Amulet Series - Tumblr Posts
Hell yeah I've been waiting for this moment to talk about character writing and all that jazz. I may not be a professional writer but...
But...
Anyways so, the way I'd write Emily is to make her at least do more heroic actions and actually be willing to help save Alledia instead of it being some sort of prophecy that makes her into a designated hero. I also want to write in more moments that humanizes her or at least make her somewhat relatable
First off, looking at character she's a bit of a stoic loner with a lot of grief from the death of her father and having the responsibility to save Alledia from the Elf King (even though she's literally a minor). And well... it's alright. I'm not much of a good critic but, I feel like the story doesn't make her feel like the protagonist.
Sure she's the main character, but the story keeps forcing her to be a hero she probably doesn't want to be. She's forced to save a world she wasn't familiar with and was forced to become a member of a guardian council. And even when her character relates to the themes of grief and not being alone both themes are sort of thrown out the window in supernova (especially the not being alone part because not everyone can solve their problems with their future selves).
But if I want to get to rewriting Emily's character I'd also have to rewrite a few things in the story. To start, let Emily become more interactive with her family. She could have more times where she'd talk to Navin, maybe they could either have more time bonding together since the theme of siblinghood sorta just faded a bit as the series went on. Maybe have more moments where they work together fighting enemies (that titan scene in book 2 is a good example but I wished I had more). Have moments where they bicker and argue and maybe have some tension with each other but let them get along and understand each other more in the end. Let them both have more moments with their mother too and show why their bonds are so strong apart from just by blood.
And especially this, let Emily also have a found family with other characters. Let Miskit be like a mentor and possible big brother-like figure to her (and lemme rewrite Miskit into being actually useful and use the damn info he got from Silas). Let Leon also be like a mentor to her (and maybe have Miskit and Leon have a rivalry on who's the better stonekeeper teacher). Let Emily learn more about the word of Alledia from Enzo and Rico (they could be like her uncles even). If family is important, then found family could also be a great addition to its theme.
Next, let Emily become more active in the story. Show the audience that she's worthy of being a hero by writing her to do heroic things not because she has to but because she wants to. Let her take some time to save other civilians in danger, such as in book 2 where she could have saved other civilians from the Elf soldiers while the clinic was under attack. I don't want to sound too pushy but I wish she was written with more agency as a character. Maybe there could even be a moment where she is allowed to have a choice between going back to Earth or staying at Alledia instead of some strange stonekeeper curse. But instead of choosing to go back to Earth, she wants to stay because she genuinely wants to help Alledia stop the Elf King (and later that stupid swirly voice guy). And relating to the theme of family before, let her stay in Alledia because she's made more bonds and friends/family there than on Earth and she doesn't want to lose them just like she lost her father.
Speaking of loss, let the truth of the stone come out quicker, the truth that she can't bring her father back from the death. Let her accept overtime that even if her father was gone, she can't bring him back. Even if time travel existed (which I really wish it wasn't but oh well thanks supernova) let Emily realise that she can't change the past without dire consequences. But let her know that she isn't alone. That she could still talk to others about her grief and about her past life before all these Alledia shenanigans. That even if her father's gone, he would've been proud of her and he has lived his best life with her and her family.
Finally, her loneliness and also her friendships. I feel like her friendship with Trellis should have a little more utilization, such as giving them time to bond together as not just allies (as in people that work together because they have too) but as friends. Let them share their feelings together, let Trellis even bond with her family and let Emily bond with Luger a bit (even though I don't like him a lot tbh). And when the time comes, let their friendship save them from certain doom. From Emily saving Trellis in book 5, to Trellis saving Emily in book 8 (instead of her future self because it came out of nowhere and undermines the themes of the books booo).
In conclusion... I think I may have gone too far. I may have had a few wonky and weirdly written paragraphs here and there but it's almost midnight and I forgot that I have to sleep for school. I'm sorry that I wrote a little too much I went overboard with the rewrites and stuff. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, I try to put a lot of thought into this essay... reblog... whatever it's called
Question to fans: We don't know much about Emily, how would you develop her as a character?
Lemme guess, the voice is Saul?
Breaking bad
15th year anniversary
Textless ver:
I want Karen to beat the shit out of someone. Like, either self defense or towards someone thar actually deserves it. Let my lady kick some ass please Kibuishi she deserves it, especially after being either a damsel in distress or being just a side character that doesn't do much in the story. She did try to hit someone once with a frying pan but unfortunately she isn't Rapunzel so she didn't even have a chance to win.
Please, I wanna see her use a cool mecha robot like Navin did and I want to see her backstory with David and her early years. Maybe she also used to be a gamer like Navin was and he inherited her gaming skills while Emily inherited her perseverance. I want to see her being a Karen towards people that think children should be enlisted in fighting wars because holy shit why did those people put children in ships and let them die what the fuck what that about. Also why wasn't she written like that anyways, she's supposed to be a mother yet she lets Emily and Navin join a war and doesn't seem to help them much with the grief of losing her husband (I actually realised this part when I was looking at the Amulet characters tv tropes' page)
I feel like she's been done dirty and I want her character to have some justice. In fact I want all the other side characters to have some justice. I'll probably rant about how the other amulet characters were done so done badly
I love the way you drew Emily's hair it's so cute! Also yeah Trellis has been through so much, I hope there's therapy in Alledia (Then again with how crazy it is in that world there's probably none)
Standing weirdly
Merry Christmas folks!
Bonus frame that was there for like a fucking millisecond bc I ducked up the edit
Because it's the peak grade to read Amulet, also including the 5th grade and the 6th grade because that's probably when I started to read the books
why did every single amulet fan start reading the series in fourth grade
Understandable, I just thought your art and writing was really good and could even fit in an Amulet series too. Also your rewrites are quality, because they add more character to the, well characters. Also thanks for answering!
What would you do if you had the chance to write an adaption for the Amulet series? I feel like you'd be the best candidate to make one
Adaptation is a far off dream ngl, I don't really have the means nor skill to do so. I do enjoy making up rewrites in my head however, but that doesn't mean it's quality!
You know what would be really cool? If his motives for driving stonekeepers insane and stuff was not for serving a different species (looking at you, you creepy ass shadows) but something more malicious.
TW: Genocide
Lemme explain, so in my headcanon I thought the Voice caused people to go mad and become monsters to cause destruction but only to their own species or people protecting them. This is because the Voice wants a superior species living on Alledia. Other previous species have gone extinct by previous stonekeepers that lost themselves and unknowingly genocides their own people.
The Voice is like a toxic parent to Alledia, wanting the best for it but in its own twisted ways. I also headcanon humans to be rare in Alledia because of the curse that turns some into animal-like species (that Ikol still doesn't like) and also because of other human stonekeepers the Voice had turned mad. The Voice will only accept a species he thinks is best for Alledia, to preserve its planet while also having lifeforms in it.
Also, each species in Alledia isn't native to the planet at all, because the motherstone was the one that created the portals to other planets that other people went into. And after pieces of it was borrowed the motherstone grew weaker until the portals started to close. Ikol as a part of the motherstone became well, the voices to every stonekeeper and corrupted them to turn on their own kind. And when all the stones have been released from their deceased masters, the motherstone will join again and open up the portals leading to Alledia, thus restating the process of finding a superior species... until a certain group of shadows came in secret
And that's basically how I would've written Ikol, just a picky and evil spirit of the stones that manipulates and watches over the planet until it finds a species it prefers on it. Almost like a collector of toys that throws away stuff they don't want later on until it finds something they favor and decides "welp, I don't wanna play with theses anymore" *throws away rest of the Alledians.
I wished he was more interesting to the story but alas, he's was a servant to the shadows and probably isn't gonna be fought or anything. But he could've been scarier, he could've been like a villain you get anxiety from every time they're on screen. He could've been a nightmare to deal with, just not in the annoying way
Any thoughts on Ikol? He’s a bit confusing to me
*grasps your shoulder* I don't get Him either.
Controversial thoughts below:
The Voice is unnecessary as a character.
Unpopular af opinion I know. The Voice was a charismatic character and pretty much the lynchpin on why Emily came to Alledia but listen. He's a tumor on the story. There can be another alternative that could push her to go to Alledia. If he was done well then maybe yes he could've been the horror and mystery factor the story had but no. More often than not he's pretty much the default reason why characters get absolved of their actions bc "wah they were influenced by the Voice that's why he was pushed to transform into a giant" wenk wenk that's kinda boring I say. Where's the agency. He's basically just a really loud conscience/impulsive or intrusive thought turned into an entity. People already do that themselves. Like the entire premise is already terrifying enough on its own. Idk. Maybe it's bc I'm already viewing it as an already older person lens that I can't seem to incorporate the more lighthearted part of the kid's fantasy but seriously. A dark entity can make things interesting I guess but ngl people can already be horrible people on their own. No dark spirit required. It's already about war and tyranny. It's already about putting power and responsibilities and blame on already fragile shoulders. It's about adults who failed children. Wouldn't be more interesting if they focused on characters with autonomy who fucked up and then explores on how those mistakes affect everyone else.
Agh fuck I know the story is also trying to discuss abt fate and choices and whether or not a person has the freedom to make those choices and actions and it's about defiance against that helplessness, but my main complaint about the characters is that they have zero fucking agency. They don't push the plot at all. The plot just happens. It's so ironic for a series that's supposed to be a celebration of that defiance have a protagonist that is only is what she is and does things she does because she feels like she has to be and has its entire plot crumble in on itself by characters that are treated not as characters but just paper maches. What then.
I would've just swapped their roles and let Vigo die instead of Daniel but this rewrite is great too
Wanna hear me say my asinine writing ideas again
I remember I drew some Emily redesigns but I got too lazy to color them so they're just blank for now. Imagine that most of the color palette is in warmer colors. Also please ignore the unnecessary drawings I totally didn't do those parts
On Stone Magic
Hm. Yeah, this was a needed distraction from the atrocity called Waverider. 💀
Notes:
Really needed an excuse why I draw the stonekeepers using elements in my art, ended up getting carried away!
[1] The outfits they're wearing is around post book-4 or 5. My rewrite I jumbled things around, so technically in this timeline he should be wearing his armor in the og series. It's intentional he looked uncomfortable in it. It's a revamped design of his fit in book 6.
[2] Magical fire can only be dispersed by magic. It'll burn forever otherwise. Guess what Emily used on Ippo.
[3] We never really see Emily be silly or undignified, and to me, that's what she was lacking on why she didn't leave much of an impression nor appeal to me. this is an attempt to make it seem like she's still just a kid learning and stumbling and getting into embarrassing situations.
Still haven't finalized the design on Max, but I have some idea. If you noticed, he has the same collar as Trellis, meaning Trellis borrowed some Cielan attire before discovering a healer's robe, which is more elf-like attire.
[4] Trellis's magic may seem silly or trivial than say, what Emily developed to give her advantage in combat. It may also give you the impression he just did it to have an easier time for chores. But if you dig a bit deeper, that's extremely useful magic, especially for a society like Alledia.
[5] the Elf King didn't show up on the other scale because we don't know his level of skill. Other than that, he's insanely powerful.
[6] Every other stonekeeper can manifest both if they're skilled enough, but Trellis was the first to perfect a defensive style and do it consistently.
[7] Just a nice lil joke. Also, Max is wielding an ice pickax that can split into two or combine. Very dangerous.
You can tell I've been rereading wha and dungeon meshi for this.
I just like seeing women kicking ass but I do get your point and it's nice to see someone in a different viewpoint
Do you have any thoughts on Karen as a character?
Book 1 didn't leave me a good impression of her. She's a loving mother who does her best in her situation, but she definitely prioritized her own feelings over Emily's during that time, maybe unintentionally, and it hasn't left me since. I genuinely think that should have been given focus, and more story about Karen's trying-her-best-but-falling-short-anyways parenting.
That said, Idk why people want her to be this badass fighting female character. Like are you people allergic to characters that isn't necessarily a fighter but instead provides comfort and safety and a home to go back to. Amulet has no shortage of badass characters, but there's definitely a huge shortage of characters who provide genuine emotional support. Karen isn't perfect, but I liked that THAT'S her role in the story. A fighter helps one survive, but people like Karen is why we live.
My brain hurts from reading all this lol
I just read the book today AND HOLY MOLY-
It aboslutely blew my mind!!!
For someone whose read all 9 books, my mind just thinks that it comes full circle and kinda connects them all together. Just some things I've theoretically put together is that you know how Vigo was taken to the void by Ikol, but then was transported 300 years back in the past? Take it with a grain of salt.
I suspect that something similiar happened to Silas Charnon; that he is from the future who travelled back to the past. In Book 1, Silas seems to know about Emily--whose been in Alledia--despite the fact that they never met. I don't think Silas was still in his house on Earth when Emily was born. He would only know about her if Emily was Silas's ancestor. There's also the inventions and sketches in this man's house on Earth. Things like the cardbot and the boat thing seem futuristic to me despite Karen thinking that they were some sort of puzzle.
Another thing I found interesting is that he was able to use magic without the use of an amulet, similar to Ikol's masters. You could see the glow around his hand that just lifts up the amulet Emily wears. There is absolutely no image of Silas wearing an amulet on him while his death bed because Emily IS wearing his amulet. In Book 9, one of Ikol's masters provided a way for Emily to get inside the giant mech robot without doing damaged.
It is revealed in Book 9 that Silas is the one who created Ikol and the machines/Ikol's masters. Not sure he's like the founder of the Intelligent Kinematic Operations Labatory, but he does have influence with it. However, I do believe that Silas wasn't responsible for Ikol's belief in that destruction is human nature, but maybe the machines.
Remember how Ikol's masters wanted to make room on Alledia, an alternate version of Earth, to live on? The reason was because their planet--Earth--was dying. In Book 3(?), Ikol does show Emily a city on Earth being destroyed. Ikol may have shown Emily what exactly happened to Earth in the distant future (a.k.a future vision). And in Earth's distant future could be testing with these powers via technology. Could be from the discovery of something similar to the Mother Stone or the fabric of time and space. Maybe even the Intelligent Kinematic Operations Labatory was responsible for these amulets!
Perhaps Silas found a way to travel back through time through the void in order to prevent this from happening. But then he ended up FAR into the past, got married with someone at some point, had Karen, and then disappeared into Alledia where he may have hoped for people to help him via amulet. Unfortunately, Silas couldn't accomplish what he had to set up to do because of aging, and leaves it up to Emily to try to solve this issue in preventing the end of the world. That's a lot of responsibility and faith he's putting into a teenager-
There are things that could be disproved, but that's what I tried making sense of this section of lore. But I'm curious what people think about this theory tbh. It's been a fun journey with the Amulet series. Despite its flaws, it will always have a place in my heart.
Thanks for telling me!
Time to go back in time and beat my 12 year old self for thinking that Tremily would ever happen
finding out from reddit that tremily isn't canon in amulet book 9 has got to be my last straw
Made some Amulet doodles in class and man... They should've been friends, besties, maybe a couple. Why couldn't they be closer 😭
So guys... Waverider huh? More like... Waveloser haha... so what's everyone's thoughts?
Aww I wanted a candy 😔
Are you an Amulet veteran who's been around book 6 and below??
Congratulations Old Stuff! you desevre a badge of honor!
Have a Gold Star!! ⭐🤩
Someone please edit the Tv Tropes page for Amulet especially the YMMV section I am BEGGING YOU. Someone please update it already It's been a few months since the series ended PLEASE. I NEED MY TV TROPES CONTENT PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE
Loni? Roni? Nah, your mommy
Hate Loni and Roni’s names so I have convinced myself to believe that they are both nicknames for longer, much cooler traditional Elven names. I get they are twin characters but the rhyming, similar sounding names makes them seem so juvenile and non-serious 😭