#I'm not 100% sure this will be the main script used in the area but you can consider it the first explorations of the local alphabet

[thunderboltfire]

The face on the depiction was shown in profile - it was evident that the artist has seen Eberre and tried to depict his likeness, but to Igna it seemed that the hair was too even, the expression too stern and the jaw too square to look like him. The old scar at the bridge of his nose was missing too. The painting of her father looked at once familiar and strange.

A loose sketch series - for some time I toyed wih the idea that there is a gallery of more renowned Wanderer knights somewhere at Wirjenów castle and if it is so, then Igna's dad will probably be included. Stumbling upon his portrait became a point of focus of a sort of an identity crisis she went through at the time, and the point of reconciliation with the feeling of inevitable loss.

[youregonnabeokay-kid]

SO. i was able to figure out the general structure of the script JLH leaked.

[explanation under the cut]

in order for all this to make sense, the first thing you need to know is that in north america all screenplays (scripts) are written in the same format

knowing this, we can deduce the general structure of the scene and even the length of some of the words

first we need to address the big question everyone's been asking:

are they talking about Bobby or Eddie?

screenplays are always typed in courier font, and in courier the capital letters B and E are identical at their left sides.

so while i enjoy people trying to figure out if the blurry letter in line 24 is a B or an E, the answer is it could honestly be either

where we really need to look is line one. the screengrab is blurry so i've outlined the word "going" and circled the area we should pay attention to

at first, the last letter of the prior word looks like an undistinguishable blob, but there is actually one key thing we can discern from it: the letter can't be y, it doesn't hang low enough

there is a chance that the word is not a name and is "he" which would not rule out Bobby or Eddie. however, that would mean the conversation goes on for at least 14 lines without mentioning "him" by name which is (heavily) frowned against in screenwriting. so chances are they're talking about Eddie

also, with what we know about the characters it's most likely Eddie. can you really see Bobby not talking to Buck because of... well, anything? and we already know that Eddie has a difficult time communicating. so i've decided to go with him for this script but haven't 100 per cent ruled Bobby out

moving on to the actual script itself, anything not highlighted in red is something i'm confident is either the exact wording or something similar. the red sections are the parts that i'm less confident in or know are incorrect somehow

Maddie's first dialogue block is the part i had the most trouble with. with context from the following conversation i figured that she probably asked something along the lines of when [Eddie] will be back at work. the main issue with this section is that the top line is actually six letters shorter than what i have written. this also means that the word that follows "going" has to be at least eight letters long. i tried messing around with the dialogue a bit but couldn't come up with something that would fit the appropriate letter count so for now i just wrote a line similar to what i think the actual line probably is

line six has to be either 12 or 13 spaces long and the first word has to be at least four letters long so i used "really soon" as a place holder, but i'm not completely confident in it

for line eight i initially had "Oh, that's good." but the line was one space short so i changed the "Oh" to "Hey" instead. i don't feel too poorly about this one but it still doesn't feel right to me. if the actual script says "Hey" i wouldn't be surprised if JLH changes it to something else or forgoes the exclamation completely

the final line is just a rough guess of what it could be. i'm not sure how formal the 911 writers are with action lines so i just took a random guess. some writers are extremely formal with action lines while others are more comedic with it (Neil Gaiman is a great example of this). i'm guessing the 911 writers are more the former but i honestly have no clue

[mejomonster]

Okay so I've been reading Red White and Royal Blue the novel and I'm thrilled to report it IS a different experience.

I saw the movie first? Phenomenal. On its own merit, as it's own experience, hands down best movie I saw this year. And definitely one of my fave romances I've seen (along with But I'm a Cheerleader).

This book? I can see already the impression that the movie simplified, softened, and changed some things in some areas. I think the movie, based on the 100 pages I've read so far of the book, changed enough that the movie does read as different characters In The Spirit and Themes of the book. Movie Alex is like book Alex, but almost another universe of him (like Guardian Zhao Yunlan in chinese drama versus book). Henry so far reads as similar in novel to movie, but movie did not have the time to do his traits with as much nuance. Which like. I think many movie differences were made for making a concise movie length story, a slightly more on the nose story to make the main points hit audiences strong enough to get understood clearly, and to of course emphasize more of the points the movie script aimed to emphasize and focus on in that limited time.

I'm reading the book now. And delighted to say Alex's family is handled with much more nuance. Also the book is fascinating in my experience as the first fictional novel I've ever read with so much clear real life applicable casual political references. I've seen biographies and nonfiction books do this on occasion, but it's fascinating seeing a fiction novel do it. I think it's a brave and higher risk writing choice as it's both individual to author and even more so using the political as a reflection of characters, drawing concrete lines by which to judge them in the sort of terrifying "this stuff effects people's lives" way real public figures get judged. Fitting in seeing Alex and June as Public figures, but also risking as a writer your characters No Longer conforming to the "everyday man" character everyone can project onto. Bella in Twilight has a lot of Mormon related cultural experiences bleeding into how she's written, but the author didn't make her overly Mormon with a church she belonged to and overt commentary on that religious view of the world in relation to say Vampires and marriage and sex. (There are books that do tho, I've read realistic fiction like The Poisonwood Bible about missionaries which very much heavily directly discussed real religions and those beliefs effecting people's personalities and actions in the story). It's interesting to see a Romance novel go for the specific at the risk of making those characters less easy to "project" onto. I prefer this choice, the same way Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is one of my favorite romances and those two fucked up women sure aren't "everyday" average joes you can project onto. This writing choice makes the points made in Red White and Royal Blue a lot more pointed qnd with a lot more to back them up. It's interesting seeing. The movie definitely toned down things in this regard (while still including more overt politics than I've seen in many romances except say But I'm a Cheerleader with its brazen condemnation of conversion camps). I can see how the movie flattened Ellen to make her a more likable less flawed person, because it's easier to sell a loving mom President in a movie under limited time to give her no Significant Flaws. But the book has time to hammer her stubbornness has destroyed personal things, at times clashes strongly with her son who turned out so much like her (and is partly why June does not click with mom the way Alex does), how moms choices and personality were not necessarily good for June and Alex at times, how Alex clearly learned to be a workaholic qnd avoid his personal pain by being stubborn like his mom. She's someone he admires, and someone he emulates both good and bad, and someone he's infuriated that has those stubborn workaholic realistic traits he's copied. But a movie doesn't have time for the good and the bad, the realism of the damage all parents in some ways cause even if unintentional, the realism of what going through divorce means for each partner and their kids. The movie doesn't divorce them, because it's easier to sell a married mom as a positive (like the book lol comments on). I get it.

Anyway more on Alex's family. I deeply appreciate they're flawed and realistic in the book. In the movie, in its own interesting way I found it interesting to watch Alex (raised primarily with secure attachments and open loving secure support from both parents Together) with Henry who did NOT have the same emotional relationships foundation from family (only his Sister being a Safe Enough relationship to trust to emotionally rely on). Versus now the book, seeing they actually both can bond over these imperfect situations of their families. Which in its way, is realistic to many people who've found love. It gives them more to see understanding with each other in. And in Alex's case in the book in particular, his background details give us more about who he is qnd what drives him. The movie had to simplify those elements of him qnd Harry outside romance in order to tell a timely romance story. The book has more space for those individual character stories of trauma and pain and growth and connection.

[e-s-willswriting]

Changes

My previous system for writing and reading stopped working for me.

I'm used to it. I get caught up in the whirlwind of 'hey here's a cool thing I'm going to do this' and then I stop. Perhaps I miss a few days or something about the system isn't working which causes me to effectively quit the whole thing. I've not fully quit, unlike with other habits I've tried to pick up, but I could tell what I was doing wasn't working. The 2-page habit tracking spread, as aesthetic as it is, ends up being an absolutely terrible motivator when you miss that one day.

And the other issue is finishing projects. I have a lot of ideas. I get swept up thinking about cool things, and sometimes starts different things. Do I finish them?

Maybe that one short story, but on the whole no.

I love Crypt. I want it to work. I want to develop a wonderful story.

But it's also a story that might end up being a 3-book series, on top of already being a novel-length work!

After some consideration, I need to pull back a bit. Re-evaluate my systems and try something new to improve on my weaknesses. All things considered, it wasn't entirely useless: As much as I might need to put Crypt on the backburner, it's definitely progressed in terms of where it started, and I was reading and writing very regularly even if I missed a day or two. I even finished a first draft of a short story! But I need to be honest with myself and admit I'm still a newbie. I need to cultivate myself as a writer and hone in the relevant skills I'll need before I embark on those longer pieces.

With that in mind, there's two key focus areas I've got to work on:

Discipline: The ability to stay as consistent as possible. Working on projects every day (Or every weekday) with a minimum goal in mind. This can include just workshopping and outlining works over writing the main body (I struggled with thinking that not working on the main body wasn't in itself writing. But planning is still making something, even if it doesn't show up in the final work. And in terms of written goals I'd say 100 words minimum per session if I'm doing the body of a work is still both realistic and achievable)

Follow-through: FINISH. FINISH. FINISH. FINISH.

With these in mind, I think I need to practice more with making shorter writing projects. I'm not sure if I'll just stick to having one main written project or balancing two, but the key thing is that they're short and feasible.

With that in mind, I'll announce the project I'm currently working on:

My Current Main Project: LIVE

(Working Title)

LIVE is a horror screenplay that I hope to adapt into a short film project with my partner and possibly some friends. It's partly a way to learn screenwriting, and it's partly a way to make a fun horror film.

I love horror films. I hate jumpscares (particularly overused ones and those that rely on stingers). I want to make something good of this, and most of all I want to finish it. I'm 100% certain the script will be incredibly rough for a first-time screenplay and I've no idea how well it'll come out on film, but I want to give it my best shot and make something fun with the people I care about.

Here's also some other things I'm going to try to help me:

Dailies: This is something my partner did when he was in school for animation, and this idea was entirely his. For a little bit each evening, I'll run through with him on what I did on my projects that day (or every 2 days if one was missed). Debating whether text or phone is better but I guess the talking part is good.

Writing journal: Even though I dropped it, I can't deny it was very useful. I'll get back into doing it.

WEEKLY Habit tracking graphs: I still liked seeing the little coloured squares, but filling the whole 2 pages was intimidating after a while. Instead I'll do the same thing but do it per week. 14 squares (7 each, reading and writing). Next week, new page, new tracker. It's easier to focus on the week ahead over the next 10 weeks!

[yostresswritinggirl]

100 Followers Special

(And how to participate) you don't need to be a follower to vote ack

~yostresswritinggirl

Hello AGAIN, with your back to back followers special! Exiled here, very tired, as I just closed the requests box for our 50 followers special. I asked for some recommendations and no one helped me so this is what I came up with!

Granted, it's nothing that special, I literally just dumped my notes into this so—

Please make sure to follow the guidelines and read this thoroughly to properly participate!

1. You will be given a long list of fic prompts specific to a character that I've come up with for weeks on end, please don't steal, as I will remove them after this event is done!

2. Voting! You now have the power to influence my writing schedule haha- what you need to do: is to pick three prompts from the list and send it to me; either through reblog tag, a reply, or in my ask box (not anon so we can count fairly, will not publish these answers tho so worry not)! Not in messages tho! It should be in this format:

1. Character - prompt or prompt title

2. Character - prompt or prompt title

3. Character - prompt or prompt title

example:

1. Albedo - Citrinitas

2. Zhongli - Braid

3. Xingqui - Author!Reader

The top three most voted prompt and character will be the next fics I'll publish after I'm done with the current reqs. Speaking of: Voting ends when I finish the current reqs. You'll know it's done once the counter in my blog desc reaches 12/12.

3. In addition to the three prompts, you also get to add your own prompt to it! My prompts list does not include ALL the characters that's why I wanted to give you this option too! Add a fourth number and specify a character, a prompt/idea, and the format of the fic! Format it this way:

4. Character - Prompt/Idea (Format)

4. Kaeya - What's under that eyepatch? (Scenario)

After I pooled the answers, I'll randomly pick between the bonus answers and write them last! So give it your best shot!

4. Tags-list! I thought this would be necessary for this kind of a whim special, so if you wanna be tagged, just put Tag Me! at the end of your vote. Please make sure that you're actually able to be tagged because I just tried and some users are not in my orbit huhu, look here

5. If a pocket watch/series prompt gets chosen, I will only post the first chapter, not the whole damn fic pls. Have mercy,,,

I will post a counter of the top three in my blog description and will be updated as frequently as possible. Any questions, please direct to this post or my dms <3

Without further ado, here is your choice list!

Xingqui - "My liege, would you care to accompany me on my reading break? I've picked up a romance novel and it reminded me of us."

-> Author!Reader: You met Xingqui at Wanwen Bookhouse when delivering a batch of your newly-published book. But as a ghost writer, no one knew it was you that authored such books. Safe to say it was cute watching the noble bookworm fanboy about you in front of you. [FLUFF] [FIC]

-> Headcanons with a reader older than Xingqui who's a close family friend of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Fascinated after meeting you in a party, the noble boy aspires to become the best man for you despite the difference, promising to be the best suitable partner for you in the future. [FLUFF] [HEADCANON SCENARIO]

Childe - "Hey there, comrade! What a coincidence that we had a break at the same time, care to accompany me for a walk? I promise I won’t lead you to a fight haha... hey, don’t look at me like that!”

-> Antinomy -  The 10th Harbinger (You) and the little shit they had to mentor (Childe), this fic enumerates the trials of the 11th before he became a Harbinger under your care. From strangers to mentor to friends to love- Childe made a grave mistake, now you’re once again strangers. [FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

Albedo - "Ah, it's you. I've heard of fleeting rumors that you've been pestering a certain someone just to see me. Next time, just come directly to me, I wouldn't mind the assertiveness."

-> Refer to these three as well: Albedo Fic Ideas [FLUFF/FLANGST/FLANGST] [ONESHOT/ONESHOT/SERIES]

-> “You’re Enough”: A year into being the new Chief Alchemist of Mond, Albedo finds himself holed up in his room in the dead of night, haunted as he continuously comes out empty on his research to bring his master back, feeling inadequate. So you reminded him of what he’s capable of. [FLUFF?] [ONESHOT INSPIRED BY You Are Enough - Sleeping At Last]

-> Under the Artificial Sky: Michaelangelo Scenario focused on Albedo’s sketching aspect. Grand Master Varka and Acting Grand Master Jean figured Albedo needed a break and a change of scenery, and sent him off under the guise of a commission in Liyue. What he didn’t expect was another artist from Fontaine accompanying him in this big project.(Albedo and Reader are tasked to paint the new Jade Chamber within 7 days) [FLUFF] [SERIES - 7 CHAPTERS]

-> Albedo SMUT: I had this idea while laying wide awake at 3 AM. The alchemist had been trying all remedies to shake off the stress and fatigue in his system and they all seemed to fail, no amount of sketching or discoveries can pull him away from it. So when you offered a solution he hasn’t heard, he’d jump at it immediately. “You know, some people say having intercourse with someone is a good stress-reliever.” “Intercourse? If it’s true, then please, I wish to have intercourse with you.” “Wha- wait Albedo, do you not know what that is? It’s only done between lovers!” “Convenient, I love you, anything else?” (Two virgin dumbasses do the thing to relieve stress) [SMUT] [ONESHOT]

Xiao - “I’ve taken care of every threat around this area, you can relax now, I made sure of that.”

-> What is it with you and Qingxin flowers? The Traveler had once heard of Xiao’s affinity for Qingxin flowers, and they’re flying companion boldly asked this lingering question to the adepti himself. His pupils dilate and sharpen before Paimon could finish her sentence. (An origin story about his favorite flower, and his favorite person) [SLIGHT FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Just how harmful is adeptal energy to normal humans? You both found out in the worst way possible: silently, deadly. (Slight spoiler: you fucking die) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Nightmares Taste Horrible: He’s seen that look in your eyes and the ancient soul within it; you’ve lived long ago, and the only thing your soul carried now was the nightmares of a macabre timeline. Was it him or was it demons that brought you that fear? No matter, he’ll protect you even from yourself. (eating the nightmare of a dead soul reincarnated to you) [FLANGST?] [ONESHOT]

-> Go for the throat: The seal that marked you had made it all too late for him to remedy. Bleeding eyes, growing fangs, it’s just another demon to vanquish just like he’s done for centuries. What makes it different was it was sealed in you. (Inspired from Melanie Martinez’s song uhu) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Zhongli - “Mortals are capable creatures that evolve and adapt for means of survival, but they advance in ways that changes the world around them. This retirement, may be harder to me than it is to them.”

 -> “In human history, there’s a certain noble and powerful connotation to rulers who braid their hair.” Convince to braid his hair using some historical braid trivia; that long hair behind his back should not be ignored for any longer. [PURE FLUFF] [DRABBLE]

-> History has its eyes on you: A traveling theatre hailing from the land of entertainment finds its way to Liyue for their last caravan. A certain Geo Vision man seems to resonate with your newest script: fighting and protecting your land, building up its nation, before being forced to let go of it. He resonates maybe a little too much. (Musical!Reader with heavy references to Hamilton hehe) [FLUFF] [ONESHOT]

Venti - "Can you hear the symphonies of the wind as it sings to you? That's me, guiding you and protecting you! Whenever you hear it, know that you're safe and sound under my protection!"

-> the one the bard once loved: like actual bard, you are the archer or smth, loved by Venti and Barbatos. Yandere!Barbatos undertones, very unhealthy relationship. This hurts the kokoro. [PURE ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> The Caravan: (related to the Zhongli and Musical!Reader up there) Your caravan stops at Mondstadt for a whole week before it reaches its final destination. This new fanfare pulled in a peculiar bard who now wants to tag along for the fun of it. "I have no more responsibilities in this free land!" Just what kind of responsibilities does a broke bard have in the first place? [FLUFF] [ONESHOT/HEADCANON]

Diluc - "You look weary, and you still managed to pull yourself here. Here, a fresh and cold glass, on the house. A relieved smile should be enough payment."

-> Abandoned by The Altar: A timeline oriented story focused on your once perfect childhood relationship as Diluc's bride to be, soon becoming estranged after the death of his father and his neglect. You only wish now that he looks at you the same way he did when you heard you were supposed to be together forever when you were young. [FLANFF] (The ending gets better pls; Inspired by Still Into You - Paramore) [ONESHOT]

-> There are No Laws Against Homelessness in Mondstadt: My favorite title out of all of this ahahhaa- who says adventurers can't be broke? You're the living embodiment of that. (Good boi Diluc with a broke ass reader) [FLUFF] (Warning: homelessness) [ONESHOT]

Scaramouche - "Let's go already, the sun is setting and we're nowhere near our destination. If you wanted to linger just to spend more time with me, I would have indulged you behind closed doors anyways."

-> Scaramouche Finally Does the Fandango: Have you ever wondered how Scaramouche is like working with other people? His first assignment was to accompany you in your main region and he sees you in your natural habitat, entranced. [I dunno how to tag this, NORMAL?] [ONESHOT/SHORT]

-> Skincare bitch, how I headcanon Scaramouche as someone actually conscious and always tending to their skin. Look at that smooth skin, cute cheeks, let me pinch, eyeliner glory— In which case, that hat has more purpose than being a frisbee. (May or may not include reader. (based from a reblog convo with chels-void) [GOOD VIBES] [HEADCANONS]

-> Once Supreme: Before Scaramouche, there was someone else higher than him. Before Balladeer there was just a young man fighting for his beliefs and her Majesty. Before Mondstadt, his smile wasn't just for deception. "Someday, someone would take advantage of that smile, Scaramouche. It's not appropriate in this work environment." The day you break a man. (Harbinger!Reader again, and lots of HCs for Scaramouche, same format as Antinomy) [I also do not know how to call this, eventual ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Kaeya - "What are you doing out here in the dead of night? Citizens like you should be cozied up in bed and leaving the patrols to us Knights. Come, I'll accompany you back home."

-> Honey Whiskey: A mysterious band of dancers from Sumeru visits Mondstadt and its taverns to offer a night of alluring dances. What was supposed to be a night of drinking for Kaeya and his troops ended up becoming a tipsy surprise mission when the main dancer steps down from the stage— and ignores him?! How scandalous! (Slightly suggestive themes/You're a bad guy) [COOL?] [ONESHOT] [slightly inspired by song with the same name]

General:

-> A Musical!Reader but with a scenario with every other character, most probably headcanons master post.

-> Genshin Food prompts: From that one post, I ended up making a whole storyline of oneshots related to their special dishes. Oneshots connected to a bigger picture. By impulse you've ended up leaving your normal life behind to pursue your cooking career, starting from Mondstadt, to learn all the cuisines to establish the first ever international restaurant. With the implications of magic and peculiar customers, your simple dream turns into a harder goal. [GOOD SHIT] [SERIES] [CANON-COMPLIANT]

-> God of Time!Reader that hails from Fontaine. Do you wish to know more about their origins and their purpose in this world? [CANON-COMPLIANT] [HEADCANONS] (General since it deals with all the characters/interactions)

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

Tagslist-for-my-thirsty-homies:

[yellowhearther0]

Idk if your dtsmp live action is an au you already have (and for clarification we're talking like an actors au right? Where the dtsmp is all like a big movie/show and their all actors right?)

Anyway fun hcs about this idea cause yeah of course I'm in love with this idea- who do you think i am? Not a theater kid?

Also if this isn't what the au is then I'm very sorry you get some random ass headcanons for an au you're not thinking about ssksjsj

Wilbur as one of the main directors makes sure that nearly everything they film is used, which is also how cursed lore got added to the story- they have so so many blooper reels

Techno hates his costume cause its so fucking stuffy ESPECIALLY when they had to film for the Manburg War because it was so sunny outside. But if anyone DARES complain with him about it, he makes a complete 180- "What? You don't like my MARVELOUS cape and mask? I look 100× better than ALL of you lot so suck it"

Tubbo and Tommy like to swap out prop food for absolutely cursed shit. A scene where someone has to eat a slice of pie? The pie filling is now 87% toothpaste.

Wilbur Techno and Phil all live in the same area and Wil has to drive Tommy and Tubbo to their houses after shooting so they all pile into one car and scream music on the way home

Karl always shows up late for shoots and so all the lore heavy scenes are mostly done by the time he gets there and so he misses out. Quackity makes it up to him by buying him good food after shoots

The Freindship emeralds weren't actually scripted- the camera just happened to be rolling when Techno gave Phil a birthday present and Wilbur demanded they keep the footage

Everyone goes off script from time to time for flavor, but Quackity does it most often. It's actually led to a lot of really metal scenes with genuine reactions from other actors.

Ranboo is really shy about his acting since he's just been recruited for the show, but Tommy and Tubbo immediately latched onto him. Him and Tommy accidently set fire to one of the sets offscreen and got into a WHOLE lot of trouble

Puffy doubles as her own character and Friend. She wants to murder Wilbur for this decision.

Niki and Puffy are actually dating off set but everyone just thinks they're super dedicated to the bit.

Sam and Bad bake all/a lot of the prop food and off set snacks- everyone loves them for this.

Dream and Wilbur fight a LOT about directing and sometimes the plot will go days without moving because the two can't agree on what should happen since they're both stubborn asses. Its usually a compromise suggestion from Tommy or Techno that resolves it all. Fights are forgotten fast :)

Most people don't know anything other than their own scripts- which means that reactions are more genuine and also...sometimes mistakes are made

Once Tubbo read his line wrong and said something very....not right, and didn't notice for a solid 10 min as everyone tried to keep character bc they didn't know the line was wrong. Tommy just about shit himself laughing when he found out.

Idk thats all i got for now have fun :)

This is absolutely wonderful and i love it so much and i wish this is what the au im refering to was asdfghgfds

[kim-ruzek]

Hey, Ree! I’m curious about your take on how they’re going to introduce Kim’s PTSD given that it’s been so long since she was shot. Do you think they’re going to write it as if it’s been there all along, or do you think something will happen in 7x9 or 7x10 that is a catalyst for it? It’ll be a hard sell to say it’s been there all along, imho. She’s been assaulted already and shot at eleventy billion times this season and hasn’t so much as drawn a shaky breath about it. #whumpy

Hey, whumpy!!!! 💖

Honestly, in my opinion, they've kinda dropped the ball for an organic introduction into Kim's PTSD. I DO think that they're going to write it as if it's been there all along, and I think they're gonna use Roy's body being found as the catalyst that brings that storyline into view.

There's a case to be made that you can tell a really good PTSD storyline where you show none of the effects until it cumulates, because in real life, people can be very good at masking and pretending that everything is okay-- especially if you've got responsibilities and a job that really needs you to be 100%.

But this isn't what cpd has been doing, because they've just been ignoring Kim. And for them to introduce the PTSD is going to feel out of place. Not because it makes no sense but because they've done none of the build-up.

And I think it's going to make the storyline fall flat. PTSD storylines should have a huge impact, it should be one of those storylines that people look back on and just go... WOW. And I think there's going to be a lot of depth to it, but *only* because of Marina's acting. The script itself may even be good, but as a standalone episode. Whereas a storyline like this should have depth in multiple episodes, even when not the main focus.

Like take 9x4 for example. A great script with depth-- Tracy's amazing acting just adds even more depth. And the subtle continuity in her acting in the surrounding episodes just helps to add to that depth-- and this is directed acting.

But as you said, Kim's been shot at and there's been.... Nothing. Anything we have seen with Kim not in 9x2 and 9x6 has been her acting choices. A script is an alive thing, so I can imagine when she did some of this, the director(s) loved it and told her to keep doing it in reshoots and whatnot, because you want a scene and background characters to the important parts to seem organic and human-like.

But at the end of the day, it's Marina's acting. And since it's not been initially written into the script, there's not many places for her to play this underlying fear in Kim-- because it hasn't been a priority to insert in-- which means that there's none of that surrounding depth which would've lead up nicely to this storyline.

I do think they're gonna act like it's been here all the time, and I'm sure marina will act the hell out of it, and that as a standalone episode it will be amazing. But there's going to be these issues which just makes it... Unsatisfying.

It's like so I was watching a film yesterday, and it was really good. I was gripped from the beginning to the end. Even as I was watching however, I could see it's flaws-- except if you asked me during it or right after it ended I'd do nothing but rave about it, that those flaws didn't detract from it.

Except then more time passed and I processed it more and now I'm much more unsatisfied by it. The flaws do detract from it, there's blaring areas that should've been improved and done differently. The build up to things should've been done differently ect. Which is kinda sad because it's a great film and if this was just tighter it would be incredible.

Kim's PTSD is gonna be the same thing. Watching it,,,, it'll be amazing. But when you're not in that moment, it's going to feel deflating-- because we'll see the potential it had, the potential it so easily could've had been used, and what we get... It just would not be as good as it should've been. And that'll be frustrating and disappointing, even with it being a brilliant episode.

Although saying all this, I'm becoming less and less sure we're actually going to get a PTSD arc. I don't put much in what actors or producers say because they will always view things through a different lens that us. But it's just,,, how everyone went on about Kim having PTSD compared to what we've got? I didn't expect much focus, of course, this is Kim, but idk. I thought we were actually going to have a diagnosis of PTSD. And I mean I know we're very early in still, but idk. I guess I was hoping for at least a mention of therapy-- especially as there's no way she could be cleared without seeing a professional.

And idk. I'm just a little deflated at the moment, especially because we've seen they could do scenes. Like we've gotten great insights into Hailey, so it's not like the writers just don't know how to write these hard hitting scenes. And that line, about how Kim should be dead? That just shows they know exactly how Kim should be feeling, and we just don't get any insight into that.

I guess I'm just feeling like cpd thinks they've shown Kim's PTSD storyline with 9x2. Like I know Marina has said it's gonna loop back to her, but yet again, it's a different lens she views these things in.

And honestly, it's probably because I've come up with multiple ways they could've done this storyline, from if Kim was a focus to if she wasn't. And it's just a little disappointing they couldn't fit those things in-- especially with pd having such a small cast.

Anyway. Sorry if this isn't what you wanted, whumpy!!!! I've been reflecting on this all a lot, especially because I've got some ideas for some metas!!! But I'm gonna end it here because this is getting so long now!!!

Thank you for blessing my ask box again whumpster!!! 💖💖💖

[smitty-mouse]

One of my biggest problems with the show was that it made being a martyr the ultimate goal, as if sacrifice and suicide were something to be proud of as the most honorable thing in the universe. Hear me out here, every single one of the members of voltron died or almost died at least once in a form of sacrifice. Now don't get me wrong, I support our soldiers and all who have sacrificed or fallen in the line of duty- but that's not a script. That's real, something that's seen as sad and noble because there's no way on earth we can imagine what went down at the time. Putting it on TV is something else entirely. I'm all for the actors who do it in movies because A. It moves the plot along or B. It's only done once. ONCE. Voltron did this every chance they got, and there was no sign of stopping. Even when they got back to earth, they all agreed that they were better off dead saving the earth rather than staying alive, keeping the universe's ultimate weapon in one piece and continuing to defend the universe against the one enemy that has had no slowing down or failures until voltron showed up. Not only is that selfish as a person's standpoint, but it's incredibly stupid for a soldier. Save what you can, but most importantly save what saves others, otherwise you're lost and unable to save anyone else until it can be replaced, and voltron itself is one of a kind.

But let's step away from the main 7, shall we? What about the background characters? Like Reiner, who literally stayed on a crumbling planet to make sure everyone else got off but refused to step into the last ship because "there wasn't any room left" even though you could clearly see some available. Or any BoM fighter, they all could have easily survived if the writers hadn't insisted that death is the only way to make them worth remembering. Or how about the earth general (who I can't remember because A. There were a few of them and they blended and B it's been a year of boycotting the show because of this BS and my memory is a little iffy) who got herself into trouble, got everyone else into trouble, then was paraded around as a hero because she sacrificed herself in the only form of redemption that DW apparently knows how to show and gave her facetime for saving everyone from the screw up that she herself put everyone in because she was too stuck up and stubborn to listen to anybody despite all the facts and proof pointed out to her face. Forget about the people she killed because of her stubbornness, oh no, we can forget about the measly two and a half minutes of Adam's life because this chick, another woman of power, decided that she was wrong a little too late and stopped one bad guy.

And how about the time Keith tried to crash his tiny, useless galra fighter ship that can easily be taken out by a single laser but apparently can destroy a force field that hasn't budged an inch after several high powered lasers had already attacked it- because that'll work and it's the ONLY way TO work. Again, we're touching on stupid here when it comes to logic, but then we were promised that Keith would get a "stern talking to" about his actions because what he did was Not Okay (tm). Then what happens? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Keith's attempts to kill himself were completely swept under the rug and walked away from in order to move the story along.

Where I come from, death happened a lot. There are people I didn't graduate high school or even middle school with because it was a hard place to live in and there were only 5 options to escape/get out of the city/situation: 1. Gang, 2. Drugs, 3. Military and 4. Get a job. (I fell into category #4). If you'll notice, of the five options, only one gives you a 100% chance of living. Not even college could save us because not many of us could afford it. The ones who wanted to get out, to go to college, they were recruited into the military as early as middle school because poor neighborhoods make for good propaganda and recruitment areas. Rich kids don't need to go to war because their parents can afford to send them to school. And with this in mind, my friends, my high school teenage friends, they signed up for it like flies to honey. Out of all of my friends who entered, only one came home untouched.

Excuse my ramblings, I'm angry, because once again the military was used on kids to fight someone else's war, but that's not what this is about. This is about option #5: suicide.

I knew too many people who stopped fighting and just gave up because their circumstances or the people who were in charge let them know that there was no future for them. That nothing would get better unless they tried harder because there was no other way around their problems, no loop holes, no back roads. They were convinced, honest to God convinced that the world would be a better place without them because they were told these things and they ended up dying because no one tried to show them another way out of their problems.

So yes. I am angry. I am hurt and disgusted by those actions from the adults in our lives, but more than that, I'm disappointed because we were kids. KIDS. Not even 18 yet.

Voltron was incredibly impressionable, to the point where people turned into abusive stalkers because the characters that they adored weren't getting the attention that they deserved. DW had the power to manipulate people very well, and they did so VERY well with all of the dragging along and crap that they pulled. Nonetheless, people found themselves in the characters and clung onto them. With this in mind, we're getting into the point that I've been trying to ramble on about but can't seem to get my words in order because feelings are hard.

The thing about kids, about people really, is that we tend to latch onto things that we can identify with. The same thing goes for suicidal folk. From what I've seen, the people who struggled with suicidal thoughts always struggled with it because they needed a Reason. Something or someone to tell that that it's okay. And now, here's voltron giving them something that they can hold onto and make sense of. Not only that, but that their Reason is justified because it makes sense.

The Reason doesn't matter if it makes sense because to me it'll never make sense OR be justified. But it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks. All that matters is that it makes sense and is justified to the person struggling. So when they get the impression that it's okay to die because something or someone says it's okay as long as the reason is good enough, there's their answer.

Now tell me something; why on God's green earth are we showing a kid's show to kids and telling them that the only way they'll ever be worth something is if they sacrifice themselves?

But OP, DW said this wasn't a kids show!

And yet the age group begged to differ when it came to fans. Forget the little kids who liked the show (at first), let's talk about how the show was designed towards teens and adults. Teens, who are still kids, and adults with depression. The show was rough enough as it was but it was manageable because it moved the story along. Then they had to cross the line in the final few seasons and push it too far. If DW had been professional and taken up the responsibility that they had dropped themselves into, they would have accounted for all of the younger fans that they had all knowledge of and adjusted the script to accommodate.

But OP, you can't blame DW for someone else watching what they were told wasn't for them. That's like blaming the movie director when a little kid goes to watch a rated R movie.

You're right, I can't. But I will. Because they knew how much power they had over the fan base, knew how young their audience had become, and rather than a movie that was already done and over with, DW had the chance to change and decided against it. They decided to stick with glorifying death and sacrifice and suicide when depression rates have skyrocketed in recent years.

Maybe I'm bitter. Maybe I'm angry. Maybe it hurt more because of bad timing due to the release date being around the same time as one of my friend's anniversaries and Allura got a fucking statue in her honor for killing herself instead of sacrificing voltron- the first time in the show, mind you. I don't know.

All I know is that I'm disappointed.

The racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism and cruel tropes in Voltron

So, it’s the anniversary of the ending of Voltron. And I’m getting really, really tired of people saying that only shippers hated the ending. There were many issues with Voltron, and they were neither limited to shipping nor to S8.

So, I’ve decided to compile a list.

It gets LONG. Turns out there was a hell of a lot of racist, sexist, ableist and cruel tropes in VLD.

In fact, I had originally planned on writing a list of both the terrible tropes and the plot holes. But there just wasn’t enough room for both. The post is huge as it is, and with the plot holes, it would have been twice as long, so I had to focus on only one thing.

Salt, obviously. So, so, so much salt. I could turn a lake into a sea here. You’ve been warned.

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