🙏 From The Heart: A Quiet Apology

you, are god. my god.

happy birthday prince of xianle, xie lian. 🌸👑

I think of them often.

| Diasomnia Harpy Hare animatic 🐉🦇⚔️ 🐊 | Book 7 spoilers |

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This was one big project, but I love how it came out! I’m fairly new to coloring and rendering, so this was quite the task for me. I’ve discovered that Diasomnia isn’t as hard to draw as I thought (except you Silver, you were very difficult to draw). Shoutout to @soleilthedeity (currently banned) for helping me come up with ideas! I hope you guys enjoy the animatic :)

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Malleus is an interesting character, because let’s be honest, he has the emotional maturity of a teaspoon, and I say that affectionately. He’s got a superiority complex, but can you blame him? He’s the crown prince of Briar Valley, naturally he’d at least subconsciously believe that he’s better than others! He pushes people away, not on purpose of course, which leaves him feeling very lonely. People are scared of him, but I feel like Malleus doesn’t completely understand why, what he’s doing wrong. Lilia was never scared of him though, and when he met Yuu, who wasn’t scared of him, he found them amusing, and that amusement slowly grew into affection. He grew attached to them. When he got the news that both Lilia and Yuu were leaving him soon, he felt like that new happiness Yuu gave him and the comfort of Lilia was all going to be ripped away. He doesn’t want to face the idea of things ending, of being alone. But nothing lasts forever.

Worse even is that as prince of Briar Valley, he’s incredibly powerful. His powers are supposed to keep his subjects happy, and he’s used to being able to do pretty much anything with his powers. But he can’t save Lilia, he can’t make him younger, make him healthy, make him stay. In a sense, his overblot kills three birds with one stone! Lilia doesn’t die, Yuu doesn’t leave, and he won’t ever be alone. Plus, they’ll all be “happy”! Except Malleus’ understanding of happiness is shallow, he doesn’t quite grasp it properly. Of course, like all the others, what they did was wrong, but like all the others, I empathize with them and understand why they did what they did. I can relate to Malleus, his desperation, his fear, because at the end of the day he’s still just a child who is going to outgrow everyone he loves.

(Since I play English and read the spoilers, my information/analysis might be wrong! If that’s the case, definitely let me know in the comments. This is all also just my interpretation, so if you disagree with my takes I’d love to hear your interpretation and thoughts!)

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not to trauma dump but i'd definitely choose to be an older sister again even if it means re-living all the shit that happened in the past .... i feel like those older siblings in anime who make it look dramatic when they dote on their younger siblings but it's exactly how i feel (shoutout amagi rinne?) ... i think there's also this Uniqueness with being an older sister in a religious asian household. you definitely have a defined role in the family; you're expected to do so much of this and that responsibilities while looking after your younger siblings.. of course this isn't meant to undermine whatever responsibilities younger siblings have, each of us have our own thing; i'm just personally talking about my experience as an active older sister to my sibling and how it affected my life (negatively & positively), as well as how i became a pillar in my younger sibling's life T_T

I love Xue Meng a normal amount (I would die for him).

How To Write A Plot Twist

1. Lay the Groundwork (Set Up the Twist)

• Plant clues: Leave subtle hints that seem insignificant at first but gain importance in hindsight. These are “breadcrumbs” for the audience.

• Establish expectations: Lead the audience down a path of assumptions. Use misdirection to make the twist feel unexpected but not out of nowhere.

• Avoid obvious tropes: Be aware of overused twists (e.g., “It was all a dream”) and either subvert them or build upon them uniquely.

2. Build the Tension

• Create stakes: Make the audience care deeply about the characters or the situation. When the twist comes, it should feel like a significant shift in those stakes.

• Add foreshadowing: Subtle hints or recurring motifs make the twist feel earned. For example, if a character turns out to be a villain, tiny actions or dialogue could subtly reflect their true nature.

• Play with timing: A twist often works best at a moment of high tension, where it either resolves or exacerbates the conflict.

3. Deliver the Twist

• Surprise and clarity: The twist should shock the audience but also make them say, “Of course, that makes sense!” upon reflection.

• Keep it believable: Even if surprising, the twist must fit within the story’s internal logic. If it feels random, it risks alienating readers.

• Reveal it organically: Use character actions, dialogue, or key events to unveil the twist naturally rather than outright explaining it.

4. Deepen the Story

• Shift the stakes: A great twist doesn’t just shock—it recontextualizes everything that came before it. It might make readers see previous events in a new light.

• Challenge characters: Show how the twist changes their motivations, relationships, or trajectory.

• Keep momentum: The story shouldn’t lose energy after the twist. Instead, it should propel the narrative into a new and exciting direction.

Types of Plot Twists

1. Identity Reveal: A character isn’t who they seem (e.g., a friend is the villain).

2. False Assumptions: The audience and/or characters misunderstood an event or situation.

3. Reversal of Fortune: Something unexpected dramatically alters the protagonist’s circumstances.

4. Unreliable Narrator: The perspective we’ve trusted turns out to be false or misleading.

5. Hidden Connections: Two seemingly unrelated elements turn out to be connected.

6. Misdirection: A red herring diverts attention away from the true twist.

Examples of Great Plot Twists

1. The Sixth Sense (Identity reveal): The protagonist is dead the whole time.

2. Gone Girl (False assumptions): The missing wife orchestrated her own disappearance.

3. Fight Club (Unreliable narrator): The protagonist and his enemy are the same person.

4. The Others (Reversal of fortune): The protagonists are ghosts, not the haunted.

5. Shutter Island (Hidden connections): The protagonist is a patient in the asylum he’s investigating.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Predictability: If the twist is too obvious, it loses impact.

• Lack of setup: A twist without groundwork feels unearned.

• Twist for twist’s sake: Don’t add a twist just to shock; it must serve the story.

If you’re having writers block…READ!!!! CONSUME MEDIA

I feel like I don’t hear that given enough as advice for writers block..just read? Watch tv? Movies? Find inspiration in media.

Writers block is a lack of inspiration, so go collect more.

guhhh these two