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burntoutdaydreamer · 1 month

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3 Steps to Improve Your Characters and Make Them Three-Dimensional

So I don’t have a process for creating/developing characters (to me the process is intuitive to the point where I wouldn’t even know how to explain it), but I do have a process for revising characters that just… fall flat, for whatever reason.

I like to get to know my characters by throwing them into a bunch of different situations and seeing how they react, but sometimes that’s not enough. In these cases I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make them not feel like a cardboard caricature of the role I need them to fill. Here’s the process I use, and it involves three key questions to understand what makes your character tick.

1) What is this character’s fundamental belief- either about the world or themself?

2) Where does this belief come from?

3) How does this belief hinder them, and are they capable of growing past it?

Alright, here’s what the process looks like in action.

Let’s say I have a character I need to flesh out for my story.

Character A is a middle aged coffee shop owner and the protagonist of her story. The central conflict of the story revolves around trying to save the family run coffee shop she inherited from her father when he passed away, which has recently fallen on hard times.

What is this character's fundamental belief?

Character A believes that the world is an inherently good and fair place. She believes that good is always rewarded and bad is always punished, even if the timing isn't always perfect. As such, she strives to live a virtuous life, putting as much good into the world as she possibly can. While she understands that even good people can face hard times, she believes that in the long term, if things don't work out, it'll be because she didn't put in the work needed to turn things around.

Where does this belief come from?

Character A grew up in a solidly middle class household with good parents that treated her well- rewarding her for good work, and fairly punishing her for misdeeds. Her parents gave her everything she needed, but also expected her to work hard for the things she wanted. She also had the experience of watching her father build a successful business through hard work and by building strong connections with the people in town. If we want to push this further, we could also say that this belief was reaffirmed by watching her brother ruin his own life, squandering all his money and goodwill with those around him on failed get-rich-quick-schemes and outright scams that landed him in jail.

How does this belief hinder them, and are they capable of growing past it?

Let's say that Character A recently hired a barista who seems perfect for the job. Strapped for help, she gets him started right away before getting the results of his background check. When the results come in, she finds out that he is on probation and was recently released from jail for a violent crime. Shocked, she fires him. Believing that people who end up in jail always deserve it, she can't see past her initial prejudices. As a result, her coffee shop suffers from the loss of her new star barista.

Some time goes on, and Character A encounters the barista again, and learns more about the circumstances that landed him in jail (maybe he was falsely convicted, maybe he was battling psychosis, maybe the violent act was done to prevent a loved one- anything that makes her question her initial assumptions). He then confesses that he is struggling to provide for himself and his family because no one will hire him because of his criminal record. Character A comes to realize that her belief isn't completely true, and that the world isn't entirely fair. Though it takes a lot of inner work to do so, including coming to terms with her privilege, she eventually accepts this, and revises her beliefs. She decides that even though the world isn't fair, people have the responsibility to make it fair.

She decides to re-hire the barista she fired. After doing everything she can to make things right with him, she proposes an idea she wants his help with. Together, they transform her family business into a joint coffee shop and community rehabilitation center. In addition to selling coffee, they also launch a program to provide resources to recently incarcerated individuals looking to reenter society. They'll host weekly events on job interview coaching, alcoholics anonymous, motivational speeches, group therapy, opportunities to connect with open-minded employers, and more. Their promotion of this new program enables them to secure funding from local patrons and public grants, and customers are willing to pay for more expensive coffee with the knowledge that that money will be put to good use.

Additionally, if we want to go with the brother in jail backstory, we could have this ending be an opportunity for her to reconnect with him and maybe even repair their relationship as she gets to see him in a new light.

Main Takeaways

And there you have it!

You can use this process on any character- protagonist, antagonist, side character, etc. By grounding your character's motivations and development in their beliefs, you can easily introduce depth and internal conflict while keeping everything connected to the themes and plot driving your story.

Depending on your character's role or your story's plot, the belief can be wide reaching and complex (such as a philosophy or ideology), or specific and personal (such as having to do with their self-esteem). Either way, it should always be tied to their personal experiences or observations. This doesn't necessarily mean a tragic backstory. It could be, but I encourage you not to make this your default way of creating character depth. A mundane but grounded and sincere motivation will always be more compelling than cheap, dark shock factor.

Generally, protagonists with happy endings and villains with successful redemption arcs are capable of moving past their beliefs, while tragic heroes and antagonists aren't, and this failure is usually the source of their downfall. Keep in mind that even if characters do move past their old beliefs, it will always be a difficult thing to do. It will require them to confront their own mistakes, biases, and emotional wounds, and require both internal and external work in order to fix whatever their old beliefs have damaged.

Hopefully this guide will help you approach your characters from a different perspective. Feel free to share any insights.

Happy writing y'all!

#creative writing #writing #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #novel writing #writerscommunity #writing advice #writing problems #on writing #writing characters #character development #writing help #fiction writing #writing tips #writing thoughts #long post #really long post

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dudethatsmyundeaduncle · 2 months

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DP X DC AU Danny & The Little Dead Girl

(title pending lol, Danny and Curare adventures pt 2!) Pt 1 here My AU art

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Monday comes, as it is won't to do, and Danny has to go to school which means the baby halfa has to come to school too.

" ok, so, one rule for today, big rule, you gotta be quiet in class. Uh-"

Danny pulls his phone out of his pocket as their bus hits a pot hole. Sitting right at the front means they catch the momentum first and he has to hold Curaré against his side lest she go flying into the aisle.

A couple voices grumble behind them at the jostling as Danny gets his text to speech open.

" Necessitas ser quieto en clase. ¿Entiendes?" The Google robot lady voice translates for him.

Curaré blinks at him from behind her little paper face mask and looks from the phone to him curiously.

This is the game they've been playing since last night, Danny says something in English robo lady repeats it in Spanish.

Danny doesn't know if Curaré understands how the phone speaks or even that it does but she's giving him her favorite little blank expression so he assumes she gets it. At least, she hasn't really disagreed or disobeyed anything he's asked of her yet so...not gonna look that gift horse in the mouth Danny boy!

School goes well, mostly.

They get through the metal detectors and bag checks at the front entrance just fine. The security guards barely glance at Curaré once they confirm she isn't hiding a Glock or something under her shirt. Which it's kinda sad to know gun control is a cross-dimensional American problem but it's on brand if nothing else Danny thinks.

They get to first period without stopping at Danny's locker and settle down in two desks by the back door. This is Danny's usual spot, well usual as of a month ago, it's mostly empty back here now but Danny used to have a seat partner.

(A seat partner who had a kind of shady tweaker vibe that Danny would have been worried about but that kid went home early one day and never came back so....it's Curaré's seat now.)

The little dead girl looks even littler sat in the desk-chair combo, she can barely see over the top. Danny stacks three dictionaries under her for a boost then he gets her set up with some pencils and paper and the single highlighter he found on the floor his first day here.

Curaré seems vaguely interested in his offerings ,after Danny shows her how to use them to mark the page, and starts creating cautious marks of her own.

She keeps glancing back up at Danny as if to confirm that this is still fine? And he nods his head every time trying to be encouraging as it becomes obvious that nobody taught this kid to write inside Fosters Home for Real life Assassins. Which Danny thinks is poor planning on there part because really? If your Assassin can't write how the fuck were they supposed to leave ominous threatening warnings? Or fake suicide notes? Or any number of written props to flesh out a cover story.

Whatever, obviously the assassins raising Curaré sucked ass all around so he can't say he's surprised but he is majorly disappointed.

As the bell rings for first period a whole slew of teens rush in ahead of the teacher Mr. Berk. Simple guy, grey beard, coke bottle glasses, smells like Vics vapor rub, the works.

He's like the most chilled out version of Mr. Lancer ever so he's alright in Danny's books. Plus he only has one "rule", as long as your butt is in your seat by the time he calls your name for attendance he won't mark you late. In Gotham, where everyone and their brother has enough late marks from shitty public transportion to get detention, it's a pretty sweet rule.

So Mr. Berk takes attendance like usual and only pauses on Danny and Curaré in the back for a brief moment.

Curaré stops drawing and stares down Mr. Berk like he's the T rex from Jurassic park. Frozen in place and without breaking eye contact. He stares back at her completely unphased.

" A small visitor then?" He says.

Danny nods. " My sister"

" Mhm" Mr. Berk says already moving on to the next student on his roster.

Danny breathes out huge sigh of relief, that was so much easier then he expected.

They more or less repeat this exchange the whole day. Mondays suck ass because it's one of the only days Danny actually has all 6 periods, but they make it through 1st, 2nd, and nutrition unscathed.

By lunch time Danny thinks they might actually be home free, if no one is gonna bring up the whole freaking child tagging along with him then he can probably just bring her with him everyday.

Maybe he can find her some work books and she can learn the alphabet? And addition? That's like on track for 4 year olds right? Danny can't remember being 4 but that feels right to him. He will educate the child in his care like the responsible almost adult he is. She will go to college!

At lunch Danny sits them at the back of the school right next to the teachers lounge because it's mostly deserted.

In Danny's exprience the best place to hide is in plain sight. He's been sitting here everyday since he enrolled himself and the teachers have never noticed him. Their way too busy trying to get any kind of break from teaching high schoolers to be concerned.Which Danny is greatful for because he has broken the rule about using his cell phone at lunch 50 times at this point.

Listen he has to do universe research when he has access to wifi! Which he only does at school. The administration should be glad he's using his lunch period to educate himself really.

So they eat by the lounge. Danny has Curaré face away from the door so she can take off her face mask and eat unencumbered.The cut on her face is still gnarly, it looks an almost enflamed purple as it tries it's best to heal.

Danny had given Curaré a little immuno-boost with his own ecto the night before to try to speed up her healing factor. But like any Halfa, basically just Danny's personal experience, you have to nourish the ghost half and the human half in equal parts to heal all the way.

It's not until home room, period 6/7, that the metaphorical straw breaks the metaphorical camels back. or the real straw to the metaphorical camel? Did camels even carry straw? where would it go? Between there humps? Not important Fenton!

Home room was a grade A disaster.

Mr. Perez, Danny's kind of ancient home room teacher, who was for almost all intents and purposes blind, had a freaking nose for trouble. It's like he could sniff out vapes and cell phones as soon as they hit the stale class air. Danny thought this would be the easiest class by far, Mr. Perez wouldn't even see Curaré let alone smell her.

And at first it seems like he doesnt, Mr. Perez takes attendance and skips right over Danny and Curaré with no fanfare.

Danny thinks that's the end of it and starts to breathe easy until 15 minutes before the final bell when Mr. Perez' TA asks him to step into the hallway with her for a second.

Danny generally liked Mr. Perez's TA, her name was Sabrina Kahn and she was the kind of girl Jazz would have hung out with.Straight laced, wore argyle cardigans, read books, the smart sort. She looked Jazz's age too, maybe 21ish and she always rolled her eyes when people gave dumb answers in class.

She looks a little embarrassed to be speaking to Danny which immediately sets him on edge.

" It's okay that you brought your little sister today but, I'm sorry, you won't be able to do that again. A bunch of your teachers made complaints with the front office and Mr. Perez got a call about it ..."

Sabrina had always been nice to him and now she was about to ruin his whole week.

" But Ms. Kahn-" Danny started.

She gave him a sympathetic look " Lemme guess, your parents can't take her to work so this was the next best option?"

Danny closed his mouth and nodded, that was actually a much better lie then he was gonna tell, thank you Ms. Kahn. ( But also Boooooo curse you Ms. Kahn!)

" Here, I know it can be hard to find childcare for metas, especially ones as ah-vibrant as your sister. My brother had the same trouble with my nephew."

Sabrina hands Danny a flyer, it's still warm from the printer, it looks like it's just a screenshot of an email.

"Thanks?"

The TA rolls her eyes, wow a lot like Jazz then.

" It's the address to that daycare and a referral. They only take kids by word of mouth, they're kind of... off the books. But their good people! I hope they can help you Danny."

The paper is on off yellow, as Ms.Kahn heads back into homeroom Danny feels all his hope go with her. Shit, what was he gonna do now? He looks through the little glass window in the door to the back where Curaré sits, she's already watching him. He tries to smile at her, be reassuring, he's not sure it works.

......

When the bell finally rings Danny picks Curaré up and puts her on his hip to avoid her being crushed by the rush of high schoolers who stampede out the door in front of them.

The flyer from Ms. Kahn feels like it's burning a hole through his pocket as they ride the bus towards the Narrows.

Danny cased the house from the flyer with maps street view as well as he could. It showed a skinny sublet house across from a small strip mall and laundrymat.

Inconspicuous sure, maybe even innocent looking but well...you could never tell in Gotham, all the buildings looked sort of evil by default. It was probably because of the gargoyles and the general low level stink fog that seemed to always be out.

The big city™ really made Danny miss the suburbs of Amity Park more then just the regular gut wrenching home sickness. Oh what'd he'd give to take a deep breath of air and not inhale the smell of piss when he walked down the street.

They get off the bus at the corner a block from the daycare.

Danny holds Curaré's hand which makes for slow going but seems like the right thing to do. She's never wandered off but Danny didn't want to give her the opportunity to either.

As he helped her climb the three short stairs up to the house Danny was suddenly hit with a wave of panic.

What the fuck am I doing? Am I really gonna take care of this freaking Halfa ghost baby for the next 18 years? Im not even an adult! I work weekends at BatBurger for minimum wage WTF?

Danny's hands began to sweat and his stomach cramped. Oh fuck, here was the existential crisis he'd been waiting for since he first decided to take Curaré from the leagues super secret baby basement.

Oh shit he couldn't breathe, what was he gonna do! OH fuck think!

What would jazz do? Call child services and offer psychological support. Not Uber helpful in this case Danny didn't know the first thing about psychology and Gotham CPS was actual prison.

What would Sam do? Assassin babies are hella counter culture but maybe find a cool rich eccentric family to adopt them? Nope, not gonna work Danny only knew one eccentric rich girl and she was a whole dimension away. FUCK THINK FENTON!

What would Tucker do? In this situation ask Google, homeschooling is big these days so maybe if you leave her in the apartment while your gone with an iPad-

" Hey you alright there dude, can I help you?"

Danny choked on the end of his anxiety panic badbadbad spiral and looked up.

The front door to the house was open and just inside the threshold stood a younger teen, maybe 16? With the kind of fade haircut Tucker always whined he couldn't pull off and a bright yellow hoodie.

Danny held his breathe for a moment making sure he felt it burn up his lungs and throat before letting out a big sigh.

" Yeah, yeah sorry kinda zoned out there I'm just uh kinda nervous I was told to come here for Daycare help for my little sister?"

Curaré looked at the stranger in the doorway with the same wide eyed blankness she stared at everything with. Funnily enough she was still holding Danny's hand, had held on through Danny's entire mental meltdown too despite the ecto sweat. Danny felt oddly touched by the gesture, even if it was more likely that the little girl wasn't bothered by his crisis then her being sympathetic.

The teen in the Yellow Hoodie raised an eyebrow at Danny as he fumbled the paper from Ms. Kahn out of his pocket to hand over.

Yellow Hoodie took it and looked between it, him, and Curaré.

" You're not a cop right? You have to tell us if you're a cop"

Danny made a face, " no, I'm not a cop! I would never be a cop, cops suck."

" Right." Yellow Hoodie said still suspicious " So you wouldn't mind if I called your referral up?"

" Be my guest dude."

The teen pulled out his phone and made sure to keep steady eye contact with Danny. Who could do nothing except not look away during this, the world's most impromptu staring contest, until Yellow Hoodie put his phone away.

" Just wanted to see if you were bluffing. Sabrina called earlier said she'd sent someone our way but you can never be too careful. Come on in. "

Danny felt the wind go out of his sails for the second time that day, what was with people and making him anticipate the worst.

.....

The inside of the house was old, homey, but old. It had very obviously been well lived in by a few generations of children, easy to see from the scuffed floors, chipped crown molding, and the sheer number of framed photos that hung on the walls.

There were signs of new life about too, some toys scattered on the floor, walls that were covered in butcher paper and crayon as high as little hands could reach, and oddly enough some scorch marks. Although, Danny's supposed that an unlicensed daycare for meta kids worth it's salt ought to have a least a few burn marks. For posterity if nothing else.

" I'm Duke, I volunteer here when I can but the place is run by the Mariscos, Mrs. Marisco specifically. She's been in the game for a long time" Duke nee yellow hoodie said as he stopped them in front of a closed door.

The hand made sign on the door said Office in nice scribbly lettering and it was hung on with a peg and twine. Real kitschy.

Danny could just make out the sounds of kids playing in another part of the house and was a little impressed that Duke had managed to keep Danny from seeing even one tiny tot during the impromptu house tour.

" I gotta go help Izzy with the kids, this is Mrs.Mariscos' office just knock before you go in, she might be on the phone."

Duke nodded to Danny, smiled down at Curaré and disappeared down the hallway.

Leaving Danny and Curaré alone in front of a closed door once again.

Danny looked down at Curaré and she looked up at him, she was characteristically silent.

" This feels like a job interview, did you bring your resume? "

Curaré blinked.

" Yeah, me neither. But I think if we both give her puppy eyes maybe our combined under aged-ness will activate her maternal instincts and she'll be forced to accept us?"

The nerves were back, they had never really left but now they had settled like a rock at the pit of Danny's stomach.

He couldn't bring himself to knock on that office door just yet so he fussed over Curaré instead. Kneeling down he straightened the collar of Curaré's hooded jacket and moveed her little backpack strap back up her shoulder where it had slipped.

" We got this. It's you and me now remember, even if this blows and you have to come to school with me for the rest of year it's you and me." Danny rested his hands on little shoulders and hung his head. " Jeez, I sound like my mom"

"No need to be so nervous Mijo! My Chiqis never met a kid she could turn away."

Danny's neck had never snapped up so fast in his life.

Curaré hadn't been looking up at him at all. No, Curaré was staring up towards the elderly woman floating near the ceiling.

Which was not great, because Danny for all the time had spent in Gotham had never seen another ghost. Not a single one.

Which was unsettling on its own but not bad per se, he'd thought maybe this dimension was just different, not enough spectral energy to manifest a ghostly body.

But no, again nope, this was so much worse.

No ghosts was easy enough to reationalize but one ghost? One ghost meant there was enough spectral energy, one ghost meant something was really really wrong with Gotham.

Because if there was only one ghost in a crime ridden pissed off city like this where the shit were all the others?

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Yo! Just wanted to say thank u for all the support on part 1, did not expect people to like or care about it lol. Anyway back on bullshit, I've had this written for a while but didn't have the insp to post it until now.

Might write more, might not, you get one bat cameo for reading this time ur welcome.

Forgot to add this to the first post, it's in the reblogs, but TLDR Curaré is an assassin from batman beyond.

Note: if you wanna see cool art for this AU check the Danny and the little dead girl tag on my blog!

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dp x dc au #dpxdc #dc x dp #DP x DC #batman #Curaré #batman beyond #duke thomas #danny and the little deadgirl au #i really gotta think of a name for this AU if its gonna be a thing #do i have a plan for this? no no i do not #i have a vague idea about what happens in this universe and no real motivation to write it #batfam

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mutable-manifestation · 4 months

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Actual Scientists Jack & Maddie AU Part 4

Part 1 & 2

Part 3

Explaining The Papers (™) to Frostbite takes a While (also ™).

Though with no more imminent threat of “Vlad maybe finding out he’s the ghost king and becoming Insufferable (also also ™) about it” Danny was feeling a lot less stressed - Sam and Tucker, too, if the fact that they were actually drinking their tea now instead of just barely sipping at it was any indication - or they could’ve only just cooled enough to actually drink, the FF did tend to overestimate the level of heat they could tolerate just a tad.

Not to say that he wasn’t still stressed, given the whole “the Justice League is trying to summon ME” thing. But like. They were reaching out hoping for peace, not hoping to skin/dissect/exterminate him.

Plus they don’t know how to summon him; he figures he has time. Hopefully enough to get Frostbite’s advice.

And mostly to cool his own nerves, because now that he knows they did try to help and are helping the Justice League is Cool again! And they want to meet him!

Well, they want to meet the ghost king, but they already watched him! They thought he was a capable hero!

Danny isn’t really used to getting positive feedback, so being called “good hands” by Superman - Superman! The hero! The Alien hero! (well, one of them. Martian Manhunter is also amazing but he hasn’t complimented Danny in person yet so he doesn’t have any expectations for Danny to live up to. Maybe. Hypothetically).

The JL is so cool and they think he’s cool! Or at least capable! Except now he has to impress them not just as a hero but as a king?

Yeah.

Suffice to say, Danny is now a little nervous.

(And also maybe redirecting his nerves intentionally to be about the JL so he doesn’t have to breathe into a bag about being probably the only thing between the Zone and eventual total dimensional collapse because Frostbite was very ‘this is normal and okay’ about it but it’s eventual total dimensional collapse [ALL OF THEM] and it is Danny’s problem. But no, he’s just nervous about meeting the JL. Totally.)

Reciting pretty much his whole life story - well, the basics of his parents’ work and then pretty much everything from the portal onward - gives him time to untense, and honestly, getting it all out to a mostly uninvolved third party - one he likes and trusts - really is a weight off his shoulders.

He’ll never tell Jazz; the amount of I-told-you-so-energy she’d leech into the air would be unbearable.

Sam and Tucker tag in here and there too, and mostly take over when they get to the part where the GIW bought Fenton Works for a short while to try and destroy the zone. Danny winces at the memory of his behavior back then.

The explanation runs for longer than it could have, given the aside they make when they get to his parents’ theories.

Frostbite is quick to confirm the combat-as-a-positive-social-behavior thing, and it turns out Sam is right about how to tell the difference.

Of course, Danny thinks they were all trying to kill him the rest of the way, but then that’s not a concern most ghosts have, so Frostbite offers his own perspective.

Skulker wants to hang his pelt on a wall: clearly unfriendly.

Technus is just having fun - enjoying playing with new technology in the living realm and throwing Danny around/being thrown around. He’s a friend. The whole world domination idea isn’t malicious as far as he’s concerned, because damage to the living realm doesn’t mean much to ghosts. What do they care about the living? What is the value of a single world as collateral when weighed against the games of ghosts?

If Danny wants him to stop that, Frostbite tells him, he can just propose a new game.

Ember genuinely just wanted a powerboost from the Earth that first time, but her returns since are a gesture of friendship.

Spectra definitely hates him though. Which is good. He wouldn’t know how to feel if Frostbite had said that that whole mess was an attempt at friendship.

As for the thing with his parents, Frostbite compares it to winning a tournament only to find out the other participants lost intentionally. You haven’t really won a competition if the competitors were not competing.

Like going in for a handshake only to get a “too slow” - even more insulting if it’s the first “too slow” you’ve ever gotten - Tucker suggests.

Or like asking a parent to a hug and only getting a wave. Not even a high-five.

They each go through another three cups of tea before the story winds down, Frostbite doing adding little more than the occasional nod or noise of acknowledgement - barring the social combat explanation, of course.

It’s nice, Danny thinks, to have an adult that actually listens. Even if said adult is a dead yeti.

“You have given me much to think on Great One, Friends Sam and Tucker,” he says after the three of them finally run out of words, giving each of them a nod. “And soon, we shall have much more to discuss. First, however, it seems that I have a meeting to call. And you have living needs that require attending to yet. Eat, rest, and, if you would, return here… let’s say the day after tomorrow? Then we can begin to discuss the…issues. At hand.”

Back in the Specter Speeder, Tucker wonders aloud if “call a meeting” is code for yelling at the Observants.

Then he looks at his PDA and realizes how late it’s gotten - namely, past all of their curfews - and they promptly turn the conversation to getting their story straight (and three backups because they’re all feeling paranoid with how high-stakes everything suddenly became. Not that the occasional ghost looking to wreck earth wasn't already high-stakes, but the whole political aspect made it feel... different).

***

Danny is thankful it’s summer vacation at the moment, because the next morning is a Monday.

He doesn’t know how he’d manage school with his mind miles away wondering about things like “how to king” and “how to maintain the fabric of reality” and other totally normal, non-stressful topics.

Just normal high schooler things.

His parents are gone before he’s even up, leaving a note for him and Jazz on the kitchen table.

They eat a quiet breakfast together.

The whole house is quiet. It’s unnatural, he thinks, and the small frown on Jazz’ face tells him she feels the same.

They normally enjoy the brief lulls of quiet that their parents leave behind, but this is perhaps the first time they’ve ever missed breakfast - well, the first time they haven’t been in the house during breakfast at least. A welding torch, clanging metal, clinking glass, minor explosions, and excited shouting is the usual background noise of their morning meal - whether from the basement door or at the table itself.

This time, the silence is disquieting.

Even more so since it means that Danny could, at any time, be teleported somewhere. He really should have asked Frostbite about how that works before they left - they’d already missed curfew anyway.

After they’ve both finished eating, he takes the opportunity to fill Jazz in on the whole… everything.

She is, to put it lightly, Not Impressed.

“-s bad enough they let you fight Pariah Dark in the first place! You should never have been in that position! I know that you’re a capable fighter Danny, but you’re fourteen-”

“I’m almost fifteen,” he grumbles.

“You’re not yet fifteen,” she says, glaring into the distance, expression practically snarling. Danny thinks she might be imagining strangling an Observant, based on the… choice words she’d had for them earlier. “And they want you to be a king!”

Tucker chooses that moment to arrive, walking right into the path of where Jazz is glaring and freezing until Sam shoves him out of her way to close the door and drag him into the kitchen.

“Who spat in your cereal?” she asks, moving to sit and kicking the fourth chair out for Tucker.

“Whoever or whatever is responsible for deciding that a fourteen year old child should be king when there are no doubt numerous thousand-plus year old candidates who don’t have human lives they still need to attend to!” She bellows, throwing her hands up in frustration.

The trio exchange a glance while she takes a few calming breaths.

Danny kind of wants to point out that he isn’t a child, he’s a teenager. And she’s barely older than him.

But he does have some sense of self-preservation, even if there’s only so much self left to preserve. Heh.

Then she gasps.

“Danny! You’re still half alive!”

“Er, yes?”

“Maybe that’s why the Watching Wraiths didn’t say anything! Maybe you can’t be the Ghost King if you’re still partly alive!”

“But Frostbite said-” Tucker starts, only to be cut off by Jazz.

“Frostbite could be wrong.” She sniffs. “And even if he isn’t you there are millenia before it becomes a problem. The Zone can wait for you to graduate high school before it goes demanding things of you. Or longer.”

The words are decisive.

Still….

“The Justice League-”

“Can cope. They’ll be a little paranoid about retaliation, but a little paranoia won’t kill them. And maybe letting them stew a bit will teach them to be more active about taking down genocidal organizations before they hurt so many people.”

“That’s a great idea,” Sam says, tone saying the opposite, “except the part where they’re actively working on figuring out how to summon the ghost king - who is Danny - and are probably also going to try and make contact with Phantom at some point - who is also Danny.”

Jazz frowns.

“Well. You don’t have to be a king to talk to the Justice League. Just tell them you’re still too young - which is true - or that the coronation is going to take a long time to plan - which, according to Frostbite, would be a reasonable claim. And also true since you will not be taking the throne until you are at least 18 if the Fenton Peeler and I have anything to say about it.”

“Uh. I don’t know if the Peeler is the best idea. With your…aim.” Tucker cringes, shrinking back in his seat when her unhappy frown snaps to him.

Then she looks thoughtful.

“You know what. I’ll just use a specter deflector. You mentioned before how humans are ghosts in the ghosts zone; see if they still feel like making a child a king when they’ve got an unstrikable target punching their lights out about it.”

“Please don’t antagonize a bunch of ghosts who could try and attack you while you're sleeping,” Danny pleads.

“It’s bad enough that all this has impacted your sleep and grades and attendance records so much; I’m not going to let a bunch of ghost nobles - or whatever they’re called - mess things up for you even more. If they don’t like my proposals they can un-friendly fight me about it, and if you’re worried about retribution I can turn on the house defenses in my room when I sleep. But I am not letting this go.”

She stands.

“Since he didn’t give you a time, we’ll leave to visit Frostbite after breakfast tomorrow-”

“We?” the trio ask hesitantly.

“Of course. But for now, there’s something else we need to do, little brother.”

That said, she turns and heads for the basement.

Danny and Tucker blink at the abrupt departure, while Sam just frowns thoughtfully.

The three exchange one more meaningful glance, before sharing a shrug and moving to follow her.

They arrive in the basement to Fenton Fighting Ring rising out of the floor.

“Uh, Jazz?” Danny tries.

“We’re going to fight!”

In stark contrast to both her words and her furious demeanor upstairs, her tone and expression are bright and eager.

“Um. That’s. Nice, but you know that’s a ghost thing, right?” he offers hesitantly.

“I mean, I still fight with Dora,” Sam adds, the traitor.

“Thank you Sam,” Jazz starts. “But even without that example; you are part ghost, brother mine. That means fighting loved ones is a you thing. I love you, so of course I’m going to fight you.”

“Mom and Dad theorized - and Frostbite confirmed - that the fighting is a social behavior. Many social behaviors are also needs. Members of social species that are not allowed to socialize become stressed and their health worsens. Humans who don’t communicate with other humans for too long experience negative side effects, too little physical contact can lead to depressed mood and so forth,” she monologues as she moves into the ring.

“As you’re still half human, neglecting the social needs of your ghost half could negatively impact your wellbeing. Also. I’m your sister and I love you. If I could never hug you I’d be bummed. This is like the ghost equivalent of that. So. Square up, little brother.”

Danny is kind of touched, actually.

Still.

“...Don’t you at least want an anti-creep stick?” he asks, gesturing at her general lack of ghost gear as he slips intangibly through the ropes around the ring.

“Nope!” She says cheerfully. “For this match we’ll be doing no powers and no weapons - just basic human strength and skill. We can try other kinds of fights later.”

Danny pales.

“No way! You’re a 4th degree black belt!”

“9th!” she corrects, still cheerfully - and she clearly means well, but for Danny that smile is beginning to look like an omen of ill fortune.

“That’s even worse!” he cries. “I’m only a blue belt! Barely!”

“I ~told~ you you should’ve stuck with mom’s training,” she sing-songs teasingly.

He cringes, but takes a stance.

“Now let's see how much you remember.”

That’s the only warning he gets before she’s in his face.

His strength, speed, stamina, endurance, and durability are all completely back to baseline in human form unless he actively uses his flight to compensate, but one thing he notes as the fight draws on is that his reaction speed is still the same.

Even so, it’s painfully obvious just how beyond him she is in terms of skill.

Without any powers to fall back on, Jazz runs circles around him like it’s nothing.

His reaction speed means that he sees everything she’s doing and that he has time to bring his arms up, but he keeps lagging trying to recall forms and getting shoved around for it, the defenses he manages too poor to be of any use.

Other times he lags because he’s suppressing instinctual power usage.

And multiple times he accidentally, instinctively abandons proper stance all together, habitually falling into the stance of his usual “feral racoon” style of fighting - as Jazz had one called it - which isn’t much of a stance at all in a fight with no powers. Especially given how it's not made for someone fighting on the ground. She takes brutal advantage of every opening.

He’s on the back foot from the first second of the fight, and it’s obvious that it only lasted for longer than one because Jazz allowed it to, testing him.

It’s frustrating that he’s doing so poorly - he knows he’s doing poorly - but despite that, he really is having fun.

It reminds him of the training spars at the Far Frozen - restrained skill set, fight with defined boundaries and win conditions-

Aaaaand evidently he let his mind wander too much.

And Jazz noticed.

And flipped him.

He’s thoroughly pinned in short order and he cannot for the life of him remember how to escape the hold short of cheating with intangibility.

“Uncle,” he calls.

Jazz pulls him to his feet and ruffles his hair.

He squawks indignantly, but she just chuckles.

"Good fight little brother," she calls as she slips between the ropes out of the ring.

"Our hero," Sam drawls as he follows.

Danny just pouts.

"That was just sad, man," Tucker ribs. "And I thought your early ghost fights were bad."

"I'd like to you do better against the 9th degree blackbelt," he grumbles.

"Don't fret, little brother. You'll improve with time," Jazz says as she rejoins them. "Though we'll have to do refreshers of all the previous levels first, given the amount of skill degradation I just saw. But with regular practice you'll back to your previous level and more in no time!"

"Uh. Refreshers?"

"Of course!"

"That seems a bit overkill just for sparring. Couldn't you just...wear a specter deflector or something? Then I can just not use karate."

Jazz, for the first time in a long time, levels him with a very serious look.

"You said that the reason Frostbite can't be the king instead is because he can't beat you in an all out fight. You told me the alternative."

She grabs him by the shoulders and stares into his eyes.

"Danny, Vlad already made a way to shut you away from your ghost powers. Frostbite may be unwilling to end you, and I don't think Vlad would. But you and I both know there are ghosts out there who would destroy you in a heartbeat for that power. And if Vlad has that kind of device, someone else could get one too. Ecto-weapons can give you a leg up if you get sealed away from your ghost powers, but you'll also need the skill to use them successfuly."

She lets go and steps back, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Even with the ghost powers it's probably a good idea; the crown and ring might power you up but so did the exoskeleton. Clearly they aren’t the only power-ups out there so you can’t rely on strength alone. Skill could be the determining factor one day. And you already said you had fun," she smiles. "Come on little brother, give in to the karate side."

He grimaces.

"Didn't you say you were gonna make the royalty thing a non-issue for like three more years at least," he whines, slumping dramatically.

She raises a brow.

"A blackbelt isn't made in a day."

"Ugh, fine."

He's actually looking forward to it, but Jazz doesn't need to know that. He's duty-bound as a brother to be as annoyingly contrary about sibling bonding as possible, after all.

When Sam asks if they'll teach her and Tucker as well, Jazz is all too happy to include them - best not to have only one sparring partner, avoid forming bad habits and all that.

Both girls dutifully ignore Tucker's protests while they hash out a schedule. Danny pats his shoulder consolingly.

#dpxdc

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evelmiina · 7 months

Note

Love your work! I wanted to ask what your process is like when it comes to coming up with a design/composition to a piece? Do you have any specific methods you use or it is more improvised:)? Thanks!

I'd say both - method and improvisation. To me all pictures are basically shapes organized in a pleasing way. Even when I draw lines I think more about overall shapes together and how I feel about them. There's a lot to consider about design and composition, some pretty smart books on the subject are Marcus Mateu-Mestre: Framed Ink and Hans Bacher: Vision - color and composition for film. I'm still learning all the time and I make mistakes but I think method to making composition comes down to: readability and narrative intention, moving from simplicity to complex. But it's also fun and important to play around and see what works, that's why my process is not always the same and I can show some examples. Here are the sketches and final I did for my Magic card illustration:

This is my go-to method when I want to rely on tried and true process and I know I won't get lost once I start drawing/painting because I can rely on my steps. I don't always do things this way, but for paid work I want the client to have as clear idea of my intention as possible. The reasoning why 3 worked the best is because it's more dynamic and dimensional than 2, but more readable than 1. It also best showcases how the tower is supposed to be huge, something that was important for the design.

This on the other hand was personal work and I approached it in more relaxed way just to see where it goes. Still I think what made me want to finish it is I liked the variety of shapes and rhythm of the room, like how the screens lead towards the doorway, lot of rectangles but varied in their size and angle. If it was client work I probably would've been called out in the sketch, because the focal point is this empty wall that makes no sense. I came up with the idea of shadow of a window while making it and in the end it worked, but it was an example how I made a big design problem for myself that I was gambling on to figure out.

This one had very specifically just one photo reference, but I did the sketch to put down the essentials of what I was seeing in the photo. In the end I referenced dog's face and pose more from the photo so it looks more natural, which was also funnier than my own initial interpretation

Sometimes the initial comp just doesn't pan out exactly. I did the sketch for this Unicorn fanart and I even drew the interior at some point, but it just Did Not Work for me, I also discarded the idea of medieval dragon in the statue for same reason. So it sat in my folder for a while until I could look at it again and after taking a break, I still liked the statue and the general idea, but decided to make the surroundings easier to look at so that the statue stands out better.

When I did the sketch for this dragon I wanted it to feel big and heavy, like lifting its head from the ground. But I didn't want to do vertical picture which lead me to painting over digitally and extending the picture, then painting the whole thing traditionally anyway.

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luciddownloading · 7 months

Text

Tarot Reading: What Is Your Main Character Energy?

Good evening/morning/afternoon. Whenever this finds you! I am choosing to do a classic today; one that all my favorite readers have done: what is your main character energy? Please know that "main character" does not mean being self-centered or making everything about you. It just means how you can best live out your life story. How are you the protagonist of your own movie or novel? Because we all are, whether you embrace that concept or not. Embracing it moves you into your main character energy.

Choose the pretty picture of the mirror below that you feel most drawn to. Then, scroll down to your pile's description. It's okay to feel drawn to more than one. Not only because all the aesthetics are aesthetic-ing but because your main character energy may be so dimensional and complex that you can't be described by just one pile.

Trust your intuition. If it doesn't sound like you or the potential you have within (but may not have grown into yet), it's not your pile. Take what resonates and leave the rest.

PILE 1

PILE 2

PILE 3

PILE 4

(Clarifying cards in parentheses)

PILE 1

Five of Pentacles

(Two of Pentacles, reversed)

Seven of Cups

(Eight of Pentacles)

The Fool, reversed

(The High Priestess)

Two of Swords, reversed

(Six of Pentacles, reversed)

Two of Wands

Pile 1, I am feeling like you guys are dreamers. Big dreamers. But, you're not just about the dreaming. You're also about the hard work and the effort needed to make those dreams come true. Your main character energy stems from the fact that you are equally pragmatic and idealistic. Your head is in the clouds but your feet are on earth. But, what people underestimate is how HARD this balance is. It's really difficult for you because, until you come to a place of inner peace, one side of yourself is constantly disappointing the other. If you cling to your fantasies, you feel like a failure who isn't getting anything done. But, if you try to live in the "real world", you feel trapped and claustrophobic, like you're killing your dreams by conforming to a normal, boring life or approach to it.

Here are two things you probably need to hear right now. 1) There is no such thing as "the real world". Nothing is real and everything is real. It all depends on the reality you create every day with your thoughts. Don't let this dull, unawakened, unimaginative society kill your beautiful, magical spirit. At the same time 2) You need to make sure you get and stay grounded. You all who chose this pile have VERY high frequencies and powerful energies. You are also great manifestors. But you can very very easily manifest what you don't want, as your vibration is so strong. You can't afford to be a manifestation skeptic or not be conscious of this part of life. It will really really slow you down. This is a call from your Guides to consistently work on the grounding techniques and practices/meditations needed to anchor on the physical. Earth is the worst, at times, because of some humans in it but also so beautiful in other ways. You move into your main character energy when you fully embrace being on this plane and allow yourself to cultivate a very abundant life.

I am getting a heavy vibe of "artist" from this pile. And I say this because, with love, there is also a major "struggle bus" energy here. Many of you know all too well the life of being a starving writer, actor, singer, dancer, etc. But, don't allow yourself to settle for that! You have major blockages to your manifestations, which may even stem from past life experiences of poverty or financial loss. That feels very comfortable to you. A lot of you claim to not care about money, to not be materialistic. But, do you maybe subconsciously feel like you don't deserve financial abundance or material success? Also, while it is noble to sacrifice for your art, there is a message here about not romanticizing that struggle. Rent still needs to be paid, my good sis. Here again is the importance of balancing your dreamy, imaginative, idealistic side with practical concerns. And you can do that without becoming a slave to capitalism.

All The Small Things by Blink 182 just came through, particularly the lyric "Work sucks, I know." Maybe you hate your day job or don't want to get one? If you're not pursuing an artistic path, I wouldn't be surprised if you still had a creative side. Maybe you gave up your dream of being an artist to pay the bills. Well it's not too late to pursue that dream! You are being urged to not let the world turn you cynical. There is a big dream you have and I feel like many of you haven't quite gotten there or haven't pursued it yet. But please know that you can and will. I think you need to change how you view yourself. You are SO much more capable and impressive than you give yourself credit for. Be very very careful with how you speak of yourself in this way. If you keep referring to yourself as a mess or a loser or broke, that's how you will remain. You can't level up til your thoughts do!

I feel like you guys are very free-spirited. Colorful and fun. You can make the most of any situation, which may be partially why you don't change your adverse financial/professional situation. It just doesn't faze you anyway! Going back to All The Small Things, your energy reminds me of that music video. Playful and silly. You are, though, capable of taking your goals very seriously. If you allow yourself to. Again, a juxtaposition of two opposites. You're a walking contradiction! You also, per the lyrics, find such joy in life's little pleasures. It's lovely and even childlike.

Also, you are highly intuitive. Please stop brushing it off or being afraid of it. Your logical side can make you very resistant toward your psychic abilities. But, they still play a major role in your life anyway. It's funny. You have a strong psychic gift that you are pretty much always using but rarely noticing or believing in. Lol your Guides find it kind of funny too (in a loving way) because you are always in communication with them but you just see it as so normal, you don't realize it. Some of you are natural mediums. You may want to research that because you could discover a whole part of yourself you didn't know you were using. And you may make good money as a spiritual practitioner. Yeah, some of you have a LOT of fear about developing your intuitive gifts. Please know and trust that you are protected. I think you have one Guide in particular who is meant to help you develop your gift and will be your intermediate to the other side, keeping all the negative energy at bay.

Very artistic people are usually very psychic and vice versa. Either path could be the one for you or you could do both. Here's the thing. You picked this mirror that looks like it's in a rich person's mansion. And I am going to reveal your dirty little secret so don't hate me for it: you want to be wealthy. Deep down, you do. That could mean making six figures or being a millionaire or just always being able to pay your bills without any worries and have plenty of disposable income. Don't worry. It doesn't make you a bad person! You owe it to yourself to tap into your abundance.

Your main character energy is being very well off, a success story, maybe even a rags to riches story. If you want to live a fabulous life, please do what you can to manifest that for yourself. Do not feel guilty about that. And don't let people and their limiting beliefs keep you small, in a state of struggle or lack, or from pursuing what you want. If someone wants to "eat the rich", then they can have your future wealthy self on a plate with some Tobasco sauce. And if someone tries to kill your dream, know that it exists in your head, not theirs.

//////////

PILE 2

The Hierophant

(Queen of Cups)

Four of Swords - reversed

(The Hermit - reversed)

Ten of Wands

(Knight of Cups)

King of Cups - reversed

(Page of Cups)

The Empress

Pile 2, your energy is precious. You guys are such sweethearts! I not only get an adorable, kind, bubbly vibe from you but a very feminine one. It doesn't matter what gender you identify with, you have strong feminine energy. That is a big part of your main character energy: femininity. In particular, it's more of what's known as "light feminine" energy: soft, kind, perky, nurturing, pretty. I got two images in my head: Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Anna Faris' character from The House Bunny. People may unfortunately underestimate you because you are traditionally feminine but it's their mistake if they do. You are a force to be reckoned with in a cute package. Iron fist in a velvet glove.

Some of you may resist this main character energy because you want to be taken more seriously. You might try to hide or deny your soft, sweet or aesthetic side. Well, don't. It's through this energy that you come out on top. I have to say that people ADORE you, whether you realize it or not. You might be too focused on your flaws or your dark side to realize that everyone thinks you are just this really nice, really loving little cinnamon roll. That may be how some underestimate you but not out of malice. People can dismiss many of your shadow traits, too busy idealizing you, and you can get away with murder sometimes, low-key (I am tempted to say high-key but I don't think y'all are manipulative like that. Unless I'm also underestimating you lol)

You excel by holding yourself to some sort of lovingly high standard, if that makes sense. "Love thy neighbor" and I don't mean in a religious sense (though some of you could be). I just mean being very loving, very compassionate and encouraging. You kill with kindness because this is not only how you rise above negativity and hate but how you get ahead in life. You become the main character by showing how many more bees you get with honey than with vinegar.

I would not be shocked if many people find you angelic or call you an angel. That, by the way, does not mean you're perfect or all-good. It just means you're capable of exceptional empathy or kindness or service to others. You struggle with tremendous guilt, though. Many people pleasers in this pile! If not, then you are definitely an "over-giver", someone so generous and available that they just let people take and take. And take and take and take. Please recognize when your energy is being drained, when you're taking on way too much. Honor your boundaries! There can be something of a martyr complex here. You were not meant to take on the weight of the world! Also, you can't save people! You have to let people work through things themselves.

I think you have a very, very rich inner life, as well, Pile 2. People might also not suspect this because of the bubbly exterior but you are capable of diving deep, sometimes painfully deep. As such as an empathic person, you are also often processing others' emotions as well as your own. There is like this huge "depression/anxiety rabbit hole" that you can easily fall into that may kind of haunt you. No matter how happy you are or good things are going, one step in that melancholy direction of thoughts can easily derail you. It's important for you to monitor your thoughts and know when you're about to "go there". You shouldn't repress those states if they naturally arise but you also should know what to do when they do. So you can prevent yourself from spiraling. Some tips I am getting: writing poetry, meditating, gratitude journal, singing, any hobby that can calm you down and get you to focus on something else. Knitting, maybe? Painting. Take all that applies.

Also, um, you are gorgeous. Whether you believe it or not. People find you so beautiful, inside and out. For some, there is an emphasis on your outer beauty, maybe a bit excessively, to your frustration at times. The good thing? Your main character energy allows you to not only exude beauty in all ways but to get many people to also see past it. "Yes he's really good-looking but he's also so talented!" "She is stunning yet she's also just an amazing person." Your looks are the cake icing, not the cake itself. Some people may take a while to realize this. But, again, like the aforementioned main characters who were written off as mere pretty faces, you inevitably surprise the ones who think that when you display all the layers and facets and talents you have.

At the same time, don't be ashamed of taking pride in your appearance, putting effort into it. It's not a sin to want to look good! You are very popular with your preferred sex(es). Yes, you are a regulation hottie. Own it. Some of you may struggle with it if you had an adult "glow up" after years of awkwardness but there's nothing wrong with embracing your attractiveness. At the same time, there may be a bittersweet irony here because you aren't always treated how you deserve by love interests or romantic partners. You are more drawn to counterparts with a very masculine energy yet there can be a pattern of choosing very emotionally unavailable or immature people. And since you're so kind and giving, this is often a recipe for heartbreak. I am sure a particular person or two just came to your mind lol.

But you know what? I get the sense that these love interests end up regretting their actions. They may break their own heart by letting someone as precious as you get away. And as time goes on, you will gradually learn your lesson about giving your heart away to those who force you to do all of the heavy lifting. While you will learn the hard way, your love life will get increasingly satisfying with each painful lesson in relationships. That beautiful heart of yours will never shut down. You refuse to let it and will probably end up teaching one or more of those unavailable lovers what true love means, allowing them to turn it around and become much more open-hearted. But, again, don't try to do that for them.

Oh, I almost forgot your channeled song. It's weird because many girl-anthem pop songs came through but none really stood out. So, I will do something different. Pick your favorite female pop star and do a shuffle playlist of her music. The first song that comes up is your message.

///////

PILE 3

Five of Cups

(Nine of Cups - reversed)

Two of Pentacles - reversed

(The Wheel of Fortune - reversed)

Nine of Wands

(Seven of Swords)

Justice

(Nine of Pentacles - reversed)

Five of Swords

Wow, alright, Pile 3. I think you're in need of a hug and I am sending one to you energetically. There is some very intense and very painful energy to this pile. Unfortunately, that is part of your main character energy: to work through a lot of pain, heartache, even trauma. The pitfall is that you can make the mistake of believing that this suffering is your identity. You are not your trauma. That trauma is made up of so many lies that others told you or that you even told yourself to cope with your situation.

But you know what? You did the best you could at the time with the inner tools you had at the time. Many of you may be on a healing journey but then shaming yourself for ways in which you were once self-sabotaging or defensive. Instead, be grateful for your past self. You had to be that person you were then in order to become the person that either you are now or that you will grow into. But, I can see some of y'all tormenting yourselves by replaying certain mistakes or moments that weren't your finest or proudest. Okay, so you messed up. We all do. Please take yourself from down off the cross. You deserve forgiveness and compassion and that starts with yourself.

It's Been Awhile by Staind keeps playing in my head. If you don't know that 2000's emo classic, please give it a stream/look up the lyrics. There may be a message for you in it. You are the main character by being quite emo. You might be a Millennial who came of age in that era and listened to a lot of emo bands. My Chemical Romance may be significant. Also, Green Day. Regardless, there is a quality to you that is like a moody, tortured teen. And I am not trying to mock you or be dismissive. After all, teenage pain is just as real and valid as an adult's. It is just not expressed with as much perspective or reason. No matter how smart you are, you can lose all perspective entirely when your triggers or unresolved feelings arise and it causes you to blow a lot out of proportion.

But, I also think it's because you struggle intensely with having faith: in yourself, in other people, the Universe or life itself. Even if you're more spiritual, I think you can still feel as if the Universe is actively "punishing" you. Big fears about the rug being pulled underneath you. But, you have been badly betrayed in the past. Whether by romantic partners, friends or family, I think there are certain incidents from the past that you've never gotten over and that heavily influence your decision making to this day. Going back to the teenager thing, I feel like there are certain things from your teens you need to purge as well.

Yeah, it may be especially difficult for you to believe in relationships. A partner or two in the past really did you dirty. But, you don't have to define yourself by that! Your main character essence is more so about deciding whether you want to keep living in the darkness or embrace a more positive path. To know that happiness is possible. And to also trust in yourself. You might believe you don't deserve a stable, functioning relationship or that you'd inevitably screw it up. But, your life does not have to be defined by these self-fulfilling prophecies. You are often way too convinced that your pessimism and fear are reality.

There is this meme that I cannot stand that goes "You can't hurt me. I seen it coming two months ago when I was overthinking." Maybe you like that meme or have posted it before and feel called out lmao. Well, I say this to say that mentality is bullshit. Overthinking is nothing but a defense mechanism. But, like all defense mechanisms, we think it's helping us when it is often only robbing us of actual, genuine happiness. It's all motivated by fear and a need to stay safe. I know I am psychoanalyzing a meme but I saw people in the comments of that post arguing about how right it is and how they do the same thing and that it isn't toxic and that just troubled me lol. But I digress. Long story short, you don't need your defense mechanisms and protective walls as badly as you think you do.

I am also getting a message about a relationship in particular that could be very pivotal. But it will be pivotal because it will be the catalyst for you to find real happiness, either with this person or in general. You don't feel very worthy of good things and you may not feel good enough for this remarkable and impressive love interest, who will be all that and a bag of chips to you (and many others). But putting them on too high a pedestal is a sign that you need to love yourself. This person may either explicitly or indirectly compel you to do that. In spite of the positive lessons, there could be something tragic about this situation. It may end in more heartbreak but you could turn it all into a valuable experience, if you let it. Or maybe, fittingly, for your dramatic life, there's a big breakup but even bigger reconciliation. In any case, you are being challenged to be very conscious of the narrative you craft for yourself. Do you want to continue the drama or do you want to flip the script and live the happy life that you deserve?

////////

PILE 4

Nine of Cups

(The Hierophant)

Knight of Swords - reversed

(Three of Wands)

Three of Cups - reversed

(Six of Swords - reversed)

The High Priestess

(Four of Pentacles - reversed)

Ten of Pentacles

Pile 4, I can tell right off the bat that y'all are my wild things. I wouldn't be surprised if you were also drawn to Pile 1. (But, only check it out if you were. Don't let me sway you) There was a similar feeling there but it was more free and whimsical. This pile is a little more... dangerous, I would say. Not in a psychotic way. Just extreme and bold in a way that may unnerve others at times. And even if you don't think you're all that crazy, I would say you do a good job of acting more restrained or "respectable." But, you can really live on the edge: making radical changes or life decisions, taking risks others wouldn't dare take, throwing caution to the wind.

I keep hearing that Born To Be Wild song and I don't want to disturb the flow of my channeling by Googling the artist. Lol but you probably know which one I am talking about. A few rock songs, actually. Lithium by Nirvana is another one, which makes sense. I think you feel as if traditional society wants to stifle you, place you in this cage and force you to conform. Your family of origin, in particular, might be very conservative and I don't mean politically. I just mean having very rigid or judgmental ideas about what's right or acceptable. But, you were not having that. I get big "black sheep" vibes from this pile. Yet, I think you had to grow into that. Many of you may have succumbed to your family's pressures and expectations when you were growing up because you had no choice. Now? You live life solely on your own terms.

It's notable that you chose the only picture outdoors, in the wilderness. You might have a deep love of Nature or outdoorsy ventures like hiking or camping. More so, it represents that unfettered spirit you have. Travel is also being highlighted. Some of you may life very far from your hometown and like it that way. I don't see you as the type of person eager to go to their high school reunion or something. Far from it. I think you are so adventurous and forward-moving that you are constantly outgrowing your past experiences. Or, more accurately, at times, trying to outrun them.

Growing up, you may have felt like your hometown was too small or boring to contain you. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson could be significant. You dreamed of the exciting, fulfilling life you'd be having once you grew up and got out. You were the school or town outcast/misfit. While you have successfully escaped that environment, I think you may underestimate how much you're still carrying it with you. There is a certain trauma that stems from being so harshly judged by family or peers and so unable to truly be what they want you to be. Instead of compensating for that all the time with your fierce confidence (which is a strength, don't get me wrong), you could benefit from honestly addressing and healing that.

You also might be surprised to recognize how much you have been positively shaped by where you come from. And this could just mean the actual place. After all, you can take the boy/girl out of (your hometown/state/country) but you can't take it out of the boy/girl. You might, after years of travel and adventure and living in various places, finally be able to circle back and honor your roots, possibly by even moving back. Time heals wounds and maybe you'll fall in love with your old stomping grounds again after some maturity and absence. This could also reconnect you with many people from your past, like old friends or even family, if you're comfortable or things are healthy enough. As you get older, after a lifetime as the prodigal son/daughter, you may be shocked to suddenly become very family-oriented and (dramatic gasp!) even traditional. A little bit. Kind of. Especially if you start your own family, which I think you will absolutely adore if you do.

So, your main character arc can be of the chaotic wild child who gradually settles down in life. But, you will remain crazy, in the best way, and larger-than-life. You have this amazing magnetic aura as well as this mystique to you. Though you may seem expressive and out-there, people don't know you nearly as well as they think they do. I especially get an image of this when you're in "new territory". You can be that exciting yet enigmatic figure in a community that people know little about. I think you like sharing your story in specific ways you can control, like maybe through a blog/vlog, your art, or just if and when it feels necessary. Otherwise, much about you is shrouded in mystery, even day-to-day things (you probably rarely post on social media or don't even have it). But this just leaves others wanting more!

However, you seem to know everyone else's secrets. Like Pile 1, you are very intuitive, even psychic, and you are learning the value of sharing the messages you receive. Whether it's crazy dreams about others, downloads you think the collective needs to hear, or anything else you pick up on or observe, share it. Start a spirituality blog or a Tarot channel. You are often surprised at how deeply your words resonate and impact people, at how dead-on you are. But I also think you're at a place in your journey where it's not as much of a shock. You are gradually recognizing the power of your gift(s) and putting it to good use.

I also have to say that people are highly attracted to you but also often equally scared of you. It's the power you exude and the freedom you insist on. In terms of dating, I think your level of self-possession and the respect you command allows you to avoid a lot of fuckery. Lol people do NOT try it with you, particularly controlling behavior. You absolutely demand your freedom and accept nothing less. This attitude is part of what makes you so sexy yet also scary to lovers who can't handle you. But, you'll have a good time regardless. I think you'll reap many of the benefits of your sex appeal when you're sowing your wild oats. Great freedom can be found in unapologetically being casual and open with your sexuality. However, after an iconic era (or even lifetime) of being confidently unattached, you may be very surprised to wake up one day in a long stable marriage with a gang of kids. And your sense of freedom and confidence will remain. Whatever you do, you fully commit and trust that it's right for you.

#tarot reading #tarot #channeled reading #pick a pile reading #pick a card reading #pick an image #pick a picture #channeled message #channeled song #main character #main character energy

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theriverbeyond · 4 months

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have you seen any breakdown of the political situation on New Rho (in New Rho? is the rest of the planet also populated? I think at one point someone says "down in Ur" but maybe there is an application of 2-dimensional direction terms to 3d space I havent yet thought of). Like who do they mean by militia, who is the government (who is the police?), is there any official house presence, what is the status of the barracks, who manned the spaceport, what power does BoE hold and how are they viewed in the population (Hot Sauce denounces them but who is her faction-that Pyrrha saw her with-then?) and do they know how splintered and farspread it is? what is the siege the blurb is speaking of, just the imperial emissaries showing up?

Also assuming the BoE wings are all named after different planetary settlements which seem in turn to be named after cities in the ancient near east (ur, merv, ctesiphon), why isnt new rho? but i might be misinterpreting this.

Also where does the Empire want non-House humanity to end up? They seem to be turning planets left and right with no endgoal. And how many settled planets might there be?

Sorry I'm dumping this all at you, I havent seen any worldbuilding discussion here on tumblr at all really so maybe you can redirect me somewhere.

Thankies, keep up the good work (posting)

I HAVE seen posts about the political situation on New Rho including analysis posts that were very interesting and I have utterly failed to tag them appropriately, I am sorry -- if anyone who sees this has links to that meta pls add on/reply to help anon!

But to cover the rest of your points:

What is Ur?

Ur is mentioned twice that i can find, in ch 16: Ianthe says that the end has come to the "rebels of Ur", and a person in the crowd says "Ur is fighting".

EDIT: big thank you to @eskildit in replies: "There are four total references to Ur- Corona also says that Judith is in the Ur facility and Kiriona says that the 6th house is "parked outside the Ur system". Could be that Ur is the planet New Rho is located on. While we refer the nine houses as planets, canonically the houses are actually "installations" on each planet with quite small populations. New Rho alone, which is specifically stated to be just one city on a resettled planet, is 3x the size of the 6th house"

It may have been mentioned more times, but Kindle search is giving me the 2,320 times the letters "ur" were used next to each other so I'm ngl I cannot sift through that. Rather than being a city, though, I actually am assuming that Ur is another planet entirely! This is due to multi-planet SciFi in general treating entire planets like countries or even big cities. Like…. planets are huge. There are thousands of different cultures on a planet, but in SciFi planets are often like. One Big City. One Big Country, if you have a particularly ambitious worldbuilder. See: Star Wars, the Nine Houses themselves, etc. not saying that Ur cannot be on New Rho, just that I don't think it is because this is multi-planet Sci Fi.

The militia/civic government?

In chapter 6 a distinction is made between "the militia and the old civic govnerment". Following that, I think the civic government was probably installed by the Houses, as a ruling party that is friendly to them/House interests. I think the militia is a non-unified population of hired guns, that probably revolted at some point priot to the story. It does seem like at least some section of the militia is in power in most of the city, but I do not think there is one coherent government at the moment

Official house presence?

Yes, because there are official cohort barracks. I don't think they have much political leverage by the time NtN rolls around, though

Barrack status?

Under siege due to the people of New Rho hating them/political instability/possible militia revolt, doing badly otherwise because any and all necromancers are suffering from Blue Madness/RB proximity, as seen in ch 20 when Ianthe mentioned some of them were so poorly she had to put them down.

Space port?

I am assuming the civic government/House was originally in charge. unsure of who is in charge during NtN

What power does BOE hold?

Unclear. It seems like BOE itself is fractionated, with a lot of animosity held between different factions, and a lot of both animosity AND collaboration between different factions of BOE, the militia, the population, and the old civic government. It is a very decentralized resistance force, despite sharing a name. BOE do not appear to BE the official government, or BE the militia, though, but I would not be surprised if some groups had ties to one or both. It seems like they have influence both socially and politically but it is unclear what that power is... some factions have some amount of power. Over some parts. But!! it seems that during the events of NtN they had more power than in the past ("best hand they were ever delt", chapter 1)

How is BOE viewed by the population?

My guess is they have mixed reviews. I think a lot of people probably rely on them for resources/protection even if they don't like or fully trust them. I think a lot of people probably see them as extremists and wish they were less extreme (the liberals, u could say). Like Hot Sauce and the gang, a lot of people probably think they aren't radical enough and wish they would resist more, harder, differently. I think a lot of people probably deeply support them, either physically by being part of BOE or by providing resources/etc, or quietly because they are afraid of retaliation by the House or civil government. A lot of the population probably has opinions about BOE versus the militia, BOE verus House, BOE versus the civic government, based on their own interests/position/power. This is a really long answer that can boil down to "idk"

What is the siege?

I think the siege is the cohort being sieged into the barracks. I am guessing there was some sort of revolt in the local government, probably related to Blue Madness weakening the cohort, and they have pushed the cohort into the barracks. , as described in chapters 1 ("the cohort dies like anyone else under seige") and chapter 20 ("the barracks siege").

What group is Hot Sauce in if she denounced BOE?

Hot Sauce specifically calls BOE "fat cats" and "zombie lovers" in chapter 15, after noting that she, Honesty, and Born in the Morning, as well as Born in the Morning's father, are "active" in with an unnamed group at the park. It is unclear what group that is, if it has a name, or if it is organized in any capacity. From what little we know, it appears it is a group of people who are more radical than BOE, which I think is either ex-BOE members that were pushed out for their radial choices/beliefs, or civilians/other freedom fighters that aren't satisfied with what BOE is doing. But beyond that I have no idea

BOE wing names vs New Rho?

So BOE wings are named after historic Earth cities. Ctesiphon, Troia, Merv, Valencia (which is not historic to us, as it exists today, but WOULD be history in 10k years). They are named by BOE, likely to keep connection to Earth, just like BOE people-names. "New Rho", on the other hand, is likely named by the House. Rhodes is a place on the 7th house (see: 7th cavalier is the "Knight of Rhodes"), and I assumed that New Rho was like. The house naming shit. Like how New York is named after York in England, even though that area of land already had a name (Lenapehoking, I think?).

Specifically this difference is important because like, the House is a imperial colonizing force here, and they are naming things after their home system as a part of the imperial violence they are enacting. In As Yet Unsent, Judith notes that the non-house people call New Rho, "Lemuria" -- HOWEVER, in NtN chapter 17, the Angel mentions Lemuria twice in a way that is phrased like Lemuria is Somewhere else, and is Not the city they are in right now ("I was born on Lemuria", "there's still a facility on Lemuria") I am not sure what happened there, honestly. Perhaps an oopsie?

Where does the Empire want non house humanity to end up?

Unclear. Coronabeth notes in As Yet Unsent that even she (who has studied the war in-universe) has no idea what the real goal is. My guess is nowhere, because a forever-war has no end goal. It's a war for resources gained only by literal blood and death. Many analysis could be made about this as an allegory to to oil based forever-wars of today -- I read a few of them and as said before unfortunately failed to tag them, so if anyone has a link and can share with anon that would be awesome! But anyway, I do not think I am smart or learned enough to say a lot beyond this but, yeah. I think there is no end goal to the war besides meaningless revenge and the resources gained via murder, because that's the point. We could learn different in AtN tho! who knows

How many settled planets?

No idea! Thousands. Hundreds of thousands? Hundreds? Unsure! 10k years is a long time, and there are a lot of planets out there in the fantasy universe that could be habitable. EDIT ty @eskildit, unclear how many planets were settled over the course of the Empire, but there are three settled planets by the timeline of NtN: ""Everyone was crammed on one of three planets now, and they all agreed that this planet was easily the worst", from chapter 2

Thanks for sending this!! I really enjoyed answering it, and I hope it helped -- sorry if I missed any. Ask more any time!!

#new rho #nona the ninth #HOPE I DIDNT MISS ANYTHING #TLT META #the locked tomb #this took like 2 hours BUT i was smart and typed it in a google doc so i didn't have #a situation where i misclicked and lost it all. i have LEARNED #tlt thoughts #anon #ask #long post #yayyy

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rathologic · 5 months

Text

biggest disconnect in pathologic's reception has kind of always been a divide between "patho is driven by mechanics" and "patho is driven by story" camps where opinions only ever come from one of these extremes... around p1's development and release the developers considered it exclusively a survival challenge sim, not a game marketed for its story (despite story representing a huge fraction of the time and thought put into it). In The Society Of Dead Poets goes into so much detail about this. and it WAS a stunning technical work under the circumstances, but the complex story was what gave the franchise cult appeal, or at least enough so for it to get a sequel... reviews from the period tend to go along the lines of "this game looks and plays like shit but it's extremely thought-provoking". there's a little to be said about the mainstream view of a "Gamer" in 2005 and what they would be interested in marketing-wise not tracking with story games yet; anyway, the one-dimensionality here was consistent with the studio's approach to games as a whole (cf BoneHouse.ppt).

so IPL's perception of their work was what informed p2's priorities, which turned out to be A Way Better Survival Challenge at the expense of things like characters having complex motivations (expansion on this has been omitted; iykyk), and they did an incredible job with that & basically perfected what they had been going for mechanically. which created this weird divide where p2 fans think 1 isn't worth playing because it's less engaging as a gaming experience, and p1 fans (me included, to be clear) see 2's story changes as a spit in the face of everything that made the series work. like, neither of these are fundamentally incorrect, but they refer to completely non-overlapping paradigms of engaging with the material. when hopefully it can be agreed that a Video Game is comprised of Both a narrative aspect and an interactive aspect, and that they need to work together to create the player's transformative experience (again, premise of BoneHouse.ppt).

Anyway. that helps explain a lot of hbomb's stance on the franchise, particularly that he can endorse patho2 without comment as an ostensibly leftist youtuber when even the most cursory playthrough is enough to let players in on its gleeful centering of ecofascism... that game's representation of colonial relations as an unfixable divide employing the racist trope of reciprocal violence, its obsession with maintaining status quo, and its completely tasteless approach to MMIW are all elements of Story and thus all secondary to p2's huge improvements on the survival system. in the same vein, his discussion of p1's changeling's route is limited to the constant reputation decrease and the repeated quests because those are the only mechanical features introduced over the previous routes, even while clararoute text is fundamental to understanding most characters... his video isn't like Bad for getting the interactive experience p1 would present to you, but it sucks for engaging with the story because it's not about the story. and unfortunately, on discussion posting websites, we do usually post about story

#pathologic #I'm so tired.#FAQ: BoneHouse was a presentation given by an IPL writer who will go unnamed here regarding his philosophy to gamedev. ItSODP was a lengthy #interview with the same (there's an EN translation on archive.org; BoneHouse is on the Files section of the archived IPL webpage).#genuinely I do really enjoy p2 as a survival sim and I think the most interesting things done with it (challenge runs) arise purely from #engaging with that half of the gameplay. but there is nothing to talk about w/o the plot it presents to you and that's why hbomb's video #falls so flat to me in applying that same approach to 1; a game fundamentally not balanced in a way that that's a fair take

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juniefruit · 4 months

Text

*~artist bf hyunjin~*

I'm in love with artist hyunjin like is there anything more perfect. no

Word count: 560

Artist / art student boyfriend hyunjin who thinks you’re a masterpiece. You’re his muse in every aspect. His gold round-frame glasses glint in the afternoon sun as he sits in his studio, contemplating his current work-in-progress. His crisp white blouse and coffee-colored slacks suit him so well. He looks angelic in the golden light rays. The room is littered with paint tubes and brushes tucked away into cups of all shapes and sizes.

On the wall hangs his favorite portrait- of you. It was a heat of the moment decision months ago- he couldn’t wait until christmas or your birthday in order to present it to you. The strokes of paint along the canvas are subtle but hold so much attention to detail. The way your eyes glimmer and body flows in the 2-dimensional space washes a calm over you every time. You watch Hyunjin from the doorway in silence for a minute or two before he senses your presence and looks behind him frim the stool he was sitting on. No words are exchanged, but a simple smile as you lock eyes conveys the right message. Life can be so tranquil in moments like these- Knowing you’ve found love, and there’s no better way to show it than through the eyes of an artist. It’s the small things he notices about you that matter the most- his recollection of your favorite colors, artists, and art styles.

Sometimes, he lets you watch him paint. He doesn’t mind when you ask him questions or make comments. He would never tell you to repress your thoughts. But, you might get paint splattered all over you, which leads to you grabbing some paint and poking it on the tip of his nose.

Carries his sketchbook with him everywhere!! He loves to draw random things in public like people sitting on the subway or ordering coffee. When you’re together, it’s usually you though.

You two frequent the art museum in town. Hyunjin holds your hand as you meander through the galleries. He notices which paintings you admire the longest- whether it be renaissance, contemporary, mid-century, surrealist, you get the idea. Once you enter the gift shop, he gets you stuff with the paintings you liked on them (postcards, magnets etc).

It’s also a possibility you go to those paint-your-own pottery places, or a guided group painting class. He’s always over-qualified for those, but at least it’s quality time well spent together.

On another note, your house always has at least one fresh flower bouquet, courtesy of your boyfriend. His justification is always that they reminded him of something about you. For example, if you’re not having the best day, he’ll come home with blue-purple flowers that are meant to represent that feeling, to convey that he’s aware of your state. Or if it’s a bright summer day and you’re in a good mood, he’ll bring white and yellow flowers that represent happiness and laughter.

Third date idea- going to the forest for a walk, then setting up a picnic in the meadow. You packed some dried fruits and nuts and a few drinks. It’s a perfect sunny day, and everything seems to be glowing. Birds chirp around you as leaves shimmer in the brisk wind. Hyunjin is wrapped up in sketching the scene in his book, as you take a deep breath and enjoy the tranquility.

#stray kids x reader #stray kids #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin imagines #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x you #hyunjin x y/n #stray kids imagines #stray kids drabbles

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loaksky · 1 year

Note

hello! would you consider writing modern avatar stuff? if ur cool w that can i request modern human neteyam relationship headcanons?

wait hold the phone yes i would actually ! wanted to hold off on posting this to include headcanons about what modern!neteyam would be like in a relationship, but i’m so eager to come back ! instead here’s some background about him & reader leading up to the relationship (part 2 pending if you guys want it) ! headcanons under the cut & for all intents + purposes, i picture college-neteyam ! additionally, in my brain, it’s canon that teyam as a human would be poc, hence the reference pictures i included below ! <3

so i definitely see neteyam having a very soft aesthetic, he’s such a sweetheart tbh

fs think that the two of you would have a meetcute in university & then end up being college sweethearts

his major is something specific like environmental engineering or child psychology ? he’s definitely really smart and excels in all of his classes !

which brings me to how the two of you would meet ? perhaps he’s taking an elective course in pottery and your major is in art with a concentration in three dimensional composition

the class is considered a lab, so the professor emails out the syllabus and students come and go as they please during class hours to work on their compositions.

halfway thru the sem, you and teyam stumble upon each other in the storage room between two classrooms, fetching different pieces that need to be glazed + fired.

“sorry, you can—”

“nah, you first—”

you laugh and neteyam’s smiling because WOW you’re really cute + had he known that someone as lovely as you was in the same section as him, he’d probably hang around the classroom more.

from that moment on, neteyam’s always lingering during the class’ meeting time, even if he’s already finished with his projects for the week because he wants to get to know you SO bad, but he’s way too shy.

(probably still canon that he’s phenomenal at literally everything, but i think it’d be so cute if he had 0 legitimate rizz bc he’s so used to kinda just bein’ him and pulling bc he’s a jack of all trades type of guy)

“what are you making?” you ask him one day and he snatches his airpod out of his ear so quickly even though he’s not listening to anything.

“ashtray” he answers quietly, a lil self-conscious because he’s come to find out that you’re absolutely amazing at sculpting and while you do this for your future, he does it is as a pastime / elective to graduate. “but like i don’t smoke or anything yknow, i just thought that i’d be a good thing to–”

you’re staring at him with the corner of your mouth quirked and he shuts up quickly, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he slumps on his stool.

“you should score using a crosshatch,” you tell him simply. “makes the pieces stick together better.”

he looks down at where he’d been scratching the damp clay laterally and your hands hover over his, head tilting to the side.

“can i?”

oh yeah, yeah! sure,” he splutters, leaning back a little to watch you work your magic.

can’t help but watch the way your fingers work over the clay, knuckles smudged with glaze and dust coating the silver of your rings.

he watches your hands, but soon he’s watching your face because you’re concentrated so hard on making sure you’re using your best technique for the little ashtray.

lo and behold, the pieces stick together so perfectly and smoothly, ready to be fired in the kiln, and neteyam’s grateful.

“thanks,” he sighs almost dreamily.

“yeah, of course. glad to help,” you tell him.

when you return to your own project, you slam back the rest of your melting drink and neteyam’s eyes are squinting the get a read on what it is you order.

you’re pleasantly surprised when you turn up to pottery the next session to work on a new project, and neteyam’s there with two coffees, one next to his wheel, another near yours.

“what’s this?” you hum, tying your apron with a messy bow.

“a thank you,” he says shyly. “for helping me last time.”

your eyes widen when you see your favorite; a chai with almondmilk, vanilla, and a shot of espresso.

“how’d you…”

“it’s what you were drinking…” he responds. “last week. i think.

“oh…” you trail off, cheeks hot because he noticed ???

“you don’t have to—”

“NO!” you yelp, a tad loud. some of the other students working on a few last minute projects peer at the two of you and teyam’s grinning like an idiot when he sees the way you tuck your hair behind your ear and reach for the drink. “this is good! it’s great. thank you so much. i actually missed my run this morning.”

“yeah, of course,” he sighs, rolling his lips together as the two of you kinda get off to a clunky start.

the silence between the two of you is a lil awkward, but you decide to break the ice since teyam’s technically played his hand and the ball’s in your court.

“are you an art major ?” you ask.

“uh, nah,” he'd say, rubbing his sweaty palms on the thighs of his baggy jeans because HE SHOWED UP TO CLASS 15 MINUTES EARLY and the agony of not knowing if you’d show up made him so nervous. “environmental engineering.”

your eyebrows raise ever so slightly, lips forming an ‘o’ bc wow that must mean he’s super smart.

“wow, that’s insane,” you say quietly. “what made you take pottery ?”

“only elective that didn’t make me wanna claw my eyes out,” he laughs nervously. “what about you ? what’s your major ?”

you seem to mull over your thoughts for a moment, obviously a little hesitant to answer.

“3d art...nothing special...” you trail off.

neteyam begins working with the slab of clay waiting for him in the center of the wheel, cheeks going hot because the words leave him before he can stop them.

“no, no. i think that’s really cool. art is a really challenging passion to have & i admire people willing to dive in full stop.”

the comment makes you smile, fingers pliant over the wet clay.

neteyam wants to DIE because he can’t read whether or not your smile is genuine or if you’re grimacing because he’s the biggest idiot ever.

he supposes it’s the former when you two are parting ways, signing the attendance log and you decide to bite the bullet and write your instagram handle on the bottom corner of the page and tear it off to hand to him.

he’s barely able to get a ‘thank you’ out before you’re racing out the door with your gifted coffee in hand.

you’re so giddy when you run out of the building and your phone pings in the front pocket of your satchel and you see that teyam.sully has followed you.

after that day, you two become really friendly !

neteyam frequently dms you about class, but eventually, he starts sending you vids and memes, saying that they made him think of you.

it becomes so obvious to both of your friend groups that you’re crushing on each other, but both of you are too painfully shy to say anything despite every green flag.

soon, looking forward to seeing each other during class turns into neteyam subtly asking you to hang out.

you make a comment about one of his hoodies and he mentions that he thrifted it.

“wait really??” you’re pausing your work to look at him. “i love thrifting!”

he smiles wide, word vomiting before he can stop himself.

“yeah? i know a couple of good places if you’re down.”

you say yes, DUH !

looking back at it, maybe that’s your first date because he picks you up from your dorm & bc you guys live in a fairly walkable city, you commute to the thrift and you’re SO giddy because the backs of your hands keep brushing every time some impatient pedestrian pushes by you guys on the narrow sidewalks.

you guys end up spending HOURS and teyam’s internally screaming because you find a shirt that has a peeling heart with the phrase ‘if lost return to wife’ and he happens upon the match to it a couple aisles down that says ‘i'm the wife’.

when you’re not looking, teyam buys the shirts and stuffs them in his canvas bag.

DUDE IS WHIPPED.

he wants you SO bad.

after the thrift, you guys get pizza, and after that, ice cream, and JESUS he doesn’t want the day to end because being with you is so easy.

over the course of the rest of the semester, the two of you make it a routine to hang out at least once a week and you’re always looking forward to it.

dates excursions include; trips to the museum to see recent exhibits, weekly pizza parlor dinners, study sessions at the 24 hr cafe a block from the school (in which he always walks you home after), park days where he reads books on environmental sustainability and you secretly draw portraits of him.

in these times, he learns that you want to become an art teacher, your favorite cereal is froot loops with the marshmallows, your all time show is amazing world of gumball.

almost cries laughing when he finds out that you have a secret pet turtle you hide in your dorm named franklin.

acknowledges that he’s falling, but falls even harder when the florist who owns the flower shop you two always pass hands you the prettiest little bundle of flowers and you spend the entire trek to the park, handing out individual stems to couples, children, and the elderly, telling them to have a beautiful day.

it all comes to a head near the end of the semester when he realizes that he can’t keep dancing around his feelings for you and the feelings he’s almost certain you have for him.

tells you to clear your schedule for the upcoming friday night and dresses a little nicer than usual when he picks you up.

brings you two to the planetarium in the city and, instead of watching the exhibit, he spends the entire time watching how you light up.

he knows in his gut that you could be it for him.

he’s loved getting to know you and spending so much time with you.

he’s so immersed in this feeling throughout the entire night.

probably wipes his sweaty palms over the thighs of his pants before shakily taking your hand as the diagram of the constellations shift.

can’t help but smile when your fingers squeeze his and you seem to shift closer to him as the narrator starts the presentation.

and he’s especially quiet after the exhibit, fingers still twined with yours as the two of you walk down the bustling sidewalks of the city center.

two of you probably stop by a dessert cafe and sit outside on a bench in the spring air, enjoying the buskers as you share a little cake.

you’re talking about home and how you’re excited to see your family again and he can’t help but imagine bringing you home to meet all his siblings and his parents because he knows that they’d absolutely love you and—

you’ve paused your speaking, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth and he’s SHORT CIRCUITING.

“shit, that was weird i’m so—”

his palm cups your jaw, thumb on your cheek, pad of his pinky and ring finger soft against your neck.

“can i?” he whispers.

TRIANGLE METHOD !!

he glances at one eye, gaze dropping to your lips before glancing at the other.

you already know what he’s referring to, could feel the romantic tension between the two of you since the beginning, but only become sure of it in the recent weeks.

”can you what?” you swallow.

he breathes a short laugh because the knowing smile that quirks your lips is a dead give away.

“can i kiss you?” he asks softly, absently setting your abandoned dessert somewhere behind him on the bench.

“yeah,” you’d nod, leaning into him. “please.”

before the two of you go your separate ways for summer holiday, he shows you the shirts he bought at the thrift store the first time around, but insists on keeping the shirt that says ‘i'm the wife’.

#avatar nuggets ˘³˘#neteyam x reader #neteyam headcanons #neteyam fluff #neteyam #neteyam sully #avatar the way of water #atwow #avatar the movie

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weirdmageddon · 6 months

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since hes open to feedback im considering talking to james roach about giving jade the justice she deserves after her narrative shafting in act 6 and one-dimensional ooc-ness (and also being a plot device deprived of agency) in the epilogues. if i do im probably going to link to this post……

so james if i sent this to you and you’re reading this, hi! :)

you say, “i want you to know if youre having problems with the story you can come to me with it and i will hear you out”. first of all you are such a good dude and have such a good open honest approach to the fans. i need to get that out there, because i know you’re just as much a fan of these characters and world are we are. secondly, i don’t know what your plans for homestuck beyond canon are, but dave and jade’s poor handling is a problem in both homestuck canon (act 6, even act 5 fucking them over with “tell, don’t show”; see the latter half of section 1 of the post at > Dave: Deploy cloning apparatus. and section 2) and post-canon that has yet to be addressed.

i understand the nuances of making things flow in a story; things that have already been established can’t be simply retconned. i wrote this post knowing that in mind and hopefully working around that into believably timed and justified/needed arcs gives it more potential

jade is a character i care about so much, and many fans also. her dynamic with dave was one of my favorites but the resolution to their separation…is not even really a resolution. it’s hard to talk about one without the other since theyve always been narratively intertwined. or at least jade has

remember how they musically collaborated more than the other kids? (crystalanthemums is their surprisingly tender song dont forget. i saw that the weird troll grub versions of objects make a comeback in the upd8; make music a relevant part of homestuck in-universe again too </3) dave sending her sbahj furry poster in the mail? the first ones to use a collaborative fraymotif in the comic? kringlefucker and conksuck boot? literally collaborating on creating the right seed for the new universe? and then dave died in jade’s arms and they were separated for 3 years and then that never gets touched on because of the retcon and all the other endgame shit going on (and lets be real grimbark jade from before the retcon wasn’t a satisfying reunion either). we get like, a brief exchange of dialogue at the very very end that made you want to see MORE of them after the battle but it. doesnt happen.

and then in the epilogues jade gets warped into this oddly hypersexual ooc one-dimensional character meant to narratively get in the way of davekat and it’s so awkward and uncomfortable for them. and even THEN in meat timeline gets her agency revoked by the narrative with alt calliope. and in candy dave realizes he’s gay (i thought he was explicitly bi? didnt he call jane hot multiple times both pre-and post-retcon, and once call roxy a “choice babe” in pajamas before he knew it was his ectomom?? if you’re actually gay and in denial why would you have these subconscious freudian blunders). and being married to jade gnaws at him because of it which is. unsatisfying i guess and isn’t consistent with dave’s established sexuality…and then he dies leaving his probably concerned wife and becomes a robot. even if the “point” is that the epilogues are metanarrative commentary about storytelling and candy represents the kind of fanfic that goes off the rails with fanservice it doesn’t feel good when i still care about these characters and their established canons. and a lot of people are in the same camp as me regarding this. it’s still an uncomfortable resolution for their relationship

i really want to see jade’s arc overcoming being used as a puppet by the narrative and the space aspect. just some things to think about / consider that have been running through my head: she’s a witch, right? isn’t what she’s supposed to do is actively bend the rules of her aspect? feferi bended the rules of life by asking the horrorterrors to create dream bubbles so the deceased could still sort of “live” which had a massive narrative impact. who exactly determines that being spacebound means you are fated to be passive and alone? the author? alt calliope? how do we know alt calliope can be trusted or if she’s just projecting her experiences as the most passive class possible onto jade, who ironically has an active manipulation class but is forced to be passive for some reason? normal calliope wasn’t right about everything classpect-related either.

ultimately these things are up to you. you’re still the director of course. but i’m speaking to you, as equally caring of these characters as you and everyone on the team, as a hypothetical suggestion or just something to consider for a jade arc: i think it would do such good to jade and the comic as a whole to see her speak to the manager and recognize the power she has and take back the reigns over her own life and dignity. jade is MAD that she had her own possibilities for socialization and agency taken away from her. and with floralmarsupial, my beloved mutual floral who i went to homestuck high together with, i KNOW the potential they possess to write a compelling arc for jade harley. i think everyone knows too lol floral is THE compelling deep jade harley fanwork big name fan. i dont know what we got to lose. with you guys in charge now, and with the last we see of jade in hs^2 (now hs:bc) fighting callie’s influence and advocating for her own agency, really the only way to go from here for jade is up. (assuming she doesn’t permadie of peanut but i doubt that’s going to happen since she’s one of the original kids and it wouldn’t be satisfying storytelling. and it’s homestuck)

this statement so ripe with potential to me ^ and we’re left on a cliffhanger with jade going in this direction

i want jade and dave to be close friends who care about each other a lot and do silly stuff together again. this isn’t even a call to make davejade canon; it doesnt have to be romantic—i dont want a davekat davejade war to break out, you know? i know you’re trying to balance fan demands. but i just loved their dynamic a lot and i MISS it so much, homestuck act 6 didnt give us this and i wish their reunion had more that went into it. we’re past that point though

i want jade and dave to have a talk that’s like old times. something that isn’t awkward as hell or about sexual relations or drama or whos fucking who. just something for the two of them. something that grounds them in what made homestuck so compelling in the first place: character and friendships and these kind of interactions

i want to see them collaborate again. an idea i have is maybe they start a band or something since they’re both musically talented and also live together so they can make stuff together in person now. you’re a music guy you get it. tangle buddies. jam buddies

and maybe something more serious that concerns just the two of them. post-retcon dave never talked to jade about his thoughts when they fought bec noir right? knowing that jade would inevitably kill him with bullets through bec, but he couldnt warn her because he knows she wouldn’t go through with it, creating a doomed timeline? so jade thought all that time she killed him by accident…..what about all that guilt she must harbor? the first person she had in-person contact with since she was probably four years old, her best friend online, and accidentally killed him within just a few hours of meeting him? and never got to talk about it with him, let alone anyone, after three years? hello?? :(

these are the final lines of the last pesterlog between jade and dave before their 3-year separation (and basically all of act 6)

so uh…..this exchange really openly invites some kind of talk to take place even if it’s long overdue. among other things maybe. they need to hug or something. jade’s touch starvation is real, but not everything needs to be sexualized about touch. she’s lonely and starved of affection but i feel like it would be more meaningful if it wasn’t sexualized. just really basic platonic primal cloth mother needs. just like..both being human beings and having basic needs like this that jade’s been deprived of. who’s the person she would feel most comfortable going to? who does she have the richest history with throughout the webcomic? dave, right? her online best friend since childhood that always cared a lot about her? they have stuff to talk about

i feel like that would address the issue people had with jade’s out of left-field promiscuity in the epilogues and even leftovers of it in hs^2. not only do i think primal platonic touch starvation would be a more meaningful and evocative type of interaction to give them at some point, it wouldn’t rock the boat or create any ship drama (davekat has long since sailed and most people seem to be on board with it) and it would probably be really positive representation of these sorts of things which not only throws a bone to aroace people but just depicting this sort of thing normalizes the fact that two people can be close and not necessarily in an official relationship.

this is a good transition point to this post also which is basically an extension to this one. it’s exactly the issues i had. it’s on the nature of what they had going and how much they mean to each other but how the storytelling held them back when it was unnecessary

this breaks my heart. mr. roach and hs:bc writing team please i miss my favorite blorbo duo being happy in each other’s company. they were such good friends but circumstances pulled them apart. i miss when they created music together and talked about their interests and exchanged quips. i am such a well of ideas for stuff like this. show us how much they mean to each other again

if youre still reading this james thanks for hearing me out. if you wanna pass on to the writing team to look at and get their feedback on this i’d be so so thankful

“and to think that after all this he still chose to save her, like always, probably knowing he had little to no chance, just because he cares for her, her life and who she is beyond this moment, really meant a lot for them. i really, really was mad that this would be the last time they would truly ever be together in a way that to me mattered” — vintagegamebro

#homestuck #homestuck meta #jade harley #dave strider #hs2 #hsbc #hs

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showtoonzfan · 10 months

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I really feel like S1E8 signifies that Vivziepop cannot write a cohesive story with characters, arcs, world building, and an overarching narrative, she should have sticked to animated shorts or comics, something that’s just fluff and isn’t supposed to be deep. The more you watch the show, the more it feels one of those children short YouTube series that aren’t supposed to be full fledged shows, just filler shorts, like Lucas the Spider or Talking Tom and friends…series where like…there’s characters but not really a story going on you catch my drift?

I know I’m repeating myself but Helluva rarely feels like a show anymore, a show that’s supposed to be ongoing with depth and serialized, especially season 2. Nothing is of value and substance, the characters have become cardboard boxes at this point and are still underdeveloped, lacking nuance and time dedicated to them and their character dynamics/relationships to actually make them feel like 3 dimensional characters. The world they live in hasn’t affected the characters at all and is just an empty shell, and other than Stolas’s family drama, it feels like there’s no ongoing plot, or hell….a narrative at all. The plot to these episodes are just whatever the creator comes up with at the top of her head and the events of said episodes are forgotten about and rewritten later, while certain plot threads and “reoccurring” villain characters are left dangling for an unnecessary amount of time. Like…let me tell you I can NOT wait to see what Helluva Boss is like once Stolas’s family drama and Blitz’s past relationships drama is over, because that’s the only thing holding the show together right now, it’s the only thing closest to a narrative story going on. 💀

Viv and Adam are wrong. This isn’t a show where it all needs to be complete and finished in order to understand the story. There IS no story, they have no idea where the fuck the story is going lol, because like Viv has been saying, none of this was planned or mapped out. They come up with episode ideas (mainly filler stuff) and try to map around that, because Helluva is still mainly a filler show, despite trying to be both filler and overarching. It just works best as a one off show, if it was just a pointless filler show I wouldn’t be criticizing it so much, but it’s trying so hard to be big and grand and it can’t accomplish that due to it’s filler formula of going back to the status quo every episode, which is literally killing the show. I just…can’t lol, and I’m tired of fans acting like Viv is some brilliant genius writer who thought all of this up from the beginning and planned this when she herself admitted that she doesn’t and writes the story up as it goes, and it shows.

#vivziepop critical #spindlehorse critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #helluva boss criticism #helluva critical #helluva boss #helluva boss episode 8

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simpcityy · 3 months

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I'm Not Her Pt.6 (Father Miguel O’Hara x Teen! Daughter Reader)

Summary: Miguel O’Hara is your biological father but it’s not great being his daughter when he’s hooked in the past still.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters. This short One-Shot has made it into a series! Read part one, two, three and four please to understand the prompt better. (Linked Below) This chapter is full on Miguel's POV.

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Use of female pronouns, Use of (Y/N), angst, Father Miguel, overall, it’s just sad for now. Other dimensional Miguel… cursing, maybe consider yandere behavior from other dimensional Miguel ...Uhhh...angst... I think that is all for now.

Notes: So, this is the LAST chapter, thank you so much for those who commented to form ideas! I love you all! Also, I am working on a new series from Baldur's gate 3 with a certain Vampire Spawn, first part is out so please check that out.

Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6

Chaos was happening around in the apartment, variant Miguel chases you, blocking each time you try to run to the front door. “ Te lo prometo (Y/N)” he says, being on the other side of the coffee table as you stand on the other end trying to decide which way to run. “I’ll be the father you always wanted; I already proved you before you found out. Piensa en lo feliz que estabas!” He exclaims. You only shook your head, “ No! I…you…it can’t happen!” You ran to the right only for him to tackle you down. “ Solo escucha!” he roars, hugging you tightly, not letting you go despite how much you try to push away. “Let me go!” You tear up feeling so conflicted, he had a point, you were so happy. Able to spend time with this variant thinking it was your dad. It would be nice to experience this every day for the rest of your life…but no, deep down…you knew it was wrong. Even if that dimension (Y/N) is long dead, it felt so wrong, as if you were taking her father, especially his grief for her. “No!” You yelled before gasping as a web gets shot at his face, breaking his hold on you.

You were feeling overwhelmed, you felt weak how can you be part of the Spider Society when you can’t fight this variant, was it because he looked just like your father, your mind was telling you it’s not him, you can inflict some punches on him but your heart was being blinded how identical he looked as your real father. You look at his eyes, they hold so much regret, you wonder, does your real father feel the same way now that you’re in this situation. “ I am not your (Y/N)” You whisper before kicking him off you with all your strength which surprised you. That’s right, this variant isn’t the same as your father. This Miguel was just a normal guy, no spider powers, you can’t hurt him. Quickly getting up, you looked at him “ Please…you have to go back. You don’t belong here.” You whispered. “ Soon everyone will be here and they will hurt you…in a hero type way but still…it’s going to hurt…and I don’t know what they’ll do once they have you captured.” “No, I have given up everything to be back with you…I need to make up for everything.” He whispers looking at you with a broken look, “ I don’t care what they do to me.”

Miguel looks around the apartment, seeing items on the ground or broken. There was no sign of you or the other Miguel. “(Y/N)!” He yells calling out to you. He walks into your room, seeing if there are any signs of you. He felt as if the universe was taunting him, feeling the same overwhelmed emotions on the day he lost Gabriella. “Lyla!” He calls out before looking over to see Peter walk over a note on his hand. “Here…it’s for you.” He hands him the note that Miguel knew was yours. The same handwriting as the cards you would give him on his Birthday before stopping. The day you stopped giving him cards, was the day you slowly distance yourself from him. The day you stopped trying to salvage the father and daughter relationship. He grabbed the note, his eyes scanning it over quickly.

“I know you might be wondering where I am. You don’t have to worry, I am safe and have no reason to go find me. I decided that it’s better if I go with this variant and no, he is not holding a knife to my neck as I write this. This is my decision and no one else. The day you left…I was too young to understand why but as I grew up, slowly I was learning the truth…the painful truth. This other version of you…was speaking the truth…that I deserve better…that I should be selfish for once. You had no idea how badly I wanted to run away each birthday…celebrating alone or with the others which I thank them…but I always wanted you…I want my father…there’s a part of me…the little girl in me wanting and reaching for your love…but everyone has their limits as you told me before. I reached my limit and I decided to think of myself…my health…my happiness…dad…As much as the other variant wants me to hate you… I will still love you…no matter how shitty you are. You are my dad but for once…I am letting this inner child have what I wanted, a father. I fixed my watch, so I won’t glitch in the other dimension and took off my location. This is goodbye…I finally came to the conclusion that I’ll never be her…you see me as Gabriella sometimes but it’s time you learn…I’m not her.”

Miguel only stood quiet before slowly sitting on the ground gripping the paper. He makes his holographic suit turn off his mask. He looks up at the frames you had hung on your wall. He reaches over to your nightstand pulling off one frame you had. He held the photo of you close. Peter stood at the door, watching Miguel before walking into the living room to report Jess what happened. He flinched hearing Miguel tearing things down cursing out in Spanish before hearing the man sobbed. He looks down, knowing it must be painful to lose a kid. He knew he would feel the same if anything happened to Mayday, but he knows this pain is much stronger since Miguel once again lost another kid.

You look out through the city of this new dimension, looking at people being passed as you ride the bus. Feeling a warm hand on your shoulder, you look up seeing the variant Miguel smile “Don’t worry, it might be different, but I’ll be here to guide you.” He smiles. You only nod looking out the window again before down at your watch. Biting your lip, trying to hold in your tears. A part of you felt guilty but you didn’t want a repeat of the same empty feeling. You only lean your head into Variant Miguel shoulder while he holds you close, rubbing your back as you weep silently on the bus.

'I’m not her and she’s not me.' You thought, always wanting him to see that but you gave up on waiting. You could only hope this new life would heal you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Notes: SOOO I know and I'm sorry if the ending isn't what you were thinking. maybe...maybe we could make a sequel...depends on if you all want it. Also again, I started a little Astarion x Fem!Reader so please check that out if you are a Baldur's Gate 3 fan. Thank you all so much for the support!

Spanish Translation: 1. Te lo prometo: I promise you 2. Piensa en lo feliz que estabas!: Think about how happy you were! 3. Solo escucha!: Just listen!

Taglist: @perfectprofessorloverapricot @otaku-degenarate @strbyallycow @zeyzeys-stuff @moonshine147 @dhadiirah @ghibliwatcher @certified-kaeya-kinnie @luvsvnlqt-things @lunamhm565i @sangdium45 @lazyotakuofficial @ihateuguys @pinkeroppi @lady-necromancer @ayanokomu @coralineyouareinterribledanger @idcalol @punnylilac @ace-spades-1 @marxo5 @reiko69 @itadorismedicalstudent @bontensbabygirl @Simpthe3rd @fluffyart5000 @blkmystery @ariparri @i-d-k-f-r @champomiel @oooof-ifellforyou @jannajuju @staple-your-mouth @atanukileaf @namtaeh @estella-satn @darlin-collins @acebalikkanaplease @luvers-checks @arrozyfrijoles23 @sigynxlokiwifelover @millerworld @perilous-pasta @tired-writer04 @marit332 @kiyomi-uchiha777 @zoeyserpentluck @marcswife21 @mushy-mushroom04 @jjayaaa @idoltrine @daughterofthequeen @filthybunny420

#across the spiderverse fic #miguel o'hara #miguel ohara fic #miguel ohara x reader #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel ohara x fem!reader #father figure miguel ohara #miguel ohara x platonic reader

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flower-boi16 · 3 months

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Why Helluva Boss's Villains Suck

So, Helluva Boss is a series with a LOT of villains. The show certainly has a large rogues gallery of them, that's for sure. There's just one thing though; Helluva Boss's villains...suck. And In this post I'm going to explain why.

1. What Makes A Good Villain?

Before I get to why I don't like HB's villains let's first ask a question; what makes a good villain? To me, a good villain could be either of two things; 1) They could be compelling and interesting antagonists; with deeper motivations as to why they do the things they do or why they act that way, a good villain is a villain that's interesting and complex. However, not all villains need to have a lot of depth to be good villains as 2) Sometimes some villains don't need to be super deep or compelling and could just be fun or entertaining to watch. Take villains like Magica De Spell from Ducktales 2017 or any villain from the Disney Renaissance Era; they may not be super deep or compelling characters, but they are still good villains because they are simply fun and entertaining to watch, usually by having a personality to them that makes them a bit goofy while also being a villain you can take seriously due to the threat they may pose to our heroes.

And, generally speaking, a good villain should be able to be semi-competent and pose some kind of threat towards the protagonist, without being incompetent (Unless you writing a villain that's supposed to be dumb like Lord Hater from Wander Over Yonder, but villains like him are usually villains you aren't supposed to take too seriously)

A good antagonist should be a character that poses a threat to the heroes while also being a compelling character in their own right or just being fun and entertaining to watch. So, now that we've established what (in my opinion) makes a good villain, let's now start talking about why HB's villains don't work.

2. My Thoughts on Each Villian in Helluva Boss

Now it's time for me to give my thoughts on each villain in Helluva Boss. Note that I'm only going to include recurring antagonists and I'm going in order of which they all first appeared. Ok, so now, let's begin.

Stella - Stella had some potential to be interesting. Unfortunately, HB squandered that potential and made her a one-dimensional abusive asshole to make Stolas more sympathetic. Not much to say about Stella, she's just a boring one-dimensional asshole.

Veriosika Mayday - Another underdeveloped villain. She's kinda supposed to play into Blitz's whole arc but so far she hasn't gotten much if any development whatsoever. Again, not much to say about her, she's just boring like Stella. Maybe the show will develop her in the future but for now, she's kinda just a one-dimensional basic bitch.

The Cherubs - Don't have much to say about them either. It would have been cool to have them be recurring rivals for the IMPs but nope. Like the other villains, they aren't really that interesting.

Striker - Now...I'm probably going to get hate for this but; Striker is an overrated AF villain. I don't find him that interesting - HOWEVER, I will say he's one of the show's better villains because he's at least kind of menacing in his debut episode. Aside from that he's the "Oh a character that is better than the protag at literally everything who turns out to be the villain!". Ya I don't care for Striker that much - he's fine but I still don't care for him.

The Dhorks - These guys are just stupid. 1) They already had VIDEO EVIDENCE of the IMPs and they FOR SOME FUCKING REASON didn't send it to the government already??? How did they even get the footage of the imps??? And then 2) they also FOR SOME REASON kept on using melee weapons against the IMPs when the episode shows us that they. have. GUNS. Why don't they just use those??? Oh, it's because Edo weapons were more "badass"? These are villains we are suppoused to take semi-seriously, deliberately making them idiots doesn't fucking work. Also 3) Seeing Stars shows that the humans don't recognize the IMPs at all - meaning that, even after obtaining MORE video evidence of the IMPs existing, they STILL just...didn't tell the governments about this for some reason??? Maybe there's an explanation for this in a future episode but for now this is just bullshit! So ya, the dhorks suck, they're boring and just flat out stupid. Least favorite villains in the show so far.

Crimson - Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you...the show's most POINTLESS antagonist. I've already said this multiple times, but why. Literally why. Why did Moxxie need to be the THIRD character with daddy issues? It adds nothing to his character and removing this aspect changes nothing about him - he's the same character without his daddy issues. Crimson literally has nothing interesting about him aside from "abusive dad mob boss". Like all the other villains, he's fucking boring.

So ya, that's my thoughts on each villain in Helluva Boss. As you can see, I don't have very nice things to say about any of them, and if you paid attention to what I was saying about them - you can see one of my major issues with HB's villains. That being...

3. They're Boring

Helluva Boss's villains are just. BORING. A majority of them are very one-dimensional Saturday morning cartoon villains with nothing interesting about them - none of them feel like developed or compelling characters. Granted, as I already said, a villain doesn't need to be super compelling to be good - sometimes a good villain is just one that's fun to watch while still being a good threat to the heroes.

But in order to do that you need to make that villain have a well-fleshed-out personality and mannerisms that make them entertaining to watch. HB's villains don't have that; they aren't compelling nor are they fun to watch, they are just boring. Stella especially is an example of this problem; I've said it before, but there was potential to make Stella an interesting character, but the show chose to waste that in favor of making her a mustache-twirling villain who just likes making Stolass suffer for shits and giggles.

The "I like tormenting you" line especially hammers this in; Stella is just a one-dimensional asshole and nothing else. Again, you don't need to have a character to be super compelling to be a good villain; sometimes you just need them to be fun to watch, but Stella isn't interesting nor is she fun to watch. She's just one-dimensional. Obviously, a character like Stella could work; after all, some stories just like having a villain REVEL in how evil they are like Lord Dominator from Wander Over Yonder, which falls under the "just fun to watch" category, but once again, Stella isn't fun to watch nor is she a compelling or interesting character, she's just boring.

Which is something I can say for all of HB's villains; they aren't compelling or interesting characters nor are they fun and entertaining to watch, they're all just one-dimensional and boring.

Another character I'd like to bring up is Verosika, a character who so far has gotten ZERO development TWO SEASONS IN! Maybe the show will develop Verosika more in the future, but for now there isn't anything about her that's interesting except for MAYBE her past with Blitz, but how the show is going to execute that we'll just have to wait and see.

So Helluva Boss's villains are boring, they aren't compelling characters nor are they fun to watch, now let's move onto my second problem, that being...

4. Some of Them Are Stupid/Incompetent

So a good villain is supposed to be competent, right? Well sometimes an incompetent villain can work; however, it only works when the villain is SUPPOSED to be stupid because they're a villain who you're not supposed to take very seriously. The problem comes when you're supposed to take a villain seriously but they act like idiots to the audience when the story doesn't want us to see them that way.

There are three examples I can think of when I say that sometimes HB's villains are just incompetent at times, those being Striker, The Dhorks, and Crimson. I already talked about the Dhorks here in this post but they're not the only villains that make dumb decisions in the show; Striker does too Western Energy.

For one, when Stolas calls the IMPs for help, Striker for some reason doesn't immediately go and break Stolas's phone when he can HEAR HIM TALKING to them. Instead, he just sits there, letting Stolas notify IMPs that he's in trouble, and THEN takes Stolas's phone. Striker literally could've just smashed Stolas's phone the second he heard Stolas talking - if he did that, then IMP wouldn't have been notified that Stolas has been captured and the episode's plot wouldn't have happened. It's making a villain stupid for the sake of the plot.

And then later in the episode, when he has Stolas tied up on the train tracks, he decides to just... monologue to him? When he could literally just finish Stolas instantly by decapitating him or something, why is he just sitting there doing nothing and stabbing Stolas in random places???

Then there's Crimson, who, for some reason, didn't check to see if Chaz was lying to him. Seriously, if somebody you used to hate went and said "Oh hey I'm rich now", wouldn't you go and check to see if they're lying or not? But Crimson for some reason didn't think to do that, so he just...let himself get scammed because he was too stupid to actually check for himself. Yaaaaaaay.

Again, I already talked about the Dhorks, but it bears repeating that the fact that they decided to use melee weapons when THEY HAVE GUNS is fucking stupid. The show tries to pass this off by saying "They chose those melee weapons cuz they were badass!", except that excuse doesn't work because it makes the Dhorks just...incompetent. And usually when a narrative purposefully makes a villain stupid we aren't supposed to take that villain seriously, but the Dhorks are villains who we are supposed to take at least semi-seriously so deliberately making them stupid like this doesn't really work.

Another example I can think of is in Oops where when Blitz comes up with a plan to get rid of all the henchmen all at once using guns, they, for some reason, didn't hear all the gunshots and screaming going on and didn't go to check what the fuck was happening. If they did do that, then they would have most likely all gotten shot and not only would the episode's climax not happen, but the show would also lose two of its major recurring villains.

So HB's villains are often incompetent or just straight up stupid - they make dumb decisions just so to continue the plot. If they did the logical thing, major changes in the show's plot would happen and it can't have that now, would it? Now let's talk about the next problem...

5. There's Too. Fucking. Many of them

This is my last problem with HB's villains, that being; there are just WAY too many of them. Now, having multiple recurring antagonists isn't a bad thing, a lot of shows have a few smaller recurring antagonists here and there. The problem here is that in HB with each new villain creates a new plotline; Stella's conflict with Stolas regarding their divorce, the Cherubs being kicked out of Heaven and probably will try to get revenge on the IMPs, the Dhorks going to expose the existence of demons, Striker going to assassinate Stolas, and Crimson most likely going to get payback from Moxxie.

It contributes to a major issue I have with this show; there's just. TOO MANY plotlines going on and it makes it feel unfocused. Most shows I've seen usually have a main plot and 2-3 maybe even 4 smaller plots than it focuses on per season. HB meanwhile set up six yes six plotlines in just its first season (The ones I've already mentioned + Blitz making amends with the people he hurt and Stolitz). And now in season 2, it's just. Adding more with Crimson.

The show suffers from cramming in TOO MANY characters and plotlines making the show feel messy and unfocused. I would also like to point out how the show just adds plotlines that are like. Completely unnecessary? Mainly the Dhroks and Cherubs plotlines; these aren't connected to the show's core story (whatever tf its supposed to even BE at this point), and removing them doesn't change anything about the show, so they are just completely unneeded. The same thing goes with the Crimson plotline.

They only serve to clutter the show even more and make it feel unfocused, which is a problem HB's villains contribute to a LOT.

6. Conclusion

So, ya, that's why I don't like the villains in Helluva Boss. In conclusion; HB's villains are boring, one-dimensional, sometimes flat-out incompetent, and are just plain underwhelming. So uh ya...bye.

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #hazbin hotel critical #vivziepop critical

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chuplayswithfire · 5 months

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re the ask about stede not doing enough to make up for ditching ed - did it not balace out that ed tortured his crew for weeks and tried to kill lucius? idk why everybody is woobifying ed as if being sad or having a hard life is a justification for any of the shit he did like he has autonomy and chooses to behave the way he does when stede leaves. same goes for blaming all of eds actions on izzy as if izzy forced him to do anything? i think its weird and doesn’t do justice to his intentionally morally gray dimensional flawed character

okay so anon you are bringing up multiple things and conflating them, i think so let's take this one bit at a time

re the ask about stede not doing enough to make up for ditching ed - did it not balace out that ed tortured his crew for weeks and tried to kill lucius?

so first, let's be clear: ed's actions towards other people do NOT balance out stede's actions towards ed. that's uhhhh not how it works. when it comes to if stede did enough to make up for ghosting ed, that is a situation resolved only within ed and stede's personal relationship. stede leaving doesn't justify ed being callous and later cruel to the crew, but likewise, ed being callous and later cruel to the crew doesn't mean stede didn't owe something to ed if he wanted their relationship to work.

now let me further say that...i don't think that ed tortured (members of) stede's crew for weeks. in fact, i don't think he's physically harmed any of the crew aside from izzy, and I would argue that his dynamic with izzy is it's own special beef. if anything, i would say that between season 1 episode 10 and season 2 episode 1, ed's been a classic overachieving boss pushing his staff to the breaking point by having them work long shifts with no breaks and low pay.

this is not good, by the way, i am not saying he is being a good boss; kraken ed is fully that shithead boss who schedules 13 hour days and thinks a pizza party or donuts in the lounge make up for it. izzy tells him morale is low and he asks if they got cake, and then if they want drugs. the crew does not describe being worn down from specific fear of ed - they are worn down by day after day after day of endless raids without breaks; all the worst parts of piracy (the raids, the violence, the death) with none of the benefits (the break time between targets, the shore leave, getting paid).

again i say this is not good because it's not, but also, i think the fandom has marinated in this idea that because ed took izzy's toe he'd be doing all kinds of violence to the rest of the crew, and s2e1 doesn't really bare that out. they're shocked and horrified that he actually shoots izzy, and none of them are missing bits - in fact, the behavior is apparently so unique to izzy that they think izzy and ed have a toxic relationship. if it was any of them getting that, it wouldn't be an intervention getting plotted.

(he did for sure try to kill lucius though, which is why i'm glad lucius got to dump him overboard lol. lucky lucius. izzy tried to kill stede twice and stede didn't even get to stab him once.)

idk why everybody is woobifying ed as if being sad or having a hard life is a justification for any of the shit he did like he has autonomy and chooses to behave the way he does when stede leaves.

now half the fandom is woobifying ed because we love him and like him and also because the other half of the fandom is wildly racist about him so.

but, also, it's important context that the showrunner describes ed's actions as "a bit much" and "not entirely inappropriate". in the context of their environment, most of what ed did is not that shocking or stunning; he has hurt people, but even the people he hurt move on from it relatively soon, and we can see from spanish jackie (who doesn't give her employees enough money to pursue their own ambitions/perfectly fine with killing a husband to remove an obstacle) and ned low (literally all of that in episode 6) and izzy (in the like ten minutes he was captain and forced people to season his food and threatening folks with going hungry for laughing at him) that pirate captains are, generally, pretty shit, actually.

roach and archie at various points express sentiments that show this is all pretty normal for pirates; it's not that ed wasn't a dick, it's that he wasn't uniquely evil or fucked up. it's also that his behavior is sympathetic to many people because the show makes it abundantly clear that he's incredibly depressed and suicidal, and while it's definitely NOT okay to hurt people because you're in a bad way, the show is definitely more geared towards "even when you do all that fucked up shit, you still can be deserving of love and compassion if you reach for it" rather than "if you do fucked up shit you instantly are on the death list".

same goes for blaming all of eds actions on izzy as if izzy forced him to do anything? i think its weird and doesn’t do justice to his intentionally morally gray dimensional flawed character

izzy's not responsible for ed's actions in the sense that he put a gun to ed's head during every move, but he plays a critical role in making all that shit happen. it's like how stede wouldn't have ghosted ed if chauncey hadn't of dragged him out of bed - the festering self hatred that chauncey tapped into was there in stede, but he wouldn't have given in without a jolt from his past. the festering self hatred in ed wouldn't have broiled over into the kraken without izzy, but that was all still in ed.

izzy is pivotal in all that shit happening. if izzy hadn't of come in and jabbed ed in every sore spot he had and been a huge homophobia ridden pest that *also* threatened ed if he continued behaving in a way izzy didn't like, ed wouldn't have gone all kraken.

however, ed still DID go all kraken, so like, yeah, he did that shit. izzy is the explanation for why he did, but it's ed who did it so he has to make amends.

but also like ed is only as morally gray as literally everyone else. frenchie and roach are both in full support of torture. jim fully tried to kill a guy for throwing a glass at archie. all of them are professional murderers who make their living being the absolute living nightmares of people who are just living their lives doing their thing.

ed isn't any more morally gray than anyone else, but it's very weird how people try to make it out like ED is the intentionally morally gray character when it's just that this is a show about professional violent criminals, so the show doesn't really moralize about acts of violence.

now taking it back to the top though:

nothing ed did to the crew would change stede's need to re-earn ed's trust for ghosting him without a word and not being honest about his feelings and doubts. if ed wanted stede to atone for that, that would be ed's right as a person in the relationship - just like it would be the right of frenchie, archie, jim, or fang to want to ed to do something more before they offered their forgiveness. the fucked up shit you do to other people does not retroactively justify the fucked up shit someone else did to you. stede doesn't get a get out of the doghouse free card for ghosting ed just because ed was a dick to other people; he gets a get out of the doghouse free card because ed decides to forgive him and try again.

#ofmd #fandom fuckery #izzy hands #edward teach #stede bonnet #ofmd s2 spoilers

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