#i can see why the writers would make it happen to extend the shows plot

[c0ckonfettii]

Tysm OP, I'm rly glad to see ppl agreeing with what I've thought was happening since s2 ep1.

Re:Leblanc and black rose storyline; i have a theory abt that. Ambessa came out as a champion a few weeks prior to s2. which surprised me tbh bc she was not as well set up for that as e.g. mel or sevika. this prompts me to believe it was a decision riot made after s1 (and by extension the rest of the plot, more on that later) was alrdy written. as such, for marketing purposes, they may have made the writers to give ambessa (and by extension leblanc) a bigger role so as to sell more skins.

this would also explain to me what feels like a downright character assassination of many characters, and of caytlin, especially. she needs to act as she does so that ambessa and leblanc get to gaslight gatekeep girlboss around a bit.

to be fair, if we got to see more than the cliffnotes version of the story - yk the actual padding that makes a narrative satisfying rather than just a cool idea - i might not feel this way abt caytlin or ambessa, but that's where i stand now.

Which brings me to my next point: as far as I've understood it, they never got more than two seasons by riot and Netflix, BUT the narrative they came up with at the beginning always was intended for that length, and you can reaaaally fucking tell. they took 4 seasons worth of plot and crammed it into one by mostly isolating the grand story moments (=cliffnotes version), and it's incredibly unfortunate.

this is also why the dialogue is, imo, god-awful this season. everyone is narrating how they're feeling and what they're thinking and why they are doing things (especially jinx, who is doing it AT a mute character who also manic-pixie-disabled-inspiration-childs her which uhhhhhhh choice) because THERE IS NO TIME TO SHOW how the characters got here, to do exposition more naturally or circumvent having to do it retroactively entirely, as there was in s 1. this extends to the song choices and MV sections as well, which are also more gimmicky rsther than used as suits the story telling.

Arcane Season 2 - How Bad Pacing Can Ruin Everything

So, Arcane season 2 ended. And I am sorry, I need to vent.

I am honestly not sure whether the rumors are true and this were originally meant to be more seasons. The Riot CEO apparently denies it, but then again, I have seen CEOs confidently go out on stages to talk about a project which they knew was cancelled at that point in time. So, sorry, but I will never ever trust a CEO. Lying is like 50% of their jobs. Being greedy is the other half. Sorry, not sorry.

I am gonna write something about disability in Arcane (overall) during the next few days, but let me just talk a bit about the pacing issues of season 2.

Spoilers for season 2 - all of it - obviously.

Believe me or not, but I know the exact issue of Arcane season 2. It is called: Too many characters. Too many plotlines. It is something that easily happens when writing an ensemble story (no matter what the format is you publish the story in - it happens in books, movies, shows, games). At times it works fine if you manage to weave the entire ensemble into the same main plot. But as soon as you wanna give everyone their own little storyarc with a bit of their own themes, it often goes haywire. Either you will end up dropping some characters to the side and not properly finish up their story, or you will end up rushing everything. Neither is gonna be good.

Here I am mainly thinking... Was the entire Black Rose/LaBlanc stuff planned to be there from the beginning? Was it put in later? I mean, given that the entire story felt like it might set up Mel as a Champion for LoL... How do I put it? Mel was too overdesigned in the show, to not be a future Champion. That was my feeling from the beginning. I don't know if they gonna make her a Champion, but man, it feels like it.

But no, the main issue really is the pacing. There is just too much stuff happening.

I will remain, that the thing that shows this better than anything was the second "arc" of season 2. Episode 4-6. And the general way the entire Caitlyn, Vi, Jinx thing plays out. We have the following things happen in the first six episodes of season 2:

Cait's mother dies

Cait swears revenge and asks Vi to assist her as an enforcer

Vi does not want to. Ends up getting drunk.

Vi decides to do it anyway.

They do a bit of chemical warfare for good measures.

They go down there. Fight Jinx. Vi cannot do it - partly because Isha.

Cait breaks up with Vi and becomes the evil fascist dictator

Vi becomes an alcohol addict.

Except, never mind, Caitlin is already feeling shitty about it next episode.

Jinx gets Vi and Magic Pixie Dreamgirls her out of her new-found addiction.

Jinx and Vi are good again. They go help Vander.

Cait meets Vi for the first time since the break up. They instantly are back on the same page.

Like, there is so many plothooks in this storyline alone that do go completely unexplored.

There are two characters here, that do play a role in the last three episodes too and that felt like they were some proper characters at some point. Those two are Maddie - the Scottish-dialect enforcer girl - and... Frankly, I do not feel like looking up the name. The big burly one, who after the break-up takes care of Vi.

Those two feel like they were at some point meant to be more real characters. But because of the pacing, they are barely ideas. Maddie starts making out with Caitlyn because...? I don't know. Because I literally do not know anything about this character but "she is an enforcer", "she is queer", "she is attracted to power(?)", and thats it.

And the other guy goes with Vi because... Uhm... I don't know. I know literally nothing about this chaaracter other than that he is big and an enforcer. *shrugs*

It most certainly feels like there was some planned version of this show, in which Cait and Vi both had a proper corruption arc. In which we really saw the two of them struggle. In which we actually saw Piltover and Zaun under the control of Commander Caitlyn and Noxus, and saw the horrible things they were doing and what it was doing with Caitlyn. In which we also saw Vi struggling with addiction and stuff.

But that was not the version we got in the end. Instead in this version... things go magically well.

Hooray?

Same with Jinx. Her mental health issues just magically get better when Isha is there, because that is what the story needs to happen now.

Here, too, it also feels like huge chunks of the story are missing. It feels like there was a story going more into the relationship of Sevika and Jinx for a bit. But if that story had been there once, it was most certainly no longer there. It was hinted at, yeah, but that's it.

And then there is the entire magic plot.

Look, I think among the fans of the LoL Lore I am not the first one to say: "Yeah, trying to marry the worldbuilding of Arcane to the established Runeterra worldbuilding does not work, because of the magic." Runeterra so far was always a fairly high magic world - at least that was implied by comics and short stories. Magic was a common thing in this world. Otherwise we could not have that many magic champions and a whole place whose entire thing it had been: "We are anti-magic Nazis building mage concentration camps!"

When Riot said, that Arcane was now the main canon, A LOT of fans of the lore were like: "You get that it is not gonna work." And yeah, Arcane Season 2 clearly shows how it doesn't work.

Because the way they put in the entire "Mel is magic, also the Black Rose is a thing" stuff just... It did not fit in the entire plot around it. Because Arcane had been designed as a world where magic was very rare and strange. But now Mel had to be magic and somehow had to be connected to the Black Rose.

Also... What the fuck even happened there in the end? Why put that in? Why make Mel go against LaBlanc? I am sorry, but that was simply too much for this plot. The entire Black Rose stuff stuck out of this plot like - pardon the pun - a thorn.

Generally there are several relationships that feel, like they had at one point been a whole more explored, but then got dropped to the wayside.

As I said, Sevika and Jinx are definitely an example. Ekko and Heimerdinger as well. I also feel like what was episode 7 of the show was probably originally more than one episodes and slower paced - though it still to me was the one episode in this, that kinda worked in of itself. And that the Ekko and Jinx relationship was better established.

I also feel that Viktor and that echo of Skye was probably at some point supposed to actually have talks. Like: "I will miss talking to you." - "No, you won't." Okay? THEN SHOW ME THEM TALKING PLEASE?!

Which kinda brings me down to the main thing that happened because of the pacing issue. Season 2 of Arcane knew only two extremes in terms of "Show, don't tell". Either it goes full "music video" in whcih indeed it just shows us shit without context or dialogue - or we get the information just via dialogue, in a complete tell.

This also shows in the last episode, with the entire thing of Piltover asking the Zaunites for help, after brutally surpressing them forever. Yeah, I see where they were going with this. About being the bigger people and planting seeds and what not. But frankly, there might have been a time and space for a story like that, if properly told (you know, with giving more of the Zaunites a voice in this story, showing more of the conflict and spacing this plot out over several episodes). But a) it was not properly told, and b) a world in which several genocides happen while Trump somehow won a second term is not that world. Yes, b) is not the fault of anyone working on Arcane. That was simply bad luck on their part. But a) is very much their fault - and even if we did not have a Palestinian Genocide and no second Trump term: Without a) being done properly, it would not have worked. It would have just not felt quite as miserable.

You know, the most frustrating thing about this was, that... While I think that one way or another I would still have hated how the show handles the topic of disability (again, I will write about this during the next few days), I generally might have liked the same plot, if it had been given the needed space to breathe.

Like... Sure, I would have never really been on board with "fascist Caitlyn", or rather with "fascist Caitlyn, who gets then forgiven by everyone". But I could have somewhat swallowed it, if that forgiveness had to be earned. But because of the breakneck speed of this show, it never got earned. I am not even talking about redemption arcs here - those are always a headache - but specifically about the fact that Caitlyn gets instantly forgiven by everyone.

Also, lol. The entire thing with Ekko convincing Jinx to come along off-screen. That was unelegant.

Heck, it feels in the first four episodes, as if there was an arc being set up for Sevika in general. And it feels like that arc needed to happen, given that Sevika ends up on the COUNCIL OF PILTOVER in the epilogue. However, that Arc just does not happen. Then, like... why set it up?

That is general the issue. There is a lot of set-up and very, very little payoff to any of it.

And here is the thing. I have heard people argue about whether or not this was meant to have more seasons. But frankly: I do not think that the writers who wrote season 1 would have written this story this way had they known it would be two seasons.

Mind you, compared to some people I would not rate the writing in season 1 higher than maybe 6 or 7 of 10. It was solid, but not overwhelmingly great. But season 2 in comparison is a 2 of 10, maybe a 3 of 10, if I am being gracious.

And frankly, I do not think any writer, who is in any way worth their salt, would write a story where a main character goes evil, and then do exactly nothing with it. I mean, sorry, us writers, we are a dramatic bunch. And we will not resist the drama being served on a silver platter unless we are forced too. I cannot imagine a single writer, who will go with the end of episode 3 and then not write a bunch of angst with Caitlyn and Vi - unless they were forbidden.

And mind you, CaitVi is by far the ship I am least invested in. But it is simply such a glaring example of where the plot is rushed in a way that it hinders the character arcs.

Oh, and also... Lest. Lest in the first six episodes clearly felt like a character, who was going to play a role. Only to then disappear to not be seen again during the finale. What happened to Lest? Is she dead? Is she alive? I guess we'll never know.

*sighs* I am sorry. I really am. I am just... very disappointed. This has been a mess. And I think it would not have needed to be.

Like, the animation is still the most pretty thing ever made in the world. But man... The plot? The plot sucks balls. And not in the sexy way.

[buddiedaydreamer911]

am i the only one who doesn’t like the eddie x priest trend going around???

i fully believe that would just ruin the buck/eddie situation. like, yeah i understand that buck dated tommy first so it’s only fair that eddie gets to date someone else too.

but on a real note- it’s always been understood (at least on my tumblr feed) that this is how the buddie dynamic works.

buck needs to realize his sexuality before he realizes he’s in love with eddie. eddie needs to realize he’s in love with buck before he can realize his sexuality.

if eddie learns he’s not straight because of a crush/date/hookup with the priest- then we’re just in a never ending loop of “these two idiots” just constantly missing each other.

[dbacklot99]

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Crow Road, But Couldn't Get Through it To Find Out

Co-written by dbacklot and cheeseplants

WARNING: SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!

Overall Premise: Books are clearly important to Good Omens and Neil & team have left us Clues. In S2E2, the xray trivia highlights a list of books they would like the audience to read. But even more specifically, there are names of certain books on the back of the chairs in the theater in the opening credits. Those books are: The Tale of Two Cities, Pride & Prejudice, and The Crow Road - twice!

What might this mean? One theory is that the chairs represent the seasons. The body swap in S1 is similar to how Carton, in Tale of Two Cities, takes his doppleganger's place in jail, sacrificing his life so Darnay could go free and be with his family. Pride & Prejudice is clearly referenced in S2, with Crowley's proposal as a sort of mirror to Darcy's first proposal. (There's probably a whole lot more to unpack there - and if you like Austen, here are some thoughts about Aziraphale's favorite book, Persuasion, and how it may relate to the characters.)

BACK to The Crow Road. The title is shown on two chairs in the opening sequence, suggesting that it is related to both S2 and S3. Furthermore, we see the book multiple times in the show and it's the book Muriel reads at the end. As an aside, Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks were very good friends. Iain Banks died over a decade ago, so it is also likely a bit of a tribute to his friend.

So let's dig in and see why perhaps Neil keeps holding this book up and shouting Clue!

Side note: The book is long and most of the action happens in the final third, which can make it a hard read for folks. There's also a lot of characters and it can be tricky to remember how they are all related. There is a family tree BUT it has spoilers.

The Name: The Crow Road is a phrase used by the grandmother to indicate someone has died, ie - he's gone the crow road.

The Plot: This is the story of Prentice growing up with his immediate and extended family in Scotland. His Uncle Rory disappears in his early childhood. Some family members choose to believe Rory is still alive. After a hook-up with his Uncle Rory's former girlfriend as a young adult, Prentice starts gathering journals and writings from his missing Uncle Rory, who was (for a few years) a successful writer and traveler. Prentice eventually learns that 1) another Uncle, Fergus, had murdered his own wife and covered it up as a car accident and 2) Rory had figured this out and confronted him. Fergus then murdered Rory, hid all the evidence, and hired an acquaintance (who also traveled) to send matchboxes from bars across the world to Prentice's father, Kenneth. Kenneth, believed - as Fergus intended - that these were messages from Rory, indicating he was still alive. 

Stylistically, Prentice's childhood memories and fragments from Rory's journals are interspersed throughout the book, much like the minisodes are in S2. It can take the reader a while to figure out who is telling the story or where this information is coming from. It is also unclear how reliable Rory is as narrator - perhaps this also plays into S2.

What it Might Mean: 

Fergus could represent the Metatron. He is very powerful, rich, and conservative; he lives in a castle (Heaven?) and wants authority. Fergus also murders two relatives and hides those murders; the murder of his wife may have been inspired by jealousy over her sleeping with another man, an event which may or may not have happened.

Fergus also sets up fake messages!! The matchbooks are red herrings to make it look like Rory is still alive. As the Metatron relays messages from God, I can't get over the possibilities here. We have seen God speaking directly as recently as Job, but are the other messages real?

I can't help but wonder if the matchbooks and their use as messages inspired Neil to use the matchbook in S2. The matchbook in S2, incidentally, connects to all three minisodes - the quote from Job, 41:19 (reversed 1941), and the matchbox is from the Resurrectionists pub. So the matchbook contains not only Gabriel’s memories but refers to Azi’s as well?

Much of the book is about this missing uncle. Is a character (or their memory) missing in S3? I have theories, but its too soon to tell.

There's also an interesting theme of Prentice collecting his Uncle Rory's writings and records, including sending some corrupted computer discs to an expert in America to try to restore them. Given the emphasis on records ("It contains information in a tuneful way") and journals in S2, not to mention this trivia nugget ​​ - my brain is itching that there's a connection there.

Faith & Beliefs: The book talks about Faith a lot. Prentice believes in God and his father Kenneth doesn’t. And Kenneth doesn’t just reject religion, he wants his children to reject religion too. Prentice on the other hand desperately wants something to believe in - especially after a friend's death in an accident. This leads to a huge fall out - they end up not talking over it.

"'I mean, what's the big argument? Can't you just agree to disagree?' 'No; we disagree about that,' I shook my head. 'Seriously; it doesnt' work that way; neither of us can leave it alone. There's almost nothing either of us can say that can't be taken the wrong way, with a bit of imagination. It's like being married.'" (Ch 7)

Kennth seemingly taunts God - he climbs a church during a lightning storm and is struck dead. His uncle Hamish (one of Kenneth’s brothers) also represents the extreme version of Faith and ends up running a sort of cult, at least until Kenneth’s death.

What it Might Mean: The thread they pull through a lot is about meaning, and whether you can have meaning in life without God. Prentice gains Faith because his friend died senselessly; he wonders how can you have a world be so cruel. There must be a reason for it (this is sort of Az coded), and he turns to God to create the meaning for him. 

BUT Kenneth’s argument is that you don’t need Faith for the world to have meaning (or at least that is my reading). It is wonderful because it is inherently meaningless (this is very existentialist, but I do think that’s the point). That Faith doesn’t do that, and just means you are looking outwards without looking at what is right in front of you. Which again, could be a Crowley way of looking at it, or at least where he is headed. Life is good as life, and doesn’t need God to make it so. 

Hamish represents someone putting so much meaning into Faith that they lose all sense of Joy, he becomes distant.  (One of my favorite scenes is Hamish doing a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces upside down - and cutting the pieces with scissors if they don’t fit right!)

The Romantic Relationships: Prentice is infatuated with a cousin (second cousin?), Verity. She is described as beautiful, in white/light colors, pure, lives with Uncle Fergus in the castle. There are legends around her birth -  she was conceived under a tree during a storm. She is unattainable and eventually ends up with Prentice's older brother.

Ash, on the other hand, is almost literally the girl next door and Prentice’s long-term best friend. Her family is poorer and maybe has some domestic violence issues. She's always there for Prentice - literally a shoulder to cry on, sharing a bottle of whiskey, helping him sober up after said whiskey. There's obvious romantic tension from Ash’s side but she never pushes him and instead guides him along. And the book ends with a romantic resolution that feels very much like the final fifteen - except with a happier ending.

“- and I still didn’t feel I could tell her how I felt about her because she was going away now, and how could I suddenly say I love you when I’d never said it to anybody in my life before? How could I say it now especially, the night before she was due to leave? It would look like I was trying to make her stay, or just get her into bed. It would probably wreck this one precious evening that we did have, and upset her, confuse her, even hurt her, and I didn’t want to do any of that.” (Ch 13)

They finally kiss and spend the night together, both confessing their love. Ash has to leave the next morning to pursue a career opportunity in New York; Prentice is sad that she goes but re-dedicating himself to his studies and working towards a relationship together. 

What it Might Mean: To me, Verity is very Heaven-coded and Ash is very Hell-coded. A big part of Prentice's arc (Prentice may represent Azi here) is getting over his blind infatuation with Verity and realizing the value and love he has with Ash. However, they also need to be apart and grow a bit before they can be together.

Other thoughts? Connections? Would love to hear your theories!!

@cheeseplants

[feelbetterlove-books]

Okay I've rewatched episode 2 and I have some thoughts, forgive me if this has been done, but here's my take on how the Tommy Lands That Plane theory can still win!! Keep in mind I'm not a writer or a pilot 😅 I really know nothing, I'm just having fun, as del(o)usional as I may be. Putting this under a cut because it got long!

I've been thinking that this plane disaster honestly could have been wrapped up in one episode. I know it's a three part premiere but episode one had a different focus and episode three could have gone back to bees or done something else, imo there doesn't seem to be a huge reason to drag it out another 40 minutes unless they were going to do something big (for example, having Tommy pull a wild stunt like rappelling into the plane) (aside from the fact that Angela Bassett is arguably the biggest star and they're possibly dragging it out just to give her something cool and dramatic to do).

Here's why:

First, the bees, where did they go? They obviously caused the crash and they were in the plane when Athena first got to the cockpit, but then they disappeared?? We don't see them on the plane later on even through there's plenty of holes for them to come in through, and we don't even see them on the ground in Bobby's plot line or anything.

If they had wanted to cause more drama on the flight to extend the emergency with the passengers, there could have been bees on board, and maybe more people who were allergic. Instead, the disasters from episode one and two only overlap a little bit.

Second: the on plane emergencies. Only a few passengers were critically injured and they've been dealt with, all that was really left for them to do was wait and hope the plane didn't fall apart around them. They could show more passengers getting injured now, but at this point the 118 aren't on their phones prepared to talk them through it, they're on the move and ready to see the plane land.

The plane could crash and then we'd have plenty for everyone to work with, but idk they've already done a plane crash recovery and I think if it was going to happen, it would have been a better cliffhanger then the copilot going down.

I'm not sure, maybe Athena could still get the copilot back, but it didn't seem like it to me, and if she did idk what the point of him having a heart attack would be in the first place. Unfortunately, that man does not have Bobby's plot armor, and I really don't think he's going to be able to help with the landing. And if he can't, then they're pretty much back at square one as far as getting the plane on the ground goes.

Most of the episode we saw Athena reluctantly planning to go along with landing the plane herself, or working with Jem, who is much more knowledgeable, but I think if he was going to be able to land it, they could have shaved off some time from other scenes and it could have already been done at the end of this ep. The two of them and ATC have already worked together, tried, struggled, and ultimately failed to land the plane, and the situation is only getting more dangerous. I think they need a new idea and a new person to come in and help pull the landing off safely. And I think that person could be Tommy!!

For a start, I believe it has been confirmed that these episodes are in fact, inspired by Airport 1975, and my understanding is that the pilot rappelling from a helicopter into the plane is quite an important part of that movie, so it just makes sense that it could happen in episode three!

Now we might say, but Tommy flies helicopters, not planes! However, it is at the very least implied in season two that he can do both when Chimney called him to drop water on that neighborhood. And I'm choosing to believe for the sake of this theory and the invisible string, that it was really him.

We also know that the 217 is likely involved on the ground and it's possible that Tommy was working and he or someone else came up with this idea, and he got sent up. He's definitely brave and crazy enough to do it if the unsanctioned search for a cruise ship in a hurricane is any indication. Plus, he's becoming a part of the 118's found family, he has even more reason to do this than he did at the start of season seven and he'll be damned if he saved Athena then just for her to die now!!

Another main reason I think Tommy could land the plane is that one, it would remind the GA that he's a cool and competent pilot, and two, involving him in a big scene like this could go a long way towards establishing him not only as Buck's boyfriend, but also a character in his own right. One who can just fit into calls like Athena and Maddie do, one who could expand the range of what can be done in future episodes by linking the streets to the sky. We could even have a plot line with Buck taking those flying lessons. With the way they all get into accidents, it sure would be useful to have a certified pilot or two on hand to help the 118 as needed!!

Tommy might not be a main character now, but depending on how many seasons 9-1-1 has left, and taking into account how much Tim loves working with Lou, I mean, I think he could be one day and this would be a great way to set that up.

There's also the fact that Buck and Bobby are together on the site of where it seems the plane will be landing and this would give us the perfect opportunity for parallel Bucktommy & Bathena big dramatic kisses!! Plus there has already been reason to speculate that Lou was working with Angela and I mean just imagine it!! THIS WOULD BE SO COOL WE'RE THIS CLOSE TO HAVING IT ALL BUCKTOMMY NATION!! Tommy lovers, we could live off of this for years!! And I am going to keep my fingers crossed until we either fail to see Lou's name in the opening credits, or the plane is landed another way!

[that-left-turn]

Why do you they didn't lift the kiss? After screeners, fans were criticising it so much and practically asking them to take it out. Even before screeners, fans were all angry about shipbaiting, so why didn't they realise they should have taken it out?

Also, if they knew fans would want to see more Carol, why didn't they make it that way beyond just the premiere?

It feels like they knew fans wouldn't like darabelle as well because they gave no clue of it the premiere. In fact, it was the opposite - they removed the "it's clear there are feelings" look from the final cut of the premiere, which was in the original script.

Is it because they thought GA would like less Carol and more darabelle? (If so, why would they think that?)

How do you think they're responding to the response now?

Why do you they didn't lift the kiss? [...] [W]hy didn't they realise they should have taken it out?

I think some EPs fought for its inclusion. Showrunners will argue for certain plot points if/when the studio wants to cut them. Zabel seems very invested in his "mature relationship," but if it was just him, I think AMC would've cut the scene because he's not bringing anything (ratings/acclaim/originality) to the table. Norman clearly wanted to explore Daryl's "young adult life" and I think that's why the kiss made the cut. He wants Daryl to awkwardly make out with random women and the idea was likely backed by Greg 'likes them blonde' Nicotero.

[I]f they knew fans would want to see more Carol, why didn't they make it that way beyond just the premiere?

There's a certain level of resentment among her fellow EPs over being forced to share their playground with Melissa, so the accommodations made for Carol's inclusion are minimal. 201 was extensively revised several times and initially written by another writer. Even after the reunion Caryl's character arcs feel asynchronous, like Carol's was tacked onto an already conceived emotional trajectory and the only concession to acknowledging her presence in Daryl's arc was his grumpy dismissive behavior à la S11. The stooges speak over Melissa in interviews—what do you think happens off-camera, in less public spaces?

Is it because they thought GA would like less Carol and more darabelle?

No. Carol has always resonated with the GA. She's a more complex character than most we see on any TV show. She's not perfect, like sexist mores dictate she ought to be. She struggles with her dark side (her traumas), tries to do good and protect the people she loves—it's a very archetypal masculine hero path. It appeals to the GA because pretty much anyone can see themselves as flawed and struggling to find acceptance and to overcome their obstacles while providing for their family. She's also an Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor in terms of rising to the occasion and doing what needs to get done. That's why media critics talk about the character being iconic—Carol was a trailblazer for action oriented female characters on TV, going from meek to "force of nature."

In contrast, the audience doesn't know Isabelle, so we don't empathize with her preemptively. Apart from some unnecessarily extended looks at the end of 106, there was no buildup for the Darabelle kiss and the moment Isabelle compared Daryl to his father, she was set up to fail. Daryl fans who understand the impact of childhood abuse could never forgive that. I understand her motivation—Isabelle was prepared to do anything, go to any lengths and say absolutely anything that might keep her child safe, but the audience hasn't spent enough time with Isabelle to want to understand her flaws or sympathize with her choices. Plus, she's a woman, so she gets labeled manipulative instead of strategic. Women get condemned for traits and actions that are transgressively masculine.

All the female characters on the show suffer from mistreatment. I would've liked to see more of Anna and better character development than the poor jealousy arc over an abusive boyfriend that Zabel gave her in S1 and the meaningless violent death he bestowed upon her at her reappearance by the end of S2. Mme Genet deserved a less shallow backstory and Sylvie deserved to have an arc that wasn't about Laurent or her boyfriend. The women are plot devices and only three French characters survive, all of them male.

Isabelle could've been an amazing addition to TWDU. Imagine if she'd been allowed a genuine connection with Carol? She'd been in an abusive relationship with Quinn and also understood the desperate measures you take out of love for your child. Isabelle had loved and lost her substantially younger sister, had complicated feelings and a lot of guilt over it because she'd brought Quinn into their lives and kept him around... didn't know to protect Lily from him. Isabelle found hope in religion where Carol lost hers. Allowing for an arc between the female main cast would have enriched the show immensely as both Clémence and Melissa are powerhouse actors.

(I've said this before, but you could use the same story engine and external arc and still create a much more impactful story if you just shifted the tone of the emotional arcs.)

Regardless, Darabelle is in the show because the male EPs wanted it. They all have different kinks they wanted to explore...express(?) Zabel: nunmance, Nicotero: blondes, Norman: Daryl as an awkward post-apocalyptic James Bond, or maybe having a mid-life crisis where he wants to be a carefree young adult again? The less said about Gimple, the better. The show is a fantasy for the male gaze 🤷‍♀️

[horizon-verizon]

I think George dont realised what happen to season 2 was a butterfly effects from season 1 yet George still praising season 1, he actually did similar with his complain about Targ sigil, isnt he too late for that? That four legs was already there since season one (Harry Llyod costume), if George still enjoying season 1 and can separate them with his book why can't he do that with the following season they never intent to follow his story btw.

What GRRM was trying to say in the dragons post was what he continues and expounds on in his Maelor/Sophie's Choice post: if you mess with the most critical, moving parts of the plot, you're going to strip the story of its meaning AND empty yourself of logical lines towards future events. that's what anon's referring to.

Well, anon, in that dragons post, GRRM didn't give examples [that had the, in my opinion, very necessary and well warned spoiler] and didn't explain what he meant by "Fantasy needs to be grounded.   It is not simply a license to do anything you like. Smaug and Toothless may both be dragons, but they should never be confused.  Ignore canon, and the world you’ve created comes apart like tissue paper."

What's different now, anon, is exactly what he said in his post, anon: they are messing with VERY CRITICAL MOMENTS that have to do with the end of the war itself; they crossed a particular line in the telling of the story itself, something that should, at all costs, be retained in the show for the ending (Maelor). This isn't about costumes or anything that could be easily reshaped into a "close-enough" storyline, esp bc Jaehaera NEEDS to make it to the end of the Dance and no she cannot replace Maelor. No, she cannot become Aegon's heir; bc the greens were steadfast abt it having to be a boy, having the succession go through males, thus stick to their own guns/reason for going into the war in the first place and going towards their fall. And this part abt Jaehaera, again, is not even the thing GRRM was talking abt out the post.

It's like asking someone to be happy with someone making Nymeria have mostly men instead of women in her group of Rhoynar-rescued; like having the Mountain not kill Elia Martell and her kids, which leads to Oberyn going after the Mountain, which goes into the acceleration of the Dornish plot against the Lannisters going on right now. At least, this is the thing he notes. And he's entitled to expressing what he sees and observes are not-great changes to his story when he see/observes them. As we all are when we're looking at something created for us to watch/read; with him, the actual writer, he has even more "right" to.

In season 1, he also wasn't promised (seemingly) something would happen and then that thing then not happening, as what was the deal with Maelor and Ryan promising Maelor would exist.

the following season they never intent to follow his story btw.

This is conversation of the definition and parameters of "adaptation", but first, GRRM was basically giving us an extended....not metaphor but an extended parallel of what he [the guy who wrote this story for anyone to adapt or not] thinks are the most important elements of the story; and he chose dragon legs likely bc it was one of the most incentivizing amongst many fandoms, he takes great pride in his reasoning for those legs; he wishes to express to his/the show's fans an arm of care and relation towards changes eh doesn't think production or execs should or had to cut or distort BEFORE he he heard of HBO's plans to produce it and when he met with the producers/Condal about it.

Because--before that ill-fated post--from how GRRM writes abt HotD, even when he's positive, it gives off the impression that he's never in the actual writer's room despite how many fans argued that he was and had to have been as an exec producer (that must have been awkward for those fans upon seeing GRRM demonstrate how wrong that notion was). If he's not in the writer's room or has proper authority, all he can really do is sit back and watch the product...maybe a little earlier tha most, but still, he's not involved and he's reacting and thinking about the show.

Anyway, what, anon, do you think entails an adaptation "following" a story? How closely or far from the original plot would you say is "too far", when it finally becomes something that is not the actual story anymore but an invention by those who want to make a completely different story? And does this actually sound like an adaptation? Or a fanfic?

Definitions:

adaptation: a composition rewritten into a new form, or to fit a different medium; a screen adaptation of a novel fanfic: stories written about TV, film, or book characters by their fans (= people who admire them); stories formed from existing, usually published material with a plethora/array of possible interpretations of the source materials present themes, characterizations, etc./the purpose of creating fan material for the sake of personal enjoyment

HotD was always going to be more fanficy sorta thing bc it is a hotly debated section of a history book IN YERMS OF THR MIST INTIMATE OF RVENTS AND DETAILS BETWEEN CHARACTERS; however, like what historians and history books have always tried to do and continue to do so, F&B is container if actual firsthand records as eell as secind hand. There ARE more probable and likely options of situations the history book creates for us to....not "solve" but piece out when it comes to possible biases, and some claims by some narrators are very easy to mark as false.

And what you piece out will be very much a reflection of how you view certain behaviors, characters, ideas, AS WELL AS you actual knowledge of what inspires GRRM, why it does, why we care abt those things (I'm talking real history) what the lore of the world Rhaenyra and the rest are in. I'm talking laws, how some people view some of them and how they will twist them to their own emds. And most of all, as I already said, somethings without a doubt...precisely bc it i IS a history book, happened. And some of those need NEED to be on screen for the end to make any sort of sense the way it was intended to.

But I also think he's hopeful abt Ryan making some script changes from his very rare assertiveness.

I also think that this is all part of a reckoning with the different degrees people are willing to tolerate the "inventive" adaption that really changes the source material that many have not actually read or understood; some want the adaptation to match as close as possible to the orig (a lot of book readers), other don't care how far away the story gets from the org, others are in an undefined but just as variant "middle".

[irontragedyreview]

Do you still consider Horikoshi to be a bad writer after this chapter or think you were wrong in your judgment before the manga end?

Hi anon, I don't understand if your question is intended to be a genuine ask or you’re trying to mock me for my previous opinions were wrong or something like that. However, I was thinking of writing about the chapter and your ask is a good trigger.

To begin with yes, I still consider Horikoshi to be a mediocre writer, especially because this chapter doesn’t prove my previous opinions wrong, at the moment I’m not seeing anything more than a chapter that follows the last chapters where Izuku and Tomura were treated like shit for the plot.

At what point in this chapter are any of the complaints I raised in previous posts taken up again? Do we have something that gives a satisfactory closure for Tomura and fixes how rushed his fight with Izuku was? Is Izuku finally able to show some kind of feeling? Now don't take me the wrong way, the chapter has the potential to not be as shit as the previous ones, in the same way we don't know if the manga will end in volume 42 or be extended longer. However, if this happens it would mean that Horikoshi could had been more careful with Tomura and Izuku's confrontation and decided simply not do it. In the same way this is only an introduction so, why I have to retract or consider myself wrong? at least Horikoshi shows a real effort in not being a mediocre writer and giving some care in writing his mc.

If I have to make a summary of this chapter we have:

1. The graduation of the big three and Mirio's speech that follows Nighteye's thoughts.

2. Aoyama leaves UA and Shinso takes his place.

3. The 2nd and 3rd year courses will be in charge of helping in reconstruction and patrolling in disaster areas.

4. Midoriya looks sad, but that's the same for the vast majority.

5. Dabi is alive from what can be assumed and from what I saw from the unofficial translation of the chapter, it is most likely that the Todoroki family will be the next chapter.

6. Toga nor Spinner are named.

7. A random guy injured on the street.

Of these points the most interesting are those from 3 to 7.

Point 3 is interesting because it means that we can have chapters of different characters, because they are in different geographical locations and deal with their own problems. Point 4 would mean that Horikoshi stops treating Izuku like shit and gives him moments that let us know what his thoughts are. Since the end of his solo arc, Izuku's thoughts have been scarce, to the point that during his confrontation with Tomura, those are non-existent and that even the vestiges make the decisions during that fight, then we have a mediocre "conversation" between him and Tomura and when Izuku began to talk to All Might about the outcome with Tenko/Tomura, AM's words feel like a simplistic way of not addressing the problem and then bk started crying, while Midoriya, the one who failed in his mission of save Tenko, committed  murder and finally lost OFA just didn’t say anything. You literally have bk crying when the one who lost his dream or who has to think about it differently is Izuku and yet the emotional part belongs to someone else?

In this chapter we only have a sad Midoriya, nothing more. There is still no introspection, we still have nothing, just because Horikoshi has enough common sense not to show him simply smiling doesn’t mean that he still didn’t give us anything about Izuku, especially if we consider that the whole confrontation with Tomura was rushed and everything happened out of screen for a damn year. So no, I’m not going to congratulate Horikoshi for doing the minimum. If he isn’t  mediocre, he has to show me and lets his character express himself. For now you only have potential, Horikoshi has shown that he can but it would be the first time he just throws Izuku under the bus (bk abuse as comedy, his quirkless past, the loss of his quirk, his insecurity, etc)

Point 5 also has a lot to offer, especially since I already said it at the time but that Touya alive is still the minimum point. It's great for Shoto that he was able to keep Touya alive during their fight, but I always said that the relationship between Shoto and him still feels empty and that's because Touya's interest in Shoto has its origins in Endeavor. I know many are talking about hc where Touya rejoins the Todoroki family and forms a relationship with Shoto, Natsu, Rei, etc. However, a decent closing is long because we don’t know what Touya's feelings for Shoto are, we must not forget that in his mind he visualized himself as he would have been and among those around him, Shoto wasn’t in the picture because at the end of the day they never managed to build a relationship and we still have to know what will happen with Endeavor because beyond all Touya's feelings for him are an important factor. Point 6 has the question of what happened with Toga and Spinner. On the one hand, Toga and Ochako had the most satisfying confrontation, however there is something that Toga shares with Tomura and that is that neither of them were willing to just stop, don't get me wrong Ochako was the only person who tried to reach Himiko and understand her. Toga is willing to give the last drop of her blood to keep Ochako alive and in a way her words sound like a farewell but happy because she could like Himiko, without masks or containing herself to fit in. None of this means that Toga is dead but there is still some closure on what happened to her and on all the things beyond Ochako's understanding, does she have a place in the world? a place where she shouldn't pretend to fit in? This is what the LOV gave her.

With Spinner everything is even more complicated, because his arc is also mixed with heteromorphic discrimination and here Horikoshi abandoned the plot in a worse way than Izuku and Tomura. On this topic we only have the initial confrontation and I'm sorry but Shoji's words for me didn’t solve the problem because the only thing we saw of this fight was him telling Spinner that what they were doing would only be a setback for the acceptance of heteromorphs. I'm sorry but it’s a simplistic way of looking at discrimination because even in hero society we have heteromorphs like Nezu who are in positions of power, but these are the least while on the other hand we have heteromorphs without power or influence suffer much more, Shoji's response is that discriminated people have to prove that they deserve basic respect, but this should be a minimum bar and not a question of "show me that you aren’t dangerous and that I have no reason to fear you and therefore respects you and gives you dignity." Spinner's plot has been very neglected and there is still a lot to tell to make it satisfactory.

Point 7 gives a lot to interpret among those interpretations and theories that I saw, I can name the following:

It's Tenko, I know that this is a possibility that is being considered, I’m not entirely convinced, I’m not interested in Tenko/Tomura living just to live, because at the end of the day for me the important thing is what will happen with Tomura's convictions , one of the few redeeming things from the previous chapters was that at least Tomura's convictions ended up intact, so bringing Tenko to life means erasing Tomura? I don't know and I guess if this ends up being true we'll have to see how Horikoshi develops it.

2. Another explanation is that this man appears right after Todoroki's phrase about how AFO was created in a world like that, with chaos and destruction, in this case it can be a resource to imply that if the heroes don’t deal with this situation and leave many to sink into misery, we will be seeing the creation of new villains, who the fallen of the system with no chances for another life.

Well anon, I hope my answer helps you, I still consider Horikoshi to be a mediocre writer, what he has in this chapter is the potential to do something, I don't think he can fix what he already did but I don't know what he can do now, I will continue reading because I want to know how it ends, but my faith in him no longer exists.

[lyncirenzei]

I just really wanted to respond to the assignment outlined in this tweet...

Why can't I watch Sydney and Carmy be in a friendship with tenderness and obvious chemistry without pushing for romance?

The short answer is, I can watch without pushing for romance.

The extended answer is, I AM watching without PUSHING for romance.

Yes, they both have chemistry and they are both actively trying to deal with each other with care and tenderness because they are in an intimate relationship with each other already. They are business partners.

Intimate Definition:

So because Carmy allowed a close connection to start with Sydney by not only hiring Sydney but making her his number 1 in HIS family business, it would be wise for them both to exercise tenderness as much as possible when dealing with each other. Now I can go on a tangent about WHY he made her his number 1, but that's for another time. But just to add to the fact I won't discuss now, let me leave this here: Carmy checks often to make sure Syd is on board while Syd checks often to make sure Sugar, Carmy's own sister who he SHOULD be checking on, is on board. But I mean, Carmy said he can't even ask Sugar how she doing cause he don't know how he is doing most of the time, while constantly asking Syd how she is doing, so we know the "Men will do it (make it happen) if they WANT to" applies directly to Carmy... (and we ALSO know how and when that statement is usually used-and if you want to act dense, that usually is applied when a man is attracted to a woman and wants to make something romantic happen with her) but I digress.

Now, from what I see, people are picking up on what I noticed the minute Syd came on the scene in Ep. 1 Season 1, that there COULD BE something between Carmy and Syd. The writers and if not them, then the editors keep putting little plot devices in our face and making the COULD BE even more of a thing than what I initially picked up on. And there are so many great post that point out what those moments, interactions, conversations, scenes are. So I will not include them here.

Now it was stated in the post that chemistry isn't the only reason two people should start dating. And to that I say, you don't say? Really? I'm glad you know that and shared with the rest of us. Cause once again, what most people are commenting on is what COULD BE. Not what CURRENTLY IS.

You see, CURRENTLY, we are in season 2 and are still getting to know everyone and what makes them tick. We, the audience, who has a bird eye view, is STILL getting to know everyone. So if we're still doing that then naturally so are the characters with one another. They know less about one another than we know because they dont have the bird eye, omnipresent view. And all of this is controlled by the writers and editors. So no, currently I and I think most people who see Carmy and Syd as being a viable option for one another is wanting to see them start dating now.

When will they have time to establish a REAL romantic connection that doesn't take away from our thirty viewing minutes of the plot? Not anytime soon, that's for sure. But can they continue to give us 5 second moments that continue to build up what could be? Yes.

Now the question does remain, can they actually establish a real romantic connection? Yes. They definitely can. However, not in the way I am interested in seeing on THIS show with THIS plot. This is not Bridgerton, so I'm not interested in seeing Bridgerton type romance on The Bear. And I think most people will agree with me. You see, we already know this show isn't about romance. It deals with serious topics regarding business, family, mental illness, and human connection. And many people feel showing a romance would disregard those topics because of how romance is traditionally handled in media. Does that mean romance is not serious? No. It just means the way it is portrayed many times within a plot not needing romance, leaves one wanting...

However, The Bear may not be about romance, but as mentioned above, it is about Human Connection. And holding onto, and building on that human connection despite flaws, hurtful words/actions, because the people who portray them and suffer them are willing to change, improve, and do better.

I mentioned above that Syd and Carmy already have an intimate relationship. And THIS is what can potentially makes them Endgame.

Romance can be fleeting, it can be just like we witnessed between Carmy and Claire. Claire clearly had butterflies (idk about Carmy so much. He was very closed off with her and the moments he wasn't was told to us rather than shown to us) but their situation was the type of thing that we could have done without. Though, I believe Claire was needed, not only as a foil character, but as a plot devices as well.

However, in contrast (something the editors also wanted us to do with all there three-way contrasting scenes involving Claire, Carmy, and Syd) what Carmy has and is developing that will only get stronger the longer Syd sticks around and vice versa that Syd will develop the longer Carmy improves and sticks around is a deep respect and a deep love.

They are already intimate because of the business. They speak to each other intimately (also because of the business while some kind of way NEVER mentioning the business) personally, vulnerably. Carmy wants to hear Syd speak about her feelings, dreams and ideas. He even wants to hear her speak about her personal business though that part is hard for her to do. And Syd wants to speak about those things to Carmy even when it's difficult to do so.

THAT is the kind of intimacy I want to continue seeing on my TV screen. I don't need 5 minutes dedicated to them on a date, giggling and laughing about nothing! I need 5 minutes of them sitting closely, talking lowly about deep personal things that they can later laugh about together. I need the eye connections from across the room cause they GET each other and know what the other is thinking. I need small smiles of flattery that never get to be too much because they are in a professional setting. And at the end of the night, after they've worked another successful day at a restaurant that runs itself cause it's that successful (like Terry's restaurant) and they are just showing up to work cause they "still love to cook" but don't have to if they don't want to, they close down shop, walk out hand in hand down the street bumping shoulders like two best friends on their way to their SHARED home where private things happen privately (cause seeing all that is not important to the main plot. Though I wouldn't mind 😏).

That is Endgame.

That is slowburn

(And that ain't happening next season folks. I do not want them getting together sexually or otherwise next season. They have a lot of work to do not only on their restaurant but also on themselves). That is what I'd call an intimate relationship that hasn't distracted from the main plot, but that is still very real.

Now for those who think that possibility is "forced" that's most likely because Syd is a dark skinned black woman. Not actually because you can't see Carmy and Syd happening.

And for those who only see her with Marcus, that also may be because she is a dark skinned black woman and you really want to see her with a black man. Not actually because you can't see Carmy and Syd happening.

The same way I can see them remaining professional partners, only cause the writers and editors may decide to stop playing in our face with the hints regarding their already established intimacy, is the same way you should be able to see what is literally playing in your face when it comes to Carmy and Syd interactions, or the way they think/speak about/to each other.

So now I'm asking you to examine why you can't watch Sydney and Carmy be in a friendship with tenderness and obvious chemistry without admitting that the writers may decide to take it in an even more intimate direction, and being OK with that if they do?

[swearyshera]

Reliving this is a trip. I was an interesting feeling the first time thru, and I'm not saying that to humorously downplay a horrific situation. It drew out a little bit of sympathy for Catra I really thought I'd used up by that point, if only cuz what Prime does is really that vile. That's super unusual for me. I went in rooting for Adora to take back someone she cared about, not necessarily cuz it was Catra specifically if you know what I mean, but this got me to want Catra rescued weirdly well. I almost never feel for villains at their nadir like this.

Twisted how empathetic paragon heroes like Adora are among my most treasured characters in fiction, yet I suck at extending the same sympathy they can. You're supposed to see characters like Catra (or Azula or Bakugou or whoever you please) going thru awful things as flawed people with interior lives and subject to exterior circumstances that the heroes are kind/strong/savvy enough to see and incorporate into their responses and my knee jerk is still "fuck off with the pity party, get to the atonement." Or in a lot of cases to laugh while they're down. I always sabotage myself by seeing the author making horrible things happen to the rival/villains, and contrasting them with worse villains, as a cynical tactic to get me and the heroes to sympathize before they've started changing for the better.

It helped that Catra already saved Glimmer at her own peril, and Adora already would've saved Catra no matter what, but still. This is a big reason why villain mind control is one of my least fave tropes. Manipulation and coercion are all good because meaningful agency and responsibility are still there even if characters can't see it, and that is everything in my eyes. To me mind control is the writer hitting pause on a character's growth til a more convenient time in the plot. Or just forever. *cough*🌊🦂🧙‍♂️.

Most of my appreciation for pre-s5 Catra only built up in retrospect through meta-posts and following fanworks like this. So seriously thank you for this series; it's like experiencing the series as it was intended for the first time, weird as that sounds.

You're version of this sequence is as skin-crawling as I think we all could've hoped/feared. Prime is the worst kind of living scum. Great work. Now I can start counting down to the "you miscalculated." scene. Aimee Carrero crushed that line. Can't wait for your version. Positively dancing with anticipation.

It is - at least to me - a really interesting point for Catra to be at, narratively speaking, because it shows the dialectic in her journey. She both did and didn't "bring it upon herself" - yes, she tried to get in Prime's good books, but no, she didn't ask to be chipped. Yes, she saved Glimmer against his instruction, but no, she didn't know the full consequences of what that would do. And when you get people on different sides of the argument, some saying "poor meowmeow didn't deserve this" and others saying, "She's reaping what she's sown", actually they're both right, in this way.

I don't think it would have worked going straight to the atonement, anyway. We don't have these scenes to revel in the depth of her lowest point, we have them to show how bad, how inescapable it was - and then we set up to escape them!

The whole story with Prime has been an interesting writing journey, too. Every time I review the lines, I tweak them to make them that little bit more realistic, that little bit more uncomfortable. I'm painfully aware that we're seeing a lot of similar rhetoric flying around from real people in the media these days (particularly with anti-trans bullshit), and it's no coincidence that Prime is a reflection of this. But my focus isn't on "Oh look, doesn't this character sound like the person trying to destroy our lives", it's on "This character, like the people you've seen on the news, might think they're right but they will never win. They will never defeat us."

Indeed, the Save the Cat books (yes, this episode did remind me of them... It's probably where the name is from) talk about the 'All is Lost' point and the 'Dark Night of the Soul' - this is where we're at right now. It's bad, it's the worst - but it's going to get better.

[azrielthedrawer]

Anonymous because.. not yet.

How do you, or do you have any tips on having and writing a storyline?

I’m an animator (tween w AM) who’s learning renpy and soon making a visual novel. I was wondering if you just have writing tips. Thanmnsk

Hi :D (sorry for taking so long to answer)

Considering that my only posted work is the AU, I’ll tell you a bit about my process while writing it, so hopefully you’ll find it useful for your future projects owo

1. The What-If Question: I find that with all or most of my written works, I end up asking myself “what if _____ happened?” For example:

What if Pastor Craig summoned an imp?

However, asking this question once won’t suffice to create a whole plot. So I asked myself more follow-up questions after that:

Why would Pastor Craig summon an imp? What would his motivation be?

What kind of information would Tweek hold? What types of stories would he tell?

Why are we taking the time to hear such stories?

With that, you start to build the scenario in which your story will stem from.

2. Plot First, Characters Last: Though it’s really fun to think about the characters (whether original or predetermined), I find that sometimes it’s easier to craft the plot first, then create/assign characters later. Yes, the characters are important, but the plot is what keeps the characters vivid, so I would suggest working on the plot first.

3. Dynamics: The way in which characters interact with each other is vital to how they are perceived by the audience. This can apply to original or predetermined characters. Some characters will act a certain way around some people and another way with others. Dynamics also extend past singular characters, but also things that are bigger, like power. How do these characters interact with certain aspects of their world? Do they care?

4. Motion: When writing, and also drawing, you have to remember to keep the environment moving based on the scenario. A lot of times, some casual scenes might seem stiff, but this can easily be fixed by observing the way in which you yourself find yourself going about your day. Yes, there are some times in which you are standing face-to-face with someone while having a casual conversation, but that isn’t always going to be the case. A lot of times, people are multitasking, moving around, or sometimes don’t speak as clearly. Consider these little things when observing the situation that you are trying to convey.

5. Get in their shoes: I would say this is more of when you’re writing more emotional scenes, but this can apply anywhere. As a writer, you have to get yourself in whatever headspace you are trying to write. If you feel like you can’t get it right, watching TV or films can help you visualize the type of emotion that you are trying to portray. Aside from how people feel inside, they tend to also have visual reactions, so I would suggest paying attention to those.

6. Where are you going with this?: A lot of times, people get lost on what they’re writing about because they don’t know where the story is going or how it will end. Now, you don’t have to necessarily know how the story will end from the beginning, but it can help to know what the first conflict will be for your characters to overcome. It’s okay if you don’t know how your story will go from the beginning to the conflict, but that’s okay. This space in between is used to get you there. On a similar note, it’s okay to just visualize plot points without knowing how to get there. There’s a reason why filler episodes exist.

7. Think of your favs: I’m sure that there’s a show or movie out there that you might feel inspired by to make your own story, so use it as motivation to write! Now, I’m obviously not telling you to copy the characters or story, but it’s also common for people to take what they observe in other pieces of media and take inspiration from it. Create a little collection of cool things you see from media you like that you’d like to apply to your own story.

Anyway, that’s just my thoughts. Hope you find this helpful and good luck with your work :)

[constantineshots]

okay so this is just a rant ( long. i am sorry if it is jumbled ) on justice leagu dark but specifically the new 52 run. because i don't have an issue with the rebirth run. but seeing as milligan started off the new 52 run, can anyone be surprised i don't like it.

never really understood how in justice league dark and whenever john is on a team in general. when people know he's a bit selfish when things look like they are not going to work in his favor/look hopeless in general and he gets the fuck out of there or does something to benefit himself. and everyone knows he consistently does this. yet they are like "what the fuck john. we trusted you." after giving him shit because they didn't trust him or didn't want him on the team. like guys.

for example, zatanna. she knows firsthand he's a dipshit from her last experiences and prior to new 52, she's kinda kept away from him. and honestly? you go, girl. get that toxicity out of your life if you find him to be toxic to you. but i don't like the way she's written in the initial jld because it's always "where's john" ( and, vice versa to shove the john/zatanna concept in our faces, john being all up zatanna's ass, which i personally feel does not do their characters justice. if you want to ship them, let them be them. show me why they work. not shove the "they're in love with one another" in my face and give me... dried out, squeezed sponges of their characters with absolutely zero substance. though maybe i just didn't like the writers for new 52 jld ( though the newer run is more enjoyable! zatanna feels more like herself ) because i don't think they wrote anyone well. sorry for the random tangent here ). zatanna is supposed to be intelligent. people look to her. so why would she consistently place her trust in a man she knows is going to hurt her and the team? then get angry with him for acting human even though he keeps saying he's not a hero and he will do anything to save his skin then people keep REPEATING IT AND THEN EVERYONE JUST GETS MAD AT HIM WHEN HE DOES EXACTLY THAT.

no, this is not just about zatanna. this can extend to deadman and everyone else as well, and the others, but i had the image in my mind if her quite literally yanking him from the bathtub and throwing him out of the bathroom and into a wall when she eventually took the house of mystery again because john left them all.... as he typically does.

overall, i think the initial justice league dark run was written terribly. like. astronomically bad. i don't even know why john led that team. i don't know why john was involved. i don't know why it had anything to do with argus. the newer run? with upside down man and stuff? okay, that i'm alright with. but i can quite honestly say that the writing in justice league dark new 52 was absolutely terrible AND OF COURSE IT WAS BECAUSE MILLIGAN WAS FIRST. i think it set the tone for the series and honestly it may be my own personal biases against him that clouds my judgement, but i hated the initial run. i think everything happened too fast, then shit started making absolutely no sense, and honestly, the most interesting thing that happened was whatever was going on with nightmare nurse.

okay, so. necro. unneeded. what was the point of nick necro. genuinely. to get john and zee together when they already have history but instead of allowing them to keep that history, it gets shit on for the sake of john seeing zee on stage and being like "wowza" and then having some weird competition with necro initially, just to lead to necro being? what, upset? at one point? i am so confused. like john and zee are kissing and zee apologizes to necro, and then he's like "eugh. i knew about you two. blah blah blah" like? he's not important to me. i don't care about him. why couldn't john and zee have just been together this guy literally solves very little plot purpose. even when he shows up later on. like dude. who ARE you.

anyways. anyways! that's my rant. just on random things. LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHY PETER MILLIGAN WAS ALLOWED TO PUT HIS GRUBBY FUCKING HANDS NEAR JOHN AGAIN BUT WHATEVER.

is any of this even canon anymore? i hope not.

[collectionoftulips]

So thoughts on the latest episode of The Way Home (2x09)

I enjoyed the episode and I guess one thing it sort of unintentionally reinforced for me is how lonely Kat is, because even though there is definitely shipping potential with her and Susanna (I could see it, for sure), I think fundamentally, she doesn't actually have that many friends. She had Elliot as a childhood friend but he's spent his whole life being in love with her, and the other close friend she had turned out to be her daughter, so she's never really had friends and especially not that many close women friends.

That said, I keep being a bit frustrated by how they write the contemporary timeline of Elliot and Kat, mainly because the pacing of how things happen between them still has a twinge of 'because the plot needed this to happen now' rather than it feeling organic to them as characters.

It was lovely seeing the moment Kat and Brady found out about Alice and that scene was really sweet. I do maintain though that Alice forgave Elliot far too quickly and her realising 'how much [he] lost that night' really felt out of nowhere and not really true to how I think that she would read that scene (again, scents of 'because the plot needed this to happen now').

I also maintain that the build up around the party was way overblown in relation to what really happened.

I think in terms of what finally drove Del and Kat apart, I love that it was something 'small' (comparatively) and that it just became the final pebble that crumbled the already precarious foundation they had together. In some ways, though, I really appreciate the way the show Del keeping a firm boundary between her and Kat in the sense that she's not trying to make her grief or problems Kat's issue, which (for someone who has grown up seeing too many fictional parental figures parentifying their children erhmRoryandLorelai) I appreciate it, even if it's a huge part as to why they have so much miscommunication.

Was glad we finally got some Jacob scenes and particularly actual conversations with him and Kat. Given how central he is to the show, but in particular this season, it's been really strange how the show really sidelined him for so much of how it structured its story (yes, the 2007 party was important, but I still think the build up was a bit too much since actually the important stuff happened after).

On a shallow, non-important note, I felt shortchanged with the limited Thomas/Kat interactions. I will confess I might have shipper goggles on but it really feels like the show can't have them interact too much because if they do, Elliot/Kat just doesn't seem as appealing by contrast, given in what an awkward position the writers put them in the start of the season for the sake of trying to extend the tension of Elliot and Kat's relationship.

I feel like this next episode will have so much 1800s (or it better) because there's so much around it that there are massive question marks. We still don't know (technically) how Kat's portrait was painted (which would have taken months - I think, I'm not a painter) or who did it or how it ended up at the Goodwins or why it was kept by the Goodwins. I imagine it might come back as a plot point in the next episode, but really I'm sort of hoping that season three will keep a lot of the 1800s stuff.

If I was a betting person, I think we also might have Elliot maybe doing some pond jumping or something, given how suddenly interested and/or surprised he seemed when Kat said she tried to take Susanna with her back to the present time. The way I will accept that is if we can have Thomas travel to the present to compensate

I don't have much to say about the whole Nick thing, but that's because I wasn't that invested in his stuff, but yeah.

Overall, I think this episode was fine. The previous episode was so jarring in terms of its pacing and the scent of 'because the plot needed this to happen now' that I felt like this episode struggled in some sense to find its footing, even if I think on the whole it pulled it off. I don't know if anyone cares about these thoughts but there you are!

[justagalwhowrites]

AHHH !!! I just finished chapter 11 for Lavender, and I can't wait to see readers interactions with the other characters from the show, and i have a few questions about the series..

How far do you plan on taking the series, based off of the show/games?

Do you plan on killing off Andrew or leaving him behind in the QZ?

If you are, is there a specific reason why?

Do you plan on having more series with Joel?

i hope these questions aren't too difficult and/or spoil too much about the series.. i'm just super excited and i have so many theories

i love your work ! it's some of the best writing i have seen in a long time, i'm literally in love with your series Lavender and Beskar Doll, they're both too good 🥇🫶

OMG hi bestie!

SPOILERS FOR LAVENDER BELOW

I tried to avoid making anything too spoilery but warning anyway!

1) This will run through Season 1 of the HBO show at least! I know fuck all about the games lol. Once we get closer to that point I may look into either a) extending with one shots or b) making this ending different enough that TLOU II wouldn’t happen. BUT we are going to get a “Joel on a rampage through the hospital” scene!

2/3) Andrew will live! He’s staying behind in the QZ. His life is going to be a bit of “what could have been” for Doc had she prioritized different things. Andrew has a few big plot points left (mostly good, one bad) and his relationship toward Joel is going to be a bit of a moving target. Once they settle in Jackson, Doc is going to want Andrew to come there but I doubt she would ask because the journey is so rough.

4) I probably will eventually! I’m definitely going to have a one shot AU with this series where the outbreak doesn’t happen and Joel and Reader have dinner. I don’t have an idea to explore with Joel otherwise at the moment but I’m sure I’ll come up with one once I obsess over the character enough lmfao! I’m a very character driven writer so if I can think up a great character to throw in the mix with Joel and see what happens, I will. Right now, I have a plan for another Mando series with a very different FMC (grumpy/sunshine vibes) and potentially a rivals to friends to lovers with Javier Peña once these are done. I’m also waffling on sharing a few chapters of a novel with all OC to get thoughts from folks as I consider querying and whatnot, so that may pop up here, too.

Thank you so much for reading my fics! It means so much to me that you enjoy them and are excited about where they’re headed!!! Love you!!!!!

[meandmyechoes]

Kingohger ep22

i have not processed last week's episode even it's just a summary so i don't know what to expect.

I'm really happy to see Suzume again! I'm curious as to how her "widow" status would be handled and if there is anything more between her and Racules in the sense of both of them carrying a facade to protect a secret (toufu/gira)

that said, it's the first ep to a new chapter so give me cool fights then it can be over

therefore, probably no one get specific focus today— they are keeping the dance op for the month are they?

speaking of which… i don't like the upcoming koryu crossovers. Unless they extend our show for at least 2 episodes, or make them the silly ones we want to see. Given an wota comrade writer they should know how to fanservice and i can understand the koryu stans that are excited for it. and the business decisions behind i guess, unnecessary now it seems.

ahhh why is my caffeine reaction so bad even inhaling starbucks is getting to me (well you sat here for two hours after 4 hours of sleep.)

i honestly think at this point i'm gonna pass out after the first 30mins of the movie

-----ep 22-----

ah the fight that got pushed this week because last week is SO packed with plot

are you guys in the studio or not???

i've seen so many stage shows this week seeing an onscreen fight that has camea angles feels different

the first time eating orange jelly is properly depicted

himeno says "shugod soul" that has to be a misdirection

Gira seems to remember sth though 😏😏

whenever camera shows >1/4 of rita's face: 💓💓💓

this episode feels rushing meeting target again

shugod soul is sth you can just eat and re eat??

so do the regular MOTW eat god soul/artificial god soul to grow big?

oooh that's all the rita today

two parter?

the hat guy is gonna flip so fast when gira makes one mistake

More red-sixth please

yes i like them as a team but i like the current dynamic the experienced ones follow up where Gira is not good at

They are finally making Rita address Kagu's many crimes 🤣

heh so kagu already has a clue boshimaru is an impostor shortly before the duel 🤔

literally Suzume is the best i love her so much

yanhime exchanging looks! mean besties!

i'm geeting anakin electrocution vibes?? how many times has Gira been electrocuted??

Background hime rita and black & white slash

i have no idea what is happening

😂 i thought he's gonna give yanma a big hug

so the key is for them to recognize the Shugods as comrades?

new music!

ookay! not filler month but regular plot just focus on robots while the film is character work 🤔 but that prolonged walk to the castle and awkward elevator trip is totally purposefully dragging the pace down (neutral)

[all54321]

Mother Spore!? (Pearl POV)

I’m currently dealing with writer’s block so I’ve decided to post what I had written for this. I definitely intended to extend this scene more but writer’s block got in the way. So I will eventually add on to it.

—————

Pearl follows Cub into the room holding the most recently captive infected. Also the most lucid one. Hopefully one they can get answers from.

“Hello,” Cub greets him, tone friendly.

He turns to look at them, staring at them with an unblinking stare. He tilts his head slightly.

“Can you talk?” Pearl asks. It slowly nods and she continues, “do you want to talk?” It only stares at her in response.

“We just have a few questions to ask you,” Cub says upon his silence. It tilts its head to the side, but doesn’t verbally respond. Cub continued anyways, “why are you doing all of this?”

“Because everyone should understand the gift the mycelium gives us,” it replies, eyes unblinking as it smiles.

“And what is that gift?”

“Everything.”

Pearl frowns, “‘everything’?”

It nods, “we have everything we’d ever need.”

“Can you give examples?” Cub prompts, completely focused on the infected in front of them.

He shakes his head, “Father and Mother would like to tell you themselves.”

They both freeze, Cub responding after a moment, “mother?”

He nods, “they want to welcome you themselves. To show you how great joining us will be.”

“Do you mean mother as in Mother Spore?” Pearl tries, dread filling her at just the thought.

“Mother Spore and Father Spore would like to speak to you themselves,” he repeats.

“Can you tell us anything about them?”

He shakes his head, “speak to them yourselves.”

“We can’t exactly do that,” Cub mutters under his breath. He sighs, “I suppose that is all, for now.”

The infected looks up at him as he stands, “you should go speak to Father,” Cub turns around, but immediately stiffens as it continues, “he wants to speak to you… Cub.”

“How do you know my name?”

“You need to speak to him.”

“I don’t think you’ll get any other answer from him,” Pearl says, placing a hand on Cub’s shoulder.

After a moment he slowly nods, turning back around, “call for a meeting with the others. We need to tell them about this Mother Spore.”

“Of course,” Pearl replies, taking out her phone to send a message to the group chat, calling for an emergency meeting. She makes her way to the meeting room while Cub gathers something. He arrives not long after she does, just as Pearl sets up the video call. All they need now is the go ahead from the others.

It feels like an eternity, but probably only several minutes, before they connect. Pearl stills in her pen tapping.

“We got as many people as we could under short notice,” Mumbo starts. “What’s up?”

Cub grimaces, “nothing good.”

Grian freezes, “what happened?”

Pearl gestures to the notes on her clipboard, “we were talking to one of the infected when they said something interesting.”

Cub nods and continues, “towards the end of the talk, they mentioned a Mother Spore.”

Grian drops his pen, it rattling against the table, loud in comparison to the dead silence. Bdubs soon breaks it, “Mother Spore!?”

Pearl nods, “they refused to tell us anything about this Mother Spore, but they seem to be seen in as high of regard as Father Spore.”

Mumbo swallows, “so there’s another leader?”

“It seems that way,” Cub agrees.

“Did this… infected say anything else besides them existing?” Grian asks, trying to hide his nerves, but Pearl sees right through him.

“Unfortunately, no. They just kept repeating that their ‘Mother and Father’ would like to speak to us themselves. They refused to say anything else,” Cub replies. Grian hums and looks away, expression troubled.

“There are a few ways we can take this Mother Spore’s silence,” Pearl continues. “The two most likely options are that they’re either plotting their next move or possible appearance, or that they’re just running whatever place all the infected are staying at while Father Spore ‘recruits.’”

“This is rather bad news,” Xisuma agrees.

“So we have absolutely no information?” Mumbo asks, his worry clear as day.

Cub nods, “I’ll try asking them more later, but it’s unlikely we’ll get a different response. You’ll have to tread more cautiously from now on.”

“Including keeping this on the down low,” Pearl adds. “If Mother Spore is as strong as Father Spore, then they can be a kind of trump card. Something up the resistance’s sleeves to use in an emergency. We can use us knowing already to our advantage in that case.”

“Of course,” Mumbo replies.

[homebody-nobody]

this is an unpopular opinion but since i love ur takes i would like your opinion on this. don’t u think the fandom sometimes forces so many dynamics between the pogues because they want all the pogues friendships to be equal? even when that’s realistically impossible. as a group, they all would fight for each other but the differences in loyalty will always be present.

you cannot ask jj to be loyal or open to sarah or cleo the same way he would with john b, pope or kie. it’s not realistic. i think that while he cares about sarah as a friend and has bonded with her. the reason him and pope even cared for her was because of john b, he loved her and therefore they extended their loyalty towards her. and i know people might disagree on this but if it came down to sarah or john b, i believe kie would put john b first. when ward “died”, her loyalty was towards john b. this is why it was a bit unrealistic for kiara to not be a little bit more upset over her cheating on john b. i wish the writers would’ve done a better job on making us believe in the friendship between kie and sarah but so far the dynamic between the og pogues seems to be the most believable and organic.

now with the added romantic pairings, you can expect them to put their significant other first. john b has put sarah over his friends multiple occasions even if indirectly. he did so very directly in this finale against his dad. i would imagine pope will start to experience a similar switch with cleo if presented with the challenge and of course, i think we all know that if it comes down to the pogues plans or kiara – he will pick kiara. he was ready to ditch the gold and to delay john b’s plan to safe his dad for kiara. and this is actually an interesting plot for the pogues. how willing are they to put their lives in danger now that they are not longer just a friend group with a common goal? but there’s romantic partners in the mix… it used to be only sarah, now there’s more players in the game.

As far as I know, I haven't encountered people trying to force pogue friendships? But I don't read a lot of fic so it may be happening in spaces I'm not in.

I think that loyalty is a central idea to the show, for sure, and we see varying levels of that across dynamics and in different circumstances -- family, found family, friendships, and romantic relationships. I think that the 'deserted island for a month' thing was meant to enhance and reinforce the pogues love and loyalty for each other, including Sarah and Cleo.

re: the Kie & Sarah dynamic, I understand what you mean about Kie's reaction to Sarah cheating on John B, but we have to remember that Sarah and Kie had a relationship -- a very deep, intimate one -- before the show began. Kie was hurt by her betrayal, but after Sarah's apology in season one and everything else they've been through together since, I think Kie's loyalty to Sarah makes sense. Also, Kie had the context of what happened -- she got to see Sarah's deep guilt and shame over what she did, and while it's clear she doesn't approve of it, she understands where Sarah is coming from and wants to stand by her and help her repair her relationship with John B. I think at that point in the story, Sarah has proven her loyalty to the pogues several times over, and while Kie was nervous when she saw Sarah with Topper, the way that Sarah immediately ditched Topper and went with Kie ( I was CHEERING in that moment -- I was so hoping they weren't gonna force more Kie & Sarah conflict For The Drama), reassured her that Sarah's loyalty was in the right place. Also, Kie has a huge heart, and we know that she's very compassionate -- she loves animals, struggles to kill, even for survival, hurled herself off a tanker to save JJ, and risked her life to save the pilot. Kie giving Sarah the benefit of the doubt, hearing her explanation, and deciding to help her and still be her friend, I think, is still very much in character. I also wish we got more Kie & Sarah bonding scenes, but, the pates are men, and treasure rules the day.

I completely agree with what you said about John B and JJ, and their unfailing loyalty -- that trait is central to their characters and has already been a source of conflict for John B with his dad, and then also with JJ and Luke a little bit in season two. IN terms of Pope and Cleo, I don't think I could see Cleo putting Pope in a position to choose between backing her up or staying loyal to his friends, mostly because of Cleo's demonstrated loyalty to him and the rest of the group. Cleo grew up with no family, and I think that's the most important thing to consider when we look at her entrance into the pogues found family. Her instant loyalty makes a lot of sense -- these are the first people who have really showed that they care about her beyond what she can do for them. From the Pogues' side of things, Cleo has saved their lives (multiple times, I'm pretty sure), and is a valuable and valued member of the crew.

All in all, I think exploring the dynamics between all the members of the group is a really interesting thing to do in fan spaces, because we only get bits and pieces from the show. John B and Sarah, obviously, are already well-established with Cleo, as well as Pope, but we only see one moment of interaction specifically between her and JJ (when Cleo and Pope show up to the air strip), and so far, nothing between her and Kie. (Although it would be really interesting to see those two band together and bond over their experiences as black women, because Kiara hasn't had a friend who shares that life yet.) We see a lot of Sarah and Kie, but only one moment with Sarah and JJ (re: the overpass incident), and we know Sarah went to tell Pope about Rafe being back, but that happened offscreen.

For fic purposes, I think making them cohesive as a general crew makes sense, and while their are obvious differing levels of familiarity and friendship, I think loyalty, in this case, becomes transferrable. Sarah is loyal to JJ and Pope because John B is, and she trusts him. Same with Cleo to Kie and JJ with Pope. Also, even though some of the pogues have underdeveloped relationships with each other, I think they would still lay their life on the line for any of the other members, simply because they know that's what everyone else would do for them. This is illustrated especially by Cleo's loyalty and desperation to find Kie in the first two episodes, even though all of the development in their relationship happened off-screen, while surviving on the island for a month.

TL;DR - Basically, I don't think fans are forcibly or unrealistically depicting relationships between the pogues that don't know each other as well for two main reasons. 1) I haven't encountered it myself, and 2) by exploring and understanding evidence from canon, unfailing loyalty across all dynamics still makes an enormous amount of sense.