#or “that's not allowed. it's not narratively consistent.”

[greniza]

One of the consistent elements of Human Domestication Guide is that the setting's core kinks are, in-universe, institutionalized and enforced to a greater or lesser degree depending on the story. To many people, those kinks are strange or off-putting, and the premise of being forced into such a situation is (understandably) horrifying. My first introduction to the universe was the original story, which can be (and was, by me) read as a character's life and mind being wrested from her control and sculpted by a malignant and alien entity with total technological and social power, transforming the previously defiant main character into a puppet whose new master could play with or discard as she saw fit. This is not to say the story is problematic -- fiction is fiction -- but it left a lasting impression of the canon that I'm sure others share. Such is the bitter taste present in-universe.

There are people that, upon hearing someone say "I like this" about anything, will turn around and say, "Wow, you like this? You want everyone to have this? I don't want this, and therefore you are a bad person for wanting to force me to have this." These people fail to appreciate that someone could conceive of having different preferences from them. The "but" is that, as mentioned before, the bitter institutionalization of the human domestication guide universe loads the statement "I want to live there" with subtext of allowing the HDG universe's subjugation upon the unfortunate listener so long as the speaker gets to live there too.

The speaker's belief is that the subjugation of the HDG universe would be an abhorrent experience. I would agree with previous' post that it is about control, and that evaluating control and self-determination as moral goods isn't necessarily correct. I propose that while seeking control or it's simulacrums may be irrational, it is a survival instinct. If I had the ability to wave my hand, say "abracadabra," and cause anything material I imagined to come to pass, I might not be happier, but I would definitely never go hungry, and things that I noticed hurting me would evaporate. With more money, more time, more this, more that, one is necessarily able to do more. In previous's example, they trade their choice of food for automatic, free, and instant preparation; this is an increase of agency for previous and a loss of agency for another. So, previous would opt in, and someone else wouldn't.

This survival instinct extends to hypothetical considerations of the HDG universe. "What if," a skeptic might ask, "I was assigned an affini who's just sadistic and likes it when I suffer? In-universe, I'm powerless. I have no recourse! That would be awful!" and that skeptic would be correct! They would have no recourse. Such is necessarily the framing of the setting. The problem, reassures canon, is the premise of the hypothetical. There are no evil affini. All are very long-term thinkers with the happiness of the organisms they care for as the top priority. There are no need for checks, balances, or anything that could impede them, as they are as pure as angels while working in groups. This is almost paradoxical; the affini are characterized as big, weird-looking plantpeople, but still people. People, as you or I know, tend to suck and be awful, to take things for themselves at the cost of others. They’re so like us in some ways that they must be like us in every way. Furthermore, the individual characterization of affini often comes to friction with this overarching premise, as individual affini are clever and good, but still undeniably people and still undeniably flawed.

Truthfully, subscribing to the paradox of affini being both comprehensible and benevolent requires effort and a willingness to suspend disbelief for the sake of fiction. If the affini are truly people with flaws and shortcomings, as compelling narratives often require them to be, then they cannot be perfect in the way that canon demands they be. But, in order for canon to not be a narrative idealizing giving "good-intentioned" authoritarians unchecked power, the benevolence of affini must be the case. To quote, of all things, the Federalist papers, "If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."

HDG critics do not have investment in the setting sufficient to justify upholding suspension of disbelief in the face of narratives they view as unsettling, while fans of the setting are able to justify this suspension due to their enjoyment of the works therein.

Is HDG problematic? Again, it's a work of fiction with a subjective interpretation. The setting explores a reversal of the survival instinct to seize control, with payouts to protagonists for doing so. Equally, the setting explores a universe where throwing oneself prostrate at the feet of an imperialist conqueror yields great rewards. It serves as a vehicle for critique of the modern system where your choice is to either submit or suffer; a system which advertises itself as at least having a choice. Ultimately, though, the core of Human Domestication Guide is the kink. It's fiction, not reality. Judging engagement with a fictional work, especially one centered around kink, is silly.

A critique I've seen of HDG is "you'd have no control over your life" and idk, I feel like I have so little control over my life now.

the main difference is here it's due to capitalism, ableism, and transphobia and I have to largely take care of myself. Whereas in HDG, I would be fed, clothed, my disabilities accommodated for, my transition would be done in a week And I'd have a large hot plant person caring for me the entire time.

If I'd have no control over my life, at least HDG is safe and sexy

[whinlatter]

sorry if you've discussed this before, but do you think ginny's quidditch talent came out of nowhere? it's a common criticism I see about her but I feel like that kind of overstates how much of a quidditch "star" she was at the beginning, like she was consistently described as good but not great until partway into hbp and I also think it makes sense she'd keep it a secret from her teasing brothers. but maybe they're right and I'm just biased towards defending ginny

thank you for the question, anon!

the short answer is - no, i think it's (just about) plausibly rendered in the books. i think the series gets away with it because:

the story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy aka peak obliviousness in corporeal form, so we see what harry sees (and harry notices big fat nothing)

there is an entirely adequate narrative explanation for ginny's sporting skills that most readers not operating in bad faith* can put together, as you suggest: ginny comes from a sporty family who are all good at quidditch; she is of middling-to-good seeking ability when she first joins the team in ootp; she then has a good few months flying several times a week where she would necessarily grow in confidence and experience, leaving her perfectly able to blossom in hbp in a high school sport where she is competing against other children. fine and dandy in my book.

also quidditch is a broadly dumb and pointless plot so ginny being good at it is just a fun extra that we don't need to deep too much because - let's be real - quidditch is a waste of page space.

*i say this because, most of the time, these takes come from those who don't like hinny as a pairing. which is entirely their right and prerogative! it personally doesn't float my boat to spend my days doing worst faith readings of the text in order to make the case against canon ships i don't like, but as this is a race to the bottom - we are all adults dissecting children's books written by a nasty spiteful woman rotting in her mouldy castle spouting slurs, after all - who am i to judge.

(i also suspect the 'ginny is good at quidditch out of nowhere' takes have enjoyed such a long shelf-life on eg. reddit because the films are still most people's primary reference for HP takes so complaints about them then get cast back on the books - and, in the films, ginny does in fact rock up in film 6 like she's mbappé, if mbappé had the charisma of an extraordinarily soggy bath mat.)

with that said... could it have done with a bit more foreshadowing? yes, probably. people who don't like hinny as a pairing and prefer another are never going to be convinced - that's fine! but here i am, a paid-up hinny supporter, and even i think ginny's character development is sometimes wanting, to a frustrating and problematic extent. good writing (usually) means showing not telling, and it's weird and lazy of jkr to be so slapdash about revealing this and other character details about ginny and other (often female) characters. i think it's particularly striking that jkr underserves characters (again, usually women) who exist to serve the emotional development of characters (usually men), rather than the mystery plot(s) that drive hp as a series. (wanted! tonks' personality! last seen making fake pig noses and being the only auror mad eye moody mentored as his successor, for no plot reason!)

while i'm not a die-hard adherent to the chekhov's gun principle, i think one of the strengths of many novels du jour - especially the nothing really happens postmodern novel that crowds the bookshop shelves these days - is that their conventions allow authors to add colour to characters without each tiny detail being pregnant with meaning and in service of a driving plot that must be marched forward at all times. that can be really nice! as readers, we like to get a sense of characters as well-rounded living breathing people who go for a wee and take the bins out and stick on an album because it slaps every now and then; in these novels, we're also happier with the idea that things can happen to characters beyond the protagonist that don't directly impact the plot or demand the protagonist knows more than their own very limited vantage point. you have more room to play with character as a result.

jkr, ofc, isn't that kind of author. jkr is in fact an author for whom everything about her characters serves the plot. this, after all, is the brain that brought you 'remus lupin' the werewolf, and named the bad-guy-turned-good-guy in a book using a big black dog as a red herring omen of death 'sirius black'. jkr wants her audience to notice clues and remember little details about characters because they might be significant later on. this is entirely her wont and - lupin and sirius aside - she's often very good at it. the hp books are all standalone mysteries, and, when they land, those mysteries slap. ginny being the culprit in CoS is a genuinely satisfying resolution to the whodunit plot: this was reflected in critical reception at the time and was part of the reason why hp was able to be marketed as a children's book adults would also enjoy thereafter. there are also very satisfying foreshadowing and mystery plots that straddle the entire series and that reward the reader with reasonably good pay-off at the series end. (my favourite is the foreshadow within the foreshadow - e.g. regulus black barrelling back from ootp in DH, but then regulus' plot turning out to ultimately exist to foreshadow snape's own double agent status... delicious).

for my part, it's also what i want out of the fiction i read and the stories i try to write. i want everything to mean something. i want the weather, clothing, setting, body language etc to all do heavy lifting. i want character work to do work. it makes it fun for me to write and (i hope) it can it a bit more fun for the reader.

the problem is that while jkr is good setting up some mysteries, she is bad at others, and the romantic plot is one she falls down (a bit) on. she sets herself up for this: she wants to be a plot-centred mystery writer, so she does have an obligation to do better in how she deploys character details. jkr does to try to write the harry/ginny romance like a mystery, with little hints throughout the series up to the reveal of harry's feelings for ginny in HBP. (even ginny's full name is nominative determinism, finally revealed in DH once the reader has been told her place in the plot - ginevra, so guinnevre, the hero's queen). and while i will never not tire of pointing out to all of reddit that harry/ginny didn't come out of nowhere, and there is some satisfying foreshadowing knocking about here and there, i think it's fair to say that the harry/ginny build-up is not as satisfying as it could have been because jkr is basically lazier about the clues that ginny is the character harry will ultimately fall for, while she is much better at dropping clues for the series' central plot. that ginny ends the series with no real resolution of the primary tensions that motivate her other than her love of harry is probably the most acute example of this. but there's lots about her character where jkr phones it in a bit in fleshing her out or taking it to any logical conclusions or interesting plot directions. a smattering of examples:

ginny is the character who spends the entire series demanding to be included and not underestimated ends the series... with no real major role in the battle other than causing harry panic, while all other central characters receive a satisfying narrative arc that speaks to their central motivators across the series as a whole. (for an interesting discussion of what should have happened with ginny and the horcruxes, see here. i didn't even pay @saintsenara to write this!)

there are lots of shades of colour to ginny's character that are introduced pointlessly. i have previously talked about my beef with arnold the pygmy puff. we know ginny is popular but we know nothing of her friends who are all faceless plotless nobodies. we know ginny supports the all-womens quidditch team in a way that implies a nascent feminist politics after a childhood being excluded from playing a sport she loves by her brothers - yet we know nothing of it. we know ginny loves the one wizarding band that seems to exist because she has a poster of them on her wall and it just.... is something we just get told about her. now, all of these suggest ginny is a good time gal and a right laugh at the pub. and that's nice! i too am fun at the pub! but why does it matter? it wouldn't, in another series. but in a series where Everything Matters, it really stands out.

now..... i don't think all of this is an unsolveable problem for those of us writing fanfiction about ginny or harry and ginny as a couple. i don't think this makes ginny an inherently bad character. i hope the amount of life i have wasted thinking about this character is testament to this (...) and i personally find trying to cook up some fleshed-out characterisation and a satisfying arc for ginny, and for female characters more generally, from the crumbs of the original source material to be a very rewarding way to pass the time and a fuck you to a woman who thinks she can gatekeep womanhood while writing some astonishingly antifeminist fiction. i think harry and ginny are a deeply compelling and eminently plausible couple, and i think i return to writing about them as much as i do because i think they have a ton of potential as narrative mirrors and as characters with a rich well of tension but also devotion between them. as i say a lot, i think one of the things the harry/ginny pairing does refreshingly well compared to other romantic lead couples in YA fiction is show a couple that, at heart, genuinely get on very well, have a laugh together and enjoy each other's company in completely mundane lovely day-to-day ways (laundry and taxes u know). i think that's a striking and refreshing dynamic that i like to spend time fleshing out and playing with and writing about. but i can also see that there is an inconsistency in jkr's character work here, particularly her character work writing female characters, of which ginny is among the most acute examples.

[eerna]

Hiii I have some thought contributions to the Arcane symposium if you'll have me!

I see people understandably angry at how Arcane handles who is or isn’t a villain and I suppose my two cents is that I didn’t have any hope of them handling it right in the first place, even back in s1 there were always parallels made, always some “both cities have good and bad” nuance when one city doesn’t have air to breathe and is colonized by the other. If anything the beginning of s2 was more consistent in that the second Caitlyn is personally inconvenienced she goes full chemical warfare and mass institutional violence

Personally I thought it unlikely that they suddenly change narrative tones and resolve the plot in a way that was satisfying to me, and I knew the pacifist “choose love not hate <3 zaun and piltover arms in arms” both-sides ending was inevitable, so I’m glad they at least had that whole thing with Viktor and Jayce and the timelines to distract me from it

“they shouldn’t have made Viktor, a Zaunite, the villain” but Arcane always made the villain a Zaunite! Before Viktor there was Silco, Piltover chooses peace but Jinx blows the council up and now they have to do a whole “look what you made us do” arc. This was my beef with Arcane from day 1 (it wasn't emphasized enough, IMO, that the villain is Piltover's oppression and marginalization of Zaun, and that this context renders null any "both cities" comparison)

Also Vi was written so poorly this season what's up with that

All that being said I suppose it’s more complicated to discern “writer’s intent” from that kinda show than it would be in a book or an indie project where there are fewer people involved in the plot writing and less interference. Like one deleted scene or one line of dialogue omitted radically changes the message. But well, there's the intended message and there's the manifest message and as the audience we are allowed to criticize both

Of course we shall, step to the podium~ Truly, the "writer's intent" is truly so complicated here, because anti-capitalist messaging in mainstream art powered by capitalism is always a nightmare to get through.

Oh yes it's a good take, I remember the discussions from s1 era well! However, I still don't think the "both sides have good and bad" thing is a red flag in stories, simply because it's true IRL. A ton of people have trouble committing to a side in a conflict because neither is totally morally pure, which completely blinds them to the truth that NOTHING is morally pure and choosing the lesser evil is the way to go. Silco was a brilliant villain to me because he was an oppressor himself, as people in power are rarely anything else, but that didn't mean that Zaunite ideals were worth any less! After all, Ekko held the same anti-Piltover ideals, but he is morally pure and thus unable to become an influential politician. He can support a small society, but not a large one, because no one really can do that without resorting to some bad shit. Just because Silco dreamed of being the same as Piltover's elite and became a class traitor by forcing his citizens into another toxic work culture, except this time they made HIM rich instead of Piltover, doesn't mean we should just give up on trying to make things better. Zaun during Silco's reign is just as worthy of freedom and equality as Zaun during Vander's reign. It doesn't matter that there are terrorists living there now - that doesn't excuse Piltover's violent actions. And s1 seemed to be aware of that, considering how the Enforcers were depicted, and in the end it's the Piltover council who are forced to give up instead of the Undercity. And the choice of peace wasn't as morally pure as it sounds: the council opposed it and was forced into it by Jayce and Mel's combined power, even Jayce was resistant to the terms at first, AND it still left the Undercity in Silco's hands, fixing absolutely none of the sins they committed there. It wasn't an evil terrorist blowing up a bunch of hippies, it was a hurt Undercity girl setting in motion an event that has been brewing for a long, long time, against a system which gave too little, too late.

So yeah, in short, I don't interpret s1 as ever trying to question whether Zaun was right to demand more from Piltover by saying "well both sides are bad so nothing should change". It simply showed the ugly truth to any revolution: leaders are practically never good people, and those who get too close to it are doomed to very cursed lives. And yet, giving up isn't an option, because the system IS bad and the system HAS to be changed, and if that isn't gonna happen by the way of peace, then you can't help but sympathize with those who were wronged when they do something horrible.

That's why it only worked when it focused on individual characters - that way you can understand why everyone is acting the way they are acting, and you avoid falling into broad strokes. S2 instead focuses on the aesthetic of revolution and war and the characters get lost in the big picture, which absolutely sucks and completely negates everything I've been typing about here. In fact, who knows, maybe my opinion changes too after I sit with s2 for a while and contextualize s1 within it. Maybe I was just wishfully thinking and misinterpreting this whole time. I already feel like a clown for defending this show, so I can totally accept that I could probably be wrong here. But I just wanted to write it all out in the name of discussion and interpretation!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

hope ur day is going well! just wondering how to write a mystery (i think that's the genre of my book) and if it has a different structure than a regular coming-of-age story

Writing Notes: Mystery Novel

Mystery writing is a subgenre of fiction writing that relies on clues and suspense to captivate the reader.

Here are a few tips for creating an unforgettable mystery story:

Read other mysteries often. Great mystery novels are full of writing advice if you pay close attention. Read classic mystery books and short stories as well as best-selling crime fiction from new writers. Once you reach the end of the book and the mystery is revealed, return to the first page. Start over, noticing how and when the author shared clues and used misdirection to both untangle the mystery and heighten the suspense.

Know every detail of the crime. Whether you’re writing a murder mystery or the story of a bloodless crime, the misdeed at the heart of your mystery story drives the narrative. Before you get far along on your first draft, outline everything about the crime. Map out the who, what, where, when, why, and how. Great mystery writers also research the crime itself��whether it’s poisoning or pick-pocketing, know the mechanisms at play.

Open with intrigue. Mystery readers want to be dropped right into a thrilling tale of bad guys and red herrings, cliffhangers and diligent sleuths. Many crime novels open on the crime itself, then move forward or use flashback to keep readers enraptured as the main character begins their hunt for a masterful thief, deranged serial killer, or whoever the villain may be.

Construct convincing characters. Many of the best mystery books, detective novels, thrillers, and whodunits focus on strong character development. Remember that you are dealing with human beings, not stereotypes. Your main character, whether they are amateur sleuth or professional detective, functions as the eyes and ears of the reader and therefore should be both relatable and fallible. Your bad guy should also be complex and have clear motives.

Make a list of suspects. Writing mysteries is like crafting puzzles, and the most vital piece of the puzzle is typically the criminal’s identity. A great mystery will introduce several potential suspects over the course of the narrative. In fact, many of the best mystery tales allow the reader to meet the actual culprit early on, giving them time to doubt their guilt. List your suspects and explore their possible motives before committing them to paper.

Lean into your locations. Whether your setting is a small town or New York City, use the natural atmosphere and attributes of the place to enhance action and intrigue. The contrast of dastardly deeds happening in unlikely spaces can enhance the sense that danger lurks around every corner. Moving between interesting locations where important plot points take place can make a mystery novel all the more gripping.

Let the reader play along. Good mystery writing shows instead of tells. You want to use descriptive writing to create scenes that allow your reader to explore and discover clues—even those that your main character might miss. Rather than explain what’s happening and why, keep the reader in the center of the action, invested in the stakes of the story like it’s real life. Give your readers a chance to put together the puzzle themselves.

Avoid using "get out of jail free" cards. While it’s important to push your characters to the edge and have them encounter obstacles that seem completely impassable, don’t then undermine all your hard work by introducing an implausible deux ex machina that miraculously saves the day. If you don’t resolve your roadblocks logically and in a way that’s consistent with your story, then you’ll lower the stakes for your characters and lose the ‘buy in’ of your reader.

Misdirect your reader. The mystery genre is filled with false clues, known as red herrings, that lead readers down the wrong path as they’re trying to suss out the truth. That misdirection is part of the fun, upping the suspense and building engagement as your audience runs into sudden twists and dead ends in tandem with your sleuth. The last thing you want is for them to figure it all out when there’s still more story to tell.

Rewrite, then rewrite some more. Most creative writing benefits from a second draft and that’s especially true in mystery writing—all the more so if this is your first novel. Remember how you reread those classics and bestsellers after you knew how they ended? Employ that same strategy with your new mystery. Examine your pacing and redistribute your clues to build to the stunning conclusion that you’ve already written.

The only rule is originality. Looking for some hard-and-fast do’s and don’ts? Bestselling author Anthony Horowitz won’t divulge. “If you ask me what are the do’s and don’ts in writing a whodunnit or a murder mystery? Quite simply, there aren’t any. Never constrain yourself. It is by doing the don'ts and not doing the do’s that you will write the completely original book for you – and find success.”

Examples. Ways a Villain could Justify Committing a Crime:

righting a prior wrong

revenge (the victim deserved to die)

vigilante justice (the criminal justice system didn’t work)

protecting a loved one

restoring order to the world

James Patterson's Tips:

Know your Genre. Do your reading and glean inspiration, then build on the story, modernize the setting, and breathe new life into a fresh plot with unique characters. Learn what’s been done and then ask yourself “what’s a new twist on this?”

Set Up Compelling Questions. If you’re going to keep your readers along for the ride, you have to give them something to grip on to. Identify a handful of questions that pose an intriguing dilemma. E.g., Who would do such a thing, and why?

Raise the Stakes. Then Raise Them Again. Another way to keep your reader intrigued and going along with you is to keep raising the stakes. First, set the foundation of the story with the hook. Then, add more details.

Keep the Reader Guessing. When James feels a story is lagging, he builds in misdirections or red herrings. Don’t be afraid of misdirections, he says, because they’re actually very true to real life. Most detective work, amateur or otherwise, inevitably leads to some dead ends or wrong alleys.

Maximize the Effect of the Reveal. The entirety of a mystery or suspense novel is leading up to the big reveal—but don’t reveal everything all at once, or too quickly. Instead, create a scene that lets you slowly “milk” the reveal. James suggests feeding out little clue after little clue or tidbit until voila, the mystery is solved. It’s not always easy to keep plotlines straight in your mind, so build out your outline by adding three or four bullet points of clues you can give your readers about how the book will end. Add these to existing chapters if you feel that they wouldn’t spoil the surprise.

Some Subgenres of Mystery

Cozy mysteries often take place in small towns, frequently featuring charming bakeries and handsome mayors. Though the crime is normally murder, there’s no gore, no severed heads in boxes, and no lotion in the basket. As a result, there are rarely any traumatized witnesses or family members in these murder mysteries — making cozies perfect for a gentle fireside read. Example: the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie.

Police procedurals commonly center on a police investigation. They feature realistic law enforcement work, such as witness interrogation and forensic science, and require a great deal of research to convince seasoned readers of their authenticity. Example: Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series.

Noir detective novels. Most associate “noir” with black-and-white films of cynical gumshoes and femme fatales — but did you know that dark, gritty noir novels came first? Their flawed characters and complex plots are renowned for leaving readers in the grey. (Did the investigator do the right thing? Was the culprit really evil?) The crime may be solved by the end, but the mystery itself is rarely so open-and-shut. Example: The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain.

A suspense mystery is all about high stakes and unexpected twists — elements that make it nearly impossible to stop reading. The mystery builds throughout the narrative, clues are painstakingly planted to divulge just the right amount of information, and things are constantly edging towards a dramatic, often shocking climax. Example: Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ⚜ Some related posts:

Writing Tips: A "Convincing" Mystery

Traps to Avoid When Managing your Clues

Detective or Crime Stories

Hope this helps with your writing & hope you have a lovely day/night yourself!

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Interesting. I can't read them quite the same way.

In RWS at least, neither Henry nor James have pretensions to be the best. They are arrogant even when they're down and dismissed and at the bottom - and that's actually why they get an arrogance "hall pass" in my book lol. Their egos are sheer stubbornness and I love their moxie. But they don't claim to be the best, they just don't think they get the respect they're due and they both thirst to be recognized as more capable and splendid (James) or hardworking (Henry) than they are seen.

Henry does swan about when he confidently believes he'll get the nod for the royal train in 1952 but he's not delusional, it seems he was right all along. If Gordon was in the running I think he'd know damn well he had no chance (and carp about it. a lot.)

Gordon's title as the strongest and biggest engine on the railway is uncontested. But his arrogance is as much cope as Henry's and James's, because his size and strength are not actually essential. He's been shunted off to a small backwater railway for whose most strenuous duty he is in fact comically overpowered. Hatt wanted an Atlantic for the job, lol. He only got Gordon because he was screwed out of the Atlantic and Gordon was available for cheap. He's as much a misfit castoff as any of them. Hatt I isn't necessarily wildly enthused. "Never liked these big engines, always going wrong." Gordon has to round up Henry and James to stand with him before he can really demonstrate his importance and even then Hatt can thumb his nose at all three of them for at least a time. Gordon by himself can't strike because he could be replaced by James or Henry 2.0 in a heartbeat. It would cause more confusion and delay for the Fat Controller to lose an autofitted tank engine than to lose him.

The only reason he's not insecure about all this at first is because he is committed to living in unreality. He wants to live in a world where he got that damn goods train over that hill all on his own, in a world where he always runs on the right line because of his own wisdom, in a world where Tender Engines Don't Shunt. His entire character development consists of slowly easing in and getting in touch with his actual reality (which includes pesky things like having feelings and attachments to other, lesser beings).

He actually takes a lot of Ls before the ditch incident. 1952 is when he seems to have fully partly changed his worldview in response. Before he could be knocked hard down hard but he'd find some way to cope, some narrative that allowed him to save face. But then, we also see him improving his attitude before 1952 too; it's not really a complete 180-degree turn on a dime.

But anyway, yeah. "Condescension" as a virtue was always the purview of the nobility. It's never been acceptable for us peasants to condescend ;) I continue to respect James's belief that he's not "just some mogul" more than Gordon's belief that he's Better Than U.

Forever and Ever... Even in the 1920s-1960s

Started going down a long digression in the 2+4 essay. Gonna follow this breadcrumb trail over here instead...

One of my arguments is that Gordon actually behaves well and graciously way more often than he is usually given credit for (and starts doing this way earlier than often credited, too).

Along the way, I realized that his spots of bad behavior are not random. When he starts acting all Ass, it's almost always in the period of some sort of major change in his life:

The Three Railway Engines - *waves hand vaguely* all of it -> he's just transferred from the GNR to Sodor

Troublesome Engines - *waves hand again* y'know, all of it -> Thomas moved away :(

Henry the Green Engine - harrumphing about how Henry has let the side down in like three different ways directly after Henry's major reconstructive surgery -> the horrible wreck where Henry, his best friend, could have died, and instead was in hospital the rest of the damn winter

Gordon the Big Engine - "Mind you keep on the rails today!" and then, when he gets pushback, retreating to old friend "boasting" -> is he mother-henning Henry?? he's explicitly referencing the Kipper accident! I would not be too shocked to learn that Gordon gets twinges of unease that he never examines every so often whenever he sees Henry with a train

Percy the Small Engine - "Quack quack quack!" and trying to bully Duck (lol. lmao, even) -> Percy is gonna move away :(

Main Line Engines - getting on his high horse about "Branch Line Diesels" and then getting into a huge spat with Edward that results a brand-new beat-down of a dead horse named "Edward is Weak and Useless" -> We learn in "Wrong Road" that his fireman is new. Presumably his old fireman advanced to fill the role, leaving the vacancy... which means that Gordon recently lost his old driver to retirement.

You might be thinking "well yeah, stressors are stressful, most people's outbreaks of bad behavior have to do with some sort of Big Life Thing" - I certainly thought so, for a mo'. But this isn't true of the other major characters? James's worst behavior in the Wilbert books comes when he is slightly delayed sometimes during his work day and when Toby just, erm… exists. Thomas's worst behavior is because he… doesn't like his snowplough, and has a careless cleaner.

No, only Gordon's poor behavior can so consistently be linked to big changes. Indeed, not many RWS characters have been seen with quite as much of an interior life as we learn Gordon has in "Tenders for Henry." By that point, Gordon has matured enough that he doesn't express his feelings in this emotionally-stupid make-it-everyone's-problem sort of way. But we can see clearly that the end of steam seems to affect him more deeply than anyone else at Tidmouth.

So yeah, I think there's something real and insightful in the above pattern. Once again, my friends - Galloping Sausage with Feelings.

[nicollekidman]

it’s so. good. that buffy has to feel self loathing about what she’s doing with spike specifically because the underpinnings of the show require that vampires be Bad Monster Creatures who Cannot Feel and are just Lifeless Demons otherwise everything comes into question. about everything. except that spike is the crack in the foundation of the show itself and in that, he makes the show better! he’s the only end that makes sense for her because he sets her free!!!

[robbyykeene]

So let me get this straight. Johnny can verbally berate and bully his students, throw them in a cement mixer, hogtie them to a punching bag to punish them for successfully landing a hit on him, set a pack of rabid dogs on them, and hurl glass beer bottles at them all in the name of “training,” and we’re supposed to laugh and clap and cheer. But then I’m supposed to think the hot new sensei from China is the epitome of evil because he cuffed one of his students with a foam pad?

[roguetelepaths]

...so guess who's rewatching star trek discovery

[okitanoniisan]

i keep saying i need to make some zhaoryu shit but i'm back on my y5 kazusaeji bullshit again they are just so. m

[quantumshade]

I swear people say Moffat was a bad dw showrunner because they watched sherlock and didn't watch 12's era

yeah no literally. the example i always use is hbomberguy because like. i love his videos i think he's hilarious and incredibly smart but i just think he's so fucking wrong about the twelfth doctor i can't even rewatch his sherlock video or any of his doctor who related content because i disagree so strongly on how he interprets that era

[cleromancy]

"why does jason have a white streak when other characters who die or use the lazarus pit dont 🤔" bc its a visual representation of how death and resurrection changed him in a way it didnt for the others you chud

[nyxofdemons]

i think the best way i can articulate why this episode is my favorite of the whole show so far is that it was so emotionally gratifying i don't even care about the pacing issues

[mediumsizedpidegon]

THE IDEA OF THE KINDS OF ANIMALS/PLANTS THAT ARE NATIVE TO THE SINKHOLE CITY DIDN'T EVEN OCCUR TO ME!! AH I'M SO EXCITED TO COME UP WITH SOME BEASTS!!!

okay. okay. When I mentioned that SQH has folded-paper minions, I decided that if the type of animal they were wasn't consistent, then they'd all have a sort of obvious behavior in common. Which is to say, I tried to pick out animals that are either 1) talkative or 2) VERY LOUD. Most of the creatures that fall under the 'most talkative' category are birds or sea critters like dolphins/sea lions, which I didn't think would fit (paper and water don't mix). So there's crows, mocking birds, parrots, songbirds like nightingales, bats. Which all fall under the category of 'flight' as well, meshing well with my idea of SQH having wings himself (and cultivators themselves are connected explicitly to flight– remember the whole scene with MBJ falling and SQH shouting "he can't fly!"). As for the stories that are more vulnerable and less mobile, the ones SQH keeps tucked to his chest– rattlesnakes or saw-scaled vipers (look them up!! they rub their scales together as a threat display and it makes this sizzling sound).

And yes, I am implying that ghost!SQH picks up some song bird-like behaviors. Take that how you will in regards to moshang.

Now. I imagine the original plants/animals of the sinkhole city are still there even after it's become a different type of fantasy nightmare compared to rest of the world. It's underground, so definitely lots of burrowing creatures– moles, salamanders, other types of lizards/reptiles, countless cave fish and underground aquatic species. I like the idea of some sort of really fucked up hare with sloth claws that dig tunnels. maybe cats that ooze like slime and lots of bats? ALSO insects: god so many insects. I'm imagining some of the wildlife is bioluminescent as well because the idea of these glowing hives stuck into the sides of a massive cavern is so cool. I think the effect of SQH and all the new people would be cause some species to be discovered, others to be tamed/domesticated, or new ones to be introduced– maybe even new ones entirely created through rumors, stories, and guesswork. (maybe everytime someone in range comes up with a cryptid and that cryptid becomes sufficiently popular, it just. shows up in the caves one day. This can be either quite the blessing or burden.)

I just want to emphasize that the sinkhole city would be still be undeniably strange even without SQH's influence. The type of people who chose to immigrate to a hole in the ground hiding that it's a hole in the ground are not normal people. People don't just choose to make that sort of massive uncertain life change if there's not a very, very good reason for it. Meaning: the caverns are filled with cursed people that don't want their curses broken (and those who do but stayed afterwards anyway), demon-human hybrid families, a group of wild scientists, escapees and survivors from all manner of terrible situations, runaway brides/grooms, people who came back from dark places different, and those who couldn't go back at all. Ghosts of all shapes, sizes, and powers. Demons running from other demons. Demons running from humans. Demons running from their families. Cultivators that quit their sect. Cultivators that were thrown out. Cultivators running from other cultivators. Human children with rare mutations that caused them to be kicked out of their homes. People who burnt down the people who burnt down their home, who burnt themselves. Girls with teeth in their souls and boys with blood in their mouths. Old spirits. New spirits. Researchers, beast-tamers and craftspeople of all kinds fleeing a plague. People straddling the line between life and death. People that wanted to explore.

All SQH does is amplify the strangeness. All he does is provide a focal point. All he does is give his cobbled-together folk a new couple rules. The rest is theirs, community-built, community-maintained. This is a story, and stories are just as much built by the audience as they are by the author. (Maybe the flowers outside your house can live a year and a half because you give them love with their water.)

maybe your cat's too smart, and your bird talks. maybe the wind that should not exist– not so deep underground– brushes your cheek, redirects your step. This is a city of stories, a city that loves languages, and it loves their creation and mixing. Maybe your human child swears with a snake's tongue. Maybe there's hives of glowing insects in the walls, and veins of night pearls curling into patterns and shapes that can't be natural (some of them look like constellations).

Just. I want to emphasize that 1) this place was always going to bizarre and 2) IF LUO BINGHE STANDS OUT HERE IT SURE WON'T BE BECAUSE OF HIS HERITAGE. A cultivator and a heavenly demon had a kid? His third parent is a random human that the other two parents treat like a sister? The big snake's his cousin? His uncle is a ghost? Alright, makes sense. My cousin is a part-time black bear herself, you know.

I imagine that it would take a.... really, really decisive and vicious verbal victory to physically change a person to the ultra-pathetic state you're thinking of. It would take so much planning and behind the scenes work to even set the stage to get your story/argument to cut and change a person to that level (if you don't know them extremely well or get extremely lucky). Absolutely, if the person is deeply pathetic in the core of them, sure you could peel back a few layers but changing is so much harder than revealing. It's why your stories have to have that element of truth to them. It has to have basis in something– something cannot come from nothing. Besides the 'transform someone into how pathetic you think they are' sounds not only difficult but pretty bad on the ethical front. Like. temporarily changing someone's hair to a color they hate? sure. messing with their mental state/memory manipulation? no. that's for enemies and emergencies only. (And Su Xiyan would come down on you like a sword to the neck).

sahsjsjkansjahsjak poor MBJ in that hypothetical situation. I imagine the very obvious devoted love feedback (which is what it must look like to demons) MBJ and SQH have wouldn't stop most demons. they want power. they want the title of MBJ's Consort. the more shameless ones would probably just rock up to the ice palace and be like 'you can have that human as a second spouse if I get the title and my child inherits' which would.... not provoke a polite reaction from MBJ. I do imagine that MBJ and SQH get married eventually, after a long courtship and some talks about what the fuck the two of them actually want. And by then, they'll definitely be a power couple.

YOU GET IT!!! the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON in MBJ's life will die and hide it from him. this is soul-crushing. this is the emotional equivalent of getting your rib cage torn out! MBJ will have so many more new issues after this. (things will get worse before they get better, that's for sure.) He will be tied up in knots about it for decades. Making amends and building a wonderful relationship will help, but for as long as he lives, Mobei-Jun will have a part of his mind that screams and screams and screams. what if it's not real? it'll ask. what if i'm hurting him? what if he doesn't want this? like. this is nightmare material. In terms of emotional ramifications, this is up there with his uncle's betrayal, except the betrayal was from himself. Get ready for Abandonment Issues the Sequel! Get ready for Questioning Your Judgement: the Ongoing Crisis!

In all honesty though, things are going to be so ugly between moshang following this revelation. Not because they don't love each other– but MBJ can't trust his own judgement or SQH's. He can't trust himself to know when he's gone too far and he can't trust SQH to tell him if he does. MBJ, in svsss, so deeply trusts SQH's word, SQH's advice, SQH's knowledge, and realizing that he can't trust SQH's word about SQH is going to completely crack his worldview. SQH can't be his weirdly indestructible and all-knowing servant anymore. He can't exist in that unexplainable space in MBJ's mind anymore. He died, and he doesn't know what he means to MBJ and MBJ can't carry on as he used to. He needs to find his words. Meanwhile SQH just desperately wants to sweep everything under the rug. Desperately wants to ignore that his oath is fulfilled and there's no obvious reason for why he's doing this anymore. Desperately wants to keep MBJ and his little family separate. Keep Shang Qinghua, An Ding Peak Lord and Shang Qinghua, the servant, and Shang Qinghua, the brother the uncle the friend, and Shang Qinghua, the Storykeeper separate. Just. God. God.

Fun fact: Luo Jiahui (LBH's adoptive mother) calls SQH Da-ge. And he doesn't share his name to his people at first so people just start calling him Storykeeper Luo or Lord Luo which MESSES WITH HIS HEAD SO BAD.

As for Su Xiyan: yeah I love the idea of her being a sort of justice through transparency ghost more. I think she's in charge of the justice system in the sinkhole city because she deserves it :) Honestly though the legal system HAS to be garbage in the cultivation world, given that was is righteous is dependent on what the most rich and powerful people are saying. So SXY doesn't just build a justice system as much as she creates one. And TLJ reads torrid novels in the dozens of cozy libraries in the city. He ends up writing a series of popular book reviews and forming a book/debate club because I think everyone in svsss just.... needs more friends. Luo Jiahui starts a restaurant (PLEASE READ 'PRIDE IS NOT THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR' IT'S SOOOOO GOOD AND THIS IDEA IS NOT MINE). Zhuzhi-lang.... tries [is lovingly bullied into] to learn how to define him outside of being by his uncle's side. He works in Luo Jiahui's restaurant and is dragged into pottery by some teenagers that ask to use his arms like a stamp to impart a scaled texture to their cups. Su Xiyan goes to trashy theatre with Tianlang-Jun and Luo Jiahui and Shang Qinghua have sing-offs while doing the dishes. Luo Binghe explores tide pools and tries to tell stories of his own, like his parents and his uncle before him. One day, Shang Qinghua will bring Mobei-Jun to this treasured place, all his vulnerabilities flashing across his face (literally. the words flicker across the bridge of his nose). He'll have his weimao at his feet, unmasked. And Mobei-Jun will listen. How strange, he will think, fond and aching. How beautiful, this place that should be an impossibility. What a Shang Qinghua thing to do, to speak the improbable into being.

And YUE QINGYUAN. oh dear. I don't know if he ever finds out that SQH was planning to sell out the sect but god. what a gut punch that the one of the TWO co-workers you don't have to worry about* has 1) been in a long-distance relationship with the Northern Demon King's son since he was in his late teens, 2) is dead and has been dead for decades now and 3) is EXTREMELY powerful and eldritch. the delayed grief. the guilt. THE GUILT!!

*SQH and MQF

Genuinely the first couple years after his ascension must have been rough for YQY. He's suddenly in charge of a sect and trying to adjust to the workload, there's so much tension with demons that the situation is probably going to explode soon, and he has to cut back on his scheduled guilt-spirals about SQQ. (YQY is ABSOLUTELY that post about the guy crying in a library and then just stopping and going back to work when his alarm goes off five minutes later.) SQH must have been such a relief. A person he doesn't have to worry about! A person who is FIXING shit! A person who is ripping his peak apart and putting it back to together corruption-free and terrifyingly efficient! A person who is very good at his job! And then you peel back two layers of SQH's exterior and he's still the talented logistician but he's also deeply deeply strange. And YQY is not touching that! He's not! But maybe he should have or else SQH wouldn't have been able to lie about being alive for the past couple decades and also breaking the heavenly demon emperor out of prison (this is not true. SQH is so good at lying because he's a nervous wreck all the time. He's also good at making people feel so awkward and uncomfortable that they stop asking questions.)

thinking about Shang Qinghua as a calamity again…

[orcelito]

ok so like. between Sentido and In the Next Life, the kudos discrepancy is obvious (it being a tristamp vs trimax fic)

but honestly, the engagement with In the Next Life is honestly rly encouraging. a 10.8% comments to kudos percentage for Sentido vs 30.8% for ITNL

it was a lil discouraging at first how few kudos it got bc i just got off the high of super fast growing Sentido. but like, when you think about it it makes a lot of sense. the general tristamp fic with a simple setup & effective character exploration using a structure i havent seen otherwise.

vs heavy heavy HEAVY trimax spoilers fic. like this fic is made For Me to cope with reading trimax. but for ppl who dont read as fast as me or havent started it after watching tristamp. if they care about spoilers, this is not what theyre gonna be reading

so it makes sense! and im no longer disappointed, especially considering how sweet all my commenters have been.

im just gonna keep goin at it. im writing this for Me, and either it'll get more attention or it wont. it's enough for the people who are here now to continue this journey with me.

[beneath-the-moon-and-me]

I think fear the walking dead is genuinely rotting my brain.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How To Plan A Book Series: Ultimate Guide

Writing a book series can be an incredibly rewarding experience for authors, but it also requires careful planning and execution. A well-crafted book series can captivate readers, build a loyal fan base, and provide a steady stream of income for writers. However, planning a successful book series is no easy feat.

It demands a deep understanding of world-building, character development, and plot progression. In this ultimate guide, I'll help you explore the essential steps to help you plan a compelling and cohesive book series that will keep your readers hooked from start to finish.

Develop a Compelling Premise The foundation of any successful book series is a strong premise. Your premise should be unique, engaging, and have the potential to sustain multiple books. Consider exploring a complex world, a captivating concept, or a character with a rich backstory that can evolve over the course of several books. Ask yourself: What makes your premise stand out? What will keep readers invested in the story for multiple installments?

Create a Detailed Outline Before you dive into writing, it's crucial to create a detailed outline for your entire book series. This outline should include the overarching plot, major story arcs, character development, and key events for each book. Having a solid outline will help you maintain consistency, avoid plot holes, and ensure that each book contributes to the overall narrative. Don't be afraid to make adjustments as you write, but having a roadmap will keep you on track.

World-Building: Crafting a Vivid and Consistent Universe One of the hallmarks of a successful book series is a richly developed and immersive world. Whether you're creating a fantasy realm, a futuristic society, or a contemporary setting, pay close attention to world-building. Establish the rules, customs, histories, and geography of your fictional world. Consistency is key, so ensure that the details align across all books in the series. Consider creating a "bible" or a comprehensive guide that outlines the intricacies of your world, making it easier to maintain continuity.

Develop Compelling Characters Great characters are the heart and soul of any book series. Your protagonists, antagonists, and supporting characters should be well-rounded, multi-dimensional, and undergo significant growth and transformation throughout the series. Craft backstories, motivations, flaws, and strengths for each character, and ensure that their actions and decisions drive the plot forward. Remember, character development is an ongoing process, so be prepared to explore new facets of your characters as the series progresses.

Establish Recurring Themes and Motifs Themes and motifs are powerful tools that can add depth and resonance to your book series. Identify the central themes you want to explore, such as love, redemption, power, or identity. Weave these themes throughout the series, allowing them to evolve and deepen with each installment. Motifs, like recurring symbols or imagery, can also create a sense of cohesion and add layers of meaning to your narrative.

Plan for Cliffhangers and Resolutions One of the key strategies for keeping readers engaged in a book series is the strategic use of cliffhangers and resolutions. Cliffhangers create anticipation and leave readers craving for the next installment. However, be cautious not to overuse this technique, as it can become frustrating for readers. Balance cliffhangers with satisfying resolutions that tie up loose ends and provide a sense of closure, while still leaving room for the story to continue.

Consider Pacing and Narrative Structure Pacing and narrative structure are crucial elements to consider when planning a book series. Each book should have its own narrative arc, with a beginning, middle, and end, while also contributing to the overall story progression. Vary the pacing between books to maintain reader interest, alternating between action-packed and slower, more introspective sections. Experiment with different narrative structures, such as multiple perspectives, non-linear timelines, or frame narratives, to keep the series fresh and engaging.

Manage Continuity and Consistency As your book series grows, maintaining continuity and consistency becomes increasingly important. Keep detailed records of character descriptions, plot points, world-building elements, and timelines. Regularly refer back to these notes to ensure that you're not introducing contradictions or inconsistencies. Consider creating a series bible or a wiki to help you keep track of all the moving parts.

Plan for Character Growth and Evolution In a book series, characters should undergo significant growth and evolution. Plan for character arcs that span multiple books, allowing your protagonists and supporting characters to face challenges, make difficult choices, and emerge as changed individuals. This character development will not only add depth to your narrative but also keep readers invested in the journey of your characters.

Anticipate and Address Potential Plot Holes As your book series expands, the potential for plot holes and inconsistencies increases. Be vigilant in identifying and addressing these issues during the planning stage. Regularly review your outline and notes, looking for any logical gaps or contradictions. Enlist the help of beta readers or critique partners to provide fresh perspectives and catch any potential plot holes you may have missed.

Consider the Overarching Story Arc While each book in your series should have its own narrative arc, it's essential to plan for an overarching story arc that spans the entire series. This overarching arc should tie together the individual books, building towards a climactic conclusion that resolves the central conflict or mystery. Ensure that each book contributes to this larger narrative, advancing the plot and raising the stakes for the characters.

Plan for Marketing and Promotion Finally, as you plan your book series, don't overlook the importance of marketing and promotion. Develop a strategy for building buzz and engaging with your audience throughout the release of each book. Leverage social media, author events, book tours, and other promotional opportunities to keep your readers excited and invested in your series.

Remember, writing a book series is a marathon, not a sprint, so be prepared to invest time, effort, and dedication into crafting a truly remarkable literary journey. Hope this helped!

Happy Writing - Rin T.

Hey fellow writers! I'm super excited to share that I've just launched a Tumblr community. I'm inviting all of you to join my community. All you have to do is fill out this Google form, and I'll personally send you an invitation to join the Write Right Society on Tumblr! Can't wait to see your posts!