#I just want to rp

[just-more-trolls]

Does anyone else think about AUs/multi-universal plots and rps or am I the weird one/a holdover from the past? o(-<

[millenniumdueled]

I'm having a really, really hard time focusing at all on work today

[elle-thereafter]

Matt your Percy was fine and good but having Taliesin back as proper, full-on bitchy Percy with such an obvious favourite child is just magical. Gwen is going to be such a fucking terror when she grows up and Percy is going to have to reckon with the second terrible thing he’s unleashed unto the world.

[stuckstucktrolls]

.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

listen I expected literally Nothing from the D&D movie okay, like I can't make it clear enough that I expected the most soulless money grab with a good cgi budget imaginable, I went in having already gone through every stage of grief and landed on acceptance and LISTEN

I fucking CRIED during this dumb RPG movie. it wasn't just "not terrible" it was objectively good with a clever plot and compelling characters and sincere emotional beats. this movie loves D&D so fucking much and it NAILS the "a bunch of goobers try to be cool and accidentally discover The Power Of Friendship And Also Great Violence" classic D&D party vibe. their barbarian's last name is fucking Kilgore and my entire family cried in the theater.

I hope they make twelve of these motherfuckers.

[royalarchivist]

Richarlyson: This is a good ship that never came to fruition.

Mike: This ship is better than Hideduo. Shut your mouths.

[...]

Fit: Very cool artwork! DELUSIONAL, but very good artwork nonetheless.

Ramon: delulu

Mike and Fit's VERY different reactions to Pacmanduo art (Pac & Etoiles) in the fanart museum.

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[fycoren]

man you good?

[piowasthere]

i swear i hate Reed, Davis, Kat- every single one of them- what is this acting bro???

bro's acting sounds more convincing than me having a genuine break-down fr- like how do u even do that???????????????

they do this every. single. time. i swear- who allowed them to do that to me- who i ask- /pos

[EP: Moon's BREAKING POINT in VRChat (SAMS)]

[grimfantas]

you don't need morals, you need someone like you who can understand

[killerlittlerejects]

I said what I said, stay mad ✌️😜🔪

This isn’t directed at anyone, I was just complaining on discord lol

[rosicheeks]

Teacher’s pet 😌

[goldiipond]

if you could come back... different.

what do you think you'd wanna be?

[b0nelessdoodles]

i keep thinking im gonna like actually finish these but that ain't happening so have some gay people

[stu-machers-ghost]

Real pic of me giving my heart 2 @the-ghost-of-billy-loomis

Close-ups under the cut :3

[hellsite-junior-detective]

I've been putting this off for a while, but

@hellsite-detective, hi!

I am a gimmick blog inspired by you, here to help the people of tumblr find posts!

I am still learning, but I feel confident enough in my skills to actually let you/your followers know I exist.

Hope you're having a fantastic day!