#I think the time skip was necessary for their story to progress

[aajjks]

i thought he was going to ruin their date? 😭 i can do a time skip ⏭️

BC!JK

after the text you sent to jungkook, you never heard back from him and even at school, you didn’t see him. some say he dropped out, some day he transferred, but you wished him well with his endeavors because your main focus is graduating.

the last few years were a little rough since the bully club still felt as though they ruled the school but it all changed when the school received a new dean and the moment the club’s bullying scandals reached their ears, the boys were immediately expelled.

letting people in was a little hard now. you’ve trust issues but eunwoo reassured you that he is trustworthy and kept his word via actions. by the time his graduation came around, eunwoo officially asked you to be his and sealed his promise to love you with a kiss.

yes, your first official kiss was with your crush, now boyfriend, cha eunwoo who took his well-earned soccer scholarship and was drafted to EA’s FC Seoul soccer team where he’d compete on national levels. his name was known and loved by those who loved soccer and tuned in to watch him play and like the supportive girlfriend you were, you were there through it all.

two years later, you finally graduated with your degree in studio arts and was hired by an art studio in seoul to teach children and young adults, well, art. on the side, however, you took an interest in ceramics and began selling your pots, plates, and all kinds of creative ceramic items online which helped put lots of money in your pocket.

once you were financially stable, you and eunwoo moved in together, bought a grey pet cat by the name of milo, and seemed to have everything together on the outside but on the inside, eunwoo was and is busy. he’s always busy. you know the FIFA world cup is the ultimate goal and eunwoo has been working hard everyday to achieve that goal at the cost of lessening his attention on you.

you understand though because you’re supportive like that. you’re a very patient partner, almost too patient because despite your attempts at sexual intimacy, eunwoo always turns you down and you understand why. he’s tired, he’s working really hard, and you’re just being a distraction.

YOU. GET. IT.

you still have a lot of love for eunwoo, you ARE in love with him but you’re getting the feeling that he isn’t in love with you anymore. this has been going on for 4 months after all, so maybe he doesn’t love you and now all you do is wait for him to break things off because you don’t want to.

you don’t mind talking to the wall as long as it doesn’t move and maybe it’ll talk back and reciprocate one day. until then, all you do is wait.

He hasn’t been paying a lot of attention to you, and he knows that- and trust him. He feels so bad about this because he’s been neglecting you for the longest time…

Eunwoo doesn’t really know how to jiggle his professional life and his personal life together- it’s almost been hard for him and how is he supposed to tell you that without breaking your heart? You’ve been together for a long time and he doesn’t really want to lose you….

But what if you’re tired of him? He barely has sex with you anymore- he barely goes out with you, and you barely have dinner together these days- and you never see him leave.

It’s like you two roommates at this point we are living a different separate life. So, he’s going to talk to you tonight. You deserve better.

These last few years have been wonderful with you, but he hasn’t been the best boyfriend to you- you are wonderful. Anyone Would be lucky to have you, and you don’t deserve to rot here while he’s out practicing for his dreams..

“Yn?! Sweetheart?” Is going to talk to you after the school reunion party that you are both going to attend tonight… “I’m home… oh, you’re already ready, huh?” He says, taking off his coat.

You look really pretty- you’ve always been really pretty, but it was really something to see you come out of your shell- especially after you graduated..

You’re gorgeous in every single way.

Eunwoo doesn’t really wait to kiss you because he just goes into the shower and he’s busy showering while you put on your coat.

Everything is so different now…. It’s very different.

While he is showering you ask him if he’s going to be out soon so you could get to the venue in time. And he assured you he’s coming.

He hurriedly cleans up himself, and now he’s out in the bedroom, putting on his clothes, you’re busy feeding the cat, watching it really hurts his heart because… he doesn’t wanna lose you, but he has just set you free.

“Come on yn let’s go… we’ll get to see our friends after a long long time… the good thing is that the seniors and juniors will be together… It is so weird because I was two years ahead of you, but.. it’s more of a get together Don’t you agree?”

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Back home p.7

Hii guyss, here's part 7 of the story if you've missed part 6 here it is and if you want to read more stories here's my masterlist. Let me know what Leclerc brother are you rooting for in the comments :)

The next weekend rolls around, and you find yourself standing outside Arthur's apartment, excited for a night of fun and relaxation. Movie nights with Arthur had always been a comforting tradition, and after a hectic week, it feels like the perfect escape. You knock on the door, and it swings open almost immediately, revealing Arthur with his usual playful grin.

"Hey, you," he says, stepping aside to let you in. "You ready for some bad movies and pizza?"

"Always," you laugh, stepping into his familiar apartment. It feels cosy, warm, and so effortlessly Arthur.

The two of you settle in quickly, chatting and catching up as you start making the pizza in the kitchen. As you knead the dough, you fill him in on your week, telling him about school, your new friends, and the dinner you had with Charles, Pierre, and Kika. You’re completely unaware of how Arthur’s mood subtly shifts when Charles’s name comes up. His jaw tightens slightly, but he hides it behind a light smile, not wanting you to notice his irritation.

"So, Kika and I are planning to hang out again soon. She’s really sweet, and Pierre was hilarious," you say, rolling out the dough. "And Charles… well, you know how he is. He was so nice the whole evening."

Arthur clenches his fists behind his back, the jealousy flaring up inside him. Of course, Charles was nice, he thinks bitterly. He’s always playing the perfect guy. But he quickly shifts the conversation before his irritation shows.

"Sounds like you had a blast," Arthur says, forcing a grin as he grabs some flour and hands it to you. "But enough about Charles—let's talk about something else. What movie are we watching tonight?"

You smile, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil. "Ooh, I was thinking we could watch something funny, maybe a rom-com?"

"Sounds perfect," Arthur agrees, glad for the change in subject.

As you start preparing the pizza together, things get messy. At one point, you accidentally get flour on your face while trying to knead the dough, and Arthur chuckles, stepping closer. Before you can react, he reaches out, gently wiping the flour off your cheek with his thumb, his touch lingering a little longer than necessary. The sudden proximity makes your heart skip a beat, and for a moment, you freeze, unsure of how to feel.

Arthur’s gaze softens as he looks at you, his fingers still brushing your skin. There’s something in his eyes—something warm, maybe even a little possessive—but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared when he pulls back with a smirk. "There," he says, his voice light. "Now you're flour-free."

"Thanks," you mumble, feeling a confusing flutter in your stomach. You had moments like this with Charles too, and now with Arthur… you’re not sure what to make of it.

After the pizza is in the oven, the two of you settle onto the couch for the movie, a lighthearted rom-com playing in the background as you cuddle up next to Arthur. His arm naturally drapes over your shoulders, pulling you close, and it feels… comfortable. Safe. You’ve done this so many times before, but tonight, there’s something different in the air—something unspoken that makes you question things in a way you hadn’t before.

You lean into him as the movie progresses, trying to ignore the conflicting emotions swirling in your mind. The night feels perfect, but there’s this nagging confusion. Romantic moments with both brothers… what did it all mean?

By the time the movie ends, it’s late. You stretch and get up, fully intending to head home, but Arthur stops you, his voice soft yet insistent. “Hey, it’s late, Y/N. You should just stay here tonight.”

You blink at him, surprised. “Oh, I don’t know, Arthur. I didn’t bring any of my stuff, and—"

He waves a hand, cutting you off with a reassuring smile. “You don’t need anything. It’s just like the old times, remember? You’ve crashed here a million times before. Come on, it’s too late for you to be going home alone.”

His tone is light, but there’s a weight behind his words, as if he’s holding onto something more. You hesitate for a moment, but the idea of staying over feels natural. After all, you and Arthur had been best friends forever. What’s one more sleepover?

“Okay,” you finally agree with a small smile. “Just like the old times.”

Arthur’s grin widens, and he stands up, leading you to his bedroom. He tosses you one of his old t-shirts to sleep in, and as you change, the familiarity of it all makes you feel at ease. When you slip into bed, Arthur joins you, lying beside you like so many times before. But tonight, there’s an unspoken tension lingering in the air—one that you can’t quite place.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Arthur whispers, turning off the light.

“Goodnight, Arthur,” you reply, closing your eyes, trying to ignore the confusing thoughts swirling in your mind as you drift off to sleep. As you lay next to Arthur, the darkness of the room surrounds you, offering a sense of comfort and safety. But for Arthur, it’s something more—something far deeper than just a simple sleepover. As he turns off the light, his eyes adjust to the faint outline of your body beside him. His heart races, but he forces himself to remain calm, even though having you here, in his bed, feels like everything he’s ever wanted.

This is how it’s supposed to be, he thinks, glancing over at you as your breathing evens out, signaling that you're drifting off to sleep. Her here, next to me, where she belongs.

Arthur’s mind swirls with possessive thoughts as he watches you, his heart pounding with the weight of his obsession. For so long, he’d been content with being your best friend, the one you relied on, but now… now it wasn’t enough. Especially not with Charles suddenly so close again, pulling you into his orbit.

Charles doesn’t deserve her. He thinks he can just waltz back into her life and win her over? The thought burns inside him, jealousy coursing through his veins. He’s had everything handed to him, but not this. Not her. She’s mine.

Arthur looks at you again, your soft breathing the only sound in the quiet room. His mind races with thoughts of keeping you close, of never letting you go. In this moment, with you in his bed, it feels perfect. You look so peaceful, so innocent, curled up next to him like you’ve always belonged there.

This is how it should always be, he tells himself. Her by my side. I won’t let anyone, not even Charles, take her from me.

He reaches out, gently brushing a strand of hair away from your face, careful not to wake you. The simple touch sends a shiver down his spine, and he pulls his hand back, forcing himself to stay calm. There would be time—time to make you realize what he already knew. That the two of you were meant to be together, that no one else could take his place.

Arthur shifts slightly in the bed, his eyes never leaving you as you sleep. The possessive feeling settles in his chest, and he vows silently that he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you stay by his side.

This is where you belong, Y/N. With me. And I won’t let anyone take you away.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Arthur finally closes his eyes, letting sleep take over, content in the knowledge that for tonight, at least, you’re right where you should be—next to him.

Part 8

Tag list: @iamapersonwholikesunicorns, @janeh22, @victoriaholland, @abq654, @iamapersonwholikesunicorns, @anaferreira-4, @larastark3107, @itgirlofthecenturysposts, @boherahpsody, @iamkaku, @jz12, @boherahpsody

[whimsiwitchy]

I hear the secrets that you keep (series) 

chapter six: 24

Pedro Pascal x plus size F!reader 

series masterlist

series summary: 24 year old y/n is an insecure and struggling actress in Los Angeles until she finally books a leading role in a big Hollywood movie next to her leading male, Pedro Pascal. A spark of friendship flickers between the two and slowly begins to blossom into something more. As y/n is navigating a new found fame and a new found romance, she fears that a lie she has been sitting on might ruin everything.

Warnings: plus size afab reader, she/her pronouns, use of y/n, swearing, age gap (24/14 years), descriptions of the female body, use of the word fat, descriptions of a bigger body (stretch marks, cellulite, rolls, etc.), descriptions of nudity, sexual themes. 

Please let me know if I missed anything! Warnings may change as the story progresses. 

chapter summary: y/n tells Pedro the truth. 

authors note: Hi everyone! This chapter is a little rough, but it's done lol. Also, what do you guys think about the length of the chapters? Do you want them longer, shorter, the same length? Let me know! I believe they're average 1.5-2k words as of now. Enjoy! :)

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗ 

“BITCH, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!” 

You had spent the last thirty minutes catching Angie up on the newest details of your escapades with Pedro and all of your doubts that came with it. It has become really common for Angie and yourself to go weeks without seeing each other, only sending each other texts here and there or the two of you discussing work stuff when necessary. When both of your busy schedules finally aligned, the two of you immediately set up a ‘catch up and gossip’ sesh on your living room couch. 

“Please stop yelling. I’m one noise complaint away from being evicted because of you.” You sigh only half joking. 

“Sorry sorry. I’m just… okay wait let me gather my thoughts for a moment.” She takes a sip of her iced coffee and she's staring just past your head at the wall behind you. Your leg is bouncing at a record breaking pace. You told her everything, not skipping a single detail, and you were hoping whatever came out of Angie’s mouth next was positive. You weren’t exactly sure why you were so nervous to hear what she was going to say. Maybe you wanted some confirmation that what had been happening between you and Pedro wasn’t crazy, that you weren’t in over your head. 

Angie had always been better at relationships than you and understandably so. She was naturally beautiful, it baffled you how someone could even be born so blessed. She was about 5’4, with ginger hair that went down just past the middle of her back. She has this perfectly white smile that hid behind her perfectly plump lips with light freckles scattered along her cheeks and shoulders. Her loud and outgoing personality just solidified just how easily likable she was. You used to envy her but she was never competing with you. She was the kindest soul you had ever met and she stood beside you always. You knew whatever she said was probably what was best for you. She was the definition of a girl's girl. 

“Okay okay... so you’re telling me that he came to see you on his day off, the two of you messed around in your trailer, he asked you to come over, and the two of you didn’t fuck?” She says as she finally snaps back into reality. 

“Angie oh my fucking god… how many times do I have to tell you that we didn’t have sex.” You’re starting to feel hopeless. You had asked her for advice and shes done nothing but annoyingly ask if you and Pedro had fucked since the moment you mentioned that the two of you basically dry humped each other for a good five minutes in your trailer.  

“Can you please be serious for five minutes and actually help me? I’m freaking the fuck out. Everytime I’m with him all of the worrying goes away but once I’m alone it hits me like a fucking truck.” You’re begging her at this point to put her dating expertise to use. 

“Okay fine, I’m sorry.” She says sincerely and you let out a faint thank you. 

“So he said something about wanting to take you out?” 

“Yea, um, he mentioned it when he was asking me if I wanted to stay over. It wasn’t anything set in stone but he did mention like dating and stuff so I don't know…” You trail off, really unsure of everything. 

“I think you’re overthinking it babe. If he didn’t fuck you, he definitely respects you and wants to have something more with you, ya know?” 

“You think so?” 

“I know so. He’s a good one y/n, I can feel it in my bones.” You give her a small smile. 

“You should totally introduce me to him though so I can really double down on him.” She grabs your hands from your lap and looks you in the eyes. 

“It’s all going to be okay, okay? In the end, he's just a man y/n. Besides, we can jump his ass if he plays you.” She squeezes your hands and gives you a tough nod. 

“But that’s the thing Ang, he’s not just a man. He’s my older, insanely hot co-star, who still doesn’t even know just how young I am.” You huff and shove your face into your hands. 

“Y/n, you haven’t told him?” She’s giving you a look you’re not familiar with. 

“No…I tried but work stuff interrupted me and that was before he kissed me” 

“Hm… well I think you should for sure tell him sooner rather than later, but don’t worry about it too much, yea? I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.” 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ─── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ─

“OH fucking shit, fuck fuck fuck…HOLY SHIT..” 

Swears were flying from your mouth left and right as the wax lady ripped more and more wax off of you taking each hair follicle with it. With your intimacy training coming up soon, you had to prepare by being silky smooth on all body parts that have a chance of being on camera- which was basically your entire body for this shoot. You’ve been through this same process many times before but something about this felt different. You knew that this project was bigger than anything you had ever done before but somehow you being naked on camera for millions to see wasn’t your biggest fear right now. 

Once your appointment was over and there wasn’t a hair left on your body, you were speed walking home. For some reason you always convince yourself to walk to the wax studio due to the close proximity to your apartment, but you always regretted it once your skin was begging for some sort of soothing distraction from the pain. Even with the loose fit of the skirt you were wearing, commando at that, you could still feel the irritation growing stronger. Your thighs were beginning to rub together in a way in which you knew you'd have to slather vaseline between your legs just to prevent any further chafing. 

After your long ass hike (a ten minute walk) through the depths of hell (it was 80 degrees with a breeze), you finally made it home. You walked straight into your bathroom, stripped, and hopped into a cold shower. You scrubbed your body with a vanilla and coconut body wash, being extra careful when you got closer to your fresh brazilian wax, and washed your hair. When you finished showering, you lotioned up, dried your hair, and laid down in your bed to relax. 

You planned on bedrotting and watching tik tok for the rest of the day but you couldn’t shake the thought of what Angie had told you earlier today. 

Sooner rather than later…

*hey! I was wondering if you’d want to hang out sometime soon? :) 

You sent the text and threw your phone across your bed. It’s been a few days since you slept over at his house. After you agreed to stay, he offered the guest room, but with all of your courage -mostly sleepiness,  you asked to sleep with him. The next morning you were wrapped in his arms, soft snores in your ear. His hand was holding yours and you laid there memorizing each crinkle of his knuckles, staring at the tattoo that sat between the webbing of his thumb and index finger. You kept trying to imagine how he looked when he was sleeping, wondering if he had a peaceful look to him or if the wrinkles in his face relaxed. Not being able to hold off any longer, you turned over so your mind wouldn’t have to imagine anymore. You were right. He looked like the definition of peace. His hair was a mess, his mouth ajar, eyelashes resting beautifully on the underneath of his eyes. Pedro was the most handsome man you had ever seen, you were sure that you could have fallen in love with him right then and there. 

Pedro:

*Hey baby. I’m done filming around 9 tonight. I can come pick you up and we can grab some food. 

*Sound good? 

You:

*sounds good. see you later <3

Another late night with Pedro. You’d unconsciously have been reserving nights just for him. When the sun was up, you worked, saw friends, handled whatever business that needed to be dealt with, but the night was strictly for him. You couldn’t help but wonder if it was purposeful or completely accidental that the two of you seemed to meet when the moon was out. The next few hours leading up to seeing Pedro would be hell, you were certain of it. Knowing that everything that has built over such a short time period could be washed away and you would have to awkwardly deal with him on set, somehow ignoring the strong feelings that you were beginning to hold for him. You were really hoping that Angie was right. That he would somehow be totally cool with the whole 24 year age gap thing, but you knew deep down that just wasn’t likely. 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ─── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ─

It was 9:30 and you were pacing around your living room waiting for any sign of Pedro. You’ve been anxious all evening and now that the time to see him has come, you weren’t ready at all. A soft knock on your door makes you come to a halt. Walking over to the door, you peer through the peephole to see Pedro- who looks so good it makes your jaw drop. You took a few deep breaths before opening the door. 

“Hey sweetheart.” He greets, smile beaming. You open the door wider, allowing him to step inside. 

“Hi..” Your voice comes out softer than you intended, anxiety seeping through your body. “Uh, let me just grab some shoes and my bag then we can head out.” You walk towards a small coat closet to grab your checkered vans. “You can take a seat if you want, I'll be right back.” He gave you a nod and walked over to the papasan chair that sits in the far corner of your living room. Meanwhile, you were in your room freaking out. Seeing him was a hard slap in the face. You knew you had to tell him tonight before feelings developed and someone got hurt, but who's to say that won’t already happen tonight. 

You felt like shit and you definitely looked it. Grabbing a small purse, you spray some perfume on and make your way back to the living room. 

“Ready to go?” You ask, putting on a small smile, hoping Pedro couldn’t see through it. He returns the smile and stands up. The two of you make your way to his car, stopping once outside to lock your door. 

“So, what’re you hungry for?” Pedro asks while putting his seat belt on, you do the same. 

“Whatever is fine with me, I'm not too picky.” 

You ended up grabbing some mcdonalds and parking in some random parking lot to eat and talk. He was being so sweet to you, complimenting you every few minutes, a smile never leaving his face. He was truly your dream guy, he was everything you could ever want. You were terrified that you were going to lose it all. You hadn’t been completely yourself all night and Pedro was starting to catch on. 

“You okay baby? You seem a little off.” He’s looking at you, eyes filled with concern. You don’t answer him right away. You’re trying to find the best way to go about telling him. You were 24 but you were an adult and you hated that this age gap was such a big deal. You had never been into the idea of dating an older man but then Pedro came around and changed everything. For you, it wasn’t a life changing idea, but for Pedro, it could very well be career ending. If he was seen with you and people found out just how young you were compared to him. This whole relationship, or whatever it is, was doomed from the start. Your leg is bouncing, a regular occurrence around Pedro it seems. 

“P…I need to tell you something.” You’re looking down at your hands, unable to look him in his eyes. 

“What is it sweet girl? You can tell me anything.” His voice is filled with nothing but sincerity and you can physically feel pain from your heart slowly breaking. 

“I’m not actually 35…” You’re still not looking at him, silence fills the air. You’re waiting for him to say something but he never does. You look up and his expression is unreadable. 

“Okay…How old are you then?” From the sound of his voice, you can tell that he is confused. 

“I’m 24.” You’re looking in his eyes searching for any rapid change of emotion. Your leg is still rapidly bouncing, heart pounding. 

“What?” 

“I’m 24, well i’ll be 25 soon but yea…” 

“Jesus fucking christ y/n…” He’s shaking his head and running his hand over the slight stubble coming in on his chin. 

“Are you mad at me?” You ask. You sounded so pathetic right now, but it’s all you could muster up. 

“I’m not mad.” He’s staring at you. Relief flows through your body and you start to relax. 

“Why did you lie to me?” His voice is raised slightly causing you to wince slightly. 

“I didn’t mean to lie to you P, I swear. My um…my agent, Angie, lied about my age to book the audition. It wasn’t something I did intentionally, well it wasn’t something I did at all.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” A look of hurt present on his face. 

“I just never thought to bring it up. I mean we were just hanging out then you kissed me and everything changed. I tried to tell you at the skating rink but we had to head to the floor and I swear I've been trying to find a way to tell you but I was so scared to ruin whatever we have going on here. I really like you pedro…”  

“I really like you too y/n, but you’re so fucking young. I mean I’m about to be 50, I can’t be screwing around with a 24 year old.” 

Your heart drops. You can feel the tears starting to well up before a few fall against your will. 

“I’m sorry.” You're looking down again, trying to hide your tears from Pedro. 

“I should get you home.” He sighs and starts the car. 

The drive back to your apartment was quick but painfully awkward. You faced the window the entire time, letting your tears fall freely. When he pulled into the parking lot, the two of you sat in silence for a few minutes. You were afraid to leave the car, afraid that this might be the last time you get to be with him outside of work. 

“What does this mean for us?” You whisper, turning to look at him. He has his right hand still sitting on the steering wheel, while his left hand is sitting on his thigh, fingers tapping. 

“I don’t know y/n.” He’s still not looking at you, face staring out the front windshield. 

y/n.  No baby, no sweetheart or sweet girl, just your name. 

“Okay. Well um… thanks for dinner. I’ll see you on set.” Your voice betrays you, cracking on your last words towards him. He gives you a slight nod. You get out of the car and make your way to your apartment. Once inside, you kicked off your shoes and walked slowly to your room. Collapsing onto the bed, you let out a sob, all of the emotions you had been holding in finally being let free. You felt heart broken. For once you had the perfect man who saw past your weight, thought you were beautiful, and enjoyed your time. But it didn’t matter now. It was all ruined because of some stupid lie to get an audition for some stupid movie that has a stupid fucking title. You were starting to feel more angry than sad. Angry that you had even got the part in the first place, angry that Pedro asked you to hang out with him, angry that he had kissed you. If the two of you could have been professional and just be costars, your heart wouldn’t be breaking into a million pieces. Life was so fucking unfair. 

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝ 

series tag list: @nuetralcolorsenthusiast, @kungfucapslock, @hansilandgretel, @ashleyfilm, @titabel, @fifitheragertot

*If you wish to be added to the tag list, leave a comment on this post letting me know! <3

[imbecominggayer]

How To Write Time Skips

From @ravennova7: How to you handle time skips in stories? I can write out scenes happening in real time, but narrative summarising isn’t something I’m good at. I just can’t seem to write exposition properly. "

And so, this post will be dedicated to how to write time skips!

A) Introduction

It's important to properly weave time skips into the story. Without the proper set-up for time progression, the audience can quickly loose their footing. Even if you are trying to write a story where the audience gets thrown of their feet, the readers need some type of directioning.

In order to incorperate time skips into the story, you need to soften the edges between here and now.

If you are writing a time skip in one chapter, you could use an expository phrase such as "three months passed...", "one day morphed into the next and suddenly...", "by the time...", and all those other types of phrases.

When you are writing the time skip across different chapters, in my opinion, it's easier to write a skip in time due to the fact that's more weaved into the formatting of the story.

You could change the perspective to a new character or return the perspective to the original holder.

One example of a time skip I really liked was when a character was trapped in time. From their perspective, we see them walking up to and shattering a hourglass. When we meet up with another character, we learn that some time has passed.

It felt jarring but not as jarring as it could have been if that scene wasn't in there.

Overall use section breaks to establish that the flow of the narrative has changed. I also try to use running themes throughout the time skip as a way of linking these two scenes together. It could be through the same character being the focus of the scene. It could be a "before vs after" type of comparison in which a character tries to do something two different times to show change. Basically, a training montage.

Another example of a time skip that was used effectively was "What Remains Of Edith Finch". Specifically, the ending monologues. The protagonist's ever-present narration guided the audience through the many years that passed. The story keeps the same emotional through line as everything feeds into one another. It feels like a conversation.

B) Limitation And Usage

Time skips are used to skip over detail that isn't providing necessary information. Movies often use montages to communicate that time is passing.

Time skips and montages are necessary tools because readers don't want to sit through weeks of the same character going to the gym.

Time skips, in my opinion, should be used sparingly and only when necessary. It's exceedingly jarring. It can smack down on the emotional threwline. It's messy.

REMEMBER: Don't use time skips to skip out on character growth.

I remember this one f*cking time when the protagonist got injured. Then a second later. He's healed. This would be fine. UNTIL

They had this protagonist undergo MASSIVE character growth WITHOUT ME! This guy wasn't my protagonist. He was suddenly nice! He was confident. He was best friends with everyone now!!?! He was suddenly besties with this guy who was his enemy just two seconds ago!!!!?!

I had to drop the story.

Try to keep character relationships the same through the time skips if you are "going to black". If you are pulling a montage move where you pass through the events of their friendship building then it's fine. If you have a character think about why their relationship changed, fine.

BUT NEVER just randomly have your protagonist suddenly change! Explain the change. I'm in your character's head to see their progression. To be there on their journey, dont make me skip the big action sequence!

Use time skips to skip over the in-between steps. Skip over the characters buying a ticket. Skip over the character's walk up the stairs. Skip over the fight sequence.

But don't skip over important and potentially engaging character development!!!!

C) Selective Conclusion

Remember, narrative isn't real time. Our experience of time isn't real time. Five minutes could be too soon to say everything you need to say or it could be the most agonizing amount of time to hold your breathe.

You probably skip over time naturally. You don't write a character's every errand nor their every thought. The only time the camera touches down on a character is when it's narratively relevant.

To decide when a scene is important, establish what information you need to know in order to fulfill the plot.

If you have a character you want to show as both in love with Girl and bad at school. You can have a character walking out the school, textbooks heavy in hand, who suddenly bumps into Girl.

Then use a transitional sentence to show the audience that we are done. "Well, at least there's one good thing about school".

[razorblade180]

First Blood

Knock knock knock

Carmine:*unpacking* Door is unlocked.

Ruby:*peeks in* Yo.

Carmine:Hey. Something up?

Ruby:Nothing really. Just…checking in. Gotta get used to seeing you in the house again.

Carmine:I guess three years has gone by. Room feels a little smaller.

Ruby:You’re bigger. Practically my height. At this rate you’ll be taller than your dad before I know it.

Carmine:Pfft, like that will ever happen.

Ruby:How’s Oz?

Carmine:Probably how you remember him. It’s not like you didn’t check in.

Ruby:….

Carmine:Yeah I’m aware. Even if Oz hadn’t told me, you’re not the type of person to leave their kid fending for themselves.

Ruby:True enough. So, did he tell you our arrangement?

Carmine:No. All I know is there was a limit to missions I could on within a time period. My general behavior if I did anything crazy. Also-

Ruby:Mission number 126.

Carmine:…

Ruby:I’m gonna make this clear, this isn’t me nagging you. It’s a wellness check. Did Oz tell you I punched him in the face after he told me?

Carmine whipped her head to see Ruby casually shrug. The doting mother sat on Carmine’s bed and invited her take a seat beside her.

Ruby:Sooooo, you took a bounty mission. How’d you swing that?

xxxxxxxx

[Oz’s Office]

Carmine:REJECTED!?

Oz:Yes, as in not allowed. Pick another.

Carmine:Last time I checked, you were teaching me to use my skills where I needed. I’ve done your search and destroys, been a valuable bodyguard, and escorted the children to school hundreds of times because I understood those were important. “A huntsman should be flexible.”

Oz:Precisely, but not impatient. Help comes in many forms and despite what you think, I still believe the best form of it involves alternative methods.

Carmine:But you’ve never shied from murder either, Legend of Remnant. Your good deeds have many stories written and red.

Oz:Yes, and they were my stories. Taking down a bandit leader is not only a dangerous task, but one that tends to have only one ending. It’s not to be taken lightly. You’re still young and-

Carmine:Let’s skip my mother’s speech, shall we?

The man watched his disciple put her hands on his desk and stare dagger at him from behind red contacts that hid her true power.

Carmine:I didn’t run all the way here to be denied progress. I could’ve stayed in Vacou for that. A woman and her thugs have been taking lives lightly. Despite several attempts, they escape. Sounds like perfect training for the end goal.

Oz:Carmine-

Carmine:I’m gonna have to kill someone eventually. Last time I checked, Cinder and her thugs don’t like talking over their feelings.

Oz:I made a promise to your mother to train you correctly and fair. This mission isn’t training. It’s a turning point. I’m not gonna make you into something you or your mother won’t be proud of. I-

Carmine:Oscar, I’m not talking to you.

The man’s heart wavered, his eyes widening. Carmine took it a step forward, stepping on to the desk and swinging her legs around it to sit. Her feet rested on his legs and she dared to lean closer, her eyes never losing their shine.

Carmine:You owe a lot to my mother, so do I. However, let’s stop pretending you only took me in as a favor. The truth is you’re excited I’m here, aren’t you?

Oz:….

Carmine:Mom is a fantastic hero. Better than you in every way, and despite how proud that makes you, it’s not what you wanted. It’s not what’s needed. You want evil tracked and put down. That’s why you call us “Huntsman” and not heroes. You’ve always trained others to kill if necessary. Mom got Salem, but it must grind your gears a little that she let Cinder flea like a dog once. I doubt she’ll make that mistake again, but it never hurts to increase the odds of success.

Oz:Your mother doesn’t need incentive to kill Cinder. It’s why the witch hides and moves silently.

Carmine:Fair, you have your huntress for Cinder and Neo for that matter, but her thugs, the people with info moving about, my brother? If he gets ahold of mom before she gets Cinder, we’re both angry and miserable.

Oz:Is that all you have to say? You forget your entire family is remarkable. I doubt they will win.

Carmine:You never answered my question. *leans back* Mom told me how you met by the way. Tell me, what feels more incredible. The day you met a silver eyed warrior ready to change the world, or meeting me, the silver eyed warrior you can make into the exact huntsman you’ve always wanted and more? Mark my words, I’ll be everything you wanted my mom to be, so stop pretending you’re not happy I’m around and let’s get to hunting.

Cold and vexing words given by an angry girl seeking out evil to hunt without mercy, yet despite it all, her eyes never dimmed.

Oz:You understand I will not hide the job from your mother?

Carmine:That’s fine.

Oz:And that you’ll see ugliness that you might regret?

Carmine:If it means I win in the end .

Oz:And what is winning to you?

Carmine:Protecting everything I want.

Oz:….It would appear I should apologize. You resemble your mother and have her talents, but that may be where the similarities end. The rest however…well, let’s just say their eyes were just as terrifying.

xxxxxx

Carmine:He’s logical, despite being sentimental. People were dying and I could help. That simple really. I’m sure Goodwitch gave you my report and post mission evaluation.

Ruby:I’m not that snoopy. She told me but I didn’t read anything. I trust you, honest. How many?

Carmine:Only the leader. She was a huntress; a pretty tough one too. If she had been easy then I would’ve had more options. The other bandits were small fry and gave up pretty quickly when she went down. Can’t say they all made it out. Grimm.

Ruby:That’s practically unavoidable. Don’t put that on your shoulders. As for the leader, how’d it make you fe-

Carmine:Bad. Not a fan at all, but I hated seeing the people she caged more. Mom, I get it, okay? This isn’t kids stuff and I definitely don’t enjoy bounty missions. I just needed to know for certain I’m not gonna choke in dire situations.

Ruby:Is that why you only went on the one?

Carmine:Believe it or not, I actually want you to look at me and not feel disappointed.

Ruby:I never will be. I’m just scared is all.

She wraps her arm around her daughter and hugs her gently, keeping her close to the heart.

Ruby:Carmine, I only ask two things from you. Don’t let this work take you from me, and live a life you’re proud of. It’s harder than it sounds but makes things easier.

Carmine:*closes eyes* I promise. I love you.

[neo-zone]

Alright, I finally got my hands on this full ... presscon? cast reaction? Whatever.

I already shared some screenshots from this before (by some people on Twitter) and after finally watching the full version, I fell like I need to share the rest of the season 2 world building and character lores mentioned and discussed to you guys in here (and also major spoilers for season 3)

P.S. I could be wrong on some of the points here (either misinterpreting or not paying enough attention), so please correct me if I do in the reply section

Season 2

I'm still confused af on this line : "he killed his original body as well as his personality, eventually turning into the twisted monster that he is now". Like so, does it refer to Sang-won killing his original body in season 2 or is it about monster Sang-won killing the real Sang-won?

I still don't get this line too, so interpret it however you want : "The child covered in black?" "This is where what's remaining of Sang-won disappears, uncovering the child."

Chan-young was a baseball player. Ye-seul was one of the cheerleaders

Oh, apparently monsterization does still happened inside the stadium. That's why there's a regular daily checking. Anyone showing symptoms will be out in the isolation place (yeah that place where they put the sick mom in). Some lived, some died inside the isolation => might be why Chief Ji keeping her monster son secluded somewhere deep inside the stadium

Hyun-su cut Yi-kyung's daughter hair the same style as him, hence how they're being similar appearance wise

The live action crew is adapting Shotgun Boy into Netflix Sweet Home

Yi-kyung blames herself for how her child turned out to be with her monster-turning power

Yi-kyung's inability to give affection or even touched her child stems from the fact that monsters are created from human desires, so she didn't want her child to have desire (awfully familiar with a particular old man *side glance*)

Yep, you guessed it. These three (Hyun-su, Eun-yu, and Chan-young) are dense as fuck about their own feelings to each other (minus Hyun-su to Chan-young and vice versa ofc)

Yi-kyung's daughter views Hyun-su as her own family even more than her biological mother. Because they're similar and he's the only person she could hold hands with without her power reacting

Hyun-su uses red ribbons to mark the safe area for Eun-yu because color red stands out among the greenery of Seoul post time skip

The monster cocoons are shaped like a heart because monsterization manifests from human desires

The "real Jung Wui-myeong" is one of the scientists. Sang-won (or monster Sang-won depending how you interpret the earlier points) took his identity and used it as his own, probably to separate himself from his old human self

Lmao, not them calling Sang-won's family as family of evil and there's no good apple in it. That's so fucking foul

Sang-wook is still there somewhere (I already shared this one before)

Sang-won's original abilities include the Medusa touch he did to Hyun-su in episode 3

Oh wait, Yi-kyung survived?! I thought she died after her fight with Hyun-su (uh oh *nervous glance to every instance of me mentioning "her death" in replies*)

Monster Hyun-su act according to what Hyun-su thinks and desires (I had shared this one before)

Monster Hyun-su is more proactive and extrovert (is the extrovert part really necessary?")

Season 3 rough summary

Family drama : Nam Sang-won starts a bunch of trouble (this bitch) in order to create a world he dreams of. There are family reunions and conflicts between spouses. He also meets his child (uh oh). They fight for her custody. This custody case didn't need a court (fuck, oh come on 😂). Yi-kyung wouldn't just talk it out. She'd fight until one is dead

Sibling drama : Eun-yu will meet Eun-hyeok again, but I'm not sure it'll make her happy

Second male lead struggle : Chan-yeong faces even more hardships as the story progresses. But even then, he gives up a lot just to protect Eun-yu. He starts to understand the monsters more. There's a lot on his mind as the story goes on.

More monster Hyun-su : Hyun-su lets go of himself and lets out the monster. But the monster doesn't just do its thing. He reads Hyun-su's mind and acts as he wants.

Another Hyun-su and Yi-kyung interaction : And later on, he interacts with Yi-kyung as well. The emotion it brings also felt huge. In the narration, he tells Eun-yu how much pain Yi-kyung is in and that he has to stop it all himself. So I'm sure Hyun-su sparked a change in Yi-kyung's heart. That'll continue in Season 3.

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

Look the real reason so many book fans are mad about the wheel of time adaptation instead of having a great time with it regardless of changes, is that the production is putting a very strong focus on updating the worldbuilding and characters in specific ways, as well as changing individual events in favor of a more streamlined way to make The Same character beats happen.

Because this is an adaptation to film, and of course they have to change stuff. Come on people. Be realistic. You know how long the series is.

And there are parts of the book series that Do need updating. RJ was trying to be as progressive as he could in a lot of his approach to the series, but what was progressive in the 90s is not as progressive now so of course they are updating it. If you didn’t think this show was gonna have queer people and polyamory then sorry about it. Dear Mr. Jordan was Really Good at writing romantic relationships between women when he thought he was just writing friendships, he did it A Couple times. I would Bet Money on Avilayne becoming canon. This series is being created by a queer showrunner he is absolutely doing a queer reading of these books. Which I am Very Here For.

And he is doing a reading, and changing things. Which again, is Necessary. The book series is Super long and they have 8 seasons to do it in. They’re gonna change individual events to make sure that the main characters go through all the necessary character beats. And you’re just being recalcitrant if you can’t admit that season two Rules in a lot of ways. They are still making sure every important character has all their moments. And each individual episode has focused on some of the most powerful themes of the Entire book series. Including the inherent tragedies inherent to channelers such as: being cut off from the one power in various ways through shielding and stilling, having their own control of the one power taken over by others through weaves and ter’angreal, and living extended lifespans and thus leaving behind their loved ones. They’re doing a Very good job of keeping to the core themes and character beats and also changing stuff around to make the story work on a shorter time frame.

Also they’re working really hard to make sure Every character is as well fleshed out as possible. Meaning that yes, a lot of focus is being spent so far on the other main pov characters and all of the important aes sedai who will matter in the conflicts to come. That’s a good thing. Sorry to the people who only cared about the ta’veren boys or whatever but RJ wrote a ton of interesting and powerful women and they’re all getting their Due in this adaptation that is a feature not a bug.

It’s not like there isn’t stuff to be improved in the original! There is a huge chunk of the wheel of time that a lot of fans refer to as the slog! Where most of the main characters are separated and the plot is barely moving so some characters only show up in like two chapters of a single book, because there are so many individual things happening, before the plot starts moving faster again towards the end of the series. (And then there’s the crimes committed by Mr. Sanderson on the last three books but we’re not going to talk about that right now.

Which personally I would disagree that the slog is where the series is least enjoyable. The section I usually skip when rereading is the first two books, #having a great time right now actually with the show skipping through as much of the minutiae of books I and II as they can. The wheel of time is not a perfect series and Robert Jordan kept trying to finish it in one to three books at first and the first two books suffer as a result.

If you stopped reading in books one or two PLEASE just try to make it to three Trust Me. Or just watch the show and then read the battle of falme in book II and then read book III. You will appreciate books one and two more on a reread after all the stuff he does bring up there has really paid off. And also just have fun watching your faves be more happy than they are in later books ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The show is not Trying to be the books and frankly I’m glad it’s not! This is another turning of the wheel, another version of events, a parallel universe to the randland of the books. And I think they’re doing a pretty brilliant job of telling a version of that story so far this season.

Adaptations will change things. That’s a good thing. Judge it on executing the ideas it is bringing up and staying true to the core of the character arcs and themes of the original. And frankly it’s enhancing a lot of character arcs right now. There are many things that I think the show is already doing better than the books did tbh (Min, Liandrin, Selene, making Perrin spend less time dithering about the Wolf Stuff, speeding up Mat’s healing from the dagger so my best boy gets more time to shine)

Adaptations are transformative works. To lesser and greater degrees they reinterpret a work through a different artistic lens and medium. The changes are not bad because they are changes. Judge it on the execution of the story it’s actually telling instead of a close comparison to the books. And they are keeping as true to the books as they can whether you acknowledge that or not.

If you’re a person who reads fanfiction but you can’t judge a film adaptation for what it is instead of what it’s not then please try Slightly harder.

And if you’re just mad that it’s all queer and polyamorous now and the boys aren’t the only main characters then die mad I guess. I will continue having a pretty great time watching this show chock full of extremely powerful (and sometimes evil) women. I think RJ would have liked it tbh.

[emblemxeno]

I think 3H's biggest problem gameplay-wise is that you aren't allowed to play at your pace

You have to do 4 monastery segments before you can do the chapter mission. If you feel like making a lot of story progress in one go, you have to sacrifice teaching, side missions, and shit

Awakening maps are also monotonous, but you can do 5 story missions, 3 paralogues, and then 2 farming battles if you were in the mood to do that

It's not even similar to Persona 5 in that sense. Persona 5 also has a calendar system, but the only restriction for main missions is that you have a deadline. You have the option to do it earlier and then relax with social links and side missions until your next one or vice-versa

There are multiple methods of maximizing your time in P5

3H only has 1

THIS AS WELL, I can't believe I didn't specify it earlier.

The gameplay loop and foundation of building units is fun for the first time or two when playing 3H, but it heavily loses its luster with every subsequent attempt.

To further add on your points:

You have to do 4 monastery segments before you can do the chapter mission. If you feel like making a lot of story progress in one go, you have to sacrifice teaching, side missions, and shit

The gameplay loop and foundation of building units is fun for the first time or two when playing 3H, but it heavily loses its luster with every subsequent attempt. You can't afford to skip teaching especially on higher difficulties because you're handicapping yourself. 3H as a game wants you to spend time in monastery teaching and making sure to have the player want to max character motivation as much as possible each week. It's just that none of things to do that are fun or engaging.

Awakening maps are also monotonous, but you can do 5 story missions, 3 paralogues, and then 2 farming battles if you were in the mood to do that

YEP. Any monotony in main game Awakening-in many post NES games really-can be circumvented extremely easily because there's just more freedom to play, brainstorm, and mess around in those games that won't completely bite you in the ass later. Ironically, having most of your cast be akin to Donnel and other villager/trainee units makes things unexciting because for a good while, you're playing the "Magikarp Exp Share" game to max out jobs, getting enough skill ranks, and most likely putting everyone on mounts.

What made trainee type units (and equivalents such as Magikarp in other RPGs) fun in previous games is that they're almost always singular or sparse. Your capable units babying the soon-to-be juggernaut makes good brain tingles. 3H, on the other hand, you're just training everyone from baby to... a regular fire emblem team. Not terrible, but nothing as spectacular as say, a typical team in Sacred Stones or Radiant Dawn.

It's not even similar to Persona 5 in that sense. Persona 5 also has a calendar system, but the only restriction for main missions is that you have a deadline. You have the option to do it earlier and then relax with social links and side missions until your next one or vice-versa There are multiple methods of maximizing your time in P5 3H only has 1

Exactly! What works for Persona is just that there's a lot of moving parts, with varying things that directly relate to performance within the combat loop. A good give and take that makes you feel accomplished, because improving social traits -> more social links and activities -> better and more varied personas unlocked -> more social links and opportunities for improving traits.

This system unfortunately just doesn't work with an FE gameplay style, because FE doesn't have as many aspects in its map combat that require such a system to be necessary. We have "supports lead to better combat which help reinforce keeping certain characters together to have even better supports" and that's it. Having better supports don't make these things less tedious or change them in any gameplay improving way either; in fact, all the activities serve is to make the repetitive teaching system go faster. All wrapped in a calendar system that, as you said, is restricting and tedious because most of it doesn't actually matter since it's just empty days skipped through the teaching weeks. You can't avoid it because it's necessary to have functional units later, yet it's not fun to watch or engage with.

I really, desperately hope that IS doesn't take the wrong lesson from 3H's success and make another overstuffed hub with mechanics that don't gel with FE's map gameplay. A Tellius style base and/or an Awakening style world map is sufficient.

[deusexlachina]

This game took fifteen hours to play and upset me! (good)

In Stars and Time probably wins for most upsetting video game I've played. It makes other games about depression feel like the fun roller coaster version of depression in comparison. Even Start Again, the game it's an extension of, looks extremely tame in comparison.

There's a number of things I've seen that are Trapped In A Time Loop. I don't think I've seen one this dark since Russian Doll. ISAT isn't as gritty as that, but it's as least as dark. It really puts the "trapped" in Trapped In A Time Loop, while still being fun. For me, not for the protagonist, Siffrin. He is not having fun.

One of the things that makes it work so well is that the characters (and to a lesser extent, the settings) are really lovingly made. I like Siffrin's party. If they were in a straight fantasy story, they'd work. That's what's missing most in a lot of Edgy Depression Games and cartoons - the sadness is real, but the joy is not. So it feels more hollow than sad. A good example is with magical girl shows: Madoka is a guilty pleasure and all the ripoffs are just execrable - you can feel them wanting to go straight to the torture, so they make characters just to be tortured, ensuring that not even the writer is invested in the cast.

ISAT, in contrast, showed me a cute, engaging adventure with terrific characters, and then forced me to watch as it all got stale and stagnant and twisted. With plenty of new parts scattered around, reminding you of what it's like to be curious and excited. At a certain point, I was skipping through dialogue less because I'd memorized it and more because it was painful to go through these tender scenes again, knowing they lost their impact on Siffrin long ago.

There's a few mechanics that didn't work for me. Having to fight monsters to loop forwards in time didn't feel necessary. Looping around is already monotonous; this mechanic doesn't add anything. As the game progresses, you end up looping forwards quite a bit, long after combat has ceased to be a challenge. Not being able to completely skip seen conversations - instead having to fast-forward through them - is also tedious but feels much more necessary to the story being told. The little animation you get of Siffrin nodding blankly as they metaphorically and literally mash through a conversation remained funny for me even to the end. Be sure to have dialogue speed set to instant and running set to always (why indie RPGs ever have a "walking" setting continues to confuse me).

Anyway, if you're looking for a game with great characters that's very sad without relying on a shitty ending, this is definitely worth checking out. Really not kidding about the heavy stuff, though. Caveat emptor, fuckers.

[blackjackkent]

All right, bit of a late start on liveblogging tonight but let's see if we can make a little more progress on Rakha's terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

How you doing, Rakha?

Yep.

Some meta points to start off:

Point 1: We're reaching the point in early Act 3 where a lot of things start happening very fast for a little while. We have two back-to-back pretty important long rest things that can happen here - Orin's infiltration and Wyll's showdown with Mizora. As I learned on Hector's run, Wyll's showdown takes priority on the next long rest if you have talked to her after the coronation, but for Rakha I think I'd like to have Orin's shit happen before anything else.

While I am mostly trying to be pretty loyal to in-game events for Rakha without manipulating things too much, I am going to do a little metagaming here to line everything up in the order I want it to happen.

The ficlet I posted earlier today is set the night after the Gortash business, which implies at least a night's rest before everything else starts going off the rails. So we're going to do a few extra things before actually LR-ing and, for story purposes, say they're happening the next day, and then trigger Orin's invasion afterwards. Then we'll talk to Mizora so that all of Wyll's stuff unravels afterwards.

There's no way to get to the Lower City without talking to Mizora, which limits our options somewhat. So I'm inclined to say that after everyone's pretty uncomfortable night post-Gortash-revelations, Jaheira makes the executive decision that they're heading straight to Danthelon's the next morning to get Harper backup before anyone can get into more trouble.

So we'll do that first. Maybe also Sharess's Caress, since we currently have two short rests to play with and there's only one bit of combat in Sharess's that I can think of. And then we're off to Orin Crazytown.

Point 2: With regards to the actual kidnapping - Hector had Lae'zel taken, so in an ideal world I would want to have someone else taken with Rakha. However... I really don't think Halsin or Gale or even Minthara would have nearly the same impact for Rakha as Lae'zel, so I'm going to once again do some metagaming to make sure that happens.

Because basically Act 3 is going to be about heaping more and more bullshit on Rakha and everyone around her. XD

Point 3: I don't know exactly when Wyll's romance scene pops, but the timing might end up being rather strange. I suspect his Act 3 romance is probably sweet as hell, bc it's Wyll, but as things stand right at this moment, neither Rakha nor Wyll are very much in a sweet mood.

So there is a non-zero chance that, when I reach it, I will go through it, save all the necessary caps, and then hold onto it and drop it into the story later in Act 3 when it fits better tonally. We'll play this by ear.

Point 4: The final point is that, with Hector, I definitely beelined straight for Minsc and then Orin pretty much as quick as I could, because I wanted both of them settled in camp ASAP. But with Rakha (especially since with Florrick rescued we're not under a time clock on anything), I'm going to try to be a lot more deliberate about letting her just wander into things and go where she would be inclined to go based on her own knowledge. There are three reasons for this:

I'd like to try to experience Act 3 in a slightly different order.

There's a LOT of random side crap happening in Act 3 and the easiest way to rationalize Rakha bothering with most of it is her being lost and stumbling across it while looking for something else. (That said, some less important stuff still might end up getting skipped.)

The showdown with Orin feels like it's probably a (if not the) climax point for the Durge storyline, so it seems best not to rush to it more than necessary.

So yeah. That's where my head is at on Rakha's story. :D So let's get rolling.

[theaudiovore]

For more than a year now I’ve had a concept for a single player TTRPG orbiting in the depths of my mind, slowly accumulating mass and occasionally passing into the Observable Universe that is my conscious mind.

A concept for an Elder Scrolls single player tabletop RPG.

In its present conception I imagine it to be played with some rules, paper and pencil, and a deck of playing cards.

In this game the player will start as a Prisoner, and through their own actions, divine intervention, and the weight of prophecy they will become a Hero.

They will meet their Doom and enter the Tower.

The Wheel turns.

The structure of play will be meant to resemble an Enantiomorphic Event, as all Elder Scrolls stories do.

The Three necessary elements are of course, a Prisoner, a King, and a Tower.

The Prisoner is the player, a person who by destiny or circumstance will rise to fullfill the role of Hero. The Eternal Champion, the Imperial Agent, the Nerevarine, the Hero of Kvatch and Champion of Cyrodiil, the Last Dragonborn, the Vestige. They are noone and come from nowhere, and so they can be anyone and go anywhere. They are Free in ways others are not, while simultaneously being shackled by their prophesied Doom.

The King is the antagonist, the threat to the wellbeing of the world and the people within it. Their power shakes the stones of the Tower and threatens to end the dream that is the Aurbis. Jagar Tharn, Zurin Arctus, Dagoth Ur, Mankar Camoran and Mehrunes Dagon, AL-DU-IN. They enter the story at the height of their power, and so they have nowhere to go but down. They see themselves as the Hero because their pride blinds them to the truth.

The Tower is the prison you must escape, the fortress you must siege, the secret you must learn. It is embodied in every obstacle, it is where you will always return, it is where Doom unfolds. The Staff of Chaos, NUMIDIUM, White Gold, Red Mountain, Snow Throat. It is both obstacle and objective, prison and protection.

I imagine the player character as a collection of Tags that grows as the game progresses. You’ll start by picking some Tags that represent your background, skill set, and Sign. Something like "Dunmer, Thief, Marksman, Charming, The Serpent” or “Nord, Warrior, Axe, Endurance, The Steed”.

Play proceeds by drawing cards from a deck of standard playing cards, 54 cards total with the Jokers included. Each suit would represent a type of encounter. You decide based on your tags and the story so far how the encounter goes, and sometimes you advance a clock. The Doom Clock.

Red suits represent opportunities and advantages. Diamonds for Material (Equipment, Magic, Relics, etc) and Hearts for Living Things (Creatures, Companions, Guilds, etc). Jokers represent divine intervention.

Black suits represent dangers and obstacles. Clubs for Material (Traps, Barriers, Curses, etc) and Spades for Living Things (Creatures, Bandits, Guards, etc).

Red Jokers represent Aedric forces like Yffre, Auri-El, and Mara. Black Jokers represent Daedric forces like Namira, Hircine. and Jyggalag.

You Draw a card and think about how your Tags let you resolve the situation it represents. Most of the time, you can choose to skip a card and ignore that encounter. Perhaps you decide that the danger is too great, perhaps your equipment is better than what you’ve found. Some cards cannot be skipped. Some events advance the Doom clock, bringing you closer to the final confrontation. Some cards advance the Doom Clock even if you skip them.

The Doom Clock represents the passage of time, your steady march to the finale. The Prisoner always confronts the King eventually. It always happens that way. Time is a living being, and while AKA is patient he cannot stay still for long. While the world waits for you, it does not wait forever.

I don’t have much beyond these concepts yet, but I have been thinking about this a lot. I know I want to explore things like Fate, the Aurbic Pattern, Duality, and the Cyclical Nature of Time. I know I want to include elements of the strange deep lore and apocryphal texts that make up the internal mythology of The Elder Scrolls. I know I want to reach for the sensation of a lonely exploration, of being burdened by prophecy, of being the one that the whole world waits on, the axle that the world turns around.

Something I need to do is play games that may share tonal or mechanical elements with what I want to achieve. In my ~20 years in the tabletop roleplaying hobby I have spent the vast majority of that time with various editions of The Dragon Game and others of its style. It is only in the past 5 years or so I’ve been expanding my breadth of experience, seeking out other styles and modes of play. This thing I want to make is outside my current sphere of competence, so I must increase my reach to match my grasp.

[meatballsub-senpai]

Behold, I am in your askbox again!

Tell me about Mafuyu and KAITO pls

OKAY OKAY SO

Empty SEKAI was the last one to get all their vocaloids (i should note this was over a year out-of-game after the 4th unit to finish, and even then the 4th unit to finish was vbs whose vocaloids have canonically all been there the entire time just not part of the story until later). They got Rin/MEIKO/Luka in their 2nd-4th events and then there was nothing. For ages. While all three do take from Mafuyu, Rin is more based on Ena, MEIKO takes from Mizuki, and Luka is kind of a composite character who spawned in as less of an emotional response and more of a person who will move the narrative forward.

Len and KAITO are the ones who take after Mafuyu, so it makes sense that they were the last to show up, and that they didn't show up until two of the events that were most pivotal in Mafuyu's arc: Guiding a Lost Child to What Lies Beyond (Mafuyu's 3rd event) and immiscible discord (Kanade's 3rd event). I'll skip over Len and go straight to immiscible discord.

ID is the event where Mafuyu's mother finds Nightcord on Mafuyu's computer, and then creates an account to contact Kanade, asking if she can kick Mafuyu from N25 because she's worried it will affect her grades. Mafuyu's mum really starts to crack down on Mafuyu's music activities and screentime from this point on, and then KAITO shows up in response to her buried anger.

Mafuyu before KAITO had never really considered that her mother could be a cause of the problem. Like, she feels way more comfortable around N25 than her mum, but she loves her mum and her mum loves her and there's no way this could be her fault, right? When Mafuyu is struggling with her feelings after her mum finds out about Niigo, KAITO just shows up. Like this:

He's not fucking about. Basically he walks in and immediately tells Mafuyu she needs to accept her mum is the problem and actually take action. He specifically says he's not going to "baby" Mafuyu like the rest of them. Mr Plot Progression if you will. Moreso than Luka because while she can be very blunt and honest, she's still more gentle than KAITO.

KAITO and his connection to Mafuyu is. Interesting to say the least. He was born from her repressed anger, something that even now she still hasn't quite let out. He is the one who has pushed Mafuyu's character development the most though, he helped her see the error of her mother's ways, he helped her run away, so those repressed emotions are still being expressed through KAITO (and herself, but kaito is waaaay more angry than mafuyu herself has ever expressed).

Kaito himself is pretty interesting just from looking at his mindset. He's forceful with them, but for their own good. He isn't afriad to be brutally honest with n25 and tell them what they have to do. He's the complete opposite of meiko, who leaves n25 alone and just watches them work out their problems on their own, and this is something they clash about in the current Mizuki event. Kaito wants Mizuki to open up about what she's hiding because it's what will be best for her and believes Meiko leaving her will mean nothing will ever change, but Meiko doesn't want to rush Mizuki into anything she isn't ready for and thinks Kaito's push will hurt Mizuki.

Kaito is flawed. He's angry and blunt and pretty rude, but he has n25's best interests at heart. He's just... not great at being gentle about it. He wants them to heal but he doesn't exactly get why they don't just get on with it. He sees where the issues are and what needs to be done and tells them to do it. He thinks about what will benefit them in the long run and isn't afraid if his words hurt because it's just for a few minutes, if you get what I mean.

Also in this event, he says that Mizuki needing to move forward is necessary for Mafuyu which is particularly worth noting. He does care about Mizuki's feelings, that's made abundantly clear by his confrontation with her, but he also is thinking about Mafuyu still. And I mean can you blame him that's literally why he exists. He does care about the other n25 members and the other vsingers and isn't as rude and mean and he seems (tsundere lol), but Mafuyu very much is at the top of his priority list.

Anyway yeah! Niigo kaito is cool! The only events he's in on EN currently are immiscible discord and Sayonara Persona (i forgot the official title it's like Farewell My Mask or something) but he's a major character in the Kanade event that will release on EN this December and the Mizuki event that will arrive on EN in a year. He's also in Niigo's World Link event (which will be on EN next month) but he's not that important to it.

[house-of-mirrors]

Writing a critique of mask as if it was something I was critiquing for grad school lol. Some plot spoilers under the cut

Strengths

Always start with the positives. What did I like? I think the setting and music were immersive. Since I've been playing skies lately I was so excited any time something from it was mentioned. In games I love to make auditory connections, and I was excited that the audio for the sunlight in the parliament ending matches the intro of The Forge Timespace track on the skies OST! And on the topic of audio, of course the curator cries from skies. Hello Veils

There were a few parts, especially in a certain ending, where the writing really shone through. There are genuinely funny and compelling moments which has always been a strength of the devs, that dark comedy tone. My most recent playthrough, I basically just hooked up with monsters and that was the most fun I've had in the game.

Buckle your seat belt. Now onto:

Weaknesses

We've already discussed pacing to hell and back so I'm gonna skip that. Besides pacing, the biggest flaw in MOTR is that the game has identity issues. It doesn't know what it is or what it's trying to be. Mask fails as a dating sim, as a mystery game, and as a visual novel because it's trying to be everything at once and thus failing to be anything. If I played it like a dating sim, well. Pressing flirt repeatedly and seeing some of the same scenes play out every time you seduce a character with little new text doesn't immerse the player. If I played it like a mystery game, the pacing is prohibitive when it comes to solving it. I haven't actually played other visual novels so don't have a reference for that but I don't think they are as rushed as this

Either you can go into a little bit of detail about a lot of things, you can go into a lot of detail about a few things, or you widen the parameters so you can go into more detail about more things. Within the framework mask exists in (and I don't thing slowing the pacing will fix this beyond making it easier to finish some quests), the scope is too small to do justice to the scale of content they're trying to convey. I'd tell the author they had too much going on at once and to narrow their focus. Decide which characters should be focused on and which aren't so necessary. Some of them definitely were included in a way that felt last minute just to get a reaction from fans, and not because they had something to offer the narrative. Those characters either needed a plot with more depth or weren't necessary.

Mechanics

Mechanically speaking, I... didn't see a point to most of the new features. I was never in a situation where I needed certain clothes to progress, which made collecting them kinda pointless. You can complete any number of different playthroughs without touching story crafting at all. I got the feeling from marketing that story crafting would be used to help matchmake with other characters, but it very much does not do that unless I'm completely missing a big chunk of the game, which is possible given how nigh impossible it is to progress.

The engine is innovative and stunning from the perspective of someone with experience in code. But then you can't DO anything in it. Sure it may be super responsive to different paths, but if the variables change, the dialogue/written consequences don't.

Diversity and Inclusion

Finally, these notes. It's seldom comfortable to bring it up but it's important. I almost called this nitpicking compared to everything else but no, it's not! These issues are just as important and deserve to take up space. I see fellow players sort of expressing "yeah I didn't expect them to improve these areas" but that still doesn't minimize the issue.

I'm just puzzled. They took effort to research writing Jewish and Sikh NPCs but then go and keep assuming the player is Anglican. (In an ending after failing in the trial, I got a random bit mentioning how they used to hang Catholic dissenters and I was like... was that really necessary.) Idk like, especially with all the research they did you figure something would have changed, that someone somewhere would have pointed it out

The line saying the player spoke the Queen's English REALLY bugged me. First of all I have a working class accent, and I'm American not British, but accent is still a touchy topic and was even more significant in the 1860s than it is now. Same point as above, there are a lot of characters that do not have high British accents. Phoebe, Archie, Ferret, Ivy. Why assume with the player? The thing is they already have a mechanic in place with the backstories! Sure, a society player would speak Queens English but a dockworker would not! Go by that!

And body diversity. Can we please get more characters that aren't the same thin body type. It being the Age of Malnutrition isn't an excuse. (To get specific. You Know Who was from Mesopotamia where the culture had beards. The one option in late railway uses the silhouette from the cheery man which has a beard so I had misplaced hope but alas)

Summary

While the game posed tidbits of interesting horror lore, the classic dark comedy tone, and spicy monsters (before the encounters became repetitive, that is), Mask fell flat in so many ways. I had an ending after seducing Milton where he remarked that the player rarely talks about themself and I laughed because yeah, that's how the game was designed. The player has no opportunity to gain a personality through flashbacks or dialogue choices. The NPCs are stiff and very rarely have unique reactions to your character. Conversation changes topic with no clear thread or motivation.

I'm honestly flummoxed how this got through development with these glaring problems. Everyone in the playerbase noticed them right away. Ugh. Little is more frustrating than things that had so much potential that isn't realized.

It felt like a long ES, with all the pros and cons of an ES lol. Certain paths blow your mind and you might walk into hot moments with ur favs. But then no time to realize why you should care about characters, story that abruptly ends, new mechanic that is shiny and interesting but can only carry it so far, yada yada yada

[mdhwrites]

It's actually really annoying when people trash Amphibia for "filler" and some little screw ups that don't matter, but at the same time praise TOH

So the fascinating thing here is... What the fuck counts as filler in Amphibia?

This isn't actually to say there isn't filler mind you, it's just that it's kind of dealer's choice what is and isn't. But let's back up a second so I can explain. I did a blog about how looking back, VERY little of The Owl House ISN'T filler. This was going by the definition that most people CLAIM to be using with Filler where anything that doesn't directly progress the story or main themes is unnecessary and thus filler. So that's the definition I'm going with for Amphibia.

And also as a reminder from that: Filler is Flavor. I consider filler to be a genuinely good thing in moderation to a piece of media. That flavor after all can make a lot of moments stronger than they would be without the extra time and characterization. With Amphibia... Oh dear god that extra time and characterization pays off BIG. S2 alone calls back to parts of S1 at least three times to really sell big moments within it...

Big moments that are also in support of the themes of Amphibia. Not only that but Anne growing as a person is required for the sake of the overall story. Even in S1, her growth is important so as to have not had her come back under Sasha's sway and her and Sasha's relationship is directly addressing how change can sometimes can be necessary, despite being painful. It's important both to the themes and overall plot. In fact, most of Anne's relationships are actively, at all times, discussing the effects community, family and change on someone.

This is what makes it effectively Dealer's Choice when it comes to Amphibia's filler because most segments, not even full episodes, can have some argument as being important to building on themes and relationships of the show which directly alter the decisions characters will make long term and so are necessary. If you think everything with the frogs is filler, you do not have the justification for Reunion. For that matter, you don't have the justification for the Aquarium trip or for True Colors because the questioning and rejection of Marcy and Sasha respectively NEEDS that further context because Anne in episode 1 doesn't care about frogs and cares more about her friends. When Sasha says jump, she says how hi, hence why she was able to be convinced to steal.

As a personal example... I have the hot take that if you watch After the Rain, someone could tell you "Marcy charges the stone" and then you skip The First Temple. After the Rain gets across the change in how Anne and the Plantars view each other, because them genuinely being a found family is important, and addresses what's going on with the music box but actually charging the stone? It says little about Marcy's character, mostly just doing the same thing Marcy at the Gates did and while the expansion of Hop Pop and Anne's conflict is good, it's not technically necessary for anything and you'd get to skip what is, in my opinion, one of the weakest episodes of the show.

Amphibia's filler still doesn't allow for "It's not filler just because you don't care about it," though. I still would recommend watching both but only because I can claim the elements to be redundant can I claim The First Temple as able to be skipped. BUT it still expands so I'm not even strong on that argument because it is still directly addressing the themes. The other half of "After the Rain" with Sprivy and her Mom is talking about differing perspectives, something that connects with accepting others and community so while it's not about Anne, it could still be said to be important to the overall discussion of what is important to Amphibia... But someone might argue that other elements address it so you can skip it.

Amphibia is a complex beast like that. Not to say there is NO filler. They have a Halloween episode that can be pretty much skipped... But also why the fuck would you? That's to me the real sin of bad filler. It doesn't add flavor. However, when you do shit like a Gravity Falls crossover and just pack it full of as much fun as possible, I'm not going to CARE if it's important or not, I'm just going to enjoy it because it's entertaining and I'm theoretically here, watching a kid's comedy adventure to be entertained.

That's, to briefly mention it, part of my issue with a lot of The Owl House's filler. It's not fun and it's not enjoyable. The fandom skips or forgets a lot of episodes because why would you ever want to go back? But I never plan to skip the Halloween episode even if it's very doable to do so.

So to me, I think Amphibia A: is more serialized than people give it credit for, it just does it in a way that is more episodically friendly and B: even when it is doing filler, you don't mind because it's going full blast on fun because it's genuinely happy to be what it's doing. So... Screw complaining about it. And this is coming from someone who still looks at the structure of Amphibia and goes "You could probably have cut a third of this and still managed almost as good of a product."

But I wouldn't want them to. Not when it's such a blast spending time with these characters.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[tapwrites]

To Filler or not to Filler

Some people say filler is bad in a story, others say it's fine... still others say it's important to include, to have a well-rounded story! Are they even talking about the same thing?

What is filler, anyway?

Let's tackle that first; define our terms.

Think about what the word "filler" means in other places. Filler is used to fill a hole in a wall so the cracks don't show. Filler is foam padding in a box so the item being shipped doesn't get damaged. In speaking people use um, er, and "like" to fill time while they figure out what they want to say--that's called "filler" as well.

Filler is something used to fill gaps, with no meaning or use beyond that. Something that is not necessary beyond simply filling something.

So what does this mean in storytelling terms?

This term is often used referring to serial TV shows (long stories told over multiple episodes, as opposed to "episodic" TV shows where each episode is a self-contained story).

The example that comes to my mind is Naruto: a show featuring long stories told step by step in 23 minute episodes. But from time to time, when the animators are behind the airing schedule a self-contained episode is aired that has nothing to do with the story, progresses nothing, explains nothing, and by the end of it nothing has changed. You could skip such episodes and not have missed anything.

Why did that episode exist? Purely to play out time. They've got to fill 23 minutes every week. So it doesn't matter what's there, all that matters is that it is there. Like filler, the only reason it exists is to be there, to fill something.

Now the question is...

Is "filler" ever needed for novels?

By definition, "filler" does nothing. It does not make your story better. It does not bring you closer to the characters. It does not set the tone. If it did any of those things, it wouldn't be "filler"!

So when would you want a load of words to be in your story that does nothing but use up pages? Never. Not for a regular book or short story, at least.

So... why do some say "filler" is good in some circumstances?

I suspect it's because they're not talking about filler. They're talking about something different.

Another anime trope is the "beach episode," where the cast take a break from the story and just go to the beach and hang out. Nothing of note happens at the beach. The characters don't grow, we don't learn anything new, and they all go home ready for the story to continue in the next episode.

In fact, such episodes can just pop up out of nowhere. It makes no sense that they could actually go to the beach and hang out in that moment, but they just wanted to throw in a beach episode, so a beach episode just... happened.

Even so, episodes like this are enjoyed by the fans for several reasons. One reason is, the fans like the characters and simply enjoy their banter and shenanigans even if it's nothing to do with the story. (Another being they get to see anime characters less-than-clothed.)

That kind of episode is filler, because it does nothing beyond use up air time. But it's still enjoyable because we get to hang with the characters without the drama of the story getting in the way. So it's understandable that some conflate the two, thinking that "filler" must mean characters hanging out, or the scene isn't action packed, or something like that.

But that isn't actually true.

Filler episodes can have just as much action and stuff going on and still not impact the story, and still not have any time to hang out with the characters. So filler doesn't mean getting to know the characters.

And hanging-out-with-the-characters episodes can show new things about the characters which will be important later, or simply intensify the drama that happens later in the story. So such episodes by definition are not filler.

In fact, a character-hangout can only be a "filler" if it doesn't show anything new about the characters; if it doesn't show or change the relationships between characters. The moment it does anything useful like that, it stops being filler and becomes just a normal scene that still adds to the story that happens to be low-intensity.

Even in storytelling, "filler" doesn't mean a scene with no plot progression or low-stakes or low-impact or low-action. It means it has zero impact beyond that section of any sort. Low-stakes scenes are exactly the kinds of scenes where the characters can interact, where the reader can get to know them, where the background of the world can be filled in.

People are right--those are good scenes to have in your story. And varying the intensity of scenes so that some are big and some are small is what pacing is all about! But the fact they're doing something for the story means it is not filler. It's simply a low-intensity scene.

So feel free to have low-intensity scenes in your stories. But you never need to add filler.

Oh wow, so all we've covered so far is what "filler" means in the first place. But now that we understand what we're talking about...

How is this useful?

There are two main things to take away from this discussion. The first is what "filler" means: zero impact. No change if it's removed entirely.

The second is that there's more that a scene can add to a story than simply plot progression. Character development, character change, worldbuilding... all those kinds of things add to the reader's experience of the story as a whole, even if those ways are subtle or the reader may not realise why it's included.

To say that such things are just "filler" discounts them as meaningless fluff you don't need to put any thought into. Or, it raises the idea of "filler" to something that really enhances any story--which it, by definition does not do.

Unless you have a deadline of releasing a new scene every week and you're behind on figuring out the next non-filler story beat, we don't need to write filler at all. In which case, to seek to add filler is to purposefully pad out the word count of your story with nothing--lowering the overall impact of the story itself.

What if you already have a scene that feels like filler?

Of course, you can simply remove it and suffer little effect on the rest fo the story.

There are times when a scene "feels like filler" to a reader, even if it has elements that do add to the story. Just remember what filler means: zero impact. The less apparent impact a scene has on anything, the closer to pure "filler" it is.

So, try adding more complexity to it. Doesn't have to push the plot forward or have action in it, but the key part is to make it feel like there's a point in reading that section. It might even be a case of making what's there stand out even more, make it more dramatic, something like that.

What if you're struggling to write a scene?

On the other hand, I sometimes see writers asking for help because they're struggling trying to write a filler scene. Or there's a scene they want to have in the story but they're getting blocked trying to write it.

They're struggling because it's a filler scene. If they don't know that, there's something in the back of their mind that senses it. And if they do know it's a filler scene... they know it's pointless even writing it.

In which case, if you still want that scene to be there, the key is to make it not filler. Or... less close to having zero impact. Come up with a reason why it has to be there--what part of the later story does it make work? What dramatic moment does it intensify because this moment happened?

Now you've got a solid reason for writing the scene, it should be a lot easier to get yourself to write it!

[botanicalcanopus]

imagine a dead session that's basically an adaptation of dante's inferno

[note: the planet taken into the session becomes treachery while the black queen is holed up in fraud]

Okay I think this will be rather long but only because I am genuinely in love with how many possible ways you could use Dante's Inferno for Sburb. So bear with my rambling.

First: Holy Fuck Cool Session Idea Like it would be really cool for a 9-12 player session. We only have the small sample size of Homestuck that shows sessions tend to evenly distribute players between moons. But, like I keep iterating like a broken record Sburb literally makes Anything Possible* (yay). So whether you do one dead session like the ask says, a session of nine with each character/land/denizen being represented by one circle, or adding in some extra "circles" such as the the bottom layer with Satan where resides, Earth/mortal realm, and Heaven. Literally a fun concept to give your characters probably even more religious trauma! :D *As far as I've seen

Second: Putting the Dead in Dead (Skip to the Third Section for Ask Answer) What is a Dead Session: A dead session (for anyone new or too busy to research) is what happens when you don't prototype your kernel sprite pre-entry to the Medium. The referenced ask is in relation to Caliborn's session, which is a unique case where if a player tries to solo the game, the kernel turns into a blackhole to bring your entire planet into the session as your land. Skaia then darkens and explodes into 15 planets with a blackhole where Skaia used to be. One must then travel to and defeat either the planet's boss or all life on that planet, and place a bomb strategically somewhere (and by proxy escape said planet) to blast it into the blackhole. This is obviously a reference to the game Snooker (what is commonly called Billiards but they are actually different!) which fits English's whole Pool Ball theme. Once a planet is concurred the player will receive a follower/helper (in Caliborn's case the Leprechauns) and each planet gets progressively harder with less time to defeat the next one. If you survive this and if you survive your Denizen's Choice then you will be granted power beyond comprehension. Calliope did say that it favors Time players and that should be relatively obvious why. It is a fair bit more complex but that's the main gist!

Third: I'll Stop Fucking Rambling and Answer Okay so a Dante's Inferno would be a sick way to handle this and assuming that it doesn't have be exactly like Snooker each time with all 15 planets showing up (or you just get super lucky and have some pocket immediately), it would be 10 total in this session. The Player's planet brought in would be one of the layers like the asker says. The nine layers of hell, and therefore the nine planets that would be summoned would be Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. All of these would need to be defeated in order like we've seen before, skipping 8 for last as well since that seems to be the mechanic. Now Satan in the story technically lives in the last layer (Treachery) but you can also separate him by technically putting him in a sublayer called Judecca. Soooo, if you make Satan/Lucifer/Devil your denizen you could technically have Treachery be its own planet. The Black Queen being holed up in Fraud makes sense. It was the layers of thieves, sorcerers, flatters, beggars, etc. A royal who's main job is to oversee the kingdom would have the silver tongue necessary to charm and make many fraudulent claims. My headcanons for this would be that the helpers you'd get could be something from Christian-based mythos, and since The Felt members were so broken power-wise it wouldn't surprise me if you either get young cherubs, some of the higher ranking demon princes, or some version of fallen angels as your crew. Your Land if you end up winning would be something like Land of Sin and Salvation, but the aspect doesn't have to be tied to Hope per say it just has heavy themes.

Or do whatever you want. That's just my two cents :) Cool ask, Anon.