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Entry tags:
Fanfiction & Meta Master List
Detroit: Become Human
Philosophical Zombies
Connor, Elijah Kamski | PG-13 | Gen | 3510 words
Kamski runs some tests on the newly awakened Connor android.
Doctor Who
Five People Martha Never Met
Martha Jones | PG | Gen | 1406 words
Five people Martha met in the Year That Never Was.
Five Phone Calls
Martha Jones, Jack Harkness | PG | Weird experimental piece | 1024 words
Jack and Martha have a long distance relationship. Includes spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
The Werewolf Paradox
Martha Jones, Tenth Doctor | PG-13 | Gen | 5157 words
In modern-day Edinburgh, a man has been murdered by a great beast said to emerge during a full moon. The Doctor and Martha investigate, but this gruesome tale isn’t quite as straightforward as it first appears.
Until We Meet Again
Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master | PG | Gen | 682 words
The Doctor and the Master say goodbye. Set during The End of Time, Part II.
Final Fantasy VII
Appearances
Red XIII | G | Meta disguised as fic | 956 words
Nanaki reflects on the connection between the image humans present and who we really are. Yes, it's a philosophical musing about... clothes.
Attack of the Gi
Red XIII | G | Gen | 290 words
Nanaki's home is attacked.
Beginning
Red XIII | G | Gen | 1144 words
Nature regenerates the world anew, but humanity's past ought to be preserved. Nanaki has a story to tell.
Child's Play
Red XIII, Marlene, Denzel | G | Fluff | 2898 words
Who wouldn't be a cub again? The children bring out Red XIII's playful side.
Fighting, Yuffie Style
Yuffie Kisaragi | PG | Gen | 294 words
Yuffie doesn't play fair.
Fragility
Cloud/Tifa | PG | Angst | 1850 words
Happiness is such a fragile thing. And when the past threatens to hold back the future, all Tifa can do is smile.
How the Beast got its Flaming Tail
Red XIII, Ifrit | G | Fairytale | 4776 words
The story of the origin of Nanaki's species, passed down through the generations - a legend of both Man and Beast.
Mako Drench
Cloud Strife, Red XIII | PG | Weird experimental piece | 707 words
Who is Cloud? Too much Mako disorients the body, destroys the mind. Fear can do the same.
Memories Live On
Red XIII, Vincent Valentine | PG | Gen | 1289 words
A long time ago, a group of warriors saved the Planet. Overlooking the ruins of Midgar, Nanaki and Vincent contemplate the fate of the human race.
One Who Watches Over The Planet
Red XIII, Aerith Gainsborough | G | Gen | 1235 words
The flower girl touched many people's lives. Red XIII is no exception.
One Who Will Not Die
Aerith Gainsborough, Sephiroth | PG | Gen | 1700 words
Aerith wants to make sure the threat to the Planet is over at last. But Sephiroth just won't give up.
Our Dream
Cid/Shera | PG-13 | Romance | 100 drabbles, 100 words each
A series of Cid/Shera drabbles, snippets exploring their relationship over the years. Each piece contains five drabbles.
What Dreams May Come
Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa | PG-13 | Gen | 1322 words
They’re nightmares, he tells himself. Sephiroth can’t control him.
Final Fantasy VIII
Dreams of Eternity
Ellone Loire | G | Weird experimental piece | 170 words
Ellone dreams of the past. But where does that power come from?
Final Fantasy IX
Is More To Life Than Frogs
Quina Quen | G | Gen | 287 words
Quina, on life and food and journeys.
Small Fortunes
Stiltzkin | G | Fairytale | 6637 words
Stiltzkin makes his way to Lindblum, to deliver a Very Important Letter.
Final Fantasy Crossovers
Mercenaries
Final Fantasy VII/VIII
Cloud/Tifa, Squall/Rinoa, Irvine/Selphie, ensemble | PG-13 | Action thriller | ~150,000 words
When Cloud Strife is taken to Galbadia, he is forced into a job he swore never to do again. His mission? To assassinate Sorceress Rinoa. Squall won't be pleased about that...
Jessica Jones
Choices
Jessica/Kilgrave, Trish | R | Drama | ~113,000 words
When Jessica meets Kilgrave, his powers don’t work on her. She could have walked away. If only she’d walked away...
Behind the Mirror
Jessica/Kilgrave, Luke | PG-13 | Weird experimental piece | 8565 words
You all know Jessica's story. Isn't it time you heard mine?
Shadows
Jessica/Kilgrave, Trish | R | Drama | ~47,000 words
She loved him once. It was messed up and they were messed up, but she felt something for him. One year after Kilgrave, Jessica must face her past, her guilt, and an old enemy who comes asking for help.
Whatever It Takes
Jessica/Kilgrave, Kilgrave/Trish | R | Drama | ~20,000 words
After breaking free of Kilgrave, Trish vowed that she’d never let it happen again. She’d find a way to protect people. She’d find a way to protect herself. A different take on Trish’s transformation into Hellcat.
Kingdom Hearts
Follow the Butterfly
Cloud/Tifa, Aerith, Leon, Yuna | PG-13 | Gen | ~17,000 words
A message for Leon prompts a journey of rediscovery, but for the Gullwings, it's a treasure hunt. And as Aerith discovers, he's not the only one with long-buried memories. To overcome his darkness, Cloud must also come to terms with his past.
The Old Kingdom
Blood of the Ninth
Nicholas Sayre | G | Gen | 2775 words
Baptised with a Charter mark, Nicholas Sayre now belongs to the world of the Old Kingdom. But what does the Destroyer's legacy mean for him? Nick wants answers. Mogget may have them.
The Originals
The Heart's a Fool
Rebekah Mikaelson | PG-13 | Gen | 1318 words
Rebekah is the girl who loves too easily.
The Vampire Diaries
A Game of Trust
Elijah/Elena | PG-13 | Gen | 3765 words
She doesn't realise that he's adjusting to her comfort levels until it's too late.
A Proposal
Katherine Pierce, Elijah Mikaelson | PG-13 | Gen | 1348 words
Katherine is living it up far away from Mystic Falls, when she is caught by none other than Elijah. Old habits die hard.
All The Same
Isobel/John | PG | Gen | 1653 words
He fundamentally misunderstood her.
Road Trip
Katherine/Caroline/Elena | PG-13 | Gen with added threesome implications | 497 words
Three vampires walk into a bar...
Strings
Katherine Pierce, Isobel Flemming, Elena Gilbert | PG | Character study | 313 words
Men's hearts are there to be played. The Petrova women are masterful musicians.
Taken
Elijah/Elena, Damon Salvatore, Katherine Pierce, ensemble | PG-13 | Drama | ~160,000 words
2x15 AU: Elijah succeeds in kidnapping Elena, Katherine is out of the tomb and the Salvatore brothers have one hell of a mess to fix. Sometimes you have no choice but to make a deal with the devil. If you can get the devil to make a deal with you...
The Only Way
Katherine Pierce, Elena Gilbert | PG | Gen | 398 words
The day comes when she finally runs out of options and asks Katherine to turn her.
The Stains They'll Make
Katherine/Damon/Stefan | PG-13 | Somewhat incestuous threesome | 242 words
In 1864, Katherine gives the Salvatore brothers a taste of their future together.
Turned
Damon/Elena | PG-13 | Romance | 1577 words
Elena becomes a vampire.
Want
Damon/Katherine | PG | Romance | 470 words
She knows what he wants.
What Happened in New Orleans
Elijah/Elena, Katherine Pierce | PG-13 | Drama | ~33,000 words
The secret is out. Thanks to Katherine, all but one of the Originals are dead, and the hunters are closing in. Nothing seems to rouse Elijah from his grief-stricken stupor. Until another doppelgänger appears.
Crossovers
A Broken Soul
Harry Potter with a hint of His Dark Materials
Lord Voldemort | PG | Gen | 4549 words
What exactly is the nature of a soul? And when Lord Voldemort so willingly split his own soul in half, what damage did he do to himself? Uses the daemon concept from His Dark Materials.
Dreams and Nightmares
Doctor Who/Harry Potter
Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, Remus Lupin, the Marauders | G | Sci-fi adventure | 10,132 words
The line between fiction and reality is blurred when the Doctor and Donna land in Hogwarts. But as they are about to discover, the imagination can be both a wonderful and terrifying thing.
Approaches to storytelling
Why prophecy sucks and you should never write one | Doctor Who, Harry Potter
Prophecies suck because they're a lazy way to drive plot and make it matter. (I say, glancing at my favourite book series which, yes, hinges around a prophecy...)
The problem with special protagonists | Doctor Who, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones
The more you make your protagonist special because of their status or background, the more you are relying on some external factor to justify them being the protagonist instead of doing the work to show how awesome they are.
Why later seasons of TV shows are usually better (but fans hate them anyway) | Sherlock, The Vampire Diaries, Downton Abbey
A show getting to the stage where it can experiment and play around with its own formula is a fun and creative place to be, but often divisive among fans.
Black Mirror and catharsis | Black Mirror
Nothing was resolved, nothing was gained and nothing was worth it.
Five laws of protagonist-centered morality | The Vampire Diaries
Protagonist-centered morality works because we're invested in the protagonists. So what happens when we're not?
Final Fantasy VII and the not-so-special protagonist | Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII-XII, XV
Everyone knows that one spoiler in Final Fantasy VII, but there's another that turns the entire story upside down.
Destiny and active vs reactive protagonists | Final Fantasy VII-XII, XV
An active protagonist pursues their goal of their own accord, while a reactive protagonist has to be pushed into it.
The typology of storytelling | His Dark Materials
Character or idea? Discovery or construction? A look at different approaches to storytelling.
Capital D Destiny | Final Fantasy VII Remake
Destiny as in capital D Destiny? In my Final Fantasy VII Remake? Hell no.
The Secret Commonwealth and reason vs imagination | The Secret Commonwealth, His Dark Materials
The Secret Commonwealth pits reason and imagination against each other by setting up a strawman philosophy attacking rationality. It doesn't work.
Character archetypes
Besotted knights | Game of Thrones
The things we do for love.
Killing Eve and fun with psychopaths | Killing Eve
Where Villanelle stands apart from all other fictional psychopaths is that the show itself is essentially one long love letter to her character.
Monster on a leash | Frozen
How Elsa's struggles with her powers drive the emotional conflict in Frozen.
Evil mothers | The Handmaid's Tale, His Dark Materials, The Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones
We typically think of motherhood as a good and pure thing, something to be celebrated, and a mother's desire to protect and care for her children as only right and natural. The evil mother archetype takes that ideal and twists it into something insidious and awful.
Tifa Lockhart: the ideal heroine | Final Fantasy VII
How Tifa Lockhart represents – and goes beyond – a typical heroic female character role.
Mrs Coulter and self-control | His Dark Materials
In the television adaptation, we see Mrs Coulter losing control. Book Mrs Coulter would never.
Missy and the art of redemption | Doctor Who
Missy is a redemption arc done right.
Only I can defeat me | Nebula (MCU), Missy (Doctor Who), Connor (Detroit: Become Human)
What do Avengers: Endgame, Season 10 of Doctor Who and Detroit: Become Human have in common?
Cersei Lannister: making enemies | Game of Thrones
"Anyone who isn't us is an enemy."
Serena Joy: a woman's place | The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones
If a female character wants to succeed in a patriarchal society, they either have to work to meet society's expectations or fight to make society accept them as they are.
Your faves could never be this badass | Detroit: Become Human, Doctor Who
Nothing gets in this character's way! (Until emotions get in their way.) But until then nothing gets in their way.
Harley Quinn and anti-heroines | Harley Quinn (Birds of Prey, animated series, DCU)
What makes Harley different to other popular female superheroes and villains?
Isobel: mother or monster | The Vampire Diaries
Elena or Katherine? Human or vampire? Whose side is Isobel really on?
Elsa and empowerment | Frozen
"We have always feared Elsa's powers were too much for this world. Now we must hope they are enough."
Catwoman and moral pragmatism | The Dark Knight Rises
How Catwoman in TDKR gets to have her cake and eat it too.
Number Five: the smartass | The Umbrella Academy
Arrogance is usually an unappealing trait, so how does Five get away with it?
What makes a memorable heroine | Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XV
If you want to create a memorable heroine, you have to get the audience invested first.
Character dynamics
FFVII's Leading Ladies | Final Fantasy VII
Aerith, Tifa, and what they are and are not.
On taking the lead | The Vampire Diaries
Which of the Salvatore brothers is more likely to take the lead?
The nature of rivalry | Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Downton Abbey, The Vampire Diaries
Rivals by definition are competing over something whether that's the throne, a job, a love interest, or a worldview. Who do we compete with? People in the same category as us, whatever that category is.
Twelve/Clara and trust as the defining feature of the Doctor/Companion relationship | Doctor Who
I'm here for that emotionally powerful bond between the Doctor and their one main companion, and you will see no better example of this than Twelve and Clara.
Video game companions | Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian, The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite
One unique feature of video games is how they can use gameplay to tell a story and develop the relationship between the characters.
Paul's white knight fantasies | Dollhouse, Orphan Black
The white knight sees himself as a saviour, but really he's projecting his own issues on to the woman he wishes to protect.
The sorceress and her knight | Final Fantasy VIII
Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll be your knight. Squall/Rinoa.
Cloud/Tifa in Final Fantasy VII Remake | Final Fantasy VII Remake
One of my favourite things about FFVIIR is not only that it portrays Cloud/Tifa exactly the way I imagined them in the original game, but in several ways it improves on the original.
Essays on power
Game of Thrones, Narnia, and who deserves power | Chronicles of Narnia, Game of Thrones
Is there such a thing as a rightful king or queen?
The pursuit of power | Merlin, Stardust, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter
When is it acceptable for characters to pursue power, and why?
Politics in The Originals | The Originals
How Marcel Gerard uses charisma, empathy and games to build a vampire community.
Ruling families | The Originals, The Borgias
What makes the ultimate ruling family?
Storytelling and the divine right of kings | Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy XV presents an idealistic depiction of the Chosen King, divinely appointed.
Might is right and other justifications of power | Doctor Who
Rightful characters are entitled to power. Forceful characters take it regardless.
Daenerys Targaryen and the right to rule | Game of Thrones
The most devastating thing that happens to Daenerys in the final season isn't the loss of her allies or her forces or her dragons. It's something more fundamental.
Why I loved how Game of Thrones ended | Game of Thrones
For me, Game of Thrones has always been about power and now that it's over we have its definitive thesis statement on the nature of power.
Doctor Who and the mythical leader | Doctor Who, Game of Thrones
A mythical leader is a character whose name alone invokes a sense of power or authority.
Killing Eve, Downton Abbey and the British concept of class | Downton Abbey, Killing Eve, The Originals
While Downton Abbey is steeped in class in its own very particular (read: conservative) way, Killing Eve also plays with the concept of class and what that looks like in the modern day.
Other meta
Why "good" tagging is impossible
Your tags will never please everyone, because readers and authors use tags in different and often conflicting ways.
Philosophical Zombies
Connor, Elijah Kamski | PG-13 | Gen | 3510 words
Kamski runs some tests on the newly awakened Connor android.
Doctor Who
Five People Martha Never Met
Martha Jones | PG | Gen | 1406 words
Five people Martha met in the Year That Never Was.
Five Phone Calls
Martha Jones, Jack Harkness | PG | Weird experimental piece | 1024 words
Jack and Martha have a long distance relationship. Includes spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
The Werewolf Paradox
Martha Jones, Tenth Doctor | PG-13 | Gen | 5157 words
In modern-day Edinburgh, a man has been murdered by a great beast said to emerge during a full moon. The Doctor and Martha investigate, but this gruesome tale isn’t quite as straightforward as it first appears.
Until We Meet Again
Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master | PG | Gen | 682 words
The Doctor and the Master say goodbye. Set during The End of Time, Part II.
Final Fantasy VII
Appearances
Red XIII | G | Meta disguised as fic | 956 words
Nanaki reflects on the connection between the image humans present and who we really are. Yes, it's a philosophical musing about... clothes.
Attack of the Gi
Red XIII | G | Gen | 290 words
Nanaki's home is attacked.
Beginning
Red XIII | G | Gen | 1144 words
Nature regenerates the world anew, but humanity's past ought to be preserved. Nanaki has a story to tell.
Child's Play
Red XIII, Marlene, Denzel | G | Fluff | 2898 words
Who wouldn't be a cub again? The children bring out Red XIII's playful side.
Fighting, Yuffie Style
Yuffie Kisaragi | PG | Gen | 294 words
Yuffie doesn't play fair.
Fragility
Cloud/Tifa | PG | Angst | 1850 words
Happiness is such a fragile thing. And when the past threatens to hold back the future, all Tifa can do is smile.
How the Beast got its Flaming Tail
Red XIII, Ifrit | G | Fairytale | 4776 words
The story of the origin of Nanaki's species, passed down through the generations - a legend of both Man and Beast.
Mako Drench
Cloud Strife, Red XIII | PG | Weird experimental piece | 707 words
Who is Cloud? Too much Mako disorients the body, destroys the mind. Fear can do the same.
Memories Live On
Red XIII, Vincent Valentine | PG | Gen | 1289 words
A long time ago, a group of warriors saved the Planet. Overlooking the ruins of Midgar, Nanaki and Vincent contemplate the fate of the human race.
One Who Watches Over The Planet
Red XIII, Aerith Gainsborough | G | Gen | 1235 words
The flower girl touched many people's lives. Red XIII is no exception.
One Who Will Not Die
Aerith Gainsborough, Sephiroth | PG | Gen | 1700 words
Aerith wants to make sure the threat to the Planet is over at last. But Sephiroth just won't give up.
Our Dream
Cid/Shera | PG-13 | Romance | 100 drabbles, 100 words each
A series of Cid/Shera drabbles, snippets exploring their relationship over the years. Each piece contains five drabbles.
What Dreams May Come
Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa | PG-13 | Gen | 1322 words
They’re nightmares, he tells himself. Sephiroth can’t control him.
Final Fantasy VIII
Dreams of Eternity
Ellone Loire | G | Weird experimental piece | 170 words
Ellone dreams of the past. But where does that power come from?
Final Fantasy IX
Is More To Life Than Frogs
Quina Quen | G | Gen | 287 words
Quina, on life and food and journeys.
Small Fortunes
Stiltzkin | G | Fairytale | 6637 words
Stiltzkin makes his way to Lindblum, to deliver a Very Important Letter.
Final Fantasy Crossovers
Mercenaries
Final Fantasy VII/VIII
Cloud/Tifa, Squall/Rinoa, Irvine/Selphie, ensemble | PG-13 | Action thriller | ~150,000 words
When Cloud Strife is taken to Galbadia, he is forced into a job he swore never to do again. His mission? To assassinate Sorceress Rinoa. Squall won't be pleased about that...
Jessica Jones
Choices
Jessica/Kilgrave, Trish | R | Drama | ~113,000 words
When Jessica meets Kilgrave, his powers don’t work on her. She could have walked away. If only she’d walked away...
Behind the Mirror
Jessica/Kilgrave, Luke | PG-13 | Weird experimental piece | 8565 words
You all know Jessica's story. Isn't it time you heard mine?
Shadows
Jessica/Kilgrave, Trish | R | Drama | ~47,000 words
She loved him once. It was messed up and they were messed up, but she felt something for him. One year after Kilgrave, Jessica must face her past, her guilt, and an old enemy who comes asking for help.
Whatever It Takes
Jessica/Kilgrave, Kilgrave/Trish | R | Drama | ~20,000 words
After breaking free of Kilgrave, Trish vowed that she’d never let it happen again. She’d find a way to protect people. She’d find a way to protect herself. A different take on Trish’s transformation into Hellcat.
Kingdom Hearts
Follow the Butterfly
Cloud/Tifa, Aerith, Leon, Yuna | PG-13 | Gen | ~17,000 words
A message for Leon prompts a journey of rediscovery, but for the Gullwings, it's a treasure hunt. And as Aerith discovers, he's not the only one with long-buried memories. To overcome his darkness, Cloud must also come to terms with his past.
The Old Kingdom
Blood of the Ninth
Nicholas Sayre | G | Gen | 2775 words
Baptised with a Charter mark, Nicholas Sayre now belongs to the world of the Old Kingdom. But what does the Destroyer's legacy mean for him? Nick wants answers. Mogget may have them.
The Originals
The Heart's a Fool
Rebekah Mikaelson | PG-13 | Gen | 1318 words
Rebekah is the girl who loves too easily.
The Vampire Diaries
A Game of Trust
Elijah/Elena | PG-13 | Gen | 3765 words
She doesn't realise that he's adjusting to her comfort levels until it's too late.
A Proposal
Katherine Pierce, Elijah Mikaelson | PG-13 | Gen | 1348 words
Katherine is living it up far away from Mystic Falls, when she is caught by none other than Elijah. Old habits die hard.
All The Same
Isobel/John | PG | Gen | 1653 words
He fundamentally misunderstood her.
Road Trip
Katherine/Caroline/Elena | PG-13 | Gen with added threesome implications | 497 words
Three vampires walk into a bar...
Strings
Katherine Pierce, Isobel Flemming, Elena Gilbert | PG | Character study | 313 words
Men's hearts are there to be played. The Petrova women are masterful musicians.
Taken
Elijah/Elena, Damon Salvatore, Katherine Pierce, ensemble | PG-13 | Drama | ~160,000 words
2x15 AU: Elijah succeeds in kidnapping Elena, Katherine is out of the tomb and the Salvatore brothers have one hell of a mess to fix. Sometimes you have no choice but to make a deal with the devil. If you can get the devil to make a deal with you...
The Only Way
Katherine Pierce, Elena Gilbert | PG | Gen | 398 words
The day comes when she finally runs out of options and asks Katherine to turn her.
The Stains They'll Make
Katherine/Damon/Stefan | PG-13 | Somewhat incestuous threesome | 242 words
In 1864, Katherine gives the Salvatore brothers a taste of their future together.
Turned
Damon/Elena | PG-13 | Romance | 1577 words
Elena becomes a vampire.
Want
Damon/Katherine | PG | Romance | 470 words
She knows what he wants.
What Happened in New Orleans
Elijah/Elena, Katherine Pierce | PG-13 | Drama | ~33,000 words
The secret is out. Thanks to Katherine, all but one of the Originals are dead, and the hunters are closing in. Nothing seems to rouse Elijah from his grief-stricken stupor. Until another doppelgänger appears.
Crossovers
A Broken Soul
Harry Potter with a hint of His Dark Materials
Lord Voldemort | PG | Gen | 4549 words
What exactly is the nature of a soul? And when Lord Voldemort so willingly split his own soul in half, what damage did he do to himself? Uses the daemon concept from His Dark Materials.
Dreams and Nightmares
Doctor Who/Harry Potter
Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, Remus Lupin, the Marauders | G | Sci-fi adventure | 10,132 words
The line between fiction and reality is blurred when the Doctor and Donna land in Hogwarts. But as they are about to discover, the imagination can be both a wonderful and terrifying thing.
Approaches to storytelling
Why prophecy sucks and you should never write one | Doctor Who, Harry Potter
Prophecies suck because they're a lazy way to drive plot and make it matter. (I say, glancing at my favourite book series which, yes, hinges around a prophecy...)
The problem with special protagonists | Doctor Who, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones
The more you make your protagonist special because of their status or background, the more you are relying on some external factor to justify them being the protagonist instead of doing the work to show how awesome they are.
Why later seasons of TV shows are usually better (but fans hate them anyway) | Sherlock, The Vampire Diaries, Downton Abbey
A show getting to the stage where it can experiment and play around with its own formula is a fun and creative place to be, but often divisive among fans.
Black Mirror and catharsis | Black Mirror
Nothing was resolved, nothing was gained and nothing was worth it.
Five laws of protagonist-centered morality | The Vampire Diaries
Protagonist-centered morality works because we're invested in the protagonists. So what happens when we're not?
Final Fantasy VII and the not-so-special protagonist | Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII-XII, XV
Everyone knows that one spoiler in Final Fantasy VII, but there's another that turns the entire story upside down.
Destiny and active vs reactive protagonists | Final Fantasy VII-XII, XV
An active protagonist pursues their goal of their own accord, while a reactive protagonist has to be pushed into it.
The typology of storytelling | His Dark Materials
Character or idea? Discovery or construction? A look at different approaches to storytelling.
Capital D Destiny | Final Fantasy VII Remake
Destiny as in capital D Destiny? In my Final Fantasy VII Remake? Hell no.
The Secret Commonwealth and reason vs imagination | The Secret Commonwealth, His Dark Materials
The Secret Commonwealth pits reason and imagination against each other by setting up a strawman philosophy attacking rationality. It doesn't work.
Character archetypes
Besotted knights | Game of Thrones
The things we do for love.
Killing Eve and fun with psychopaths | Killing Eve
Where Villanelle stands apart from all other fictional psychopaths is that the show itself is essentially one long love letter to her character.
Monster on a leash | Frozen
How Elsa's struggles with her powers drive the emotional conflict in Frozen.
Evil mothers | The Handmaid's Tale, His Dark Materials, The Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones
We typically think of motherhood as a good and pure thing, something to be celebrated, and a mother's desire to protect and care for her children as only right and natural. The evil mother archetype takes that ideal and twists it into something insidious and awful.
Tifa Lockhart: the ideal heroine | Final Fantasy VII
How Tifa Lockhart represents – and goes beyond – a typical heroic female character role.
Mrs Coulter and self-control | His Dark Materials
In the television adaptation, we see Mrs Coulter losing control. Book Mrs Coulter would never.
Missy and the art of redemption | Doctor Who
Missy is a redemption arc done right.
Only I can defeat me | Nebula (MCU), Missy (Doctor Who), Connor (Detroit: Become Human)
What do Avengers: Endgame, Season 10 of Doctor Who and Detroit: Become Human have in common?
Cersei Lannister: making enemies | Game of Thrones
"Anyone who isn't us is an enemy."
Serena Joy: a woman's place | The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones
If a female character wants to succeed in a patriarchal society, they either have to work to meet society's expectations or fight to make society accept them as they are.
Your faves could never be this badass | Detroit: Become Human, Doctor Who
Nothing gets in this character's way! (Until emotions get in their way.) But until then nothing gets in their way.
Harley Quinn and anti-heroines | Harley Quinn (Birds of Prey, animated series, DCU)
What makes Harley different to other popular female superheroes and villains?
Isobel: mother or monster | The Vampire Diaries
Elena or Katherine? Human or vampire? Whose side is Isobel really on?
Elsa and empowerment | Frozen
"We have always feared Elsa's powers were too much for this world. Now we must hope they are enough."
Catwoman and moral pragmatism | The Dark Knight Rises
How Catwoman in TDKR gets to have her cake and eat it too.
Number Five: the smartass | The Umbrella Academy
Arrogance is usually an unappealing trait, so how does Five get away with it?
What makes a memorable heroine | Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XV
If you want to create a memorable heroine, you have to get the audience invested first.
Character dynamics
FFVII's Leading Ladies | Final Fantasy VII
Aerith, Tifa, and what they are and are not.
On taking the lead | The Vampire Diaries
Which of the Salvatore brothers is more likely to take the lead?
The nature of rivalry | Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Downton Abbey, The Vampire Diaries
Rivals by definition are competing over something whether that's the throne, a job, a love interest, or a worldview. Who do we compete with? People in the same category as us, whatever that category is.
Twelve/Clara and trust as the defining feature of the Doctor/Companion relationship | Doctor Who
I'm here for that emotionally powerful bond between the Doctor and their one main companion, and you will see no better example of this than Twelve and Clara.
Video game companions | Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian, The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite
One unique feature of video games is how they can use gameplay to tell a story and develop the relationship between the characters.
Paul's white knight fantasies | Dollhouse, Orphan Black
The white knight sees himself as a saviour, but really he's projecting his own issues on to the woman he wishes to protect.
The sorceress and her knight | Final Fantasy VIII
Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll be your knight. Squall/Rinoa.
Cloud/Tifa in Final Fantasy VII Remake | Final Fantasy VII Remake
One of my favourite things about FFVIIR is not only that it portrays Cloud/Tifa exactly the way I imagined them in the original game, but in several ways it improves on the original.
Essays on power
Game of Thrones, Narnia, and who deserves power | Chronicles of Narnia, Game of Thrones
Is there such a thing as a rightful king or queen?
The pursuit of power | Merlin, Stardust, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter
When is it acceptable for characters to pursue power, and why?
Politics in The Originals | The Originals
How Marcel Gerard uses charisma, empathy and games to build a vampire community.
Ruling families | The Originals, The Borgias
What makes the ultimate ruling family?
Storytelling and the divine right of kings | Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy XV presents an idealistic depiction of the Chosen King, divinely appointed.
Might is right and other justifications of power | Doctor Who
Rightful characters are entitled to power. Forceful characters take it regardless.
Daenerys Targaryen and the right to rule | Game of Thrones
The most devastating thing that happens to Daenerys in the final season isn't the loss of her allies or her forces or her dragons. It's something more fundamental.
Why I loved how Game of Thrones ended | Game of Thrones
For me, Game of Thrones has always been about power and now that it's over we have its definitive thesis statement on the nature of power.
Doctor Who and the mythical leader | Doctor Who, Game of Thrones
A mythical leader is a character whose name alone invokes a sense of power or authority.
Killing Eve, Downton Abbey and the British concept of class | Downton Abbey, Killing Eve, The Originals
While Downton Abbey is steeped in class in its own very particular (read: conservative) way, Killing Eve also plays with the concept of class and what that looks like in the modern day.
Other meta
Why "good" tagging is impossible
Your tags will never please everyone, because readers and authors use tags in different and often conflicting ways.