#Tension Narrative

[lesparaversdemillina]

La danse du soleil et de la lune T6 de Daruma Matsuura

Le tome 6 de Daruma Matsuura ravit avec son intrigue captivante et ses dessins magiques, promettant des révélations sur Tsuki.

[anyataylorjoys]

CHALLENGERS (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Really digging the subtle little arc that Paul goes on from when he and Jessica arrive at Sietch Tabr and he says "I must sway the non-believers" (I don't think he means convert them to the prophecy; I think he means convince them to follow his lead politically; but still seeing the Fremen as a tool to be used in his personal revenge quest), to when they're talking before Jessica leaves for the south and he says he's staying in the north to fight but that "they deserve to be led by one of their own" (ie. I'm in this fight because I believe in it but I don't expect to gain anything for myself and actually I probably shouldn't).

The fact that Paul is only becoming more convinced that he is nothing special at the same time that people are starting to worship him. The fact that his own mother is doing everything possible to accelerate that process and the two of them keep moving further and further apart (literally, he is going north and she is going south). The fact that people keep telling him he should just reach out and take the power that's available to him (Jessica with the prophecy, Gurney with the nukes), it's so simple, look, it's right there waiting for you, it's your birthright, wouldn't this makes things easier? The fact that he resists all of these arguments right up until the attack on Sietch Tabr, and that it's his best, most human impulses (grief over watching his home be destroyed again and guilt that he should have seen it coming; if he'd just seen more clearly or understood the visions better--) that make him finally decide to step onto the path that dooms him and everyone else.

[quicksandblock]

Grian being a Watcher

[heynhay]

will you break and take all the words from my mouth?

[tathrin]

Hey, so do you ever stop to think about how the premise of Lord of the Rings being an in-universe book written by some of the characters who lived through that story means that they decided what parts and perspectives to use to tell that story...?

And when our authors weren't there to experience the events themselves, they have to rely on what they're told about them by the characters who were there, right...?

Okay so stop and think about the Glittering Caves.

We never actually go to the caves in the narrative. Tolkien LOVES describing nature and natural beauty, but we don't actually see the caves described "by him" the way we do other places. Obviously Gimli's words are Tolkien's, yes; but we only see the caves filtered through his words about them, after the fact.

When Gimli and Éomer and the other Rohirrim take refuge there, the narrative doesn't follow them. Obviously from a narrative standpoint this is to keep the focus narrow, and not to interrupt the battle-sequence with a long ode to the beauty of the caves, and to create tension in the reader who doesn't know if these characters are okay or not. Which all makes sense!

But think about it in terms of the book that was written in Middle-earth by the folk living there. Why DON'T we get to have a direct experience of those caves? Gimli obviously related several other parts of the story that none of the Hobbits were there to witness to them, and which were written into the books as Direct Events Happening In The Narrative (think of the Paths of the Dead scene, for one of the more visceral moments!). So why not the Glittering Caves?

Was it because they wanted to keep that narrative focus and tension, and so they didn't include his perspective on that part of the battle? Perhaps, that's certainly a possibility to consider.

But also consider: when we do hear about the Glittering Caves, what we hear is Gimli telling Legolas about the Glittering Caves. THAT is the part of that event that is considered of importance to include in the book: not Gimli's actual experience when he was in them, but rather the part where he relates that experience TO Legolas.

And I kind of just THOUGHT about that today.

And went HUH.

[sagaduwyrm]

The reason I refuse to acknowledge any other batfam death other than Jason is because, narratively, none of the others mattered.

Jason's death shaped everything that came after it in how the batfam responded to his death and handled it, and completely shaped his character.

I don't even know about most of the other "deaths" because they were so comparatively unimportant.

[revvethasmythh]

Your post about Rashinna made me realise...who are our notable NPCs in Cr3?

Like... Cr1 had Allura, Kima, Gilmore, Cassandra, Jarrett, Kynan, Kaylie, Artagan

And Cr2 had Essek, Yeza, Marion, The Gentleman, Astrid, Yussa, Pumat, Orly, Dairon, Artagan again

But Cr3 has Ira, the Calloways, Liliana, Xandis (I guess if you really want to buff it out you could include the PCs and NPCs from previous campaigns)

But I guess the point still stands. For a campaign that is as long as Vox Machina's streaming time, and almost as long as Mighty Nein's, why have we got so few NPCs that we're attached to?

Yeah, there are some notable NPCs in C3 (those you've mentioned), but significantly fewer than in previous campaigns. I mean, you can see it even with shopkeepers--the only shopkeeper I can really think of by name is Marwa Endalia and she hasn't so much as been mentioned by name since episode 23. That is SUCH a stark difference from the Nein's relationship with Pumat (and just, the variety of random, colorful shopkeepers many of us can still name *sheila bobsnopper my beloved*), and even the Hells' attachment to Xandis feels somewhat surface-level compared to how involved and invested the Nein were in Orly's life (and continued survival).

Tbh, I think the lack of notable C3 NPCs is an unfortunate casualty of the Hells either running to Vox Machina for a lot of things (giving up a potential plot line with Jiana Hexum in favor of one with Pike, Percy, and Vex when Laudna died) or having those NPCs killed off (NOTABLY this happened to Estheross. This also effectively happened to Planerider Ryn, who didn't die, per se, but was completely taken out of commission for like. the whole story). Not staying in any particular place long enough to establish any real roots (missed opportunities for major NPCs in Jrusar, Bassuras and especially in Yios with Kadija Sumal and Vitro Isham to name a couple) also plays a part. C1 and C2 were both much more rooted in their home locations, or locations that eventually became a home for the characters, and we just have none of that in C3. There is no place that feels like Bells Hells' home base the way Emon/Whitestone did for VM or Zadash/Rosohna did for the Nein. Without those integral locations, we lose the connecting NPCs that bring those places to life. In that, a lot of the flaws of C3 become interconnected, imo

[windwenn]

Stuff i've been thinking about a lot recently (not unrelated to my feelings about star trek)

[finalgirlsamwinchester]

realised. dean is the perfect viewer avatar for a horror show. he gets to be both the action hero and the quippy, self-aware wiseguy who knows he's in a horror show. he provides a safe point; a comfortable power fantasy for you to experience a story through. he's ash in the evil dead. he's a gunslinging tough guy, and you get to see those moments where heroism sits on his shoulders like an ill-fitting leather jacket. and even when he gets his turn at being captured and victimised by the narrative, it's filtered through this mythic lens first. he's the tormented hero; tortured by villains, tortured by the constraints of his role. yeah he gets bruised, beaten bloody to a pulp, torn to shreds and killed, but his perception of reality never gets thrown into serious doubt (unless it's played out as a gag). the narrative valorises his sense of right and wrong, because that's what heroic stories do. their heroes provide moral center, regardless of how we might judge them. the lines dividing hero, anti-hero, and villian are paper thin, and dean isn't truly ever allowed to be ambiguous. and the hero always wins in the end, even when he dies.

meanwhile sam is the abject object of the horror show, a character who gets trussed up, chased, tied up, ripped apart, cut into, possessed, exploited, manipulated and psychologically hounded. he's carrie covered in pig's blood. he's the marginal person people are cheering on either to die - or to live past it all. he gets his turn at playing both movie monster and victim, always occupying the liminal space between both. abject horror lives within him. he's violated with demon blood, he consumes demon blood. he hates halloween because he vomited his guts up in front of a room of normal children. he will never get to be normal, he's designated the freak on multiple levels, but most significantly, by the way his narrative frames him. he's living inside a world that is at its core, fundamentally frightening and horrifying - full control over himself and his surroundings is always slipping away, just beyond his reach. his grip on reality and the world around him gets thrown into question by the story consistently. what's right? what's wrong? what's real? what isnt? the narrative punishes him - because that's what happens to you when you're living in a horror. he can never run away from his nightmare reality, it catches up to him like a curse nipping at his heels. the only way out for him is through the punishing fire. in order to survive, he's required to be pushed to the absolute brink of instability; emotionally, physically and mentally. he emerges out the other end, barely holding it together but somehow alive - like the bloody final girl, changed irrevocably by what she's experienced.

[puppppppppy]

I just skimmed through the art part of your blog and holy bajeebus your LMK art is so beautiful and the headcanon ideas you come up with are so good I wanna steal em-

Kinda wanna see like a part 2 of the little angst you did between MK and Macaque a while ago. It's so interesting and I wanna see Macaque's reaction in your art style. (You don't have to of course, it's just a suggestion [idk if i spelled that right])

Thanks for reading and hope you have a good day/night!

Hope this is to your liking ^^

Part one here

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

See, I think Charles’ annoyance and frustration with the Cat King really was just pure protectiveness and not any kind of jealousy - it’s understandable, because Edwin is not telling him what happened even though something clearly did, which is not typical for them. Edwin doesn’t usually hide things like this! Of course he’s worried!

Charles’ reaction to Monty, on the other hand, is difficult to explain in a way that isn’t jealousy. You could say he’s being protective again, but Charles shows no sign of distrust in Monty, and had no idea of who Monty was or that he might betray them - he was actually very chill with him, except in a select few specific scenes. You could say he just doesn’t like him because he got brushed off during their first meeting, but not only does that not seem like Charles at all, it also doesn’t make sense, since, again, in most instances, Charles is genuinely friendly and is happy when Monty compliments him and seems to have come around to liking him (it completely flies over his head that this is a petty jab at Edwin on Monty’s part but oh well hahaha). You could say it changes up their status quo a bit and that bothers Charles. I do think this bothers him a bit, but I think, unlike Edwin, Charles’ fear and frustration here is directed more at situations (the Cat King whisking him away for several hours, as an example) than others. He’s sociable and likes being able to talk to new people. There’s absolutely no way he’d begrudge Edwin doing the same - and he doesn’t… with Niko. Edwin and Niko hit it off and become very close and that never bothers Charles at all. He’s incredibly endeared to her, just like the rest, and for the most part, he’s chill with Monty too, and smiles pretty knowingly when Edwin confesses to him having awakened some feelings. The only exceptions, where he shows definite annoyance, are when Monty first shows up and gets really in Edwin’s personal space to show him the astrology chart he made, and when Edwin is so sucked into the book Monty gave him that he doesn’t hear that Charles is talking to him, to which he annoyedly says that they seem to have been “spending a lot of time together”.

You could say he’s unused to having anyone get in Edwin’s personal space like that, but, again, Niko. She’s very tactile with him and he doesn’t seem to mind all that much; they spend time together watching things. If it was just someone getting close with Edwin in general, not only would that be weirdly possessive for the character, but it would also mean he would show discomfort with anyone getting close, I think. Does Charles see Monty as more of a potential threat than Niko, seeing as he knows her and her personality and doesn’t know Monty? Well, maybe, but again, Charles shows no sign of distrusting Monty at all.

Monty is a boy. Okay. So something about seeing Edwin so close to a boy that is not him, getting lost in thought over something this boy gave him, really rubs Charles the wrong way. Charles appears to catch on just as quickly as anyone else that there is something (or it looks like something) between Edwin and Monty. He is not surprised when Edwin comes out to him in episode 6, and in fact, seems to have just been waiting for him to verbalize it. He smiles and is not bothered at all by Edwin showing (what he thinks is) a romantic interest in Monty - he just doesn’t like it when Monty clearly shows a romantic interest in Edwin. Um. Well. Well.

Charles is jealous. I really don’t know what else to say.

Look, when I first watched this show, I actually didn’t want them to end up together romantically - I love the idea of one having fallen in love with another who does not reciprocate and the two of them still loving each other just as much. That Edwin’s confession made them closer instead of making things awkward is such a beautiful outcome to this build up and I absolutely love it. However. On my two rewatches, I caught a lot more little details, and I think it would be very strange if the show did not follow up on this. That, plus the deliberate quality of these “jealousy” moments where the camera focuses on him, Charles’ Orpheus coding throughout the show, the fact that Edwin’s arc was far more about realizing his feelings for Charles specifically than just coming to terms with his sexuality, and that even the actors admit that Charles’ response to the confession kind of left things open, it really seems to me like the path leads to a romantic endgame for them, or at the very least, that this possibility will be explored in more depth.

**This is just my reading of it. Please do not use this post as a gotcha for anyone who loves them as a platonic duo or people who really love Crystal and Charles together (because let’s face it, they’re super cute too). I’m just doing my rambles. As per usual.

[bixels]

What did/do you like about Pharah?

Uh, gameplay-wise, I really love characters in shooters who rely on three-dimensional movement techs. Chaining together hover and jump to stay in the air for as long as possible and keep momentum is so satisfying, and picking enemies off from the sky made me feel like a bird of prey. I was a good Pharah main.

Story-wise, there unfortunately isn't much to canonically go off because Pharah is so underutilized and neglected. Her personality's pretty boilerplate "heroic hero" (she's literally inspired by Captain America).

But it's the crumbs/bits and pieces that I really latched onto. Pharah's a confirmed lesbian; her short story with Baptiste implies she harbors a crush on Mercy (fucking thank you.). She's biracial Egyptian/First Nations. She has major mommy issues, having grown up both admiring and resenting Ana. She's the bridge between Old Overwatch, inspired by the idealized heroes who surrounded her childhood, and New Overwatch. She's one of the only inter-generational characters in the cast; someone whose experiences span the gap, which is why I seriously believe Pharah would make a great main character.

There isn't much to go off of, though; she's a very uncomplicated character (she's a soldier for a private military corporation, lol.). But that just means she's a blank slate character, so I've seen fanfic writers run wild and create some really interesting takes on her. My favorite interpretation of her's a dense, herbo gym-bro type (a lot of her liens are about work outs, exercising, and playing sports) who's easily excitable under her seemingly self-serious, armored visage. We see how she tends to gloat and hype herself up when she's on a streak too, so Pharah definitely has a competitive and boastful side under her more professional and militant performance.

Now Mercy? Mercy is a real complex character.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

No but Ed and Stede are dealing with a fundamental tension in their relationship that’s been there since the beginning, which is that for Stede piracy is a fantasy space of freedom and self-actualization and for Ed it’s a world he’s desperately trying to escape because he doesn’t like who he has to be in order to survive there, and that contradiction finally reached a breaking point.

[exasperatedoctopus]

Do you ever have a ship that you prefer to look at out of the corner of your eye? Like, reading stuff focusing on them is fun, but there’s a special sort of joy that comes from seeing them do unhinged things at each other in the background of some greater narrative.

[pumpkinrootbeer]

i do wish the Georgie/Avs split wasn't so sensationalized. waaay too many reporters and commentators keep brining up goaltending, and georgie in particular, in games when goaltending is absolutely not the make or break of the match. or acting like goaltending was the only change and not the cacophony of injuries finally leveling out and for the first time having steady lines. and constantly asking the skaters about goalies and goaltending is so. weird. especially when it feels like people are looking for any sign of underlying tension or outright animosity. but surely by now the question has been answered? and what other answer beyond "we're excited for our new teammates" can people give? how is someone supposed to answer the question "how has the mood in the locker room improved to new goalies'' besides "yeah the moods good". idk i just think there's only so many ways mikko can say "the trade was sad, that's business, excited for what's to come". ask different questions please i beg of you