#it's like they're important enough to integrate key parts of the story but not enough to even have their own special. what's up with that 🤔

[petr1kov]

whyyyy were simon and betty never really allowed to have their own storylines. it's always sandwiched in the middle of like three other things, for some reason. fionna and cake came the closest to that in its first season since it was in large part about simon (who drove the plot forward) but it was still, you know, the FIONNA AND CAKE show to which simon is more the deuteragonist rather than the protagonist of. and he didn't even get a distant lands special of his own. why is that.

[emblemxeno]

If we're being honest, I got a lot of issues with Ingrid because I feel like she has the wrong character development

Her support with Dedue is realizing that she shouldn't apply her negative view of Duscur onto every Duscurian indiscriminately

That kind of thing works for Oboro because Nohrians really did kill her parents

But, Duscurians didn't actually cause the death of Lambert or Glenn, so her development should've been to learn that all those years of hatred were misdirected, and she hated them for no reason

It also didn't help that Dimitri states multiple times that Duscur didn't commit the crime, and Ingrid is still ignorant about it

I have this unhinged hatred of the Faerghus Four as a concept because every time, it's like they're consciously refusing to acknowledge the importance of Dedue in Dimitri's life in the present "Oh, these are Dimitri's childhood friends. Of course, they're close." Yeah, sure.... They're totally closer to Dimitri than Dedue is in the present.... *Internal screaming*

Combining these because my answer to both is similar!

In my opinion, it showcases how 3H's writing philosophy is ultimately shoddy in its foundation. The backstories, supports, and character-to-character dialogue itself is great in theory, but execution it clashed with what both FE usually tries to do and what 3H desperately wants to do.

FE typically has characters join chapter to chapter, with important ones having plot moments, while side characters fall to the background once their designated chapter is up. But this isn't at the cost of character interaction, pre-established relationships, and the micro-to-macro worldbuilding precisely because they're not overly important. You can have canon romances, friendships, familial relationships, etc. because that's all supplemental side material.

3H was written in a way in which the characters were all connected to its grandiose world, to the point where Fodlan itself can be almost considered a character. Multilayered backstories that infer key points in the narrative, each character no matter how trivial having opinions on how the world works, shifting dynamics, etc.

The problem though is that these two philosophies clash already at base, but also run into the problem of FE's gameplay integrated story elements.

None of the Faerghus Four can meaningfully comment on their relationship with Dimitri during a story cutscene because they can die. Ingrid can't meaningfully change her perspective on Dedue or Duscur beyond her supports because she can die. Therefore, all you get are (admittedly pretty good) supports, the monastery dialogue, and other tidbits intentionally disconnected from one another so as not to be important enough to write around potential death. The comments they do get in cutscenes were intentionally written in a way to be surface level and easily replaced. Look at the FEdatamine site for example, where conclusions are reached by Byleth, the lord, the unkillable retainer, and other important story figures, with numerous possible instances of "if X character is alive they comment this, but if X character is dead this line is skipped."

That is proof of how sloppy 3H's writing is in foundation when you think about it long enough. The game that has such an intricate world, thorough details, and fascinating story beats, is actually extremely bad at delivering a story, especially an FE story. Being the judgmental and petty cunt that I am, 3H gets a pass most of the time a) most don't care or bother to care about actual stuff like this and b) the game has the aesthetics of being a down to earth, gritty, serious narrative. The foundational issues don't matter when you have Edelgard yapping about "THE CREST SYSTEM", dark character circumstances, and intriguing mysteries to solve in part 1.

People want the appearance of sophistication, especially after Awakening and Fates bent a lot of rules to fuck around with their respective stories. It's why Engage, despite not having nearly as many basic issues at conveying its plot and is actually extremely good at being a Fire Emblem story (e.g. more character being able to actually die, pre-established relationships, chapter to chapter joining, not nearly as much centering on Alear as the ultimate decider on a character's fate compared to Byleth), is panned because... why? Its bright aesthetic? Its good dragon vs evil dragon plot? Its softer or humorous moments?

Hell, even its call backs to past FE games is called cheap, soulless, or a gateway to gacha (one video I saw even described it as something like "when art becomes obligation" or some such nonsense), despite it LITERALLY being the prime anniversary title. The main character is the Fire Emblem, and the writers-through Lumera-wish a happy birthday to Fire Emblem!!! What about that is lacking heart and soul?

But yeah, again, I preface that I'm a judgmental asshole who proudly proclaims that the audience (at least the western one) has for years been too obsessed with yearning for darker serious aesthetics of FE's past (despite said past being wackier than they remember), that when a new game has them in overflowing spades, the many fundamental video game writing issues do not matter as much anymore.

Aesop for the day: Serious tones and aesthetics are not automatically better than lighter, heartfelt, or funny ones. You still have to write well for a story to be good.

EDIT: Funny enough this is also why Three Hopes is a more comfy environment for the Fodlan cast's in terms of tangible development, because the things the writers want to do with that game's story complements its gameplay. Because KT is better at making Warriors plots than FE plots.

[tuiyla]

top 5 atla/tlok dynamics?

Oh ❤

Combining both is tough but we'll do the first 5 that come to mind:

Katara and Sokka - I'm a Water Sibs stan for life, that brother-sister relationship is SO well-written. It helps that all Avatar characters and in particular the Gaang are just ridiculously fleshed out but I think it's this dynamic that will always have the biggest place in my heart.

Korra and Asami - okay so obviously they're forever my favourite Avatar ship and the only reason I didn't list them first is because when I think of dynamics it's a much bigger world than just romantic relationships. Obviously I'm obsessed with them, but I cannot in good conscience say they're the number one dynamic in both shows.

Zutaraang - I could have written out all three names but I like the portmanteau. I've been trying to gather proper thoughts on how these three are the very pillars of ATLA's narrative, the three main supporting points, for about... well at least about 7 years now. One day I'll randomly wake up and write that particular magnum opus but until then I'll say that beyond being the three most important characters all three also have fascinating dynamics with each other which makes for this delicious triangle. Not a love triangle, though.

Zuko and Iroh - Well I can't not say this huh. I think there are dynamics that I would personally rank higher just in terms of my own enjoyment but what kind of a monster would I be to not include them. They're everything. They're The Most. The term "has never been done before" has never felt more apt. Enough said.

Korra and Tenzin - LoK has such a different story structure from ATLA and it's The thing that made me be so fascinated by questions of narrative and how it's all built but anyway, one of those key differences is that Korra is central to LoK in a way Aang isn't to ATLA. And part of that is her relationship with Tenzin being so integral to the DNA of the show. Really it's Korra and the whole Kataang family but particularly this student/mentor relationship that's also dad-in-another-life/son lmao. No but for real, Korra and Tenzin feel like the heart of LoK throughout the series and it's probably the single most well-developed dynamic in the show, too. With all due respect to my girlies.

[sideprince]

That's only if you're looking at house elves as creatures invented by Rowling specifically for the HP universe, which they weren't. They're essentially brownies, which are Scottish folkloric household spirits:

Rowling changed their mythology somewhat to make them more slave-like, which is problematic in a number of ways. For one thing, she, as a British woman, has co-opted Scots folklore and changed some of its key elements while profiting off the story they're an integral part of, which has echoes of colonialism to it. For another, Brownies in their own myths have agency and are paid for their labor with food/drink that's set out for them. They will also leave a household if treated poorly. In my interpretation, they're kindly spirits who are essentially a wishful projection of the imagination of hard-working people with difficult lives centered around manual labor, ie. "wouldn't it be wonderful if I woke up tomorrow and the house was swept and the laundry was done and I could rest for a few hours?"

Rowling rewrote brownies into creatures who are enslaved and bound to their masters, including being forced to self-harm if they speak ill of these masters. Both of these prominents traits of her version of house-elves go against the brownie myth of creatures who are compensated and accept no ill treatment. It says a lot that Rowling has not only decided to change their myth to parallel slaveyr, but where human slaves in the real world would be punished by overseers or masters, in Rowling's world the enslavers aren't the ones to do this kind of dirty work, the house elf does even that for them. If anything, this gives us a glimpse into her own view of the world and the ways she projects her unconscious biases and internalized British colonialist mindset onto her writing. I'm not even going to get into how the way she writes the speech of house elves mirror 19th/early 20th century minstrel shows in the U.S., which were basically white people dressing up in blackface and making fun of black people (The Star Wars movies did a similar thing with Jar Jar Binks).

In any case, Rowling has said as much as that house elves come with a house. It's in canon, I believe. As much as it's important to draw the parallels she makes with real slavery, her comparison is clumsy and poorly thought out and I think these conclusions I keep seeing drawn in the notes of this post that house elves were captured or bought in house-elf slave markets at some point is both giving Rowling more credit than she deserves for her critical thinking, and overlooking the folkloric source of the house elf myth she used. I also think that, as much as it's fun and interesting to write meta, there are times when it's impossible to do so without acknowledging the shortcomings of the author whose imperfect world the meta is about.

And sometimes it's just that it's a world that is magical. The origins of brownies are connected with mythology around the dead, most often spirits of departed family members who are still watching over the home, sometimes of a deceased household servant (this is in a time when household servants were both necessary and often familiar enough to feel almost like a member of the family, depending how wide the class difference between them and the household was). Folklore isn't about coming up with explanations, but about suspending disbelief and entertaining a reality in which magical things happen, like elves appearing in your house inexplicably who are willing to do your chores in exchange for a bowl of milk.

question to the void: what inconsistency in the harry potter series irritates you the most?

[muellercorn]

Happy International Women's Day! These are women involved in theatre that I believe have paved the future for female artists. I think it would be apt for you to read their names and stories and then let me know women who inspire you in the theatre world and how you think they're shaping the future. Reblog if you see your inspirations and share their stories.

1. Jennifer Kirby. We may only be 3 months into 2019, but I'm ready to call Jennifer Kirby woman of the year. At age 30, I'd already consider her a veteran of the RSC, a company where she has portrayed so many Shakespearean females with a new found voice and personality. She first appeared on our screens in Call The Midwife in 2016 as Nurse Valerie Dyer. From the start Val has faced some of the most brutal storylines, most involving the rights of women and the working class, and been an absolute inspiration due to her brave and loving personality. However over the last 8 weeks she has been the pioneer character of the most powerful women's rights stories I've seen in entertainment ever. If it hadn't been for Kirby's authentic, sensitive performance and her deep understanding of the human condition from women who've walked different lives from her own, this storyline would not have had the impact that it has. She never complains about a hard storyline either, when interviewers ask how difficult scenes were, her response is always one of gratitude enthusiasm and excitement for the changes it could bring about in society. I believe this will be the start of more powerful storylines for women in the media and moreover I know her performance has had a real life effect on society, changing and developing people's opinions and giving them fresh eyes to see other people's experiences through with sympathy and care.

2. Jessie Mueller. During her Broadway career this far, Mueller has portrayed some of the most complex women with such heart and integrity. She has proven endlessly that vulnerability and strength can coexist. In 2016 Jessie won the Lilly Award (awards for females making a difference in society) for best actress following her run as Jenna in Waitress. A not was left in the theatre's lobby saying that Jessie's heartfelt performance helped a woman decide to leave the abusive relationship she was in. Additionally Jessie has done countless benefits for charities benefiting women, is an activist for equal rights and a dedicated educator. Jessie has defied type casting and shown us all that we are not defined by anything but our hearts and work ethic.

3. Ruthie Ann Miles. Strength, power, inspiration - Ruthie is the true embodiment of all these things. Moreover she spreads happiness and joy, ever since I watched her win her Tony I just felt this overwhelming sense of happiness. This woman spreads light everywhere she goes and never fails to make me brim with happiness and smiles. In today's world we need a light and Ruthie truly is that light.

4. Marianne Elliott. To me, Marianne Elliott is the best theatre director of our times. Directing is a profession that is predominantly male dominated and I believe that Elliott will be one of the key figures in changing that. Her love for her work is evident in the current revival of Company a true highlight of the theatre scene in recent years. Her integrity, leadership skills and incredible visions have led to a groundbreaking piece of theatre for women.

5. Rosalie Craig. Her incredible portrayal of the 'new' Bobbie in the 2018 Company Revival has given an in depth, layered portrayal of a woman who is unapologetic for her decisions and personal internal debates. Craig brings so much to this role that you don't see Bobbie as promiscuous like expected but rather as someone simply living life making her own calls and it's absolutely refreshing and unique to see. Furthermore her talent is so stellar that it is guaranteed to inspire a generation of young performers.

6. Katrina Lenk. Resilience strikes me when I think of Katrina Lenk. Her break came in her 40s, prior to this she was relatively unknown in the mainstream theatre world however she never stopped working. Women are ingrained to believe their value decreases as they age, especially in the arts, however Katrina has proven that this is not true. We gain experience, life lessons, emotional qualities, skills and ethics that helps us grow as people and performers. When I think of Katrina Lenk I think of someone so driven by love rather than fame. Additionally, through the characters she portrayed, Katrina has given a voice to so many women who's stories would typically go untold.

7. Jessie Nelson. A valued part of the first all female Broadway creative team for Waitress, Nelson wrote the book for the musical and in doing so helped create a masterpiece and a true gift for all women who feel their story doesn't matter. She comprehensively understands what it means to be female, the importance of female friendship and the responsibility that came with writing a script like this. Thanks to Nelson we have a musical that honours our stories and inspires us to go out and speak of our own experiences. She helped create the living proof that female stories sell and I'm sure we will see many more following in its footsteps.

8. Paula Vogel. Scriptwriter, Vogel, first came to my intention when I first watched Indecent on Broadway HD. The main two things that hit me regarding women's rights upon watching the play, was the portrayal of sexuality between Dina and Ruth outside of the internal play 'God of Vengeance', this relationship is powerful and much more emotionally based than trying to portray lesbian relationships as sexual items for men's pleasure as many arts still find acceptable. Additionally at the start of the play when describing the casting type of each troupe member, Vogel avoids attaching gender to the description starting the tone with the message they desire to continue with, equality for all.

9. Eva Noblezada. I will never forget Noblezada's performance as Kim, I remember being truly in awe and inspired. Then when learning how young she was I was admired at her dedication to travel thousands of miles from home at such a young age in true dedication to telling a story she believes in. Miss Saigon has a story line so beautifully reflective of the maternal side of women and Noblezada's performance portrayed this beautifully showing the true fierce strength that women posses.

10. Hailey Kilgore. A Tony award nomination at age 19! That is more than enough to inspire. Additionally the profound and positive outlook Kilgore has about the world is beyond beautiful and heartwarming.

11. Patti Murin. I admire anyone who speaks out about mental illness and Murin does so so candidly that it is unbelievably inspirational. It's a daunting thing to do because mental illness can be mistaken for being 'overly emotional' or 'unreliable' and I commend Murin for speaking out anyway knowing what she is risking because it will remind an entire generation who struggle with their mental health not to give up because of it. Despite her struggles Murin's work is incredibly joyful and can brighten up any day.

12. Sara Bareilles. Always dedicated to writing her truth, Bareilles has never cabed into the pressure of writing a traditional love song at times when it didn't feel authentic to her. Being motivated to make art rather than money, Sara Bareilles has written so many anthems for women reminding them to feel and fight. Furthermore she's proved that you don't have to write songs about men to sell music, authenticity leads to success.

13. Adrienne Warren. This woman is a force. She is currently giving everything she's got to bring the empowering story of Tina Turner to life 8 times a week in the west end. She is the driving force of a vital story for women in society and she treats it with the importance and passion it deserves. Furthermore her social media is dedicated to educating people about equality for all in society.

14. Marin Mazzie. In September 2018 Marin lost her battle to Ovarain cancer but her legacy will pass from generation to the next. Her dedication to what she loved during her battle is the epitome of female strength, additionally she committed time to activism and raising awareness of ovarian cancer. To me 'Back to Before' - Ragtime is the ultimate theatre anthem for women's rights and Marin's recording and perspective is so moving and empowering that it has the ability to motivate anyone who listens to change the world.

15. Bernadette Peters. A true theatre icon Peters has wrestled with all the names in the book, the classic term 'Diva' that was constantly thrown around when a woman was so powerful and successful in their field that people didn't know how to react. I don't think anything will stop this woman..... I mean did you see the press ups on The View, in high heels and a dress! Icon! Furthermore this was the week before her 70th birthday. I don't think Peters will ever age in spirit or appearance but she embraces her age regardless, the host with held her name but Peters made it clear that she feels age shouldn't be hidden from as our value does not decrease in anyway. Her work in theatre and charity should be inspirational to all.

16. Lindsay Mendez. Firstly I admire any women dedicated to educating and teaching, like Lindsay is. I could say a lot about Lindsay, but I feel she says it best herself. She is true to her identity, body positive and wants to represent everyday people through her art, as we all should if we consider art as a mirror to society.

“When I moved to New York, I was told to change my last name from Mendez to Matthews, or I wouldn’t work. I’m so proud to be part of a community that celebrates diversity and individuality … Be your true self and the world will take note.”

"When you hear you’re going to audition for “Dogfight,” the show about bringing ugly women to parties, you’re like, ‘Oh, great, thank you.’ But that’s also our dream as actors, to play someone else and give someone else a voice. I love this character so much."

17. Cobie Smulders. Whilst filming HIMYM Cobie was privately battling Ovarian Cancer, she beat it and later went on to defy odds by having her own children. Her dedication to her art during this time is a testimony to her strength and will. Furthermore during her time on the show Cobie brought to life incredibly moving stories specific to women in society giving them a voice. She has since gone on to have a successful career in film and theatre and has a large voice in social activism. Her accounts about her battle with ovarian cancer will help to give so much support to women going through similar difficult times and hopefully raise awareness in others so they're able to detect this illness in early stages.

18. Ella Fitzgerald. To me Ella is the American song book, she is the voice of all the Gershwin, Porter, Berlin musicals that came to follow. She gave a voice to a minority and inspired so many people. She continues to inspire people when ever you listen to recordings of her and feel the raw emotion. The modern musical stands on Ella's shoulders.

19. Audra McDonald. SIX TONY AWARDS. She's defied every odd and stereotype by purely working hard and being a truly good person. She's inspired many people and shown us all that anything is possible when you're prepared to prove people wrong. Furthermore she always takes time to thank and honour those who came before her, the people who's shoulders she stands on and that to me is what female empowerment is more than anything else.

20. Judy Garland. My personal inspiration and to be honest I struggle to articulate how she inspires me as it's more of an emotion than a string of thoughts. I just believe Garland strove for love, kindness and friendship over anything. I also believe her work is a sign of hope, no matter how she was treated she never gave in, she didn't stop doing what she loved because of the way she was treated she kept going. It's debatable if that's the right decision, but it doesn't matter as it was a strong decision and it was Judy's. I respect her an unbelievable amount for her voice, her heart and her perspective on the world. Imagine what would be if that sweet girl hadn't sang 'Over The Rainbow' all those years ago, and imagine even more what could have been if we saw Garland for the layered, complex human being she was rather than sweet and cheery Dorothy Gale. Personally whenever I get the chance to perform I always think of Garland before I step on stage, I thank her for her sacrifices to the art because it wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for her, I don't think there will ever be a star as bright again. It's also to remember that whilst addiction and mental illness don't descriminate, Judy wouldn't have faced many of the issues she did if she wasn't a woman.

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

The perspective we all should have had:

"I've always taken 'The Wizard of Oz' very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it."

I hope to hear of those who inspire you and I hope we all continue to inspire and empower each other. Alicia x

[theticklishpear]

So I, a fool, have decided as of today to start a new story from scratch for NaNo. I've got vague conceptions of my main characters and what they're after, along with group dynamics and a vague sense of the world (i.e. MAGIC!), but that's about it. I'm usually a planner, but I usually start much sooner than now. Any advice for how to scrape up several fairly fleshed-out characters, a passable world, and a plot outline in three weeks?? (My planner brain may have to try a bit of pantsing.)

I just sent a message about developing Very Fast for NaNo and I ran into the character limit in that ask, but thank you for the help and this very nice blog you’ve got going!!

I, also a fool, share your bench on the boat, my friend. We share a lot of things in common: I’ll also be starting a new story for which I only have vague conceptions, a world with magic, and am usually a planner. And I usually start way before now. If it makes you feel any better about it, you’re not alone in your self-built boat. We both started building that boat without realizing the other was there and wound up building our halves right into each other. Hi. Let’s sail.

Luckily for both of us, we have 3 weeks to really sit down and figure this stuff out. I’ll be mildly chronicling my adventure in some upcoming posts, but the big thing for you and I will be staying dedicated to planning on a consistent basis. The time for sleeping and procrastinating our way forward is over. We both need to put all our best tactics for focusing to work. Set aside a specific time period and/or amount of time to plan each day. Maybe it’s just a half hour every day or maybe it’s every day at 7 PM. Whatever works best for your schedule, make sure that spending time with this idea is a dedicated part of your day.

Parcel out those planning weeks on specific topics. Start with characters, move to plot, move to world. Spend a portion of time specifically dreaming about those particular aspects and start to parcel out the necessary information:

Know your character’s goals, weaknesses, and tactics: These three aspects of your character will be crucial to understanding them enough to write them. Things like where they work and how many siblings they have and whether they had a pet when they were growing up are icing on the cake in these kinds of hasty planning times. What you need to know is what they’re after, what they’ll make bad decisions because of, and how they’ll first try to solve problems in their life. If you can’t figure those three things out, you’re going to have a tough time really knowing how they’ll react to things and what their direction is.

Figure out what your conflict is: I’m not talking about the climax, here, I’m talking plot. What’s wrong in the world? This comes out of the general concept. You need to know how the concept interacts with the world and the characters living in that world, AND what kinds of problems that concept would create for those living day-to-day with it. Concept is great and can start the building blocks of a really inventive new world, but concept is not plot. You have got to know what that central conflict is in order to write this story. What goes wrong? What’s causing difficulties? What is this story really about?

Whose story is it and why: Alright, so you’ve got characters and you’ve got conflict, but who’s the main character and why? This ties in with the inciting incident of your plot. Why is the main character the main character? What happens that makes them so integrally involved with the conflict that this story belongs to them? What happens to make them decide that they have to go out and take part in what’s going on?

Decide what kind of story you’re trying to tell: What’s your end-goal? Where are you headed and what’s that ending scene before the credits look like? Are there certain themes you want to play with, or a certain arc of a character’s growth you really want to showcase? Is there a feeling you want to leave the audience with at the end? Knowing that will help you mold the plot points and shape the arcs of your characters as you’re thinking long and hard about what the plot ought to be.

All the rest is icing: How many religions are there in the world? Do they drive cars everywhere or fly? Are nuclear families important? Who knows. All of that can be details that you make up on the fly if you have to. It won’t be comfortable, especially if you’re a big planner like I am, but it is entirely possible to build a world that feels real to the reader even as you’re making it up. Twelve siblings? Iguanas on their tennis shoes? Prefer lemons to oranges? Way to build up that texture building, friend!

The freedom here is that you don’t have to know every detail about everything to write an effective story. You need to know a couple of key details (character, plot, a world concept), and the rest can be made up on the fly. Feel free to mention things without actually knowing for sure the extensive world history of it. Let your characters reference their favorite foods without knowing what all it’s made from. Mention movie titles without actually knowing what the movie is. Let your characters make jokes you don’t always understand. It’s okay. This will build a depth to your world that you can work on enhancing later if you want to. Right now, your world is malleable at this point and there’s no one to tell you you can’t, yet. Don’t stall yourself. Embrace that you will have ample time to course correct later.

Nothing is set in stone: Don’t let it stymie you if the month starts and you don’t have every detail you normally do when you start a story. It’s okay. Write with abandon for now. Explore every avenue. I do advise that you write with a highlighter in hand, or a second document open. Whenever you mention a tidbit of worldbuilding, highlight it or copy-and-paste it into another document. This will let you do quick references back to it when you think you want to try to expand on it later in the month, or even afterward as you’re going back to do the deep building dive. I don’t do this all the time and I kick myself when I don’t.

I hope that’s helped a bit. Like I said at the beginning, I’ll be opening up a bit more about what I’m doing to grow my problem-child this month before November, soon, so maybe keep an eye out for that for some more ideas. Good luck, friend. Now row! -Pear

Some additional resources to think about:The GOTE MethodConcept Is Not PlotThree Points To Pay Attention ToProvoking Story - Inciting IncidentFleshing Out IdeasThe Effect of More

[cogentranting]

Basically I think the structure can be laid out in a few tiers:

The Leader: Jack. He's in charge, people look to him for decisions, and he ultimately holds the most sway.

Community leaders; Not THE leader but some of the most important contributors to the community structure. These are the ones who Jack is likely to confer with on decisions, who are likely to take on a leadership role when Jack is not around, or who might challenge Jack for leadership at any given point. This is characters like Kate, Locke, Sayid, and Sawyer (though Sawyer doesn't start out here he fills this increasingly over time).

Community contributors: These are the characters who are the most likely to take on important tasks or be a part of missions. They are unlikely to end up leading, but will offer opinions on major decisions. This is characters like Charlie, Jin, Sun, Desmond, Boone and Hurley.

Community influencers: These characters don't often take on important tasks (of the type that make up the plot of episodes-- they're not hunting, or exploring, or fighting, or pushing the button.) Their role in the community life consists of the more mundane daily tasks (such as laundry, or building shelters) however they are key parts of the heart of the community and their voices matter. This is characters like Claire, Rose, Shannon, Libby and (generally) Bernard. (Hurley and Charlie also occupy this space at times, but make conscious efforts to push themselves into the Contributors grouping. Actual plot points revolve around their desire to be there or not be there.)

General community members: This group is basically the extras. They're a part of the community, they presumably have roles they take on in the day to day life on the Island. But they neither take on the distinct active roles that would set them apart, nor have a influential enough voice to matter much to the story. For this reason they are not characters. When one of the general members does start taking action or speaking up, that's when they become an active character, even if they don't fully manage to make enough of an impact to permanently move groups (such as Arzt, Nikki and Paolo, or Frogurt).

Characters like Ana Lucia, Eko, and early Sawyer are harder to place because they don't so much move up and down the scale as they move on and off it. in the tail section camp, Ana Lucia had Jack's role as leader. But once they tail section group joins the main group, Ana never manages to fully integrate into the community structure (though if she'd lived longer she likely would have cemented a place in the 'community leaders tier'). Eko by virtue of both skill and force of personality should be at least a contributor if not a leader but he holds himself aloof from the group and is typically content doing his own thing without much regard for what the others are doing and so he never really integrates into the group structure either. Sawyer in seasons 1 and 2 is a contributor but only sporadically. He'll insert himself into events sometimes, but other times will want nothing to do with the camp goings on. As seasons 1 and 2 progress he becomes a more fixed member of the contributor group, and after his return from captivity in season 3, the narrative pushes him more and more into the community leader group (and he eventually emerges as THE leader in the smaller subgroup of the initial time travelers).

By and large placement on the scale emerges through a combination of practical skills and force of personality. Jack comes out on top in both-- he has the most specialized skill and is therefore the most valuable community member as the only doctor, which would automatically secure him position in the leaders group and then his personality brings him fully out on top. Some of the other leaders have specialized skills as well (such as Sayid and Locke) but mostly its a general physical ability to take on action oriented roles (Sawyer and Kate both don't have any particular specialized skill but are physically fit and can use a gun which automatically makes people turn to them in times of danger) paired with a forceful personalities and a desire to have a say in what happens. The split between the contributors and the influencers generally comes down to just a matter of practical ability. (Sun and Claire probably have about equivalent desire to have a say in what happens, but Sun is more able to be active in the community by virtue of being a little older and not having a baby to care for).

The Lost characters survivors group is very specifically not coded as found family, but instead is very deliberately shaped as a community. And I just think that its very interesting the way they built that structure and the way that it impacts the character dynamics and how the story flows, especially in the first three or four seasons (you know, before the majority of that community is abruptly killed off).

[archer3-13]

okay but to break away from the satire for a sec, radiant dawn p2 is in many ways my favourite part of radiant dawn in terms of writing. The whole game is really solid in that department, even if its weaknesses can be pretty damn aggravating, but p2 is what salvaged elincia from a character i found annoying in por to a character i now appreciate in her entirety.

so we open right. and we have elincia, and shes officiating over a meeting with her nobles and advisors and boy is it a droll. their fighting over the smallest things, they're throwing metaphorical mud whenever they can at elincia and her inner circle like lucia and geoffrey. its a mess, enough so that elincia takes the first opportunity to bail and go on a relaxing flight on a pegasus because ruling is indeed hard and exhausting. we get a quick romp in the sky, leanne shows up but for the most part this is the calm before the storm.

we then get an entire chapter dedicated to brom and nephenee dealing with a bunch of rebels in their home town causing a ruckuss after getting aggravated by some general we learn is a subordinate of a 'duke ludveck', and in terms of gameplay story integration we get explicitly told to avoid killing the stupid town rebels if you can to get some rewards [its bexp]. the chapter ends with one of the townie hotheads freaking out over getting hurt and brom, a man emphasized to be not just a gentle soul but a somewhat cowardly individual despite his overall bravery, dressing the townie down about the brutal reality of war being painful and inglorious.

the next few chapters are a back and forth, brom and nephenee inform elincia of a happenings and elincia sends lucia to investigate. lucia uncovers that yeah ludvecks planning a full on coup and makes a messy getaway, but ludvecks expecting this and launches the fires of war. elincia hoping to stem things before they get too far out of hand sends geoffrey to cut the head off the snake with an assault on ludvecks castle, but ludveck also anticipated that and left a large mob of riled up rebel idiots to get murked [your also encouraged in georffreys charge to avoid killing enemies for bexp] well he speedruns taking the capital. elincias crew anticipated that as well however so elincias been moved to a hidden location.

then things go sideways. ludveck captures lucia and gets handed the keys to the backdoor of elincias hideout thanks to a disgruntled servant [who elincia explicitly spares despite her royal guards protest]. we get p2-F and its a brutal brawl of a siege map with a ton of enemies pouring in, a good mix of mages, archers, heavy hitters and fast fighters to catch any soloist attempts off guard with effective counters. notably you also dont get any bexp for sparing enemies though you do end the map early if ya gank ludveck. important thing is aside from speedrun shenanigans theres no way to avoid raking up bodies here.

but anyways, ludveck surrenders, gets jailed and the siege seems to be over. except uhoh, ludvecks pulling out his trump card with a public hanging of lucia unless elincia gives the crown to him.

cause you see, it was never about ludvecks own ambitions. all the bloodshed, the fires, the destruction and betrayal, it was all for the sake of the nation and the people you see. elincias too weak hearted a ruler, ineffective and naive about how things work. only a strong willed individual like ludveck can be expected to protect the nation and ensure the peoples best interests, this very incident proves it ludveck says.

only, instead of meeting ludvecks expectations elincia calls his bluff. yeah, she was weak willed and ineffective, and it did help endear this civil war. but what about you ludveck? can an individual who engineers said civil war, abandons his followers like chess pieces, and who so casually and callously initiates a conflict that will leave physicial and metaphorical wounds on the very nation he claims to love for years to come truly be said to love his nation and its people? if lucias death is her punishment for letting the conflict happen then she will bear it, because the alternative is leaving the fate of the nation in the hands of someone like him.

it works out in the end, ike saves lucia last minute with the grail mercenaries real deus ex machina like, but one that works as a metaphorical reprieve/reward for elincia having the strength of will to stick by her word. yet as she says, the wounds of the conflict will remain, and its consequences are ones she will take up to ensure a better future going forward.

this one's for you @randomnameless