviously her fault, not his) and I thought they might try to make that a star crossed lovers storyline or some shit. And though I liked him more as the first season went on, I fell in love in season 2 watching him bond with Eddie and Christopher.

A character I used to like but now I don’t

Hmmm no one I can think of

A character I’m indifferent about

Abby. I never really warmed to her. She was alright, but I liked the other characters better

A character who deserved better

SHANNON DIAZ!!!! I honestly will never stop being mad about this. I don’t know what the fuck story they were trying to tell with her, but having her die crossing the fucking street for no reason was awful and reeks of fridging.

a ship I’ve never been able to get into

Do Buck and Ali even count as a ship? I mean they had a collective total of 90 seconds of screen time when actually in a relationship. If I’m supposed to get invested in a ship you have to show them together? This doesn’t seem like rocket science

A ship I’ve never been able to get over

I mean everyone knows I’m Buddie trash. I’ll just never get over the way they look at each other or stepdad Buck which is the cutest fucking thing.

A cute, low-key ship

I love all the major ships on this show. I have a special place in my heart for Hen/Karen. Their storyline this season parallels my real life in a way that’s a little tough to watch sometimes, but it’s also one I’m glad to see on TV.

An unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it

Hmm not sure I even know enough to know what ship was unpopular. Nothing I can think of.

A ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened

Umm I guess Eddie/Shannon because she was killed off so quickly? I just hate any ship where the female character is introduced so she can die and the man can be sad.

My favorite storyline/moment

I loved the tsunami arc this season. I love all Buck/Christopher interactions and then the whole “there’s nobody in this world I trust with my son as much as you.” I mean I die.

And then even though this moment was really hard to watch, the scene with Karen and Hen where Karen is talking about how she feels like her body is fighting her because she can’t get pregnant, because, well, I hardcore feel that.

A storyline that never should have been written

I mean I’ve said this three times already but Shannon’s entire storyline. Like besides the dying none of it made sense. She abandoned her kid for two years and Eddie just let her? Then moved near her and didn’t tell her? Then they were sleeping together but not telling Christopher, then they did tell him, then she wants a divorce so she can focus on being a mom and then is immediately hit by a car? It was all rushed and dumb.

My first thoughts on the show

Omg wtf, I cannot watch a show where a therapist sleeps with their patient, why are you doing this to me Fox?

My thoughts now

Omg when will these oblivious bisexual firefighters make out?

[frederator-studios]

Bryan Caselli: The Frederator Interview

Bryan Caselli is a Storyboard Artist, Writer and Renaissance Faire enthusiast. Following tenure on top-notch cartoons including Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Sanjay and Craig, ‘twas our good fortune when he set sail to Costume Quest as co-Executive Producer, with a treasure trove of story skillz in tow. Here, Bryan provides his advice to young artists, fav things about Costume Quest, and remarkably realistic take on a 17th century Swashbuckler and his Mer-Lassy.

When did you know that you wanted a career in animation?

My friends and family were alway super supportive of my drawing when I was little, but I got really focused on art in high school. I had an amazing teacher named Kevin McGovern who encouraged me to apply to the California State Summer School for the Arts. CSSSA was a four week residency arts summer program on CalArts’ campus featuring many different disciplines. I studied in the animation department, and it was like I finally found my people. After those four weeks, I knew I wanted to work in animation, and I wanted to go to school at CalArts. There was no turning back.

(Every day is Halloween for the CQ crew! But this day was actually Halloween.)

Where are you from, and how did you chart your path to CalArts?

I'm originally from Sacramento, California. It's a legitimately sized city, but it still has a small town vibe that's warm and welcoming. I applied to CalArts straight out of high school, but didn't get in on my first try. I actually didn't apply to any other schools. My plan was to just apply again the next year, but my mom secretly applied for me to CSU Sacramento as a somewhat, "What if he doesn't get into CalArts for ten years?" worst case scenario backup plan. After swallowing the tough pill of not getting into my dream school, I took a collection of figure drawing, portrait drawing, painting, and art history classes at both Sac State and Sac City college. I didn't stay long enough to earn a degree. Luckily, I was accepted into CalArts the following year.

How did you decide you wanted to storyboard and write?

I got into animation thinking I wanted to be a character designer. It seemed to be the most glamorous position at the time, but I found out quickly that you have to be an exceptional draftsman to do that job, which I'm not. I fell in love with the story department in my 3rd and 4th years at CalArts. I had some awesome teachers who really set me on the path that I'm on now.

What do you love most about the job?

I can't get enough of stuff like mythic structure, archetypal symbolism, and fable storytelling. I really get excited by just how universal storytelling is. It can connect you with anyone. That's easily my favorite part of my work.

What was your first job in animation or art, and how’d you land it?

I interned on Regular Show. I actually went in to interview for a different show, but on my way out, I ran into Ben Adams, the Regular Show character designer and my former classmate. He told me to blow those other guys off and come work with him. He introduced me to Regular Show's Producer, Janet Dimon, and we really hit it off. She offered me the position soon after that. At the end of my internship, I pitched the storyboards for my student film, Scout Wars. After the pitch, someone from development came up to me and said, "You need to pitch this upstairs." That's how I got my second gig.

The show was never produced, but getting paid to develop my original concept that early in my career really set in stone my desire to run a show of my own some day. I even got to work with our future Costume Quest Art Director, Ricky Cometa, on the development poster.  After that, I did about a year and a half of full-time freelance, which eventually lead me to work with the creators of Sanjay and Craig on some of their punk side projects. I really liked working with those guys, so when they asked me to come on Sanjay, it was an easy choice.

That’s awesome. Was Sanjay the first show you wrote and boarded for? How is it to work on a board driven show?

Yep, Sanjay was the first TV show that I got to write and storyboard on. Both writing and storyboarding is really demanding, but it's also really rewarding. Nick Bachman (Costume Quest's previously interviewed Supervising Producer) was my Storyboard Director on Sanjay, and we really clicked as a team. Sanjay and Craig was a perfect show to be board driven because it was super cartoony and there were very few rules. It was a great opportunity for board teams to have their specific voices heard. When you watch an episode of Sanjay and Craig you can pretty much spot which teams did which episodes from a mile away.

How was writing on Star vs the Forces of Evil - is it board driven too?

Writing on Star was an awesome change of pace coming off of Sanjay. Daron Nefcy was a great leader to work for, and I became really close with my fellow writers. It was board driven, which made the transition from storyboarding to outline writing a lot more of a doable task for me. I was comfortable in that kind of production pipeline and pretty much knew what would be expected of me as a writer. The coolest part about working on Star was that it was a seasonally arcing, somewhat mythic story. It was so cool to get to craft a large story over multiple episodes. I took a lot of lessons learned writing on Star and brought them with me to the writers' room on Costume Quest.

Is it odd being a bit of a ~star~ yourself, considering you have a whole fan page and everything?!

Oh boy, having a fan wiki page is a strange feeling. It's really cool to be apart of a show that has such a passionate fanbase, but honestly I don't want to be a star. Star Butterfly is the star of Star.  

You’re Costume Quest’s co-Executive Producer. What does the job entail? 

Being the co-EP on Costume Quest means I, along with the rest of our leadership team, am responsible to supervise just about every stage of production. From writing to storyboarding, animatics to art, voice acting and voice casting, logo design, score, sound effects, the list goes on and on. I got to script a handful of episodes. Nick and I storyboarded the first episode. Occasionally I do some (very rough) first pass character designs. I also draw story board punch-ups and animation redline revisions on the episodes I direct. I direct the first story of each of Costume Quest's two part episodes, and Nick directs the second story. Beyond that I mainly keep my eye on the larger narrative of the show, making sure everything is tonally consistent and the story threads line up. If every person that works on this show is making one tree, I try to make sure the forest is working as a whole. I do my best not to force any artist to execute their assignments exactly as I would have, but instead, encourage them to showcase their personal artistic voices.

How have you enjoyed working on Costume Quest, and what do you like most about the show?

Working on Costume Quest has been my favorite gig yet. I am really grateful to Will (McRobb), Kevin (Kolde), and Eric (Homan) for bringing me onboard. I'm super proud of how much the show grows across the first season. The scale, the emotional stakes, and the world building just get bigger and bigger with every episode. Beyond that, having the chance to lead a team has been incredibly rewarding. Our whole crew is so talented, and they are all so supportive of the show. It has really meant a lot to me to learn that these people, who I respect tremendously, are happy to come in to work every day and are proud to help tell this story. I can't overstate how good it feels to know I have a creatively and professionally satisfied crew.

Do you have a favorite character on CQ?

I love all four of the main kids, but my favorite character really is Norm. I always say that he's a cross between Fred Flintstone and Santa Clause. He's such an emotionally vulnerable character, and he's got some great reveals attached to his backstory. Fred Tatasciore also does some incredible voice acting as Norm, so if this show only gets one award ever, it should go to Fred's performance.

Since developing Scout Wars, have you gone out pitching other original ideas?

I’ve pitched Scout Wars and a handful of other show ideas around to the big studios, but when Costume Quest came about, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to learn everything I needed to about the responsibilities of a show runner—without the added emotional pressure of having the show be about my childhood, or my relationship with my father, or whatever. I have a handful of ideas in my back pocket that I'm eager to start pitching again whenever Costume Quest comes to a close.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Not including the shows I've worked on: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman the Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Doug, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Flintstones, the Peanuts specials, and the original Power Rangers gets a non-cartoon honorable mention because the the influence that show had on me and Costume Quest is pretty undeniable.

What is your advice to people who want to write and/or storyboard for animation? 

Study the craft as hard as you can. It's not about networking, or Internet likes, or whatever. If you get as good as you possibly can at the craft, you'll be golden. Take any job that will hire you. Once you get any position anywhere, if you show everyone you work with just how dedicated you are, people will take notice, and they'll want to help you.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really love hosting backyard BBQ's and parties at my place. My friends tease me that I'd rather they come to me than I go anywhere else pretty much 100% of the time. You can find me most Sunday mornings at any of the LA flea markets with my girlfriend, Madison, looking for more knick knacks to put up in our place. Also, I take my Renaissance Faire costuming pretty seriously. Yearly upgrades are planned months in advance. My mom always sewed my Halloween costumes growing up, so costumes somehow became a thing I really like to do. I guess it's fitting that Costume Quest came my way.

Have anything to say to future fans of Costume Quest?

Watch it again! We did our best to set up, pay off, and foreshadow as much as possible in the season so it would be fun to rewatch. There are a lot of little easter eggs in there. I hope fans enjoy it. ☆

No doubt, they will. Thank you for the interview Bryan, and for your fantastic work on Costume Quest!  Follow Bryan on Instagram.

- Cooper ☆

[bloodymisanthropist]

Semi-Kuroshitsuji related ask

Feel free to answer any of them. Tag anybody/nobody.

I was tagged by no one.

Regarding Kuroshitsuji…

- How did you find/get into Kuro?

A girl who was in my choir class introduced me to the show and we watched the first episode on her phone. It hadn’t entirely captured my interest at first, until a year or so later one of my Facebook friends shared this amazing gif by madelizabeth; 

- What’s your fav/least fave arc or chapter? Why?

I’m not entirely sure what my least favourite chapter is - I have yet to finish the manga, although if I had to pick I suppose I’d say the Easter arc was my least favourite. The storyline just felt a bit forced for me. As of now, my favourite arc I would have to say is the Weston College arc - given the obvious inspiration from Harry Potter, the petty drama, and, seeing as I share the same sense of humour as a 12 year old, there are too many jokes to be made with the word ‘fag.’ And who doesn’t love Sebastian in a position of authority? 

- Favorite/least favorite characters?

I consider Ciel and Sebastian to be one unit - they are my 2 favourite characters.

My least favourite character would probably be Ronald - however, it doesn’t stem from a dislike of him, his character simply doesn’t interest me. However I am open to the possibility of his character evolving as the story progresses.

- Favorite piece of art created by Yana Toboso?

I honestly don’t know if I could pick one above all - however, this is one of my favourite pieces; 

- How do you think Kuro will end?

I honestly have no idea. I try not to entertain the possibilities too much, as I loathe the thought of having to see it end. I have an idea of how I’d like it to end, although I’m trying not to set myself up for disappointment. 

- Manga/anime/musical/etc. Which is your favorite?

I can’t say I’m informed enough to formulate an opinion, again, seeing as I have yet to catch up on the manga. However, as far as the latest adaptations of the Book of Circus/Murder/Atlantic arcs go I’d have to say I liked the anime better - simply because I find them more engaging and easier to follow.

- What would you love to see Kuro do a crossover with?

I had always wondered what it would be like if they were to do a crossover with Penny Dreadful.

- General thoughts/feelings about Kuroshitsuji.

I have endless amounts of respect for Yana Toboso. In my opinion, Kuroshitsuji is the most revolutionary story of all time. 

.

Regarding the fandom…

- How long have you been apart of the fandom?

Almost 3 years now.

- Has it been a worthwhile or regrettable experience? Why?

I wouldn’t trade it for the world - while it hasn’t all been perfect, and can be emotionally taxing at times, it helped to influence my own personal growth, and helps fill my days.

- Best experience so far?

All I can say is that it’s helped to bring my current friends and I together, and for that I’m grateful.

- Things you wish there was more of in the fandom?

Interesting - I’d have to say I wish there was more objectivity, and more of a tolerance to let people enjoy things so long as they aren’t hurting others.

- General thoughts/feelings about the fandom.

There are a few special gems hidden here and there, but only after filtering out so much bullshit.

.- What about Kuro inspires you the most?

To quote @t-stray​ , seeing as I couldn’t have said it better myself: “The aesthetic of transgression of established morality and status quo- Contemplating that a society and its morals are much more than black and white and go beyond what meets the eye.”

- Who are your OTPs/nOTPs? Other noteable pairings?

Sebaciel is my otp. I also support Grelliam and Grell/Ronald. I appreciate Ciel and Lizzy’s relationship, but only see them in a platonic light - anything more is a no from me. 

- What’s your favorite AU?

Again, it’s impossible to pick, but I would say this is up there; https://archiveofourown.org/works/6939424 

- Do you have an AU? Tell us about it!

No, although I would like to see a riveting Kuroshitsuji/Red Riding Hood adaptation. 

- Which character do you relate to most? Why?

I relate to Ciel the most. He doesn’t care about being “good,” he simply desires revenge and isn’t ashamed to admit it. He’s built a hard shell around himself as a result of his trauma, and is incredible at internalizing and compartmentalizing his emotions. He will go to the ends of the earth, and sometimes hurt those he cares about, in the process of working towards his goals. All of this I resonate with.

- What are you working on now?

I’ve been wanting to complete a passion project that has been in the works for a while now - I’d like to become confident enough in my editing to start a Kuroshitsuji-themed MEP-reminiscent music video channel.

- If you’re a digital artist, which programs do you use?

Paint Tool Sai and Photoshop.

.

More fun non-Kuro things….

- What’s the story behind your url?

I never want to be forgotten by the people in my life, past and present. Even if our relationship should have a bitter end, I want them to forever hold on to our memories. 

- Any pets? Pics pls?

My dog Mishka; 

My cats, Samhain and Isis (named after the Egyptian goddess, not a fucking terrorist organisation - I’ve been forced to make this clarification before);

And my cockatiel, Shanti;

- Favorite drink?

Hot chocolate and coffee.

- Music that defines you?

Industrial/trap/gothic music. I’ve been listening to a lot of Emilie Autumn lately.

- Piece of media that influenced/changed your life?

Kuroshitsuji and Life is Strange.

- What was the last thing to make you laugh?

One of Onision’s god-awful music videos. I won’t link it as he doesn’t deserve the free press.

- An image that could best depict your present self.

- A dream you had recently.

I had a dream that I was being interviewed to get into a prestigious high school by Cole Sprouse.

- List 3 things you love about yourself!

My inability to let shit go

My ambition 

My completionist and perfectionistic streak.

- What’s something you could talk about for hours?

My traumatic past and why I’m a nihilist. 

I tag whoever the hell feels like doing this.

[marvelandponder]

Wow, So Supportive!

So, you might be able to tell, but I’ve been kind of figuring out this series as it’s gone along. The first had more behind the scenes info, the second more comparative analysis, and now this topic comes along which requires something entirely new.

Well, not all that new, but enough that it’s an honest to goodness challenge to tackle a topic so terrifically tremendous in size: the entire population of the planet that we’ve been introduced to so far.

I could just spend this time geeking out about my favourites, and I will warn you now, it will probably come to that, but what I want to know is what this pretty pony populous does for the show.

And, I mean, with such an expansive cast that will no doubt only grow in the coming season, there’s quite a lot of characters to cover! But, as sure as I’ve overdone it on the alliteration already for no particular reason (I’m in a mood), there’s certainly something to be gained by examining what the background cast has to offer!

World-Building

Aside from giving our main characters other personalities to play off of, supporting characters give a greater depth to the world they live in. To the audience, the variety of viewpoints and personalities isn’t just fun, but indicative of a living, breathing environment.

It’s part of the illusion. If there’s characters out there besides the protagonists that are fully fleshed out or even just feel like they could be, it adds to the believability that this is a whole world. In fact, with a good supporting cast, not only can other characters with conflicting viewpoints to the main characters be in the right, but they can have their own lives that don’t feel like they’re in service of a plot of the main character(s)’ story at all!

It tells you more about the world the main characters grew up and currently reside in. Seeing what characters outside the main six value and how they conduct their lives gives us context for how they act, what makes them so special (or in some ways, not special).

And in a world this big, you can even get perspectives from outside the country. We might’ve assumed everyone was as friendly and kind as the ponies, but in fact they’re known for being soft and weak among the dragons and having a “typical pony hero complex” and a weird tendency towards singing and hugging among the griffons (who via contrast show us what the rest of the world is like, more on this soon).

So, yeah, finding characters who’ve had their own experiences apart from our favs helps the world feel more real, and certainly more interesting.

The season 6 finale is the perfect example of that fact in action. Watching these side characters approach something that’s usually only handled by personalities we’re all very familiar with was refreshing---plus, there were character dynamics we never dreamed we’d get to see (Trixie and Discord being the big example)!

To use a pretty specific example of how cool this is, check out how terrified Trixie is again:

Throughout the entirety of this two parter, Trixie’s constantly showing the audience how terrifying this situation actually is to a normal citizen of Equestria.

And that’s so cool! We get to see by contrast how brave and well-worn our favourite heroines have become---even Fluttershy can mostly handle herself these days (at least, with her friends by her side) without too much panic.

At one point Trixie even refers to a possible changeling invasion as “princess level stuff.” Even better, the second Starlight tells her about it, she immediately says they need to tell Twilight---which both shows the character development from No Second Prances (as the two of them grew to respect one and other), but also shows the audience this is serious to her: in a crisis Trixie’s first instinct was to get help from her rival.

This kind of perspective on things can only come from a source outside the main cast: contrast.

Parallel Characters

Here’s something you’ve no doubt noticed MLP loves to do: base entire characters around the antithesis of one of our main character’s traits.

This is pretty obvious when it comes to Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer, and how they operate as warped versions of Twilight (you can’t spell it out better than following the same naming scheme). In various ways, both of them demonstrate by contrast how well Twilight understands friendship and Harmony, among other things.

Discord is the same way.

It’s kinda like how Lex Luthor is the perfect counter to Superman: the mild-mannered boy-scout that will always try to do the right thing meets the embodiment of greed and capitalistic folly. Lex is the self-made man lead astray by his own desire for power, and yet Superman seems to prove that despite being alien, his down-to-earth morality is what ends up representing the best of humanity.

You can compare quite a number of iconic villains to their heroes that way, by seeing what each of them represent. Hans Gruber and John McClain from Die Hard. Ganondorf and Link from the Legend of Zelda. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. That’s one part of what makes them so memorable---a perfectly fitting contrast to the forces of good their meant to fight.

In the same way, Discord’s very obviously the counterpoint to our Element of Harmony wielding heroes. Not just the whole chaos and harmony thing, but because of how their values clash. Discord only ever cared about getting a laugh and shaping the world in his own nonsensical image, whereas the girls only care about each other and the ponies of Equestria. The conflict is natural from that point on because Discord’s character was constructed to make it so. More than that, though, his defeat isn’t just good triumphing evil, but instead the things the Mane six value triumphing over the view that directly opposes them.

Tells you they’re in the right by showing you how awesome it feels for them to win, essentially.

Lightning Dust is yet another easy example of a character that exists just for contrast. She’s been likened to season one Rainbow Dash many times, and it just goes to show you how far season 3 Rainbow Dash had come in comparison.

So, side characters won’t just give you different perspectives about the main characters verbally, but through their actions. Even when they only get a wee bit of screen time, relatively speaking.

Minimalism and Imagination: A Writer’s Greatest Tools

That’s sort of how an episode like Slice of Life happens.

Filler background characters with interesting enough superficial attributes (like designs, occupations, or implied character traits) give us just enough personality to work with that our imaginations can fill in the rest. To an extent, all side characters function in this way.

It’s the same way a non-main character can go through an arc off-screen. I know, off-screen development sounds terrible---for important characters, who get a lot of precious screen time.

What happens, essentially, is we’re presented with the bookends to an arc: the beginning and the end, and in between is mostly filled with our imaginations.

The example that pops to mind first is Trixie, between her first appearance her second.

Last we see her, she’s leaving Ponyville with her ego bruised.

Next we see her, she’s acquired an evil amulet and is ready to not only humiliate Twilight in kind, but take over the entire town and turn it into Trixieville.

So... a step up from embarrassed.

The reason we buy that elevation has to do with both the story Trixie tells about hitting rock bottom (at a rock farm, no less), and the amount of time in between.

We’re not given very many details other than her career being impacted and her perception that she was humiliated everywhere she went, but it’s been two seasons since we’ve seen her---there’s enough of those little details and time in between for us to imagine a gradual change that made her decide to seek out straight up revenge, no matter the cost.

In a similar vein, I also find it interesting to see how characters differentiate themselves, with such little screen time.

For some, it’s definitely a matter of great design and/or voice acting that really makes them pop out at you. In addition, there’s usually either some adherence to an easily digestible archetype, like the (...*grunts*) tsundre Dragon Lord Ember or the timid Coco Pommel (which sounds bad, like I’m saying they’re cliched, but archetypes can be pretty useful for side characters yet-to-be-developed because it tells us a lot about their personality instantly). Or, a twist on archetype.

For an example, let’s get fancy: Fancy Pants and Filthy Rich both should be greedy and/or power hungry, or just generally thoughtless based on the rich, money-focused business character stereotype. Instead, seeing how Fancy Pants will make conversation easily with anyone and warmly accept those of a lower class than he is, and how Filthy Rich will be a tough but loving father to his daughter (as opposed to spoiling her) and will go out of his way to be nice to the Apples makes them feel like more complex characters.

Playing to our expectations and then twisting them even just slightly makes them feel less like cardboard cut-outs there to fill the insert snooty rich character here role, and more like well developed characters---all just with a few small actions.

Don’t even get me started on characters who say one thing one time, and we fixate on it to the point that it’s central to their identity. Sometimes, it’s because we treat it like a meme; like, Sonata kinda liking Tacos is a thing the same way Derpy like muffins is a thing. And let’s be clear, Sonata also talks about punch at some point in the movie, concerned with the fact that she added too much of one flavour. But the juice thing isn’t a big thing tied to her character in the fandom like tacos are, and why? Tacos are funnier, I guess.

And let me clear: it’s not some failing of the writers that they haven’t developed these characters, or the fandom getting too obsessive over small details. It’s intentional. Of course, there’s quite a few side characters that do get on-screen development (Big Mac, Thorax, the Wonderbolts, etc.), and still others that remain a mystery intentionally.

Zecora remains a character I’d LOVE to see explored, for instance, because there’s still a number of questions surrounding her. Did she have a family once? How much magic does she really know? How did she learn all of it?

Sometimes the answers aren’t as fascinating as a lack of answers. The MLP staff knows this full well apparently, since they’ve always had a policy about leaving things open-ended just in case they want to develop them later, thereby letting us fill in the blanks.

Which reminds me of another great example: Applejack’s noticeable lack of parents. From literally nothing, we created entire personalities, stories, and character motivations---to the point that when it’s explored in canon now, they have HUGE expectations to live up to.

The role of imagination in developing this world is intentional. That’s what good writers do---give you just enough to let you fill in the blanks.

But that’s what’s so wildly inventive about all these characters. So many of them are so memorable---either through what they tell us about the world, the main characters, or even just as characters in and of themselves (whether that be developed through a bit of trickery with our imaginations or actually developed in the show). There’s so many I’d love to see again, and so many more I’d love to meet in the future!

And, because of them all, like the Mane 6 at the end of Slice of Life, I feel quite lucky to know who I do.

Editorials? What are those? I don’t know, but I’ve written a bunch over here for you. Maybe the three most recent ones will jog my memory (check out the other Elements of MLP posts with the Year of the Pony link):

Derpy Editorial, Top 10 Redeemed Villains, and Starlight Editorial

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t Be Possible Without:

Trixie Vector by Comeha Elements of Harmony by SpiritoftheWolf Elements of Harmony by TechRainbow

Chiggity-check out those hard-working artists, yo!

They’re All Main Characters in My Heart, Dammit