#with the added 'benefit' of absolutely destroying your main character's arc

[plusultraetc]

423 spoilers in the tags <3

[acotarfrustrations]

Acomaf feyre is turning into something that acotar feyre would absolutely despise and honestly it's so sad the way sjm sniped what SHOULD have been the main character of the series (bcus we all know rhys is the real mc). Like her mind raping tarquin to steal something that she could just ask for when he literally thinks they're friends.

The thing about amren making a meal of any guards that see them steal the book particularly bothers me because this should be the main book where we should see emotional consequences of feyre's actions utm and with andras. Killing an innocent fae for a stupid reason should be SOMETHING SHES VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO. ITS WHAT HER WHOLE ACOTAR ARC WAS BASED ON AND HAVING TO GO AGAINST THOSE MORALS DESTROYED HER MIND

NOw all of a sudden it's just another tuesday. Not to mention the things they're doing? WARS HAVE BEEN STARTED FOR LESS. Coming under the guise of diplomacy to a foreign nation to steal their precious artifacts, steal their jewels, and possibly kill their citizens if they see what you're doing??? Why didn't tarquin just kill them?? Those are blatant acts of war

It's so stupid because even Feyre acknowledges that what they're doing is dumb and makes no sense and asks why they can't just ask tarquin for the book. RHYS DOESNT EVEN GIVE AN ANSWER. He's just like "oh well Cresseida told me tarquin is ambitious so, uh, yeah we have to steal the book"

ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID????

It literally feels like rhys only wants to steal it because he's jealous and thinks tarquin wants to fuck feyre so he wants to steal it to not only prove a point but ruin any potential allies that feyre could have outside of IC. Anything to get Feyre dependent on him am I right?

And I feel like this would distress acotar feyre so much because she's not blinded by the rose tinted glasses of rhys' penis and she would be able to clearly see what was going on.

Rhys intentionally waited until feyre was in a very vulnerable state, forced her to come to his house, gave her things he knew she wanted and would benefit him, and uses his mind powers to cater to her every whim and give her what she wants so she can be on his side. Not because he loves her or she's his mate, because it's strategic and there's the added bonus of pissing tamlin off in the beginning. When shit hits the fan for feyre and tamlin, he immediately takes that opportunity to get her to work with him and induct her into the rhys circle jerk cult and now she's thinking like him.

He's so deep in her head that the reader is literally watching sjm change parts of a character's core values to mold her around her love interest and call it empowering feminism, using her trauma and her "darkness" as a justification.

And this "he's not 'dark' enough to be with me" thing particularly bothers me because it's actually a common mindset for traumatized people when it comes to relationships. Thinking that your trauma has ruined you for a healthy relationship and that it's something that you don't deserve so you should actually date evil people because they're the only ones who understand your trauma responses so you won't feel like a burden is a very real mindset and feyre is displaying it to a tee. And Sjm is romanticizing it.

Like yeah rhys might understand her dark side or whatever but that is because he is more evil than her. He sends her to the weaver in what feels like a cruel prank just to go get a ring, he uses her as bait, he shuts her ideas down for no reason, he only tells her what he wants her to know, he grooms her into being a tool for him instead of letting her explore her own personality, and he only shows her around velaris. The only time he takes her somewhere else, he and amren decided to be complete assholes to the summer court and pull a completely unneccesary heist to make feyre feel pressured to join in their schemes and cement this "it's the NC against the world" mentality to isolate her and prevent her from making friends

Like I just imagine book 1 feyre feeling horrified and disgusted at what she becomes and it's honestly so sad. At this point, I honestly only feel sorry for feyre but I think acowar is going to be the breaking point that actually pushes me into hating her. Like at that point, I think she actually becomes one of the IC, mentality actions and all, and idk I just feel so bad.

[vierafication]

Last night around 4 am, I reblogged a certain post about "villainous rp" and added my own two cents to what had been discussed within it- mostly just venting about behavior I'd seen in the past. I didn't think much of it until I saw the next day it had been reblogged, and reblogged again, and again, by some folks who seemed pretty unhappy about what I'd said. I was told I needed to get a life, that I clearly can't separate IC and OOC, that maybe I shouldn't be writing at all. That hurt. I was irritated, then, feeling like I'd had words shoved in my mouth, like I was being purposefully misinterpreted. I typed up a clarification post explaining my previous points and pressed send, but it was seemingly ignored.

I talked with @damankjol about it later. He's the best, if you didn't know. And he rp's villains! I don't think he's a sociopath! He's very empathic and honest and understanding and cool, and he helped me realize that people weren't just angry at me, they were genuinely hurt by what I'd written. I went back and reread what I posted, as well as the responses, with a more critical eye. And... yeah. What I typed up wasn't clean, organized, or coordinated. I was venting and the tone that came off was irritated and rude. While not my intention, what I wrote sounded pretty fucking disrespectful and downright mean. And, frankly, my intentions don't matter, anyway, since I wasn't able to convey them properly. I just put some angry bullshit up on tumblr way too late at night, and I didn't expect anybody to even look at it, let alone reblog it- but I should have. Tumblr is a public platform and I should have approached my post the same way I'd approach any other one during the normal hours of the day. Thinking critically is always key, but audience is too- a vent post is a vent post, but I should have thought before I vented about a topic other people were sensitive to, and properly indicate specifics instead of vague generalizations. So, yes, I really wanted to apologize to anyone who that post hurt. I’m genuinely sorry. I should not have generalized like that. It wasn't even my intention in the first place. I was disrespectful and now that I think about it, incredibly hypocritical to boot. So yeah. I really am sorry. I respect @damankjol and @miqojak a lot as writers, and it would never be my intention to tear them down. Or anybody else, for that matter- rp only works when you rp with others, after all.

Once again, I'm sorry, and I hope you won't hate me for eternity or anything. Storytime and critical analysis under the cut.

One of my first, and worst, experiences in the ffxiv rp community was a good couple years ago. I was describing my character to a “friend,” and that character happened to be Lionnet Blodoint, my Ishgardian chirurgeon. Lionnet was not a good person by a long shot, to begin with, and from his time serving during the Dragonsong War, he’d developed quite a bit of PTSD relating to any and all things draconic. He hated dragons. He didn’t even like Au Ra. “Wow,” said the so-called friend at the time. “Your character is a nazi.”

“What? No!” I exclaimed. I tried to explain that he was NOT a nazi, he was just a traditionalist Ishgardian who hated dragons because they had been, at one point in time, absolutely hell-bent on destroying his home and everything he knew. I thought it was a pretty reasonable character trait to hate, or at least fear, dragons after serving in the Dragonsong War. The core of how I’d planned to develop him would be overcoming or at least coming to terms with his trauma, and no longer seeing it in every dragon or Au Ra he met. “No,” they said. “Your character is terribly written. They’re awful and nobody would ever want to rp with them. They’re boring because they’re so full of negative traits. They’re racist and thus, a nazi. And you are just as bad, because you’re defending them! You’re a nazi too!”

So yeah, they are NOT my friend anymore. But that whole convo really stuck with me, and I was afraid to bring out Lio afterwards- it took me another year before I actually began to use him in rp. And he turned out wonderful! His story became one of my favorite rp character stories of all time, and he had great relationship development and a happy ending. He’s still around, canonically, but I have a different main toon now.

So it shocks me that what that person told me about Lio is more or less the same as what I wrote in that post. I’m honestly dumbfounded at how I could just casually type that up and post it, when it draws so many parallels to the way I was bullied back then. So yeah. Huge hypocrisy right there. I swore to never act like that. And to an extent, I suppose I have. But that post I made was pretty fucking close- just directed at a vaguely generalized audience instead of a singular person and character. Maybe that’s actually worse. And I am sorry. I guess because it wasn’t directed at anyone but the void (even the op’s url doesn’t exist anymore), I just didn’t think about it. Which sounds like a lame-ass excuse, but... it’s true. I just wasn’t thinking. I was just venting. It’s really fucking with me that I could’ve hurt somebody so much completely unintentionally, to be honest.

So, what did I say- or, to be more clear, what was I attempting to say? What was my intention, and what wasn’t? I’m going to go over that now, more for my benefit than anyone else’s. Please note that I am not trying to make excuses or shove any blame elsewhere. I am just trying to clarify what I meant and address the issues that made my post so negative, for my own sake.

To begin, I’m gonna link this post by @lilac-memorials. It goes into detail about the trouble with “villain” discourse, and addresses a number of issues from a much more unbiased standpoint, far more eloquently than I could. Also, it seems to reference (the worse) parts of my posts at some points, or maybe I’m just paranoid. Regardless, it’s a much better post than the trainwreck that was the original one, and I agree with every bit of it. It also addresses the difference between a “villain” and an “antagonist,” which is something I attempted to go into but failed miserably.

Anyhoo. My post began with this paragraph:

Seriously. I do not trust anyone who refers to themselves as a “villain” rper. A character can take an antagonistic role in another character’s story arc, that’s fine, that works. It goes back to the “everyone is the hero of their own story” sorta thing. But playing a villain, only as a villain… what’s the point in that? It’s just someone roleplaying as an evil asshole that expects to be treated as stronger than other characters, expects to be feared. It reads like some twisted power fantasy. It doesn’t sound fun and it sure isn’t fun for the people rping with you. Like dude, calm down.

To begin with, yes, I am indeed a little distrustful of people who label their characters first and foremost as villains, before anything else. I am more suspicious of engaging in rp with them than I am with other types of characters, because I have seen some pretty crappy villains out and about and I just don’t wanna deal with that. Next, I go on to try to draw the line between a villain and an antagonist, and how I am much less suspicious of “antagonistic” characters than straight-up “villain” characters. “But playing a villain, only as a villain... what’s the point in that?” I ask. Very rudely. Insinuating that their is no point whatsoever in playing a villain. Which I didn’t intend to. But honestly, I don’t know how else that would’ve translated- I don’t know what I was thinking. I go on to describe this “villain” as somebody who is an evil asshole with a power fantasy, and how it ruins fun for anybody. Which can be read very easily as saying “all villains are like this.” No, they are not! I was describing the bad type of villain rper. The rper who “plays a villain, only as a villain,” and not as a character. Do you get what I mean now? The controlling, toxic, power-hungry rper that plays a villain as an outlet to be further controlling, toxic, and power-hungry, moreso than they ever could in reality. We all know that type of person exists. We’ve met them, somewhere. Sometimes they aren’t playing the villain at all, anyway. They’re playing the hero, or somebody else entirely. But here, I am just venting about that type of person. They are what my post is about. The key line should’ve been “playing a villain, only as a villain,” but it was shoved into a passive-aggressive question addressing self-worth instead of a proper sentence describing the difference between a well-written villain and a badly-written villain. And thus the post begins as if it had been rudely addressed to all villain rpers everywhere, labeling them as the evil asshole with a power fantasy, instead.

Next is: Anyway hot take but maybe the reason people kept trying to “redeem” and “change” OP’s character is because their character is boring af!

Yeahhhh, that one’s just mean. And, given the first paragraph, easily able to seen as an attack saying that if you are a villain rper, your character is boring af. They’re not! The op’s post is a little much, to be honest, and I guess I thought I was feeling spicy at 4 am. Now I think I must’ve just been being mean. Aurelia explains what’s wrong with the initial post here, though, instead of trying and failing to poke fun at it in that special pseudo-mean tumblr way like I did.

Lastly, Like, honestly! Play a character as a foil to another, play to fucked up ideas about morality, play an antagonist arc to a protagonist character, play a character who makes bad decisions. But don’t play a “villain.” Don’t play a character whose core personality traits are simply being cruel/evil. Don’t play a character whose sole focus is to kill npcs, be scary, and lord over other players’ characters. Don’t play a character who never develops or changes, and doesn’t facilitate change in other characters. Just don’t be an asshole edgelord. Don’t be flat and one dimensional. Don’t use rp to live out your fucked up power fantasy. Get therapy instead.

Honestly, I think this is the most clear part of my entire post, and also the worst, at the end there. I just am listing off behaviors that this figurative “bad villain rper” exhibits, and what offsets them. Play a villain that’s complex, had depth, nuance! I’m saying don’t play the “villain,” and then listing off what this specific hypothetical villain is. The opposite of deep and nuanced. The “bad villain rper” type the whole post is a vent about.

Then comes the dreaded “ Don’t use rp to live out your fucked up power fantasy. Get therapy instead. “ The villainous power fantasy. No, I do not think everyone who rp’s villains is like this. Yes, I believe there are people like this, who are INCREDIBLY few and far between, and if they solely use rp as an outlet to harass others both ICly and OOCly, that is bad! And maybe they should get help! And even, then, that was only half-serious! But therapy is a serious subject and I should have known better, and done better. Did all of that come off as intended? Hell no! Instead, it was the final nail in the coffin.

So! That’s what I was trying to say. Badly-written villains are a pain. If I had written up a post like I am now, with this long-ass thing, actually trying to be eloquent and clear. Not 4 am word vomit. This 4 am word vomit instead has gotten me to be read and interpreted as:

-being completely unable to separate character and player to the point where i think every villain’s player is a Real Life Bad Person and/or needs mental help

-saying all villains are boring because they’re not heroes, and thus are incapable of being complex and nuanced

-saying people who play dark/antagonistic characters are, in general, living out their fucked up power fantasy through them

-thinking that villainous characters are incredibly boring and just plain terrible

No! None of that is what I think! Absolutely none! I’m not going to go in and refute each of those claims, because, like I said, I’m not trying to make excuses here. But I WILL end this thing with what I do think of villainous characters and their players:

They’re fucking great, okay? A good story is made a gazillion times better by having a good villain in it, be the story a book, a movie, or an rp scenario. Well-written villain rpers are a TREASURE, and need to be appreciated! It is often harder to find rp with antagonistic toons, to begin with, and their players may find themselves getting shit on more often than others, which should absolutely not be the case. Characters that are complex and deep and nuanced are great no matter what their alignment is.

There ARE some pretty shitty villain rpers out there, too. And, in my own personal experience, they tend to be much more obnoxious than shitty hero rpers. A badly written hero will ruin a villain’s rp. A badly written villain may well try to ruin everybody around them’s rp.

Badly written villains suck. They’re the worst. And they make things worse for those that dedicate a lot of time and effort to crafting complex and cleverly written, compelling villains! Badly written villains are something I can and will complain about, just as well-written villains are something that I can and will praise. But I’ll try not to complain or vent on this platform anymore, to start.

And I do NOT blend IC and OOC. That’s the rper’s taboo! I will critique others who do it, though, which ironically is what I was sort of trying to do- complain about those specific villain players who do that. But anyway. If you’ve read this far, good for you! This has been way too long.

And. Please. If I do say or do something that hurts you in the future, regardless of what type of post it is, talk to me! Tell me what’s up! Thank you!

[greensaplinggrace]

Up until that point I didn't think of Ada as untrustworthy. I genuinely believed she was FBI and that she was a professionalist. I thought she was there to take over the role of a guide for Leon and the player from Marvin. But in comparison to Marvin she was unlikable to me. +

+ I thought I was given yet another female character that would be called 'strong' and her only strength was going to be wearing sunglasses at night and being to cool for all this. Just to be clear, I'm a woman and I'm tired of badly written women. Can't say Ada became my favourite at the end but she definitely grew on me and got more interesting. I would love to see more of her but she really needs a good story.

---

Tbh that’s a pretty common perception that I think a lot of people walked away from the game with, but I also think it’s wrong to say those are the only few strengths she displays and possesses. I also think it’s unfair to compare her to Marvin, considering the man doesn’t have much of a character arc in the re2 remake (not to say that he doesn’t have one at all, but we see him through Leon’s eyes as he’s dying, and so are subject to not even 1% of his story overall). Marvin is made to be likeable. He helps the main character and he’s a genuinely good person. He’s put on a pedestal and not given room for change. 

Ada, on the other hand, is a complex character (again, I’m not saying that Marvin isn’t, but rather that we don’t get to see much of his story in the re2 remake) with a complex story. I agree that we don’t know enough about her and that her stories could use some work (particularly that she should be the primary playable character instead of Leon), but she’s not all around badly written or lacking in depth.  By viewing her as just another guide to take Marvin’s place, she’s put in a position where she can’t be her own character or display her own strengths, and she’ll always be found lacking no matter what she does. To understand her storyline fully, I think, Ada needs to be separated from Leon and other characters entirely. This leaves us with little in the way of knowledge about her or her motives, considering we mostly view her through the eyes of other characters, but it doesn’t leave us completely in the dark.

I’m glad she grew on you as the story progressed, because that’s what she’s supposed to do! And her truest moments of vulnerability and complexity aren’t actually revealed until the bridge scene, despite people thinking it’s the train car scene that seals the deal. 

IMO, Ada’s plotline in re6 is the best one for her, mainly because she actually has a long and playable story that showcases her by herself. It also allows us to see the culmination of the growth, lessons, and development she goes through in re2 and re4.

I’m not saying Ada’s perfectly written, because to be honest no resident evil character really is (every character could use more expanding and added depth), but I disagree that she doesn’t hold the card of a strong female character. I like that she’s got a cold shell and a soft heart. I like that she can simultaneously do bad things and good things without the core of her character wavering. I like that Ada has traits often overlooked in favor of the ones most attributed to her character archetype, and that her depth is something that makes her character more complex as a whole. Her interactions with characters other than Leon are always a blessing, and the masks she wears to protect herself and get the job done are so incredibly valuable because they reveal just as much about her as the breaks and slips in them do.

I’m tired of badly written ‘strong’ female characters as well, trust me. I just don’t think Ada is disappointing in that regard. Although, again, I do think she could absolutely use more time with the player and more breaks in her facade to reveal her personality. Which isn’t to say that she’s written perfectly or that she hasn’t fallen prey to the male gaze that often destroys characters like her, but I do think there’s more to her than what fans like to shape and carve her down to.

I hope this response doesn’t come off as unaccepting of your viewpoint, though! I don’t want you to think what you’re saying isn’t valid here, I just happen to disagree. And I love hearing other people’s opinions of my favorite characters. It always benefits the fandom when more people speak up honestly about the things they like and dislike about the central media.

[kyojuuros]

Hi! With Levi being in bad shape, what do you think is gonna happen to his character in the future if he survives? I keep fearing he doesnt have a lot to offer to the story. I used to think there was some potential but recent talk about it are making me doubt..

Hey there! I’ve seen a lot of posts arguing one way or the other about Levi’s general usefulness to the story or what his character can do from here on out, so I probably know some of the ones you are talking about. Rather than come down on anyone else’s interpretation of the narrative and Levi’s character, let me just explain how I see it. 

When trying to analyze and figure out what a character has left to offer to the story, I think it’s good to consider: 

Has the character’s arc been completed?

Does the character still have unfinished business?

Is there anything left that the character can offer to other core characters?

What have the character’s actions up until now contributed to the story’s overall themes?

How would the story benefit from the character being eliminated? How would it be hurt?

I’m personally not too keen on entertaining the notion that Levi will be announced dead or dying in the coming chapters. With a scar that characteristic and intentional, as well as missing fingers, it is clear to me that Levi is meant to carry on with the new design and handicap. To serve as both a lesson and a reminder, whether that be for Levi only or to also touch on some development for the other characters. 

I’d made a messy and emotionally driven post when spoilers about him “dying” leaked in my heated rage about all the reasons why killing Levi off here and in such a manner wouldn’t be good writing (imo). I still agree with all of those points and am relieved I won’t have to sit on those fumes for the remainder of the story. He still has things to do and people to impact. 

So to touch on my points above… 

Has Levi’s arc been completed?

Absolutely not. While Levi is an adult character who’s traits are more or less set in stone upon his introduction, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a story to be told and lessons to be learned. We are all always growing and changing regardless of our core personality traits. 

Levi’s biggest character flaw is his tendency to react with violence in situations that are beyond his control. This has been framed as a negative thing within the narrative (and there have been a handful of meta posts throughout the last few years that touch on this) but Levi hasn’t really had to face any consequences for inflicting harm onto the other characters. This ties into the overall narrative that violence isn’t the way we should solve our problems and that letting go of grudges is the only way for humanity to move forward in a healthy manner. Levi is currently stewing in a bowl of both of these issues. 

A thought I had the other day was how Kenny is a person who lusted for power and used violence as a means to prove he was the strongest. He was the one who taught Levi that violence is the only way to be strong and stay on top. Levi has lived by this his entire life since then - it’s the only thing he’s ever known. Kenny never let go of violence and in the end that’s what got him killed. Levi would surely head down the same path if he keeps using violence as a means to solve his problems. 

“But Zeke had it coming.”

I fully agree! Zeke has done horrible things that have affected Levi more than anyone and he certainly didn’t do himself any good by adding fuel to the fire when he transformed Levi’s soldiers into titans. Levi reacting angrily to Zeke’s actions is understandable and very much justified. 

However, it should have stopped once he had Zeke disarmed and disabled. 

It did not. 

The first mistake that Levi made was impaling Zeke with a thunder spear which endangered not just Zeke, but Levi himself. He did so in order to force Zeke to stay completely still while Levi indulged himself in slicing Zeke’s legs up piece by piece. Not just once, but multiple times. This goes well beyond the point of disarming and capturing your enemy and crosses the line over into senseless self-indulgent torture. Levi makes his hatred for Zeke plain and clear as he taunts him and inflicts extreme pain onto him repeatedly. It’s vengeful, dangerous behavior.

It reminded me a lot of Roy Mustang’s treatment of Envy once he learned the truth about Envy’s role in Hughes’ murder in Fullmetal Alchemist. He hunts Envy down like an animal and makes it a point to torture Envy with his flame alchemy over and over and over, taunting him relentlessly while doing so. It’s a very ugly side of him and had he continued to indulge in that behavior and finish Envy off in such a cruel and horrifying way it would have destroyed the core of Mustang’s character. Luckily for him, he had Hawkeye there to stop him from taking that dark path. Levi had no such support here. But the result would end up the same had Levi fulfilled his goal of killing Zeke off for good after indulging his hatred this way. He would not have come out of the situation a better person.

So rather than being accompanied by a helpful character who could have supported him, stopped him and helped him understand why this behavior is dangerous, he got a thunder spear instead. 

While it’s easy to cheer Levi on during chapter 113 (and I certainly did), I felt that it was clear he crossed a line toward the end and that the narrative would punish him for it one way or another. So now Levi has a large scar on his face and, most importantly, two missing fingers. These are the consequences he must now face because he wanted to blindly indulge in his own hatred through violence. As someone who relies on violence, who relies on fighting to survive, Levi is going to be forced to adapt to his handicap and either relinquish violence and fighting forever, or find a way to modify his means of engagement. Either way, he is now going to have to rely on the help of others to accomplish anything for the remainder of this conflict. 

I personally still believe that a workaround is possible for Levi and that he can still fight using his signature reverse grip so long as a way for him to grip the handle can be figured out. Alternatively, he’ll be reduced to a ground soldier. Either way, “Humanity’s Strongest” will probably no longer be an appropriate title for him moving forward. Still, it would be a shame if he can’t provide some support in the climax as the main action guy of the series. 

“So, if Levi can still find a way to fight, then what lesson does he learn?”

Well, I think it’s simple: he needs to let go of killing Zeke. It is clear that the Powers-That-Be want Zeke alive. While I think that Levi’s vow at its core is a very beautiful thing in its intent and as a show of his unyielding loyalty to Erwin, it is a destructive one due to his feelings of resentment and rage being laced within it. 

Levi has indeed been very patient and accommodating with Zeke and the situation over all. He’s been an absolute trooper. I imagine there was even a part of him that hoped he had been wrong about Zeke all along and that Zeke could help them find a way out of their situation. But those feelings of hopefulness stopped as soon as he’d heard Eren was going off the grid. Once he had an opening and a reason to let that feeling of potential faith in Zeke die, he acted without a second thought and prepared immediately to see his vow fulfilled. 

Eren needs Zeke alive if he’s to fulfill his own plans without using Historia as a sacrifice. This is a huge and ongoing plot point - Historia’s life must not be sacrificed. Zeke is the “key” to unlocking the coordinate. Eren will be the one in full control. Regardless of Zeke’s own intentions, his body is needed as a vessel. This is why Levi cannot kill him and partly why Levi needs to let go of his grudge so that Eren can accomplish whatever it is he is trying to do. The other part being the overall theme of leaving the past in the past and moving forward toward a better future:

Levi is certainly not a child, but the cycle of vengeance has to stop somewhere. He can absolutely become one of the people who choose to stop it. Someone who has lived his entire life relying on violence finally choosing to let it go, particularly in a situation where he has strong feelings of hatred accompanying his current roadblock, would be a very powerful thing, in my opinion. 

Levi’s unfinished business & his ties to characters who still need him

Levi certainly still has things to do. His vow is the most prominent thing in the overall discussion. Levi swore to Erwin that he would take out the Beast Titan and ensure that Erwin’s death and the deaths of all his comrades would have meaning. 

The way I see it currently, this vow is being taken too literally and is weighing Levi down as a result. When the world was smaller moments before unlocking Grisha’s diaries from the basement, when Zeke was seen as the ultimate enemy to humanity, this vow made perfect sense. Take out enemy #1 and the problem is solved, humanity can move forward. That is no longer the case. The situation is far more complicated. 

Stewing in feelings of resentment and seeking revenge for what happened in Ragako and Shiganshina are not going to solve the problem at large and Levi needs to direct his energy into helping resolve the bigger conflict - something that goes far beyond Zeke and his boulder barrage four years ago in Shiganshina. This is the way that he can best honor the deaths of his comrades and give those deaths meaning. Killing Zeke won’t solve anything. Those deaths would still have been for naught if Eldia is wiped out anyway. Levi can still honor his vow. He just needs to put his eyes on the bigger picture. 

I think that one way for him to do this is not by focusing on the fallen comrades of his past, but by focusing on the relationships and people who are still alive and impacting the future. People who still need him as a support and mentor figure.

Levi’s relationships with Eren, Hange and Mikasa especially are ones that still need touched upon and fulfilled. 

Eren

While the world is certainly an enemy to Eldia, the true problem is the titan power. If the story’s resolution is removing the titan power from the world, then that is the idea that Levi needs to get behind and support. Since nothing is a guarantee, then Eren needs to use Zeke to see if he can make it happen in hopes that Historia’s fate will never be tied to the power of a shifter. 

Levi is one of the few characters who aren’t aligned with the Yeagerists who’ve expressed a reluctance to believe that Eren has become a true enemy. 

As the narrative continues to unfold, I believe that it has become more and more clear that Eren’s goals are not aligned with Zeke’s. Most likely, his goals aren’t aligned with the Yeagerists either. Eren knows things that the other characters and the readers do not. How much he has actually shared with the other characters is, however, unclear.

Since their first meeting, Levi has been a character who understands Eren’s true nature very well. He is good at reading people and always has been - this is why he chose to follow Erwin, even after realizing Erwin’s true motivations. As a foil to Erwin and someone who’s clearly taken the mantle of a “4D chess player” in his place, it makes sense for Levi to find it in himself to keep backing Eren up if he believes Eren’s heart is still in the right place. Like Erwin, Eren has chosen to keep certain individuals in the dark while trying to dish out a larger plan. Like Erwin, Eren has chosen to take heavy risks in order to see a goal through. There are differences in their methods, but that is why perhaps Levi (with the help of Hange and eventually, hopefully, Mikasa and Armin) can be used to guide Eren down a less destructive path.

Eren appears to have been honest with the Survey Corps about his intents prior to Liberio, but Hange had made it a point on the airship to let Eren know that they no longer trust him and then Eren was imprisoned as soon as he was returned to the island. If the SC refuses to trust in Eren, perhaps that is the reason why Eren has chosen to withhold from them. 

The exchange between Levi and Eren in 105 is still a very intriguing one in that Levi seems to be really let down with Eren’s current state and feels that Eren is not the type of person he’d ever see look this way. He’d always seen Eren as a untamable monster with an incredible amount of will. When he sees him on the airship, though, Eren just looks dead, down and defeated. This genuinely affects Levi. Levi’s show of sadness toward Eren in turn makes Eren react, eyes lighting up.

On top of Levi’s vow to Erwin, there is unfinished business with Eren as well. As a narrative mentor figure to Eren and someone who parallels him in many aspects, it makes sense for Levi to be one of the few characters left who can still reach Eren. Unlike Mikasa and Armin, who were thrown off by Eren’s abrasive attitude toward them and became emotionally compromised by Eren’s intentionally hurtful words, Levi is someone who wouldn’t sit back and allow Eren to pull such a stunt. Levi’s no-bullshit attitude in addition to his injuries might be one more tipping point to get the Eren we are familiar with to come out of hiding and divulge his plot. With Hange accompanying Levi and able to communicate to Eren what happened not just to Levi, but also about how Armin and Mikasa were almost caught in the Yeagerists’ assassination of Zackley, it could be a turning point for Eren’s character overall. 

Hange

As others have pointed out, Hange has been struggling with the pressure of living in Erwin’s shadow. Hange very much has her own strengths as a strategist but the nature of these strengths is very different from Erwin’s. She hasn’t been able to find the answers easily and feels that she cannot live up to Erwin’s legacy and it’s been a huge point of pressure for her. Throughout these years, Levi is the one who’s had to work as a support for Hange so she doesn’t crack under the pressure.

Levi’s vow to Erwin has also created a similar pressure on him. They love Erwin very much and they aspire to fill in his shoes. But it’s a heavy weight on their shoulders, whether they realize that or not.

These two have always worked better together, and it’s a blessing that the narrative has reunited them in their darkest moment. Hange has utterly hit rock bottom in terms of confidence, and Levi has now hit rock bottom in terms of his strength. It’s only when Hange finds Levi injured that we finally see a spark of her on-the-spot strategics come to the surface again. 

I think that a moment similar to this one -

- is something that the two characters very much need. While they need to come into their own in terms of stepping out of Erwin’s shadow, I think that this can be achieved by them realizing that they can be just as good in comparison. They’ve reached this type of enlightenment before, and I think that they can do it again. 

One thing that Levi can contribute to the story is by working as a support character to Hange to help her come into her own as a commander and as someone who can make the right decisions again. Someone who can bolster her confidence and help her find the answers. She has been lost in this last month without him there to help push her. In return, she can work as a support to Levi during his time of uncertainty on how to move forward with his new handicap and/or perhaps help him figure out a way that he can still fight. 

I think that with enough brainstorming and time to hash out ideas, they will come to a conclusion together in terms of getting through to Eren and moving forward with a solid way to handle the conflict ahead of them. 

Mikasa

Mikasa is a character who is long overdue for a profound moment with Levi, especially in light of the recent revelations about their shared blood. 

Her sense of identity has taken a massive hit, and she is probably wallowing in feelings of complete uncertainty about who she really is and what she really stands for. While having Levi sidelined via injury or death is something that would force her to take more spotlight in terms of fighting prowess, he can also serve as a support for her in this time of doubt about who she is as a person - of course, he can only be that person if he is alive. 

Levi is someone who can assure her that she is not beholden to Eren, that she is not a slave to him and that her feelings for Eren are true and real. This can, in turn, lead Mikasa to the correct answer on whether she wants to continue supporting and protecting Eren or to let him go. If the opportunity comes, I think it’s long overdue that the two of them talk about their shared blood and what it means to them and for them. 

I think that there is no better person for Mikasa to have an interaction with during this time than Levi. Sure, Armin can assure her that her feelings are real, but to have this verified by someone who’s allegedly beholden to the same kind of bond as she is, I think it would be more reassuring coming from Levi. Perhaps even together, they can figure out how best to move forward in terms of Eren. 

If Levi is to let his vow to Erwin go, I think that he can find fulfillment in knowing he contributed to the growth of those around him if they can reach the answer that will save Eldia together. I think that this is something that honors Erwin’s memory far more than indulging in vengeful violence toward the man responsible for his death. I think that this is something that allows Levi to stay a good and kind person, and also allows him growth, to move away from violence as a means of survival, and instead rely on others to help push everyone forward toward something better and brighter. To a world where violence is no longer necessary. 

Whether all of these things happen or not, they are potential developments that Levi would have to be around to push forward. His biggest role in the story is as a support character who has helped to guide others in the right direction. To lose him is to lose that sense of guidance and cast a larger feeling of helplessness all around in terms of the feel of the story and the overall plot. I’m personally a fan of the more hopeful narrative. 

To summarize:

The lesson Levi can learn from what happened to him is that he needs to learn when to let go and to direct his attention to the living who still need him; this ties into the overall theme of letting go of grudges and violence and moving forward to a more positive and kinder future rooted in forgiveness and looking ahead instead of wallowing on the wrongdoings of the past.

The role he can play is to be a figure of guidance and support for the characters who are still very much in need of it (whether that be his physical strength or mental fortitude). 

I hope this helps at least a little. A lot of these are merely wishes and hopes that I have for his character (and admittedly a lot of these things also require enough downtime for the characters to begin with - something I’m uncertain they will get). But I think that he has far more to contribute to the story alive than he does dead. I’m very curious to see how he pushes forward in light of his injuries and learning that Zeke is still alive.

[yenrz1314]

LET’S (attempt to) FIX/REWRITE KH 358/2 DAYS

Let me preface this: I love Roxas, Xion, and Axel A LOT. I have been thoroughly blinded by nostalgia as much as you have and I don’t really care. I’ll continue to love them even after I’m finished destroying their game here. Keep in mind I’m not hatin’. And, fun fact, I think that Days is perhaps the best written game in the series regarding character writing. Still doesn’t mean I think it’s actually good though.

I’m going to start off saying something kind of controversial. Axel, Roxas, and Xion weren't that great of friends. 

Yes they were the best friends that they ever had, but when you're constantly surrounded by the melancholic mundane, any sort of friendship is the great friendship. They weren't that great at being friends to each other because they dealt with conflict in the most incompetent way possible. As far as I know, there was barely any communication whatsoever between them, which is really disappointing because Roxas is like the most understanding person ever. Most of their conversations concerned small talk. Not necessarily boring small talk, but small talk.

I really wish we could at least have gotten a talk between Xion and Roxas when he was on that mission to chase her down before Axel came in and knocked her out. The only real communication about Xion’s situation is between her and Axel, and we rarely get to see any camaraderie between her and Roxas. We do see a decent amount between Roxas and Axel but I’ll just attribute to the fact that they’ve existed as characters longer than Xion has.

Xion’s inherently pretty bad at communicating. To Roxas especially. Even though Axel tried to talk her down, she didn't really explain herself much. Axel honestly had to figure it out himself.

If Days gets remade I hope to death that we have at least one scene of Roxas and Xion having more meaningful talks. Alone. They were close. Its just that Xion kept stonewalling, and Axel would always be dodgy with his answers, which makes you question if they’re truly all that close. I mean, you wouldn’t just not tell one of your best friends anything about something you’re really struggling about.

Though I guess you can’t blame them since they had no memories of their past and were learning based off of watching those around them, and they did live with the organization

And to be fair, you’re a part of an organization with a leader the answers basic questions like “Who is Sora?” with vague af answers like "the connection".

Also they’re stupid teenagers. I’m already giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Honestly I would normally be fine with her lack of communication and accept it as an character flaw.  In fact, under normal circumstances, it would be a reason for me to be invested in her character. But the truth is that we don't see enough scenes of him and Xion having meaningful bonding time for me to be accepting of that lack of communication. There was that one absolutely adorable scene of Roxas and Xion on the clocktower discussing about how much they worry about each other...but the rest of the time they spent together is superficial, mostly consisting of just kind of empty small talk. It’s kind of rare that we see them actually talk about their relationship and/or any chemistry. A lot was just them sitting next to each other eating ice cream or on missions and we did have a lot of skips of one of them being asleep or missing.

The main problem KH has in its writing is that it really likes to display the cute little quirks or tressings of a relationship but absolutely fails to write any core to that relationship. Like, for example, the seashells they leave for each other when they’re sleeping is absolutely precious, but there’s not that much of a core dynamic between these characters that this really cute character interaction can be built upon. And in the end, but just because something is tragic doesn't mean it has substance

Because Days doesn't give me enough meat of writing to bite into, it just ends up as a frustrating tale of Roxas just being confused the whole time. Sure, Roxas is the main character, but he literally has almost no agency throughout the entire game. And I find that pretty insulting to his character. This guy is literally one of the most well written in the series. And no, I’m not pulling the ‘xion’s a mary sue stealing the spotlight’ card. I’m totally fine with her existing, but dang if I had the opportunity to change ONE THING about Days I would totally rewrite the cutscene Fracture on day 298, the day when Xion was captured.

So the original scene goes like this: Roxas tracks her down, asks her to come back, he tries to comfort her, asking why she won’t come back to him. She just says "I can't" and GETS SCARED WHEN THE MOST TRUSTED PERSON IN HER LIFE REACHES OUT TO HER. Okay. breathe. I understand if she’s scared. It’s a bit of a stretch, yes, if we take into account that she’s in the depths of emotional turmoil trying decide between her friends or Sora. I understand if she really doesn’t want to go back to the organization. My problem is that Roxas really doesn’t pose a threat to her at all here.

But then again, it could be that Xion’s a very delicate person, emotionally. And that she’s easily disturbed and is flighty. BUT THE THING IS: We don’t see this anywhere else. Days, as is, doesn’t really do a good job of establishing Xion’s personality at all anyways. So we can throw that excuse out the window.

BUT. BUT BUT BUT. THE ABSOLUTE WORST WAS WHEN SHE TURNED HER KEYBLADE ON ROXAS.

SERIOUSLY I would have totally been fine with everything up to this point except her turning on him like that

Again, he is literally no threat to her at all! I can understand her being scared, but he didn’t threaten to take her back or yell at her or anything

Like why. Why isn’t she willing to tell him anything about the truth about her existence. It's not like she's trying to keep it a secret. I understand how jarring it must have been for her to have that sort of existential crisis knowing that she’s just a puppet created to copy...But telling Roxas absolutely nothing is ridiculous. ESPECIALLY because Roxas was the one who always was breaking his back for her. He was the one who first approached her to join him at the clock tower, he was always trying to reach out to her, understand her. Heck, even when Xion was the aggressor, both times in Fracture and in the final battle, Roxas still sees her as the victim, the one who was in the right, and it's both very sweet and a bit unhealthy that he views her in such a positive light. He always does his best to give her the benefit of the doubt. And this is clearly shown in his actions.

I would rewrite it like this:

Keep everything the same up to the point right before she turns on him. She walks away and he stops her and everything, but after that she stops and thinks for a moment. And she asks quietly for him to let her go. Roxas, of course, let's her go because he's freaking Roxas

And she tries explaining to him what's going on in a very roundabout way, for the sake of being consistent with her established character. I'm not asking for her to explain it word for word. She's as flighty as a deer. I understand her not being direct. And then Roxas tries talking to her how they could work this out. Hell, this would be the PERFECT TIME to incorporate that scene from the manga when Roxas proposes they run away together. Xion is shocked and ask if he is serious, and he says yes. And THAT'S when Axel comes in and stops the party, and everything plays out the same till the end of the cutscene.

Also if this writing was implemented, then that would be a payoff point. The pacing in Days’ story is kind of whack, and adding a breakthrough moment like this would be super satisfying to the viewer.

Also it makes sense that Axel would come in then because he can't just accept both of his friends leaving like that. In the og game, Axel pretty much just let his two best friends walk away from him.  The only time he shows any protest is when he is ordered by his superiors to go after them. Xion in particular. Sure this works, as it’s implied that Axel is respecting his friends’ autonomy by letting them go.

But maybe we could make it better by having Axel go through a mini arc where he accepts his friends' departure with a bit of a struggle. You’ll see more below.

The only change that would have to be made is that the organization would have to actively keep Roxas and Xion apart to keep them from conspiring together. Or when they're together, always have a third party member to keep a watchful eye. I’m guessing this would mean no more ice cream time either. For now.

Xion’s communication is just a trickle the first few days, but over time it slowly opens up, gradually telling more as they interact when they have the occasional mission together. She would mutter things like 

“The organization is keeping so much from us, Roxas…” 

or telling snippits like that when the third party member/chaperone isn’t watching.

Eventually, the organization takes note of this and orders for the two to be kept completely separate at all times, and Axel knows that this will absolutely kill their friendship so he does a solid by confronting Saix about it to propose a compromise. He’s like: 

"I'm a trusted member of this organization. Hell, I brought them back for you.  So how about this: I'll watch them for you instead" 

And Saix accepts that compromise. And the result of that compromise is that we get more trio missions, something we ALL LOVED. And also those would be opportunities for them to talk. ALL THREE OF THEM

Okay so the three talk on missions and at the clocktower again, Xion knows her purpose and desperately wants to leave. She won’t disclose Riku or Namine's location. Axel protests fiercely to the thought of her leaving. Meanwhile Roxas is trying to mediate as always, but he leans more towards helping Xion leave at least. However, he would still show how he emotionally would rather have her stay. He has an internal struggle when Xion tries to explain their connection with Sora and how they need to go back during a few talks with them alone that Axel allows. She needs to be the one who tells him he needs to come back to Sora.  Someone who he trusts and can help him through this process. Not a stranger like Riku or Namine.

And then this time of communication all abruptly comes to a halt when the Org. starts pitting Roxas and Xion against each other in missions. Also, let's have Xion be less heartless to Roxas here and not be so eager to leave. Of course, she desperately still wants to, but Roxas is her anchor keeping her there. She knows that it'll all be for naught if Roxas doesn't go with her anyways. Also she doesn't want to hurt him by just leaving like that. She cares.

So, back to the rewrite, the talks stop when the organization starts pitting roxas and Xion against each other in those missions. Axel stops them like he did originally, and they have a talk about how crazy ridiculous this all is. Roxas agrees with Xion and Axel agrees too but hides it because he's a coward and is the org's lapdog, and just tries as hard as he can to keep them together. Roxas is dismayed that his existence is possibly ending, but at the same time agrees with Xion that this is all crazy. Axel shuts them down for the day. 

And the next day is the day Xigbar, Axel and Xion go on that mission.

But instead of Xion jumping ship, Riku comes in to take Xion, kidnapping her without a fight because he knows he can't take survive one against two other org. members. Axel doesn't do anything to stop her because he's accepted it at this point. Also seeing Xion as Ven really made him realize the gravity of the situation.

This really upsets Roxas because he thinks Xion was taken against her will. Axel doesn’t have the heart to tell him about Xion’s current extremely unstable state. And this sets him off since he's been putting up with so much BS at this point and he runs away as originally written as well as to search for Xion, because he knows the org. will never let him look for her himself. Everything plays out the same after that.

 On the clocktower where Roxas and Xion meet, there's one change. When she shows him that she's almost Sora, she *explains* as best as she can what’s happened to her, since she’s under the control of the org. now. She makes him realize that it's inevitable that she must die or she'll cease to be herself. And then they fight as originally scripted, Roxas’ motive for fighting being that there still might be a chance for them to go on if he finishes things himself.

When the fight is over and she begins to die, Xion's final request is that he join back with Sora. That is were it this all leads and she knows it. We're changing that because in the original she, when Roxas and Riku are fighting, for some dumb reason, retracts her final wish???? Like… that's got to be one of the most contrived things in this story.

Also I'd like to cut that dumb pointless plot device that Roxas forgets who Xion is right after finishing his final battle with her, Because by golly did the writing team really want Roxas to be as clueless as possible even as his best friend is dying. Geez wtf.

Honestly, you can keep the memory loss, just please make it so that he remembers her SOONER, so they can actually COMMUNICATE AND SO THAT HE CAN ACTUALLY SAY GOODBYE.

FUACK.

“Promise me...you’ll come back...to Sora. That way...we can be together again...”

Or something like that, make me cry more. 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡

But then what would Roxas’s motive be for going back to The World That Never Was and fighting Riku then? Just wait a moment and hold on to your seat because I’m going to take the original situation and make it even more badass AND make it work with my rewrite.

Also this blog is finally almost done good job for making it this far.

Let's have Roxas know about the heartless nobody cycle. He can have learned this after maybe sifting through the organization’s research files or something. It wouldn’t be hard to stick it in the story somewhere. 

What was the most heartwrenching thing about Roxas’s final day in the real world? I would say his rage, grief, and desperation over his entire life. So let’s take that, and multiply it by a couple dozen times. After Xion's death, his motive to destroy the organization will be more about his rage at the unjust way he was treated. Him and Xion. They messed up his and his friends’ lives.

“Well if I die, then whatever I'll just go back to Sora. Kill two birds with one stone.”

Regardless of however you write Days, angsty, bloodthirsty Roxas is a requirement. It’s what makes Roxas Roxas. And as a result his grief is amplified tenfold. He doesn't even care about preserving his own life anymore.

And Riku confronts him. Asks him what the hell he's doing. He tells him he's going to fuck up the organization. And Riku's like ‘don't be stupid they'll just capture you and hold you hostage to keep Sora from waking’

Roxas looks at him, points one of his keyblades towards him.

"You don't know that." 

"I'll end every single one of them before they get the chance. You want me to prove it..? WELL HERE'S MY PROOF!” 

AND THEN HE FREAKING STRIKES,

AND THAT’S THE FIGHT

And let's hammer in the fact that Roxas is his own freaking person. Instead of the line "C'mon Sora! I thought you were stronger than that!" from Riku, instead he says to Roxas something akin to this:

"C'mon Sora...I know you're stupid, but not to this extent!"

And then Roxas doesn't give him a Sora-ish line.

“You’re the one calling me by the wrong name.”

Riku sits defeated and despondent on the ground.

"...Why...? It's not supposed to be this way...Sora..."

This breaks a nerve in Roxas.

"This again?! I'm me. NOBODY ELSE. Get that through YOUR thick head!"

And the rest is history...

..................

THAT’S THE REWRITE KIDS.  YOU’RE FINALLY FINISHED READING THIS RIDICULOUSLY LONG BLOG. THANK YOU FOR READING \o/

Fun fact, this was all borne out of a late night discord chat with a friend of mine.

Edit: this is the headcanon for what happened in Days now. Goodnight.

[violetfaust]

Hey, what are your top 3 (or 5, if you’re up for it) plots/character dynamics that would’ve made OUAT more interesting but that the writers either didn’t do/tried to do but screwed up royally

Wow, Nonny, I think this might be the best ask I’ve ever gotten (or tied with the one about Regina sending all the random guests at the Captain Swine wedding home with their hearts in favor baggies) and I’ve had some great ones.

And I was going to mull it over as usual and give it the respect it deserves but if I do that it’s going in my drafts and won’t be answered for weeks if ever and will be six thousand words long. So I’m just gonna half-ass it. [Editorial note: it has now been more than a week since I wrote those words and I have been half-assing it in draft all that time. And it STILL got long as hell. This is why no one sends me asks. :-( Sorry, Anon.]

Top 5 characters/character dynamic missed opportunities:

-- First and foremost forever, everything having to do with Neal. Papafire, Fire Believer, Floof Family, Swanfire, Neal/Regina coparenting...every plot since would have been improved, more organic and more interesting by adding Neal. Neal and Emma going back in time and BOTH meeting their parents? Rumple’s Rampage with Neal around--and Neal being the one to banish him? The Dark Two costarring the Dark One’s son? Which wouldn’t have ended with Emma being upstaged in her own story by her Stu boyfriend, but given her the sacrificial moment she deserved.

-- Regina’s love life: With all due respect to OQ, that should have ended the moment Marian was brought back, and Regina’s next and permanent love interest should have been a villain for her to bring back to the light. Hook, if he was kept around after Neverland (the both of them rebounding after Swanfire and Robin/Marian reunited, but growing into something more); Maleficent (written to be a little more bitter/less reformed); Jafar coming off OUATIW (bringing in Aladdin and Jasmine a few seasons earlier, perhaps in place of the Frozen nonsense); even Facilier with the same backstory (which seems to be a fling while she was the Evil Queen, with possibly much stronger feelings on his part that she didn’t return because revenge). 

...OR. If the decision was made to ditch the original story of Swanfire, the only organic alternative would have been to go forward with a full-on love story for Swan Queen. (Which to be honest is one of the few things that I think would have prevented the show’s ratings decline and failure.)

-- Ruby should have stayed a main character, and her romance should have been onscreen. I enjoyed the setup for Frankenwolf in S2, but Kitsowitz have been promising a LGBT couple since S3, when all we got was sad, lonely Mulan in love with her straight best friend. (Cutting-edge wlw content, circa 1925.) Ruby and Mulan coulda/shoulda had a long-term, medium-burn romance like Alice and Robin are getting now. Ruby’s friendships with Snow and Belle could also have been respected (and poor Belle wouldn’t have been used to prop her and her family’s abusers). Even after the show had gone down the Stu hole, there was a period when they could have gotten Meghan back (before she became the queen of the Hallmark Channel) and could have gone on from there.

-- The Sheep Boys BroTP should never have been abandoned--especially so that Charming could play sidekick and patsy to a toxic misogynist pirate who never learned from him. Charming and Hook together were basically two frat boys glorifying traditional masculinity (with Hook being the darker, toxic side and again, never changing through learning anything from David). Rumple and Charming were incredibly different, but they had the commonality of putting their wives and families above everything else in the world. Exploring the different worldviews they came even with that common goal could have been fascinating, and expanded both characters.

-- And, of course, probably most of all: Rumbelle, and Belle’s other relationships. Like, I can’t even begin...there are SO many missed opportunities and lost chances with them--beginning even back in S2. What if they’d kept Lacey for more than two episodes and let her play a part in the main story? (I’ll never get over the hilarious visual of Lacey in Neverland.) But overall...just...not piling on stupid, needless, often OOC conflict without any payoff for three or four seasons. Not to say have them always be in perfect accord like Snowing, or a codependent mess like CY, in which Belle kept brushing off any of Rumple’s wrongdoings. But let them work out issues onscreen, let them fight together against outside threats like Hades, let them address their conflicts in ways that made sense in character rather than being excuses to prop a Stu or Sue. (Let’s not even discuss the constant teasing of the BatB TLK and the  ultimate utter pathetic anticlimax when it didn’t happen.) While I do think that canon Swan Queen is the only thing that could have definitely saved the ratings in later seasons, IMO a strong Rumbelle story that respected their characters and their story as Beauty and the Beast had a good chance of doing it as well. (Especially if Kitsowitz had had the brains to cash on on the live-action BatB hullablaoo.) But Kitsowitz were too small-minded and spiteful (and ABC too prejudiced and cowardly, I guess) to focus on their best romance.

(Honorary mentions to the Rumple/Regina frenemyship, which I cover below, and to poor Will Scarlet, who should have never been on the show if he wasn’t going to be more than a “soul-destroying” unneeded glitch in Rumbelle.)

Top 5 plot missed opportunities:

[OMG, Violet, you’re not done YET???]

-- The Anti-Magic Organization that Greg/Tamara supposedly worked for would have made a brilliant arc. Kitsowitz should have played that out before heading off to Neverland (it was obviously the plan because they didn’t expect the NL/PP perms situation to resolve so quickly).

-- My best crack theory: Hook found the author in Season 3B and had been using him to manipulate everyone ever since. Explaining Once Upon a Stu--and more important, getting out of it at the end of S4. https://violetfaust.tumblr.com/post/114245381966/what-if-someone-already-got-to-the-author

-- A S5b based on my second-best crack theory: https://violetfaust.tumblr.com/post/143427662086/things-that-absolutely-wont-happen-but-should Rumple and Belle try to get out of Hades’s clutches by working with Regina--who claims to be Rumple’s second-born child via Cora. We could have had so much juicy stuff exploring their past, what Rumple did to Regina, Rumple and Cora (it’s a travesty that they didn’t even have a passing encounter in the UW). It could have led into Emilie’s maternity leave when Hades discovered the truth and kidnapped Belle--which would have led to a 6A in which Rumple rescued Belle from some other dimension but found their child gone. And one of the plot points of 6A would have been Rumple working with the EQ not in some idiotic parody of a romance, but because she called in a favor.

-- BIG BAD FUCKING BLUE FAIRY. Enough said.

-- And then there’s the most destructive missed plot opportunity in the history of the show: Giving Rumple’s and Belle’s POVs in seasons 4 through 6. Given the reveals about the Dark Squad in S5, the most dramatic story this show ever had was Rumple’s battle against the Dark One (and his near-loss) in S4. A S4 that showed his POV of what was happening would have been epic--especially if it did not sideline Belle but allowed her to play a part in trying to save him at the end, culminating in their TLK that freed Rumple but unfortunately also let loose the Dark One, leading to it taking over Emma. Then S5 would have played out as it was advertised: the current Dark One vs. the only surviving former Dark One. Similarly, Belle’s actions in 6A caused nearly all the drama of 6B--and she wasn’t allowed to participate in it at all. 

Honorable mention to not including Belle in the Mulan/Ruby/Merida adventure in S5--a one-off that included three of her friends versus her enemy and could have really benefited from having, you know, a MEMBER OF THE MAIN CAST involved in the episode. 

[themangaguide]

The primary personality is conceited

After finished this Danberu nan kiro moteru?, I can rate this book with 4/5 stars, but I WILL CERTAINLY establish 5 stars as a result of it is possible, due to these factors: The recap of Danberu nan kiro moteru?:. One evening a mysterious and unusual phenomenon occurs in the nine districts. Five years later Chu Feng, a regular external disciple of the Azure Dragon institution, stirs up one of the mystical 9 lightning monsters. And also finds an egg sealed inside him ... There's really little to express worrying the beggining of the story approximate bad guy results to not be that arbitrary as well as truly includes a wonderful future. It would certainly be just destroying so just review it conveniently claim much more, itis great.

1) The world building in Danberu nan kiro moteru? is terrific, is just like endless, and that's I direct that I understand like-but maybe if you want smaller sized books after that just do not check out that a person since itis not ending quickly. A lot more need, substantial world, more expertise of the great globe, even more area to creativity. This can be a publication the more you search the greatest suggestion of the big photo you've although lots of people fall it early. Besides, in the beggining the common lifespawn possibly it is 80-120 years,.

Grows to the next arc along with 10000 the common people live and it's truly not just concerning lifespawn, itis life's way, all growers wish to stay a lot more as well as the tougher it ends up being, the much more all adjustments.

2) The development: The wonderful feature of that is the truth that the forces as well as intricacy boosts, maybe you read 500-700 chapters and also think the farming is shit however possibly whenever you check out 1000 even more you think that's not that bad, the farming technique to the main personality specifies, since all he desires at first is power source along with the benefit of that is that's even more experience kind, the poor component is the reality that there's very little Dao idea.

3) About side characters: The primary personality is conceited, warm blooded and also hearthless occasionally, great deals of people dislike this, however I would like to state that in this kind of planet if you such as to increase in the direction of the top you need to believe as possible and also a number of types that will certainly produce this satisfaction that a lot of individuals hate however this is just the means the earth it's, never ever surrending, frequently thinking in oneself, and so on so this produces the traditional hero figures that progresses because of power of relationship as well as defending added or perhaps the sort of main personality that believes he can be much better because Youare not and also he's remarkable and you'll receive killed if you move right into his path. Consequently no running away as well as operating thinks may create a darkness that around the major character, all of this is inside your fireplace that concerns farming as well as advancement, one more side figures there's very little to share, however there are a number of which are fantastic as well.

4) Love. Right, Love! There's love, you will certainly find grown-up minutes however love and also the hareem within this Hyulla's Race manga, which is all, it is nothing you are able to stress within this book, maybe it changes later, possibly not, who recognizes. Course of farming is unhappy, deal with it.

5) Opponent personalities. So you will certainly discover the normal arrogant young experts, there are a number of conventional villain, however in the beggining there not big bargain, global villians, yet this modifications, atleast there's 2 amazing "antagonist" I Have attended date, anyway there aren't required, the MC increases in cultivation, the "lawbreakers" are 1: guy that would such as energy due to the fact that yes, 2: male that would certainly such as ability to improve his growing.

6) Capabilities. There are absolutely a huge amount of abilities, lots of variations, great deals of sort of farming, it exposes also that whatever is fine to accomplish power, maybe you wont such as the method but just could chat or do something favorable regarding it if you must be more powerful. Within this book there's the chi that's a part of routine farming which you utilize to finish martial capabilities yet there's likewise the nature applied to set up development, the development might be made use of to strike, secure and both issues in the same time plus they are additionally more challenging to comprehend as well as improve, better, beneficial and innovative.

In general, you can locate all the Drama, Sad, Legendary, Soft, Vicious, Amazing, hiking towards the top in a big and considerable globe, if you're looking for all of this, after that this is an excellent read for you. Aventure globe having a large quantity of secret unknown things, numbers and forefathers' heritages. For those who had actually like to check out manga online after that I recommend this. Find out more related details at https://themangablog.sitey.me/806wneqmjjofxbv9ijip581582116920