#a long day of hard work

[elijones94]

🇵🇷 Yesterday, my mom, John, and I worked at Second Union Church before picking up my dad at the airport and driving to Aguada. Since this morning we have been doing maintenance work and repairs at the church we support in Hormigueros. This work trip during Holy Week, to me, is a precursor to the work that will be done this summer through our youth camps and construction work. In one of the rooms of this church, I have been scraping paint of its walls. Depending on how many layers there are, some of what I have been scraping or pulling off, is almost like pulling off wallpaper. The work has been hard, but very, very rewarding.

[hinamie]

I'll give them shelter like you've done for me

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Not beating the allegations.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[obsob]

the accolade ( the...the cat-olade...)

[spear-gsun]

Happy 20 years to the Imperishable Night

[micc0ro]

Let's enjoy working❤️

Error belongs to loverofpiggies

[bonefall]

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

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

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

So, why?

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

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

Bumble, on the other hand...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[mattodore]

birthday boy 🎂

[somegrumpynerd]

Cross has trouble getting to sleep alone in his room and goes looking for a distraction, but ends up finding a solution for both of them

[fjordfolk]

New Lundehund just dropped! Felix Junior Nilasson B3 made the quality requirement by a good margin and gained full registration today! He's the fourth of the Bs and fifth project dog overall (by my count) to enter the studbook.

The judge noted he has a slightly deep stop, but excellent proportions and volume of body (light and lean) and six sufficiently developed toes on each paw. In terms of health, he's HD B, PL 0, and eye screened clear, no signs of IL.

Nilas' grandmother was a Lundehund-Buhund cross, born in 2016. Lundehunds are being outcrossed to combat issues related to their severely restricted gene pool, such as infertility and a rare genetic disorder that causes 30% of deaths in the breed. The project is a collaboration between the breed club, kennel club, and our leading veterinary and genetic resource centers.

[gayafsowhat]

Got Aces Up My Sleeve

🎶💖I got tricks you’ve never seen💖🎶

Hello gentlecreatures I'm here to present the love of my life

[deoidesign]

I met the me who made different choices

[julykings]

by candlelight

[front-facing-pokemon]

[trynot-moved]

charles leclerc | post-fp1; las vegas 2023

[decaysings]

hualian hands based on the nails my bestie and i got last week