#and kickstarting the plot of the show

[purpleshoenickelhuman]

Rewatching Dark on Netflix and the sudden realization of the "no little german boy dont go to the weed cave." Shitpost meme is actually relevant to the plot is so fucking funny to me lmao.

[purplecatghostposts]

Lying on the ground… when will my son (Félix) return from the war…

[seasicksilver]

cringe ass

[mistninja]

I would have called the trilogy "The Unexpected Son" instead of "Fitz and the Fool" but i think we can all agree hobb isnt good at titles. Which is wild considering the important role that names play in the story

[fairyhaos]

how seventeen act with their writer s/o

requested by anon ^^

masterlist

seungcheol

he is begging. he is on his knees BEGGING you to pls let him buy you a new laptop because the one you use is literally on its last legs and makes ominous sputtering n whirring sounds like a dying cat stuck in a vent every time you start it up. you don't let him tho bc “no cheol the memories :(((“ cuz you've had it for years but he is nearing the end of his tether and who knows. in a few days ur laptop may mysteriously disappear forever and you'll be forced to let him buy a new one

jeonghan

he's like the pet cat you don't own who likes to slink into the room and make inquisitive noises as he watches you work. drapes himself over your shoulders and makes distressed huffs when you try to dislodge him. he's never usually noticeably clingy, but when you try to write, the clinginess always springs out and you can't go five minutes without jeonghan poking his head into the room to check up on you and see what you're up to

joshua

your biggest fan. buys every single novel you write, puts on his glasses, and reads them very seriously in one go on the very evening it's released with the lamp on beside him. he looks so serious every time, but he'll always peer at you over his glasses and then give you a big grin, telling you how much he loves it. gets you to sign a copy for him and brags to everyone he knows that he has your signed novels with special messages just for him that no one else can have

junhui

he's your personal general knowledge bank. when you're searching up obscure things and slowly losing hope on finding an answer, just ask junhui and he'll either a) know the answer or b) knows someone who knows someone else who knows someone else else who knows the answer. don't ask him how to spell words tho bc he's like. hopelessly bad. blinks at you going “what's an [insert word]” before you give up and google it yourself

hoshi

alwaysssss wants to know what you're working on right now. gets all whiny when you get possessive of your work and refuse to show him before it's finished bc come on, it's surely perfect already, why are you trying to hide it from him?? loves helping you do, like, the non writing stuff. writing out plot? nooo. building fantasy maps, figuring out political systems, getting lost on a tangent on figuring out the price of beans in the 1800s? hell yeah sign him up!!! 

wonwoo

knows all the grammar rules in the world. you can ask him stuff like “hey wonwoo can i put a comma here or no” and he'll amble over to peer over your shoulder and tell you whether you can or cannot, in fact, put a comma there. helps you curate all your writing playlists for the different moods you have. gently reminds you to get back to writing whenever you end up scrolling on instagram for too long

woozi

you're even more of a workaholic than he is when in the zone, so he gets to realise how unhealthy it is to be sat in front of a computer for hours straight with no break. you get to act as each other's “let's act like a normal human being now” reminders, depending on which of you is going through a work fixation. you guys both go on runs together in the mornings even though it kills you bc at least it gets both of yo brains kickstarted to spend a day being all creative in ur respective fields

minghao

you value his opinion above anyone else's. above your beta reader's, above your agent's, even above your editor's bc those are more like advice, not opinions. but knowing that minghao likes your work, and knowing which parts in particular he really likes, is so important to you because ultimately, you want the person you love to also love the things that you create. 

mingyu

brings up the fact that you're a writer in every conversation he has with anyone ever. “oh my god look, this menu has writing on it. speaking of writing, my s/o writes actual books as a job!!!!”. your agent made him sign a contract similar to an NDA bc he just keeps yapping about your books even when they haven't been released yet. loves the noises you make whilst you're writing. thinks it's the cutest thing ever when you make overjoyed “AHA!!” sounds when you finally realise what the plot is doing

dokyeom

more than willing to be your rubber duck and let you talk at him until u figure out your own plot holes. he could be in his room scrolling on his phone but the minute you call for him, he's leaping up and bounding over to you and pulling up a chair in an instant, more than willing to let you bounce ideas off him. sits there doing nothing but looking all pretty as you talk at him and work out the tangle you've gotten yourself into. beams and gives you a big kiss when you manage to figure it all out. 

seungkwan

he buys you a biiiig wheely whiteboard and a bunch of coloured board pens to help you plot your novels. when you get stuck, he comes over and stares at the board with his hands on his hips, very gravely considering your dilemma and what would be the best way to get you out of it. you two talk about plot holes like it's the most serious thing in the world and he just nods like a proud father once you both find a solution

vernon

at this point he's like. a professional tea and coffee and biscuits supplier due to the amount of snack runs he does for you. has walked in on you lying face down on the floor during a meltdown one too many times to bat an eye anymore. also great at helping you block out actions during scenes like. he's the perfect doll. lets you maneuver him into the weirdest positions in the world with zero complaints. he just loves helping you however he can, really. 

chan

reads through your drafts whilst you're in the middle of writing, accidentally gets hooked and is begging you every day to finish the novel bc he really wants to know what happens next. he's the best at spotting inconsistencies and plot holes in ur writing so before you even send it off to your beta reader, he gets to have his hands on the manuscript to check for any changes needed. also bc he needs to read the ending asap otherwise he'll probably combust. 

request guidelines

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[graceshouldwrite]

Writing Compelling Side Characters

**NOTE: Some of these tips don't really apply to ensemble casts, where there are multiple Main Characters (plural).

1) Agency - motivations, actions, effects

Technically, they ARE side characters in your MC's story, but don't base your writing on that fact.

Side characters need:

Their own REASONS for joining the story (because they want to, not because the PLOT wanted them to) Example: In Arcane, Caitlyn inadvertently gets involved with Vi due to her compassion and desire to help the undercity, not because the plot needs a love interest

A GOAL, on which they act INDEPENDENT of the plot, and actually affects your MC/the main plot (not the other way around) Example: In Loki, Sylvie's independent goal is to take down the TVA, and her actions reveal the TVA's corruption to Loki, influencing him to join her in fighting against the TVA instead of working for them

A STAKE in how things end (e.g. someone getting paid after agreeing to join a heist); they aren't just in it to be a "comic relief" or a "damsel in distress" Example: In Breaking Bad, Jesse joins Walt in cooking meth because he makes BANK from selling drugs, not because Walt needed a funny and traumatized sidekick

Their own RELATIONSHIPS with other characters, aside from the MC—they have their own friends, enemies, love interests, etc., and these relationships can completely change the plot Example: In the original Percy Jackson series, all of the side characters (e.g. Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, Luke, etc.) have their own relationships with each other that greatly affect the plot. Check it out: Annabeth's attachment to Luke, even after he became evil, completely changed the plot in several ways: kickstarting a journey to save her from Luke in The Titan's Curse, revealing his true evil identity as a vessel for Kronos (big bad!) in The Battle of the Labyrinth, and mainly contributing towards Luke's reversion away from evil in the last book due to him remembering his promise to take care of her a long time ago, etc.

Their own PAST that affects how they act, move forward, and how they treat the MC Example: In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula's pressure on herself and desire for perfection is greatly driven by her father's expectations of her as the fire-bending prodigy, resulting in a childhood of earning parental love and care AFTER she proves her worth to him. This created a mentality ceaselessly focused on her goals—which are usually her father's missions—causing her to be deadly, manipulative, and constantly causing problems for the main character.

The side character is not an extension or byproduct of the MC's plot; their own story happens to collide and intertwine with your MC's plot, but is ultimately independently driven.

2) Affecting the ending

The story can't have reached the same ending regardless of the side characters' existence. They must be necessary to the MC in helping them reach their goal faster, more prepared, etc. For example, in Avatar, Aang would not have been able to reach his goal of defeating the fire lord without the help of his friends, who each taught him valuable life lessons as well as combat skills.

Each character must have an independent impact on the MC—don't treat them like a group (e.g. "the side characters," who are one individual collective). Arcane does a great job with this, as each side character has a completely different impact on the MCs (e.g. Silco, Ekko, Caitlyn, and Vi—not a side character but for the purpose of this analysis, bear with me—all have a different impact on Jinx). It isn't just a literal impact. It's what the MC learns, and the theme of the story. They should help the MC realize things about themselves, and contextualize the MC by showing them in different situations with different people.

3) Avoid stereotypes Don't create characters from moulds and conform 100% to the trope: e.g. the "comic relief" can also be "the outlaw/rebel" or the "love interest," the "brooding antihero" can also be the "caregiver" or the "wise one," the "seductive girl" can also be the "science nerd" or the "broken optimist," etc. Mix and match. Everyone has more than 1 personality trait in real life, and probably fulfils more than 1 role to the other people in their lives. Give them intersecting personality traits to flesh them out.

4) Theme and Arc Especially compelling side characters have their own arc and embody their own theme.

Example 1: Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice is more than the brooding love interest—he develops by being less arrogant and learning to see people beyond their social status, and opens up to new ideas, people, and situations.

Example 2: Nico di Angelo from the Percy Jackson series goes on a journey of self-acceptance and embracing his identity, instead of just being the stereotypical emo kid who is constantly in a state of angst.

Example 3: In Arcane, Silco goes from a ruthless crime lord who believes that attachment is weakness, to someone who genuinely cares about his adoptive daughter, so much so that he can't give her up even in exchange for his lifelong dream.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[writeforthepeople]

Summary: You've been working as a producer on Smosh Games for a while now, but working late nights on the upcoming D&D project with Damien gave you both a chance to realize your feelings.

Warning: Very fluffy

Word Count: 2.4k

You walked into work late today, you had been adjusting your hours so that you could stay late and work with Damien on the new D&D series for the SmoshCast channel. He had bookings in the mornings for voice over and it was really the only time that worked. On your way to your desk, you passed Spencer who was wrapped up in a conversation with Marcus but smiled and waved at you as you passed.

You took a seat and spent a few minutes checking your email and replying to a few messages. You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned to see Spencer. "Hey Spence!" You said, spinning your chair to face him. "Hey y/n, did you get my email about tonight?" he asked "No, I am still making my way to the top" you responded with a small chuckle.

"No problem, just letting you know I had something come up and can't make the planning session tonight, but I think you and Damien have it at this point. You are the producer, so I will let you produce and will go over the notes tomorrow". You nodded up at him but your heart sank a little. It meant that you and Damien would be alone..and that made your heart race, despite trying to push that aside for weeks now.

"Ok, yeah I think we have it handled! I appreciate your faith in me" you did appreciate it, this was your first time being lead producer on a smosh show and wanted it to be perfect. "You two have more D&D knowledge than anyone else here. I think I distract from the planning at this point. I will leave you to it though!" he smiled and walked off, leaving you to get back to work. It took you a while to catch up on your inbox and schedule a few meetings, but before you knew it 4pm had snuck up on you and most of the office was heading out for the day.

You said goodbye to a few people as you made your way to the kitchen to get some tea and a snack to bring to the conference room with you. You turned around when you heard someone enter "If it isn't my partner in crime" Damien spoke, grinning and walking your way. You felt the smile stretch across your face instantly. You weren't sure exactly when it happened, but your crush on Damien had really escalated. You always thought he was cute, but this was different, he was occupying so much of your mind and you couldn't seem to shake it.

"I was just grabbing us a snack for our planning session, do you want anything specific?" you asked, even though you knew he would want a water and one of the protein bars Garrett often made for the office. "I'll grab us a few things" he smiled at you "we can't forget a kickstart for our favorite director" he grabbed one from the fridge before you could speak up "Oh! You didn't see his email? He has entrusted us with the rest of the process so you're stuck with just me" you said scrunching your lips together and shrugging playfully. He put the kickstart back in the fridge, "there are worse ways to be stuck" he responded, his face in the fridge still. You were glad, otherwise he would have seen how red your cheeks grew at the comment.

"Ready to get started?" he asked turning around with a few snacks in hand. "Lead the way" you nodded and you both headed to a small conference room. You took a seat next to Damien and started to pull out your notes and you laptop, he did the same. As they went over some backstory ideas and potential plot twists, you couldn't help your heart from racing, the way he spoke was so enthusiastic and authentic that it entranced you. You were lost in explaining your thoughts on the big bad guy for their first trial that you didn't notice how close the two of you had gotten, his knee gently brushing yours as he bounced his leg. You wondered if this was a nervous habit or just a tic. These meetings continued over the next few days, and you found yourself checking the time, just waiting until he came back into the office. Until today when you got a text from Damien.

Damien: Hey Y/N, I forgot my laptop at home and am in a VO session. I know I am asking a lot but is there anyway we could meet at my place tonight for brainstorming? It would take forever for me to make it home to grab my stuff and back to the office? Damien: or we can always rescheduled. I am so sorry! Y/N: You live close to me right? I can just meet you at your place, I have to go that way to go home anyways Damien: Are you sure? That would make things so much easier. I can order us dinner? Y/N: Sounds great! Meet you there around 5? Damien: Perfect. Thanks Y/N

"Ok, no need to panic" you said out loud to yourself. "Why are we not panicking?" you heard Angela behind you. Your cheeks flushed red and you locked your phone. "What? nothing. No reason at all" you shook your head but knew that Angela was not going to let that go. She had become such a close friend, you knew she would read right through that reaction "ahhh, yes, very nonchalant, not suspicious at all." he laughed through the end "come on, dish, I have time to kill" she laid on the couch next to your desk and you looked around "Nothing" you tried to shrug. "I am just going to Damien's for our session tonight instead of here" you tried to play it off cool.

Angela knew you had a small crush on Damien and often teased you for it. "Uhhhh WHAT" she almost yelled. "It's not a big deal" you said, unsure if you were convincing her or yourself. "This is news you tell your best friend y/n" she sat back up on the couch and playfully threw her arms out. "Right, your crush inviting you over to their house to hang out...one on one...is just not news worthy" she said shaking her head at you.

The sigh you let out said it all. Looking around again you caved, needing to talk to someone about this. "That makes it sound like something it isn't. He forgot his laptop at home so it is just easier to meet there. This isn't a ploy at something" you explained "Y/N I am going to hold your hand while I say this" Angela started "The tension between you two the last few weeks has the office going crazy. It is SO obvious. There is no way that this isn't what that is." Just then you saw Amanda walking over "There you are! We are about to start test playing the game for today, you ready?" she said to Angela "Hey Y/N, I miss seeing you in the morning meetings!" she smiled. You have been missing them so you can meet late without working too many hours.

"I should be back on regular hours in a week or so" you admit, Angela pipping up "but for now she has late meetings with Daaaamien" in her sing songy voice. Amanda raised her eyebrows at you "so the rumors are true, the lovebirds are spending more time together?" you were beet red at this point "That is not what is happening, we are working on the new D&D show" they shook their heads walking off "Give in to love Y/N!" Amanda said on her way to the gaming stage.

If that didn't raise your nervous enough, the drive to Damien's would. Were they right? did Damien also have a crush on you or were people just making assumptions like they often do. They used to think that you and Spencer were an item when you weren't.

You weren't sure if you should knock or just text him when I arrived, you had never been to his house before. You decided just to knock, and he opened the door quickly. "Thank you SO much for this" he said, stepping aside to welcome you in "I feel terrible, I hope this wasn't too far out of the way". he spoke kindly as you stepped inside. "It's no trouble at all. It's nice to switch things up from the office anyways" you said, hoping he wouldn't feel so guilty. You looked around the apartment, noticing how well he decorated. "Your place is so nice" you smiled. "Thank you, I do my best" he smiled at you and there was a moment before he spoke again. "Oh I got us dinner, we can work at the dinning room" and he lead the way to the dinning room table. He had gotten ramen and you immediately noticed it was a place that you love. "Oh! I love this place" you said while taking a seat. "I noticed you had ordered it a few times at work. Hopefully I got the right order." your heart started racing again, a feeling you think you are just going to have to get used to. He remembered your favorite meal..and you weren't supposed to read into that for the rest of the night?

You two ate and talked mostly about the locations for the players, building some characters to exist in the various establishments. Damien had so many fun characters planned, it was a little sad knowing many of them likely won't even be seen. Especially with the chaotic cast that would be filling out the players. As things started to wrap up, Damien cleared the table and you followed him to the kitchen "Thanks again for dinner, that was really sweet" you said, setting your water glass in the sink. "Anytime, I'm just glad I got your order right" he said as he leaned against the kitchen island. "So were getting close to submit everything, yeah?" he asked and you nodded. You knew that in reality, you had enough to submit but you didn't want the sessions to end.

"Yeah, I guess we are" you couldn't help but sound a bit sad "I think we make a good team" he said with a smile "I will miss your little brainstorming sessions." he added. "I will too, you really help bring out my creativity" you respond honestly "this project is really fueling that need right now". He looked down for a moment "I think I'll just miss getting to hang out with you" his words made you catch a hitch in your breath. "We- we can hang out anytime" you said, quicker than you had meant to.

"Do you want to stay and...watch a show or something?" you could see he was nervous. "I haven't gotten caught up on ink master yet." he added, knowing that it was one of your favorites.

"I would love that" you smiled, and headed into the living room. You took a seat on the sofa, Damien sitting next to you. He turned on the show and you watched in silence for a while before you spoke up "I love this guys work, I would kill to have him do my next piece" you say, not taking your eyes off the TV. "I didn't know you had any tattoos" he said glancing over at you. "Oh.. yeah I have a few they are just more hidden" you admit, your cheeks blushing slightly. "I have one on my ribcage, it is a quote from my favorite song and a bee but it is on my hipbone. So not quite as many as you but maybe someday" he chuckled. "Well that is really cool, you'll have to show me sometime" he realized the implication of what he said. "Like pictures I mean" his cheeks flushed. "I don't mind showing you!" you said, surprising yourself with your courage.

You stood up and slightly moved down your joggers, revealing your hip tattoo. This felt so much more intimate than you thought it would. Most of the office has seen you in a bathing suit at parties, and even in a hot tub video that you were in for a crew games video. I had a small scar here from an accident and the artist was able to cover over it, so you can still feel the bump" you graze your finger over the area "but not see it so much. It really helped me feel better about my body" you admit, a story you've told before but not directly to Damien. You look down, not wanting to make eye contact after sharing that.

"I think your beautiful" he said, catching you off guard. You look up and he is looking right at you think time. "You do?" you asked, sounding surprised as you sat back down next to him. "I-well" he started "of course I do. I kind of thought that was obvious" he tilted his head slightly and turned his body to face you. "Do you really not know?" he asked, his voice a bit quieter but still making you feel like he was focused on you. "Know what? What do you mean?" You needed him to say it. It wouldn't be real until he did. "Know that I like you" he said, shaking his head. "I thought you knew that already, I know the rumors around the office have made their way to you and I have been going out of my way to spend more time with you"

He started to ramble and you couldn't keep from smiling "Damien" you cut him off "I like you too...I thought YOU knew that" he smiled back. His shoulders relaxed as the stress was alleviated "That is ...such a relief" he said leaning into you a bit. "So you're telling me we've both just been trying to find a subtle way to know if the other person feels the same?" you ask, wanting to almost laugh. Just then, Damien reaches out and lightly touches your face and before you could lean in to the touch, he kissed you. It was soft and sweet, testing the waters, but when you kissed back he leaned in, his fingers cupping your ear and wrapping into your hair. He pulled back slightly "We did, and wasted so much time" he smiled before you kissed him again.

[madonnamadeofasphalt]

EA & Bioware honestly did an incredible job at killing any enthusiasm I had for a new Dragon Age. Fucking hell, man, I've played the first two games so much I could probably go through them with closed eyes and still pick all the right dialogue options to get My Exact Personally Canonized Plot. And the only reason I didn't do the same thing with DA:I is because it was made after EA completely gave up on optimizing their shit so the fucking thing takes up like a billion terabytes of disc space and takes 10 hours to download and install. I honestly think it's the best-written cRPG franchise to ever have a budget that doesn't involve a list of Kickstarter backers or getting an eccentric Estonian billionaire fixated on the project. And the gameplay is also there, I don't really care about that part.

Then they proceeded to fire all the talent that made me love those first three games, and scratch and restart the production twice, and be suspiciously cagey with any details or gameplay footage for a fucking decade, so my hype consistently went down and down. And yet I still managed to hold out some hope that somehow, by some miracle, it wouldn't fucking suck.

I kept that hope until the trailer dropped. You know the one. The one where we see a bearded Varric. This, I think, was the exact moment when I lost any desire to play fucking Veilguard.

Like, first of all, Varric being there at all is already an issue. Leave the man alone. His presence was already kinda forced in DA:I. And after DA:I and Tresspasser, his story couldn't be more finished if he got killed, eaten, shitted out, condemned to hell, redeemed by divine sacrifice, bathed for eternity in the everlasting light. There is no point to Varric anymore. Whatever arc they've given him in Veilguard, and I don't even give a shit enough to read the spoilers before writing this post, it has no business existing. Fuck you. The only reason he's there is because he's a recognizable IP, and when you're a certain kind of soulless corporate moron, you think there's nothing more important than putting a recognizable IP in whatever new bullshit you're trying to peddle. Maybe if you didn't fire every decent writer in your trash fucking company, you'd have someone to tell you about the importance of Ending The Fucking Story When The Story Fucking Ends.

But that's not even the core of the problem. Beard? they gave Varric a Beard? Varric I fucking hate everything that's even tangentially connected to dwarven culture with a passion which is why I've made a point to shave my beard all my life to spite anyone who gives a fuck about it Tethras? beard? you gave him a beard? He changed so much offscreen in the goddamn timeskip between these two games that he got a motherfucking berd? fucshhfdbeard? feadsgfsvarricafgfdh BEARD? yyousftoiuslyhhabevarricasgsfucningbeardandthivkimgosabedineditit?beard????

PS. (edit after finding out spoilers) I've gone to TV Tropes to read up on Varric's role in DATV after writing this (just in case I'm wrong and dumb, and there's actually a deeply compelling narrative reason for his presence), and, well, this shit is cheaper than I thought. And more importantly, just as I thought, there appears to be no justification for the beard beyond "adding a beard is a cliche way to show that a bunch of time has passed, and we didn't care enough to think this shit through". I'm fucking tired, man.

PPS. (edit after reading the rest of big spoilers) This is so much worse than I could even begin to suspect. This is worse than the final season of Game of Thrones. This is the final season of Game of Thrones if they straight-up fired GRRM, burned his notes and hired a showrunner who's only read a one-page summary of the first six seasons. This is fucking depressing, man. I'm genuinely fucking sad. So many subplots that were started over the course of these three games, that were clearly going somewhere, scrapped in favour of a simplistic good vs. evil story that would get rejected by fucking CD-Projekt in 2007 for being too basic. All because the artists who poured their hearts and souls into this bullshit franchise got thrown out like trash by its "owners". Morrigan's kid, the Well of Sorrows, all the implied complexities of Tevinter politics, the Crows, the Old Gods, Andraste. All went to shit. Death to capitalism.

[tofupixel]

Hello! I randomly came across your art on my feed, first of all its absolutely fckn amazing. You’re are very talented and all of it is so beautiful, but I’ve also seen that you’re creating art for a game, and/or making a new game in general. Really curious as to what game, if you’re able to tell me! It looks amazing! I’m a sucker for indie farm/fantasy type games! Tysm ♥️

thank you!

oh yay i get to talk about sprite festival

its set in a fantasy world where these little 4 legged creatures are spirits that come in many varieties. they are based on a species my friend/the creator made called chowlings but other species will be in the game.

it's a sandbox / rpg game where players will be able to customize their home/plot of land and even their own character with an editable spritesheet. there will be fighting, battling and farming elements as well.

base sprite vs customized one

there are a few artists working on it, not just me, but i do most of the exterior tileset, specifically the natural stuff

RN i am working on an inner forest explorable biome which will be more ancient, with densely packed giant trees and ruins and stuff.

the little walking guy i was working on today is based on this concept by the creator:

no page yet for the game but we are aiming for kickstarter this year. i will post more about it when i'm able!

here's a video of the UI test as a treat! i dont have a lot of nice looking stuff to show off cos it all gets put together by someone else in the engine so lol

thx for asking !!

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

Really trying to have faith in the writers because so many elements of Season 3 have been incredible, but I just can’t get behind Lottie’s death. And it’s not even just because she’s one of my favorite characters—it feels pointless, like it was done purely for shock value rather than as a natural progression of her story. I get that they need to kill off some of our most beloved characters to create tension and show us that no one is truly safe, I appreciate that. But those deaths still need to feel earned.

We never really got to know adult Lottie. Last season, her arc mostly revolved around Nat, serving as a vehicle for her development rather than her own. And this season? All we got was her babysitting Callie, shoplifting, and then mysteriously dying—not as a culmination of her journey, but seemingly just to kickstart a new plot where the other characters have to solve her murder. No emotional depth, no exploration of her guilt and trauma, very few opportunities for the audience to feel empathy toward her this season. It’s frustrating because Lottie had so much potential, and instead of exploring it, the writers treated her as a stepping stone for other people’s stories.

Nat’s death felt very sudden and I’m still not sure I really agree with it, but at least she got a fulfilling arc. She starts to heal and forgive herself, and she redeems her survivor’s guilt by not letting Lisa die because of her the same way Javi did. Lottie didn’t get that. I really hope we at least get to see Lottie’s death scene (and her death dream/vision) in flashbacks later in the season, kind of like what we got with Travis. I need more.

[bogleech]

Mortasheen: The Tabletop RPG slowly releasing as of right now

If you backed the Mortasheen kickstarter 3 years ago, check your emails, because I just put up version 0.1 of the first initial digital-only edition; it contains the entire gameplay system by Morgan Mullins, pages and pages of monster abilities, dozens of setting locations including NPC characters and even some non-monster (but still not normal) wildlife, plus over 100 monsters with playable stats. If you aren't a kickstarter backer you'll have to wait until later this year for the general public release. First there will be a free update of this digital version adding several more monsters, one additional chapter of various other tweaks, then work can begin on the final public version for both digital and physical.

I spent about 15 years of my life waiting to be able to put this out. It outlasted my 20's and now outlasted my 30's. For 99% of that development I was left out of the loop on what was even happening with it while I hoped it would come out any year now to maybe possibly make me a little bit of money while being poor the entire time. I almost feel like it kind of took half my life away?

In the time this RPG has been in development, the entire "Adventure Time" franchise debuted as a Nickelodeon short, got picked up as a Cartoon Network series, redefined the animation industry, revealed several plot points coincidentally almost identical to many major reveals of the Mortasheen setting, ended, and has now returned as a spinoff.

I can't wait til I can show it to everybody else but for now it's for all those backers who waited two years longer than the time frame I expected. Here's some of my more recent artwork for it without any context:

I wish I was making this post on some kind of actually special day or something and not just a random friday in january but I basically uploaded a passable book the very moment I had a passable book.

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

You know, I get that not all Starkid fans have chosen to make the leap over to join the Tin Can fam as well. A lot of the newer Hatchetfield fans in particular are just here for that one particular tiny town in Michigan. And that's fine! Like what you like! Fandom how you want! Still, I would like to say two things:

1) Now is the perfect time to give all the awesome stuff TCB has to offer a chance, and

2) Starkid, and therefore our beloved Hatchetfield, owe so much specially and specifically to Joey, Corey, AND Brian.

Obviously Joey is one of the main Faces of Hatchetfield and his performances as Ted, Wilbur, Pete, Ethan, and Dan are all so iconic and beloved. Seriously, can you imagine Ted being as watchable in the hands of someone else? He’s also done great work in so many other Starkid projects.

Meanwhile Corey has been so vital behind the scenes. He designed the iconic sets for TGWDLM and Black Friday (the mind-blowing moment when the set BECOMES Wiggly? That was HIM)! Over the years this man has designed most of the sets, he has directed (VHSCC! ❤️), he has assistant directed, he has overseen social media and massive kickstarters, he has produced. As one of Starkid’s main behind-the-scenes creatives, Corey has done a huge amount of the extremely vital but not particularly fun or flashy work. His job is traditionally a pretty thankless one and we should pour gratitude in his direction.

And Brian. He gave us the Award-winning sound design for TGWDLM, but also I personally think he is one of the main actors responsible for Starkid existing the way it does. This whole company and fandom all go back to AVPM, that lightning-in-a-bottle show that was so strangely magnetic we’ve been able to build everything else on top of it. I’ve seen a lot of Potter parodies over the years, and I genuinely believe that the number one factor that gave AVPM its unparalleled magic was the Voldemort and Quirrell storyline. Without Quirrellmort, I’m not sure AVPM would have taken off as it did, and it’s quite likely Starkid would never have existed. And Brian, as Quirrel, was essential to pulling off and selling that extraordinary bit of plot.

So, yeah, even if you’re only a Starkid fan, or even just a Hatchetfield fan, you’ve benefitted massively from the tireless work Joey, Corey, and Brian have put into those things we love. If you can, giving even 3 or 4 bucks to their Tinlightenment kickstarter would be a lovely way to say “thanks” for bringing us fifteen years of Starkid magic and especially that Tiny Town of Hatchetfield.

TLDR; The Tin Can Bros have all specially and specifically contributed to the existence of Hatchetfield and Starkid as a company, and, if you can, giving to their kickstarter is a great way for Starkid fans, even those who don’t follow TCB, to say thanks!😊

[edenspoem]

omg ellie meeting baby for the first time?? like after giving birth and ellie just being in love and in awe

this plot point needs to be discussed over a nice cuppa tea 🤵‍♂️ we need to ponder. we need to ensconce this in the deepest backwoods of our noggins. we need to consume this perpetually. this is the kind of shit that has me curling up into a soft ball crying over the softness of a situation like that. explosive softness rather like the intense emotion of meeting baby for the first time delivers so tenderly because poor ellie has such a soft spot for children. she will literally hold that child until nigh morningtime— assuming reader gives birth during the night since i think birth occurs more commonly then, either way i can see her just cradling the newborn and showing off sundry necessities from your hospital bag like a fucking haul, giving a whole tour of the hospital room, "aand.. this is the painfully tiny bathroom. bask in it, you won't be seeing another one for the next few years. instead, you get to shit yourself, and nobody will bat an eye!" literally the most oddball things simply to interact with 'em. although, for anything directly after birth, she legit won't get out of your boobspace during initial skin–to–skin time. wrestles her own shirt off since she wants to participate in it as well, speaking pleasantly soft at the level of a gale, "you've had 'em for at least thirty, babe. can i just— for a little bit, it'll be fine—" and her pry fingers are already swooping under to collect the baby, scrunching her face into a wince when her decision kickstarts a shriek and cry, "jesus, fuck, i'm sorry, it's just your other mom! can't i say hi?" her excitement definitely clouded over the obvious reality that babies indeed cry, like hell. but her, steady in a chair with one leg flicked over the other, clasping the baby to her warm, bare chest, never letting go even past the point of falling asleep whilst cradling; utmost precious sight to grace my imagination. that and ellie pecking little kisses every few minutes. overall, she is so hands–on immediately. skin–to–skin cures her soul i think.

DAILY CLICK . IMPORTANT TLOU POST . PALESTINE INFO

my professional babyholder

[nevros-fr]

Nevros is back again with FR Archive crawling, this time Festivals!

The current dom scene looks like this:

Raffle that accepts dragons for tickets and reduced treasure/gem payout compared to exalting.

Public buy that accepts dragons only for payout and usually more than what you would get when exalting.

Badges given out for participation/sending dragons.

Exchange fodder for art

Lots of booth games and activities to participate in.

I had a few big questions that I wanted to answer about when did each of these events get established. When did each of these events start to show up? The disclaimer is that I only looked at festival push weeks to preserve my sanity. Massive shout out to Daenaryen for maintaining the festival thread masterlist!

If you have specific non festival weeks that had those events that predated the dates I found, feel free to share it!

Well it was pretty early into FR. The first festival was informal, there was a celebratory thread but no formal booths and events. July 2013 rolled around very quickly and kickstarted the festival week tradition we have had for the past twelve years. You would not believe it but randomized gacha critters were a thing from the very first event 2013. I really thought it was a later addition but maybe it’s just a return to our roots. 

The next month, we had our first raffle, banners, and plot line going with Fire in 2013. Festivals at this time were mainly participation based. If you play games at the booths, you get tickets for the main raffle. No dragon donations at all!

Shadow changed the trend in February 2014 where it accepted dragons for tickets and payouts. This was also the dark ages where you kept track of every single dragon ID.

Next in March 2015, we have the first public buy from Wind!

Light’s festival in June 2016 had the first fodder for art thread. They also offered daily participation badges for sending dragons to the raffle. Previous art threads were free, “your character here style” commissions, and not more than 2 users running the booth.

Finally, I have a feeling that this kicked off the Light/Plague rivalry but I don’t have proof but Plague rocked up to festival pushes with a whopping 22 events when previous years had a range of 3-6 events. Mad lads plague!

That is my brief look! I may or may not be working on going through each of the festival weeks to look at what events each one has. Do we have more or less booth variety? In any case, stay tuned :0c

[digitalmidnight]

Project Eden's Garden Predictions

This is meant to be silly. Spoilers in post and in tags

There's a really big influencer light and Kai just walks right up to it and gets fried like a moth. Kai is a victim.

An area opens up with remote controlled RC cars. During the race, everyone hits the sand bags at least once. The sand bags start leaking pink. They open it like a cocoon. The butterfly was broken upon the wheel. Kai is a victim.

Toshiko forces Kai to watch teen rom-coms with her. Kai is a victim.

Grace goes "Screw you Damon. The man I shared a bed with is gone, so I'm killing the man you share a bed with." Kai is a victim.

Damon was supposed to die in Chapter 4. Kai becomes aware of the plan, but ends up dying himself to save Damon. This kickstarts a series of events (like the butterfly effect) that lead to Damon finally being fully into being part of the group and ending the killing game. Kai and his killer are treated as martyrs. Kai is a victim.

Same thing as above but Damon commits a murder instead. He gets away with it. It doesn't matter anyways. Kai was a victim.

Damon goes: "so how did the victim die?" Kai says: "Like this!" Kai is a victim.

Eloise is training late at night and sees Kai acting odd. A misunderstanding happens where she doesn't know it's Kai specifically. Still, she believes whoever she saw, which just happened to be Kai, was a horrible, irredeemable person. She makes him suffer. Kai is a victim.

Jean kills Kai for his attempt at French. Jean is a bigger victim. Kai is a victim.

A big plot involving handwritten murder notes pops up. Except the handwriting is atrocious (in trial, there's confusion whether it's Damon or Demond. Also Mark vs Ultimate Marksman). Kai ended up getting killed because the killer confused his last name with Grace's. Kai is a victim.

Diana gets Kai because chameleons eat butterflies and she was hungie. Kai is a victim.

Kai does a little hip bonk to get an item out of the machines. The machine falls over and breaks. Mara gets him. Kai is a victim.

The casts gets it into their heads that this situation is like V3. They totally consented, this is a television show, and all their fans are routing for them. Cassidy and Kai end up fighting to the death for the sake of their fanbase. Kai is a victim.

Someone pops Kai's pool inner tube. He does not float like a butterfly. Kai is a victim.

Ingrid knocks Kai upside the head with a horny jail hammer. And by that I mean sledgehammer. Kai is a victim.

Kai makes it to the very end where the garden itself is starting to crumble. They come across a statue of two men. The boulder that the Cain statue was holding falls. Kai is a victim.

Wenona wants to get out and somehow clocks Damon, Ulysses and Kai to be the only people smart enough to rat her out. Theres a sleepover between a lot of people in Ulysses room to try and research about where they are. The room fills with gas that Ulysses can't smell. The gas is denser than air. Kai, who was sleeping on the ground, is found before anyone else can be affected and the attempt at getting him to fresh air gets everyone else out of danger. Kai is a victim.

Jett goes "I like cars" and suddenly a car appears out of nowhere and hits Kai. Kai is a victim.

Kai begs Mark to listen to his super cool music idea. "Trust me it's so cool and you just have to make it but it's a billion dollar idea. I'll pay you in exposure. It'll totally pay for itself-" Kai is a victim.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". Two strangulation victims are found. You would think it would be the two women with bird motifs, but only one of them is. Kai is a victim.

It's a simulation. Kai is a bug in the program. Tozu removes him. Kai is a victim.

Kai discovers Mukuro Ikusaba. The sixteenth student, lying hidden somewhere in Eden's Garden. The one they call the Ultimate Despair. He didn't watch out for her. Kai is a victim.

Kai gets really messy in a bathroom with his hair dye. The pink smears make him look like the killer. The class gets it wrong and everyone is a victim. Kai is a victim.

Desmond is dared to hit a target. This triggers a trap which kills Kai. There is a debate over if whoever set the trap is the killer, or if whoever hit the target was the killer. Doesn't matter to Kai what the answer is. Kai is a victim.

Damon is too comfy cozy to get up. There is nothing containing Kai except for Damon sleeping on top of him. Kai starves to death. Kai is a victim.

[writers-potion]

heyy can you do a post on writing first chapters/beginnings? i tend to struggle with that a lot. thanks!

Writing Effective Story Beginnings

First Sentence Writing Tips

The MC must be introduced. It can be an “I” or a name. 

Introduce (minor) disturbance right away. It can be as simple and cliche as an alarm clock going off - this hints at the readers that something is going to happen. 

Consider the tone of the sentence. Dark? Mysterious? Funny? Establish a tone that the reader can follow throughout.

Start with a strange detail. It can be something graphic, like a drop of blood spreading on a fresh patch of snow. It can be a strange fact about your MC that’ll get the reader interested in them. 

First Chapter Writing Tips

The first chapter should:

Putting your reader into the world (location/setting/time period)

Posing a question the reader wants to get an answer for

Introducing the main character

Setting the mood

Kickstarting the plot development (your inciting incident)

Establish reader-MC bond. Why should we care about this character? Show how the MC is pitiful/ funny/mysterious/likable right away. 

If you find yourself describing character backstories often, consider starting the story a little earlier instead. The exciting tension in a novel comes from immediacy, so I recommend that you don’t insert flashbacks in the first chapter. 

Jolt your main character out of their ordinary life. This is called the inciting incident, and in my opinion should come as quickly as possible. What’s wrong with the MC/ the world that they are in, and what is the MC required to do? 

It helps to have a strong character voice, especially in 1st person POV. Are they cynical? Overly optimistic? Detached from reality to the point they’re delusional? Make sure that the reader knows how interesting your character can be. 

Appealing to a universal emotion (sadness of losing a loved one, anger at being cheated on, etc.) helps establish an emotional connection with the reader.

Ingredients For Your First Chapter

Try writing paragraphs which summarize each of these components:

Where we are

Who we are

Status quo

The Problem: Try hinting at the “real” problem at the end of the first chapter to indicate that this will further develop into conflict 

Coping Strategy

Disruption

In the first chapter of a novel, there are generally two problems: 

Our MC’s immediate and apparent problem

Example: the MC’s loneliness

The REAL problem to which our main character is blind, which which the reader can decipher

Example: the MC’s emotional trauma due to childhood abuse

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

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