#I'm sorry for all the dark feels

[silusvesuius]

my part of art trades w/ sum people 🌷

@littledov / @macabre-changeling / @choilacanth / @heliosynchronisity / @wirethroat

#my art #i didn't wanna put too much on my plate first round but if i ever feel like doing this again I'll post ab it 💜 #all of these r dark af i'm sorry keu283jru

[keiicom]

Yjh things the Webtoon 'forgot' to mention or to point out bc they hate novel yjh

Warning for vague webtoon spoilers ig?? No spoilery names are named and no unreleased scenarios are mentioned/specified btw but I thought I'd add this warning just in case :)

He waited three days on the bridge for kdj to resurface after he dropped him in the Ichytosaurs mouth. Just. Waited there.

He smiles when Kdj tries his food and says it's good (it's more like a tiny smug smile tbh)

He is a WORRIER. Man worries about everything, but sucks at expressing it through actions bc that's when he's most easily misunderstood. It is EXTREMELY easy to misunderstand his actions unless the other characters ask him what he's doing and why [after he explains, he turns out to be actually really thoughtful tbh]

When he tells 41st round shin yoosung to "quit her blabbering"...he wasn't that harsh in the novel. The line was changed (still don't know why) but originally he said something about not having enough time, and wasn't a complete asshole.

Also during that same arc/scene it was revealed that he woke her up because he genuinely didn't think she'd attack him/be mad at him iirc, so it wasn't him being stupid, just somewhat naive

When Iris called KDJ ugly he actually stepped forward and intimidated her by glaring so she'd stop talking :) because he sensed fighting spirit in her and he decided to react lmao

His eyebrow moves similarly to a caterpillar when he's about to make an important decision (note: kdj points this out in the novel because he's always staring at yjh I swear to god there's proof)

Yjh puts on a 'cool' face when he's been caught or called out after trying to be sneaky (he's SO BAD at being sneaky istg I love this man so much)

He sometimes uses his skills for stupid and petty shit *said lovingly with heart eyes*

He's more likely to give someone/an NPC a quick death than to make them suffer until they die

He always goes along with KDJ's plans, even though Kdj barely tells him ANYTHING about them ever 😭 He glares but still goes along with them I NEED Y'ALL TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS- /lh

He drags his sword on the ground when he's happy/satisfied with something, or generally in a good mood. Also Loves to clean his sword (I think the webtoon added a scene of him cleaning the sword like. once)

He loves his sister more than anything (we haven't seen a lot of scenes with yoo mia AND yjh in the webtoon yet but I have high expectations for those knowing how much he adores her in the novel)

Mans RUNS to help every time kdj is in danger, unless he genuinely thinks kdj 1) can handle the situation himself or 2) deserves the punishment

He has MONOLOGUES in his head even though he only ever says like two sentences thakrhsjfjb, and is very eloquent when given the chance to explain his thought process/reasoning

[which kdj rarely lets him do. bc he's hellbent on doing the talking and most other characters don't expect yjh to talk anyway]

The hand holding scene that was turned into a weird wrist holding scene? Yes originally they held hands (he wasn't as angry then either)

He's a serial texter and will spam message people

He loves dumplings

He gets jealous when other people monopolize Dokja's attention for too long (also canon, ex: Sangah, [redacted 1], sometimes han sooyoung, [redacted 2], [redacted 3] 💀 and WILL glare at Kdj or demand answers depending on how severe the transgression is)

He's tired. So, so tired.

HE CAN LAUGH

he doesn't let Han Sooyoung live out of pride/not wanting to lose to kdj (???? what even was that). he lets her live because he doesn't want kdj to think poorly of him / alternatively he doesn't want to lose him as an ally. Not everything is about pride with him 🫠

he looks embarrassed after hearing yoo mia tell him he looks "happy when you talk about [kdj]". the narration also gives her statement some credibility, because "she knows him well since she's his sister". but of course they made him look angry instead of embarrassed 🙄 bc god forbid he shows any other facial expression ever

He's nosy (again: said lovingly with heart eyes). You'll notice how even when he pretends not to care, he'll still stick around to see how things develop/gather info on 'important' stuff. If he's not interested, he'll just leave, bc he's the kind of guy to just do that. So if he doesn't leave, even if he's pretending not to care... you see where I'm going with this

He has a sense of humor, believe it or not (though most of the time he's hilarious without meaning to)

When [redacted] asked yoo joonghyuk what his deal was with kdj and why he wanted him in his group he said "kdj is necessary for this world. I need him." but webtoon decided to skip that line 🫠

Yjh says "I guess your mother doesn't like me" instead of this "like mother like son" bullshit, because the second one implies dokja doesn't like him. which couldn't be farther from the truth

I'd add more but the rest is spoilers fhajhrjeka so yeah I'll just wait to see what webtoon does first and I'll update this as they go

#writing about orv is hard because after reading so many fanfics I no longer can tell what's canon and whats not 😭 #i think I finally got all the canon differences with the webtoon though #but y'all feel free to correct me if something's wrong #orv #omniscient reader #omniscient reader's viewpoint #when did this turn into an “all the things I love about yjh” post 💀 #I was NOT gonna wait until the dark castle arc to talk about how yjh actually has feelings alright 😭 I'm sorry I'm not that strong

[can-of-slorgs]

The other researchers are also here! (magical edition!)

#neopets #neotag #neoart #eyrie #gelert #THE BOYS ARE HEREEE #vin doods #my beautiful magical boyssss #had some time to kill this weekend so might as well finish rendering some stuff i have lying around lmao #its ironic cause my oc stuff is the stuff that gets less views or reacts overall but is the ones im more interested in for the most part #its been a while since i've actually really loved an bunch of ocs and this 4 (technically 5) are going to be the death of me lol #just to be consistent with the other post #eyrie's name is Ozzi or Oz #and gelert's name i'm still unsure of but for now I'm going with Faeran #i'm so emotionally invested in these characters you have no idea LMFAOO #also I did base Faeran's looks in a lot of “long dogs” like borzois and the ears just came naturally to me lol #I'm still working on a doc with all the info for those interested tho buuut if any are reading by this point feel free to ask about them!! #I'll just never shut up lol #the neopia i did put them in is a tad bit more.... “dark”?? i guess?? #its less abstractly magical and i did have to find out how to build a magic system for everything to work lol #and my dnd knowledge did filter a l o t into it so sorry bout that oops:;; #anyway this is too long and hardly anyone really reads this much but hey! finally my babies have faces so i don't feel so bad!!! #it doesnt help that i post this stuff at buttfuck hours LMFAOO

[magicaldreamfox1]

so i'm just thinking abt the reputation pete must have post-canon among main family bodyguards.

like as we know from pete himself, word travels fast amongst main family bodyguards and there must be a few who survived the ep 14, confrontation. obviously people would've known pete at least in passing, he's tankhun's head bodyguard that must mean something. and suddenly he's missing for a few days, rumour has it he went to the minor family's house (with the fit tankhun threw (rightfully so) surely people would've heard abt it right? right) and everyone knows what happens to bodyguards who are sent to the minor family's house. except pete returns and word spreads fast about that too. pete returned, covered in blood and injured but alive. then the family showdown happens, a lot of people die but surely a few main family bodyguards would survive. and they would hear abt it. pete left. he resigned. and they let him. which i'm sure not many bodyguards can say for themselves. rumour has it he went after vegas. and then shot a bodyguard of the main family dead for him. and that he's with vegas now.

vegas who has A Reputation, everyone knows that. so pete not only made it out of the minor family's house alive, he also managed to resign and then went to be with vegas.

and maybe they'd even see him sometime, pete coming to visit porsche or tankhun and he looks fine like he's doing well.

and like. they must be terrified of him. and like even when they get new bodyguards word would spread just as quickly. u don't fuck with pete bc pete has seen the worst of the worst of this world and not only come out alive the other end, he also willingly walked back right into it.

#thinking abt pete maybe this even qualifies as dark!pete #like i'm sorry i feel like i'm really bad at articulating my thoughts in a good and coherent way #but brain goes brrr #pete must have a killer reputation #like if they main family bodyguards aren't terrified of him then idk either #like mans survived the minor family literally resigned and they let him. and now he's just chilling with Vegas Theerapanyakul #u know the murderous evil cousin #like FUCK #people would be scared i know it #especially abt the part where pete quit To Be With Vegas #bc from an outsider pov it'd take a special kind of insane to want to be with vegas right #they're terrified of him i know it. some are even more scared of him than of vegas #and like him being super nice and polite and smiley makes people not believe it at first #they're like really this guy???? no way #but like there's moments in between where u can see how smart and calculating he is #and people would insist like no really this guy did all of that don't underestimate him #and people would be scared they would i know it #vegaspete #kinnporsche #kp analysis #bl shows #dreamy talks #pete

[bonkalore]

Sooo... There’s this newer show called Daniel Spellbound and this demon guy named Jayce Chinda in the second season, who I’ve kind of attached myself to recently and very suddenly, but I will add admit, I feel the show could have been much better and I’m sad about that. 😭 You can tell there’s a lot of constraints from budget and time that limited it a lot. It’s an urban fantasy setting with some cool concepts and good & diverse character designs, and whoever is doing the color keys for the show is on point, but it does end up feeling lacking in most other things to me unfortunately.

Jayce here sadly only mostly looked like the first few pics here. No tail or other horns. 😔 I don’t want to give spoilers, but it definitely felt like his narrative was leaning toward him having a bigger, badder demon form or at least something change, but he did not and I was rather disappointed.

So I gotta do it myself I guess.

But yeah, I’m back on my bullshit and have gone and run off with the AU stuff as I usually do and will say in advance that most of my fanart is only vaguely rooted in what was given in the canon if you’re wanting to check out the show and expect something else!  I’m just glad to want to draw something again tho, it’s been ages.

#daniel spellbound #jayce chinda #daniel spellbound jayce #demon #my art #monster transformation #sure I'll give it that #but yeah man I haven't drawn much at all since Sep 2022 so I'll take what I can get #not the first time I've gone awol with a thing only vaguely attached to canon lol #*side eyes the Dark Heart stuff from 2017* #I also feel bad there is hardly any fanart or talk of this show #and I'm coming here adding to that but to say I didn't think it was that good TToTT #I'm sorry #I'm sure y'all did the best you could with the money and time that allowed you

[snowangeldotmp3]

was listening to the s4 soundtrack again and the track does this make us friends? is just so important to me. i know it's been discussed to hell and back but re-listening to it really drives home how the track is about forgiveness.

nancy's making a friend. she's not had one since You Know Who. she was mean to robin earlier, and nancy asking if they're friends is her olive branch. it's the "i'm sorry. i was an asshole. wanna try again?" because i think, above all, it's nancy forgiving herself.

#sorry not to get emo about nancy wheeler on a random saturday afternoon #nancy wheeler #stranger things #ronance #i've said this before too but there's also something to be said about the fact that the track starts out all dark and gloomy #and closed off #and it's reminiscent of the 'do you remember what you did nancy?' that vecna taunts her with later #but! what's most interesting is when nancy starts opening up to robin about the whole jonathan thing #the song opens up as well!! the song becomes brighter and it opens up!! #and then there's the whole 'it sounds vaguely like the 'nancy and barb' track from s1' stuff but #st details #i've talked about this before i know and if you've seen me talk about it i'm sorry you have to see it again I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS

[livepasthope]

the thing about the kelvin timeline. hi. the thing about the kelvin timeline as a concept is it is so devastatingly good. like here we are in the future imagined by the original series and what do we do? we take this story that imagines a better, more tolerant universe and we strip it of all its optimism. we take this story and set it in a new timeline the nexus for which is a moment of catastrophic violence. and then that timeline is sealed by the destruction of an entire planet. and not just any planet. vulcan. the home of the people that initiate first contact, the event that is largely accepted as the catalyst that allows an earth decimated by ww3 to become an earth that could be home to all of starfleet. that's a fucking fascinating way to do a reboot. it's horrifying! when scotty says "this is clearly a military operation. is that what we are now" that's the whole question! and the answer seems to be yes! but we don't ever meaningfully engage with that question. or what it means for our characters and their lives and choices. and to top it all off, none of it was intentional! it's just that jj wanted to be making star wars instead. but nevertheless i am here. i am still here.

#god even the fucking uniforms being all black with just a strip of color #it is giving catws cap suit #rotating a version of into darkness in my mind that was more like catws and less like jj abrams tries to get picked for star wars: the movi #and now in the 2020s what are we doing? forced heterosexuality #if i think about it? well! so i don't think about it <3 #sorry i'm rereading a novel lenth aos fic and having feelings about it do you still think i'm hot

[dirtytransmasc]

thinking about how Spider was neteyam's big brother. losing my mind. ripping out my hair.

was 'teyam scared of storms or the dark? did he confide these "childish" fears to his big brother? did he get shy with all the attention he got in the village? did he hold Spi's hand when he got nervous?

did Spi have habits with 'teyam like 'teyam had with lo'ak? did Spi mess with his hair or reach for his shoulder or cuff his neck?

did Spi ever worry for 'teyam after he "stepped up" and became the Big Brother when the humans returned? did he worry something would happen to him? did he want to protect him despite being a human? was he proud? did his pride outweigh his fear?

did he think about 'teyam after he was taken? did he wonder where he was and if he was safe?

what was Spi thinking when he saw the bullet hole in his baby brother's back? did he freeze when he saw the blood, when he realized he failed to protect him?

what was 'teyam thinking? when he looked to Spi, did he want him to be the big brother again, did he want to stop being brave and let Spi do it? did he want to say something?

I have so many questions. I don't think my heart could take the answers.

#I'm probably being delusional. feel free to write this off as fanon bs. idc. it's canon in my mind. #all I can think about is the fact 'teyam died for him. he watched him die. he watched his little brother die. #did he say goodbye to him? #did he sneak into the mauri they kept his body in before they returned him to eywa and say goodbye to his baby brother #properly y'know. not the way he'd say goodbye in front of the kids or at a time where neytiri could see him. #did he stroke his hair and hold his hand and tell him he was sorry? #did he tell him he wished he could switch their places? #did he kiss his forehead one last time? did he look at his face and try and memorize every feature only to find it left wrong by death? #did he worry about him being alone in that mauri at night? did he worry he was scared to be alone in the dark of the pod? #he had to say goodbye to his baby brother for the rest of his life. what did he do? I need to know. #or at least. what did he want to do? #ignoring his grief and guilt and fear of upsetting the others or being caught by neytiri #if he could openly grieve. what would he do? #what would he wish he'd done? #It pains me to say I can't see canon!spider actually getting to give 'teyam a proper goodbye cause of everything #but if he did #what would he have done? #neteyam sully #neteyam #neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan #spider socorro #miles spider socorro #miles socorro #avatar the way of water #avatar #crying actually #I call them Spi and 'teyam cause it feels right

[teecupangel]

Sooooo... I was planning to post this on Father's Day next month and this has been sitting on my queue for... let's just say 'a while'.

But we've been talking about AC dads (thanks to @acgames' lovely posts here and here) soooo...

I guess Advanced Happy Father's Day, AC Fandom!

EDIT (6/18/23): Happy Father's Day, AC Fandom!

BONUS Altaïr for all you silver fox lovers

#assassin's creed #teecup edit #teecup edits #i'm sorry for the quality of ratonhnhaké:ton's #my phone's camera sucks and i took that photo at 3 am with all the lights off XD #altaïr ibn la'ahad #ezio auditore #ratonhnhaké:ton #connor kenway #edward kenway #william miles #i feel like i shouldn't include the source of the texts themselves #because i saw it in a very... shall we say... 'dark' place

[spocks-kaathyra]

"ur repressed" okay well have u even considered that emotions r purposeless and only serve to cause harm to those around u and I have achieved a unique transcendent state beyond them. have u considered that

#joking but like. am I wrong though #yeah no one is able to overcome the inherent human flaw of emotion and anyone who thinks they can is in fact mentally unwell #except for me I'm built different I have actually managed to transcend emotion. this is a good thing and not a problem #I saw my father's anger and my mother's discontent and my brother's self loathing and my friend's yearning. #and I saw how it only made everyone more unhappy. and I decided I would be above them all and never let my emotions rule me. #I was scared of the dark until I realized that fear wasn't useful to feel. so I stopped feeling it #this is a good thing and I am a paragon of mental health I think #mmm alternatively I was made to play mediator in a family of traumatized ppl and learned to repress my emotions to the point of dysfunction #but I prefer to think I'm enlightened and have no problems. this is fine and will not blow up in my face #anyways. just now realizing that this might stem from my childhood. oops #also realizing that I'm probably not aro and I just learned to turn off romantic attraction bc I saw how miserable it made my friend?? #well. I still don't experience romantic attraction. but probably I should and I will if I ever sort out this repression thing. whoopsie #really she was ready to kill herself over some white guy and I looked at that and was like. nope. I'm never stooping to that level #mm might not help that my parents never loved each other and I never had a healthy romantic relationship modeled for me as a child #but still like really like what is the point. of having emotions. they're just not useful #oh hurr durr I'm angry at my friends for talking over a tv show. there is no way to act on this without damaging ppl and relationships #ohh I'm in love with this guy who will never love me back. THERE IS NO PRODUCTIVE WAY TO ACT ON THIS #literally emotions can only be destructive and I'm a better person for opting out of them #there are no downsides to being repressed! I can still feel positive emotions. I'm happy sometimes. sometimes I'm excited. it's fine #guy who is Unpacking Things live on ur dash. sorry #narcissus's echoes #vent

[potatoesandsunshine]

sorry everyone but to me the dark brotherhood is like a weird sitcom family you join midway through their third season. they've all already got established dynamics and relationships and my character is walking in to add a little extra drama to an already-moving plot. we don't even get to the friends stage before whatever climactic awful thing (usually me) happens to them

#every day of my life i wake up and still feel no interest in screwing lucien lachance. we're just not like that. i'm sorry all #writing about alindra is fun bc when i played that save i did all the questlines i could but i think in her 'canon' she is fully not part #of the dark brotherhood. it's thieves guild and mages guild only for her. but it means i cant go see my friends in their sanctuary 😞 #this is why i like the dark brotherhood questline in oblivion more than in skyrim btw though both are strong #i LOVE moments in oblivion where the story tells you you are not the most important character #it always feels like things are on a much slower simmer for the hero of kvatch. the dragonborn walks in a room and starts leading a faction

[brookheimer]

okay. i need to rewatch the episode probably but i think my current feeling is that i like most of it a lot (rome, ken, the siblings not getting ceo, etc), think the tom ceo makes sense from a logical/character perspective but not sure how i feel about it from a broader more thematic lens (altho i'm leaning towards fine with it), and am very mixed on shiv's ending because i think it's well-conceived and meaningful from a broader thematic lens (shiv becomes her mother, the cycle always repeats, etc) but doesn't quite make sense to me from a logical/character one -- it could've worked, it could've worked brilliantly, but it was far too rushed and forced. it makes sense as an ending for shiv, but not her next step. i'm largely talking about her decision to return to tom, not her decision to vote against kendall (which i think should've been executed better and given more space but can understand given her character, mostly). i'm fine with it as an ending for shiv, but what i'm struggling to stomach is the way it played out -- it didn't feel like a choice the shiv we know would've made. it's an ending that makes sense thematically and for her character arc, but not a decision that makes sense for her character at present. that's kinda where i'm at right now

#long shiv post talking ab this upcoming lol #bc so far i haven't seen like any shiv takes i've actually agreed with #it's either entirely anti ending or pro ending #whereas like. to me the ending works as an ending for the character. it's tragic dark devastating but it works and works well #but shiv making that choice does not make sense for where she is right now. it was rushed writing that forced an ending on her #that would be a satisfying ending but not a satisfying character choice and thus NOT a super satisfying ending #could've been EXTREMELY satisfying. but shiv wasn't there yet. her fatal flaw is blowing up good situations when she feels she's being #disrespected -- she's respect > power when it comes down to it #even tho she thinks she wants power more she NEEDS respect and is unable to stay quiet or make the smart choice in the face of disrespect #or men thinking they're superior etcetcetc. so her making a choice that allots her power (wife of CEO) but is the singular least respecting #outcome imaginable (meekly returning to your husband who betrayed you and stole the job you've been fighting for your entire life right out #of your grasp alongside your closest ally/flirt guyfriend who tapped him to do it explicitly to fuck you over because you're a pregnant #woman and thus inferior to the man who inseminated you -- and EVERYONE KNOWS ALL OF THIS! everyone knows you're the daughter of #the previous CEO and on two separate instances were meant to be CEO and now the weak man you married publicly betrayed you TWICE #but you still meekly return to him and place your hand in his and have his baby like the good pawn you are...) #that does not make sense for shiv. if we saw some development on the power > respect front or had a few more scenes or episodes developing #shiv as someone who would choose to become her mother (powerful and rich yet a disrespected pawn) over literally anything else #given her fundamental fear of being disrespected than maybe this would've made sense. it could be a great meaningful devastating ending #but it's one that just does not track for shiv as we know her right now. #ok tags got long as always sorry LOL i'm gonna write a longer thing explaining my hashtag thoughts bc i haven't seen much i agreed w on thi #front yet oops. ok bye 4 now tee hee #succession #succession spoilers #casey shut the fuck up about shiv roy

[anonyanonymouse]

I need a minute. to process the update

#I'm sososososoos sleepy it is overwhelming SORRY #I know I'm going to be killed every time I stay up to read the update and I knew I had a rough shift at work ahead of me but alas #I feel like I run out of things to say about the updates when they're not so directly about the 4 dia boys anymore </3 #twst spoilers #I love rook though. he was so real for.... all of that #the reminder that Vil's overblot hurt Rook more than anyone else #that he trusted Vil more than anyone else and wanted to believe he wouldn't be willing to stoop so low #he was willing to die if it meant everyone else got along.... rook ily #and dear god they actually showed Neige's dead body... Not knocked out or in a coma #straight lined vitals and cold body #the dwarves begging him to stop being lazy and wake up... #(foreshadowing pleas e please please pleas pla plsplspslpslspl be foreshadowing for silver please I'll cry) #and the cut to Vil celebrating is ''victory'' at VDC after killing Neige.. it all felt so dark #even after what they pulled with Ortho in the last book I'm still surprised when they directly address characters dying and being dead #anyway very good update I had a good time #Idia's dumb fucking video was so cute and silly

[theflyingfeeling]

tomorrow-me: I'd really appreciate it if you could drag your arse to the grocery store so that I won't have to get up early tomorrow morning to do it you know?

now-me, wrapped in a blanket with tears in my eyes: but I'm just a baby?? 😭

#listen i am so so so so so so so so tired 💀 #my landlord's coming for a visit at 11 tomorrow and i have nothing to offer him #but i'm too tired to think about what to buy for the weekend (for myself) #grocery shopping was a burden as it was but then they shut down my nearest store (200 m from my apartment) #and now the nearest one is just far enough so that i don't wanna go there just for a pack of coffee and biscuits #i'm so tired i just had to check how to fucking spell 'biscuits' 😭😭😭😭😭😭 #feeling slightly better now that i rested my eyes a little and drank a glass of water and ate a clementine #but i don't wanna goooooooo it's cold and dark and i don't know what i want to eat during the weekend 😭😭😭😭😭 #it's times like these i hate living alone / being single because i can't just ask someone to go to the grocery store for me #i should also clean up my kitchen and bathroom a bit #i know i'm so brave for doing shit like this all by myself but sometimes i really hope i wouldn't have to #sorry for whining about my little life on main lol pls ignore #i need no advice (but sympathy would be nice. an encouraging headpat even)

[invinciblerodent]

if bloodsoaked killer, avatar of wretched villainy, fetid and rotten, a vile creature to the very core.... why kicked puppy??? why cute round eyes??? why sweet scared girl who just wants to be nice and help everyone????

(in other words it's durge time; monk styles)

(my plan is a Karlach romance, but man, if you deliberately RP as someone who is both very confused and deeply scared, there is something extra reassuring about Gale's confidence. Like I'm trying to lean into Karlach's warmth -both literal and metaphorical- being a source of comfort, and the reason for this character to be drawn to her, but the dynamic of a strong woman who knows nothing and the physically frail man with chronic pain who knows everything IS intriguing...)

(then again, that could just be me being not even just thirsty, but parched for the wizard.)

#squirrel plays bg3 #oc: mara #watching my partner play his dark urge made me want to get mine out of tutorial limbo (first tactician run; wish me luck) #she has Astarion-syndrome; looks either like a fucked up gremlin or the most vulnerable creature in existence #.... ironically enough she is very much NOT drawn to Astarion #he's... kind of scaring her I think #played all of like an hour and she seems to have the best rapport with Gale so far #very “i don't understand the thing 🥺” “very well; allow me to explain you the thing in excruciating detail! 😀” #... it does feel good though that even though i can't deny that Astarion is my favorite; it's no issue for me to not romance him #both because i'm so attached to his dynamic with Iona; and because he just Doesn't Work with my other characters #Petyr was very... “i'll fuck anything with a pulse but that's kind of a hard limit for me pal; no offense” #and Mara is “our first two conversations both involved you implying that you'd kill me with a knife. i'm sorry but i'm a lil scared of u” #“please don't take this in a mean way but you are mildly terrifying”

[inflammatoryfandomblog]

I do find it interesting that ATLA managed to use a very black and white narrative (stop Evil Empire) to tell several character stories with some nuance, while TDP claims it has a nuanced conflict and flattens everything to try and make up for that, ultimately leading to protagonist centred morality more than anything. And if they didn’t want me to compare the two then they should have let go of the ATLA references right away.

you're right and you should say it.

the constant and shoehorned references to ATLA do not really do this show any favors. honestly might be part of the problem (why are there 7 primals with color-coded elves? to follow ATLA's pattern of marketable separable elements. why is it an adventure story with a core crew? because ATLA was like this too. etc etc.)

but anyway. yeah. ATLA had a very simple main conflict to provide a constant source of tension throughout the show (even if they dropped the ball at the last season re: the plot), and this structure allowed for episodes that explore other aspects of the setting and characters while still making everything feel relevant and tied together by said conflict. it's not some arthouse show by any means, but it has good compelling story work into it. genuinely great show.

tdp immediately opens up with the nuance and it never really delves deeper. you'd think that opening with characters being aware of the cycle of violence stuff would be interesting and the show would explore that more, but it just... flatlines there. there's no progression or graduation or exploration of themes as the seasons go on like in ATLA. very rarely are there new questions being asked or arcs that feel sensical.

honestly the main characters having to be perfect in every situation is the biggest problem with tdp. the mains are not allowed to have shortcomings or mistaken judgements or anything to meaningfully interact in any way with the nuanced set-up. they emotionally exist entirely outside it, which ends up making them the Messiahs of Peace Who Can Do No Wrong. good for fandoms i guess, people bitched and whined about bato and the water tribe for years. but it's not very good for storytelling.

and also, they're just bad characters and the writers can't put two and two together while still asking you to take their world very seriously.

anyways i'm just rambling at this point. good observation.

#tdp #tdp critical #for the tag filterers #ezran is legitimately a fucking awful character #callum is pointless and doesn't make sense within the larger world of the show #remember that <<path to darkness>> fear in season 4? no build-up #no exploration. nothing. just signposting for a Dark Arc because all the cool kids are doing it #like unless you were stupid it was clear that both viren and callum struggled with feelings of insecurity and wanting to be great #like really. no reason except extremely shitty foreshadowing and honestly a waste of screentime. like i'm sorry #but the fart jokes were unironically more characterful. claudia is emotionally immature #never got over her childhood. and her poopoofarty humor is a legitimate way of portraying that. viren realizes this. see i can be nice. #but like. for the mains? the human rayla joke may be funnier but does rayla's prejudice against humans ever play a role in her character? #oh no she's not allowed to be bigoted. neither are her parents. they have to be Good All Along. #and like the sad thing is the characterization of claudia like this is most likely not completely intentional. #devon giehl is like oh claudia likes terry because she thinks he's special in only a way *she* can see. #and not the more obvious nuanced explanation of claudia generally believing things about elves + dragons #but having the sense to realize that this doesn't mean every single individual is evil. but no she's just IRRATIONAL. ok then. #writers shut up and not ruin something that accidentally worked challenge level: impossible #asks #ask #anon #good ask honestly. #just rambling at this point